Tao Ti walked slowly in, passing a twelve-panel agarwood carved Ruyi screen, led by the young eunuch.

She originally had a gentle smile on her face, but when she saw Xu Wenhe sitting opposite Pei Yan, her smile froze and her already round eyes became even rounder.

She blinked her eyes, confirming that the person in front of her was indeed the old herbal farmer from Taoyuan Village in Luoyang. She exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Xu, why is it you?"

Xu Wenhe stood up leisurely and bowed respectfully to Tao Ti, "I pay my respects to the Crown Princess. May the Crown Princess be safe and sound."

Taoti hurriedly said, "You don't have to be so polite."

Xu Wenhe stood up straight and smiled at her friendly, "It's been a few months since we last met. How is everything going, Crown Princess?"

Tao Ti nodded, "Everything is fine. But how come you are Doctor Xu, Mr. Xu? By the way, you are in Chang'an, and what about Brother Hao? Is he here too?"

"Brother Hao is here too, and he's staying at Xianliang Pavilion right now." Xu Wenhe stroked his beard and said, "As for why I'm Xu Wenhe... deep down, I wanted to be the herbal farmer Old Man Xu, but His Majesty the Emperor insisted that I be Xu Wenhe, so I had no choice but to be Xu Wenhe."

All under heaven belongs to the king. No matter how he hides his identity, he cannot hide as long as he is still on the land of the Great Abyss. What's more, he has a little grandson.

Anyway, he had dealt with the prince before. As long as the prince cooperated, Xu Wenhe would not seek fame or fortune, but only a safe retreat.

Seeing Tao Ti and Xu Wenhe reminiscing about the past, as if they had completely forgotten about his existence, Pei Yan raised his hand to his lips and coughed lightly.

Tao Ti then looked at Pei Yan and said indifferently, "Your Highness, if your throat is itchy, drink some warm water."

Pei Yan heard her little mood and asked, "Ati, why are you here?"

Tao Ti walked to the Crescent Moon Stool and sat down, leaning towards Pei Yan, "I heard that the miracle doctor came to the East Palace, and I also want to hear the results of the diagnosis given to you by the miracle doctor."

As she spoke, she asked Xu Wenhe with concern, "Uncle Xu, how is your highness? Is he recovering?"

Xu Wenhe did not answer immediately. He looked up at Pei Yan, meaning "Should I tell you the truth, or should I help you deceive your wife?"

Pei Yan: ...Just one look from you has exposed everything.

Pei Yan rubbed his brows and said calmly, "Mr. Xu, you have been traveling so long. Go back to the inn and rest. I will talk to the Crown Princess."

Xu Wenhe knew that he was going to confess, and was pleased to hear it. He bowed and said, "Yes, then I will not disturb the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, and will take my leave first."

Tao Ti looked at the exchange of glances between the two and became even more certain: Pei Yan is clearly not sick!!!

Thinking back to how she had worried about his health in the past and how she had foolishly comforted him so many times, she felt a little upset.

Xu Wenhe saw that the situation was not right and was about to leave.

Tao Ti called him and said with a smile, "Uncle Xu, you came at the right time. I made some fresh food today. You can take it back and eat it with Hao Ge'er."

Xu Wenhe was startled, thinking of the Crown Princess's cooking skills. Tsk tsk, the last time she left, the grandfather and grandson had no appetite for meat. He was greedy in his heart, but he still said politely, "This is specially prepared by the Crown Princess for the Crown Prince. It's not appropriate for me to take it back."

Tao Ti said, "It's appropriate, very appropriate. You and Hao Ge'er have just come to Chang'an, and we are the hosts, so of course we have to entertain you well. Moreover..."

She raised her eyebrows and looked at Pei Yan, "Your Highness' throat is itchy, maybe you have caught a cold, it's not suitable for you to eat such oily and spicy food."

Xu Wenhe said, "Then I will respectfully obey your command. Thank you, Crown Princess, for the gift of food."

The young couple was quarreling, and the old man got the upper hand. He left happily, carrying a lunch box.

Pei Yan couldn't see that the little girl was angry and even refused to give him food.

