Marrying the Crown Prince

Zhou Zhou's prediction was correct; two days before the holiday, the Empress's decree arrived.

Basically, the princesses had all grown up and no longer needed their tutors, so the tutors were given generous rewards; at the same time, the families of the tutors also received rewards from the emperor.

Seven years of accompanying each other through school have come to a successful end.

Princesses Li Zixiao and Li Zixi may seem spoiled, but they are actually very sentimental. When they learned that everyone would be going back to their own homes and mothers the next day, they both cried bitterly.

"Zhouzhou, if you leave, there will be no one to stand up for me when Li Zixiao bullies me," Li Zixi said, hugging Zhou Zhou and crying. "What will I do then?"

Li Zixi immediately jumped up and down, "School ends tomorrow, and this is really what you're thinking about?"

"Could it be that, could it be that I haven't argued with you these past few days," Li Zixi sobbed, peeking out from Zhou Zhou's embrace, "that you think I've fallen in love with you?"

"You, you, you!" Li Zixiao's hands trembled with anger.

Upon seeing this, Li Zixi burst out laughing.

Everyone started laughing for some reason, and as they laughed, tears welled up in Zhou Zhou's eyes, who was usually reserved.

The following day, the last day at Jingyang Palace, no one was really in the mood to listen to the lessons.

Seeing that they were not paying attention, the female teacher simply stopped lecturing and told them to chat in the classroom, saying, "There won't be another chance to gather so many people together."

Indeed, after the girls turned twelve, they were separated from the Ninth Prince and their teachers were changed to female students.

These words only made the girls' eyes well up with tears again.

Seeing this scene, the teacher felt both helpless and heartwarming, so he added, "All things arise from causes and conditions, and all are predestined. Even if the princesses and girls go their separate ways in the future, they should never forget the seven years of friendship they have shared as classmates today."

"Life between heaven and earth is like a white horse flashing past a crack, gone in an instant."

"Seven years is so short! Seven years is so long!"

Several girls stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "We will remember your teachings today."

The Master also stood up and returned the greeting.

Since the teacher said there would be no classes and they would be parting ways tomorrow, everyone took gifts from their maids to give to their classmates.

None of the companions had any assets in Jingyang Palace, so they could only do some needlework to give away. To avoid duplication, they discussed in advance what they would make.

Zhou Zhou made bracelets for everyone, one for each person, and strung two silver bells on each bracelet. When worn on the wrist, they swayed and made a small, clear, but not loud, tinkling sound.

Wang Qingwu embroidered a handkerchief for each person, with their respective maiden names embroidered on it.

Zhao Yuehua, one of Li Zixiao's study companions and the granddaughter of a Grand Master of the Palace, gave each of them a knot she had made herself.

Another companion, Liu Jingyuan, was the granddaughter of General Degui, who gave her a purse that she had embroidered herself.

The two princesses were much more generous, mainly because their families were all from the palace. If they wanted something, they could just send a message, and the Consort Xian and the Consort Gui could get it done.

Li Zixiao presented six identical glass hairpins shaped like twin lotus blossoms.

Li Zixi's was even more interesting. Each person had half a piece of warm jade, but when they were combined in pairs, they could form a new piece of warm jade.

That afternoon, the Imperial Study also delivered a whole roasted lamb leg, along with various kinds of flatbread and roasted meat. They all gathered in Li Zixiao's room, around the stove, to brew wine.

The girls ate and played games, and eventually even played a drinking game. It was Liu Jingyuan who taught them this game.

The headmistress heard the commotion outside and thought to herself: "Since it's the last day anyway, let's give them a break this once in a while."

Having thought this through, the old woman closed her eyes and pretended to sleep—she was asleep, and what was happening inside was none of her concern; she knew nothing about it.

As a result, all the girls got very drunk.

Li Zixi hugged the chair and said she wanted to become sworn brothers with it, and even asked Liu Jingyuan to be her witness.

Li Zixiao stood on a chair and said that she was the Queen Mother of the West descended to earth. Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuehua immediately knelt down and shouted, "Queen Mother of the West, please bless me!"

Wang Qingwu cupped Zhou Zhou's face in her hands, her breath sweet as orchids, "Little Zhou Zhou, how did your brain grow? How can you learn everything so quickly?"

The scene was so beautiful that one dared not look.

The girls' maids had to drag and pull them to get them back.

When Zhou Zhou woke up the next day, she had a splitting headache—a hangover was definitely not pleasant, and her complexion worsened when she recalled her outburst the night before.

When the group met and parted at Jingyang Palace, they all looked rather uncomfortable; clearly, none of the six of them had a blackout.

So the six girls who were crying their eyes out yesterday didn't really want to see each other today. They nodded to each other as a greeting and then got into their respective carriages and left.

Back at the mansion, the old lady was startled to see Zhou Zhou looking pale. "Is something wrong? Have you seen a doctor?"

Zhou Zhou rubbed his temples, his brows furrowed. "My granddaughter is fine, just a hangover."

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright." The old lady nodded. "Since you're not getting enough rest, hurry back to Cuilin Pavilion. We can talk about it tomorrow."

The old lady said this, but in her heart she was wondering: What kind of teaching did they give her at Jingyang Palace? There are so many children, how come they are still hungover?

Since the old lady had said so, Zhou Zhou nodded in agreement.

Since Zhou Zhou was leaving, Zhou Yue quickly said, "Grandmother, I think..."

Before she could finish speaking, the old lady waved her hand and said, "Go on, go on."

Zhou Yue happily put her arm around Zhou Zhou and walked away.

The little girl from before has grown up into a graceful lady, but she is still soft and cute in front of Zhou Zhou.

However, Zhou Zhou was feeling unwell due to a hangover, so Zhou Yue left after the two sisters had only exchanged a few words.

Before leaving, Zhou Yue sweetly coaxed, "Sister, can I come see you first thing tomorrow morning?"

Her eyes were bright and piercing, like the dawn, and when she looked at Zhou Zhou, she resembled a big, fluffy dog.

As usual, Zhou Zhou reached out and ruffled her hair. "Okay."

After seeing Zhou Yue off, Zhou Zhou closed the door to all visitors, lay down on the bed, and slept soundly without even having dinner.

So, when the morning sun illuminated the earth, Zhou Zhou woke up hungry.

She got out of bed quickly, and Zhou Yue appeared just as she finished washing up.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Zhou Zhou asked her.

"I came here because I wanted to use it with my sister," Zhou Yue said with a sweet smile.

Helpless, Zhou Zhou asked someone to add another set of bowls and chopsticks.

Zhou Zhou, who had missed two meals in a row, ate quite a lot, which surprised Zhou Yue, who exclaimed, "Sister has such a good appetite!"

Zhou Zhou swallowed the meat bun in her mouth and explained calmly, "It's not always this good."