Harem Daily Life

He Linzhang took a rest at night, feeling much more exhausted than usual, and fell asleep in one go. Tao Yanyan nestled in his arms, touching his chin with her little hand, and asked with a dazed look in her eyes: "Your Majesty, are you... tired tonight?"

He Linzhang breathed calmly and said calmly, "In order to please Yan Yan, I have to stay young. Excessive indulgence will make me age easily. Okay, go to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow. Sufficient sleep can ensure that I am energetic and my face will not age."

Tao Yanyan: “…”

I felt as if I had slashed my own happiness with a sword.

He Linzhang curled his lips, hugged the person tighter, and patted his back to lull him to sleep.

Tao Yanyan fell asleep soon, but He Linzhang got up in the middle of the night to take another cold shower. He didn't know why he did such a childish thing out of anger and ended up shooting himself in the foot.

Tao Yanyan paid her respects normally the next day. Everyone in the harem above the rank of concubine knew that the Queen Mother had called her over to reprimand her yesterday, but no one knew what was said. However, everyone knew that His Majesty hurried over and finally took Lady Tao out of Changchun Palace very late at night.

Seeing that Lady Tao did not behave abnormally, everyone was at a loss as to what the truth of the matter was.

When the queen came out, she gave Concubine Tao a rather strange look.

"Early this morning, His Majesty sent someone to say that for the birthday banquet next month, each concubine must prepare a talent that she is good at. The best performer will be rewarded with three thousand taels of silver. The Queen Mother, the concubines, and the royal family will be the judges. You must prepare well and don't lose the dignity of the royal concubines."

After the queen finished speaking, everyone started to discuss in a low voice. Some were very excited. After all, they had a skill. If they could win the first prize, they would not only be favored by His Majesty, but also receive a generous reward. Others felt that the sky had fallen. They had no skill, knew nothing, and didn't know what to do.

Tao Yanyan listened to this arrangement and wondered if the emperor was giving him money.

But she quickly dismissed the idea.

There are always people who are better than you, and there are always mountains that are better than you. Who can enter the palace as a concubine without special skills? I can only play the pipa, and I have demonstrated it twice. Can I still surprise you for the third time? I have lost my sense of expectation! If I want to win the three thousand taels, I must open up a new track.

Tao Yanyan was thinking hard, thinking about what she had learned, when she heard the Queen say, "The Queen Mother sent a message early in the morning. From now on, on the third and seventh day of every month, Lady Tao will go to Changchun Palace with the concubines and above to pay respects, and stay in Changchun Palace to prepare lunch for the Queen Mother. Lady Tao, did you take note of it?"

Tao Yanyan replied, "Yes, I've made a note of it."

I couldn't help but complain in my heart: Is the Queen Mother afraid that I will default on my debt? She even set the date so clearly!

However, a leader who agrees with his subordinates on the time to do things and does not let his subordinates guess what the leader is thinking can be considered a leader who is good at communication.

Thinking about it this way, Tao Yanyan quite admired the Queen Mother. At least she was open and aboveboard.

When the others heard the empress dowager's order, they all showed gloating expressions. The empress dowager really did not like Concubine Tao. Others went to pay their respects, but she was the only one who was punished to do the work of a subordinate.

It seems that she has indeed offended the Queen Mother seriously!

Shu Fei looked at Concubine Tao thoughtfully. She always felt that the Queen Mother was not punishing her, but... liked her cooking skills?

But she quickly rejected this idea. The Queen Mother was the daughter-in-law of the Shu family who had been trained for the royal family since she was a child. She had risen from the Crown Princess to the Queen Mother. What good food had she not eaten? The chefs in her palace were all the best among the imperial chefs. It was impossible that the food they cooked was not as delicious as that cooked by Concubine Tao. Therefore, it was probably a punishment.

She felt relieved and said to the Queen, "Your Majesty's birthday banquet is very busy. If the Queen needs help, I am always at your service."

Shu Fei had expressed her opinion, so if Gui Fei and Rong Fei said nothing, it would seem awkward. So they also said, "I am ready to be at the Queen's disposal at any time."

Whether they were willing or not, everyone had to stand up and ask the queen to order them around as she pleased.

Although the queen knew that there were both true and false intentions, she felt good that everyone obeyed her. She glanced at everyone and saw that Lady Tao was sitting as steady as a rock, not moving at all.

"You all take a seat. I am glad that you can share my worries. Guifei and Rongfei usually have to take care of the eldest princess and the eldest prince, so I won't bother you two. Then I will trouble Shufei and other sisters to help. I will send someone to call you when there are specific arrangements."

The Queen smiled and said calmly, "Is Lady Tao very busy on weekdays? I see that you don't seem to want to participate in the preparations for His Majesty's birthday banquet."

Tao Yanyan was really speechless. She was not the organizer and she was at best just a performing guest. Why should she participate in the preparations?

She stood up and replied, "I have to go to Changchun Palace to be the chef every three or seven days. I want to learn more dishes so that I can better serve the Queen Mother. In addition, I really don't have the ability to prepare such a grand wedding banquet. I hope the Queen will forgive me."

The queen stopped making things difficult when she saw that she had mentioned the queen mother. They talked for a while before leaving Fengyi Palace.

The Imperial Concubine and the Rong Concubine have been very close recently, and since the weather was good, the two of them took a walk back, chatting as they walked.

"This Shu Fei seems to be particularly close to the Queen recently, but she is rarely seen going to the Queen Mother's Palace." Rong Fei said.

The imperial concubine smiled and said, "The Queen Mother is her aunt. It's fine as long as they maintain their relationship. Even if she doesn't go often, will the Queen Mother blame her? After the Queen recovered from her illness, she took over the power of the harem. Concubine Shu, is she looking for a new backer for herself?"

Concubine Rong sneered, "No matter how many backers you have, they are not as reliable as having a child. She has been in the palace for more than five years. Logically, she should have been there quite a few times. This time she even accompanied the emperor on a tour. I specially gave her a chance, but why is there no movement at all?"

The imperial concubine's eyes darkened. Whoever the emperor wants to give the child to, isn't that up to his wishes?

Shu Fei had been childless for five years. Either she had a physical problem and couldn't get pregnant, or His Majesty didn't want her to have a baby!

When she thought about how the Shu family's branch in Lincheng was wiped out by His Majesty, the imperial concubine became even more convinced that the latter was the reason.

However, she would not tell Concubine Rong so bluntly. Even though their relationship had improved recently and they had more common topics, it did not mean that she could open her heart to Concubine Rong.

The imperial concubine smiled and said, "The matter of offspring also depends on fate. Perhaps her fate of having children has not yet come."

As for Tao Yanyan, he had just finished his lunch at Yingyue Pavilion and was lying down to take a nap when He Linzhang came.

"Hmm? Has your majesty eaten yet?" Tao Yanyan saw the time and thought he should have eaten. But why didn't he take a lunch break after eating? Shouldn't he continue working in the afternoon? He actually had time to come to her place.

"All of you go out." After He Linzhang said this, Qingfeng and Mingyue quickly retreated and closed the door.

"Your Majesty, you..." Before Tao Yanyan finished speaking, he said nothing more, leaving only low sobs.