The bright moon shines silvery light on the earth, and all the streets and alleys are lit up with all kinds of lanterns. Thousands of lanterns illuminate the entire city, with clusters of flowers and flickering lights, which is a beautiful sight.

The East Market was bustling with people.

Pei Yan held Tao Ti's hand tightly, fearing that she would run away.

Taoti found everything new. Her little head turned left and right, and she never stopped smiling.

"Wow, these lanterns are so beautiful, husband, let's buy one!"

"Okay, buy it."

Then, Tao Ti had an exquisite moon rabbit lantern in her hand.

"Husband, there is a lantern riddle over there. Let's go and take a look!"

"Okay, let's go and see."

Then, Tao Ti had two new lanterns, a Kunlun slave mask, two sachets, and an exquisite jade pendant in her hands, all of which were won at the lantern guessing booth.

The owner of the lantern stall was almost crying. He put his hands together and bowed to Pei Yan, "My dear, you are very smart. My small stall is not enough for you to show your talents. Please take your wife to look somewhere else."

Seeing this, Tao Ti couldn't help but laugh, tugged at Pei Yan's sleeve, and said softly, "Husband, let's go somewhere else."

Pei Yan put away his interest in guessing the lantern riddle and nodded slightly, "Okay."

The two continued walking forward, and after watching a shadow play and a lion dance performance, they happened to come across a candied haws stall.

Seeing that Pei Yan was really going to buy a bunch of Tanghulu, Tao Ti suddenly remembered the dream she had before, and subconsciously reached out to cover her cheeks, "Husband, don't buy a bunch, it's too much, we can't finish it."

Pei Yan paused, lowered his eyes, looked at the girl with a wandering gaze, raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked, "How many do you want to buy?"

Tao Ti said, "Well, two, one for you and one for me."

Pei Yan's eyes were full of teasing, "Is one enough for you?"

Tao Ti hesitated, "...It seems that it is not enough, so how about buying three or four?"

Seeing her conflicted look, wanting to eat but forcing herself to control herself, Pei Yan chuckled.

In the end, he bought the whole bunch of sugar-coated haws. After all, sugar-coated haws would not go bad easily in the winter. If Tao Ti couldn't finish them, she could take them back and share them with the palace maids and eunuchs, so that they wouldn't be wasted.

After strolling slowly along the street, Tao Ti's legs felt sore and her stomach started to growl.

Pei Yan took her hand, went to a restaurant along the street, and found a private room.

The private room faces the street, and its carved wooden windows are half open. Looking down at the street from above, one can see a different kind of bustle and prosperity.

Tao Ti took the menu and ordered a table full of dishes, including fried quail with bamboo shoots, pork knuckle with wine and vinegar, crispy slices of raw tofu, white fish cooked in wine, golden tripe soup, braised roast chicken, tofu meatball soup, and two large bowls of fragrant daylily noodles.

The waiter saw that she had ordered so many dishes and was a big and generous customer, so he became more enthusiastic and said, "We also have the best Xinfeng wine, Xizhou wine, Shaoxing Nuerhong wine, and our own plum blossom wine is also very fragrant and sweet. Would you two like to try some?"

When Tao Ti heard the word "plum blossom brew", her eyes lit up slightly. She had tasted many flower-brewed wines, such as peach blossom brew, osmanthus blossom brew, apricot blossom brew...but she had never tasted plum blossom brew.

She stared at Pei Yan with her bright black eyes and called softly, "Husband."

The ending tone carries a soft and coquettish tone.

Pei Yan glanced at her, looking somewhat helpless, and said to the waiter, "Send up a bottle of plum blossom wine."

The waiter responded with a smile, then bent down and walked out with the menu.

Linglong and Fu Xirui stood guard at the door and considerately closed the door of the private room.

Without anyone around, Pei Yan tapped Tao Ti's nose and said, "You, you have such a low alcohol tolerance, yet you are still a greedy drinker."

Tao Ti thought to herself that she had just changed into a mortal body. If it were her original body, she would not get drunk no matter how much she drank.

She grabbed his fingers and smiled, "I have you by my side anyway, so it doesn't matter if I get drunk."

She was reassured about him.

Pei Yan narrowed his dark eyes, stretched out his long arm, grasped Tao Ti's neck with his big hand, and pulled her towards him.

Suddenly, the distance between the two of them shortened. If it weren't for the corner of the table between them, Tao Ti would have fallen directly into his chest.

Pei Yan lowered his head, and raised his thin lips in a faint smile, "Is it okay to be drunk?"

His warm breath brushed across her skin, and Tao Ti's long eyelashes trembled.

Before she could respond, Pei Yan said in a low voice, "A drunk A-Ti is more passionate than usual, and I like her a lot."

Tao Ti's two white and tender ears turned red.

Ah, why does this person start to... flirt with others when they have a disagreement?

