Marrying the Crown Prince

Xu Chongqiu was originally a second-class maidservant by the old lady's side. She was clever and was assigned by the old lady to Zhou Laowu to be his concubine.

Originally, they planned to promote her to concubine after she became pregnant, but three years have passed and she still hasn't conceived.

It wasn't until Zhou Zhou's birth mother, Gao Shangxuan, passed away that she was able to give birth to a child after moving to another place with Zhou Laowu. Unfortunately...

After giving birth to a girl, there was no more good news.

The old lady glanced at Zhou Yue beside her; the little girl had rosy lips and white teeth, and was quite clever.

Well, after all, they served by my side and followed my son for so many years.

The old lady twitched the corners of her mouth, took the hairpin off her hair, and gestured for the nanny to give it to Zhou Yue as a greeting gift. She also asked the nanny to give Xu Shi a purse.

"It's too late today. Tomorrow morning, you two remember to offer incense to Changxuan." The old lady said slowly. "You've been with Mu'er for so many years and have given birth to the third child. When you go over tomorrow, prepare a good meal and make her your concubine."

Clearly, the last sentence was addressed to the Xu family.

Xu was overjoyed: In the past few years, although she had always acted as Zhou Mu's concubine while serving as the wife of an official, she knew that without the approval of the capital, she was ultimately just an imposter.

Unexpectedly, everything went so smoothly.

Holding the purse given to her by the old lady, she kowtowed, and auspicious words streamed from her mouth.

Hearing these words, Zhou Zhou couldn't help but look over. So many auspicious words could be uttered without hesitation, and spoken so sincerely. No wonder they were able to advance.

The old lady was coaxed into smiling, "Look at what you're saying."

Then, as if only then noticing, she exclaimed in shock, "Oh dear, look at my memory! I was so happy that I forgot you were still kneeling. And you, eldest daughter-in-law, you didn't even remind me."

When a large pot was poured over Zhou Yue's head, Zhang was not surprised. She said a few words of apology, then quickly helped Zhou Yue up, pulled her to her side, praised her, and gave her a gift. The matter was over just like that.

Not long after, the old Marquis Zhou Taiheng arrived.

However, judging from his expression, he clearly wasn't there for his son whom he hadn't seen for years. Instead, he seemed a little surprised to see a few more people in the house. It wasn't until he noticed the old lady's warning look that the old marquis said indifferently, "You're back?"

"Yes, Father." Seeing his father appear, Zhou Laowu felt extremely uncomfortable, as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

What kind of answer is this?

The old marquis's expression was stern, and he wanted to reprimand the younger generation, but he held back because there were younger generations present. Instead, he said, "It has been many years since you and I, father and son, have played a game. There is no better time than today. Come to the study with your eldest son and play a few games with me."

Zhou Laowu looked at the old lady with great concern and pleaded, but she encouraged him.

The old lady's meaning was clear: Go, child, and get along well with your father.

Zhou Laowu looked like a wilted flower, his face contorted in a grimace; on the other side, Zhou Chengan also looked grim, as he hadn't been able to exchange more than a few words with his father.

Zhou Zhou sweetly called out to the old Marquis, "Grandfather, my brother and I also want to go and see."

Zhou Cheng'an's eyes widened—who, who wants to go see it?

You must know who the old Marquis was strict with. In the children's eyes, he was a more terrifying creature than the tutor, except...

Upon hearing his beloved granddaughter's words, the old marquis stopped in his tracks and followed her gaze to his most useless youngest son, understanding dawning on him.

"Okay, come along."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Laowu's eyes widened. Was that gentle-tongued person really his father? Was he sure he wasn't possessed by something?

Or perhaps... the aging father finally realized he had been too strict and decided to change his ways?

However, when they arrived at the study and the two armies were playing chess, the old Marquis still utterly defeated Zhou Laowu's pieces.

Zhou Laowu wiped away non-existent tears—he had indeed been overthinking things; his father was still the same father.

So, when he looked at the scene of his old father and his daughter getting along, although it was very harmonious, Zhou Zhou's serious expression was so much like that of the old Marquis that the tormented Zhou Laowu imagined the scene of the two old fathers playing chess.

The scene was so beautiful that Zhou Laowu covered his face and wept bitterly.

"You're a father of three, what kind of behavior is this!" the old Marquis scolded.

"Fifth brother just felt guilty for not being able to take care of you in recent years," Zhou Laoda quickly smoothed things over, "Now that I see Zhouzhou enjoying his company at your feet and being able to take care of him, I can't help but feel a mix of emotions."

That was a nice remark, but Zhou Laowu didn't catch on, so he received a subtle reminder from his older brother—to stomp on him.

"Ah!" Zhou Laowu screamed in agony.

The old marquis's forehead twitched.

Zhou Laowu swallowed his cry of pain, "Yes, yes, elder brother is right."

Finally, exhausted from the long journey, after an hour of torment, Zhou Laowu's gaze towards Zhou Cheng'an grew increasingly loving. However, when his eyes swept over Zhou Zhou beside him...

Zhou Laowu stiffly looked away.

My son is a lovely, sweet, and gentle boy; my daughter is also very pretty and has a nice nose and eyes.

Zhou Zhou was a skilled chess player, but lacked experience, and ultimately lost to the old Marquis.

"Not bad, you've improved since last time," the old Marquis said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Half a month has passed since their last game. During this time, Zhou Zhou has been studying the incomplete chess manuals he retrieved from the old Marquis's study.

Although he still hasn't fully grasped the essence of the game, his chess skills have gradually improved through continuous study.

Upon receiving praise from the old Marquis, a hint of joy appeared on Zhou Zhou's indifferent face, and his tone finally softened, "I concede defeat."

Hearing this made Zhou Laowu's teeth ache, and he quickly looked at his obedient son beside him.

After leaving the old Marquis's place, Zhou Laowu and his family returned to their own courtyard.

Five years have passed, but the scenery remains unchanged, except for the person who liked to wear light blue and spoke softly.

The family should have sat down for a while longer, chatted, exchanged gifts, and strengthened their bond before heading to the main courtyard for lunch.

But now, Zhou Laowu sighed and said to Granny Gao beside him, "Granny, I brought back several boxes of souvenirs. Please have some old women move them to An'ge'er and Zhouzhoufang."

Granny Gao was a servant born into the Gao family and was Gao's wet nurse. She came to the Yongjing Marquis's mansion as part of Gao's dowry and later became the head of the household. In recent years, she has been in charge of all the expenses of the fifth branch of the family and Gao's dowry.

After saying that, he told the children to go back to their rooms to rest and wait for the time to go out for their meal.

Madam Xu awkwardly called out to Zhou Laowu, "Fifth Master, Ninth Miss doesn't have a place to stay yet."