Harem Daily Life

Before Eunuch Qin could react, the Queen Mother continued, "Of course, I can't teach her for nothing. Considering that she is a little beauty and her monthly salary is not much, and she has to support her younger brother, I won't charge her any money. You just need to bring me two dishes from her every day as tuition."

Eunuch Qin: “…”

So the Queen Mother is using me to exchange for food?

After decades of experience, I finally have to change two dishes every day?

Your Majesty, you went through so much trouble just for a bite of food?

Eunuch Qin said sadly: Alas, people are worse than vegetables.

The next day, Eunuch Qin did not come empty-handed, he brought food.

"The Queen Mother was very worried when she saw that Concubine Tao sprained her ankle again, so she asked me to come and visit her these few days and bring some ingredients to cook for the beauty. Oh, if you make too much, I will take it back and let the Queen Mother have a taste." Eunuch Qin was really willing to take the risk and put a lot of thought into bringing the ingredients.

Tao Yanyan looked at the pile of chicken, duck, fish, eggs, and vegetables, swallowed his saliva, and quickly called Caiyun over: "Chop the meat into minced meat with 20% fat and 80% lean, and then cut the lotus roots into small cubes, mix them together, add the spice powder bag we made earlier, stir and fry them into meatballs as big as this. These meatballs can be eaten for two or three days, and they will be a delicious braised lion's head if braised."

Then he looked at the chicken again and said, "This chicken will be used to make boiled chicken. Call me when you are ready and I will give you on-site instructions. You can handle the rest. Make more portions and give it to Eunuch Qin to take away."

Caiyun took the order and went down with a smile on her face. If the empress dowager sent food every day, everyone in their Yingyue Pavilion would be fat.

Seeing that Lady Tao had made all the arrangements, Eunuch Qin began to talk about the main mission of his visit today.

"Lady Tao, the Queen Mother has something else for me to tell you. She asked me to talk to you about how to get along with His Majesty." Eunuch Qin said, holding a whisk in his hand.

"If Lady Tao wants to firmly grasp the heart of His Majesty, she should be more motivated and use some harmless means when necessary. Don't feel embarrassed to use them because of your thin face."

Eunuch Qin gave Tao Yanyan a look that showed he had figured it out himself. Tao Yanyan asked in confusion, "What do you mean by 'harmless' means?"

When Eunuch Qin heard that she had hit the nail on the head, he said, "For example, when he is frustrated, you should be gentle and considerate; when he is wavering, you should be distant and sometimes close; when he is successful, you should praise him generously and admire him; when he makes you angry, you should act like a spoiled child and lose your temper. For example, yesterday, regarding the incident between you and Concubine Xian, Your Majesty punished Concubine Xian at first, but look at what Concubine Xian did? Your Majesty made her angry, so she went to Your Majesty and acted like a spoiled child and lost her temper, and that's why she stayed in the Qinzheng Palace!"

Tao Yanyan: “…”

Eunuch Qin continued, "My beauty made a mistake yesterday. You should have stayed by His Majesty's side, accompanied His Majesty in work, and prevented anyone from seeing His Majesty. The virtuous concubine would have been mad and alienated from His Majesty. How could she stay overnight in the Qinzheng Palace?"

Tao Yanyan: “…”

When I think of the scene when I was fooling around with He Linzhang in the Imperial Study, I feel blushing and my heart is beating fast. I never want to go to the Imperial Study again in my life.

After Eunuch Qin finished speaking, he saw her silly and cute look and couldn't help but said, "Alas, the beauty is young, never mind, just learn slowly. The method of capturing a man's heart cannot be learned overnight. You have to slowly experience it in practice and accumulate experience. But..."

Eunuch Qin looked at Tao Yanyan and said, "The beauty is born with a good appearance and a pleasing personality. If she adds some skills and makes her makeup more charming, she will surely win the heart of Your Majesty. Wouldn't this favor last forever?"

Tao Yanyan was speechless and choked. Why did the Queen Mother let Eunuch Qin teach her how to charm the king?

"Eunuch Qin, forgive me for being blunt, but isn't the Queen Mother afraid of turning me into a seductive concubine and making His Majesty completely obsessed?"

Eunuch Qin said with a smile: "Then the Queen Mother will really applaud you and be happy to see your success!"

Seeing Lady Tao's surprise, Eunuch Qin said, "To be honest, the Queen Mother just doesn't like Concubine Xian."

"When Commander Lu died to save His Majesty, the Queen Mother gave the Lu family a huge reward. Lord Lu was promoted to a higher position, Commander Lu was buried with the ceremony of a prince, and Concubine Xian was made a concubine on the first day she entered the palace to serve His Majesty. She was given all the honors, power, and rewards. But Concubine Xian still felt it was not enough."

"In the three years since entering the palace, Concubine Xian has been extremely extravagant. The furnishings and food and clothing in Changxin Palace are not even comparable to those of the Empress and the Imperial Concubine. She is also arrogant and domineering, often suppressing the slightly favored concubines of lower rank. To this day, no one can surpass her in favor, and even the Empress Dowager has been fooled by her several times."

After that, Eunuch Qin sighed, "The first time you went to Changchun Palace to cook for the Queen Mother, His Majesty hurried to pick you up and stayed in Changchun Palace for dinner. That was the first time His Majesty had dinner with the Queen Mother in two years. Before that, because of Concubine Xian, the mother and son had been in a cold war for two years."

Tao Yanyan didn't expect such a thing to happen. That virtuous concubine was really capable. She actually made the mother and son fall out with each other for two years!

"So, the Queen Mother has high hopes for the beauty, hoping that she can be favored and pull the virtuous concubine down from the throne of the favored concubine."

Tao Yanyan said helplessly: "After all, Concubine Xian is beautiful. She was previously named Concubine Li, which means she must be beautiful because of her stunning appearance. She has been with Your Majesty for three years, and her feelings for him must be deeper than mine. It is not easy to replace her. However, I will follow the Queen Mother's instructions and do my best."

Just appease them on the surface first. It is better for you to stay out of the grudges between the Empress Dowager and the virtuous concubine.

Eunuch Qin thought it was a good thing that she was neither arrogant nor discouraged. The two of them sat and talked for a while, and then Tao Yanyan went to the kitchen to teach Caiyun how to cook.

Eunuch Qin was bored, so he went for a walk in the yard. He saw Young Master Jin'an digging the soil in the field with a small shovel. There was a small seedling planted in the soil.

Eunuch Qin walked over and asked: "What are you doing, young master?"

Little Jinan looked up at him and said, "Eunuch Qin, I am transplanting cherry seedlings. When the cherry trees grow up, there will be lots of cherries to eat."

Eunuch Qin looked at the dozen or so seedlings, and then at the child who looked 50% like His Majesty when he was a child, his eyes full of doting.

Suddenly, Eunuch Qin frowned as if thinking of something. He looked at Xiao Jinan's face carefully again, and quickly stood up and said, "I will not disturb you anymore. I will come to see you another day."

After saying that, he hurried back to the front hall, anxiously waiting for his meal, and by the way, carefully recalled what happened five years ago.

When Tao Yanyan came over with Caiyun and the food box, he saw that Eunuch Qin was excited at one moment and then frowned at another. He smiled and said, "Eunuch Qin must be waiting impatiently, right? I brought some extra meatballs. They can be eaten after two or three days. You can cook them in soup or braise them. The boiled chicken is a cold dish. The dipping sauce is already prepared. It is fresh and delicious. The Queen Mother will definitely like it."

Eunuch Qin took the food box, thanked him, looked at Tao Yanyan deeply again, and then left Yingyue Pavilion with a lot on his mind.