Harem Daily Life

"My father sent medicine to the capital this time. On the one hand, he may have wanted to see me. On the other hand, he wanted to come in person to reassure Your Majesty. Another reason is that he may have wanted to see the Empress Dowager..." She glanced at He Linzhang again: "But these are just my guesses, and I haven't verified them."

He Linzhang glanced at her, said nothing, and continued listening.

"Your Majesty also knows that I am not very smart when it comes to this kind of love affair and cannot see anything. If Shu Cairen had not told me today, I would still be in the dark. So Your Majesty must trust me. Before today, I knew nothing about their affairs."

Tao Yanyan spoke with such sincerity that He Linzhang gave her a suspicious look. "Really? So, your constant defense of Island Master Mu today and your quick reaction were all just a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

Tao Yanyan nodded frantically: "Yes, of course I have to side with my father, otherwise how will this matter end? Oh, speaking of which, that Shu Cairen is really something, she is always causing trouble everywhere, it's so annoying."

Tao Yanyan really, really hated Shu Cairen. She always relied on her status as the Empress Dowager's niece and the Emperor's cousin to cause trouble. If she didn't have these connections, she would have died eight hundred times already.

He Linzhang pinched his brows and said, "Okay, I'll assume you only found out today. Now let me ask you, what do you think about the matter between the Queen Mother and Island Master Mu?"

What else can Tao Yanyan do? Just let it go!

However, she had not forgotten her mission - to coax people, so she thought for a moment and said, "I think that my father and the Queen Mother, if they can't be lovers, they can be friends. It would be nice for them to get together often, take care of the children together, and have meals together."

He Linzhang: “…”

"What if rumors start to spread? And after being together for so long, they've already... already had some things going on. What if they get even more involved?"

There was absolutely no chance of the Queen Mother and Mu Yu having a relationship. How could a Queen Mother of a country be entangled with another man? The dignity of the late Emperor must be upheld.

Tao Yanyan was silent for a long moment before he spoke, "Actually...actually, the late emperor passed away many years ago. And, and there was more than one empress dowager during his lifetime. Why can't the empress dowager...can't she start a new life?"

She knew that He Linzhang would find it hard to accept, but she still expressed her thoughts in the end.

He Linzhang looked at her with a frown. Although he had already guessed in his heart that the little queen was in favor of the Queen Mother and Mu Yu, when he heard her say it with his own ears, He Linzhang still found it difficult to accept it.

"What Yan Yan means is that if I am no longer around, you can find another lover?"

Tao Yanyan was startled. Wasn't this about the Queen Mother? Why was he being implicated?

She looked at He Linzhang with her big round eyes, thought seriously for a while, and said, "Of course I won't look for another man, unless... unless he is more handsome than Your Majesty. Because of his good looks, I will at most take a few more glances at him."

He Linzhang: “…”

So in the final analysis, do you still need to rely on your looks to win the little queen's heart?

He Linzhang was at a loss for words. He was very upset and had a headache.

Eunuch Zhang hurried in and replied with some embarrassment, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu has been beaten with a stick and is... dying."

Tao Yanyan and He Linzhang both frowned, looked at each other, and then stood up and walked outside. Although He Linzhang had punished Shu Cairen in anger before, this woman was his cousin after all. If he beat her to death, he would have a hard time explaining it to the Shu family.

"The person who did it doesn't know the severity of the punishment. When he was told to give him thirty lashes, did he really do it?" Tao Yanyan glanced at He Linzhang's face and criticized him.

Eunuch Zhang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, only ten strokes of the cane were given, but Concubine Shu was too weak to withstand it. I have already ordered them to stop, and I am now rushing back to report."

"Has the Empress Dowager been notified?" Tao Yanyan asked. Eunuch Zhang nodded quickly, "We sent someone to report it, but...but the Empress Dowager didn't ask about it."

Tao Yanyan was stunned for a moment, but did not ask any questions. This meant that the Queen Mother did not care about Shu Cairen's life or death at all.

When the emperor arrived at Shu Cairen's yard, it was already full of people kneeling, including palace maids who served Shu Cairen and eunuchs who came to carry out the execution.

When the two entered the room, they saw Concubine Shu lying on the bed, her lower body covered in blood, and the imperial physician was treating her.

"Doctor Liu, how is Concubine Shu?" Tao Yanyan asked.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Shu is weak. Although his life is not in danger at the moment, his legs will need to be treated for a period of time, otherwise it will affect his mobility in the future."

Hearing that Shu Cairen would not die for the time being, Tao Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief.

She pulled He Linzhang's hand and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Imperial Physician Liu will definitely cure Concubine Shu."

He Linzhang said, "Use the best medicine to save her life first. As for the future, it depends on her luck." After that, he took Tao Yanyan's hand and left.

"Your Majesty, are we going to the East Courtyard for dinner now?" Tao Yanyan asked uncertainly, not knowing whether the person had been coaxed or not.

He Linzhang looked at her and said, "You go by yourself. I won't be going there for some time. When you go, you can..." He originally wanted to ask Tao Yanyan to persuade the empress dowager, saying that she was at this age and should not have any more thoughts, but he didn't say it in the end.

Tao Yanyan was so smart that she naturally knew what he meant, but since he stopped talking, she didn't ask any further questions.

The two separated at a fork in the road, and Tao Yanyan went to the East Courtyard alone.

When the Queen Mother saw that she was the only one coming, she glanced behind her and didn't see her son, so she sighed softly.

"Empress Dowager, His Majesty will figure it out one day. Don't worry. The current situation will not affect your relationship." Tao Yanyan advised. She didn't see Mu Yu and thought he was in the backyard with the children.

"No need to look for him. I have already made it clear to him. He will return to Penglai Island in a few days." The Queen Mother's tone was calm, but Tao Yanyan always felt that the person in front of him exuded a hint of loneliness.

Tao Yanyan cleared his throat and said, "In life, the most important thing is to live according to your heart. If the Queen Mother wants to accompany you, I think Island Master Mu will be willing to accompany you forever, even if it means nothing."

The Queen Mother glanced at her and said, "You don't mind? He is your biological father, and I am your mother-in-law."

Tao Yanyan shook her head: "Why should I mind? The most important thing is that the Queen Mother is happy."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Forget it. I used to think that my own happiness was the most important thing, but look at today, Shu Cairen almost died. If she really died, the Shu family would not let it go. People should not only live for themselves, but also for others. Fortunately, I have everything in this life, and I have no regrets."

Tao Yanyan looked at the empress dowager's calm expression and said nothing for a long time.

Is he truly without regrets, or is he just pretending to be strong?

On the way back to the West Courtyard from the East Courtyard after dinner, Shuang'er came up to report that Island Master Mu had asked the Queen to come over for a chat. Tao Yanyan told Qingfeng and the others to look after the children while he went to Mu Yu's residence.

The moonlight was like water, and Tao Yanyan could see Mu Yu's figure in the pavilion from afar. Even his back revealed a sense of desolation.

"You want to see me?" Tao Yanyan's voice rang out. Mu Yu turned around and said helplessly, "Jiaojiao, I'm afraid I have to leave now."