She bit her lip, tapped his chest with her little hand, and said shyly, "Don't talk nonsense."

Pei Yan saw her blushing face and the smile in his eyes deepened.

He didn't continue teasing her. After all, they hadn't eaten yet and were still outside. If he teased her too much, it would arouse his own evil desires, and that would be difficult to resolve.

Soon, the waiter brought the wine and food.

The table was filled with various fragrant dishes. Tao Ti was already hungry, so she picked up her chopsticks and started to eat.

Pei Yan was not in a hurry. He picked up the plum wine and poured two glasses.

With slender fingers, she pushed a cup towards Tao Ti.

Tao Ti looked at the wine he had specially poured, and her cheeks, which had just cooled down, became hot again.

If he hadn't said that ambiguous thing, she would have definitely just drank it. But he said that, and when she looked at the wine again, she couldn't help but think of "intoxicated sex".

It's so shameful!

Pei Yan seemed to have forgotten what happened just now. He tasted the wine calmly, raised the corner of his mouth, and praised, "It has a delicate plum fragrance, sweet and refreshing, and it goes down the throat smoothly. It's really good."

Seeing that he was drinking with relish, Tao Ti swallowed her saliva.

After enduring again and again, he finally couldn't resist the temptation of plum wine and picked up the glass to taste it.

As soon as I took a sip, I could smell the plum fragrance everywhere, as if a tree of snow-white plum blossoms condensed into drops of fragrant wine. There was a light sweetness on the tip of my tongue, and it didn't irritate my throat at all. It was very suitable for girls to drink.

"It tastes good," she said.

Pei Yan smiled and picked up the chopsticks to pick up some food for her.

The moon was bright in the sky, and the atmosphere was harmonious as they drank and ate. Suddenly, there was a loud "boom, boom" sound from the horizon.

Tao Ti was startled for a moment, then looked up and saw brilliant fireworks exploding in the dark sky. The lights were spinning, and the stars were dotted around, like rain and mist, it was a beautiful sight.

"Wow, there are fireworks!"

She was already about eight-tenths full by now, so she simply put down her chopsticks and leaned over to the window to watch the fireworks.

In the interweaving of light and shadow, her profile seemed to glow with a soft light, gentle and beautiful.

Pei Yan also put down his bowl and chopsticks, walked over to sit beside her, and put his hand on her shoulders.

His embrace was warm and strong, and Tao Ti leaned into him affectionately.

In the restaurant, the two of them snuggled together and watched the fireworks.

At the same time, not far away by the river, Qinghe and Xu Guangji were lighting river lanterns for wishes.

In three days, Princess Jingyang and her family will return to Longxi.

The thought of not being able to see each other for half a year made them both feel very reluctant and they had endless things to say to each other.

Compared to their affectionate expressions, Xu Wenchan and Young Master Xie standing by the bridge were a little embarrassed——

Xu Wenchan: She has really paid so much to allow her brother and sister-in-law to travel together on the Lantern Festival with a legitimate reason!

She caught a glimpse of the handsome young man beside her, and she suppressed her nervousness and lowered her head.

The two of them were like two pieces of wood, chatting awkwardly.

Thank you, Young Master. "The Lantern Festival in Chang'an is so lively."

Xu Wenchan: "Yeah."

Thank the young prince, "Do you want to release river lanterns? I heard that releasing river lanterns and making wishes during the Lantern Festival is very effective."

Xu Wenchan, "My wish is to get rich in the new year. Instead of setting off river lanterns, I'd rather ask Ati to launch more new products."

Thank you, Young Master, "..."

Silence, silence is an unknown bridge in Chang'an city tonight.

After a while, Mr. Xie found another topic, "Look, the fireworks are really wonderful."

Xu Wenchan looked up and saw that it was colorful and indeed beautiful.

When she looked up at the fireworks, Young Master Xie suddenly walked in front of her.

He was very tall, blocking her view of the fireworks.

Xu Wenchan was stunned for a moment, then said honestly, "...you are blocking me."

Young Master Xie was silent for a moment, but did not move away. He just stared at her, "A Chan, in three days, I will leave Chang'an."

"I know that." Otherwise, why would her seventh brother be so depressed these days at home, sighing and gazing at the moon?

Young Master Xie said, "Perhaps after I return to Longxi this time, I will never return to Chang'an again..."

Xu Wenchan's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. He asked, "When Qinghe gets married next year, won't you be there to see her off?"

Young Master Xie said, "If my father were to personally escort me to the wedding, I would stay in Longxi."

Xu Wenchan's eyes flickered slightly, and he forced a smile, "Is that so? That's... also good. The Duke personally sent me off to marry, which shows that he attaches great importance to this marriage. When he comes to Chang'an, my father can even invite him for a drink..."

"You know very well that's not what I'm going to say." Young Master Xie frowned and interrupted her.

