After the winter solstice, Tao Ti, the Xu siblings, and the Qinghe siblings set out for the Lishan hot springs.

In winter, Mount Li is covered in silver and white, looking exceptionally majestic and magnificent.

Several people were enjoying themselves, soaking in the hot springs and eating hot pot in the villa.

But seeing Qing He and Xu Guang Ji being affectionate and affectionate, and Young Master Xie showing his affection to Xu Wen Chan in every possible way, and chatting with him in various ways, Tao Ti still felt a little disappointed in her heart.

Although he said that it was okay, he was actually feeling aggrieved and sour inside.

She also wanted Pei Yan to accompany her!

Fortunately, this hot spring trip only lasted three days, and after three days, the group returned to the palace.

That night, Tao Ti clung to Pei Yan and told him about her longing for him for three days. Then Pei Yan threw her under him and "loved" her for most of the night.

When she woke up at noon the next day, she held her aching waist and looked at the kiss marks all over her fair skin.

She doesn't miss him at all now! Beast!

…

On the 23rd day of the 11th lunar month, Emperor Zhaokang and all the court officials began to "seal" their palaces in preparation for the New Year.

The palace was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns everywhere, with brand new red lanterns and peach charms hung up. The palace maids and eunuchs also changed into festive new clothes and were busy preparing for the New Year.

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve. According to the old rules, the emperor would invite all officials to the palace for a banquet. As the crown prince, Pei Yan was also present at such an event.

The court banquet lasted from noon to evening, but there was another more lively family banquet in the Taiji Hall in the evening.

Pei Yan first went back to the East Palace to change his clothes, and then went to Yaoguang Palace to pick up Tao Ti to attend the banquet.

Because today is New Year's Eve, Tao Ti put on a brand new tight-fitting narrow-sleeved blouse with hibiscus-colored embroidery, and a red brocade skirt with hibiscus embroidered with gold thread all over. She had her hair in a high bun with two golden crabapple flowers pinned on it, and a set of ruby ​​head ornaments.

She has a face like a lotus, eyebrows like distant mountains, and lips that are as full as cherries.

Such bright and festive attire made the palace servants in Yaoguang Palace stare in amazement.

"The Crown Princess is so beautiful in this outfit! She looks like a fairy descending from heaven."

"Who said it wasn't true? Haven't you noticed that the Crown Princess seems to be getting more and more beautiful? I think she is much more beautiful than when she first married into the East Palace."

"This is called appearance reflects the heart. After our Crown Princess marries the Crown Prince, the couple will love each other and live in harmony. She will definitely become more and more beautiful!"

"That makes sense. When I leave the palace, I will choose a man I like and marry him."

The palace maids were chattering away until Fu Xirui coughed. Then they came to their senses and hurriedly saluted the prince who had appeared out of nowhere.

Pei Yan said calmly, "No need to be polite," and ignored them, striding into the hall.

The young palace maids patted their chests and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fu Xirui held the whisk and glanced at them, "You are lucky. Fortunately, you are praising the Crown Princess. If you dare to say bad things about her behind her back, you may not be able to survive this New Year."

The young palace maid said hurriedly, "The Crown Princess is so good, we can't praise her enough, how dare we criticize her."

Fu Xirui saw that they were all sincere and waved the dust off them. "Okay, okay, stop standing around and go about your business."

The maids smiled playfully and quickly dispersed.

Inside the palace.

Looking at the bright and beautiful Tao Ti in front of the dressing mirror, Pei Yan's eyes flashed with surprise.

He walked forward slowly and called softly, "Ati."

"Your Highness, you are here." Taoti stood up and smiled at him, "I have packed up here too, we can set off."

Pei Yan stopped in front of her, lowered his eyes, and saw the small dove blood red ruby ​​pendant on her forehead, which was shining brightly.

"It looks very beautiful." He couldn't help but reach out and brush it, and the red light emitted a charming and fragmented light.

Seeing her dressed like this, he had only one thought in his mind: his little princess was so beautiful, he wanted to give her the best jewelry in the world so that she would always be so dazzling and beautiful.

Under his fiery gaze, Tao Ti's cheeks flushed. She gently pushed his chest with her little hand and whispered, "There are still people here."

Linglong, who was standing by, looked at her nose and then her heart: No, I'm not here, just treat me like air.

Pei Yan chuckled, suppressed the urge to rub her head, and held her hand, "It's getting late, we should go to Taiji Hall."

Tao Ti responded, took his hand affectionately, and got on the sedan chair together.

At the hour of You, the two arrived at the Taiji Hall.

