After Tao Ti came out of Mingyue Palace, she went straight to the East Palace. Unexpectedly, when she just reached Zhide Gate, she ran into Pei Changzhou.

Judging from the direction he was heading, he must have just returned from Queen Zhou.

The Zhide Gate was a straight road, and the two men ran into each other head-on, with no way of avoiding it.

The four looked at each other, and besides surprise, one was disgusted and the other was angry.

Since they had met head-on, Tao Ti adjusted her mood and said with a fake smile, "Your Highness, has the ban been lifted? Congratulations."

Pei Changzhou stared at her and snorted coldly, "You probably wish I could keep you locked up for a few more days."

"See how you speak the truth." Tao Ti smiled politely, acting like a sister-in-law, and glanced at his face lightly, "I think the Third Prince is still in good spirits."

This was full of sarcasm, and Pei Changzhou's face turned red and white.

Tao Ti clearly saw his fist clenched, and then saw him forcefully hold it back. He just stared at her sinisterly and said in a low voice, "Why have you become so mean? You were not like this before."

Tao Ti sneered, "You still have the nerve to talk about the past? It seems that the slap I gave you last time didn't make you realize it. How about I teach you a lesson again?"

Pei Changzhou's eyes flickered slightly, and he took a step back consciously.

He still remembered the pain of the slap last time. Although she looked cute, her hands were surprisingly strong. That day, one side of his face was red and swollen like a pig's head. He was in so much pain that he could only sleep on his side for three consecutive days.

Seeing him like this, Tao Ti snorted and laughed. She was too lazy to talk to him anymore and left with Linglong.

Pei Changzhou looked at her leaving back, a sinister gleam in his dark eyes.

This woman who doesn't know how to lift...

Just wait and see, when she falls into his hands in the future, he will make her wish she were dead!

………

“A-choo—”

"Crown Princess, what's wrong with you?" Linglong asked worriedly.

"It's okay, my nose is a little itchy." Tao Ti raised her hand and rubbed her nose. Could someone be scolding her behind her back?

Thinking of Pei Changzhou's extremely angry eyes, Tao Ti pinched her fingers lightly.

It feels good to confront someone, but think about it afterwards, if Pei Changzhou really becomes the crown prince in a few years, will this guy retaliate against you?

Maybe in the first few years, under the pressure of Emperor Zhaokang, Pei Changzhou did not dare to do anything to himself, the widow of the crown prince. But Emperor Zhaokang would have retired to the second line or died sooner or later. When Pei Changzhou became the emperor, wouldn't it be as easy for him to kill himself as to crush an ant?

It's over.

If that's really the case, then I might as well die with Pei Yan.

The more Tao Ti thought about it, the more pessimistic she became: survival or death, this is a big problem.

Linglong saw her own Crown Princess suddenly sighing and looking a little confused. Just when she was about to ask a question, she suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Crown Princess, where are you going? That's not the direction back to the East Palace."

"Go to the Qinzheng Hall."

"Qin...Qinzheng Palace?!"

Linglong was startled, and when she came to her senses, the Crown Princess had already walked a long distance away, so she hurriedly chased after her.

——

When Tao Ti returned to Yaoguang Palace again, it was already dusk.

The setting sun dyed the clouds a brilliant crimson, and the brilliant flowers in the courtyard were also coated with a layer of tranquil golden red, carrying a hint of the quiet and peaceful years.

Not long after she came back, Pei Yan also came.

Seeing her lazily slumped on the beauty couch, Pei Yan curled his lips and chuckled, "Are you tired after a trip to Mingyue Palace?"

Hearing this voice, Tao Ti was startled and quickly opened her eyes, "Your Highness."

She sat up from the couch, twitched her thin lotus-colored gown shyly, and looked at him with bright eyes, "Have you finished your government affairs?"

"Yeah." Pei Yan nodded slightly, then lowered his eyes to see a few messy strands of hair on her smooth forehead. His eyes moved slightly, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to push them aside for her.

His fingers are well-defined, clean and very nice looking.

There is a hint of coolness on the fingertips, like a piece of ice and snow falling between the eyebrows, touching inadvertently and melting away inadvertently.

Tao Ti stood there blankly, her nose filled with the refreshing and pleasant scent of cold pine from his body.

It was not until she heard the man's gentle voice above her head, "Okay, stop messing around," that she came to her senses. She stepped back a little and whispered, "Thank you very much, Your Highness."

When Pei Yan saw the tips of her small, white ears were tinged with a faint red, he felt inexplicably happier.

The palace maids quickly brought tea and cakes, and the two sat and chatted.

"Your Highness, have you tried all the cakes I sent you today?"

"I've tried them, they're all delicious." Pei Yan replied.

"Just eat whatever you like."

Pei Yan picked up the teacup and took a sip. When he put the teacup down again, he raised his eyebrows and looked at Tao Ti steadily, "Ati, I have something to tell you."

Ever since he called her "Ati" last time, he has been calling her like this.

