Harem Daily Life

Hua Ruyan was so angry at being looked down upon by her parents that she refused to eat and went straight back to her room. Seeing her sullen mood, the maidservant could only persuade her, "Second Miss, why bother with the hardships of doing business? You have plenty of dowry, and you can earn money just by staying in the inner quarters. Wouldn't that be better?"

Hua Ruyan rolled her eyes at her: "You're so narrow-minded, you naturally don't understand my intentions. Humph, Hua Yuerong is married into the royal family, and my father gave her all the shops in Rongcheng, which is several times more than my dowry. I'm not happy about it! I have to keep the remaining assets in my own hands, otherwise, how can I be content!"

The maid sighed inwardly, "What good is it if I get my hands on it? You can't even understand the account books!"

"Hua Yuerong only studied with a teacher for two years and was able to write and calculate, right? I'm not stupid, I can learn too. Here's what we'll do: tomorrow, have the steward find me a tutor. I want to learn the ways of business."

The maid dared not disobey and replied, "Yes."

Before we knew it, the Lantern Festival had arrived. This time, the palace did not hold a large banquet. Instead, the imperial relatives were invited to have lunch together during the day, and dinner was a proper reception for Hua Yurong and her family of three.

Upon learning that the couple could also come along, Hua's parents were so excited that they couldn't sleep half the night. They got up early the next morning to prepare and busied themselves for half a day, but no one knew what they were busy with, which left Hua Yurong bewildered.

At lunchtime, Hua Yue Rong filled a bowl to the brim with rice. Comparing it to her parents' portions, she asked in bewilderment, "Father, Mother, you only eat this little bit of rice? Aren't you hungry?"

Father Hua's lips hadn't left the corners of his mouth all morning. He nodded and said, "Eat less for lunch and keep a clear head. Otherwise, it won't be good if you speak carelessly when you meet the Emperor later."

Hua's mother rubbed her waist and said, "I've heard that the current Empress is the most beautiful woman in the world, as beautiful as a fairy. I need to pay my respects to the Empress, so I can't be too impolite. I'll eat less and look a bit thinner."

Hua Yurong chewed with her cheeks puffed out: "Don't worry too much. I heard from the prince that His Majesty and the Empress are both very kind people. Just be like them in your daily lives, without having to be deliberate."

Hua's mother glared at her: "What do you know? The prince was just being polite to us and trying to appease us. But we are just ordinary people, and we should have a sense of awe."

Hua Ruyan sighed, "My parents and sister have all gone to the palace, leaving me all alone. I'm so pitiful."

Three people: "..."

Hua Yurong raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. She picked up a chicken leg and continued to gnaw on it. Hua's mother patted Hua Ruyan's hand: "The imperial decree cannot be disobeyed. The eunuch who delivered the decree only said that the three of us should go. Taking you along would be disobeying the decree. Be good and wait at home. Tomorrow, your mother will accompany you to Zhenbaozhai to choose a set of jewelry. I will buy it for you no matter how expensive it is."

Hua Ruyan was being petulant, but there was nothing she could do about it; she could only be consumed by jealousy.

He Jin'an came to pick them up in person. Hua's parents brought gifts, and the three of them dressed up and boarded two carriages from the palace.

He Jin'an and Hua Yurong sat in the same car, both looking a little shy. He Jin'an coughed lightly and started a conversation: "You look really good today, the colors are so bright and complement your skin tone perfectly." She looked so delicate and pretty, like a ripe peach.

Hua Yurong smiled and said, "I don't usually dress up much. When I go to the shop, I dress simply and comfortably. This dress was specially made by the embroiderer by my mother. She said that noble ladies from prominent families in the capital dress like this. She made more than a dozen dresses in various colors. If Your Highness thinks it looks good, I will wear it more often in the future."

He Jinan nodded: "You look good in anything, you don't need to do anything special for me."

Hua Yurong's ears turned red. This person was really something, always praising her, it made her feel embarrassed.

"By the way, there's something I need to tell you beforehand. Originally, we only invited your family, but Consort Liang pleaded with us to have a gathering with the Prince of Han's family during the Lantern Festival, so Father and Mother had no choice but to agree. The people from the Prince of Han's family will be at the banquet later, but you don't need to worry about them. They are related to Consort Liang and the Fourth Princess, and have nothing to do with us."

Hua Yurong twisted the handkerchief in her hand: "So, Miss Jing is here too?"

She didn't want to do anything to her, but with Miss Jing's personality, she might not let her off the hook. Hua Yurong's heart, which was originally a little uneasy, was now on tenterhooks.

Seeing her unease, He Jin'an took her hand without hesitation: "It doesn't matter whether she is here or not, you don't need to worry about her."

He Jin'an's palms had some thin calluses, which were from years of martial arts training. Holding Hua Yuerong's soft, boneless little hand, an ambiguous atmosphere spread in the carriage.

Hua Yurong tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't. She muttered, "The nanny said that men and women shouldn't hold hands before they're married."

He Jin'an refused to let go, saying, "What the old lady said may not be entirely true. Besides, Yue Rong's hands are a bit cold. Let me warm them for you so they won't be cold anymore."

Yin Jiu outside the carriage: "..."

His prince is becoming increasingly shameless. They've only met four times, yet he's already holding her hand with practiced ease.

Hmm, as expected of His Majesty's son, he's exactly the same.

"Achoo!" He Linzhang sneezed, and Tao Yanyan handed him his hand warmer: "I told His Majesty to rest early, but he wouldn't listen. Now look what happened, he probably caught a chill last night."

He Linzhang smiled and said, "If I had gone to sleep earlier, wouldn't Yan Yan have been whimpering and unable to sleep? The more I move around, the better Yan Yan will sleep, right?"

Tao Yanyan blushed and glared at him angrily. She remembered how he had acted so recklessly last night, insisting she wear cat ears—it was utterly embarrassing.

He Linzhang's breath hitched, and he leaned closer: "Yan Yan, stop staring at me like that. You know, when I see how easy you are to bully, I don't want to do anything else. I just want to lure you into my bedchamber and become a tyrant."

"Your Majesty~" Tao Yanyan hurriedly covered his mouth: "The future in-laws are coming to visit soon, can you be serious?"

He Linzhang kissed her palm and took her hand away, saying, "I am always serious, but life is too short, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can, Yan Yan."

Tao Yanyan had no choice but to quickly get up and check the banquet. If she stayed any longer, her blushing face would never return to its original color.

The carriage that came to pick up the Hua family arrived almost at the same time as the carriage from the Han Prince's residence. The two families met at the palace gate, and Hua Yurong quickly introduced them to her parents in a low voice to prevent them from being kept in the dark and losing their composure.

Jing Yuwei was wearing a vibrant pink outfit today, different in style from Hua Yuerong's, but similar in color. Her eyes darkened, and she said to the maid beside her, "It's not scary to wear the same clothes, it's embarrassing for whoever looks worse." The maid nodded in agreement.

Jing Yuwei's voice wasn't loud, and others didn't hear her clearly, but He Jin'an and Yin Jiu, with their excellent hearing, heard her perfectly. He Jin'an looked somewhat displeased. After greeting the Prince of Han, he led the Hua family into the palace, not even sparing Jing Yuwei a glance.

Seeing that He Jin'an was deliberately distancing himself again today, Jing Yuwei was so angry that she stomped her feet.