Zhilan Courtyard.
The wives chatted about their family affairs together, while the unmarried young ladies drank tea and admired the flowers, and chatted about interesting things.
Seeing Pei Lingbi coming, everyone saluted and saluted.
Pei Lingbi is a royal princess, even though she has an arrogant personality, there are still a bunch of people surrounding her, hugging her and praising her in different ways.
Pei Lingbi also enjoyed the feeling of being held by others, and after exchanging a few words with them, she turned her eyes to Zhou Muyan who was wearing a light-colored white gauze.
A smile flashed across her eyes, but she said in surprise and concern, "Oh, sister Muyan, you're here too? I heard you said that you had spring ringworm, but now it's better?"
Zhou Muyan's complexion was a little subtle, she lowered her eyes and replied, "Thank you for your concern, cousin, I feel better."
"That's good. I was really worried about you when I heard my mother talk about it." Pei Lingbi stepped forward and took her hand, staring at her face that was covered with a thick layer of powder but still could be seen lightly. With a red scarred face and a heart wound that hasn't healed yet, he rushes out to join in the fun, he really can't stay idle.
A pair of cousins are chatting back and forth. From the outsiders' point of view, they only think that the relationship between the cousins is really good, which is enviable.
Pei Lingbi knew about the conflict between Zhou Muyan and Tao Ti outside, and now seeing Zhou Muyan, she pretended to be gentle and comforted, "The princess has always been difficult to get along with, not to mention you, but to me , she is also that vulgar and rude savage style."
"Ah, she treats you like this too?" Zhou Muyan exclaimed exaggeratedly.
Pei Lingbi nodded and sighed, "Oh, I'm so pitiful for the prince's brother. It's really unlucky to marry such a woman."
The voices of the two of them were neither soft nor heavy, but just enough to be heard by the people around them.
Ladies and gentlemen, you have all met Tao Ti from Yongweihou's Mansion before, and in your impression, she is a woman who is "not bad looking, but restrained and quiet, dull and boring". If she hadn't made a marriage contract with the prince since she was a child, she would definitely not be worthy of being a princess with such a character and talent.
Prince Pei Yan is handsome and dignified, but he is weak and sick, and his life span is not long. In the eyes of all the noble ladies, Pei Yan is like a noble and gentle bright moon, most of them have a kind of admiration for him that can only be seen from a distance but not played with.
They may not want to marry him, but they are even less willing to see a mediocre woman like Tao Ti marry him.
Such a woman matching the prince is simply a kind of defilement to the prince!
Now that they heard what Pei Lingbi and Zhou Muyan said with their own ears, the ladies couldn't help but stepped forward and asked, "Is the Crown Princess really so rude and arrogant?"
Pei Lingbi was waiting for such a question, and immediately put on a helpless sigh, and began to count all kinds of wrong things about Tao Ti.
Zhou Muyan also joined in, wishing to ruin Tao Ti's reputation as badly as possible!
"Oh, a man like the crown prince, who is as beautiful as the moon, married such a woman. It's really a bright moon shining on the ditch!" The eldest girl of the Huang family sighed, and turned to look at Song Yuning, who was sitting silently by the side, " Yu Ning, why don't you speak?"
Song Yuning is wearing a light willow-colored dress today, with a slender waist, like a soft and affectionate willow branch.
Hearing her companion's words, she raised her eyes and glanced at Pei Lingbi and the others, covered her lips with a handkerchief, and said in a low voice, "Whether the second princess's words are true or false, I will not comment for now. Let's talk about Zhou Muyan What you said is completely nonsense! The two of us saw what happened in Tianyi Pavilion that time, and Zhou Muyan was completely confusing black and white."
Miss Huang frowned and looked at Song Yuning strangely, and muttered, "Yuning, this princess has stolen your sweetheart, why are you still standing by her side..."
Song Yuning's face turned pale, her brows frowned even tighter, she shook her head and said, "Ms. Juan, don't bring up the question of whether you have a sweetheart or not in the future."
Ms. Huang just thought it hurt her, so she shut her mouth resentfully and didn't say any more.
On the other hand, Pei Lingbi started making trouble again. It turned out that Xu Wenchan couldn't bear it any longer, so she couldn't help but refute—
"The princess is not what you say!"
"She has a good temperament and treats people generously. Everyone in the East Palace respects her. Both the fifth prince and the sixth princess regard her as a family member. As for His Royal Highness, he treats the princess with nothing to say. The two love each other like glue. It's good." !"
