Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1068 Qi Yizheng is conferred the title of Protector of the Nation

Upon hearing that his mother was opening a new shop, He Yinuo's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty, I have been learning how to run a business from you, but I have not yet had any hands-on experience. I wonder if Your Majesty could consider investing in this food city? Your Majesty is willing to put all my pocket money into this business with you."

The Empress Dowager coughed lightly: "My personal savings are more than enough, so let me invest in some as well."

He Xiaoqi jumped up and down anxiously: "Grandmother and sister both want to invest, but I don't have any money." Then, as if she had thought of something, she picked at the gold chain around her neck with her mouth: "This gold chain is worth a few bucks, so I'll invest in it too, and we can do business together, okay?"

Tao Yanyan touched her nose. Who would actually put a real gold chain on a bird? Xiao Qi's big gold chain was actually gold-plated and not worth much.

"No problem, everyone can invest. We'll tell you how much each share is after everything is ready."

He Xiaoqi was overjoyed. In the near future, it would be one of the little bosses! That would be a business that made money every day, and before long it would be the richest bird in the world.

A lot of skewers were grilled. Some were sent by Xianglan to His Majesty and the others to try, and the rest were eaten by everyone.

After Jiang Yingying and Qi Yizheng left the mansion, He Linzhang told Tao Yanyan his plan: "I intend to leave Qi Yizheng in Yanzhou to take over all military and political affairs in Yanzhou, and to confer upon him the title of Marquis of Protectorate."

Tao Yan smiled and said, "He has been Your Majesty's study companion since childhood, and has spent more than twenty years with Your Majesty than I have. He is extremely loyal to Your Majesty, so it is only natural that he be granted a title of nobility."

He Linzhang glanced at her with amusement: "What do you mean by 'accompanying me'? You put it so ambiguously. But compared to my brothers, he is indeed closer to me. However, he has no biological children of his own, so this marquis title... I'm afraid there will be no one to inherit it in the future."

Speaking of this, Tao Yanyan also felt a little regretful.

"Then let's persuade him to adopt a child from the Qi family. The couple used to travel all over the country serving His Majesty. Now that they have settled in Yanzhou, they can finally enjoy the company of their children."

He Linzhang nodded: "I will discuss these matters with him, and he can decide for himself how to proceed. Yanzhou is rich in mineral resources, and with him here, I feel much more at ease. Before, He Qian came to me, saying she wanted to share my burdens and take over everything in Yanzhou, but I scolded her away. She was still resentful, feeling that Yanzhou's current prosperity was due to the Jing family's years of protection, and that I was discarding her like a used tool, preferring to choose an outsider rather than care about her. Hmph, she's too greedy and thinks too highly of herself."

Tao Yan smiled and said, "Lord Jing is guilty, and His Majesty has already shown mercy by not implicating his wife and children. The Fourth Princess should be grateful, not take advantage of this. However, the Fourth Princess has always felt that she has received too little and wants more. There is no need to get angry over a few words from her; it's not worth it."

He Linzhang hugged Tao Yanyan tightly: "Your child with mine is the cutest. They never ask me for anything that doesn't belong to them."

Tao Yanyan smiled slightly. That's because the children have all grown up being cared for and have received enough. They will fight for what they want themselves and won't ask for it.

Otherwise, if it were anyone else, the throne alone would probably cause even brothers to fight each other. But all of her eldest sons tacitly agreed that He Yucheng should inherit the throne and never coveted the supreme throne in the slightest.

Even He Jin'an, who is exceptionally talented and has the ability to govern the world, is unwilling to compete for it. He is truly a rare and good brother.

The imperial edict conferring Qi Yizheng the title of Marquis was issued the next day. He Qian, living in the new mansion, was so angry that she smashed an entire set of teacups.

“Princess, please calm down. We are already criminals, and it would be unreasonable for us to continue to govern Yanzhou.” Jing Mubai advised, as he had already relinquished his position as crown prince and was now a powerless commoner.

