Marrying the Crown Prince

The two sat there fishing for half an hour. During this time, Zhou Zhou caught two big, fat fish and a turtle.

If it falls any further, we won't be able to finish eating it, so Zhou Zhou put away the fish bucket. "Sizhu, have two maids carry it to the kitchen together and tell them it's for Huo'er's extra meal. As for this turtle, put it in something and give it to His Highness the Crown Prince to take back and try."

"So I got a share too?" Li Ziyan was somewhat surprised.

“Of course I can’t let you go back empty-handed,” Zhou Zhou replied cheerfully.

Li Ziyan raised an eyebrow. "What if I want more than just this?"

Zhou Zhou propped her chin up with her hand, leaned against the small table between the two tables, and leaned her body towards Li Ziyan, her eyes full of cunning. "What is it that Your Highness desires?"

Upon hearing her, Li Ziyan's eyes drooped, and the smile on his lips vanished, replaced by a look of grievance and sadness. "Zhouzhou..."

His voice was very pleasant to hear, especially when he called her by her nickname. It sounded as if he had chewed it up several times before spitting it out, soft and alluring.

Zhou Zhou quickly straightened up, no longer daring to get so close to this alluring man. She then took a deep breath to bring herself back to her senses.

Li Ziyan held back for a while, but couldn't help it and burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking.

Zhou Zhou rubbed his ears, then stood up and glared at the smug Crown Prince. "Your Highness, if you laugh again, I won't give you anything."

"Alright, alright," seeing his beloved's anger and embarrassment, Li Ziyan took two deep breaths and suppressed his smile. "I won't laugh anymore."

Zhou Zhou glanced at him sideways, the meaning couldn't be clearer—you're still smiling.

Li Ziyan rubbed his face patiently, then looked at Zhou Zhou pitifully, "I couldn't help it."

Zhou Zhou gritted her teeth, took the sachet out of her sleeve, and threw it at Li Ziyan, saying, "Here, this is for you."

The sachet is embroidered with a landscape painting: a shimmering lake surrounded by mountains and valleys, with streams flowing from the mountains into a river that cascades down to form a waterfall on the lake.

A crane stands by the lake, occupying a large part of the scene. Its neck is held high, its body is pure white, and the crimson on its head is like the rising sun, standing alone amidst the mountains and waters.

The stitches and workmanship looked like they could only be done by a skilled embroiderer. Li Ziyan thought for a moment, but still didn't ask, "Did you make this yourself?"

He was happy just to have this thought in mind.

only……

"But why a crane?" he wondered.

"Aren't cranes pretty?" Zhou Zhou tilted his head.

"Quite good looking."

"Is it... that the crane is not good?"

"That's good too."

Cranes symbolize longevity and good fortune, and are usually given as gifts to elders.

Zhou Zhou bent down and whispered in Li Ziyan's ear, "Because I hope Your Highness will always be healthy and blessed with good fortune year after year."

She didn't get very close, but Li Ziyan's ears still felt itchy. This itch only went deep into his heart, making him freeze for a moment.

Seeing him like this, Zhou Zhou felt that he had finally gotten his revenge. This guy had been provoking him all day, and he had finally gotten his revenge.

Chang Yi, who was standing nearby, saw that it was almost time. Of course, the main point was that the two of them were like this. If he didn't stop them, who knows what might happen. So he coughed lightly.

The two of them looked at him at the same time, and the ambiguous atmosphere instantly vanished.

Despite the pressure, Chang Yi forced himself to say, "Your Highness, it's almost time."

Li Ziyan glanced at the sky and slowly replied, "No rush."

Just as he finished speaking, the maid returned carrying the turtle.

Zhou Zhou gestured for her to give the turtle to Chang Yi, and then coaxed Li Ziyan, "Your Highness, please go back quickly, don't make things difficult for Eunuch Chang Yi."

Seeing that he was unmoved, Zhou Zhou continued, "This turtle needs to be kept in water for a few days until it purges all the mud from its belly before it can be eaten."

"Mmm," he responded softly.

Zhou Zhou took his hand and helped him up, saying, "Okay, I'll go with you."

Li Ziyan naturally returned the handshake, and the two intertwined their fingers.

As the sun began to set, the two of them strolled leisurely along the stone path, their shadows stretching long and thin. Yet the path itself seemed short, and they were soon escorted to the second gate.

Zhou Zhou stopped and looked into Li Ziyan's eyes, saying sincerely, "I'm very happy that you came."

After saying that, she blushed and then turned and left with lightning speed.

Looking at his empty hands and then at Zhou Zhou's back, Li Ziyan felt an urge to hug her growing stronger. In the end, he chased after her, took her hand, and pulled her into his arms.

Zhou Zhou leaned against him, hearing his warm and strong heartbeat, and struggled to raise her hand with determination. With each lift, she could hear her bones cracking.

Finally, the two embraced tightly.

Sizhu and Changyi were extremely anxious, especially Sizhu. Seeing that they had been gazing at each other for a while, her eyes reddened with worry. She whispered a reminder, "Miss, Your Highness..."

Li Ziyan had no choice but to let go of her, quietly looking into the eyes of his beloved, watching her blushing face, and listening to the pounding of her heart from nervousness. He clenched his fingers, suppressing the impulse that was about to erupt.

Actually, he wasn't exactly good-looking. His ears were as red as ripe persimmons, but the blush didn't spread to his face. Instead, a thin layer of pink appeared on his face, and his heart was racing like a rabbit.

Zhou Zhou laughed first, "Let's go back quickly."

"Okay." He nodded.

Li Ziyan took two steps, then turned back to look at Zhou Zhou. Seeing that she was still standing there looking at him, he waved his hand and said, "You should go back too."

“I’ll watch you leave,” Zhou Zhou shook his head, refusing. “You should leave quickly.”

Li Ziyan clenched her fists again. How could she be so obedient, so good? How could she never get enough of looking at her?

Chang Yi, with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed her master's subtle movement. She quickly stepped aside to block Li Ziyan's view and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, the palace gates are about to be locked."

Li Ziyan glanced at him sideways, and Chang Yi felt his body suddenly turn cold. He lowered his head even further.

The Crown Prince didn't say anything more, nor did he linger; he quickly left.

After seeing the person off, Zhou Zhou sighed and said, "Let's go, let's go back too."

Upon returning to his Lingcui Pavilion, Zhou Zhou saw a chest placed inside his room.

Zhou Zhou looked at it curiously, then looked at Ju Fang, "This is... a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Yes, that's right." Jufang laughed heartily, even happier than if she had received the gift herself.

Zhou Zhou: "..."

What a blind eye!

Having been teased by Li Ziyan for so long, her skin had become incredibly thick. She was completely unmoved by Ju Fang's flirtatious remarks, and without changing her expression, she raised her chin and ordered, "Open it and take a look."