Harem Daily Life

In order not to arouse suspicion from his mother and brother, Tao Yanyan was much more cautious the next day.

Mrs. Tao got up early, and after Tao Zhixing arrived, they had breakfast. Tao Yanyan began to give them a vaccination.

"Mother, brother, the Queen Mother is very kind to me. Sometimes she even praises me too much. Don't be surprised if you hear her praise me too much later. In front of my in-laws, they always exaggerate to show their love for me."

Tao Zhixing was a little worried: "Sister, mother and I just want to know if you are doing well. If they praise you but are not actually good to you, you have to tell the truth. Although we can't save you, at least we can ask father to fight hard in the former dynasty so that they dare not look down on you."

Mrs. Tao nodded: "Yes, your father has been transferred to the capital. I will definitely urge him to be diligent and motivated, and always support you."

Tao Yanyan was very touched. She shook her mother's hand and said, "Thank you, mother, and thank you, brother. The Queen Mother is really good to me, and His Majesty is also good to me. I am not unhappy with my life now. Well, let's go to pay respects to the Queen Mother later. Today's lunch will be arranged in Lingxiao Courtyard. Mother, talk to the Queen Mother more. The Queen Mother is a very interesting person."

When everyone arrived at Lingxiao Courtyard, Xiao Jinan took the lead in acting as the introducer.

"Grandmother, this is my grandmother, and this is my uncle. They are here to pay their respects to you!"

Mrs. Tao and Tao Zhixing knelt down to pay their respects, and the empress dowager quickly asked them to stand up.

"You have come a long way to see Lady Tao. You must have had some hard time. Please get up and take a seat." The Queen Mother was particularly amiable today and said with a smile on her face.

The three of them sat down, and little Jin'an was taken into the empress dowager's arms.

The Queen Mother handed him a piece of dessert, and he ate it obediently without making any noise or noise.

"I see that Lady Tao doesn't look like Madam Tao. Doesn't she look more like her father?"

Mrs. Tao's eyes flickered and she smiled, "This child is a grandchild of a different generation, and looks like her deceased grandmother."

The Queen Mother said: "Then your mother-in-law must have been a great beauty when she was young, so she could have passed on her good looks to Yan Yan."

Mrs. Tao smiled and did not continue the topic.

The Queen Mother looked at the eldest son of the Tao family again and praised him: "Mr. Tao is also a handsome man. How old is he this year? Has he arranged a marriage?"

Tao Zhixing said respectfully: "In reply to the Queen Mother, I am twenty years old this year and have not yet arranged marriage. I want to wait until next spring after the imperial examination, when I have a promising future, before discussing marriage."

The Queen Mother nodded approvingly: "Then you should take the imperial examination well. When you pass the exam, I will personally choose a good wife for you."

Tao Zhixing was terrified: "How dare I trouble the Empress Dowager? I...my mother will pay attention to it." After saying this, a blush appeared on his face.

"That's fine. You have to choose someone who can get along well with your mother. Once you have chosen, I will grant you the marriage."

Mrs. Tao thanked her immediately.

Tao Yanyan looked at his embarrassed elder brother and couldn't help but sigh, it turned out that no matter which dynasty one is in, one can't escape the elders' urging to get married.

They sat and talked for a while, and then the Queen Mother said, "Since you are here today, let Lady Tao cook a few more delicious dishes. She is an excellent cook, and you, Lady Tao, have brought her up well."

Mrs. Tao looked at her daughter in confusion. How could someone who never entered the kitchen have such excellent cooking skills?

Tao Zhixing also frowned, but when he thought of his sister's instructions before coming here, he dispelled his doubts. It turned out that the Queen Mother was indeed exaggerating in front of them. However, this was too exaggerated. Someone who had never done any housework was actually praised for his good cooking skills. It was true that the words of the royal family could not be trusted.

As soon as Tao Yanyan saw the expressions of the two people, he knew that the original owner didn't know how to cook. Fortunately, he had foresight and made arrangements in advance.

She smiled and said modestly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. With so many imperial chefs helping us, we can always make good dishes. I will go and arrange the banquet first. Mother and brother, please sit with your Majesty."

She gave Qingfeng a look, asking him to stay and accompany Madam Tao, and then she left the main hall.

Mrs. Tao was very pleased with her daughter's careful arrangements. Her daughter had indeed matured a lot after marrying into the royal family, and she was no longer as childish as before.

As a mother, I feel both happy and sad to see my children grow up.

For today's banquet, Tao Yanyan asked the imperial chef to prepare some palace dishes. She had already thought of an explanation. If the queen mother asked, she would say that her mother and brother had never eaten imperial food, and she just wanted them to try it. She also fried a few side dishes to whet the queen mother's appetite.

She also put a plate of the walnuts her mother had roasted, counting it as a dish, filling the entire table, making everyone's mouth water.

After the banquet started, the Queen Mother invited everyone to take their seats and said, "Don't be shy, enjoy the cooking of the imperial chefs. Of course, they are not as good as Lady Tao's."

Mrs. Tao was very pleased to see that the Queen Mother praised her daughter all the time, and she was also relieved about her daughter's life in the palace.

"This plate of walnuts is delicious. I've never eaten it like this before." The Queen Mother and little Jin'an both liked it very much and couldn't help but eat a few more bites.

Madam Tao immediately smiled and said, "As long as the Empress Dowager likes it, we didn't bring any good things with us when we came to Beijing. These walnuts were picked, peeled, dried, and fried. Yan Yan... Lady Tao likes to eat them as snacks, so I brought her a jar. If the Empress Dowager likes it, I will make some more next year when the walnuts are ripe. It's also delicious with sugar and sesame seeds. This time I added salt to make it salty."

"That's great. Next year I'll be looking forward to eating sweet and salty walnuts."

The Queen Mother was very happy as there was one more item on her list of delicacies.

"No wonder Lady Tao is such a good cook, it turns out she learned it from her mother." The Queen Mother praised the mother and daughter of the Tao family. Mrs. Tao could only smile awkwardly, thinking that the Queen Mother was really giving her face and really liked Yan Yan.

Tao Yanyan was sweating in his heart. Let’s stop talking about this topic. He was really afraid of being exposed!

After finally finishing the meal, the mother and son were about to say goodbye. The empress dowager rewarded Mrs. Tao with a pair of jade porcelain bottles and Tao Zhixing with a set of four treasures of the study before letting them leave.

Tao Yanyan personally escorted the two out.

"Mother, I didn't bring anything with me when I left the palace. Here is a thousand taels of silver. Please take it first. Prices in the capital are high, and my father's salary may not be able to support the expenses in the capital. Don't be reluctant to spend the money. Just use it to get things done. My brother is going to take the imperial examination, so he should also get to know more about the great scholars and scholars in the capital."

Mrs. Tao was unwilling to accept her money: "Although you have food and drink in the palace, you also have many places to spend money. Don't give it to us. I have already sent a letter to the housekeeper, asking him to sell the house and land in Jiangcheng and remit the money to us."

Tao Yanyan said: "It will be difficult to sell the house for a while, you should keep it for now. The capital is not like Jiangcheng, there are places to spend money everywhere. Father is now a third-rank official, so he has to attend social events."