Harem Daily Life

Everyone was very surprised. Was His Majesty too kind to this child from the common people?

Or maybe, Your Majesty simply loves Concubine Tao and dotes on her so much that he also gives special treatment to the children she raises?

Everyone had their own thoughts, and Concubine De's face turned the color of liver with anger.

She was furious. It was obvious that the eldest prince she had given birth to was the legitimate heir, so why was he not as favored as the one adopted from the common people? What was the problem?

The Queen was already upset because of what the Second Princess had just said, and when she heard that the cheap prince had a shadow guard by his side, she became even more upset. She was speechless, for she was afraid that once she opened her mouth it would be full of complaints, which would damage her image as a magnanimous mother of the country.

At this moment, Concubine Wang looked as pale as death. She really didn't expect that her every move was seen by the shadow guard.

She knelt down hurriedly: "Your Majesty, please spare me. I...I was just confused for a moment, and it was...it was just a joke."

He Linzhang snorted coldly and looked at everyone: "Many of you think that Jin'an is an ordinary child adopted by the people. Because he has no power and no background, you think he can be treated casually. Then I will reiterate in front of you today that he is my biological son. From now on, whoever dares to have any ideas about him should think carefully about what crime it is to plot against the prince! Before doing anything, think about the family behind you first, don't make a mistake and regret it for the rest of your life!"

Concubine Wang was trembling all over. She regretted her actions very much and only asked His Majesty to show leniency to her for the sake of their past friendship.

He Linzhang glanced at Tao Yanyan and Xiao Jinan, and said in a cold voice: "Wang Jieyu slandered the prince, and from now on she will be demoted to Liangyi and fined half a year's salary. Go and reflect on your mistakes in seclusion!"

Concubine Wang kowtowed and said, "I will take my leave now."

Because of this little episode, Tao Yanyan's mood was affected and he hardly smiled the whole time. Xiao Jinan also looked a little listless. The eldest princess and the second princess tried to tease him, but it didn't increase his interest.

He Linzhang felt really distressed, so he called Xiao Jinan over, had him sit beside him, and took care of him personally.

Without the second prince, the two sisters had quietly moved to Tao Yanyan's side at some point, and sat one on each side. Tao Yanyan couldn't keep looking unhappy, so he forced a smile, feeding the eldest princess on the left and the second princess on the right.

When the Queen saw how close her daughter was to Concubine Tao, she was furious and even frightened the Second Princess's nanny.

Lady Li looked haggard, and she felt exhausted just halfway through the banquet. She kept looking at the emperor who was sitting at the top. Perhaps her eyes were too strong, and He Linzhang found it difficult to ignore them. He glanced at her casually, and his eyes suddenly narrowed. He saw that Lady Li had turned pale and was a little shaky.

He Linzhang immediately asked Zhang Fuhai to go and take a look. Zhang Fuhai took the order and went over and asked Lady Li's maid to help her back.

The Queen and Shu Fei looked at each other. Previously, because Concubine Li was favored, no one dared to touch her no matter how domineering she was. But now that she has fallen out of favor, she has been tortured one after another during this period. Even the most beautiful flower cannot withstand the destruction.

He Linzhang himself was a little absent-minded in the second half. As soon as the banquet was over, he went straight to Baozhi Pavilion.

Tao Yanyan snorted in her heart, not caring whether the emperor began to feel sorry for Concubine Li again, or whether Concubine Li would regain his favor. She just wanted to take the two babies back and comfort Xiao Jinan's heart.

The next day, the entire harem was rumored to have heard that His Majesty had stayed in Baozhi Pavilion last night. Everyone who heard about this had mixed feelings.

In Yongning Palace, Ziling handed Shufei a bowl of bird's nest and said, "Your Majesty, don't send anyone to Baozhi Pavilion today, lest that beautiful lady Li gets desperate and bites us. She was made to kneel all day and her food was deducted a few days ago. I think she has been punished enough."

Shu Fei nodded: "Let's see which way the wind blows first. If Your Majesty just sympathizes with her, then we'll make plans after Your Majesty doesn't go for a while. By the way, what is the attitude of Concubine Tao?"

Tao Yanyan is the most favored one now. Shu Fei doesn't believe that she can sit still and tolerate Lady Li regaining her favor again.

Zi Ling looked at Fu Xin, and Fu Xin stepped forward and said, "I have asked around. After Concubine Tao sent the eldest princess and the second prince to elementary school in the morning, she followed Chief Steward Li to the imperial manor. It seems that she was not affected at all."

Shu Fei frowned: "That beautiful lady Li seems to be resurrecting. At such a critical moment, she still has the mind to take care of the imperial farm? Oh, in her heart, does she really care about the favor of His Majesty?"

At this moment, Tao Yanyan, who was sitting in the carriage thinking about the affairs of the garment workshop, had no time to care about who the emperor would favor and who would not. She calculated her income this year, and now she was already a wealthy woman.

This time she brought Dali with her. Although Dali looks silly, she is very friendly. Tao Yanyan still hopes to train her and arrange for her to take care of the business in the future.

"Your Majesty, Sister Qingfeng and the others are all saying that His Majesty has begun to favor Concubine Li again. They are all worried about Your Majesty, but how come Your Majesty seems unaffected at all?" Dali asked puzzled.

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you have three palaces and six courtyards. Those people are just like me. They were all taken into the palace by him. Can I control him and tell him not to go anywhere? Since I can't control him, don't let these things affect your mood. Instead of thinking about why he wants to find someone else and getting angry about him finding someone else, I might as well eat an extra bowl of rice and earn an extra ingot of silver. Eating makes me full of energy and healthy, and earning more silver makes me feel safe and can live a good life."

Dali nodded, not quite understanding.

The carriage swayed to the imperial manor, and Yu Jinsheng and his men were already waiting to greet him on the roadside. They hadn't seen a distinguished guest come over for a few months, and everyone was looking forward to seeing him.

Dali and Tao Yanyan both changed into men's clothes today. After Dali helped Tao Yanyan down from the carriage, he stood behind her like a wall.

Manager Sun looked at Tao Yanyan with a smile on his face, stepped forward and saluted, saying: "Your Excellency has come at the right time today. The clothing workshop has already shown initial results. Please go and have a look. I have selected seven styles of drawings and would like to produce the first batch. Please give me your opinion and suggestions."

Tao Yanyan nodded and followed her. Yu Jinsheng and Tao Xiang also followed her to the garment workshop.

This imperial estate was very large, and the workshops were separated by some distance, but not too far away for easy management. The clothing workshop had recruited sixty embroiderers and some apprentices who did odd jobs, and they were making winter clothes for the military camp.

Manager Sun said, "Once the drawings have been reviewed by the noble, we will start making them. We are mainly making some winter clothes now. We have already contacted the Ministry of Revenue and signed an order. The first batch of 20,000 pieces is expected to be delivered at the end of September. Our clothes are cheap, but we can at least make 2,000 taels of silver!"