Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 142 Canglan Ferry (12)

After passing through the winding secret passages and exiting Canglan Valley, you will find yourself in a deep mountain forest.

Yan Zhen kept Chu Yuanhua's instructions in mind and headed east for two days until he finally saw a town inhabited by humans.

As they entered the town, Yan Zhen cheered upon seeing the wonton stalls by the roadside, finally able to have a hot meal.

She's been eating dry biscuits and drinking spring water with wild fruits from the mountains for the past two days, and she hasn't been able to get enough to eat.

Sitting down at the wonton stall, Yan Zhen said to the stall owner with great enthusiasm, "Three bowls of wontons, extra chili and extra vinegar, please!"

Pei Ji sat down opposite her: "I don't eat spicy food."

Yan Zhen seemed to have just remembered him: "Oh right, I almost forgot about you—shopkeeper, another bowl, no chili, no vinegar."

Pei Ji: "..."

Soon, four bowls of wontons were served, and Yan Zhen began to eat with gusto.

This was the first time the two had eaten together at the same table. Pei Ji watched as she devoured three bowls of wontons in a flash.

He was so startled that he dropped his chopsticks.

His gaze lingered repeatedly on Yan Zhen's adorable face with dimples and her belly filled with three large bowls of wontons.

How come she doesn't gain weight after eating so much?

Yan Zhen noticed his gaze and raised his chin: "What are you looking at!"

Pei Ji looked away and suddenly said, "Luckily, you're not my wife."

Yan Zhen frowned: "Hmm?"

"With such a big appetite, it must cost a lot of money to feed you."

Yan Zhen rolled her eyes: "Don't worry, this grandma wouldn't even look at you."

Speaking of this topic, Yan Zhen emphasized, "Pei Ji, let me be clear from the start: although I am beautiful, clever, lively and cute, I am not from the same world as you. Keep your heart in check and don't fall in love with me, understand?"

Ever since Yan Zhen learned that Zhou Rang was Jing Chen, he gave up any thoughts of developing a non-romantic relationship in the small world, lest he unknowingly provoke Jing Chen's spiritual clone again.

The more debt she owed, the more guilty she felt.

Pei Ji was immediately annoyed by her warning: "You're overthinking it. I don't like people like you."

"It better be this way."

As Yan Zhen spoke, he beckoned the shopkeeper over and asked, "Shopkeeper, how far is it from here to the capital?"

"Keep going east, and you'll arrive in another sixty li."

Yan Zhen understood, took out a pill from his bundle, and swallowed it.

Pei Ji asked, "What did you eat?"

“Fake pregnancy pills.” Yan Zhen patted her lower belly. “Once I enter the Duke’s mansion, I will be an arrogant and domineering concubine who will run rampant because I’m pregnant.”

Pei Ji: "..."

After finishing their wontons, the two continued their journey and finally arrived at the Duke's mansion at sunset.

The guards at the gate were taken aback when they saw Pei Ji, then shouted joyfully, "The young master is back! The young master is back!!!"

The news quickly spread throughout the entire Duke's mansion.

Seeing this, Yan Zhen leaned against Pei Ji with her lower abdomen sticking out, and raised one hand.

Pei Ji immediately and sensibly put one arm around her waist and the other on her hand, helping the heavily pregnant Yan Zhen into the Duke's mansion.

As soon as the two of them rounded the gate and screen wall, they came face to face with the crowd that had rushed out to greet them upon hearing the news.

The woman at the head of the group was nearly forty years old. Although her clothes were simple, her accessories, from the white magnolia hairpin in her hair to the pearl earrings on her earlobes and the purple jade bracelet on her wrist, were all exquisite and well-matched.

Upon seeing Pei Ji, her eyes reddened, and she cried out, "My son, you've finally come back!" before rushing forward to embrace him.

Pei Ji visibly stiffened, then patted the woman's shoulder: "It was my fault, I made Mother worry."

Yan Zhen guessed that this should be the Duchess of Dingguo, Pei Wangzhou's mother.

