Harem Daily Life

Chapter 767: Reunion Night

Prince Yong looked a lot like He Linzhang, and when he got angry, he was a bit like him, giving people a very oppressive feeling. Concubine Shu was now more sober. Looking at the gloomy Prince Yong, she opened her mouth, but before she could think of how to explain, she heard Yunuo crying, "Uncle, Concubine Shu bullied me and scared me. I'm so scared."

The soft and cute little voice said these words of grievance. How could Prince Yong hear this? He immediately looked at Concubine Shu coldly: "Concubine Shu, you are so arrogant. How dare you bully the princess?"

Lady Shu bit her lip and said, "Your Highness, please don't listen to a child's one-sided words. It was He Yue who was disrespectful to me first, so I wanted to teach her a lesson. As for the Fifth Princess, I never said a harsh word to her."

He Yue raised her head and said, "Yes, you didn't say anything serious to Yunuo, but your words and actions are trying to sow discord between me, my fifth sister, and the Queen Mother. What are you thinking?"

Shu Meiren immediately said, "Second Princess, I am still your elder after all. Do you have to use such a disrespectful tone when speaking to me? Your Highness, listen to me, this Second Princess is raised under the Queen's name. Doesn't she have any respect for her elders?"

"Heh." He Yue sneered, "Elders are virtuous and only then can they be respected by the younger generation. If an elder deliberately sows discord, that is immoral, so don't blame the younger generation for not giving you face."

"He Yue, you..." Shu Meiren was speechless for a moment. She was angry and anxious, but she couldn't even argue with a child.

Prince Yong tried to appease Yu Nuo and said coldly, "Concubine Shu is bullying the weak by forcing the Second Princess to kneel and frightening the Fifth Princess. I will report this to the Queen Mother. I hope Concubine Shu will take care of herself."

He turned around holding Yunuo, and He Yue followed closely behind. The three of them didn't even glance at Shu Meiren and went back to the banquet on their own.

"I'm so angry, I'm so angry!" Shu Meiren was furious. She couldn't help stamping her feet as she watched the three people walking away.

Cuiwei hurriedly asked, "Beauty, what should we do now? Could Prince Yong have said this in anger? Will he really go to the Queen Mother?"

Concubine Shu's breathing was fluctuating, and she said unhappily: "It's said, what else can I do? The worst that can happen is house arrest and demotion. His Majesty is not in the palace, so what's the harm in confining me to Yongning Palace? I don't want to come out yet!" Although she said so, Concubine Shu was really unwilling to accept it. After all, it was a position she had finally got back.

After returning to the banquet, although Yunuo's eyes were still a little red, King Yong told her that everything should be discussed after the banquet. She then obeyed obediently and did not reveal a word.

Tao Yanyan forced herself to go through the whole process. She was really thinking about He Linzhang, and the smile on her face seemed a little fake. As soon as the banquet was over, she respectfully saw the empress dowager back to the palace, and immediately took the children back to Changle Palace.

Prince Yong personally escorted the Queen Mother back, and briefly mentioned the matter of Concubine Shu before leaving the palace.

Eunuch Qin saw the Queen Mother's displeased expression and advised, "Perhaps Lady Shu drank too much and spoke without restraint, angering the Second Princess. She's just a child, she'll forget about it in a few days, so the Queen Mother doesn't have to take it to heart."

The Queen Mother sneered, "I think she can't tell her own identity. She thinks the Shu family is so arrogant and she is still the Shu Concubine from before!"

Eunuch Qin came forward with tea and stood aside in silence.

"Tonight is New Year's Eve, so let her go for now. Go over there tomorrow and have her copy the palace rules ten times. Remember that from now on, the Empress is the most respected. Below the Empress are the legitimate princesses and the princesses. Knowing your own status is the key to gaining a foothold in the harem."

Eunuch Qin quickly agreed and added, "I heard that the second and third princesses will be sent to see the demoted Wang tomorrow. The Queen told me today that the other children will be sent to accompany the Queen Mother tomorrow."

The Queen Mother nodded: "The Queen is thoughtful. Even when the former Queen was demoted, she didn't kick her when she was down. Look, this is the magnanimity of a mother of a country. It is a blessing for Zhang'er to have such a virtuous wife. If Zhang'er is fine..." At this point, the Queen Mother became a little angry again and glared at Eunuch Qin: "I think you are getting worse and worse at doing your job. Why didn't you think of sending someone to keep an eye on that small courtyard? Now I don't even know where they moved to!"

Eunuch Qin lowered his head and said in embarrassment, "I never thought Your Majesty would act this way. But don't worry, Your Majesty. I have been asking around and will report back as soon as I have any news."

After receiving several cold stares from the Empress Dowager, Eunuch Qin was finally able to go downstairs and rest.

In Changle Palace, Tao Yanyan asked Mingyue to prepare silver and distribute New Year rewards to everyone.

Every child also received a red envelope, so the festival was quite lively.

After the excitement, everyone went to sleep. Tao Yanyan lay on the bed, feeling that his whole body was surrounded by emptiness.

It was late at night and everyone was asleep. I couldn't help but think of He Linzhang, and my heart ached.

In a small courtyard outside Beijing, He Linzhang's condition wasn't much better. His hands were dry, veins visible. His hair was mostly white. The person in the mirror looked old instead of elegant.

He had taken more than a dozen prescriptions from Imperial Physician Liu, but it still couldn't stop his aging process. He hated himself deeply. How could he, as an emperor, be so helpless?

He stood up and walked to the window, opened it to get some fresh air. It was snowing outside and the yard was desolate, just like his current mood, bleak, desolate and melancholy.

Because he had no desire to sleep and tonight was supposed to be a time for the family to reunite and stay up all night to celebrate the New Year, He Linzhang put on a cloak and went to the yard to build a snowman.

Ying Er appeared and stepped forward to advise: "Your Majesty, it's freezing cold, you should go back to your room and rest early."

He Linzhang didn't even raise his head: "You go to sleep, don't worry about me. I'll go to sleep soon."

Ying Er saw that He Linzhang had already built a big snowman and was about to build a second one, so he stepped forward to help.

He Linzhang didn't say anything and continued to pile up things.

After building eight snowmen in a row, two large and six small, He Linzhang patted the snow on his hands with satisfaction: "Okay, we are finally reunited."

Ying Er's eyes felt sore. He quickly lowered his head, stepped forward to support He Linzhang and said, "It's cold outside. Let me help Your Majesty go back and rest."

The two turned around and went back to the house, leaving the whole family of snowmen in the yard.

Tao Yanyan slept late but woke up early, worried about something. After much deliberation, she decided it would be best for her to go with Wang. Although He Yue looked carefree, she was actually quite thoughtful. She didn't know how to grieve after meeting Wang, and she felt uneasy if she wasn't by her side.

Xianfei sent Princess Min over. When Tao Yanyan said she wanted to go with her in person, she said with some embarrassment, "The Queen is not in the palace, so each family will go to the palace to pay New Year's greetings..."

Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "In previous years, the Empress Dowager and you met with them. My absence won't be a problem. Besides, I don't have the heart to socialize right now. I'd rather take the two children out for a walk, just to relax and keep an eye on them."

Having said this, Concubine Xian had no choice but to say nothing more. Instead, she felt more at ease with the Queen accompanying her.