Half a month passed in a flash.
After Pei Changzhou lifted his foot restraint, he immediately entered the palace to thank Emperor Zhaokang, and Emperor Zhaokang just beat him a few words in a mild manner before letting him back down.
Here, Pei Changzhou had just left the gate of Qinzheng Hall when the chief eunuch of Ganlu Palace immediately came forward to greet him.
"Third Highness, the Empress has been caring about you for the past half month. No, as soon as I heard that Your Highness has entered the palace, I immediately ordered my servants to wait for you here." The chief eunuch bowed and said respectfully.
"En." Pei Changzhou replied blankly, striding forward, "Let's go."
Ganlu Palace.
Empress Zhou was explaining carefully to the grand lady what dishes to prepare for the lunch.
Everything she ordered was Pei Changzhou's favorite food. After talking a series of words, she still felt that it was not enough, so she added two more snacks and one fruit.
Pei Lingbi was lazily sitting on the couch playing Jiu Lianhuan. Seeing that Empress Zhou was so flustered, she couldn't help muttering, "Brother Huang, how can you eat so much? Besides, your mother prepared all the dishes that Brother Huang loved to eat. I love food, so I don't want to keep my daughter here to eat."
Empress Zhou glared at her, and blamed, "Your imperial brother has been confined for half a month, and finally came out. You don't feel sorry for him, but you are still worrying about it? What do you want to eat on weekdays, I am at a loss you?"
Pei Lingbi pursed her lips, but didn't say anything more. Anyway, it's not a day or two since the queen mother has been partial to the emperor brother. Who told her that she is not a prince.
Not long after, the grand maid walked in joyfully, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, the Third Highness has come down."
"Okay." Queen Zhou's brows and eyes widened, she put down the fan in her hand, and stood up calmly.
Pei Changzhou, who was dressed in a pale robe, walked in quickly, and walked up to Empress Zhou to salute, "My son pays homage to the empress, and the empress is blessed and safe."
Empress Zhou helped him up, looked him up and down carefully, nodded and said, "It seems to be a little thinner, alas, Changzhou, you have suffered for the past half month... If it weren't for your father, you wouldn't allow anyone to go Visit you, or I can ask your cousin to visit your residence."
Pei Lingbi also stood up, and lazily blessed Pei Changzhou, "Blessings, my brother."
She also looked at Pei Changzhou, and couldn't help but think in her heart, the queen mother is really talking nonsense with her eyes open, why did the emperor lose weight? It's all about thinking behind closed doors, and it's not like going to jail, as for it.
Empress Zhou took Pei Changzhou's hand and greeted him warmly, and the three of them sat down in front of the window of the Nuan Pavilion together.
As soon as Pei Changzhou sat down, he couldn't wait to ask, "Mother, how about the East Palace these days when I'm locked up in the mansion?"
"Like before, nothing happened."
Speaking of this, Empress Zhou frowned, and looked at Pei Changzhou seriously, "The incident happened suddenly that day, and I didn't even have the time to ask you, what do you think? What are you talking about with King Yu! Fortunately, he didn't It's all right, if you really get mad at me...not only the admonishers at Yushitai want to impeach you, even your father will not let you off easily!"
Speaking of this matter, Pei Changzhou was really depressed and had nowhere to vent.
"I really didn't contradict him? I just said a few words. Who knows how he got angry." Pei Changzhou said bitterly, "That day was really evil. We just had a drink and a small gathering. The bitch bumped into her, and then was bumped into by the crown prince and Yu Wang, which caused me to suffer for so many days in vain, and even lost my job in the Ministry of Criminal Justice."
"Brother Huang, did you really get beaten by Tao Ti?" Pei Lingbi asked curiously.
"..." Pei Changzhou's face darkened a little, and he was really picking up which pot he didn't open.
Pei Lingbi understood his reaction when she saw his reaction, and she became angry for a while, and said sharply, "That woman is so daring, she dared to beat you. What kind of thing is she? Do you really think that marrying into the East Palace will turn you into a phoenix!"
Empress Zhou's complexion sank, she glanced at Pei Lingbi, and said majesticly, "When will your bluffing personality change?"
Pei Lingbi, "..."
Empress Zhou stared at the two brothers and sisters in front of her, and said sharply, "Through a fall, you will gain wisdom. How many times have I told you, don't go against the East Palace."
