Harem Daily Life

"The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. You make some arrangements and we'll set off back to the palace. This is the first time the Queen is preparing for a Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. I'll go and check it for her. Make sure nothing goes wrong." The Queen Mother ordered.

Eunuch Qin's eyes flickered. "Queen Dowager, the palace has sent word that the Xia Kingdom's delegation to negotiate peace will arrive in the capital in a few days. On the delegation's list... the Xia Kingdom's eldest princess is leading the delegation, and among their staff is a man named Shang... Shang Yuanzhou."

Originally, Eunuch Qin wanted to keep the news secret for as long as possible, but the encounter would soon occur, and the news about the Xia delegation could no longer be concealed.

The Queen Mother raised an eyebrow. "You old man, if I hadn't mentioned returning to the palace, would you have decided to keep the news to yourself?" The Queen Mother rolled her eyes at him and snorted coldly. "No wonder I've been having bad dreams these past few days. It turns out that Kang has come to the Great Zhou again."

Eunuch Qin didn't dare to breathe and stood aside with his neck hunched.

"Well, I haven't seen you for over thirty years. I want her to see how prosperous I am now. Back then, she even urged the late emperor to divorce me. She never considered that as a princess of the Xia Kingdom, how could she be qualified to become the Crown Princess of the Great Zhou!"

The Queen Mother sat up straight, suddenly summoning a burst of energy and spirit: "I will return to the palace tomorrow. I will take charge of the Queen. Don't let her fall into the trap of that evil woman Kang."

Eunuch Qin raised his head and glanced: "Then... Shang Yuanzhou..."

Eunuch Qin didn't know much about the Queen Mother's past, but thanks to the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, he did get to hear a bit of gossip. He wasn't sure what the Queen Mother was thinking, but as a servant, it was his duty to give her a heads-up.

The Queen Mother frowned, and after a long while she sighed, "After all, it's the Shu family that has wronged him. Well, since we're here to negotiate peace, let's handle business as usual."

Upon learning that the empress dowager was going back to the palace early, Tao Yanyan went to the palace gate to greet her in person. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted and laughed as they went to Changchun Palace together.

"As soon as I returned from this palace, I felt the heat was oppressive. It would be better to go to the summer palace!" The Queen Mother sighed, "Shu Cairen's illness hasn't recovered, so she didn't come back with me. Let her enjoy a little more peace and quiet."

Tao Yanyan held the Queen Mother's arm and said helplessly, "If it weren't for the complicated affairs of the harem and the children's schooling, I would have liked to accompany the Queen Mother to the summer palace for a short stay."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Everything has its own gains and losses. You lost your freedom, but you also gained rights."

The Queen Mother drank a cup of fruit tea brought by Tao Yanyan, and finally felt better. Then she asked about the reception of the Xia Kingdom delegation.

"I heard that the Xia people came to negotiate peace this time, led by their eldest princess. This person is not someone to be trifled with. She will definitely come to the palace to meet with you. You should practice your rhetoric and then, if she gets upset, just give her a good scolding."

Tao Yanyan found the Queen Mother's words very funny, as if they were a pair of sworn enemies who had not seen each other for more than 30 years but still could not forget their grudge.

"Thank you for your reminder, Queen Mother. However, I also have a grudge against her. When the time comes, I will not give in to her just because she is a guest."

Tao Yanyan hadn't reported the attack to the Queen Mother beforehand, lest she worry. So upon hearing Tao Yanyan's words, the Queen Mother looked at her suspiciously, "How did she provoke you?"

Tao Yanyan briefly recounted what had happened before, and the empress dowager was so angry that she slammed the table and stood up.

"Kangning, what a black heart! When she couldn't win, she took the Queen Mother hostage. What a vulgar method." The Queen Mother took Tao Yanyan in hand and looked at her: "I'm glad you're okay. If anything happened to you, how would Zhang'er and the children live?"

Tao Yanyan consoled them, saying, "Fortunately, the people we brought that day were very capable fighters. Those Xia people were no match for them."

After saying this, she glanced at the Queen Mother and said, "The Xia Kingdom delegation will be arriving in the capital in the next two days. Would the Queen Mother like to attend the reception?"

The Queen Mother shook her head: "No, Kang Ning is a princess of a defeated nation and is not worthy to see me."

Tao Yanyan agreed, and seeing that there was nothing else to do, he wanted to leave and go back to play with his child.

"That... the person who said he wanted to spread news about my youth is also in the delegation. Please make arrangements so I can meet him when the time comes."

Tao Yanyan couldn't see the empress dowager's mood clearly, so he had to agree first.

After returning to Changle Palace, Tao Yanyan still couldn't figure out why the Queen Mother wanted to see her ex. In her opinion, a high-quality ex should be as good as dead, and they should never meet again in this life after breaking up.

"Ah...love is so complicated."

"Hiss..." When Mingyue heard the Queen's words, the needle and thread in her hand shook and suddenly poked her fingertips.

Tao Yanyan looked up and asked, "Mingyue, what's wrong with you? Did you poke your hand?"

Mingyue quickly shook her head: "It was just careless. It's okay. It doesn't hurt."

She bit her finger quickly, and after a long wait for the pain to subside, she asked suspiciously, "Your Majesty, you and His Majesty are so in love, why are you still lamenting...that complicated thing?"

Mingyue rarely gossiped, so since she was a bit interested, Tao Yanyan pouted and said, "Nothing much. I just saw a storybook where two former lovers who hadn't seen each other for thirty years were about to meet again. I thought it would be better for them not to meet and forget each other, so I sighed."

Mingyue's eyebrows furrowed, her face flushed. "They... haven't seen each other for thirty years, but they still miss each other? Does that count as long-lasting love..."

Tao Yanyan shook his head: "Since we weren't meant to be in the first place, we shouldn't have been entangled in it later. I don't think it can be called lingering love, at most it's just unwillingness."

Mingyue seemed to understand, but then thought of her own little secret. For some reason, she asked, "Then what does it mean to be destined for a relationship between a man and a woman?"

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "If we can be together happily, it should be called destiny. If we are unhappy, it is bad fate. If we are happy but still cannot be together, then it is just fate. Deep love but shallow fate."

Mingyue: "..."

Who said it was complicated? Your Majesty, you clearly explained it clearly and your analysis was not complicated at all, right?

But she thought again and it seemed a little complicated, because even after listening to the Queen's explanation, she still couldn't tell what "fate" was when it came to herself.

Mingyue gave up completely, lowered her head and continued to do needlework silently.

Qingfeng yawned aside and said, "If you ask me, there is no such thing as fate. You can live without finding a husband in this life. You don't have to suffer that pain."

Mingyue raised her eyes: "It can't be considered a sin. If you find your true love, just like the Queen and His Majesty, then every day will be full of happiness."

Qingfeng's eyes flickered, worried that the Empress would blame him for what he said, so he quickly said, "Your Majesty is very lucky to have His Majesty's unwavering protection. You have also devoted your wholehearted efforts to His Majesty, but there are not many women in the world who are as blessed as you. Haha, anyway, Your Majesty and His Majesty have the best fate in the world."

Tao Yanyan was amused by Qingfeng's flattery and glared at her: "You don't even have a sweetheart, yet you seem to make sense when it comes to these topics. It seems you've read a lot of storybooks and memorized them all."