Marrying the Crown Prince

Li Zixi nestled into Consort Mei's arms coquettishly, "Mother, I don't want to get married yet."

Consort Mei chuckled, "It's just an engagement, not an immediate marriage."

Even if Li Zixi wanted to get married, Consort Mei wouldn't let her get married so soon.

“An’er is ambitious and filial, and Zhouzhou is your close friend,” Consort Mei told her, counting on her fingers the benefits of marrying Zhou Cheng’an. “Madam Du is my stepmother, and the Yongjing Marquis’s mansion is my family. When you marry into the family, no one will give you a hard time. They will still love and pamper you.”

There is no better or more suitable marriage to be found.

Li Zixi hesitated for a moment, then finally raised her head and looked at Consort Mei, "Then... then let's get engaged after my birthday this year?"

Consort Mei frowned slightly and asked curiously, "Isn't it the same whether you book late or late?"

“It’s different,” Li Zixi pouted, looking extremely aggrieved. “Once you’re engaged, you’ll be someone else’s wife. I… I want to be my mother’s daughter.”

Hearing this, Consort Mei felt both soft-hearted and amused. She reached out and tapped her forehead, saying, "What are you thinking? No matter what happens, no matter when, you will always be my daughter."

"Mother." Li Zixi buried her face in Consort Mei's arms again.

Consort Mei had no choice but to comply with her wishes.

Consort Mei, at this moment, could never have imagined that she would later regret her momentary weakness for the rest of her life.

When Zhou Zhou returned to the Zhou family mansion, the maid waiting at the gate quickly came over and said, "Eighth Miss, the Grand Madam told me to wait for you here and to go to her place as soon as you return."

"Did you have any guests at home?" Zhou Zhou asked as he walked.

"Yes, it was Lady Boyuan who came, but she has already left," the maid replied.

Lady Boyuan, the wife of Zhang, is from Zhang's maternal family. If she had only come to visit, the old lady wouldn't have been in such a hurry to send Zhou Zhou over.

Having considered this, Zhou Zhou quickened his pace.

Upon entering the house, she noticed that the old lady and Madam Du were all beaming with joy. When they saw Zhou Zhou arrive, they quickly called her over.

"I thought it was something serious, but it looks like it's a happy occasion." Zhou Zhou smiled and looked at them with her eyes crinkled.

Madam Du spoke first, "How is your relationship with the third daughter of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Lord Zhao?"

"Lord Zhao?" Zhou Zhou thought for a moment, then pinpointed the person Madam Du wanted to ask about. "Is it the Third Miss Zhao, the companion of the Sixth Princess?"

Zhao Yuehua is a typical well-bred young lady. She never smiles, is quiet and well-behaved, has a baby face, and her smile is sweet.

"Yes, what do you think of her character?" the old lady asked.

“Excellent,” Zhou Zhou replied.

Zhao Yuehua has an older sister, an older brother, and a younger brother. As a child of moderate age, she received the least attention from her elders, but she didn't mind or harbor any resentment.

Such a person naturally deserves the title of "excellent".

"Oh dear," Madam Du exclaimed with delight, looking at the old lady, "it seems that An'er's marriage can be settled now."

The old lady nodded, "Yes, tomorrow I'll call my eldest son's wife, and you'll come with me to find the Lady of Boyuan Marquis."

Zhou Zhou blinked, feeling as if he had missed some important information.

With Consort Mei's words preceding her and Old Madam Gao's words following, it seemed unlikely that her brother's marriage would be settled so quickly. As a result, Zhao Yuehua broke through the encirclement.

This……

Zhou Zhou did not see Zhao Yaohua and Wang Qingwu at the banquet just now.

It's normal that Wang Qingwu, who is about to get married, didn't receive an invitation; but Zhao Yuehua, as one of her study companions, must have been invited, but she didn't come.

The next morning, Zhou Zhou stormed up to Zhao Yuehua.

Seeing Zhou Zhou's murderous aura, Zhao Yuehua felt inexplicably guilty. "Why are you here?"

Zhou Zhou ignored the pastries that were being pushed towards him and spoke to the maids serving inside the room. Of course, what she was actually saying was for Zhao Yuehua to hear, "I have a few private words to say to your young lady. You may all leave for now."

Zhao Yuehua waved her hand, "You all go and wait outside."

As soon as the person left, Zhou Zhou began to ask questions, "You, you and my brother..."

No need for many words; the meaning is conveyed.

Upon hearing Zhou Zhou mention Zhou Cheng'an, Zhao Yuehua's face flushed red instantly.

The baby's chubby face was tender, round, and pink, looking just like a bright red, juicy apple—delicious and appealing.

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Zhou immediately understood.

She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. In a daze, she picked up the pastries on the plate and stuffed them into her mouth.

Q: What should I do if my best friend becomes my sister-in-law?

After finishing a pastry, Zhao Yuehua kindly handed over a cup of tea.

Zhou Zhou: "..."

She took it expressionlessly and ate it in one gulp, not for any other reason than that the pastry was indeed a bit too dry.

After some back and forth, Zhou Zhou accepted the news. After all, she had guessed this before coming here, and now it had just been confirmed.

"You two... this is too sudden, isn't it?" Zhou Zhou said, staring at the empty teacup.

“It’s not that I deliberately kept this from you,” Zhao Yuehua poured Zhou Zhou another cup of tea, “it’s just that we only confessed our feelings to each other three days ago.”

Then, tragically, Lord Zhao discovered this and immediately dragged Zhou Cheng'an into his study, only releasing him an hour later.

As soon as Zhou Chengan left, Zhao Yuehua ran to the study, where she saw her grandfather grinning foolishly at a sheet of Xuan paper covered with policy essays.

She knew then that it was going to work out.

Logically, the man should have spoken first, but when Lord Zhao inquired, he heard that Consort Mei had also taken a liking to Zhou Cheng'an.

It just so happens that Zhao Yuehua's sister-in-law and the Lady of Boyuan Marquis are close friends, and the Boyuan Marquis's mansion is also the maternal home of Lady Zhang, the Lady of Yongjing Marquis. So they invited the Lady of Boyuan Marquis to act as an intermediary to sound out the people of the Yongjing Marquis's mansion.

So Lady Boyuan came to the Zhou family's residence with a mission and explained the matter.

After hearing this, Grandma Zhou naturally didn't nod immediately, saying she needed to ask the child what he thought.

Lady Boyuan expressed her understanding, but hoped to receive a reply within three days.

As soon as Lady Boyuan left, Old Madam Zhou had someone call over Madam Du and Zhou Cheng'an, and briefly explained the matter.

When Zhou Cheng'an heard what Lady Boyuan had come for, he was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

Seeing Zhou Cheng'an smiling as if money was no object, the old lady knew he was willing.

But his willingness doesn't mean the matter is settled. After all, when choosing a wife, it's essential to inquire about her character.

So Zhou Zhou was called over for questioning.

Zhou Zhou quickly sorted out the matter, but was still puzzled, "When did you meet my brother? How come I've never heard you mention it?"