Tao Ti was a little nervous about being kept by Emperor Zhao Kang. At the same time, countless speculations flashed through her mind: why did the emperor keep them here?

Is it aimed at her or Pei Yan?

Pei Yan sensed her uneasiness, held her hand tightly, leaned over and whispered, "I'm here."

Tao Ti raised her eyes to look at him and saw him smiling at her, his eyes and brows were gentle, more beautiful than the moonlight.

Taoti: Okay, I can do it again!

Emperor Zhaokang walked slowly to the couch in front of the window, sat down with a big sword, and after a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "Everyone, sit down."

"Yes." Pei Yan responded and took Tao Ti to sit opposite.

One of them was relaxed and at ease, while the other one lowered his eyes like a timid young wife.

Emperor Zhaokang glanced at them, and finally slowly turned his gaze to Tao Ti, saying in a calm tone, "Tao, you have done a great job this time. If it weren't for your cleverness, Qinghe would have been wronged."

Tao Ti was flattered and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, thank you for your praise."

Emperor Zhaokang stroked the wall of the cup, his eyes were heavy, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. "Just now there were so many people and it was a mess, so I couldn't ask in detail. Now tell me, how did you see the Second Princess's plan? And who knocked the Second Princess unconscious and put her on the bed?"

Tao Ti's heart trembled, but she tried to keep a calm face.

After thinking it over, she said with a stiff face, "My daughter-in-law doesn't have many hobbies on weekdays, except cooking and reading novels. It's a coincidence that my daughter-in-law has seen such a plot in a novel before, and the method is similar to the second princess's. So when she saw the county lord's clothes were wet, she was more cautious."

Storybook? Emperor Zhaokang was speechless for a moment.

Pei Yan was also slightly startled, and then a gentle smile appeared in her eyes. This answer was in line with her personality.

Tao Ti continued, "As for how the Second Princess fainted and how she ended up lying in the same bed with the Third Son of the Zhou Family, my daughter-in-law had no idea. After my daughter-in-law and the palace maids found the Lord of Qinghe County, they brought him out directly. My daughter-in-law was also confused about what happened afterwards."

There was a mixture of truth and falsehood in her words. Her dark eyes flashed with a clear light, showing her doubt and innocence to the extreme.

Emperor Zhaokang stared at her, and she calmed down a little. Originally, she didn't know who made Pei Lingbi faint. She hypnotized herself like this, and her expression became more and more frank.

After staring at each other for a while, Emperor Zhaokang said calmly, "I will investigate this matter later."

Tao Ti lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Then, Emperor Zhaokang said a few words to Pei Yan, and then said, "Okay, it's getting late, and I'm tired, you all should leave."

Tao Ti and Pei Yan stood up, bowed to Emperor Zhaokang, and then retreated together.

Walking out of the Zi Chen Palace, the cool night breeze caressed her cheeks, and Tao Ti breathed a long sigh of relief.

Pei Yan led her to the sedan chair, his dark eyes gazing at her quietly, with an elegant smile on his lips.

Tao Ti tilted his head and blinked, "Your Highness, why are you looking at me like that?"

Pei Yanqing's eyes smiled and he said gently, "Ati is really amazing, smart and meticulous. You helped your aunt a lot this time, and even your father has a new look at you."

He was so frank and sincere that Tao Ti blushed and said embarrassedly, "Well, I just hit you by mistake..."

Knowledge changes destiny. Thanks to the palace fighting and house fighting dramas she watched in the past, she was able to survive!

Pei Yan raised his hand and ruffled her hair, his lips slightly curved, "In my heart, A Ti is the best."

Tao Ti's cheeks flushed and her heart felt sweet.

Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "Your Highness, Pei Lingbi used this method to deal with Qinghe. The Queen should also know about it, right?"

Pei Yan hugged her shoulders, his dark eyes calm, and he uttered a low "hmm".

"Then the Queen is doing this to win over the Duke of Jin? To win over the power of Longxi?"

“It should be.”

"Tsk, she's really brave. This is such a risky thing. Once it's exposed, and they become enemies like they are now, wouldn't that be like shooting herself in the foot..." Tao Ti leaned lazily in his arms and reviewed the matter.

"Wealth and honor are sought in danger. Although the risk is great, if it succeeds, the reward is also great. Besides, if you hadn't discovered the clues this time, their plan would have succeeded in nine out of ten cases. By then, even though my aunt knows that it was their doing, she will have to swallow her anger and marry Qinghe to them for the sake of her reputation. Once she marries, even if my aunt hates the Zhou family, she will have to stand on the same side with them for Qinghe's sake."

Pei Yan's voice became a little colder when he said this. "The mother and daughter's methods are always despicable."

This kind of thing that destroys people's innocence is really shameful. It's a shame for them because they are also women. As women, they have no empathy at all!

Tao Ti thought about it carefully. If she hadn't known what kind of person Pei Lingbi was and hadn't been a little more vigilant, it would have been very easy for Queen Zhou and the others to succeed.