He dismissed all the palace attendants, slowly stood up, walked to Taoti, and called softly, "Ati?"

Tao Ti's face twisted, "Humph!"

Pei Yan saw her puffy face, feeling helpless and amused. He put his hands on her shoulders, bent his waist, lowered his eyes and said, "Are you really ignoring me?"

Tao Ti pursed her lips and still didn't look at him.

The little girl has quite a bad temper.

Pei Yan curled his lips, squatted in front of her, took her hand and placed it on his face, and coaxed in a low voice, "I know A Ti is the most reasonable. Give me a chance to explain?"

His voice was low and mellow, and his beautiful peach blossom eyes had a sincere and gentle expression, as if a pool of moonlight had merged into his eyes, sparkling.

Such a beautiful and delicate face, such a gentle voice, no matter how bad the temper is, it will disappear in an instant.

Tao Ti understood the saying "As long as the villain is good-looking, our values ​​will be determined by his looks", and she fell into his hands!

She hated herself for not living up to her expectations and muttered awkwardly, "Then explain it. If you can't explain it well, I won't make delicious food for you anymore!"

Pei Yan smiled more deeply, and pulled her up, "Come on, sit on the couch."

Tao Ti then sat on the couch with him.

Pei Yan tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she pushed him away and glared at him, "You haven't explained it clearly yet, don't do anything."

Pei Yan said yes, put off his smile, and explained seriously, "I am indeed not sick. The rumors about me being weak and the Qintianjian saying that I will die soon are all false."

Tao Ti frowned. She was a little angry at first when she found out that she was kept in the dark. But when she calmed down and thought about it, she realized that he had kept it a secret not only from her but from everyone in the world. She felt less angry.

Thinking that he had been "sickly" since he was five years old, Tao Ti raised her little face, looked at him with her dark eyes, and asked in confusion, "You have kept it a secret from so many people, even from His Majesty, and you have kept it a secret for so long... Why did you do this?"

Pei Yan pulled the corner of his mouth, casually turning the white jade ring on his thumb, and his drooping eyelashes just covered the indifference in his eyes, "To survive."

His answer choked Tao Ti for a moment.

She looked at his handsome profile. The light golden sunlight shone through the window, making each of his long eyelashes distinct.

Although his expression was calm, her heart inexplicably tightened and she felt uncomfortable.

Pursing her lips, she asked tentatively in a low voice, "Is someone trying to harm you?"

As soon as she said this, the faces of Queen Zhou and Pei Changzhou appeared in her mind.

Pei Yan said calmly, "When I fell into the water at the age of five, it was not an accident. Someone pushed me in."

Tao Ti's expression froze, and she stared at him nervously, "Who is so bold as to murder the prince? Did you see that person's face?"

Pei Yan nodded and said, "She is a maidservant beside me."

"Maiden? Why would she want to harm you?"

"She left a farewell letter, saying that my mother had criticized her harshly, and she was resentful and wanted to take revenge. When I woke up, she had jumped into the well and died... My father was furious and cut her into pieces and threw her to a mass grave to feed the dogs. Later, he felt that it was not enough, so he exterminated the nine clans of that palace maiden."

Tao Ti was silent. This was something that Emperor Zhaokang could do.

"Since the palace maid is already dead, why do you continue to pretend to be sick?" Tao Ti felt that if Pei Yan was healthy, Pei Changzhou and Queen Zhou would not be so complacent, looking so arrogant as if the throne was in their hands.

"Little fool."

Pei Yan bent his fingers and tapped her forehead lightly. "The maid is just a scapegoat. The person who really can't tolerate me is someone else."

"Empress Zhou?"

Pei Yan's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say anything specific, only saying, "Not only her, but all the other women in the harem who have children have reason to be jealous of me."

Tao Ti now understood a little bit that in the harem, a place full of intrigue and deception, he, a five-year-old child, could only use this method to protect himself and reduce others' murderous intentions towards him.

As Tao Ti, who grew up bathed in the love of her parents and family, she felt a surge of sadness in her heart when she thought of Pei Yan's fearful and cautious life as a child.

She held Pei Yan's hand and whispered, "Your Highness must have suffered a lot when you were a child."

