Marrying the Crown Prince

“When the imperial concubines come to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager tomorrow, they can also express their gratitude. That would be good, saving them an extra trip.” Zhou Zhou didn’t say it explicitly, but her answer was obvious.

Empress Chu frowned, a hint of sharpness and majesty in her expression. After all, she had been in a position of honor for many years, and certain qualities could be accumulated over time.

The image of Consort Gui and Consort De kneeling before her in gratitude flashed through her mind, and Empress Chu wavered somewhat, but the matter of bestowing gifts upon them...

Do they deserve it?

It wasn't that the two of them had done anything heinous; it was mainly because they often spoke without thinking, their words laced with barbs and sarcasm, making it impossible for Empress Chu to win either a verbal or logical argument.

In other words, Empress Chu disliked both of them from the bottom of her heart.

"What are they, daring to try and win my favor?" Empress Chu snorted and downed the perfectly warm flower tea in one gulp.

Upon hearing this, Ruosong sighed inwardly—judging from the Empress's expression just now, he thought the Crown Princess could persuade her, but who knew…

Zhou Zhou leaned back in her chair, elbows on the armrests, smoothed her hair, and looked at Empress Chu with gentle eyes, saying each word clearly, "What Mother doesn't want, you just throw to them. How can that be considered a reward?"

"That sounds nice," Empress Chu said, sitting up straight and gesturing for Zhou Zhou to continue.

"Having received something you didn't want, I still have to come and thank you. Isn't that good?" Zhou Zhou continued calmly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Empress Chu replied, "Of course it's good."

Zhou Zhou was very satisfied with his first victory, so he pressed on, thinking, "Why not seize the day?"

"Ruosong, go and summon the head of the Clothing Department."

Things went much more smoothly than Zhou Zhou had imagined. Of course, the main reason was that Empress Chu gradually accepted him and began to listen to him.

When a struggling student shows signs of becoming more obedient, Zhou Zhou suggests that positive reinforcement should be given in a timely manner.

Therefore, when Zhou Zhou returned to the East Palace, he immediately saw the giant pillow on the recliner. This pillow was not a regular square one, but was cleverly made into the shape of a meat bun by Si Zhu.

Thinking of the steamed buns from this morning, Zhou Zhou called over Sizhu, "I remember we brought a few of these cushions from the Yongjing Marquis's residence?"

"Yes, but that one is shaped like a xiaolongbao, a bit smaller than this one," Sizhu replied. Of course, although smaller, it was still bigger than the regular one.

Zhou Zhou didn't use it because Si Zhu had embroidered a cute, smiling face on it.

After the marriage was arranged, Zhou Zhou began to inquire about Empress Chu's preferences. As for who she inquired about, it was naturally Chu Xuan, who had been by the Empress's side for many years.

Chu Xuan told Zhou Zhou, "Don't be fooled by your aunt's proud demeanor. Half of it is an act, and the other half is her disdain for arguing. In fact, she loves cute and cuddly things the most."

Therefore, this steamed bun cushion was originally prepared by Zhou Zhou for Empress Chu by Sizhu, but it had not been sent out before.

"Okay, go find it." Zhou Zhou instructed.

Soon, the items were brought out. Zhou Zhou pinched Xiaolongbao's chubby cheeks, quite satisfied, and said to Sizhu, "Thank you for making this trip. Deliver the items to Fengyi Palace."

Sizhu looked at the cushion, which was about the same size as her but a little shorter, and hesitated to speak.

"It's alright, take it." Zhou Zhou patted the xiaolongbao's head, as if to encourage it.

Sizhu returned quickly and reported truthfully, "Your Majesty, when I went there, Her Majesty the Empress was still taking a nap."

"Therefore, this servant did not see Her Majesty the Empress."

After speaking, Sizhu cautiously raised her eyes to observe Zhou Zhou's expression.

"Yes, it's nothing. You go ahead with your work," Zhou Zhou replied calmly, knowing full well that Empress Chu was still taking a nap at this time.

The reason why Sizhu was asked to deliver the items at this time was firstly to avoid the Empress Chu.

Empress Chu, sitting in a high position, must be a model of imperial dignity, and her food, clothing, and daily activities must all reflect royal grandeur. Therefore, if she were awake, she might refuse this gift.

However, Ruosong could not make decisions for his master, nor would he wake Empress Chu at this time, so he could only leave the things in Fengyi Palace for the time being.

Secondly, she wanted Sizhu to have a private meeting with Ruosong. It wasn't about doing anything or gathering information; it was simply a meeting between the Crown Princess's confidante and the Empress Chu's confidante.

If you ask Zhou Zhou whether she's afraid that Empress Chu will wake up and send the things back, then...

What a joke! The things are all left there, so there's no way they can be returned unless I completely break ties with her. Otherwise, it would be like Empress Chu openly slapping her son in the face.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Empress Chu slowly opened her eyes. Her mind took a while to clear before she noticed something extra on the couch in her bedroom.

That thing is so big, it's hard not to notice it.

"Where did this come from?" Empress Chu walked over and poked it.

The pillow is filled with soft, fluffy cotton, making it very elastic.

Empress Chu raised her eyebrows, clearly enjoying the feel of the item.

"This was sent by the Crown Princess." Hearing the voice, Ruosong came out from behind the curtain and told Empress Chu about what had happened that afternoon.

"When Your Highness was resting, the maidservant from the Crown Princess's side brought it over. She said that it was drawn by the Crown Princess and that she liked it very much. It was just finished today, so she quickly brought it over to present to Your Highness."

This was very well said, giving Empress Chu a way out. In the future, if anyone said anything, she could simply say that the item was something the Crown Princess liked. Since the Crown Princess was young, no one would object to her liking such things.

Another good thing is that the Crown Princess presents him with things she really likes, which is also a form of obedience.

Having imagined this, Empress Chu felt extremely relaxed and comfortable. She looked at Ruosong with a radiant expression and said, "Go to my storeroom and pick out two pieces of jewelry to send to the East Palace."

Li Ziyan was somewhat surprised that the relationship between the Crown Princess and Empress Chu had improved.

He looked at the pair of red gold peach blossom and butterfly hairpins with inlaid pearls that Ruosong had sent over. The hairpins had delicate tassels hanging from the ends, giving them an ethereal feel. They were clearly treasures from Empress Chu's treasury.

Zhou Zhou put the hairpin into her hair bun, looked at herself in the bronze mirror from left to right, and finally looked at Li Ziyan, "Your Highness, does it look good?"

"Are you planning to wear it tomorrow?" Li Ziyan reacted quickly. He and Zhou Zhou could understand each other's thoughts without saying much.

"It's rare for my mother to bestow such a gift upon me, so of course I'll wear it." Zhou Zhou smiled sweetly, her eyebrows curving upwards.

Li Ziyan laughed along and said to her, "You look beautiful in this."

"That's good."

The candlelight flickered, emitting a faint light in the dim night, but as the night deepened, the candle burned out, the light grew weaker and weaker, and finally it could no longer emit a single ray of light.

After an unknown amount of time, the stars gradually dimmed, and a sliver of white appeared on the horizon. The white gradually grew larger, eventually turning red and then orange.

Zhou Zhou opened her eyes, and Li Ziyan also sat up.

"It's dawn," she said.

"Okay, get up," Li Ziyan replied softly.