The sudden arrival of this large group of people left Tao Ti unable to react for a moment.

When she came to her senses, she did not feel as excited as she had imagined. In fact... she even felt a little disappointed because her life was interrupted.

Xu Wenhe remained calm. He stood there without changing his expression or heartbeat. He slowly wrapped the last dumpling in his hand and placed it on the table covered with a layer of dry flour.

Hao Ge'er is young and he has never seen such a scene before. A large group of people suddenly appeared at the door of his house, and each of them had a sullen face and looked like they were not easy to mess with.

He quickly hid behind Xu Wenhe, clutching his clothes tightly with his little hands, and stuck out half of his head, looking at Pei Yan and Zhan Ping, then at Tao Ti.

"It's okay, Hao brother." Tao Ti smiled at him, then looked at the rows of big dumplings with thin skin and thick meat on the table, her eyes revealing a hint of reluctance: her dumplings!

On the other side, Pei Yan signaled Zhan Ping to stand up, glanced at the imperial guards outside the courtyard with an indifferent expression, and whispered, "Wait outside first."

Zhan Ping was slightly startled, "Your Highness, are you not leaving now?"

Pei Yan turned his body and glanced at the corner of his eye. He saw Tao Ti, who was staring at the big dumplings at the table. He couldn't help but smile slightly and said softly, "It won't be too late to leave after you finish eating the dumplings."

Flatten, "..."

Although Tao Ti lowered her head, she kept her ears perked up to listen to Pei Yan's movements. When she heard him say that they should finish eating the dumplings before leaving, her heart suddenly jumped with joy.

She raised her head and showed Pei Yan a brilliant smile, and said crisply, "That's great, I'll go make dumplings right away!"

As she said this, she carried the dumplings to the kitchen.

Xu Wenhe wanted to make a fire, and brought Hao Ge'er in to help.

After a while, a puff of white smoke rose from the dark chimney of the kitchen.

Pei Yan retracted his gaze and calmly looked at Zhan Ping in front of him. Seeing that Zhan Ping had lost a lot of weight, his eye sockets were sunken, and he looked exhausted, he knew that he had spent a lot of effort looking for them in the past few days.

Pei Yan raised his hand, patted Zhan Ping's shoulder heavily, and said solemnly, "A Ping, thank you for your hard work these days."

Zhan Ping was already a little emotional, and now hearing this, his eyes suddenly turned red. He lowered his head, clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, you are really embarrassing me. Your Highness is the one who has suffered, living in such a place, wearing such clothes... As the commander of the left guard of the Eastern Palace, I failed to provide adequate protection this time, causing Your Highness to fall into danger. This is a dereliction of duty, and I cannot deny the blame."

"Okay, don't cry. So many brothers are watching you." Pei Yan said gently.

Zhan Ping suppressed his emotions, nodded heavily, and said "hmm" with a heavy nasal tone.

Pei Yan walked to the side and sat down. Seeing Zhan Ping still standing, he motioned for him to sit down as well. "What is the situation in Luoyang now?"

Zhan Ping was too ashamed to sit down. It was Pei Yan who gave him a look before he sat down and replied, "On the night when you were assassinated, I wrote a secret letter and sent it to Chang'an in an expedited manner. The night before yesterday, Zheng Xuan, the governor of Bianzhou, brought soldiers from Bianzhou to Luoyang to help with the search. Zheng Xuan surrounded Prince Mu's mansion and the prefectural governor's mansion with your majesty's secret decree. Prince Mu and Prefect Sun were both heavily guarded. Luoyang Prefecture was temporarily managed by Zheng Xuan... According to your majesty's decree, Zheng Xuan was also responsible for investigating your assassination."

Jung Hyun.

Pei Yan casually turned the jade ring on his thumb, and the image of a thin and elegant middle-aged scholar emerged in his mind.

"If I remember correctly, this Zheng Xuan was transferred to Bianzhou as an official only two years ago?"

"Your Highness, it's true. Zheng Xuan has just been in office in Bianzhou for three years. He governs well. Under his management, Bianzhou is thriving, the people are wealthy, and the prosperity is no less than Luoyang." Zhan Ping replied.

Pei Yan didn't know what he was thinking. After a long while, he commented lightly, "He is a talented person."

The two chatted about something else, and soon, an enticing aroma wafted out.

It was noon, time for lunch. When I smelled the fragrance, I tried hard to remain unmoved, but in fact I could not resist my body's instinct and I swallowed subconsciously.

He wondered in his heart: No way, dumplings, which are stuffed with stuffing inside, can be cooked so fragrantly? This princess is really capable!

While he was thinking, Xu Wenhe had already brought out a large plate of steaming white dumplings and said to Pei Yan, "Your wife told you to wash your hands before eating."

Zhan Ping frowned. Who is this old man? It would have been fine if he didn’t know His Highness’ identity before, but now that he knows His Highness’ identity, he still dares to speak to him in such an attitude?

But the next second, a voice as gentle as the wind sounded, "Okay, I'll go now."

