In the evening, the fifth prince and the sixth princess went back, and Tao Ti sent Linglong to invite Pei Yan to come for dinner.

Not long after, Linglong replied, saying that Emperor Zhaokang had set up a small banquet in Taiji Hall tonight and asked the prince to go over to accompany him, and that he would return to the East Palace later.

After hearing this, Taoti said "I know", turned around and called a little eunuch to go to the kitchen to tell them not to prepare dinner. In the afternoon, she had crispy chicken fillet and red bean and taro stewed in milk, so she was not very hungry at this moment.

But in order to prevent herself from feeling hungry again at night, she soaked some glutinous rice and planned to cook a pot of porridge later and eat a bowl of porridge to fill her stomach.

The nightlife of the ancients was boring and quiet. Tao Ti played a few games of chess with Ling Long, and then leaned on the soft pillow to read a storybook.

The soft and warm spring breeze blew in from the half-open window, making people feel hazy and drowsy. Just as Taoti's eyelids were fighting madly, there was some movement outside.

She nodded her head suddenly and woke up, but she was still a little dazed. She called softly, "Linglong, what's going on outside?"

Linglong stretched her neck and looked out, saying, "It seems that His Highness has arrived."

"Your Highness, oh... um? Your Highness!"

Taoti blinked hard, put the notebook aside, stood up from the couch, and asked while bending down to put on her shoes, "What time is it now?"

"Replying to the Crown Princess, it is just past midnight."

"Hai Shi, that is nine o'clock in the evening..." Tao Ti muttered softly. She originally thought that after the banquet in Taiji Hall was over, he would go directly back to Zixiao Hall to rest. Unexpectedly, he came here at this time?

She had just put on her shoes when Fu Xirui came in, supporting Pei Yan.

Pei Yan was wearing an apricot-yellow brocade robe with four dragon patterns and a golden crown on his head, fixed with a jade hairpin. This attire made him look more dignified and serious. However, at this moment, he was supported by Fu Xirui, and his tall body was a little crooked, and his steps were weak, like a towering jade mountain that could collapse at any time.

Tao Ti was surprised and hurried forward and asked, "What happened?"

Fu Xirui explained, "Crown Princess, His Highness drank a little tonight and may be a little drunk now."

"Hurry up and help him sit on the couch." Tao Ti moved aside and looked at Pei Yan's handsome face which was a little drunk. His peach blossom eyes were slightly blinked, his pupils were dark, deep and blurred, like a bottomless whirlpool, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"You are not feeling well, how can you drink?" Tao Ti said softly, walked to his side, bent slightly, put her arm across his eyes, and took a soft pillow, "Use it as a cushion, you will feel more comfortable."

Pei Yan followed her movements. His usually clear voice seemed a little deep and magnetic, perhaps because of the alcohol. "I'm fine. I just had a few drinks."

Tao Ti stared at his slightly flushed face with her bright eyes, frowned and said, "Although a little drink can make you happy, you... for the sake of your health, it's better not to drink. And you can't even walk steadily after just a few drinks, which shows that you don't have a good alcohol tolerance, so you should drink less."

Listening to her words, Pei Yan's dark eyes moved slightly, he tilted his head to look at her, and asked in a low voice, "Are you drinking?"

"Drink...it."

"Can you drink well?"

“…”

Tao Ti poured him a glass of warm water and said to herself, "I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk." But she couldn't say that in front of Pei Yan. Who knew if the original owner could drink well? After thinking for a moment, she found a safer way to say, "Well, it's okay."

Pei Yan took the teacup and took a sip. The cup contained chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea. She didn't seem to like drinking tea, but preferred various herbal teas.

"How do you feel now? How about I make you a bowl of sobering soup?" Tao Ti said as she was about to get up.

"Don't bother." Pei Yan stretched out his hand to hold her sleeve, looked up at her, and said softly, "Don't leave, stay and keep me company."

This action and these words that came out of his mouth made both of them stunned.

Seeing this, Linglong and Fu Xirui on the side looked at each other, then lowered their heads and retreated consciously.