Xu Wenchan choked.

Young Master Xie took a step forward, and she subconsciously took a step back.

"A Chan, my feelings have been made very clear. What about you? Do you really have no feelings for me at all?"

"I..." Xu Wenchan quietly clenched his fists and subconsciously wanted to escape.

She couldn't figure it out, she really couldn't figure it out.

She was not good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, drinking wine or tea, and she did not have fair skin, beautiful looks and long legs. The only thing that could compare with the other noble ladies in Chang'an was her family background.

She really didn't understand why he was so pleased with her. She wondered if he was blind or if he was just making fun of her.

As her thoughts raced, she recalled Ati's encouragement and guidance and took a deep breath. No matter what, she wanted to get to the bottom of it today.

"My dear, why do you like me?"

Young Master Xie was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and frowned seriously, "If you like someone, then you like him. Do you need a reason?"

"Of course. There are so many outstanding ladies in Chang'an City, all of them are fair-skinned and graceful, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, well-educated and eloquent. Compared with them, I am simply not good enough... If you are not blind, you will choose them, right?"

Xu Wenchan didn't want to put herself in such a bad light, but she felt that self-knowledge was the most important thing for a person, and she always had to face reality.

After hearing her words, Young Master Xie paused for a moment and said softly, "I think you are very good."

Xu Wenchan's mouth twitched, "Hmm?"

Okay, he is a blind man, the identification is complete.

At this time, Young Master Xie also understood Xu Wenchan's worries. It turned out that her avoidance was not because she hated him, but because of her own inferiority complex.

Realizing that she didn't dislike him, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then, very sincerely, "Let me ask you, why did you refuse when Pei Changzhou proposed to you before?"

Xu Wenchan, "......?"

How did the topic jump to this?

"Isn't he tall and handsome enough? Isn't he knowledgeable in poetry, literature, music, and archery? Isn't he of high status?"

These three questions in a row confused Xu Wenchan.

Young Master Xie stared at her intently, waiting for her answer.

She swallowed her saliva. "Although his conditions are good, he is not a good person. He asked me to marry him not out of love, but because he coveted the power of my father and brother."

"You value character and sincerity, and that's what I value, too."

Young Master Xie said calmly, "You are kind-hearted, sincere, and loyal. Although you are not good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy, or painting, you are good at riding and shooting, and you can also do business. As for your appearance that bothers you..."

At this point, he paused and asked in confusion, "Why do you have to be upset? I think you are very cute. Which law stipulates that fair, tender and slim is beautiful?"

He felt that Xu Wenchan's eyes were large and bright, and when he looked at people, he was clear and passionate;

And when she smiled, her white teeth were exposed, and her deep dimples were on her cheeks. Her smile was like bright sunshine, shining straight into people's hearts, making them warm.

This is what laughter is. It is not like those noble ladies who cannot show their teeth when they laugh. They have to cover their eyes with handkerchiefs or round fans, and they cannot laugh out loud. It is so boring.

After hearing what Young Master Xie said, Xu Wenchan was speechless.

She was usually a talkative person, but at this moment she felt that she couldn't argue with him, her eyes were fixed on him, as if she was out of her mind.

Young Master Xie said, "Stop avoiding me, okay?"

Xu Wenchan grabbed the hem of his clothes and whispered, "You are going back to Longxi soon, so I don't need to avoid you anymore."

Young Master Xie was stunned for a moment, then he realized, was she agreeing to give him a chance?

With a burst of joy in his heart, he smiled and said, "I'm back in Longxi, and we can still exchange letters."

Xu Wenchan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he did not immediately sign the engagement but gave them time to get to know each other slowly.

After Zhang's divorce, she became more cautious about marriage.

If you marry just for the sake of marrying someone, but end up marrying the wrong person, it would be better not to marry at all. Wouldn't it be nice to be a rich woman with a large house and fertile land?

She looked up, met Young Master Xie's expectant gaze, and nodded, "Okay, then write a letter."

Under the silvery moonlight, the two stood by the bridge, looking up at the dreamy, star-like fireworks in the sky, with a faint smile between their brows.

………

There was no curfew in Chang'an on the Lantern Festival, so people could party until dawn.

But Tao Ti and Pei Yan still had to go back to the palace to rest, after all, Pei Yan had to attend court tomorrow morning.

Tao Ti was carried to the carriage by Pei Yan. The plum wine tasted sweet but had a strong aftereffect. After drinking half a bottle, she passed out immediately.

She nestled in Pei Yan's arms, her bright eyes half closed, and she muttered, "Why is this carriage shaking like a boat..."

Pei Yan hugged her from behind and whispered, "It's not that the carriage is shaking, it's that you're drunk."

"You're kidding. How could I be drunk? I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

She finished her boast with a smile, and the next second she held her head and frowned, saying, "I feel dizzy."

