Sure enough, as Pei Yan said, Tao Ti knew what the "price" Prince Yu said two days later.
Upon hearing the news that Prince Yu had fainted, Emperor Zhaokang immediately sent an imperial doctor to the palace, and sent a lot of rewards for his condolences.
That night, he also summoned Pei Yan and Pei Changzhou to the Hall of Qinzheng. Tao Ti didn't know exactly what happened in the hall.
It's just that Emperor Zhaokang was furious and smashed a set of tea sets, angrily accusing Pei Changzhou of being disloyal, filial and righteous. If Queen Zhou hadn't arrived in time and begged for mercy, Emperor Zhaokang might have broken Pei Changzhou's leg.
In the end, although Pei Changzhou's leg was not broken, he knelt down in the ancestral temple all night, and was deprived of the power to be in charge of the Ministry of Punishment by Emperor Zhaokang.
The next day, at the court, many officials from Yushitai jointly impeached the evil deeds of the honorable children, demanding that Emperor Zhaokang severely punish—
These noble children are all friends with Pei Changzhou, and his father and brother are also very close to the Zhou family.
Emperor Zhaokang had intended to suppress the arrogance of the Zhou family, plus this group of lifeless things dared to curse his most beloved prince, whether public or private, he could not forgive him lightly.
For a while, he was reprimanded, fined, demoted, or directly relegated from Chang'an...
The father and brother were punished in the court, and when they returned, those honorable children who had been cheap for a while would naturally be punished by the family law.
The few who spoke the most vigorously that day were even more unlucky afterwards. One accidentally rolled down the stairs and broke his head, and became an idiot; There was a man who was having fun and was caught in a sack in the middle of the night, kicked his lifeblood, and became a useless person... These are all things for later, and I will not list them for the time being.
Knowing that Pei Changzhou and the group of honorable children have been punished, Tao Ti is naturally very happy.
Two days later, Xu Wenchan came into the palace and talked to Tao Ti about Mrs. Zhang's body.
"Ah Ti, don't worry, your mother just contracted the cold. When my mother and I came to visit, she had already recovered."
Xu Wenchan held a handful of dried fruit and kowtowed, watching Tao Ti take out the bone from the chicken wing with a curious face, "Ah Ti, what delicious food are you doing?"
"Chicken wings with rice." Tao Ti said as she put the chicken wings with the bone out into a large bowl, poured in minced garlic, minced ginger, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and other seasonings, and began to marinate.
Xu Wenchan's eyes widened, "Chicken wings with rice? Well, although I haven't eaten it before, Arti's cooking must be delicious!"
"You'll know when you make it." Tao Ti smiled, ready to steam glutinous rice.
Xu Wenchan stood beside him, chatting with Tao Ti, chatting, and naturally asked about what happened in Prince Yu's Mansion that day.
"Song Yuning pulled you to talk that day, and you went back after you said it. I waited for a long time and didn't see you. I thought Song Yuning had done something to you. Then Song Yuning was really boring. I asked her for a long time and she didn't speak. Later, it was the servant girl of Prince Yu's mansion who came to look for the concubine and said that Prince Yu had fainted, so I knew that you had left with the prince. Speaking of which, did Prince Yu really faint because of the anger of the third prince?"
Talking about this Tao Ti felt funny, but it was not easy to dismantle Prince Yu's stage, so she just said vaguely "it's considered".
Xu Wenchan clicked his tongue and said, "Is it really like this? Then the third prince is too worthless."
Tao Ti gave her a look, "Be careful that the walls have ears."
Xu Wenchan was stunned for a moment, then quickly shut up. Although this is the Eastern Palace, it is also within the scope of the Imperial Palace.
After a while, she turned to another topic, "What did Song Yuning ask you to say that day? She was very secretive. Well, do you know her very well?"
Tao Ti joked and said, "Hey, I don't need vinegar to make chicken wings and rice. Why does it have a sour taste?"
