Marrying the Crown Prince

Zhou Zhou was stunned for a moment, because Li Ziyan, like everyone else, had sent a birthday gift before today, so what could it be?

She opened the box, inside was a white jade phoenix hairpin from Hetian. The jade was delicate and soft, and its entire body was emerald green, like a bottomless lake, tranquil and profound, with a mysterious air.

“This is no ordinary thing.” Zhou Zhou gently stroked it, and a thought sprouted and took root in his heart.

It seems that Li Ziyan had already possessed this phoenix hairpin, but he did not bring it with him on this trip. It was only after the two of them confirmed their feelings for each other that His Highness the Crown Prince gave an order to have it delivered from the capital day and night.

However, fearing that the time would be too late, Li Ziyan sent the birthday gift ahead of schedule.

"Who sent it?" Zhou Zhou closed the lid, her expression revealing neither liking nor disliking it, but Ju Fang could still read her thoughts from her lighthearted tone.

"It is Eunuch Changyi, who serves His Highness."

"Are you ready to go?"

"This...this servant doesn't know either."

Zhou Zhou raised an eyebrow, got up and walked into the house. Because the sun had set and she had been outside, the candles inside had not been lit, so the room was somewhat dim.

Jufang quickly took a tinderbox and lit the candle.

The dim candlelight was warm and soft, illuminating every corner of the room.

Zhou Zhou came to the table, and in a short while, he finished writing a letter. There were not many words, just a few sentences, but the words and strokes flowed like clouds and water. The brushstrokes were supple and the characters were vigorous and powerful, like pine trees growing on cliffs, tenacious and unyielding, bursting with vitality.

She fanned the ink on the letter paper with her hand to speed up the drying process, then put it in an envelope and handed it to Jufang, saying, "Go ahead and give it to Changyi. Don't keep him waiting."

Jufang was a little puzzled, thinking to herself: Eunuch Changyi didn't say that Miss needed a reply or a gift in return, he should have just taken the things and left.

However, since the master had given the order, even knowing that it would be a wasted trip, the trip still had to be made.

Jufang arrived at the back door and saw a figure not far away. Although the figure was facing away from the door and not very close, she still recognized it as Changyi's figure.

She hurried over, half curious and half shocked, "Eunuch Changyi, you really are here!"

"Miss Jufang, does the Eighth Miss have something to give to His Highness?" Changyi waited for a while but no one came out. She thought she would have to go back empty-handed, but she still got to see her.

"This is what Miss asked me to give to my father-in-law."

After saying that, Jufang took out an envelope from her sleeve and handed it to Changyi.

Soon, the letter reached Li Ziyan's hands.

He had been working hard all day, and when he learned that it was Zhou Zhou who had brought it, his tired and irritable heart suddenly leaped with joy.

The letter was opened, and it read, "The token has been received. I look forward to seeing you again someday."

She understood herself. Li Ziyan smiled foolishly as she read the letter over and over again.

Neither of them expected that the meeting they had promised in the letter would come so soon.

The day after Zhou Zhou's birthday, Emperor Chenze's decree and imperial will arrived, granting her the marriage.

This time, Emperor Chenze issued more than one imperial decree to bestow marriages. In addition to the marriage between the current Crown Prince Li Ziyan and the eighth daughter of the Yongjing Marquis's family, there were also the marriages between Su He and Cao Du, the rulers of Qixi Kingdom, and the seventh princess Li Zixi, as well as the marriage between the eighth prince Li Ziqi and Lin Xiang, the daughter of Minister Lin, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Of course, it wasn't just the imperial decree granting marriage; the decree for promotion was also conveyed at the same time.

The fifth prince, Li Zichen, was promoted to the title of Prince of Kangding; the seventh princess, Li Zixi, was promoted to the title of Princess of the First Rank, with the title of Fujia and her fiefdom located in Wangjiang County near Qixi Kingdom; the sixth princess, Li Zixiao, was promoted to the title of Princess of the Second Rank, with the title of Shun'an.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this promotion was to make up for the decree issued to make up for the Seventh Princess's marriage alliance. The Sixth Princess was just a side effect. However, her title "Shun'an" is somewhat intriguing.