Tao Ti: Why are you retreating? Things are not what you think! !

She looked at Pei Yan with mixed feelings. His cold, handsome face was still facing her. His beautiful black eyes seemed to be stained with a layer of hazy light, gentle as water, with an irresistible charm.

For some reason, Tao Ti's cheeks gradually became hot, especially because his fingers were still pulling her sleeves, and he just said "Don't leave"...

At this moment, the man in front of her was like a little pet who was afraid of being abandoned. He was pitiful and lovable.

In the past, Tao Ti would never use the words "pitiable and lovable" to describe such a tall man, but now——

She just felt her heart beating wildly, a little nervous, a little wanting to get closer, but also feeling an unprecedented panic.

"Your Highness, are you a little drunk?"

There was an unconscious tremor in his voice, like a feather brushing across his heart.

Pei Yan's eyes flashed with a dark light, his thick eyelashes drooped slightly, and he said softly, "Well, maybe."

Tao Ti looked at him. There was silence all around him, except for the occasional chirping of insects in late spring.

"Your Highness, why did you come here suddenly? I thought you would stay in Zixiao Palace tonight."

She asked softly, her eyes lightly sweeping over his hand that was still pinching her sleeve, her mind a little confused, he... is he drunk? That's why he made such a dependent little move.

Just like the Sixth Princess, she also loved to pull her sleeves and call her sister-in-law obediently.

Pei Yan stared at her and said slowly, "I heard that you sent someone to Zixiao Palace to ask for a favor, so I thought maybe you wanted to see me for something?"

Tao Ti blinked her eyes, thinking that he was truly amazing, and nodded her head, "I have something I want to ask Your Highness."

"Um?"

"It's not a big deal, actually. I just heard Xiaowu talking about Prince Yu's 80th birthday today..." Tao Ti said, looking up at him, her bright eyes sparkling in the candlelight, "Should I go too?"

"Do you want to go?" Pei Yan looked at her, paused, and added, "If you don't like all this hustle and bustle, you don't have to force yourself."

Tao Ti pursed her lips and pondered in her mind.

In the various social activities in the previous life, couples would generally bring their partners with them. If one went alone, outsiders would inevitably speculate whether there was a problem in the relationship between the two of them.

Although she didn't know what the rules were in the ancient royal family, as Prince Yu was a respected elder and she was a younger and a new bride, she should go and congratulate him, right?

Just as she was thinking, Pei Yanchen's voice, as cold as gold and jade, came to her ears, "I hope you can stay with me."

A flash of surprise flashed across Tao Ti's eyes. She raised her head and met his deep black eyes.

Just a simple glance, the expectation and tenderness contained in it made her heart beat fast.

That look was simply irresistible, as if rejecting him would be a huge sin.

Tao Ti pinched her fingers unnaturally and nodded blankly, "Okay."

Pei Yan raised his thin lips slightly, his smile was warm.

………

After bathing, Pei Yan went to bed to rest first. Tao Ti did not go to sleep immediately, but ran to the kitchen and scooped a bowl of century egg and lean meat porridge.

The soup for cooking porridge is made from chicken bones. Put the pre-soaked glutinous rice into the pot and boil it over high heat. Stir it every once in a while so that the porridge will be thick and fragrant. When the glutinous rice is cooked through, add the diced preserved eggs and lean meat, and simmer over low heat.

The aroma of the porridge is not as strong as other foods, but as it cooks, the fresh fragrance wafting out of the clay pot seems to have wings, drilling straight into people's noses, evoking the tip of the tongue's nostalgia for the warm and soft taste.

Before the porridge is served, add some salt and two drops of sesame oil, then stir it with a spoon. The aroma of the steaming rice mixed with the deliciousness of the chicken soup will make you want to eat it.

Under the bright moonlight, she held a cup of hot, thick and fragrant porridge and ate it mouthful by mouthful.

The glutinous rice is cooked soft but not rotten, the preserved egg has a unique salty aroma, and the lean meat is fresh and smooth. After sufficient mixing, the flavors of the three ingredients are perfectly blended, sticky and dense, and extremely delicious. After a bowl of porridge, the stomach feels warm and all the emptiness and worries are instantly dispelled.