Pei Yan had no choice but to lay her down flat in his arms, and gently stroked her temples with his fingers. "You are the one who is greedy and you are the one who is hard-mouthed."

He massaged her head like this, and she felt much more comfortable, squinting her eyes like a cat.

But her head felt better, the smell of alcohol came up, and she felt hot again, so she reached out to tear at her clothes.

Tao Ti was wearing a lilac-colored stand-up collar shirt today. The ruyi-beaded buttons on the collar were fastened tightly one by one and were not easy to unfasten.

She pulled at it a few times but couldn't untie it. She got angry and grabbed Pei Yan's hand and put it on her collar, "Husband, help me, I'm hot."

Feeling the softness of his hand, Pei Yan's eyes darkened.

But the person in his arms was still restless. His soft and fragrant body twisted to and fro, his tender cheeks flushed with drunkenness, his eyes misty, and he complained and kept crying out that he was hot.

This innocent and seductive look aroused his lust.

He patiently unbuttoned her collared shirt one by one, and reached into her collar with his big hand. With his other hand, he held her small chin, and kissed her eyebrows and ears with his thin lips.

The kiss is like a vine, entangled with each other.

His breathing became heavier.

After finally ending the kiss, Tao Ti felt like she was about to suffocate. With tears in her eyes, she denounced the man, "You bullied me."

Pei Yan lowered his eyes, her white flesh was vaguely visible under her messy clothes, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down.

The hand on her waist increased its strength, and a lazy and wanton smile appeared on his handsome face. He bit her swollen lips and said hoarsely, "I just want to bully you."

Bully her severely, bully her until she cries for mercy.

The young eunuch who was driving the carriage outside was still young. When he heard the noise coming from inside, he wondered in his heart: Could it be that a noble lady like the Crown Princess would also go crazy when she got drunk? She was crying and smashing things, and the noise was really big. But His Highness is so gentle and good-tempered, he will definitely comfort the Crown Princess.

About half an hour later, the carriage returned to Yaoguang Palace.

The young eunuch mustered up his courage and reported back, "Your Highness and the Crown Princess have already arrived at the Yaoguang Palace."

There was no movement in the carriage, and no one got out.

The young eunuch felt puzzled, but he did not dare to urge his master, so he stood in the snow in confusion.

Fu Xirui and Linglong came over. The eunuch who was driving the carriage saw them coming and rushed forward like he saw his savior, "Eunuch Fu, Sister Linglong."

Fu Xirui glanced at the still-closed carriage door and asked the eunuch in a low voice, "Why haven't His Highness and the Crown Princess gotten out of the carriage yet?"

The eunuch shook his head. "I have already informed them. Uh, maybe the prince is still comforting the princess. The princess is very drunk and has been crying all the way."

Crying all the way?

Linglong's eyebrows twitched, and she suddenly understood something.

Fu Xirui guessed what Linglong had done after seeing her reaction, and muttered to himself: His Highness usually appears to be calm and self-possessed, but I never thought he is such a lustful person.

The three of them stood outside the carriage, waiting quietly.

It didn't take long before the carriage door opened.

Without waiting for them to step forward to help, the prince walked out of the carriage holding the princess.

The Crown Princess was wrapped tightly in a cloak, not even a strand of her hair was exposed. The Crown Prince held her steadily and walked into the Yaoguang Palace without saying a word.

Linglong and Fu Xirui looked at each other, then looked at the prince's back, and then looked at the messy carriage.

The incense burner and the tables were overturned, a pearl flower lay on the seat, a soft cushion and a pair of light white embroidered stockings were scattered on the floor.

All this shows how fierce the battle was along the way.

Late at night, snowflakes began to fall from the sky again.

In the fragrant curtain, Pei Yan's eyes showed a lazy satisfaction.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and touched Tao Ti's soft and flat belly. He said in a hoarse voice, "It seems that I haven't tried hard enough."

My stomach is still flat.

Tao Ti was extremely tired. After hearing what he said, she thought he was going to do it for the third time, and her long legs curled up slightly.

Pei Yan kissed her cheek and soothed her gently, "Be good, I won't do it again today."

Don't worry, they still have a long way to go.

………

The Lantern Festival has passed, which means the Spring Festival is over.

On the second morning after the Lantern Festival, the long-ill Emperor Zhaokang finally attended court.

However, the first thing he did after entering the court was to announce a piece of important news to all the civil and military officials:

"I have decided to pass the throne to the crown prince Pei Yan. From now on, all military and national affairs, no matter how big or small, will be handled by the new emperor. I will abdicate and become the emperor emeritus. I will spend my remaining years in Xingqing Palace and will no longer be involved in government affairs."

As soon as this news came out, the whole court was in an uproar.

Even Pei Yan himself, looking at Emperor Zhaokang sitting on the dragon throne, had a complicated look in his eyes.