Two days later, Princess Jingyang's procession entered Chang'an City.

Tao Ti was pulled out of the quilt by Linglong early in the morning and taken to the dressing mirror to dress up.

To show respect, she changed into a complete set of formal dress for the Crown Princess today. Although the material was all silk, it had three layers inside and outside, plus intricate and gorgeous embroidery, making her look like a white, glutinous and sweet rice dumpling.

In addition, Linglong also made her hair into a complicated bun. Her hair was already thick and dense, so in order to support this bun, she had to add a wig.

After finally combing her hair into a bun, she put on a hair crown, gold and silver beaded hairpins, and even her neck, ears, and wrists were all filled with them...

From the gray sky to the bright day, Linglong breathed a sigh of relief, "Crown Princess, I've finished my makeup. Are you satisfied?"

Tao Ti raised her hands to support her heavy head and stared at the mirror for a while. She felt like a shiny money tree that would drop gold if she shook it.

At the beginning of the Si hour, Tao Ti, supported by Linglong, got on the sedan chair heading to Ganlu Palace.

She looked up at the clear blue sky and sighed softly. It was really painful to dress like this in the middle of July.

Concubines of the fifth rank and above in the harem, ladies of the fourth rank and above in the previous dynasty, and the wives of princes and royal relatives were already waiting outside the Ganlu Palace, and several princesses also arrived one after another.

Tao Ti's sedan chair came to a steady stop, and everyone who saw her greeted her.

This was the first time that Tao Ti had seen so many noble women. Her heart tensed, but she remained calm and composed. She smiled politely and nodded to each of them.

Whether you know the person or not, just smile.

After taking a walk among the women, Tao Ti saw that they were all dressed so formally and elaborately, which relieved her resentment of having to make rice dumplings so early in the morning.

We are all in the same boat. When the sun comes out, let's sunbathe together.

Thinking of this, Tao Ti's gaze couldn't help but fall on Pei Lingbi's face. She thought with some viciousness that this girl had such thick makeup on her face. It would be terrible if the makeup got smudged by the sun.

Pei Lingbi noticed the sight and looked over.

When she saw that it was Tao Ti looking at her, she rolled her eyes and turned her face away.

Tao Ti pursed her lips and didn't care.

Soon, the empress Zhou, dressed in her best clothes, came out, escorted by palace maids. She was wearing a dark blue robe embroidered with five phoenixes facing the sun, and a phoenix crown of exquisite workmanship on her head. The pearl in the center of the crown was as big as a pigeon egg, shining brightly under the bright sunlight, which was very eye-catching.

Everyone saluted Queen Zhou.

Queen Zhou smiled dignifiedly and motioned for everyone to stand up.

After some polite words, a young eunuch came running to report that Princess Jingyang's procession had arrived at the Suzaku Gate, and Emperor Zhaokang and his men had gone from the Golden Dragon Hall to the Taiji Palace.

Queen Zhou responded, looked around, and chuckled, "Then everyone should follow me to Taiji Palace."

As she spoke, she waved to Tao Ti again, smiling gently, "Crown Princess, come, come to my side."

Tao Ti, who was silently reciting the mantra "calm your mind and you will feel cool" was suddenly called out. She was a little confused, but after she came to her senses, she walked forward.

Queen Zhou took Tao Ti's hand and said, "Let's go together, mother and daughter. We can still talk on the way."

Taoti, "..."

Who is with your mother and son?

Pei Lingbi was also staring at the side, and that look of disbelief made Tao Ti inexplicably happy, and she agreed crisply.

From Ganlu Palace to Taiji Palace, Tao Ti and Queen Zhou sat together in a spacious sedan chair, which was sheltered by a shed and had ice in it, so they didn't feel hot.

Queen Zhou was concerned about the prince's health all the way. Tao Ti answered according to the situation. She said as much as she could and didn't mention anything she couldn't say.

We managed to get through this dry and awkward chat.

When they arrived at the Taiji Palace, Emperor Zhaokang sat majestically on the high seat, with Pei Yan on his right. Below them stood the princes, nobles, and civil and military officials of the fourth rank and above.

In front of the huge Tai Chi Palace square, the men gathered together, the women stood together, and the dragon-patterned flags fluttered in the wind.

