Marrying the Crown Prince

【spring】

On the night of the Lantern Festival, the moonlight is as white as snow, pouring down on the whole earth and covering the rooftops and streets with a soft veil.

Zhou Zhou wore a light blue double-breasted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with gold-embroidered scales and clouds spanning mountains and rivers, and on the outside she wore a dark blue cloak. The innermost layer of the cloak was a fox fur coat, with a layer of goose down in between, making it very warm.

She walked ahead, with Li Ziyan following behind her, along with two palace maids and countless guards in the shadows.

The streets are lined with all sorts of lanterns, each adorned with various patterns—auspicious characters for "good fortune," lifelike animals, and beautiful flowers…

Each lamp shone brightly, illuminating the entire night sky.

Every street is bustling with vendors and people.

To avoid any problems, the soldiers of the Jingzhao Prefecture cannot rest today; soldiers are stationed at every street corner and intersection.

In the event of any emergency, we can arrive at the scene in time to minimize the losses.

Zhou Zhou weaved through the crowd and ran to a sugar painting stall.

"Madam, here's some sweet sugar painting, and sugar figurines that won't stick to your teeth! Would you like to buy one to try? The young master and young lady in the family both love my handiwork!"

The vendors were all smiles, and their voices were incredibly pleasant.

Zhou Zhou immediately said, "Shopkeeper, give me a rabbit."

"Alright, Madam, I'll draw you a round, chubby rabbit right away. Please wait a moment."

"Okay," Zhou Zhou replied with a slight smile.

She stood aside and waited, and Li Ziyan also came over at that moment.

"Buy sugar paintings?" he asked.

"You know perfectly well why you're asking this," Zhou Zhou scoffed.

The weather was still very cold in early spring, and her entire head was wrapped in the hood of her cloak, the brim of which was made of snow-white fox fur.

She looked at herself like that, revealing her bright eyes and her nose, which was slightly red from the cold.

Li Ziyan's lips curled up slightly, her expression gentle, like the spring sunshine softly illuminating the entire earth.

"I remember the first time I saw you, you were very young, holding a little sister's hand, and you were arguing with Shun'an."

Zhou Zhou blinked. It was the first time she had seen it... Wasn't it at the entrance of Fengyi Palace?

She went to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, and then she ran into him at the entrance.

At that time, I didn't dare to lift my head. I could only keep my head down, staring at the floor in front of me, and then I saw the hem of his clothes float past my eyes.

Seeing that she was confused, Li Ziyan briefly explained what had happened.

"So Your Highness used to run out to play a lot when you were little?" Zhou Zhou smiled.

That smile, like the most beautiful flower in spring, exudes a captivating fragrance.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still, and her sweet smile was frozen in Li Ziyan's eyes.

For a moment, Li Ziyan felt that she was so far away from him, as if she might be blown away by the wind at any time.

So he reached out and took Zhou Zhou's hand.

Her hands were constantly warmed by the hand warmer, because her fingers had never been exposed to the elements, and each finger was tender and smooth.

Zhou Zhou moved her hand and wrapped it around Li Ziyan's slightly cold hand.

"I told you to get a hand warmer too, but you wouldn't. Now look what you've done, you know you're cold!" she said angrily.

Li Ziyan replied, "Don't be afraid, isn't that what you're here for?"

The two stood there for a while longer before finally getting their sugar paintings.

They held hands, admiring the lanterns while sampling various snacks bought from roadside stalls.

A joyful atmosphere filled the air, illuminating people's hearts along with the fireworks.

【summer】

In summer, the scorching sun bakes the earth, and a heat wave permeates the air.

Therefore, Li Ziyan led his court officials and children to Mingde Mountain Villa to escape the summer heat.

The rice paddies in the fields are lush and green. When a breeze comes, the straw sways in the wind, like a green ocean.

Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan stood under the shade of a tree, enjoying the breeze. As for the horses, they didn't need to be tied up; they were all grazing on the grass nearby.

"It looks like this year's harvest is pretty good," Li Ziyan said, gazing into the distance.

“Your Majesty is too modest,” Zhou Zhou replied. “Judging from the growth, I wouldn’t dare say it will double, but it’s certain that it will increase by 20% or 30%.”

In recent years, they have been vigorously developing agriculture. The Ministry of Works specially set up a Department of Agriculture and selected some Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) with agricultural experience to work in this department to study sowing, farming tools, irrigation and so on.

The goal is to ensure that one day, no one in the country will go hungry.

In the first few years, the Ministry of Agriculture made no progress at all.

This aroused dissatisfaction among other court officials—those guys in the Ministry of Agriculture are always tinkering with something, yet they still take large sums of silver; they must either be embezzling or neglecting their duties.

A flurry of memorials landed on Li Ziyan's desk, all impeaching officials of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Li Ziyan's wings were already full, so he wouldn't be restricted by others on such a small matter.

But he still summoned the Grand Minister of Agriculture.

The Grand Minister of Agriculture took the memorial and glanced at it. Before long, he knelt down with a thud, saying, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

Since becoming the Grand Minister of Agriculture, he had been promoted to the third rank, but he got up earlier than the roosters and went to bed later than the dogs. Not only had he lost a lot of weight, but his once fair skin was now tanned dark. He was suffering terribly.

Thinking of this, I was overcome with sorrow, and my tears, which were originally only three-tenths, turned into five-tenths.

Just as he was about to yell, Li Ziyan interrupted him, "Alright, I know everything. If you didn't, do you think you'd still be kneeling here?"

