Marrying the Crown Prince

In early summer, the weather is not hot, but rather cool. The sky is a clear blue without a single cloud, and it looks higher and farther away.

Zhou Zhou walked on the stone-paved road, making a soft "tap-tap" sound.

She slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and looked up at the distant sky.

Just then, a few birds left their nest to forage for food and flew into Zhou Zhou's view.

Zhou Zhou lowered her eyes...

Nebulae drift across the sky, and the wind carries the lush green grass in a gentle sway.

Looking back, a month and a half has already passed.

A eunuch dressed in blue with peacock patterns entered the imperial study carrying a cup of tea.

He placed the object gently on Emperor Chenze's desk, his eyes lowered and his body bowed.

Upon hearing the sound, Emperor Chenze looked up from the memorial and gazed at it.

"I remember you are Wei Yi's disciple?" he said.

It wasn't that he was curious; it was just that he had been used to being served by Wei Yi for years, so a sudden change of person was bound to attract his attention.

"Yes, I am fortunate to have your kindness and your willingness to teach me."

"Hmm," Emperor Chenze replied calmly.

The eunuch cautiously looked up, and seeing that Emperor Chenze had shifted his gaze back to the memorial, he quietly retreated again.

Emperor Chenze read one book after another without much change in expression—nothing major had happened recently, which was excellent.

Of course, the main reason is that corrupt officials were almost completely purged three years ago.

That time, the Crown Prince took his wife out for fun, and they ended up catching a despicable woman who had lost all conscience!

If this is the case right under the emperor's nose, then what about those county magistrates far away who would consider themselves local emperors?

Thinking of this, Emperor Chenze was furious. He ordered the Censorate to send several people to form a special inspection team, equipped with the Imperial Sword and the power to execute first and report later, to inspect various parts of the country.

Those guys in the Censorate were people who hated evil and were always thinking of remonstrating with their heads against a pillar, hoping to leave a good name in history.

So, one by one, after receiving the order, they all rolled up their sleeves—ready to go wherever they were and kill wherever they went.

In this way, after two whole years of inspections, a considerable number of corrupt officials were purged.

Of course, greed can never be eradicated, and killing cannot stop it.

Therefore, Emperor Chenze issued other policies: such as increasing officials' salaries, improving their benefits, and ensuring they had enough to live on, thus reducing their greed; and optimizing job positions and decentralizing management...

In any case, after the killing of some officials served as a deterrent, the policy of appeasement was further implemented, and so far, corrupt officials have not dared to make a fuss.

Therefore, Emperor Chenze can be described as leisurely, but not entirely leisurely.

Because Li Ziyan was not in the capital, there was one less person to help him with the memorials.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhou stayed in the Eastern Palace, so Emperor Chenze would have Wei Yi bring over a dozen memorials every day.

When it was first delivered, Zhou Zhou thought Wei Yi had taken the wrong one, "His Highness is no longer in the Eastern Palace, and besides..."

Besides, weren't they always delivered to Mingde Hall every day? Why are they being delivered to my Changxin Hall today?

“Your Majesty, this is the Emperor’s will,” Wei Yi reminded her.

Since that was the case, Zhou Zhou had no choice but to accept it, but he dared not accept it completely. Instead, he took Wei Yi with him to the Imperial Study.

After hearing her purpose, Emperor Chenze sighed heavily, looking very sad. "Yes, with the Crown Prince gone, there is no one to share my burdens."

A question mark slowly appeared above Zhou Zhou's head.

Seeing that she did not answer, Emperor Chenze continued sadly, "With so many memorials, how can I possibly read them all by myself?"

Zhou Zhou: "..."

Father, your acting is somewhat inferior to your son's.

While Zhou Zhou was internally ranting and raving, Emperor Chenze was already deeply engrossed in his performance.

He looked at Zhou Zhou with a face full of relief and affection, saying, "Fortunately, I have the Crown Princess who is willing to help me."

At this point, even the most clueless Zhou Zhou would have to understand.

She bowed deeply and said, "It is my honor to be able to share the Emperor's burdens."

Therefore, Wei Yi went to the East Palace every day, even more frequently than he went to the West Palace.

Empress Chu: "..."

What's this old geezer up to?

So, she came to the East Palace.

When she saw a stack of folded documents on Zhou Zhou's desk, and then glanced at another stack of account books from the Eastern Palace next to it, she fell silent.

Zhou Zhou closed the ledger, stood up and bowed, "It's rare for Mother to come and visit me."

Empress Chu looked at Zhou Zhou, who was struggling to get up, and felt a surge of affection for him. "Good child, sit down quickly."

The two then spoke for a while, and Empress Chu, seeing that Zhou Zhou still had so much official business to attend to, decided not to disturb him further.

This incident gave Empress Chu a tremendous shock.

They were shocked by how lazy that old man, Emperor Chenze, was, and also shocked by how Zhou Zhou handled state affairs with such ease.

Of course, most importantly, the Queen of Chu deeply understood a truth—as long as you are capable, there will always be work to be done.

In the Imperial Study, Wei Yi returned. "Your Majesty, the memorial has been delivered to the Eastern Palace."

"Hmm." Emperor Chenze responded, then picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

This tea was probably brewed by someone else, because Emperor Chenze didn't think it tasted very good.

Thinking this way, he let it go.

Vivi understood immediately, stepped forward, picked up the teacup—and said, "Go and get another one."

The moment he picked it up, Emperor Chenze frowned.

Wei Yi froze, thinking he had misunderstood, and prepared to put it back.

As a result, Emperor Chenze clutched his stomach, vomited blood, and collapsed.

"Your Majesty!" Wei Yi exclaimed.

Emperor Chenze's face was deathly pale, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, landing with a "plop" on the commemorative document.

He gasped for breath, using his last bit of strength to command with difficulty, "Don't make a sound. Go and summon the imperial physician. Also, order Zuo Jin to surround the Hall of Mental Cultivation. No one is allowed to leave except you."

Zuo Jin was the commander of the imperial guards, and Yi was the commander of the Imperial Guards. Both were responsible for the safety of the capital and the palace.

The pain in his stomach intensified, burning his body with heat. His ears began to ring. With all his might, he managed to utter one last sentence, "Go and fetch the Crown Princess!"

After saying this, Emperor Chenze could no longer hold on, vomited black blood, and collapsed.

Soon, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was completely surrounded by guards. The head of the Imperial Medical Academy, along with his two apprentices, also arrived and forced Emperor Chenze to swallow the emetic.

Zhou Zhou led Chang Yi and walked quickly toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Wei Yi, standing nearby, continued chattering, "Please, Your Highness, hurry up."

This……

This was already her fastest speed.

Or... should we just run?

The answer is definitely no. If we run away, wouldn't everyone know that something happened at the Hall of Mental Cultivation?

"So, Father-in-law, what exactly happened? I have no idea what's going on unless you tell me," Zhou Zhou said as he walked, slightly out of breath.

"Oh, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince just sent over some interesting little trinkets, and the Emperor has invited you to come and admire them together." Wei Yi lied without batting an eye, and even arranged the whole story in a short time.

Soon, Zhou Zhou stood at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty?" Wei Yi asked, puzzled.