Harem Fighting Strategy 11
After Eunuch Xu quickly prepared everything that needed to be prepared, Xiao Junye reached out to Tao Yuan, held his hand and walked forward.
The two wrote their names on red paper, which Eunuch Xu took on a tray and placed in the brazier.
Xiao Junye personally poured two glasses of wine, handed one to Tao Yuan, then raised his own glass, looked at Tao Yuan and said, "I wish to be with you, supporting each other until we grow old together."
"I wish to serve Your Majesty as an equal and stay together until we grow old together." Tao Yuan also raised his glass and said.
The two looked into each other's eyes, both filled with deep affection, as if at this moment, no one else existed and they only had each other in their eyes.
Eunuch Xu had already lit the fire, and the two men poured the wine in their glasses into the brazier.
Eunuch Xu buried the ashes in the soil. The host took out two clean red ropes with his own hands and placed them on the tray held by Eunuch Xu.
Eunuch Xu walked up to Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan with a tray, and the two of them tied red ropes around each other's hands.
The concubines watched the two men's actions and felt jealous and wanted to cry. The emperor is the emperor of the world and the husband of all the concubines in the harem. How could they live with only him and grow old together?
The one with the most complicated emotions was of course Ye Rong. He hid his hands in his sleeves and was about to pinch himself until he bled, only then could he barely maintain his emotions and not show the jealousy in his heart on his face.
Ye Rong felt that if Tao Yuan was the legal wife, then he was the co-wife. This was something they could have done together, but Xiao Junye had left him out, only wishing for a long life together with Tao Yuan. This was embarrassing for him in front of everyone. Furthermore, his grandfather and father were present, yet Xiao Junye hadn't even given them the Ye family any respect. He felt angry and hurt.
………………………………
Xiao Junye led everyone to visit the back mountain of Luoan Temple. As they slowly walked deeper into the mountain, the environment became more quiet and peaceful.
When they arrived at a place with a large area of fruit trees, Xiao Junye asked everyone to take a break. He also took Tao Yuan and the concubines to a simple wooden pavilion about ten meters long to rest. The ministers sat outside the pavilion to rest.
Many nearby fruit trees were laden with fruit, which not only looked beautiful but also exuded a fragrant aroma. The young eunuchs went to pick some fresh fruit and first presented the best to Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan, then to the concubines, and finally to the ministers and the ladies of state.
Although they are all common fruits, picking and eating them right after they are harvested makes them fresh and interesting.
Tao Yuan looked at the fruits in the fruit plate, but there was nothing he wanted to eat.
Xiao Junye picked up a very beautiful apple and handed it to him. Tao Yuan shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to eat it.
When the concubines saw that Tao Yuan actually refused the apple given by the emperor, and that they wanted the apple given by the emperor himself but did not receive such treatment, they could not help but feel jealous.
Tao Yuan turned his head and looked around, pointing to the only tall green plum tree a little further away, and asked the eunuch to pick some green plums.
The young eunuchs quickly picked a small plate of green plums, washed them and brought them to Tao Yuan.
Tao Yuan picked up one and took a bite. It was very sour, but he thought it tasted good.
Xiao Junye saw Tao Yuan eating the plate of green plums with gusto, and just watching him made his mouth cold. But when he saw that Tao Yuan didn't seem to find the plums sour at all, he became puzzled.
"Is it delicious?" Xiao Junye looked at him and asked.
Tao Yuan turned to look at him without answering. He handed over the half-bitten green plum and motioned for him to try it.
Xiao Junye took a bite of the green plum from his hand and immediately frowned because of the sour taste.
Tao Yuan covered his mouth and chuckled, then said seriously, "Your Majesty, does it feel sour? It tastes fine to me."
"It's so sour, you're surprised you can eat it." Xiao Junye saw that he had already eaten several, so he said, "You should eat less. Be careful not to get your teeth upset from the sourness and then you won't be able to eat anything."