Xu Wenchan really raised his nose and sniffed, muttering "It doesn't taste sour", and when he saw Tao Ti's sly smile, he also reacted, "You narrow-minded ghost, I'll just ask. I, I'm not so stingy, I won't let you make other friends... But even if you have other friends in the future, I will be the best one!"
"Okay, okay." Tao Ti responded, and explained that she and Song Yuning were not familiar with each other.
After hearing this, Xu Wenchan felt that Song Yuning was inexplicable, "Who does she think she is, why should she tell you that?"
After a pause, she seemed to think of something, "By the way, I heard that before the eldest princess married, Song Yuning had entered the palace and served as her companion for many years... The princess and the prince all studied together when they were young. Get up, aren't Song Yuning and the prince childhood sweethearts?"
She slapped her forehead, widened her eyes and said, "God, this Song Yuning suddenly said those words to you, could it be that there is something between her and the prince?"
Tao Ti pursed her lips. Although she had guessed like this before, but when someone mentioned it again, for some reason, her heart felt a little stuffy, as if a stone had been pressed on her.
She vaguely put aside the topic, "Let's not talk about it."
He reached out and took the shrimps and green beans on the side and fried them in the pot. The green green beans and white and tender shrimps were fried together. The color was bright and it was really beautiful.
After a while, the aroma of shrimp wafted out.
Xu Wenchan's attention was suddenly attracted by the fragrance, and Song Yuning was instantly forgotten.
After the shrimps and green beans were fried and put on a plate, she stretched out her tentative paws, wanting to taste it.
Tao Ti moved the ingredients away in time, and said with a helpless smile, "This is the ingredient for chicken wings and rice, and it can't be eaten yet."
"Ah?" Xu Wenchan's meaty face showed a little disappointment, and then he said with anticipation, "The ingredients are so fragrant, so the finished product must be so delicious that it will fly!"
Tao Ti winked at her and smiled, "You'll know soon."
After the glutinous rice is steamed, it is sautéed together with the eggs, and finally green beans and shrimps are added. Golden eggs, emerald green peas, plump white and tender shrimps, and glutinous rice with distinct grains are fried together. The color is bright and rich, and the fragrance is overflowing.
Tao Ti took the marinated chicken wings, stuffed the glutinous rice into the chicken wings, stuffed each chicken wing like a purse, then sealed it with a small stick, brushed it with oil and honey, and put it in the bun Kiln baked.
After about a quarter of an hour, the delicious chicken wings came out of the oven—
The honey and fat present an extremely beautiful golden luster on the surface of the chicken wings. Gently cut it with a knife, and the crispy and soft skin will be cut immediately, revealing the firm and plump fried rice inside, and the smell of meat will fill the entire small kitchen.
"Wow, this is too delicious." Xu Wenchan stared straight at it, drooling.
Seeing her impatient greedy look, Tao Ti picked up a small piece with chopsticks, blew it lightly, and brought it to her mouth, "Ah, open your mouth."
Xu Wenchan immediately opened his mouth wide excitedly, like a cute little sparrow waiting to be fed.
As soon as the chicken wings wrapped rice enters the mouth, the first thing that touches is the fresh and sweet skin of the chicken wings, with the slight sweetness of honey and the deliciousness of the secret sauce. After chewing, the soft and waxy texture of the glutinous rice, the crispness of the green beans, the tenderness of the shrimp, and the juice of the chicken wings are mixed together. The more you eat, the more addictive you will be!
"This is so delicious, so fragrant..." Xu Wenchan felt that his life had reached its peak!
"Eat more if it tastes good." Seeing her eating happily, Tao Ti felt a sense of happiness in feeding her.
Just when she was about to order Linglong to pack some clothes and send them to Zixiao Palace, when she raised her eyes, she saw a tall and graceful figure at the door of the small kitchen.
Tao Ti was surprised, "Your Highness?"
When did he come, no one notified him.