Speaking of this, she suddenly stopped, and waved back the palace servants with a cold face, leaving only a confidant palace lady guarding.
Seeing that there was no one else around, she continued, "Even if you are dissatisfied with the East Palace, and you can't find a good way to hit it with one hit, you have to hold back! You two, one is impulsive, the other is headstrong, and neither of you can save me. heart."
Both Pei Changzhou and Pei Lingbi were silent. Although they were dissatisfied in their hearts, they did not dare to speak back to their mother.
Empress Zhou looked at Pei Changzhou, and said quietly, "If you want to achieve great things, you need enough patience. Your father is still strong, even if Pei Yan is gone in two years, the crown prince may not necessarily fall to your head On. Xiao Si is fifteen this year, and Xiao Wu is almost ten years old. It is very possible for your father to support them until they reach the crown... You are so impatient with Pei Yan, a dying person, how can you hold your breath in the future? Fighting with Little Four and Little Five?"
Pei Changzhou frowned thickly, and said in a deep voice, "What are little four and five? I am the son of the mother's empress. After Pei Yan's death, I will occupy both the heir and the elder. How could the crown prince fall into the hands of others."
Empress Zhou laughed mockingly, "What am I, an empress? Your father is the emperor, and whoever becomes the crown prince is not entirely up to his will."
"Little Si, is smart and intelligent, and he is also outstanding in riding and archery poetry; Xiao Wu is the "Little Lucky Star" that your father praised personally, and he is also the youngest son, who is deeply loved by your father... They will definitely please you." Father is happy, but what about you? Just because you are the queen's son, because you have the Zhou family and your uncle, you take it lightly and think that the crown prince is in your pocket? It's just stupid!"
Seeing this, Pei Lingbi interjected in a low voice, "I heard that Tao Ti cooks delicious food for the prince all day long, and the prince's appetite has improved a lot, and he even called the imperial doctor less often. Queen Mother, Brother Huang , do you think the prince's body will gradually improve?"
As soon as these words came out, Empress Zhou and Pei Changzhou both had serious expressions.
After a long while, Pei Changzhou said coldly, "Qin Tianjian said that his life span is not long, so how could he be fine?"
Empress Zhou had a solemn face, and her slender fingers dyed red Koudan grabbed the corner of the table in a gentle manner, and said in a deep voice, "It won't recover."
Won't.
cannot.
She doesn't allow it.
After lunch, Empress Zhou sent Pei Lingbi away first, and chatted with Pei Changzhou alone for a long time.
At the end, she broke the news, "Your father seems to intend to call the Gu family back."
Pei Changzhou was shocked, "The Gu family? Pei Yan's uncle's family?"
Empress Zhou solemnly nodded, "Yes."
"What do you think, father? It's been so many years, why do you suddenly want to call the Gu family back? What are you calling back for? Is it to find a backer for Pei Yan? A dying person, is it worth his trouble?"
Pei Changzhou really couldn't figure it out, he had been studying hard since he could remember, and he didn't dare to relax, but no matter how hard he tried, no matter how good he was, he always lived under Pei Yan's shadow.
The emperor's eyes were always on Pei Yan, as if Pei Yan was his son, and the others were just dispensable gifts.
Empress Zhou saw the struggle and distress in Pei Changzhou's eyes, lightly patted the back of his hand, and sighed, "It's all my mother's fault, it's useless to be a mother's queen, and I can't please your father."
Pei Changzhou came back to his senses, and hurriedly said, "Queen Mother, it's not your fault... If you want to blame it, it's Gu's charming son, who has been dead for so many years, and still haunts her, hooking my father on her heart and never forgetting her."
Empress Zhou's beautiful eyes were lowered, and a deep hatred flashed across her eyes. She was silent for a while, her mood was as stable as ever, and she said slowly, "Let's think about how we should deal with the Gu family when they come back."
On one side, the mother and son are secretly planning, and on the other side, in the Mingyue Palace, Tao Ti and Concubine Xu have a happy chat.
In the courtyard full of fragrant flowers, Tao Ti and Concubine Xu sat opposite each other. One was wearing a simple and gentle taupe-colored long dress, as graceful as a magnolia; the other was wearing a gorgeous and graceful scarlet palace dress, burning like a peony.
At that time, the fragrance was lingering, and the spring was just right.