When a ceremonial procession slowly entered from Chengtian Gate, magnificent ceremonial music rang out in the square.

Although Taoti was a little dazed at the moment due to the heat, she became more sober when she heard the music and looked down at the stage.

Wow, what a grand ceremony!

Three gorgeous carriages stopped at the bottom of the steps. The first one to get off was the elegant lady, Princess Jingyang. The next two were the young prince Xie Yanshi of the Duke of Jin's Mansion and the Lord of Qinghe County.

As soon as he saw Princess Jingyang, Emperor Zhaokang's serious face became much kinder. After three years, the brother and sister met again, and their eyes were red.

Princess Jingyang is nearly forty years old, but with proper maintenance, she looks like she is in her early thirties. She is a radiant beauty with mature charm.

After she warmly greeted Emperor Zhaokang, she also said hello to Empress Zhou. Her eyes fell on Pei Yan, and she looked him up and down, nodding her head. "Yan'er looks much taller than he was three years ago, and his complexion is much better."

The young prince and the Lord of Qinghe County had just paid their respects to the Emperor and Empress in an orderly manner when their mother asked, "Yan'er, where is your new Crown Princess?"

Tao Ti shuddered.

When Princess Jingyang and her family followed Pei Yan's gaze and looked in her direction, she straightened her back unconsciously, stepped forward, and greeted them in a dignified manner, "My niece-in-law Tao greets Her Royal Highness the Princess. May Your Highness be safe and happy."

Princess Jingyang narrowed her eyes and looked at him, then said leisurely, "Well, he is a polite person. Come on."

When Tao Ti stood up, the young prince and the Lord of Qinghe County also saluted her.

Tao Ti returned the salute and looked at him calmly. She saw that the young prince of Jin was handsome and handsome, with extraordinary bearing and the elegant demeanor of a scholar.

The Qinghe County Magistrate who was standing next to him had narrow shoulders, a thin waist, a petite figure, and an oval face of a classical beauty, with cheeks as red as fresh lychees and a nose as rouge as swans. Although she was beautiful, she seemed to have some deficiency, like an orchid that was so full that it could not be picked.

After greeting each other, everyone returned to the hall and took their seats, and the palace servants poured them tea.

It was mainly Emperor Zhaokang and Princess Jingyang chatting, with Empress Zhou occasionally adding a few words, while the rest of the people just sat there in silence and listened.

After the brief and joyful conversation ended, Emperor Zhaokang asked Princess Jingyang and her family to return to the palace to rest and continue the conversation at the palace banquet in the evening.

The crowd dispersed in an orderly manner.

Tao Ti thought Pei Yan was still busy and planned to go back first, but she heard Pei Yan calling her name before she even reached the sedan chair.

She slowly turned her head while holding her heavy bun, and saw him walking towards her, her eyes widened, "Your Highness, are you not busy anymore?"

Pei Yan stood in front of her and said calmly, "Well, I'll accompany you back to the palace first."

As he spoke, he helped Tao Ti onto the sedan chair first, and then he sat on it too.

After sitting down, Pei Yan took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped her sweat naturally, "Are you tired?"

Tao Ti enjoyed his caring and gentleness, smiling at him with her eyes bent, "With Your Highness wiping my sweat, I won't feel tired anymore."

Pei Yan lowered his eyebrows and smiled.

As soon as she returned to Yaoguang Temple, Tao Ti let herself go, taking off her clothes while walking, shouting, "It's so hot, it's so hot..."

Linglong followed behind, picking up clothes all the way, and tried many times to remind the Crown Princess to pay attention to her image, but seeing that the Crown Prince was not unhappy at all, but walked to the dressing mirror gently and helped the Crown Princess to take off her bun. Linglong silently chose to keep silent, picked up the clothes and retreated.

Pei Yan slowly took off the pearl hairpins for Tao Ti. When the last long hairpin was pulled out, her long black hair hung down like ink, and a faint fragrance lingered around his nose.

Tao Ti raised her hand and rubbed her neck, mumbling softly, "My neck is about to break."

Before she finished her words, a pair of slender and cold hands touched her shoulders and neck.

Tao Ti was stunned.

Pei Yan had already started massaging her, and his gentle voice rang out, "Is this too strong?"

