Marrying the Crown Prince

"Can't I come and see my beloved grandson?" the Empress Dowager snorted.

"What are you saying, Mother?" Li Ziyan sighed. "If Mother wants to see the children, just have a palace servant call out to them, and I will bring the Empress and the children to pay my respects to you."

Zhou Zhou chimed in, agreeing with him.

Soon, the wet nurse brought over Li Changrong from next door.

The little princess had fair skin and chubby cheeks with a slight blush. She wasn't shy around the unfamiliar Empress Dowager, and when the Empress Dowager reached out to hug her, she happily obliged.

Li Changrong lay in the Empress Dowager's arms, babbling something.

The Empress Dowager was delighted and bent down to kiss the little girl's cheek, only to have the little girl pull on the tassel of the gold filigree and pearl-inlaid double dragon and longevity tassel hairpin in her hair bun.

"Ouch!" The Empress Dowager's hairpin was pulled off.

Zhou Zhou quickly stood up, "Mother, did it hurt when you were pulled?"

"It's alright, nothing's wrong." The Empress Dowager waved her hand, then pinched the little guy's cheek. "Hmm, such a little adult, and you already know how to love beauty, wanting pretty hairpins and bracelets, huh?"

The little one's eyes were big and clear, like two black gems. He looked curiously at the Empress Dowager, and then moved his eyes to the long hairpin in his hand.

The Empress Dowager was amused. "Alright, alright, it's for you. Take it and play with it."

Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan both expressed their gratitude.

After the small talk was over, Donghe brought over some tea.

Before the Empress Dowager picked up the teacup, she handed the child back to the wet nurse.

Zhou Zhou made a hand gesture, and the wet nurse, holding the child, quietly withdrew.

The Empress Dowager took a small sip of tea, then put down her teacup and said bluntly, "I wish to move to the Bixiao Palace to live permanently."

Bixiao Palace was a temporary palace built not far from the outskirts of Beijing.

Initially, it was built for the emperor to stay briefly when he went out for leisure, but it gradually evolved into a residence for the imperial concubines.

The Chen Kingdom did not treat the Dowager Consort as harshly as the previous dynasty; there were no instances of her being forced to commit suicide or be forced to become a nun.

Once the mourning period for the imperial concubines is over, those with children can retire to the residences of princes or princesses, while those without children can choose to stay in Kangning Palace or go to Bixiao Palace.

The advantage of living in the palace is that the emperor and empress will treat you with respect, and you can always get a share of the good things; the advantage of living in a temporary palace is that there are fewer rules there, and you can live more comfortably and freely.

Regardless of the type, the imperial concubines could choose according to their own preferences.

However, very few empress dowagers actually moved there.

"But which palace maid caused the Empress Dowager to suffer?" Li Ziyan asked, puzzled.

The Empress Dowager looked completely innocent. "No, that's not true."

What a joke! When the late emperor was seriously ill, she carried a long sword and killed anyone who stood in her way. Now, who in the entire harem would dare to act recklessly in front of her?

"But where did I fall short?" Li Ziyan frowned, even more puzzled.

"Tsk," the Empress Dowager frowned unhappily, "Who's gossiping in front of you?"

“Who would dare to gossip in front of me?” Li Ziyan replied, then glanced suspiciously at the Empress Dowager and asked uncertainly, “Could it be that someone has gone to gossip in front of Mother?”

What kind of question is that?

The Empress Dowager looked at Li Ziyan with displeasure, "They dare to gossip in front of me but not in front of you?"

This……

That’s right!

"So, Mother, why do you insist on moving out?"

"I feel more at ease over there; no one dares to make me feel bad."

Li Ziyan was not satisfied with this answer because...

"No one dares to make you angry these days."

The Empress Dowager silently rolled her eyes, then her gaze swept over Li Ziyan from head to toe, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Li Ziyan: "..."

In short, the Empress Dowager wanted to stay at the Bixiao Palace for an extended period, but Li Ziyan disagreed.

He appealed to the Empress Dowager's emotions, saying, "Now that you've gone to the temporary palace, you won't be able to see your son every day."

The Empress Dowager disagreed, saying, "We don't see each other every day anymore."

Li Ziyan was speechless for a moment, then said, "Then won't you miss Aning and Atuan?"

This is a good question.

The Empress Dowager was finally moved, "The Emperor is right."

