Harem Daily Life

Chapter 829 She is here to take advantage of me today

Ever since what happened to the eldest princess He Xuan in Prince Ding's mansion, Tao Yanyan became suspicious and asked Chang Tai to send a message to Marquis Ningyuan, asking him to send someone to investigate.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis said he sent two groups of men, one heading to Prince Ding's fiefdom, Qianzhou, and the other starting from Prince Ding's mansion in the capital, to see if they could plant a spy or something. There's no news yet."

Tao Yanyan nodded. It had only been over half a month, so she wasn't in any rush.

"However..." Chang Tai thought for a moment and replied, "There's news from outside the palace that the prince of Ding's mansion is having affairs in the capital and has a bad reputation. Several families that originally wanted to marry into Ding's mansion are no longer interested and are waiting to see what the family traditions of Ding's mansion will be like."

Tao Yanyan frowned. Some of these royal relatives did have questionable moral character. But if they were so unruly right after arriving in the capital, they probably wouldn't be much better in their fiefdoms.

"Is the man their family is planning to marry the Crown Prince's son, He Feng? I seemed to have seen him from afar during the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet that day, and he turned out to be quite handsome." Everyone in the He family has good looks, but at the moment, the best-looking one is He Linzhang.

Tao Yanyan smiled slightly, and her face turned slightly red when she thought of He Linzhang's unstoppable look last night.

Chang Tai said, "It is said that it is not only the eldest son who is going to discuss marriage, but also the eldest daughter. The eldest daughter is fourteen years old this year and has reached the age, but she has not yet made an appearance."

Tao Yanyan had heard He Xuan talk about He Li from Prince Ding's Mansion that day. She was a very thin and fair girl. The windows of her room were covered with cloth, and the place she lived in was dark with no light.

Tao Yanyan didn't have a good impression of this not-so-sunny girl, and since she was a distant relative, he didn't take her seriously.

"Go ask Ningyuan Hou frequently and report any news as soon as possible."

Chang Tai followed the order. Tao Yanyan felt a little sleepy, so he got up to rest, but then he heard Mingyue come in and say that the virtuous concubine had arrived.

"Your servant comes to see Her Majesty the Queen. I am sorry to bother you by coming at night." Concubine Xian paid her respects, and Tao Yanyan immediately asked her to sit down.

"But what happened?" Tao Yanyan asked.

Concubine Xian looked a little anxious. She glanced at the person next to the Queen, Mingyue, whom the Queen trusted, and then said, "Your Majesty, I have no choice but to come here to bother you." After saying that, her eyes were a little red. This was the first time in all these years that Concubine Xian lost her composure in front of Tao Yanyan.

"Tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"

The virtuous concubine sighed and then said, "I have a younger brother at home, seventeen years old this year. As the youngest son in the family, he is deeply loved by the whole family. He has been raised to be a little spoiled and also... a little naive."

Tao Yanyan waited for her to continue speaking, and saw that Concubine Xian's face was red and she was angry.

"My brother passed by Zuixianlou today, and was unexpectedly... unexpectedly... dragged into a room by a man. The servant beside him was incompetent and was tied up by the man's men. He couldn't save my brother... Poor brother, he was... defiled by that man."

Tao Yanyan's eyes nearly popped out of her head. What had she heard? Did the man... rape his brother?

"Has this been reported to the authorities?" It's always best to contact the Jingzhao Yin for everything.

Concubine Xian was filled with shame and indignation. She shook her head and said, "This isn't a good thing. My father and mother were so angry that they cried at home and didn't report it to the authorities. After all... my father wanted to save face. And then there's the man's identity... well, he's He Mingli, the crown prince of Prince Ding's mansion."

Tao Yanyan was even more shocked. Could it be that the prince of Prince Ding's mansion actually liked this? Really...

Her brows furrowed tightly. "So, Concubine Xian, do you mean to not report this to the authorities but to settle this privately?"

Xianfei's tears fell: "Your Majesty, I don't know who to turn to for support. I thought that now that I am a concubine, I have the ability to support the family, but what happened today was like a slap in the face, making me see clearly that there are some people who are beyond my power to punish."

While wiping her tears, Concubine Xian said, "My father is the Minister of Rites, and the Dingwang Mansion is a first-rank prince's mansion with fiefdoms. Naturally, its power should not be underestimated. I am extremely angry, but I cannot report to the authorities and ruin my brother's reputation, nor can I make the Dingwang Crown Prince pay the price. I am truly unworthy of being his sister."

Tao Yanyan knew that this virtuous concubine was really out of options, and even if she had a solution, she would not come to him for help.

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "Since you think it's a family scandal and don't want it to be made public, then let's resolve it privately. I'll... send someone to capture Prince Ding and give him a good beating. What do you think?" Of course, Tao Yanyan would definitely send someone to investigate first, and would not just listen to Concubine Xian's one-sided statement.

The virtuous concubine bit her lip and said, "Then... could you please keep it a little more secret so that no one can find out about it later? I don't want you to be hated by Prince Ding's Mansion because of this matter."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Then you go back first and wait for news. I'll have someone let you know once things are settled."

The virtuous concubine stood up, thanked Tao Yanyan, and then left.

Mingyue cleared away the tea that Concubine Xian had just drunk and then said, "Concubine Xian should have some connections. The Minister of Rites is not a lowly position. If she wants to find someone to teach the Prince of Ding a lesson in private, it's not impossible. Your Majesty, are you...being used by her?"

Tao Yanyan nodded: "She came here today just to take advantage of me."

Mingyue bit her lip and said, "Then why bother you, Madam, if you still accept it?"

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "As for Concubine Xian, she rarely causes trouble. She always thinks carefully before doing anything and rarely makes mistakes. She is also loyal to me. She is capable, resourceful, and intelligent. If someone like her were to become my opponent, I wouldn't necessarily be able to defeat her. But fortunately, she has served me well for so many years and has never stood against me."

Mingyue thought about it and agreed. Over the years, from the former Empress onward, all the concubines had opposed the Empress, and all had met with disastrous consequences. This virtuous concubine was the first of the many concubines to side with the Empress.

"She's a very good subordinate. She came to me today to ask for help in resolving this matter. On the one hand, she's cautious and doesn't want to offend Prince Ding's Mansion and bring disaster upon her family. On the other hand, she trusts me and wants my protection. Because of our long-standing friendship and her flawless management of my harem, I'll lend her a hand this time."

Mingyue said with some worry, "But what if, Your Majesty, your relationship with Prince Ding's Mansion becomes hostile because of this incident?"

Tao Yanyan sneered, "The prince of Dingwang Mansion forced a young master in broad daylight. This is something I cannot bear to see. Even if it was an ordinary citizen who was ruined by him, I would want to teach him a lesson. People like him should be offended if they want to."