He Qian's breathing rose and fell: "In the end, they look down on me. They'd rather let outsiders take advantage than give me, their own daughter!"

Jing Mubai didn't know what else to say. He Qian had to figure things out herself; no one could persuade her otherwise.

"Princess, Marquis Qi is hosting a banquet and has sent an invitation." Outside the door, Granny Fang presented the invitation.

He Qian didn't go to pick it up; it was Jing Mubai who saw it.

"The time is set for seven days from now."

"I'm not going! Why should I go and give him face while he's all the glory and I get nothing but humiliation!"

Since He Qian refused, Jing Mubai naturally wouldn't attend the banquet either. He preferred to keep a low profile as much as possible and didn't want to deal with others or endure their ridicule.

Jiang Yingying was extremely busy when Qi Yizheng held her first banquet at her new residence. Fortunately, Tao Yanyan sent Xianglan with several capable palace maids to help her with the preparations, which ensured that the event was a success without any major mishaps.

The couple were so exhausted after the banquet that they fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow, even more so than when they had traveled all over the country to serve His Majesty.

The next day, before dawn, the two got up early to see the emperor and empress off.

Jiang Yingying prepared a bunch of Yanzhou delicacies for He Yinuo to take on the road.

"You've prepared so much, can the Fifth Princess finish it all?" Qi Yizheng looked at the several food boxes full and was somewhat astonished.

Jiang Yingying glanced at him: "Aren't there still the Empress Dowager and that bird? Prepare more, so we don't run out of food on the road."

As a foodie, she knows all too well the pain of not having delicious food. The journey was bumpy and boring, but only delicious food could relieve her worries.

Tao Yanyan gave Jiang Yingying a few words of advice, and Jiang Yingying carefully handed the fur cloak she had prepared for Madam Tao to Xianglan.

“When I left Beijing last year, my godmother said that the winters in the capital were particularly cold. The fur of this fur coat was hunted by me when I went hunting in the north. I washed and dried the fur repeatedly, and it has no smell at all. I would like to trouble the Empress to take it back for me and give it to my godmother.”

Tao Yanyan took her hand and said, "You're so thoughtful. Mother will be very happy to receive this. You should also take good care of yourself. We'll get together again when we go to the capital with Marquis Qi at the end of the year to report on our duties."

Jiang Yingying's eyes welled up with tears, and she only looked away when the Emperor and Empress's carriage had left and she could only see a small dot in the distance.

In the first half of her life, she was poor and destitute, and was the number one thief in the world. Later, she met Empress Tao, reformed her ways, found her ideal husband, and was fortunate enough to be adopted as a goddaughter by the wife of a high-ranking official. It can be said that her life underwent a dramatic transformation.

She was deeply grateful for Tao Yanyan's sincere affection, which disregarded her background and status. Having such a sworn sister in this life was the greatest blessing she could have.

"Madam, let's go back. There's a lot of official business to attend to in Yanzhou, and many unresolved issues still need to be addressed!" Qi Yizheng carried a heavy burden on his shoulders. His Majesty had given him a task before leaving: the development of the mineral resources had to double compared to last year. Whether his year-end performance review looked good or not depended entirely on the mineral resources!

The couple put in all their effort, determined to dedicate the rest of their lives to serving the emperor and empress.

On the carriage back to the capital, He Xiaoqi spent its days dreaming of wealth and luxury. It had already planned to build itself a golden house once it had earned enough money at the Nanlai Beiwang Food City. It wanted to be surrounded by gold, just like He Yinuo.

While wiping the gold chain around its neck, He Yinuo listened to its grand plan, occasionally offering suggestions.

"The bed must be made of gold, and the drinking cup must also be made of gold. When you become the richest bird in the world, only goldware will match you."

Tao Yanyan, standing to the side, twitched her lips and silently noted down: one gilded birdcage, one gilded bird stand, and one gilded bird bowl.