Pei Yan just stood there straight, his handsome face expressionless, his slender fingers clenched slightly, and his eyes were cold.

She not only smiles like this to herself, she also smiles so happily to other men.

What was her relationship with this Ashina Qi? If they were so familiar with each other just after meeting for the first time, it would be too strange.

Many guesses flashed through Pei Yan's mind, but those rational guesses were gradually overshadowed by anger and discomfort.

He wanted to kill Ashina Qi.

Then he locked Taoti up and made her stay by his side, not letting her go out to attract other men.

Although there was a distance between them, Linglong couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat when she saw the prince's expressionless face.

Seeing that the Crown Princess was chatting enthusiastically with Prince Rongdi, Linglong didn't care about that anymore. She thought that she could save as much as she could and walked into the pavilion with gritted teeth.

She whispered, "Crown Princess, it's almost noon, we should go back."

Tao Ti was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the bright sun. "Yes, time flies so fast, and the whole morning has passed."

Qiongqi glanced at Linglong, seeming to be thinking about something.

Tao Ti asked Linglong to go down first, and took the opportunity to say to Qiong Qi, "It's a pity that it's inconvenient for you to come back with me, otherwise we could talk while eating. Alas, your identity is too inconvenient..."

Qiong Qi shrugged and threw up her hands helplessly, "What can I do? Among the royal family members who recently passed away, this Prince Rongdi is the most suitable. I would like to vote for a princess, but I can't just take her away. That would bring disaster upon me."

Tao Ti originally wanted to ask "Why are you so obsessed with your identity as a member of the royal family?", but then she changed her mind and realized that in ancient times when class hierarchy was strict, the higher the status, the better, which was understandable.

"Well, think about it from another angle. Although it's not very convenient for you to meet me, your identity is actually quite convenient for you to live in ancient times. At least you can go out freely without having to wear a veil to cover yourself. You can go wherever you want."

Tao Ti stood up and said lightly, "You will stay here for ten days anyway, we can always find a chance to meet again."

Qiong Qi also stood up and said, "Well, you go back first. I also need to go back to prepare. I plan to visit Chang'an City in the afternoon to experience the prosperity of the ancient metropolis."

The two said goodbye and parted ways.

Linglong secretly looked behind the rockery and found that the slender figure had left at some point.

But it happened so silently that Linglong felt even more uneasy.

"Linglong, what are you looking at?" Tao Ti asked casually.

"Ah, no, I didn't see anything." Linglong came back to her senses and lowered her head, "I lost my mind, please forgive me, Crown Princess."

"Well, it's okay. Let's go and shake some golden osmanthus. Take advantage of the strong sunshine these two days and let more dried osmanthus flowers come out."

The basket of osmanthus flowers was soon filled up. Tao Ti returned to Yaoguang Temple happily. The reunion with her old friends made her feel very good. She even hummed a little tune while walking.

While they were drying the osmanthus flowers in the Yaoguang Palace, Linglong couldn't help but ask, "Crown Princess, have you ever met this Rongdi Prince... before?"

Tao Ti's humming of the little tune suddenly stopped.

Oops, I was so focused on getting to know Qiong Qi that I forgot this matter was a little difficult to explain.

Moreover, Linglong is Pei Yan's person. If Linglong reported this to Pei Yan, Pei Yan would probably be suspicious.

After thinking for a long time, Tao Ti finally answered, "We didn't know each other before, and I thought it was strange that she wrote to me. But after meeting and chatting, I found her quite interesting. How about making a new friend?"

Okay, she knew that this answer was a bit forced, but please forgive her for not knowing what to say at the moment, so she could only pretend that "we hit it off at first sight".

Qiong Qi said that their identities must not be exposed under any circumstances, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Tao Ti was also aware of this. In the feudal and superstitious ancient times, if one told others about time travel, mythical beasts, and the like, they would surely be burned to death as an alien. Moreover, this was in the royal family, where such things were even more taboo.

After hearing her answer, Linglong said, "..."

There was something indescribably wrong.

At dusk, Pei Yan arrived.

Tao Ti stroked Yuan Bao's soft, snow-white fur, looked up and saw Pei Yan coming, and smiled, "Your Highness, look, has Yuan Bao gained some weight?"

She was sitting on a rocking chair. Pei Yan stood straight, looking down at her smiling eyes, his black eyes were calm.

She smiled at Ashina Qi in the same way today.

This realization made Pei Yan very unhappy.

Tao Ti didn't get a response from him for a long time. She was stunned for a moment, looked at him with a puzzled look on her face, and saw that his handsome face was frowning. She frowned and asked, "Your Highness?"

Pei Yan's eyes moved slightly, pretending to be absent-minded, and lowered his eyes and said, "Sorry, I was thinking about work just now and didn't pay attention for a while."

He returned to his usual nonchalant expression, and Taoti said with concern, "I am busy with official duties, but your health is more important."

