Marrying the Crown Prince

Even though he put it so simply, Zhou Zhou still understood and chuckled softly, "Does Your Highness need to go to such lengths?"

Li Ziyan said helplessly, "I don't dare to force others to drink, but when my brother-in-law comes over with a wine glass, I can't refuse."

Actually, Zhou Chengan didn't drink much; it's just that Li Ziyan doesn't have a high alcohol tolerance, so he turned red after only a few drinks.

He felt unwell; if things continued like this, he would get drunk soon. So, Li Ziyan took advantage of the chaos to spill wine on the corner of his clothes, which is why he smelled of alcohol all over himself.

“Hmm,” Zhou Zhou pinched his cheek, “Actually, it’s okay if you don’t drink it.”

Your brother is just a little petty, that's why he deliberately messed with you, but at the same time he's a sensible person and won't turn on you over such a small matter.

At this point, Donghe returned with water. She wet the handkerchief, wrung it out, and handed it to Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou didn't take it, but gestured to Li Ziyan to do it himself.

Li Ziyan sighed mournfully, washed his face, and finally smelled the alcohol on himself, which was indeed quite unpleasant.

He threw the handkerchief back into the basin and ordered, "Prepare water."

"Yes." Donghe bowed and withdrew with the basin of water in his hand.

"Are you ready for your meal?" Li Ziyan asked.

"I used it, and the food was delicious. Thank you very much, Your Highness." Zhou Zhou raised his smiling face, not holding back his praise, determined to keep praising Li Ziyan so that he could continue his efforts and achieve even greater success.

After praising someone, it's also necessary to show appropriate concern.

"Has Your Highness had your meal?" Zhou Zhou asked with curiosity and concern. He paused after speaking, shook his head and smiled, and continued, "Yes, Your Highness is the groom, so I'm afraid you haven't eaten much."

Just then, Jufang and the others returned after finishing their meal. When they saw Li Ziyan, they were stunned for a moment, and then they all bowed and greeted him, "Your Highness, Your Majesty."

"Okay, Zhibei, go with Sizhu to the kitchen and see if there's anything else to eat. Bring it over," Zhou Zhou instructed.

Soon, the hangover soup was served along with dinner. There weren't many dishes this time, but there were still twelve different kinds.

Li Ziyan picked up her chopsticks, her eyes shining, "Zhouzhou, will you eat with me?"

This Li Ziyan was undoubtedly unfamiliar to Zhou Zhou, yet it was also the one she found most irresistible.

So she sat down next to him.

After eating and drinking some hangover soup, Zhou Zhou urged him, "Take a quick shower, you smell terrible."

Seriously, go wash up quickly and change into clean clothes, otherwise you really can't stand it.

After Li Ziyan went in, Zhou Zhou stroked his chin, pondering: Did His Highness the Crown Prince have a habit of having palace maids or eunuchs serve him when he bathed?

Seeing that Zhibei and Changyi were both standing at the door like door gods, Zhou Zhou already had the answer in his heart.

"You may all leave," Zhou Zhou told everyone to disperse, and then casually looked around the room.

The most eye-catching item is the dragon and phoenix candle. Each candle is as thick as an arm and two feet long, and can burn all night long.

The dragons and phoenixes on the candles are meticulously carved from wax, with no detail overlooked, even down to the feathers and scales. The dragons are depicted as strong and graceful, standing on auspicious clouds, while the phoenixes are depicted as noble and soaring high.

A dragon and a phoenix, soaring to great heights, a symbol of auspiciousness, a wedding candle that can only be lit once in a lifetime.

Zhou Zhou leaned forward and sniffed carefully. He found that the thing had a faint fragrance, very faint, the kind that you wouldn't notice unless you sniffed carefully, but once you noticed it, you would feel that it was always lingering around your nose.

Soon, Li Ziyan came out wearing his nightgown. The eunuchs quickly changed the water before Zhou Zhou went in to bathe.

Unlike Li Ziyan, Zhou Zhou was used to having someone help her scrub her back, but since no one went to help the Crown Prince when he took a bath, no one will help the Crown Princess Zhou Zhou when she goes to take a bath now.

The hot water was so comforting; soaking in it opened up all the pores in Zhou Zhou's body, and he closed his eyes in bliss.

Because there was no one to serve him or help him scrub his back, Zhou Zhou's bath time was not long.

You see, in the past, when Sizhu rubbed his back, the two of them would chat about gossip, which made it easy to pass the time, and thus the bathing time would be too long.

As soon as she came out, she saw Li Ziyan with his hair down, sitting on the couch, half-leaning on the soft pillow. The pillow was embroidered with two butterflies playing with chrysanthemums, with the golden chrysanthemums blooming and their stamens exposed, and they looked very lifelike.

Li Ziyan held a notebook in his hands, the candlelight casting a soft yellow glow that illuminated the entire room, making his already gentle demeanor appear even more refined and pure, like a radiant light.

As soon as Zhou Zhou came out of the bathroom, Li Ziyan's attention shifted from his book to her. Although he didn't raise his head, his ears were perked up, calculating the distance between them.

Finally, she stopped in front of him.

"Your Highness," Zhou Zhou said with a faint smile.

She was only wearing a nightgown, the red dress making her lips and teeth stand out even more. Her beautiful eyebrows and eyes carried a hint of shyness, and Li Ziyan felt that she had a faint fragrance about her, perhaps because she had been showered with flower petals during her bath.

The fragrance was both faint and strong, making him feel a little dizzy.

He seems... to be really drunk.

Everything happened so naturally: the fish surfaced, only to be gently entangled by the river weeds at the bottom, forcing it to fall back into the water.

The tendrils of the water plants gently brushed against the scales and tails of the little fish. The little fish seemed scared, or perhaps ticklish, and wiggled its tail, trying to break free from the restraints.

But the water plants, both merciless and gentle, dragged them back.

Finally, the fish exhaled a bubble, which floated up in the water, grew into a large bubble, and finally rose to the surface—and burst.

Zhou Zhou lay on the bed, breathing slightly heavily. The bedding on the bed had been kicked off the bed by the two people at some point.

Li Ziyan turned to the side and kissed her lips once again.

After the passion subsided, their bodies would feel hot. The moment their lips met, Zhou Zhou followed her heart and closed her eyes.

It was another lingering, passionate kiss, more unrestrained and free than ever before. Their breaths mingled, eagerly and intensely plundering each other's essence.

After the kiss, Li Ziyan held her in his arms, like a tender child, calling her name again and again.

"Porridge".

"Ah."

"Porridge".

"I'm here."

"Porridge".

"..."

It’s not over, right?

Seeing that Zhou Zhou was ignoring him, Li Ziyan leaned closer, feeling aggrieved. His warm breath sprayed on Zhou Zhou's neck, and then slowly moved to her ear.

He took Zhou Zhou's earlobe into his mouth, half-biting and half-kissing it, his words muffled, "Zhouzhou... Zhouzhou... I've finally married you, Zhouzhou..."

My Crown Princess.

Zhou Zhou was a little ticklish, and goosebumps appeared all over her body.

She closed her eyes, tried to resist, but couldn't. She reached out with her right hand and pulled Li Ziyan off her. "Go to sleep!"