Marrying the Crown Prince

"Hmm?" His Adam's apple bobbed, but he dared not ask too many questions, afraid that he would say too much and make a mistake, and that Zhou Zhou would seize on his loopholes.

Zhou Zhou yawned, gently stroking her belly, and calmly said, "As the ancients said, when two people get along, they should treat each other with sincerity."

"And couples should be even more considerate and understanding of each other."

"What does Your Majesty think?"

This is a good question.

Li Ziyan was stunned for a moment, feeling a little guilty, but he still kept his mouth shut.

"We've supported each other and walked hand in hand for so many years. There are some things we don't need to say. We both understand each other, don't we?"

Because she felt guilty, Li Ziyan's voice was initially very soft, but as she spoke, she was convinced again and her voice became more and more certain.

Now that you are pregnant, there are some things I dare not let you know.

And you know that I'm hiding something from you, and similarly, you know that this matter might affect you.

Therefore, Li Ziyan didn't know whether he should keep it a secret or not.

Similarly, Zhou Zhou was also stunned for a moment—had he made a mistake by insisting on getting to the bottom of it?

Wait, it seems like I'm getting caught up in something.

She quickly banished these thoughts from her mind, then glared at Li Ziyan and snorted, "In His Majesty's eyes, I am still too soft-hearted, which is why you protect me so much, isn't it?"

Seeing that she had directly pierced through this thin veil, Li Ziyan sighed softly.

"Porridge." His voice was full of helplessness.

By the moonlight, Zhou Zhou saw Li Ziyan's gentle eyes looking at her quietly, making her feel as if she were walking right into his gaze.

Even though he was in the wrong, he pretended to be pitiful first, which made Zhou Zhou both amused and exasperated.

She struggled, and Li Ziyan quickly reached out to support her.

Zhou Zhou, heavily pregnant, finally managed to sit up in bed.

“Your Majesty, the more you keep quiet and ask everyone to stay in the dark, the more I tend to overthink things.” Her eyes were clear and bright as she stared at Li Ziyan.

Li Ziyan felt a little guilty under her gaze and lowered his head to avoid her eyes.

Just a short while later, he raised his eyes again with a righteous air, "I'm worried, Zhouzhou, I don't dare to gamble."

He shouldn't have said anything, because as soon as he did, Zhou Zhou's expression changed immediately. He glared fiercely at Li Ziyan, "You really have something to hide from me?"

Li Ziyan: "..."

Therefore, she was constantly testing herself and wasn't sure if she was really hiding something.

Ok……

If I had known, I would have gritted my teeth and refused to admit it.

Having spent so much time with him, Zhou Zhou knew that some things didn't need to be said; a single glance was enough to understand what the other was thinking.

So she adjusted her posture.

Just as Li Ziyan was about to ask something, Zhou Zhou leaned closer to him.

This sudden blow made him so hard his eyes almost rolled back.

"You're so heavy..."

He spoke with difficulty, but his hands gently embraced her, encircling her.

Zhou Zhou nodded in agreement, "With such a big belly, it's naturally heavy."

"Yes, you've had a long time, thank you for your hard work." Li Ziyan rested his chin on her shoulder.

Whether it was his hair or his clothes, Zhou Zhou had a faint, pleasant fragrance that lingered around his nose, like a spring breeze that made people unconsciously relax and feel at ease.

Hearing him say that, Zhou Zhou retorted, "Knowing I've had a hard time, why are you keeping it from me and telling me to make wild guesses?"

This……

That makes perfect sense, and Li Ziyan was convinced.

“Sigh,” he sighed heavily, “you’re right, I am a heartless wretch.”

Zhou Zhou: "..."

Sure enough, when people get ruthless, they even criticize themselves.

After finishing his rant, Li Ziyan shut his mouth again.

Zhou Zhou took a deep breath, feeling that if the two of them continued communicating like this, they probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"Since you won't tell me, then I will." She sighed and began to speak slowly.

“My mother rarely mentioned my father in her previous letters.”

At most, it would just be a sentence: "Your father and I are doing well." But this time, Du wrote a lot about her trip with Zhou Laowu, what she saw, what she did, and even mentioned what Zhou Laowu wanted to bring back to Beijing and who he would share it with.

The writing is so detailed and well-reasoned, and the person actually sent the item to him, so what Du wrote must all be true.

As Zhou Zhou watched, she felt moved by the relationship between their parents' generation, but the more she watched, the more something seemed off.

This letter today contains far too much reference to "father".

Just then, Donghe looked very nervous.

Zhou Zhou's suspicions grew again, but she was still uncertain until tonight when she was certain that Zhou Laowu had indeed gotten into trouble.

"So, you didn't really need to hide it from me." Zhou Zhou turned around, gently raised her eyes, and looked at Li Ziyan with a calm expression.

Her eyes were bright and clear, like stars in the night sky, radiating determination and confidence, as if they could penetrate all obstacles.

Li Ziyan reached out and covered her eyes, his voice tinged with pleading, "Zhouzhou, don't look at me like that..."

Zhou Zhou turned back and leaned against him again, her tone soft and gentle, as if she were telling someone else's story.

"Father, he..."

"He's actually a good father."

He never favored his daughter over his son; Zhou Zhou would have everything Zhou Cheng'an deserved.

She never looked down on or favored either the legitimate or illegitimate child. She wouldn't say that because Zhou Zhou had an uncle, she should share whatever the uncle sent with Zhou Yue; nor would she neglect to care for Zhou Yue just because she was born out of wedlock.

As for the children's marriages, we never talk about using their marriages to seek personal gain.

Zhou Laowu knew his own limitations, so after Zhou Zhou married into the Eastern Palace, in order not to cause trouble for Zhou Zhou, he dared not accept any gifts from anyone, and he also stopped going to the drinking parties organized by his cronies.

Such a person doesn't have any major flaws, but it's hard to say what's wrong with him either.

But for Zhou Zhou, his father was very good, just right.

Looking at Zhou Zhou like this, Li Ziyan felt a strange mix of emotions, churning and surging within him, rising up and getting stuck in his throat.

Zhou Zhou's tears were scalding hot, falling onto the back of his hand and burning his whole body.

At first, Zhou Zhou cried silently, but later she started to wail loudly, making Li Ziyan's eyes redden as well.

That year, they all lost their father.

After crying her heart out and getting tired, Zhou Zhou lay back down on the bed and went to sleep peacefully.

Li Ziyan carefully got out of bed and told the eunuch on night watch to go to the Imperial Hospital to fetch the imperial physician on night watch.

Upon hearing that it was Fengyi Palace, the imperial physician grabbed his medical kit and ran away.

He rushed as fast as he could and arrived at Fengyi Palace, still panting heavily. Upon closer inspection, he found the person fast asleep.

"Keep your voice down, lest you wake the Empress," Li Ziyan said softly.

Imperial Physician: "..."

So, why did you call the imperial physician when Her Majesty the Empress was sleeping so soundly?