Marrying the Crown Prince

“I’m ashamed,” Zhou Zhou sighed, “I don’t know why, but I’ve always been a quick learner, no matter what it is.”

Whatever it may be, needlework, archery, chess, playing the zither, or so on.

However, it still takes time to master it.

For example, Zhou Zhou put in a lot of effort and endured hardship to master archery, chess, and calligraphy.

After hearing her words, Li Ziyan fell silent again.

He could be considered one of the best among his peers, but compared to Zhou Zhou, he was still far behind.

If she had been born a boy, she would have had access to more educational resources and would have been able to see the world described in the book for herself, broadening her horizons...

Thinking of this, Li Ziyan's eyes were somewhat complicated. He reached out and rubbed Zhou Zhou's head, "I wish you were a man."

"Huh?" Zhou Zhou asked, puzzled.

"In this way, our dynasty will have one more capable minister."

Hearing his heartfelt sentiments, Zhou Zhou chuckled, leaned down, and pinched Li Ziyan's cheek. "Isn't what I am like now good enough?"

Li Ziyan opened her mouth, unsure how to reply.

Is it good or bad?

We agreed, but didn't we just slap ourselves in the face? We might not agree, but it would be a slap in the face in the face as well.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhou did not expect him to answer and continued, "In this world, men have far more than women from the moment they are born."

"Women are inherently weak, and if they are born into a poor family and live under an authoritarian and domineering parent, they will suffer greatly."

“But I was lucky to be born into a powerful family. Although my birth mother died early, I had loving grandparents who doted on me. My stepmother was also a kind person. Although my father was not very capable, he loved and protected me.”

“I have never suffered much hardship since I was a child, and I was fortunate enough to be born into the Crown Prince’s family. I am already much luckier than most people.”

"However, Your Highness is considering the bigger picture and feels it is a pity that I am a woman; but as for me, I do not feel that my current life is bad at all."

"As the saying goes, contentment brings happiness, so there's no need to whine about something that isn't true."

"However, being content does not mean I am not ambitious."

"They all say that the Crown Princess will be the future empress, a role model for all women, and will manage the harem well for the sake of the nation."

"This situation seems normal, yet it's not quite right."

"It's normal because for thousands of years, people have been used to women standing behind men."

"It's not good because, since ancient times, starting from the Shang Dynasty, there has been General Fu Hao who defeated an army of a million, Princess Pingyang Zhao of Tang who conquered the capital, and General Yang Miaozhen who was skilled in martial arts and possessed both wisdom and courage."

"As for women who hold positions in the court, there was Lu Zhen, the first female prime minister, and Xie Yaohuan, the censor who toured Jiangnan."

"Therefore, women are not only limited to hiding behind men; they can go to the battlefield to fight the enemy, or engage in commerce and politics."

"Your Highness thinks it's a pity that I am a man. Why don't you think about how many women in this world are born to be wives, and even if they have a lot of passion and knowledge, they can only guard their small plot of land in the inner quarters and become mediocre people."

After saying that, Zhou Zhou straightened Li Ziyan's collar and smiled gently, "It's almost time, Your Highness. Go and change your clothes to see if they fit. I can make some alterations after lunch."

Li Ziyan blinked, still somewhat dazed. She stared blankly at the nightgown in her hand, then at Zhou Zhou, opening her mouth but not knowing how to reply.

Zhou Zhou pulled him up, "Go quickly, go quickly."

Li Ziyan left with heavy steps, and it was quite a while before he came out.

His tall figure gradually approached, coming to stand in front of Zhou Zhou, giving her an inexplicable and powerful sense of oppression.

Her eyes were clear as water. She raised her head and looked at the other person quietly. "Your Highness?"

Li Ziyan placed the nightgown next to her, saying, "The clothes are fine, no need to alter them."

His tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

"That's good." Zhou Zhou smiled gently. "I took His Highness's old clothes and made this by comparison. I thought it would need to be altered."

Li Ziyan's eyes were as black as ink, as if something was constantly churning within them.

“From now on, you can leave these things to the embroiderer,” he said.

Zhou Zhou paused for a moment, then asked knowingly, "Your Highness, what are you talking about?"

There was a light in her eyes, like the purest thing in the world, making people afraid to look directly at her.

Li Ziyan reached out and touched her eyes, his voice soft, "Zhouzhou, don't look at me like that."

Zhou Zhou blinked, raised her hand, and placed it on his hand.

"Nope."

Her voice was soft, and she appeared well-behaved and sensible.

Li Ziyan felt a mix of emotions, a bittersweet feeling that was incredibly complex.

He was born into nobility and never thought of the matter Zhou Zhou brought up. Looking back now, did he really not know that the world was unfair to women all these years?

However, because they are the beneficiaries, they selectively ignore it.

Now that Zhou Zhou has forcefully shattered this thin layer of paper window, Li Ziyan is momentarily dazed and at a loss—is it really possible for them to change this prejudice that has lasted for thousands of years?

He gave a wry smile and silently lowered his hand from Zhou Zhou's eyes.

Zhou Zhou was unaware of all the things he had imagined, but he clearly sensed Li Ziyan's low spirits.

“Your Highness, prejudice is like a mountain that is difficult to climb.” Zhou Zhou took his hand and slowly stood up. “But our ancestors told us that this mountain is not insurmountable.”

"Perhaps all we can do now is a little bit, insignificant, like a spark, but one spark after another will eventually ignite a raging fire and finally break down prejudices."

"I don't know how long this will take, and I don't know how much effort people will have to put in along the way."

"But I believe that day will eventually come."

Zhou Zhou's gaze was too calm, and her tone was very gentle, but with each word she spoke, Li Ziyan's heart tightened a little, and finally he covered Zhou Zhou's mouth with trembling hands.

"Stop talking."

"Do not tell anyone about what happened today."

Such shocking words, if known to those with ulterior motives, will surely be seized upon, leading to another bloody storm.

Zhou Zhou reached out and gently scratched Li Ziyan's hand, signaling him to let go.

Li Ziyan hesitated and lowered his hand, then heard her reply—

"Your Highness, don't worry, I'm not stupid."

Of course she wasn't stupid; she was just testing Li Ziyan's limits step by step. If Li Ziyan got angry along the way, Zhou Zhou would immediately shut up and never mention the matter again.

Zhou Zhou was satisfied with the Crown Prince's reaction.

Her eyes curved like a gentle breeze, softly and tenderly brushing across the water's surface, creating shallow ripples on the calm water.