Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1028 Let My Mouth Be Happy First

After much difficulty, three deputy generals were finally selected, and ten days later they led an army of 100,000 to the border between the Great Zhou and the Xia Kingdom.

"The Xia Kingdom delegation, upon hearing of the war in Xia Kingdom, also sent a letter through the Ministry of Rites, saying that they wish to return home ahead of schedule. Originally, they were used as hostages, but now that the war has begun openly, there is no need for them to stay. This time, they can go directly to war with the Great Zhou army." After He Linzhang finished speaking, he turned to Tao Yan and said, "Tell Yan Ran to give her some advice."

He Yanran must be worried that Kang Pingzhi is going back to Xia Kingdom to participate in the war.

Tao Yanyan nodded in agreement.

It was quite late when Tao Yanyan left the Imperial Study. He Linzhang was busy and had many things to discuss that night, so Tao Yanyan returned to Chang Le Palace alone.

He Yanran had obviously heard the news and was already waiting for her in Chang Le Palace. His eyes reddened as soon as she returned.

"Why are you crying for no reason? Come here, come over to me." Tao Yanyan took He Yanran's hand and comforted her.

"Your Majesty, this evening, Prince Kang sent me a message saying that he will soon return to Xia Kingdom to seize the throne, and that the journey will be fraught with danger. He gave me this document." After saying this, He Yanran took out a letter of annulment from her sleeve.

"He said he didn't want to hold me back if anything happened to him. But he gave me this, and it hurts me deeply." The newly engaged couple was about to part ways, possibly a life-or-death separation. It's normal for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old to be overwhelmed. Tao Yanyan took the annulment letter, glanced at it, and then handed it directly to Xianglan.

"I will keep this for you. If I leave it with you, you might be reminded of me."

He Yanran was stunned, and her nose felt a little sore again.

"Alright, look on the bright side. The current ruler of Xia is incompetent and stubborn. It's inevitable that King Kang will take his place. Right now, the outcome is uncertain, and the war is quite intense, but in the long run, King Kang's faction will win. Kang Pingzhi's thoughtfulness in prioritizing your well-being shows he cares. Don't be too sad. When he returns victorious, he will surely come to marry you in grand style. By then, he might have already been made crown prince, and you will be the rightful crown princess of Xia."

He Yanran wiped away her tears: "I don't have any grand ambitions, I just hope he's safe and sound."

Tao Yan patted her back: "You'll be alright." Kang Mowan only has this one legitimate son, and he must protect him no matter what. He must not let anyone hurt him, otherwise what's the use of seizing power in Xia Kingdom if there's no one to inherit it!

In the sweltering July heat, the army that was about to attack Xia set out under the leadership of Gu Yi. He would lead the army to join forces with Qi Yizheng's troops, who had been lying in ambush on the border, and together they would become a powerful force to help Kang Mowan seize power in Xia.

Chief Steward Li of the Imperial Household Department has been working himself to the bone lately. He had just finished arranging the marriage for the Fourth Princess when he was busy with the engagement of Princess Yanran. After the Third Princess's marriage was settled, he was busy for a while. Just when he was about to start working on the Prince Jin's marriage, he had to cooperate with the Ministry of Revenue to transport grain and prepare military funds. He was spinning like a top.

Just when they finally had a chance to catch their breath, the autumn harvest arrived. New grain had to be stored in the granary, and old grain had to be sold on the market. Every day, they had to spend several hours checking all sorts of account books to avoid forgetting the numbers when the Empress asked.

"I'm telling you all to hurry up. We're going to the palace to see the Empress today, so make sure the accounts are accounted for carefully and don't make any mistakes." Steward Li rubbed his back, downed a large pot of tea, and then took the ledgers before heading to Chang Le Palace.

Ice blocks were placed everywhere in Chang Le Palace to cool down the area, but the summer heat was still hard to dispel.

"Fifth Princess, you can't eat any more ice cream, or your stomach will hurt." Xianglan took the ice cream away from He Yinuo's face, and her chubby little hand, which was outstretched in mid-air, paused: "Aunt Xianglan, there's only one piece left. If you eat it, you won't keep bothering me."

Xianglan refused to give any more, saying, "I'll keep it for the Sixth Prince when he comes back from school."

