The journey from Luoyang back to Chang'an was smooth and without wind or rain.

Compared to the restraint on the way here, on the way back, Tao Ti relaxed a lot in front of Pei Yan. Whether she slept on his shoulder or on his legs, she didn't have the psychological burden she had before.

This is a husband who shares the same feelings with her!

As she thought this, many intimate things became natural, such as hugging him from time to time, touching him, and being bolder, kissing him.

Of course, she didn't dare to kiss him too often. Every time she kissed him secretly, he would press her down in the car and kiss her until her legs became weak.

The two of them were mostly affectionate in the carriage. In front of outsiders, they just held hands and hugged shoulders at most, which was not much different from before.

They slept in the same bed at night. On the first night, Tao Ti was still a little shy, but when Pei Yan got on the bed, he pulled her soft body into his arms. After they hugged each other for a while, the shyness gradually dissipated and turned into a kind of sweetness of peace of mind.

In the following nights, she slept openly in Pei Yan's arms. He had a cool and pleasant pine scent on his body, and his body temperature was relatively low. On this early summer night, it was particularly comfortable to hold him in her arms.

Whenever she hugged his slender waist, Tao Ti would always think, no wonder Qiongqi was so keen on falling in love and changing boyfriends one after another, it turns out that falling in love is such a happy thing!

The Donggong group traveled for seven days and finally returned to Chang'an City at noon on the eighth day.

The gates of Chang'an were wide open, and Prime Minister Zhou and Li Gui, the chief eunuch beside Emperor Zhaokang, personally greeted them at the gate.

Common people from both sides were shoulder to shoulder watching the excitement. The story of the prince being assassinated in Luoyang spread among the people, whether true or false. Storytellers even made up all kinds of legends, each one more bizarre than the last.

The carriage went straight from Zhuque Street to the Imperial City, passed Zhuque Gate and Chengtian Gate, and arrived at Taiji Palace Square. Emperor Zhaokang, Empress Zhou, and all the civil and military officials were already waiting.

When they learned that Emperor Zhaokang had made such a grand ceremony to welcome the Crown Prince, Pei Changzhou and Pei Lingbi were jealous. They felt that the Crown Prince was just coming for an inspection from Luoyang, but he was being treated like a general returning from a victory. Was it really that necessary?

Queen Zhou didn't even bother to glance at them, and said directly, "Whether it is so or not is not up to you to decide. Your father wants to give him this honor, so who cares what you think?"

Pei Changzhou and Pei Lingbi choked and shut their mouths.

When the carriage stopped steadily in front of Taiji Palace, Pei Yan, dressed in a misty white robe, got out of the carriage, turned around, opened the curtain, and helped Tao Ti down.

Knowing that she would be arriving at the palace today, Tao Ti didn't want to dress casually like she would for the journey, so when she left the post station in the morning, she asked Linglong to dress her up. She changed into a gorgeous goose yellow brocade skirt, combed her hair into a flying fairy bun, and also pinned on a lot of gold and silver jewelry.

With this preparation, she instantly transformed from a casual and gentle little beauty into a dignified and elegant princess consort.

After getting off the carriage and seeing the huge crowd, Tao Ti's clear eyes flashed with surprise. She came to Pei Yan's side and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Your Highness, why are there so many people?"

Pei Yan's face was calm, and he said, "My father came to greet me personally, so this is actually a small ceremony."

Taoti, "..."

Pei Yan held her hand and smiled gently, "It's okay, I'll go with you."

Tao Ti then felt a lot more at ease. She stood side by side with him, holding hands, and walked up the white jade steps step by step to the platform.

The midday sun felt a little hot on my scalp, but what was even hotter was the stares of everyone.

Tao Ti pursed her lips, thinking nervously, should His Highness not hold her hand? Was she doing something wrong again?

After thinking about it for a while, she and Pei Yan came in front of Emperor Zhaokang and Queen Zhou.

"Your son greets the Emperor and the Empress." Pei Yan bowed.

"The daughter-in-law pays homage to the Emperor and the Empress." Tao Ti followed suit.

Emperor Zhaokang raised his hand and said, "No need to be polite."

His eyes fell on Pei Yan, and he took a big step forward, put his hands on Pei Yan's shoulders, and looked him up and down carefully. Seeing that he looked okay, he was relieved, "Yan'er, how do you feel now? Have your injuries healed?"

Pei Yan chuckled and said, "Thank you for your concern, father. My injury is not serious."

Emperor Zhaokang heaved a long sigh and greeted Pei Yan lovingly. Pei Yan answered all his questions with a smile.

This scene of loving father and filial son gave everyone different opinions.

Tao Ti tried hard to maintain a standard smile. Although she was touched by Emperor Zhaokang's concern for Pei Yan, it was very embarrassing for such a big person to stand there and be selectively ignored by Emperor Zhaokang!

She had to distract herself and look at other people's reactions.

She caught a glimpse of Queen Zhou, who was smiling without a trace, and of Pei Changzhou and his sister, who looked unhappy, but most people had expressions of gratitude on their faces.

After some pleasantries, Emperor Zhaokang finally gave Tao Ti, his daughter-in-law, a look, "Crown Princess, do you remember what you said to me when you left the palace?"

Taoti, "......?"

She was stunned for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she was a little flustered, "Daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law..."

Emperor Zhaokang snorted, "I've already said that if the prince comes back thinner, I'll only ask you! Look at him, his chin is so pointed..."

