As the secondary capital, Luoyang was an important grain storage site for various prefectures and was also a well-connected canal center. Although not as prosperous as Chang'an, it was also a wealthy place with fine food and finery.
When the carriage approached the south gate, Taoti lifted the curtain and glanced out, slightly surprised, "There are so many people."
Pei Yan sat calmly and said gently, "Before we set out, the palace had already communicated with Luoyang so that they could make arrangements earlier... If you don't want to get off the car later, you can rest in the car. I will go down and talk to them, and then we will go back to the palace to rest."
Tao Ti thought for a moment, blinked and said, "Since we're here, I'd better get off the car with you. I'll just say less."
Pei Yan said, "Okay."
A burst of grand and lively ceremonial music sounded from far away and gradually approached. The carriage stopped steadily and Fu Xirui was waiting respectfully on the side.
Pei Yan led Tao Ti down from the carriage. At the city gate, people in official uniforms of all colors prostrated themselves and shouted in unison:
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, the Crown Prince. May you live forever."
"Your Highness and I pay our respects to the Crown Princess. May your Highness be blessed with good health and may her beauty live forever."
Pei Yan's voice was calm, revealing a bit of majesty, "Everyone, please stand up."
Tao Ti deliberately imitated his tone and said calmly, "No need to be polite."
After hearing this, the officials stood up one after another. Although the two leading officials were both wearing purple robes, there were obvious differences in their robes.
Along the way, Tao Ti'e learned about the situation of Luoyang officials and their families, and he had a general idea in his mind.
Luoyang had a government, and its chief officer was called a mu (prefecture governor). He was usually a prince and held no real power. The person who actually presided over the city's government affairs was the prefect, and under him there were other officials such as the shao yin (secretary of state), the si lu (recordant of military affairs), and the canjunshi (military affairs officer).
At this moment, Tao Ti looked at the two people in front of him calmly, and secretly guessed in his heart:
This square-faced man with a big beard should be the governor of Luoyang Prefecture, the seventh brother of Emperor Zhaokang, and Prince Mu of the Dayuan Dynasty.
The other short and fat man who looked friendly and smiling should be Sun Zhengguo, the prefect of Luoyang.
As expected, just as she made her judgment, Pei Yan bowed to the bearded man and said politely, "Seventh Uncle, how are you?"
Prince Mu laughed twice, raised his hand and patted Pei Yan on the shoulder, and said warmly, "I haven't seen you for half a year. The prince looks much better."
At this point, he looked at Tao Ti meaningfully and said with a smile, "It's true that marrying a wife is different. Good, very good!"
Tao Ti also bowed slightly to Prince Mu and called softly, "Seventh Uncle."
Pei Yan exchanged a few words with Prince Mu, and then gave a brief official greeting to Prefect Sun and a group of officials.
After some politeness, Prince Mu said, "The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess must be tired after a long journey. Why don't you go back to the palace to rest for a while? We can chat at the dinner tonight."
"Okay." Pei Yan nodded lightly, took Tao Ti's hand and got back into the carriage.
The officials retreated to the sides respectfully. Prince Mu stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't expect that my nephew and the Crown Princess have such a good relationship."
After hearing this, Prefect Sun asked in confusion, "Didn't they say before that the Crown Princess was very reluctant to marry into the Eastern Palace, and even..."
Prince Mu glanced at him and Prefect Sun immediately fell silent, smiling awkwardly.
"Just because she was not happy before doesn't mean she won't change in the future. Women, when they marry a chicken, they follow the chicken; when they marry a dog, they follow the dog. After a long time, they will accept their fate." Prince Mu snorted and laughed, "Besides, my nephew is used to winning people's hearts, so controlling a woman is a piece of cake."
Prefect Sun agreed repeatedly, "Your Majesty is right."
After a moment, Prefect Sun remembered something and asked with a frown, "My Lord, since the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have a good relationship, should we still offer the Yu sisters that we have prepared...?"
Prince Mu said, "Everything is ready, so it's time to offer it."
Sun Fuyin: "But..."
"As a man, would you complain about not having enough women?" Prince Mu patted his shoulder and laughed shyly, "In the past, the prince didn't like women because he had never tasted the taste of women. Now that he has married a new bride and tasted the fun, naturally the more the better."
