Harem Daily Life

Doctor Liu said cautiously, "My ability is limited, so I can't find out much. However, I heard that it was a merchant named Shang. This surname is quite rare, so I remember it."

When the surname Shang was mentioned, Tao Yanyan's eyes narrowed: "Could it be the person I think of?"

Seeing that the Empress seemed to know the other party, Doctor Liu said, "If you want to investigate, Her Majesty, send someone to investigate. Every year, a few herbal medicine merchants will stockpile large quantities of herbs before the New Year, but it's rare to buy them without considering the price. Especially things like century-old ginseng and Ganoderma lucidum, which are not cheap. The key is that they seem to buy all the good herbs. It's really impossible to do that without some financial resources."

The most infuriating thing was that people sold them at such a high price that he couldn't buy the two medicines he wanted. In order not to delay the production of the pills, Doctor Liu had to use something else instead, which reduced the efficacy of the medicine a lot.

Tao Yanyan nodded, and asked Chang Tai to find someone to inquire about the news that day. Sure enough, it was finally confirmed that Shang Yuanzhou was buying large quantities of medicinal materials at high prices.

"I heard that many wealthy families in the capital, upon hearing the high price, sent their best ginseng to be sold. That merchant accepted all offers, and his strength is extraordinary." Chang Tai reported what he had learned.

"Why did he buy so many medicines? Medicinal herbs are not easy to preserve. Can he use so much if he buys too much? Or is he going to sell them somewhere else?" Tao Yanyan had never seen anyone who was so reckless about spending money. When doing business, she would still be thrifty and would not care about the cost unless there was really money to be made.

"Maybe he's a drug dealer. I heard he does quite a big business in Xia Country."

Tao Yanyan couldn't control how others did business. She could only ensure that the medicines produced by the imperial farm would not fall into the hands of others. These medicinal materials were important strategic materials.

Fortunately, after the pharmaceutical workshop was built, the medicinal materials were fully utilized and all made into ointments and pills, which can be preserved for a long time. Now the wound medicine is self-sufficient and there is no need to purchase it from outside, which saves a lot of money.

The Imperial Hospital's medicines were gradually supplied by the imperial farm, with only those that were difficult or impossible to grow being purchased from outside. This saved the palace a great deal of money on medicine alone each year.

Time flew by, and it was the day of the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. This year was the first time Tao Yanyan had hosted a banquet since becoming empress, so she attached great importance to it. Furthermore, with the Xia Kingdom delegation in the capital of Great Zhou this year, she had to be involved in every detail to avoid any mistakes that would lead to ridicule.

The Queen Mother was also worried, so she asked Eunuch Qin to pay attention to some key areas and help the Queen.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law got along well and had a very good relationship, which made the other concubines in the harem envious.

He Linzhang sat aside, waiting for the little queen to dress up so that they could attend the palace banquet together later.

Tao Yanyan saw his face in the bronze mirror and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, can't you go play with the children first? You have to keep an eye on me."

He Linzhang stared intently, puzzled, "I don't know why, but I feel that Yan Yan is becoming more and more beautiful now, even more beautiful than before she gave birth to two children."

Tao Yanyan blushed at his words and glared at him, "You watch it during the day, you watch it at night, isn't it enough? Mingyue and the others are here, Your Majesty, don't be embarrassed."

Mingyue and Qingfeng both held back their laughter as they listened to the emperor and empress flirting with each other.

"Okay, that's it. Wearing too many jewelry is very heavy. This will do." Others would like to wear their hair full of jewels and make a gorgeous appearance, but Tao Yanyan is so beautiful that she can be the most beautiful woman in the harem no matter how she dresses up. So she usually doesn't like to dress too gorgeously. It was only because today's palace banquet was more formal that she had to wear a full set of jewelry.

With her dressed like this, it’s no wonder that He Linzhang was so fascinated by her that he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

The emperor and empress's outfits today also echo each other, they are a perfect match made in heaven.

According to the schedule, the two took the sedan chair to the main hall for the banquet. Not long after they arrived, the empress dowager also came. Tao Yanyan supported the empress dowager and slowly followed He Linzhang into the hall.

This was the first time that Tao Yanyan accompanied the emperor to a palace banquet. In previous years, she always arrived early and knelt on both sides to welcome the emperor and empress. This year, looking at the people kneeling on both sides to welcome her, she felt very wonderful.

It's a wondrous feeling beyond words, as if the entire world is under your control. Standing at the pinnacle of power, overlooking all living things, that feeling of supremacy is intoxicating. Everyone is in awe of you, your every step watched, your every move worshipped.

Princess Jing looked at Queen Tao with a smile, her eyes filled with excitement. After everyone stood up, she was still looking at the Queen with a silly smile. Prince Jing couldn't help but pull her aside and said, "Princess, you don't usually look at me with that kind of pity."

Prince Jing couldn't help but feel jealous of the Queen. In previous years, when the princess came to the palace, she would talk to Queen Tao first. This year, she couldn't talk to the Queen, but the sticky look in her eyes made people jealous.

Princess Jing glared at him and said, "Look at what you look like, and what Queen Tao looks like. Of course I have to look at Queen Tao more often. She's such a stunning beauty, and only by looking at her more often can I give birth to a daughter as beautiful as the Queen."

Prince Jing had no way to refute it and could only sulk in frustration. After all, what the princess said was right. They already had a son and wanted a daughter to complete the family.

God knows he had just seen Your Majesty's twins, a boy and a girl, and his envy was simply to the extreme.

Your Majesty is so lucky that he gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Especially the fifth princess, she is so adorable that it makes people fall in love with her.

He had seen some cute babies, but none of them could compare to the Fifth Princess. She was fair and clean, with big, round eyes and skin as pink as a peach. She was so soft in his arms that he wanted to give her the best things in the world.

As he thought about it, Prince Jing's jealousy subsided. He smiled and said to Princess Jing, "Why don't you come to the palace more often to spend time with the Empress and ask her how to have twins, a boy and a girl. Then we can try to have one too."

Princess Jing looked at him as if he were mentally retarded and said, "If there is a secret to this, then there would be no one in the world who cannot have children."

The voice was a little loud and was heard by Princess Yong who was standing by. Princess Yong's face turned pale instantly and she turned around and glared at Princess Jing.

Princess Jing quickly covered her mouth, smiled embarrassedly at Princess Yong, and secretly grabbed Prince Jing's arm and twisted it hard.

Prince Jing felt pain, but he could only swallow the bitterness and endure it silently.

Everyone saw the Emperor and Empress's perfect match, including the Xia Kingdom delegation. Princess Derou tugged at her mother, Princess Kangning's sleeve, throwing a tantrum. But Princess Kangning had no time to pay her any attention. Her eyes were fixed on Empress Dowager Shu Jinse, the Great Zhou, as if she wanted to dig a hole through her with her gaze.

Having not seen each other for more than 30 years, Kang Ning had never expected that Shu Jinse had maintained herself so well. Her rosy complexion and the elegance in her every move were as good as ever.

Shang Yuanzhou was equally surprised. Ever since the empress dowager entered the palace, his eyes had never left her. Looking at his former fiancée walking towards him gracefully, her face still as youthful and charming as ever, his heart could not calm down for a long time.