The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

"Rules are nothing more than tools for them to profit. When they are useful, they keep talking about them, appearing noble and upright. But when they are no longer useful, they are discarded like old shoes."

Xie Run listened carefully and nodded repeatedly.

The emperor looked at her and said with a smile, "Do you understand?"

Xie Run: "...I am not a fool. The emperor has explained it so clearly, how could I not understand?"

The emperor did not mention the matter of establishing a queen again.

Xie Run breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of whether the emperor did it intentionally or unintentionally, whether he was testing the emperor or just saying it casually, Xie Run was determined not to get involved.

While eating, the emperor frowned as he looked at the table full of vegetarian food.

Just as he was about to say something, he glanced at his son who was eating heartily beside him and burst out laughing.

"Does he always have such a good appetite?"

Xie Run also looked at Tao Tao and said softly, "He's been tired these days. He comes home every day and falls asleep as soon as he touches his bed. He enjoys everything he eats."

The Emperor: "He is easy to take care of, but he looks a little thinner."

"Your Majesty, please don't let Taotao hear what you said." Xie Run poked him quietly.

The emperor didn't understand and looked at Xie Run with a little confusion.

Xie Run sighed: "The emperor will know later."

When the emperor looked over, he met Taotao's eyes that were secretly looking at him.

Seeing the emperor looking at him, Taotao grinned.

emperor:"……"

I have a bad feeling.

After dinner, the emperor went to see the tenth prince Baozhen. He stared at her for a long time before saying, "Baozhen doesn't seem to be like Cong'er when he was a child."

Xie Run: "Maybe it will look like that when I grow up."

Xie Run thought to himself, you don’t look alike at all like Prince Su.

It's a pity that she didn't have the courage to speak up.

Just then, Taotao came back from outside after digesting his meal.

Xie Run stood up and pretended to be busy: "I'll go change my clothes first."

As soon as she left, Tao Tao trotted over to the emperor's legs and yelled, "Father, I'm so hungry."

He raised his hand and rubbed his stomach. "My son hasn't eaten meat in a long time. Mother said that we must observe the mourning period and not eat meat for three years."

Tao Tao held the emperor's hand and touched her belly, saying aggrievedly, "Father, look, my belly is flat."

When the emperor heard this, he felt a little sorry for Taotao.

When his hand landed on Taotao's bulging belly, his face was filled with black lines, "Cong'er has now learned to lie with his eyes open?"

"Didn't you just have dinner?"

As for not eating meat for three years, the emperor didn't take it seriously at all.

The emperor knew how smart Xie Run was.

She always looks flawless on the surface, but in private she always has her own ideas and never treats herself harshly. How could she really not give Taotao a bite of meat to eat?

I guess this kid was greedy and deliberately ran in front of him to make trouble.

I even learned to act pitiful.

When Tao Tao heard that he was rejected, he immediately used his special skills, "My son is so hungry, father, please love me!"

His little eyes turned red, his mouth puffed out, and he looked pitiful.

emperor:"?!"

I haven't seen him for just a few days. What has this kid learned?

The emperor's face darkened, "No!"

"How can a great man behave like crying?!"

Taotao was not afraid at all and continued to mutter with a pitiful look, which made Aunt Xu and Dan Tao beside her feel a little soft-hearted.

He only dared not speak out because of the emperor's presence.

The emperor was amused when he saw Xie Rungengyi still hadn't returned. "Your queen is becoming more and more successful. She can't even handle her own son and has to avoid him?"

Dan Tao hurried to urge Xie Run to come back.

Xie Run came back from changing his clothes and glanced at his son who was hugging the emperor's thigh and pretending to be pitiful, pretending that he didn't see it.

"Your Majesty, what's going on?"

The emperor smiled and asked, "Who did he learn this trick from?"

"After only a few days of not seeing you, you've already learned to act pitiful and act like a scoundrel?"

Xie Run immediately clarified: "I didn't learn this from me."

Xie Run is a man of dignity and has never done anything to curry favor with others or act like a rogue.

Xie Run: "But I think the emperor probably doesn't want to hear it."

The emperor raised his eyebrows and looked at her: "?!"

Xie Run said calmly: "I learned it from the Sixth Prince."

The emperor fell silent for a moment and looked at Tao Tao deeply. "Why don't I remember that the Sixth Brother has this hobby?"

Xie Run covered his mouth with a handkerchief and sneered subtly, "The Emperor has been busy these days and hasn't come to the harem often. I wonder how close these two brothers are now."

They stayed together every day during the mourning period, and they even exchanged experiences on how to deal with their own mothers.

Xian Xiuyi is not the Sixth Prince's biological mother, and there is a nanny arranged by the emperor standing in the middle, so the relationship between the mother and son is actually a bit awkward.

Over time, the young Sixth Prince actually figured out a way to "deal with" Xian Xiuyi.

He was the one who taught Taotao how to cry and complain miserably.

By the time Xie Run reacted, Taotao had already used it on her several times.

She noticed that something was wrong with this boy, so she sent someone to investigate.

After hearing this, the emperor didn't know what expression to use.

Xie Run looked at Tao Tao on his lap and said, "Your Majesty, it's not over yet. Tao Tao is more talkative than the Sixth Prince."

The Sixth Prince is smart, but has a weak temper and can read people's expressions.

When it comes to acting cute, always stop at the right time.

Taotao was spoiled by Xie Run, and no one knew when he developed such a shameless character.

Sometimes when Xie Run didn't do what he wanted, he would act like a spoiled brat and complain all day long.

Even a dark face couldn't scare him.

The emperor didn't take Xie Run's words seriously at first.

It is normal for children to be naughty, but they usually don’t persevere.

But his son taught him a lesson.

At noon, the emperor almost fled in panic.

Dan Tao asked with some concern: "Why doesn't the Queen take care of it?"

"It stands to reason that when the Emperor comes to our palace, even if he doesn't stay overnight, he should at least have dinner."

"Leaving like this today might cause people to talk. Besides..." Dan Tao glanced at Xie Run: "Will the Emperor be dissatisfied?"

Even though Xie Run is now a noble concubine and enjoys exclusive favor, as her personal maid, Dan Tao is still trembling with fear, worried that she will lose her master's favor if she fails to serve her well.

Xie Run smiled and said, "I know you are worried about me."

"How many concubines are left in the palace now? Who dares to criticize me?"

Xie Run is not being arrogant when he says this, it is simply the truth.

"Besides, Taotao is the emperor's biological son. He must understand his son's character."

The emperor was never afraid of his son having shortcomings, but he was afraid that his son would have one face in public and another face behind his back.

Feelings are developed through getting along with each other. A living person with a vivid personality is what the emperor's son should be like, not a prince who is taught to just call the emperor and father and is only respected and feared.

Of course, what’s more important is that the emperor would not care about such a small matter.

As soon as the emperor left, Xie Run began to "teach" Taotao a lesson.

"Look, your father is disgusted by your nagging. How can a man be so talkative?!"

He kept muttering that he wanted to eat meat for most of the day, even more eloquently than Tang Monk chanting scriptures.