Harem Daily Life

After seeing off the emperor and empress, Concubine Hui gathered Prince Yong, the princess, Princess Qinghe and the three concubines together and asked them about what had happened today.

Upon hearing that the maid who delivered the message to the three concubines was a stranger, Concubine Hui said displeasedly, "You three are too careless. You just do whatever anyone tells you to do. Don't you have brains?"

After scolding the three of them, Concubine Hui said to Princess Yong, "Gather all the maids in the palace together and have them identify the three of them. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Otherwise, if we allow this person with ulterior motives to hide in the palace and commit evil, there will be no peace in Prince Yong's palace."

Princess Yong took the order and went down to make arrangements. Princess Qinghe was a little nervous, but when she thought about Linglong's disguise, she gradually calmed down.

The result of the investigation was naturally that the messenger could not be found at all. Concubine Hui's face was ashen, and her eyes flickered between Princess Yong and Princess Qinghe. Finally, she said, "The more they fail to find this person, the more it proves that all the arrangements today were intentional. Oh, what a vicious mind, not only can they eliminate dissidents, but they can also put Prince Yong's Mansion in danger."

Concubine Hui's gaze fell on Princess Qinghe, and she said with a cryptic tone, "The person behind this incident was lucky that no evidence was left behind this time. Anyone who disregards the safety of Prince Yong's Mansion is opposing me. I will keep a close eye on her and advise her to be on her own."

After dismissing everyone, Nanny Li beside Concubine Hui said calmly, "When the Concubine was speaking just now, Princess Qinghe tried her best to conceal her feelings, but she was still much more flustered than the princess."

Nanny Li has been with the Concubine Dowager for decades and is used to seeing the tricks used by the concubines in the palace to frame others. She has a vicious eye for people.

Concubine Hui sneered, "Who doesn't know it was her handiwork? But there's no evidence. Of those three concubines, two are the princess's cousins, and one was hired by the princess. Anything that happens to one of them is connected to the princess and will implicate her. Does Princess Qinghe think that she arranged everything without anyone noticing and that no one else knows it was her doing? With just this little trick, she's still showing off in front of me. How foolish."

Nanny Li nodded and said, "The princess has been desperate for a child and has pushed herself too hard these past few years. It's no coincidence that Princess Qinghe gave birth to the little princess first. For the sake of the child, the prince is somewhat sincere towards Princess Qinghe. If this concubine Lin were to die, and the prince wasn't paying enough attention to the two concubines from the Duan family, the princess would probably have a harder time adopting a son."

Concubine Hui sighed softly, "It's all because she's too picky. If she'd been willing to adopt Concubine Fang's child, we wouldn't be in this situation now. Alas, when I was choosing a concubine for Prince Yong, I thought they were a perfect match, but I never expected their feelings to be so weak. Later, Prince Yong came to the capital and met that girl... He hasn't paid any attention to the princess in all these years."

When it came to the current queen, Nanny Li didn't dare to say anything more and wisely kept her mouth shut.

"In the end, the Queen Mother is more fortunate than me. Her son can ascend the throne and live with the one he loves forever. But my son... well, he's already halfway through his life, and I can't care less about him anymore."

Concubine Hui was silent for a while, her eyes a little cold. "Princess Qinghe is restless. Keeping her here will always be a nuisance. Find a way to slowly poison her. Once this war is over, you can completely eliminate this person."

Nanny Li advised, "What about the little princess?"

Concubine Hui said calmly, "Having such a restless mother, I can only blame her bad luck. Why did she have to be the one to give birth to this child?"

Nanny Li stopped talking. Concubine Hui always treated people with kindness on the premise that the person did not endanger the safety and interests of Prince Yong. Once someone endangered Prince Yong, no matter who it was, Concubine Hui would take action.

This may be the greatest protection a mother can give to her son.

Princess Qinghe was a little uneasy after this incident, but after a long time without seeing any movement in the mansion, she gradually relaxed her vigilance.

The war between Yan and Great Zhou finally broke out again. The King of Northern Yan ignored the previously signed peace agreement and resolutely led his army to invade Great Zhou.

Faced with the sudden attack from the State of Yan, the Great Zhou refused to sit idly by. Gu Yi and General Duan worked closely together to defend the border. They understood the importance of this battle; if the border fell, the Great Zhou's territory would face a grave threat.

On the battlefield, Gu Yi demonstrated exceptional military talent. He skillfully employed tactics and flexibly commanded the Great Zhou army, repeatedly repelling the Yan attacks. General Duan, with his extensive combat experience, provided Gu Yi with strong support and advice.

The two armies engaged in fierce fighting along the border. Although the Yan army was outnumbered and well-prepared, the soldiers of the Great Zhou were undaunted. They held their ground and put up a fierce resistance. Every attack by the Yan army was successfully repelled by the Great Zhou army, preserving the border territory.

The war lasted a long time and both sides paid a huge price.

In August, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus fills the air. Gu Yi has been leading his troops to war for more than two months, and Princess Xinlan's pregnancy is almost three months old. Today, she goes to the palace to ask for an audience with the Queen to inquire about the war situation at the front.

"My father-in-law is away traveling, so we have no way of knowing how the war is going on in the front. My mother-in-law has no source of information, so she asked me to come to the palace to ask the Empress. If it's inconvenient to tell me, please don't tell me. I just want to know if Gu Yi is safe? When will this war end?"

Tao Yanyan reclined on a pillow and had one brought to Xinlan to support her waist. Then he said, "I see that His Majesty has been in a good mood recently, so I think everything is going well. The last battle report was sent to the palace half a month ago, saying that Yan State suffered heavy losses and that we have advanced thirty miles towards the Yan State border. The Ministry of Revenue came to request food and fodder two days ago, and they will be ready to send to the border in the next few days. With sufficient food and fodder and high morale, I think the war will be over soon."

Xinlan finally relaxed a little and sighed, "I don't know if he's too busy or what, he only wrote one letter home. He really doesn't care about the people at home at all."

Seeing her dejected expression, Tao Yanyan advised, "My cousin is away from home, and he has to take care of so many people's lives every day. The pressure must be very great. How about this, I will talk to His Majesty and ask him to remind him to write to you."

Xinlan blushed and glanced at Tao Yanyan: "Just ask him to write a letter home, not necessarily to me specifically."

Tao Yanyan burst out laughing, looking at her hypocritical expression, and said, "My cousin has an average relationship with my aunt and second cousin. He wouldn't even write to them! You already have children, why are you still shy? If you love him, you should express it. Sometimes making some demands on him will make you feel closer."