The spring rain continued, and Tao Ti leaned lazily in front of the window, staring at the fine and woven rain.

Pei Yan came over at some point and said softly, "Where are you enjoying the rain?"

"...Hmm." Tao Ti turned around and saw him sitting down. She also sat upright, picked up the pot and poured him a cup of tea.

The air was a bit cold, and the fragrant jasmine tea was filled with white mist. Pei Yan's handsome face became more and more fairy-like in the hazy white mist.

"Thank you." He took the cup steadily with his cold fingers, and the warmth from the cup wall seemed to enter the blood from the skin and flow into the heart.

Taking a slow sip of tea, he said softly, "I didn't expect Xiaoliu and you to be so close to each other."

"Feifei is very cute, I like her very much." Tao Ti shrugged helplessly, "I just didn't expect that I would cry after eating a dessert. It really shocked me at first..."

Pei Yan slowly raised his eyes, his eyes were gentle and calm, he said a few words of comfort, and then said, "Xiao Liu's mother-in-law passed away three years ago."

Tao Ti's hand holding the tea cup suddenly stopped, and the tea almost spilled out.

She looked at Pei Yan in disbelief, and saw that there was no hint of joking on his face, and his expression gradually became serious. After a long while, she said, "How could this happen..."

No wonder the atmosphere suddenly became so weird when she asked the Sixth Princess to return to the palace to find her mother.

Ahhhhh, I really want to hammer myself to death! Wouldn’t what I said stab a knife into the heart of the Sixth Princess?

Tao Ti felt extremely guilty when she thought of the little girl's pitiful appearance with tears in her eyes.

Pei Yan glanced at it and guessed what she was thinking, and Linglong told him everything in the beginning.

"He who doesn't know is not guilty." He sat with his back straight, his slender jade-like fingers gently stroking the side of the cup, and said softly, "You have only arrived in the East Palace not long ago, and you have only met Xiao Liu twice. You don't know her.

His life experience is also normal."

Tao Ti lowered her eyes and was quiet for a while. Then she raised her head again and asked with a solemn expression, "Can you tell me about her life experience?"

Her bright, dark eyes were not filled with curiosity, but full of concern.

The light in his eyes was so clear, like a clear spring in the mountains flowing through Pei Yan's heart.

He turned his face to the window and looked at the rain outside the window casually. After a while, he opened his thin lips and told the story of the sixth princess.

"Concubine Su was drafted into the palace nine years ago. She was not particularly favored. Her father only called her a few times when she first entered the palace. Later she became pregnant and gave birth to Xiao Liu. Because Xiao Liu was the father of

As the youngest child of the emperor, the emperor's father would occasionally go to sit with Concubine Su... Later, it seemed that it was also on such a spring day that Concubine Su suddenly contracted a serious illness and passed away..."

His voice is very pleasant, and in the patter of rain, there is a hint of melancholy and sadness, which makes people feel calm.

"Xiao Liu had just turned five years old at that time. On the day of Su Bi's funeral, Xiao Liu disappeared and the entire harem was looking for her. I happened to go to the library to look for an ancient book and found her hiding in the corner behind the bookshelf, crying.

…”

He also extended his hand to make a gesture, "At that time, she was sitting on the ground hugging her knees, a small ball, like a kitten. Later, I coaxed her to sleep and carried her back..."

As if trapped in the memories of the past, Pei Yan's voice revealed a cold calmness, "What's the use of crying."

No one can accompany anyone to the end, so saving up the energy to cry and trying to survive is the right thing to do.

When Tao Ti heard his light emotion, she suddenly remembered that Pei Yan also lost his mother when he was five years old.

She quietly looked at the man in front of her. He had a sideways face, a straight nose, and a clear jaw line. From this angle, his eyelashes were getting longer and longer, not warped, but hanging slightly, like carefully woven small

The fan covered the dark emotions in his deep black eyes.

The corners of his lips are naturally upturned. I don't know whether it is natural, or the muscles have formed naturally due to the habit of laughing in the past 20 years.

His smile was still beautiful, like a piece of white feather gently falling on the white snow, so gentle and a bit sad.

The sixth princess told her on the way that among the royal brothers and sisters, she liked the prince brother the most. The prince brother cared about her very much, and she could feel that the concern was sincere, not staged or fake.

Pei Yan is so kind to the sixth princess, could he see his own shadow in this little girl who lost her mother when she was young?

When she thought of little Pei Yan, after losing his mother, he fell into the ice lake again. From then on, he was accompanied by one illness after another, and bowl after bowl of bitter and unpleasant soup... Tao Ti looked at Pei Yan with even more sympathy.

.

The room became quiet, and only the sound of soft rain could be heard.

After a moment, as if summarizing, Pei Yan said, "Xiao Liu is young and missed his biological mother for a while. He couldn't control his emotions well, so you don't need to blame yourself."

Seeing that he didn't forget to comfort herself, Tao Ti smiled at him, picked up the pot and added some hot tea to his cup.

