Harem Daily Life

Mu Yu blinked rapidly several times to hide the sadness in his heart.

The Queen Mother used to love the food cooked by Tao Yanyan, but today in front of everyone, she always maintained the Queen Mother's airs and ate slowly and leisurely, which made Tao Yanyan look at her several times. She thought that the food cooked today was not to the Queen Mother's taste and she had no appetite.

Mu Yu, on the other hand, ate every dish with gusto, fearing that he would miss a bite if he was slow to pick up his chopsticks.

Ning Yuanhou raised his eyebrows and said, "Master Mudao, please eat more. After all, you don't often get to eat the Queen's cooking. Unlike us, we often meet and have gatherings."

Gu Yi looked at his own father speechlessly. Although he also disliked Mu Yu, it was a bit cocky for him to show off his close relationship with the Queen in public.

The Queen Mother and the Emperor looked at each other and ate in silence, not participating in the discussion between the two of them.

Mu Yu paused, knowing that the Ningyuan Marquis was showing off again. He twitched his lips and said, "This time I come to the capital, I will stay for a while longer, maybe a year or two. By then, I will inevitably bother the Empress."

Ning Yuanhou: "..."

He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is Island Master Mu so free? Nothing to do on Penglai Island? Isn't the young master urging you to go back?"

Mu Yu was calm and composed. "My son is filial and has taken on everything on the island. I can go back whenever I want. I'm very free." He glanced at He Linzhang, then quickly glanced at the Queen Mother. "Besides, I haven't been with the Queen for many years, and the Crown Prince and the others are still young. Shouldn't I stay in the capital to accompany them more?"

Ning Yuanhou gnashed his teeth and said, "I am the Queen's family. Some people have been absent for more than 20 years and are only now showing up to make their presence felt. How redundant!"

Mu Yu still felt a little guilty. Although he was a little angry at what he said, he didn't want to fall out with Ning Yuanhou. So he opened his mouth but said nothing more.

Tao Yanyan cleared his throat and said, "It's rare for Island Master Mu to come to Beijing, so it's only natural that he wants to stay a little longer."

Ning Yuanhou looked at her with resentment, so she had to say, "Uncle is the most magnanimous. For my sake, can you please let it go for now?" After saying that, she hurriedly picked up some dishes for Ning Yuanhou. Her attentive appearance successfully made her father jealous. Tao Yanyan had no choice but to pick up some dishes for Mu Yu, acting like a qualified master of keeping things balanced.

The atmosphere at the table was a little tense. The Queen Mother took a look and said, "The mountains and rivers of the Great Zhou are beautiful. Now that Island Master Mu has left the island, why not walk around a bit and admire the mountains and rivers? It will be worth the trip."

Mu Yu's face froze. "The Queen Mother, do you want me to stay in the capital? To put it another way, you just don't want to see me?"

Mu Yu couldn't tell what his mood was, and he actually felt a little lost.

He said calmly, "The Queen Mother is absolutely right. When I leave the capital, I'll find some beautiful places to visit."

No one present knew about the ambiguity between the Queen Mother and Mu Yu. Only Tao Yanyan and Gu Yi felt it. After hearing what the Queen Mother said, they looked at each other tacitly and instantly had a tacit understanding of shipping the couple.

Tao Yanyan's gaze flickered between the Queen Mother and Mu Yu. The two of them matched in temperament and their looks were among the best for their age. If you put aside their identities and status, they were a really good match.

However, Tao Yanyan was a little worried. Although she did not object to a twilight romance, the identities of the Queen Mother and Mu Yu were too awkward. One was the mother-in-law and the other was the biological father. No matter how much affection they had, they could not be together. They were destined to be together.

She ate two bites of food silently and observed a three-second silence for this beautiful couple.

Eunuch Zhang came in from outside with some embarrassment, whispered a few words in He Linzhang's ear, glanced at the empress dowager, and then stepped aside.

"Leave the gift behind and let her go." He Linzhang ordered. The Queen Mother was curious: "Who is here? What gift?"

He Linzhang had no choice but to say, "Mr. Shu has come. He said he has some friendship with Island Master Mu and wants to thank him in person for sending the medicine."

The Queen Mother's face instantly darkened: "I have already told her that she should not attend. Why is she still here? You are so tactless." Since everyone present were her own people, the Queen Mother did not deliberately conceal it.

The island owner Mu was a little confused. He had some impression of Shu Cairen and knew that she was the niece of the Queen Mother. So when they were on the island, although Shu Cairen always made some excessive demands, they still fulfilled their duties as hosts and treated her well.

To be honest, he didn't have a close relationship with Shu Cairen and they had only met a few times on the island, so there was no need for him to accept her gift.

"There's no need for gifts. I'm not familiar with Shu Cairen. Besides, we on Penglai Island are doing things for Your Majesty because of our relationship with the Queen. We are all family, there's nothing to thank each other for." Mu Yu's words were straightforward. People were doing these things for their precious daughter, not for Shu Cairen.

Eunuch Zhang glanced at He Linzhang, who nodded. He knew that His Majesty had approved of Island Master Mu's words, meaning he would neither meet with anyone nor accept gifts. So, Eunuch Zhang hurried out to send Concubine Shu away.

"What? You don't invite me to an audience, and you don't accept my gifts? Eunuch Zhang, did you hear it right?" Shu Cairen couldn't believe her ears. Why was she hitting a wall everywhere today?

Eunuch Zhang said seriously, "Please ask Lady Shu to go back first. This is Island Master Mu's intention, and both the Queen Mother and His Majesty agree."

Shu Cairen was so angry that she almost fainted. She trembled all over and said, "He's just a small island owner. Giving him a reward is already a courtesy. But he is so ungrateful. Humph, I wonder how long he can keep his complacency."

Eunuch Zhang rolled his eyes inwardly. "It's true he's the island master, but he's no ordinary island master. This is Penglai Island, the largest power independent of Xia, Yan, and Great Zhou. He's also the Empress' biological father!" "What qualifications do you, Shu Cairen, have to speak so arrogantly?"

Eunuch Zhang whispered, "Talented lady, you'd better go back quickly. The Queen Mother is...very angry. If you demote her again, you'll only be able to get the position of Liangyi."

When Shu Cairen heard this, she was so angry that she rolled her eyes at Eunuch Zhang and left with her men.

"Hmph, you're giving me the cold shoulder. No wonder you've been demoted." After Eunuch Zhang finished complaining, he turned around and went back into the hall.

"Ah - I'm so angry, so angry! The Queen Mother is cold and indifferent, Mu Yu is ungrateful, how can there be two such annoying people!" Shu Cairen returned to Liufang Pavilion and smashed a teacup.

As the maid, Xiao Tang, gathered the debris, she advised, "Teacher, please be patient. All the humiliation today is due to your lack of support. You should think of a way to help the Shu family. As long as the Shu family is powerful, why should you worry about being unwelcome in this palace?"