Tao Ti blinked her eyes, raised her hand, held his hand, raised her fair face, and said softly, "Your Highness, you don't have to help me. You've been tired all morning..."

Pei Yan looked at her quietly with a smile on his face, "It's not tiring to massage my wife."

His words instantly brought Taoti back to the days in Taoyuan Village. Those peaceful and stable days were really...nostalgic.

Pei Yan massaged Tao Ti's shoulders and neck. Tao Ti felt relieved and also went to massage his back.

The weather was getting hot, so the two of them ate a meal of cold noodles made from locust leaves and then took a nap.

But when Tao Ti woke up, Pei Yan was gone. When she asked Ling Long, she learned that Pei Yan had quietly left not long after she fell asleep and went back to Zixiao Palace to handle official business.

Hearing this, Tao Ti felt warm in her heart, and she couldn't help but worry about Pei Yan's health.

He has so much official duties every day, can his body handle it? The emperor is the same, he doesn't even know to assign less work to the prince!

………

The sky was getting darker, the lights were just coming on, and the palace servants were busy coming and going, carrying all kinds of cakes and drinks.

At the palace banquet, there were the melodious sounds of stringed instruments, singing and dancing, and an atmosphere of peace and prosperity.

Emperor Zhaokang sat in the upper seat, Empress Zhou was on the left, and Princess Jingyang was on the right.

Probably to promote their relationship, Emperor Zhaokang asked Pei Yan to sit with Young Prince Xie, and asked Tao Ti to sit with the Lord of Qinghe County.

At this time, Tao Ti had changed into a different outfit. She was wearing a waisted emerald green palace skirt, her hair was combed back into a dignified and elegant concentric bun, and she wore a set of pearl jewelry. She looked refreshing and gentle.

The head of Qinghe County also changed her clothes, wearing a simple royal blue dress and a bun like an unmarried girl. She must have taken a rest in the afternoon, and now she looks better than in the morning.

Although the Qinghe County Lady had reached the age of marriage, she looked very young. She didn't say much. She softly called Tao Ti "cousin-law" and then sat quietly.

Seeing her timid and polite appearance, Tao Ti felt a little fond of her and took the initiative to find a topic to chat with her, "County Lord, do you want to try this fried quail with bamboo shoots? It tastes pretty good."

Qing He was a little surprised, and looked at Tao Ti with his dark eyes. He obviously didn't expect that she would talk to him——

On the way here, my mother repeatedly reminded me that the Crown Princess's mother was overbearing and the daughter she gave birth to would definitely not be easy to get along with.

But now it seems that it is not what my mother said.

Qing He blinked her watery eyes and said softly, "Then I'll try it."

She picked up a piece with her chopsticks, tasted it, put down her chopsticks, and smiled at Tao Ti, "It's pretty good."

Tao Ti asked again, "Would you like to try this osmanthus wine again?"

Qing He was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I can't drink."

Tao Ti said, "This wine is not intoxicating. The wine we women drink is different from theirs."

Qing He gave an apologetic smile, "Don't blame me, cousin. I have had a deficiency since I was young and have been taking medicine, so I can't drink alcohol."

Tao Ti was stunned. No wonder she felt so weak when she first saw her. It turned out that she was really in poor health.

Alas, just like Pei Yan, both are pitiful.

"Then don't drink it. I'll ask them to change the pot of warm water for you." Tao Ti smiled at her comfortingly and turned around to instruct the palace maids.

When she turned her head, she saw Qinghe staring at her with a strange look on his face.

Taoti asked, "What's wrong?"

Qing He shook his head and smiled, "Thank you, cousin."

"Hey, why are you so polite?" Tao Ti waved his hand and started chatting with her about other things.

Sitting on the seat, Princess Jingyang glanced at the audience below, and saw that the young Crown Princess was talking happily with her Qinghe. On the other side, her good nephew looked at the young Crown Princess from time to time, as if he was afraid that his young wife would run away.

Jing Yang raised his eyebrows and thought:

Zhang Yunsu was a rude and unreasonable woman, but the daughter she gave birth to was pretty good.

And there is Gu Yuan. Although he has a bad temper and is hypocritical, he has a pretty good eye for choosing a daughter-in-law.