"That's what I want to eat." Tao Yuan turned and told the eunuch, "Go pick some more and bring them back to the Royal Court to eat."
"Yes." The young eunuchs standing nearby hurried away to pick green plums for Tao Yuan.
"Do you like sour food so much?" Xiao Junye asked after taking a sip of tea.
"Yeah." Tao Yuan nodded. "I've always loved sour food."
Tao Yuan then handed over the green plum in his hand and said, "Your Majesty, would you like to try some more? If you eat more, it won't taste sour anymore."
Seeing a playful look in his eyes, Xiao Junye knew he wanted to tease him again. He looked at him with a helpless yet doting look and said, "I won't eat, and you are not allowed to eat too much, otherwise even drinking porridge will make your teeth sore."
"I won't eat anymore after these." Tao Yuan said as he looked at the remaining green plums on the plate. He was indeed afraid that the sourness would make his teeth sore, and he really wouldn't be able to bite anything.
The two of them looked intimate and behaved in a close manner. Others who saw them thought that they looked just like an ordinary newlywed couple, happy and sweet. They, as a group of people, had become insignificant decorations, and the emperor didn't even look at them.
They didn't even have the thought of jealousy anymore, they just felt sad and heartbroken, and couldn't help but feel sorry for themselves. They said that if you want to compete for favor, only those who have it can compete. If you don't even have it, why would you compete?
It is obvious that Tao Yuan's family is the dominant one now, and they also realized that Xiao Junye actually doesn't have much interest in Ye Rong.
Now that the situation at the border was improving, Xiao Junye had someone to lean on, so he didn't bother to hide it anymore and stopped pretending to care about Ye Rong. In other words, he didn't even want to pretend anymore. Not killing Ye Rong outright was already the greatest patience he could muster.
After resting, Xiao Junye led everyone to walk out. The vegetarian dishes of Luoan Temple were also very famous, so they naturally wanted to eat the vegetarian dishes before leaving.
In a large courtyard of Luo'an Temple, there is a towering tree that is hundreds of years old. The young eunuchs have already placed a low table and seats under the tree, waiting for Xiao Junye to bring the concubines and ministers to enjoy vegetarian food.
After Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan took their seats under the big tree, the others bowed and took their seats as well.
Tao Yuan scooped up a piece of tofu cooked in a broth of various vegetables with a wooden spoon and thought it tasted very good. He thought it was no wonder that the vegetarian dishes here were so famous. He quickly finished the bowl of tofu soup, asked the palace attendant next to him to serve him another bowl, and then tried other dishes.
Tao Yuan had just walked quite a bit and had a plate of green plums, so his appetite was now quite strong. Although the dishes were all vegetarian, they tasted very much like his taste, light and refreshing, not at all greasy. He quickly devoured the food in front of him and drank several bowls of vegetable and tofu soup.
Seeing that he had such a good appetite today, Xiao Junye asked, "Do you like these dishes?"
Tao Yuan looked at him and nodded. Although he ate a lot, he also ate elegantly, so only Xiao Junye saw that he finished all the dishes on the table and also had two bowls of rice.
"Then I'll have someone stay here to learn how to cook these dishes, and I'll cook them for you when we return to the palace." Xiao Junye felt inexplicably happy when he saw that he ate a lot. He thought that since he liked to eat, he would be able to eat it often after returning to the palace.
"Okay." Tao Yuan responded happily. He was thinking that after returning to the palace, he would have someone cook this kind of non-greasy, light but delicious dish. Since Xiao Junye wanted to send people to learn how to cook these dishes, he didn't have to teach others how to cook them himself.
After the meal, the palace servants helped Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan rinse their mouths. After sitting for a while, they got up and prepared to return to the royal villa.
The abbot personally walked over quickly, carrying a tray. After bowing, he said, "Your Majesty, the pearl oysters kept in the small lotus pond of the Child-Giving Guanyin Hall suddenly opened their shells today, revealing two smooth, round pearls. I believe this is an auspicious sign, a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, offering to bring two children to the human world. Only the royal family could be the one to receive the Bodhisattva Guanyin's presence, so I present these two pearls to Your Majesty."