Prefect Sun rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, Your Majesty is absolutely right."
——
The city gates were opened wide, and the carriages slowly entered the city, accompanied by ceremonial music. Officers and soldiers cleared the way, allowing for unimpeded passage all the way to the Luoyang Palace.
The imperial palace is located in the southeast of Luoyang City, covering an area of 2,000 mu. It is magnificent with its halls facing each other, platforms standing in rows, and gorgeous carvings.
After learning the news that the prince was coming to Luoyang half a month ago, Prefect Sun sent people to clean and arrange the place carefully. The prince lived in Tongming Palace, while Tao Ti lived in Jixian Palace not far from Tongming Palace.
The Jixian Hall is gorgeous and spacious, with a field of elegant peonies planted in front of the courtyard. The interior of the hall is spotlessly clean, and there is a faint and elegant fragrance.
The palace servants took the luggage off the carriage and busied themselves with making arrangements.
Linglong helped Tao Ti into the inner room and said softly, "Crown Princess, it's still early now. You didn't get a good sleep on the way. Why don't you take a nap? When the time is almost up, I will help you bathe, change clothes, and dress up so that you can attend the banquet tonight."
"Okay, I'll do as you say!" Tao Ti patted the soft and spacious bed. She felt so moved. She could finally stretch her arms and legs and occupy the entire bed by herself!
God knows that during these days on the road, she tried to shrink her body as much as possible before going to bed every night, for fear of being close to Pei Yan——
Although she didn't know how she woke up in Pei Yan's arms two days in the morning, she was smart and quickly distanced herself from him before Pei Yan woke up, thus avoiding embarrassment.
Linglong helped her to sleep, lowered the smoky pink gauze curtains, and then quietly left.
Tao Ti lay on the soft and fragrant big bed, hugging the slippery silk quilt, and soon fell asleep.
Halfway through, Pei Yan sent someone to ask, and learned that his little Crown Princess was sleeping soundly, so he did not disturb her and let her continue sleeping.
About an hour later, Linglong walked to the bedside and called softly, "Crown Princess, it's time to wake up."
Tao Ti was sleeping on her side with a soft pillow in her arms. Her long black hair spread out like a waterfall. She was sleeping very soundly, with a healthy flush on her fair cheeks, like a porcelain doll.
Hearing the call from the bedside, she rubbed the pillow lazily and moaned softly, "Can I sleep a little longer..."
Linglong watched from the side and thought to herself, the Crown Princess is so lovable that even a woman like herself would feel as soft as a pool of water when seeing her like that, let alone His Highness.
She called her patiently twice before Tao Ti slowly opened her eyes, stretched her body, put on her shoes and got out of bed obediently.
Bath, apply perfume, change clothes, do your makeup...
After the whole set of operations, the bright light outside the window gradually dimmed, from bright to dim, and then from dim to dim.
Lanterns were lit throughout the palace, and a crescent moon quietly climbed up the horizon.
When the voice of "His Highness has arrived" came from outside the house, Tao Ti was admiring herself in front of the bronze mirror.
She was used to being simple and elegant on weekdays, but today she changed into a new set of brightly colored clothes, which looked novel no matter how she looked at them.
Pei Yan walked in slowly, and when he saw the graceful figure in the room, he couldn't help but pause.
She was wearing a scarlet palace gown with brocade flowers, her hair was in a fairy bun, and she wore a red gold and kingfisher ruyi hairpin. On her ears were a pair of gold-inlaid jadeite drop pendants. The green earrings made her skin look even whiter and smoother, and her rosy complexion seemed even more rosy.
Her facial features are already bright, and this outfit makes her even more charming. Her plump figure and fair skin are so charming that one can't help but feel irresistible.
Fu Xirui coughed lightly, and Pei Yan came back to his senses. He frowned and walked forward with big strides, calling out, "Ati."
Tao Ti raised her head, her eyes smiling and sparkling, "Your Highness, you are here! You have a really good eye."
Pei Yan: "... huh?"
Tao Ti turned around in front of him and smiled, "The material of this dress was picked by you last time we went to the West Market. At that time, I thought the color was too bright and didn't want to buy it. Later, you said it looked good, so I bought it. I didn't expect it to look good when I put it on... What do you think?"
