Marrying the Crown Prince

"When that palace maid mentioned Consort Shu, I felt that this matter was not simple."

"I'm afraid the person behind this isn't just trying to drag this unassuming Consort Shu down with them; their target is probably us."

"Recently, Your Highness has been very insightful in court, and I have also gained favor with the Empress Dowager. The Crown Prince's Palace has been getting too much attention lately."

As the saying goes, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and the local bully is cut down with a knife."

Fortunately, Li Ziyan's position in Emperor Chenze's heart was extremely stable and could not be shaken overnight.

However, the emperor was deeply suspicious, so the other party took advantage of this characteristic and used a method to plant the seeds of doubt in Emperor Chenze's heart, so as to gradually shake the position of the Crown Prince.

"That's why you said you wanted to go on a trip for a few days?" Li Ziyan's heart raced, and his gaze froze.

“What are you talking about?” Zhou Zhou chuckled. “I’ve never felt that we need to lay low.”

Li Ziyan tilted his head in confusion and looked over: Then why bring this up?

“Because Your Highness and I have never left this place since our marriage.” Zhou Zhou looked at him quietly. “Besides, the weather has been hot and humid lately, and it’s much cooler in the mountains. Your Highness’s mood and appetite will be much better there.”

Her gaze was so clear, her eyes filled with her own reflection, as she quietly stared at herself.

A warm feeling instantly welled up in Li Ziyan's heart, as if she were being gently and tightly enveloped.

Both of them were action-oriented. Li Ziyan hadn't even gotten leave yet, but he had already started assigning his work to the officials in the Eastern Palace. Zhou Zhou, on the other hand, was also packing his bags, urging Dong He to find out the results quickly.

Poor Donghe, he was running around all day, checking everywhere, comparing his travel registration with the travel log, and his mouth was burning with anxiety.

Seeing how hard she was working, Zhou Zhou, showing rare compassion, asked Zhi Bei to send her half a catty of chrysanthemum tea.

Looking at the half-pound chrysanthemum tea, Donghe felt his mouth hurt even more.

Persistence pays off. Through her tireless efforts, Donghe finally uncovered a clue.

For this, we must also thank this travel guide and the new rule—you must travel with a companion.

So Donghe questioned all the palace servants who had gone out with that little maid. Then one of the maids raised her hand and answered, "Auntie, when she went out with me, she spoke with a nanny from the flower room, and that nanny gave her a small purse."

"She said that the old woman was from the same village as her, and that the purse was a special purse used by their parents for praying for blessings."

"At the time, I didn't suspect anything, and I didn't know what to ask or say, after all..."

After all, I wasn't very familiar with her.

Upon hearing this, Donghe's eyes lit up. Finally—he had found it!

As a result, when Donghe led his people to the greenhouse to look for the person, they found no one there.

It turns out that the old woman had fallen into the water five days ago and died; her body had been dragged out and buried cleanly.

Five days ago was the day before Zhou Zhou's birthday.

The person is dead?!

Donghe was dumbfounded and grabbed the flower room manager, asking, "Does that old woman have any grudges or grievances with anyone?"

"Miss Donghe, you don't know her, but she is a well-known kind-hearted person, especially soft-hearted. She has never argued with anyone. It's a pity."

After saying this, the manager of the greenhouse sighed deeply, expressing great regret.

After listening to Dong He's report, Zhou Zhou sighed heavily, "Let's leave it at that."

Before they even made their move, the other party had already cut off all the leads. They even went to great lengths to eliminate the mole who had been hiding in the greenhouse for many years. If they continued to investigate, it would be difficult to find anything useful.

Donghe looked guilty and dejected, her voice muffled, "It's my fault for being useless and disappointing Your Majesty."

"What are you thinking about all day?" Zhou Zhou asked, both amused and exasperated. "The higher-ups are probably investigating this matter. Have you heard any rumors lately?"

Donghe shook his head.

“That’s right. Even the people around Father couldn’t find anything, so it’s normal that we can’t find anything either,” Zhou Zhou comforted him.

Donghe: “…….”

Although what you said makes a lot of sense, Your Majesty, I am not comforted.

The investigation wasn't going smoothly, but Li Ziyan's leave of absence was settled.

He returned excitedly, and before he even sat down, he shared his joy with Zhou Zhou, "It's done!"

Seeing that he was covered in sweat, Zhou Zhou took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, saying, "Your Highness, please wipe your sweat first."

Li Ziyan took the cup, sat down next to her, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and Zhou Zhou brought him a cup of warm water and placed it in front of him.

After Li Ziyan took a couple of sips of water, Zhou Zhou spoke to him, "Your Highness, what you just said was so nonsensical. What could possibly be accomplished?"

“Father has granted my leave.” Li Ziyan smiled faintly, his eyes crinkling as he gazed intently at her.

Zhou Zhou paused for a moment, then covered her mouth with her hand and laughed happily, "That's great."

It was really nice, especially when I got up early and rode in the carriage out of the palace; that was when the pleasure reached its peak.

Zhou Zhou lifted the carriage curtain and looked up.

Because it was still early and the sun had not yet risen, there were not many pedestrians on the street; they were few and far between, walking in a hurry.

Li Ziyan, who had been feigning sleep, heard Zhou Zhou's movements, but without opening his eyes, he started to speak, "Do you want to get down and ride a horse?"

"Let's talk about it once we're out of the city," Zhou Zhou replied loudly.

Riding horses is prohibited inside the city, and you're likely to run into acquaintances, so it's best to stay in the carriage.

Once outside the city, it was already fully light, with a reddish glow on the horizon and half of the sun peeking out from behind the mountains.

Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan mounted their fast horses and galloped away, kicking up dust from the ground.

After running for about half an hour, Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan slowed down. The horse walked slowly along the path, with about ten guards following behind to protect their safety. As for the carriage and the palace servants who came out to serve them, they were left far behind.

"Your Highness hasn't told me yet how Father Emperor agreed to let us come out?" Zhou Zhou asked curiously.

“I didn’t bring this up with my father,” a sly glint in Li Ziyan’s eyes. “I spoke to my grandmother.”

Of course, you can't just say you want to go out and have fun. You have to say it's too hot, you can't eat or sleep well; or you have to say you're depressed, you have too many things to do, and you don't have a vacation.

Upon hearing this, and considering the events of the past few days, the Empress Dowager thought it would be good for him to go out for a few days to relax and avoid the limelight.

So she personally went to speak with Emperor Chenze about it.

Emperor Chenze was naturally unhappy when he heard this. "I only mentioned you a couple of times a few days ago, and you're already asking for leave and refusing to work. Are you trying to give me a hard time and threaten me?"

The Empress Dowager silently rolled her eyes. "It's one thing for others, but what kind of person is Jin You? You're trying to guess what he's thinking?"