Marrying the Crown Prince

First, due to the war, and then due to the mourning period, Zhou Cheng'an's assignment to a post outside the capital was never finalized.

Now that his mourning period is over, it's time to finalize his appointment to a post outside the capital.

With this in mind, Zhou Zhou summoned Zhao Yuehua.

The reason is simple: she doesn't intend to place Zhou Cheng'an in those wealthy and prosperous places.

In a prosperous and wealthy place, it is almost impossible to make a mistake, but it is also difficult to achieve great things.

If you don't want to work your way up through seniority step by step, you have to be tough on yourself. So Zhou Zhou plans to send Zhou Cheng'an to the frontier.

However, she couldn't make the decision herself, so she met with Zhou Cheng'an's wife, Zhao Yaohua.

Zhao Yuehua had previously served as a study companion at Jingyang Palace and was also on good terms with Zhou Zhou.

Therefore, there weren't many rules when the two of them met alone.

Zhou Zhou got straight to the point and stated his thoughts directly.

After listening, Zhao Yuehua finished thinking about it in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

She asked calmly, "Where does Your Majesty intend to send my husband?"

"The Northern Regions," Zhou Zhou replied.

The Du family had established themselves in the Northern Regions, and Zhou Yue had married into the family there. Zhou Cheng'an's move there meant he wasn't entirely isolated.

As the emperor's brother-in-law, whatever policies he wanted to implement, the Duke of Dingguo would cooperate.

Therefore, Zhou Zhou thought it was a good thing for Zhou Chengan to go there.

Zhao Yuehua shared the same thought, but she didn't dare to agree directly. Instead, she expressed it tactfully, saying, "I'm just a woman, and I don't understand these things. I still need to ask my husband."

“That’s natural.” Zhou Zhou nodded, indicating his understanding.

Soon, Zhao Yuehua delivered a letter saying that Zhou Chengan was willing to go to the Northern Region.

Zhou Zhou was not surprised by this result; her older brother knew perfectly well that Zhou Cheng'an was not one to be subservient to others.

However, Zhou Bai's brilliance overshadowed his own.

Zhou Chengan's talent is gradually becoming apparent.

Large families are not afraid of the growth of collateral branches.

Therefore, although Zhou Bai felt pressured, he was also happy to have another helper in the family.

The northern region is bitterly cold and wars break out frequently, so any scholar with any connections or connections is unwilling to go there.

In that case, Zhou Zhou directly appointed Zhou Cheng as a prefectural governor of the fifth rank.

A fifth-rank official... It is impolite to be impolite.

The court officials hesitated.

However, he was the emperor's brother-in-law, and the empress had witnessed his achievements, so it was only natural that his family would benefit from his contributions.

Most importantly, he was a fifth-rank official, a very minor official position. There were countless officials like him in the entire Chen Kingdom, so one more or one less wouldn't make a difference.

Therefore, none of the cabinet ministers objected.

The cabinet ministers remained silent, and the Censorate, after hesitating for a day, finally nodded.

Soon, the official document appointing Zhou Chengan as the prefect of Yonghe County in the northern region was approved.

Once the official document is issued, the person must take office within two months.

The journey from Kyoto to the northern region takes a month and a half, so Zhou Chengan and Zhao Yuehua have another two weeks to pack their luggage.

Oh, no, we also need to add the Du family, Zhou Chengxuan, and those two children.

Indeed, after much discussion, the whole family decided that everyone should go to the Northern Region.

Du wanted to take Zhou Chengxuan to see his maternal grandfather, but Zhao Yuehua was unwilling to be separated from her young child.

When they left Kyoto, Zhou Zhou ordered Jufang to see them off.

When Jufang returned, she told Zhou Zhou, "Madam and the others first traveled by water, then the young master rode ahead on a fast horse, while Madam and the young mistress, along with the young lady and the young master, followed behind at a slower pace."

"The lady said that she would send letters back from each place she visited, so that Your Majesty need not worry."

"This is what Madam instructed me to give to Your Highness."

As she spoke, Jufang took out a token and a letter from her sleeve.

Zhou Zhou took it and unfolded it.

The letter stated that they did not know how many years it would take before they returned, so the assets in Kyoto were temporarily entrusted to Zhou Zhou for management, and Zhou Zhou could keep the profits from the shops.

Then below is the shop's name and description.

After reading the letter, Zhou Zhou looked into the envelope and indeed saw many house deeds and land deeds.

This……

I don't know if they just put it in a wooden box, stuffed it into a thin envelope and that was it, without even worrying about losing it by accident.

While complaining, Zhou Zhou handed the items to Ju Fang, saying, "Get a wooden box and lock it up."

She doesn't have time to go shopping now, let alone glance at the account books.

However, having taken on the task, Zhou Zhou couldn't simply abandon it, so she handed the items over to Dong He, Zhi Bei, and the others.

The four head maids of Fengyi Palace huddled together, looked at the list Zhou Zhou had prepared, and fell silent.

Jufang hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, until finally Sizhu pushed her out.

Zhou Zhou asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Jufang gritted her teeth, turned around and glared fiercely at Sizhu, then looked at Zhou Zhou and revealed a fawning smile.

Zhou Zhou: "..."

Don't do that, it's disgusting.

Finally, Donghe stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there are too many things to handle, and we may not be able to manage them all."

They are indeed the most respected female officials in the palace now, but they also have a lot of work to do.

Now Zhou Zhou has stuffed this thing into my head again; the dense text makes me dizzy just looking at it.

Zhou Zhou looked at the list he had just compiled and felt a rare pang of guilt—he had indeed been a bit too exploitative.

But these things cannot be left undone.

Therefore, Zhou Zhou withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Ten percent of the profits from all the shops will be distributed to you."

As the saying goes, people die for wealth and birds die for food; with a large sum of money, there are plenty of people willing to work like cattle and horses.

Therefore, the four of them no longer had any objections. Instead, they eagerly took the items listed by Zhou Zhou and began to analyze and arrange them.

The days of pregnancy were leisurely and comfortable, and things went smoothly on Li Ziyan's side. In just over two months, they attacked the capital of Qixi Kingdom.

Inside the Qixi King's Palace, Li Zixi had just put the child to sleep when Su and Cao Du walked over.

He bent down, reached out and grabbed the person, embracing them tightly.

Su and Cao rested their chins on Li Zixi's neck.

He closed his eyes, his voice lazy and tired, "Did the children bother you today?"

Su and Cao rarely act this clingy, but Li Zixi doesn't find it annoying when they do.

She reached out and stroked his fluffy hair, her tone calm, "Shall we go?"

Su and Cao both froze.

Li Zixi turned around, her eyes clear and gentle as she looked at him.

“Let’s leave here,” she repeated.