Tao Ti put down the empty porcelain bowl, feeling extremely satisfied both physically and mentally. She said to Linglong and Fu Xirui in a happy mood, "There is still some left in the pot. If you get hungry at night, just scoop it out and eat it."

Linglong and Fu Xirui were both startled and thanked him in unison.

Tao Ti rinsed her mouth outside and then went back to the house to prepare for bed.

Pei Yan should be asleep by now, she thought, and tiptoed to the bed.

She lifted a corner of the curtain and could see Pei Yan sleeping in the dim light. She moved more subconsciously and crawled over to the end of the bed carefully.

The quilt near him was warm. She lay down gently, her nose filled with the faint fragrance of Pei Yan's body.

Somehow, his words "I hope you can stay with me" kept coming to my mind.

The look and tone he used when he said this were so serious and sincere...

Just... as if making some kind of promise.

No, what am I thinking about! He just said we should go to Prince Yu's Mansion together!

Tao Ti closed her eyes, stopped thinking about all that mess, and just went to sleep peacefully.

Not long after, she fell into a deep sleep.

Pei Yan heard the steady breathing beside him, turned around slowly, and looked at her with calm eyes for a long while.

He kind of missed the feeling of holding her while sleeping.

Soft, fragrant and very comfortable.

I want to, very much.

In a moment, he did just that.

He stretched out his long arms and easily picked up her soft body in his arms.

The little girl hummed impatiently at first when she was moved, and rubbed her little head against his muscular chest.

But soon, she found a comfortable angle in this warm and fragrant embrace and fell asleep peacefully.

Pei Yan watched her series of small movements, raised the corners of his lips slightly, rubbed her hair with his chin, hugged her and closed his eyes.

The next morning.

When Tao Ti woke up, the bed was empty.

She stretched out her arms and slept lazily. This time she slept very comfortably. She thought it was because she had eaten a full meal before going to bed.

"Eat enough and drink enough, and all your worries will go away."

The wise sayings of the Taotie tribe still make a lot of sense.

After confirming that the Crown Princess would accompany the Crown Prince to Prince Yu's mansion to celebrate his birthday, Linglong began to get busy -

"Master, will you wear this chrysanthemum-patterned light gold filigree outer robe and this sand green flower skirt, or this rosy shadow half-sleeve honey-colored skirt?"

"Uh, whatever."

"Since it's the old prince's birthday party, this newly made light red long gown with peach petals embroidered on the front seems to be a good choice. It's festive and goes well with your skin tone..."

"This one then?"

"Wait a minute. I remember there is another dark blue palace skirt that is also good. I will find it and let you compare it."

Taoti, "..."

After choosing the dress, Linglong asked again:

"What about your hair bun? What kind of bun do you want? There will surely be many ladies and ladies there. I heard that the Second Princess will also be there. She always loves to put effort into her appearance. The first time you, Crown Princess, went to Ganlu Palace to pay respects, she deliberately outshined you. At this birthday banquet, you are the most senior among the female relatives, so you must not let her steal the limelight."

"You can also take care of the bun."

"The Crown Princess and His Highness have just been married, so they should wear a heart-shaped bun together, to symbolize their eternal love and happiness."

Taoti: "...That's fine."

During this time, Tao Ti clearly felt that Linglong was getting closer and closer to her, and she was talking more and more. Of course, this was undoubtedly a good thing, indicating that she was gradually trusting her.

But after getting to know Linglong, she seems to be very keen on pairing her with Pei Yan?

Although she and Pei Yan were a couple in name, she often heard Linglong say blessings like "loving as sweet as honey", "living in harmony", "harmonious marriage" and so on... It was really a bit embarrassing.

While her hair was being fixed, Linglong started to pick out the hair accessories and pearl pins. Tao Ti accompanied her to choose for a while, then went to the small kitchen to continue cooking and eating.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the day of Prince Yu's birthday banquet.

Early that morning, when the sky in the distance was still crab-shell blue, Tao Ti was woken up from her quilt by Linglong and dragged to a diamond-shaped mirror to dress up.

