Zhang obviously didn't expect Princess Jingyang to be there.

Seeing the eldest princess sitting beside the couch in her gorgeous dress, she was distracted for a moment before she remembered to perform the formalities and knelt down, saying, "Your Highness, Zhang pays respects to Her Highness, the eldest princess. May Your Highness be blessed with good health."

Princess Jingyang said softly, "No need to be polite."

Although she had a feud with Zhang Yunsu, it was not a feud that could never be resolved. After all, who didn't dislike a few people when they were young?

So many years have passed, and looking back on that matter, it no longer matters. Besides, it was Zhang Yunsu's daughter who saved her own daughter.

Zhang sat down slowly. She came to the East Palace today to discuss an important matter with Tao Ti.

But since the eldest princess was there, she couldn't say anything and just sat quietly.

For a moment, Princess Jingyang remained silent, Zhang remained silent, and the two children, Tao Ti and Qing He, did not dare to interrupt. The palace suddenly became quiet, and the air was filled with awkwardness.

Tao Ti was in a good mood. This situation was better than she had imagined. She thought that when the two of them saw each other, they would make sarcastic remarks and fight back and forth, but she didn't expect it to be so calm.

After a moment's silence, she smiled awkwardly and tried to find a topic, "Aunt, mother, Qinghe, everyone please try this tea. This jasmine honey tea is very sweet, and you can add ice to it yourself."

Several people picked up their teacups and drank tea in silence.

Taoti, "..."

It seems a bit difficult to carry.

She herself was not good at livening up the atmosphere, and after much thought, she decided that instead of just standing there in such an awkward position, it would be better to leave the stage to this pair of former enemies and let them perform freely.

She put down the teacup, looked at the bright sunlight outside the window, and coughed lightly, "Aunt, mother, it's almost noon. It's a rare opportunity for us to meet. Why don't you stay and have a quick meal together? You two are old acquaintances, so just chat first... I'll go to the kitchen to check."

Having said that, she stood up from the couch and ran away without waiting for the two of them to speak.

Seeing this, Qing He also put down his cup and said in a low voice, "I, I'll go see if there's anything I can help with."

She stood up and quickly followed Tao Ti's pace, "Cousin, wait for me--"

In the blink of an eye, Princess Jingyang and Zhang were the only ones left in the palace, staring blankly.

The air seemed to freeze, and even the palace servants who were serving nearby lowered their heads and held their breath.

After an unknown amount of silence, Princess Jingyang slowly raised her eyelids and pointed to the seat opposite her with her slender jade finger, "Sit opposite me, let's chat."

Zhang replied softly, "Yes."

She stood up from the crescent stool, sat on the couch, and adjusted her sleeves and skirt. Every movement she made was polite and meticulous.

Princess Jingyang leaned back on the cushion, narrowed her eyes, and looked at Zhang in a gloomy manner. After a while, she couldn't help but said lazily, "Zhang Yunsu, I haven't seen you for so many years. Why are you becoming more and more pretentious? You weren't like this before."

Zhang's fingertips trembled slightly, and her eyes remained downcast.

Seeing that she remained calm, the eldest princess frowned even more deeply, "We both know what kind of person each other is. You are still pretending to be a dignified lady in front of me. It's meaningless."

At this point, Zhang finally showed some reaction. She slowly raised her eyes, with a bitter smile on her calm face, "After so many years, the princess is still as quick-witted and outspoken as ever..."

The princess couldn't tell whether she was indirectly mocking her or really exaggerating.

Pursing her lips, she glanced sideways at Mrs. Zhang and said without euphemism, "The last time I saw you was six years ago. Why do you seem so much older? You are obviously the same age as me, but you have gray hair on your temples."

Zhang was startled for a moment, and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her hair. She looked up and saw the graceful and rosy-faced eldest princess opposite her, and said hesitantly, "Your Highness, you are a daughter of gold, a descendant of the dragon and the phoenix, so naturally you have to be young..."

The eldest princess: "..."

She frowned and stared at Zhang for a long time. Suddenly she thought of something and stopped being as aggressive as she was at the beginning. She just whispered, "How have you been these years?"

Zhang smiled and said, "Not bad."

"Is Tao Bosong treating you well?"

Zhang's eyes flickered, and she maintained a smile, "Yeah, it's not bad."

The princess was silent for a long time before she said loudly, "Zhang Yunsu, you are treating me like a fool."

Zhang was startled to see the eldest princess staring at her with a solemn expression. It was clear that she had seen through her disguise.

The two looked at each other in silence.

Zhang lowered her head silently, her hands tightly clenched under her robe sleeves, and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips, "I didn't expect that you know me best."

Seeing that she was no longer pretending, the eldest princess half-jokingly said, "Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. After all, we have fought for the same boy before."

Although none of them married the handsome young man in fine clothes in the end, and the young man has now become a middle-aged man with a fat body, the youthful years are still quite interesting to recall now.

Zhang finally took off her dignified mask, but the spirit and vitality in her eyes and eyebrows were no longer easy to find.

The two chatted peacefully for a few words, and then a palace maid brought two bowls of bird's nest stewed with rock sugar and snow pear. "The Crown Princess said that this rock sugar and snow pear bird's nest is the best for beautifying and soothing the mood. Let the Princess and the Marquis have a bowl of dessert first to fill their stomachs. She will prepare lunch herself, which may take some time."

