Harem Daily Life

Yingyi sensed the atmosphere was not right. Mingyue's face across from him was getting redder and redder. To avoid embarrassment, Yingyi hurriedly stuffed all the hairpins he had wrapped in his arms into Mingyue's hands. "I, I have something else to do. I'll be leaving first. Pick whichever one you like. If you don't like it, tell me and I'll change it."

He turned around and disappeared into the night, disappearing in an instant.

Mingyue held a few hairpins in her hands and looked at Tao Yanyan with embarrassment: "My lady, he forced them on me, I didn't want them..."

The voice became lower and lower, and Mingyue's face turned as red as a peach.

Tao Yanyan smiled and took the hairpin from her hand. He examined it carefully in the light of the lantern. "It's quite beautiful. This pearl is very big, this jade is of good quality, and this one is made of pure gold. He's quite thoughtful."

After saying that, he handed the hairpin to Mingyue: "Since it's a gift to you, you can choose it. You can keep them all."

After saying that, he helped Qingfeng into the hall.

Mingyue was stunned for a long while before putting all the hairpins in her arms, intending to go back after the banquet to distribute them to her sisters.

Tao Yanyan went out for a while, and when she came back, she looked a little happier. He Linzhang looked at the light in her eyes and asked curiously, "What are you so happy about?"

Tao Yanyan looked at him and smiled, then leaned over and whispered in his ear: "Perhaps when spring comes, there will be a wedding in my palace."

He Linzhang looked at her in confusion, his eyes involuntarily moving to her belly: "The baby won't be born until the end of September. Could it be that they are holding a birthday party for the twins?"

Tao Yanyan glared at him, and since she was in a rare good mood, she said a few more words.

He Linzhang frowned deeply after hearing this: "No wonder he kept refusing when I wanted to send Yingyi out on an outreach mission. So he stayed by my side because he's attracted to you?"

Tao Yanyan pouted: "I like Mingyue very much. Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for Yingyi. I want to help them get together."

Hoping that everyone around him can be happy is what Tao Yanyan enjoys doing most now.

The emperor and the empress had been having an intimate conversation. Prince Yong glanced at them many times, raised and put down the wine glass in his hand, and soon his wine pot was empty.

Princess Yong saw everything and tried to persuade him in a low voice. But when she saw that she couldn't persuade him, she had no choice but to pick up the wine glass and drink it all in one gulp.

Throughout the banquet, the ministers came one after another to toast He Linzhang. Seeing that there were so many people, Tao Yanyan politely declined some of the toasts on He Linzhang's behalf. The Empress was pregnant, and no one dared to refuse her wishes, so the ministers only offered a few words of blessing before leaving.

Seeing the little queen defending him so much, He Linzhang couldn't help but hold her hand in his palm and rub it repeatedly, which made Tao Yanyan roll her eyes at him several times.

When the banquet ended, the snow outside was even heavier. The emperor told everyone to have a safe journey and then took the empress and the children back to Changle Palace. They had promised the children that they would set off fireworks in the evening, but Tao Yanyan could not bear it any longer and went to bed early.

He Linzhang took Jin'an, He Xuan and He Yue to play in the yard alone. They built a few snowmen before the children reluctantly went to rest.

The next day was New Year's Day, and all the concubines in the palace came to pay New Year's greetings to the Queen. Tao Yanyan got up early, met with everyone, and gave everyone New Year's gifts. After everyone thanked her and left, Chang Tai came to report that Aunt Li from the laundry department had something important to report.

Generally speaking, the maids and servants below would not go over their heads to see the queen, and if they did, it was probably because of some urgent matter.

After Aunt Li entered the palace, she bowed respectfully to Tao Yanyan and said, "Your Majesty, I want to report Eunuch Zhao for murdering Caiwei in the laundry department."

Tao Yanyan frowned. "Are you saying that Caiwei's death was related to Eunuch Zhao, and not that she died from injuries sustained from the punishment inflicted by Concubine Xian?"

Aunt Li then told the whole story, including how Caiwei had gradually improved under her care and would soon be able to get out of bed, but that day after Eunuch Zhao visited her, Caiwei suddenly died.

"Your Majesty, I also felt something was amiss that day, so I asked a female doctor from the Imperial Hospital to come and help examine the body. She found that Caiwei died of poisoning, with obvious signs of suffocation."

Aunt Li wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "Because Eunuch Zhao is the head eunuch in the virtuous concubine's palace, I was afraid that this matter was the virtuous concubine's intention. I am about to turn twenty-five and can leave the palace, so I didn't dare offend the virtuous concubine, so I didn't report it until now. But this morning I heard that Eunuch Zhao had been arrested and taken to the Ministry of Punishment, and that the virtuous concubine had no intention of saving him. So I decided to report it to the Queen."

Tao Yanyan didn't expect that Zhao Yong was so cruel. After receiving the information from Caiwei, he turned around and killed people to silence them.

"It seems that just pulling out his tongue is too merciful." Tao Yanyan said, looking at Chang Tai: "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask the female doctor in person if it is true. If it is true, go to the Ministry of Punishment and tell the Supervisor that Zhao Yong killed someone in the palace and make him pay with blood."

Chang Tai agreed and went out to do his job. Aunt Li was rewarded with ten taels of silver for her meritorious service in exposing the crime.

Tao Yanyan was disgusted by Zhao Yong's actions and vomited twice. However, she felt much better when she saw Mingyue.

"Mingyue, which hairpin did you choose in the end?" Tao Yanyan asked curiously because he didn't see Mingyue wearing a new hairpin.

Qingfeng jokingly said, "My Lady, we didn't dare to take any of them. We left them all to Mingyue."

Mingyue's face flushed red: "I gave them to them, but they refused to accept any of them. Really."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Then everything your brother Yingyi gave you will belong to you. I will be the one giving it to the others."

When Qingfeng and the others heard that the Queen was going to give them good things again, they were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.

Tao Yanyan had a lot of beautiful jewelry, and she had chosen some that didn't violate the rules for Qingfeng and the others. All the first-class maids in Changle Palace received a hairpin, even Mingyue.

"My queen, why are you giving it to me again?" Mingyue was confused holding the hairpin.

"What? You only accept your brother Yingyi's and not mine?" Tao Yanyan looked at Mingyue with amusement and joked.

Mingyue stamped her feet and said, "My Lady, how can you even make fun of me?"

Mingyue has been teased by Qingfeng and the others since she came back last night. She feels so embarrassed and ashamed.

"You're the first beauties in our Changle Palace to be taken, and you can't even let me be happy?" Tao Yanyan smiled warmly. "Okay, I approve of your relationship with Yingyi, but I need to ask Yingyi about his family situation, income, property, and whether he can support you. I need to ask all of that!"

Mingyue's face flushed deeply as she whispered, "This... I know all of this. He's an orphan, adopted by Your Majesty since childhood. His annual salary is fifty taels of silver, and if he performs his duties well, there will be rewards from Your Majesty. He hasn't bought a house in the capital yet, but he said he could buy a small courtyard with two entrances in the north of the city."

Tao Yanyan blinked: "Mingyue, it seems that you have been interested in him for a long time, otherwise how could you know so much about him?"

Mingyue hurriedly covered her face: "Oh, I won't tell the queen anymore, I...I will go see the two young masters."

After saying that, he ran away in a hurry.