Harem Daily Life

Xinlan blushed at what she said: "You always tease me, humph, I will ignore you."

Tao Yanyan laughed heartily, and as he laughed he held his stomach and breathed softly.

Xinlan was startled and hurriedly asked her if she was feeling unwell.

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "It's getting late. Sometimes I get too excited, and the baby gets excited too, kicking me violently. Look, here, that's his foot."

Xinlan moved closer and saw that there was indeed a bulge in Tao Yanyan's stomach. Tao Yanyan reached out and gently stroked it, and the area finally went back to normal.

"It's amazing. Will it be the same for me in a few months?" Xinlan asked with her eyes wide open.

"Yes, giving birth to a life is both magical and difficult, so mothers are great. You can ask for whatever you want. At this time, you are the queen and everyone has to obey you."

Xinlan quickly stopped her: "Stop talking about being a queen or not, aren't you afraid of being heard?"

The two chatted and laughed, and Xinlan thought of her meeting with Princess Qinghe a few days ago. She said, "Oh, right, I was coming back from a flower viewing banquet with my mother-in-law a few days ago. On the way, I ran into Princess Qinghe who had gone to a clinic for treatment. The palace can hire an imperial physician, so I don't know why she went to see a doctor outside."

Tao Yanyan frowned: "It's indeed a bit strange, but it may also be that this clinic is good." Although he said that, Tao Yanyan always felt that it was indeed a bit strange.

After Xinlan left, Tao Yanyan sent someone to summon Doctor Liu.

Imperial Physician Liu checked the Queen's pulse as usual and found everything to be fine, even her weight was normal, with no abnormalities.

"Your Majesty is advanced in pregnancy. You should walk around more to build up your strength so that the baby can enter the pelvis sooner." Doctor Liu instructed.

Tao Yanyan nodded in agreement, then asked, "Doctor Liu, can you see the pulse diagnosis cases that the royal doctors usually ask to be examined?"

Doctor Liu nodded. "The clan members all have special pulse diagnosis materials, but not everyone can see the doctor. Only the master of the mansion can. I wonder whose illness the queen would like to know?"

Tao Yanyan is the queen and she possesses supreme power. If there is something she wants to know, unless the subordinates deliberately conceal it, they must report it to her.

Doctor Liu is the Queen's man, so naturally he would not hide it.

"Princess Qinghe of Prince Yong's Mansion, go and check if there is anything wrong." Princess Qinghe was a princess married into an enemy country. When Doctor Liu heard this, he thought the Queen was suspicious of Princess Qinghe, so he agreed.

A day later, when Imperial Physician Liu came to check on her pulse, he mentioned the pulse examination and replied, "Your Majesty, Princess Qinghe has indeed been seeing the Imperial Physician frequently lately, but he hasn't found any symptoms. The records all state that she is healthy, and he has only prescribed some calming and soothing tonics. There's nothing unusual."

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "Next time Prince Yong's palace invites the imperial physician, you should find a way to go there. I always feel that something is not right."

Doctor Liu nodded in agreement and took this matter to heart.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, Concubine Xian was in charge of the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. After everything was ready, she came to report the progress to the Queen.

"Marquis Gu is not in the capital this year, and General Gu is also away. Marquis Gu's wife replied that she has to take care of Princess Xinlan and will not attend the banquet. The seats are vacant, and I will move Prince Yu and his wife up one position. The other princes will also move up one position. Please review it, Your Majesty."

Tao Yanyan looked at the seating arrangement and nodded. "Princess Yu's father is General Duan. He fought hard and made great contributions at the border. It's time to arrange a good position for Prince Yu and his wife. You did a good job."

"Since neither of the Duan or Gu families will be attending the banquet, please prepare two Mid-Autumn Festival gifts and send them to their residences. Send another one to Princess Xinlan as a token of royal grace."

Xian Fei quickly responded, "I understand. Your Majesty is truly thoughtful."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Their families are all fighting on the front lines, unable to return home for reunion. A gift, though small in value, carries weight with it. It will let them know that Your Majesty is thinking of them, and that's all."

The virtuous concubine smiled and said, "Your Majesty always thinks of His Majesty. No wonder His Majesty always has you in his heart. I heard from Chief Steward Li that Your Majesty has asked him to use most of this year's new grain to support the front lines. I'm afraid the imperial farm has spent most of its harvest on this war."

Tao Yanyan sighed, "I just hope the war will end soon. It's so costly and wasteful. Every war means a lot of money. A lot of the money I saved with great difficulty has been spent." When he thought of the glittering gold, Tao Yanyan felt depressed.

That night, when He Linzhang came over, he saw Tao Yanyan writing and drawing in the study. He couldn't help but step forward and surround her from behind: "It's dark now, and even the brightest lights will hurt your eyes. What are you still busy with?"

Tao Yanyan looked up at him and said, "I'm looking at a geographical map. Your Majesty, these places marked on the map are all barren hills and wastelands. If they can all be reclaimed and planted with crops or fruit trees, perhaps in a few years, we can have a good harvest."

He Linzhang looked at the area she pointed out. Although he agreed with her idea, he found it difficult to implement. He said, "Manpower is limited. Without enough people to reclaim the land, it might be difficult to do."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, look at these plots of land. They're all near the military camps. Wouldn't it be better if we let the soldiers cultivate the land while they train?"

Seeing He Linzhang pondering, Tao Yanyan continued, "Cultivating barren mountains and wasteland can improve physical strength, and it can also ensure a source of food, which can greatly reduce military expenditures."

"Okay, I'll consider Yan Yan's suggestion. It's a good idea." He Linzhang pinched her face and said, "If you're tired every day, just rest more. How can I bear the thought of you working so hard for me all the time?"

After saying that, He Linzhang helped her up, personally took her to the inner room to wash, changed her underwear, and helped her lie down. He gently hugged her from behind and coaxed her to sleep.

"Your Majesty, when will the war on the border end? I've already spent over two hundred thousand taels of silver, and it's gone like water, never to be found again. I'm heartbroken."

The imperial farm’s annual income was gone, and He Linzhang would also feel distressed.

"It will be soon. I received a military report from Gu Yi, saying that Yan State is struggling and showing signs of peace talks. But Yan State has not withdrawn its troops yet. As long as they insist on fighting, our Great Zhou will have no choice but to fight them to the end." He Linzhang said in a firm tone.

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "The King of Yan is fickle. We attacked him this year to negotiate peace, but he might want to attack again next year or the year after. Who can afford to waste time with him? If possible, we should defeat him once and for all and make sure he never gets back on his feet."