Marrying the Crown Prince

Spring goes and winter comes again; in the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

Zhou Zhou is getting older and older, and he is about to step into his nineties.

Therefore, as soon as she stepped out, she was followed by a large group of palace servants, all worried that Zhou Zhou might bump into something.

Zhou Zhou: "..."

"Look at you all!" she yelled.

The head palace maid, He'an, held Zhou Zhou's hand and said, "There's nothing we can do. It's just that you, our ancestor, are blessed with such good fortune. Not to mention them, there's probably no one else in the world as blessed as you. Naturally, we want to stay by your side at all times, hoping that you will be kind enough to lift a finger and let us pick up some of your good fortune."

“Hmm,” Zhou Zhou nodded in satisfaction, “I like hearing you say that.”

Seeing that she had appeased the person, He An felt a little relieved. "Fortunately, the old lady doesn't find me annoying and is willing to listen to my chatter."

"Hmm, your mouth can certainly rival that of a sparrow on a branch."

"Oh dear, my dear ancestor," He An said, feigning shyness.

"Alright, alright, my child is not some kind of trash." Zhou Zhou patted He An's hand.

He An has been by her side for more than ten years, growing from a tiny little thing to what she is today. Even though she is cold-hearted, Zhou Zhou has come to like her from the bottom of her heart after so many years together.

He An knew when to stop, and helped Zhou Zhou up, saying, "Ancestor, here's the way."

She accompanied Zhou Zhou to the pavilion.

The palace servants quickly arranged the fruit platters and snacks, and set up a stove in the distance to make it convenient to brew tea and prevent the charcoal fire from affecting this area.

He'an took the incense-burning tools from the palace maid and was about to light the incense when Zhou Zhou stopped her, "He'an, bring them here, let me take a look."

He An paused in his actions, not particularly surprised by Zhou Zhou's instructions.

Having served Zhou Zhou for so many years, she had long since figured out his likes and dislikes—this old lady was excellent at everything, from burning incense and brewing tea to playing chess, needlework, pitch-pot, and cards. She had heard that she loved to play when she was young, but now that she was older, she didn't like to move around much, though she would occasionally find herself unable to stay still.

He An placed the items in front of Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou waved his hand, "You may all leave."

He An nodded and led his men down.

However, while everyone else was driven away, she stood at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, so that she would not disturb Zhou Zhou, yet she could see him at any time.

The small incense burner in front of me is made of bronze, and its surface has been finely polished with sandpaper, so the surface of the incense burner has a very warm luster.

The incense burner has a rounded body, carved with a pattern of a qilin soaring across mountains and rivers. The auspicious beast stands on clouds, gleaming with golden light, and is lifelike. The lid of the incense burner is openwork carved, and the whole thing is shaped like a lotus flower.

Zhou Zhou opened the lid of the incense burner and used incense chopsticks to stir and disperse the incense ash; this step is called rosin.

When the ash is clumped together, it spreads out in all directions, allowing surrounding air to enter and thus enabling the ash to burn more completely.

Then Zhou Zhou picked up the ash press, gently pressed the incense ash to flatten the surface, and then used an incense brush to clean the ash off the burner wall.

After everything was ready, Zhou Zhou took the incense seal and placed it in the middle of the incense ash.

The incense seal is made of lotus flowers. Zhou Zhou fills it with incense powder, then smooths it out, removes any excess powder, and then gently takes out the incense seal—a lotus flower made of incense powder appears.

Zhou Zhou lit it and put the lid back on—a faint scent of sandalwood burned in the belly of the incense burner, wisps of smoke rising and the fragrance spreading, warm and gentle, allowing restless people to forget worldly troubles and enjoy its unique tranquility and comfort.

This fragrance has a delicate yet long-lasting scent, with a subtle woody aroma mixed with the fragrance of grass, like a fragrance that has been refined over time.

Its tranquil and elegant atmosphere is most refreshing and delightful.

In this tranquil atmosphere, Zhou Zhou brewed the tea, poured two cups, placed one in front of himself, and placed the other opposite him.

She took a small sip; the tea was slightly bitter but not astringent, very mellow, carrying the freshness of the earth and the fragrance of flowers. Finally, the bitterness dissipated, leaving a sweet aftertaste on her tongue.

