Harem Daily Life

He Linzhang did not expect that the empress dowager would reward Tao Yanyan. He had previously estimated that the empress dowager would at most not praise or punish him and would just let him take the person away.

However, seeing the young talent's happy expression, He Linzhang curled the corners of his mouth but said nothing.

"Well, I am tired too. You just returned to the palace today. You are exhausted from the journey. You should go back and rest early. Emperor, since you have come back from the southern tour, you should visit the harem more often. It is your responsibility to expand the royal family. Don't be busy with state affairs all day and ignore your offspring."

The issue of He Linzhang's offspring had been brought up many times. Having only three children since he ascended the throne was indeed a little too few. His ears turned red, he said "yes", and left with Tao Yanyan.

Qingfeng and Changtai were not allowed to enter the main hall of Changchun Palace, so they could only wait outside. When they saw their concubine coming out with the emperor, holding a large box in her hands, Qingfeng hurried over to greet the emperor and saluted before taking the box. It was heavy, and one could tell the preciousness of the things inside. Qingfeng was afraid to lose it, so he immediately held it tightly, fearing that it would break.

He Linzhang used a sedan chair when traveling within the palace. After the two of them left the Changchun Palace, He Linzhang said, "I'll take you back." As he said that, he took Tao Yanyan's hand and got on the sedan chair together.

The sedan chair is not big, but it is not too crowded for two people to sit in. There is a canopy on the top to block the sun, and the sides are open. There is a veil that can be put down, but now the veil is rolled up, so it is easy to see the person in the sedan chair from the outside.

Four people were responsible for carrying the sedan. It was Tao Yanyan's first time to ride in one. When the sedan was lifted, she was a little afraid of falling off, so she grabbed He Linzhang's hand tightly.

He Linzhang found her nervous look very cute, so he held her little hand in his backhand and did not let go.

Tao Yanyan was completely focused on the sedan chair, and did not break free from He Linzhang's hand. So as they walked along, the rumor that the two of them were holding hands and riding in the same sedan chair spread throughout the palace.

However, Tao Yanyan knew nothing about this.

He Linzhang sent her to the entrance of Cuiweixuan. Looking at the small courtyard gate and the remote location, he frowned.

"I'll change your place to live. Yours is too remote." He Linzhang said with disdain.

Tao Yanyan was puzzled: "My position can't buy me a good place to live, right? I don't want to live in the same palace with a queen I don't know."

Tao Yanyan is a sixth-rank talent, so if she wants to live alone, she can only live in a house like this. She used to live with Fu Baolin, but after Fu Baolin moved out, it was actually quite spacious for her to live alone.

Her position did not allow her to live in a palace all by herself, which was a privilege only available to those of the fourth rank or above.

He Linzhang said apologetically, "You have been promoted from Liangyi to Cairen in three months. After another three months, I will promote you to Meiren. You can move to a courtyard closer to the Imperial Garden if you are a fifth-rank official."

There are rules for promotion in the palace. Even if He Linzhang favors someone very much, he cannot ignore the rules.

Of course, there were very few people like Shu Fei who entered the palace as a fourth-rank imperial concubine and then became a third-rank concubine two months later. She was conferred the title by the empress dowager, and neither the emperor nor the empress could say anything about it, as it was a preference for their own family.

Apart from the fact that the journey to pay respects to the queen every day was too long, Tao Yanyan did not really care about the remoteness of Cuiweixuan. After all, she was living with a child now, so it was better for her to be a little more remote.

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "It's nice here. Your Majesty, do you want to stay for dinner? Or are you going back to handle government affairs?"

There is still at least one hour before dinner, and one hour is two hours. Tao Yanyan knew that he must be very busy after just returning to the palace, so she would not force him to stay.

He Linzhang looked at her in embarrassment: "There are still ministers waiting in the imperial study. I have to go back. I can only come to see you another day."

After saying that, he pinched her face and said, "When I'm busy, if you have any urgent matters, send someone to find Zhang Fuhai, and he will help you."

Zhang Fuhai, who was standing behind the emperor, heard everything clearly and nodded quickly: "Yes, I'll obey your order." At the same time, he became more determined to serve Tao Cairen well, as she was the emperor's current favorite.

Just as they were about to part, Tao Jinan woke up from his nap and trotted over to Tao Yanyan: "Sister Jie, Your Majesty, I love this place so much!"

He Linzhang touched Tao Jinan's little bald head and said, "Don't make your sister angry." Then he pinched Tao Yanyan's face and said, "I'm leaving first."

"Farewell, Your Majesty." Tao Yanyan and Jin'an saw him out the door, and only returned to the room after the people had gone far away.

When Mingyue saw the emperor had left, she stepped forward and reported, "Talented lady, Fu Baolin's maid came and said that Fu Baolin wanted to come and visit you tomorrow."

Qing Feng said disdainfully: "That Fu Baolin is the most hypocritical, talented people should not be fooled by her sweet words!"

"Don't worry, I didn't see her true face before, so I was deceived by her. I won't do that again in the future." Tao Yanyan said calmly, holding little Jin'an's hand: "Jin'an will stay here for the first day, so we have to add a few more dishes to the dinner. Let's do this, Qingfeng, you take some silver. If you see good dishes, and my position is not enough, you can buy them. We are not short of money now."

Before, there were only two palace maids and one palace servant in Cuiweixuan, but now with Xianglan and Jinan, we have to make careful plans.

Thinking of the box he brought back, Qingfeng asked, "Talented Lady, what did the Queen Mother give you as a reward? Should we lock it up first?"

"It is said to be a set of white jade and red coral headdress. Come, let's open it and take a look." Tao Yanyan had never seen it himself and was very curious.

Qingfeng opened it carefully, and everyone was stunned when they saw the jewelry inside!

Tao Yanyan couldn't help but pick up each one and look at it: "Wow, these are so beautiful!"

There are more than a dozen items in the set, and each one is exquisitely crafted. Whether it is the design of the patterns or the exquisite materials, they all reveal the impeccable aesthetic taste of our ancestors. Tao Yanyan really can't put them down.

"Would you like to pick one or two items to wear? It's a bit presumptuous to wear a whole set, but you can wear one or two items every day to match them together." Mingyue asked with a smile on her face.

"Well, it would be a waste if I didn't wear them. Tomorrow when you pay your respects, just wear a hairpin and a pair of earrings. Put the rest away for now and change them up every day."

Qingfeng put away his things, went back to his room to wash up, changed his clothes, and took Chang Tai to the imperial kitchen.

Mingyue took care of Jinan and Xianglan. Tao Yanyan washed up, changed his clothes and lay down to rest.

After reviewing everything that happened today, Tao Yanyan lay on the couch and took a nap.

As for the Queen Mother, after everyone left, she dismissed everyone and talked with Eunuch Qin for a long time.

"What do you think?" asked the Queen Mother.

"She is indeed very eye-catching, but I don't know what her personality is like. She is quite smart." said Eunuch Qin.

"Just because the emperor cares about her, I have to win her over. Once she becomes my person, it will be more useful than anything else to whisper in the Shu family's ears."

"Yes, the Empress Dowager has a keen eye for talent. It is the blessing of Lady Tao." Eunuch Qin flattered her, making the Empress Dowager smile like a flower.

"Just watch her. The emperor treats her differently, so some people are bound to be jealous. Just watch how she handles it. If you want to be my wife, you have to be good at what you do."

Eunuch Qin nodded and agreed: "Tao Cairen is now a sixth-rank official, so you can add two more servants. I will ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrange for two smart people to go there."

Arrange someone to monitor it and know everything.