boyutpedia Chapter 225 Wei is Pregnant
Chapter 225 Wei is Pregnant
Duke Pei's Mansion
Duke Pei glared at Pei Shizhao, his face dark: "Listen to what you're saying! I'm her biological father, and she didn't even come to my birthday celebration—what kind of behavior is that?"
Pei Shirong, standing to the side, muttered, "They were never here at all."
Duke Pei glared at him: "What did you say?!"
Pei Shirong lowered his head and refused to look at him.
Duke Pei was even angrier: "Shi Zhao, you speak!"
Pei Shizhao's expression remained unchanged: "No one can change my sister's decision."
"Unfilial daughter!"
Duke Pei was so angry that his chest heaved violently. He felt that his idea of trying to mend his relationship with Pei Rujing was absolutely out of his mind.
Pei Rujing had no intention of giving him any face at all.
Pei Shirong frowned, but said nothing, and left the Duke of Pei's study with Pei Shizhao.
Once they were away from the study, Pei Shirong pouted and said, "Father is just too idle, thinking about all sorts of nonsense all day long."
Pei Shizhao glanced at him: "This is none of your business. Focus on preparing for your wedding next year."
Pei Shirong blinked: "Don't I have a mother? What do I need to do?"
No one told him what else he needed to do.
Pei Shizhao said helplessly, "You still need to arrange things in your courtyard. Tell them whose orders to follow when the new bride enters the house."
"Oh, that's easy. I'll just give them a couple of instructions."
"Only with peace and prosperity in the inner quarters can the Ning family be secure. No matter what happens to you in the future, your position as the principal wife must not be shaken."
Pei Shizhao was admonishing Pei Shirong not to favor his concubine over his wife in the future.
Pei Shirong patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, brother. Miss Mei is very clever; I can't outsmart her at all."
Pei Shizhao's lips twitched.
That's a truly ingenious guarantee.
Pei Shirong wasn't guaranteeing his own character, but rather believing that his brain couldn't pull off any crazy schemes.
It must be said that he is self-aware.
……
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day when Emperor Shun'an stopped writing, and the officials began to take a holiday.
The following day was the palace banquet.
This was Wen Zongji's second time attending the palace banquet, and he was much more at ease than the first time.
The biggest change was that as soon as he sat down, people started talking to him, a stark contrast to the quietness of the first time.
When Wen Zongji attended the palace banquet for the first time, in everyone's eyes he was just the husband of Princess Anhe who had gotten lucky, and all his honor and disgrace came from Princess Anhe.
This time, he was the highly sought-after head of the Imperial Gazette Office. He had made an indispensable contribution to the office's success. Once everything in the Imperial Gazette Office was settled, the court would surely reward Wen Zongji for his merits, and his rise to prominence would be just around the corner.
"Master Xiaowen!"
Wen Zongji dealt with several officials who came over to exchange pleasantries, and had just sat down to take a sip of tea when more people came over.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Wen Zongji's eyes flickered slightly, and he cupped his hands in greeting: "Minister Zhou."
The visitor was Zhou Shiyue, the Minister of Revenue.
Zhou Shiyue smiled and said, "I have long wanted to see Lord Wen, and today my wish has finally come true."
"It is my honor to be remembered by Minister Zhou."
Zhou Shiyue sighed, "When the Crown Prince wanted to establish the Capital Gazette Bureau, I was still wondering how the Ministry of Revenue should arrange the salaries of the officials in the Capital Gazette Bureau. I never expected that Lord Wen would take charge of the Capital Gazette Bureau for only a month and make it self-sufficient. Now, he has even made the Capital Gazette Bureau famous throughout the world."
"Lord Wen, back then I felt that you should belong to the Ministry of Revenue, and that it was a waste of your talents to be in the Capital Gazette Office."
Wen Zongji humbly replied, "Minister Zhou is too kind. I am honored to receive the Emperor's bounty and must share his burdens. I will follow His Majesty's arrangements in everything I do."
