Marrying the Crown Prince

But having a holiday doesn't mean she can stay up late. Zhou Zhou got up very early today because she expected many guests to come.

She rubbed her face, looked at her smooth skin in the bronze mirror, and then thought about the weather. She said, "No need for any makeup. Just draw my eyebrows and put on some lip rouge."

In this kind of weather, if you wear powder and sweat, the scene is just too beautiful.

"Yes." Zhi Bei, who was doing Zhou Zhou's hair and makeup, nodded.

After combing her hair and putting on hairpins, Zhou Zhou chose a dark blue silk robe with ink-painted landscapes, clouds, and seas of clouds.

The fabric of the clothes was extremely thin and cool to the touch. When draped lightly over the body, it didn't feel very hot.

Just as I finished tidying up, a palace servant came to report, "Changzhu, the head maid of Shou Kang Palace, has arrived."

Changzhu was sent by the Empress Dowager to deliver birthday gifts.

With Shou Kang Palace taking the lead, other prominent ladies in the harem also sent their gifts one after another; as for Feng Yi Palace, Empress Chu got up late, so her gifts were sent late as well.

When Ruo Song was delivered, there were already quite a few people sitting in Changxin Hall.

The Third Imperial Consort, Lady Qin, looked at the gifts sent by Empress Chu with envy, saying, "The color of this Southern Red Agate bracelet is so beautiful."

A red agate bracelet may not be particularly valuable, but it carries auspicious meanings and blessings.

Therefore, the gift that Empress Chu gave to Zhou Zhou showed that she cared about her and that she was not just sending her something random to get rid of her.

"Yes, Mother has given me all her good things," Zhou Zhou replied with a smile, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist.

About half an hour later, it was already past 9 AM, so all the guests had arrived. Zhou Zhou stood up and said, "The stage has been set up over at Qingliang Terrace. Let's go take a look."

The two-piece set: opera performance and banquet.

"Oh?" Madam Qin quite enjoyed listening to opera, and upon hearing this, she asked curiously, "I wonder which opera troupe you've invited?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Zhou's face showed a hint of regret, and he said with a touch of remorse, "Originally, we wanted to invite the opera troupe from Baixi Garden, but we didn't expect that to invite their troupe, we had to book it two months in advance. So this time, we invited the opera troupe from Huanxi Hall."

"It's alright. Although we can't see the Farewell My Concubine performance at Baixi Garden, Mu Guiying's command performance at Huanxi Hall is also famous," Qin Shi comforted her.

“It’s quite a coincidence,” Zhou Zhou said, her eyes crinkling into a smile. “My favorite story to hear is Mu Guiying taking command.”

"Then sister-in-law, you must request a song later, otherwise the invitation to Huanxi Hall will have been wasted."

Qingliangtai is a separate courtyard of the East Palace. There is a stage in the courtyard and a small pond. When there is nothing to do, it is nice to come here to listen to some music and watch some plays.

Unfortunately, Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan are both busy, so Qingliangtai has hardly been used since it was built. Today is the first time this year.

As everyone took their seats, Donghe handed the script to Zhou Zhou. Although Zhou Zhou was young, she held the highest status, so she was the one to choose the first play.

Zhou Zhou doesn't watch plays much. He just casually mentioned that he liked watching "Mu Guiying Takes Command." However, when it comes to choosing a play, he naturally wants to choose a signature one, so the opera "Mu Guiying Takes Command" began to be sung in a soft, rhythmic style.

After selecting the plays, Zhou Zhou handed the script to Qin Shi, who then selected two more plays.

After the three scenes were over, it was almost lunchtime. Zhou Zhou didn't add any more scenes, but just sat quietly, listening while drinking tea and eating snacks.

Most of the people present were those who enjoyed watching the show, and even those who didn't wouldn't speak up at this time. Seeing the crowd quiet, Zhou Zhou's expression relaxed considerably.

Today, from the moment she woke up until now, her lips haven't stopped moving, and her face is practically frozen from smiling.

This birthday celebration is really something that can be celebrated by whoever loves it!

After a while, Donghe quietly came over and whispered a few words in Zhou Zhou's ear.

Zhou Zhou's brow twitched, a smile blooming on her face. She gently rebuked, "Why bother asking about something like this? Of course, we need it all."

Upon hearing her words, Donghe bowed and quietly withdrew.

Madam Qin looked over and kindly said, "Sister-in-law, are you busy? No problem, go ahead."

"Oh, no, that's not true at all." Zhou Zhou still had a smile on his face. "I just came to ask if the lotus root should be fried into lotus root fritters or made into a cold dish."

“I see,” Madam Qin laughed. “But she is, after all, a servant, and it’s not uncommon for her to be indecisive.”

“Yes, it’s always better to ask questions and speak up than to be self-righteous,” others chimed in.

"Oh dear, I hope she doesn't hear me, or she'll be so cocky she'll be wagging her tail in the air." Zhou Zhou giggled and covered her mouth with her handkerchief.

They exchanged a smile, and that was the end of it.

After serving the meal and seeing the person off, Zhou Zhou's faint smile turned cold.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"They've detained him, gagged him, and he's in the woodshed," Donghe replied respectfully.

"Very well, press forward." Zhou Zhou flicked his sleeves, his voice was soft, but full of killing intent, like a storm brewing.

"Yes."

Donghe hurriedly withdrew.

Soon, a young palace maid was brought over. She was tightly bound, and her mouth was stuffed with a tattered cloth that looked like it came from somewhere.

The young palace maid was pinned to the ground, whimpering as if begging for mercy.

Zhou Zhou raised her hand, and the eunuch quickly released his grip on the person, also removing the rag from her mouth.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

Once she realized she could speak, she immediately began to wail, her cries so shrill that anyone who didn't know better would think it was Changxin Palace slaughtering a pig.

Zhou Zhou frowned slightly and looked at Ju Fang beside him.

Jufang understood, went to the little palace maid, and slapped her hard across the face, stopping the little palace maid's crying abruptly.

"You must answer whatever Her Majesty asks, or it won't be as simple as a slap," Ju Fang said sternly.

"Yes," the little palace maid replied, sobbing, looking quite pitiful.

Finally, the silence subsided, and Zhou Zhou's expression softened somewhat as he asked, "Tell me, who is your master?"

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I..." The little palace maid wiped away her tears, heartbroken.

Zhou Zhou sighed and parted his lips slightly, "So no one instructed you to do it, and you decided to do it yourself?"

"I...I didn't do it," the little palace maid shook her head.

"What a shameless thing to do, catching them red-handed and still pretending," Donghe sneered. "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it would be better to gag them and beat them to death with sticks."

Zhou Zhou smoothed her hair and said in a gentle voice, "That's a good idea. Take him away and find a courtyard where no one lives. Don't dirty my place."

The palace maid was stunned. She didn't even bother to ask any questions and was executed on the spot.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

The young palace maid, being dragged along, struggled incessantly, trying to crawl back, but her strength was no match for the eunuchs who were used to doing rough work.