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

Chapter 54 Zhao Hongrong Leaves in Anger

Zhao Hongrong sat in the lobby until lunchtime, silently encouraging himself to hold on a little longer and leave immediately after lunch.

Just as he finished thinking this, Zhao Hongrong felt a slight tightening in his lower abdomen. Since no one had paid any attention to him earlier, he could only awkwardly drink tea, and as a result, he drank too much tea, and now he needed to go to the toilet.

"I don't know..."

Zhao Hongrong got up and wanted someone to take him to the outhouse.

But before he could even open his mouth, Wen Zongji stood up and asked, "Does Your Highness have something to attend to and wish to return to the residence?"

This sentence seemed to have flipped a switch.

Wen Zongren immediately stood up: "In that case, we will not keep the young master any longer."

Wen Zongqi also became extremely polite: "I will escort the Crown Prince."

For the first time, Wen Zongjing felt he was slow to react, but since they had all spoken, he couldn't remain silent, so he added, "Your Highness, please take care!"

Zhao Hongrong: "..."

He just wanted to use the restroom, so why did you say he was leaving?

It's clear that Zhao Hongrong understood even without Wen Chuanhong saying a word; he was using this as an excuse to get rid of him.

They didn't even consider keeping lunch for themselves.

Zhao Hongrong's face flushed with anger: "Father-in-law, I'm accompanying Shuxuan on her homecoming today, am I not even allowed to have lunch?"

Wen Chuanhong looked at him indifferently: "Isn't the young master busy with something?"

He originally intended to have Zhao Hongrong stay for lunch, otherwise he wouldn't have sat here with him.

But Wen Zongji gave him an excuse. Wen Chuanhong suddenly didn't want Zhao Hongrong to stay for lunch, so he used the excuse given by Wen Zongji to shut Zhao Hongrong up.

He knew Zhao Hongrong wouldn't dare to turn against him, otherwise he wouldn't have come today.

Just as Wen Chuanhong had predicted.

Zhao Hongrong was clearly furious, but he didn't dare to vent his anger on Wen Chuanhong. He forced himself to suppress his anger and reluctantly went down the aisle: "I really have something to do and can't have dinner with you, Father-in-law. Please forgive me. I'll come to pick up Shuxuan later."

Wen Chuanhong said, "No need for that. Madam misses Rou'er, so Shuxuan will stay for a few days."

Zhao Hongrong frowned: "The Duke's household affairs still need Shuxuan to make the decisions."

"I believe that with your mother around, the Duke's mansion will not be in chaos."

Wen Chuanhong was clearly determined to let Wen Shuxuan stay.

Zhao Hongrong was somewhat annoyed. He had been forced by the Duke of Zhao to come to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence today to apologize. Even if he couldn't immediately gain the Wen family's forgiveness, he hoped to at least ease tensions.

As a result, Zhao Hongrong was ignored when he arrived, and no one paid any attention to him. He felt uncomfortable and couldn't bring himself to apologize.

Besides, he didn't think he had done anything wrong. He hadn't favored his concubines over his wife; he had just taken in a few more women. What was wrong with that?

Wen Shuxuan had only given birth to one daughter in the three years since she married into the Duke's mansion. Because no legitimate son had been born, his concubines were all drinking contraceptive soup, which resulted in him still only having one daughter.

In terms of faults, Wen Shuxuan's faults are clearly greater!

The more Zhao Hongrong thought about it, the less he wanted to apologize.

But now the Marquis's mansion not only refuses to let him have lunch, but also wants to keep Wen Shuxuan here. Zhao Hongrong can't help but feel angry.

Fortunately, he remembered the Duke of Zhao's warning and did not openly break off relations. He barely managed to maintain his composure: "Since Mother-in-law misses Rou'er, then let Shuxuan stay for a few days. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he left the hall.

As for Wen Zongqi, who had initially offered to give him a gift, he didn't touch it. After Zhao Hongrong left, he spat and said, "It's such bad luck to have sat with this piece of trash for so long!"

