As soon as I returned to the East Palace, it started to rain.

The sky was gloomy, and the palace was also dark. Candles were lit in the palace before noon.

Pei Yan returned to his Zixiao Palace, while Tao Ti lay on the couch like a salted fish.

In her ears was the sound of rain hitting the window lattice. Her mouth was filled with osmanthus chestnut cake, which slightly filled her stomach. She then ate a plate of steamed sugar-coated cheese without stopping. Her hands and mouth were filled with the sweet aroma of milk.

When Linglong saw how much the Crown Princess ate, she couldn't help but wonder: Didn't the Yongwei Marquis's Mansion arrange a banquet? How come the Crown Princess is so hungry?

After a moment's hesitation, she respectfully asked, "Crown Princess, is dinner still scheduled as usual?"

Tao Ti hummed, thought for a moment, and added, "You can ask the kitchen to make something a little heavier. I don't need to eat something so light."

Linglong was stunned for a moment, then she bent down and replied, "Yes."

About an hour later, it was completely dark outside. Exquisite palace lanterns were hung on the corridor. Pei Yanhe arrived at the Yaoguang Palace before and after dinner.

The prince has arrived, so tonight's dinner will still be light, but with Tao Ti's instructions, a dish of braised duck wings with rich sauce has been added to the table.

I saw the thick sauce evenly wrapping the fine-boned and meaty duck wings, with a layer of tender green onions and coriander on top. Under the warm yellow candlelight, it exuded an alluring glow and was filled with fragrance.

Tao Ti picked up a piece and put it into her mouth. With a slight sip, the duck meat melted on the tip of her tongue. Even the bones were stewed to be crispy and tasty. The mellow sauce with a slight sweetness made the duck meat even more tender and delicious.

Although it was not the spicy dish she had expected, it went well with rice. She ate two large bowls of it.

Pei Yan saw that she was eating so happily and couldn't help asking, "Is this dish so delicious?"

Taoti wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Braised duck wings with sauce is not difficult to make, but it does require a certain degree of skill. It's already pretty good to be able to make it like this."

Pei Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Not bad? Have you ever eaten anything better than this somewhere else?"

When it comes to food, Tao Ti becomes excited and her eyes light up. "What I cook tastes better than this."

Pei Yan was slightly startled, "You... can cook?"

Tao Ti blinked her dark eyes, with a little pride on her fair face, "Yes, I'll show you how to do it if I have a chance."

Hearing this, the palace servants were somewhat disdainful: the chefs of the East Palace were all carefully selected by the emperor, and it was a great achievement for aristocratic ladies like them who had never touched women's clothes to be able to make a few kinds of cakes. But she just said it without hesitation, and dared to compete with Chef Yu?

If she is so capable, why doesn’t she go to heaven!

After dinner, Pei Yan was reading a book at the table. Tao Ti did not disturb him and read a storybook on the couch.

The spring rain is drizzling outside the window and the flickering candlelight inside the room illuminates the tranquility and peace of the room.

It was not until late at night that Fu Xirui came in with the medicine as usual.

Tao Ti was feeling a little drowsy when looking at those densely packed traditional Chinese characters, but when he smelled the bitter smell of medicine, he immediately got up from the couch - he was going to take medicine.

Pei Yan raised his head and drank the medicine in one gulp. Just as he was about to put down the bowl, he saw a little girl standing obediently in front of him holding a box.

"Have you finished drinking?" Tao Ti opened the box in her hand, took out a piece of honey kumquat from it, and handed it directly to his mouth, "Come on, open your mouth."

This feeding action startled the palace servants, and Fu Xirui hurriedly said, "Crown Princess, you are..."

Before he could utter the next words, he saw the prince glanced at the candied fruit calmly, and then opened his mouth in cooperation.

Palace people, "!!!"

"You have to chew it to let the sweet and sour taste out, so as to suppress the bitter taste of the medicine." Taoti looked at him and said with concern, "How is it? It shouldn't be so bitter after eating the candied fruit, right?"

Pei Yan swallowed the honey kumquat slowly and said with a smile, "Well, it's not bitter anymore."

"That's good." Tao Ti's eyebrows relaxed, and she put the candied fruit box on the table and suggested, "In addition to candied kumquats, there are also carved ginger, preserved apples, and preserved apricots...why don't you try something else?"

"No, just one piece will do."

Tao Ti looked at him in surprise, rolled her eyes, and asked, "Your Highness, don't you like sweets?"

Pei Yan said in a gentle voice, "It's fine normally, but this candy is a little too sweet for me."

Too sweet? Tao Ti lowered her eyes to look at the candied fruit box divided into four compartments, reached out to take a candied kumquat and put it in her mouth.

After taking a bite, she couldn't help but frown. Isn't the candy in the honey-fried food free? This thing is so sweet that it's cloying. How can you taste the sweet and sour refreshing taste of kumquat?

Then she tried a few other dishes, all of which were a little too sweet.

Tao Ti frowned and nodded gloomily, "It's a bit sweet."

Pei Yan saw her like this and comforted her softly, "You specially prepared candied fruit for me. I am very grateful for your kindness..."

"It's just a small matter. I promised you that I would prepare it, and I won't break my promise." Tao Ti forced a smile and reached out to cover the candied fruit box. "It's better not to eat it. Eating too much sweet food at night can easily cause tooth decay."

While Pei Yan was washing up, Tao Ti asked the palace servants to taste the preserves. They all thought it tasted good, but not too sweet.

After hearing these answers, Tao Ti gave a box of preserved fruits to the palace servants to share, thinking: Perhaps the people of the Great Abyss Dynasty prefer sweet foods, so the preserved fruits in the honey pancake shop in the palace are also made to suit popular tastes?

