Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1069 Finally Back to the Palace

I left the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty last winter, and returned to the capital in the bright spring month of March.

He Yucheng had been eagerly awaiting the return of his father, mother, younger brother, and younger sister, and finally saw his beloved family members at dusk.

"Father, Mother, you're finally back!" He Yucheng greeted her with a beaming smile, his voice brimming with excitement. He gripped Tao Yanyan's sleeve tightly, just as he had when he was a child a few years ago and relied on his mother.

He Yucheng, who was usually calm and reserved, became childlike at this moment, talking incessantly and pouring out his longing and concern for his father and mother over the past few months without reservation.

"Your subject rises early every day for court, and consults with your uncle and second brother on any memorials he doesn't understand. Some senior officials tried to test me, but I easily defused them. My studies haven't suffered either; the tutors have praised my progress. By the way, your second brother went to inspect the waterways. Since spring began, there has been continuous drizzle around the capital, causing many rivers to rise. He was worried and has been away for four or five days. I think he should return to the capital in the next couple of days."

Tao Yanyan touched her son's face. No matter how serious he pretended, he was only a thirteen-year-old child. It was really difficult for him to take over such a large country.

"Yu Cheng is truly remarkable. Your Uncle Yong often writes letters to your father, praising you in every word. Our Yu Cheng is now capable of handling things on his own!" Tao Yanyan praised with a smile.

He Linzhang patted He Yucheng's arm with satisfaction, "As expected of the Crown Prince, the court officials trust you, which makes me very happy. Alright, we can talk about this later, let's have our meal first."

The Empress Dowager returned to Changchun Palace, saying that she had traveled a long and bumpy road and would only have some light porridge and side dishes for dinner, and would not eat with them. So Hua Yurong arranged dinner, and everyone except He Jin'an had a complete family meal together.

Since becoming He Yinuo's little follower, He Xiaoqi no longer wanted to go back to the Empress Dowager's side to report for duty. It occupied a place at the very end, and while eating, it couldn't help but praise the palace food, saying that it was exquisite.

Tao Yanyan served food to Hua Yurong: "While I was away, it was all thanks to Yurong for taking care of the brothers. You've worked so hard."

Hua Yuerong dared not take credit for it. She quickly said a bunch of good things about the Crown Prince, which made He Yucheng blush.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the children gathered together to whisper among themselves. He Linzhang went to his study, and Hua Yurong accompanied Tao Yanyan, reporting on the matters that needed to be reported from the palace over the past few months.

"With Your Majesty away, I regularly inspect the imperial properties, and I will send all the account books to Your Majesty for review in a few days. The spring planting has been arranged, and the new leases for the shops have been signed. Based on last year's rent, the rent has been increased slightly according to the location of the shops. I have had all the details compiled into a book, which will be sent to Your Majesty for review in a couple of days."

Hua Yurong was a shrewd businesswoman. Tao Yanyan listened to her talk about business in great detail and praised her with a smile: "With Yurong here, I can finally rest assured about these complicated matters."

Hua Yue Rong humbly replied, "It's all thanks to the capable people Mother arranged beforehand. Aunt Qingfeng, Aunt Mingyue, and Aunt Taoxiang have all been a great help."

After reporting the good news, Hua Yurong also reported the bad news: "After the New Year, Steward Li has been feeling unwell and has been ill for almost half a month. The Prince arranged for the imperial physician to examine him, saying... saying that he is getting old, and he's afraid..."

Tao Yanyan's expression turned solemn. This Chief Eunuch Li was now sixty-four years old. He had been serving as a eunuch in the palace since he was eight, for fifty-six years. He had devoted his entire life to serving the royal family, doing his best without ever adopting a son. He was quite miserable in his old age.

"Make arrangements for tomorrow, and I will go to see him." After all, they were master and servant, and this Steward Li had helped Tao Yanyan a great deal.

Hua Yurong agreed, and then said, "These past few months, the affairs of the court have been handled by the Imperial Uncle, the Prince, and the Crown Prince, while the palace affairs have been managed by the Noble Consort Xian. So nothing has gone wrong. However, after the New Year, many ladies from various families came to the palace to pay their respects, openly and secretly inquiring about the Crown Prince's marriage. Some families even sent gifts to me, but I refused to accept them and sent them to the Hua family instead. With Mother Empress's return, I'm afraid they will be coming to the palace to pay their respects soon."

Tao Yanyan chuckled lightly: "Yu Cheng is so young, yet he's already being targeted by so many families. There's no need to rush this matter; when they come, I can handle it myself."

After saying that, she thought for a moment and told Hua Ruyan about her situation.

"...Your sister's situation is just like that. When we left Yanzhou, we heard that Zhou Chen was also going to take her away from Yanzhou. In Yanzhou, the two of them had no power or influence, so leaving was a good thing."

Hua Yurong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I have no affection for this younger sister. It is her business how she lives. However, I am grateful to Mother for telling me all this. I will find an opportunity to leave the palace and tell my parents so that they can rest assured."

Seeing that it was getting late, Hua Yuerong didn't want to disturb her father and mother's rest, so she got up to take her leave. Xianglan quickly brought over a box and handed it to her maid.

"This is a gift for you, and I also brought some for your father and mother. You can take them back with you."

Hua Yurong quickly thanked her and respectfully withdrew.

After Chang Tai and the others left, they came up to report. What they said was almost the same as what Hua Yurong said, except that they added a few more stories about the concubines' family life.

"You've worked hard while I was away. Everyone in Chang Le Palace will receive three months' salary as a reward. You and Xiang Lan should distribute it to them and make everyone happy." The Empress distributed silver as soon as she returned, and the entire Chang Le Palace was immersed in joy.

Having not slept in her own bed for a long time, Tao Yanyan lay down after washing up and was too lazy to move. However, He Linzhang was in good spirits and pulled her to do some more exercise before the two of them finally fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, He Linzhang went directly to court, while Tao Yanyan slept until late morning. In the front hall, Consort Xian and the other concubines were already waiting.

When Tao Yanyan came out, everyone was very excited, and some couldn't help but shed tears when they saw her.

"Your Majesty, it's been almost half a year since we last met. I've missed you terribly." Consort Zhou stepped forward affectionately and offered the Empress a plate of pastries she had made.

"Your Majesty, please tell us about the famous scenic spots in the Xia Kingdom, so that we can feast our ears." Consort Xu couldn't wait to move a stool and get ready to listen to the gossip.

"Your Majesty has been through so much, yet you seem to have become even younger. Did you secretly take some kind of magic pill? It's truly enviable." Consort Li looked the Empress up and down, her eyes filled with amazement.

Tao Yanyan smiled at them and said, "You were all very well-behaved during my trip. It's no wonder I dote on you. People, distribute the gifts I brought."

A line of palace maids carried boxes up and, according to the names on the boxes, delivered each gift to the ladies.