He then turned to Wen Zongji and said, "Luckily, Third Brother was quick-witted."

Wen Zongji smiled but didn't say anything.

Wen Chuanhong stood up: "Let's go to the inner courtyard for dinner."

Wen Zongqi immediately followed up: "It's been so long since I've seen my older sister, I've been missing her."

Wen Zongren patted Wen Zongji on the shoulder and smiled gently.

……

Jiang and the others were about to have lunch when they learned that Wen Chuanhong had not invited Zhao Hongrong to stay for lunch and was going to have lunch in the back of the house. So they decided to wait for Wen Chuanhong and the others to arrive before having lunch.

A hint of surprise flashed in Wen Shuxuan's eyes. Her father was always very thoughtful in his work, so how could he have done something so inappropriate?

Wen Shuxuan's doubts were quickly answered.

As soon as Wen Zongqi walked in, he smiled and said to Wen Shuxuan, "Luckily, Third Brother was quick-witted and chased Zhao Hongrong away. If I had really had lunch with him, I'm afraid I would have been too disgusted to eat."

Jiang glared at him: "How dare you talk like that!"

Zhao Hongrong was, after all, his brother-in-law. It was fine for him to say such things in the mansion, but if outsiders heard about it, it would inevitably lead to wild speculation.

Wen Zongji walked to Pei Rujing's side and said, "It's just that the young master happened to have something to do."

Wen Shuxuan looked at Wen Zongji: "Third Brother, it's been a long time."

She didn't have a deep impression of Wen Zongji. She only remembered that he studied hard and was taciturn. When they ate together, he wouldn't say a word unless Wen Chuanhong asked him first.

How could someone like that dare to tell Zhao Hongrong to leave?

Wen Zongji met her gaze: "Long time no see."

Wen Shuxuan, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong, was taught by Madam Jiang from a young age. She was well-educated, gentle, and quiet, and the demeanor of a noble lady was fully reflected in her.

When Wen Shuxuan came of age, suitors came to propose marriage in droves. After much deliberation, Madam Jiang finally chose Zhao Hongrong, the heir of the Duke of Zhao.

Three years ago, Zhao Hongrong was a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy. He was diligent and studious, kept his household very clean, had no concubines, and never went to brothels.

With a father who serves as the deputy commander of the infantry command and the future heir to the title of Duke of Zhao, they seem like a perfect match.

But no one knew that Zhao Hongrong would turn out like this.

Pei Rujing said proudly, "I promised to help your little sister."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang's expression changed slightly, and she glanced at Wen Chuanhong.

Wen Zongji asked her, "How can I help?"

Pei Rujing waved her little fist: "Let my second brother beat up Zhao Hongrong."

Wen Zongji immediately thought of An Guanglu.

He laughed and said, "Then I must remind my second brother to be careful, so that Zhao Hongrong doesn't find any fault with him."

Pei Rujing said smugly, "My second brother is very skilled at this; no one has ever caught him red-handed."

Even though everyone knows it was him who did it.

Wen Zongji's lips twitched: "Isn't it all to avenge the county princess?"

Pei Rujing nodded, not embarrassed at all, and instead threatened Wen Zongji: "If you dare to bully me, my second brother won't let you off the hook either."

Wen Zongjing and Wen Zongqi looked at Wen Zongji with pity.

That's horrible!

Wen Chuanhong almost lost his composure and coughed lightly, "Let's have our meal."

Pretend you didn't hear anything.

In his heart, he was thinking about how to arrange a good job for his third son if he didn't pass the exam for the position of Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy).

This child has been wronged.

Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Wen Zongji with gentle eyes. He hadn't stopped Pei Rujing earlier, which clearly showed that he felt sorry for his younger sister, Wen Shuxuan.

Wen Shuxuan's gaze fell on Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing, and she felt that the two were not as others thought. At least Wen Zongji was not being bullied by Pei Rujing all the time.

Because Pei Rujing was leaning against Wen Zongji, their intimate and unguarded state was undeniable.