Harem Daily Life

Consort De's mysterious demeanor aroused the gossips of the other women.

"Well, I only heard it by chance. It is said that the Crown Prince of Han is not favored, which is why he was sent to our Great Zhou as a hostage by the King of Han."

Consort Shu asked curiously, "If he was not favored by the emperor, why would he offer such a heavy betrothal gift to marry the Fourth Princess?"

Consort Xu and Consort Li both agreed. In ordinary families, if their son is not favored, how could they afford to spend a fortune to marry him off? They would just make do and let it pass.

Consort De said, "No matter what, it's a marriage proposal for a princess, so it can't be too shabby. I heard that the most favored concubine of the Prince of Han is a daughter who is treated like a precious jewel in the mansion. Moreover, the Prince of Han's original intention was not to propose to a princess, but to propose to Princess Yanran. As you all know, Princess Yanran's mother was once a princess of the Yan Kingdom, and her maternal family is very powerful. If we were to take Princess Yanran back, it would be of great benefit to the stability of the people of Yanzhou in the Prince of Han's mansion. Who knew that just before the engagement... hehe."

No further words were spoken, but everyone understood: the other stroke of the character "八" had been cut off, and the Fourth Princess had gotten there first, capturing the heart of the Crown Prince of Han with her beauty.

"Well, no matter what, Consort Liang has really benefited this time. The Fourth Princess has become the Crown Prince's consort; I wonder how arrogant she'll be," Consort Shu said disdainfully.

"Whether a marriage is good or not depends on whether the Empress and the Noble Consort Xian choose it. The Empress is taking care of Princess Yanran on behalf of the Empress Dowager, but you can see how long the news of the marriage proposal has been circulating, yet the Empress has not made a decision. Perhaps she has some concerns or has received some inside information and is hesitating. Moreover, the Noble Consort Xian is not fighting for this marriage. In my opinion, it is probably not a good match."

The people in the palace are all shrewd; they can guess countless possibilities behind the slightest movement.

"Ha, then the marriage that Consort Liang painstakingly secured for the Fourth Princess is probably a honey to one person and poison to another."

Consort Xu's eyes darkened: "If you ask me, it's not necessarily a good thing to establish relations with Yanzhou. Think about it, no matter what, they were once Yan people, and they fought with our Great Zhou so many times. Who would believe there's no hatred between them? If our former enemies were to turn on us one day, it would be impossible to guard against them."

Xu Fei's words made everyone's hearts skip a beat, and they all deeply agreed with her.

The innkeeper got nothing out of it; instead, he was furious at being thrown out by Madam Feng, his face flushed and his hands trembling.

"I hate her so much! How dare she treat me like that?" Madam Feng, who had always been in a superior position, had experienced the full spectrum of human emotions over the years, but being tricked by Tao Yanyan this time was the most humiliating experience she had ever had.

The old woman stood by, unsure how to comfort her, and could only advise, "We are powerless now, like throwing eggs against a rock, we won't gain anything. Madam, why don't we buy a small courtyard and enjoy our lives in peace..."

She never uttered the words "old age," having served the lady for decades and knowing her taboo.

Despite the taboos, people can't help but bow to reality.

She glanced at Madam Feng. Although she still retained her charm, she was, after all, a forty-year-old woman with no children, no husband, and no power. Fortunately, she still had some money, enough to live out her life in peace.

How could Lady Kefeng admit defeat so easily? She wouldn't listen to the old woman's words at all, and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, since that's the case, then I can only spread her good deeds and let the world judge how she, as the empress of the country, has mistreated the meritorious officials who have made contributions to the Great Zhou!"

The nanny was startled. Was the madam still unwilling to stop?

Three days later, a story inexplicably began to circulate in the teahouses and taverns of the capital, telling the tale of Princess Pingning's life from her marriage to the fall of the Yan Kingdom and her triumphant return to her hometown. The story was full of twists and turns, vividly portraying Princess Pingning's life and depicting her as a woman who endured humiliation and hardship for her country and people, only to be tragically resented and mistreated in the end.

Although the story does not name names, everyone can tell that it was the Empress who suppressed Princess Pingning.

He Jin'an was drinking tea at a teahouse when he heard this story, and his brows furrowed tightly.

He was extremely displeased. Who else but the protagonist of the story could be so clear about the ins and outs of things? Madam Feng's willingness to use her own connections to slander the Empress only fueled He Jin'an's anger.

He couldn't let anyone slander the person behind the scenes, so after much thought, a plan came to him.

Some unfamiliar faces have appeared in the teahouses and taverns of the capital. They hide in the crowds and go wherever there is excitement, as the more people there are, the easier it is to spread news.

The public opinion, which had initially been overwhelmingly in favor of Princess Pingning, gradually turned neutral. Eventually, the unpleasant comments about Empress Tao disappeared, and many words of approval even emerged.

Lady Feng thought she could completely ruin Empress Tao's reputation this time, but she didn't expect that after only a few days, public opinion would no longer be on her side.

Not knowing what the problem was, she had no choice but to put on a veil and go to the teahouse herself.

“This Princess Pingning married far away for the sake of the country, which is truly a righteous act.”

"That's because the Great Zhou was weak during the reign of the late emperor, and had no choice but to do so. Now, under Your Majesty's leadership, the Great Zhou has become the most powerful country in the world. Our princesses and noblewomen no longer need to be married off for political reasons. Your Majesty is mighty."

"No matter what, they are people who have served the country. They are returning to their hometown in glory. They should be taken good care of. How can we let them guard the imperial tombs?"

“What’s wrong with guarding the imperial tomb? That’s fulfilling filial piety to the late emperor! In my opinion, Princess Pingning is just using her past merits to blackmail him. She doesn’t want to suffer and only wants to enjoy herself.”

"However, in this matter, Her Majesty the Empress is far too petty and has hurt the feelings of her subjects too much."

"You should put your hands on your conscience before you say that. Over the years, because Her Majesty the Emperor granted amnesty and distributed benefits to the world because of the Empress giving birth to princes and princesses, when have we ever been left out? Her Majesty the Empress sent Princess Pingning to guard the imperial mausoleum because she valued Princess Pingning's filial piety towards the late Emperor. Such a considerate and courteous Empress is being called stingy by you. Do you even have a heart?"

Madam Feng never expected that the money she spent would ultimately have no effect and would be wasted.

Tao Yanyan was unaware of the rumors circulating about her outside the palace these past few days. He Jin'an quickly controlled the public opinion and sent people to keep an eye on Madam Feng and her servants. Everything was done quietly.

As the New Year approached, the embroiderers from outside the palace worked busily and finally, three days before the festival, all the new clothes needed by the palace were made.

When Consort Xian saw the progress, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all the palace clothes were inspected and delivered to their respective palaces, she readily paid the wages.

This year, He Xuan was pregnant. It was freezing cold outside, so the Changyong Marquis's family was worried and none of them attended the banquet. Tao Yanyan felt a little regretful that everyone was missing He Xuan.

Her gaze swept across the entire room, and when she saw that the Prince of Han's residence had brought over a young girl with an unfamiliar face, she couldn't help but take a second look.