Marrying the Crown Prince

The next morning, Zhou Zhou appeared at Fengyi Palace at the appointed time.

After a good night's sleep, Empress Chu looked at Zhou Zhou with much gentler eyes, at least without the resentment of waking up early.

Zhou Zhou was very satisfied—one shouldn't have too high expectations for struggling students.

"Mother, your son has come to serve you breakfast." Zhou Zhou raised his face with a smile, very eager.

The Empress Chu was taken aback by her enthusiasm and remained silent for a while before saying, "You may sit down and eat here too."

Zhou Zhou raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a pleasant surprise today.

At Fengyi Palace, Zhou Zhou did not dare to have a simple meal like she did at the East Palace. She barely ate half a full meal before putting down her chopsticks.

Empress Chu noticed her appetite, glanced at her body with some displeasure, and finally fixed her gaze on Zhou Zhou's neck.

"Ahem!" Empress Chu quickly looked away and placed a small steamed bun in Zhou Zhou's bowl. "Eat more. You are still young and growing."

A question mark slowly appeared above Zhou Zhou's head, indicating that the sun had risen in the west today?

Despite her inner turmoil, she still had to eat, since it was the first time the Empress Chu had served her food. Even if it was poisoned, she had to eat it.

The dough for the xiaolongbao was left to rise for a full hour, resulting in a soft and white texture.

The meat filling is made by mincing lean and fatty pork, adding shiitake mushrooms and scallions, mixing them together, and adding seasonings. With one bite, the aroma of meat fills the air, and the taste is sweet and delicious.

Zhou Zhou swallowed in small bites and finished eating in no time.

"The food here, Mother, tastes very good," Zhou Zhou affirmed.

Of course, the food at the Crown Prince's Palace was also quite good.

So there's a reason why Li Ziyan is so picky about food; it's all thanks to the chefs in the palace who raised him to be so discerning.

When Empress Chu heard that someone liked the food in her palace, although she didn't really like the person, she thought the food was innocent, so she laughed and said, "Of course, the chef is from Chanxi. The noodle chefs there are the best in Chen Kingdom."

Seeing that she was in a good mood, Zhou Zhou pressed on, "There are so many good things in the Mother Palace, and even the cooks are so skilled."

Empress Chu gave a smug hum, put down her chopsticks, and said, "Take it away."

After a meal, I usually like to have a pot of tea, whether it's black tea, green tea, or flower tea. However, since it's in the morning, I usually use flower tea.

Unlike before, this time Zhou Zhou did not brew the tea himself. Instead, he looked at Ruosong and said, "Aunt Ruosong, last time I brewed tea, but I was clumsy and failed to serve Mother well. This time, please brew a pot for me, and I will wash and pour the tea."

Ruosong dared not refuse the Crown Princess's words, but she also dared not agree so readily, so she looked at Empress Chu.

Empress Chu opened her mouth, feeling there was no reason to object, yet something felt off.

Finally, she could only nod slightly and reply, "Okay, go ahead."

Having received the order, Wakamatsu knelt down and withdrew, quickly brewing a pot of tea.

Zhou Zhou brought out the teapot, washed the cups, scalded them, and finally poured the tea, presenting it to Empress Chu. "Mother, this is lemon rose tea, with added goji berries, roses, chrysanthemums, and honeysuckle. It has the effect of nourishing the skin and improving complexion."

After hearing her words, Empress Chu did not say much. She picked up the glass, blew on it gently, and took a small sip.

Ruosong, who was standing to the side, was startled when he heard Zhou Zhou's words. After repeatedly recalling the events, he finally confirmed that Zhou Zhou had not opened the teapot to check the ingredients.

So... how did the Crown Princess know so much? Did she judge it purely by the color and aroma of the tea?

The look in her eyes when she looked at Zhou Zhou had become more respectful.

Actually, Zhou Zhou didn't smell so many different scents. He only smelled the sourness of lemon and the fragrance of rose, so he boldly guessed that the burnt tea was lemon rose tea. Then he memorized the ingredient list, and that was all.

Empress Chu, as the mistress of the palace, did not spend her days in leisure; she occasionally needed to review the accounts and handle palace affairs.

Sure enough, the head of the clothing department came over today. She brought a gift list that recorded the fabrics sent by the Jiangnan Trading Company.

If it were ordinary material, there would be no need to ask Empress Chu for permission, but this time thirty bolts of Yunyan brocade were sent.

"There are more Yunyan brocades this year," the chief steward said, taking advantage of the Empress Chu's inspection, and quickly interjected to tell her the most important thing of the day. "As is customary, I have divided the Yunyan brocades into seven portions, and there are still ten bolts left."

Empress Chu frowned. "Let's leave it for now."

As is customary, only the four imperial concubines could receive this special supply of cloud and smoke brocade, and there were usually no extras; if there were any, they would generally be reserved for whoever was favored.

However, thinking of Consort De and Consort Gui's appearance, Empress Chu really didn't want to bestow them as a reward, so she simply left them there and let Emperor Chenze distribute them himself.

The head of the clothing department was not surprised by the answer and curtsied to take his leave.

Zhou Zhou's brow twitched, but she didn't speak; however, her expression changed quite drastically, which Empress Chu caught her in the act.

"What's wrong?" Empress Chu glanced at her sideways, her expression carrying a hint of threat and warning.

Zhou Zhou wasn't afraid of her. Instead, he poured Empress Chu another cup of tea and pushed the cup towards her, saying, "Mother, the previous cup has gone cold. Your son has poured you a new one."

Empress Chu's momentum weakened somewhat after being blocked by such a blunt and indirect approach.

She met Zhou Zhou's eager gaze, slowly picked up her teacup, and took a small sip.

Seeing how obedient Empress Chu was, Zhou Zhou spoke softly and gently, "Tomorrow is the full moon on the fifteenth of the lunar month?"

On the first and fifteenth of each month, not only would the concubines of the harem come to Fengyi Palace to pay their respects, but even Emperor Chenze would have to rest in the central palace.

However, Empress Chu did not like it, because all the concubines were shrewd and their words were full of hidden dangers; Emperor Chenze was even more annoying as he would bicker with her.

Thinking of all this, Empress Chu looked at Zhou Zhou with even more satisfaction.

Looking at it this way, I realize that my daughter-in-law is the best. She's straightforward and naturally on my side, so I support her.

Noticing the change in Empress Chu's eyes, Zhou Zhou touched his nose, feeling a strange mix of emotions—he had found someone he disliked even more, so he seemed less annoying himself?

"What is it?" Empress Chu asked.