After the Beijing Gazette Office, he will definitely have to gain experience in one of the Six Ministries; it's just a matter of which department he chooses.
Wen Zongji didn't have any particular thoughts about this; going anywhere was a learning experience, and he just needed to do his job well.
Zhou Shiyue praised his composure: "The court and the public are praising Lord Wen to the skies, yet Lord Wen remains so humble and dignified. He truly deserves to be called the prodigy of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion."
As expected of the Minister of Revenue, he knows how to praise people so well, praising both of them in one go.
Wen Chuanhong, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "Young people are prone to getting carried away. Lord Zhou, don't let him get too cocky."
Zhou Shiyue said, "Having accomplished such a great feat, you should be proud. Your Excellency should not be too harsh."
The two served in the same court and were of similar age, so they naturally had some acquaintance and became quite familiar with each other when they talked.
Wen Zongji listened quietly without interrupting.
Before long, Emperor Shun'an and his son arrived, and the palace banquet officially began.
Wen Zongji's gaze fell on the Second Prince for a moment.
As he grew a year older, the Second Prince seemed to have become more composed, but judging from his darting eyes, it was all an act. He had simply grown up and learned to pretend, but his true nature remained unchanged.
The second prince is only two years younger than the crown prince, while the other princes are still young. Logically speaking, the second prince is the biggest threat to the crown prince.
But the Crown Prince is already a mature adult. He is now observing politics in the cabinet and helping Emperor Shun'an handle memorials. His authority as the heir apparent is becoming increasingly strong.
The second prince, however, was still a mischievous child, only interested in playing.
It doesn't look like a threat at all.
No one, whether in the court or among the people, believed that the second prince could threaten the crown prince's position.
……
On the other side, the women's side was also very lively, with one opera performance after another, and women occasionally showcasing their talents.
Pei Rujing sat with Jiang Shi and others. She wasn't interested in opera; all she could think about was going out to play with Wen Zongji after the New Year.
Suddenly a commotion arose, and Pei Rujing looked in the direction of the sound and saw a crowd surrounding Wei Shi.
Pei Rujing's expression changed, and she immediately stood up: "Mother-in-law, I'll go take a look."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the Wei family.
The Jiang family and their companions also came over, wanting to check on things.
Pei Rujing quickly walked over and asked with concern, "What's wrong, sister-in-law?"
The eldest princess, who was nearby, had already come over and, suppressing her joy, said, "It's not certain yet; we'll have to wait for the imperial physician to examine us."
Meanwhile, Madam Wei was touching her belly, looking completely bewildered.
Upon seeing this, Pei Rujing immediately guessed: "Could it be?"
The eldest princess stopped her, saying, "Let's wait for the imperial physician to confirm."
For a moment, the group lost all interest in watching the show.
The Empress was also keeping a close eye on the situation here. Princess Changning even ran to Pei Rujing's side, took her arm, and waited with her, her eyes darting around and landing on Wei Shi with curiosity.
The imperial physician had run all the way here, his face covered in sweat. After catching his breath, he took Wei's pulse.
The imperial physician could clearly feel countless eyes on him, which put him under immense pressure. He feared that if the outcome was not satisfactory, the group of women would tear him apart.
Fortunately, the results are good.
The imperial physician rose, cupped his hands, and said, "Congratulations, Princess, the young mistress is already two months pregnant."
"That's wonderful!" the princess exclaimed with delight, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Why didn't I notice it before?"
Suppressing her excitement, Madam Wei said in a low voice, "My daughter-in-law's periods have always been irregular."
Her periods were actually regular at first, but later, in order to get pregnant, she took medicine to regulate her body, which made her periods irregular.
In addition, she had been trying for a long time without success, so she didn't think about getting pregnant.
The eldest princess didn't dwell on it; pregnancy was a joyous occasion, and everything else was trivial.