One is a graceful lady, the other is a beautiful lady. As soon as they entered the hall, they attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

Tao Ti was inexplicably a little nervous, but luckily Pei Yan held her hand tightly, so she was able to walk the whole way with her chest held high and her head held high.

After they sat down, Qing He winked at Tao Ti and quietly gave her a thumbs up: Beautiful! Perfect match!

Tao Ti pursed her lips and smiled.

Soon, Emperor Zhaokang and Queen Zhou also entered the venue.

Today, Queen Zhou wore a bright red embroidered gown with nine phoenixes facing the sun. Her hair was tied up in a high bun, and she wore a phoenix crown of extremely gorgeous workmanship. Her makeup was exquisite, and she sat on a phoenix chair. She was truly a beauty with an imposing aura.

I don't know if it's Tao Ti's illusion or what, she feels that Queen Zhou is a little inexplicably excited today? Not as sad and haggard as she was some time ago.

Maybe it was New Year's Day and she had to pretend to be happy. She couldn't just look so unhappy.

Tao Ti didn't think much about it. She glanced around and found that Pei Changzhou's seat opposite was empty.

She leaned over to Pei Yan and asked casually, "Why didn't the Third Prince come?"

Pei Yan raised his eyelids slightly and said calmly, "He caught a cold the day before yesterday and is feeling unwell. He is recuperating at home and has already asked for leave from his father."

Tao Ti said "Oh" and then solemnly reminded Pei Yan, "The weather is really cold recently. Your Highness, you should take care of yourself and wear more clothes to avoid freezing."

Pei Yan raised the corner of his mouth and said gently, "Yes, I will."

Only then did Tao Ti sit up straight and focus her attention on the delicious food at the palace banquet.

Chicken, duck, fish and meat are of course indispensable during Chinese New Year. On Taoti's table, there are glutinous rice duck, evergreen stewed meat, bird's nest shredded chicken, smoked chicken and fried sticky balls, snacks include jade dew cream, square crispy stuffed buns, large and small steamed buns, various dried fruits and fresh fruits, etc., filling the table.

Tao Ti loved the soft and sticky dough the most. After a while, the small plate in front of her was half empty.

When she wanted to eat more, Pei Yan stopped her and said, "Don't eat anymore. Eating too much sticky food is hard to digest. Be careful not to get bloated and unable to sleep at night."

His tone, like a parent talking to a greedy child, was both stern and gentle.

Tao Ti angrily retracted her little hand that was reaching out for the sticky ball and said "oh" obediently.

Pei Yan poured her a glass of winter-brewed wine and said, "Come on, have a drink."

Tao Ti took it and drank it.

Then, Pei Yan poured her cup after cup.

Taoti, "???"

She felt he was getting her drunk, and had ample evidence.

She held the wine glass, her cheeks were a little red, and the alcohol was a little bit in her head. She stared at him with a pair of sparkling dark eyes, "Are you... are you... are you going to get me drunk?"

Pei Yan raised the corner of his mouth and asked, "Is this wine not tasty?"

Tao Ti smacked her lips and said honestly, "It tastes pretty good."

Seeing her tipsy and naive look, Pei Yan's peach blossom eyes narrowed and his smile was warm and charming. "I just think it tastes good, so I want you to drink more. I don't mean to get you drunk."

Is that so? Tao Ti was stunned.

Pei Yan leaned closer to her and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Besides, if I really wanted to do something to you, I wouldn't have to wait until you were drunk."

His hot breath with the scent of wine caressed Tao Ti's cheek, and her heart beat faster.

Doesn't what he said seem to make sense?

She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Can I drink more?"

In the past, Pei Yan didn't let her drink too much, for fear that she would have a headache when she woke up the next day.

This time, he raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly, "Drink it. It's New Year's Day, I'll let you drink to your heart's content."

Tao Ti suddenly became happy and started drinking the clear wine.

Not long after, she was drunk as expected.

Holding her dizzy head, she looked at Pei Yan pitifully, "Your Highness... Husband, I feel dizzy and sleepy..."

Pei Yan's Adam's apple rolled up and down when he called her "husband" in such a tender voice.

He suppressed the inappropriate and charming thoughts, supported her soft body, and whispered, "Ati, be good, I'll let Linglong take you back to rest first."

Taoti frowned, "But we haven't seen the fireworks yet."

She had heard from Linglong that fireworks would be set off on the night of the palace banquet on New Year's Eve, and the fireworks would shine brightly, making the scene particularly grand and dazzling.

Pei Yan was so drunk that she was still thinking about the fireworks, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He coaxed her, "Go back and rest first. You can still see them when you get to Yaoguang Palace."

