Harem Daily Life

When she arrived, Lady Ningyuan Marquis had held onto some hope, but after Tao Yanyan finished speaking, her heart sank. The Gu family had reached its peak of glory with the Marquis's generation, producing Empress Tao Yanyan, General Gu Yi, and a princess in marriage. But if the next generation couldn't carry on that glory, it probably wouldn't last more than a few generations.

Princess Xinlan smiled and said, "Her Majesty the Empress is the most intelligent, and her opinions are never wrong. If you ask me, Mother, please don't bring this up again. When Nini grows up, she will eventually meet a suitable match."

Lady Ningyuan sighed softly, "Never mind. When we came, the Marquis instructed me to listen to Your Highness in everything. I didn't really want to say anything, but it just seems like the Duan family is perfect for everything, and I'm so envious. One Duan family, two eligible girls, both so outstanding. Sigh, timing is really too important!"

Tao Yan smiled and said, "Actually, I hadn't even noticed the Duan family until you mentioned it, Aunt." After saying that, under the suspicious gazes of the others, her smile faded and she added, "I think perhaps His Majesty has taken a liking to them."

Everyone was slightly taken aback, but after thinking about it carefully, they all became serious.

“His Majesty doesn’t care who Jin’an marries, because Jin’an can marry anyone. But Yu Cheng is different. His Majesty will definitely oversee the Crown Prince’s marriage. Even I can’t influence this matter.”

She glanced at her mother, then at her aunt: "Earlier, some officials impeached me, saying that as Empress, I am too powerful and can influence the court, and that my relatives are all very influential, making me even more powerful. I don't want the next generation of the Tao and Gu families to be associated with the royal family. Firstly, because the children are indeed unsuitable; it would be too harmful for them to marry for the sake of family alliances. Secondly, I don't want to attract suspicion because of my great power. How glorious the Shu family was back then, but where is the Shu family now? For a family to prosper and flourish, we must educate our children well, teach them skills, and let them shoulder responsibilities, rather than maintaining it through marriage alliances."

Tao Yan's words were pertinent and reasonable. Both Madam Tao and Madam Ningyuan understood them clearly. From today onwards, the two families would never mention marrying their daughters into the palace again, and would focus wholeheartedly on raising the next generation.

The news of the Duan family's growing prominence slowly spread throughout the capital. After the New Year holiday, when court resumed, Lord Duan was impeached several times for trivial matters. He Linzhang neither reprimanded nor punished those who submitted the impeachments. He simply praised Lord Duan's new reform proposal for the Ministry of War in the main hall, letting those who submitted the impeachments know that they had wasted their efforts.

Tao Yanyan didn't ask He Linzhang about the Duan family. In her view, as the emperor, he had his own standards for choosing a daughter-in-law. The crown princess would not only be judged on her appearance, but also on her family background, abilities, methods, and temperament. The one who stood out from the crowd would be the best candidate. If that candidate happened to be the crown prince's favorite, a beautiful marriage could be formed.

Tao Yanyan thought back to when the late emperor chose a crown princess for He Linzhang, he must have had similar considerations.

“Father’s love is as strong as a mountain.” Tao Yanyan sighed as she held the storybook.

Xianglan, who was standing by, wondered why the Empress had suddenly asked such a question. Then she heard Tao Yanyan ask, "Have you finished replacing all the things that the Crown Prince asked you to replace?"

Since He Linzhang moved out, the Eastern Palace has been uninhabited, and many things have been damaged and are being repaired and replaced one after another.

Xianglan nodded: "It's already being changed, and people are arranged to clean it every day, so Your Majesty can rest assured. However, cleaning so early, won't it be..." The Crown Prince's marriage is still far from settled, not even a hint of it yet.

As if knowing what Xianglan wanted to ask, Tao Yanyan closed the storybook and stood up: "Anyway, we have plenty of manpower, so we can get ready as soon as possible. Once the wedding is set, it can be done very quickly. Let's go, take advantage of the nice weather and go for a walk in the Imperial Garden."

The snow melts, plum blossoms hang on the branches, and basking in the long-awaited sun is much more comfortable than worrying about other things.

He Jin'an sent a letter home every month without fail to reach the capital. Hua Yuerong's pregnancy had finally stabilized, and recently her appetite had increased. In her letter, she wrote that she wanted to ask for some recipes. Tao Yanyan asked Caiyun to write down how to make each of her signature dishes and send them to Qianzhou along with the letter.

He Yanran was dragged by He Yinuo to accompany her on her inspection of the shops all day long. She left the Yongwang Mansion early every morning and did not return until evening. Kang Pingzhi was so jealous that he couldn't help but say, "I finally came to Da Zhou, and you don't even have time to accompany me. People who don't know the situation might think that we are estranged and living our own lives!"

Kang Pingzhi held the fragrant and soft Crown Princess in his arms, like a little animal begging for her favor.

He Yanran said helplessly, "I couldn't resist Yu Nuo's pestering. That little devil of a woman always said she'd show me how to make money, and I couldn't resist the temptation and went with her. But speaking of which, the imperial property really is profitable; it's no exaggeration to say it brings in a fortune every day. Don't you think Father Emperor's properties could be managed better, perhaps learning from the Great Zhou?"

Kang Pingzhi shook his head: "I know you mean well, but please don't get involved. The Empress Dowager and Consort Wan are at odds, each controlling half of the property. The other consorts won't stand idly by either. We can only mention it to the Empress Dowager and leave them alone. If you really want to make money, then manage what's under my name. We'll just take care of ourselves."

Considering the complex situation within the Xia Kingdom's imperial palace, He Yanran didn't say anything more.

A warm, large hand slipped under his clothes and reached his waist, causing He Yanran to exclaim in surprise, "It's not late yet, Your Highness, why are you in such a hurry?"

Kang Pingzhi had already moved closer, showering He Yanran with delicate kisses on her neck: "My dear Ranran, I'm so young and full of vigor, and I've been cooped up at home all day, thinking about you the whole time. I'm suffering." Without another word, he picked He Yanran up and carried her straight to the inner room.

The next day, He Yinuo came to pick up his sister again, and He Yanran finally arrived after a full half hour.

"We're finally out. Let's hurry up and go. We're going to the orchard today." After saying that, she glanced at her cousin-in-law who was following behind: "Brother-in-law, if you want to come along, you can. We went there the year before. It's not far from the capital."

Kang Pingzhi touched his nose. Back then, he had bribed his sister-in-law quite a bit to find out He Yanran's preferences. He never expected that in the blink of an eye, his sister-in-law, who used to ask him to carry her, would grow up to be as tall as He Yanran.

"I won't be going. I have a polo match to play with today. Be careful on the road and come back early." Kang Pingzhi saw the two off and gave the coachman some detailed instructions before he felt at ease.

"I never realized my cousin-in-law was so talkative back then. He has such a stern face, yet he talks so much," He Yinuo couldn't help but tease as she sat in the carriage.

He Yanran smiled and said, "Cold on the outside but warm on the inside, isn't Yu Cheng the same? He's as cold as ice to outsiders, but he's always following you around, asking if you're not warm enough or not wearing enough clothes."

Su Xing stayed by He Yinuo's side, handing them hand warmers filled with warm water. When she heard them mention the Crown Prince, she paused slightly.

"No, that's not true. He's controlling what I eat and not letting me eat this or that. I'm so thin now, and he's partly to blame."

He Yanran glanced at her with amusement: "You're so beautiful now, I think it's thanks to him taking good care of you that you've become so beautiful."