She had a loud voice, and she was a little emotional. After the call, her neck was red and her chest was still panting.
All the ladies were silent for a while.
When she came back to her senses, every beautiful face with heavy makeup or light makeup showed a contemptuous smile.
They usually look down on Xu Wenchan, but now they hear an ignorant idiot excuse another mediocre and withdrawn idiot, they just find it funny.
"It's true that things of a kind flock together and people are divided into groups." Pei Lingbi smiled sarcastically.
Immediately, all the noble ladies laughed together.
Xu Wenchan's face turned even redder, tears glistened in her round eyes, her fists were clenched tightly, she really wanted to rush up and punch each of them in the face.
At this moment, the housekeeper's wife walked in quickly, walked straight to the princess concubine of King Yu, and reported, "Concubine Shi, the prince sent a servant to spread the word, saying that the carriage of the prince and concubine has entered the lane. You welcome everyone together."
When the concubine Shi Zi heard this, she quickly got up and walked out.
The rest of the wives and ladies naturally did not dare to delay, and followed behind to greet him at the door together.
Pei Lingbi murmured softly as she walked, "Come as soon as you come, and you're still making such a big show."
"Who calls someone the crown prince?" Zhou Muyan leaned forward and whispered to her, "When brother Changzhou becomes the crown prince, sister Bi, as the prince's own younger sister, will naturally have such a grandeur."
Pei Lingbi felt at ease when she said this, raised her chin and hummed, "That's right."
Let’s say that the gate of Prince Yu’s Mansion is open, and Prince Yu’s son and his concubine stand at the door to greet each other, while the rest of the guests stand side by side.
I saw four pairs of red-clothed eunuchs riding horses at the head of the street, followed by some holding incense sticks, some holding cranked golden umbrellas, and some holding "avoidance" signs. After that, a golden-roofed eunuch The canopy and emerald-curtained carriage slowly approached.
Everyone hurriedly bowed their heads and saluted until the carriage stopped at the gate, and the prince's majestic and gentle voice came, "You don't need to be too polite."
At this time, everyone straightened up.
When they saw the hands tightly held by the prince and princess, everyone's eyes flashed with surprise.
Seeing so many strangers all of a sudden, Tao Ti, who was afraid of society, became a little nervous.
As if sensing her restraint, Pei Yan gently pinched her fingers, lowered her head slightly, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "It's okay, I'm alone."
Hearing this, Tao Ti felt inexplicably more at ease, and nodded to him.
The subtle actions of the two of them, in the eyes of others, are all amazed - isn't it said that the Crown Princess has always been unwilling to marry into the East Palace, and the relationship with the Crown Prince is very discordant? But now it seems that the relationship between the two is very good.
Pei Yan took Tao Ti's hand, exchanged greetings with Prince Yu's son and his concubine, and then went to the mansion together.
After sitting in the main hall for a while and drinking half a cup of tea, the imperial concubine got up and led Tao Ti to play with the female relatives.
Pei Yan looked at Tao Ti and asked with his eyes: Can you handle it by yourself
Tao Ti nodded to him, and smiled back: yes.
She originally thought that there was no one she was familiar with when she came to this mansion, but when she saw Xu Wenchan in the crowd just now, she felt a sense of dependence in finding a companion.
Of course, if she is coming to someone's house as a guest now, she still has to have a good chat with the Crown Princess and other wives for a while.
In fact, she didn't need to say anything, she just sat in the upper seat with peace of mind and listened to the compliments from the people around her.
Before Tao Ti came, Pei Lingbi was the most valuable female family member in this hall, but after Tao Ti came, she, the crown princess, properly overwhelmed the princess Pei Lingbi.
At the beginning when they were greeted at the door, the noble ladies did not dare to look up, but now in the backyard, the noble ladies couldn't help secretly looking at Tao Ti who was seated above.
Today, Tao Ti is wearing a brocade long gown with honey-colored finely sprinkled witch hazel and sunflower patterns, and a tea-color Lu silk skirt under it, revealing a pair of small double-petal lotus shoes embroidered with gold thread. The pointed toes of the embroidered shoes are dotted with two A thumb-sized oriental bead, this oriental bead was given by Xu Wenchan, the little fat girl has always been generous to her friends, last time during the Cold Food Festival she gave Tao Ti a full set of Dendrobium beads.
After seeing her clothes, everyone went to look at her bun and makeup.