Seeing the little girl waiting for his answer with bright eyes, Pei Yanqing's elegant eyebrows slowly relaxed and his thin lips curved, "Beautiful, very beautiful."
He was wearing a moon-white robe with dark silver thread patterns and round flowers. His faint smile was like spring breeze melting snow, as clear as the moon.
Tao Ti's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she sighed in her heart: When it comes to good looks, who can compare to you.
…
The welcoming banquet was held at Lichun Terrace, which is close to Biying Lake. The lake is led into the front of the palace to form a small pond, with rocks as peaks and flowers of all seasons planted. It was early summer, and all the flowers were in full bloom. When the evening breeze blew, the fragrance of the flowers was elegant and refreshing.
Pei Yan and Tao Ti sat in the upper seats, and below them sat Prince Mu and a group of high-ranking officials from the Luoyang Prefecture and their female family members.
After everyone stood up and bowed, they took their seats.
Tao Ti had never been very interested in this kind of banquet and sat there with no interest.
Pei Yan seemed to see through her thoughts and whispered to her, "Today's banquet is Luoyang's famous specialty, the water banquet."
Hearing this, Tao Ti's eyes lit up instantly, "Luoyang Water Feast?"
Pei Yan raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw her reaction, "Have you heard of this before?"
"Yeah, I've heard about it." Tao Ti smiled obediently, thinking, more than just heard about it!
When she traveled to Luoyang in her previous life, she had eaten the hot banquets in several old restaurants. However, the modern Luoyang hot banquet has been improved, and although the taste is good, it always feels like something is missing.
Speaking of this, we have to mention Uncle Thirteen again. Uncle Thirteen was born during the reign of Qin Shihuang, so he has tasted all the famous delicacies in Chinese history in their original flavors; the Luoyang Water Banquet originated in the Tang Dynasty, so he has naturally eaten it as well.
Tao Ti was born too late and missed a lot of delicious food. She could only learn about it from historical records and her uncle Thirteen.
She originally thought that the Great Yuan Dynasty was a fictional dynasty, but she didn't expect that Luoyang here actually had a water banquet. For a moment, she felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky.
"Your Highness, when can we start the feast?" Her dark eyes glowed brightly as she looked straight at Pei Yan.
Seeing her like a greedy little cat, Pei Yan's lips curled up slightly, "Are you hungry?"
Tao Ti nodded honestly, "Yeah, I'm hungry and I'm craving for it."
Pei Yan smiled gently, turned around and said to Fu Xirui, "Let's eat."
Fu Xirui lowered his head and hurriedly gave orders.
At the same time, string music, singing and dancing were performed on the stage, adding a lively atmosphere to the banquet.
After a while, palace maids in light blue palace dresses came in, carrying plates of dishes, like flowing clouds and water.
Luoyang Water Feast is so named because, firstly, all the hot dishes on the banquet are served with soup or water, and secondly, after each dish is finished, the next one is served, constantly refreshing like running water. [1]
Although Tao Ti was looking forward to the delicious food, she also remembered that she was the Crown Princess and could not bring shame to the Eastern Palace, nor could she lose face for Pei Yan.
She sat upright with a gentle and generous smile on her face, showing the true royal demeanor.
Luoyang Water Banquet has a total of 24 dishes, including eight cold dishes, four table décor, eight main dishes, and four tail dishes. The first dish of the water banquet is also the most famous one, Peony Bird's Nest, which originated from the empress Wu Zetian and was named after a great prime minister of China. [2]
When the peony bird's nest was served, Tao Ti's eyes lit up immediately. On the fragrant soup, there was a dazzling goose-yellow peony flower floating, with thin egg skin as petals and light red cherry as pistil. Below it were various side dishes with distinct roots, such as shredded mushrooms, shredded ham, shredded bamboo shoots, shredded chicken, shredded sea cucumber, shredded squid, magnolia slices, etc. Under the side dishes, there was fake bird's nest made of shredded white radish.
The hair-thin shreds of white radish look like crystal clear bird's nest shreds at first glance. They are fully soaked in the rich and mellow soup, with bright colors and unusually delicious taste.
