Harem Daily Life

He originally came to expose Li Jing's true face, but unexpectedly, he was outmaneuvered by Li Jing. Fortunately, the emperor trusted him and did not pursue the responsibility, so Tao Yanyan felt relieved.

"By the way, Your Majesty, there was a fire in Fengyi Palace, and the east and west side halls were severely damaged. Only the main hall is still usable, but the smoky smell is extremely strong, and it is difficult to remove. The Ministry of Internal Affairs estimates that the cost of repairs will be approximately 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver. I would like to ask Your Majesty's opinion: should it be restored to its original state, or should it be directly built into a garden and become part of the Imperial Garden by taking advantage of the terrain?"

He Linzhang frowned, "Money isn't a problem, but Fengyi Palace is uninhabited. How about we just stop repairing it and turn it into a garden?"

Tao Yanyan smiled and agreed: "Okay, then I will listen to your majesty."

Tao Yanyan had a bold idea: why not level the entire area and create a spacious plaza? The hard surface was already there, so he could clear out the burned-down houses, plant some greenery, and repaint the main hall, creating a resting area.

The small square allows children to play football and run around, which is more economical than building a garden and is also a good place for activities. The wide view makes it convenient for the palace servants who serve the children to look after them.

After staying in the imperial study for a while, Tao Yanyan packed up and returned to Changle Palace.

"Your Majesty, Princess Yong has handed over a sign, saying that she wants to come to the palace tomorrow to express her gratitude." Mingyue came forward and said as soon as she returned to Changle Palace.

A new little princess had been added to the Yong prince's mansion, and the palace had sent a gift. It was customary for the Yong prince's wife to go to the palace to express her gratitude, so Tao Yanyan agreed.

Then she thought about how she and Princess Yong really had nothing to talk about, so she said, "Go to Concubine Xian and tell her that I'd like her to accompany me to receive Princess Yong tomorrow. Ask her to bring Min'er with her so she can play with Yue'er and the others."

Mingyue agreed and went to the Xingqing Palace of Concubine Xian while it was still early.

Tao Yanyan entered the study, found the blueprint of Fengyi Palace and drew a rough map on a one-to-one basis. He then asked Chang Tai to see if Chief Steward Li was there, and if so, to ask him to come over.

As soon as Manager Li heard that the Queen had summoned him, no matter how many things he had on hand, he would deal with the Queen's first.

It was dinner time when he came over. Tao Yanyan specially asked Caiyun to prepare two more dishes and packed them in a food box for Manager Li to take away.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration." Steward Li took the food box and put away the Fengyi Palace renovation drawings that Tao Yanyan had given him. He said, "Your Majesty, these drawings are very clear. I will follow them and will definitely complete them perfectly. This modification will only cost about a hundred taels of silver, which is a huge saving."

Tao Yanyan smiled. "The drawings are just for reference. You can handle the details yourself. By the way, before the Ghost Festival, I'd like to arrange a prayer trip. The eldest princess will also go with me to offer scriptures for her deceased mother. I'd like you to arrange this. I don't want too many people to know. I'll go out of the palace one day to inspect the imperial property and stop by Fuyan Temple."

Chief Steward Li quickly agreed: "Yes, then let's set it for the day after tomorrow. We can leave the palace earlier and the weather will be cooler."

Tao Yanyan nodded. Ningyuan Hou had lit a perpetual lamp for the original owner's mother at Fuyan Temple. She had to go to the temple on the original owner's behalf to burn incense for his deceased mother, and also burn incense for the original owner.

He Linzhang was very annoyed by the fact that the King of Northern Yan was looking for someone who looked like Yan Yan. After Tao Yan Yan left, he immediately wrote a letter and sent it to the border with an express journey of 800 miles. In the letter, he asked Qi Yizheng to find out what the King of Northern Yan looked like, and to explore the storage and distribution of Yan State's mineral resources.

He Linzhang had a feeling that the King of Northern Yan would not miss this golden opportunity presented by the Xia invasion of the Great Zhou, and perhaps was already plotting something behind the scenes. A future war between Yan and the Great Zhou was inevitable, and the Great Zhou needed to quickly grasp all aspects of Yan's situation, especially its rich iron ore resources.

The next day, Princess Yong entered the palace early in the morning. After the concubines on Tao Yanyan's side paid their respects and left, she went into the hall to express her gratitude.

Princess Yong had never expected that the little girl who was once the last Liangyi would ascend the throne of the Queen of the Great Zhou in just a few years, and was now sitting high on the throne, accepting her worship.

"Princess, there's no need to be so polite. Please take a seat." Tao Yanyan said with a smile.

"Today, Consort Xian brought the Third Princess over to play with some of the children. It just so happens that you, Princess Yong, are here, so we'll all get together. Princess Yong, please don't be shy and don't be restrained."

Concubine Xian and Princess Yong also greeted him, and the three of them chatted for a while.

Fortunately, there was Concubine Xian by his side. She was eloquent and from the capital, so she could chat with Princess Yong. Tao Yanyan finally felt at ease to be a listener, responding from time to time. The atmosphere was quite good.

"Speaking of which, I am a few years older than both of you ladies. I have been childless all these years. Fortunately, the Dowager Concubine is kind and doesn't blame me. However, I still have this burden in my heart that I can't let go of." Perhaps because she and Concubine Xian got along so well, Princess Yong actually opened up about her own wounds and talked about the sad things that had been bothering her for so many years.

The virtuous concubine empathized with her and advised, "Princess, you should be more open-minded. When it comes to children, if they are destined to be, they will eventually come. If they are not destined to be, don't force it. Look, I haven't been able to give birth to a child either. Fortunately, I was lucky. The third princess needed a foster mother back then, and I was fortunate enough to take care of her."

Princess Yong smiled helplessly, "There are only three daughters in the palace. The first two had mothers of humble origins. Although I once considered adopting one, I was still young at the time and wanted to wait a little longer. By then, the two children had grown up and were no longer accustomed to her. Now there's another one, and her mother's status is extraordinary. She's directly become a legitimate princess, so it's impossible for me to raise her under my name."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Tao Yanyan and said, "Your Majesty is so blessed. She adopted the Second Prince a few years ago, and later adopted the First Princess and the Second Princess. Now she has her own children, twins, a boy and a girl. She is truly the envy of others."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Princess, you are only twenty-five or twenty-six this year. You are still young. Have you consulted the imperial physician to find out the reason for your childlessness?"

Princess Yong looked a little embarrassed. She had actually seen it before, and everyone said that it would be difficult for her to get pregnant due to her constitution. In addition, Prince Yong only stayed in her room for two days every month, so it was really difficult for her to get pregnant with such a small probability.

"How can I compare to a newcomer? The prince has already disliked me." She didn't say anything specific, but Tao Yanyan and Concubine Xian understood immediately. Concubine Xian felt the same way, as she hadn't been favored by His Majesty for many years.

Hiding the bitterness in her heart, Consort Xian advised: "Princess, you should think of a way to adopt a child. Even if it's from a relative or your natal family, at least you'll have something to think about, and your life won't be so boring."

Princess Yong seemed persuaded and said with a smile, "I heard that the Second Prince is extremely intelligent, well-behaved and sensible, and the Prince also admires him very much. It would be best if the Second Prince could be adopted as the Crown Prince of the Yong Palace."

Tao Yanyan was stunned. Prince Yong's Mansion adopted Xiao Jin'an as the prince?