The hair bun is a very common concentric bun, with two pearl silk flowers on the sideburns, and an eight-treasure flying swallow hairpin with eight treasures clutched at an angle. The pendant hanging by the ear was also wrapped with silk and inlaid with beads, and on the slender and tender neck was a string of pure white and gorgeous south pearl chains. The pearls were round and crystal clear, elegant and dignified when worn on her body, on the contrary, it made her skin crystal clear and fair, as if her whole body was coated with a layer of soft silver light.
Her makeup is not too gaudy, with distant mountain eyebrows, bright smiling eyes, and red lips, but the clear waves between her eyebrows and eyes are bright and bright, making people unable to move their eyes away.
Ladies and gentlemen, wonder: Is this princess the one they have seen before? It's like being completely reborn!
The face is still the same, but the energy exuding from the whole body is completely different.
Tao Ti kept chatting politely with the ladies, until it was almost noon, when the banquet was about to start, she found a chance to have a chat with Xu Wenchan.
Seeing that Tao Ti and Xu Wenchan had a good friendship, the princess specially moved Xu Wenchan's position to Tao Ti's side so that they could talk more easily.
"Ah Ti, you look so pretty dressed up like this today. I looked straight into my eyes and thought it was a fairy descending from the mortal world."
Xu Wenchan chirped, then sneaked a glance at Pei Lingbi and Zhou Muyan who were sitting opposite, and said with a smirk, "Seeing how good-looking you are, they must have been stunned. When you didn't come, they called you There are so many bad words, but it pissed me off!"
Speak ill? Tao Ti squinted her eyes, without Xu Wenchan saying, she could guess how they arranged themselves behind their backs.
"Anyway, they said something in a weird way. If you want to know, I'll tell you after dinner, so as not to talk about it now, you won't even be able to eat." Xu Wenchan said.
Tao Ti smiled and said, "Let's talk about it after dinner, aren't you afraid that I'll spit it out?"
Xu Wenchan was taken aback, "Yes, what should I do..."
Tao Ti stopped teasing her, "Okay, I don't want to hear them say bad things about me, so why bother me when I have nothing to do. Mouths grow on them, so I can't possibly sew them up with needles and threads, right?"
"Then don't talk about those who are unhappy." Xu Wenchan blinked his almond eyes, feeling that Ati is really generous, and then glanced at the delicious dishes in front of him, and praised, "I heard that the cooks in Prince Yu's Mansion are excellent. , now it seems that it is indeed very good."
She pouted at Tao Ti, and introduced, "Especially this dish of cherry meat. I heard that Prince Yu's Mansion specially invited famous chefs from Suzhou to make it for this birthday banquet."
Tao Ti looked over, and saw that in the middle of the pure white porcelain plate, there were neatly arranged meat pieces the size of cherries. The small and exquisite meat pieces were round in shape, bright and red, like agate, poured With a layer of crystal clear sauce, the luster of the meat becomes more attractive.
There is a circle of bright green pea seedlings around the piece of meat, setting off the attractive red cherry flesh, as if the leaves are supporting the plump cherry fruit, delicate like a painting.
In her previous life, Tao Ti also ate cherry meat, but she was born late, so she was not able to eat the authentic royal chef's recipe, and what modern people ate was the improved recipe based on the old recipe.
Although the taste of the improved version is not bad, Uncle Thirteen loves to brag in front of her every time, "Most of the improved versions are colored with red yeast rice. The taste is good, but there is something missing. It is the best. Cherry meat, it has to be the taste I ate in the Qianlong Palace back then. Put fresh cherries and pork belly that are neither fat nor thin in a purple casserole, and simmer slowly for two hours... Tsk, that bite Go on, it's beautiful, even being a god is nothing more than that!"
When she was young, Tao Ti was always so greedy by Uncle Thirteen's words that she burst into tears, and ran to ask her parents with teary eyes, why they didn't give birth to her sooner, and why did Daqing die!
Tao's father and Tao's mother looked at their daughter who was crying and drooling, feeling distressed and funny at the same time.
Father Tao, "Honey, coax your daughter, and I'll take care of that boy Shisan."
Tao Ma, "Husband, Shisan just teases Ati...don't hit too hard, just kick a few times~"
Then, Uncle Thirteen was beaten by his father until he yelled and begged for mercy, saying that he would not dare next time...
Thinking of the funny things at home, Tao Ti couldn't help but chuckled.