The sunshine in late spring was bright and warm. Pei Yan was dressed in a jade green robe and stood quietly at the door, like a tall and slender poplar.
Tao Ti thought to herself: Well, for his height, he is indeed a little thinner now.
Pei Yan walked in generously, her gentle gaze was always on Tao Ti, and when she got closer, she glanced at Xu Wenchan who was eating greasy mouth.
When Xu Wenchan received this gaze, he couldn't swallow a mouthful of chicken wings, and he couldn't chew it, so he said with an embarrassed face, "His Royal Highness, Your Highness is in peace and prosperity!"
Pei Yan gave a low "um" and looked away.
While Xu Wenchan breathed a sigh of relief, she couldn't help wondering if she was too sensitive, why did she feel that the prince had an inexplicable hostility towards her!
Tao Ti looked at the man in front of her and asked softly, "Your Highness, why are you here?"
Pei Yandao, "After dealing with government affairs, go out for a walk..."
walk
Linglong and Fu Xirui at the door looked at each other, and the same thought came to their minds: Scattered from Zixiao Palace to Yaoguang Palace? Your Highness, if you are looking for an excuse, you should also find a more reliable one!
Tao Ti was a little taken aback when she heard this at first, but she didn't think about it, she just looked at him with crooked eyebrows and eyes, "Then it's a coincidence that you came here, I just made chicken wings with rice, and I wanted Linglong to give it to you. It was sent, but now it seems that it is no longer needed.”
Pei Yan glanced at the golden chicken wings, and said in a low voice, "It looks very good, I'll try it..."
"OK."
Tao Ti agreed, and was about to give him chopsticks when Pei Yan suddenly bent down and looked at her.
Tao Ti, "...?"
The big confused eyes met directly with the pair of peach-blossom eyes as dark as ink.
Three seconds later, a bold guess appeared in Tao Ti's mind—
He...does he want her to feed him
After hesitating for a moment, she tentatively picked up a piece of chicken wing wrapped rice with her chopsticks, and slowly brought it to Pei Yan's mouth.
Seeing her move, Pei Yan's brows and eyes frowned, and a gorgeous light shone in his dark pupils. He opened his mouth slightly, and ate the small piece of chicken wing with rice.
Linglong and Fu Xirui, "..."
It's embarrassing to not see it.
Xu Wenchan, "..."
Inexplicably being shown a face
Pei Yan tasted the food in his mouth slowly, and after eating, he praised, "It tastes good."
Tao Ti didn't expect that he really opened his mouth to eat, and just now he suddenly bent his eyes and smiled, which was really a bit flirtatious...
Realizing that something was wrong with her, she hurriedly took a step back, lowered her head in a panic, and whispered, "That, that, let's take it to the hall to eat."
"Okay." Pei Yan responded softly, and glanced at Xu Wenchan by the way.
That glance, faint and careless, aroused a layer of goosebumps for no reason.
Xu Wenchan, who was just about to follow, paused, "..."
After a while, she realized!
"Well, Arti, it's getting late, my mother specifically told me to go back early today, I, I have to leave the palace first." Xu Wenchan swallowed.
"Ah? It's still early." Tao Ti glanced at the bright sky outside the window, then pointed to the plate of delicious chicken wings with rice, and asked, "You don't want to eat?"
"I'll eat!" Xu Wenchan blurted out, in the face of delicious food, it's useless not to eat it!
But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Pei Yanqing's cold face, and she quickly added, "Then why don't you pack a few for me to eat on the way?"
Tao Ti frowned, feeling that she was a little weird, but on second thought, maybe it was Pei Yan who came, and she felt a little uncomfortable.
She didn't force it, and agreed, "Okay, then I'll pack some for you to eat on the road."
Xu Wenchan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile, "Yeah, thank you Arti!"
...
Not long after, after seeing off Xu Wenchan, Tao Ti turned and went back to the hall.