"Oh? Bring it here for me to see." Xiao Junye signaled Eunuch Xu to bring the pearls over. After hearing what the eunuch said, he felt very happy. He was just wanting a son, and then the Goddess of Childbirth appeared, and two pearls appeared. Naturally, he was happy.
Xiao Junye picked up one of the pearls and looked at it carefully. Such a large and round pearl was rare even in the palace. It was shiny, soft and very pleasing to the eye.
Xiao Junye handed both pearls to Tao Yuan and called out, "Xu Ming."
"I'm here." Eunuch Xu stepped forward and responded.
"Add ten thousand taels of gold to the Temple of the Goddess of Childbirth for incense offerings, and go and make some preparations. The King and the Queen will come to burn incense to the Bodhisattva Guanyin tomorrow." Xiao Junye ordered.
"promise."
Although these two pearls were large and of high quality, they were not worth ten thousand taels of gold. It was mainly because of the auspicious omen and its rare meaning that Xiao Junye was very happy, so he added ten thousand taels of gold as incense money.
Xiao Junye gave both pearls to Tao Yuan, and he did so as if it was natural. The concubines couldn't help but look at Ye Rong, and even they couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for him. They definitely had no share in those two pearls. Even if they were jealous, they didn't dare to think about getting them. But since there were two, Ye Rong should have one, but Ye Rong didn't even touch it.
After returning to the royal villa, Xiao Junye leaned back on the bed, while Tao Yuan leaned in his arms, playing with the two pearls.
"Are these two pearls the Bodhisattva Guanyin telling us that we will have at least two sons?" Xiao Junye said, looking at the two pearls in Tao Yuan's hand.
"Am I only able to have two children?" Tao Yuan touched his belly. He knew he was already pregnant with one, but the baby was too young for the imperial physician to diagnose, so he didn't plan to say it yet. However, he knew in his heart that the two pearls had appeared for a reason, and he couldn't possibly only have two children.
Xiao Junye also touched his belly and said, "Why is it a little bigger than usual? Could it be that you are pregnant?"
"I'm bloated because I ate too much today. The imperial physician checked my pulse yesterday and confirmed I'm safe," said Tao Yuan.
"Since it's a good omen, we'll have the baby soon." Xiao Junye kissed his face and said.
"Well, it will be available soon." Tao Yuan leaned her head on his shoulder.
……………………………………
Ye Rong sat on the bed, pounding the quilt hard to vent his emotions. This was not the palace, and he didn't dare to throw things because he was worried that Xiao Junye would find out. Otherwise, he would smash everything in the room.
Ye Rong's chest ached with anger, because the two pearls were also a key part of the game. According to the game's settings, he and Mu Xi should each receive one pearl. Then, he would give birth to the eldest prince, and then drug Mu Xi to prevent her from conceiving. This way, Xiao Junye would think that the auspicious omen only worked for his children, and he would love him even more and pay more attention to his children.
Later, he would become the Queen Mother, ruling the country from behind the scenes, and this auspicious omen would play a big role. But now, Xiao Junye gave both pearls to Tao Yuan, leaving him none. How could he not be angry?
After Ye Rong vented his anger, he was exhausted and gasping for breath. He put his hand on his stomach and thought to himself that even if he didn't get the pearl with a good omen, he must get pregnant first and give birth to the emperor's eldest son.
But Prince Yu did not come with him this time. He was very worried that Tao Yuan would get pregnant before him. He felt that the only way to prevent Tao Yuan from getting pregnant was to drug him. He had actually wanted to drug Tao Yuan for a long time, but he had never found the opportunity. He felt that he had to think of other ways.
……………………………………
The next day, Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan went to Luo'an Temple again, specifically to burn incense at the Guanyin Hall, and did not bring concubines and ministers with them.