Li Ziyan's eyes lit up, thinking that he had finally dispelled the Empress Dowager's idea, but then he heard her continue: "After I go to Bixiao Palace to live for a long time, I will return to the palace every Mid-Autumn Festival and Winter Solstice."

Her insistence left Li Ziyan with no choice but to turn to Zhou Zhou for help.

Zhou Zhou smiled faintly and gently, looking at the Empress Dowager, "Mother, if you don't tell us the real reason why you want to leave the palace and live there permanently, how can the Emperor and I be at ease?"

The real reason...

The Empress Dowager fell silent.

Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou stood quietly to the side, waiting.

Upon seeing this, the palace servants inside the hall all put down what they were doing, lowered their heads, bowed, and withdrew.

The Empress Dowager sat there, her eyes vacant and blank, as if lost in some memory.

As if thinking of something, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, as if she were smiling, but the smile carried an indescribable bitterness.

Seeing this, Li Ziyan was somewhat worried and wanted to offer some words of advice, but then he heard the Empress Dowager speak.

“I grew up on the frontier. For the sake of my father and brothers, I went to the capital and then married into the Prince’s mansion, which means I married your father, the Emperor.”

“After that, I became the Crown Princess step by step, then the Empress, and now the Empress Dowager.”

"To say how much suffering or grievances I endured during that time would be pretentious."

"But it's hard to say how happy I was."

"Now that you have ascended to the throne, I feel that it is time for you to live for yourself."

She was the daughter of the Marquis of Beiping, and grew up on the frontier. She was a female general who could take the head of an enemy general amidst thousands of enemy soldiers on the battlefield.

She is the happiest horse on the grassland, and also the wild grass that grows wildly.

After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she said no more and stood up. "Emperor, no matter what you say, my mind is made up."

After saying that, she left.

Stepping out of the room, the sunlight shone on her face, revealing the fine wrinkles that lined her face, and the white hairs on her head seemed particularly striking at that moment.

These are the marks that time leaves on a person.

Li Ziyan, who was about to chase after them, stopped in her tracks when she saw this scene.

Before Li Ziyan could recover from the Empress Dowager's affair, the Grand Empress Dowager summoned palace servants to invite him and Zhou Zhou over.

The Empress Dowager still held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, turning them around. Her expression was somewhat indifferent. When she saw people arrive, she spoke softly, "The Emperor and the Empress, please sit down."

"Thank you, Grandma Huang."

The two sat down, and the palace servants brought tea and snacks.

They placed the items on the table and quietly left.

Soon, only the three masters remained in the hall.

The Empress Dowager gestured for them to try some, saying, "These are lotus pastries made with freshly opened lotus flowers."

Zhou Zhou picked up a small piece, tasted it, and found it had the fragrance of lotus and the bitterness of lotus seeds. It wasn't particularly delicious, but it wasn't bad either.

"How does it taste?" the Empress Dowager asked.

“The things here from Grandmother’s side,” Zhou Zhou said with a smile, “are naturally of the highest quality.”

"Hmm, you have the sweetest tongue." The Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction, then shook her head. "It's a pity that the lotus flowers in Cining Palace can't compare to the ones in Bixiao Palace."

Upon hearing this name, Li Ziyan immediately sobered up.

He tentatively inquired, "So, what does Grandmother mean...?"

"I wish to move to the Bixiao Palace to live permanently." The Empress Dowager's tone was firm, and her simple eyes revealed no emotion. However, Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou understood that once she made up her mind, very few people could change it.

Li Ziyan gave a wry smile, "Grandmother, you must be joking."

The situation with the Empress Dowager hasn't calmed down yet, why are you making a fuss too?

The Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze and said calmly, "I have checked the calendar. The tenth of next month is an auspicious day, suitable for long journeys, spring outings, and moving."

She didn't explain, but her actions proved she wasn't joking.

By the time we left Cining Palace, it was already evening.

The sun gradually sank behind the mountains in the west, and soon the horizon was dyed red by the sunset.

Li Ziyan and Zhou Zhou walked hand in hand, side by side.

Their shadows stretched long and thin in the afterglow of the setting sun.

A gentle breeze caressed their hair and the hems of their clothes, which were tangled together as if they would never be separated.

The surrounding flowers, plants, and trees swayed in the wind, making a soft rustling sound.