The wind is cold and the days are getting shorter.
Zhou's house was ransacked, the radish was pulled out and the mud was taken out, and the officials in the court came to clean it up.
In the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, there was even more horrific howls of ghosts and wolves, which seemed particularly depressing in the days when the new year was approaching.
Mrs. Zhang, who was wearing a plain velvet embroidered jacket, walked slowly to a relatively clean single cell under the guidance of the jailer.
While unlocking the lock, the jailer said respectfully, "Madam, if you have something to say, speak as soon as possible, at most an incense burner, and you can't afford to delay if it takes too long."
Mrs. Zhang nodded slightly at the jailer, and said politely, "I see."
The jailer then closed the door and walked out.
The smile on Mrs. Zhang's face slowly faded, her expression was indifferent, and she looked down at Tao Bosong, who was sitting in the pile of straw.
In such cold winter weather, Tao Bosong only wore a thin prison uniform. His face was blue from the cold and he was shivering, but he could only wrap tightly around an old and dirty quilt to keep warm. This appearance was extremely embarrassing.
He raised his head, looked at the elegant Zhang in front of him, and trembling his lips, "Madam, you are here, I thought you would not come."
He spent money to bribe the jailer to send a letter to Mrs. Zhang, but he was still a little uneasy. Seeing Mrs. Zhang come now, he also breathed a sigh of relief. One day husband and wife, one hundred days of kindness, shows that she still has him in her heart.
Mrs. Zhang has been married to Tao Bosong for nearly twenty years, so she can see through Tao Bosong's little thoughts at a glance.
She raised her hand to gently brush her temple hair, squinted at him, and said in a low voice, "Why didn't I come? Seeing your desolate look makes me very happy."
Tao Bosong's expression froze, but he soon squeezed out a difficult and flattering smile, "Ma'am, we have been married for so many years. As the old saying goes, if you cultivate for ten years, you can cross the boat together, and if you cultivate for a hundred years, you can sleep together. Why be so heartless?"
Mrs. Zhang sneered, "Tao Bosong, we have divorced, and I am no longer your wife."
Tao Bosong choked again, clenched his fists silently, endured and endured, and did not revisit the old relationship with Mrs. Zhang, he just said, "I have ended up like this now, I know I was wrong. But the bitter cold and barrenness of Yandi This barren land is not a place for people to stay at all. Husband... Susu, I know you hate me, and I don't expect you to do anything for me, but please say something nice to me in front of Ati, no matter what Say, I am her biological father!"
Mrs. Zhang sneered as if she had heard some very funny joke, "Father? Now you remember that you are Ati's father? Why didn't you think about your daughter when you worked together with the Zhou family before?" ?”
Tao Bosong was embarrassed for a while, and slowly lowered his head. After a long time, he murmured resentfully, "I... I regret it."
regret.
Chewing the word in Zhang's mouth, the emotion that rolled in his chest gradually subsided, his smile was full of sarcasm, "Yes, I regret it."
She also regrets, regretting that she didn't treat her daughter well in the past, but now... she regrets it too much.
"There is no medicine for regret in this world." Zhang said in a calm tone, "Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are extra merciful to save your life. As for the rest, don't even think about it."
After speaking, she was about to leave.
When Tao Bosong saw it, he became anxious and staggered to get up to stop him, but he was tortured, cold and hungry, just as he got up, his legs were weak and he sat back down again, yelling feebly, "Susu, Susu! Let Arti intercede for me. The Crown Prince loves her so much, as long as she opens her mouth to intercede, maybe I won't have to go to Yandi."
Mrs. Zhang paused, turned her head, and glanced at him indifferently, "Ah Ti is no longer our daughter."
Tao Bosong was startled, thinking that Mrs. Zhang meant that her daughter is from another family when she is married, and hurriedly said, "She is also our daughter after she is married. She has the blood of my Tao family on her body. She..."
Before he finished speaking, Mrs. Zhang suddenly yelled, hysterically—
"No, she is not anymore! You are not a good father, and I am not a good mother. We are not qualified to be Artie's parents! We are not qualified!"
Tao Bosong was startled, staring blankly at her sudden loss of control.
Mrs. Zhang only felt swollen eye circles and sore nose, and didn't explain much, but suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, took a deep breath, and said, "You can go to Yandi with peace of mind.
Tao Bosong, I only hope that you and I will never see each other again. "
She left decisively without looking back.
Tao Bosong sat on the ground dejectedly, his face full of panic and desolation.
...