Xu Wenchan looked at her curiously, "Ah Ti, what are you laughing at?"
Tao Ti came back to her senses, shook her head, and there was a little melancholy in her eyes, "It's nothing, I just thought of my family."
Xu Wenchan understood, nodded and said, "Are you sorry that you didn't see your mother? I started asking my mother, and my mother said that your mother had a cold and didn't come today."
Tao Ti was stunned, and looked at Xu Wenchan in surprise, "My mother has a cold?"
"Well, that's what my mother said. It seems that your father didn't come today, but your concubine and cousin came. If you are worried, you can ask them? It's just a cold, it shouldn't be a big problem, you Don't worry."
"Okay, I'll find a chance to ask later." Tao Ti nodded slightly.
Xu Wenchan picked up the chopsticks and happily picked up a piece of cherry meat. After taking a bite, she immediately opened her eyes wide and urged Tao Ti to try it too.
Tao Ti picked up the chopsticks and reached for the plate of excellent-looking cherry meat. With a slight pinch of the chopsticks, the fat and crispy meat was picked up. The skin of the meat was jelly-like, bouncing and trembling.
As soon as it was delivered to the mouth, the tempting aroma of pork belly penetrated into the nose, making people unconsciously secrete saliva. As soon as the cherry meat is in the mouth, it melts immediately, soft and delicious, fat but not greasy, the sweetness of the cherry is completely stewed into the meat, the rich meaty aroma reveals a touch of sweet and sour, very refreshing and delicious.
A piece of cherry meat, served with crispy stir-fried pea sprouts with chopsticks, and a bite of rice, really gives people a sense of happiness.
Tao Ti enjoys chewing on the rice, thinking that she has eaten the kind of cherry meat that Uncle Thirteen said today, and it is a little regret from her childhood.
She ate happily here, and Xu Wenchan also ate happily. The two snack foodies sat together and ate together non-stop, which was... very eye-catching.
Seeing them finishing a bowl of rice and preparing for the servant girl to serve the second bowl, Zhou Muyan who was sitting opposite slowly wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and asked Pei Lingbi with a smile, "Sister Bi, if I remember correctly, how much is the meal?" The amount of meals provided by the house for the female family members in the palace should be quite a lot, right? Why does the crown princess look like she hasn’t had enough to eat for eight hundred years... "
Pei Lingbi raised her eyelids and sneered, "Perhaps the princess's sister-in-law was in a hurry to go out this morning and forgot to have breakfast. She must be hungry now."
Tao Ti naturally heard their ridicule, didn't even bother to talk to them, and continued to eat her own.
She doesn't understand what these people's little heads are thinking all day long. It's okay to not eat such a delicious meal, but she also mocks others for eating too much. Are they sick
Seeing that Tao Ti didn't even raise her head, Pei Lingbi's expression froze.
But Tao Ti is her nominal sister-in-law after all, and she didn't dare to be too pretentious. She had nowhere to vent her sulking, so she turned her finger on Xu Wenchan, "Miss Xu, the princess is slim, eat more!" A little is fine. You're already pretty enough, it's better to control your appetite..."
Zhou Muyan laughed coquettishly, "Yeah, Xu Wenchan, you still eat after you're like this, be careful that the summer clothes have to be resized again."
Xu Wenchan stopped holding the chopsticks, and lowered his head.
Tao Ti could feel her anger and inferiority complex, and there was a burst of anger in her heart. Is there an end for these two women
After pondering for a moment, she slapped the chopsticks heavily on the table.
There was a "pop", the movement was not particularly loud, but the entire table was shocked.
Pei Lingbi and Zhou Muyan were even more heartbroken, obviously frightened by this blow.
When she came back to her senses, Pei Lingbi frowned and stared at Tao Ti dissatisfied, "Crown Princess, you are..."
Tao Ti raised her head and stared at her coldly, "You don't eat or sleep, don't you want to have a good meal?"
Pei Lingbi, "..."
Zhou Muyan, "..."
The Crown Princess smiled sarcastically, "Crown Princess, I'll ask someone to change a new pair of chopsticks for you."
Tao Ti looked at the Crown Princess, and put on a gentle and polite smile, "Thank you."
She smiled again and said to the other female family members at the table, "Just now, I slipped my hands and accidentally dropped my chopsticks, which surprised you all."
Everyone laughed dryly, "It's okay, it's okay."
