Harem Daily Life

Because Eunuch Qin was greedy at the moment, he didn't think about the Queen Mother and didn't bring her food, which caused the Queen Mother to be angry for three days.

"Empress Dowager, this is a new dessert made by the imperial kitchen. Please try it." Eunuch Qin came in with an exquisite dessert, which was a lotus pastry.

The Queen Mother took a glance and snorted coldly, "What's so special about this? Can it compare to what's made in Changle Palace?"

Eunuch Qin's heart tightened, and he quickly said, "Queen Dowager, if you want to eat some snacks from Changle Palace, I will go get them right away."

The Queen Mother snorted softly, "When will you be back? It's noon now, so you won't be back until you've had your midnight snack, will you?"

Eunuch Qin: "..." This hurdle is impossible to overcome, right? You are the most honorable queen mother of the Great Zhou Kingdom. You often eat delicious food. I just ate it one more time. What's wrong with that?

Eunuch Qin was too weak to complain, the corners of his mouth twitching: "I'll send someone to get it, and they'll be back soon. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."

Xiao Anzi went and came back quickly, not only bringing back delicious snacks, but also a roast chicken. The tempting aroma of the roasted chicken could be smelled from a distance.

Eunuch Qin swallowed, took the food box from Xiao Anzi and placed it on the table.

The Queen Mother washed her hands and couldn't wait to eat the roast chicken.

"Hmm, it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The skin is still crispy and the flavor is very tasty. It's worthy of being a product of Changle Palace."

After the two chicken legs were eaten, just as the Queen Mother was about to pluck a chicken wing, Xiao Anzi said, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has instructed me to persuade you not to eat too much. She said that roasted chicken can easily cause internal heat, and the weather is dry now. Your Majesty, please only eat two chicken legs at most."

The Queen Mother paused reaching for the chicken wings, swallowed, and thought of the little Queen giving her many instructions despite her big belly, so she finally didn't make any more moves.

"Never mind, I'm full too. Xiao Anzi, you must be tired from running. You can have the remaining roast chicken."

Eunuch Qin, who was waiting for the roast chicken, said: "..."

Woohoo! In the past, I was always the first to enjoy the privilege of eating leftovers. Your Majesty, you really do hold a grudge.

In Changle Palace, Tao Yanyan ate a chicken leg and left the rest. Qingfeng took the roast chicken away and Mingyue fetched hot water for her to wash her hands.

"Will Xiangmanyuan's account books be delivered in the next two days?" Tao Yan asked casually.

Mingyue nodded: "Either today or tomorrow." As soon as she finished speaking, Chang Tai came in from outside, holding the account book sent by Madam Qi.

Tao Yanyan had just finished washing his hands. He took the account book and looked at it. He then asked Mingyue to count the silver and banknotes that had been delivered and put them into the warehouse.

"As the twelfth lunar month approaches, Xiangmanyuan's business seems to be getting better and better." Under Madam Qi's management, Tao Yanyan used to earn more than two hundred taels of silver a month, but now he can distribute more than five hundred taels of dividends a month, which has doubled.

Chang Tai replied, "Madam, Madam Qi also sent a message saying that she wants to open another branch and hire more staff to avoid being overwhelmed by the daily overcrowding."

Tao Yanyan nodded in agreement. "Tell her that she will be fully responsible for the future management of Xiang Man Yuan. She can also open another shop. She can calculate the investment and directly withdraw it from the current shop."

Tao Yanyan's subordinates followed his lead and would adopt any effective suggestions and opinions, giving them ample room to develop their ideas. However, Tao Yanyan was also very shrewd. He could tell from the various accounts whether his subordinates were acting recklessly, thus minimizing the risk of embezzlement.

Of course, she was also extremely generous to her subordinates. Any portion of the expected profit that exceeded her expectations would be distributed to them under her by finding a reason. It felt a bit like the principle of "the more you work, the more you get," so everyone was willing to follow her and there was real hope.

The palace maids and servants in Changle Palace were like this, as were Lady Qi, Dali, and Dong Fang. Even Chief Steward Li was devoted to the Empress.

Chang Tai received the reply and kept it in mind. Then he remembered something else and looked at the Queen's expression before saying, "Your Majesty, Concubine Shu has been a little restless lately. Although Your Majesty has punished her with confinement, the people I sent to monitor her have discovered that she is secretly trying to win over other concubines."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "She's a member of the Shu family. I've never seen her try to win over anyone before. She always looks down on people. So who are the people she's close to?"

Chang Tai was worried that telling it would make the Queen angry, but if he didn't tell it, he was worried that they would really get together and turn against the Queen, and the Queen would be unprepared.

After much deliberation, Chang Tai finally revealed everything: "There is Concubine Liang, as well as Concubine Li and Concubine Qin."

Li Zhaoyi and Qin Zhaoyi were easy to deal with, but as for Concubine Liang, Tao Yanyan frowned. "There's actually a Concubine Liang? What's her attitude towards Concubine Shu?"

Not long after Lu Cairen gave birth to the fourth princess, due to her low social status, she was taken in and raised by Concubine Liang. She was now over two years old. Because the Lu sisters and Tao Yanyan had a bad relationship, the fourth princess didn't often visit her. Concubine Liang used to come and visit, but later they only met on regular greeting days, and their relationship gradually faded.

Chang Tai replied, "Shu Cairen sent gifts to Concubine Liang's palace, and Concubine Liang returned the gift. So far, it seems to be just a normal exchange of favors. However, because no one in the palace is close to Shu Cairen, these three people who are more frequented by her stand out."

Tao Yanyan didn't care about how the concubines moved around. She said calmly, "Then just keep an eye on them. If they don't do anything to harm me, then I don't want to bother with them."

Life is only 30,000 days long, and Tao Yanyan doesn't want to spend his limited time competing with these concubines.

Chang Tai took the order and left. Mingyue sighed and said, "If it weren't for the Empress, how would Concubine Liang have had the opportunity to adopt the Fourth Princess? In the past two years, because of the Fourth Princess, Your Majesty has often visited her palace. The news that Concubine Shu had offended the Empress spread throughout the harem a few days ago. I don't believe that Concubine Liang didn't hear about it. Since she heard and knew that the Empress and Concubine Shu had a bad relationship, she still wanted to interact with Concubine Shu. I wonder what she is thinking."

Tao Yanyan chuckled softly, "It was a different time then. I originally gave her the opportunity to raise the Fourth Princess. Firstly, the Fourth Princess truly needed a high-ranking consort. I didn't want a baby being raised by someone like Consort Lu, so I was able to change the baby's fate. Secondly, they were the only ones close to me at the time, and Concubine Liang seemed the most eager to have a child."

Some people may be teammates walking on the same road at the beginning, but as they walk along, they separate when they encounter a fork in the road. No one will stay with you forever. Only those who can stay with you forever are true friends.

Obviously, if Concubine Liang really gets close to Concubine Shu, she might be crossed off Tao Yanyan's friend list in the future.