Three days before the Winter Solstice Festival, more than 200 people from the Yongweihou Mansion embarked on the road of exile in Yandi.
On that day, the first snow fell in Chang'an City, like goose feathers, profusely.
The snow continued until the winter solstice, so Emperor Zhaokang simply gave the courtiers a holiday in advance and asked them to go back early for the winter solstice.
The turmoil in the court seems to have subsided due to the coming of the festive season, but as everyone knows, this is the calm before the storm.
Inside Zixiao Hall, new tea is being boiled on a small stove, the tea is fragrant and hot.
Pei Yan was tall and tall, and sat upright. He twisted a letter with his slender hands, swept it hastily, and threw it into the small stove on the side, smiling gently, "Uncle, the fish has already been hooked."
Gu Qu took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Sometimes women become cruel, and they don't lose to men at all."
Pei Yan hooked his lips, noncommittal.
After drinking a cup of tea, the uncle and nephew sat upright, chatting about business.
This side is full of treacherous and disturbing winds and clouds, but the Yaoguang Palace on the other side has always maintained a peaceful and peaceful painting style.
Green ant new fermented wine, red clay small stove. [1]
It's just that instead of wine, a pot of sweet-scented osmanthus rice wine glutinous rice balls is cooked on the small stove in Yaoguang Hall.
Seeing that the cooking was almost done, Tao Ti divided two bowls, one for herself and one for Qinghe opposite.
"If you think it's not sweet enough, add another spoonful of acacia honey."
"It's so fragrant, it smells delicious."
Qinghe took a spoon and gently stirred the white rice balls in front of him. After it cooled down, he blew on a spoonful and put it in his mouth.
The glutinous rice balls are soft and elastic, and the sweet soup is full of the elegant wine aroma of fermented rice, and the rich floral aroma of osmanthus, just the right amount of sweetness, warming the heart and stomach.
"Eating this in winter is the most comfortable." Qinghe sighed enjoying.
"Today is the winter solstice, and I plan to cook glutinous rice balls and dumplings at night."
Tao Ti smiled while eating rice dumplings, "I made glutinous rice balls with sesame and red bean paste fillings, and the dumplings are filled with shepherd's purse pork filling, fresh shrimp filling, leek pork filling, mutton celery filling, and zucchini egg filling. When you go back, bring some to eat with the eldest princess."
Qing He politely thanked her, and then talked about the recent affairs in the palace, "I heard that Pei Lingbi is very crazy, crying and laughing for a while, it's very scary. She won't be like this for the rest of her life, right?"
Tao Ti said, "I don't know either."
Qing He shook her head and said, "Oh, what a crime. I heard that in the past month, the Empress has only visited her twice, and the Third Highness has only visited her once. Tsk, it's nothing more than a close relative."
For what happened to Pei Lingbi, Tao Ti couldn't feel any sympathy. After all, it was her own fault for getting to this point, and she had no one to blame.
Qinghe talked about the trip to the hot spring villa again, she was full of expectations, but Tao Ti was not very happy—
"His Highness said that he is very busy these days and has no time to accompany me."
If she hadn't promised Qinghe and Xu Wenchan to go together early on, she would have wanted to let the pigeons go, so she wouldn't go.
Qinghe comforted, "There are so many things happening in the court these days, it's normal for the prince's cousin to be busy. Anyway, you are with us, and our road is also very lively. Soaking in the hot spring is very comfortable. I will take care of you after soaking in the hot spring. Forget about the prince’s cousin.”
Tao Ti glanced at her with a smile, "Do you want to soak in the hot spring, or do you want to meet Brother Xu Qi?"
Qing He blushed, and didn't deny it, but said timidly, "I'm going back to Longxi to get married after the Chinese New Year, and I won't see him for more than half a year..."
The long-distance relationship for more than half a year is undoubtedly difficult for the young couple who are passionately in love.
The two chatted and ate. After eating the sweet-scented osmanthus wine stuffed dumplings, they ate sweet roasted sweet potatoes and hot roasted potatoes.
Until it got dark, Qinghe left with a box of dumplings and a box of glutinous rice balls.
The snowstorm got worse at night.
Tao Ti was lying on a rocking chair with Yuan Bao in her arms, with a white fox blanket covering her knees, looking leisurely like a retired old lady in her sixties or seventies.
"Hey, our Highness is getting more and more busy, and he can't even accompany me to the hot spring villa..."
"Meow~"
"When he left this morning, he seemed to give me a kiss and said that he would spend the winter solstice with me. Do you think he will be late again?"
