Marrying the Crown Prince

Seeing that Zhou Rong looked well, the old lady nodded in satisfaction, "Have you been eating and sleeping well these past few days?"

Zhou Rong replied obediently, "Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. Everything is fine."

The family had breakfast together, and the old lady let the younger ones go out to play. After all, they only had a few years left to play, and once they were engaged and married, they would never be as carefree as when they were young.

Zhou Rong was not in good health, so she did not go out to play; Wang Shi was afraid that Zhou Rong would be lonely, so she stayed behind as well.

Zhou Zhou remembered her promise to meet Li Zixi and the others at Julailou. Before leaving, she asked Zhou Heng and Zhou Zhou, "Do you want to come with me?"

Zhou Heng shook her head without hesitation, "You have fun."

She wasn't familiar with those people, and going there would only cause her more embarrassment.

Zhou Yue looked at Zhou Zhou pitifully, like a little white rabbit, soft and cute.

Zhou Yue sighed helplessly, "Then stick close to me."

The little rabbit's eyes lit up.

“I’ll go with you,” Madam Du said, still a little worried. “We’ll book a private room next to yours, and Xiao Jiu, Xiao Shiyi, and I will wait for you there.”

Zhou Zhou asked in confusion, "Did Mother make a reservation?"

“No,” Du said, her eyes slightly upturned and a smile curving her lips, brimming with confidence.

Could it be that Julailou is owned by the Du family?

If Madam Du knew what Zhou Zhou was thinking, she would definitely answer her no, but that would be about right.

So the group split into two groups. One group, led by Zhang, went to stroll around East Street, while the other group, led by Du, went to Julai Restaurant.

A three-year-old child isn't heavy, but carrying him all the time is still tiring. Du didn't force herself and handed Zhou Chengxuan over to the wet nurse.

Zhou Chengxuan kicked his short legs, refusing to be held by the nanny, and uttered one word at a time, "Go by yourself."

Seeing that he had his own ideas, Madam Du thought for a moment and asked Zhou Zhou, "Are you in a hurry?"

The main reason was that a three-year-old child walks too slowly, and they were afraid of delaying Zhou Zhou's meeting with the dignitaries.

"No rush." ​​Zhou Zhou didn't mind, and besides, the fun of traveling is to take your time and explore.

As in previous years, Zhou Zhou bought sugar paintings for the two children, while Zhou Yue picked out an exquisite palace lantern with plum blossoms on it and a bird perched on the branch, which was so lifelike that it took the stall owner almost half an hour to find one.

Zhou Chengxuan was born in the Year of the Pig, so Zhou Zhou bought him a short, chubby, and very cute little pig.

Zhou Chengxuan took the sugar painting from Zhou Zhou, opened his mouth, took a bite, and the sweet taste spread from the tip of his tongue.

His smile was sweet, and his soft, sweet voice came through, "Sister, it's delicious."

As he spoke, the little one let go of his wet nurse's hand and asked Zhou Zhou to hold it.

Seeing that he would do anything for anyone, Madam Du pretended to be angry and lightly flicked his forehead, saying, "I don't owe you anything to eat, you're such a glutton."

Zhou Chengxuan thought his mother was playing a game with him and giggled.

While shopping, they naturally chatted. Ever since Zhou Rong replied, Zhou Yue hadn't had a chance to be alone with Zhou Zhou. Now that they finally had a chance, they naturally wanted to talk to each other to their hearts' content. So, they inevitably brought up the matter of Zhou Rong returning to the mansion.

“But…” Zhou Yue paused, changing her address for her second brother-in-law to something else, “But the people of the Jingwen Marquis’s mansion are unjust?”

Du did not believe in any kind of greenhouse education; she believed that education should start from a young age. So, without pausing, she recounted the details of Zhou Rong and Zhong Xu's affair.

Although Du Shi glossed over much of the content, Zhou Yue still sensed Zhou Rong's tragic life after marriage and couldn't help but worry, "Sister, if you meet a man like this in the future, don't be soft-hearted and don't be like your second sister."

Hearing her words, Zhou Zhou's expression softened, and he reached out to pat her head. "Don't worry, it won't happen."

Zhou Yue lowered her head and remained silent, because in her eyes, her sister was so gentle and delicate.

Seeing her sullen, Zhou Zhou, unusually good-natured, tried to coax her, "If I really marry this kind of scum in the future..."

Before she could finish speaking, a hand appeared out of nowhere and shoved Zhou Zhou in the back, causing her to stumble a few steps and almost fall.

At the same time, Zhou Chengxuan was picked up by a man with an ordinary appearance and ordinary clothes, the kind of man who could blend into the crowd and would definitely not be recognized.

Fortunately, the nanny reacted quickly, grabbing the man's arm and shouting at the top of her lungs, "Human trafficker! Human trafficker! Help!"

Unable to break free, and seeing the crowd gathering, the man had no choice but to throw Zhou Chengxuan to the ground. The wet nurse quickly let go and rushed over to catch the baby.

The human trafficker cursed his bad luck and was about to leave when Zhou Zhou kicked him hard, striking him squarely in the vital spot.

"what--!"

The human trafficker screamed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his groin in excruciating pain.

The onlookers fell silent, feeling a pain in their groin as well.

The soldiers from the Jingzhao Prefecture who were maintaining order also arrived at this moment. Upon seeing the scene, they were stunned and inexplicably felt a chill down below.

Du took out her waist tag to identify herself and then briefly described what had happened.

The onlookers were all witnesses, and seeing that she was a member of the Yongjing Marquis's household, the guards immediately said, "Madam, you have been frightened. We will take her away right away."

Upon seeing that Zhou Chengxuan had been taken away, Madam Du hurriedly checked Zhou Chengxuan for any injuries, otherwise why would she be crying so bitterly?

Thankfully, he hadn't lost a single hair. Mrs. Du breathed a sigh of relief and asked with concern, "What happened?"

“It’s fallen.” Zhou Chengxuan pointed to the sugar painting on the ground, which had been trampled into pieces, his eyes filled with tears.

Mrs. Du was both amused and exasperated, and ordered someone to buy a new one.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhou continued his conversation with Zhou Yue, "Don't worry, Yue'er, if I ever really run into that kind of scum..."

Without saying the rest, Zhou Zhou narrowed his eyes and made a downward cutting gesture.

Having witnessed the entire event, Li Ziyan fell silent and reached out to tighten the cloak around his body.

The accompanying eunuch blinked – there was no wind.

Soon, Zhou Zhou and his group arrived at Julai Restaurant. As soon as Du entered, a waiter ran to inform the manager, while another waiter came to greet her, "Miss Du, is this your usual spot?"

Mrs. Du shook her head. "Are there any private rooms available?"

"Yes, yes." The waiter nodded and beckoned them to the third floor.

The second floor has private rooms that are available for reservation, and most of them are in high demand. The third floor is not available for reservation and is only for high-ranking officials and dignitaries. A few rooms are reserved for the host's relatives and friends.

As soon as they settled down, the manager of Julailou appeared, bringing with him a variety of snacks. "Miss Du, these are some of your favorite dishes that you often order."

"Uncle Li, you're too kind," Madam Du said with a smile.

"If you like it, that's all that matters," Uncle Li said with a kind smile. "You haven't come here for a long time since you got married."