Of course, the Empress's decree was not idle either, bestowing marriages upon seven pairs of noble sons and daughters who had attended the Peach Blossom Banquet.

Of course, among these seven couples, some were already engaged, such as Zhou Chengan and Zhao Yuehua, and Zhou Heng and Chen Yanhua, who were already engaged and were granted marriage, which was considered a double blessing; others were not yet engaged, but the heads of both families agreed to go to Empress Chu together to ask for it, such as Wang Qingwu's younger brother Wang Yutong and Gao Yunxi.

Upon hearing that the two of them had hit it off, Zhou Zhou almost spat out his tea, sighing helplessly: What a small world this is.

In general, there are not many noble sons and daughters in the capital who are over fifteen years old and still unmarried, except for Su Ye from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and Chu Xuan from the Marquis of Beiping's mansion.

Before the imperial edict had spread, a palace maid from Consort Mei's side came and asked Zhou Zhou to go into the palace to talk to Li Zixi for a while.

Thinking of the imperial edict for a marriage alliance, Zhou Zhou's face darkened. He immediately set off, boarded a carriage, and sped to the imperial palace.

However, Zhou Zhou went to Consort Mei's place first. When Consort Mei saw her, she was both excited and sad. Her face was ugly, but she still managed to force a smile. "Zhou Zhou, congratulations first. After so many twists and turns, the marriage has finally been settled."

Mentioning the marriage, Zhou Zhou's brow twitched, clearly indicating that her inner state was not as calm as she appeared. "Aunt, where is the princess?"

Speaking of Li Zixi, Consort Mei's worried expression returned. "She is currently in Qifang Pavilion. After the imperial decree was issued, she did not make a fuss or cry. Instead, she comforted me. But the more indifferent she is, the more worried I become."

Walking on the road, my shoes made a clattering sound as they stepped on the cobblestones.

As Zhou Zhou listened to the dull thud of the shoes on the floor, it seemed as if Consort Mei's last words echoed in his ears—

“I’d rather she cry and make a scene.”

Her brows furrowed involuntarily, just as she overheard the palace servants' words, "His Highness the Crown Prince's palanquin is departing; all other people, please make way!"

Zhou Zhou moved to the side, her eyes lowered.

She was quite low-key, even blending in with the palace maids, yet Li Ziyan's sedan chair still stopped.

He took two steps and ran, quickly appearing in front of Zhou Zhou. The two looked at each other, their clear eyes reflecting each other's figures.

"Your Highness." Zhou Zhou was about to bow when he was grabbed by the arm and helped up before he could even bend over.

Li Ziyan walked quickly, her face was rosy, and she looked to be in good health.

He said, "I know nothing about what happened today."

If he had known, he would have done everything in his power to stop it, to stop Emperor Chenze from sending a princess for a political marriage, and also to stop him from bestowing a marriage upon him and Zhou Zhou.

The opposition to Li Zixi's marriage to a foreign ruler stems from the belief that the dignity and rights of the nation should not be sacrificed at the expense of a woman's happiness.

His opposition to the arranged marriage between Zhou Zhou and him was not because he did not want to marry Zhou Zhou, but because this matter could not be accomplished by him alone. At the very least, he should have consulted with Zhou Zhou and discussed it with her before the arranged marriage.

Who knew that Emperor Chenze would issue imperial edicts without even giving a heads-up? The officials who drafted the edicts must be tired of writing them by now.

Zhou Zhou pursed her lips and looked up at him.

Li Ziyan hadn't been getting enough rest these past few days due to official duties, but the all-nighters hadn't made him look haggard. On the contrary, his exhaustion made him appear even more delicate, as if someone wanted to push him down and ravage him.

Unfortunately, Zhou Zhou was not in the mood to appreciate beauty at the moment.