The two of them toured the temple again, this time without a large group of people following them. They really looked like an ordinary couple out for fun. They even walked hand in hand as they walked up hills and stairs. When they got tired, they would just find a place to sit, put down a cushion, and rest for a while.
They slowly and leisurely admired the scenery, flowers, plants and rocks. If they found it interesting, they would look at it for a while longer; if they found it boring, they would just pass by.
They were enjoying the cool breeze in the bamboo shed in the bamboo forest. Tao Yuan leaned against Xiao Junye, feeling very comfortable in the gentle breeze. Then he suddenly felt sleepy. Xiao Junye was worried that he would catch a cold if he fell asleep, so he took him back to the Royal Courtyard.
A few days later, Xiao Junye took the ministers to see the Zhenjiang Stone in person. Although the words carved on it were not as good as those written by Tao Yuan, it was already very good to be able to carve such a font.
Xiao Junye looked up and felt very satisfied. The ministers also praised him.
Zhao Xiu carefully read the contents of the town stone, still thinking about the fu written by Tao Yuan himself. He had been thinking about it day and night for days, unable to eat or sleep well because of it. Without it, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart. If the person who wrote the fu was the emperor, he would have boldly pleaded repeatedly, but it happened that it was written by the emperor's wife, the queen.
Ke Mingji glanced at the listless Zhao Xiu. Although they disliked each other, he understood Zhao Xiu's feelings best. He also wanted the fu written by the empress himself, but the emperor had said that the fu written by the empress was for him to keep. Even if it was written by the wife of an ordinary minister, he couldn't ask for it to avoid suspicion, let alone the emperor's wife.
Tao Yuan gained a lot of fans thanks to this "Luojiang Tide Fu". After reading this fu, those scholars and students copied it back home, read it repeatedly, and circulated it, so more and more people knew about it.
This was originally a very important task for Ye Rong, the protagonist. This task would help him gain a certain level of popularity, and after he successfully became the empress dowager, he would gain a certain level of popularity and prestige among scholars. However, this time Tao Yuan had once again blocked his mission, and Ye Rong was furious, so he decided to take action against Tao Yuan.
After another two or three days, they set out back to the imperial city.
The first thing Tao Yuan and the concubines did when they returned to the palace was, of course, to pay their respects to the empress dowager.
Tao Yuan told the Queen Mother about the spectacular sight of watching the tide. Because he described it so vividly, the Queen Mother could imagine what the scene was like just by listening.
The Queen Mother was delighted to hear this. She suddenly remembered the tributes that had just been delivered to the palace two days ago and said to Eunuch Liu, "Go to the tribute storehouse and bring over the two rolls of Tiancan silk."
"Yes." Eunuch Liu took the order and left.
Only two bolts of Tiancan silk fabric are produced every three years. It is extremely rare and precious. It had only been delivered to the palace for two days when they returned, and the Empress Dowager was planning to give one bolt each to Tao Yuan and Ye Rong.
After Eunuch Liu left, Tao Yuan slowly pressed his stomach, looking very dissatisfied.
Seeing that he looked unhappy, the Queen Mother asked with concern, "Axi, are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I just feel a little uncomfortable in my stomach. It might be because I've been sitting in the carriage for too long..." Tao Yuan had just finished speaking when his body swayed and he almost fell off the seat to the ground.
"Call the imperial physician quickly." The empress dowager immediately ordered when she saw that he looked like he was about to faint.
Ye Rong, who was sitting opposite, looked at Tao Yuan who looked very uncomfortable. He did not feel happy, but had a very bad premonition. Because he had not taken any action yet, he knew that Tao Yuan was not feeling well, and it was definitely not because of the poison he had given him.
The imperial physician arrived soon, and after carefully checking Tao Yuan's pulse, he immediately said to the Queen Mother, "Reporting to Her Majesty, the Queen is pregnant and has been pregnant for about two months."
The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment, then asked excitedly, "You said Axi is pregnant?!"
"Yes, the Queen is about two months pregnant." The imperial physician repeated.