Pei Yan stood up slowly, took a step forward, then paused and looked back at Zhan Ping, "A Ping, let's eat together?"

Zhan Ping's heart was in turmoil. A voice on the left was saying, "How dare you eat at the same table with His Highness when you have failed in your duties so badly? Have some shame."

Another voice from the right said, "Those are dumplings made by the Crown Princess. You have missed too many delicacies before! If you miss them again this time, you will be thinking about this bite before you go to the coffin, and you will die with your eyes wide open!"

Finally, Zhan Ping said shamelessly, "Okay, okay..."

The four of them made about a hundred dumplings in total, half with pork and cabbage filling and half with pork and leek filling. Tao Ti originally thought that they could make a few more so that they could eat them at noon and still have some left for another meal in the evening and the next morning.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. Zhan Ping and his men came to the door. After eating this dumpling, she and Pei Yan had to leave.

She left enough for Xu Wenhe and his grandchildren for two meals a day, and boiled, steamed, and fried the rest of the dumplings.

So, what was served on the table included the appetizing and delicious sour soup dumplings, the authentic steamed dumplings, and the golden and crispy fried dumplings. One dumpling has three ways to eat it!

Zhan Ping was a little nervous at first, but when he saw Xu Wenhe's grandfather and grandson also sit at the table, he relaxed a little.

Tao Ti placed the prepared dumpling dipping sauce on the table, slowly sat down, and said with a smile, "Everyone, please start eating. Dumplings won't taste good if they get cold."

Unexpectedly, Pei Yan picked up the chopsticks, picked up a fried dumpling and put it directly into Tao Ti's bowl.

Tao Ti was slightly stunned, and looked at him with her big dark eyes, "......?"

Pei Yan looked calm and smiled at her, "My dear, you have worked hard. You should eat the first one."

Tao Ti's heart skipped a beat. Her identity had already been exposed, so why did he still call her like that? Every time he called her like that with a smile on his face, she felt half of her body go numb.

Just...very tempting!

"Okay, I'll eat, and you guys eat too." Tao Ti responded softly, then lowered her head and picked up the fried dumplings in the bowl.

The bottom of the fried dumpling is fried until slightly golden brown, and the surface is covered with a layer of crystal white and tender skin, sprinkled with a few white sesame seeds and green onions. Just looking at the appearance of the dumpling makes people's appetite whet.

When you put it into your mouth, your teeth will make a "crunchy" sound when they touch the crispy bottom, and the two textures of crispy and soft will spread between your teeth at the same time. After biting through the dumpling skin, the fresh soup in the fried dumpling will flow out all at once, hot and smooth, and the vegetables and meat fillings are perfectly blended, with rich layers and deliciousness that will make you want to stop.

Compared to the burnt aroma of fried dumplings, the special feature of sour soup dumplings lies in its soup. The appropriate sour taste combined with a light spicy taste elevates the flavor of the dumplings to another level. A mouthful of warm sour soup and a mouthful of smooth and tender big dumplings are simply a heavenly enjoyment and satisfaction.

Steamed dumplings are not as crispy on the outside and tender on the inside as fried dumplings, nor are they as unique as sour soup dumplings. They are like a low-key and elegant little girl, with a white and tender appearance and not so many fancy things. But pick one up, the skin is soft and fragrant, and during the steaming and heating process, the flavors of the ingredients blend with each other in the sealed dumpling skin, making the soup more delicious. It is a natural and original flavor. If you dip it in hot sauce or sesame sauce at this time, it will immediately bring a different and new feeling to your taste buds.

"Delicious, this sour soup dumpling is the best!" Hao Ge'er's mouth was full and he gave the first choice in his mind.

Tao Ti swallowed the dumpling in her mouth and looked at the others curiously, "What about you? Which one do you prefer?"

Pei Yan pointed at the steamed dumplings and said, "Fried dumplings are a bit greasy if you eat too much, and the sour soup dumplings are a bit strong in taste. This one is not greasy or oily, just right."

Xu Wenhe also pointed to steamed dumplings, "As you get older, this light and delicious one is even more palatable."

Tao Ti was a little puzzled when she saw that no one liked fried dumplings as much as she did. Finally, she set her sights on Zhan Ping, who was as quiet as a chicken and concentrating on eating. "Master Zhan, what about you?"

Zhan Ping still had half a dumpling in his mouth. When he was suddenly called, he lowered his head a little embarrassedly and said, "My Lord, I like them all. All three kinds of dumplings you made are delicious."

Even though he... used to look down on the Crown Princess, he had to admit that her cooking skills were amazing!

Moreover, when he learned about the assassination attempt that day, the Crown Princess rushed forward to block the assassin for the Crown Prince without caring about her own safety. Zhan Ping no longer had any disrespect for the Crown Princess in his heart.

As long as the Crown Princess continues to treat the Crown Prince so well, in the future the Crown Princess will be just like the Crown Prince, a master to whom Zhan Ping will swear allegiance until death!

