Seeing Tao Ti standing there in a daze, Pei Yan explained in a low voice, "You may have to endure it for a few days. There are female officials sent by my father and the empress guarding outside. If we separate the rooms now, who knows what will happen... But don't worry, I won't touch you."

Then he pointed at the bed and said, "This bed is big enough. You can sleep inside and I can sleep outside. Is that okay?"

He had explained it so patiently, and Taoti was not unreasonable. Besides, if something really happened, she would make a fortune based on her looks!

"Okay, then let's... go to sleep." Tao Ti lowered her head, walked to the bed, took off her shoes, and slowly crawled into the bed.

Pei Yan looked at her from the side. She was only wearing a thin nightgown. At the age of sixteen, her body was mature and her curves were graceful. The crawling posture revealed a section of her white neck behind her clothes, adding a bit of charming ambiguity.

He looked away calmly, no emotion visible on his handsome face.

After a moment, he stood up and extinguished two candles.

Catching a glimpse of Taoti looking at him, he explained, "I am a very light sleeper, and I can't sleep well if the light is too bright. If you are afraid of the dark, I will light up..."

"Ah, no need. I don't like it too bright either." Tao Ti found that he really cared for people. No wonder the outside world had the impression that the prince was loyal, honest and gentle. Now it seemed that it was indeed the case.

The candlelight went out, and the bright red curtain embroidered with a pattern of hundreds of children playing was slowly lowered.

When Pei Yan lay down, Tao Ti felt that the originally wide bed seemed to become narrow all of a sudden.

She tensed up unconsciously, even her breathing became light and slow. Although she knew he wouldn't touch her, it was the first time in her life that she shared a bed with a man, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous.

There was silence between the bed curtains, only the breathing of the two people could be heard.

Tao Ti closed her eyes and tried to force herself to fall asleep quickly, but she smelled a faint fragrance. Was this the smell of him?

There is no bitter medicinal smell, no unpleasant smell of illness. The fragrance is very fresh, like a forest covered with snow, making people feel peaceful and calm.

Just like him, gentle and tolerant, being with him is like being bathed in spring breeze.

Gradually, Tao Ti fell asleep in the fragrance. After a whole day of hard work, she was really tired.

The breathing beside his ear became long and even. Pei Yan slowly opened his eyes and looked sideways.

The woman beside him was sleeping soundly. Her black eyelashes were like small fans, and her fair and tender cheeks were a little chubby. The faint candlelight shone on her face through the red curtain, as if it was stained with a layer of crimson rouge.

She looks so cute when she's asleep.

However, when he's awake... he seems to be pretty well behaved?

After spending time with her tonight, I found that she was completely different from the "pretentious, eccentric and lonely" people said she was. Was she pretending?

…

The next day, the sky outside was a light crab-shell blue.

Perhaps she was not used to sleeping in a strange place, so Tao Ti woke up very early. However, Pei Yan woke up earlier than her. When she got up, the pillow was already empty, and there was no trace of him.

Soon, a line of palace mermaids came in and helped her wash and dress.

Compared to the bad attitude of the palace maid last night, these palace maids were neither cold nor warm. They were like tools without any emotions. They came silently and left silently.

Only the palace maid who combed her hair, named Linglong, spoke a few words to her.

"Crown Princess, do you think this makeup and hairstyle are okay?" Linglong asked.

Hearing this, Tao Ti's eyes fell on the exquisite bronze mirror. When she saw the face of the person in the mirror, her eyes lit up.

The woman in the mirror had fair skin, a small round face, a small nose, and full, rosy lips. The most delicate thing about her were her eyes - dark as grapes, with slightly drooping eyelids, which gave her a seductive look of innocence and purity.

At this moment, she had her hair combed like a palace lady and wore golden jewelry, like a carefully dressed doll.

Seeing that Tao Ti didn't say anything, Linglong asked, "Crown Princess, is there something wrong?"

Tao Ti came back to her senses and smiled at her, "You have very skillful hands. You look very beautiful in this outfit."

Seeing the Crown Princess's bright and kind smile, Linglong was stunned for a moment and whispered, "As long as the Crown Princess is satisfied."

"By the way, where is His Highness?"

"Your Highness is currently studying at Chongwenguan and should be back soon."

Tao Ti glanced at the slightly brighter sky outside the window and clicked her tongue, saying, "Getting up so early to study, he's really diligent."

She sat up and glanced at the palace maids. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Are these all the palace maids from the East Palace? Didn't my family bring any servants with them?"

Linglong was silent for a moment, as if considering how to answer.

