Harem Daily Life

Marquis Zhongyong never expected that the day of being discarded would come so soon.

But he was also glad that he had been prepared. Even if the emperor wanted to remove him from his military position, he was not afraid, because among the 100,000 troops stationed on the border, almost all the generals were his men.

Moreover, the eldest son was decisive in killing, and the generals below dared not disobey him.

He believed that their Rong family would be able to firmly control this team and prevent them from being used by the Emperor of the Great Zhou.

It was precisely because of this army's backing that he dared to reach an agreement with the State of Yan when the Yan people came to him - he was responsible for supporting the eldest prince to ascend the throne, and the State of Yan was responsible for delaying the 100,000 troops of the Great Zhou stationed on the border of the State of Yan when he started the rebellion, so that they would have no time to return to the capital to rescue him.

As for the 50,000 troops stationed around the capital, the generals with positions had already been replaced by his men through the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel. By then, even if Ningyuan Hou and his son wanted to lead troops to suppress the rebellion, they would not be able to mobilize the soldiers below.

The loyal and brave Marquis looked terrified, but he was not worried at all. He even thought that if His Majesty insisted on removing him from his position today, it would create a weak image for him and win the sympathy of the court officials.

Sure enough, as soon as Marquis Zhongyong pleaded guilty, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel came up with suggestions to dissuade His Majesty and spoke many good words about Marquis Zhongyong.

He Linzhang felt disheartened when he looked at the two major tribes that had turned away from him.

He raised his hand, and the hall instantly became quiet.

"Loyal and Brave Marquis has to stay in Beijing to recuperate, so he really can't go to the border. There are many young generals in our Great Zhou who can be employed. Can't we give them a chance to gain experience? Minister of Personnel, you are in charge of the promotion and assessment of officials. Have you never thought about training new generals?"

The Minister of Personnel was choked and quickly apologized, saying that it was his own negligence.

He Linzhang looked at the Ministry of War again: "There have always been precedents for sending people to the army for training. The Minister of War must know this, right? Why are you trying to stop it today?"

The Minister of War felt the emperor's pressure, his legs went weak and he quickly apologized.

Seeing the tense situation, Ningyuan Hou stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty is right. I believe that to protect the foundation of the Great Zhou for thousands of years, every generation needs to work together. When I was young, I was trusted and promoted by the late emperor and went to the army for training. Now the new generation of nephews and nieces should also seize the opportunity."

Then, he looked at the Loyal and Brave Marquis and said, "Lord Rong, you and I are both over fifty years old. We should give more opportunities to the young people. Don't you think so?"

The loyal and brave marquis raised his eyebrows. He had already taken the lead in personnel placement, so he pretended to be a good guy and said, "Marquis Gu is right. Your Majesty, I will resign and no longer be involved in military affairs. I will focus on the court. However, I have only one wish, and I hope Your Majesty will fulfill it."

He Linzhang narrowed his eyes and said, "Okay, I am very pleased that the loyal and brave Marquis is open-minded. If you have any wishes, just tell me."

The loyal and brave marquis looked around at the court officials, especially at Tao Qian, and said, "I beg your majesty to appoint Consort De as the empress and the eldest prince He Ye as the crown prince."

He Linzhang gritted his teeth. He really didn't expect that Marquis Zhongyong would not even pretend and go straight to the point.

"Marquis Zhongyong, I have just said that the candidate for empress can only be Imperial Concubine Tao. I think you can still make the decision on who I want to be my empress." He Linzhang refused to give in and looked directly at Marquis Zhongyong.

The Loyal and Brave Marquis bowed his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Concubine De has been in the palace for many years, and the eldest prince is already eight years old. If she cannot become the empress, I am afraid it will chill the hearts of this minister, and even more so the hearts of all the court officials."

After saying this, he waved away the hem of his clothes and knelt down.

The ministers in his camp followed suit and knelt down to ask the emperor to make Concubine De the empress.

In an instant, half of the people knelt on the ground.

Ningyuan Hou knew that the matter of establishing a queen today would not pass smoothly. When the emperor was about to get angry, he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, it is better to discuss the matter of establishing a queen another day. Now it is more important to select generals to go to the border for training."

He gave the emperor a look, and He Linzhang understood what he meant: clear away obstacles and then look for another opportunity.

He Linzhang was so angry that he stood up and left.

The matter of establishing the empress did not go as smoothly as expected, which made He Linzhang very unhappy. After leaving the court, he had no intention of staying in the imperial study to review memorials, so he went directly to Changle Palace.

The two children are growing up day by day, and each day they are a little rounder than the day before. Seeing them makes people feel happy.

He Linzhang walked back and forth holding the cute little baby Yunuo, as if he was tireless.

After Tao Yanyan finished feeding the little foodie Yu Cheng and handed him to the wet nurse, she realized that the emperor seemed to have his eyes glued to Yunuo today and didn't even look at her.

Tao Yanyan, who refused to admit that she was a little jealous, straightened her clothes, stood up and walked towards He Linzhang, gently hugged him from behind, buried her face in his back, and said softly, "Your Majesty, you are content with having a daughter, and you don't even want to look at me, right?"

He Linzhang didn't want to see her at all, but he felt embarrassed and guilty because he had promised to give her a big gift but failed to do it.

He turned around, holding his daughter in one hand, and Tao Yanyan in his arms with the other, and kissed her forehead: "I wish I could see you every moment, and never get tired of seeing you. But, I didn't do what I promised you before, and I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a while for the gift I promised to give you."

Tao Yanyan looked up at him, guessing that the matter of establishing the queen might not go smoothly, and comforted him: "Don't worry, the best gifts are already with me, I am satisfied and have nothing else to ask for."

After saying that, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his chin: "Your Majesty is busy with many things every day. You should do more things for the country and the people. You don't need to take things like preparing gifts for me to heart. I just want to know that Your Majesty has me and our child in his heart."

Tao Yanyan really didn't care whether she was the queen or not. Now she was the highest-ranking concubine in the harem, had many children, and was favored by the emperor. She lived a very comfortable life. To be honest, the position of queen was dispensable.

Seeing her heartless look, He Linzhang could only sigh slightly: "Forget it, I will think of another way."

He silently told himself in his heart that he needed to become stronger, so strong that no one would dare to stop the emperor's decision and he would never be controlled by others again.

His first step now is to resolve the threat posed by Marquis Zhongyong.

Coveting the position of queen, coveting the position of crown prince, forming cliques for personal gain, controlling military affairs, and secretly allying with the State of Yan, no matter which of these, are intolerable to the king.

The little baby in He Linzhang's arms fell asleep in the warm embrace, so Tao Yanyan asked the wet nurse to take the child away to rest.

"Your Majesty is still young, so don't rush into anything." Tao Yanyan took his arm and pulled him to his seat, patting his back: "Your Majesty, just set a goal and work towards it. Along the way, I and the children are your supporters."