Marrying the Crown Prince

She spoke sincerely, but the Imperial Concubine did not interpret it that way.

The Imperial Concubine's face instantly fell, and she then posed a question, "Your Majesty, I recall that the Crown Prince is not young anymore. I wonder when the wedding date will be set?"

Empress Chu's face darkened, and her gaze toward the Imperial Concubine was filled with sparks and lightning.

"Hmm, not bad," Emperor Chenze stroked his chin and looked at Li Ziyan. "This year will pass, and next year will come. You will be twenty-one, and it's time to put the wedding date on the agenda."

What an unexpected surprise!

Li Ziyan's eyes brightened, and when he raised his head to meet Emperor Chenze's gaze, he regained his usual refined and composed demeanor, "It is entirely up to Father and Mother to decide."

Empress Chu glared fiercely at the Imperial Concubine, then turned to her son with a kind smile, "I think the young lady from the Zhou family is still young. There's no rush for this marriage."

The Imperial Concubine immediately retorted, "Your Majesty is mistaken. My little niece Zhou has already come of age; how can she be considered young?"

Upon hearing the title of Imperial Concubine, Consort Mei pursed her lips—it felt like she was being taken advantage of.

"Your Majesty," Consort De chuckled sweetly, "If I remember correctly, the Third Prince already had a grandson when His Highness the Crown Prince was his age, but the Crown Prince is still unmarried. Why isn't Your Majesty in a hurry at all?"

Upon hearing such remarks, Emperor Chenze glanced sideways at Consort De, but since she was his favored consort, he couldn't bear to be harsh with her. He merely issued a verbal warning, "Consort De, you must not speak ill of the Empress!"

After being spoken to by Emperor Chenze, Consort De's smile vanished, and she became obedient, "Yes, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

You know you're wrong, you know you're wrong, but you don't correct it, and you'll do it again next time.

Empress Chu, upon hearing Consort De's words, was suddenly enlightened. She had always thought that Chu Xuan would become the Crown Princess in the future, so she had never cared about the emptiness in the Eastern Palace's inner court.

Now it seems that it was her fault as the mother; she should have started making arrangements for the Crown Prince much earlier.

Emperor Chenze was unaware of her thoughts. Seeing her pale face and lifeless eyes, he assumed that she was dissatisfied with his lenient treatment of Consort De.

What Consort De said really struck a chord with this old father—the Crown Prince is already so old, how come she, as his mother, isn't worried at all?

Thinking about this, Emperor Chenze felt that since the Empress's opinion was not sought when the marriage was bestowed, then her opinion should not be sought when setting the wedding date.

Therefore, Emperor Chenze made a decision: "Weiyi, go to the Imperial Observatory and ask them to calculate an auspicious day based on the birth dates of the Crown Prince and Lady Zhou."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, everyone present stood up to offer their congratulations, saying, "Congratulations to the Emperor and Empress, and congratulations to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Emperor Chenze couldn't help but burst into laughter, his gaze towards Zhou Zhou becoming increasingly amiable.

Even with his thick skin, Zhou Zhou felt a little embarrassed and looked away, only to meet the gaze of Li Ziyan, who was standing next to Emperor Chenze.

His eyes sparkled with joy, filled with self-satisfaction.

Zhou Zhou blinked, lowered her eyes, her heart pounding, feeling as if she were floating on the clouds.

The palace banquet continued. Because of the happy occasion, Zhou Zhou was given two cups of wine by the women. Of course, she was happy and glad to drink.

The fruit wine was slightly sweet and very refreshing, with not much alcoholic flavor. Who knew it would have such a strong aftereffect? ​​Zhou Zhou, who prided himself on his good alcohol tolerance, still felt the air was a bit stuffy.

So she quietly left her seat and went outside for some fresh air.

The round moon, like a large jade plate, hangs high in the night sky, surrounded by countless pearls, radiating a bright and gentle light that spreads across the earth. At this moment, everything appears exceptionally peaceful and serene.

Zhou Zhou slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt the tranquility brought by nature.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt even more confused. It took me a while to realize that so much time had passed and I should go back, or the others would get worried.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to cheer herself up, and turned to leave, only to nearly bump into someone.

"Zhouzhou." Li Ziyan's voice was clear and bright, but not loud, it was low.

Zhou Zhou looked up and saw his face, which was as delicate as white jade. His eyes were warm and deep, and his high nose added a touch of determination to his face.

She was completely mesmerized.

"Is it pretty?" Li Ziyan hooked his arm around hers.

Despite being exposed to the wind for so long, Zhou Zhou's hands were still a little damp and her face was flushed.

"It looks beautiful." Zhou Zhou smiled sweetly, her eyes narrowed into slits, looking quite charming and innocent.

Hearing her answer, Li Ziyan felt as if a spring breeze had blown through her heart, and her ears turned red first, but she held her hand even more firmly.

Zhou Zhou looked down at her hands, then blankly raised them, and looked in the direction of her hands at Li Ziyan.

Just as Li Ziyan was screaming inwardly, "Ahhhhh, how can Zhouzhou be so cute?", she threw herself into his arms.

dong dong!

Boom boom boom!

I don't know whose heartbeat it was, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Li Ziyan stiffened his body and tried to move his neck, then heard the cracking sound of his bones.

He blinked, slowly raised his hands, and embraced the person with unwavering determination.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Ziyan heard the other person's steady, slow breathing.

He looked down and saw that Zhou Zhou had already fallen asleep with her head tilted to the side.

This……

Li Ziyan smiled helplessly and reached out to tidy her stray hairs.

Zhou Zhou wasn't really asleep, so she opened her eyes as soon as Li Ziyan made a move.

Her eyes were clear, with a light hidden within them, as if one could see into their own heart.

Li Ziyan paused, then reached out and covered her eyes. His voice was low and slightly hoarse, with a hint of pleading, "Zhouzhou, don't look at me like that..."

Zhou Zhou reached out and took his hand away, lowering her eyes as she responded softly, "Okay."

Just when Li Ziyan thought she had sobered up, Zhou Zhou's hand, which was holding his, twitched.

Li Ziyan blinked—was she pinching her own hand?

Unfortunately, time flies by so quickly. Changyi rushed over and whispered a reminder, "Your Highness, it's getting late."

If we don't go back soon, the palace banquet will be over.

Li Ziyan looked at the girl in front of him, who appeared serious on the surface but was actually dizzy, and asked, "Can you still walk by yourself?"

Zhou Zhou smirked, quite pleased with himself. "Of course."

Back at the table, Li Ziyan was a little worried and kept a close eye on Zhou Zhou. Seeing that she maintained the demeanor of a well-bred lady, he wondered: Was she sober or was she just pretending to be drunk?