Harem Daily Life

Gu Yi had never seen his mother since he was a child. Although he felt sad, he did not lose his composure. He stood up and sat aside waiting obediently.

"I noticed that the purse on Commander Gu's body was embroidered very beautifully. Was it a gift from his beloved?" the Queen Mother asked curiously.

Gu Yi touched the purse and smiled, "It was embroidered by my sister. She has been deaf and dumb since she was a child and likes embroidery, so she made the same style of purse for everyone in the family, but the embroidery pattern is different for each person, to show her love."

The Queen Mother said, "She is your father's second wife, right? She has a good relationship with you."

Gu Yi nodded: "My stepmother has two sons and one daughter, and only this daughter is closer to me." Family disgrace should not be made public, but Gu Yi had nothing to hide in front of the empress dowager. A little inquiry into the Gu family's affairs was enough to reveal that after Gu Yi joined the army at the age of fifteen, he seldom returned home. If his grandfather had not been tough and forced his father to make him the crown prince, the position of crown prince would have been given to the eldest son born to his stepmother.

"The family relationship is complicated. Children without a mother's protection have a hard life. Fortunately, you are self-reliant and have earned a good future." After the Queen Mother finished speaking, she looked at Eunuch Qin, who said, "Miss Qingfeng beside Lady Tao is particularly fond of embroidery. If she saw Commander Gu's purse, she would probably take a closer look at the embroidery pattern."

Tao Yanyan's eyes moved slightly, and he looked at Eunuch Qin meaningfully.

Gu Yi did not doubt him and said generously: "If Miss Qingfeng wants to see it, just take it and have a look. It's no big deal."

Qingfeng had just returned with Xiao Jinan. Upon hearing Commander Gu's words, Xiao Jinan ran over and stroked the purse with his little fleshy hands: "Is this the purse? What does it have to do with the poached egg?"

Everyone was amused by his cute words. Gu Yi said, "They are not related. One is made of cloth and the other is edible."

After saying that, he took off the purse and handed it to Xiao Jinan: "Thank you, Second Prince, for passing it to Miss Qingfeng to have a look."

Qingfeng glanced at Eunuch Qin and knew that Eunuch Qin had let him see it on purpose, so he stepped forward to take it, bowed, and examined it carefully. It was indeed the same embroidery as the one Eunuch Qin had given him, with the same fabric, stitching, and embroidery technique. The only difference was the embroidery pattern.

"Commander Gu's purse is embroidered with orchids, a gentleman among flowers, which really suits the prince." Qingfeng returned the purse and praised.

“My sister embroidered four colors: plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum. My father’s was plum, and bamboo and chrysanthemum were given to her half brother.” As soon as Gu Yi said this, Eunuch Qin and the Queen Mother quickly looked at each other, and they both knew the answer without saying a word. Wasn’t it Lord Gu from the Ningyuan Marquisate?

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows: Marquis Ningyuan and Concubine Li, tsk tsk tsk, there is something fishy going on!

"Empress Dowager, I will go and see how the dinner is going. I will take my leave now." Tao Yanyan felt that it was almost time and prepared to arrange dinner.

The Queen Mother nodded. Tao Yanyan stood up, nodded slightly to Gu Yi, and turned to leave.

Gu Yi just glanced at her back and quickly looked away.

Not long after, Tao Yanyan came back and said, "Empress Dowager, dinner is ready. Please move to the dining room."

The Queen Mother stood up and led everyone forward. Tao Yanyan led Xiao Jin'an and walked behind the Queen Mother, and Gu Yi followed her and went to the dining room.

The Queen Mother sat in the main seat, and Tao Yanyan asked Xiao Jin to sit between her and the Queen Mother, with Gu Yi sitting opposite her. Eunuch Qin and Eunuch Gui were originally going to stand aside to serve, but Tao Yanyan said, "The two eunuchs should go and have their meal, there is no need to serve here."

