Chapter 35：

Half a month passed in a flash.

After Pei Changzhou lifted the ban, he entered the palace and thanked Emperor Zhaokang for the first time. Emperor Zhaokang only struck him with a few words and told him to retreat.

Here Pei Changzhou had just left the gate of the government hall, and the chief **** of Ganlu Palace immediately greeted him.

"His Royal Highness, the Empress Empress has been caring about you for the past two weeks. No, as soon as you have entered the palace, your Royal Highness immediately ordered the servants to wait for you." The chief **** bent over and said respectfully.

"Yeah." Pei Changzhou replied blankly, strode forward, "Let's go."

The nectar palace.

Empress Zhou was carefully explaining the grand palace lady, what kind of dishes should be prepared for the luncheon dinner.

Every item she ordered was something Pei Changzhou liked to eat. After finishing the series, she felt that it was not enough, so she added two more snacks, the same fruit.

Pei Lingbi was sitting lazily on the couch and playing the nine series. Seeing that the Queen Zhou was so arrogant, he couldn't help muttering, "Where can the emperor brother eat so much, and the mother and queen you have prepared all the dishes that the emperor brother loves. I love to eat, don’t you want to keep my daughter here for dinner?"

Empress Zhou glared at her, and blamed, "Your emperor brother has been confined for half a month, and finally came out. If you don't feel bad about him, you can still care about it? What do you want to eat on weekdays, I am at a loss. you?"

Pei Lingbi curled her lips, but didn't say anything. Anyway, it's not a day or two for her mother to be partial to the emperor. Who said she is not a prince.

Not long after, the grand palace lady walked in happily and said with a smile, "Niang, the third hall is down."

"Okay." Empress Zhou suddenly stretched her eyebrows, put down the Luo Fan in her hand, and stood up calmly.

Wearing a pale robe, Pei Changzhou walked in quickly and walked to Queen Zhou to salute, "The son and minister pays respects to the mother, and the mother is happy."

Empress Zhou helped him to get up, looked up and down carefully, and nodded again and again, "It seems to be a little thinner, alas, Changzhou, you have suffered in the past half month... If it weren't for your father, no one was allowed to go. Visit you, otherwise I can let your cousin come to your house to see."

Pei Lingbi also stood up, and blessed his body lazily towards Pei Changzhou, "Emperor brother Wanfu."

She also looked at Pei Changzhou, and couldn't help thinking in her heart that the queen mother was really talking nonsense with her eyes open, where did the emperor brother lose weight? Think behind closed doors, not in jail, right?

Empress Zhou took Pei Changzhou's hand and asked for warmth, and the three of them sat down in front of the Nuan Pavilion window.

As soon as Pei Changzhou sat down, he couldn't wait to ask, "Queen, how about the East Palace these days when I am locked up in the mansion?"

"As before, nothing happened."

Speaking of this, Queen Zhou curled her eyebrows and looked at Pei Changzhou seriously, "I couldn't ask you, what did you think, when things happened suddenly that day? What kind of talk did you say to King Yu! Fortunately, he did not agree with him this time. It's okay, if you are really mad at you... Not only will the advisers of Yushitai want to impeach you, but your father will not easily spare you!"

Speaking of this, Pei Changzhou was really depressed and had nowhere to vent.

"I really didn't contradict him? I just said a few words, who knows why he lost his anger." Pei Changzhou said bitterly, "That day was really evil. We just had a drink and got together. Who ever wanted to be caught first? The **** ran into it, and then was hit by the crown prince and Yu Wang. I was stunned for so many days in vain, and I lost my job with the Ministry of Justice."

"Brother Emperor, you were really beaten by Tao Ti?" Pei Lingbi asked curiously.

"..." Pei Changzhou's face darkened a bit, and it was true that which pot was not opened and which pot was lifted.

Pei Lingbi understood his reaction at the first glance, and for a while, he became angry and screamed, "That woman is so bold and dare to beat you. She is such a thing, she really thinks that she will become a phoenix by marrying into the East Palace!"

The expression behind Emperor Zhou sank, glanced at Pei Lingbi, and said majesticly, "When will your bluffing character change?"

Pei Lingbi, "..."

