Marrying the Crown Prince

Afternoon naps are indeed not suitable for too long, so Zhou Zhou agreed to accompany Zhou Heng to the old lady's place.

Seeing Zhou Zhou and Zhou Heng arrive, the old lady was not surprised at all and went straight to the point, "I am going to the Imperial Palace tomorrow to pay my respects to Consort Xian. You two should come with me."

"Yes." Zhou Zhou smiled.

"Huh?" Zhou Heng didn't react for a moment.

The old lady didn't care about their reactions. Her expression was indifferent and unreadable. "It's settled then."

As a member of the imperial concubines' families, one had to follow a procedure to pay respects to Consort Mei in the palace, which could only be done on the fifth day of the first lunar month each year; but in the imperial palace, if one wanted to speak with Consort Mei, one would submit a memorial to Empress Chu two days in advance to indicate that one wished to pay respects to her.

Of course, whether or not one could go to pay respects depended on Empress Chu's approval, and she would usually agree, because if she did not, she would be impeached by the censors for being jealous or something similar.

Empress Chu said, "Can't I just find it annoying?"

The answer is no.

As for why Empress Chu knew this, it was naturally because she had made such a fool of herself before.

Regardless of the ultimate purpose of going to Chengming Palace, one must first pay respects to the Empress.

Zhou Zhou followed quietly behind the old lady, who was talking to the nanny who was leading the way, "I wonder if anyone else has come to pay their respects today besides our family?"

"Your question is quite timely, Madam. I just received Miss Chu Xuan." The nanny didn't intend to hide it, after all, this kind of thing wasn't a secret, and anyone could find out by asking any palace servant.

Although Consort Mei's favor is not what it used to be, she still has the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Princess under her wing. Which servant would not give face to her family?

At that time, Wang Qingwu was betrothed to Li Zichen. Empress Chu was so happy that she ate an extra bowl of rice at dinner. Her heart, which had been in despair, rose again—Chu Xuan was once again expected to become her daughter-in-law.

Sure enough, as soon as she arrived at the palace, she immediately called Chu Xuan over to keep her company.

In her imagination, Li Ziyan would always come to pay his respects to her. Chu Xuan would be there too, and the two young people would get to know each other better, and sparks would surely fly.

At that time, Li Ziyan will ask Emperor Chenze to grant him a marriage, and Emperor Chenze will not refuse.

Only she could come up with such a perfect solution.

The Queen of Chu was very happy.

Of course, Li Ziyan wasn't very happy, but it wasn't obvious on his face; he still maintained his composed and serene demeanor.

He smiled gently, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and looked at Empress Chu, "Mother, there are guests here. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Empress Chu, oblivious to her son's displeasure, said, "What guest? She's your cousin."

Li Ziyan sighed silently, preparing to get up and leave, when a palace servant came to report—

"Your Highness, Your Highness, the servants from the Yongjing Marquis's residence have come to pay their respects."

Upon hearing this, Li Ziyan sat back down.

Empress Chu did not intend to make things difficult for the palace maids after hearing their words. After all, the marriage of Zhou Ba Niang was intercepted by Wang Qingwu. If it weren't for that, her niece would probably be out of the picture now.

"Please come in." Empress Chu held a handkerchief, seemingly wiping her mouth, but actually concealing the smile on her lips.

"This old woman gives..."

As soon as Old Madam Zhou bowed, Empress Chu signaled the palace servants to help her up. Generally, when older noblewomen came, Empress Chu would not ask them to complete the entire ceremony.

If asked which of the three women Empress Chu was most interested in, Zhou Zhou would undoubtedly answer.

"Miss Zhou looks... cough cough," Empress Chu wanted to say that she looked much more haggard, but she stopped herself in time and changed her words, "She looks even more beautiful."

Zhou Zhou blushed with shyness upon being praised, but her heart remained unmoved. "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I also think Your Majesty is even more beautiful and charming now."

Empress Chu touched her face and felt it was even smoother. Her smile became much more genuine. "Look, no wonder Consort Mei likes you so much. I like you very much too."

After Yu Yan Fang gained a reputation, Empress Chu sent palace servants to buy a lot of things there. Now, it has been more than a month since they bought them, so she believed Zhou Zhou's words without a doubt.

"I remember Miss Zhou is almost of marriageable age?" Li Ziyan, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke, but it seemed as if he was just saying it casually.

Compared to the simple-minded Empress Chu, Li Ziyan was cunning and shrewd. Zhou Zhou dared not respond to his words casually, so she obediently looked at Old Madam Zhou.

The old lady received the signal and replied to Li Ziyan on her behalf, "Your Highness has a good memory. Zhouzhou's coming-of-age ceremony is next month."

The coming-of-age ceremony for young ladies is extremely important and grand. If Empress Chu didn't know, fine, but now that she does, it's impossible for her to remain silent. Moreover, she was just in a good mood after being praised by Zhou Zhou, so she's naturally happy to give her face.

Therefore, Empress Chu smiled and said in a cheerful and generous manner, "I will definitely send someone to attend the ceremony."

"In that case, thank you very much, Your Majesty." The old lady stood up with the two girls and bowed to express her gratitude.

Zhou Zhou followed behind the old lady, bowing respectfully. Only after hearing Empress Chu's words, "No need for such formalities," did she raise her head and stand up, only to find herself meeting Li Ziyan's gaze.

His eyes were like stars, deep and captivating, with slightly upturned corners indicating that he was in a good mood. His warm eyes were moist and charming.

Zhou Zhou's heart pounded, and she quickly lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him anymore.

After sitting for a short while, a palace maid from Consort Mei's side came over to pay her respects, saying, "This servant greets Your Highness and Your Highness."

"She can't wait even after such a short time?" Empress Chu snorted, her tone displeased. "I'm not some kind of cannibal."

The palace maid remained kneeling on the ground, her back straight, neither humble nor arrogant. "Your Majesty the Empress is too kind. It is truly because Consort Xian misses her mother so much. Please forgive her."

That made sense, so Empress Chu stopped keeping the people from the Yongjing Marquis's residence to talk.

After leaving Empress Chu's place, Zhou Heng's tense emotions relaxed a bit. She walked side by side with Zhou Zhou and spoke quietly.

"The Empress called your name as soon as she arrived, which really startled me," Zhou Heng said.

"Her Majesty the Empress is kind-hearted, you don't need to be afraid," Zhou Zhou whispered to comfort her.

Despite all her flaws, no one could say that Empress Chu's pure and innocent heart was "bad."

Zhou Heng was about to say something more when she saw a lady dressed in gorgeous clothes, wearing a gold hairpin, and followed by a large group of palace servants approaching.

"This old woman/your humble servant greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort."

The imperial concubine stopped and looked at Zhou Zhou...