Marrying the Crown Prince

After lunch, Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou walked side by side down the long street.

"Judging from the way the Empress Dowager looks, it seems she has completely accepted you as her granddaughter-in-law." Li Ziyan thought about what had just happened and felt that Zhou Zhou had a strange ability—as long as you spent a lot of time with her, you could win the favor of others.

Of course, this ability is not a superpower bestowed by heaven, but rather the result of Zhou Zhou's targeted treatment.

Before trying to win over Empress Chu, Zhou Zhou had a notebook containing detailed records of Empress Chu's preferences and personality analysis.

After deciding to win over the Empress Dowager, Zhou Zhou immediately sought advice from Li Ziyan, who told him about the Empress Dowager's preferences. As for her personality, Li Ziyan said that he had never truly understood his grandmother.

What was Li Ziyan's response at the time?

He said, "The Empress Dowager is the kind of person who, while seemingly uninterested in power, understands all the ways of governing a country; while seemingly indifferent to politics, she always steps forward to take charge and stabilize the country whenever the country is in turmoil or in danger."

"Such a person, the Empress Dowager who has never appeared in public for many years, is trusted by all officials and respected by the Emperor. What kind of person do you think the Empress Dowager is?"

After reminiscing, Zhou Zhou proudly raised her chin. "Of course."

Although I still don't understand what kind of person the Empress Dowager is, knowing her preferences means it's only a matter of time before I win her favor.

Looking at the spirited young man, Li Ziyan's originally gentle expression softened even more.

The two talked and laughed as they slowly walked back to the East Palace.

It was hot, and after walking for a while, both of them were soaked with sweat.

Fortunately, it's summer, so the bath water doesn't need to be too hot; lukewarm water is enough.

Therefore, the water was ready in no time.

Donghe prepared the clothes and toiletries one by one before walking up to Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou. "Your Highness, the water is ready."

"Your Highness, please go ahead," Zhou Zhou said without hesitation.

In her opinion, since the clothes were soaked, the most important thing was to change them first; Li Ziyan was in worse health than her, so Zhou Zhou urged him to change his clothes first.

"Mm." Li Ziyan nodded, got up and left.

Zhou Zhou tugged at his collar, feeling that the wet clothes were sticky and uncomfortable against his body.

Since she was in her own inner courtyard and no outside men would appear, Zhou Zhou simply took off the long robe on the back, revealing her waist underneath.

Zhou Zhou's main waistband is made of silk fabric, with subtle patterns woven into it using other darker colored silk threads, giving it a very elegant look.

Her skirt was a floral and bird pleated skirt, with layers upon layers of pleats that made the flowers and birds appear and disappear as she walked, giving it a charming look.

Her hair was pulled up high, not a single strand of black hair was left, and the high bun was only adorned with a silver hairpin, making her look very refreshing.

Of course, this outfit was also very comfortable for Zhou Zhou.

Li Ziyan didn't spend much time washing up; he came out in about half an incense stick's time. As soon as he came out, he saw Zhou Zhou's slender shoulders and the collarbone that was faintly visible at the waist and neckline.

His breath hitched, but his face remained expressionless. His tone was calm as he said, "Zhouzhou, you should go wash up too."

Zhou Zhou nodded, slowly swallowed the chilled watermelon in his mouth, and then stood up.

The water in the bathtub had been changed to warm water. Zhou Zhou tested the water temperature and found it to be just right, so he took off his clothes and immersed his entire body, except for his head, in the water.

The water gently enveloped Zhou Zhou's body, softly gliding over her smooth skin, making Zhou Zhou squint her eyes in comfort.

The curtain was lifted, but Zhou Zhou did not stop it. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Did Your Highness leave something behind?"

She didn't call anyone, so even Jufang and Sizhu didn't dare to come in, let alone Donghe and Zhibei.

Therefore, the only one who dared to follow in like this was Li Ziyan.

Li Ziyan came up behind her, picked up a water ladle, scooped up a spoonful of water, and gently poured it onto Zhou Zhou's back. "Your Highness has had a hard time these past few days."

Zhou Zhou turned around and smiled, her charm overflowing. "Did Your Highness come in specifically to serve me?"

With such seduction, Li Ziyan could no longer resist and leaned down to kiss her thin lips.

Zhou Zhou's lips were thin, soft, and a little cool to the touch. But after their lips and teeth had been entwined for a short while, the fire in their hearts ignited, the temperature began to rise, and their breathing became rapid.

Li Ziyan lifted her chin with his hand, forcing Zhou Zhou to tilt her head back and bear his affections.

This position was not comfortable, and Zhou Zhou, who never compromised himself, nudged Li Ziyan with his elbow.

Li Ziyan released her hand, and his kiss no longer lingered on her lips, but instead moved downwards, landing on her fair neck.

The dense kisses and warm breaths made Zhou Zhou's body tremble slightly.

Unfortunately, she was trapped in the bathtub and could only let the other person do whatever they wanted to her back.

"Your Highness..."

Zhou Zhou's voice was both sweet and charming, and her body became hot with passion.

"Mmm," Li Ziyan replied softly, placing his hand on her shoulder and collarbone, slowly moving downwards.

Zhou Zhou's breathing became heavier.

In the height of summer, the lotus flowers are in full bloom. Amidst the lush green leaves, each lotus flower unfolds its pure and flawless petals, gracefully displaying its beauty.

A gentle breeze stirs the surface of the pond, creating shallow ripples. The lotus leaves and flowers nestle together, swaying gently, making the flowers appear even more beautiful and elegant.

Fish in the pond blew bubbles, swam among the lotus leaves, playfully swayed their tails, and leaped out of the water, scattering strings of water droplets among the leaves and flowers.

Crystal-clear water droplets fall onto the lotus leaves, forming round little balls that gleam slightly in the sunlight, like jade.

The wind blew again, and the tiny water droplets on the lotus leaves, like pearls, rolled around in the huge leaves before finally falling back into the pond, making a "drip-drip" sound.

Seeing this, the little fish happily splashed the water and jumped again.

With a leap, it didn't create much of a splash this time, but it jumped a greater distance out of the water.

The little fish bit the edge of the petal into its mouth, and the poor lotus bent over, one of the petals ultimately succumbing to its fate of falling off.

A delicate petal drifted down and landed on the water's surface.

Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan lay on the bed, snuggling together. Their passion had just subsided, and both of their bodies were still quite hot.

"It's still too hot today," Li Ziyan sighed.

Zhou Zhou reached out and poked his cheek, then laughed, "It's a pity there are too many things to do, otherwise we could have gone to Chengming Palace to escape the summer heat like last year."

"Next year then." Li Ziyan thought for a moment, realizing there wasn't a chance this year, but...

"However, there should be an autumn hunt this year."