Marrying the Crown Prince

The trunk wasn't large, but it was packed full. Besides the books and scrolls, there was a box that, when opened, contained glittering gold jewelry. Underneath the box was the fox fur coat that Zhou Zhou was currently wearing.

She stroked the fur of the fox fur coat, her thoughts drifting to her beloved, whom she hadn't seen for over a month.

Seeing that Zhou Zhou was lost in thought, Ju Fang didn't say anything more. She and Si Zhu moved a small stool together and sat down to embroider a handkerchief.

Although the wedding date is still far away, there are so many things to embroider for the wedding that they are working hard to finish them.

Zhou Zhou picked up a calendar and looked at it for a while, then started counting the days on her fingers.

"There's still more than a month until Lunar New Year's Eve," she sighed.

“There’s only a little over a month left,” Sizhu said with great emotion. “This should be the last year that Miss will spend New Year’s Eve in the Marquis’s mansion.”

Zhou Zhou pursed her lips—she really hadn't thought of that.

Very well, her good mood dissipated once again. She picked up a cushion and leaned against her back, lazily half-reclining herself, and slowly opened her mouth, "I wonder what kind of activities the manor will hold this year."

"It's about the same as in previous years." Jufang kept sewing and talking. "I heard from my mother that the things she bought this year are the same few things as before."

Jufang and Sizhu were both born into the household; one's mother was in charge of purchasing for the household, and the other's father was a steward in the household. Both of them were prominent figures in the household.

Hearing them talk about their families, Zhou Zhou straightened up and said seriously, "Stop for a moment, I have something I want to tell you."

The last time their young mistress spoke so seriously was the day before they were going to Jingyang Palace.

Therefore, both of them put down what they were doing, straightened their expressions, and listened very attentively to Zhou Zhou.

"I'm getting married next April. Logically speaking, you've been with me for so long and are my closest people, so you should accompany me to my husband's house."

“But my husband’s family is not an ordinary family. If you follow me in, you can only leave the palace to get married when you are twenty-five years old.”

“You all have your own parents here. If you come with me, who knows when you will be able to leave the palace to see your family again.”

"So, if you want to follow me, I'm naturally happy. But if you have other ideas, just tell me. Whether it's getting married or finding a place to live, our master-servant relationship is there, and I will do my best to make arrangements for you."

Zhou Zhou spoke at length, and as soon as he finished speaking, Si Zhu's eyes reddened, looking utterly pitiful. "Are you trying to send us away?"

"Heaven and earth bear witness, how could I bear to let you go?" Zhou Zhou's heart softened immediately, and he quickly hugged Sizhu and comforted her.

Jufang, watching from the side, was also unhappy. "I don't cry as much as her. Doesn't Miss care about me?"

Zhou Zhou: "..."

Oh well, I can hug one or two if I want.

After hugging and comforting her, Zhou Zhou continued the previous topic, "You two don't rush to answer me. Go home and ask your fathers and mothers, think it over carefully before you reply."

Sizhu opened her mouth to refute, but after seeing Zhou Zhou's unyielding expression, she lowered her eyes and shut her mouth.

"Good boy/girl." Zhou Zhou never hesitated to praise him.

No sooner had the matter been discussed than Madam Du rushed over. The house was lit with a charcoal stove, and the doors and windows were tightly locked, making it much hotter than outside.

Therefore, as soon as Du entered the room, she took off her cloak, handed it to a maid to hang up, and then came over excitedly.

"Oh dear, I've been busy for days, but it's finally over, and the snow has stopped." She sat down next to Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou promptly handed her a cup of hot water with honey added, saying, "This is water with honey; it's sweet and warm. Mother, drink some to warm yourself up."

Mrs. Du accepted the honey water with a smile, took a few sips, and then let out a long sigh, "Raising a daughter is indeed good; she knows how to spoil her."

"Why did Mother come to my place on such a cold day?" Seeing that she had recovered, Zhou Zhou got down to business. "If there's anything you need, just tell me to run over there, and I'll come find you myself."

Madam Du waved her hand, "On a day like this, and it's only a short walk, I just came by on the way to save the maids the trouble of running around with me."

After saying that, she took out an account book from her maid and handed it to Zhou Zhou. "This is your mother's dowry. This list of gifts is what the accountant of the Yongjing Marquis's mansion recorded when your mother married into the family."

"The gift list at the back is in your mother's trunk, and the account book is the existing silver and shops. I've been taking stock of these things for the past month, and I'm finally done with it."

Zhou Zhou quickly flipped through the documents and noticed many differences: "The existing shops, silver, and estates are all more than before."

“This money can generate more money,” Du said mysteriously.

"It's all thanks to Mother's business acumen." After Zhou Zhou opened his own Yu Yan Fang shop, he admired Du's business acumen even more from the bottom of his heart.

“Since ancient times, a mother’s dowry has been distributed among her children. However, since there has been no word from your maternal grandparents’ side, I have decided to divide your mother’s dowry into two equal parts, one for you and the other for Cheng An.”

As she spoke, Madam Du gestured for Zhou Zhou to turn the page. Sure enough, there was a very clear list of items, and she even thoughtfully assigned the jewelry left by Madam Gao to Zhou Zhou's share. As for the silver, Zhou Cheng'an took the lion's share.

Comparing the two sides, the distribution is quite fair.

Zhou Zhou closed the account book and handed it back to Madam Du. "But Mother, once I'm in the palace, I won't be able to manage the shops and estates outside the palace, no matter what I want to do."

“Look at me, I forgot about this.” Madam Du patted her forehead. “You really don’t need this estate, but you can’t give up the shops. You know, these are the things that can generate money. If you exchange them all for silver, you’ll just be sitting around eating your savings away.”

"If you still trust me, you can still leave these shops to me to manage after you get married, just like now. I'll oversee them, and you just need to collect the money."

"As for these estates, I'll leave you this one. It comes with a hot spring and twenty acres of fertile land. Estates like this are hard to come by these days." As she spoke, Madam Du flipped through the account book, pointing out the basic information about the estate recorded in it to Zhou Zhou. "As for the other estates and land, I'll convert them into cash for you."

Mr. Du is efficient in his work and speaks in a very energetic and decisive manner.

Zhou Zhou quickly pressed the person down and asked, "Did Mother ask Brother about these things?"

"Of course I asked," Du said with a haughty snort, as if to say, "Your brother said everything is for your benefit, and even told me to give you more."

After hearing this, Zhou Zhou smiled faintly, but those who knew her well knew that this was her happiest and most relaxed expression.