Marrying the Crown Prince

After getting ready, Zhou Zhou got up and went to the old lady's place first.

According to custom, Zhou Zhou should have first paid his respects to Madam Du, and then gone with her to the old lady's place. However, Madam Du didn't get up that early, not before the first or fifteenth of the month.

When Zhou Zhou arrived at the old lady's courtyard, Wang Gui's mother was setting out the meal, which appeared to be for two people.

"Mom, is anyone else coming over?" Zhou Zhou walked over and put his arm around Wang Gui's mother's hand.

After setting out the last dish, Wang Gui's mother replied helplessly, "The matriarch said you would come."

Zhou Zhou chuckled sweetly, her voice so gentle it melted anyone's heart. "Good mom, I knew you were the best."

"Hmph, am I not good enough?" Old Mrs. Zhou came out of the bedroom and snorted in dissatisfaction.

“Grandma is just as good as Mom.” Zhou Zhou immediately ran over and hugged the old lady again, acting like a fawning child.

The old lady turned the person in front of her and looked her over carefully. Finally, looking at her rosy complexion, she still couldn't bring herself to say, "You've lost a lot of weight since your serious illness."

"You've recovered quite well." The old lady reached out and pinched her cheek, feeling that it felt better too. She thought to herself, "You're so young, it really makes a difference."

Zhou Zhou nodded vigorously. She was definitely recovering well. These past few days, all she did was eat and sleep. After waking up, she would play, and when she got tired of playing, she would eat again. Although she had been eating light food these past few days, she could still sleep a lot.

"I feel like I've gained weight," Zhou Zhou said, looking at the old lady very seriously.

“Hmm,” the old lady replied softly, “Don’t rely on your feelings, just be confident.”

Zhou Zhou: "..."

“But it looks better this way,” the old lady continued.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou's eyebrows curved into a smile, and she leaned against the old lady.

The wind lifted the curtain, then gently lowered it again. The two women were still there, but the scene had changed to a carriage.

As the sun and moon overlap and time flies by, the Mid-Autumn Festival arrives in the blink of an eye.

It is said that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion under the full moon. In previous years, the palace would bestow gifts every year. This year is especially special, as the gifts have not yet arrived, but the banquet invitation has come first.

Zhou Zhou guessed that this year, they, as foreign officials, would be invited to a family banquet in the palace, and only the Zhou family, the Wang family, and the Yang family would be invited.

Therefore, the reason these people were able to attend this palace banquet was entirely because they were involved in the marriage of the princes and princesses.

"This time when you enter the palace," Old Madam Zhou analyzed the situation with Zhou Zhou, "I'm afraid the nobles will ask you to perform a talent, so you must be careful in your response."

The old lady was naturally confident in Zhou Zhou's talent, so why did she say something unnecessary?

Because she didn't trust Empress Chu.

Empress Chu was straightforward in her dealings with people and things. She would treat someone she liked wholeheartedly, and she would do the same when she disliked someone.

Empress Chu had always hoped that Chu Xuan would become the Crown Princess, but Zhou Zhou had now snatched that opportunity from her.

This palace banquet was Zhou Zhou's first appearance in a major event as the future Crown Princess. How could Empress Chu possibly give her a kind look?

“Grandmother, don’t worry,” Zhou Zhou said slowly, “I know.”

Soon, they arrived at the palace gate. Zhou Zhou helped the old lady jump off the carriage and looked towards the gate.

Only a few families were able to attend this palace banquet, so there was no need to queue up like before. As soon as they got off the carriage, guards came over and said, "Old Marquis, Old Madam, routine check."

They called it an inspection, but they didn't actually search people or anything. They just asked a couple of questions, checked their IDs, and let them pass.

This time, the palace banquet no longer featured men and women sitting together; instead, men were seated on the left and women on the right. Perhaps to allow the women, including the sisters-in-law and aunts, to get to know each other better, Zhou Zhou and Wang Qingwu were arranged to sit with the Third Imperial Concubine, the Sixth Princess, and the Seventh Princess.

"What a coincidence!" Li Zixi happily hugged Zhou Zhou.

Before Zhou Zhou could reply, Li Zixiao retorted, "It's not a coincidence that I ran into you; I'm not surprised at all."

"I'm not only not surprised, I'm also not happy," Li Zixi said with a forced smile.

"What a coincidence, me too," Li Zixiao sneered.

The Third Princess Consort Qin and the Eighth Prince Li Ziqi's fiancée Lin Xiang were both encountering such a situation for the first time, and their expressions were somewhat embarrassed.

Zhou Zhou and Wang Qingwu were used to it—the two of them were like a pair of bickering lovers. When they didn't see each other, they would always think highly of each other, but when they met, they couldn't help but tease each other.

This palace banquet was special, so everyone arrived early, including the four imperial concubines. Of course, the esteemed Noble Consort was the last of the four to arrive.

She sat high up, glanced around, and her gaze fell on Zhou Zhou. She smiled and said, "It's been a long time. Miss Zhou has become even more dignified."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness." Zhou Zhou accepted the compliment without hesitation.

In the past, when praising noble ladies, the concubine would usually lower her eyes reservedly and say something like "Your Majesty is too kind" with a hint of shyness. But now that Zhou Zhou had replied in this way, the concubine found it quite interesting.

She raised an eyebrow. "You're quite impolite."

Reminded by the Imperial Concubine, Zhou Zhou suddenly realized and sincerely replied, "Your Majesty is stunningly beautiful, your glory is like plum blossoms and peaches, and a single glance from you can captivate a hundred hearts. Your Majesty's praise is truly..."

Just when everyone thought she would add "I am unworthy of such praise," Zhou Zhou said the remaining sentence, "This humble woman is naturally delighted."

What could be more gratifying than a beautiful woman praising your beauty?

The imperial concubine's lips twitched, but she couldn't suppress her joy in the end. After all, when cultured people praise someone, their words are ornate and sound much more sincere.

"Well, your mouth is as sweet as honey." The imperial concubine took off her gold filigree double-petal pomegranate flower bracelet. "I won't let you open your mouth for nothing."

After saying this, she gestured to her maid to give the bracelet to Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou accepted the gift with both hands, thinking to herself: As expected of the Imperial Concubine, she loves to bestow gifts when she's in a good mood.

Consort Mei, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised when she saw the bracelet. "This bracelet seems to have been a gift from the Empress Dowager when Consort Gui was pregnant with the Third Prince."

The Empress Dowager is getting old and hasn't been going out much in recent years. She was invited to this palace banquet, but judging from the situation, her family members from her hometown won't be attending.

"Not bad, sister has a good eye." The Imperial Concubine chuckled, her narrow phoenix eyes full of smugness. "Thanks to this bracelet, I was able to give birth to the Third Prince safely."

“Now that the Crown Prince has come of age, he still has no children, which is truly worrying. That is why I brought this bracelet with me.”

Zhou Zhou raised his eyes and met the Consort's malicious gaze. He thought to himself: So this is where she was waiting for me!