He Yinuo pouted: "Hmph, biased."

It's been so hot lately that He Yinuo has been able to witness her third sister's public displays of affection, which led to a happy marriage between the two. Since then, she has not been to the Imperial Study again and has been quietly hiding in Chang Le Palace to escape the summer heat.

Xianglan found it somewhat amusing but didn't argue. She simply took the popsicle and left.

Tao Yanyan was painting on the side. It was too hot, so she painted to calm her mind. Seeing her daughter's round figure, she couldn't help but say, "Other people lose weight in the summer because they don't have a good appetite. But you've gotten even rounder."

He Yinuo, bored, came over and saw that his mother had drawn several different kinds of clothing designs, each one of which was excessively beautiful.

She pinched the soft flesh on her waist: "Be good, and disappear voluntarily when I ask you to, okay? Don't make things difficult for me."

Tao Yanyan glanced at her and said, "Fat doesn't have ears. If you want to lose weight, you have to control your diet and exercise."

He Yinuo grumbled, "Relax, relax, I'll start dieting when I come of age and get ready to get married. There are still three years left, so let my mouth have some fun first."

Tao Yan smiled and placed a picture next to He Yinuo, comparing it to her own eyes: "Hmm, this color suits you. I'll have the Imperial Clothing Bureau make you some new clothes later."

As the daughter of the Empress, He Yinuo enjoyed all the riches and honors, and she never lacked anything in terms of food, clothing, or other necessities.

She affectionately wrapped her arms around Tao Yanyan's waist and said coquettishly, "Mother, I'm really good at being born into the right family. How lucky am I to be your daughter?"

Her mother did not restrict her from learning etiquette, nor did she require her to be proficient in the arts like other noble ladies in the capital. She let her do whatever she wanted, and her mother supported whatever she liked. She was simply the luckiest child in the world.

Tao Yanyan pinched her children's chubby little faces: "Your mother is also very lucky to have you, my baby." She was unconscious for three days and three nights after giving birth to these twins. What a powerful fate it must have been for her to have such a lovely pair of children in this strange world!

Although He Yinuo is still chubby now, she has a good foundation. If she loses weight in the future, she will probably become a stunning beauty, perhaps even the number one in the Three Kingdoms.

The mother and daughter were playfully hugging each other when Chang Tai came in from outside and reported, "Your Majesty, Steward Li has brought the accounts."

Tao Yanyan nodded and pulled He Yinuo along to listen to the report.

Although He Yinuo didn't spend all her time studying at the office, she learned quite a lot. Tao Yanyan intentionally or unintentionally kept her by his side, letting her learn from her what she saw and heard, and she gained some skills in managing the family property.

For the past ten years or so, Chief Steward Li has been preoccupied with matters of the royal family from the moment he opens his eyes every day. As he gets older, he doesn't get up until long after paying his respects.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, my legs are a little weak." After saying this, he respectfully presented the account book.

"When you see me again in the future, you don't need to kneel. Please sit down." Tao Yanyan then instructed the palace maids to serve tea.

Chief Steward Li was extremely grateful. It was only in Chang Le Palace that he was able to sit and report back; in other places, he would never have the right to sit!

After calming himself down, Chief Li said, "Your Majesty, the latest batch of grain from the Ministry of Revenue will be dispatched to the border today. As for military pay, we will have collected 50,000 taels of silver in ten days, so please rest assured. The total profit from the imperial properties in August was over 96,000 taels. The preparations for storing the new grain after the autumn harvest are also complete. The rent for the shops for the three months of winter is over 64,000 taels. Only the Prince Jing's residence said they would delay payment for a while; everything else has already been collected."

Tao Yanyan looked away from the accounts: "What's wrong with Prince Jing's residence?" Since Princess Jing rented several good shops from the imperial property, she has never been late with the rent for many years.

Steward Li sighed and said, "I heard that Princess Jing and Prince Jing have become estranged, and the new head of the household, Aunt Zhao... is dragging her feet on paying."

Tao Yanyan sneered: "They were originally a perfect couple, but I never expected that a newly arrived concubine could turn the Jing Prince's mansion into such chaos. Xianglan, send someone to the Jing Prince's mansion to tell them that I miss the Princess Consort of Jing."