Marrying the Crown Prince

Li Zixi was also entering the princess's residence for the first time and didn't know the way, so she asked the head maid of the princess's residence to lead the way.

The head maid was a woman in her forties with a round face. When she smiled, her eyes crinkled, making her look both kind and cheerful.

"What a coincidence, the Fifth Prince is here today too." The old woman smiled, but it didn't come across as obsequious.

Upon hearing what the nanny said, Li Zixi and Zhou Zhou both looked at Wang Qingwu.

Wang Qingwu remained calm and composed, asking, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Seeing that the two of them were still grinning lewdly, Wang Qingwu snorted and said with a forced smile, "Your Highness didn't tell me that the Fifth Prince would be coming today."

Li Zixi gritted her teeth: Damn Fifth Brother, he didn't even say a word before coming over, making my best friend suspect me.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhou silently suppressed the gossip on her face and quietly moved to the side, afraid that Wang Qingwu would catch her and scold her.

However, Wang Qingwu still managed to catch Zhou Zhou, saying, "I've always heard that the Fifth Prince and the Eighth Miss of Yongjing Marquis were childhood sweethearts. Seeing them today, I can confirm that their reputation is well-deserved."

Zhou Zhou, on the verge of tears, begged for mercy, "Sister Qingwu, please don't say anymore. We won't laugh at you."

Li Zixi coughed lightly, and the matter was dropped. "Granny, lead the way."

Leading the way, but where to lead is the question.

The head maid understood immediately and led the people toward Li Zichen.

Soon, a tall figure came into view. The person was wearing a moon-white brocade robe and stood under the bamboo forest. A gentle breeze blew by, and the person had a cool and elegant demeanor.

Of course, this only applies if one doesn't speak; if one does speak, then—

"Seventh Sister, Cousin, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for so long." Li Zichen flashed a bright white smile, a far cry from his previous refined and elegant demeanor.

Li Zixi directly called him out, "Brother, you say you're waiting for us, but where are your eyes looking?"

Wang Qingwu and Zhou Zhou both bowed, and then Li Zixi pulled them up, one on each side.

Li Zichen said helplessly, "Why are you being so polite with me?"

"I don't know why either," Zhou Zhou looked up at the sky, looking innocent, "I just feel that since Sister Qingwu and His Highness Cousin have that kind of relationship and still bow to each other, I should too..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Zhou was warned by Wang Qingwu, who grabbed his waist.

Zhou Zhou waved his hand and abruptly changed his tune, saying, "Rituals cannot be abandoned, rituals cannot be abandoned."

Li Zixi, who had noticed everything, covered her mouth and chuckled.

Yes, Zhou Zhou was indeed the childhood sweetheart of the Fifth Prince Li Zichen, but the person he reciprocated his feelings for was Wang Qingwu.

As for why rumors of Li Zichen and Zhou Zhou being childhood sweethearts arose, it's naturally because our beloved Fifth Prince always used the excuse of looking for his younger sister to come to the girls' school.

After all, the girls' school has his own sister and his cousin. It's normal for him to come once a month and bring some small gifts each time.

As for Li Zichen and Wang Qingwu, they admired each other, but their feelings remained true to their emotions and kept within the bounds of propriety. They never met alone in private, let alone did anything out of line.

Therefore, not many people knew about the two of them's little schemes.

Zhou Zhou and Li Zixi were able to discover it because they had been spending every day with Wang Qingwu and had guessed from the little things. But the one who really exposed their relationship was that idiot Li Zichen.

Li Zichen stared intently at Wang Qingwu, but unfortunately, his beloved was more thick-skinned than he had imagined, remaining completely unfazed and composed.

Zhou Zhou and Li Zixi thought that they hadn't seen each other for more than half a month, so they slowed down and quietly lagged behind the couple a few steps, giving them some space to be together.

Li Zixi stroked her chin, slightly curious, "You really don't like my imperial brother?"

If Zhou Zhou were to compete with Wang Qingwu, with the added advantage of being her cousin, Wang Qingwu might not necessarily be able to win.

Zhou Zhou was speechless. "They're in love, why should I interfere?"

Women in the Chen Kingdom are known for their pride, and the scions of noble families are even more so. Therefore, favoring a concubine over one's wife is a serious crime in the Chen Kingdom, punishable by exile.

"After the Peach Blossom Banquet, Father believed the rumors and arranged marriages haphazardly," Li Zixi frowned slightly, "Have you ever thought about this?"

"No," Zhou Zhou said firmly.

Emperor Chenze is not an unreasonable person. If he knew that Li Zichen had someone he loved, he would not have arranged a marriage for him.

Secondly, Li Zichen is not the kind of person who follows the rules. If he has no love in his heart, fine, but if he has someone else in his heart, why would he be willing to marry another person?

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on Zhou Zhou's face, warm and resolute, drawing people's hearts involuntarily closer.

Li Zixi pursed her lips, looking sullen. "But what will you do after the Peach Blossom Banquet?"

The person being gossiped about is Zhou Zhou, but the beneficiary is Wang Qingwu...

All I can say is that the Fifth Prince did something really unethical.

In fact, the fact that Li Zichen only appeared once a month wasn't enough to make this matter escalate to this point. I'm afraid that there were also people with ulterior motives, such as Consort Mei, or even... Marquis Yongjing!

Li Zichen only unintentionally fueled the flames.

Zhou Zhou had seen through these things long ago. Everything she possessed now was the best of the Marquis's mansion, and after enjoying it for so many years, she naturally had to give it back.

Unlike Zhou Heng, she was chosen to continue the family's glory, so she had the same status as Zhou Bai in the mansion.

But aside from the exploitation, the old master and old lady's love was genuine, which is why Zhou Zhou was willing to be used.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling, and Zhou Zhou squinted slightly as he casually answered Li Zixi's question, "Do you think I would care about these things?"

Li Zixi was speechless after hearing her words.

If Zhou Zhou cared about these things, her reputation as a talented woman would have already spread throughout Kyoto.

Indeed, because Zhou Zhou was unremarkable, some powerful figures in the capital laughed behind her back—Shen Ning and Zhou Zhou, despite being known as talented women, lacked the ability to recognize talent and had taken on a mediocre disciple.

However, Shen Ning and the other person did not take these words to heart.

But how many people in the world can remain calm and composed in the face of everything?

Even Wang Qingwu couldn't do that, so her reputation as a talented woman had already spread throughout Kyoto three years ago.

Zhou Zhou's understanding of this is that everyone has their own path to walk—the Grand Tutor's daughter, Wang Qingwu, is destined to become an imperial concubine, and she needs to pave the way for everything in the future.

It was fortunate, really. Most royal family members were dismissed by the emperor with a thin imperial edict, so it was rare for Li Zichen to find someone who matched his status and whom he loved.

Watching the two figures walk away, Zhou Zhou quietly asked Li Zixi, "You've been talking about me all this time. What about you? Would you be willing to have Qingwu as your sister-in-law?"

"Isn't what you said just stating the obvious?" Li Zixi rolled her eyes silently. "If I didn't want to, would I have them come to my residence to meet me?"

They would have been beaten out with sticks long ago.