Harem Daily Life

Chapter 819 She Won’t Get Promoted Again

Chang Tai replied, "I heard that some more letters were found in the Liang Wang Mansion. They were in the secret passage. They were all secret letters to and from the State of Yan. His Majesty was furious and ordered the execution of the Liang Wang Concubine."

Tao Yanyan sighed: "I don't know why they are colluding with the State of Yan one by one. They won't stop." It was the case with the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery before, and it is also the case with the Prince of Liang's Mansion now. It seems that there will be a good future if you defect to the State of Yan.

"People are greedy and unsatisfied with the status quo. They always think of colluding with foreign nations to overthrow the Zhou regime. They want to cooperate with foreign forces to gain the greatest benefits, but they don't know that in the end they will only send themselves to death." Tao Yanyan could only sigh that these people have no national justice in their hearts, only their own selfish desires.

However, the Yan State, which colluded with the people of the Great Zhou, was no good either. When the previous King of Yan was still alive, they could coexist peacefully with the Great Zhou. But since this King of Yan ascended the throne, how many times has he fought against the Great Zhou? As long as this warmongering King of Yan, Feng Muchen, remains in power, his ambition to destroy the Great Zhou will never die.

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing. After Concubine Shu returned to the palace, she frequently contacted the other ladies in the palace. Although not many responded to her, due to her status, several ladies gradually became close to her." Chang Tai reported.

"Who are they? Is Concubine Xian among them?" Tao Yanyan didn't care much about other concubines of lower rank. As long as Concubine Xian could remain in power, it didn't matter if other people formed some small group.

"Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort didn't attend. Concubine Liang, Concubine Zhou, and Concubine Xu all attended the banquet once. Concubine Wang and Concubine Zhao also occasionally attended."

Tao Yanyan sneered, "Life is quiet in the palace. Let them get together if they want. As long as they don't do anything bad together, let them do as they please. Just keep an eye on them. If you see any bad signs, report back."

Chang Tai immediately agreed and respectfully left, just in time to meet Mingyue coming in.

"Your Majesty, the maidservant of the Concubine Xian is here to ask for instructions. She said that the Concubine Xian would like to discuss it with you regarding the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Are you free?"

Tao Yanyan nodded: "Go tell her to come over, and bring Min'er over to play with Yue'er. The two sisters haven't seen each other for a long time. Prepare some snacks and let the children get together."

Mingyue took her leave and went down to prepare. After noon, when Tao Yanyan had a good nap, Concubine Xian indeed brought the third princess He Min over. After He Min paid her respects to Tao Yanyan, she went to look for her sister.

"The Queen has returned from a trip to the palace and seems to have regained her youth. How does she maintain her looks? I haven't seen any changes in her in the past few years." The virtuous concubine asked with a smile.

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Of course I haven't changed. I've already given birth to three children, and I've grown older. I just put on more makeup and pay more attention to my appearance. And you've been taking care of all the harem affairs for me these past few years, which has saved me a lot of worry."

The virtuous concubine said politely, "It is because Your Majesty has given me the opportunity that I can serve You. However, there are many things I am still unable to do, so I have to trouble Your Majesty for your advice."

After Concubine Xian finished speaking, she presented the seating arrangement and menu for Empress Tao to review.

"Now that the Prince of Liang's mansion is gone, the rest of the royal family must move forward. This year, Prince Ding's family, who are far away in their fiefdom, said they would return to the capital for the festival and have already sent a letter back. Prince Ding is the late emperor's elder brother. When Your Majesty ascended the throne, they did not join the rebellion of the other princes. Instead, they moved to their fiefdom and have not returned to the capital in recent years. They have only exchanged letters and sent annual festival gifts. I presume they returned this year to arrange their grandchildren's marriages."

Tao Yanyan was not familiar with these people at all. She asked, "Do these old princes who have moved to their fiefdoms still come back to the capital to choose brides for their children and grandchildren? Don't they think it's too far and too inconvenient?"

The virtuous concubine replied, "It is indeed a little inconvenient, but there are precedents. The main reason is that the capital is full of high-ranking officials and nobles, and the children of each family are carefully cultivated and all of them are outstanding. For the purpose of marriage, these princes who are sent out will first choose families in the capital. The marriage relationships between large families are complicated and cannot be decided casually."

Tao Yanyan felt tired just listening to this. Fortunately, He Yue and the others were still young and she didn't need to worry about them now. In the future, when the children grow up, she would probably be exhausted from choosing husbands for each of them.

"Since he is your Majesty's uncle, let's arrange for him to be with Prince Changping. They should be able to chat with each other."

The virtuous concubine agreed and asked the maid to record it.

"Also, Prince Jing's family will also be moved forward this year. But should Prince Yu or Prince Jing be placed in front? Your Majesty, please decide." Concubine Xian raised another difficult question.

Tao Yanyan thought about it and decided that Prince Yu was older and should be in front, while Prince Jing was appointed as the regent and now had real power, so he couldn't be too far behind.

"Then they should be Prince Yong, Prince Yu, and Prince Jing in that order. The other princes should be ranked after them."

Xian Fei reminded: "I wonder if Prince Jing's Mansion will be willing? After all, Prince Jing's status is different now."

Tao Yanyan waved his hand: "It's okay, Prince Jing is not a man who cares about things, so let's arrange it this way."

The virtuous concubine followed her words and said nothing more, just waiting for Empress Tao to take a look at the menu.

"As for the menu, there is no problem. Let's arrange it like this. The ingredients should be fresh, and some fruits and nuts imported from Xia Country should be bought. Everyone likes to eat them." After she said that, she handed the menu to Concubine Xian.

"Yes, I understand. I will take my leave now so as not to disturb Your Majesty's rest." Just as she was about to stand up, Concubine Xian paused and said, "There is one more thing I shouldn't ask Your Majesty, but I have noticed that things are not going well recently, so I have to ask."

Tao Yanyan signaled her to speak directly.

"Since returning from the temporary palace, Concubine Shu has become much more generous. She entertains the concubines every day and has sent me two invitations. However, I did not attend, citing busy schedules as an excuse. Several of the other sisters in the palace did attend, and it seems they got along well. Only beauties of the fifth rank or higher can attend the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. I wonder if Concubine Shu will make an exception and advance to a higher rank on that day?"

Everyone's seat must be reserved in advance, in case something special happens and the rhythm will be disrupted due to the rush.

Tao Yanyan smiled faintly and said, "You don't have to worry. Shu Cairen... won't be promoted anymore." Who would give face to someone who makes the empress dowager angry?

When Consort Xian heard Empress Tao's affirmative tone, she immediately knew that Consort Shu had offended someone again while in the palace. She finally felt relieved and left He Min to play in Changle Palace while she returned with her people to do her work.

After returning to Yongtai Palace, Concubine Xian felt relieved. Her maid Ruolan served her tea and said, "Your Majesty, since you were away today, Concubine Shu has sent someone to deliver the invitation."

Xian Fei lazily said, "From now on, whenever Shu Cairen sends any invitations, you should always say that I am busy. Remember, as long as our Yongtai Palace follows Changle Palace closely, everything will be fine."