Harem Daily Life

Sometimes Tao Yanyan couldn't help but admire He Linzhang's physical strength. Even though he went to bed very late, he could still get up on time to attend court. With such tiring work, it's no wonder that there are not many emperors who live long lives.

She looked listless when she was picked up by the breeze. After quickly washing up and eating two steamed buns, she took a sedan chair to pay her respects.

Yesterday's palace search caused panic among the people. Today, the concubines in each palace were discussing what happened yesterday. When Tao Yanyan arrived, she saw them talking in groups of three or five.

Tao Yanyan yawned, walked to his seat and sat down, emptying his mind and feeling drowsy.

When most people had arrived, the queen came out, sat in the main seat, and accepted everyone's kneeling kowtow as usual. Then she began to talk about the preparations for the emperor's birthday banquet next month and made some instructions.

Immediately, the Queen changed the subject: "Talented Lady Fan has been demoted to Liangyi. All your previous efforts have gone to waste. You should take this as a warning and live in harmony in the palace in the future. Don't harm yourself and your family because of a moment of confusion."

Everyone stood up and answered, "Yes, we will follow the Queen's instructions."

Just as he finished speaking, a young eunuch came in hurriedly: "Your Majesty, the Queen, Concubine Li is here."

Concubine Li had not appeared for several months. Everyone was very surprised. Why did she come to pay respects today? So, everyone looked over.

Tao Yanyan had actually heard various rumors about Concubine Li a long time ago, but they had always been just hearsay. Today, she finally had the opportunity to see the legendary favorite concubine.

When that bright figure slowly came into view, Tao Yanyan couldn't help but hold his breath, and an indescribable emotion surged in his heart.

The person in front of me was truly stunningly beautiful, as unreal as a fairy that had walked out of a painting.

Tao Yanyan couldn't help but sigh that He Linzhang was blessed, and Concubine Li was so beautiful that it was beyond description. If he were a man, he would probably be impressed by this divine beauty.

"Your concubine greets the Empress! I was not feeling well a few days ago, and I followed Your Majesty's order to focus on my pregnancy. Recently, the pregnancy seems to be stable, so I have come to pay my respects to the Empress." Concubine Li's voice was gentle and beautiful, which amazed Tao Yanyan again.

The queen said calmly: "Since you are here, please sit down."

Concubine Li looked towards the seats for the concubines in the front row. A palace maid had already moved a chair and placed it next to Concubine Shu. Concubine Li smiled and walked over leisurely to sit down next to Concubine Shu.

Shu Fei cleared her throat and said, "I haven't had time to congratulate Li Fei yet. Li Fei is...almost five months pregnant, right? Are you only concerned about your figure and not taking supplements? Why is your belly so small?"

Concubine Li said indifferently, "I can't gain weight. No matter how much I eat, my figure is still slim. But after I got pregnant, my belly grew, and nothing else grew. It's because the child is considerate of me and wants me to recover as quickly as possible after giving birth. But Concubine Shu, I haven't seen you for a few months. Is she a little plumper? Is she pregnant too?"

Shu Fei's face changed. She had been in the palace for five years and had no news. After paying respects today, she would go to the Queen Mother's Palace to ask a doctor from outside to see her. Who would have thought that Li Fei would bring up such a big issue and even humiliate her in front of everyone!

Everyone knows that Shu Fei's weak spot is that she cannot say that she is not pregnant. She is the niece of the Empress Dowager, the cousin of the Emperor, and the legitimate daughter of the Shu family. Naturally, no one dares to mention it in front of her. But Li Fei is really brave. She is indeed the most beloved concubine of His Majesty. When it comes to confronting Shu Fei, who has a strong background, she is not ambiguous at all!

Shu Fei's voice was a little colder: "You are not as lucky as Li Fei. You are favored by His Majesty every day, so you naturally got pregnant earlier. You must take good care of yourself and give birth to an heir smoothly. In a few months, there will be another prince or princess in the palace, and the Queen Mother will be very happy."

Concubine Li raised her eyebrows and said, "If I give birth to a prince, the Queen Mother will at most give me some rewards. If Concubine Shu can get pregnant, the Queen Mother will be happy from the bottom of her heart! Concubine Shu..." Concubine Li looked at her sideways and said, "Concubine Shu, don't worry. Maybe in a year or two, you will get pregnant too."

Shu Fei was very angry, but the other party was pregnant and favored, so she could only hold her anger and could not do anything.

The Queen coughed lightly and said, "Concubine Li is pregnant. When she gives birth to an imperial heir, she will be able to contribute to the country. The rest of you should hurry up and invite His Majesty to the palace more often so that the royal family can have more offspring as soon as possible."

Concubine Li continued, "What the Empress said is very true, but His Majesty never comes. He says he's busy when we invite him. There's really nothing we can do!" After that, she glanced at Concubine Tao and said, "Your Majesty should either not come to the harem or just stay at Concubine Tao's place. It seems that the next person with good news will be Concubine Tao."

Being called out suddenly, Tao Yanyan wanted to use tape to seal Lady Li's mouth.

All eyes were originally focused on Concubine Li, but now they shifted to Concubine Tao.

Tao Yanyan thought about it and said nothing, his expression mainly expressed indifference.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Lady Li sneered, "Why is Lady Tao so quiet today? Wasn't she very talkative in the past?"

Tao Yanyan glanced at her as if she were a clown. "I wonder what Lady Li expects me to say? Is it about why Your Majesty stays in Yingyue Pavilion most of the time, or that I will be pregnant soon? I'm so sorry, you have to ask Your Majesty for the answer to the first one, and you have to ask Guanyin for the second one. I can't answer either one."

Concubine Li was speechless for a moment. She clenched her handkerchief tightly and hated herself for always being at a disadvantage when facing Concubine Tao!

Concubine Li's gaze fell on Tao Yanyan for the first time. Tao Yanyan seemed to have sensed something and looked over at the first moment.

The eyes of the two favorite concubines met unexpectedly. Concubine Li narrowed her eyes. She was indeed outstanding in talent, young and beautiful. No wonder His Majesty liked her so much.

But he is only sixteen or seventeen years old, and Your Majesty just wants to try something new.

Concubine Li was so proud of herself that she was the most beautiful woman in the world that she did not take Tao Yanyan seriously.

Tao Yanyan felt Concubine Li's arrogance and unfriendliness, and immediately looked away.

Because of the arrival of Concubine Li, the atmosphere in Fengyi Palace became a little subtle. The Queen used to smile a little, but today she had a sullen face the whole time.

On the other hand, the Imperial Concubine and the Rong Concubine were able to keep their composure and exchanged parenting experiences with the Li Concubine with a smile on their faces for a while.

"Okay, that's all for today. All the concubines and above will follow me to pay respects to the Queen Mother. Concubine Li... you are pregnant, if you want to go back and rest early, you don't have to go to Changchun Palace."

The Queen interrupted the three concubines' jokes and even "thoughtfully" found a reason for Concubine Li not to go. Anyway, the Queen Mother didn't like her, so she didn't have to go.

Concubine Li, however, was uncharacteristically polite and said, "I haven't paid my respects to the Queen Mother for several months. I must go today. It would be good for the Queen Mother to see that I am pregnant."

Shu Fei rolled her eyes silently, her expression even colder than that of the Queen.

"Then let's go together. Lady Tao, don't forget to come too. The Queen Mother is waiting for you to cook!"

Today is the seventh day of the lunar year, and Tao Yanyan has to go cook.

Worker Tao Yanyan had no choice but to drag his tired body to Changchun Palace.