The school ended early today, and the fifth prince originally wanted to catch crickets outside to play, but when the little eunuch said that the concubine's sister-in-law had arrived at the Mingyue Palace, his eyes lit up immediately, and he ran home.
When he ran to the Mingyue Palace out of breath, Tao Ti was talking to Concubine Xu about how to make rose cakes.
"Sister-in-law!" The fifth prince hurried over, with joy on his round face, like a lively and enthusiastic puppy.
"Hey." Tao Ti responded with a smile.
Concubine Xu Gui, who was sitting opposite, smiled helplessly, "You child, you are so happy to see your concubine and concubine, have you forgotten your concubine?"
The Fifth Prince smiled and hurriedly greeted Concubine Xu Gui.
"Look at you running sweaty." Concubine Xu Gui pulled him to her side, took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat, "Go and change into clean clothes first, and catch cold carefully."
"Mother and Concubine, I'm fine." The fifth prince said, his eyes fell on the snacks on the table, and he knew that they were brought by the concubine's sister-in-law. , "Sister-in-law, what kind of cakes are these, they look delicious."
"Flower cake, sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice and jujube, coconut-flavored red bean cold cake." Tao Ti warmly said, "Would you like to try it?"
Today, when Concubine Gui sent someone to invite her to Mingyue Palace for tea, she happened to be making snacks, thinking that she had gotten a lot of good things from Concubine Xu before, and it was hard to go empty-handed for this visit, so she packed some snacks and brought them with her Yes, the rest were sent to Pei Yan.
When she came to Mingyue Palace with the food box, Concubine Xu thought she made it for a special purpose, and her attitude was much warmer and more polite.
"I'll eat this first!" The Fifth Prince's eyes lit up.
Seeing that his hand was about to touch the dessert, he suddenly retracted again.
Concubine Xu Gui was wondering, so she heard the fifth prince say seriously, "Sister-in-law said you should wash your hands before eating... I'll wash my hands first, change my clothes, and then come back to eat... By the way, concubine mother, you can't steal food, give it to me." Keep it!"
Concubine Xu Gui was a little relieved when she heard the first half of the sentence, her son finally paid attention to it, but when she heard the second half of the sentence, the corners of Yan Hong's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Steal? She is a dignified concubine, how can she have anything to do with this word!
"This kid is talking nonsense." Concubine Xu Gui laughed awkwardly.
"..." Tao Ti also smiled cooperatively, thinking that Concubine Xu Gui is quite interesting.
After a while, the fifth prince came back. He slammed onto the stone stool and grabbed a rose cake first.
The flower cake is still warm, a small one, the surface is baked golden and crispy, it is very attractive just by looking at it.
One bite, layer after layer of soft puff pastry, so crispy that the slag will fall off. When the teeth touch the sweet and fragrant roses of the filling, the aroma of the flower and the milky fragrance of the puff pastry are perfectly blended, soft and waxy, with a delicious taste Delicate, the whole person is like being in a splendid sea of roses, full of sweetness.
"This is too delicious!" The fifth prince ate one of them, with scum hanging on his mouth, "The rose stuffing inside is really fragrant, and there is no astringency of petals at all."
"I've marinated the rose sauce for filling for almost a month, and of course it doesn't have astringent taste," Tao Ti said.
"Oh." The fifth prince also didn't understand how the length of marinating would affect the stuffing, anyway, just eat it!
After eating two pieces of flower cakes, he looked at the sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice dates and coconut-flavored red bean cold cakes on the table, grabbed one with each hand, and put them in his mouth one after another.
Seeing him like this, Xu Guifei coughed lightly in embarrassment, trying to make him pay attention.
The fifth prince was so immersed in the pastry that he didn't even notice the hint in his mother's eyes.
Concubine Xu Gui had no choice but to turn her face to Tao Ti with an apologetic smile, and said, "This child... is not like this on weekdays."
"It's okay, he likes to eat, it's affirmation of my craftsmanship, I'm too happy to be happy." Tao Ti is no longer surprised, before Xiaowu and Achan chased each other in the East Palace in order to compete for the last fried chicken leg Yes, a noble lady, a prince, has no image at all.
Concubine Xu Gui smiled softly, "Just now you told me how to make rose cakes, can you tell me how to make sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice and jujube? In the future, if this kid gets hungry, I can also let the small kitchen make it for him."
