Marrying the Crown Prince

However, the people next to Su and Cao reacted quickly and started arguing with the general, saying, "You were staring straight ahead without even blinking."

Upon hearing this, many people lowered their heads and reflected on themselves—how could they be so spineless? Would it kill them to look away for just one more glance?

Zhou Zhou leaned close to Li Zixi and whispered a few words in her ear.

Li Zixi immediately chimed in, "The dancers of Qixi are so alluring and seductive, they are even more beautiful than Daji, and they can bewitch minds and seduce their masters."

As soon as she finished speaking, the people of Chen Kingdom burst into laughter.

Logically, Su and Cao should have been embarrassed and angry after being humiliated, but he gave Li Zixi a faint smile, a smile that hid helplessness and doting affection.

Li Zixi's heart trembled. She clutched her chest and said to Zhou Zhou, "You said the dancers were like Daji, but I think Cao Du is the real enchantress."

After everyone had finished laughing, Emperor Chenze finally stepped forward to take charge.

He remained unchanged, showing neither joy nor sorrow. The delicate dancer was still crouching, and he spoke calmly, "The dancers of Qixi Kingdom are indeed exceptionally beautiful. Guards, bestow a reward!"

When Zhou Zhou saw Emperor Chenze throw down another handful of silver, he couldn't help but think of the deity, the Good Fortune Boy.

She silently prayed that she had no intention of offending any of the gods of wealth.

The banquet continued in an orderly manner. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the banquet ended. Then Emperor Chenze stood up and exchanged a few polite words with Su and Cao, roughly saying that the betrothal gifts and dowry for this marriage alliance would be discussed by the two ministers the next day.

The Minister of Rites in Chen Kingdom was given full authority over this matter, and he did not personally handle the affairs of Su and Cao.

Li Zixi's hand trembled, but she didn't say anything.

Zhou Zhou noticed something was wrong, so he placed his hand on hers and intertwined their fingers.

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the sound of cicadas gradually weakened. With early autumn just around the corner, Emperor Chenze waved his hand and led the large army to Suifeng Hunting Ground.

It was quite a coincidence that Suifeng Weichang remained on the way back to Beijing from Chengming Palace.

Zhou Zhou and Li Zixi sat side by side in the carriage. Although a cool breeze was blowing, it was still a bit stuffy to stay in the carriage for a long time. So, Zhou Zhou lifted the curtain with her slender hand, revealing Su He and Cao Du's alluring faces.

Now that the marriage was a done deal, with Emperor Chenze's tacit approval, Su and Cao had been lurking near Li Zixi's carriage since they left home, and now they finally caught them lifting the curtain.

Li Zixi smiled amicably, "Your Highness Cao, move aside a little, you're blocking our view."

Su and Cao both fell silent. Su pulled on the reins to make the horse move aside while explaining, "I am not surnamed Cao. Although I know that there is a surname Cao in your Chen Kingdom, my surname has nothing to do with Cao."

"Really? So your surname isn't Cao. May I ask what your surname is?" Li Zixi asked innocently.

Su He hesitated for a moment, then answered very politely, "Su He."

"Greetings, Prince Suhe." Li Zixi nodded in greeting.

She lowered the carriage curtain and tried desperately to suppress the upward curve of her lips, but in the end she couldn't hold back and snuggled into Zhou Zhou's arms, laughing so hard her shoulders trembled.

Zhou Zhou's eyes crinkled as he recalled Su and Cao's hesitant, almost cursing expressions.

"Stop teasing him." Zhou Zhou reached out and poked her cheek. She didn't believe Li Zixi didn't know the royal surname of Qixi Kingdom.

Li Zixi snorted softly, her tone aggrieved, "It's because he keeps following me around."

"Why don't we go down and ride horses too?" Zhou Zhou knew she had a knot in her heart, so he changed the subject.

"Okay!"

Having been in the carriage for so long, I was really getting restless.

So the two mounted their horses and galloped off. At first, they ran slowly, but then they kept accelerating, which made the princess's guards behind them panic and desperately spurred their horses to go faster.

Su and Cao's pupils contracted, and they hurriedly chased after them. At this speed, ordinary horses could no longer keep up, but their horses, like Li Zixi's and Zhou Zhou's, were rare and precious steeds.

His muscles were tense, and his voice seemed to roar from his throat, "Your Highness, the horse is too fast, it's dangerous—"

At that moment, Li Zixi was enjoying the sound of the wind whistling past her ears and savoring this hard-won freedom. She was unwilling to listen to anyone else. When she saw Su and Cao chasing after her, she spurred her horse and cracked the whip, "Giddy up!"

Zhou Zhou followed, and the three of them ran for about half an hour before stopping. They were all panting heavily, while the horses were pawing the ground on the hillside.

Su and Cao both looked at Li Zixi with increasing appreciation.

Zhou Zhou felt she shouldn't be a third wheel, and since the two of them had been betrothed for so long, it was time for them to have a proper talk, so she took the initiative to suggest, "I'll take them over there to graze."

As she spoke, she pulled her horse and leisurely rode to where the guards had stopped not far away.

Indeed, although they ran extremely fast, the guards still followed closely behind, but they remained a quiet backdrop a hundred meters away.

Now, Zhou Zhou has also joined their ranks.

When the head guard saw Zhou Zhou approaching, he assumed she had some orders to give and rubbed his hands together, asking, "Are we about to make our move?"

As he spoke, he made a cutting gesture.

Zhou Zhou: "..."

Why did you assassinate him in full view of everyone? Doesn't that make it impossible to clear your name?

No, this guy has led me astray.

She clicked her tongue lightly and explained, "We can just watch from a distance."

"The princess made a move?" The head guard's eyes widened. He had always thought this young lady was just more spoiled than the average girl, but he never expected her to have such cunning and courage!

Zhou Zhou frowned, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing the future crown princess's expression, the head guard very considerately offered a way out, "Miss, please speak freely."

"Your current position must have been arranged by your family for a long time, right?" Zhou Zhou asked.

"Alas, to my shame, it did cost a lot of money, otherwise I wouldn't be in this position today."

So your surname is Xie.

Zhou Zhou's eyes held a meaningful look.

The last of the four great families, the Xie family of Chenjun.

Even though he was at the bottom of the class, he was still far more accomplished than ordinary people. He had about twenty Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). However, very few people from the four great families practiced martial arts. It is likely that he was the youngest in his family and was loved by his parents, so they allowed him to pursue his interests.

Who knew this guy would actually achieve something so remarkable, so his family paved the way for him and promoted him to a higher position.

The group waited a while longer. Xie Yun became anxious when he saw that the two people not far away still hadn't made a move. "Miss, if you don't make a move soon, the people from Qixi Kingdom will come after us."

"Don't worry," Zhou Zhou comforted him. "We're not taking action now to avoid alerting them. Once the princess marries into Qixi, she'll control the government. When our army marches south, the princess will cooperate with us from within, and even small foreign kingdoms will be under the control of our Chen Kingdom."

"Your insight is brilliant, young lady." Xie Yun's eyes widened, deeply admiring Zhou Zhou's scheming.

Then a soft laugh came from the side, "Zhouzhou."