Harem Daily Life

He Linzhang stared at the person in front of him. Under her eyebrows as beautiful as distant mountains, her eyes were like deep lake water, clear and bright. Her long eyelashes were trembling slightly like butterfly wings, as if they could dance at any time. Her delicate nose seemed to be carefully carved, with graceful and smooth lines. Her lips were naturally red and tender.

Suddenly, I wanted to tell her about the grievances in my heart.

"Yan Yan, the Queen Mother scolded me harshly today, and I feel wronged." He Linzhang lowered his eyelashes, a little frustrated: "Since I was twelve years old, the Queen Mother rarely spoke to me in such a harsh tone. Tell me, did I really dote on Concubine Li too much?"

Tao Yanyan had never seen the Emperor get along with Concubine Li except for the day she saw him getting nervous in Changchun Palace. Naturally, she couldn't answer. She thought for a moment and said, "Why did Your Majesty go to see the Queen Mother today?"

You're not going to go and ask for punishment just for the sake of the child, are you?

He Linzhang confessed everything: "Concubine Li does not want to be canonized as a concubine on the same day as Concubine Rong. I would like to ask the Queen Mother to revoke her order and postpone the canonization of Concubine Rong for a month. I will go to discuss it."

Tao Yanyan was speechless. No wonder the Queen Mother scolded you so harshly. It was already considered restraint by her not beating you.

Tao Yanyan said calmly: "Your Majesty, do you think that no one in the harem can match Concubine Li? You can ignore other people's feelings for her, and even ignore the face of Concubine Rong who gave birth to your eldest prince?"

He Linzhang shook his head: "I have advised her, she is just a little arrogant, hoping that I will favor her more, she has no bad intentions."

"Your Majesty, everything should be done in moderation. Even if you dote on her, you can't ignore the lives of others! Concubine Rong must have been a pampered girl at home. She was lucky enough to give birth to the eldest prince. If Concubine Li doesn't get promoted, it's fine. But if Concubine Li gets promoted, Concubine Rong will definitely not be able to get away with it. Concubine Li actually wants to suppress Concubine Rong and let her postpone her promotion for a month. Isn't this a slap in the face of Concubine Rong?"

He Linzhang felt a little embarrassed. He knew the reason, but he just couldn't bear to reject Concubine Li.

Tao Yanyan glared at him and said, "If the Queen Mother scolds Your Majesty for this matter, then I think she is right. The harem is closely related to the former dynasty. Your Majesty is the emperor, so he must know the art of weighing pros and cons better than I do."

He Linzhang felt helpless and sighed. He didn't expect that the little beauty, who was not very old, could actually speak such profound truths.

Tao Yanyan rolled his eyes and said, "Also, since you think Concubine Li is so good, why not dismiss the harem and leave her alone? Why do you still select concubines every three years? You have trapped so many beautiful women in this deep palace for their entire lives. Aren't they pitiful?"

After saying that, she stopped circling around him and sticking to him, and just turned her back to him, as if she was having a tantrum.

He Linzhang was somewhat speechless: "I didn't have to choose the selection. As an emperor, it was the rule of our ancestors. It was also to appease the court officials. I told you so."

"You chose her to come in, but you didn't treat her well, didn't pamper her, didn't love her, and even made her suffer because of your Concubine Li. Humph, I'm really angry!"

He Linzhang was completely speechless. He hugged her from behind, put his head on her shoulder, and said softly, "Okay, why are you getting angry while talking? Huh?"

"Today, the Queen Mother did not allow an extension and reprimanded Your Majesty. In fact, the Queen Mother was doing this for Your Majesty's own good. The Queen Mother is Your Majesty's biological mother. Your Majesty has had a hard time along the way. I believe that the Queen Mother has always protected you. You are mother and son, blood is thicker than water, and you are the closest people in this life. I really don't want to see Your Majesty and the Queen Mother turn against each other because of Concubine Li."

After Tao Yanyan finished speaking, she turned around, her eyes misty: "Your Majesty, I am so blessed to have my mother by my side to support me and to hear her teachings. I…" Tao Yanyan couldn't help but shed tears when she thought that she would never see her parents again in this life: "I am afraid that I will never see my mother again in this life."

He Linzhang has seen too many tears recently. When Concubine Li cries, he mostly feels annoyed, but when Yan Yan cries, he is filled with heartache.

He Linzhang wiped her tears and couldn't help but whispered to her, "Yan Yan has been in the palace for almost a year. You must be missing your home and mother, right? Then when your father returns to Beijing to report on his work at the end of the year, I will let you see your family. You can write a letter to your family first and ask your mother to come back to Beijing with you."

Tao Yanyan was stunned. He wondered if the original owner's relatives would notice anything.

Seeing that the little beauty had a silly and cute face and stopped crying, He Linzhang smiled and said, "Okay, I'll remember everything you said today. Concubine Li's fetus is gone, and I won't keep getting angry with the Queen Mother. I won't let Yan Yan down for his filial piety to the Queen Mother. As for Concubine Rong, I won't change the date."

He Linzhang pinched her face, and Tao Yanyan slapped him: "Your Majesty, please stop pinching it. The more you pinch, the bigger your face will get. If you pinch your face into a big round shape, Your Majesty will probably not even want to look at me."

He Linzhang said with a smile: "Am I such a superficial person? I only like your face?"

Tao Yanyan glanced at him and said, "Isn't it? They say that men and women fall in love at first sight, but it's just lust at first sight. Your Majesty is attracted to me, so he must think I'm pretty."

He Linzhang recalled the first time he saw her. She was wearing a scarlet dress, standing under a tree, holding a baby bird in her hands, so pure and lovely.

But He Linzhang knew that it was not just this face that really attracted him. She rescued the dying pregnant woman in Mengcheng; she came to rescue him personally despite the danger of floods; she scolded Lady Zhao and volunteered to stay for the seriously injured palace maid; she took Xiao Jinan's hand and brought her back despite the dirt...

Everything she did was something that other concubines would not do, so it was hard for him not to be attracted to her.

He Linzhang narrowed his eyes and said, "Does Yan Yan's love for me only mean this face?"

Tao Yanyan blinked her eyes and thought, I'm your concubine now, so I have no other choice, right? Fortunately, you are a good-looking emperor, otherwise I would rather go to the cold palace to rest than sleep with you.

Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, He Linzhang frowned.

"Ahem." He Linzhang coughed lightly: "Is it difficult to answer?"

Tao Yanyan came back to his senses: "Of course it's not just because your Majesty has a good-looking face."

He Linzhang was delighted and waited for her next words, then he heard Tao Yanyan say, "Your Majesty has an upright figure, outstanding temperament, and a good-looking person. Yanyan has no resistance to good-looking people."

He Linzhang: “…” After all, you still only care about appearance?

"Doesn't my talent and kingly bearing attract Yan Yan?" He Linzhang persuaded.

"Well, that's certainly a plus point." Tao Yanyan said perfunctorily. Seeing that he was a little dissatisfied, she snuggled into his arms and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to take a rest at noon? You still have to review memorials in the afternoon."

Seeing that she forcibly changed the subject, He Linzhang laughed and decided to chat with her for a while. His mood became much better.