Not long after, eight dishes, one soup and one snack were neatly placed on the table, as well as a pot of bayberry wine and a pot of lychee cream water, which greatly increased appetite at first glance.
Princess Jingyang swept them one by one, her beautiful eyes showed surprise, "Ah Ti, you did all of these?"
Tao Ti smiled, and Qing He hurriedly said for her, "Yes, mother, these are all made by my cousin, who is amazing!"
Princess Jingyang couldn't help nodding, she glanced at Tao Ti appreciatively, and after she took her seat, she said to Zhang Shi, "Your daughter is really good!"
Mrs. Zhang had a complex expression, and smiled sarcastically, her eyes fell on the extremely high-level dishes on this big table, and she was puzzled: When did my daughter's cooking skills become so good
When we met last time, some of the snacks made by Ati may be interpreted as she thought about them in her free time, but the level of delicacy of the dishes on this table is not inferior to that of the royal chef in the palace. Without a certain level, it cannot be prepared of.
Tao Ti didn't know Zhang's thoughts, she felt hungry after smelling the scent, so she hurriedly mobilized everyone to move their chopsticks, "Aunt, mother, Qinghe, eat quickly, the food won't taste good when it's cold. "
Princess Jingyang is not a glutton. She was not very hungry after drinking a cup of rock sugar Sydney bird's nest. But now facing the table of dishes in front of her, she suddenly had a very strong appetite.
She drank a cup of tea and rinsed her mouth, then picked up the chopsticks and reached for the bright red ingot braised pork.
The recipe of this braised pork is similar to that of other braised pork, except that quail eggs are added to the dish. The deep-fried quail eggs are golden and round, and look like small ingots, so it was named after the braised pork. .
The eldest princess first picked up a piece of thin-skinned and tender braised pork, and saw that the braised pork was bright red, trembling when she picked it up, and covered with fragrant juice. When it is put into the mouth, it is soft, glutinous and smooth, fat but not greasy, it melts in the mouth, the salty taste and fragrance are just right, and the meaty fragrance is also mixed with the light sweet fragrance of rock sugar, which is particularly mellow.
"Crispy but not broken, fragrant and glutinous but not greasy. Well, this braised pork tastes really good." Princess Jingyang commented, and put another quail egg into her mouth.
The quail eggs soaked up the rich soup, the egg whites were smooth and delicate, and the yolks were powdery, glutinous and salty, full of flavor.
The eldest princess liked this dish very much. After eating three pieces of braised pork in a row, she was a little satisfied and extended her chopsticks to other dishes.
Qinghe scooped up a large spoonful of potato stewed beef and poured it on the crystal clear white rice—
This habit of pouring rice was learned when I ate Kung Pao Chicken with Tao Ti last time.
The stewed potato cubes melted together with the thick soup, fully soaking the rice. Qing He scooped up a spoonful of bibimbap and put it in his mouth. It gives people a great sense of satisfaction, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes. The beef and potatoes complement each other, blending an extremely delicious fragrance.
"This beef is so tender, tender and crispy, with a soft texture."
Qinghe praised with enjoyment, just finished eating, took another spoonful, "I can eat two bowls of rice with this dish."
Seeing the little girl eating happily, Tao Ti was also happy. She put a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus duck in the bowl. The duck meat was sweet and tender, and there was still a faint scent of sweet-scented osmanthus wine in her mouth. The more she ate, the more addictive she became.
"Ah Ti, what's the name of this dish? It looks very interesting." Mrs. Zhang asked curiously, pointing to a fried golden dumpling.
Tao Ti squinted her eyes and said with a smile, "This dish is called rich money."
Several people at the table became interested, "Why is it called this name?"
Tao Ti picked up one and said, "I'm running a shop. I also want to take a good omen when cooking. And look at this dish. The noodles are wrapped around the quail eggs. When the noodles are fried, they are golden. It looks like there is a lot of gold glittering money wrapped around the waist. This layer of golden noodles is wrapped with the white of quail eggs, and when you bite down, the white is wrapped with gold, implying that gold and silver will continue, and the source of wealth is rolling in."
After hearing this, several people also found it interesting. They stretched out their chopsticks to pick up one, dipped some ketchup, and tasted it.
The outer layer is golden and crispy, but the inside is tender and tender. Although it is not extremely delicious, it has a special flavor when paired with sweet and sour tomato sauce.
Several people at the table were chatting while eating. Seeing Mrs. Zhang talking and laughing happily with Princess Jingyang, Tao Ti let go of her worries and opened her belly to eat.
After a meal, the four of them couldn't hold on anymore.
Princess Jingyang waved her hands again and again, and said, "I haven't eaten so much in so many years. Arti, I can't come to your Yaoguang Palace again in the future. If I come a few more times, my waist will get thicker."
