Harem Daily Life

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Empress' safe birth of the Sixth Prince is a very auspicious sign. It is a sign that Heaven is blessing our Great Zhou. The combined forces of Xia and Yan are nothing to fear."

"Lord Zhao is wrong. The most fearful thing about war is that it is endless. Only a quick victory can minimize the losses. If Xia sends troops to support Yan at this time, it will obviously increase the opponent's strength and delay the war. The situation is not optimistic." The Minister of War refuted Lord Zhao's words.

"Your Majesty, I think the most urgent task is to impose sanctions on Xia State through trade, and at the same time send more troops to support General Gu. In addition, we need to send more troops to the border of Xia State to prevent the Xia State's army from taking advantage of the chaos to attack from both inside and outside with Yan State, thereby depleting the military strength of our Great Zhou." said Tao Qian, the Minister of Works.

"But General Duan is old, and the other generals have no combat experience. Who should we send to lead the reinforcements?" Lord Chen's words silenced the court officials.

Everyone looked a little worried, as there were very few generals in the Great Zhou who could lead troops into battle.

At this time, Prince Yong stood up from the ranks and said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your worries and lead the troops to the border of Yan State."

Ning Yuanhou frowned. "Even if His Royal Highness Prince Yong is willing to lead troops to support Gu Yi, who should be sent to the border of Xia Kingdom?"

The hall fell silent again. He Linzhang's eyes swept across the crowd and landed on Prince Jing. Prince Jing stumbled and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have the will but not the ability to help you. I'm afraid I can't help you with your worries!"

He Linzhang's mouth twitched. He was thinking, "I wouldn't send you, no matter who I send." If I really sent you, wouldn't your Princess Jing have to go to the Queen to cry every day?

His face was solemn, and he spoke in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, this invasion by the allied forces of Xia and Yan is a disaster for our Great Zhou, and also for me. I have resolved to personally lead the army to meet the enemy, to boost morale, to dampen the will of Yan, and to ensure the peace of the people of Great Zhou!"

When the court officials heard that the emperor was going to lead the army in person, they all knelt down and begged him to revoke his decision.

"Your Majesty, absolutely not! If Your Majesty is not at court, who can stabilize the government? Although the Empress once led the Crown Prince as regent, she is still a woman, and having just given birth to a prince, she is weak and cannot handle such a heavy responsibility. Please reconsider!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, you must not take any risks. We will discuss this further and will definitely choose a suitable general."

Everyone was talking at once, and no one wanted the emperor to take the risk himself.

"Alright, I've made up my mind. I order Prince Yong to assemble his army today and march to the border of Xia State with his concubine Yi Zheng. Three days later, I will personally lead the army to the border of Yan State. I will make all arrangements for the affairs of the court. You must obey the orders of the Queen Mother and the Empress and assist them in stabilizing the government. May you adjourn!"

He Linzhang withdrew from the court without further ado. He was very busy now and had to hurry back to Changle Palace to visit the mother and son. After a quick visit, he would go to the Queen Mother to explain the rest of the matter.

Tao Yanyan was very weak. She had lost too much blood during the difficult labor and would not be able to recover for a while. As soon as she saw He Linzhang come in, she couldn't help but want to cry. The difficult scene of last night seemed to be replayed again, making her feel wronged.

"Stop crying, it hurts your eyes during the confinement period." He Linzhang saw her eyes turn red and her nose wrinkled, so he hurried forward to comfort her.

Tao Yan spoke with aggrieved tone, her voice full of resentment: "After I give birth to this child, I will never give birth again. Your Majesty, don't even think about having another child with me, hum!" She had been favored by him for several years and had given birth to four children, which was something she had never dared to imagine in her previous life.

He Linzhang also felt sorry for her. He stroked her face, which had not yet regained its color, and said, "Okay, I won't have any more children. I will ask Doctor Liu to give me some medicine. I won't have any more children in the future, don't worry."

Tao Yanyan stared at him blankly. Did he mean to say he had his vasectomy done? Could an emperor really do that?

Seeing her incredulous expression, He Linzhang said with a smile, "Why, you don't believe me? In fact, Imperial Physician Liu is already preparing the herbs. If I take this medicine, I will really be unable to have children in the future."

Tao Yanyan bit her lip and said, "Actually...actually, Your Majesty doesn't have to go this far. I will just take the medicine."

