Harem Daily Life

As several people were talking and laughing, Princess Yong watched from the side with a lonely look on her face. Thinking of the several children in the mansion, none of them was her own, she felt a deep sense of sadness in her heart.

"Okay, the banquet is about to begin, so let Mingyue take the children back first." Tao Yanyan brought the twins here today specifically to show Xinlan. Now that she has seen them, the two little ones can go back.

After all, this is a welcoming banquet for border generals, and it is not appropriate to bring two children here.

Xinlan returned Yucheng to Mingyue, and Concubine Xian returned Yunuo to Qingfeng. Then they took their seats and waited for His Majesty to come with the generals.

Not long after, the emperor and a group of court officials came into the hall, talking and laughing, and Tao Yanyan led everyone to stand up to greet them.

Gu Yi looked at Tao Yanyan and saw that she looked in good spirits, so he nodded and smiled, then sat down next to Xinlan.

Seeing this, the other generals quickly followed Gu Yi and took seats below him. The civil officials took seats on the other side, with the civil and military officials sitting separately and in an orderly manner.

After everyone was seated, the palace maids came in one after another like light butterflies, holding exquisite plates in their hands. The plates were filled with all kinds of mouth-watering delicacies and fine wines, which they placed on each table in turn.

The palace orchestra began playing melodious music, the graceful sounds of stringed instruments adding a touch of elegance to the welcoming banquet. Following the rhythm of the music, a group of dancers in gorgeous costumes glided into the hall like fairies descending to earth. Their graceful movements, their long sleeves fluttering, were a delight to the eyes.

He Linzhang raised his glass: "The soldiers have fought bravely to protect the borders of our Great Zhou. Today, they have returned victoriously, and I am very pleased. Come, let us all drink this cup together to welcome them back."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone raised their glasses and shouted "Long live!"

After three rounds of drinks, He Linzhang put down his glass and said solemnly, "This is a great victory at the border. All the soldiers have worked hard and made great contributions. I will reward them generously."

The hall suddenly became quiet, and everyone pricked up their ears to listen.

"General Gu, you commanded the enemy brilliantly this time and crushed them. I hereby appoint you General Zhenwei, and grant you a thousand taels of gold and a hundred acres of fertile land."

Gu Yi stood up, knelt on one knee, and said loudly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. I will continue to serve Your Majesty at my utmost."

Other generals were also awarded titles in turn, with rewards starting at 500 taels, and they were all promoted one rank and received generous rewards.

The virtuous concubine sat beside Princess Xinlan and raised her glass, saying, "Congratulations, Princess. Your husband has a bright future!" Xinlan smiled shyly, clinked glasses with the virtuous concubine, and drank the wine.

Xianfei's eyes flickered as she spoke softly to Princess Xinlan, "I heard that there are two legitimate sons in the Ningyuan Marquisate who haven't arranged marriages yet?"

Xinlan thought for a moment and said, "Come to think of it, I was married just three days before I left for West City with the army. I'm not familiar with the affairs of the Marquis' Mansion. I'm not familiar with my mother-in-law, and I haven't asked about my brothers' marriages."

The virtuous concubine naturally knew that what Princess Xinlan said was true. In fact, she had already found out the details of each family in the court. The Ningyuan Marquis Mansion was currently the most popular and powerful one.

The legitimate daughter married into the family of Minister Tao, the empress's family. The legitimate son married the legitimate daughter of Prince Changping, and would be considered a royal relative. The family also had two legitimate sons born to successor wives. Although they were less capable, they still came from good families. So, thinking of her younger sisters in the family, she also paid some attention to them.

"Haha, the princess is humble and will surely get along well with everyone in the Marquis' Mansion. I have a humble request. I would like to ask the princess to help me see if the two young masters of the Gu Marquis' family are suitable matches. I still have several sisters in my family who have not yet arranged marriages. If we can form an in-law relationship, our relationship will be even closer in the future."

Xinlan agreed with a smile, but she didn't take the matter seriously.

Firstly, Gu Yi had told her before returning that he would live in his own house upon his return to Beijing and would not share with the rest of the Gu family. He had his own house, and he was not the biological son of the current Madam Gu. There was some unpleasantness between the two of them, so they could not live together.

Secondly, considering the princess's status, there is no need for her to serve her parents-in-law in the Gu family.

So Xinlan didn't have to worry about getting along with other people in the Gu family, because Gu Yi had already stepped forward to stop her.

However, she was wary, thinking that the virtuous concubine was currently the highest-ranking official besides the empress, and that she was trying her best to marry into a powerful family in the court, perhaps to build up her own power. Xinlan thought that after she was settled, she would go to the palace and talk to the empress specifically.

Since the Queen recognized Lord Gu as her uncle, Gu Yi was her cousin, and Xinlan had a good relationship with Tao Yanyan, she would naturally stand on the side of Queen Tao.

The welcoming banquet lasted until very late, and He Linzhang was so happy that he couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. By the time it was over, he felt a little groggy.

Fortunately, even if he gets drunk, he won't act crazy, at most he will just talk less.

Gu Yi also drank a little too much. When he left, Ning Yuanhou and Xin Lan supported him on both sides to say goodbye to His Majesty and the Queen.

Gu Yi's eyes were blurry as he stared at Tao Yanyan. Xin Lan felt a little strange, but was more worried that Gu Yi's actions might offend the Queen, so she quickly said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Gu Yi is drunk."

Tao Yanyan took He Linzhang's arm and smiled faintly, "Go back and have a bowl of hangover soup. Be careful on the road."

Ning Yuanhou helped the person out. Gu Yi looked back from time to time and stared at Tao Yanyan eagerly.

He Linzhang was placed in the bathtub in a daze. The warm water surrounded him, and he sighed comfortably. Tao Yanyan asked the palace servants to wash him, and he had already cleaned up briefly, preparing to stay in the Qinzheng Palace tonight.

Thinking of Gu Yi's reluctant expression when she left, even if Tao Yanyan was a thick-skinned person, he noticed something was wrong.

That's clearly the look he gives his crush!

Tao Yanyan was completely overwhelmed. She had never considered this before. At first, she only considered Gu Yi a friend. When she was down, this friend took her horseback riding and wiped the dirt off her feet. She thought it was a sign of respect from a courtier to a concubine. Later, when she learned that Gu Yi was the original owner's cousin, she began to treat him as a brother, as a relative, but Gu Yi clearly had other feelings for her.

No wonder He Linzhang, this jealous person, would be sour from time to time, say some inexplicable words, and do some stupid things. It turns out that He Linzhang had seen through it a long time ago?

Tao Yanyan took off her hairpins and rings, slept on the couch in her light undergarment, "I'm so annoyed!"

He Linzhang drank the hangover soup and was helped in by the palace servants. He heard the little queen's complaints and asked in confusion, "Yan Yan, what's bothering you?"

Tao Yanyan turned to look at him. Of course, she couldn't ask him to verify Gu Yi's story, so she lied and said, "Your Majesty is so drunk that I can't go back to Changle Palace. I can't see the two little ones, and I'm bored."

He Linzhang laughed, and after getting on the bed, he gently held her in his arms. The smell of alcohol on her body was washed away a little, but there was still a faint aroma of alcohol.

"Without those two little brats interrupting me, I can have a good chat with the Queen." After saying that, he leaned over. Tao Yanyan, dizzy from the kiss, could no longer think of anything else. He Linzhang, drunk, seemed to have endless energy. Tao Yanyan didn't even know when he fell asleep.