Harem Daily Life

In the middle of the night, He Linzhang sighed, resigned himself to getting up and reviewing the memorials.

He gently moved the arm that was on him away and stood up on tiptoe.

"Hmm? Your Majesty..." A lazy voice came from behind him. He Linzhang turned around and patted the person gently, trying to coax him to sleep.

Tao Yanyan hugged him and said with his eyes closed: "Your Majesty, are you not going to sleep? It's not even dawn yet."

"You go to sleep sweetly. I have to review memorials. They are all urgent matters." He said as he gently patted her back.

"I will accompany Your Majesty." Tao Yanyan struggled to open his eyes: "Even if I can't help, I have to accompany Your Majesty. I promised."

He Linzhang's heart was so soft, thinking about what she said, that she would stay with him every step of the way for the next three days, and it turned out that she kept her promise.

Tao Yanyan stood up and put on her clothes, but He Linzhang stopped her and said, "Go to sleep if you are tired. You don't have to accompany me. I will rest in the study after I finish reviewing. I won't disturb you."

Tao Yanyan shook his head, "It's the middle of the night, Your Majesty must be so tired alone! Come on, I finally woke up, let's go to the study, I must accompany Your Majesty tonight."

After putting on her clothes, she casually tied her hair into a bun and secured it with a hairpin. Tao Yanyan put on a cloak and followed He Linzhang to the study.

Eunuch Zhang and others were keeping watch next door. When they heard the noise, they immediately got up to serve.

"Eunuch Zhang, you guys go and have a rest. I'm here!" Tao Yanyan persuaded the people to leave, then personally poured tea and ground ink before lying down on the couch in the study.

He Linzhang wanted to finish reviewing the papers early so that he could accompany the little beauty to rest, so he sped up his work. But even so, he still had to think about some things and frowned from time to time.

"Have you encountered any difficult problems?" Tao Yanyan asked when she saw him holding the pen but not putting it down.

It’s not that she wants to interfere in state affairs, but she has a heart that loves to help others. She should finish overtime work early and go to bed early, as staying up late is bad for her health!

"The winter clothes for the soldiers have not been made yet. The border guards are urging us to make them, but there is a shortage of fabrics and manpower. We are really worried."

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "Can I buy it from the public? I'll buy any winter cotton-padded jacket, no matter the style, as long as it's warm."

He Linzhang shook his head: "There aren't many in the private sector, and the quantity in the clothing stores won't be very large. We are still short of at least 50,000 pieces, and the gap is too big."

"What about buying second-hand clothes? Buy those that are more than 70% new and clean at a low price. Use them to get by for a while, then recruit workers at the garrison. Take back the soldiers' winter clothes from last year and refurbish them. Take two cotton-padded jackets apart and wash them to make a new one. They should be wearable enough." Tao Yanyan said.

He Linzhang was stunned. He had never thought of solving it this way.

This is indeed a good emergency solution.

"You're right. The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and even my own thinking were all rigid. We always thought we had to make new clothes, but never thought about making changes. Yan Yan, your suggestion is very good. I will ask the Ministry of Revenue to do it tomorrow."

He Linzhang immediately made comments on the memorial.

"You can also sweep the clothing shops. It would be good if there are a hundred pieces. A little bit of effort can make a mountain." At least a hundred more people will have winter clothes to wear.

He Linzhang also accepted her suggestion and made comments on the memorial.

Tao Yanyan almost drooled when thinking about the business of 100,000 winter clothes a year. If a businessman won the bid, wouldn't he never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of his life?

However, she did not understand the operation of the court, and it was impossible for her to do this business, so she could only entertain herself.

The other memorials were reviewed quickly, but there were still one or two that were difficult, so Tao Yanyan gave some suggestions.

He Linzhang didn't expect that some of the little beauty's ideas were actually better than those proposed by the ministers of the six ministries. He couldn't help but say, "Yan Yan, what you said about reclaiming wasteland in the garrison area and being self-sufficient is indeed very good. There has been no war on the border in recent years, but the army has been kept up. The pressure on the treasury is very high, but it cannot be avoided. If the soldiers reclaim land to grow food and raise chickens, ducks and geese in their spare time after training, it is indeed a good idea."

