Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1000 The Empress is Stingy

Consort Liang took out He Qian's dowry list again and added two more items that were sent by other concubines from other palaces.

Seeing that Consort Liang was not happy, He Qian comforted her, "Mother, there is no need to worry. My dowry is already more than enough."

Seeing her obedient expression, Consort Liang blamed herself, saying, "It's all because I'm incompetent and not favored. As a result, your dowry is less than that of the eldest and second princesses. The two of them not only received all the dowries left by their birth mothers, but also the dowries that the Empress has acquired over the years. When I went to see them, each of them owned more than twenty shops. Which one of them wasn't a gold mine?"

After saying that, she sighed: "Your mother only has two rooms, which were given to me by your maternal grandmother. Compared to the two of them, you are really wronged."

He Qian smiled and said, "Father also gave some, which is quite a lot."

Consort Liang shook her head: "What your father gave you was all according to regulations. The eldest princess and the second princess also received similar dowries. Oh well, let's not talk about it anymore. If we don't compare, your dowry is quite generous. Fortunately, you married into the Marquis of Jing's family. Although you were stripped of your title, you are still the ruler of Yanzhou. The eldest princess and the second princess don't have that kind of luck."

He Qian took Liang Fei's arm and said, "That's right. When I get to Yanzhou, I will be the young master of Yanzhou. When the heir inherits the title of marquis, I will be the first lady in Yanzhou. Mother, how about I take you to live in Yanzhou then? We can leave this cold and desolate palace and you can be the matriarch in Yanzhou, just like Consort Hui back then."

Consort Liang chuckled at her words, her eyes filled with longing, but she still shook her head: "If you were a prince, I could go out of the palace with you to live. But you are a princess, so you should prioritize your husband's family. Taking me there would only cause gossip. Besides, I have lived in this inner palace for over twenty years and I am already used to it. Going elsewhere would be too much for me."

He Qian didn't mention it again, but just leaned against Consort Liang silently, looking very obedient.

A palace maid entered and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the dowry has arrived from Chang Le Palace."

Recently, various palaces have been sending gifts to the Fourth Princess, but Chang Le Palace has remained unmoved. Consort Liang even thought that the Empress was not planning to give anything.

"Bring it in. Remember to give them a reward and have them thank the Empress on my behalf."

The palace maid turned and went out, and a short while later, a large box was carried in from outside.

Consort Liang was displeased when she saw that there was only one box.

She was even more furious when she recalled the dozens of boxes that had to be carried out of Chang Le Palace when the eldest princess got married.

They ordered someone to open the box, and while the items inside were indeed valuable, there were still some missing.

"Do you have any shops or houses?" Property deeds and land deeds are the most valuable, and Consort Liang hoped that the Empress would leave some for He Qian.

The palace maid flipped through the list, took out the gift list, looked at it, and shook her head: "No."

Consort Liang's face immediately fell, and He Qian's eyes flickered, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

When the Second Princess married the third-ranking scholar, He Qian had the privilege of seeing the Second Princess's dowry list, which was a full three meters long. The house deeds and land deeds were all in a separate box, filled to the brim with deeds.

He Qian said she was happy and didn't care, but when the actual items were placed in front of her and compared, she was still heartbroken.

"The Empress is... stingy!" Consort Liang muttered, waving her hand to have the box carried away and put into the storeroom.

Neither the mother nor the daughter spoke for a moment. Zhao Xin, the head eunuch of Consort Liang's palace, entered from outside and reported, "Your Majesty, the set of glass jade screens that you requested from the Imperial Household Department has been added to the list for Qingyun Palace by the Empress, according to the Imperial Household Department. The Imperial Household Department sent us jade screens with the three treasures of fortune, prosperity, and longevity, and this servant was just about to have them placed in your bedroom."

Upon hearing this, Consort Liang said unhappily, "But I have my eye on the glass screen; it's so clear and transparent."

Zhao Xin said with some difficulty, "This servant has already spoken to the Imperial Household Department, but... but the Empress..." She couldn't win against the Empress.

Consort Liang was even angrier: "She left everything to her children, and I got nothing!"

Seeing that Consort Liang's breathing was uneven, she was indeed furious, so He Qian quickly reached out to pat her back.

"Mother, don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health." After saying that, she gave Zhao Xin a wink, and Zhao Xin quickly said, "The Three Treasures of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity have auspicious meanings. They would be perfect as a partition in Your Majesty's bedroom. They bring good fortune."

"Yes, Mother, I also think that the glass jade screen is not as good as this jade screen with the three treasures of fortune, prosperity and longevity."

Both women tried to persuade her, so Consort Liang had no choice but to wave her hand, which was considered a reluctant agreement. However, her resentment became more and more obvious, and her hatred for the Empress grew stronger.

"A child brought back from the common people is given the title of prince, meticulously raised, and granted a fief. Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think he's her own son! I don't know who she's trying to impress with this act of being a generous and virtuous mother. She uses the money she earns from the royal property to buy houses and furnish homes for her children, completely ignoring you."

After saying this, Consort Liang's eyes reddened with anger: "My son, I think she's extremely petty. Back then, she probably held a grudge because she competed for favor with your aunt and your birth mother. That's why she disregarded the dignity of her stepmother and treated you and the children under her name differently."

Consort Liang wiped away her tears and stared intently at He Qian's stunningly beautiful face: "You're growing more and more like your aunt. The Empress is probably just jealous of your beauty. Humph, what a petty Empress!"

He Qian didn't say anything, but she was thinking the same thing as Consort Liang.

To say she doesn't resent it? Impossible. But she's still young and inexperienced, and good fortune favors the prepared mind.

Empress Tao, who was being criticized behind her back for being stingy, was currently looking at the inventory list in her storeroom. Jin'an was about to leave the capital, and some of the things she had prepared for him to take with him could be transported there first, so that Jin'an could travel light after his wedding.

"Exchange the silver for silver notes; they'll be easier to carry. As for the jade ornaments, move these boxes first, wrap them securely in blankets, and make sure they're not damaged. But these shops... they're all in the capital, too far to manage. How about this, since Fengzhou is closer to Qianzhou, let's exchange them for shops in Fengzhou city, and add ten more."

Xianglan was registering and organizing things on the side, and also took the opportunity to exchange the shop deeds.

"Do I choose the shop location? Do the ladies need to review which ones to select?" Xianglan asked.

Tao Yanyan waved her hand: "I'm not looking anymore. Dozens of shops are giving me a headache. Yue Rong is a good businesswoman. She can make money from any shop. Just make up the number sixty-six. Six six is ​​auspicious."

Xianglan smiled and said, "Your Majesty has given away so much with such a generous gesture. You should work even harder to earn money in the future. There are still the Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Sixth Prince waiting to get married. These are all three of them, and they are not small betrothal gifts."

Shuang'er looked up and said, "The Fifth Princess's dowry is also a huge expense."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Let His Majesty prepare Yu Nuo's. He dotes on him like the apple of his eye, and he never feels it's enough no matter how much I give him. I'm afraid all my other good sons combined wouldn't be as much as Yu Nuo alone."

He Yinuo walked in carrying a candied hawthorn in one hand and a braised duck gizzard in the other.

"Mother, this is freshly cooked, let's eat together!"

Tao Yanyan: “…”

After looking the child up and down a few times, she finally couldn't help but say, "Nuo'er, starting tomorrow, your mother will accompany you to morning exercise first thing in the morning, okay?"

The baby can't keep getting any rounder; the little piglet needs to lose weight!