Marrying the Crown Prince

"Miss Xingyue, this...this has already been reserved by someone else." The manager looked embarrassed and closed the box.

"My lord, you're getting more and more witty." Xingyue's smile faded.

Zhou Zhou narrowed his eyes, hiding among the craftsmen, and remained silent; Ju Fang, however, rushed over, "Auntie, the items were ordered by my mistress, so please don't make things difficult for the chief craftsman here."

Hearing the head of the Imperial Palace address her as Miss Xingyue, Jufang guessed that this palace maid was a high-ranking palace maid in the harem, so it was acceptable for her to call her "aunt".

but……

The other person glanced at her sideways, turned away with a look of disgust, and looked at the head of the Imperial Household Department, "My lord, she is just a lowly concubine with no status. Are you sure you want to offend the Imperial Concubine for such a person?"

The chief officer barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes—Your family may be a Noble Consort, but the Crown Princess is not someone to be trifled with!

"Miss, you're abusing your position by using the Imperial Concubine's name. Does the Imperial Concubine know about this?" Ju Fang was fine if she didn't know Xing Yue was the Imperial Concubine's maid, but as soon as she heard that Xing Yue was the Imperial Concubine's maid, her anger flared up. "Even if the Imperial Concubine is willing to cover for you, have you ever heard of the order of arrival?"

Upon hearing her words, Xingyue burst into laughter, a smug and unrestrained laugh. "First come, first served? Hahahaha! How could there be such a fool as you in this world?"

Jufang looked puzzled, and then Xingyue took a few steps forward and came to Jufang's side.

"Today, I'm going to tell you a principle, and that principle is—there is a distinction between superiors and inferiors!"

After saying that, Xingyue swung her hand at him, but Zhou Zhou caught it.

"You—!" Xingyue shouted angrily, before finally recognizing Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou was particularly pleased with his ability to remain invisible, since things could only escalate if he didn't show himself; at the same time, he was somewhat speechless: although he dressed rather plainly this time, he hadn't really blended into the crowd, had he?

Zhou Zhou released her hand and looked at Xingyue with a smile, "Miss Xingyue, you are right, there is indeed a difference between the noble and the lowly."

Xingyue's face turned ugly, and she thought to herself that she was unlucky.

Zhou Zhou continued, "I've always heard that the Imperial Concubine is very strict with rules, but seeing her now, she's nothing special."

"Princess Consort, there's no need to drag my lady into this. I take responsibility for my own actions. If you have any problems, just come at me." Xingyue raised her chin, showing no fear of what Zhou Zhou might do to her.

After all, her slap didn't actually land on Jufang's face; even if it had, so what? The Imperial Concubine was, after all, the Crown Princess's elder, and she was a prominent figure by the Imperial Concubine's side, so the Crown Princess wouldn't dare to do anything.

"Alright, with your words, I'm relieved." Zhou Zhou chuckled lightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, making her look somewhat eerie.

Xingyue thought the other party was only acting this way because they didn't dare to do anything, and was about to feel smug when Jufang slapped her across the face, leaving a handprint on her left cheek.

"You, you dare to hit me?" Xingyue covered her face in disbelief, her voice shrill.

Zhou Zhou raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't you dare?"

“By abusing your power and tarnishing the reputation of the Imperial Concubine, you are disloyal; and by failing to show proper respect to me, you are even more despicable.”

"Such behavior warrants a minor punishment from me. Is that inappropriate?"

Xingyue replied angrily, "I am a lady-in-waiting by the side of the Imperial Concubine. Even if I have done something wrong, it is not your place to lay a hand on me!"

“Indeed,” Zhou Zhou agreed wholeheartedly, strongly agreeing with her words. “As the saying goes, you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog.”

Xingyue gritted her teeth.

Before she could say anything, Zhou Zhou smiled radiantly, beautiful and charming, "It's just a dog, so what if we hit it? What's the big deal?"

Besides, I only hit her because of her master; otherwise, why would I have done it?

The head of the Treasure Bureau silently retreated, thinking to himself, "What a wonderful show!" Then he thought, "Such a good show, please don't drag me into it."

"Good, good!" Xingyue's chest heaved violently. "I'll remember what happened today."

After saying that, she took a step to leave, but Jufang stepped forward and blocked her way.

"Good dogs don't block the way, get out of the way!" Xingyue's alarm bells rang in her mind, and she forced herself to maintain her composure.

"Auntie, you haven't bowed yet," Jufang said with a sweet smile, mimicking Zhou Zhou's manner.

Xingyue was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She could only bow deeply, grit her teeth, and utter each word slowly, "This servant takes his leave!"

Jufang then stepped aside.

After everyone left, the head of the Imperial Seals Department pretended to wipe the cold sweat from his brow and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, this...this...alas—!"

Zhou Zhou watched her act quietly and responded gently, "I'm sorry to have startled you, sir."

"No, no, Your Highness is too kind," the chief steward hurriedly waved his hand.

Zhou Zhou picked up the wooden box on the table, opened the lid, and exclaimed in amazement, "It's really beautiful. The craftsmanship of an adult is truly extraordinary."

Hearing the Crown Princess, this smiling tiger, praise him, the chief official felt like he had thorns in his back. "Not at all, not at all."

“My lord, there’s no need to belittle yourselves. Such exquisite items are only worth eighty-eight taels. It’s an insult to these hairpins.” Zhou Zhou put the lid back on. “I’ll take the items now. I’ll have a palace maid bring over another hundred taels later. You must accept them, my lord.”

After causing a scene at her venue, how could I not spend some money on it?

Speaking of which, what good luck! I had just found out that the Imperial Concubine liked to make jewelry, so I thought I'd try my luck here, and I actually stumbled upon her.

As luck would have it, the one who arrived was a palace maid who had never seen Jufang before, which is how the argument started.

Today's events were like a godsend, just as I was about to doze off when someone handed me a pillow – things couldn't have been smoother.

The chief official sighed silently. This silver was not easy to handle; it was too hot to swallow. "This...this is too much trouble..."

"Alright, it's settled then." Zhou Zhou didn't care whether she liked it or not, and left with the things.

Seeing that everyone had left, Shao Si appeared from the side, looking worried. "Won't the Imperial Concubine take her anger out on us for what happened today?"

“We make a living with our skills, and we are palace servants with ranks. How can a mere concubine like her easily scold or beat us?” The head servant shrugged, not caring much.

Seeing that even his superior was so calm, Shao Si didn't care anymore.

Although the Director of the Imperial Archives held a higher official position than him, one had climbed the ranks step by step through skill and seniority; while he, though skilled, lacked seniority and had only reached his current position because he had a powerful backer.

She's not afraid of anyone who doesn't have a master, so why should I panic?

Zhou Zhou left the Treasure Office and headed straight for the Phoenix Palace.

Just then, Empress Chu was ordering lunch when she saw Zhou Zhou arrive. She politely asked, "Would you like to dine here?"

"Does Your Majesty wish me to stay for a meal?" Zhou Zhou's eyes shone brightly, as if he had received a great honor.

Judging from her tone, she really wanted to stay. There was still an hour until lunch, and she couldn't send people back immediately after eating, which meant she wouldn't be able to take a nap...

Thinking of this, Empress Chu felt a stomachache.

She pursed her lips, wishing she could slap herself—why did she have to say that extra word?