Pei Yan said calmly, "That's all in the past."

Tao Ti didn't know how to comfort him for a moment, so she patted her shoulder and said, "Lean on me."

Looking at her petite and thin shoulders, Pei Yan smiled hoarsely, put his arms around her shoulders and held her in his arms.

His tall stature was like a big quilt, covering Tao Ti tightly, and her whole body was enveloped by his clear and pleasant breath.

Pei Yan rested his chin on her forehead and used his slender fingers to pull up a strand of her hair. He seemed to be talking to himself, "In the past, when I felt I couldn't bear it any longer, I would read Mencius: Therefore, when Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a man, it will first test his mind and will, make his muscles and bones tired, starve his body, deprive him of all want, and make his actions difficult. This is to stimulate his heart and harden his nature, and to increase his ability to do what he could not do before. [1]

If reading it once is not enough, read it a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, and gradually, you will be able to read it well. "

Tao Ti relaxed in his arms and said a little embarrassedly, "When you feel bad, you read. When I feel bad, I eat. If one meal is not enough, I will eat two or three meals..."

Pei Yan narrowed his eyes and pinched her slender waist with his warm hands. "You eat so little every day, but you don't seem to be fat."

Tao Ti was a little itchy because of him, and she hid while laughing, "I just can't gain weight."

Pei Yan did not continue teasing her. She adjusted her angle and nestled in his arms again, asking curiously, "Your Highness, you have been pretending to be sick for so long, but no one in the Imperial Hospital noticed that you were faking it? And you take medicine every day, and medicine is three-quarters toxic. Aren't you afraid of hurting your body..."

"My uncle found a medicine for me. If I take it every day, it can weaken my pulse. And I am the crown prince. If I say I am not feeling well, even if the imperial physician cannot find the cause of my illness, he can only say that I was injured after falling into the water and my body is weak and my energy is weak."

The people in the Imperial Hospital knew Emperor Zhaokang's temper very well. If they dared to say that the Crown Prince was in good health, Emperor Zhaokang would just regard them as shallow and incompetent and take off their black silk hats and heads.

"But didn't the Gu family go to the North?"

"My uncle secretly sent someone to protect me."

"Is it a secret guard? Or some mysterious martial arts master?" Tao Ti suddenly became interested.

Pei Yanqian smiled and said, "If there is a chance, I will take you to meet him."

Next, Tao Tiwo lay in his arms and listened to him talk about many things in the past.

Later on, Tao Ti was no longer angry about him pretending to be sick. She just felt that her dear husband was too pitiful, having suffered so much since childhood.

She hugged his waist, buried her face in his arms, and said distressedly, "I will accompany you from now on. I will beat up anyone who bullies you."

Pei Yan felt warm in his heart, hugged her soft body, and said in a gentle voice, "Just stay with me."

He is no longer the fragile child who could only survive by pretending to be sick. After years of hard work, he now has enough strength.

Since he was sure that Xu Wenhe could enter the East Palace and stop pretending to be sick, he had the confidence to eliminate all the people and things that were in his way and make others dare not covet the position of crown prince.

And she just needs to stay by his side obediently.

…

Ganlu Palace.

"Bang!" There was a sharp sound of cups falling to the ground.

The chief palace maid silently picked up the broken porcelain pieces on the floor. Empress Zhou sat on the rosewood carved armchair with a sullen face. Her slender fingers tightly gripped the armrests. The bulging blue veins on the back of her hands showed her anger at the moment.

Xu Wenhe has been found and entered the East Palace. Your Majesty actually kept the news secret so tightly!

I heard that when Xu Wenhe came out of the East Palace, he looked contented, which showed that he was very confident that he could cure Pei Yan's health.

If Pei Yan was really cured and the Gu family returned to Chang'an, would the Zhou family still have a place to stand?

The more Queen Zhou thought about it, the heavier her mood became. She knitted her long eyebrows tightly and remained silent for a long time. She slowly raised her head and called the maid beside her to come forward.

"I haven't seen my family for over a month. Please tell them that I want to invite the wife of the Left Prime Minister to the palace tomorrow to have a talk."

The maid of honor agreed and hurried down to pass on the order.