Marrying the Crown Prince

Emperor Chenze breathed a sigh of relief after taking the items from Empress Chu, and at the same time bestowed many gifts upon Fengyi Palace.

As one item after another entered, Empress Chu was both pleased and puzzled. "Aren't all these things moldy?"

Wei Yi almost twisted his ankle because he wasn't paying attention to his footing.

Ruosong was somewhat speechless. He quickly picked up the items and placed them in front of Empress Chu, saying, "Your Majesty, these are all good things. Please take a look."

The jewelry was large and round, sparkling, and incredibly beautiful.

"Indeed excellent." Empress Chu nodded.

It would have been better if Emperor Chenze hadn't sent the gift. Now that he had, everyone couldn't help but think of what had happened the day before – the Crown Princess had just hit the head maid of the Imperial Concubine, and instead of punishing her, the Emperor was making a big fuss about rewarding the Empress.

Could it be that the Emperor has grown tired of the Imperial Concubine?

When the Imperial Concubine learned of this, she was so angry that she wanted to throw the pair of hairpins on the ground, but Xingyun caught her and said, "Your Highness, you mustn't drop them."

This belongs to Empress Xiaoyi and was a gift from the Emperor. If you damage it, you'll be in deep trouble.

The imperial concubine angrily put it down. "Put it in a chest, at the very bottom. I never want to see it again!"

"Yes." Xingyun was afraid that she would change her mind, so she quickly put on the hairpin and left.

Of course, the repercussions of this matter went far beyond that; it even reached the ears of Empress Chu.

"She just hit him like that in public?" Empress Chu's eyes widened in disbelief.

Zhou Zhou looked weak and unassuming, but despite his sharp tongue, he was surprisingly brave and quick to fight without hesitation.

The point is...

Empress Chu remained silent.

After the Crown Princess finished beating someone, Emperor Chenze first went to Yutang Palace, then came to his own place, and finally sent wave after wave of rewards to Fengyi Palace.

Even if Empress Chu wasn't in her right mind, she wouldn't believe it was a coincidence.

So, what exactly did his daughter-in-law do?

She swallowed hard, shrank back, and leaned against the soft, fluffy steamed bun cushion.

This steamed bun... was a gift from my daughter-in-law...

Empress Chu's mind flashed back to Zhou Zhou's sweet smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Then, it overlapped with the image of Li Ziyan threatening her, and the image reappeared...

She shuddered—had she done anything to offend her daughter-in-law?

Soon, on the day when Zhou Zhou paid his respects to the Empress in the new palace, which was the first day of each month, Zhou Zhou arrived at Fengyi Palace, and Empress Chu invited him in directly.

Zhou Zhou was full of questions, feeling that Empress Chu was up to her old tricks again.

Thinking of the recent continuous gifts from Fengyi Palace, she decided to bring up the old matter again as a precaution.

"Your Majesty, the sage said, 'To be profound and humble is to be modest and unassuming.'" Zhou Zhou tentatively began, then looked up to see Empress Chu's reaction.

Empress Chu frowned. "What did you say?"

Zhou Zhou: "..."

Since that's the case, let's put it bluntly.

She warned again, "Recently, the Emperor has been bestowing gifts upon us one after another, and all the ladies in the palace are extremely envious. We have become the target of everyone's envy, and everyone will surely rise up to attack us."

"In that case, Mother should keep a low profile, try to remain composed, and not respond to their words."

"Did Mother understand?"

"Keep a low profile?" Empress Chu raised her voice, still unwilling to listen to Zhou Zhou's words.

She couldn't understand why the concubines of the past could flaunt their rewards in public, some even showing them off to others, but she herself was so low-key.

Seeing that she was unwilling, Zhou Zhou sighed silently. Since he had already prepared himself, he did not try to persuade her further. "Mother, do as you please."

She smiled faintly.

It was this smile that brought back the rumors she had heard.

According to rumors, the Crown Princess, without saying a word, went up and slapped the head maid of Yutang Palace. The head maid was not satisfied and slapped her twice more.

Empress Chu spoke almost instantly, "Who said I'm unwilling? You're my daughter-in-law, so of course I'll listen to you."

Hearing that she had changed her mind, Zhou Zhou was also taken aback, thinking to himself: It seems that today is an auspicious day, good things will happen one after another when I go out, it couldn't be better.

Therefore, when the concubines paid their respects today, Empress Chu wore a pearl headdress that shimmered with gold and exuded an air of nobility. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that these were all recently bestowed upon her by the Emperor.

"Your Majesty's hairpin today is truly beautiful," a concubine below spoke up, preparing to draw out Empress Chu's words.

Upon hearing this, Empress Chu immediately became smug: Of course! She spent a long time selecting these hairpins, hair ornaments, and combs today, just so that they could dazzle these people's eyes.

but……

The daughter-in-law said to keep a low profile.

Empress Chu pursed her lips and said, "Hmm."

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Consort De stepped forward and said, "I've heard that recently, His Majesty has bestowed many fine gifts upon Her Majesty the Empress."

Empress Chu almost nodded immediately—yes, yes, there really were many things, more than all the rewards given last year.

However, the daughter-in-law said that we shouldn't show off.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Yes."

Consort De was stunned.

Finally, the Imperial Concubine was brought up. "Your Majesty, I see that the pearls on this pearl necklace are large and round, with a faint pink hue. I think they are from the South China Sea. It is said that such pearls are hard to find even among a thousand oysters, and are worth a thousand pieces of gold, or even have a price but no market."

"As a result, His Majesty sent such a large string of gifts. He treats Your Highness so well, I am so envious."

This pearl has such a surprising origin!

Empress Chu chuckled as she touched the necklace, overjoyed, her eyebrows and eyes practically dancing with delight.

But... the daughter-in-law said she couldn't answer their questions.

She was in agony, feeling as if a tiny figure was scratching at her heart.

No, no, I can't take it anymore...

"Knock!" A crisp sound rang out.

The sound was from Zhou Zhou putting the teacup back on the table after he finished drinking tea.

The Empress Chu's already fragile heart finally sank to rock bottom.

"Okay," she replied sullenly, on the verge of tears.

Imperial Concubine: "..."

Why does the Empress look so strange today?

Finally, the meeting concluded perfectly, and Zhou Zhou was very satisfied. He specially took the pastries from Ruosong's hands and personally served them to Empress Chu.

"Mother, please have some refreshments." Her eyes revealed warmth and kindness, and her voice was gentle and affectionate.

According to them, she smiled so sweetly when she hit someone that day.

Empress Chu took a deep breath and moved to the side. "You, you can just put it on the table."

“Okay.” Zhou Zhou’s smile became even sweeter.

How could I not be happy? After a month of marriage into the Eastern Palace, I finally won over Empress Chu. It would be a lie to say I wasn't happy.

It's kind of funny though, she herself doesn't know what she did to scare people like that.

But she's not one to dwell on things. If she can't figure it out, she won't think about it. After all, whether she understands it or not doesn't really matter.