Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1120, Side Story 9: The Finale

"Doesn't Your Majesty feel guilty?" He Qian asked, her eyes red as she stared at Tao Yanyan.

Consort Xian, standing to the side, was on tenterhooks and quickly advised, "The matter of Consort Liang was truly an accident. How can the Fourth Princess blame Her Majesty the Empress?"

He Qian sneered, "If the Empress hadn't punished my mother by sending her to the Western Hills Palace, why would my mother have been so depressed? If she had been brought back sooner, how could she have drowned in the lake?" He Qian's eyes were red, and she gritted her teeth, "Your Majesty the Empress has enjoyed the Emperor's exclusive favor in the harem for decades and has taken everything. Why won't you even spare a concubine who doesn't compete with you for the Emperor's favor?"

"Fourth Princess, how dare you!" Consort Xian rebuked, "Her Majesty the Empress arranged for Consort Liang to go to the imperial palace because she needed to recuperate. What's wrong with that? This is an unexpected event. Please accept your fate and stop making trouble here!"

He Qian coldly said to Consort Xian, "Consort Xian, please say less. You have received favors from the Empress all these years, but my mother and I have not. Don't try to use your methods to blackmail me."

Consort Xian was so angry with He Qian that she flung her sleeves and ignored her.

Tao Yanyan looked at He Qian's demanding manner, curled her lips, and revealed a cold smile: "You haven't received any favors from me? He Qian, if it weren't for me, you would probably be dead long ago."

Tao Yanyan stood up, walked step by step closer to He Qian, pinched her chin, and made her look directly into his eyes.

"Your birth mother seduce His Majesty by disguising herself as your aunt, which is how you came to be. Your father despised your birth mother and only gave her the lowest-ranking concubine position. In order to prevent you from suffering endlessly and to give Consort Liang some hope, I arranged for her to adopt you. Over the years, I have enjoyed the exclusive favor of the harem. If I wanted to take your lives, the grass on your graves would probably be three feet high by now."

He Qian's breathing quickened, and her body trembled involuntarily.

Tao Yanyan released her grip and looked directly at He Qian: "I do not kill, and I am kind and benevolent, but that does not mean you can be disrespectful and slander me at will."

Consort Xian glanced at He Qian, who was trembling with fear, and rolled her eyes at her.

“You and Consort Liang, you two mother and daughter, are like two rats hiding in the gutter, unable to bear seeing others do well, and your mouths are truly disgusting.” Tao Yanyan sat back in her high seat and glanced at He Qian: “After Consort Liang’s burial, if you want to be a filial daughter, go to the Consort’s mausoleum to guard it, and fulfill your mother-daughter relationship with her.”

He Qian opened her mouth, her eyes bloodshot: "I am the Emperor's daughter, I am a princess, how can I go to the imperial concubine's tomb to guard it?"

"Heh." Tao Yanyan sneered, "It seems your so-called deep mother-daughter affection is nothing more than this."

Consort Xian coughed lightly, offering a way out: "Your Majesty, Consort Liang has just passed away, and the Fourth Princess is grieving and spoke incoherently. Please forgive her for her petty behavior."

Seeing He Qian's pale face and with Consort Xian's support, Tao Yan Yan fell silent.

Consort Xian said, "Fourth Princess, don't be stubborn anymore, and don't talk nonsense anymore. Otherwise, you'll become disliked, and no one can save you."

He Qian, disheveled and dejected, left the palace like a stray dog. She sat in the carriage at the palace gate, still shaken. She hadn't expected Empress Tao's anger to be so intimidating; her words were calm, yet chilling.

If it weren't for the fact that she had been childless for many years and needed to stay in the capital to have the imperial physicians treat her health, she would have loved to return to Yanzhou immediately, as far away from the capital as possible.

In Chang Le Palace, Consort Xian talked to the Empress for a long time. Tao Yanyan thought that Consort Liang's passing had saddened everyone in the harem, so she asked Consort Xian to give each palace an extra month's allowance to appease them.

"Your Majesty is so kind! On behalf of all the sisters in the harem, I thank Your Majesty!"

Tao Yanyan smiled and waved her hand: "We're all family, no need to be so formal. Now that the world is at peace, let them all live a comfortable life, then life won't be so hard. Those who want to listen to opera can listen to opera, those who want to play cards can play cards, don't always think about these things and get stuck in a rut."

Consort Xian hurriedly agreed and did not linger any longer, returning to the palace to handle official business.