"That's great!" The Queen Mother stood up excitedly, walked to Tao Yuan, shook his hand and said, "Whether it's a boy or a girl, they are your Majesty's eldest legitimate child. You must take good care of yourself and pay attention to your self-cultivation."
Tao Yuan had also stood up, and said with a happy face, "Yes, I will take good care of my body and will definitely give birth to a healthy and lively child."
"Congratulations to the Queen Mother, congratulations to the King and Queen." The concubines and palace maids all knelt down and congratulated in unison.
Ye Nun suppressed his resentment and anger, stood up and walked to Tao Yuan and the Queen Mother, bowed respectfully and said, "Congratulations to the Queen Mother, congratulations to the Queen, this is really a great joyous event."
Tao Yuan looked at him and said with a smile, "Your Majesty Ye Huang must also work harder and strive to conceive a dragon seed as soon as possible so that Your Majesty can have more children."
After hearing what Tao Yuan said, Ye Rong felt as if an arrow had shot his heart, causing him severe pain.
"That's right." The Queen Mother also said, "If both of you were pregnant, I would be so happy."
Xiao Junye had never visited other concubines in the harem, and the Queen Mother must have had some complaints. She had many conversations with him, hinting and suggesting that he visit the harem. Xiao Junye didn't want to sleep with anyone else, and only wanted to hold Tao Yuan in his arms at night. The Queen Mother's repeated urging was really annoying for him. Then he simply told the Queen Mother that due to his health problems, he was already unable to go to Tao Yuan and Ye Rong, and he really didn't have the energy to go to other concubines.
When the Queen Mother heard that Tao Yuan was not visiting other concubines because of health problems, she regretted pushing him too hard and never asked him to visit the harem again. The Queen Mother had also been worried that it would be difficult for him to have children because of the poisoning. Now that Tao Yuan was pregnant, she was overjoyed.
"From today on, you will rest well in Fenghua Palace. You don't have to come here every day to pay your respects. Especially in the morning, you can sleep well and if you are bored, come and talk to me." The Queen Mother said as she took Tao Yuan out. "Come on, I will take you back to Fenghua Palace to rest."
"Empress Dowager, I can go back by myself. How can I ask you to send me back?" Tao Yuan said hurriedly.
"I can only feel at ease after I send you back." The Queen Mother turned around and saw Eunuch Liu bringing in two batches of Tiancan silk fabric. She immediately said, "One of these two batches of Tiancan silk fabric is for you, and one is for your unborn child. This kind of fabric is good for your body when made into close-fitting clothing."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward." Tao Yuan said, "Your Majesty, please let me go back on my own. It would be a great disgrace to have you escort me back."
Tao Yuan knew that the empress dowager was overly excited and her mind was still hot, so she wanted to send him back. But after all, they were not ordinary mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The imperial family had many rules. If the ministers knew that the empress dowager sent him back to the palace, they would probably write to the emperor to reprimand him.
"Very well, then you can go back by yourself and be careful on your way," the Queen Mother said. "I will personally go to the storehouse and select some things you and the child may need and have them delivered to you."
"Thank you, Queen Mother. I'll take my leave now." After bowing, Tao Yuan turned around and walked away slowly.
The Empress Dowager obviously intended to give one piece of the two pieces of Tiancan silk cloth to Tao Yuan and Ye Rong respectively, but now both pieces were given to Tao Yuan. Some of the concubines were jealous, some sympathetic, and some gloated over his misfortune, but when they thought that they would not get a share no matter what, they felt only sadness in their hearts.
Ye Rong tried hard to maintain a normal expression. In fact, when the Queen Mother said that both pieces of cloth should be given to Tao Yuan, he could no longer control his anger, but he still had some rationality, so no matter what, he would not show his dissatisfaction and unhappiness here.
The Queen Mother didn't care about them. After Tao Yuan left, she immediately asked them to leave as well. Then she took people to the warehouse and carefully selected things for Tao Yuan to use.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
