Marrying the Crown Prince

Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are collectively known as the Four Elegances, and have always been beloved by scholars and poets.

However, Zhou Zhou felt that embroidery on men's clothes was not appropriate, so she chose bamboo instead.

Bamboo is also loved by those who appreciate elegance and refinement. They have written many popular poems about bamboo's noble character, and some have even compared a gentleman to bamboo—"Graceful like a gentleman, suitable for any place."

Speaking of which, bamboo was specially planted in the courtyard of the East Palace.

As for whether Li Ziyan truly liked him, Zhou Zhou didn't care; after all, he didn't dislike him.

After hearing Dong He's words, Zhou Zhou stopped what he was doing. "It seems that Father Emperor was in a good mood yesterday."

Donghe dared not respond to this, so she lowered her head and pretended to be deaf—that she heard nothing.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhou didn't intend to chat with her about such trivial matters. "How's the matter I asked you to inquire about going?"

Since entering the palace, Zhou Zhou had clashed with the Imperial Concubine many times. Although he had never lost the battle, he always felt a sense of pent-up energy if he did nothing.

She wasn't anyone to Li Ziyan, so Zhou Zhou naturally wouldn't tolerate her temper.

"Yes." Donghe took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, which was covered with writing. "These are all the things that can be found on the surface. If we want to know some of the more hidden things, we will need more time."

Zhou Zhou opened the "Read Ten Lines at a Glance" app and quickly finished reading the words on it.

She took a tinderbox and lit the paper.

The flames, like tongues, quickly devoured the paper, turning it to ashes, which vanished with a gentle breath.

After the paper burned out, Zhou Zhou continued embroidering the clothes. Dong He, seeing that there was nothing for her to do, bowed and took her leave.

With only two strokes left to complete the pattern, Zhou Zhou put in extra effort, and an hour later, a simple nightgown was finished.

She rubbed her sore neck and called Sizhu over. "I made a forehead ribbon a few days ago. Do you know where I put it?"

"This servant will look for it."

Soon, Sizhu brought the items and presented them to Zhou Zhou.

Actually, Zhou Zhou planned to send this gift when the weather got cooler, but now he had to go to Fengyi Palace, so he had to find a reason to do so.

"Let's go." Unlike usual, Zhou Zhou brought Ju Fang with him.

The reason is simple: Jufang has been by my side for many years. In many situations, I don't need to say much. Just one glance is enough for her to understand my feelings.

“I’ve been doing needlework for too long and I’m feeling a bit tired. Why don’t we take a detour and go check out the Treasure Bureau?” Zhou Zhou said.

Having been in the palace for many days, Zhou Zhou had not yet received any jewelry. Although Empress Chu had given her some twice, her life was still far from the poverty of the Yongjing Marquis's residence.

Therefore, Jufang had no suspicions and brought Zhou Zhou to the Sibaosi.

Upon hearing that Zhou Zhou had arrived, the head of the Imperial Archives hurriedly came out of the house, bowed, and said, "This humble official greets Her Highness the Crown Princess. May Your Highness be well."

“You’re too kind, my lord,” Zhou Zhou nodded. “I just happened to be passing by, so I came in to take a look.”

While the Jewelry Company certainly has artisans who make jewelry, it is not their primary business.

Their main purpose here is to collect treasures offered as tribute from various places, as well as unique items collected over the years. The craftsmen of the Treasure Bureau are responsible for preserving the good treasures and restoring the damaged ones.

Of course, all the treasures registered here belong to the emperor. If the throne changes hands, the treasures will also change hands.

In short, the emperors come and go, but the Imperial Archives remain constant.

However, this time Zhou Zhou didn't plan to look at any unique or rare items; instead, he asked about the things he could buy.

"Any new hair accessories lately?" she asked.

"Yes, I have ordered a pair of exquisite hairpins with kingfisher feather inlay and twin lotus blossoms, featuring a phoenix holding a longevity fruit." The chief official paused before continuing, "Although these items are finished, I haven't had them wrapped up yet, so they are currently in the workshop. Would you like me to have them fetched?"

In the workshop?

Zhou Zhou had never seen a craftsman make hair ornaments in person; she had only learned about techniques such as filigree, kingfisher feather inlay, and velvet flowers from books. How wonderful it would be to see them with her own eyes!

"My lord, may I go and take a look?" she asked.

"What are you saying, Your Highness?" the chief steward replied respectfully, then led Zhou Zhou inside. "Your Highness, please follow me."

The workshop was located in the inner courtyard of the company, with rows of long tables and various tools, such as pliers, tweezers, and scissors.

The craftsmen all kept their heads down, doing their work diligently and quietly.

Of course, there were not only female craftsmen here, but also male craftsmen. However, they did not sit together, but were divided into two squares with a passage in between, which served as both a partition and a passage for people to move up and down.

The junior officer was a boy. When he saw the chief officer leading his men over, he hurried over to greet them, bowing respectfully, "Your Highness, Your Excellency."

“Sir, there’s no need for such formalities. I just came to take a look. You all do your thing and don’t need to pay attention to me.” Zhou Zhou waved his hand in a gesture of nonchalance.

"Yes."

The chief steward led Zhou Zhou onward, saying, "Your Highness, please follow me."

At the very end, there was a table covered with tools, materials, and patterns, all in a messy and disorderly manner.

The chief official scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "This is my usual table, Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness."

Zhou Zhou keenly saw the key point: "The imitation hairpin was made by you, sir?"

"This humble official has only been in office for two months," the chief official puffed out his chest, speaking modestly but with a rather smug expression.

People like her rely on their skills to make a living; if she didn't have good skills, how could her subordinates be convinced?

“Sir, there’s no need to be modest. Your craftsmanship is probably unmatched in the world.” Zhou Zhou looked at the pair of hairpins with dangling ornaments. “I wonder how much you would be willing to part with?”

The shopkeeper tentatively offered a price: "Fifty taels of silver for one hairpin, eighty-eight taels for a pair."

This price is a bit high.

But where is this? This is the imperial palace; money is spent like water.

"Please help me pack it up, sir." Zhou Zhou nodded.

"Please wait a moment." The chief officer nodded and went to rummage through the wooden box.

Zhou Zhou also walked to the other side to watch the legendary cloisonné enamel technique with his own eyes.

At this moment, a palace maid dressed like a low-ranking concubine walked over and said, "My lord, I've been looking for you everywhere."

Just as the master craftsman placed the hairpin into the wooden box and before he could close it, the man walked over and immediately took a liking to it.

She smiled broadly, beaming with pride, "You're too kind, sir. My lady will surely love such a beautiful hairpin."