Harem Daily Life

When Tao Yanyan saw He Linzhang carrying Yue'er in, his eyes darkened and he turned his head away without paying any attention.

He Linzhang put the child down, walked to her side, and coughed lightly: "I... have a headache. What dishes did you cook today? Do you have any soup?"

Tao Yanyan arranged the braised food platter and said calmly, "I didn't know your Majesty was coming, so I didn't prepare anything your Majesty would like. Just make do with it. Anyway... you're not picky."

He Linzhang: “…”

He always felt that the concubine was not talking about food, but something else, but he didn't dare to mention it.

Yue Er held a small bowl and looked at Tao Yanyan with a silly look on her face: "Empress Tao, please let me have a bite first. My baby is hungry."

Tao Yanyan picked up a piece of pork ribs and put it into her bowl with amusement: "Be careful with the bones, eat slowly, it's hot."

Yue'er sat aside with the bowl in her arms, feeling satisfied.

He Linzhang touched his stomach and said, "I'm a little hungry too. I didn't have breakfast, and I didn't eat much for lunch either. So I thought I'd come to your place for dinner to eat more."

Tao Yanyan said calmly: "Really? I thought Your Majesty had a full meal last night."

He Linzhang looked around and saw Caiyun cooking nearby, so he felt relieved. He took a step closer and hugged Tao Yanyan from behind, whispering in her ear, "I feel so wronged. I was drugged and I am not conscious. I have been feeling sick all day."

Tao Yanyan was about to push him away, but when he heard the word "Chinese medicine", his eyes turned cold, he put down the things in his hands, grabbed him and walked out.

"Walk slower, I feel dizzy." He Linzhang said weakly.

Tao Yanyan pulled him to the pavilion in the yard and took a closer look: "What medicine did she give you? Are there any side effects?"

Seeing her concerned look, He Linzhang said aggrievedly: "Hey, it's an aphrodisiac. I couldn't control myself after taking it. I thought it was Li Cairen, but it turned out to be her sister. The big mistake has been made, so I had to take her into the palace." After that, he gently put his arm around Tao Yanyan's waist: "Yanyan, I regret it so much. She fainted last night and I shouldn't have gone. Now I really hate myself, and I'm even more afraid that Yanyan will be unhappy and ignore me."

Tao Yanyan narrowed his eyes and pried his hands apart: "Since it is this kind of medicine, the poison is probably already resolved. If Your Majesty is still dizzy, you might as well call the imperial physician as soon as possible." After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the kitchen at a very fast pace, as if he was filled with anger that had nowhere to vent.

He Linzhang sighed softly. He finally pissed the guy off. It would probably not be easy to coax him!

He went to the kitchen again, but when he looked around, there was no one there, so he turned around and went to the dining hall.

Sure enough, Tao Yanyan was setting the table, and a greedy Yue'er was beside him.

He Linzhang said: "Come here, Yue'er, your father will take you to wash your hands."

He Yue waved her hand and said, "No need, no need. I'll go call my sister and the others, and we'll go take a shower together." After saying that, she ran away.

When Tao Yanyan saw Xiao Yue'er running away, he turned around and went somewhere else. He Linzhang was the only one left in the dining hall. If it weren't for the food that still smelled of life, he would have felt like he was sitting in an ice cave.

Fortunately, the three children came jumping over soon, and Tao Yanyan served the last dish and asked everyone to take a seat.

The three little ones quarreled for a while for the seat next to Tao Yanyan, and finally decided the winner by playing rock-paper-scissors. Tonight it was the eldest princess' turn to sit next to Tao Yanyan, so He Yue and Xiao Jinan had to go to the opposite side.

Tao Yanyan spent the entire meal taking care of the children. He spoke very little and didn't even glance at He Linzhang.

Fortunately, the three children had a lot of topics to talk about, so it didn't seem lonely.

"Father? Why do you eat so little? And you don't eat meat. Concubine Tao said that if you don't eat meat, you will have no immunity and will easily get sick." He Xuan asked with concern.

He Linzhang really had no appetite, and he felt very uncomfortable after last night. He glanced at Tao Yanyan and found that the little girl still had no expression, so he said, "Father has no appetite, Xuan'er, eat more."

Tao Yanyan actually didn't have much of an appetite. She just felt tired and wanted to find someone to have a good fight with.

But who should I argue with?

Go find the Li Cairen sisters? Too cheap, she disdains.

Should I go and argue with His Majesty? He is the emperor, and giving more or less won't change anything.

Should I go and argue with the queen? My current strength is not good enough, I cannot have an absolute advantage, and I cannot act easily.

So she was almost hurt from holding it in.

The three children were very full during the meal, but the two adults hardly ate anything.

After the meal was finished and the dishes were cleared away, He Linzhang said, "I have a headache. I'm going to rest first." After saying that, he seemed to be worried that Tao Yanyan would object, so he went straight to her bedroom without waiting for her to speak.

Tao Yanyan was so angry that he laughed at his shameless behavior!

After sending the three children off to continue doing their homework, Tao Yanyan called Chang Tai and said, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and see if Imperial Physician Liu is here. Ask him to come and see His Majesty."

Chang Tai took the order and left. Tao Yanyan waited for the imperial physician Liu to arrive before accompanying him to see the emperor.

He Linzhang had already washed up and was lying on the couch, reading a local chronicle when he saw Tao Yanyan bringing the imperial physician in with a smile in his eyes.

He cooperated well and asked the imperial physician to check his pulse. Imperial Physician Liu did not find any problem, but Empress Tao said that His Majesty always complained of headaches, so he had to say, "Perhaps it is due to overwork. Your Majesty should rest more and get enough rest."

He Linzhang glanced at Tao Yanyan and said, "In that case, I will rest first."

Anyway, I'm going to stay here tonight.

Tao Yanyan sent Doctor Liu out, and when they were almost at the palace gate, he asked, "Doctor Liu, if I were to be poisoned by the aphrodisiac, would there be any sequelae?"

Doctor Liu also heard that His Majesty suddenly promoted Li Cairen's sister to Liangyi today, and guessed that it might be related to the "aphrodisiac" mentioned by Concubine Tao, so he said: "Medicine is three-point poisonous, and there will definitely be damage, but as long as the love poison is eliminated, the damage will be minimized. However, this medicine will deplete a person's qi and blood, leading to excessive indulgence and physical weakness."

After saying this, seeing Tao Yanyan's grim expression, he continued, "This medicine is a banned drug. If you dare to use it in the palace and damage the emperor's body, it is a capital crime. It has already happened. It is useless for the queen to worry. It is better to look to the future and seize the present. In this harem, the most real thing is power and interests. Other things, haha, forgive me for saying this disrespectfully, are just like clouds."

Tao Yanyan understood what Doctor Liu said. He was telling her that since she could not change her situation, she might as well hold on to something more substantial. She should not be obsessed with who the emperor favored or promoted. She should abandon emotional ties and only seek benefits.

After bidding farewell to Imperial Physician Liu, Tao Yanyan stood in the courtyard for a while, calming down for a long time before returning to his bedroom.

He Linzhang was still awake, as if he was waiting for him, so Tao Yanyan simply said, "Your Majesty, let's talk."