Walking around an eight-foot-high red sandalwood inlaid jade peony painting screen, Pei Yan was sitting on the long couch with a casual posture and a lazy expression. His slender fingers rubbed the wall of the cup, as if thinking about something.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, he turned his head slowly, smiled faintly at Tao Ti, "I'm back."
Tao Ti originally thought that after spending so many days with him, she should have developed some resistance to his flourishing beauty.
But it turns out, no!
It would be fine if he smiled lightly as usual.
But recently, he smiled at her more and more gently, and his beautiful eyes were still shining, like a night sky full of stars, shining bright and charming light.
A beautiful handsome guy can't stop smiling at you like this, who can bear it
Tao Ti felt that she was already strong enough not to spray nosebleeds!
She responded in a low voice, and walked over quickly. Seeing that the chicken wings wrapped rice on the table hadn't moved, she looked at him suspiciously, "Your Highness, why don't you eat it, is it a bit greasy?"
Pei Yan shook his head lightly, with a warm and elegant voice, "We will eat together when you come back."
Tao Ti: Little brother, please stop giving off your charm!
"Oh, let's eat then." She smiled mischievously, deliberately avoiding his gaze, sat down and picked up a piece of chicken wings and started eating.
The burnt chicken wings are stuffed with glutinous rice, bite it down, the chicken is crispy and tender, and the slightly sweet and rich sauce is completely immersed in every grain of glutinous rice, which is salty and sweet, without the slightest taste Oily, each bite is full of bliss.
Tao Ti ate several pieces in one go, and reminded Pei Yan, "You can't eat too much, glutinous rice is not easy to digest."
After hearing this, Pei Yan put down his chopsticks, nodded slightly and said, "Okay."
This obedient appearance really wants to make people rua.
Tao Ti couldn't help thinking, he was so good-looking when he grew up, wouldn't he be cuter when he was a child
Hmm, I don't know what little Pei Yan, who is five or six years old, looks like, he must be as delicate as a doll, right? Alas, it is better to be modern, with photos to keep as a souvenir, and ancient times can only be supplemented by brain.
Thinking about it like this, she unconsciously remembered Xu Wenchan's "childhood sweetheart"—
So, Song Yuning should have seen Pei Yan when she was a child
This realization made that strange depression well up in my heart again.
Tao Ti pretended to drink tea, and asked casually, "Your Highness, at what age did you start studying with Song Taifu?"
Pei Yandao, "Kaimeng at the age of three, has been taught by the teacher all the time."
Tao Ti nodded, no wonder the ancients always said that "a teacher for one day will be a father for life". A teacher has been with her since she was a child, and her own father may not have been with her for such a long time.
After a pause, she asked again, "I heard that the granddaughter of Song Taifu's family was the princess's companion when she was young... Then you two studied together since you were young, and you should have a good relationship, right?"
As soon as the words came out, the surroundings fell silent.
Tao Ti immediately felt a little regretful, what was going on with her, why did she suddenly ask such a relatively private emotional question.
She waved her hand in frustration, and explained, "Well, I'm just asking casually, don't worry, I don't care if your relationship is good or not..."
Doesn't matter
Pei Yannong frowned slightly, seeing that she was still explaining in embarrassment, he called out heavily, "Ah Ti."
Tao Ti's eyelashes trembled slightly, and there was a bit of confusion and surprise in Shui Lingling's eyes.
This seemed to be the first time he called her Artie.
Different from others, when he called her like that, it seemed that the distance between the two of them was drawn very close, and there was a bit of inexplicable pampering
Tao Ti looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
Pei Yan's eyebrows are three-dimensional, and her pupils are pitch black, like a deep pool, reflecting her fair and bright face.
He stared at her fixedly, his thin lips parted slightly, "Gu is not familiar with her."
Such a serious and solemn answer made Tao Ti's heart skip a beat twice.
"Oh." She replied dryly, and she hurriedly lowered her head.
For some reason, the slight sullenness at the beginning disappeared without a trace, and there was a trace of imperceptible joy in my heart.