From Luoyang to Chang'an, the journey went smoothly without wind or rain.
Compared with the formality when she came here, on the way back, Tao Ti relaxed a lot in front of Pei Yan, no matter whether she was sleeping on his shoulder or lying on his lap, she didn't have the previous psychological burden—
This is the husband who agrees with her!
With her thinking like this, many intimate things became natural, such as hugging and touching him from time to time, and being bolder, kissing him.
Of course, she didn't dare to kiss him too much. Every time she secretly kissed him, he would push her back in the car until her knees became weak.
The two of them are mostly in the carriage, in front of outsiders, at most they hold hands and hug shoulders, which is not much different from before.
Sleeping in the same bed at night, Tao Ti was still a little shy on the first night, and when Pei Yan got into bed, she pulled her limp body into her arms. After hugging each other for a while, the shyness gradually dissipated, turning into a kind of reassuring sweetness.
For the next few nights, she slept generously in Pei Yan's arms. There was a cool and pleasant smell of rosin on his body, and his body temperature was low. On this early summer night, it was very comfortable to hold him.
Every time she hugs his thin waist, Tao Ti always thinks, no wonder Qiongqi loves to fall in love so much, changing boyfriends one after another, it turns out that falling in love is such a joyful thing!
The Donggong group traveled for seven days, and finally returned to Chang'an City at noon on the eighth day.
The gate of Chang'an was opened wide, and Prime Minister Zhou and Li Gui, the chief eunuch beside Emperor Zhaokang, greeted them personally at the gate.
The common people of the two groups stood shoulder to shoulder and watched the excitement. The story of the prince's assassination in Luoyang, whether true or false, spread among the people, and even the storyteller made up various legends, each of which was more mysterious than the other.
Let’s say that the carriage goes directly from Zhuque Avenue to the Imperial City, passes through Zhuque Gate and Chengtian Gate, and arrives at Taiji Palace Square. Emperor Zhaokang, Empress Zhou and other civil and military officials are already waiting—
When they learned that Emperor Zhaokang made such a big show to welcome the crown prince, Pei Changzhou and Pei Lingbi's brothers and sisters felt sour. They felt that the crown prince was just visiting Luoyang, making him look like a general returning from a victorious battle. What's the matter
Empress Zhou didn't even bother to give them a look, and said directly, "It's not up to you to decide whether or not to. Your father wants to give him this dignity, so it doesn't matter what you think?"
Pei Changzhou and Pei Lingbi choked and closed their mouths.
When the carriage stopped in front of the Taiji Palace, Pei Yan, who was dressed in a foggy white robe, got out of the carriage, turned around and opened the curtain, and helped Tao Ti down.
Knowing that she would go to the palace today, Tao Ti didn't dress casually like she did on the road, so when she set off from the post station in the morning, she asked Linglong to tidy it up, changed into a gorgeous goose yellow brocade skirt, and put on a flying fairy bun. There are also a lot of gold and silver jewelry.
After tidying up like this, she instantly changed from a casual and gentle little beauty to a dignified and luxurious princess.
After getting off the carriage, Tao Ti's clear eyes flashed a touch of surprise when she saw the crowd. She moved to Pei Yan's side and said in a voice that only two people could hear, "Your Highness, why are there so many people?"
With a calm face, Pei Yan said, "Father welcomes you in person, this scene is actually quite small."
Tao Ti, "..."
Pei Yan held her hand and smiled gently, "It's okay, I'll be with you."
Only then did Tao Ti feel relieved, and stood side by side with him, holding hands, stepping on the white jade steps to the high platform step by step.
The noon sun shone on the scalp a little hot, but what was even hotter was the scrutinizing eyes of everyone.
Tao Ti pursed her lips, thinking a little nervously, should His Highness not hold her hand, is there something wrong with her
After thinking wildly for a while, she and Pei Yan walked in front of Emperor Zhaokang and Empress Zhou.
"I pay my respects to my father and my empress." Pei Yan saluted.
"My daughter-in-law pays respects to her father and the empress." Tao Ti followed suit.
Emperor Zhaokang raised his hand and said, "Excuse me."
His eyes fixed on Pei Yan, he took a big step forward, put his hands on Pei Yan's shoulders, and looked him up and down carefully. Seeing that he looked good, he felt relieved, "Yan'er, you How do you feel now? Can the wound heal?"
Pei Yan smiled softly, "Thank you, Father, for remembering, my son's injury is not serious."
Emperor Zhaokang heaved a long sigh of relief, and greeted them kindly, Pei Yan answered them one by one with a smile.
This scene of father's kindness and son's filial piety fell into the eyes of everyone, and everyone had their own ideas.
Tao Ti tried her best to maintain a standard smile. Although she was very touched by Emperor Zhaokang's concern for Pei Yan, it was embarrassing for her to be ignored by Emperor Zhaokang for being so big.
She had no choice but to distract herself and look at other people's reactions.
She caught a glimpse of Empress Zhou with a meticulous smile, and Pei Changzhou brothers and sisters with not-so-comfortable faces, but most of them showed sentimental expressions.
After some pleasantries, Emperor Zhaokang was finally willing to give Tao Ti his daughter-in-law a look, "Crown Princess, do you still remember what you said to me when you left the palace?"
Tao Ti, "...?"
She was startled, and when she came back to her senses, her little heart panicked, "Daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law..."
Emperor Zhaokang snorted, "As I said, if the crown prince loses weight when he comes back, I only ask you! Look at him, his chin is pointed..."