Tao Ti stretched out her chopsticks and picked up a handful of radish shreds. Under the bright candlelight, the radish shreds were so thin that they were almost transparent.
She had heard from her Thirteenth Uncle that cooking peony jelly is a particular test of knife skills. Don't underestimate such a small radish shred. The chef must at least practice to the level of being able to thread ten radish shreds through a needle hole to be considered successful. After that, these radish shreds must be steamed and dried nine times before they can be used in the dish.
She opened her mouth and took a sip, her eyes narrowed in enjoyment.
Pei Yan looked at her sideways and asked softly, "How does it taste?"
Tao Ti finished the one in her mouth and praised, "The bird's nest made of shredded radish has a soft texture and a little toughness. It goes well with the fragrant and delicious soup. It's sour and spicy, very appetizing and delicious!"
Pei Yan saw that she liked it, "Then eat more."
Tao Ti's eyes curled up and she said softly, "Your Highness, eat more too."
The heartwarming scene of the two smiling at each other left the audience with different thoughts.
The women chatted in low voices.
"The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are so deeply in love, they are inseparable. Look at the look in the eyes when the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are talking. Wow, it really makes one's heart melt."
"Yes, I also heard that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess slept in the same room and ate at the same table during the whole journey. After all, they are a newlywed couple and they are very close to each other."
"I've long heard that the Crown Prince is a man of great talent and elegance, but now that I've seen him with my own eyes, I feel that these two words are an understatement when applied to him. And look at the Crown Princess, she's also gorgeous and charming. The two of them sitting together are like a painting, truly a delight to the eyes."
"Who says it's not..."
The officials were not free to chat about the love between the couple, but Prefect Sun was the one who got tangled up. While toasting Prince Mu, he repeatedly confirmed, "Prince, look at this Rehuo Jin'er on the stage. Do you really want Yu Lou'er and Yu Jiao'er to come out?"
Prince Mu drank a large glass of wine and glanced at him sideways, "What do you think?"
Prefect Sun sensed the impatience in the words and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, I will call them up right away."
After the singers on the stage left, Prefect Sun smiled and toasted Pei Yan, "Your Highness, in order to welcome you, I asked someone to rehearse a Huxuan dance, and I am presenting it to you."
Pei Yanqing's eyebrows moved slightly, and he took a sip of the wine in the glass. Then he slowly spoke in a gentle voice with a little indifference, "Prefect Sun is thoughtful."
Prefect Sun responded respectfully twice, then turned and nodded to the chief steward of the Jiaofang Bureau.
The music in the hall suddenly changed its style, from being elegant and gentle at the beginning to becoming cheerful and lively.
Tao Ti was eating hard here, but when she heard the exotic tune, she couldn't help but be attracted. She slowly raised her head and looked towards the center of the hall.
A clear bell rang out, and four sturdy eunuchs came in carrying a huge, aqua-red silk peony flower.
After the giant peony was placed steadily in the center of the stage, the eunuchs hurriedly retreated and the rhythm of the music became more intense.
In the eyes of everyone, the gorgeous peony flower slowly bloomed, with two kneeling little beauties in the middle.
The two beauties were wearing intricate and gorgeous red dance dresses, with loose fluffy long hair, fair skin, three-dimensional and deep facial features, charming amber eyes, and full of charm in every frown and smile.
What's strange is that they not only dress the same, but also look exactly the same, just like twins.
As the music played, they twisted their exposed snow-white waists, as charming and nimble as snakes, with their skirts fluttering, which was extremely seductive.
Tao Ti's eyes were wide open from watching this.
I didn’t expect that although I didn’t see Hu Ji dancing in the West Market before, I saw her in the Luoyang Palace today.
Moreover, these two little beauties are super beautiful and delicate like dolls. With such figures and looks, if they were put in modern times, they would definitely debut as the center of attention in no time.
Who wouldn't like such a charming, beautiful and talented exotic beauty?
Tao Ti watched with great interest and even understood why so many kings in ancient times were obsessed with singing, dancing and women instead of attending court in the morning.
