Harem Daily Life

Tao Yanyan did not bring up the matter of Li Cairen on his own initiative, but two days later, He Linzhang brought it up first.

"Yan Yan, there is something I want to discuss with you." He Linzhang held her hand and said, "Li Cairen was seriously injured. Although she has survived, she will not be well taken care of if she stays in Jingci Temple. I want to bring her back. I will send someone to watch over her and will not let her appear in front of you and bother you."

He Linzhang looked at Tao Yanyan expectantly. Tao Yanyan was actually prepared, but when she heard this request unexpectedly, she couldn't help but feel upset. She lowered her eyes, stroked her belly, and said lightly: "Okay, I have no objection."

He Linzhang thought that the concubine might be a little bit temperamental, but he didn't expect that she would agree so calmly.

"Don't worry, Yan Yan. I promise that I will take good care of Li Cairen and will never let her bother you."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said: "It's okay, I will just avoid her. I still have this ability."

The next day, He Linzhang sent someone to bring back Li Cairen and placed her in her original palace.

This move shocked everyone in the harem.

Liang Zhaoyi was the first to arrive at Changle Palace. As soon as she came in, her eyes were filled with tears: "My Lady, Concubine Li has already returned to the palace. What should I do? The Fourth Princess and I have developed feelings for each other. Will the two sisters want to go back?"

Tao Yanyan looked at her and sighed: "Liang Zhaoyi, you know, I sometimes regret why I wasn't cruel enough. Obviously, I could have solved the problem once and for all by taking her life while she was sick and eliminating the trouble forever."

Looking at the solemn face of Concubine Tao, Liang Zhaoyi shed tears: "Don't be angry, Madam. I... will let nature take its course."

If the biological mother wants to take the child back in the end, what can I, the adoptive mother, say? I can't keep forcing the imperial concubine to let her, a pregnant woman who is about to give birth, rush to the front.

"Let it be? Yes, if you can't control the direction of your fate and your methods are not ruthless enough, then you can only let it be." Tao Yanyan sighed: "Just treat it as a pet and don't put too much emotion into it. After all, it's not your own child, so you don't need to spend too much thought on it."

Liang Zhaoyi was shocked, thinking that the imperial concubine was so angry that she was confused, because she herself was raising three children that were not her own!

She hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please stop saying that. I know you are just saying that in anger. Your Highness is so good to your adopted son and daughter. They are my role models. Since I have adopted them, I will definitely treat them well. If one day I really have to return them, then I will... learn to let it go."

Liang Zhaoyi wiped away her tears. She was certainly anxious and heartbroken, but she had to be strong after crying, right? Otherwise, how could she go on with her life?

Tao Yanyan patted her hand gently, and looked at the young woman who was still in her prime but could only waste her time in the harem, and could only sigh.

Zhou Zhaoyi and Ning Fei also arrived one after another. They came to comfort Concubine Tao. But Concubine Tao looked rosy and not discouraged at all. The consolation words they had prepared were useless, so they could only chat about trivial matters.

"Your Majesty is about to give birth. Have you found a midwife and a wet nurse? We need to find out all the details and not make any mistakes!" Concubine Ning reminded.

Tao Yanyan nodded: "The midwife was found by Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion, she is trustworthy. As for the wet nurse, I thought, I will try it myself first, if it doesn't work, it won't be too late to find another one."

Concubine Ning hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, if you come alone, I'm afraid your figure will be out of shape. It would be safer to find a wet nurse."

Knowing that Concubine Ning meant well, Tao Yanyan did not refute but just smiled and nodded.

After a few people left, Tao Yanyan relaxed and lay on the couch in a daze.

Mingyue covered her with a thin quilt and said distressedly: "Your Majesty, His Majesty only took her back to the palace, and did not visit her or let her stay overnight. His Majesty still comes to accompany you every day as usual, so please don't be angry anymore."

Tao Yanyan said calmly: "Mingyue, sometimes I wonder whether I am lucky or unlucky. I am very lucky to be here, with fine clothes and delicious food, and someone to serve and support me. But I wonder if I would be luckier if he didn't have so many women around him, and if he didn't have any other woman besides me, would I be luckier? But if that were the case, would I not come here, but go to another place, where I would have to work hard to have money to spend?"

Mingyue didn't understand what her master meant, but she knew that her master was being a little too picky.

"Your Majesty, you are much happier than other ladies in the harem. I think His Majesty is always thinking about you." If other concubines were pregnant, His Majesty might not stay with them all day. Mingyue thought that her majesty was already a model of great favor.

Tao Yanyan chuckled: "So, let's just live like this." After she said that, she picked up the account book at hand and opened it to look at the data that made her happy now.

"Go call Dong Fang, I have something to discuss with him." Tao Yanyan decided to advance her plan. She wanted to expand her business empire in Da Zhou. Since love was unreliable, she would just concentrate on making money.

Dong Fang came in soon, and Tao Yanyan told him his idea: "Of course, I still need to hear your thoughts. If you don't want to leave the palace, I won't force you. After all, everyone has their own aspirations."

Dong Fang nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to do whatever you say, but I don't know if I can do it according to your wishes. I am worried that I will not be able to do it well, and I am afraid that your training will be in vain and you will be disappointed."

Dong Fang thought that Concubine Tao trusted him and gave him tens of thousands of taels of capital to build a workshop and do business. If he lost money, he would not be able to compensate even if he was cut into pieces.

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "I have seen your ability to do things over the past few years. Just do it boldly as I say. It's only a few tens of thousands of taels of silver, which is about my income for one or two years. But I believe that you will succeed."

Dong Fang knelt down and said, "Yes, I will definitely live up to your expectations, and I will do my best to complete the tasks you have asked me to do."

Tao Yanyan nodded: "I will talk to Li Zongguan and ask him to transfer you to the imperial property first. You don't have to serve me anymore. Do your job well outside and manage all my private property. You can contact Chang Tai to contact the palace, and let Chang Tai hand over the account books in the future."

Dong Fang nodded: "I am not with Your Majesty, please take care of yourself." After saying that, Dong Fang stood up and left. He had to pack his luggage as he would be transferred out of Changle Palace soon.

After arranging all this, Tao Yanyan called Mingyue and said, "The midwives that Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion has found should be brought to the palace after the Lantern Festival to familiarize themselves with the environment. I still have some things to teach them."

Tao Yanyan would not put her life in the hands of others. She would pass on some modern delivery preparations to the midwife from memory to ensure that nothing would go wrong.