Zhou Zhou leaned back in his chair, enjoying the view with his eyes half-closed, and asked, "Why haven't you gone back yet?"

Li Ziyan: "..."

Isn't there no one around this pavilion? Could she... be having hysteria?

“I’m talking to you, don’t ignore me,” Zhou Zhou snorted. “I know you’ve been by my side for years.”

dong dong!

dong dong!

For some reason, Li Ziyan's heart pounded when she heard these words.

He was somewhat incredulous, and reached out to touch his chest to make sure he really had no heartbeat.

"Tsk," Zhou Zhou said unhappily, opening his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Seeing that she had lost her temper and was quite old, Li Ziyan was worried that something might happen, so he gently pointed, and a line of words appeared on the table: "I'm here."

"Hmm, that's sensible." Zhou Zhou smiled contentedly, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed and contented expression.

But if others don't know, how could Zhou Zhou herself not know?

When she saw the words on the table, her scalp tingled, and goosebumps rose on her arms, which were covered by her sleeves.

At first, she just guessed, or rather, had an intuition—that whenever she felt unwell or was in danger, she could clearly feel someone around her helping her.

As time went on, the feeling of having a ghost following him became clearer and clearer. Finally, an outrageous thought popped into Zhou Zhou's mind: Could it be him?

Today, Zhou Zhou suddenly realized that he could vaguely see a phantom image in front of him.

However, she was getting old and worried that her eyesight was failing. After thinking it over for a long time, she finally took this step.

Zhou Zhou closed his eyes, calmed himself down, and then asked, "You've been wandering in the mortal realm. Have any ghost messengers been looking for you?"

Actually, what Zhou Zhou wanted to ask was that, according to the storybooks, ghosts often linger in the world because they have obsessions in their hearts and cannot be reincarnated.

So... is his obsession with himself?

"no."

When do you plan to go back?

"Not urgent."

Zhou Zhou tapped the table lightly with his finger. "Since there's no rush, why don't you try this tea?"

She paused for a moment, then added, "You've always liked Biluochun tea."

The tea in the teacup disappeared, and the word "Hmm" reappeared on the table.

Zhou Zhou smiled, picked up the tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

She looked at the empty teacup and said, "They say that tea cools when people leave, but to my opinion, this tea still tastes very good."

Upon hearing this, Li Ziyan remained quietly to the side without responding.

After waiting for a while without any response, Zhou Zhou knew that he was right beside him, so he continued, "Time flies so fast, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"The people around me, you, Jiafu, Shunan... you have all left one by one."

“I know that every time I pull through, you’re always there for me.”

"But I think it's about time."

"Didn't you always say that if we do good deeds and accumulate merit in this life, we will still be blessed in the next life?"

"Since you've already started, you should keep the good karma you've accumulated. Maybe you can exchange it for another chance to rekindle your relationship?"

After speaking such a long sentence in one breath, Zhou Zhou felt a little tired. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes uncomfortably.

Upon seeing this, He'an hurriedly stepped forward from a distance, saying, "Ancestor."

Just then, a gentle breeze blew, causing the tassels on Zhou Zhou's head to sway. The incense smoke in the pavilion dissipated, and the words on the table disappeared as well.

"It's alright." Zhou Zhou waved his hand.

From that day on, Zhou Zhou's eyes became brighter and brighter. If he could only catch glimpses of Li Ziyan from time to time before, now he could see him all the time.

His figure gradually transformed from nothingness into a tangible form.

Thus, Zhou Zhou often chatted with him, played chess, or enjoyed tea.

She sometimes thought that perhaps it was a blessing from heaven that allowed her to see the person she wanted to see again before she died.

Finally, when Zhou Zhou could clearly see what Li Ziyan looked like now, she laughed, "My temples are gray, but you look just like you did when you were young."

Upon hearing this, Li Ziyan gently touched Zhou Zhou's body, and finally her appearance was fixed at the age of fifteen.

She looked at herself in the bronze mirror, and her reflection in the bronze mirror was also looking back at her.

She smiled. "It's similar, yet not quite."

The face is hers, but the eyes are not the same as they were back then.

Zhou Zhou was a little tired, so he bent over and walked towards the soft couch.

"Jinyou, I'm tired."

"I know."

"Ah."

"Go to sleep."

"Ah."