Marrying the Crown Prince

Though he spoke cryptically, Zhou Zhou didn't feel particularly embarrassed; he remained calm. "Your Highness and I get along very well."

"And every night?" Mrs. Du's eyes lit up.

Zhou Zhou paused for a moment. Is this something that can be said?

Li Ziyan is a very health-conscious person, so the two of them only made a lot of noise on their wedding night. The night before last and last night, they just slept together in each other's arms.

It's strange, Zhou Zhou is a very cautious person, and he should have been uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment for the first time.

However, it does not.

She slept soundly every night; so did Li Ziyan.

Perhaps this is what people often refer to as fate?

"Just this once." Zhou Zhou chose to tell the truth.

Du's brows furrowed in disbelief. "How could this be?"

They're all young people, full of vigor and vitality, this... could it be?

"His Highness the Crown Prince?" Madam Du hesitated for a moment before finally asking.

Is His Highness the Crown Prince really as rumored, averse to women, or... impotent?

Zhou Zhou: "..."

Fortunately, this rumor didn't spread widely, otherwise, if people found out, what man could tolerate it?

“Mother, don’t listen to the nonsense of these scoundrels. Nine out of ten of what they say are not true.” Zhou Zhou’s lips twitched.

Madam Du also coughed lightly, "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright."

After a moment of silence, Madam Du thought for a moment and then spoke out Old Madam Zhou's instructions: "The Crown Prince needs a wife for two reasons: first, to have someone to manage the Eastern Palace for him; and second, to ensure the continuation of his lineage."

“This matter isn’t urgent, but the difficulty lies in the fact that the Third Prince’s eldest son is already old enough to run.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhou added, "No, it means it can already run."

Du was speechless for a moment before continuing, "Do you have any thoughts?"

She really didn't have any ideas.

Soon, the sun set, and the candlelight inside the room was already lit. Zhou Zhou sat by the window, with a piece of paper with dry ink on the table.

Li Ziyan walked over and saw her staring blankly at the paper. He couldn't help but be curious and looked over. He saw that the ink was flowing, crisscrossing, and all smeared together.

"What are you doing?" he chuckled. "It's all a mess, why are you just staring at it like that?"

Zhou Zhou then seemed to snap out of a daze, rubbing her slightly sore neck, and slowly stood up, intending to bow, "Your Highness..."

Li Ziyan put his arm around the person, saying, "Between you and me, there's no need for this anymore."

He was happy to pamper himself, and Zhou Zhou had no objection, so the two sat down together.

Li Ziyan smoothed the strands of hair that fell beside her ear. The cool, dark hair flowed through his fingertips like silk. "Why don't you seem happy when your family comes?"

"That day, the Imperial Concubine was in a difficult position in the palace, speaking of the matter of having offspring," Zhou Zhou did not hide anything and directly expressed his concerns, "Does Your Highness have any opinion on this?"

That's certainly a good question, but it's not time to worry about it yet.

Li Ziyan said calmly, "Let nature take its course."

That makes perfect sense.

Zhou Zhou raised her eyebrows and concealed another matter. After all, disciplining Empress Chu was an urgent and arduous task, but it was not appropriate for Li Ziyan, as her own son, to know the details.

Finally, Li Ziyan's vacation ended, and Zhou Zhou began to go to Fengyi Palace alone every day to pay her respects.

Empress Chu was not strict in managing her subordinates; the concubines in the palace only needed to pay their respects at Fengyi Palace on the first and fifteenth of each month.

Zhou Zhou was different; she was a daughter-in-law, and it was only natural for a daughter-in-law to pay her respects to her mother-in-law. Therefore, unless there were special circumstances, she had to go to Fengyi Palace to report for duty every day.

On the first day, Zhou Zhou got up very early and arrived at the door at the end of Yin hour or the beginning of Mao hour.

Ruofu, the head palace maid on night watch at Fengyi Palace, rubbed her tired eyes, looked at the stars that had not yet faded in the sky, and asked uncertainly, "Is the Crown Princess here to pay her respects to Her Majesty the Empress?"

"Yes, please inform them, Aunt." Zhou Zhou smiled politely.

After much hesitation, Ruofu entered the palace and reported the matter to Empress Chu.

Empress Chu was awakened by the noise, still dazed and slow to react. She asked again, "What did you say? Who's here?"

"The Crown Princess has come to pay her respects to Her Majesty," Ruofu repeated.

Empress Chu glanced at the gray sky, her mouth reacting faster than her brain, and blurted out, "Tell her to leave."

After saying this, Empress Chu lay down on the bed and lost consciousness.

Ruofu: "..."

She was just a servant after all, and dared not provoke the Empress Chu, who was a bit grumpy when she woke up, so she could only walk out with a conflicted expression.

Zhou Zhou's eyes were bright, and she looked very excited. "Auntie, should I wait in the side hall?"

After much hesitation, Ruofu finally conveyed the message, "Your Majesty, the Empress said she knows your feelings. It's still early, so you should go back and rest."

"In that case, thank you, Mother." Zhou Zhou replied happily, and even bowed deeply towards the main hall.

Finally, at Chenshi (7-9 AM), Empress Chu slowly woke up. Looking at the bright sunshine and perfect weather, she was in a great mood, but she felt like she had forgotten something.

It wasn't until breakfast that she remembered, "Isn't my good daughter-in-law the most filial? Why didn't she come to pay her respects?"

Ruofu stayed up all night and has gone back to catch up on her sleep. Now she is taking care of Ruosong.

Ruosong thought to himself: Luckily, Ruofu mentioned it before bed, otherwise I wouldn't know how to answer Her Majesty.

“Your Majesty, at the end of the Yin hour, the Crown Princess came to pay her respects. It was... you who told her to go back.” She spoke cautiously.

Empress Chu frowned, seemingly unable to understand. After a while, she remembered that there seemed to be such a thing.

"So she just went back like that?" Empress Chu's voice became sharp.

"The Crown Princess bowed to the main hall before returning," Ruosong added.

Upon hearing this, Empress Chu gritted her teeth—this girl is truly cunning!

To prevent a repeat of this incident, Empress Chu specifically instructed before going to bed that night, "When she comes early tomorrow, tell her to wait."

Which mother-in-law hasn't used this trick to torment her daughter-in-law?

Although the way they ate was a bit unsightly, this trick worked, didn't it?

Zhou Zhou was not angry when she heard Ruofu's reply. Instead, she was very understanding. "It's alright. I'll just wait in the side hall."

The candles in the side hall were lit instantly, illuminating the entire room; Ruofu also brought tea and snacks.

Seeing that the palace maid caught in the middle was also in a difficult position, Zhou Zhou waved her hand and told her to leave.

As a result, after only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Donghe from the East Palace came over.

Donghe used to be by Li Ziyan's side, but now she's come looking for the Crown Princess. How could anyone in Fengyi Palace dare to stop her?

Donghe whispered something to Zhou Zhou, who then stood up apologetically. "Aunt, I really didn't expect that I had just taken over the affairs of the Eastern Palace and there are still many things waiting for me to go back and approve."