By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

Chapter 77 Wen Zongji's Self-Inflicted Misfortune

An hour later, Wen Zongji regretted his decision to bring three women out shopping.

He felt he must have been out of his mind back then.

There are many ways to mend his relationship with Aunt Chen, but he chose the most painful one.

"Brother, look at this! It's so interesting!"

Seeing that Wen Zongji had fallen behind, Wen Shuyu waved to him and called him over.

"...Here you are."

Wen Zongji replied listlessly.

Wen Shuyu, oblivious to Wen Zongji's unusual behavior, enthusiastically explained to him, "The old man said this is called puppetry. It's amazing how one person can perform a whole play on such a small stage."

The performer's ten fingers are bound with silk threads, each thread connecting to a puppet. His fingers are very flexible, and with the movement of his fingers, he can make the puppets perform the actions he wants.

In addition, the performer is also skilled in ventriloquism, able to portray the feeling of a group of people all by himself.

As expected, there are many hidden masters among ordinary people.

Pei Rujing was equally engrossed: "Qinghe, reward her!"

Like acrobatics, puppet shows rely on performing for money, and there are people on the side who collect the money.

Upon hearing Pei Rujing's words, the person immediately came over with a tray in hand.

Qinghe placed a silver ingot on the tray.

Ten taels —

Your Highness, you are incredibly wealthy and powerful!

The person collecting the money was also stunned, then broke into a delighted smile, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Madam, thank you, Madam."

Wen Shuyu wasn't as rich as Pei Rujing, but she was too embarrassed to take advantage of him for free, so she took out a coin from her own savings and put it on the table.

The service was excellent, and any tip was appreciated; I thanked them in return, saying, "Thank you, young lady."

After giving the tip, the group continued walking.

Wen Zongji couldn't take it anymore and asked, "How about we find a place to rest for a while?"

Wen Shuyu was having a great time: "I'm not tired."

Pei Rujing suppressed a laugh. She had experience shopping with Wen Zongji and knew he was tired.

Aunt Chen also noticed Wen Zongji's unusual behavior and said, "I'm tired."

It's definitely the mother who's the best!

Wen Zongji looked around and pointed, "There's a restaurant over there. It's not far from lunchtime. Let's rest for a while and then have lunch."

Changxing Street is the most prosperous street in Beijing, bustling with people and never lacking in teahouses and restaurants.

And their skills are quite good.

After all, you can't establish yourself on Changxing Street without rolling up your sleeves.

The group entered the restaurant. Since there was still some time before their meal, it wasn't crowded. They went straight up to the second floor and asked for a private room: "Let's have a pot of tea first, and then we'll order the dishes later."

The waiter responded and left, saying, "Please wait a moment, sir."

Wen Shuyu sat by the window, her eyes still fixed on the crowd on the street.

Wen Shuyu was obviously the happiest person to be out this time.

She became much more cheerful and less reserved than before.

A short while later, the waiter served the tea, then closed the door and left.

Qinghe stepped forward and poured tea for everyone.

Wen Zongji was truly thirsty, so he took the lead in picking up his teacup and sipping a few mouthfuls to quench his thirst.

Pei Rujing also took a sip and said disdainfully, "This tea is terrible."

Then he refused to drink anymore.

Wen Zongji had already drunk about half a cup: "As long as it quenches my thirst, that's fine."

He had been drinking the tribute tea brought by Pei Rujing for the past few months, and he could tell that the tea was just so-so.

As he said, it's just to quench thirst; there's no need to ask for too much.

Hearing their conversation, Wen Shuyu curiously tried it and said, "It's alright."

You can't get any good tea at Jade Pavilion.

Pei Rujing instructed, "Granny, after we return to the manor, give some tea to the concubine and the younger sister."

Granny Feng replied, "Yes."

Aunt Chen instinctively refused, "Your Highness is too kind. We'll drink any kind of tea."

Wen Zongji advised her, "The county princess dislikes it most when others refuse her feelings, so please accept it, Aunt."

The county princess has many fine things, filling the warehouse to the brim. How to dispose of them is entirely up to her.

Wen Shuyu didn't care about any of that. Her bright, sparkling eyes looked at Wen Zongji and asked, "Brother, shall we continue shopping after dinner?"

Wen Zongji's face stiffened, and he coughed lightly, saying, "I have something to do in a bit."

Wen Shuyu's gaze dimmed instantly.

"You can continue shopping. I'll wait for you at Ruijintang, and then we'll go back to the mansion together."

"Ruijintang?"

Aunt Chen felt the name sounded familiar: "Was it the bookstore that the Marquis bestowed upon you?"

Wen Chuanhong was sure he would tell Aunt Chen about giving Wen Zongji two shops.

Wen Zongji was not surprised that Aunt Chen knew about this: "Indeed, there are some things I'd like to discuss with the manager of Ruijintang."

Aunt Chen nodded: "We should have a chat. You, as the new employer, can't just stay completely hidden."

Wen Zongji looked at Pei Rujing: "Where is the county princess?"

Pei Rujing said, "I'll go with you."

She had no intention of spending time alone with Aunt Chen.

Wen Zongji did not insist: "After the meal, Aunt and Little Sister can continue shopping, while the County Princess and I will go to Ruijintang."

None of them had any objections.

……

Ruijintang

The shopkeeper was clearly taken aback when he saw Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing walk in.

Both men were handsome and had outstanding demeanor. Businessmen are best at remembering people, and the shopkeeper recognized them at a glance.

"Our distinguished guests have graced our humble establishment once again with their presence; it brings us great honor!"

In a single sentence, he showed that he still remembered them and mentioned their status, which would make anyone happy.

Wen Zongji had no intention of hiding his identity any longer and said, "I am Wen Zongji."

The shopkeeper was taken aback, then quickly came out from behind the counter, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble servant greets the owner."

He naturally knew the name of the new owner. After Wen Chuanhong handed Ruijintang over to Wen Zongji, he sent a steward to inform the manager.

He simply had never met Wen Zongji before, which is why he didn't recognize him.

In this era of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, the manager of Ruijintang had the Zhongyong Marquis's mansion as his backing, which seemed to give him a decent status, but that status only applied to outsiders.

In the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, he was only allowed to go to the mansion when he was checking the accounts, and he could only see the steward in charge of him. He could not even see the steward more than a few times, let alone the master of the mansion.

My impression of Wen Zongji —

There was only one shopkeeper—Good Luck married Princess Anhe.

Princess Anhe?

The shopkeeper then realized what was happening, turned to look at Pei Rujing, and hurriedly greeted her, "This humble servant greets the County Princess."

Wen Zongji is his new employer, so the woman beside him can only be the Princess of Anhe County.

Pei Rujing nodded lightly: "Bring out the latest martial arts novels and find a quiet place. I want to read."

She wasn't interested in what Wen Zongji was going to say to the shopkeeper.

"Yes."

The shopkeeper made the arrangements immediately.

After leading Pei Rujing to the quiet room, they returned to find Wen Zongji sitting behind the counter looking at the account book.

The shopkeeper waited respectfully to the side for Wen Zongji to finish reading.

Wen Zongji looked up at him: "I still don't know your name?"

"My name is Mao Zheng. I started working at Ruijintang as a shop assistant at the age of twenty. Later, I was fortunate enough to be valued by the manager and was put in charge of managing Ruijintang for the Marquis's mansion. If the master wants to audit the accounts, I will find the account books for the most recent three years for you."

Wen Zongji waved his hand: "Don't rush to check the accounts, I have something else to tell you."