Harem Daily Life

When Tao Yanyan saw that He Linzhang came with Concubine Xian, he greeted them with everyone else, with no emotion on his face.

He Linzhang helped her up: "Why are your hands so cold? It's getting cold. You should put on more clothes in the morning and at night."

Tao Yanyan pulled her hand away: "My hand has always been like this, it's okay. We have been out for a long time, we have to go back."

Then he turned to Jin'an and said, "Jin'an, have you fed him yet? We have to go back."

Xiao Jinan scattered the last bit of fish food and clapped his hands: "Well, it's done! Can you come tomorrow?"

Jinan asked cutely with his big eyes open.

"Of course, you can make an appointment with the koi and tell them that we will come again tomorrow." Tao Yanyan said with a smile.

Jin An then spoke to the fish seriously: "Dragon Koi, Fat Koi, I will come to feed you again tomorrow. See you tomorrow!"

Concubine Xian sneered at the side and said, "Is this how Lady Tao coaxes children every day? Teach the children to talk to fish."

Tao Yanyan didn't want to pay attention to her, but she had to jump out and make him unhappy! She still questioned how she raised the child.

"Your Highness, you don't have any children, so you may not know that raising a child requires you to follow the child's way of thinking. The child thinks that the koi is his friend, so is there anything wrong with saying hello to a friend?"

What Concubine Xian hates most now is people saying that she has no children. Tao Yanyan is really hurtful!

Her expression changed in an instant, and she angrily said, "Lady Tao, you are so bold! How dare you speak to me like this in front of His Majesty!"

When little Jinan saw her yelling at her sister, he hugged her legs and said, "Sister, let's go back quickly. Jinan is scared."

He Linzhang looked at Concubine Xian: "Watch your tone, don't scare the child."

The virtuous concubine stamped her feet in anger and said, "Your Majesty, listen to what she said. She is making fun of me for not having children!"

He Linzhang glanced at Tao Yanyan and said helplessly: "You are just outspoken. Do you think you can just say some things casually? You knew that Concubine Xian had just had a miscarriage and what she cared about the most, but you still stabbed her in the heart."

Tao Yanyan narrowed his eyes and looked at the two of them. They were truly a perfect match!

She bowed and said coldly, "It was I who was reckless and offended the virtuous concubine. I apologize to the virtuous concubine. But the virtuous concubine does not need to worry so much. You are in great favor, so why worry about not having a child in the future? I will take my brother and leave now, so as not to disturb the pleasure of Your Majesty and the virtuous concubine."

After that, he led everyone to bow and leave. He Linzhang wanted to keep her and say a few more words, but Concubine Xian held his arm and said, "Your Majesty, this Concubine Tao is too irritable, as if no one can stop her. It's all because of your Majesty's pampering that she is lawless."

He Linzhang frowned, and his heart tightened as he looked at the figure leaving holding Jin'an's hand.

Tao Yanyan took Xiao Jinan for a walk and then turned a corner and went to another small garden.

"Sister, this is not the way home." Jin'an asked puzzledly.

Tao Yanyan looked down at him and smiled: "We just came out not long ago, let's play for a while. There is a piece of grass over here, how about we play the game of throwing the handkerchief?"

Xiao Jinan hadn't had enough fun, so of course he was happy to play again. Qingfeng and the others looked at each other, knowing that the beauty seemed to be angry.

They didn't dare to persuade him. The young master was in high spirits now, and it was not the time to spoil his mood by saying anything else. So after listening to Lady Tao's explanation of the rules of the game, everyone gathered in a circle and played the game of dropping the handkerchief on the grass.

Tao Yanyan was "ambushed" twice and ran out of breath, but the one who was "ambushed" the most was Xiao Jinan. Everyone coaxed him to play, and the grass was filled with his giggles. He had long forgotten the unpleasantness of being disturbed by Concubine Xian just now.

The group played until dinner time before returning to Yingyue Pavilion. Qingfeng first took Jin'an to change into dry clothes, while Tao Yanyan had Mingyue help him wash up.

"My beauty, are you still angry? Do you want Caiyun to cook a bowl of brown sugar stewed eggs for you to eat something sweet and cheer you up?"

Tao Yanyan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Don't be angry. I left just now because I didn't want to be bothered. Just avoid people you don't want to see. I see Jin'an is very happy today, so this trip out is meaningful."

After everyone had finished their meal, Tao Yanyan took a walk in the yard to digest the food. Then the eunuch from Changchun Palace came and said that the weather was turning cooler, and the Empress Dowager's palace rewarded two pieces of fine fur to make winter clothes for Concubine Tao and the young master.

Tao Yanyan asked Qingfeng to give her a reward. After the people left, she touched the fur and smelled it. The fur should have been processed and there was no peculiar smell at all.

"Beauty, these two pieces of leather are really good, I'm afraid they can make three pieces. But if they are made into a cloak, they may be a bit heavy, and it will be difficult for the young master to walk when wearing it." Qingfeng said.

Tao Yanyan thought about it and realized that she would only wear the cloak when going out. She was too lazy to go out in the winter, so the two cloaks she had made before were enough.

"Let's go to the study. I'll draw the pattern for you. You can send the fur and the pattern to the clothing bureau. I helped Manager Sun before, so I think she won't delay my clothes this time."

Tao Yanyan thought about the ancient styles of later generations and drew four pieces of clothing, two for herself and two for Xiao Jinan. If they were made according to her style, they would not only be easy to match, but also have a high chance of being worn, which would really make the best use of the items.

Qingfeng liked it more and more, and said repeatedly: "Beauty, if you are willing to sell the blueprint, I'm afraid you can make a lot of money. This style is really beautiful, it looks light and warm. This winter, the beauty will definitely wear it the best in the whole harem."

Tao Yanyan smiled, feeling happy. With endless fancy clothes to wear, endless delicious food to eat, and cute children, and money to spend without having to work, who needs a man?

Whoever wants it can take it, I don’t want it!

In the imperial study, He Linzhang was still discussing matters with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue when he couldn't help sneezing. Eunuch Zhang nervously replaced the emperor with a cup of hot tea and closed another window.

"Your Majesty, the border has been urging for military pay for a long time. General Rong has already written seven letters. If the military pay is not paid by the end of October at the latest, I am afraid the morale of the army will be unstable. In addition, the cold winter is approaching, and the winter clothes at the border are in short supply. It is really a headache. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Revenue has been slow to allocate funds. I am really powerless!"

After the Minister of War finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue said, "Your Majesty, the military pay reported to us totals 230,000 taels. The reason why the funds have not been allocated yet is mainly because we want to keep enough silver to deal with the cold disaster. Now that the drawings of the earthen kangs have been distributed, the people are very happy to follow them. I think we should be able to get through this year, which will greatly save disaster relief expenses. So I have actually been preparing for the pay. In addition, the ladies in the harem have donated another 53,000 taels of silver, which have all been deposited into the national treasury. Give me another three days, and I will definitely be able to collect enough silver to pay the military pay."

He Linzhang said: "The national treasury must also keep enough for backup, you should calculate the account clearly. What about the problem of winter clothes? How to solve it?"