Empress Zhou stared at the brother and sister in front of him, and said sternly, "Eat a ditch to gain a wisdom, how many times have I told you, don't go against the East Palace."

Having said that, she stopped abruptly, and waved back the palace in the palace with a cold face, leaving only a confidante to guard.

Seeing that there were no others, she continued, "Even if you are dissatisfied with the East Palace, and you can't find a good way to hit it, you have to hold back! You two, one is impulsive, one is self-conscious, and none of them saves me. Heart."

Both Pei Changzhou and Pei Lingbi were silent. Although they were dissatisfied in their hearts, they did not dare to reply with their mothers.

Empress Zhou looked at Pei Changzhou and said quietly, "If you want to make a big thing, you need enough patience. Your father and the emperor are still healthy, even if Pei Yan is gone for two years, this crown prince may not fall to your head. Come on. Xiao Si is fifteen this year, Xiao Wu is almost ten years old, it is very possible that your father will support them and the crown... To Pei Yan, a dying person, you are so uncomfortable, what will you do in the future? Fight against the small four and five?"

Pei Changzhou frowned and said in a deep voice, "What is a small four and a small five? I am the daughter of the queen mother. After Pei Yan's death, I will occupy the protagonist and the longest. How can the crown prince fall into the hands of others."

Empress Zhou laughed mockingly, "What am I a queen? Your father is the emperor, and who is the crown prince is not entirely based on his wishes."

"Little four, clever Huida, riding and shooting poems are also very outstanding; Xiaowu is the "little lucky star" that your father personally praised, and he is also a young son, deeply loved by your father... They will often ask you The father is happy, but what about you? Relying on being the queen’s son, relying on the Zhou family, and your uncle, just take it lightly, thinking that the crown prince is in your bag? It’s stupid!"

Seeing this, Pei Lingbi interjected in a low voice, "I heard that Tao Ti made good food for the prince all day long. The prince's appetite has improved a lot, and even the number of times he called the imperial doctor has decreased. Mother, queen, brother. , Do you think the prince's body will gradually get better?"

When these words came out, Empress Zhou and Pei Changzhou both had a heavy expression.

After a long while, Pei Changzhou said coldly, "Qin Tianjian said that his life span is not long, so how could he be good."

Empress Zhou held a solemn face, her slender fingers stained with Red Kordan pinched the corner of the case, and said in a deep voice, "It won't recover."

will not.

can not.

She doesn't allow it.

After lunch, Empress Zhou sent Pei Lingbi away and chatted with Pei Changzhou alone for a long time.

At the end, she gave a message, "Your father seems to have intentionally called Gu's family back."

Pei Changzhou was shocked, "Gu's family? Pei Yan's uncle's family?"

Empress Zhou solemnly nodded, "Yes."

"What does the emperor father think, after so many years, why suddenly want to call the Gu family back. What do you call back, is it to find a backer for Pei Yan? A dying person, is it worth his troubles?"

Pei Changzhou really couldn't figure it out. He studied hard from the beginning of his record and didn't dare to relax, but no matter how hard he worked, no matter how good he was, he always lived in the shadow of Pei Yan.

The father's eyes are always on Pei Yan, as if Pei Yan is his son, and the others are just optional gifts.

Empress Zhou saw the struggle and depression in Pei Changzhou's eyes, and patted the back of his hand lightly, and sighed, "I blame the mother, it's useless, and can't please your father."

Pei Changzhou came back to his senses and hurriedly said, "Mother, you are not to blame... if you are to blame, the Humei son of Gu, who has been dead for so many years, is still in the shadows, and the emperor has never forgotten her heart."

Queen Zhou's beautiful eyes were drooping, and a deep hatred flashed across her eyes. She was silent for a while. She was in a calm mood as before, and said slowly, "I still think about how we should deal with the Gu family after returning."

Here, the mother and son secretly plan for themselves, and in the Mingyue Palace on the other side, Tao Ti and Concubine Xu Gui had a very happy conversation.

Tao Ti and Xu Guifei sat opposite each other in the courtyard where the fragrance of flowers was soothing. One was dressed in a simple, elegant and gentle long dress of orange color, graceful like a magnolia; the other was dressed in a gorgeous and graceful crimson palace dress, burning like a peony.

