Harem Daily Life

Wang Jiao had no power to refute what Tao Yanyan said. Comparing herself with others was really frustrating. Her father and brother were not good enough, and she herself could not compare to Tao Yanyan. The difference was obvious. Her face turned pale and then red, and then red and then pale.

After a long while, Wang Jiao said, "Yes, you won. Everything that belonged to me before now belongs to you. You are very proud, right?"

Tao Yanyan looked at the faint sense of death on her face and turned his eyes away: "From the beginning, I never thought of competing with you for anything. Strictly speaking, I have never thought of competing with anyone. What I have achieved today may seem to you to be the result of my careful planning. But I swear to God, I really don't have any intention of competing!"

Wang Jiao sneered: "So what you mean is that you were blessed by God and given to you?"

Tao Yanyan nodded: "God gave me some, but of course you also committed some of your own mistakes, and in the end it all fell into my hands."

Tao Yanyan felt that what he said was the truth, and his eyes showed sincerity.

Wang Jiao was even more upset and lost all her strength for a moment.

Tao Yanyan sighed and said, "Your departure this time will allow you to see more of the outside world. Perhaps it will have some impact on your outlook on life and values. You don't need to worry about the two princesses. This palace and the virtuous concubine will take good care of them. However, there is one thing I want to remind you of: when you are away from home, you should avoid showing off your wealth and don't trust others easily. You should reflect deeply on your previous collusion with the Canglong Sect. Well, I will not say any more. You may leave now."

It can be regarded as a final warm reminder to Wang Jiao. Tao Yanyan has done his best.

After Wang Jiao left, he left a letter and left the capital a few days later.

By the time the Wang family discovered her, she had already vanished. The Wang family's affairs hadn't caused a stir in the capital, and they weren't even a topic of conversation after dinner. Time passed quietly, and history continued to move forward.

Because Empress Tao's life story was revealed, the Ningyuan Marquisate, which was already a top noble family in the capital, became extremely popular for a while, and the two sons born to Mrs. Gu became the hot cakes that all families competed to see.

Mrs. Gu brought a bunch of business cards to the study to discuss the marriages of her two sons with Marquis Gu, with an unstoppable smile on her face.

Marquis Gu put away the border map he was examining and said, "Madam, you will make the decision on these matters. I've been very busy lately and can't take care of them."

Madam Gu said unhappily, "What could be more important than the marriages of my two sons? I think the master just despises them because they are my children and doesn't care about them."

Mrs. Gu placed a pile of business cards on the table and sat aside angrily.

Marquis Gu had no choice but to patiently say, "Look at you. When I let you make the decision, you despise it. When I don't let you make the decision, you say I don't care about your feelings. Madam, men are responsible for the outside world and women are responsible for the inside world. Can't you share a little of the burden for your husband?"

Marquis Gu rubbed his brows. He had been studying the geography of the border for several days and had been researching the matter of Yanyun Mountain. This was a special instruction from His Majesty and was very important.

Madam Gu puffed up her cheeks and said, "My Lord, can't you spare a moment to help me look at this? I don't dare to make a rash decision, isn't it because I'm afraid of delaying the Empress' important plan?"

Marquis Gu had no choice. Since things had come to this, he had to walk to the table and look at each house one by one.

"The Zhang family is not good enough; the Li family is not good enough; the Dong family is barely okay; the Feng family is not good enough..." There were many invitations, and after careful selection by Marquis Gu, there were less than four families left.

"Let's look at these families. They are all upright and respectable. They don't have any powerful influence and have no connection with the ladies in the palace."

Madam Gu took the invitations from those families. Although she wasn't entirely satisfied with their family backgrounds, she understood the principle that a rich family should marry a woman of lower status. So, she said, "Alright, I don't think the princess is someone who would put on airs. Although the sisters-in-law may be very different in status in the future, I'm sure there won't be any conflicts."

Marquis Gu saw that she was somewhat unwilling and advised, "When considering in-laws, you should first consider your own son's ability. To be frank, I'm going to say something you may not like, but Gu Cheng and Gu Xiao are indeed not as capable as Gu Yi. Their abilities are far inferior. It is definitely unrealistic to expect them to marry as high as Gu Yi."

After saying this, he pointed at the four chosen families and said, "They both married wives with no strong backing, so they wouldn't be influenced by external forces. The Wang family you originally considered was also very good, but after all, they are the lineage of the virtuous concubine, and the virtuous concubine's position is also very high. Don't leave any trouble behind."

Madam Gu nodded and said, "Yes, then I will listen to Master. I will contact these four families and see what the characters of the young ladies are like."

Now that this matter was settled, Marquis Gu wanted Madam Gu to go down first as he still had to continue looking at the topographical map.

Madam Gu, however, still had something to say, and stopped him, saying, "The prince and his wife moved out after their marriage, and they only come back home on holidays. People are saying that it's because I, your mother-in-law, am difficult to get along with that forced the young couple to start a new life. Master, please talk to me and ask the princess to accompany me to a few banquets held by various families. Otherwise, these rumors will be difficult to stop, and it will be very difficult for me to do it!"

Marquis Gu sighed and nodded, "Okay, okay, I'll tell Gu Yi about it tomorrow. It's no big deal. Just ignore what others say. You really take it seriously!"

Mrs. Gu was immediately irritated by him: "Isn't this a big deal? Isn't this the only thing going on in the harem? Humph, if the master doesn't go out to other people's houses, he naturally won't hear these gossips. It's a pity that I go out every now and then, so my ears are never quiet."

Marquis Gu hurriedly tried to coax and persuade her, "Alright, alright. I was wrong. Madam has been wronged. Madam, go and do your work. I will definitely pass on my message."

After getting Marquis Gu's consent, Madam Gu took the business card and left the study.

Marquis Gu thought about it for a long time and was bothered by these trivial matters all day long, and was unable to complete the task assigned by His Majesty, so he finally decided to retire as soon as possible in accordance with the method agreed with His Majesty, and went to Yanyun Mountain under the pretext of sightseeing.

The next day when he went to court, Marquis Gu wore a new official uniform, looked relaxed, and expressed his intention to resign in the hall.

All the ministers were stunned, their eyes scanning back and forth at Ningyuan Hou, not understanding why Ningyuan Hou would retire at this time.

He is the most popular uncle of the queen at the moment!

He Linzhang raised an eyebrow. Although this was a solution he had previously discussed with Marquis Gu, it was a bit too early. He did not agree on the spot, but instead summoned Marquis Ningyuan alone after the court session.

Ningyuan Hou said generously, "Your Majesty, now that the government is stable and the borders are secure, I feel the time has come. It would be better to travel sooner rather than later. Perhaps we can find the treasure sooner."

He Linzhang frowned, "But Lord Gu has brought forward the timing. Didn't we agree beforehand that you would resign and leave the capital after Yan Yan gave birth safely?"

Marquis Gu's eyes flickered, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Well, well, well, the household chores are tedious, and I wanted to calm down and properly serve Your Majesty, so I came early..."