Tao Ti swallowed her saliva, and when she was considering her words, she heard Pei Yan say, "Father, the Crown Princess has taken good care of me all the way. If she hadn't risked her life to save me, I'm afraid it would have been a disaster."
Emperor Zhaokang glanced at Tao Ti, and said in a deep voice, "For this matter, I don't care about it with you."
Tao Ti breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Father."
Emperor Zhaokang also ignored her, turned to Pei Yan and said, "You must be tired from the bumpy journey, go back to the East Palace to rest first, and we will have a meal together as a family at night."
Pei Yan responded and took Tao Ti back to the East Palace first.
On the carriage to the East Palace, Pei Yan saw her like a frightened fawn, and comforted her, "Don't worry, Father was just joking with you."
Tao Ti frowned, and muttered aggrievedly, "It doesn't look like a joke, if you didn't speak for me, he might really punish me."
"Father is not a faint king, how can he punish people randomly."
Pei Yan smiled lowly twice, raised her hand to pinch her soft face, and coaxed, "Father is just a bit more dignified, and he usually talks like this when he talks to others. You kept your head down just now, I didn't even see his expression, he really didn't blame you... On the contrary, the father recognized you as his daughter-in-law."
Tao Ti, "Huh?"
Pei Yan frowned, "He said, our family will have dinner together at night."
He specifically emphasized the three words "family".
Tao Ti was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes lit up. She was too nervous just now, so she didn't pay attention to the wording.
Now that she thinks about it this way, she feels much more relaxed, but she still can't help but sigh with emotion, "Fortunately, Your Highness, your temper has followed that of the former Queen. If you are like Your Majesty... Well, no matter how good-looking you are, I will Don't even dare to come close."
Hearing this, Pei Yan lowered his eyes, and his slender eyelashes covered the dark emotions in his eyes.
Did the temperament follow the mother? No, he is more like the father.
It's just that what she likes is his gentle and jade-like side, not the gloomy and indifferent him inside...
Then he should cover it up, only show what she likes, and don't scare her away.
"Your Highness, Your Highness?" Tao Ti called twice, and Shui Lingling stared at him suspiciously, "What are you thinking?"
Pei Yan came back to his senses, and smiled faintly, "Father, the emperor, never looked like this in front of the queen mother. He was very kind to the queen mother, loved her so much, and wished to present the best in the world in front of her."
Tao Ti's eyes fluttered, thinking of the clean and beautiful Fengyi Palace, and thinking of Emperor Zhaokang's love for Pei Yan, she nodded without saying much.
The carriage rattled and drove steadily into the East Palace.
Pei Yan went back to Zixiao Palace first, while Tao Ti went back to her Yaoguang Palace.
Seven days ago, when they heard that the Prince and the others had set off from Luoyang, the remaining guards in the Yaoguang Palace became overjoyed, and cleaned up and down the Yaoguang Palace meticulously, even polishing the floor tiles.
At this moment, when they saw the carriage of the Crown Princess coming, the palace people lined up neatly in two teams, and when the carriage stopped, they hurriedly bowed down to salute.
Looking at the smiling faces of the palace people, Tao Ti somehow felt a sense of honor as a leader parades. She greeted them kindly, and with Linglong's support, she entered the room to rest.
After a brief freshening up, Tao Ti lay on the big bed she was familiar with, and took a nap comfortably.
This time, I slept very peacefully.
When I opened my eyes again, I found that there was someone beside me—
Seeing Pei Yan sleeping sideways, Tao Ti's brain went numb for a moment, why is he sleeping here
As if sensing her doubts, Pei Yan slowly opened his eyes, his black eyes were covered with a layer of mist, his voice was a little hoarse, "Are you awake?"
She looks so pretty when she just woke up, it's amazing.
Tao Ti's cheeks were slightly red, "Hmm..."
She looked outside, and a faint dark light penetrated the curtain, which meant that it was not dark yet.
"Your Highness, when did you come?"
Pei Yan's hand had been resting on her slender waist, and at this moment, he pulled her into his arms again, like a lazy lion, firmly grasping his prey.
He pressed his chin intimately against her hair, and said lazily, "Come here after packing up in Zixiao Temple. Seeing that you slept so soundly, I also lay down and slept together."
Tao Ti gently tugged at the skirt of his shirt, and whispered, "Then should we get up now? We have to have dinner with His Majesty at night."
Pei Yan closed his eyes and rubbed his chin against her, "Hey, let Gu hug me for a while, huh?"
This inadvertent, coquettish and lazy tone made Tao Ti's heart skip a beat, and she was really powerless to resist.
She also quietly closed her eyes and nestled in his arms.
It was still Linglong who was outside the door, counting the time, afraid of delaying things, she dared to wake up, and the two of them slowly got up from the bed.
Pei Yan changed into a bamboo green robe, slender and tall, with a face like a crown jade, if he matched it with a folding fan, he would be a handsome young man in troubled times with extraordinary temperament.
Tao Ti also chose a light blue dress with a concentric bun. Because tonight was a family feast, she didn't dress too gorgeously, so she only chose a set of emerald head and face, which was gentle and luxurious.
When the tidying up was finished, the two stood together, and the palace people all showed a look of amazement: The prince and the princess are really a good match!
As night falls, the lights come on.
On the way to the Zichen Palace, Tao Ti was still a little nervous, "Your Highness, are we the only three of you tonight?"
Pei Yan said, "The Queen and the others should be there too."
When Tao Ti heard it, she probably felt that the crowd was so lively that it could distract some of Emperor Zhaokang's attention, but he didn't feel so nervous.
While talking, the two arrived at Zichen Palace.