Harem Daily Life

He Linzhang felt like someone was staring at him. Although he sensed no danger or malice, he slowly let go of the person in his arms and looked in the direction of the sight. He saw Commander Gu standing not far away with a rabbit in his hand.

Seeing the emperor looking at him, Gu Yi calmed himself down and walked forward to pay his respects: "I went into the mountains to hunt a rabbit, and brought it here specially for Lady Tao to add to the dish."

Tao Yanyan reached out to take it, but was stopped by He Linzhang: "I'll help you carry it to the kitchen." The rabbit still had some blood on it, and he was worried about dirtying the little beauty's hands.

Tao Yanyan stopped him and said, "Oh, Your Majesty, don't worry about it. Hurry up and take Commander Gu into the house to discuss your business or play chess. Don't go to the kitchen. That's not the place for you."

After saying that, he took the rabbit from Gu Yi's hand and said, "This one is really fat. I haven't eaten it for a long time. Then I'll make another spicy diced rabbit. Commander Gu, please stay for dinner. Today is the Queen Mother's birthday, so it will be lively with more people."

He Linzhang narrowed his eyes slightly. Yesterday, the Empress Dowager invited him to have dinner together, and today the little beauty invited him again. It all seemed very natural. Could it be that Commander Gu had been dining with the two of them during this period?

With doubts in his mind, He Linzhang asked, "Does Commander Gu know how to play chess? How about playing a game of chess?"

Gu Yi clasped his fists and said: "My chess skills are average, please give me some advice, Your Majesty."

A chessboard was placed in the east side hall of Lingxiao Courtyard. He Linzhang grabbed a handful of white pieces and held them in his palm: "Odd or even?" This is called "guessing first". If you guess correctly, you can choose to play the black pieces first.

Gu Yi guessed an odd number, but the result was an even number, so He Linzhang played black pieces and went first.

Gu Yi played with white pieces and made his moves neither hurriedly nor slowly.

"Commander Gu has been in office for over a year, right? Are you used to it?"

Gu Yi smiled and said, "The daily drills and patrols in the military camp are better than the environment in the frontier. I am not unaccustomed to it."

He Linzhang nodded: "You left home quietly at the age of fifteen and went to the border. It was General Rong who discovered your identity and sent a letter to inform Ningyuan Hou to transfer you back to the capital. At such a young age, you are so brave that you dare to leave your family and go out on your own."

Gu Yi lowered his eyebrows and said, "My biological mother died young, and my stepmother was in charge of the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion. I left when I was fifteen because I couldn't bear it anymore. I was too young to study well, and I couldn't take the imperial examination. That's why I concealed my identity and joined the army, hoping to have a good future."

He Linzhang glanced at him and was quite appreciative.

"You are great to be able to succeed in adversity. General Rong spoke very highly of you back then. I heard that he even wanted to marry his youngest daughter to you?" The eldest daughter of the Rong family is Concubine De, and the second daughter is fifteen years old this year, and has also reached the age for marriage discussion.

Gu Yi frowned. Ningyuan Hou agreed to this marriage, but his stepmother disagreed, so she had rejected it at that time. He didn't expect that the emperor also knew about it.

"Miss Rong's marriage proposal was rejected by my stepmother. Besides, I don't want to get married for the time being."

"Don't you want to get married, or you haven't met the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?" He Linzhang asked calmly.

Gu Yi paused holding the chess piece, and placed a piece on the board: "If I encounter this, I might change my mind."

He Linzhang looked up at him, placed a black piece, and ate three of Gu Yi's pieces.

"Commander Gu, what do you think of Lady Tao's cooking skills? Is the food to your liking?" He Linzhang asked casually.

Gu Yi held the white chess piece in his hand, as if he was thinking about where to place it, or as if he was thinking about the emperor's question. After a while, he said, "The little prince loves roasted rabbit meat. I went into the mountains to hunt a few rabbits. Whenever I brought them to him, the Queen Mother would favor me and let me have a meal with her. I can't always enjoy Lady Tao's cooking, but the dishes made by Lady Tao are indeed delicious and I am so lucky."

After saying this, the chess piece fell and took away three of the emperor's pieces.

He Linzhang rubbed the black spot gently and placed it in one place.

"Yan Yan has a wide range of hobbies. She can draw clothes for herself and has a unique way of cooking. She is kind, gentle, soft and cute. She is really likable. I feel very lucky to have Yan Yan accompany me throughout my life."

Gu Yi felt somewhat dejected after hearing this, and the white piece was still not placed.

"Yan Yan really likes rabbits, and she even made herself a pair of rabbit ears." As if thinking of something interesting, the emperor shook his head and laughed, "You may not believe it when I tell you this, but she also made me a pair of fox ears and forced me to wear them. I am also willing to cooperate with her and make her happy."

If Tao Yanyan were here, he would definitely pinch He Linzhang's waist hard.

Did she force him to wear those fox ears? Was she? Was she?

It was obvious that he just enjoyed wearing it!

He started to act weird once he put it on, making her unable to sleep well!

Don't you feel guilty about showing off your affection without blushing or beating your heart?

Gu Yi's hand holding the white piece turned pale, and he was a little flustered when he made the move.

A fierce look flashed in He Linzhang's eyes: "Commander Gu has lost. Look at this chessboard, the outcome is already decided."

Gu Yi clasped his fists and said, "I am not talented, but your majesty is a master in chess."

"I'm just lucky." After saying that, he stood up, and Gu Yi also hurriedly stood up.

"Commander Gu, please walk more and see the scenery. I can't let go of Yan Yan, and I want to go see her. I will return to the palace tomorrow, and it will take more than a month before I can see her. But... she and I have a deep affection, and even if separated by time and distance, it will not change." After the emperor finished speaking, he strode out of the side hall and headed towards the kitchen.

Gu Yi always felt that the emperor must have seen something, but deliberately didn't say it. He breathed a sigh of relief, sat down again, and looked at the chessboard he lost, and didn't come back to his senses for a long time.

At this time, the dishes were almost ready, and the fresh rabbit was also cooked and was being fried.

Tao Yanyan thought that He Linzhang might not have eaten roasted rabbit before, so he made half spicy rabbit cubes and half roasted rabbit meat. After giving a piece of roasted rabbit meat to Xiao Jinan, he saw the emperor leaving.

Tao Yanyan pouted helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, why are you here again? Are you hungry and have come here specially to supervise?"

He Linzhang took a step forward and kissed her forehead directly, making Tao Yanyan very shy.

"There are so many people here! Why is Your Majesty like this!" She cried softly, her face flushed.

He Linzhang glanced around, and no one dared to look at him, and they all looked away.

"Please come back to the palace with me. I can't bear to leave you." Although he would receive a rejection, He Linzhang couldn't help but speak out.

As expected, Tao Yanyan refused as soon as he opened his mouth: "No, it's nice here, I'm free and at ease, Jinan likes it too."

He Linzhang looked at his young son who was eating his rice bowl with grunts beside him and sighed slightly.

He could not tell these two people, one big and one small, what they could do and what they could not do in a commanding tone, so he could only feel sad and worried. He also thought about arranging two people to guard them to prevent people who wanted to poach their talents from getting close.