Harem Daily Life

Seeing that Fan Cairen’s face was pale, He Linzhang quickly ordered someone to help her sit down.

Originally, Concubine Fan and Concubine Tao had the same status, but Concubine Fan was pregnant after all, so she was a little more noble than Concubine Tao. She should have sat next to Concubine Zhao, but she came late and could only sit at the very bottom.

After she sat down, Concubine Hui said, "This must be the pregnant one. It's my fault for not making proper arrangements. I should have arranged a sedan chair for you. You've walked all this way. I'm afraid you can't take it anymore, right?"

Fan Cairen immediately said, "I am a little slow, thank you for your concern."

"We must make arrangements when we return. Yunlan, give the instructions."

Princess Yong bowed and said, "Yes, mother."

At this time, the maids had already started serving the dishes. Tao Yanyan looked at the exquisitely crafted, delicious dishes on the table, swallowed his saliva, and prepared to concentrate on eating.

At this time, Fan Cairen, who was closest to her, covered her mouth and nose, as if she was feeling a little uncomfortable.

But everyone was chatting, and no one noticed her. Tao Yanyan glanced at her and whispered, "If you don't like meat dishes, give them to me, and I'll exchange the vegetarian dishes on my table with you."

Lady Fan didn't say anything, but her maid said, "Lady Tao, please stop bullying my lady. Before, Lady Tao forcibly called Doctor Liu away for a palace maid, so my lady didn't get a proper consultation. On the way here today, she ignored my lady and only cared about going ahead. Now she's even trying to snatch the food?"

Tao Yanyan: "..." I shouldn't be so kind, and I shouldn't be reluctant to give up those pieces of flesh!

The noise was quite loud here, and Concubine Zhao, who was closest, naturally heard it the most clearly. She laughed sarcastically, "Concubine Fan is pregnant, and it is hard for her to bear a child for His Majesty. Why does Concubine Tao want to make things difficult for her sisters? Don't take advantage of His Majesty's favor and ignore the rest of us!"

Tao Yanyan was attacked from both sides and was unable to back down for a while.

Princess Yong on the other side said leisurely, "What's wrong with you? Are the dishes not to your liking? Can you change a few other dishes? I'll ask the kitchen to make new ones."

The other party was the Princess of Yong, a first-rank concubine, so Tao Yanyan and the others did not dare to act rashly, so Tao Yanyan said: "Today's dishes are a combination of meat and vegetables, nutritious and healthy, and delicious. Thank you for the hospitality of the Concubine Dowager and the Princess."

Concubine Zhao obviously didn't want to let it go. She said to Princess Yong, "Tao Cairen was really too much to pregnant Concubine Fan. She made things difficult for her. I couldn't stand it, so I said a few words to her. I'm really sorry for disturbing everyone's interest."

Everyone looked at Tao Yanyan. He Linzhang frowned slightly, thinking about how he had already reminded a few people before that this was Prince Yong's Mansion and they should be aware of the occasion. How could they be so unpeaceful while having a meal? How could they say such things in front of Concubine Hui!

A male student said, "Just now I noticed that Lady Fan didn't like meat, so I guess she's on a diet because she's pregnant. Lady Tao wanted to change the dish to help Lady Fan, but why did it become a problem for Lady Zhao? Lady Tao meant well, so Lady Fan and Lady Zhao should not misunderstand."

The one who spoke was Prince Yong. Princess Yong's face turned pale and she glanced at Concubine Tao a few more times without leaving a trace.

"Ah? Is that so? I didn't expect that I, who was sitting close, didn't hear it clearly, but His Royal Highness Prince Yong, who was far away, heard it clearly." Concubine Zhao was so angry that she couldn't help but say something sarcastic.

Prince Yong tightened his grip on the wine glass and said, "I am a martial artist, so my hearing is naturally better than that of ordinary people. But Concubine Fan knows the truth best. She knows whether Concubine Tao is deliberately making things difficult for me."

