Marrying the Crown Prince

"I'm quite busy," Du replied.

She then pointed to Zhou Zhou and the others, introducing them as, "This is my daughter."

"Hello, young lady."

Zhou Zhou and Zhou Yue nodded in response.

Seeing that Mrs. Du was taking care of the child, Uncle Li didn't bother her any longer and left.

The reason why Julailou is so lively is that it is not an ordinary restaurant, but an elegant garden. The stage in the lobby on the first floor is usually used for grand opera performances, while the private rooms are places where one can invite girls to keep him company and talk.

Since she was already there, Madam Du decided not to make herself uncomfortable. However, she didn't like listening to music, so she chose a girl who could tell stories.

Soon, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and a woman dressed in a light green brocade dress with lily patterns entered. She was carrying a guqin and bowed gracefully. "Wenping greets the lady and the young ladies and wishes them all the best, may everything go as well as before, and may they enjoy good health."

As she moved, the hair ornament on her head swayed gently, like peach blossoms in March, fluttering in the wind.

Elegant, truly elegant.

Seeing her holding the zither, Madam Du asked, "Can you tell stories?"

"meeting."

Hearing her confident words, Madam Du couldn't say anything, because although the girl wasn't particularly beautiful, her every word and action was pleasing to the eye and the more you looked at her, the more pleasing she became.

So, Madam Du gestured for her to do as she pleased, "Then tell us some interesting stories."

Wenping sat quietly, her fingers nimbly plucking the strings, her thin lips softly uttering a gentle narration.

Zhou Zhou was quite surprised to see that she had her own background music—no wonder the sage said, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles." In this vast world, there are countless things, and very few can be described in detail in books.

Wenping's story was also interesting. It was about a wealthy merchant who took a beautiful concubine as his wife, but the concubine had another lover, so the merchant was cuckolded.

One day, a wealthy businessman caught his concubine in bed with another man, but he fell in love at first sight with his concubine's sweetheart, and the three of them became entangled in an affair.

Having tasted the pleasures, the wealthy merchant took both his concubines and men into his harem.

They thought their happy days would continue like this, but little did they know that the man coveted the wealthy merchant's fortune, and the merchant's actions were exactly what they expected—to invite a wolf into their home.

The man first used a honey trap to seduce the wealthy merchant's wife into his service, and then poisoned the merchant to death.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhou thought the story was over. Then, Ping changed the subject, saying that the wealthy merchant had just died from a relapse, and his wife had rushed in with servants, turned the man over to the authorities, and the merchant's vast fortune went to his wife.

In the end, the wife and concubine went to the mountain to pay respects to their parents. It turned out that the wealthy merchant's fortune was obtained by stepping on the blood and bones of their parents.

As for that man who lusts after women and is wicked at the sight of money, he has always been a person who deceives innocent and naive women. He is extremely despicable and should have died long ago.

The story took one twist after another, leaving Zhou Yue speechless with astonishment.

As for Zhou Zhou, who had read the forbidden books in the palace, his eyes lit up after hearing the ending. Such a plot twist and turn, coupled with the melodious zither music and Wen Ping's vivid description, was quite good. He should have listened to it a long time ago.

Madam Du felt the same way and gestured to her maid to give her some money, saying, "It's been a long time since I've come to listen to storytelling, and I'm surprised to hear such an interesting story as soon as I arrive."

"If Madam likes it, then it is my honor." Wenping stopped playing the zither, and the music ended.

Having absorbed the story, Zhou Yue whispered to Zhou Zhou, "Sister, you see, even the men in folk tales are greedy and lustful, which shows that there aren't many good men out there."

Zhou Zhou remained silent for a while, wondering if today's events had caused the young girl to lose confidence in her future.

So she comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, I will definitely have someone investigate your husband thoroughly in the future."

"I would never marry you to such a heartless and treacherous person."

Zhou Zhou looked at Zhou Yue with a firm gaze, her eyes gentle, like a calm, clear, and bright body of water, as if they could wash away all the filth in the world.

Zhou Yue dared not look directly at her anymore, lowered her head, and pondered how she should explain to her sister that she was not afraid of marriage. At worst, it would be like Zhou Zhou had said before, just a quick snap and it would be over. She was afraid that Zhou Zhou would become addicted to it.

Everyone knows Zhou Zhou's inner strength and resilience. Even if someone were to die in front of her, she could still praise the tea leaves without batting an eye.

Zhou Yue took a deep breath and didn't say much. Her overthinking was just a result of her concern.

Just then, Jufang pushed open the door and came in. "Madam, Miss, Qingwu from the Grand Tutor's Mansion has arrived."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Qingwu walked in. "I thought I was the first one here, but I didn't expect you to be hiding here, Zhouzhou."

As she spoke, she gave Madam Du a junior's bow.

It turned out that after Zhou Zhou arrived at Julailou, he asked Jufang to wait outside the private room reserved by the Sixth Princess and to inform her when someone arrived.

When Wang Qingwu arrived, he saw only Zhou Zhou's maid at the door, not Zhou Zhou herself, so he couldn't help but ask her a question. When he heard that Madam Du was also there, he came over to greet her.

After all, Madam Du was Zhou Zhou's elder, and as Zhou Zhou's close friend, she naturally respected Madam Du as an elder as well.

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Zhou followed Wang Qingwu away. Of course, Zhou Zhou left empty-handed, while Wang Qingwu received a New Year's gift from the Du family—a small golden pig.

The little pig is adorable and endearing, with a round body and short legs.

This was the first time Wang Qingwu had ever seen something like this, and he found it quite interesting. "Does Madam Du make these little things every year as New Year's money?"

"More or less." Zhou Zhou thought for a moment, but still didn't tell the other party that the little golden pig was probably a toy that Du had sent to Zhou Chengxuan.

Since today marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, the Du family commissioned craftsmen to make small golden tigers this year.

As for why Wang Qingwu was given a little golden pig, it was naturally because Madam Du did not bring the little golden tiger, but only Zhou Chengxuan's little golden pig.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Qingwu rested her chin on her hand and stared at Zhou Zhou, her eyes shining, "Do you know how many talented men and beautiful women were at the Peach Blossom Banquet?"

Seeing her like this, Zhou Zhou laughed, "I really don't know, but judging from your expression, you must know?"

“I don’t know about others, but my younger brother is going,” Wang Qingwu replied.

Zhou Zhou's mind went blank for a moment before he finally managed to say, "If I remember correctly, your younger brother is the same age as me?"

In Chen Kingdom, most women are married after they reach the age of fifteen, and families who dote on their daughters may even wait until they are seventeen to arrange a marriage. As for men, the age for marriage is generally around twenty, or after they have passed the imperial examinations.

So your brother... is he in such a hurry?

Wang Qingwu shrugged helplessly. "His Majesty summoned my grandfather to the Imperial Study and spoke to him quietly."

Emperor Chenze's idea was actually very simple: his daughters, Li Zixiao and Li Zixi, were only sixteen or seventeen years old. Were they not worthy of ministers who were fourteen or fifteen?