Harem Daily Life

Unable to refuse, Mrs. Tao had to accept it: "Then mother, please keep it first. When the family sends money, I will ask someone to bring it to the palace for you."

Tao Yanyan laughed: "We are all family, why is mother being so polite to me?"

They talked for a while before sending the man to the carriage.

Mrs. Tao was in a bad mood all the way, and Tao Zhixing just thought that she was reluctant to leave her sister.

After Tao Qian got off duty, he waited for his wife and son in the mansion. The two of them arrived home at night. He told his wife and son in detail about their meeting. After Tao Zhixing returned to his room to rest, Mrs. Tao called Lord Tao into the room.

"The Queen Mother asked about Yan Yan's appearance today, and I evaded the question."

Tao Qian immediately became alert: "The Queen Mother... don't you suspect anything?"

Madam Tao thought for a moment and said, "It should be a casual question, not a deliberate one. I said Yan Yan looks like her deceased grandmother. Anyway, no one in the capital has seen her, so they shouldn't be suspicious."

Tao Qian seemed to be lost in thought, and after a while he said, "You were not acquainted with that woman at the time. She handed the child to you in a hurry, saying that she was going to buy something and asked you to take care of it. She never came back, and her body was found in the river a few days later. Later I checked, but I couldn't find any information about the woman. Sixteen years have passed, and no one has come to look for her. I guess they won't look for her anymore."

"Master, why do you think that woman wanted to give the child to me? Was it because I looked kind to her? But you can never tell a person's heart from his appearance. How could she be so sure that I would help her raise the child?" Mrs. Tao was puzzled.

"But Madam is really kind and has always treated Yan Yan as her own child for so many years."

Madam Tao sighed, "This child has a miserable life. She lost her mother at a young age and doesn't even know who her father is. If I don't love her, who will? Fortunately, her life is better now. Let me tell you, the Queen Mother really likes Yan Yan. She kept praising her for her cooking skills today. I was embarrassed to listen. When did Yan Yan not set the kitchen on fire every time he entered it? It's all thanks to the Queen Mother that she could praise him."

Tao Qian couldn't help but laugh and said, "The Queen Mother likes it, that's Yan Yan's blessing. I think Your Majesty treats Yan Yan very well. By the way, what about the second prince?"

Madam Tao said happily, "That child is very well-behaved. I asked about it in detail. It was during the southern tour that the child helped to testify and saved Your Majesty. Yan Yan saw that he was very pitiful living on the streets, so he brought him back to the palace. He first recognized him as a brother and raised him for a while. Later, the Queen Mother liked him and recognized him as a grandson. Then, he was raised under Yan Yan's name, and the two of them called each other mother and son. Your Majesty also made a special trip to enshrine the child in the royal jade disc and opened the ancestral temple to comfort the ancestors."

Tao Qian sighed: "Your Majesty is kind and wise."

Mrs. Tao thought about it and told Tao Yanyan about how she almost drowned in the palace. Tao Qian narrowed his eyes and said, "That girl from the Fu family is really brave. I will not forgive her unless she dies!"

Madam Tao said worriedly: "This deep palace backyard is full of traps. Which empress doesn't have experienced tricks? I still regret sending her to the selection!"

Tao Qian comforted her: "Fortunately, she is in favor now and has the prince by her side, so her life will not be bad at all."

Mrs. Tao was still worried: "What if we find out her background in the future? Wouldn't we be guilty of deceiving the emperor?"

Tao Qian touched his nose and said, "It shouldn't be. We have raised her for sixteen years. No matter whether she is your daughter or not, she is our daughter. Don't worry, Madam. No one saw that woman giving you the child at that time. That woman is dead too. I don't think anyone will investigate it. As long as Your Majesty continues to favor Yan Yan, who will care who her biological parents are?"

Tao Yanyan had spent the whole day in tension. When the alarm was lifted, he was soundly sleeping. How could he have thought that the original owner was not Tao's biological child?

But now the original owner has died, and the soul of the 21st century lives in his body.

During the twelfth lunar month, all departments of the imperial court were busy finishing up their work and making plans for the new year. It can be said that everyone was extremely busy.

He Linzhang hasn't entered the harem for more than half a month. The ladies in various palaces were all looking forward to his arrival, but no matter how much they waited, he never showed up.

In the Changxin Palace of Concubine Xian, in previous years, when the twelfth lunar month came, there would be many visitors. In addition to the rewards given to her by the emperor, many concubines of lower positions would come to give her gifts. But this year, the palace was deserted, and many people went to the palaces of Concubine Shu, Concubine Gui, and Concubine De.

The reason why no one went to Fengyi Palace was because the Queen specifically instructed that no visitors were allowed during the pregnancy. The Imperial Concubine would only go to the Queen's Palace if she had palace affairs to discuss.

However, the imperial concubine did not go there often. She would decide all the big and small matters that she could on her own. If she could not decide, she would ask the emperor to decide, so the empress was happy to have free time.

"Your Majesty, you didn't eat anything yesterday. Today's meals are all the best dishes from the imperial kitchen. You should eat some of them. You have lost weight recently." Jing'er advised.

The virtuous concubine looked at the food on the table, but she had no appetite at all.

"His Majesty hasn't come to see me for a long time. Since the last time I took the initiative to apologize until now, he has never come to see me once!" Concubine Xian couldn't help shedding tears.

Qing'er and Jing'er looked at each other and whispered to comfort each other: "Your Majesty didn't go to other palaces, so no one could see him. He might not be deliberately not visiting the Empress."

Concubine Xian calmed herself down, as if thinking about what Qing'er said.

"Your Majesty, we need to arrange a talent show for the New Year. Your dancing is unique in the palace. Why don't you spend more time choreographing a dance? Then, His Majesty will be so fascinated by it that he will be unable to take his eyes off you and will naturally think of you."

The virtuous concubine's eyes lit up instantly: "Yes, His Majesty likes to watch me dance the most. Come on, help me think of a good dance."

Jing Er said, "But the Imperial Concubine is in charge of the preparations for this year's New Year's Festival. Last year, your Majesty stole the show with her dance. Will the Imperial Concubine stop you from dancing this year?"

Qing'er also looked at Concubine Xian with some concern.

The virtuous concubine snorted coldly: "If she wants to stop it, can she be stopped? As long as I don't tell her in advance and do it unexpectedly in front of everyone, with her thoughtful personality, she won't stop it."

Qing Er said, "Then I will go to the Shengping Office to find Manager Zhao and ask him to bring the most popular music to Your Majesty for review."

The virtuous concubine nodded and said: "Do it quietly and don't let anyone know."

In Qingyun Palace, the imperial concubine rubbed her brows as she looked at the various lists sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Li Zongguan stood in front of her and said, "The annual rewards for each palace are arranged according to previous years, and the number of people has been checked. The total is not much different from last year. However, due to the cold disaster this year, the silver allocated by the Ministry of Revenue is insufficient, and it is difficult to distribute all of them before the New Year. If some palaces are paid and others are not, there may be resentment. This is the most troublesome thing this year. Please give me some advice, Your Majesty."

The New Year is coming soon, but the year-end bonus has not been prepared yet. I'm so worried!