"Mother, I told you earlier, the food cooked by my cousin is delicious." Qinghe smiled, holding up the lychee ointment and drinking it in small sips. This kind of slightly cool and slightly sweet refreshing drink is perfect for drinking in the scorching summer. , it couldn't be more comfortable.
Mrs. Zhang drank a few glasses of bayberry wine greedily. At this time, her cheeks were flushed, she was slightly drunk, and she was in a good mood. Before the meal, she chatted with Princess Jingyang very happily, and now she continued to chat.
The Yaoguang Palace is full of joy and harmony, but the Jinyun Palace is completely lifeless.
Pei Lingbi lay upright on the bed like a corpse, her face was pale, her eye sockets were sunken, and she was extremely haggard.
The palace people didn't dare to go forward to persuade her, her mood was very unstable, and whenever she felt unsatisfactory, she would beat and scold her, which was very frightening.
Pei Lingbi opened her empty eyes, staring straight at the water-blue embroidered vine-grass curtain, repeating in her mind what Queen Zhou said to her when they parted last night—
"Lingbi, you have to carry this matter alone, and you must not implicate the Zhou family and your imperial brother... Don't be resentful, don't feel wronged, you have to remember that the Zhou family and your imperial brother are the ones who will be the only ones in your life." rely on."
"Marrying Saburo is just a stopgap measure. Don't worry, you marry him first. If you don't want to be a husband and wife with him, I will tell him in private and I won't let him touch a finger of yours."
"Be patient for a while, when your brother ascends the throne, the queen mother will immediately let him make an order to allow you to reconcile, and then the mother will find a good marriage for you and let you be the most honorable eldest princess." .”
"It won't be too long, don't worry, it will only be three years at most, and within three years, your emperor brother will definitely be able to sit in that position! You first endure this grievance, and in the future, the empress mother will definitely punish you for what you have suffered today. Shame, give back to Jingyang, Qinghe, and that Tao Ti one by one!"
Words and sentences echoed in Pei Lingbi's mind over and over again, from night to day, from morning to dusk.
She hated, resented, and was not reconciled. Her tears were almost shed, but she could do nothing.
She knew that she was an abandoned pawn now, but she could only obey the queen mother's arrangement and pin her hopes on the Zhou family and the emperor's brother.
She could only hypnotize herself over and over again, telling herself to endure these three years and everything would be fine.
The maids guarding outside the hall couldn't help shivering when they heard the shouts that seemed to be laughing but not laughing and crying but not crying again.
Looking at each other, they were all asking: The second princess was hit too hard, is she crazy
...
The gorgeous sunset covered the sky, following the setting sun, Pei Yan returned to Yaoguang Palace.
Tao Ti was sending Princess Jingyang and the others out, when they met in front of the flowery courtyard, they all stopped.
After meeting each other, Princess Jingyang called Pei Yan aside alone, and had something to say to him.
Tao Ti glanced at it for a while, then looked away, and sent Mrs. Zhang out first.
Under the corridor near the flower garden, Princess Jingyang regained her dignified and dignified image of an elder, and said to Pei Yan with a look of relief, "Yan'er, Arti is a very nice girl, she looks good, cooks well, has a good personality, and she has a good personality from the bottom of her heart." Well, the most important thing is that she has feelings for you."
Pei Yan's handsome face raised a slight smile, and he nodded, "Well, Arti is fine, my nephew has always known that."
Princess Jingyang stared and said, "A woman's sincerity is very precious, you have to treat her well, understand?"
Pei Yan looked serious, and replied, "Aunt, don't worry, my nephew will never let her down in this life."
Jingyang was still very confident in her elder nephew's character, she raised her hand and patted his arm, and said with satisfaction, "Remember what you said today."
As she said that, she frowned as if thinking of something again, "Speaking of which, you and Ati have been married for half a year, why hasn't her stomach moved yet? You two have to work hard to make a child." Come on. If Ati is pregnant and has the first grandson of the emperor, the Zhou family's arrogance will be extinguished by half, how dare they be as presumptuous as they are now!"
Pei Yan, "..."
Seeing that he was silent, Jing Jing suddenly realized something. Ati looked ruddy, able to eat and sleep, and looked like a good-bred man. There has been no movement for more than half a year. Could it be that my nephew is not in good health
The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. She raised her hand and touched her nose, looking as if she wanted to ask but couldn't. After a moment of embarrassment, she coughed lightly and said, "Yan'er, my aunt here has a secret recipe for conceiving a child. It's from Longxi. The prescription, it works quite well, if you need it..."
Pei Yan's eyebrows twitched twice, and after a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "No need."
…
It was night, the wind was clear and the moon was bright. After taking a bath, Pei Yan and Tao Ti lay down on the bed together.