The Grand Minister of Agriculture's howl was stuck in his neck; he couldn't say whether to call out or not.

"I can help you suppress these things, and I will also allocate all the silver to you because I believe that in time, my dear minister will be able to give me and the world a pleasant surprise."

These words made the Grand Minister of Agriculture, who had just straightened up, weak in the knees again. He hurriedly swore an oath that he would serve Li Ziyan and Da Chen for the rest of his life, devoting himself to their service.

Having achieved his goal, Li Ziyan dismissed his men.

Several years later, the Ministry of Agriculture finally achieved results, and now it is the third year of implementing the method.

This year's implementation will take place in fertile fields in the twenty-four districts of Kyoto. Once the harvest improves, it will be promoted nationwide.

Of course, the specific implementation details should be based on the specific circumstances and should not be applied uniformly.

As the memory ended, Li Ziyan's eyes gradually focused, and Zhou Zhou in front of him became clearer and clearer in his eyes.

Looking at the radiant young man, Li Ziyan's throat suddenly tightened for some reason.

He leaned closer, bent down, and kissed the lips of the person before him.

Her lips were like white clouds in a clear, bright blue sky, soft and sweet.

The kiss was short, and they parted after only a moment.

Li Ziyan wrapped his arms around her waist, and Zhou Zhou's hands climbed up his neck; both of them were breathing heavily.

He rested his head on Zhou Zhou's shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "Zhouzhou, it's so hot today..."

Li Ziyan's breath sprayed onto Zhou Zhou's neck, tickling her and causing her to involuntarily flinch.

"Shall we hurry back?" he continued.

"it is good."

The two mounted their horses and galloped quickly towards the mountain villa.

The bright sunshine shone on the trees, making the leaves appear even greener and more radiant.

Although they tried to stay in the shade, they still broke out in a sweat when they got back to the villa.

They had to change into clean clothes and rest for a while until the heat dissipated before running to the bath in the courtyard.

This pool was specially built by craftsmen hired by Li Ziyan.

He has worked so hard for so long, it's only fair that he enjoys this time, so the court officials naturally won't object.

So, after three months of construction, the pool is finally finished.

The water is spring water drawn from the mountain, which should be quite cool. However, after a whole day of sunshine, the water is no longer so cold, but rather slightly cool.

The palace servants pulled up the canopy, and soon the sunlight was blocked out.

Then they moved a table over and placed it on the shore, on which were cut fruits and vegetables pickled with plum powder, as well as several plates of snacks.

When Zhou Zhou and Li Ziyan entered, the palace servants had already left.

She glanced over and, upon seeing the set, immediately chuckled, "No wonder the Emperor was so eager to come here this spring."

These wonderful things can't be enjoyed in Kyoto.

"Do you like it?" Li Ziyan asked.

"That's natural."

"Yeah, I like it too."

The two smiled at each other, sat on the shore, tasted the snacks on the table, and soaked their feet in the water.

As they ate, they gradually both ended up soaking in the pool.

The cool water enveloped me, enveloping me completely. Every pore on my body opened up, greedily absorbing the coolness from the outside world.

Zhou Zhou was soaking in the water, so comfortable that her eyes were closed.

Upon seeing this, Li Ziyan was somewhat surprised, "So you can swim."

Zhou Zhou swam to Li Ziyan's side, hooked his arm around his waist, and asked, "Does Your Majesty know how to swim?"

"What do you think?" Li Ziyan asked instead of answering.

"I think..."

Zhou Zhou spoke slowly, his hands not idle either, rummaging through Li Ziyan's body, pulling open Li Ziyan's nightgown to reveal his lean waist.

Her hands, perhaps because they had been soaked in water, were a little cold, and when they brushed against her skin, they sent a shiver down her spine.

Li Ziyan's throat tightened slightly. "What do you think?"

"I think the Emperor wouldn't do that."

As she spoke, she pushed off with her foot, trying to leave, but Li Ziyan grabbed her wrist.

He pulled the person over with a little force, saying, "You guessed wrong."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ziyan lifted Zhou Zhou's chin, leaned down and kissed her, continuing what they hadn't finished by the rice paddy and under the shade of the trees.

Her lips were still so soft, and her breath was as sweet and refreshing as orchids.

Li Ziyan put his arm around her waist.

Zhou Zhou wrapped her arms tightly around him, responding to his enthusiasm and embracing him tightly.

The kiss grew more intense; he was no longer confined to the small space he had just been in. His tongue forcefully opened a passage and invaded.

Zhou Zhou's tail was slightly outstretched, embracing the intruder.

Only when the two were both panting did Li Ziyan reluctantly pull away from his lips.

Warm lips moved from her face to her earlobe.

Warm breaths, heavy breathing, and an earlobe being gently bitten...

Zhou Zhou's legs suddenly went weak, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.

She clung helplessly to Li Ziyan's neck.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the leaves of the trees in the yard, startling the fish that had surfaced to feed.

The fish flicked its tail, creating beautiful splashes of water, before disappearing from the surface.

Water splashed everywhere, sprinkling onto the blooming lotus petals.

Water droplets fall on the petals, forming crystal-clear little water droplets.

The wind blew again, and the lotus flowers danced in the breeze, while tiny water droplets rolled from the lotus flowers onto the lotus leaves.

The lotus leaves sway gently, their emerald green leaves and delicate flowers resembling a beautiful scroll of blossoms.

The fragrance of flowers, carried by the wind, wafts through the air, blending seamlessly with the entire world.