At this moment, a cold and elegant voice came from outside the curtain, "Your personal maid and nanny behaved a little bit yesterday, so I asked someone to take them downstairs to rest."

The pearl curtain swayed, and a slender moon-white figure slowly approached, handsome and elegant.

Pei Yan looked at Tao Ti gently, raised his eyebrows and said, "Is it because the servants of the East Palace didn't serve you well?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the palace servants in the hall changed.

Tao Ti naturally also felt this atmosphere and hurriedly said, "No, no, no, they all served very well, I just asked casually."

"If you're still used to the old ones, I'll let them come back to serve you later." After a pause, Pei Yan looked at her gently and smiled lightly, "You look good dressed like this."

Being praised by the handsome boy early in the morning, Tao Ti lowered her head a little embarrassedly, "Thank you for the compliment."

Pei Yan curled his lips and said, "Have breakfast. You still have to pay your respects to the Emperor and the Empress later."

"Please, hello..." Tao Ti was stunned.

Seeing her surprised face, Pei Yan thought she was just worried about what happened last night, so he said softly, "Don't be nervous, your father won't make things difficult for you, and as for the queen...she won't do that either."

Tao Ti was still unsure, so she lowered her voice and asked, "Your Highness, what happened yesterday...do His Majesty and the Queen know about it?"

Pei Yan said, "You should know."

Yesterday, the bride was carried directly back to the bridal chamber by the maid, without even bowing in the hall. Anyone with a little common sense could guess that there was something fishy going on. However, thinking about it in your head is one thing, and whether you dare to say it out loud is another.

Hearing his affirmative words, Tao Ti's face turned pale and her heart skipped a beat: God wants to kill me! !

The emperor and the empress both knew that she had taken poison, so wouldn't her favorability with them have gone directly to negative? She had offended the big boss of this era without knowing what was going on, so what was she still doing?

But you still have to face what you have to face, you can't escape it.

After a tasteless breakfast, Tao Ti silently repeated to herself, "Don't panic when something happens," and followed Pei Yan like a little quail, heading towards the palace together.

——

The Crown Prince's new bride is coming to pay her respects, so Ganquan Palace is particularly lively today.

Queen Zhou wore a phoenix crown and a phoenix robe with gold brocade satin, and sat upright on a phoenix chair.

She takes good care of herself, her skin is smooth and tender, there is not a single wrinkle around her eyes, and she exudes a mature charm. She looks to be no more than 30 years old, and you can't tell that she is in her 40s at all.

On her left and right sat four high-ranking concubines, Guishu, Xiande, and in addition, there were five unmarried princesses, among whom the second princess Pei Lingbi, born to Queen Zhou, was the most outstanding.

Pei Lingbi usually likes to wear gorgeous clothes, and today she is dressed even more brightly and luxuriously. If you don't know her, you might think she is the protagonist today.

Seeing that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had not arrived yet, Pei Lingbi adjusted the gilded, kingfisher-inlaid, beaded swing in her hair and said lazily, "It's already this late and there's no sign of her. She's making my mother and the other ladies wait for her alone. My second sister-in-law is really good at putting on airs."

Queen Zhou looked at Pei Lingbi sternly, with a hint of warning, "You are newlyweds, it's fine if you delay, but you are not allowed to talk nonsense."

Pei Lingbi curled her lips and muttered in her heart, "They are just newlyweds. Such an unlucky thing happened in the East Palace last night. Who doesn't know about it?"

That stupid Tao Ti actually committed suicide by taking poison. Tsk tsk, the prince must have been so angry that he vomited blood. I heard that Doctor Yu was called in later, but I don’t know if he was saved. But even if he was saved, how could Tao Ti have the face to see people?

She was just thinking about it with a happy heart, when suddenly a sharp voice came from outside the palace, "The Crown Prince has arrived, the Crown Princess has arrived——"

Everyone in the hall sat up straight and looked towards the door at the same time.

Pei Lingbi frowned slightly. No way, he really came?

The morning light illuminated the hall brightly, and in that warm spring light, a pair of perfect lovers came side by side.

It goes without saying that the appearance of the Crown Prince Pei Yan was outstanding. Even though everyone in the palace was familiar with him, they were still shocked when they first saw him. After looking at him for several times, they finally set their sights on the woman next to him.

The woman was wearing a smoky pink long dress with wide sleeves, her hair was in a fairy bun, and she was wearing a festive and exquisite ruby ​​headpiece. She had bright eyes, white teeth, a delicate face, and a clear aura between her eyebrows.

Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she was not shy and smiled generously.

This smile is like the warm winter sun shining on the white snow, or the drizzling spring rain brushing the green willows, making people feel very comfortable.