"With food in the army, the soldiers will not panic, and it can also share the pressure of the court. Moreover, as long as there are these industries, some disabled soldiers can find a good job and earn money to support themselves. Your Majesty, maybe there will be a bumper harvest of grain, which can also contribute to the national treasury!"

He Linzhang nodded. Being able to reduce the pressure on the national treasury was already a contribution, not to mention that it could also increase revenue.

Fortunately, the memorials were reviewed in more than an hour. It was already late at night. He Linzhang saw that the little beauty was sleeping soundly and could not bear to disturb her, so he slept in the study. There were beddings in the study, and the two of them squeezed on the couch and managed to spend the night.

Although she said she would accompany him, Tao Yanyan couldn't possibly go to the morning court with him. She got up, washed and dressed, and then hurried to Fengyi Palace to pay her respects.

Tao Yanyan was happy when she thought that she would have to get up early and pay respects in the next three days. When she arrived at the temporary palace, she could cook and take care of the baby. The Queen Mother would definitely not have to visit her every morning and evening. She could also soak in the hot springs. Her life would be so comfortable.

The Queen already knew that Concubine Tao was going to bring her brother to accompany the Queen Mother to the temporary palace for a short stay, and she began to look at her with some admiration.

"Winter is approaching. The Queen Mother will leave the palace for the hot spring palace in three days. Lady Tao has volunteered to accompany her to take care of her. You will have to work harder, Lady Tao. You must serve her well. If there is anything you need, please send someone back to tell me. I will send someone to deliver it and take you back to the palace to celebrate the New Year."

Tao Yanyan stood up and said, "Yes, I will do my best to serve the Queen Mother."

The Imperial Concubine and the De Concubine looked at each other. Yesterday, they were severely reprimanded by the Empress Dowager when they were in Changchun Palace with their children. It was the first time that they were spoken of that way by the Empress Dowager in all the years since they entered the palace. They felt terrified and angry.

Concubine De couldn't hold her temper. She was very upset that Concubine Tao was trying to curry favor with the Empress Dowager. She said, "Concubine Tao is really thoughtful. She takes her brother to Changchun Palace whenever she has time. Now she has to accompany the Empress Dowager for more than half a year. We concubines who have been in the palace for many years can't compare to you in being favored by the Empress Dowager."

Tao Yanyan thought of the grievances that Xiao Jin'an had suffered yesterday. At this moment, she listened to the sarcastic words and curled her lips slightly and said, "The Queen Mother likes the dishes I cook. Every time I cook, the Queen Mother always uses more. She can eat, sleep well and have a good body. This should be what everyone in the palace is looking forward to seeing! I am just doing my filial piety, not specifically to win favor. If the Empress Defei feels that it is inappropriate for me to accompany the Queen Mother to the temporary palace, then the Empress Defei can take the eldest prince with her. Anyway, we haven't set off yet, so everything is still in time."

Concubine De choked and said, "The eldest prince has to go to elementary school and can't leave for the time being, otherwise I would go with him."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Oh, I actually forgot about this. I wonder if Concubine De accompanied the eldest prince to elementary school last year? I hadn't entered the palace last year, so I don't know."

Defei was choked to the point of being speechless and her face turned pale.

The Imperial Concubine said, "Every year when the New Year is approaching, the palace is very busy, and Concubine De can't leave. Lady Tao, you have nothing to do, so you can go to the Empress Dowager to show your filial piety. We all understand your painstaking efforts."

Tao Yanyan said, "Your Highness, you understand me. If it were someone else, they would think I was a scheming person. Alas, I will be away from Your Majesty for more than half a year, and I don't know what the situation will be like when I return. I am risking losing favor by going to the palace! If I am misunderstood even after this, there is really no way to reason."