At that time, the fragrance was curling, and the spring was just right.

Today’s school was out of school early, and the fifth prince wanted to catch crickets outside. When the little **** said that the prince’s concubine and sister-in-law had arrived at the Mingyue Palace, her eyes brightened, and Sa Yazi ran home.

When he ran to Mingyue Palace panting, Tao Ti was talking to Xu Guifei about how to make rose flower cakes.

"Sister-in-law!" The fifth prince rushed 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, I am happy to see your prince and concubine, but have you forgotten your mother and concubine?"

The fifth prince smiled and greeted Concubine Xu quickly.

"Look at you running all in sweat." Xu Guifei pulled him to her side, took out the handkerchief and wiped the sweat on him, "Go and change into a clean shirt first, and carefully catch the cold."

"Mother concubine, I'm fine." The fifth prince said, his eyes fell on the few snacks on the table, and he knew it was brought by the prince concubine's sister-in-law, and his greedy worm suddenly hooked out and asked. , "Sister-in-law, what kind of cakes are these, they all look delicious."

"Flower cake, sweet-scented osmanthus, glutinous rice, date, coconut-flavored red bean cold cake." Tao Tiwen said, "You try it?"

When the imperial concubine sent someone to invite her to have tea at Mingyue Palace, she happened to be making small snacks, thinking that she had obtained a lot of good things from Xu Guifei before, and it was not easy to go empty-handed during this visit, so she packed some small snacks with her. So, the rest was sent to Pei Yan.

When she came to Mingyue Palace with a food box, Xu Guifei thought she was doing it specially, and her attitude was even more warm and polite.

"I'll eat this first!" The fifth prince's eyes lit up.

Seeing that his hand was about to touch a snack, he suddenly retracted.

Concubine Xu Gui was surprised, so she heard the five princes seriously said, "My sister-in-law said that you should wash your hands before eating...I will wash my hands first, change clothes, and then come back to eat... By the way, mother concubine, you can't steal it, give it to me. Keep it!"

Concubine Xu Gui was a little pleased when she heard the first half of the sentence, and her son finally paid attention to it. Hearing the second half, Yanhong's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Stealing? She is a majestic concubine, how can she have anything to do with this word!

"This child, pure nonsense." Xu Guifei smiled awkwardly.

"..." Tao Ti also smiled cooperatively, thinking that Concubine Xu Gui was quite interesting.

In a short while, the fifth prince came back, and he rubbed his **** on the stone stool and grabbed a rose flower cake first.

The flower cake is still warm, the small one, the surface is golden and crispy, it is very attractive just to look at it.

After one bite, the fragrant meringue layer after layer, the crispy residue is so crispy, when the teeth touch the sweet and fragrant roses of the filling, the fragrance of the flower and the milky fragrance of the meringue perfectly blend, soft and waxy, and taste Delicate, the whole person feels like being in a sea of ​​brilliant roses, full of sweetness.

"This is too delicious!" The fifth prince ate one of them three times, five times two, and there was scum on his mouth. "The rose filling inside is really fragrant, and there is no astringency from the petals."

"I have been marinating the rosette sauce for filling for almost a month, and of course it doesn't have astringent taste." Tao Ti said.

"Oh." The five princes didn't understand the effect of the length of marinating time on the fillings, anyway, just eat it!

After eating two flower cakes, he looked at the sweet-scented osmanthus, glutinous rice, dates and coconut-flavored red bean cold cakes on the table, grabbing one in each hand, and sending them to his mouth one after the other.

Concubine Xu Gui looked at him like this and coughed a little embarrassedly, trying to make him pay attention.

The fifth prince was immersed in the pastry, and he didn't even notice the hint of his mother and concubine's eyes.

Concubine Xu Gui was helpless, so she turned her face and smiled apologetically to Tao Ti, and said, "This kid... doesn't do that on weekdays."

"It's okay. He likes to eat. It's affirmation of my craftsmanship. I'm so happy. It's too late." Tao Ti is already not surprised. Before Xiao Wu and A Chan, in order to compete for the last fried chicken leg, you chased me in the East Palace. Yes, a noble lady, a prince, there is no image at all.

