Harem Daily Life

"I'm telling the truth, please spare my life, Your Majesty!" The eunuch was already in a panic and had no choice but to give out Eunuch Wang.

The virtuous concubine and the queen looked at each other, frowned deeply, and listened to him continue.

"Yes, it was Eunuch Wang, who was with the eldest prince, who came to me and asked for some information. I did see the maidservants beside Concubine Shu burning paper money by the pond, but it was half a month ago. At that time, Concubine Shu had just returned to the palace. I heard that the third prince died after falling into the water, so I guessed that they were burning paper money for him. So Eunuch Wang came to inquire about it, and I told him about it for ten taels of silver."

The young eunuch wiped his sweat as he spoke. It was winter and he was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Eunuch Wang was very happy to hear this news and told me to tell this story if anyone comes to inspect the pond in a few days. Today, when I saw the virtuous concubine and her people coming, I followed Eunuch Wang's instructions and went to the virtuous concubine to tell her about my encounter with the maid from Concubine Shu's palace."

The virtuous concubine said, "It rained heavily twice in the past two weeks. If the oil had been poured, it would have been washed away by the rain. I think it is highly unlikely that Shu Cairen was behind this."

Tao Yanyan also agreed deeply with this.

When Tao Yanyan thought of the fact that the eldest prince had pushed the third prince into the water, his eyes turned a little colder.

"Come here, go and capture Eunuch Wang from Yongxing Palace."

Eunuch Wang originally thought that the matter was handled very smoothly, and that it would not be long before Shu Cairen would be in trouble and the eldest prince's plan would succeed. However, he did not expect that Eunuch Chang Tai from the Queen's Palace would bring people to tie him up and take him directly to Changle Palace.

Seeing the eunuch kneeling on the ground and shaking like a sieve, Eunuch Wang's inner fortress collapsed instantly. Before Queen Tao could speak, he told her everything at once.

Tao Yanyan: “…”

As expected, those in power have been doing this for a long time and have reached the state of being awe-inspiring without even getting angry.

The virtuous concubine had never known that the eldest prince had such a cold and harsh side. As she listened, she became so angry that she clenched her fists.

"The eldest prince is only ten years old, how could he be so vicious, actually attacking the young Fourth Princess? Is he still the eldest prince I know?"

Tao Yanyan had already witnessed the dark side of the eldest prince, so she was not as shocked as Concubine Xian.

"You said that the eldest prince wanted to sow discord between Concubine Liang and Shu Cairen? Why did he do this?" The hatred between Shu Cairen and the eldest prince was originally provoked by the eldest prince, and Concubine De had already lost her life. Unexpectedly, the eldest prince did not reflect on himself, but instead felt it was not enough and kept testing the edge of death.

Eunuch Wang said, "The eldest prince has always been resentful about the death of Concubine De. After Concubine De's death, the Rong family also fell into decline and had no one to rely on, so he blamed everything on Concubine Shu."

Tao Yanyan sneered, "Did he ever think about the consequences when he raised his butcher knife? But from what happened this time, I can see that he never thought about it. He even has no mercy. He didn't even spare a two-year-old child."

Xian Fei hesitated and asked, "Should I report this to His Majesty, or to the Queen Mother?"

Even though Queen Tao was the queen, the eldest prince was still a prince after all. As a stepmother facing a stepson, Concubine Xian thought it would be better for Queen Tao to be a hands-off boss so as not to be caught between a rock and a hard place.

Tao Yanyan nodded. "I think we should report this to the Queen Mother. How about this? Chang Tai, go get Concubine Liang, and Concubine Xian, you and I will go to Changchun Palace."

As for why he didn't call Shu Cairen, it was simply because Tao Yanyan was too lazy to see her. She was still under house arrest, so why didn't she stop bothering him?