Prince Mu and Prefect Sun were looking at the stage calmly, but they saw that the Crown Prince had an indifferent expression on his face. It was impossible to tell whether he was interested or not. On the contrary, the Crown Princess was watching with a smile on her lips and she didn't even blink.
Prince Mu, "..."
Sun Fuyin: "..."
This seems different from what I expected?
When they were wondering, they saw the Crown Prince glance sideways at the Crown Princess. His indifferent expression finally changed, his brows wrinkled, and it seemed that he said something.
Suddenly, Prince Mu and Prefect Sun seemed to understand something——
Is the prince a coward?
Sitting in the upper seat, Pei Yan's delicate profile was twisted into sharp lines, his brows were furrowed, and he stared at his little princess.
She held her little face with one hand and used the other hand to pick up the wine glass and drink it from time to time. Her carefree and elegant posture made her look like an uneducated dandy in Chang'an City.
Pei Yan couldn't help but purse his thin lips, with a hint of displeasure in his dark eyes.
Isn’t he better looking than the two Hu Ji girls in the audience?
How come I've never seen her look at me so passionately and infatuatedly before?
Perhaps his indignant gaze was too intense, Tao Ti suddenly came back to her senses from Hu Ji's dancing, and looked at Pei Yan with a pair of confused and clear eyes, "Your Highness, why don't you watch the Hu Xuan dance? They dance so well, can I give you a reward later?"
If you can't give me a triple combo with one click, at least you can give me some money as an encouragement, right?
Pei Yan pursed his lips even tighter and stared at her, "Do you like watching them dance?"
Tao Ti nodded, "Yes, she dances so well. I always think that people who can dance have a good temperament, but I am too inflexible to learn it."
When she was a little cub, she cried and shouted that she wanted to learn ballet. Her parents couldn't persuade her and sent her to learn.
After two days of training, on the third day she lay on the bed crying with tears and snot flying: Dad, Mom, I seem to be paralyzed, I can't move my arms and legs.
And then...there is no then.
Her dream of dancing died on the third day of learning.
The memory came to an abrupt end. Tao Ti looked at the twin Hu Ji's slender and flexible waists with longing, and exclaimed, "They danced so well..."
Pei Yan, "..."
He suddenly wanted to pinch her chin and turn her face towards him so that she could only look at him with such infatuation and enthusiasm, and not at anyone else.
Whether it's a man or... a woman.
But reason prevailed, and he didn't do it.
At the end of the Hu Xuan dance, the two Hu girls were sweating profusely, their fair cheeks flushed red, like two gorgeous flowers.
The men in the audience blushed and became restless.
The women in the audience had stern faces and were disgusted in their hearts, knowing only that she was a seductive woman who seduced men!
Although Princess Mu and Madam Sun knew the inside story, they were not happy to see this charming pair of twins.
They are all noble ladies from aristocratic families. They have been taught by their mistresses since childhood, so they naturally look down on these obscene moves that expose the waist and arms.
The Yu sisters Yaoyao and Yanyan stepped forward and saluted towards the stage, "I, Yulouer and Yujiaoer, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess."
The voice is so sweet that it makes one's bones melt.
Pei Yan looked indifferent and said calmly, "Get up."
The two sisters stood up and wanted to look at the stage but didn't dare, so they just lowered their heads obediently.
After a moment of silence, the voice as cold as gold and jade came from above again, but it was not the "Raise your head and let me see" that they expected, but -
"You danced well. The Crown Princess liked it very much. Fu Xirui, reward."
The smiles on the Yu sisters' lips froze, "..."
It was only when Prefect Sun coughed softly that they came back to their senses and quickly bowed down to express their gratitude, "Thank you very much, Your Highness, for your gift."
Pei Yan said, "If you want to thank someone, thank the Crown Princess."
The Yu sisters were stunned for a moment and could only thank the Crown Princess again.
While enjoying the dance just now, Taoti drank a few glasses of wine. Seeing the little beauty thanking her, she was a little flattered. She raised her hand and said with a smile, "You're welcome, you're welcome."
Hearing this somewhat confused tone, Pei Yan turned his head away.
When he saw Tao Ti's rosy little face, a hint of surprise flashed across his cold eyes.
The little girl was fine just now, how come she became so drunk in the blink of an eye?