She was so sleepy that she couldn't even open her eyes. She leaned lazily on the back of the chair, tilted her little face up, closed her eyes, and treated herself like a mannequin, being casually dressed up.

When Pei Yan lifted the curtain and walked in, he happened to see her obedient look of "letting others do whatever they want".

He walked slowly closer and looked at it quietly for a while.

After Linglong applied a layer of fine powder on Tao Ti, she picked up the eyebrow ink and prepared to draw her eyebrows. Pei Yan stared at her two beautiful eyebrows and unconsciously thought of the sentence "When putting on makeup, I asked my husband in a low voice, how deep or shallow the eyebrows are drawn is unknown".

Not knowing where the interest came from, he suddenly raised his hand and motioned Linglong to give him the eyebrow pencil.

Linglong was stunned for a moment, but she quickly reacted and gave the eyebrow pencil to Pei Yan, then stepped aside with an ambiguous smile.

Tao Ti was still sleeping with her eyes closed, completely unaware that someone else had appeared in front of her.

Pei stretched out his hand and gently held her little face.

His palms were big and her face was small, so his palms were like a small pillow, supporting her entire face.

Feeling the warmth in his palm, Pei Yan's lips curled up slightly. He bent his waist, his handsome eyes and brows were full of seriousness, and his movements were gentle and cautious.

The little girl's eyebrows are well-shaped, neither too sparse nor too dense, a light black color, and the ends of her eyebrows are long and thin and curved.

Under her eyebrows are a pair of big round eyes with obvious wrinkles on her double eyelids. Without makeup, her natural eyebrows and big eyes make her look innocent and childish, as if she has not yet reached the age of marriage. After putting on makeup, her facial features appear more delicate, and her brightness reveals a bit of charm.

After drawing two eyebrows, Pei Yanxin admired his work and thought it was very good.

He raised his hand and pinched Tao Ti's soft little face, and said in a low voice, "Little lazy bug, wake up."

This gentle and patient coaxing made Linglong and the other palace people blush, not to mention Tao Ti.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a face that was so beautiful that it was envied by both humans and gods. My retina was really shocked.

However, what is more impactful is the word "lazy worm" that floats into my ears...

The numbing voice tapped her eardrums gently, and Tao Ti felt as if an electric current was transmitted directly from her forehead to her coccyx, her tail... Oh no, she had no tail now.

If she could transform back into her animal form, she would definitely be wagging her tail at him by now.

As soon as this thought came to her mind, Tao Ti's white porcelain cheeks suddenly turned red. Ahhhhhh, so ashamed, why would she want to wag her tail at him? She is not that lecherous dog like Qiuqi!

"Your Highness, why are you here..." Tao Ti asked stutteringly.

"When I saw Linglong doing your makeup, I suddenly had the idea to help you draw your eyebrows."

Pei Yan looked at her calmly, with a hint of self-blame between his brows. He lowered his eyes and said, "Maybe I have offended you. I'm sorry..."

Tao Ti came back to her senses and saw that he looked sad and guilty. She waved her hands and said, "No, no, I'm just a little surprised."

To comfort Pei Yan, she looked into the mirror and praised him, "Your Highness, you paint very beautifully!"

Pei Yan drew her eyebrows like distant mountains, with her skin like smiling peach blossoms. This eyebrow shape matched Tao Ti's eye shape very well.

Tao Ti also showed it to Linglong, "Linglong, you are an expert in makeup, tell me, does His Highness's painting look good?"

Linglong took a look and smiled, "Yes, Your Highness painted it with care, so it naturally looks good."

Seeing this, Pei Yan chuckled, put down his eyebrow pencil, and said softly, "I'll wait for you outside first, and won't disturb you from getting dressed."

"Yeah." Tao Ti responded softly.

After he left, Tao Ti pretended to be angry and glared at Ling Long, "Why didn't you tell me that His Highness was coming? Humph, next time I make delicious food, I won't share it with you!"

Linglong pursed her lips and smiled, "Your Highness and the Crown Princess are painting eyebrows, which is a private pleasure between husband and wife. How dare this servant make a noise to disturb them?"

