Harem Daily Life

The carriage stopped and started along the way, and it took a whole day to reach the hot spring palace. Xiao Jinan slept several times in the carriage, but when he arrived at the palace, he was no longer sleepy.

Tao Yanyan led him out of the carriage, and then Dong Fang wrapped him in a small cloak and held him in his arms. He looked around curiously with his big eyes, and was carried straight back to Qingxiyuan.

The people in the temporary palace had already received the news from the palace, and as soon as the Queen Mother and Concubine Tao arrived, the palace maids served dinner.

Tao Yanyan had been eating along the way and had no appetite at the moment, so he just ate some light dishes and drank a bowl of soup.

Just after finishing the meal, Eunuch Qin came in with a eunuch in his thirties.

"Lady Tao, how are you? This is the eunuch in charge of the palace. You can call him Eunuch Gui. The Queen Mother asked me to arrange for someone familiar with the palace to take you around tomorrow. If you have anything to do, just send Eunuch Gui."

After Eunuch Qin finished his introduction, Tao Yanyan said, "Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch Gui."

Eunuch Gui immediately smiled and said, "Lady Tao is too polite. I don't deserve it. Then I won't disturb you to rest. I will come to serve you after breakfast tomorrow."

Tao Yanyan gave Qingfeng a look, and Qingfeng immediately took out two small purses, giving one to Eunuch Qin and one to Eunuch Gui. The two men declined slightly, then accepted the purses and respectfully left.

At this time, Mingyue came in from outside with a smile on her face: "Beauty, I just took Xiao Quanzi and Dongfang to visit Qingxi Courtyard. This courtyard is really nice. In your bedroom, there is a hot spring directly into the house. The water in the hot spring pool is always warm, so there is no need to boil water."

Qingfeng said: "But you can't soak in the hot spring every day. It's good to soak every few days."

"This courtyard has three entrances and many rooms, and each one is very clean. I will make the beds right away. The beauty and the young master must be tired from the journey, so they should rest early." Mingyue seemed to talk a lot more when she arrived at the palace.

When Xiao Jinan heard that they were going to rest, he hugged Tao Yanyan's arm and said, "Sister, sister, I want to sleep with you tonight. I don't dare to sleep alone."

Little Jinan is still young after all, and he is a little timid when he arrives in a new place.

Tao Yanyan pinched his face and said, "Okay, then Jin'an will sleep with his sister tonight. You guys should simply put your luggage away and go to bed early. We'll talk about it tomorrow. By the way, don't wake me up too early tomorrow. The Queen Mother has exempted me from the morning and evening visits. I want to sleep until I wake up naturally every day for the next few months."

Eunuch Qin and Eunuch Gui came out, and Eunuch Gui asked in confusion: "Eunuch Qin, Concubine Tao must be very favored, right? Otherwise, why would the Queen Mother arrange Qingxi Courtyard for Concubine Tao? This is the second largest courtyard in the palace after Lingxiao Courtyard. When the Queen came two years ago, she only lived in the third largest Yaoguang Courtyard."

Eunuch Qin smiled and said, "The Queen only comes here one or two days a year, but Lady Tao will live here for half a year. Besides, Lady Tao is bringing the little prince with her. Since she has a child, she needs to live in a bigger courtyard."

Speaking of this little prince, Eunuch Gui's eyes rolled around. He always felt it was a bit strange that a concubine in the palace brought a younger brother to live with her.

"Eunuch Qin, we have been friends for many years. Could you please give me a hint about how this young master should be entertained?" Eunuch Gui was unsure.

Eunuch Qin glanced at him and said, "First follow the standards for a young master from an aristocratic family. You have to be careful and take good care of him. Don't make any mistakes. The Queen Mother likes this child!"

Eunuch Gui had an idea in mind. It seemed that Concubine Tao was not only favored by the Emperor, but also by the Empress Dowager. That was why, unlike other concubines, she was able to bring her younger brother to live in the royal palace.

Tao Yanyan also found many things difficult to get used to when staying at the palace on the first night. Fortunately, she was knowledgeable and adaptable, so she treated this place as a high-end star hotel, and everything went much more smoothly.

After coaxing Xiao Jinan to sleep, Tao Yanyan also felt drowsy. Qingfeng stayed on the couch in the outer room to rest. Dongfang and Xiao Quanzi lived in the room on the right, and Mingyue lived in the room on the left. The first night passed like this.

The hot spring palace is built between two mountains, with beautiful scenery. The courtyard is built along the mountain, high and low, and staggered. Living in such a place, you will be awakened by the sound of birds singing in the forest early in the morning.

Xiao Jin'an was a light sleeper. After waking up, he got up quietly and tiptoed down to the bed. Qingfeng outside heard the noise and came in quietly to take him out.

Tao Yanyan woke up for a moment, and knowing that someone was taking care of the child, he turned over and fell asleep again peacefully.

When she woke up, it was already Si time.

Qingfeng came in to help her with her makeup and said, "My beauty, the young master has been taken out to play by Dongfang and Xiaoquanzi. The Queen Mother sent someone to tell you that you should come over for lunch at noon. I'm afraid she still wants you to be the chef."

Tao Yanyan matched her clothes with her jewelry and put on a neat makeup in a short while: "Then go and prepare after breakfast. Is Eunuch Gui here?"

Qingfeng put on the matching earrings for her: "I'm here, waiting in the front yard for tea."

Tao Yanyan had a simple breakfast and then, accompanied by Eunuch Gui, set out from Qingxi Courtyard to Lingxiao Courtyard where the Empress Dowager lived.

"Lady Tao, please come this way. This hot spring palace has a total of seven courtyards. Lingxiao Courtyard is the largest, where the Queen Mother currently lives. The next is Qingxi Courtyard where Lady Tao lives, followed by Yaoguang Courtyard, Ningxiang Courtyard, Zhuoying Courtyard, Huguang Courtyard, and Qingfang Courtyard. There are a total of 45 palace servants and 45 palace maids. There is a garrison three kilometers away from the palace, which is mainly responsible for the defense of the area around the palace. Every day they send a team of men to patrol the mountains, and the one in charge of the garrison is Gu Yi, the son of Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion."

"Gu Yi?" Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "This name is quite interesting. I wonder what it means?"

"Recalling memories." Eunuch Gui said, "Generally speaking, Commander Gu will not come to the palace unless summoned."

Tao Yanyan thought that this kind of military commander should be similar to Qi Yizheng, with an extraordinary heroic appearance. However, she did not take it seriously, and she came along the way to enjoy the scenery, and soon arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard.

"Your concubine pays her respects to the Queen Mother. Did you sleep well last night?" Tao Yanyan said with a smile.

The Queen Mother asked her to sit down. "The air in the mountains is fresh. I feel I sleep much better than usual. But the sound of birds is unavoidable. They chirp non-stop before dawn. But there will be fewer birds in a month. It's best to spend the winter here. Where's Jin'an? Didn't he come with you?"

Tao Yanyan replied, "Jin'an woke up early in the morning. The palace servants are playing with him. He will be brought over before lunch."

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "This palace is very big. You should walk around and take a look."

Just as he finished speaking, a young eunuch came in and presented two letters: "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, His Majesty sent someone to deliver a letter, one for the Queen Mother and one for Concubine Tao." After saying this, he presented them with both hands.

The Queen Mother glanced at Lady Tao. In previous years, when she came to stay at the palace, she never received a letter from the Emperor, not even a single word.

Things are different now, she is now "using the beauty to control the emperor"!