At first, Tao Ti was a little uncomfortable. Every time she heard him call her with that gentle and extremely magnetic voice, her heart would always be moved. Now, after listening to him for half a month, she has finally developed some resistance.

Tao Ti wanted to reply "You go ahead", but when she saw the serious look between his handsome eyebrows, she suddenly realized something and quickly interrupted him, "Wait!"

Pei Yan, "......?"

"Well, it's getting late, it's time for dinner. The wild peppers I soaked earlier are almost ready to eat. I plan to make a dish of beef in sour soup." Tao Ti stood up and said, "What's the matter? Let's talk about it after dinner."

Pei Yan saw her evasive reaction and there was some doubt in his eyes.

After a moment, he didn't say anything, just replied gently, "Okay, let's talk after dinner."

Tao Ti smiled, turned around and ran to the kitchen.

The soul of beef in sour soup lies in the sour soup, and to make delicious sour soup, you need good chili peppers.

Chop the sour, spicy and crispy pickled wild pepper, cut the green and red chili peppers into rings, chop the yellow lantern peppers into fine pieces, and also cut the scallions, ginger and garlic for later use.

Although there were no machines to slice beef fat in ancient times, Tao Ti had excellent knife skills. She selected a piece of very fresh sirloin, moved the kitchen knife flexibly in her hand, and cut slices of beef fat of appropriate thickness.

Blanch the beef and set aside. Heat another pan with oil and sauté minced garlic, minced ginger, wild pepper and yellow chili pepper until fragrant. Finally, add the thick soup.

The soup base is an attractive golden color, with enoki mushrooms and mung bean sprouts placed at the bottom of the plate, topped with beef slices, and finally poured with a spoonful of hot oil sautéed with green and red chili peppers.

There was a sizzling sound, and the aroma filled the air. The golden soup, white enoki mushrooms and bean sprouts, tender beef, and red and green chili peppers were so delicious that just looking at it would make you salivate.

The palace servants sniffed the sour, spicy and fragrant smell in the air and felt their tongues drooling crazily.

"The Crown Princess is truly amazing. She can create such a delicious dish with simple ingredients."

"Who said it wasn't! When she poured the hot oil on me at the end, I almost drooled!"

"If you ask me, the Crown Princess's knife skills are amazing. I saw that the beef slices she cut were all the same size and thickness, thin, with fat and lean parts, like snowflakes. Wow, this beef must be very tender when it's boiled!"

The palace servants could only smell the lingering fragrance and rely on their imaginations to taste the freshness. Tao Ti had already picked up a bowl of rice and said to Pei Yan with a smile, "Your Highness, let's eat!"

In addition to the sour soup beef she made, there were also several refreshing side dishes sent from the kitchen on the table, light soups, and a combination of meat and vegetables, simple and warm.

But the beef in sour soup is undoubtedly the most tempting. As soon as this dish is served, the rich sour and spicy aroma goes straight into people's noses, making it impossible to ignore its existence.

"Your Highness, this fatty beef will taste better if you dip it in the soup." Tao Ti said as she picked up a piece of beef with chopsticks to demonstrate.

The appropriately thick beef was dipped in the sour soup. The surface of the beef was soaked with the soup and immediately brought to the mouth. The sour, spicy and refreshing soup mixed with the tender and smooth beef was simply delicious.

Seeing her satisfied look on her face, shaking her head, Pei Yan followed her example and ate a piece.

Sour, spicy, fresh, fragrant...

These feelings burst out on his tongue one after another. The beef slices were not overcooked at all, but soft and tender, and the combination with the soup was perfect.

"The soup has just the right amount of sourness and spiciness," Pei Yan commented.

He also tasted the enoki mushrooms and bean sprouts under the beef slices. The enoki mushrooms were sweet and chewy, while the bean sprouts were crisp and delicious. These two ingredients had been buried at the bottom of the soup and had already absorbed the sour and spicy soup. They were just as delicious as the beef.

"This dish goes best with rice. It's sour and spicy and appetizing in the summer, and hot and warms the stomach in the winter." Tao Ti said, scooping the soup with a spoon and pouring it on the rice.

After a simple mix, the crystal clear white rice is wrapped in the soup, and it is full of rich and delicious flavor. After a few mouthfuls of rice, the sour and spicy taste turns into a warm current that flows through the whole body, as if all the meridians in the body are opened up, and you feel satisfied and comfortable, and there is a sense of happiness that is difficult to describe in words.

Soon, the two of them finished the big bowl of sour beef soup.

After finishing the third bowl of rice, Tao Ti leaned back in her chair contentedly, feeling that life was truly wonderful.

Pei Yan rinsed his mouth with tea, wiped the corners of his mouth gracefully, sat quietly for a moment, and asked, "Would you like to walk in the courtyard to help digest the food?"

Tao Ti agreed and stood up leisurely.

It was already dark outside, with a few scattered stars hanging in the inky sky, few but bright.

The backyard of the Yaoguang Palace is very large, with yellow palace lanterns hanging everywhere, emitting a hazy light.

The two walked side by side, the late spring breeze blowing gently.

