Marrying the Crown Prince

Hearing Zhou Zhou's words, the old lady of the Duke of Qi smiled and said, "Your Highness, my daughter is barely considered intelligent, but she grew up in the countryside and is not good at household affairs."

"Your Majesty is kind-hearted, has a beautiful temperament, and possesses talents that surpass even the immortals. If you would be willing to teach her, I would be eternally grateful."

As soon as he said this, everyone around looked over.

As for Madam Fang, she felt even more ashamed. She lowered her eyes and dared not look up. She held back her tears for a long time. In the old lady's heart, was my character really that bad?

actually not.

If the old lady of the Duke of Qi really thinks she is beyond redemption and wants to humiliate her, she should not ask Zhou Zhou for help, but directly ask Empress Chu for a governess.

Moreover, the Duke of Qi's mansion has always been a neutral royalist. Now that the old lady has asked Crown Princess Zhou Zhou for help, if Zhou Zhou agrees, the Duke of Qi's mansion will only be able to serve the Crown Prince in the future.

Therefore, the old lady of the Duke of Qi genuinely wanted Fang to grow up and become someone who could stand on her own.

Unfortunately, Fang was too insecure and couldn't understand what had happened.

Zhou Zhou's fingers gently traced the tea lid, then she picked up a handkerchief, covered her mouth, and looked very shy. "Madam, I'm still young, how could I be as good as you say?"

Indeed, after weighing the pros and cons, she chose to give up.

The Crown Prince now has the support of the Marquis of Beiping and already possesses military power; if he were to further associate with the Duke of Qi's family, a pillar of the civil service...

Such power inevitably displeased Emperor Chenze.

Hearing Zhou Zhou's refusal, the old lady of the Duke of Qi was still unwilling to give up and added, "The Crown Prince's mother has been taught by the Empress Dowager and the Empress for many years. Her talent is admirable, even without my words."

"Your Majesty understands. Your Majesty's refusal is not because you think my family is not learned enough, but because you have many palace affairs and Your Majesty does not have much time."

"I am dissatisfied with this matter. If Your Majesty is willing to teach, my servant will certainly listen carefully to your instruction. Moreover, teaching once every five days will not take up too much of Your Majesty's time."

The old lady of the Duke of Qi spoke so earnestly that Zhou Zhou's expression was slightly moved.

Her eyes darted to Fang, and when she noticed Fang's gaze, she immediately sat up straight, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Zhou Zhou sighed silently—oh well.

"If the old lady thinks highly of me, then I will respectfully accept her offer."

Upon hearing Zhou Zhou's agreement, the old lady of the Duke of Qi was overjoyed. She quickly stood up, pulled Fang Shi along, and bowed together, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Zhou Zhou couldn't just stand by and watch an elderly lady in her seventies or eighties, who was also a first-rank noblewoman, bow.

She tilted her head slightly, and Donghe, seeing this, quickly stepped forward and helped her up.

Aside from that, another thing is that Zhou Zhou ran into Liu Jingyuan today.

Liu Jingyuan has been married for over a year now, and naturally, she married Chen Muchuan, the most handsome man in Kyoto.

Chen Muchuan's wedding broke the hearts of countless women in Kyoto.

However, these things did not affect their relationship; after their wedding, they did not stay in Kyoto but went to the frontier.

It is worth mentioning that the border guarded by the Chen family army borders the Qixi Kingdom, and even Li Zixi's fiefdom is located in the territory guarded by the Chen family army.

Therefore, Liu Jingyuan and Li Zixi met several times at the border.

Before winter arrived this year, Liu Jingyuan returned to Beijing with her mother-in-law.

“However, after spring arrives, I will follow the grain supplies to the frontier.” She and Zhou Zhou sat together, talking quietly.

Zhou Zhou nodded, "It's good that we can go back."

Staying in Beijing would be too restrictive, unsuitable for Liu Jingyuan, an eagle meant to soar in the sky.

Liu Jingyuan glanced at the old lady of the Duke of Qi, and then moved closer to Zhou Zhou, "I think you've taken on a hot potato."

Yes.

Fang has been married into the Duke's mansion for over a year, almost two years. No one would believe that the Duchess of Qi and the Old Madam hadn't given her proper guidance.

But even after teaching for so long, he still looks timid and hesitant.

This clearly shows that teaching Fang was not an easy task.

Zhou Zhou said calmly, "It's alright, take your time."

In any case, the old lady of the Duke of Qi did not set a time limit or require teaching to a certain level.

After saying that, Liu Jingyuan and Zhou Zhou started another round of gossip.

"Hey, have you heard about the Wuxing Prince's Mansion?" she asked with great interest.

"No." Zhou Zhou shook his head.

After saying that, she found it somewhat amusing; yesterday she had said she wouldn't check, but today the news was delivered right to her.

"Tsk, how come you're so out of touch?" Liu Jingyuan frowned in dissatisfaction.

Zhou Zhou: "..."

If you want to share this gossip, just say it quickly, instead of praising one side while criticizing the other.

Liu Jingyuan picked up her teacup, skimmed off the foam, took a small sip, and cleared her throat...

Zhou Zhou gave her an elbow strike without saying a word, "Hurry up and talk, or forget it."

They weren't very strong, just like when they were children playing around.

Liu Jingyuan covered her arm, her eyes brimming with tears, "Zhouzhou, you've changed your mind."

The commotion the two of them made attracted everyone's attention.

Madam Chen smiled faintly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I wonder if my eyes are failing me? Why does the Crown Princess seem to have such a good relationship with my third son?"

The Queen of Chu knows how to do this question.

She explained it clearly in a few words: "Back when Jiafu and Shunan were studying at Jingyang Palace, the Crown Princess was Jiafu's study companion, and your husband was Shunan's study companion. The two of them were classmates for seven years."

"I see." Old Madam Chen looked at Zhou Zhou and bowed slightly to her.

Zhou Zhou also gave her a dignified, polite fake smile and nodded.

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Chen's brow twitched, and she looked to the side, no longer staring at Zhou Zhou and the other girl.

Seeing that her mother-in-law was no longer looking at her, Liu Jingyuan patted her chest and whispered to Zhou Zhou, "I don't know why, but my mother-in-law is the kindest and most amiable person, yet I'm inexplicably afraid of her."

Zhou Zhou smiled faintly, but did not answer. Instead, she changed the subject back to the Prince of Wuxing's residence.

Actually, it's not hard to understand why Liu Jingyuan is afraid of Old Madam Chen.

It should be noted that when Madam Chen was young, she accompanied General Chen and went to the battlefield several times. She was a woman who could wield a large sword with great skill and even kicked the head of an enemy general like a ball.

In the first few months after Madam Chen returned to Beijing, she exuded a menacing aura, and her eyes were filled with resentment.

Now, after so many years in Kyoto, her resentment has gradually decreased, but it hasn't completely disappeared.

Liu Jingyuan is a person with a very keen sense of aura, so her intuition tells her that her mother-in-law is not as kind as she seems.