Marrying the Crown Prince

"Hmm." Zhou Zhou didn't care; he hadn't expected to uncover anything from this anyway.

The palace maids or eunuchs who could be sent to the East Palace by the group from the West Palace to spy on others must have no legitimate issues.

Zhou Zhou registered their skills so that he could assign them tasks in the future. After all, he was paid a monthly salary, so how could he let them just loaf around here?

We must make the best use of everything; as for other things, we'll talk about them later.

Zhou Zhou flipped through the book that Dong He and Zhi Bei had kept together, and placed it on the desk. The desk was not empty; there was also a record of personnel transfers in the Eastern Palace on it.

This was something Zhou Zhou had asked Dong He to fetch beforehand.

Li Ziyan walked over, casually flipped through the pages, and roughly understood her thoughts. He didn't inquire about the affairs of the Eastern Palace, but instead asked an unrelated question, "Are you busy today?"

Zhou Zhou thought for a moment, "No rush, there's no need to rush."

After the new people came in, the Eastern Palace continued to operate according to the existing system for more than three months without any problems, so there was no rush to make new personnel changes and arrangements.

On the contrary, Li Ziyan, as the Crown Prince, only has a few days off recently.

After weighing the two options, Zhou Zhou chose to stay with Li Ziyan.

Soon, night fell, and compared to yesterday's frenzy, the two of them were unusually restrained today.

Li Ziyan looked thin, but he was quite tall, over six feet, and he held Zhou Zhou, who wasn't particularly tall, in his arms, covering her completely.

“After paying respects to our ancestors, we still have to receive the congratulations from the officials. By the time it ends, it should be noon,” Li Ziyan told Zhou Zhou about tomorrow’s arrangements with his eyes closed.

Of course, these are not the main points. The main point is to avoid eating during large events to prevent getting dressed and causing any disruptions.

The larger the family, the more complicated the marriage process; fortunately, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Zhou Zhou pinched her own belly, then reached over and groped Li Ziyan's body.

Li Ziyan: "..."

Cultivating one's character means not indulging in lust or sexual activity, so he doesn't plan to do anything today. He just wants to quietly hold the person in his arms, sleep peacefully, and spend a wonderful night.

but……

If she keeps going like this, I really won't be able to resist doing something.

Finally, Zhou Zhou withdrew his hand, his feelings quite complicated—Li Ziyan had no excess fat, a well-proportioned figure, and was perfect.

Zhou Zhou thought of his constitution and added, "I can still bear it even if I haven't eaten a meal, but it's hard on you, Your Highness."

Li Ziyan was confused. "What?"

"nothing."

Can she say, "I think you're a weakling"?

"Go to sleep." Li Ziyan gently patted Zhou Zhou's back, as if coaxing a child.

Zhou Zhou felt a little uncomfortable and reached out to stop him.

Finally, the two of them quietly closed their eyes.

Night has fallen, people are gradually falling asleep, and the moon on the branches shines with a bright white light. Everything is so peaceful and beautiful.

The following day, the royal procession had been waiting at the Fengxian Hall for a long time. The concubines of the harem were not qualified to come here, but the officials, princes and relatives of the capital also stood in line.

This was the first time Zhou Zhou had ever seen such a grand scene. There were thousands of musical instruments and weapons used in the sacrifice, and the number of musicians and ceremonial attendants was countless.

Emperor Chenze was the first to walk to the Temple of Heaven, where he unfurled the sacrificial text, which had been polished by the Grand Tutor and the Grand Secretary, and read it aloud.

From his achievements after ascending the throne to the birth of Li Ziyan, from the enfeoffment of the crown prince to the crown prince's coming of age and marriage to the crown princess Zhou, he recounted every detail to his ancestors, expressing gratitude for their protection of the Great Chen Dynasty.

After Emperor Chenze finished speaking, he bowed and presented the sacrificial text to the altar; the people below also knelt down and bowed three times and kowtowed nine times.

After the kowtow was completed, Emperor Chenze stood up, his expression indifferent, and said, "You may all follow me."

The main gate of the Li Clan Ancestral Hall was not open, but the lock had been removed. Emperor Chenze pushed open the door and led Empress Chu, Li Ziyan, and Zhou Zhou inside.

Inside the ancestral hall, there were layers upon layers of tall memorial tablets. Emperor Chenze walked to the offering table, picked up the memorial prepared in advance, lit the incense in his hand, and bowed deeply.

The three of them also bent down.

“Li Ye, the 23rd generation descendant of the Li family, pays respects to our ancestors. The day before yesterday was the wedding of my son Jinyou. Today, I have brought my new bride to pay respects to all the venerable ancestors.”

After finishing, Emperor Chenze inserted the incense into the incense burner, knelt on the prayer mat, and bowed three times and kowtowed nine times before taking out the family genealogy and adding Zhou Zhou's name under Li Ziyan's name.

Emperor Chenze didn't say much in his admonition, only saying, "Today you two are married. For the rest of your lives, you will weather the storms together and be a loving couple."

"Yes, I will remember Father's teachings."

Only then was the ceremony considered complete. Emperor Chenze led the three of them out, and the officials below all looked up.

"The name of Crown Princess Zhou has been entered into the family genealogy," Emperor Chenze announced.

"kneel--"

The chief eunuch chanted loudly.

"Your humble servants kowtow to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, wishing the Crown Prince good health and the Empress peace and prosperity. May our Great Chen Dynasty enjoy peace, prosperity, and strength!"

May our great Chen Dynasty enjoy peace, prosperity, and strength!

May our great Chen Dynasty enjoy peace, prosperity, and strength!

Only then did Zhou Zhou truly become the wife of Li Ziyan, the twenty-third generation descendant of the Li family, and also the Crown Princess of Chen Kingdom.

Back at the East Palace, Zhou Zhou was still somewhat dazed, with an indescribable feeling in his heart.

"What's wrong?" Li Ziyan's gaze was gentle and concerned.

"No." Zhou Zhou shook his head, chuckled softly, and did not answer.

From a young age, she believed that one must live a glorious life and reach the pinnacle of power; now, standing at the top of power and revered by all, she suddenly realized that one's life is not just about living for oneself.

According to folk custom, the third day after the wedding is the day when the married woman returns to her parents' home. However, this custom does not apply to the empress or the crown princess.

Rules are rules, but people are flexible, so Old Madam Zhou, Madam Du, and Zhou Yue still boarded the carriage early in the morning and swayed their way into the palace.

When a noblewoman entered the palace, the first thing she had to do was kowtow and pay her respects to Empress Chu; no one was exempt.

Coincidentally, Zhou Zhou is now the daughter-in-law of Empress Chu, so she also has to pay her respects to Empress Chu.

So Li Ziyan followed.

With Li Ziyan present, even though Empress Chu wasn't one to mingle with people, she still managed to say a few words of concern.

"This is the first time I've seen your sister," Empress Chu said, sizing up Zhou Yue.

Zhou Yue is now fourteen years old. Although she hasn't fully matured yet, you can vaguely see the charm in her face. She is a beauty in the making.

After arriving at Fengyi Palace, she was very poised and dignified. She didn't talk much, but she answered questions and responded with ease and grace.

Such a Zhou Yue naturally attracted the attention of Empress Chu.

“Yes, Mother has a good eye. Ninth Sister is indeed entering the palace for the first time,” Zhou Zhou echoed.