Marrying the Crown Prince

The third prince is a year older and in good health, and has given birth to the eldest grandson of the emperor; on the other hand, the crown prince is over twenty but still unmarried and in poor health, so it remains to be seen whether he can produce an heir, since the Eastern Palace does not have a single concubine.

Compared to the crown prince's exceptional intelligence, the court officials valued the continuation of the imperial line even more. It would be absurd for the court to be thrown into turmoil because the crown prince could not produce an heir.

Therefore, there were quite a few courtiers who sided with the Third Prince, Li Ziqiong.

Back at the palace banquet, the Imperial Concubine deliberately brought up the matter of the Crown Prince's offspring, which immediately caused a change in the expressions of those around her. Some looked on with amusement, while others felt sorry for her.

Zhou Zhou remained calm and appeared very grateful. She said in a high-pitched voice, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will never disappoint you in the future."

She lowered her head, clutching a handkerchief in her hand, her movements bordering on affected; yet she also used a high-pitched voice, her expression so contrived it was obviously fake.

The imperial concubine was disgusted and quickly looked away.

Zhou Zhou played with the bracelet, and finally calmly put it on her wrist, only to see Qin Shi looking on with curiosity.

She was petite and graceful, with innocent, youthful eyes that radiated a sense of purity and vitality.

"Miss Zhou, how did you win Mother's favor?" She looked at the bracelet with her round eyes, her expression expectant.

The question left Zhou Zhou speechless, but when he met her clear, bright eyes and her simple, slightly ingratiating smile, Zhou Zhou sighed silently.

Well, whether she's genuinely naive or not, the fact that she can fool herself is quite an achievement.

Having figured this out, Zhou Zhou replied with a smile, "The Imperial Concubine likes children. Whenever the Imperial Concubine goes to pay her respects, she should remember to bring the little grandson with her. That way, the Imperial Concubine will surely be happy."

Whether she was happy or not is unknown, but if the Imperial Concubine had any brains, she certainly wouldn't have belittled or deliberately made things difficult for the child's mother in front of the child.

Soon, Emperor Chenze appeared with Empress Chu and her son. What caught everyone's attention was a jade pendant worn by the Crown Prince. This jade pendant looked so much like the one Emperor Chenze used to like to wear.

Everyone began to speculate about the Emperor's intentions, and the Imperial Concubine even asked directly, "Your Majesty, why do I notice that your jade pendant has been changed?"

"Hmm, my beloved consort has a good eye," Emperor Chenze said with delight, "I have bestowed that jade pendant upon the young lady of the Yongjing Marquis's family."

The Imperial Concubine's smile froze for a moment, and Empress Chu also frowned. "The young lady Your Majesty mentioned, is she the eighth daughter of the Zhou family?"

"That's right, she is the Crown Princess whom I carefully selected for the Crown Prince." Emperor Chenze was very proud, showing off his good taste to Empress Chu.

Empress Chu took a deep breath. What does it mean to be a carefully selected Crown Princess? The person that her Eighth Prince didn't like was given to her son. Is this what you call being carefully selected?

"Where is the young lady from the Zhou family?" Empress Chu asked knowingly, referring to Zhou Zhou's name.

Zhou Zhou stood up, bowed, and said, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."

Empress Chu's eyes were unfriendly as she scrutinized her with extreme disapproval. Finally, she questioned, "How dare you! The jade pendant bestowed upon you by the Emperor is not worn. Is this not disrespectful?"

The moment she spoke, the expressions of those around her changed.

Especially the Imperial Concubine, who muttered to herself: How come the Empress is so powerful today, even showing off so subtly? But she's really good at acting, as if she really dislikes this Miss Zhou being her daughter-in-law.

Is it possible that Empress Chu genuinely didn't know the jade pendant was with the Crown Prince, and that she truly disliked Zhou Zhou becoming her daughter-in-law?

Zhou Zhou blinked, then stammered, "Your Majesty, the Emperor's jade pendant is too precious for me to use without permission. So, with the Emperor's consent, I am offering it to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Ziyan chimed in, "Yes, Mother, you've misunderstood Sister Zhou."

Empress Chu's face turned pale and then flushed, and she chuckled dryly, "So that's how it is. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Alright, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, let's not stand on ceremony," Emperor Chenze stood up and said politely, "Let's raise our glasses together and talk about the affairs of the world."

"We are deeply honored and grateful for the banquet Your Majesty has hosted!" Everyone stood up and drank the wine in their cups in one gulp.

The atmosphere at the banquet finally returned to normal. It wasn't particularly lively, but it was very peaceful. The shrewd people at the banquet chatted amongst themselves, not about politics, but about everyday matters.

Zhou Zhou had a good relationship with Wang Qingwu and the two princesses. The four of them enjoyed the dance music choreographed by the palace music hall while eating melon seeds and chatting enthusiastically.

Since Qin and Lin were excluded, they couldn't help but pair up and start chatting.

For a time, the women seemed to be enjoying a harmonious and happy time together.

The atmosphere on the men's side was not so friendly.

As the saying goes, the older brother finds his brother-in-law increasingly repulsive, so the Third Prince Li Ziqiong was particularly displeased with his future brother-in-law Yang Yu'an.

“The Prince has been staring at me for quite a while,” Yang Yu’an, true to his reputation as the number one playboy in the capital, showed no mercy to him. “Is there something you need?”

"I've heard you can't read a single character," Li Ziqiong scoffed, asking disdainfully, "I'd like to ask you, have you ever studied?"

Yang Yu'an hadn't forgotten his public persona, and immediately retorted, "I have indeed attended school, but as for books, I wonder what kind Your Highness is referring to? If you're talking about erotic books, I really..."

"Shut up!" Li Ziqiong gritted her teeth and shouted, "You are utterly shameless!"

"Your Highness finds this very strange. The sage said, 'Food and sex are human nature.'" Yang Yu'an spoke blankly, but the sarcasm at the corner of his mouth was quite clear. "I am simply following my heart. What shame is there in that?"

"you you!"

Li Ziqiong was ultimately too well-mannered; she was rendered speechless and blushed after being rebuked by Yang Yu'an.

Having watched the play for a while, Li Ziyan felt that it was about time, so he acted as a peacemaker, saying, "Your Majesty, Young Master, today is a good day. Let's drink wine, admire the flowers, and enjoy the moon."

They still had to give His Highness the Crown Prince face.

So, Yang Yu'an casually raised his glass and toasted Li Ziqiong from afar.

"Hmph!" Li Ziqiong slammed her sleeves to show her dissatisfaction, but she also accepted his gesture of goodwill, raised her cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

However, such a commotion attracted the attention of two people in high positions.

Emperor Chenze asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Li Ziqiong pursed her lips and ultimately placed Yang Yu'an into her team. After all, the engagement was a fait accompli and could not be changed. The two were a natural team and would help each other when necessary.

"Your Majesty, I was a little drunk and disturbed you. It was my fault. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Empress Chu glanced at the people at the table and immediately laughed, "It seems that Qiong'er and the young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion had a very pleasant conversation, which is why she drank so much."