Empress Zhou sighed quietly. “Sigh, I can let it go if it’s just Lingbi who’s being foolish. What makes me even angrier is Changzhou, how can he also take part in such nonsense? It’s already like this and he still went to provoke the crown princess. If the crown prince or His Majesty found out… he couldn’t have been more foolish!”
She took a deep breath, then waved her hand and said, “Forget it. Go invite those outside to come in.”
****
Tao Ti and the sixth princess headed for the Eastern Palace together, and just when they reached the Zhide Gate, they encountered a hindrance.
Seeing Pei Changzhou slowly walking out from behind the big banyan tree, the smile on Tao Ti’s face grew somewhat stiff.
Pei Changzhou was wearing a royal blue brocade robe today with a jade pendant tied to his waist. He held a fan in his hand, looking elegant and dashing.
On seeing Tao Ti, his face expressed a look of surprise at this “chance encounter”. He was just about to say, “What a coincidence, this is probably fate”, but his gaze swept to the sixth princess beside Tao Ti, his brows frowned almost imperceptibly.
Why is this little thing also here?
Of course, the sixth princess sensed Pei Changzhou’s gaze. After executing a ceremonial greeting properly, she went back obediently to Tao Ti’s side, her little hand stealthily holding onto the hem of Tao Ti’s sleeve.
Pei Changzhou came back to his senses, reined in his expression and took the initiative to greet Tao Ti, smiling suavely, “Good day, Crown Princess.”
Tao Ti returned the greeting and said lightly, “Good day, Third Prince… If there is nothing else, we will be going back to the Eastern Palace first.”
At that, she held the sixth princess’s hand and wanted to walk around him.
Not expecting that she would leave just after a greeting, Pei Changzhou was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, “Wait.”
Tao Ti’s lustrous eyes narrowed, “What, is there something else?”
On seeing the impatient look on her face, Pei Changzhou was taken aback. Ever since he got to know Tao Ti, she always appeared obedient and gentle as the water every time they met. She had never been so cold… and there was even the feeling of despise.
Pei Changzhou, who was initially full of confidence and felt that if he got the right timing and came to block her, he would surely be able to coax her well, was suddenly unsure.
She must still be angry, so that’s why she’s like this, right? Sigh, women are indeed troublesome and need to be coaxed.
Pei Changzhou looked at Tao Ti with deep affection and made his voice much gentler, “I wonder if the Crown Princess is free? Shall we go to the pavilion in front of us to sit?”
Tao Ti was disgusted by his feigned affection but didn’t let it show and just said lightly, “It’s really unfortunate, I’m not free…” she lowered her eyes and looked warmly at the sixth princess, “I’m bringing Feifei to the Eastern Palace to play. “
Pei Changzhou choked, “......”
In all his planning and scheming, he had never guessed that the sixth princess would be with Tao Ti. It was indeed inconvenient to talk with such an obtrusive little thing around.
It is just that if he missed this opportunity now, he didn’t know when they would meet again. Did he have to wait until half a month later when she had to give greetings to the empress again and block her once more?
Seeing how Pei Changzhou wanted to speak but kept hesitating, Tao Ti had already guessed that he had deliberately come here today to lay in wait for her. A coldness flashed across her heart, and she said expressionlessly, “It’s getting late, I’ll be leaving with Feifei first. “
Watching the receding back view of their group, Pei Changzhou squeezed the handle of the fan in his hand, his face ashen.
Eunuch Hu Jin reminded him cautiously, “Master, she has gone far… In this slave’s opinion, the crown princess should have received the letter last time…”
“Shut up!”
He recalled how he received a bellyful of cold wind last time, and after returning, he still did not forget to make excuses for that woman, saying that she probably hadn’t received the letter, or she hadn’t come because she was delayed by something else.
Seeing her attitude now, Pei Changzhou felt like he had been given a hard slap, and his face was burning hot.
Having been reprimanded, Hu Jin obediently shut his mouth and did not dare to say more.
But he really could not understand—didn’t his Master not think much of the crown princess in the past, and even thought she was infatuated and boring? Why was it that now that the crown princess was ignoring him, he was instead bent on sending himself forward?