At present, Pei Yan's taste is quite similar to hers. Well, she has to find a way to get some less sweet preserves so that she can drug him.

——

Maybe she was tired after going back to her mother's house yesterday, so Tao Ti overslept the next day.

When she saw the bright sunlight outside the window, she asked Linglong nervously with her messy hair, "What time is it now? Where is the prince? When did he leave? I got up so late, did I miss the chance to pay my respects to the queen?"

Ahhhh what should I do? It's my laziness that caused me to make a mistake!

Linglong was confused by her rapid-fire questions. After a pause, she said, "It's almost noon now. His Highness got up at 12:00 a.m. He saw that you were still asleep, so he told the servants not to disturb you. His Highness also said that you only need to pay respects to the Empress on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. This is His Majesty's wish."

"!!!"

Tao Ti's eyes lit up. Is there such a good thing?

On second thought, I can understand it. After all, Queen Zhou is not the prince's biological mother, and she probably doesn't like to see me hanging around her. And my main role after marrying into the East Palace is to take care of the prince, not to serve my mother-in-law.

Tsk, the emperor is a doting maniac, and I got some benefits from it.

Tao Ti was in a good mood thinking that she could sleep in happily in the future.

After washing up, the food bureau also delivered lunch.

While serving the dishes, Linglong explained, "The palace usually has lunch together with the Grand Tutor and his friends."

"Okay, I understand." Tao Ti responded, staring at the dishes on the table, a question mark slowly forming in his mind.

What kind of sauce chicken meatballs, sauce-braised spareribs, sauce-braised fish fillets, sauce-braised eggplant...

Most of the dishes are braised with sauce.

Maybe the kitchen saw that she really liked the braised duck wings with sauce, so they changed the dishes for lunch today to this?

Taoti, "..."

I just... don’t know how to put it.

Seeing that she had not picked up her chopsticks, the eunuch in the dining hall asked cautiously, "Crown Princess, is this dish not to your taste?"

Tao Ti came back to her senses and looked at the eunuch, "Does the kitchen of the East Palace have chili peppers or any other spicy seasonings?"

"Spicy?" The eunuch was startled, thought for a moment and answered, "We have dogwood, pepper, sea pepper, Sichuan pepper, millet pepper, and goat horn pepper..."

All of them?!

Tao Ti's eyes lit up. Ahhhhhhhhh, her hot pot, malatang, hot and sour noodles, chopped pepper fish head, boiled pork slices, spicy fried rice noodles, spicy chicken, spicy duck neck... all came true!

She immediately stood up and said excitedly, "Linglong, accompany me to the kitchen."

Seeing that the master was going to the kitchen and specifically asked Linglong to follow, Zishuang, who was also serving beside him, became a little anxious. She didn't know what was wrong with the master. After the wedding night, he was inexplicably distant from her. This couldn't go on!

Zishuang's eyes rolled around and she said hurriedly, "Master, the kitchen is filled with fumes. You are so precious, why are you going there? If you need anything, please ask Yuan Zheng from the Food Bureau to come over."

Tao Ti glanced at her and said, "No instructions, I just want to go to the kitchen to take a look."

Zishuang choked and wanted to say something, but Taoti had already taken Linglong out.

Zi Shuang bit her lip in hatred. She didn't know how this little bitch Linglong could flatter the master to make him value her so much! It was really infuriating!

——

The Eastern Palace is big, but also small. It didn’t take long for the news that the Crown Princess went to the kitchen to spread.

"Have you heard that the Crown Princess complained that the food sent by the kitchen didn't taste good, and she lost her temper on the spot. Not only did she throw her chopsticks, she also ran to the kitchen to ask for an explanation... Now the person on duty in the kitchen is going to be in trouble."

"No way? She's not satisfied with the food that Chef Yu cooks?"

"Who knows... Anyway, I've heard that this Crown Princess is not a good person. Before she got married, she cried, made a fuss, and even threatened to hang herself. She refused to marry into our East Palace. She has only been married for a few days, and she is making trouble again!"

The rumor spread like wildfire, and there were even multiple versions of it, including that the Crown Princess overturned the table, that the Crown Princess slapped the eunuch who delivered the meal, that the Crown Princess ordered that all the chefs in the kitchen be replaced...the stories were all very detailed.

By the time Pei Yan heard this, it seemed like the Crown Princess was so angry that she wanted to destroy the kitchen.

Pei Yan, "..."

The chatterbox Zhan Ping was still blabbering, "Your Highness, you really need to keep an eye on the Crown Princess! Who wouldn't say the food in the kitchen of the East Palace is good after eating it? But she is so picky! She smashed the kitchen today, and tomorrow she will tear off the roof of the East Palace?!"

Pei Yan looked at him calmly, "Where did you hear these words from?"

"When I came here just now, the palace people I met along the way were talking about this."

Pei Yan pursed his lips slightly and called the eunuch Fu Xirui in again, "Where is the Crown Princess now?"

Fu Xirui hesitated for a moment, lowered his eyes and replied, "The Crown Princess...seems to be in the dining room."

Zhan Ping shrugged his shoulders and gave Pei Yan a look that said, "See, I didn't lie to you."

Pei Yan coughed twice.

Zhan Ping was startled, "Hey, Your Highness, please don't get upset over a woman like that."

Pei Yan said nothing. After a moment, he stood up and walked out of the study.

"Where are you going, Your Highness?" After Zhan Ping finished speaking, he couldn't help but slap his head. Hey, where else could he go? He must be going to settle accounts with the Crown Princess!

Thinking of this, he quickly followed, shouting, "Your Highness, please wait for me. I will go with you."

Don’t miss this excitement!