"Where have you been all this time?" Pei's mother cried and hit Pei Ji, her expression a mixture of joy at his return and resentment at his long absence. "You're perfectly fine, why didn't you write a letter home? I was worried you..."

"...Mother, it's a long story."

“Bihua, Zhou’er has just returned, let him rest for a while.” A middle-aged man behind Pei’s mother stepped forward and pulled her aside.

Yan Zhen observed discreetly, noticing the man's demeanor and clothing; this middle-aged man was none other than Duke Dingguo, Pei Yuanhong.

“Father.” Pei Ji bowed to him.

Pei Yuanhong said with relief, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Pei Ji seemed to be very familiar with the composition of the Duke's mansion. He greeted his mother, Pei Yuanhong, and several uncles and aunts one by one before looking at the woman beside him who had been looking at him with eager eyes.

The woman was around twenty years old, wearing a light blue long dress with bamboo leaf patterns. Her long hair was tied into a woman's bun with a white jade hairpin, revealing a beautiful face with delicate eyebrows, a beautiful forehead, and eyes like autumn water. Every gesture she made exuded the elegance and nobility of a noble lady from a prominent family.

Yan Jinhe.

Upon seeing her, Yan Zhen narrowed his eyes.

Yan Jinhe met Pei Ji's gaze, her eyes reddening, and she took two steps forward, choking back tears, "Husband..."

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Ji took a step back.

Everyone present was taken aback by his evasive gesture.

Yan Jinhe was also stunned.

Pei Ji nodded to Yan Jinhe, giving her a perfunctory greeting, then reached out and took Yan Zhen's hand, putting his arm around her waist and leading her to the front of the crowd.

Only then did everyone notice Yan Zhen standing next to them, and upon seeing the intimate actions of the two, they exchanged bewildered glances.

Pei's mother, being straightforward, asked, "Zhou'er, who is this young lady?"

“Her name is Jiang Li, and she is my savior.” Pei Ji paused, met the stares of the crowd as they scrutinized Yan Zhen, and said frankly, “She is pregnant with my child.”

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, startling everyone in the Duke's mansion and causing their expressions to change drastically.

Yan Jinhe's face turned pale instantly.

Pei Wangzhou and Yan Jinhe have been married for two years. They have maids and concubines who are not listed in the family genealogy, but they have not yet had children.

There is an unspoken rule among aristocratic families: concubines cannot become pregnant if the principal wife has not yet borne children, and the eldest son must be born to the principal wife.

If a concubine becomes pregnant before the principal wife, it is considered an overstepping of the bounds. Even if the principal wife aborts the child with a bowl of abortifacient medicine, no one else can say anything.

"Zhou'er, this..." Madam Pei was a little angry. She reached out and pulled Pei Ji aside, whispering, "What have you been doing all these days since you disappeared? The whole mansion has been exhausted from searching for you. Your grandmother was so worried that her old illness relapsed. Jinhe has also worked tirelessly, sending people everywhere to look for you. And what do you do? You come back and bring us such a big 'surprise'! How can you face Jinhe?"

Pei Ji said, "I'm sorry to have worried everyone. It was my fault. Several months ago, I was being chased and fell off a cliff into a ravine. It was A Li who saved me and took care of me without taking off her clothes until I recovered. She is a kind and good girl. My son has already confessed his feelings to her. I brought her back to the manor to give her a proper status."

Pei Ji's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present could hear it.

Upon learning that Yan Zhen had saved Pei Wangzhou's life, Pei's mother's expression softened slightly.

"I see," said Madam Pei. "But you are a married man with a lawfully wedded wife. Even if you want to take a concubine, you should bring her back and make it public first. How could you do it without saying a word... and even get her pregnant? How is Jinhe supposed to face this?"

Pei Ji frowned and raised his voice slightly: "I'm going to take A Li as a concubine anyway, so what difference does it make if I do it sooner or later? A Li and I are deeply in love, and the child in her womb will be the great-grandson of the Duke's mansion."