Chapter 528 The Empress was found
After giving birth to her daughter, Aunt Zhou took good care of herself during her postpartum period. Her face, which had been sallow from farm work, became fair and tender with a rosy complexion, making her look several years younger.
These past few days, Zhang Qiuhe took Wang Qiu to Qingzhou County to donate rice. The incense shop needed someone to keep an eye on it, and Aunt Zhou was worried about it, so she came every day, but she would only stay for a few hours before going back.
There are managers and employees in the shop, so she doesn't need to be there all the time.
She sat by the counter, head down, working on the abacus and the ledger. A gentle breeze brushed against the booklet beside her, and she flipped through it for several days in a row.
Aunt Zhou used an inkstone to press down the booklet, then got up and went to the shelf where the incense towers were placed. She picked them up one by one, smelled them, and then put them back in their place.
The emperor stood beside a large tree more than ten meters away from the incense shop, watching the people inside.
His eyes were wide open, his hands were clear, and his feet seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move forward.
"It's her?!"
The emperor was amazed, and his eyes showed not only surprise but also disbelief.
He stared at her in disbelief for a long time, his eyes gradually reddening, and murmured, "Zhou'er..."
Aunt Zhou was inspecting the goods inside the shop and did not see anyone outside.
The emperor took a step forward, his eyes filled with tears, preparing to enter the shop.
Just then, the Third Prince, carrying the child, came out of the inner room, soothing the crying baby as he walked: "Come, come, our little darling missed her mother~"
When Aunt Zhou saw them arrive, she quickly put down the perfume she was holding and kissed the chubby little baby in his arms. "Didn't you just fall asleep? Why are you awake now?"
The Third Prince held the little one in his arms, smiling gently. "I don't know why, but this child was sleeping so well just now, and suddenly started crying as if he was frightened. I thought it was probably because he missed you, so I brought him over to walk around."
Aunt Zhou took the child from his hands and gently patted the child's back.
The little baby looked around with his big, grape-like eyes, then quickly quieted down and snuggled in Aunt Zhou's arms, sucking his fingers.
The Third Prince laughed and said, "Look, he really misses his mother!"
The little baby sucked on his fingers and smiled, his delicate eyebrows curving upwards.
Her chubby cheeks were rosy and made you want to take a bite.
Aunt Zhou held him in her arms and coaxed him, saying with a smile, "I think he's hungry. Why don't we go home first and let Xiao Chen and the others watch the shop?"
The Third Prince embraced the mother and daughter, gently squeezed the little girl's hand, and softly replied, "That's good, it's just as well you can't be too tired."
Aunt Zhou is in pretty good health; even though she gave birth to her daughter at this age, she recovered faster than most women.
The Third Prince, worried that she would work too hard, would personally prepare nourishing foods for her every day.
When Aunt Zhou was in confinement after childbirth, she got tired of the same old food, so he made her a variety of nourishing, sweet, and not-too-greasy pastries.
Granny Zhuang would always joke, "If Madam doesn't want to run the incense shop anymore in the future, she can open a tavern. With Master's skills, it will definitely become very popular."
Aunt Zhou was deeply moved after hearing this.
You should know that when they were young, the Third Prince and the Emperor wanted to go to the kitchen, but they were caught because the late Emperor was afraid that they would get hurt.
She is always taken care of when she dresses and grooms herself.
Having been in Cheng'an County for so long, the Third Prince has trained himself into a master chef.
The Third Prince helped Granny Zhou and her child into the carriage.
The emperor hid behind a tree, watching everything that had just happened. His face was pale, his back was bent, and his bloodshot eyes bulged out, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.
"It's him! It was him all along!"
He clenched his fist and slammed it heavily against the tree, gritting his teeth and trembling all over.
"Empress, oh Empress, I have been searching for you for years, and you are here with my brother, so lovey-dovey, and you have even given birth to an illegitimate child!"
The emperor spoke fiercely, then coughed violently, finally spitting out a mouthful of blood, and could no longer stand, leaning against the tree.
As the carriage gradually disappeared into the distance, the emperor gradually regained his composure.
He stood on the street like a ghost, his eyes fixed on the direction the carriage had left.
After a long while, the guard slowly approached from behind him. "Your Majesty, who is that?"
The emperor, his eyes cold, replied, "An old friend."
The guard had never met the Empress, but he had seen her portrait and had some idea of what was going on. Seeing that the Emperor was unwilling to talk about it, he did not press the matter further.
The emperor said solemnly, "Buy me a house near the Zhou residence in Cheng'an County."
The guards were surprised. They had already found the person, so why did they still need to buy a house near the two of them?
He didn't ask aloud; he simply did as the emperor said.
The emperor noticed his confusion and said coldly, "I can't rush this time. If I rush, I'll scare them away, and then we might not be able to find them."
The guard bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor had many questions in his mind. He wanted to know what the relationship was between the empress and the Zhou family, where his three sons were now, and when exactly the empress had gotten together with the third prince.
He needs to figure it out.
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