When Lady Fan saw that Prince Yong had chosen her, she bowed and said, "I am pregnant and have been feeling dizzy all day, so I didn't hear clearly. I am sorry for disturbing everyone's meal."

He Linzhang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Sit down and eat. Don't let the Concubine Dowager down."

Concubine Hui picked up the wine glass and drank with the emperor. She looked at Prince Yong with an obvious warning in her eyes. Prince Yong understood and felt depressed, so he drank another glass of wine.

Princess Yong saw that Prince Yong had already drunk several cups, so she advised him, "Your Highness cannot hold his liquor, so drink less."

Prince Yong paused, recalled his previous drunken behavior, and silently put down his wine glass.

However, one person cannot hide his or her attention to another person. Even if Prince Yong tried to restrain himself or herself, Concubine Zhao, who was sitting opposite Prince Yong, still saw it clearly.

I'm afraid there's something fishy going on between Prince Yong and Concubine Tao!

Lady Zhao's mind was racing. Seeing that the singing and dancing for the banquet had been arranged, she smiled and said, "I heard that in the past, there were four beauties in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, each of whom was a master in the art of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. The Queen's paintings and Princess Yong's music each took up a place, and the two beauties also married into the royal family one after another. It is a great honor to meet Princess Yong today. I wonder if you will have this blessing. Can you ask Princess Yong to play a piece of music to liven up the banquet?"

Princess Yong's piano skills are unrivalled in the capital. Ever since she left the capital with Prince Yong a few years ago, she has rarely experienced the feeling of being the center of attention. Prince Yong is not good at playing the piano either, so she has not had many opportunities to perform.

Today, the emperor and the concubines in the palace were here, especially the woman in the painting hidden in Prince Yong's study. Princess Yong's competitive spirit got the better of her, so she said, "Why not? Someone, go get my Tianyinqin. I haven't played it for a long time, please don't laugh at me."

After a moment, a very simple-looking ancient zither was placed in the center of the hall.

Princess Yong stood up and walked to the guqin, gently playing a few notes. Tao Yanyan felt that the sound was melodious, crisp and powerful. It turned out that the best things were in the hands of these rich people.

She remembered that she learned to play the pipa in her previous life. Due to limited conditions, she could only buy the cheapest one. Compared with the children in her interest class, their instruments cost five or six thousand yuan, while hers cost just over a thousand yuan.

Princess Yong was wearing a gorgeous palace dress, with a graceful figure and beautiful face, like a fairy descending from the earth. Her temperament was elegant and dignified, her manners were graceful and generous, and her every move exuded a noble atmosphere.

At this moment, she was sitting in front of an exquisite Tianyinqin, her slender and white fingers gently plucking the strings, and beautiful piano sounds poured out like flowing water.

The beautiful notes floated in the air, making people intoxicated. Princess Yong's expression was focused, as if the whole world was only her and the Tianyin Guqin.

Tao Yanyan was so absorbed in appreciating the beauty playing the piano that it was just like looking at a moving ancient painting.

When the last note of the song fell, the emperor took the lead in applauding, and everyone gave warm applause. Concubine Hui was proud of it: "Yun Lan's piano music is really intoxicating. This song must be the lost "Nichang Qu", I haven't heard it for many years."

Princess Yong stood up and said, "Yes, mother, it is the Colorful Skirt. In fact, what my daughter-in-law played was not the original piece. The original piece has been lost. This is a new piece composed by my daughter-in-law based on her understanding."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but sigh, Princess Yong is indeed amazing!

"I heard that Talented Lady Tao is also good at music. I wonder if she can play a song today? Don't worry, sister. It doesn't matter if she can't be as good as Princess Yong. After all, Princess Yong is the best zither artist in the capital, and few people can play better than Princess Yong." Concubine Zhao encouraged.

Tao Yanyan looked at her expressionlessly. It turned out that she was waiting for him here!