Tao Ti nodded, "Okay then."

Pei Yan stood up and respectfully reported to Emperor Zhaokang, "Father, the Crown Princess is not able to hold her liquor and may not be able to continue the New Year's Eve celebration. I will have someone take her back to the palace to rest first."

Emperor Zhaokang glanced at Tao Ti, who was drunk and dazed, and hummed nonchalantly.

Queen Zhou's eyes flickered on the side, but she said nothing more.

Pei Yan handed Tao Ti to Ling Long, his eyes were cold, but his voice was gentle and calm, "Take good care of the Crown Princess."

Linglong's heart sank, and she said firmly, "Yes."

Tao Ti was helped away by Linglong.

Pei Yan stared at their leaving figures until they were out of sight, then he withdrew his gaze, pulled the corners of his mouth, and continued to maintain a polite and gentle smile.

The banquet was still lively as usual, with music, singing and dancing, and laughter as people drank and chatted. Everyone was looking forward to the coming New Year.

…

Tao Ti walked out of the hall drunkenly. When the cold wind blew, she shivered and her head was frozen, sobering up a little.

Only after she sat on the sedan chair surrounded by windshields did she relax, tighten her jade-colored cloak around her body, and close her eyes lazily to rest.

I don't know how long it took, Linglong called softly, "Crown Princess, we're here."

Tao Ti's head hit the sedan lightly and she woke up. She subconsciously raised her hand to touch the corner of her mouth and was already very sleepy.

Linglong helped her back to the bedroom, and the palace servants took off her pearl hairpins, brought her warm water, a handkerchief, and hot tea. Tao Ti lay lazily on the couch, letting the palace servants serve her.

After about half an hour, she finished washing up and finally lay down on the bed, returning to the warm quilt.

While she was drowsy, she had a dream.

In her dream, she and Pei Yan watched fireworks and built snowmen together. A bell rang in the distance, and she happily hugged Pei Yan and said "Happy New Year" to him as soon as possible.

He bent down and kissed her forehead and wished her "Happy New Year".

In an instant, rumbling fireworks bloomed in the dark sky, dazzling and bright.

Boom boom...

Boom boom

The sound of the fireworks became louder and louder, so alarming that Tao Ti was startled. She looked up and saw a huge meteor falling down.

She screamed in fear, "Ah!"

She suddenly opened her eyes and saw a lotus-green curtain embroidered with double-petaled red plums. She was covered with a quilt, and her forehead was covered with a layer of sweat.

Linglong asked hurriedly outside the curtain, "Crown Princess, what's wrong with you?"

Tao Ti panted and said softly, "It's okay, I just had a dream."

After saying this, she pricked up her ears and frowned, "What's that noise outside? It's so rumbling, it's scary."

Linglong hesitated for a moment and replied, "It should be the sound of fireworks."

Set off fireworks?

"So, New Year's Eve has passed and it's New Year's Day now?"

Linglong said, "Not yet, but soon."

Tao Ti opened the curtain, poked her head out, and said softly, "Linglong, pour me a glass of water."

Linglong hurried to pour tea. When she came back from outside after going around the screen, she saw the Crown Princess walking to the window in her slippers.

Linglong was startled and asked worriedly, "Crown Princess, why are you standing by the window to enjoy the breeze? Be careful to keep cool."

Tao Ti reached out and patted her forehead. Was she hallucinating because she was drunk?

There were clearly no fireworks in the sky, but instead the sky in the distance was glowing red, as if an evil spirit had suddenly appeared from nowhere.

But the muffled "bang bang bang" sound coming from far away was very obvious, making people feel uneasy.

"Linglong, look, that direction should be the Taiji Palace, right? What's going on there?" Tao Ti pointed to the place where the red light was rising into the sky.

Linglong hurried forward to take a look, also showing astonishment, "Crown Princess, please wait a moment, I will ask someone to go out and inquire."

Tao Ti nodded, holding the teacup and slowly sat down on the couch.

Linglong had just left the house when she heard the anxious voice of the eunuch outside, "Oh no, oh no! There's a fire in the Taiji Hall!"

A palace maid who was on night watch asked in a panic, "How did the fire break out out of nowhere?"

The eunuch cried, "It seems that rebels have broken in!"

There was a sudden commotion outside the house.

Inside the house, Tao Ti's hand holding the teacup trembled, and half of the cup of warm tea spilled out, wetting her soft nightgown.

Her face was pale and her crow-feather eyelashes trembled.

A fire? A riot?

What about Pei Yan, how is he now?