Her slender wrist was slightly exposed, and the white jade bracelet glowed brightly in the dim light. Her gesture of adding tea was gentle and graceful, as if time was elongating with every move she made.

"Your Highness also missed the late Queen very much when he was a child, right?" she said abruptly.

"..."

Pei Yan's fingertips trembled slightly.

Quiet, very quiet.

Tao Ti regretted it after asking. She didn't know why, but she suddenly wanted to know about his childhood. For a moment, she forgot that the relationship between them was not close...

It might be okay to ask friends, but between the two of them... are she and Pei Yan considered friends?

It was difficult for her to give a definition, so she didn't think about it for the time being. Anyway, it was a taboo in interpersonal communication to communicate superficially and deeply. She had better apologize first——

"Right..."

"Yeah." That sweet voice sounded at the same time.

Tao Ti was startled, "...?"

Pei Yan nodded seriously and said, "I'll think about it."

When I was a child, I thought about it very much, but when I grow up... I try not to think about it.

He originally thought that the memory of his mother would gradually fade away as time went by, but he did not expect that the bond between mother and son could be so deep and long-lasting.

Every time I think about it inadvertently, my heart always becomes heavy and tormented. It is a bitterness that no bowl of soup in the world can match.

"The late Queen must also miss you very much, Your Highness." Tao Ti comforted her. After thinking for a while, she told Pei Yan that "when people die, they will turn into stars and fly to the sky."

Unexpectedly, Pei Yan chuckled softly after hearing this. He looked at her with a pair of peach blossom eyes and raised his thin lips, "Gu is not a child. You'd better tell Xiaoliu this... maybe she will believe it."

Tao Ti, "..."

Well, she also thinks this comforting routine is too old.

Pei Yan calmly changed the topic, "Speaking of which, how do you make Jiang Bangnai? It can actually make Xiaoliu cry. I'm a little curious."

When talking about eating Tao Ti, she had something to say. She said, "This dessert is actually very simple. Squeeze the juice from the old ginger, boil the fresh milk with sugar and rose petals. Cook until small bubbles appear, and then quickly add the milk to the pot."

Pour in the ginger juice and let the two ingredients collide and blend naturally. Finally, cover the bowl and wait for a quarter of an hour, then open it and it's ready."

Pei Yan raised his eyebrows, "From your description, milk is used to beat ginger juice. That should be called milk beating ginger. Why is it called ginger beating milk?"

Tao Ti, "..."

Little brother, you are chatting to death again, you know.

After pondering for a moment, she explained unconfidently, "Maybe it's called a smoothie, just like a meat bun is not called a steamed bun with meat."

Pei Yan, "What is Roujiamo?"

Tao Ti, "..." broken mouth, such broken mouth!

She smiled coquettishly and said, "It's like a kind of pie. I'll make it for you next time I have a chance."

In order to prevent this "curious baby" from asking more weird questions, Tao Ti stood up and said, "Let me make you a bowl of ginger milk to try. It has been cold and rainy recently. Ginger juice can warm the stomach and relieve vomiting."

It has the effect of drinking a bowl of it to warm your stomach."

Pei Yan smiled lightly and said, "That's fine, I'll help you."

Not long after, Pei Yan tasted the sweet and smooth taste of ginger and milk.

"The fragrance of milk neutralizes the spiciness of ginger, the unique taste of ginger softens the sweetness of milk, and the roses add to the fragrance... It's really good." He commented seriously.

The rain outside had eased a bit, and after Pei Yan finished a bowl of ginger milk, he was about to leave.

But before leaving, he suddenly said to Tao Ti, "After I finish the spring tax matters, I will take you out of the palace for a walk."

Tao Ti was stunned for a moment.

Pei Yan said, "Don't you remember what I promised you last time?"

Tao Ti nodded hurriedly, smiling and smiling, "Remember, remember." But I didn't expect you to still remember.

Pei Yan smiled at her and left.

Linglong responded, holding a wet rag and removing the cover.

After a burst of steam, a row of milk and honey bread were neatly squeezed together on a long plate, golden, round, and fragrant.

Zi Shuang and Linglong couldn't help but swallow their saliva. At first, they thought the Crown Princess was just joking, but they didn't expect that this food called "bread" was actually made successfully, and it was so delicious!

Tao Ti tasted one, and it was still a little hot. After breaking it open, the inside was fluffy and soft, and her lips and teeth were filled with a faint milky fragrance. "Well, it's not bad."

The sweetness is moderate, and Pei Yan should be able to accept it. With this in mind, she said to Linglong, "Pack six of them and send them to His Highness."

The bread she baked this time was not very big, one was about the size of a fist. According to her estimate of Pei Yan's appetite, it would be good if he could eat half of the six, but three would be too unsightly.

She is stingy, she is more beautiful if she pretends to be six.

Linglong quickly packed a plate of bread and went to Zixiao Palace.
To be continued...