Tao Yanyan stretched and watched as several palace maids carried pots of flowers to the courtyard. Intrigued, she followed them to see. Now, apart from her two youngest sons, all her children were married. In the twenty-odd years since she came to this world, apart from the first two years which were not so smooth, she had been quite content. He Linzhang doted on her, her children were obedient and well-behaved, she lived a life of luxury, surrounded by servants. This life, she had finally achieved a life of splendor and comfort.

Chang Tai entered from outside and respectfully greeted her: "Your Majesty, this servant has brought the recent account books for your perusal."

Distracted from admiring the flowers, Tao Yanyan returned to the inner palace. After He Yinuo's marriage, the affairs of the imperial property were returned to Tao Yanyan's hands. More than a dozen general ledgers were delivered, but Tao Yanyan only glanced at the last data.

Chang Tai glanced at the Empress's actions and explained, "According to the rules established years ago, workers who reach the age of fifty-five and stop working can receive ten taels of silver each year. This year, the number of workers retiring is the highest ever, so the silver distributed this month is more than usual. Your Majesty, the number of people to support will increase as time goes on, so... should this rule be changed?"

Tao Yanyan closed the ledger: "No changes. They've worked hard in the imperial workshops for decades, earning so much wealth for the royal family. This is just to provide them with a safety net in their old age. What's the point of changing it? On the other hand, some people are still healthy and have great skills. Don't waste them. Ask them if they still want to work. Let them continue. They'll still get their subsidies and wages."

Upon hearing this, Chang Tai thought, "Wouldn't that mean one person could get two portions of silver? I'm afraid many people would be eager to continue working for the royal family."

Many families wanted to send their children to work in the imperial workshops, where they could not only receive a stable wage but also learn more than elsewhere. Over the years, the workers were united and highly motivated, resulting in high output and making the masters very wealthy.

Caiyun brought in some freshly made soup. It was autumn, and the courtyard was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus flowers, so she made some osmanthus-flavored rice wine, which was sweet, soft, and had a faint aroma of alcohol.

Tao Yanyan ate a small bowl of food, then asked Caiyun to pack several plates of snacks and some soup before heading to the Hall of Diligent Governance to visit He Linzhang. Since the severe drought in the southwest, He Linzhang had been worried and had resumed holding court. He Yucheng finally had some free time to tend to his own household. It was said that Su Xing's pregnancy was stable, and Duan Chaopei had even brought Su's mother into the Eastern Palace to better care for Su Xing's unborn child.

Tao Yanyan was satisfied with this daughter-in-law. Fortunately, Duan Chaopei had also won Yu Cheng's heart, and Su Xing did not cause trouble. The three of them lived in the Eastern Palace in peace and tranquility, with fewer things to worry about.

Tao Yan thought that He Yucheng's life should be smoother than his father's. His brothers did not compete with him for the throne, his wives and concubines did not fight and cause trouble, and his father and mother protected him. He did not suffer too much. After giving birth to him, they did not owe him too much.

Inside the Imperial Study, the sound of children reciting their lessons could be heard. When Tao Yanyan entered, she saw He Yucheng, He Jin'an, and their respective sons standing in front of He Linzhang.

"What are you doing?" Tao Yan asked, and the two children ran up to her and each hugged one of her legs.

"Grandmother, Grandfather is teaching me the way of governing the country, but it's so obscure and hard to understand." He Junshan looked up at Tao Yanyan with her round face, looking adorably blank.

“Grandmother, I smell the aroma of fermented rice wine, and walnut shortbread, don’t you think?” He Xuyao’s mouth watered. Tao Yanyan bent down and picked him up: “Take a rest and have some snacks first.”

The lecture was interrupted, and He Jin'an and He Yucheng exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of relief. He Linzhang glanced at his two sons, stood up and took He Xuyao ​​from Tao Yanyan's hands: "That's all for today. Tomorrow, bring your children to the Imperial Study to listen to the lecture."

As he gets older, he wants to pass on all his life experience, and lately he has been meeting with children more often.

Tao Yanyan knew he was anxious, but she couldn't help him. She could only advise him that the succession of the empire couldn't be rushed, and each emperor had his own destiny.

Looking at the people in the room—her husband, son, and grandson—Tao Yanyan felt somewhat dazed. When she woke up after falling into the water years ago, she probably couldn't have imagined this scene!

A lowly concubine rises to the position of Empress, and will one day become Empress Dowager, leaving her mark in history. Future generations can only describe this woman's illustrious life through concise texts... (The End)