Marrying the Crown Prince

"I feel like I smell rotten," Zhou Zhou sighed, her tone resentful.

In fact, she wipes her body with hot water every other day.

But this side cannot be touched by even a drop of water.

It wasn't that she didn't dare, but as soon as she had this idea, all the palace servants in the room knelt down in droves.

Therefore, Zhou Zhou had not washed her hair for more than twenty days.

"I feel like I have lice." Thinking of this, Zhou Zhou's tone became even more resentful.

“No,” Li Ziyan said. “Your hair is still jet black; it’s been well-maintained.”

Zhou Zhou lifted her eyelids. "Really?"

“That’s for sure.” His voice was firm, and his expression was as serious as could be.

Li Ziyan's sincere expression successfully persuaded Zhou Zhou to choose to believe him.

Seeing that Zhou Zhou was no longer dwelling on the matter, Li Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, thank goodness she didn't ask me to go over and smell it, otherwise, I really might not have been able to bring myself to do it.

As the snow continued to fall, Zhou Zhou finished her postpartum confinement.

As the snow continued to fall, it stopped. The sun gradually warmed up, and the snow on the ground began to melt.

After the snow melts, the rainy season arrives. The drizzling rain is like a melodious lullaby, and people often fall asleep to the sound of rain.

As the weather grew warmer, the rain intensified from a drizzle to a downpour. The small trees on the mountain were covered with lush green leaves, and a few fruits sprouted on their branches.

No one paid any attention to it, but who knew that when autumn came, the tree was full of ripe fruit.

Autumn is a season of harvest.

Meanwhile, good news came from the border: Marquis Beiping and Marquis Zhaoqing joined forces to capture the prince and princess of the Western Qin Kingdom and reclaim all the cities that had been occupied by the Western Qin Kingdom.

As for the remaining remnants of the Western Qin army, they retreated to the border, constantly looking around, eager to make a move.

Just as everyone was discussing whether or not to attack the Western Qin Kingdom, the King of Western Qin sent someone over, saying he wanted to negotiate.

There was no other way; the Western Qin people's advance into Chen State stretched their battle lines far too thin—the transportation of supplies, the mobilization of troops, and the arrival of reinforcements all required a great deal of time and effort.

Moreover, the soldiers of Chen Kingdom are not to be trifled with.

At first, the Western Qin people captured so many cities.

The main reason was that the Western Qin people suddenly appeared and caught the border soldiers off guard with lightning speed.

Once the border troops are in position, the Western Qin forces will not gain much advantage on the battlefield.

In short, if the fighting continues, the soldiers and treasury of the Chen Kingdom can hold out for a very long time, but the people of Western Qin can no longer afford to wait.

After thinking for a while, Li Ziyan agreed to the marriage alliance.

Zhou Zhou had no objection to this.

Because she knew that Li Ziyan was a vengeful man, and he would never let the Western Qin Kingdom, the instigator, go unpunished.

However, everyone also knows that the current national strength of Chen Kingdom does not support them in sending troops to attack Western Qin in retaliation.

Since that's the case, we might as well rest and recuperate, bide our time, and wait for the right opportunity to strike.

Therefore, the King of Western Qin decided to send an envoy to the capital of Chen for peace talks. The prince and princess who had been captured by Marquis Zhaoqing, along with the chief and deputy envoys of the envoy, and... war criminals, were brought to the capital together.

In the height of summer, the envoys of the Western Qin Kingdom, along with the army of the Chen Kingdom, marched into the capital of the Chen Kingdom in a grand procession.

The area guarded by the Marquis of Beiping was not severely affected by this war, but the family of the Marquis of Zhaoqing and his troops suffered heavy casualties.

Therefore, Li Ziyan ordered Marquis Zhaoqing to bring the wounded soldiers and the still-warm corpses of the fallen soldiers into the capital.

On the day the army entered the capital, all the people of the city ran to the roads outside the city to welcome the army.

They eagerly awaited the arrival of the army, and after what seemed like an eternity, the army finally came.

Marquis Zhaoqing, clad in armor and wearing a pure white headband, rode a white steed at the very front.

The people, who had been beaming with joy, fell silent.

Because as far as the eye can see, there are coffins everywhere.

Whether old or young, everyone bowed, both to pay their respects and to say goodbye.

Looking at the coffins one after another, and the soldiers wrapped in shrouds one after another, a heart-wrenching pain surged up in my heart. I don't know when the crying started, but it gradually echoed through the sky.

Finally, Marquis Zhaoqing stopped and dismounted.

The messenger originally sent by Li Ziyan to welcome the army was waiting there.

The Grand Secretary looked at the endless rows of coffins, his eyes reddening. A thousand words escaped his lips, but in the end, they all boiled down to one sentence: "Good, it's good that you're back."

Marquis Zhaoqing pursed his thin lips tightly and did not answer.

"His Majesty said there's no need to rush to the palace for an audience. Take care of your family affairs first," he continued, stating the main point of the day. "As for the army, they will temporarily encamp outside the city and rest for a day before heading to the western suburban camp tomorrow."

Marquis Zhaoqing finally responded. He bowed towards the direction of the palace and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Marquis Zhaoqing turned to face the army, his voice booming and his aura resounding, "All generals, heed my command! Retreat three li and set up camp for rest!"

"My subordinates have the order!"

After dealing with the large army and handing over the war criminals and envoys of the Western Qin Kingdom to the Ministry of Rites, Marquis Zhaoqing returned to his mansion with the coffins behind him.

Before long, long white silk ribbons were hung up in the Marquis's residence.

After doing these things, Marquis Zhaoqing took Chen Muchuan to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Although Li Ziyan was kind and generous to his subordinates and had made prior arrangements to be understanding, as a subject, one still had to fulfill the proper etiquette, and moreover…

After this great battle, the list of those who deserve posthumous honors and the list of soldiers who deserve rewards must be presented to Li Ziyan by Marquis Zhaoqing.

Looking at the thick stack of posthumous honors, Li Ziyan felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Li Ziyan closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his expression returning to normal.

He looked at Marquis Zhaoqing and Chen Muchuan, who were dressed in mourning clothes, and said in an unwavering voice, "Thank you for your hard work, General. I am aware of this matter."

He remembered this grudge!

The three of them discussed some more matters, and then Li Ziyan let them leave.

The reason is simple: things have priorities. For Marquis Zhaoqing, family matters were the most important.

Of course, Li Ziyan was not in a hurry to meet the envoys from the Western Qin Kingdom, and simply told them to stay at the post station.

And so it dragged on for seven days.

After seven days of mourning at the Zhaoqing Marquis's residence, Lady Zhaoqing and the others were finally buried.

On the day of the burial, the weather was fine, with high clouds and a clear blue sky. Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou also went to offer incense.

After returning from the Zhaoqing Marquis's residence, Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou remained silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Ziyan suddenly spoke up: "It's time to meet those people from Yun Qin."

His tone was calm, as if he were asking what we were having for dinner.