He Linzhang shook his head. "You've worked so hard for so many years, risking your life to give birth to four children. How can I bear to let you take that sterilizing soup again? Okay, just keep this to yourself. Don't tell anyone else. You and I are husband and wife, there's no need for formality."

Tao Yanyan felt a lump in her throat and wanted to cry, but when she thought of her own body, she managed to hold it back.

"I received a report today from the border of Xia State. Xia State has formed an alliance with Yan State and is invading our Great Zhou. Therefore, I have decided to lead my troops to the battle in three days... Yan Yan, everything in the capital is now in your hands and in the hands of my mother."

Although Tao Yanyan had known for a long time that He Linzhang would lead the army in person and had made preparations, when the day came, she still felt it was not real.

"Three days later... so soon? I can't even get up yet, and can't go to see Your Majesty off." Tao Yanyan's eyes were filled with tears as she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

He Linzhang didn't dare say anything to irritate her. He quickly wiped her tears, then gently leaned over and held her in his arms. "Don't cry, Yanyan. I'll be fine. I'm going this time to ensure their future safety. Believe in me, I will definitely come back safely. By then, Xiaoliu will probably be several months old, and will be plump and cute."

Tao Yanyan couldn't help but hug his back with both hands. After a while, when his emotions had stabilized, he said, "Then remember, you must come back alive. The children and I are waiting for you."

The two of them hugged each other, and Xianglan and Shuang'er didn't dare to disturb them, but after hearing that His Majesty was going to lead the troops to war, they all became depressed.

In Changchun Palace, He Linzhang and the Queen Mother sat opposite each other. The Queen Mother sighed and said, "Since it has been decided, then do as you wish. Leave the capital to me. My old bones can still carry you for a few more years. But you have to promise me that no matter what, you must return safely!"

The Queen Mother stared at He Linzhang, asking him to give her a promise.

He Linzhang nodded and said, "I will come back. My mother is still alive, and the queen and the children are waiting for me. I will come back no matter what."

The Queen Mother glanced at Eunuch Qin, who hurried to the storeroom to retrieve a box and presented it to He Linzhang. The Queen Mother opened the box herself, revealing a piece of gold-threaded soft armor and a tiger talisman.

"This golden soft armor was given by the late emperor. Take it with you."

He Linzhang declined, saying, "I have one too, so I'll leave this one to my mother."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Why would I need it in this palace? You can take it with you, whether as a gift to someone or as an extra piece for yourself. It will be useful to you at least." She then handed over a tiger talisman and said, "This is my private army. I'll give it to you as well."

He Linzhang didn't dare to answer: "Mother, I... don't dare."

The Queen Mother waved her hand and said, "I'll give it to you sooner or later. I didn't give it to you before because I thought you didn't need it. This battle is going to be tough, so more people means more chances of victory. Don't worry, take it with you. They'll see me as they see the Tiger Talisman and will obey your orders."

He Linzhang had no choice but to take the tiger talisman. He had long known that the Empress Dowager held a private army in her hands, which was very well-equipped. It was the private army that the Empress Dowager had secretly formed for her own protection. In those years when she was competing with the late emperor for power, the Empress Dowager's confidence came from this private army.

"I am old and I only hope that my children and grandchildren will be well. Today I have given you all my cards and I only hope that you will agree to three things for me." The Queen Mother looked at He Linzhang, and He Linzhang also looked at the Queen Mother.

"Mother, please speak."

"First, treat the Shu family well. The only relative I have is this useless brother. Of course, if the Shu family commits suicide on their own, then just ignore what I said. Second, no matter how much you favor Queen Tao, you can't let the foreign relatives become too powerful. You have also seen how I manipulate the harem and the court, and the evil consequences brought about by the dominance of foreign relatives. I hope you don't repeat the same mistakes." The Queen Mother paused after she finished speaking, waiting for He Linzhang to express his opinion.

He Linzhang nodded and said, "I know my limits, please rest assured, mother."

The Queen Mother's heart skipped a beat. She was a little surprised that He Linzhang didn't give her a positive answer. However, at this point, whether her son listened or not was no longer within her control. So she continued, "As for the third point, I hope you will be more tolerant of the people I care about."

He Linzhang frowned: "I... won't make things difficult for him."