She put the ingot on the ground, stood up, patted her dress, and said softly, "Come on, go into the house and rest first. I'll have someone make you a cup of wolfberry honey tea to relax your mind."

Pei Yan curled his lips, "Okay."

The two of them entered the hall together, and as usual, everything was very calm.

But Linglong was so angry that she didn't dare to say a word. Sometimes, silence is more terrifying than quarreling.

Because Tao Ti was still on her menstrual period, her meals during these days were provided by the East Palace kitchen.

That night, the kitchen prepared a dish of blanched shrimp.

Pei Yan peeled the shrimps slowly and methodically. His fingers were slender and he peeled the shrimps with great elegance.

He peeled a plate of shrimp, handed it to Tao Ti, and motioned for her to eat.

Tao Ti happily enjoyed her husband's thoughtfulness and ate the delicious shrimps one by one, feeling that her life was complete.

Pei Yan washed his hands and asked casually, "What did A-Ti do today?"

Tao Ti paused from eating shrimps, thought for a moment, and said casually, "Today the weather is nice, so I went to Yu Garden for a walk and picked a basket of osmanthus flowers. By the way, in a few days, I will use osmanthus flowers to make a table of dishes, and invite Qinghe, Xiaowu and Xiaoliu to come over. How about having an osmanthus banquet?"

Her porcelain-white face was full of interest.

Pei Yan looked at her quietly with a lazy smile on his face, "Okay, you can arrange it."

Tao Ti continued talking about the osmanthus banquet, talking about a lot of dishes made with osmanthus, without noticing the undercurrent in Pei Yan's dark eyes.

Pei Yan didn't wait for Tao Ti to mention Ashina Qi until the meal was over.

Is she avoiding me on purpose?

If she had been open and honest with him, she would have mentioned it long ago, given her usual personality of sharing every detail with him.

Pei Yan raised his hand and pinched his eyebrows hard. His thick eyelashes drooped and a dull pain inexplicably arose in his chest.

It was late at night and the two of them were lying on the couch.

Tao Ti soon felt sleepy, and when she was half asleep, she felt a strong arm picking her up.

She was held tightly in the strong embrace, with the hot palms pressed tightly against her waist, as if to melt her.

Taoti was fuzzy and muttered, "Hot..."

Pei Yan leaned sideways, staring at her fair and tender cheeks with deep eyes.

Hit it off at first sight? He didn't believe it.

But if they didn't hit it off at first sight, how did she get to know Prince Rongdi?

As far as he knew, this was the first time that Ashina Qi came to the Central Plains, and Tao Ti, the legitimate daughter of the Yongwei Marquis, had never left Chang'an in sixteen years.

The guess that had been hidden in my heart for a long time was turned up again. Who is she? Is it really Tao Ti?

He could be a spy sent by Rongdi, or he could be of some other identity.

In the dim light, Pei Yansi did not conceal the coldness and sinisterness in her eyes.

Although he has not found any clues to explain the doubts yet, he can get rid of Ashina Qi.

Kill him once and for all.

No matter what relationship he had with Tao Ti in the past, a dead man no longer poses any threat.

As for Taoti...

Pei Yan closed his eyes, and gently stroked the back of her neck with his knuckles. Seeing her frowning because of discomfort, he pulled the corner of his mouth——

Ati, if I locked you up, would you hate me?

But you don't listen, and I can't find any better way...

He buried his face deep in her neck, sniffing her warm fragrance obsessively, and whispered, "Be good..."

Perhaps it was because she heard his voice that Tao Ti moaned lazily, half-closed her sleepy eyes, "Your Highness? What's wrong with you?"

Her voice was a little hoarse, as if she had just woken up, and it was delicate, like a feather passing through my heart.

Pei Yan didn't say anything, he just pinched her chin and kissed her lips.

Tao Ti's consciousness was awakened by this extremely aggressive kiss. Her hands were placed between their bodies. The suppressed position made her very passive.

"Hmm... Palace..."

He held her hand tightly and kissed her fiercely, with a hint of punishment in his eyes.

When the long kiss ended, he held her tightly in his arms, breathing rapidly, like a panting lion.

Tao Ti was stunned by the kiss, and her mind was full of questions: Who am I, where am I, and what happened?

When she regained consciousness, she felt Pei Yan's heat and subconsciously tensed her body, whispering, "I, I haven't left yet..."

Pei Yan regained his senses and put his thin lips close to her ear. "It's okay. I just suddenly want to kiss you."

Taoti, "..."

You kissed me awake!

Forget it, since you are handsome.

Pei Yan gently stroked her back, his tone was always gentle, "Go to sleep."

Tao Ti was so sleepy that she thought he was suddenly interested in sex and didn't think much about it. She rubbed her little head in his arms, found a suitable angle, and fell asleep peacefully.

Her intimate embrace reduced much of the hostility in Pei Yan's eyes.

She has him in her heart.

He said to himself: Give her another chance.