When she heard Zhan Ping's affirmation, Tao Ti raised her eyebrows in surprise. Oh, the sun rises from the west, and Lord Zhan actually praised her?

As if sensing the meaning of Tao Ti's gaze, Zhan Ping felt even more embarrassed and almost buried his head in the bowl.

After the dumpling feast, Tao Ti and the others had to leave.

When they came, they were in a desperate situation and had nothing in their hands, but when they left, they were truly reluctant to leave.

Hao Ge'er huddled beside Tao Ti, stared at her pitifully, and said, "Big sister, after you leave, will you come back to see us? Oh, I can't bear to leave you..."

Tao Ti was also reluctant to leave. She bent down and touched his head, coaxing him softly, "I will come to visit you when I have the chance... Maybe you can also come to Chang'an to visit me."

As she spoke, she searched her body, trying to find something that could be used as a keepsake.

At this time, Pei Yan came over, took off the jade ring in his hand, and handed it to Hao Ge'er, "Here, take it."

Hao Ge'er was startled and didn't dare to take it. He turned his head and looked at Xu Wenhe.

Xu Wenhe said calmly, "This jade ring is precious, Your Highness should take it back. This rescue is just a simple effort, and the Crown Princess has cooked for you for several days, which is enough to make up for this favor."

Pei Yan smiled gently and said, "Mr. Xu, you don't seek repayment, but I have to repay you. Let Hao take this jade ring. There will always be disappointments in life. If you run into trouble one day, take this jade ring and come to me... If you don't think about yourself, you have to think about Hao, right?"

These words are said with emotion, reason and evidence, and are completely irresistible.

Finally, Xu Wenhe bowed to Pei Yan, said thank you, and then signaled Hao Ge'er to take the jade ring.

Parting is always sad.

Although I only stayed in Taoyuan Village for a few days, the relaxation and leisure during those days are unforgettable.

Tao Ti sat in the carriage, lifted the curtains, and waved toward the small courtyard, "Uncle Xu, Brother Hao, goodbye, goodbye——"

Hao Ge'er pouted and hid behind Xu Wenhe sadly, wiping his tears.

As the carriage moved farther and farther away, the two figures at the gate of the small courtyard gradually became blurred and finally disappeared completely.

Tao Ti drooped her eyelashes and lowered the curtains, still feeling a little uncomfortable.

Pei Yan sensed her sadness, raised his hand, gently rubbed her head, and coaxed her softly, "Okay, think of something happy. For example, after returning to the palace, you can eat whatever you want, and it will be very convenient if you want to take a bath..."

When he mentioned bathing, his voice stopped abruptly, and a trace of discomfort flashed across Qingjun's face.

Taoti, "..."

Well, they may never get over this incident of falling down in the bath in their lifetime.

——

When I returned to Luoyang Palace, it was already 12 o'clock and the sky was completely dark.

Pei Yan first went to Tongming Palace to handle business, while Tao Ti followed the carriage to Jixian Palace.

Linglong had been standing at the door early in the morning with a group of palace maids, looking out. When they saw the carriage coming, the palace maids became excited.

Tao Ti got off the car, and Linglong hurriedly led the palace servants to pay their respects, "This servant/slave respectfully welcomes the Crown Princess back to the palace. I wish you good health and happiness."

Although they had only been apart for a few days, Tao Ti felt as if she had been in another world. Looking at the familiar palace ladies and the magnificent palace, she smiled and said, "Everyone, get up."

Everyone stood up. Linglong wanted to go forward, but after seeing the Crown Princess in front of her, she couldn't help but pause.

The Crown Princess was wearing a rough blue cloth dress, her hair was tied up loosely, and she looked thinner, with a pointed chin, which made her eyes look even bigger. She was leaning on a simple cane in her hand, and looked haggard and dejected. She didn't look as radiant as she was a few days ago.

Linglong's eyes couldn't help but turn red. The Crown Princess must have suffered a lot during this time outside. Her leg must have been injured when she fell into the river.

"Crown Princess, I deserve to die! It's all my fault. If I hadn't stopped you that day, you wouldn't have suffered all this..." Linglong felt extremely guilty and raised her hand to slap herself hard in the face.

Tao Ti was startled, and when she was about to hit him a second time, he quickly stopped her, "Okay, okay, I'm back now. Besides, it's not your fault for what happened last time. It was my own recklessness and impulsiveness..."

Linglong wanted to apologize, but Taoti pretended to be unhappy and said, "I'm back, why don't you help me go in and rest? Are you planning to let me talk to you at the door? I've been sitting in the carriage for the whole afternoon and I'm so tired."

Linglong came back to her senses and hurried forward to support Taoti. "Crown Princess, dinner is ready, and the fragrant soup is also ready. Please have dinner first, and then take a bath. Later, I will massage your shoulders and legs to loosen up your muscles and bones."

Tao Ti blinked her watery eyes and smiled, "That's right!"

Gorgeous clothes, delicious food, fragrant hot springs and soft beds, I miss you so much!