Harem Daily Life

Tao Yanyan frowned, and Concubine Xian was speechless for a moment.

"Jin'an is indeed very cute and well-behaved, but... is it that both the Concubine Dowager and Prince Yong have this intention?" Tao Yanyan asked curiously.

Princess Yong nodded. "When my mother met Jin'an, she liked him very much, so she came up with this idea. I think it doesn't matter who is adopted. Since my mother likes him, then it's fine. The prince..."

Princess Yong looked deeply at Empress Tao and sighed. Prince Yong had agreed to the Dowager Consort's proposal and was quite pleased. Anyone could guess that Prince Yong was convinced that Empress Tao had personally brought the Second Prince back to the palace, and that they had a close relationship. If he adopted the Second Prince under his name, how could that not count as having raised a child together?

"The prince is also in favor. Today, besides expressing gratitude, I came to the palace to discuss this with Your Majesty. If Your Majesty finds it feasible, we will then report it to the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty. Prince Yong's Mansion will certainly treat the Second Prince as their own and immediately make him the Crown Prince."

Tao Yanyan was unwilling in her heart, but she couldn't refuse Princess Yong outright. She said seriously, "I will think about this matter carefully. Princess, don't worry. I will discuss this with His Majesty and then get back to you."

Princess Yong knew it was impossible to get an answer right then and there. Since her purpose for visiting the palace today had already been achieved, she didn't linger any longer. She stood up to say goodbye to the Empress and Consort Xian, and Mingyue personally escorted them out.

After everyone left, Consort Xian saw that Empress Tao was worried and said to her, "Actually, if you think about it from another perspective, it would be a good thing for the Second Prince to be adopted by Prince Yong's mansion."

Tao Yanyan was confused and asked, "Why do you say it's a good thing?"

Xianfei smiled and said, "Your Majesty only has three princes now. The eldest prince is a no-brainer; he certainly won't be entrusted with important tasks in the future. The second prince has been well-educated, but his background is poor, and he may not rise to prominence in the future. It would be better to give him to Prince Yong's Mansion to inherit the family business. That way, the second prince won't have to compete with the fourth prince in the future. Everyone can have their own destiny, which is better."

Concubine Xian didn't know Jin'an's true background and thought that Jin'an was adopted by the common people. It was a great fortune for him to become the prince of the royal palace. However, Tao Yanyan knew clearly that Jin'an's identity was no worse than her own son. She treated Jin'an as her own son and didn't want to arrange Jin'an's future so hastily.

"Please pretend you didn't hear anything about this matter, Concubine Xian. Keep it secret for now. I still need to think about it carefully."

Concubine Xian couldn't understand why the Queen disagreed. In her opinion, there was one less prince competing with her son for the throne, and she could still inherit the family business of Prince Yong's Mansion. This was a win-win situation. She should have agreed without even thinking about it, okay?

However, she was not Queen Tao, and it was impossible for her to know what Queen Tao was thinking, so she did not try to persuade her any further and remained silent in a measured manner.

When He Linzhang came over in the evening, Tao Yanyan told him everything about how Princess Yong entered the palace during the day.

"Adoption?" He Linzhang hesitated for a moment.

"Yes, when Princess Yong mentioned it today, I didn't react. In fact, Prince Yong is not very old, and Princess Yong is still young, so there is no need to be so anxious to adopt a child. Besides, if they want to adopt, they can look for other relatives and should be able to find a suitable one. It doesn't have to be Jin'an."

He Linzhang listened to her words, stared at her, and squinted his eyes: "Actually, you are reluctant to let go, right?"

Tao Yanyan's thoughts were seen through, and she pouted, "Well, I can't bear to let him go. When I picked up Jin'an, he was only a little bit taller, thin and small, so pitiful. I raised him for a few years and he has become better. He has a good temperament, good looks, and gets A's in all his subjects. Such a good child, I want to keep him by my side."

He Linzhang smiled and pinched her face: "I know you love Jinan very much."

Tao Yanyan lowered her eyes. "It's not that I'm worried he won't be well taken care of in Prince Yong's mansion. I just don't want to be separated from Jin'an, and..." Tao Yanyan said solemnly, "That day when I was held hostage by the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, Jin'an showed both courage and wisdom, which was truly remarkable. What if, in the future, he is the prince who can be entrusted with important tasks? I don't want to cut off his path."

If another concubine with a prince said this, He Linzhang would have to think about whether she was sincere. But when Tao Yanyan said it, He Linzhang was 100% sure that she was speaking the truth and not testing him.

His words came from the heartfelt hope that in the future he could choose the most suitable prince to inherit the throne. As for whether he was her biological son or not, she did not force it at all.

How could anyone not love a queen who is so magnanimous and who values the future of the Great Zhou?

He Linzhang hugged the man and said, "Refuse the offer from Prince Yong's Mansion for now. I will train Jin'an to be a powerful minister in the future and protect the Great Zhou together with Yucheng."

Tao Yanyan looked up at him and said, "Your Majesty, please don't dote on Yucheng too much. He's still a little crybaby who only knows how to pull people's hair. Wait until he grows up and see his temperament and talents."

At this moment, little Yucheng, who has recently become obsessed with pulling hair, has finished feeding and is turning over from time to time to expend his energy before going to bed.

Yunuo had already eaten his fill and gone to bed, leaving Yucheng alone to stay up late like a night owl.

The next morning, Tao Yanyan said that he would take the eldest princess and little Jin'an out of the palace to Fuyan Temple, so he exempted the other palaces from getting up early to pay their respects.

The Fuyan Temple outside the capital is very popular and there is no shortage of pilgrims all year round.

The group acted in a low-key manner, and the carriage they rode was just an ordinary reinforced carriage with no luxurious decoration.

Ever since she had the experience of being stopped by the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery last time, Tao Yanyan brought with her the secret guards carefully selected by Ying Yi this time. Together with Shuang'er and Yin Jiu, she was naturally relieved to have six people with great martial arts skills guarding them.

Ningyuan Hou had been waiting at Fuyan Temple since early morning. Seeing them arrive, he immediately came forward to greet them and said, "I will take your Highness to burn incense."

Tao Yanyan nodded, took the two children and followed Ning Yuanhou in.

The Buddha statues in the main hall stood solemn and majestic, and the abbot led the monks in chanting scriptures. Tao Yanyan and the children knelt reverently, each burning incense and praying for their deceased mother.

Ning Yuanhou was very pleased to see that his niece was now the queen, in charge of the imperial palace, and had given birth to princes and princesses. He couldn't help but think of his deceased sister.

Seventeen years ago, my younger sister was murdered by Concubine Li and taken away by the Demon Lord of the Demon Cult. We have been separated from each other forever. The past is like a knife. Every time I think of it, it cuts my heart and it hurts so much that I can't breathe.

He was in a really low mood, so he turned around and went outside the hall to get some fresh air.

A guard came running over, looking panicked, saying, "My Lord, we just discovered a thief spying on the Queen and her group. He's now gone into the back hills. The Queen's three guards are chasing him. Tell my Lord to take the Queen and her group back to the palace as soon as possible."