Hugging the soft body in his arms, Pei Yan unconsciously remembered the words of his aunt when she left. His face was buried in her soft neck, and the faint fragrance of her body lingered on the tip of his nose.
Breathing became hot and fast.
His palms gently clasped her waist, his long eyelashes drooping slightly, thinking about how to bring up the matter of "creating a child" naturally.
It's been almost two months since the two of them communicated with each other. She should be ready, right
Pei Yan's tall nose lightly brushed the soft skin on the back of her neck, and his voice was low and hoarse, "Ah Ti..."
Tao Ti came back to her senses in a daze, "Ah? Your Highness, what's wrong."
Pei Yan's eyes darkened, and the hand on her waist tightened a little, and there was a little worry in his casual tone, "Absent, what are you thinking?"
Having said that, he felt the person in his arms stiffen. Immediately, she turned around slowly, facing him, raised her fair face, and said in a somewhat embarrassed and sad tone, "Well, it's my mother's business."
"Um?"
Tao Ti bit her lip, struggled for a while, and said, "My mother suddenly told me in the afternoon...she wants to make peace with my father."
To be honest, when Mrs. Zhang suddenly pulled her to say this in the afternoon, she was in a daze—
In her mind, divorce is very common in modern times, but divorce was rare and troublesome for women in ancient times.
Not to mention Zhang's identity here.
But Mrs. Zhang was very calm, with fearless seriousness written on her always serious face, "I have already mentioned it to your father, although he does not agree now, but I said, give him a month to think about it; Finally, if he hasn't figured it out yet, I have my own way to make him agree."
Tao Ti asked, "Mother, why do you want to reconcile?"
Deep melancholy appeared in Zhang's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "I have no relationship with him for a long time. Instead of looking at each other and hating each other, it is better to say goodbye. Anyway, you are already married, and the crown prince treats you so much." , mother has nothing to worry about."
Tao Ti, "..."
It turned out that the relationship between husband and wife was not harmonious.
But it's also true, if it were me, my husband married so many concubines and gave birth to so many cubs, I would have blown up a long time ago!
It is not easy for Mrs. Zhang to bear it for so many years.
…
Thinking back, Tao Ti put her face in Pei Yan's arms, and whispered, "Mother wants to reconcile, and I support her here, but I am still a little worried. Reconciliation is not an easy thing, and I am afraid that she will be hurt." Wronged."
Pei Yan also recovered from the shock of hearing the news for the first time.
At the bottom of his heart, he vaguely guessed the reason why Mrs. Zhang proposed reconciliation at this time—
The Yongweihou Mansion is closer to the Zhou family, but farther and farther away from the East Palace. Between power and interests and his wife and daughter, Yong Weihou chose power.
And Mrs. Zhang, between her husband and her daughter, chose her daughter.
Pei Yan's deep eyes were filled with black ink, it's fine if Zhang and Li are separated, and there is no need to be too embarrassing when he cleans up the Yongwei Hou Mansion in the future.
At least his father is dead, and his mother is with Artie, which is better than the death of both parents. Artie can also be less sad.
He closed his eyes, put his chin against Tao Ti's soft hair, gently stroked her back with his broad palm, and comforted her, "Don't worry. Since you support your mother-in-law's reconciliation, then I, the son-in-law, will try my best to help , contributed to this."
Feeling the sound of his breathing close at hand, Tao Ti's anxious mood gradually relaxed.
She hugged Pei Yan's waist, rubbed her small face on his strong chest, and said softly, "Let's wait a month and let them solve it by themselves. If my father doesn't Promise, let's find a way."
Pei Yan kissed her on the cheek and coaxed softly, "Well, go to sleep."
…
After two rains, the hot weather has cooled down a bit.
At the end of July, Emperor Zhaokang read out his will to marry Pei Lingbi to Zhou Shaohui, the third son of the Zhou family, at the court meeting.
Zhou Pinglin, Prime Minister of the Left, thanked Dade for his gratitude, and ministers who did not know the truth congratulated him one after another.
Two days later, Emperor Zhaokang issued two decrees in succession—
One is to let Yu Wang's son inherit the title and go to Luoyang Mansion to serve as the manor of the mansion immediately.
It was a decree that Zhou Pinglin, the left minister, was unwell and needed to recuperate at home. Zhou Pinglin was removed from the right to assist the six ministries and handed over to the right prime minister to take over.
For a moment, there was an uproar in the court, and everyone was a little uncertain about Emperor Zhaokang's attitude.
Several people who knew the inside story became uneasy, His Majesty, is this a warning? Or is it really going to be cruel to the Zhou family
That night, when Zhou Pinglin returned home, he whipped his useless third son with a rattan cane.
However, the enthusiasm for these two decrees did not last long, and was overshadowed by another exciting event——
In August, the Rongdi mission entered Chang'an.