The fun of the bedroom...

Tao Ti's cheeks felt hot again, she bit her red lips and said no more.

About half an hour later, Tao Ti finished dressing up.

She usually wore simple and elegant clothes, but now she was dressed up. Not only the people in the East Palace, but even Pei Yan had a hint of surprise in his dark eyes when he saw her.

She is so beautiful, so bright, and so stunning.

However, when he thought about other people seeing her like this, he wanted to lock her up in a golden house, letting her beauty bloom day and night just for him.

Feeling Pei Yan's gaze, Tao Ti pinched the hem of her skirt nervously, and said softly, "Your Highness, am I okay with this outfit?"

"It looks very beautiful." Pei Yan smiled gently, then strode to her side and naturally held her hand.

Tao Ti was stunned.

Why did he suddenly hold hands? Are they going to start acting affectionate now?

Pei Yan felt the trembling of her fingertips, and he tightened his palm around her, saying softly, "Let's go, it's time to set off."

"Yeah, okay."

Tao Ti's long eyelashes twitched slightly, completely unaware of the violently surging dark light and predatory desire in the man's eyes.

——

Yanshoufang, Prince Yu’s Palace.

As the largest and most luxurious palace in Yanshoufang, Prince Yu's Palace covers an area of ​​600 mu, with rockeries and ponds, gardens and pavilions, Buddhist temples, and thousands of houses. It is grand, luxurious and elegant. The main gate of the palace is even more magnificent, with bright red, exquisite porches, and two stone lions with cold eyes and majestic aura.

From the 9th hour onwards, an endless stream of horse-drawn carriages stopped at the gate. Some had emerald canopies and pearlescent threads, some were lacquered black with flat roofs, some were covered in colorful glazed tiles, and some were covered in purple canopies and emerald curtains. Each one was more luxurious than the other.

The palace was extremely lively, with people coming and going.

Prince Yu was a noble man, and it was not easy for ordinary guests to see him. The guests were entertained by Prince Yu and several capable grandchildren, who were responsible for entertaining male guests in Chengtai Pavilion; the princess and granddaughter-in-law were responsible for receiving female guests, and a group of people gathered in Zhilan Courtyard.

When Empress Zhou heard that Emperor Zhaokang had sent the Crown Prince to Prince Yu's mansion to celebrate his birthday, she naturally instructed the Third Prince Pei Changzhou to prepare generous gifts and go to Prince Yu's mansion to celebrate his birthday as a sign of filial piety.

Now that Pei Changzhou was here, Pei Lingbi naturally would not miss the excitement. The brother and sister, one prepared generous gifts, the other dressed up, and they arrived at Prince Yu's Mansion before the East Palace.

But old Prince Yu had grown older and his temper became increasingly strange. Even though he knew that the prince and princess were coming, he had no intention of meeting them.

Prince Yu had no choice but to explain in a gentle tone to Pei Changzhou and Pei Lingbi that Doctor Yu had told the old prince to recuperate and not to see guests.

Pei Changzhou was unwilling to accept this, thinking that the old Prince Yu was taking advantage of his age and not knowing how to behave. But then he thought, since he couldn't even see him, when Pei Yan came later, he would also be rejected...

Thinking of this, he calmed down a bit, and smiled respectfully, "You are too polite, my uncle. My fourth uncle is the elder. If he needs to rest, we, the younger generation, naturally shouldn't disturb him."

"Then Third Prince, follow me to the front hall for a cup of tea." The prince smiled and instructed his daughter Pei Simin, "Minmin, take your cousin to Zhilan Courtyard to play."

Pei Simin responded crisply, and walked up to Pei Lingbi with a smile, "Sister Bi, let's go. Sister Mu Yan from the Zhou family and Sister Juan from the Huang family are here."

Hearing this, Pei Lingbi raised her eyebrows and said, "Didn't Mu Yan get spring rash a while ago? Why is it showing up now?"

Pei Simin shrugged her shoulders and smiled with a gloating look, "You'll know when you go and take a look."