Harem Daily Life

Ningyuan Hou made arrangements quickly, and personally took Princess Yan to the palace the next day to meet the emperor in the Qinzheng Palace. Tao Yanyan was invited over, and followed the emperor in confusion.

When she saw Concubine Tao again, Princess Yan recalled the scene at the palace banquet that day when Concubine Tao was drunk and flirted with the emperor in public. Her eyes darkened and she showed sarcasm: "Concubine Tao's alcohol tolerance is really eye-opening. Is there really someone in this world who gets drunk after just one glass? The Japanese palace thought it was dazzled on your majesty's birthday."

Tao Yanyan glanced at the emperor sheepishly. Seeing that he had no reaction, he knew that he had not remembered it. He smiled and said, "The world is so big that there are many strange things. Princess Yan has never met someone like me before, so it's not surprising that she doesn't know."

Princess Yan also smiled: "I just didn't expect that Concubine Tao was so open-minded. In public, she hugged and kissed Your Majesty, and did her best to tease him. If you didn't know, you would think it was in some brothel..."

He Linzhang frowned. Is the Princess of Yan sick? She actually compared the concubine to an oiran?

Tao Yanyan was not angry, and her expression remained calm as she said, "How can a drunk person control his behavior? But I did go too far that day. I didn't consider the feelings of Princess Yan and was so affectionate with Your Majesty in front of you, which made Princess Yan laugh. Oh, I'm so sorry. Next time, I will be intimate with Your Majesty behind Princess Yan's back."

The tips of He Linzhang's ears turned a little red. He glanced at the little concubine and for some reason, he felt a little hot in his chest.

Ning Yuanhou listened to their conversation, feeling embarrassed at his age, so he just lowered his head and pretended not to hear.

Princess Yan said solemnly: "Your Majesty's Concubine Tao is eloquent and powerful. I'm afraid she is hard to find a rival in the harem!"

Tao Yanyan waved her hand and said, "Princess Yan is wrong. Under the leadership of the Empress, your Majesty's harem is full of people who do their own jobs, work together, and live in harmony. There are no enemies. We are all sisters. Oh, but Princess Yan may not understand. After all... you are the Queen of Yan, and we are not in the same harem."

Seeing that she could not gain any advantage, Princess Yan narrowed her eyes and said, "Today, Marquis Ningyuan invited me to discuss the matter of Yan's thank-you gift. I wonder if Princess Tao is here?... If you want to have some intimate time with His Majesty, you should go back to the harem and wait for His Majesty to finish his work."

The Princess of Yan's intention to chase people away was obvious. Tao Yanyan glanced at the Ningyuan Marquis and instantly understood the purpose of her uncle calling her here - to target the Princess of Yan who was coveting His Majesty.

She smiled and said, "Before we sent troops to help Yan State quell the rebellion, we had to temporarily collect food and grass. The imperial property drew a large amount of reserve grain, and later allocated two batches of grain to the border between the two countries. After the war subsided, my Great Zhou soldiers were buried in a foreign land, and the silver for the pension must be paid as soon as possible. We also advanced tens of thousands of taels of silver from the accounts of the imperial property. Princess Yan may not know that I am in charge of the management of the imperial property. Speaking of it, whether it is food or pension silver, Yan State relied on the support of the imperial property for this war. As soon as I heard that I had to discuss the thank-you silver with Princess Yan today, I took the initiative to come here. I am here to do business today, not to do private business with your Majesty."

He Linzhang was laughing as he listened from the side. The little concubine was indeed eloquent and most people could not get any good response from her.

Ningyuan Hou said, "Speaking of which, it is indeed Concubine Tao who knows the bulk of the expenses for this expedition better. The compensation of 80,000 taels of silver proposed by me before was just an estimate. Princess Yan has objections to this. Why don't we have a good discussion today and decide on an amount so that we can deliver it as soon as possible to make up for the shortfall in the imperial property."

Tao Yanyan was a little surprised. It was only 80,000 taels?

She frowned and said, "Eighty thousand taels? Then you, Marquis Ningyuan, really underestimated it. The expenses of tens of thousands of troops for nearly a year are probably more than eighty thousand taels. The food and pensions I just mentioned are more than this amount. You want to lower the price because you consider the Princess of Yan is a princess from the Great Zhou Dynasty, so you are giving her a friendly price, right?"

Ning Yuanhou beat his chest and stamped his feet, looking like he had done something wrong but couldn't change his words: "But this amount has already been reported, and everyone in the Yan State envoys knows about it. If we add more, I'm afraid... it will be difficult for the Princess of Yan to do what she wants."

The Princess of Yan was so angry that she almost laughed. The two of them were arguing with each other, sometimes asking for a smaller amount, sometimes asking for a friendly price, making it impossible for her to pay less than the full amount.

"Since the Marquis of Ningyuan has been authorized by His Majesty to represent the Great Zhou in negotiations with the State of Yan, a gentleman's word is as good as his bond. I have no choice but to accept this. When the year-end settlement is made, if there is a deficit, I will try to make up for it from other sources." Tao Yanyan said generously, "I wonder when the 80,000 taels will be paid? I want to put it into my account as soon as possible."

After she finished speaking, she looked at the Princess of Yan and said, "When it comes to collecting debts, you have to be straightforward and quick. How can you get the debt back if you drag your feet? Right?"

The Princess of Yan felt a little embarrassed. Actually, it was not that she could not afford the mere 80,000 taels, but the main reason was that she wanted to meet with the Emperor and discuss other things.

She said with some embarrassment: "Of course I have to give you the money, but... I have something to discuss with Your Majesty alone."

Ning Yuanhou rolled his eyes in his heart and winked at Tao Yanyan.

Tao Yanyan was speechless for a moment, and glanced at He Linzhang. "I know that your majesty and Princess Yan have been childhood sweethearts, so it would be reasonable for you to have a private chat. However, you are representing the positions of both countries, so a private meeting may be inappropriate. Neither I nor the Ningyuan Marquis are outsiders. Princess Yan wants to bargain with your majesty, so just say it clearly. It is better to finalize the amount as soon as possible and move forward with the subsequent progress."

Princess Yan had a mouthful of blood stuck in her throat, choking her and making her feel upset.

After finally meeting He Linzhang, she insisted on meeting him alone and telling him everything she was thinking and hoping for.

She looked at the emperor and said in a gentle and helpless voice: "Your Majesty, I haven't seen you for many years. Don't you think you will not even give me a chance to be alone with you when we meet again?"

He Linzhang looked at her calmly and said, "I think what Concubine Tao said makes sense. If Princess Yan wants to lower the amount, just tell me a number. Just based on the relationship between you and me as people who grew up together, I can accept it."

Princess Yan choked. The private matter she wanted to talk about was not an apology! She had been away from home for so many years, but she had never forgotten him. She wanted to say what she hadn't said back then, otherwise how could she be willing!

Tao Yanyan looked at the hurt expression on Princess Yan's face and suddenly became curious. She rolled her eyes, cleared her throat and said, "Ahem, well, since Princess Yan wants to meet alone before we can talk, then Marquis Ningyuan and I will step aside for now. You two can talk." After that, regardless of Marquis Ningyuan's crazy looks, Tao Yanyan dragged the person away.

He Linzhang: “…”

Why does it feel like the little concubine doesn't care about his life or death?