The bird's nest stewed with rock sugar and snow pear is not served in a cup, but a hollowed-out snow pear is used as a carrier. A small flower is carved on the light yellow snow pear, which looks delicate and interesting.

“The Crown Princess is so thoughtful.” Princess Jingyang smiled and looked down at the soup. The bird’s nest was cooked into a thick soup, dotted with a few red wolfberries. The sweet aroma of the steaming soup was mixed with the fragrance of snow pear.

The princess scooped up a spoonful and put it into her mouth, her beautiful eyes lit up.

This bowl of bird's nest stewed with rock sugar and snow pear has effectively removed the fishy smell of the bird's nest. The fragrance and sweetness of the snow pear have fully permeated into the bird's nest, and the two are perfectly blended and very delicious.

After tasting it, Zhang also thought it was very good.

After the two of them finished half a cup, the princess said to the palace maids, "You can leave first. I want to have a private conversation with the Marquis' wife."

After all the palace maids left, the eldest princess stared at Zhang with a gloomy face and asked sharply, "What happened to your right wrist?"

Zhang was stunned for a moment, subconsciously hid her right hand, and said vaguely, "No, nothing."

The princess frowned, "Did Tao Bosong attack you?"

"No, no, I bumped into it by accident."

"Humph, you are really capable to have been hit like this." The eldest princess didn't believe it. She had just clearly seen the bruises on Zhang's wrist when she was drinking soup with a spoon. The shape of the bruises was clearly the result of someone pinching her wrist hard.

Princess Jingyang had also heard that Marquis Yongwei had been taking concubines over the years.

Seeing that Zhang was trying to cover up her crime, the princess sighed.

When she first married to Longxi, she was still unwilling, thinking that marrying a rough man who only knew how to wield a spear and a stick would make her life extremely boring. Later, when she learned that Zhang Yunsu and Tao Bosong were engaged, she felt even more unbalanced. Why should she marry a rough man, while Zhang Yunsu could marry a gentle and refined young man from Chang'an?

She never thought that although her husband was a military general, he was willing to change for her and respected and cared for her. They had been together for these years and their life was quite comfortable and fulfilling.

On the other hand, if you look at Zhang Yunsu's eyes, you can tell whether a woman is living a good life or not.

Zhang Yunsu used to have such lively eyes, but now they are as dull and lifeless as fish eyes.

"He didn't really hit me. We just had an argument while talking and he squeezed my hand with a little more force." Zhang lowered her eyes and explained lightly.

She didn't want to be a complaining woman, so she just pulled the corners of her mouth and revealed a cold smile, "Men are afraid of choosing the wrong career, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man... Forget it, I've lived for most of my life, and I've become indifferent to men. Now the only person I care about is A Ti, as long as she's fine, I'm fine."

Princess Jingyang frowned and curled her lips, "Your vision in choosing men is not good, but he is not completely useless. At least he has raised a good daughter."

Zhang smiled, accepting this awkward consolation.

The two of them chatted leisurely while eating bird's nest with rock sugar and snow pear.

After talking for a while, Princess Jingyang sighed for some reason, "To be honest, I used to envy you, Gu Yuan, and Lu Minyue. You three are so close, but I am a princess, but I don't even have a close friend. I am surrounded by people who flatter me and want to get something out of me... So I always targeted you..."

At this point, she and Zhang both smiled.

"I never thought that twenty years have passed, Gu Yuan has already returned to the dust, and you and Lu are separated and can't see each other often..." Princess Jingyang shook her head and laughed at herself, "But we two are sitting together and chatting like good friends."

Zhang also said, "Yes, things in the world are unpredictable."

When we were young, we always thought too simply. The years passed like clouds and smoke. When we looked back, most of our life had already passed.

In this side of the room, the two enemies laughed away their grudges, while in the other side, waves of rich aromas were emanating from the small kitchen.

In order to entertain Princess Jingyang and Zhang, Taoti prepared eight dishes, one soup and snacks.

The eight dishes were: duck with osmanthus, stewed lion's head, braised pork with ingot sauce, five-spice smoked fish, beef stewed with potatoes, garlic and spicy chicken, pork waist wrapped with Wan Guan, and stir-fried oil-wheat vegetables. The soup was West Lake beef soup, and the snack was a plate of thousand-layer oil cake.

These dishes include light, spicy, and good with rice, and each one looks very tempting when displayed.

Qing He couldn't remember how many times he swallowed just by watching.

"Cousin, you are amazing. Every dish looks delicious!"

"The potato stewed with beef is almost ready. Qinghe, go tell my aunt and my mother to wash their hands and eat."

Tao Ti gently stirred the stewed beef in the pot. The rich aroma and the hot steam continued to spread, making people's appetites rise.

Qinghe agreed readily and went on with his work.

Having cooked so many dishes, Tao Ti naturally would not forget Pei Yan. She divided some of each dish and asked Linglong to send it to Pei Yan.

"The Crown Princess is so kind to the Crown Prince." Linglong said with a smile as she loaded the dishes. "Eunuch Fu said that every time the Crown Prince eats the food cooked by the Crown Princess, his appetite will be very good."

"He is my husband, so I must be nice to him."

Tao Ti smiled with her eyes narrowed, and Pei Yan was also very nice to her.

Although she had never been in love before, she knew one thing very well: love is about giving and giving, not one-sided demands.