Harem Daily Life

Prince Ning seemed to agree on the surface, saying he would keep a low profile, but when he really wandered around the capital of the Great Zhou, no one was as high-profile as he was.

The next day, he set out with two tall horses leading the way, followed by a group of attendants in gorgeous costumes, all with their heads held high and chests puffed out, as if announcing to the world the noble status of the Prince of Xia.

He sat in a luxuriously decorated carriage, the curtains half-lifted, occasionally peeked out, his eyes filled with pride and arrogance. People on both sides of the street stopped to watch, whispering to each other and discussing the Xia people's ostentatious behavior.

"The Xia Kingdom is not much richer than ours, so why is this prince more ostentatious than the prince of our Great Zhou?"

"He is a prince after all. You should stop talking about him, or you will get yourself into trouble."

"That's right. You haven't met many princes, so how do you know that the princes of our Great Zhou don't travel with such extravagance?"

"Of course I haven't seen them. I heard that we only have three princes. The second prince was adopted from the common people. The other two are still young. How could they be released from the palace?"

"I heard that our Empress is pregnant again. My cousin's nephew's cousin's wife's brother-in-law's neighbor works in the palace. He said that the Empress is suffering from severe morning sickness, and His Majesty is worried all day long."

"Whether the Queen is pregnant or not is none of our business, but if the Queen gives birth to another child, His Majesty will be so pleased that he will reduce taxes and grant amnesty to the entire nation."

Several people were talking happily. They were originally amazed at the extravagant lifestyle of the Xia prince, but then the topic turned to the queen giving birth to another little prince. They chattered happily.

Prince Ning was sitting in the carriage, so naturally he couldn't hear what they said. His motorcade drove through the city in a flashy manner, passing by the homes of many dignitaries of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Seeing this scene, everyone looked unhappy.

Ning Yuanhou returned from listening to music at Miaoyinfang and passed by Prince Ning's carriage. Looking at the luxurious carriage outside the curtains, he snorted angrily, "I heard that it was him who harassed the eldest princess that day. With such extravagant behavior, it's no wonder the queen dislikes him."

The servant echoed, "He looks quite impressive. He really thinks this capital is his territory as the prince of Xia Kingdom!"

Ningyuan Hou lowered the curtain and said, "Fortunately, His Majesty does not allow the princess to marry far away, otherwise she would have had a hard time."

When Ningyuan Hou returned to his mansion, he did not expect that there was a guest there, it was Lord Mo from the mansion of Changyong Bo.

"Oh, what a rare guest. Why didn't you say hello before you came here today, Mr. Mo? I wanted to come back earlier." Ning Yuanhou said with a smile.

Uncle Mo hurriedly greeted them, sat down and chatted for a long time before getting down to business.

"To be honest, I came here today because of my naughty son."

Ning Yuanhou raised his eyebrows and said, "You have two young masters in your family. One works in the Ministry of Revenue and is quite talented. The other is still young, and I've never heard of him being naughty, right?"

If any of the children from the wealthy families in the capital were truly naughty, the news would have spread throughout the circle long ago. However, Marquis Ningyuan had not heard any rumors about the second son of the Marquis Changyong's mansion.

Chang Yongbo said, "To be honest, that child had a brief encounter with the eldest princess a while ago. In a fit of rage, he struck the Xia prince. I punished him severely upon my return, fearing that his actions would bring shame upon Great Zhou. I didn't expect the Empress to invite Princess Jing to bestow a reward. My son has truly deserved such a reward from the Empress. That's why I came here today to ask the Marquis for an introduction. I want to take my son to the palace to express my gratitude."

The Changyong Marquis's Mansion had lasted three generations, and the current generation only retained the title of Earl. Only one eldest son held an official position in the court, and his position was relatively low. The next generation had no title to inherit, so their status within the capital's powerful circles was not particularly high, and was far inferior to the more powerful mansions like the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion.

Ning Yuanhou smiled and said, "It's a piece of cake. Wait until I hand over the card, and you and your son can come with me to the palace. However, the Empress is pregnant recently, so I can't guarantee whether she will see me or not."

Uncle Chang Yong thanked him quickly and sat for a while before leaving.

As for Tao Yanyan, she hasn't gotten up since she confirmed that she was pregnant. She feels dizzy every day and feels like the slightest movement is going to kill her.

Her morning sickness was too severe, which made her in a bad mood. He Linzhang had no intention of attending court. He always hurriedly returned to Changle Palace after discussing a few important matters, and stayed by Tao Yanyan's side with all his heart.

The happiest ones were the three little ones. Yunuo and Xiaobao, upon returning from elementary school, would immediately rush to visit their mother and their unborn baby, reading to him what they had learned that day. Yucheng, though more academically demanding, would stay by their mother's side for half an hour before returning to review his lessons.

When facing the three children, Tao Yanyan's attitude was relatively gentle, but when facing He Linzhang, she was quite resentful.

He Linzhang thought about how hard it was for her to be pregnant and how she was in a bad mood, so he always humbled himself and said nice words to comfort her. If there was any work like serving tea and water, he would be happy to do it himself.

The more he dotes on Tao Yanyan, the more she acts like a troublemaker, and she sticks to her character of a little troublemaker to the end.

Even Yunuo, who was usually the most troublesome, couldn't stand it sometimes and begged his dear mother to stop tormenting his father. His father was the king of a country, but in front of his mother, he was just a servant who massaged shoulders and served tea.

Tao Yanyan didn't care about her daughter at all. She would order her around as she pleased. As long as she acted coquettishly, said a few soft words, or kissed He Linzhang when there were no outsiders around, He Linzhang would seem to be greatly encouraged and would serve her even more personally.

When she learned that Marquis Ningyuan was going to bring Uncle Changyong and his son to the palace for an audience, she thought of the day when Princess Jing intended to match He Xuan with the second son of the uncle's mansion, so she became curious and said that she could meet them.

Naturally, she couldn't meet the foreign minister in the harem, so she made a special trip to the Qinzheng Palace and chose a side hall.

When Ningyuan Hou saw that his niece was not in good spirits, he regretted coming to the palace to disturb her. However, Tao Yanyan assured him not to worry, saying that she was fine, just not in good spirits.

Chang Yongbo brought his son to pay respects to the Queen, feeling a little nervous, but Mo Xingzhou seemed much calmer.

"You don't have to be so polite. Xuan'er told me everything after she returned to the palace. Fortunately, the Second Young Master helped. I would like to thank him in person."

Mo Xingzhou immediately stood up and said, "It is the duty of the people of Great Zhou like us to protect the princess. Your Majesty is too kind."

Tao Yanyan was somewhat satisfied to see that although he was still a little thin, he had an upright posture and a handsome appearance. He was humble and polite in his dealings with others and did not take credit for himself.

"Second Young Master, are you studying or doing something else now? What plans have you made for the future?"

Mo Xingzhou rubbed his head and said a little embarrassedly, "To answer the Queen, I'm not a scholar, so I didn't take the imperial examination. When I turn sixteen in the second half of the year, I'll be able to join the army. I'm a decent martial artist, and I think I might be able to make a difference in the army and serve my country."

Chang Yongbo coughed lightly and said, "Don't be so arrogant in front of the Queen. I'm afraid General Gu won't be impressed by your martial arts skills."