Harem Daily Life

Manager Li finished his work and left happily.

Manager Li considered it for a moment and said respectfully, "The Bureau of Treasures was really busy before and didn't have time to make jewelry for you. It was our fault. I hope you will forgive us."

Tao Yanyan took a sip of tea slowly, then said calmly: "If I say 'It's okay, you have your own difficulties', I feel that I can't say this, and it's not sincere; but if I blame you, it seems that I am unkind, I don't consider your difficulties, and I don't empathize with you. So, I won't say anything to you, you put the things down, Mingyue, Qingfeng, you two, take a closer look, if there is no problem, send Li the head out."

Manager Li's face turned red with suffocation. If Lady Tao had scolded him a few words, she would have let it go. But she neither scolded him nor forgave him, leaving Manager Li in a dilemma.

"Lady Tao, I..." Before she could finish her words, Qingfeng stopped her and said, "Your Majesty stayed at Yingyue Pavilion last night. Lady Tao is tired and needs to rest. Manager Li should finish his work early and return to the Bureau of Treasures."

Tao Yanyan raised his eyebrows, but did not stop Qingfeng and continued drinking his tea.

Every piece of jewelry was inspected. Although they were delivered a little late, they were all exquisitely made. Qingfeng and Mingyue looked at each other and were very satisfied.

"Beauty, there is no problem with the jewelry. I will send Manager Li out." Qingfeng said.

Tao Yanyan said "hmm" softly, and Qingfeng made a gesture to invite him in. Manager Li had no choice but to retreat respectfully with regret.

"Mingyue, go call everyone here. I have something to say."

After Tao Yanyan gave the order, Mingyue immediately went to do it and soon called everyone from Yingyue Pavilion into the house.

Xiao Jin'an ran to Tao Yanyan's arms. Tao Yanyan pinched his face and said with a smile, "Everyone is here. Mingyue, give the jade pendant and earrings to everyone, and give the remaining pair to Xianglan. You have served me wholeheartedly and this is a reward for you."

The girls were all very happy because this was made of jade bestowed by His Majesty and represented glory.

"Changtai, Dongfang, Xiaoquanzi, I'll save this for you when I have other good things in the future."

Chang Tai immediately said, "It is our blessing to serve the beauty, so why should we ask for her reward? Besides, Your Majesty has just rewarded us with three months' salary. We servants thank you for your grace."

Jin'an looked at the many small green stones and was very curious about what they were used for.

Tao Yanyan took out a jade pendant and put it on him: "Jin'an, this is the jade pendant that your sister gave you. Look, there is a small word 'An' carved on this place. Your sister hopes that you will live in peace and safety for the rest of your life."

Xiao Jinan liked the jade very much and kissed Tao Yanyan on the cheek, which made Tao Yanyan hug him and knead him for a long time.

"The Queen Mother is probably upset about what happened yesterday. Changtai, go and arrange the sedan chair. Caiyun, go and pack a plate of freshly made peach cakes. I'll take Jin'an to see the Queen Mother. Qingfeng, find a nice box to put the gold and jade bracelet in and take it with you."

Qingfeng looked at the remaining jade pieces and said, "Yes, let me pack up the ones I am sending to Your Majesty first."

Tao Yanyan nodded. The virtuous concubine had given those three things yesterday, so it would be meaningless for him to give them again today. It would be better to put them aside for now and give them separately during festivals in the future.

The brother and sister took a sedan chair to Changchun Palace. Eunuch Qin was out on business. Lan Xin heard the report from the young eunuch guarding the palace and hurriedly asked the Queen Mother that Concubine Tao and Young Master Tao wanted to see her.

The empress dowager, who was originally in a depressed mood, quickly asked someone to come in when she heard this.

The Queen Mother has been worried ever since she started to suspect that Jin'an was her own grandson. When she saw little Jin'an today, she smiled so hard that her teeth showed.

"Hey, it's Jin'an. Come over here quickly so I can take a good look at you."

The Queen Mother was really enthusiastic. Tao Yanyan quickly took Jin'an to pay her respects, and then Jin'an was led by Lan Xin to the Queen Mother's arms.

The empress dowager didn't bother to ask Tao Yanyan to sit down. She just held little Jinan tightly in her arms and wouldn't let go. The more she looked at him, the more they looked alike, and the more she liked him.

Tao Yanyan had no choice but to take a seat nearby.

"What has Jin'an been doing recently? Yesterday was your... His Majesty's birthday, why didn't you attend the banquet?" The eldest prince, the eldest princess and the second princess were all present last night, but poor little Jin'an was not there. What a pity!

Jinan blinked her eyes, her eyelashes were long and her eyes were clear, she replied cutely: "My Queen Mother, my sister said that Jinan only needs to say 'Happy Birthday' to His Majesty, and she doesn't need to attend the palace banquet. Jinan gave His Majesty a gift this morning, and also wished His Majesty 'happiness as vast as the East Sea, and longevity as great as the Southern Mountains'."

The Queen Mother hugged him and asked curiously, "So what did you give His Majesty?"

Speaking of this, Tao Yanyan bit her lip. She only found out that Jinan had given her a gift after she woke up today. That gift was a bit hard to describe.

Jinan, however, felt that the gift he gave to His Majesty was the best, and answered confidently, "It's a golden cicada."

The Queen Mother said happily: "Jin'an is so generous that he gave the golden cicada to Your Majesty!" A cicada made of gold is not cheap. I think it was prepared by Concubine Tao. She is really thoughtful.

Tao Yanyan was a little confused when he heard this. Giving a cicada is called generous? Is there something wrong with that?

Jin'an, however, looked as if "the Queen Mother really understands me very well" and nodded happily, "Yes, yes, that is my favorite cicada, which Xiao Quanzi helped me catch with great difficulty. Its call is so loud!"

The Queen Mother was confused: "What? A cry?" She frowned: "The golden cicada you mentioned, is it a real golden cicada? A living one?"

Jinan nodded: "Yes, yes, I asked Caiyun to tie a red string for me, so it can't fly away. His Majesty likes it very much, he said it is very novel."

He Linzhang: It was the first time I received a chirping insect as a birthday gift. It was really novel.

Queen Mother: “…” This operation is very rare.

She glanced at Tao Yanyan, who was eager to survive: "Your Majesty, I didn't know Jin'an prepared a gift, so...but the child was so sincere, and Your Majesty accepted it, so I guess he likes it..."

There's nothing you can do if you don't like it, you've already accepted it!

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows. In order to prevent her son from losing his ambition due to playing with toys, she had very strict requirements on He Linzhang when he was young. Catching crickets and cicadas was not allowed at all. Well, the silly emperor also wanted to catch a cicada when he was a child, and she had beaten him for this. Now that he received one, it could be regarded as making up for the regret of his childhood.

The Queen Mother did not continue the topic. When she saw Tao Yanyan coming over with a food box, she asked with bright eyes, "What delicious food did you bring for me today?"

Tao Yanyan quickly opened the food box and took out the peach cake: "This is a freshly made snack. Bring it for the Queen Mother to taste."

After that, she handed over an exquisite box and said, "Before, Your Majesty gave me a piece of jade. I thought the texture was very good, so I asked the Bureau of Treasures to make two gold-inlaid jade bracelets for the Queen Mother. I hope the Queen Mother will not dislike them."