Harem Daily Life

Jiang Yingying mentioned two things in the letter. The first was that she and Qi Yizheng were lurking in the territory of Yan State to gather information, and found that the King of Northern Yan was aggressively collecting beauties to fill his harem, and the portraits of the beauties posted were exactly the same as Tao Yanyan's.

The State of Yan posted a notice stating that anyone who resembled the person in the portrait could enter the palace as a concubine. Jiang Yingying once saw with her own eyes a person who looked somewhat like Tao Yanyan being selected by the government and sent directly to the Yan Palace.

Qi Yizheng felt that this incident was an insult to the Great Zhou royal family, but he was unsure whether to report it to His Majesty, so he kept it secret. Jiang Yingying found it strange and wrote a letter to tell Tao Yanyan first.

Tao Yanyan also felt strange. Although her appearance was indeed extremely beautiful, the King of Yan had never seen her before. How could he fall in love with her?

Or are all men the same, falling in love with beautiful women as soon as they see them?

She couldn't figure it out, so she simply moved on to the second story. It turned out that Qi Yizheng had discovered traces of the Canglong Clan on the border between Great Zhou and the State of Yan. There was a man who looked very similar to Cangqi, but because they had only met briefly, Qi Yizheng couldn't be sure. Recently, the two of them had been tracking that man's whereabouts.

Tao Yanyan hated the Canglong Sect deeply. Cangqi, as a descendant of the remnants of the previous dynasty, had done many bad things and should be eliminated once he was found.

Tao Yanyan put the letter away, thought about it, and then tore it into pieces and threw them out of the carriage window.

After several years of operation and development, Huangzhuang has entered a new stage. Tao Yanyan took a tour around it and was very satisfied.

Yu Jinsheng and the others had not expected that after becoming the empress, the noble lady would actually come to inspect the imperial estate in person, which made everyone flattered.

Apart from the difference in her clothing, Empress Tao remained the same. She even ate her lunch in the dining hall of the imperial farm, which was no different from before.

How could such an approachable queen not be popular? People's favorability towards Queen Tao was rising again!

Tao Xiang was particularly excited. She busied herself showing Queen Tao around, reporting on all the improvements in the workshop, including which ones had been renovated and which ones were being prepared for reconstruction.

"Tao Xiang, you have gained a lot of experience after being out of the palace for a few years. You used to be just a little maid serving the master, but now you look like an experienced head shopkeeper." Tao Yanyan praised Tao Xiang, making her face turn red instantly.

"Thank you, Queen, for saving my life. I am now working hard every day and now I have hope."

Tao Yanyan was also very pleased to see her energetic appearance.

"By the way, Your Majesty, the herbs you asked us to try growing have been evaluated by a doctor. Some of them are usable, while others need to grow for another one or two years. We will hurry to pick and dry all the usable ones, and we can sell them when the time comes." Tao Xiang said excitedly.

Tao Yanyan waved his hand and said, "Don't sell these dried herbs. Ask Li Zongguan to find Doctor Liu and build a pharmaceutical workshop to make them into medicine."

When Tao Xiang heard this, she quickly nodded and took note. If it could be made into medicine, the selling price would be increased again.

"But I don't know anything about medicine, so you should all go find Doctor Liu. I will tell him in advance and ask him to provide you with technical support." Professional matters should be left to professionals, and Tao Yanyan would not interfere with these details.

Seeing that it was already afternoon, she was worried about the twins in the palace, so she took her people back to the palace.

This time, Qingfeng and the others packed two large baskets of freshly picked fruits and brought them back to the palace for the young masters to taste.

Not long after the group entered the city, they encountered the carriage of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

"Your Majesty the Queen is here to see you." Marquis Zhongyong got off the carriage and walked to the side of the Queen's carriage and said respectfully.

Tao Yanyan asked Qingfeng to lift the carriage curtain. Looking at the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery outside the carriage, her heart tightened, but her face remained calm. "My Lord, I hope you are well. I was on an incognito tour and didn't expect to see you."

Tao Yanyan kept a low profile, even using the carriage of an ordinary lady. She also had a small entourage, consisting of only three maids, Qingfeng, Xianglan, and Shuang'er, a eunuch driving the carriage, and four guards. They were inconspicuous enough. Of course, Shuang'er alone could keep her safe, so she naturally didn't worry about not having enough people with her.

The fact that Marquis Zhongyong could recognize her carriage made her very suspicious.

Could it be that the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery has been monitoring him all along?

This realization made her feel strongly repulsed by the person in front of her.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery straightened up and got straight to the point: "I have come here specifically to wait for Your Majesty. I have something to ask, and I would like to ask Your Majesty to do me the honor of speaking with me."

Marquis Zhongyong had led troops in battle for many years and possessed a powerful and fierce aura. His voice was full of energy, and his expression was stern when he spoke, which inevitably made people feel a little intimidated.

Even though he was a minister and Queen Tao was the master, he did not show any flattery to Queen Tao. Instead, he had a vague aura of wanting to crush the Queen.

Although Tao Yanyan is the queen, she is just a little girl in her early twenties. If she was not mentally strong, she would not be able to withstand the momentum of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

Tao Yanyan could feel the subtle pressure coming from the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and the people she brought with her could naturally feel it as well. Shuang'er stepped forward to protect the Queen almost the moment the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery spoke, ready to take action at any time upon receiving the order.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery glanced at Shuang'er and smiled, "I really only wish to speak to the Empress. There's no need to treat me like a monster, is there? Besides, it's broad daylight, and there are people everywhere. Is the Empress still afraid that I might assassinate her? After all, I'm a Marquis personally appointed by His Majesty. How could I possibly do something so outrageous and rebellious?"

Tao Yanyan thought to himself, your son led an army of 50,000 and disobeyed the court's orders. We don't know how he will be regarded in the future. Who knows if you want to capture me to threaten His Majesty?

But she did not give in. After all, the other party had not done anything to her yet. If she was afraid first, it would inevitably lose the dignity of the royal family.

Tao Yanyan smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "It is true that I have not exchanged many words with the Marquis. Well, it is better to meet by chance than to invite each other. Please lead the way, Marquis."

Qingfeng wanted to stop them, but was stopped by Tao Yanyan's eyes, so he had to let the horse driver Xiao Lizi drive the carriage and follow the carriage of the Loyal and Brave Marquis to a nearby teahouse.

Qingfeng gave a guard a look, and the guard understood. He left the team while no one was paying attention and headed towards Ningyuan Marquis Mansion.

Tao Yanyan followed the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery to the private room on the second floor of the teahouse. After sitting down, he only left Shuang'er by his side, and everyone else stood guard at the door.

"If Lord Rong has anything to say, just say it." Marquis Zhongyong personally poured tea for Tao Yanyan, but she just glanced at it inconspicuously and did not drink it.