"Meow meow."
"Hey, being a prince is so busy. If he becomes an emperor in the future, wouldn't he be even busier? Well, then I will also open more shops and make more money to keep myself busy. You say yes, Yuan Bao."
"Meow~"
One person and one cat chat across frequency, but they also chat with great interest.
I don't know how long it took, when Pei Yan arrived with a snowstorm, Tao Ti had already fallen asleep on the rocking chair with the cat in her arms.
The ground inside the house was very warm, she slept with her head tilted, her eyes closed, her long eyelashes curled up like butterfly wings under the dim light, her delicate cheeks were slightly pink, and she slept soundly.
Seeing this, Pei Yan's eyes softened, and he took off the black crane cloak with bucket flowers and cloud patterns on his body, and handed it to Linglong who was beside him.
Linglong took the crane cloak and retreated quietly.
Pei Yan walked slowly to Tao Ti's side, Yuan Bao was the first to wake up, and stared at the man with a pair of beautiful mandarin duck eyes, as if recognizing him, she gave a very calm "meow" and jumped out of the hostess' arms. Zhong jumped down and went back to its cat nest obediently.
The cat is awake, she is still asleep.
Pei Yan bent down, subconsciously wanting to pinch her face.
He stretched his hand halfway, paused, and retracted it again.
Just came back from outside, his hands are still very cold.
Putting his hands to his mouth to breathe hot air, and rubbing them to make her feel a little warm, Pei Yancai reached out and tapped the tip of her small nose.
Tao Ti opened her eyes in a daze, sleepy, only seeing a hazy and slender figure.
"I'll carry you to bed to rest." Pei Yanwen said.
Tao Ti didn't wake up until she was picked up by him, put her arms around his neck, and muttered, "I'm not going to sleep now, we haven't even eaten dumplings and glutinous rice balls together yet."
She waited so late because she wanted to spend the winter solstice with him.
Pei Yan stopped, lowered his eyes, stared at her for a long time, and said in an extremely gentle tone, "Okay, let's eat dumplings and glutinous rice balls."
He kissed her delicate eyebrows and eyes, and put her down firmly.
The dumplings and glutinous rice balls have been made long ago, and they cook quickly in the pot.
After a while, a large bowl of dumplings and glutinous rice balls was placed on the small sandalwood table.
Tao Ti didn't eat dinner, and she didn't feel hungry when she fell asleep, but now she woke up with an empty stomach. She put the dumplings in her mouth one by one, and chatted with Pei Yan about daily chores.
Pei Yan occasionally echoed a few words, but most of the time he listened quietly with a smile on his face.
After eating this belated winter solstice meal, it was already late at night, and the two of them washed up and went to bed to rest.
The curtain has been replaced with a lotus blue pattern embroidered with double-petaled red plums. When it is lowered, it can cover the candlelight outside and separate the bed curtain from the outside world into two worlds.
In the dark, Pei Yan embraced Tao Ti and said in a low voice, "Ah Ti, I'm sorry."
Tao Ti nestled in his arms, and the sleepiness that had just brewed was dispelled by his apology.
She raised her head, brushed her forehead against his chin, and said softly, "Sorry for what?"
Pei Yan said, "I can't accompany you well these days, and you came back so late."
Tao Ti was silent. To be honest, Pei Yan spent less time with her, and she was indeed a little depressed, but she also understood that he was busy with business and didn't mean to neglect her.
Well, isn't love about mutual tolerance and understanding
She raised her hand, stroked his clear eyebrows and eyes, and then stroked his more and more curved jaw, and said in a soft voice, "It's okay, you didn't run out to play without me."
"Come on, we'll be done soon."
Everything has to be settled, and there is a conclusion.
In the quiet night, the rustling of snow falling outside the window was particularly noticeable.
Pei Yan's hand on her waist tightened slightly, his deep black eyes gleamed dimly, kissed the corner of her lips, and coaxed, "Hey, wait for the Lantern Festival, I'll take you out of the palace to visit temple fairs and watch lanterns, um ?”
Tao Ti's face rubbed against his chest, showing intimacy, her voice was a little lazy and sleepy, "I keep my word... I still want to buy a big bundle of candied haws!"
"Buy. As long as you like, I will buy you all the candied haws in Chang'an City."
"Okay." Tao Ti chuckled, and then An An fell asleep in his arms.
That night, she dreamed that she fell into a candied haws pit, which contained all kinds of candied haws.
One after another, she ate and stuffed like crazy, and then... her teeth got cavities.