Marrying the Crown Prince

"Do you want to go to Kangning Palace to speak with the Imperial Concubine, or do you want to speak with her here?" Zhou Zhou asked.

Li Zixiao gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "I'm going to Kangning Palace."

She has a thick skin, but not thick enough to allow herself to be scolded by her own mother in front of outsiders.

"Shall I see you off?"

As he spoke, Zhou Zhou stood up.

Sending someone away was actually just an excuse; Zhou Zhou, as a junior, felt he should go out and greet his elders.

Li Zixiao shook her head, pressed Zhou Zhou back into the chair, and said righteously, "No need, I can go out by myself."

Who would dare let you go?

Who knows if you'll tell my mother again after you leave, saying I did something wrong.

No, how could that be?

How old are you? Why are you still telling on your elders?

She stood up resentfully and slowly floated away.

Zhou Zhou wanted to laugh, but she held it in and followed Li Zixiao out.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty." Li Zixiao bowed respectfully.

Consort Chen's gaze swept past her and fell upon Zhou Zhou behind her.

"Noble Consort Chen." Zhou Zhou bowed respectfully to Noble Consort Chen.

The Heavenly Bow is a gesture usually performed when paying respects to elders and respected figures.

In terms of rank, Consort Chen was not as high as Zhou Zhou; but in terms of age, Consort Chen was indeed an elder.

If it were anyone else, they would simply accept the gift, but the Empress's gift was not so easy to accept.

Therefore, Consort Chen bowed slightly and returned the gesture with a simple bow.

The "Tu Yi" ceremony is often used by elders to return a gift.

"Your Majesty, I heard that Shun'an has entered the palace. I was so eager to see my daughter that I came here without permission. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Consort Chen glared at Li Zixiao, then smiled at Zhou Zhou, her expression somewhat unnatural.

There was nothing they could do; their relationship had never been exactly harmonious before.

"Yes, Shun'an and I were just talking about the Noble Consort, and we were even saying we were going to pay our respects to you." Zhou Zhou was just making things up.

Li Zixiao nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, Mother, I was just about to go and pay my respects to you."

Consort Chen responded with a forced smile, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am still in good health."

She was answering Zhou Zhou's question, but her eyes were fixed on Li Zixiao.

She was indeed robust; otherwise, upon hearing that this girl had charged into the Golden Palace with a sword, she wouldn't have simply felt dizzy, but rather fainted from lack of breath.

Zhou Zhou hesitated for a moment before asking, "Would the Noble Consort like to come in for a cup of tea?"

Li Zixiao shook her head inwardly, but unfortunately, Consort Chen did not grant her wish. "How could I refuse the Empress's kind invitation?"

Li Zixiao gritted her teeth—where did Zhouzhou extend such a warm invitation? She was just asking politely, why did you take it so seriously?

Inside the main hall of Fengyi Palace, Donghe brought over a cup of freshly brewed tea.

Zhou Zhou had just finished her mung bean soup and wasn't in a hurry to drink tea, but she still lifted the lid and skimmed the foam, saying, "Your Highness, please try some of my tea."

Consort Chen opened the tea lid and saw that the tea soup was clear and bright, with a light green hue.

She took a closer sniff and detected a rich orchid scent.

This is……

Lu'an Melon Seed Tea?

Consort Chen was somewhat unsure, so she took a small sip. The tea was fresh, fragrant, and mellow.

She swallowed it, and the sweet flavor lingered in her mouth.

Yes, that's right, it's Lu'an Melon Seed Tea.

"What does the Noble Consort think of this tea?" Zhou Zhou asked calmly and naturally.

"What fragrant tea! Is it Lu'an Melon Seed tea?" Consort Chen asked in a light tone.

"Your Highness has good taste," Zhou Zhou said, looking at her with a slow smile. "It is indeed Lu'an Melon Seed tea."

Hearing this answer, Consort Chen felt even more at ease. "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty."

"You're too kind, Your Highness."

After the riddle was solved, Consort Chen left with Li Zixiao.

Zhou Zhou also stood up, stretched, rubbed his sore shoulders, and instructed, "Go and ask the palace servants in Qixi Kingdom if they have taken care of everything."

"Yes."

Donghe respectfully withdrew.

A day later, Zhou Zhou finally met Princess Zhang Siwu of Yun Qin Kingdom again.

"Your Highness, you look much thinner than I have in two days?" Zhou Zhou sat in the pavilion, with various snacks and tea laid out on the table. "Are you having trouble adjusting to the food and clothing?"

Zhang Siwu's complexion was indeed not as rosy as before, and the reason was simple: Zhang Sicheng's relentless kick that day had successfully aggravated her old injury.

New wounds haven't healed, and old wounds are piling up. As a result, even if the medicine works, it's no wonder that one's complexion looks good.

Zhang Siwu forced a smile. "Your Majesty the Empress helped me shake off the servants who were watching me, and then went to great lengths to bring me here. You didn't do this just to have a moment of verbal sparring, did you?"

“Oh? Your Highness said that I went to great lengths to bring you here,” Zhou Zhou raised an eyebrow, “but I feel as if Your Highness came of your own volition.”

"Really? So that's what Her Majesty the Empress thought." Zhang Siwu walked over and sat down opposite Zhou Zhou. "It seems I was overthinking things. I thought Her Majesty the Empress had summoned me here because she had something important to discuss with me."

"It's nothing important, just a casual chat."

The two chatted about this and that, but still couldn't get to the point.

There's no way around it; smart people either speak frankly and swiftly, or they proceed cautiously, testing each other step by step.

You say, what's the use of testing each other, testing each other, and even if you win the test?

It was actually completely useless, but the two of them still didn't want to lose.

After talking for half an hour, of course, eighty percent of it was nonsense, Zhou Zhou finally handed over the medicine bottle in his hand.

After listening to Zhou Zhou's description, Li Ziyan asked, "Do you think she would know how to use it?"

"Yes," Zhou Zhou said firmly.

"Oh?"

“This princess is no ordinary young lady,” Zhou Zhou explained. “Moreover, words may deceive, but the eyes do not.”

Zhang Siwu harbored deep hatred for Zhang Sicheng, or more precisely, for everyone in the Yun Qin royal family.

This hatred is etched into one's very bones; it is a hatred so intense that one wishes to devour the person, tear out their tendons, and rip their bones.

"Besides, I'm not worried about her not using it." Zhou Zhou shrugged, looking completely indifferent.

It's certainly entertaining to watch them fight like dogs, but if they were truly in love and there was no drama to watch, Zhou Zhou wouldn't be disappointed.

After all, who would bother with such things with a dying person?

"Then tomorrow, shall I release the two of them out of the palace?" Li Ziyan asked.

"Ah."

The matter has been settled, and there's no point in keeping it any longer.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhou hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Zhang Siwu... her life might be of some use."

Li Ziyan stopped in her tracks.

He tilted his head and looked at Zhou Zhou.

Just then, she looked over, and the two locked eyes.