Since this happened on Zhou family's territory and it was a matter between the princess and the county lord, others would not dare to intervene even if they felt something was wrong.

Moreover, the drugs they used were very clever. The wine they drank during the Qushui Liushang ceremony did not contain drugs, but pollen from a flower called purple lily. Drinking the wine alone would not cause any difference, but if it was mixed with the special spices in the incense burner, it would have a strong aphrodisiac effect.

Qing He had drunk a glass of wine during the Qushui Liushang ceremony, and only after she smelled the fragrance did she feel dizzy and faint. However, the palace maids who had never drunk wine would not have any reaction when they smelled the fragrance alone.

"What a good plan." Tao Ti clicked her tongue. If someone has bad intentions to harm others, it is really hard to guard against them. After all, there are only thieves who can steal for a thousand days, but no one can guard against thieves for a thousand days.

"Come to think of it, who knocked Pei Lingbi unconscious?" Tao Ti was very confused. "I asked Ah Chan later. She was guarding outside the whole time and didn't see anyone go in. It's really strange..."

Pei Yan lowered his thick eyelashes and said calmly, "Maybe some righteous person couldn't bear to see this and came to help."

Tao Ti was startled, raised her little face, and looked at him with her watery eyes.

Pei Yan's eyebrows moved slightly.

The next moment, she said in a surprised and excited tone, "Could it be some martial arts master? Like what's written in martial arts books? ... Speaking of which, Your Highness, is there a martial arts world in the Abyss? Are there any martial arts conferences or something like that?"

She had always thought that she was holding a script for farming in the palace, but when Pei Yan mentioned it, she suddenly became curious about the affairs of the martial arts world.

Pei Yan laughed dumbly.

Just for a moment, he thought she had guessed the truth and was really worried.

Seeing her clear eyes and innocent look, he raised his hand to pinch her little face and then started talking to her about the martial arts world.

Tao Ti's attention was diverted in an instant. Even after returning to Yaoguang Palace, taking a bath and washing up, she fell asleep in his arms while listening to the stories of grudges and love in the martial arts world.

After she fell asleep, Pei Yan kissed her forehead as usual and fell asleep in his arms, hugging her soft body.

He slept particularly soundly that night.

………

The next morning, a distinguished guest came to Yaoguang Palace.

When she saw Princess Jingyang, Tao Ti's sleepiness after just waking up disappeared immediately. She adjusted her dress a little stiffly and hurried forward to greet her.

But she never expected that Princess Jingyang would step forward, hold her steadily, and her face was full of kindness, "Good child, no need to be polite."

Such a friendly attitude made Tao Ti feel uncomfortable.

She secretly glanced at the eldest princess, and then secretly glanced at Qinghe behind the eldest princess. Qinghe smiled and nodded at her.

The eldest princess asked, "Ati, can I call you like this?"

"Of course." Tao Ti said without hesitation.

"Good, good boy."

Princess Jingyang nodded, patted her hand gently, and said, "I was busy looking for the empress and her daughter to settle accounts yesterday, and I didn't have time to thank you properly. You are really sorry for what happened yesterday. Otherwise, my Qinghe, ah... if she really fell into the trap set by that mother and daughter, she would not be able to survive, and I would not be able to survive either."

Having said this, she calmed down and glanced at the senior palace maid beside her.

After a while, a dozen eunuchs and palace maids came in, carrying gold, silver, jade, jewels, silks and satins. They stood in a row in an orderly manner, looking very impressive.

"These are just small gifts." Princess Jingyang said solemnly, "We, the Duke of Jin, owe you a favor. If you encounter any difficulties or suffer any grievances in the future, just tell your aunt and she will definitely help you."

Tao Ti also came back to her senses from her initial surprise. Seeing that the eldest princess made a promise and called herself "aunt", it was clear how close she was to her.

She hurriedly said, "Aunt, you don't have to be so polite. Qinghe is your Highness's sister, and she is also my sister. We are all family, and as her sister-in-law, I naturally have to protect Qinghe."

Seeing her sincere expression, Princess Jingyang was touched and nodded, "Good, good... Yan'er really married a good wife."

Thinking of his previous prejudice against her, Jing Yang couldn't help feeling a little guilty. He was too narrow-minded.

Tao Ti invited Princess Jingyang and Qinghe to sit inside the house, and asked Linglong to serve tea and prepare cakes.

Not long after they sat down, and before they had even tasted a piece of cake, Linglong walked in quickly, "Crown Princess, the wife of Marquis Yongwei is here to visit."

Tao Ti was stunned. She subconsciously looked at Princess Jingyang. Isn’t this too coincidental?

As expected, the eldest princess' expression was somewhat unnaturally stiff.

It is said that when rivals meet, their eyes turn red with envy. I wonder what the scene will be like when they meet again after so many years...

Tao Ti was thinking in her mind that if a fight really broke out, she would take the cute Qinghe to the kitchen to hide.