In the next few days, Tao Ti was busy with the renovation of the small kitchen in the East Palace. In addition to purchasing some kitchen utensils, she also had a small bread kiln built behind the Yaoguang Hall.

This bread kiln is very simple. The craftsmen understood it as soon as they saw the diagram drawn by Tao Ti, and built it in just two days.

Taoti immediately tried to bake some bread. The first two times, the temperature was not controlled well, and the dough was either burnt or not soft enough. Fortunately, the third time, it was successful.

Before the kiln was even opened, the sweet aroma filled the entire Yaoguang Hall. Even the palace maids cleaning the door could smell this peculiar fragrance. They closed their eyes and sniffed greedily, "What a nice smell!"

Tao Ti glanced at the incense in the incense burner that was about to burn out, and rubbed her hands excitedly, "It's almost time, you can take it out."

Linglong responded, holding a wet rag and moving the lid away.

After a burst of hot steam, a row of milk and honey breads were neatly packed together on a long plate. They were golden, round and full of fragrance.

Zishuang and Linglong couldn't help swallowing their saliva. At first they thought that the Crown Princess was just joking, but they didn't expect that this food called "bread" was actually made successfully, and it smelled so good!

Tao Ti tasted one, which was still a little hot. After breaking it open, she found that the inside was fluffy and soft, and her lips and teeth were filled with a faint milky fragrance. "Well, it's not bad."

This one has a moderate sweetness, Pei Yan should be able to accept it. Thinking of this, she said to Linglong, "Pack six and send them to His Highness."

The bread she baked this time was not very big, only about the size of a fist. According to her estimation of Pei Yan's appetite, it would be good if he could eat half of the six. But packing three would be too shabby, and it would make her look stingy. It would be more beautiful to pack six.

Linglong quickly packed a plate of bread and went to Zixiao Palace.

Zi Shuang came to Tao Ti's side, first praised Tao Ti, and then asked tentatively, "Master, you and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince...are you planning to live a good life?"

Tao Ti frowned at this question, "What else?"

Seeing her attitude become sharp, Zishuang smiled bitterly, "No, no, I was just asking casually. It would be best if you could figure it out, Master."

Tao Ti pursed her lips, doubtful in her heart but not showing it on her face.

She packed six small loaves for herself, and when she saw that there were still some left on the tray, she said to Zishuang, "Give the rest to the palace servants."

Zi Shuang was slightly surprised, "Master, how can we servants have the qualifications to eat the food you personally made?"

"It's nothing rare, just a little bread." Tao Ti said indifferently, "Besides, it tastes better when it's fresh. I can't finish it by myself, and the leftovers are a waste. It's better for us to eat it together to avoid wasting food. By the way, remember to save one for Linglong."

"...Yes." Zishuang said hesitantly.

After Tao Ti entered the room, Zi Shuang did not dare to delay and distributed the remaining bread to the palace servants who were serving them.

However, she was selfish and did not leave any for Linglong, but ate it herself.

She just didn't believe that the little girl Linglong would go to her master to complain just for a piece of snack.

——

In Zixiao Hall, Pei Yan was discussing matters with officials from the Eastern Palace.

Suddenly he smelled a strong milky aroma and he raised his eyes slightly to look at Fu Xirui.

Fu Xirui understood and hurried out of the house. After a while, he came to Pei Yan with a food box and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, these are the cakes sent by the Crown Princess."

Did she send it? Could it be the bread she had been making these past two days?

Pei Yan raised his hand, lifted the lid slightly and took a look.

It looks good, I think it's a success.

He was just about to ask Fu Xirui to take it down and taste it after the government affairs were over, but he heard Song Wenci laughing and saying, "The cooking skills of the kitchen are really getting better and better. I wonder what kind of cakes they sent today are so delicious that they make me greedy."

Song Wenci was the prince's tutor, and Pei Yan had been studying beside him since he was three years old. As the old saying goes, a teacher is a father for life. Song Wenci and Pei Yan had a teacher-student relationship for almost twenty years, and it was naturally very deep.

Hearing that Song Taifu was satisfied, Pei Yan smiled and said, "After discussing government affairs for so long, I think everyone must be tired. Why don't we have some cakes and take a break?"

Song Wenci stroked his graying beard and said, "Very good, very good."

When Fu Xirui was distributing snacks, he secretly sweated for fear that there would not be enough.

Unexpectedly, the number of snacks was just right, one for each person.

Fu Xirui heaved a sigh of relief. This Crown Princess is truly amazing! She even sent a snack so cleverly.

"I've never seen this pastry before." Song Wenci picked up a small piece of bread, took a look at it, and took a big bite. The next moment, he raised his eyebrows and praised, "Hmm... soft and sweet, with a lingering fragrance in the mouth. Not bad, not bad!"

The reactions of the rest of the people were similar to Song Wenci's, with endless praise.

The bread was still warm, and Pei Yan tasted it gracefully, thinking of the information the secret guards had found out -

Tao Ti used to be a cook in the mansion of Marquis Yongwei, but not many times, and she only made ordinary cakes and soups.

As for her cooking skills, it is unknown. After all, the only people who have tasted her cooking skills are Zhang, Marquis Yongwei, and the old lady of the Marquis's mansion, and these people have never commented on her cooking skills to the outside world.