After walking for a while, Pei Yan stopped and looked down at Tao Ti, "What I want to tell you..."

Tao Ti paused and rushed in front of him again, "Your Highness, can you let me speak first?"

She stood face to face with him. He was tall, at least 1.85 meters tall. She had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye.

There was a hint of pleading in those big, watery eyes and a soft, tender voice, which made it impossible to refuse and unwilling to refuse.

Pei Yan nodded slightly and said softly, "Well, you say."

Tao Ti seemed to muster up her courage, took a deep breath, and said softly, "I know you are going to Luoyang, I...I want to go with you."

Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Pei Yan's usually calm eyes, like ripples rising from a deep abyss.

After a moment, his eyes became focused and serious, and he said in a deep voice, "No."

Tao Ti was stunned. She had never expected him to react like this.

After being in contact with Pei Yan for so many days, he seemed to have never said no to her. No matter when or where, he always said "OK", "Okay", "It's up to you"...

Before, she secretly thought that he would be happy if she could accompany him.

After all, the journey to Luoyang is boring and tiring, and it would be much better to have someone to accompany you.

But now, his refusal was so blunt, like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, chilling Tao Ti's heart to the core.

She looked at him in surprise, her clear black eyes seemed to be stained with a layer of wet mist, and asked in a low voice, "Why..."

Pei Yannong frowned, as if thinking about how to answer.

Tao Ti said, "I am not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and I am not arrogant. If you take me with you, I can cook delicious food for you and take care of you. I won't cause you any trouble..."

As if to give herself some confidence, she stood on the steps at the side, shortening the height gap between her and Pei Yan.

Looking at the little girl in front of him, Pei Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Going to Luoyang, you may have to sleep in the open air, and you may encounter wolves, tigers and leopards, or... other dangers. It's safer for you to stay in the palace."

Hearing his words, countless guesses suddenly popped up in Taoti's mind -

When I used to watch TV dramas with my mother, it seemed like whenever the emperor, prince, or other characters went out, they would inevitably encounter rebels, assassins, bandits, and the like.

Is this what Pei Yan was referring to?

Tao Ti blinked. In ancient times, transportation was not well developed and the security in the wilderness was not good either. Thinking about it this way... it was indeed quite scary.

Pei Yan saw her lowering her eyes and thought she had given up the idea. Unexpectedly, the next second, she looked at him seriously, "Are you afraid?"

Pei Yan was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Tao Ti didn't want him to answer, and said to herself, "If you are not afraid, then I am not a coward. If you are afraid, but you still go, you are brave... Then I have nothing to be afraid of."

Tao Ti felt that since Emperor Zhaokang dared to send his precious son on a long journey, he would definitely arrange enough guards to ensure his safety. She was very confident in the emperor's arrangements.

"Your Highness, can you take me with you? Well, His Majesty has agreed that I can go with you!"

"...Father?" Pei Yan's eyebrows moved slightly.

"Well, I'm going to the Qinzheng Palace to see His Majesty today."

Tao Ti told Pei Yan about her visit to Emperor Zhaokang in the Qinzheng Palace in the afternoon.

When Emperor Zhaokang first saw her coming to his door, he was also very surprised, but he still invited her in.

She came straight to the point and said that she wanted to accompany the prince to Luoyang. Emperor Zhaokang rebuked her for making a fuss. How could she bring a female relative with her when she went out to do business? It would only cause trouble and burden.

So, Tao Ti listed one, two, three reasons with him, promising that she would be considerate and take good care of the prince.

Emperor Zhaokang was moved when he saw that she spoke so logically and her words showed her concern for the prince.

Finally, Tao Ti pretended to be pitiful and reluctant, saying that she was reluctant to give up the prince, was worried about him, and missed him too much.

When Emperor Zhaokang saw her crying, his temples throbbed, as if he were a wicked man who broke up lovers.

Finally, he waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "You can go if you want, but what you said today must count. If the prince comes back thinner, I will hold you responsible!"

…

"My father is very considerate. When he heard that I could take care of you, he let me stay with you."

Tao Ti spoke with a sincere look on her face, automatically ignoring the corny words she had said in front of Emperor Zhao Kang.

Pei Yan never thought that she would be so courageous as to go directly to her father.

Who is our father? Even the princesses fear and respect him. They dare not get too close to him and speak to him in fear.

"Why did you think of looking for him?" Pei Yan asked.

Hearing his question, Tao Ti glanced at him, her misty eyes seemed to carry some slight grievance, "I originally thought that if I wanted to go out with you, His Majesty would be the one who would object..."

Unexpectedly, the emperor, who was known for being difficult to talk to, agreed, while the prince, who was usually easy to talk to, refused.

Oh, she has it so hard!

Pei Yan's handsome profile became even more profound in the hazy light and shadow. As the evening breeze blew, the surroundings were exceptionally quiet.

After a long while, he finally spoke, "Why do you want to go out with me?"

When he asked this question, he stared straight into Tao Ti's eyes, as if he wanted to find something in her eyes.