Harem Daily Life

It happened that the account book for the new month was to be sent to the palace for the Queen to see, so Manager Sun asked Manager Li to take her with him to pay her respects to the Queen.

In Changle Palace, Tao Yanyan leaned on the cushion, her six-month pregnant belly bulging high, and she looked lazy.

"It's so hot, and you're still making this trip, Mr. Sun? Come and have some iced drinks to cool off."

Mingyue served iced fruit tea to Manager Li and Manager Sun. The two of them quickly thanked her and felt refreshed after drinking a cup.

Manager Sun smiled and said, "I've been busy outside since leaving the palace, and rarely see the Empress. I really miss her, so I asked Chief Steward Li for a favor and let me in."

Manager Sun was a talkative man, and he told Tao Yanyan a great deal about the affairs of the shop. The two of them chatted and laughed. After Li, the general manager, had finished his report, he hurried off to do his work. He said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue would like to discuss a grain loan with me. I will take my leave now."

Tao Yanyan nodded and said, "You go ahead and do your work. The Ministry of Grain and Forage will provide as much as they ask for. We only have three months' worth of grain in reserve. If it's not enough, you can transfer it from other granaries. Don't withhold anything."

Steward Li nodded quickly and replied, "Yes, I understand. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

After Manager Li left, Manager Sun looked at the people around him, all of whom were the Queen's confidants, and then he told them that the new concubine in Prince Yong's mansion looked a bit like the Queen.

"I was a little panicked. After seeing him that day, I wanted to find an opportunity to come to the palace and speak to Your Majesty in person. Although they are similar, it feels a little inappropriate to deliberately seek out such a person. I hope I am overthinking it. Please make the decision for yourself, Your Majesty."

Tao Yanyan thought of the portrait painting and what Manager Sun said today, and she felt a little uneasy, but she couldn't control what kind of concubine someone found, right?

She smiled and said, "My appearance is actually very ordinary. To put it bluntly, I have an ordinary face. Thank you for coming to tell me today. But it's okay. As a concubine, she rarely shows up in front of outsiders, and I don't leave the palace often, so I won't meet her in any occasion."

When Manager Sun heard the Queen say "common face", the corners of his mouth twitched. He thought, "Your Majesty, if your stunning beauty has a common face, then how should we ordinary people call ourselves?"

Manager Sun was kept in Changle Palace for lunch and received rewards before he happily left the palace.

Tao Yanyan didn't take this matter to heart. Unexpectedly, a few days later, when she went to see Gu Yi's army off from Beijing, Xin Lan pulled her aside and talked about it specifically.

"I don't know what Prince Yong is thinking. If His Majesty sees that concubine, I'm afraid he'll think too much. Isn't he afraid of His Majesty's blame?"

Tao Yanyan glanced at the emperor, Prince Yong, and Gu Yi standing and talking not far away, and said calmly, "The world is full of wonders. They're just a little similar. It doesn't matter. Besides, His Majesty is magnanimous and wouldn't be suspicious of his brothers over such a trivial matter. Well, don't think too much about it. Go and talk to your cousin. He's been looking at us several times."

Gu Yi was indeed looking in this direction, but he was not only looking at Xin Lan, but also at Tao Yanyan.

The two pregnant women walked over hand in hand, and He Linzhang reached out to support Tao Yanyan, bringing her into his arms, and supported her waist with one arm to prevent her from getting sore.

King Yong turned his eyes away, not wanting to look anymore.

Xinlan and Gu Yi had barely exchanged two sentences when the army's marching horn sounded.

Gu Yi mounted his horse and led his army forward in a mighty procession. Only when the crowd had dispersed did the court officials follow the emperor's carriage back to the city.

The emperor and empress rode in the same carriage. Tao Yanyan had a few pillows behind her waist, but she still felt uncomfortable, so she leaned on He Linzhang.

He Linzhang smiled dotingly: "I told you not to come here, but you didn't listen."

Tao Yanyan hummed a few times: "I will be worried if I don't come. Besides, it's a rare opportunity for me to leave the palace. Although it's tiring, it's worth it."

He Linzhang put a big hand behind her waist and rubbed it gently.

"Since you want to play outside so much, why don't I accompany you for a walk outside the palace today? Prince Yong's Mansion is not far ahead. How about we go there and have a seat? We can also visit the Concubine Dowager."

Tao Yanyan was stunned and looked up at him eagerly, almost suspecting that this guy had heard some rumors a long time ago and wanted to find out what was going on.

He Linzhang frowned: "Why are you looking at me like that? And why do you feel a little guilty?"

Before he could figure out how to reject the emperor's proposal, He Linzhang changed the carriage route to Prince Yong's Mansion.

Prince Yong was riding on his horse. When he saw this scene, he knew that the emperor was going to the palace. He quickly asked his followers to make preparations and asked the princess to prepare a banquet.

Concubine Hui and Princess Yong both changed into gorgeous clothes and went out of the palace to greet him in person. Princess Qinghe was in an awkward position now, but she had to come out since the emperor was in person, so she stood on the other side of the Concubine Dowager very nervously.

"His Majesty will be here soon. You should pay your respects and then leave. The two countries are about to go to war. Don't let His Majesty get angry when he sees you and bring trouble to Prince Yong's Mansion." The concubine said unhappily to Princess Qinghe.

Princess Qinghe was upset, but she didn't dare to refute the concubine, so she could only nod in response.

The Concubine Dowager glanced at Princess Yong again and said, "I don't care how you usually pamper that person in the backyard, but today you must not let him appear in front of His Majesty. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible."

Princess Yong nodded and said, "Please rest assured, mother. I know what I am doing."

Then, she turned to the maid beside her and said, "Hurry up and go to the backyard to keep an eye on it. Tell Aunt Lin that we have a distinguished guest at the mansion today and don't let her come to the front yard."

The maid took the order and left. Not long after, the imperial carriage arrived at the gate of Prince Yong's mansion.

He Linzhang helped Tao Yanyan get off the carriage. Everyone knelt and bowed. Concubine Hui came forward to greet them: "It's only been over a month since we last met, and the Queen's belly has grown a lot. Judging from the baby's appearance, I'm afraid it's a prince, right?"

He Linzhang asked everyone to stand up, and said to Concubine Hui with a smile: "Whether it is a prince or a princess, I like them all."

Concubine Hui smiled and ushered the Emperor and Empress into the palace. "Your Majesty and the Empress have come to visit us. You will dine at Prince Yong's Mansion today. I will personally cook your favorite sweet and sour pork. You always came to my palace when you were little, and you always asked for it."

He Linzhang recalled the past and chatted and laughed with Concubine Hui, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

But they had not sat down for a while when the three concubines from the backyard came out to serve tea. Princess Yong looked at the three people who came in one after another and her face turned pale with fright.

Two of them were his cousins, and one was a concubine he had found to look like the Empress. These three people, who were originally unqualified to appear before the Emperor and Empress, actually appeared in broad daylight. Who was trying to harm her? Who was trying to harm Prince Yong's Mansion?

When Tao Yanyan looked at the woman walking at the end, her hands clenched a little tighter.