The four concubines Guishu, Xiande, and others were all mothers, and they were delighted to see such a well-behaved and pretty little girl.

"Your son greets the Empress and all the ladies." Pei Yan bowed.

"The daughter-in-law pays her respects to the Empress and all the ladies." Tao Ti followed suit and bent her legs to bow.

Queen Zhou smiled kindly and said, "Okay, okay, everyone get up. Someone, please take a seat."

Tao Ti sat down next to the crown prince and heard Queen Zhou waving to the princesses, "Come on, all of you should pay your respects to your brother and sister-in-law."

The five princesses came forward in order. The eldest princess had married to Pingxi in her early years. The oldest princess in the palace was the second princess Pei Lingbi, who was the same age as Tao Ti, both sixteen. The other princesses were twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest, the sixth princess, was only eight years old.

Tao Ti greeted them in a friendly manner. Apart from the fact that the second princess looked at her in a strange and uncomfortable way, the atmosphere was generally harmonious.

Queen Zhou greeted them with a smile, and Pei Yan answered all the questions fluently throughout the whole process, while Tao Ti sat aside and acted as a smiling vase.

After sitting for about a quarter of an hour, a chubby eunuch came in, smiled and saluted Queen Zhou, and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty wants His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come over."

"Okay." Queen Zhou looked at Pei Yan and said gently, "Yan'er, go and pay your respects to your father first. Crown Princess, please stay here with me."

Pei Yan's black eyes moved slightly, and he looked at Tao Ti thoughtfully, seeming a little hesitant.

Tao Ti blinked at him gently, indicating that she could handle it on her own and told him not to worry.

"..." Pei Yan smiled at her, then stood up and said goodbye, following the fat eunuch.

Queen Zhou watched the couple's interactions from above. A dark light flashed across her beautiful eyes, but her face remained kind and gentle. She teased, "After all, they are a newlywed couple. You can't bear to leave them for such a while. Your love is so loving that it makes others jealous."

The other concubines also laughed and echoed, praising the Crown Prince and his wife for their good relationship, and then praising Tao Ti for her good looks and knowledge of etiquette.

Seeing that the empress and concubines were relatively friendly toward her, Tao Ti secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, according to Pei Yan, the queen knew that she had taken poison, but she was still so kind and friendly to him, which showed that she knew the truth but pretended to be ignorant and did not want to break the window paper... From this point of view, the acting skills of the women in the harem are really good.

Just as her thoughts were wandering, the second princess Pei Lingbi suddenly spoke up, "Second sister-in-law, my prince brother is not in good health. You must take good care of him and don't make him angry."

Tao Ti was startled, and said with a polite smile, "Your Highness is my husband, I will naturally take good care of him, second sister, don't worry."

Hearing her calm and composed answer, Pei Lingbi's face changed slightly, and she stared at Tao Ti as if she had seen a ghost.

Tao Ti didn't look at her either, but turned to chat with the other princesses.

After another cup of tea, a eunuch came in and said that His Majesty wanted to summon the Crown Princess.

"Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, your daughter-in-law will take her leave first." Tao Ti stood up slowly, and the palace maids behind her carried the gifts given by the Empress and concubines.

"Good boy, go ahead." Queen Zhou smiled and nodded.

"Mother, I'll take my second sister-in-law out." Pei Lingbi stood up suddenly and followed Tao Ti's footsteps without waiting for Queen Zhou's response.

As soon as the two walked out of the hall, Pei Lingbi suddenly grabbed Tao Ti's wrist.

Tao Ti was startled, frowned, and asked unhappily, "Second Princess, what are you doing?"

Pei Lingbi stared at her face closely, pursing her lips tightly, feeling strange. This Tao Ti seemed to have become... a lot prettier?

Although her appearance has not changed, she always looked dull, old-fashioned and withdrawn before, but today she is so beautiful and charming that people can't take their eyes off her...

I had dressed up specially today just to overshadow her, but I didn't expect that as soon as she arrived, Empress Mandian's attention was all on this bitch. It's really disgusting!

The dissatisfaction in Pei Ling's green eyes became more intense. He raised his chin arrogantly and said in a commanding tone, "Come with me. I have something to ask you."

Tao Ti was extremely unhappy to hear this tone, but thinking that they were still within the Ganlu Palace and there were so many palace maids and eunuchs watching around, it was not a good idea to argue with her, so she followed her behind the pillar.

After making sure that no one could hear their conversation, Pei Lingbi's pretty face suddenly darkened. She stared at Tao Ti with her upturned red phoenix eyes and said coldly, "Tao Ti, why are you not dead yet?"