Tao Ti smiled more politely, "Today's dinner is really good. It can be seen that the concubine Shizi prepared it with care. We can't disappoint the concubine Shizi's arrangement. Everyone, please continue to eat."
What he said was thoughtful and polite, and he did enough face for the imperial concubine. All the female relatives at the banquet agreed and continued to eat.
Tao Ti turned her face slowly, and when she looked at Pei Lingbi and Zhou Muyan opposite again, she changed into an indifferent expression, her voice was low and inexplicably sharp, "It's a great event to hold a birthday banquet at Prince Yu's Mansion today, if you If you want to pick something on this good day, and carefully spread it to His Majesty's ears, you can't bear it and walk around!"
Pei Lingbi naturally knew how much her father respected this fourth uncle, she bit her lip unwillingly, and lowered her head.
Seeing this, Zhou Muyan lost her arrogance.
"Woo..." Xu Wenchan looked at Tao Ti with red eyes, her lips trembling, as if she was about to cry or not.
Tao Ti quietly squeezed her hand under the table, and coaxed, "Hey, there are so many people watching, please control yourself."
Xu Wenchan sniffled, "Hmm!"
Next, the banquet went smoothly.
After eating the noodles, the imperial concubine led a group of female relatives to Chang Ya Ge to watch a play.
Xu Wenchan took the opportunity to introduce her mother, Mrs. Zhenbeihou Mrs. Zhao, to Tao Ti. Zhao felt grateful for Tao Ti's protection of her daughter just now. When she saw Tao Ti, she became very affectionate and talked to her a lot. Words of gratitude.
Hearing that Tao Ti was worried about Mrs. Zhang's health, Mrs. Zhao immediately said, "Don't worry, I will go to Yongweihou's mansion tomorrow to visit your mother for you, and then I will send you a letter in the palace .”
When we arrived at Chang Ya Ge, the theater troupe came on stage and sang lively.
Xu Wenchan didn't stay idle, took a bite of the pastry, shook his head and said, "It's far from the egg yolk cakes and green balls you made at Arti."
He picked up another piece of preserved fruit and ate it, took a bite, and shook his head, "It's still Arti's honey kumquat, snowflake hawthorn, and rouge apricot you made delicious... Oh, Arti, it would be great if you weren't in the palace, then I will eat it every day." Go to your house for dinner."
Tao Ti laughed when she heard it, "I'm still paying for the meal, I will charge you for the meal."
"Take it, take it as you like, I'm willing to take an ingot of gold for one dish!" Xu Wenchan waved his hand without any money, and smiled, "As long as anyone has tasted your craftsmanship, they will definitely be willing to pay this money. If you don't believe me, go back and ask Ask His Royal Highness, you must feel the same way."
Hearing this, a thought suddenly flashed in Tao Ti's mind—
Life is quite long, anyway, I am idle, so why not play in the ancient catering industry, earn more money, and become a richer little widow
…
The excerpts on the stage were still babbling, and after listening to one, there was another one, Tao Ti felt drowsy after hearing it, so she took Linglong out of Changyage under the pretext of being respectful.
Once outside, the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant, and the breeze is blowing, and the spirit immediately improves.
The master and servant strolled along the small zigzag bridge. The gardens of Yuwang Mansion are very beautiful, with pavilions, pavilions, rockery, lakes and flowers, old trees and verdant trees. Every step is a scene.
After strolling to a rockery pavilion, the two sat down to rest.
Bored, Tao Ti was lying on the railing looking at the fish in the water. Out of the corner of her eye, she accidentally caught a glimpse of an old man in gray robes fishing with a fishing rod beside the low bridge diagonally opposite.
Fishing is just fishing, but when the old man catches one, he puts one back.
Once caught, released; re-fished, released again...
Tao Ti thought to herself: So boring.
But it's so boring, and I have been staring at it for so long, I seem to be even more bored.
When the old man caught a fat and fresh grass carp again and was about to unhook it and release it, Tao Ti couldn't hold back any longer and ran towards him holding her skirt.
Looking at the panting little girl running in front of him, the old man in gray robe frowned, "Are you...?"
Tao Ti breathed a sigh of relief, staring at the fat grass carp with burning eyes, and said with great regret, "This fish is so fresh, old man, why did you catch it and release it? It is used to make boiled fish fillets, fish ball soup, and fish fillet porridge. , fish with pickled cabbage, fish head with chopped pepper, Caoliu fish slices, sweet and sour crispy fish...isn’t it delicious?”