Of course Zhao Liya wants to make trouble for them!
Why not make others unhappy while making yourself happy?
The Duke's Mansion is worthy of being an old aristocratic family. The back garden is also very large. Pavilions, towers, rockery corridors, flower barriers, trellises, and winding streams are scattered everywhere, which is pleasing to the eye.
The most eye-catching one is a peony garden.
Zhao Liya knew that the original plantings in this peony garden weren't peonies, but red plums. The deceased wife of the Duke of Mount Deer loved plums, but Old Madam Zhou disliked them greatly, and eventually, little by little, she transformed the original plum garden into its current form.
But Zhao Liya knew that her mother-in-law, now the wife of the Duke, also loved plum blossoms, so she planted several red plum trees in her yard.
It is not the season for peonies to bloom, and the entire peony garden looks very monotonous and boring.
The rockery stones dotted among them are quite interesting, with various vines climbing on them, some with scattered small flowers, or hanging with bright red fruits, adding a touch of color to this monotonous garden.
Zhao Liya smiled and said, "I think this place would be more suitable for planting plum blossoms!"
Zhou Hansheng said without hesitation: "My wife is absolutely right, let's plant it!"
Zhao Liya was in high spirits and started talking non-stop: "When the time comes, we'll build a pavilion here with glazed windows on all sides. It won't be cold in the winter, and it will be convenient for mother to come out and enjoy the plum blossoms."
Zhou Hansheng's eyes softened, and he nodded with a smile: "My lady, you are thoughtful. Let's build it this way."
The two of them strolled around the garden in a swaggering manner, showing off their affection ostentatiously. Everyone in the mansion knew how good the relationship between the Crown Prince's wife and the Crown Prince was, and the maids and wives were all envious and talked about it in private.
There is a family dinner tonight, and the "sick" Mrs. Zhou is also in attendance.
Old Mrs. Zhou had made Zhao Liya angry for the whole day. After a lot of hesitation, she finally decided to show up.
She pretended to be sick on purpose to embarrass Zhao Liya and to cause trouble for others. As a result, no one in the first house took her seriously at all, and Zhao Liya made her so angry. What's the point for her to continue pretending?
If she didn't show up, maybe people would be very happy in their hearts!
But she insisted on showing up.
As soon as he saw Old Madam Zhou, Zhou Hansheng was delighted. He tilted his head and looked at his wife lovingly, then said with a smile: "My wife chatted with the old lady for a long time today, and the old lady's illness was cured. My wife is really a lucky star!"
Mrs. Zhou: “.”
Everyone from the second and third rooms: "."
Old Mrs. Zhou sneered slightly, and her chest seemed to hurt even more.
Mrs. Zhou Er smiled and said, "It seems that the old lady likes her niece-in-law very much. When she is free, she should go over and spend more time with the old lady and show her filial piety to her!"
Zhao Liya smiled slightly: "As long as the old lady doesn't mind, then there is naturally no problem."
Zhou Hansheng: "And me, I'm also happy to accompany Aya to show my filial piety to the old lady!"
"No need," said Mrs. Zhou with a forced smile, "You young people should just live your own lives well. You don't need to accompany me, an old woman."
Let them accompany her? She still wants to live a few more years! Zhao Liya alone is bad enough, and with Zhou Hansheng, she might really get sick from anger, the kind that will never heal.
Duke Liguo and his wife soon came over, ordered the banquet to begin, and everyone took their seats.
With Duke Li around, and Zhou Han Sheng not someone to be trifled with, no one else dared to make things difficult for Zhao Liya.
Although the meal was not satisfactory, it went smoothly.
Only Madam Zhou Er and Madam Zhou San echoed each other, saying things like, "Offspring are a very important matter, especially for the Crown Prince of the Duke's Mansion. My niece-in-law must hurry up and try to have more children for the Duke's Mansion as soon as possible!", "People of the Crown Prince's age already have more than one child. My niece-in-law should also work hard!", "Yes, otherwise we'll be laughed at by others!", "Our Duke's Mansion has everything else, but we lack the Crown Prince's bloodline!", and so on. However, after only a few words, they were interrupted by Madam Guo Gong's indifferent tone.
Zhou Hansheng also said with a forced smile, "Second Aunt and Third Aunt, if you have time, please pay more attention to my cousins. You two elders don't have to worry about our family's affairs. Aya and I are still young, so there's no need to rush about having children!"
Mrs. Zhou Er sneered and wanted to say something else, but Duke Liguo interrupted her.
She didn't dare say anything, and naturally the others did the same.
Zhao Liya saw it clearly and directly. The Duke really had the final say and was very majestic in the mansion. This was great, as it would save her a lot of trouble.
The next morning, Zhou Hansheng brought Zhao Liya into the palace to pay his respects to his aunt, Queen Dowager Zhou.
If it were any other elder, they would probably look down on her as the daughter of an exiled criminal. However, Empress Dowager Zhou had also suffered for many years. Under the suppression of Concubine Yan and the late emperor, she lived in fear and her days were like years. She could understand some helplessness and compulsion.
In addition, the prince had a close relationship with the Zhao family, and naturally he would not dislike Zhao Liya. Not only that, those who tried to slander Zhao Liya around her were all scolded and punished by her.
Zhao Liya then went to see the Queen and stayed in the Queen's palace for lunch, while Zhou Hansheng was kept by the Emperor.
It was not until noon that the two of them left the palace and went home with the rewards from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
After returning home, the two of them spent the rest of their time together, finally having some real leisure time.
He didn't go out for the past two days. Zhou Hansheng kept pestering his wife, and the two were together all the time.
Three days later, Zhou Hansheng accompanied Zhao Liya back to the Zhao family.
Zhao Xiang and Deng had been eagerly waiting. When Zhao Lixiang and Zhao Lin saw their sister get off the carriage, they happily called out "Sister!" and ran towards her, holding her hands affectionately and chattering.
After the elder sister got married, it was as if a large member of the family was missing, and the two siblings were not used to it.
I was so happy to see my sister back!
Although Deng and Zhao Xiang knew that Prince Zhou would definitely treat their daughter well, the situation in the Duke of Liguo's Mansion was different from their own. It was not as simple as their own, especially for Deng. It was impossible for her not to worry.
Seeing her precious daughter now radiant and smiling, with happiness in her eyes and the shyness and sweetness of a new bride that could not be faked, Mrs. Deng was truly relieved and happy.
This is how mothers are. As long as their children are doing well, that is better than anything else.
Zhou Hansheng and Zhao Liya knelt before their father-in-law and mother-in-law, changed their ways, and met the Zhao family again in their new roles. Zhao Xiang then went to the study to talk with him and Hu Ling. Widow Qu and her daughter smiled as they went to the kitchen to watch as lunch was prepared. Deng Shi couldn't help but pull Zhao Liya and her daughter aside for a good chat.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com