"The method of sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice dates is very simple. Select plump and large red dates, remove the core, rub the glutinous rice balls into strips and stuff them into the red dates, then add rock sugar to the pot and cook slowly. When the cooking is almost done, add some dried Osmanthus, see that the soup has thickened, take out the red dates one by one and let it cool, it is ready."
Tao Ti smiled and said, "I don't like very sweet food, so I put a little rock sugar. If you want to make it, imperial concubine, you can adjust the sweetness according to your own preferences."
Concubine Xu Gui didn't come back here, she heard the Fifth Prince say, "This sweetness is very good, I don't like too sweet either!"
His mouth was bulging, the red dates were crispy and soft, the glutinous rice balls were sticky and glutinous, and there was a faint scent of sweet-scented osmanthus when chewed.
"And this coconut-flavored red bean cake is also delicious!" The fifth prince said as he put it in his mouth. The cold cake melted in his mouth, and the rich coconut fragrance permeated his lips and tongue. The dense and delicate taste is perfect at the turn of spring and summer. In the day, it looks extremely fresh and refreshing.
"You, as long as it's made by your concubine's sister-in-law, even a bowl of plain rice is delicious!" Concubine Xu joked, turning to look at Tao Ti with an even more smiley look, "Every time this child comes back from the East Palace, his mouth is full. It's all about complimenting you... the compliment makes me a bit jealous. Well, if you and the crown prince have a child in the future, your child will be blessed."
Tao Ti was taken aback for a moment, and didn't know how to answer the words, so she just lowered her head and ate a piece of flower cake.
Concubine Xu Gui couldn't help but chuckle when she saw her porcelain-like delicate cheeks blushing slightly.
After all, she is a little girl with a thin skin.
She suddenly thought of something again, shook her head and said, "Speaking of which, Your Majesty is really, why did you think of sending the crown prince to Luoyang on business? Not to mention the exhaustion of the boat and the hard work of traveling back and forth, just say that you two are still newly married. When they are as gluey as paint and loving as honey, they suddenly want to separate, so we should miss each other a lot..."
Tao Ti was dumbfounded and asked in surprise, "The prince is going to Luoyang?"
"Yeah, you still don't know?" Concubine Xu looked at her expression and explained, "Maybe he is afraid that you won't let it go, and wants to tell you later."
"Well, it should be."
Tao Ti responded in a low voice, thinking involuntarily in her mind, can Pei Yan's frail body really travel far
I was already so thin, if I eat and sleep in the open all the way, hot and cold, can’t eat well, can’t sleep well——
It is said that the mother who travels thousands of miles is worried, and I... how can I disturb the old mother's heart!
Tao Ti shook her head, not wanting to think about it anymore, but the more she didn't think about it, the more it kept lingering in her mind.
Concubine Xu Gui had also been young before, when she saw Tao Ti's distraught appearance, she covered her lips and smiled.
She put down the cup in her hand, and said softly, "Ah Ti, I suddenly remembered that there are still some common affairs in the palace that need to be dealt with, why don't you go back first? I will invite you to have tea with me some other day."
"Huh? Okay, okay." Tao Ti managed to recover.
She got up and said goodbye to Concubine Xu Gui. Before leaving, Concubine Xu Guifei gave her a box of expensive incense powder.
The fifth prince was still a little reluctant, and wanted to keep Tao Ti to play with him, but he was dragged aside by his mother and concubine.
Seeing the concubine and concubine's sister-in-law leave, the fifth prince pursed his lips and said sullenly, "Concubine mother, why do you stop me from playing with my sister-in-law!"
Concubine Xu Gui gave him a blank look, "Your sister-in-law is in a hurry to go back to find your prince brother, so she has no time to talk to you, besides, have you done your homework today? If you can't recite the test tomorrow, you just wait for me to beat you up." …”
The fifth prince pouted, "Why can't I grow up quickly."
Concubine Xu Gui raised her eyebrows, "How do you say?"
The fifth prince sighed with great regret, "If I grow up, I can beat the prince's elder brother and marry my sister-in-law back home!"
"..."
Concubine Xu Gui, "Chen'er, has it been three days since Concubine Mother hasn't hit you?"
Fifth Prince, "!!!" Dangerous.
He immediately took two plates of pastries with lightning speed, and rolled back to his room in a hurry.