Could it be that she had been hiding her culinary skills before...

In other words, is the Crown Princess Tao Ti who is currently in the East Palace really the Marquis Yongwei's legitimate daughter Tao Ti?

Pei Yan narrowed his black eyes slightly, as if thinking about something.

Song Wenci finished the bread in two or three bites, but still felt unsatisfied, so she asked, "Your Highness, what is the name of this cake? I'll ask the chef at home to try making it when I get home."

Pei Yan came back to his senses and said calmly, "This pastry is called bread... It's a recipe that the Crown Princess figured out herself."

Hearing this, several important officials of the Eastern Palace were all shocked, and looked at the remaining bread crumbs on the plate in disbelief.

Such delicious cakes were made by the princess who committed suicide by taking poison on her wedding night? It has only been a few days, and that woman has become so virtuous? It is really unbelievable.

"I didn't expect the Crown Princess to have such excellent cooking skills." Song Wenci was a seasoned official after all, and she quickly reacted and said with a smile, "Your Highness will have a good time in the future."

He took the lead, and the rest of the ministers followed suit.

Pei Yan smiled but said nothing. After drinking half a cup of tea, he continued to discuss business.

——

Tonight's dinner was delivered to Yaoguang Palace personally by Chief Steward Sun.

Seeing his polite and cautious attitude, Tao Ti felt a little embarrassed and patiently explained to him that she was not questioning his cooking skills but simply wanted to eat some heavy-tasting food.

Seeing the Crown Princess explaining to him in such a friendly manner, Chief Steward Sun was surprised and terrified, and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Crown Princess. I'm bringing the food here. First, I want to see if you are satisfied with today's spicy dishes, and second,..."

He paused with a look of shame on his face, and seeing that Tao Ti was waiting for him to continue, he mustered up the courage to say, "I also tried to make the pan-fried dumplings and spicy soup that the Crown Princess made a few days ago. The pan-fried dumplings were fine, and I made them in one try. But as for the spicy soup, I could never make it taste the same, and I don't know what's missing... If the Crown Princess can help me solve my doubts, I will be very grateful."

After saying this, he bowed solemnly to Tao Ti.

"Manager Sun, please don't be so polite." Tao Ti quickly asked him to stand up. After all, what she made was not some secret dish that could not be passed on. She did not hide anything and told him the steps and tips of making Huo La Tang one by one.

Finally, she smiled humbly and said, "Cooking is very flexible. Even if the ingredients and steps are clearly written in the same recipe book, the taste will be different when cooked by different people. You don't have to cook exactly the same as me. As long as it tastes good enough, it's done."

"Thank you for your guidance, Crown Princess." Seeing that the Crown Princess was not arrogant or secretive, and that she genuinely loved cooking and food, Steward Sun felt a little more sincere respect for her.

It is said that the Crown Princess has a bad temper, but after these two encounters, it is not the case at all! It is clear that we cannot believe all rumors.

Before leaving, Chief Steward Sun said warmly, "Crown Princess, the kitchen is actually not far from the Yaoguang Palace, and it has everything. If you want to cook something, you can come to the kitchen. We can help you with the preparation of dishes and carving of flowers. These are things that the maids around you are not good at."

Tao Ti knew his good intentions and smiled, "Okay, whenever I want to cook a big dish, I'll go to the kitchen to ask for your help."

After dinner, Tao Ti took a walk in the courtyard for a while and then went back to the house to take a bath.

The nightlife of the ancients was extremely boring, so she could only read novels to pass the time.

But tonight she had almost finished reading a volume of the storybook, but still hadn't seen Pei Yan.

Tao Ti yawned lazily, but her eyes subconsciously looked towards the door.

Is he still busy with government affairs so late at night? Hmm, can his weak body handle it...

Seeing that she was sleepy, Linglong added fragrant cakes to the green-glazed Suan Ni incense burner while advising, "Crown Princess, it's late at night. His Highness probably won't come tonight. Why don't you take a rest first?"

Tao Ti thought about it and agreed. She had been married into the East Palace for several days, and the prince had been staying with her for several days. She thought she had had enough of the show and didn't need to come over every night.

"Well, I'll rest first." She stretched her waist and smelled the lingering fragrance from the incense burner. She said nonchalantly, "The smell of this incense seems to be different from before."

Linglong Tianxiang paused for a moment, lowered her eyes and said, "My princess, the one I used before was Suhexiang, but today I'm using Goose Pear Tent Fragrance. If my princess likes the previous one, I'll change it back."

Tao Ti didn't know much about incense, so she just said, "No need, this one smells good too."

"Yes." After Linglong added the incense, she helped Tao Ti to sleep.

Tao Ti felt a little uncomfortable as there was suddenly no one lying next to her.

But soon, a strong wave of sleepiness came over her like a tide, she closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the curtain, Linglong lifted a corner and softly called "Crown Princess".

Seeing no one answered, she walked quickly to the door.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess has fallen asleep."

"Well, you can leave now." A gentle voice sounded.

The door was gently pushed open, and Pei Yan walked in slowly, his deep and calm gaze cast towards the smoky purple curtain that was hanging quietly.