Eunuch Qin glanced at the Queen Mother and when she nodded, he took Eunuch Gui away.

Tonight's dishes are enough for two tables, and another table is ready in the kitchen.

"Commander Gu, you are welcome to try Lady Tao's cooking. The emperor is not here today, so you won't have the pleasure." After the empress dowager finished speaking, Xiao Jin'an took the lead in serving her the soup.

Today I made crucian carp, shrimp and tofu soup, which is specially made for the Queen Mother and little Jin'an to supplement calcium. The soup is pure white and has a refreshing fragrance.

Xiao Jinan served the Queen Mother and Tao Yanyan. When he picked up Gu Yi's bowl, Gu Yi immediately said, "I dare not trouble the Second Prince. I will do it myself!"

"Commander Gu, you're welcome. Jin'an can do it well." Little Jin'an said in a baby voice.

After serving the soup, she thoughtfully added a shrimp for him.

Gu Yi quickly expressed his thanks.

The whole meal was enjoyable. Tao Yanyan was taking care of little Jinan the whole time. Gu Yi saw clearly her attitude towards the second prince, and his previous bad impression of her as a seducer of monarchs was completely overturned.

Everyone in the Hot Spring Palace was busy preparing for the winter. In the northern suburbs of the Great Zhou, the emperor led all civil and military officials in worshiping the God of Winter, praying for a good harvest in the coming year.

Although Concubine De had repeatedly told the eldest prince to just hold on and wait for dawn, the eldest prince was after all only a four-year-old child and it was impossible for him to stay up all night. He fell asleep after midnight and could not be awakened no matter how she called him.

"Your Majesty, the ceremony is about to begin. If you force the eldest prince to wake up, he will probably cry and make a fuss." said Xiao Anzi beside her.

Concubine De was extremely angry, but after all, he was her own son and she couldn't bear to scold him.

“Go find Master Wen quickly and tell him that the eldest prince has fallen asleep. Ask him to help hold the child for the sacrifice. I really have no other choice now.” Master Wen is the royal concubine’s father, and Concubine De’s father is guarding the border. At this moment, the only one left is to ask the royal concubine’s father for help.

Upon hearing this, Master Wen said in embarrassment, "I have a back injury and I am really afraid that the eldest prince will fall. Why don't you ask Concubine De to choose an adult with good health? Time is running out, go and tell Concubine De."

Master Wen sent Xiao Anzi away. Master Dong beside him whispered, "If Master Wen holds the eldest prince in his arms for sacrifice today, I'm afraid there will be a memorial to His Majesty tomorrow asking him to appoint a crown prince."

Master Wen smiled and said, "So it's better not to do something that can easily cause misunderstandings."

Tutor Wen is the prince's teacher. If he were to become close to the eldest prince, I'm afraid all the civil and military officials in the court would be tempted.

Besides, his daughter, Concubine Wen, is not incapable of giving birth. If she gives birth to a prince in the future, her position in the harem will be more secure with both a son and a daughter. As a father, Grand Tutor Wen will definitely stand on the side of his daughter.

In the end, Concubine De sought help from the Minister of War, who had a good relationship with the Rong family and had some influence over them.

The sacrifice began, everyone knelt down, the emperor stood in the front and lit three incense sticks. The Minister of Rites read the sacrificial text, and the emperor personally placed the sacrificial text on the offering table, lit incense again, and said a few words of prayer to the God of Winter. Then his process was completed.

The other court officials knelt down and offered incense in groups of three. When it was the turn of the Minister of War, he held the eldest prince in his arms, and formed a group of three with the Minister of Revenue and the eldest prince. He couldn't offer incense while holding the child, so the Minister of Revenue next to him had to do it for him. As a result, the incense broke into two pieces as soon as the Minister of Revenue put it into the incense burner.

Minister of Revenue: “…”

Minister of War: “…”

The early morning wind blew on their faces, chilling their hearts.