Harem Daily Life

There was no need to pay respects or sleep with the emperor. Tao Yanyan slept very well, making up for the sleep he had missed in the past few days. He slept until he woke up naturally these days, and he felt energetic and had a rosy complexion.

Because of her mobility problems, she seldom went out. At most, she would ask Qingfeng and Mingyue to help her sit in the yard and bask in the sun.

Jin'an was very concerned about her foot injury every day. When Qingfeng was applying the ointment, he would always stand by and watch with his little butt sticking out, fearing that Qingfeng would apply too little or too much.

"Jin'an, why are you so cute? I love you so much!" Tao Yanyan pinched Jin'an's chubby little face. The human cub is getting more and more addictive as he is raised.

Jin'an has a good temper. He doesn't resist when she kneads him. He is like an obedient little kitten, giggling in her arms.

With Jin'an, her life in the palace became much more fun. Watching the child jumping around day by day, she felt that this lonely palace with high walls had a hint of fresh breath.

On the first day of September, an imperial edict spread throughout the harem, shaking everyone's heart.

The emperor promoted Concubine Li to the rank of first-rank virtuous concubine, and scheduled a ceremony to confer her the title of concubine on the sixth day of the first lunar month.

The queen sat on the throne, her face as cold as ice.

"I have been busy with His Majesty's birthday banquet recently. I have five days to prepare for the ceremony of conferring the title of consort. I am really too busy to do anything. I wonder which sister is willing to share my worries and take charge of the ceremony? It is simple to say. It is nothing more than rushing to make the dress, formulating the procedures, arranging the banquet, and having Concubine Li come to serve tea to me on the day."

The Queen looked at the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine always hated Concubine Li the most, so she would not help Concubine Li prepare any ceremony for her consort. So she lowered her head silently and did not respond to the Queen's words.

The Queen rolled her eyes slightly and looked at Concubine Rong. Concubine Rong coughed lightly and said, "Queen, I want to share your worries, but you know I can't do this. My mother is the daughter of a general and she never taught me how to manage a household. If I were to do it, the chances of it going badly would be very high. If Your Majesty gets angry, the Queen will be blamed in the end."

The Queen knew that she couldn't count on her, as Rong Fei's ability to manage the household was indeed average. So, she turned her attention to Shu Fei.

Shu Fei is the legitimate daughter of the Shu family. She has been a daughter of a prominent family who has been carefully trained by the Shu family since she was a child. A small ceremony to make her a concubine should not be a problem.

Shu Fei stood up and said embarrassedly, "Empress, Concubine Li's miscarriage has caused a thorn in the hearts of the Queen Mother and Your Majesty. The Queen Mother is very aggrieved. I really can't come forward to make arrangements for Concubine Li. I hope that the Queen will find someone else."

The Queen sighed. Shu Fei had the ability to do it, but she had no position to do it, so she had to give up.

After looking around, none of the concubines could help. Do I have to do it myself?

The Queen was too lazy to do it for Concubine Li! She was so angry that her liver hurt.

"Forget it, let the Ministry of Internal Affairs prepare it. Call the chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs this afternoon and follow the regulations for all the etiquette. Report to His Majesty and tell him that the Ministry of Internal Affairs will handle it."

The nanny at the side received the order and sent a palace maid to pass on the message.

After they talked for a while, they paid their respects and then dispersed. The Queen and others went to Changchun Palace to pay their respects as usual.

The Emperor's order had obviously been sent to Changchun Palace. When the Empress and the others arrived, they simply mentioned it. The Empress Dowager said calmly, "What about the virtuous concubine? A person with a noble character is a virtuous concubine, and a person with outstanding talents is a virtuous concubine. How can she be worthy of the word virtuous? She just used some seductive tricks to confuse the Emperor!"

The Queen Mother took a deep breath and glanced at Concubine Rong: "Concubine Rong has made great contributions in giving birth to the eldest prince. I hereby decree that Concubine Rong be given the title of Virtuous Concubine. The ceremony of conferring the title of Concubine will also be held on the sixth day of the first lunar month. Queen, you should take some effort and do it together. Concubine Rong will come to me to express your gratitude at that time. From now on, that Concubine will no longer have to set foot in Changchun Palace."

Suddenly, another task came up. The queen was overwhelmed and had no way to reason. She had no choice but to agree, "Yes, I will ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to handle it."

Concubine Rong immediately thanked him happily, with a look of joy on her face.

Concubine Rong was naturally happy. She was promoted from a concubine to a second-rank concubine after she gave birth to the eldest prince. Concubine Li had a miscarriage, but she was able to climb over her and be promoted to a first-rank concubine. How could she swallow this?

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was wise. Whether for the purpose of checks and balances or to create trouble for the future virtuous concubine, she suddenly promoted her. She was about to become a first-rank virtuous concubine who had given birth to a prince!

The Imperial Concubine did not say anything. It was only a matter of time before Concubine Rong was promoted. She even felt that it was too late. You know, Concubine Rong was the legitimate daughter of General Rong's mansion. Her father and brother were both generals guarding the border. Concubine Rong also had a son. It was legitimate for her to be promoted to the First Rank Virtue Concubine.

Shu Fei lowered her eyelashes and clenched her handkerchief. She didn't expect that two people who were of the same rank as her would be promoted all of a sudden, which made her feel more or less embarrassed.

But she couldn't do anything about it, could she? Even with the Shu family's background, she was infertile after all, not as good as Rong Fei; she was less favored, not as good as Li Fei. Even if she wanted to get promoted, she couldn't.

"Okay, Queen, go back and persuade the Emperor. There are so many concubines in the harem, and they don't have to be kept on one tree. After Concubine Li's miscarriage, it will be difficult for her to get pregnant without two years of rest. It's better to give other concubines more opportunities and have more children."

The queen reluctantly agreed. It was not an easy job to persuade the emperor to treat everyone equally.

"Shu Fei, please stay. You all may leave." The Queen Mother often kept Shu Fei alone to talk, and everyone was used to it, so they respectfully left.

Shu Fei sat in front of the Empress Dowager, feeling a little lost.

The Queen Mother glanced at her and said, "I was in a bad mood that day, so I didn't ask you about the results of your diagnosis. Did the doctor outside the palace tell me how you are doing?"

Shu Fei replied, "The doctor said that I am in good health and do not need to take any supplements. I only need to take care of myself normally. I am not destined to have children. I think it is because the timing is not right. He advised me to relax and find more opportunities to be favored."

The Queen Mother pinched her brows and said, "Then wait another year or so, but you should also be more careful. If any of the lower-ranking concubines are pregnant, you can also take care of them. If they really can't get pregnant in the future, you can take them in to raise them."

Shu Fei felt sad. If the child was not her own, how could she raise him well?

She still hoped to have a biological child with her cousin the emperor.

After coming out of Changchun Palace, Shu Fei returned to Yongning Palace in a dejected manner.

Zi Ling brought her the medicine: "My queen, this medicine is too bitter. How long will you drink it? Why don't you go and invite His Majesty to come earlier?"

The decoction that Shu Fei is drinking now is for conditioning. If the emperor comes, she will drink it to aid pregnancy. The doctor prescribed a year's supply for her, which cost more than five hundred taels of silver.

"Wait a few more days. Concubine Li just had a miscarriage, and His Majesty is not in the mood to enter the harem." Shu Fei knew her cousin the emperor too well. His Majesty would devote his heart to the people he cared about. Now, Concubine Li was the person his cousin the emperor cared about the most, otherwise he would not have thought of promoting her and making her happy just after she had a miscarriage.

"By the way, what is Tao Meiren doing these days?"