Concubine Xu Gui smiled softly, "Just now you told me how to make rose flower cakes, can you talk about the making of sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice and dates? In the future, this kid is greedy, and I can let the small kitchen make it for him."

"The method of sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice dates is very simple. Choose a full and large red date, remove the core, roll the glutinous rice ball into sticks and stuff it into the red dates, then add rock sugar to the pot and cook slowly. When it's almost cooked, put some dry Osmanthus, seeing that the soup has thickened, pick up the red dates one by one and let it cool, and it's done."

Tao Ti smiled, "I don't like to eat very sweet, so I put a little rock candy. If you want to make a concubine, you can adjust the sweetness according to your own preferences."

Concubine Xu Gui hadn’t returned, so she heard the fifth prince say, "This sweetness is very good, and I don’t like too sweet!"

His mouth was bulging, the red dates were soft, the glutinous rice **** were sticky and sticky, and it tasted with a faint sweet-scented sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance.

"And this coconut-flavored red bean cake is also delicious!" The fifth prince said as he delivered it to his mouth, the cold cake melted in the mouth, and the rich coconut scent permeated the lips and tongue. The dense and delicate taste, at the turn of spring and summer In the days, it was very refreshing.

"You, as long as your prince concubine's sister-in-law made it, a bowl of white rice is delicious!" Xu Guifei joked, turning to look at Tao Ti and smiling even more, "every time this kid comes back from the East Palace, his mouth is full. They all praise you... I'm so jealous that my mother-in-law is a bit jealous. Hey, if you have a child with the prince in the future, then your child will be a blessing."

Tao Ti was taken aback for a moment, and didn't know what to say, so she lowered her head and ate a piece of flower cake.

Concubine Xu Gui couldn't help but chuckle when she saw her delicate white porcelain cheeks glowing with a faint blush.

It's a little girl after all, with a thin skin.

She suddenly remembered something, and shook her head. "Speaking of which, your Majesty is true. Why do you think of sending the prince to Luoyang for errands? Not to mention the fatigue of the boat and the hard work of running back and forth, just say that your couple are still newly married. It’s like glue like lacquer, love like honey, suddenly separated, so you have to worry about each other..."

Tao Ti was stunned and said in surprise, "The prince is going to Luoyang?"

"Yeah, you still don't know?" Xu Guifei looked at her expression and explained, "Perhaps he is afraid that you are reluctant and wants to talk to you later."

"Well, it should be."

Tao Ti replied in a low voice, thinking involuntarily in his mind, can Pei Yan's weak body really be able to travel far?

I’m already so thin, if I go all the way, eat and sleep, I’m hot and cold, I don’t eat well, and I don’t sleep well—

They all say that the mother is worried about the child traveling thousands of miles, and I...how do you worry about the old mother's heart! ?

Tao Ti shook her head and stopped thinking about it, but the more she didn't think about it, the thing kept circling in her heart.

Concubine Xu Gui was also young, and when she saw Tao Ti's unsettled appearance, she covered her lips and smiled.

She put down the cup in hand and said softly, "Ati, I suddenly remembered that there are still some common affairs in the palace to deal with, or should you go back first? I will invite you to have a cup of tea another day."

"Huh? Okay, okay." Tao Tikan came back to his senses.

She got up and said goodbye to Concubine Xu. Before leaving, Concubine Xu gave her a box of precious powder.

The fifth prince was still a little reluctant, and wanted to keep Tao Ti to play with him, but was dragged aside by his mother and concubine.

Seeing the prince concubine and sister-in-law go away, the fifth prince pursed his mouth and said dullly, "Mother concubine, you are handling your general affairs, why stop me from playing with the sister-in-law!"

Concubine Xu Gui gave him a white look, "Your sister-in-law is eager to go back to your prince brother, how can I take care of you, besides, have you done your homework today? If you can't recite the test tomorrow, you will wait for me to beat you. …"

The fifth prince curled his lips, "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 get ahead of the prince brother and take my sister-in-law home!"

"..."

Concubine Xu Gui, "Chen'er, hasn't the mother concubine beat you for three days?"

The fifth prince, "!!!" Danger.

He immediately took two plates of pastries with a thunder and thunder, and rolled back to his house numbly.