Tao Ti swallowed her saliva and was considering her words when she heard Pei Yan say, "Father, the Crown Princess has taken good care of me along the way. If she hadn't risked her life to save me, I would have been in great danger."

Emperor Zhaokang glanced at Tao Ti and said in a deep voice, "For this matter, I will not bother with you."

Tao Ti breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly, "Thank you, father."

Emperor Zhaokang ignored her and turned to Pei Yan and said, "You must be tired after the bumpy journey. Go back to the East Palace to rest first. We can have dinner together as a family tonight."

Pei Yan agreed and took Tao Ti back to the East Palace first.

On the carriage to the East Palace, Pei Yan saw that she was like a frightened deer, and comforted her, "Don't worry, father was just joking with you."

Tao Ti frowned and muttered aggrievedly, "This doesn't sound like a joke at all. If you hadn't spoken up for me, he would have really punished me."

"Father is not a tyrant, so how could he randomly punish people?"

Pei Yan chuckled twice, raised his hand and pinched her soft face, coaxing her, "Father is just a little stern, he usually talks to people like this. You just kept your head down and didn't see his expression, he really didn't blame you... On the contrary, Father recognizes you as his daughter-in-law."

Taoti, "Huh?"

Pei Yan frowned, "He said that we should have dinner together as a family tonight."

He particularly emphasized the three words "family".

Tao Ti was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up. She was too nervous just now and didn't pay close attention to the wording.

Now that she thought about it, she felt more relaxed, but she couldn't help but sigh, "Fortunately, Your Highness has inherited the late Queen's temperament. If you were like His Majesty... well, no matter how beautiful you are, I wouldn't dare to get close to you."

Hearing this, Pei Yan lowered his eyes, and his thick eyelashes hid the dark emotions in his eyes.

Does he take after his mother's temperament? No, he is more like his father.

But what she liked was his gentle and gentle side, not the gloomy and cold side inside him...

Then he should cover it up and just act like she likes it so as not to scare her away.

"Your Highness, Your Highness?" Tao Ti called twice, her bright eyes staring at him in confusion, "What are you thinking about?"

Pei Yan came back to his senses and smiled faintly, "Father is never like this in front of mother. He is very good to mother, doting on her, and he wants to bring the best in the world to her."

Tao Ti's eyes moved as she thought of the clean and magnificent Fengyi Palace, and then of Emperor Zhaokang's love for Pei Yan. She nodded without saying much.

The carriage rumbled and drove steadily into the East Palace.

Pei Yan returned to Zixiao Palace first, while Tao Ti returned to her Yaoguang Palace.

Ever since they heard seven days ago that the Crown Prince and his party had set out from Luoyang, the palace servants who stayed behind in Yaoguang Palace became delighted. They cleaned the palace from top to bottom, even wiping the floor tiles until they were shiny.

When they saw the Crown Princess's carriage approaching, the palace maids lined up in two neat rows, and as soon as the carriage stopped, they bowed and saluted.

Looking at the smiling faces of the palace servants, Tao Ti inexplicably felt a sense of honor as a leader reviewing the troops. She greeted them in a friendly manner, and then, with Linglong's help, she went into the house to rest.

After a quick wash, Tao Ti lay down on her familiar big bed and took a comfortable nap.

This time, I slept very soundly.

When I opened my eyes again, I found someone else beside me——

Seeing Pei Yan sleeping on his side, Tao Ti's brain was stunned for a moment. Why was he sleeping here?

As if sensing her doubt, Pei Yan slowly opened his eyes, his dark pupils were misty, and his voice was a little hoarse, "Awake?"

She looks so beautiful even when she just wakes up, it's amazing.

Tao Ti's cheeks turned slightly red, "Hmm..."

She glanced outside and saw a faint light shining through the curtains, which meant it was not dark yet.

"Your Highness, when did you come?"

Pei Yan's hands had been on her slender waist all along. At this moment, he pulled her into his arms, like a lazy lion, firmly capturing his prey.

His chin rested against her hair affectionately, and he said lazily, "I came here after I finished packing at Zixiao Palace. Seeing that you were sleeping so soundly, I lay down and slept with you."

Tao Ti gently grabbed his collar and whispered, "Should we get up now? We have to dine with His Majesty tonight."

Pei Yan closed his eyes and rubbed his chin against her, "Be good, let me hold you for a while, okay?"

Taoti's heart skipped a beat when she heard the casual, coquettish and lazy tone. She was really powerless to resist.

She also closed her eyes quietly and nestled in his arms.

Linglong was still calculating the time outside the door. She was afraid of delaying things, so she gritted her teeth and called them, and the two people on the bed slowly got up.

Pei Yan changed into a bamboo green robe, looking slender and tall, with a handsome face. If he were to wear a folding fan, he would definitely be a handsome and elegant young man in this troubled world.

Tao Ti also chose a light blue dress and wore her hair in a heart-shaped bun. Because tonight was a family dinner, she did not dress too gorgeously. She only chose a jade headpiece, which made her look gentle and noble.

After everything was ready, the two stood together, and the palace servants all showed an expression of amazement: the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess really look more and more well-matched!

As night falls, the lights come on.

On the way to Zichen Palace, Tao Ti was still a little nervous, "Your Highness, are there only the three of us and His Majesty tonight?"

Pei Yan said, "The Queen and the others should be here too."

When Tao Ti heard this, she probably thought that the more people there were, the more lively it would be, which would distract Emperor Zhao Kang's attention, so she became less nervous.

As they were talking, the two arrived at the Zichen Palace.