The Queen Mother had not expected that the eldest prince would cause such trouble again. Last time, he personally killed the third prince, which made her sad for more than half a year. Now he sent someone to assassinate the fourth princess. Although the girl's biological mother disgusted her, the child was innocent after all.

The Queen Mother's face was extremely ugly, and she directly sent Eunuch Qin to the elementary school to call back the eldest prince.

"Queen Dowager, please don't be too angry. Fortunately, the Fourth Princess was saved by the imperial physician this time. With proper care in the future, she may be able to recover as before."

After Tao Yanyan finished speaking, he glanced at Concubine Liang and said, "Concubine Liang, don't blame yourself too much. You couldn't have imagined that someone would secretly do something."

Concubine Liang's eyes had been swollen from crying for the past two days. The imperial physician said the Fourth Princess had a heart and lung infection, and even if she slowly recuperated, she would never be as healthy as before. She hadn't slept well all day and all night, wishing she could turn back time and not take the Fourth Princess out that day.

Concubine Liang wiped her tears and said to Empress Tao, "It's all my fault for being confused for a moment. I regret it."

The eldest prince hadn't taken action against the fourth princess during the year Shu Cairen had been away from the palace, which meant he could have refrained from doing so. However, when Shu Cairen returned and befriended him, the eldest prince became furious, and the fourth princess suffered as a result.

Concubine Liang hated herself for being so foolish. Why would she choose to associate with such an unlucky person? How could a woman who was not favored by the emperor, a woman who had lost her child, possibly compete with Empress Tao? Empress Tao was a blessed woman with many children and was doted on by everyone!

The eldest prince was brought to Changchun Palace. When he saw the scene, he couldn't help but shudder.

However, although this child is young, he has a strong mentality. No matter how Eunuch Wang accuses him, he insists that he has never instructed Eunuch Wang to do anything. It can be said that his face is thicker than a city wall.

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes. When the Third Prince fell into the water, the First Prince had also refused to admit it.

Tao Yanyan and Concubine Xian looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

I'm afraid the eldest prince will escape this disaster.

The Queen Mother closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she looked at the eldest prince with endless disappointment.

"Wang Gui falsely accused the prince and was caned to death. The third son falsely accused Consort Shu and was caned thirty times. The eldest prince, He Ye..." The empress dowager glanced at Tao Yanyan and said, "Queen, why don't you take this child back and teach him a lesson?"

The Queen Mother was at her wit's end. How could the He family, with such good roots, produce such a crooked melon?

Tao Yanyan was so frightened she nearly lost her pregnancy. She hurriedly said, "Queen Dowager, I already have five children in my harem, and I'm carrying another one in my belly. I really can't handle it. Besides, the eldest princess and her three children are easy to deal with. They're all grown up, smart, and can protect themselves. But those two twins, a boy and a girl, just fight over food all day long. If they're fed some poisonous cake without paying attention, they won't be able to speak, and I won't be able to defend myself."

The Queen Mother was startled for a moment, but then she thought of the adorable twin boy and girl, and looked at the evil-minded eldest prince. She immediately gave up the idea of asking the Queen to take him back and give him a proper education.

The Queen Mother looked at Concubine Xian again. He Min, who was educated by Concubine Xian, was also well-behaved and cute.

Xianfei received the Queen Mother's gaze and hurriedly said, "Queen Mother, I am really too busy helping the Queen Mother manage the palace affairs. Taking care of the Third Princess is already the limit."

My goodness, who would dare to have a vicious prince around? Do you think your life is too long?

The eldest prince could hear that the queen and the virtuous concubine disliked him, but he didn't care. After all, he was a prince and the eldest son, and no one could control him.

The Queen Mother was ultimately helpless and had to take care of the eldest prince herself. She asked Eunuch Qin to find someone to be stationed at Yongxing Palace to watch over him, and to come back and report if the eldest prince made any slight mistake.

Seeing that the people around him had changed again, the eldest prince sneered, returned to the study and smashed all the decorations to pieces.