Harem Daily Life

Chapter 202: Going back to work?

Tao Yanyan, who was far away in the palace, had no idea that her father and the imperial concubine had talked to each other, so they helped her get promoted and found her a job working for the royal family.

At this moment, she was directing Dong Fang and several eunuchs to pick wild chestnuts.

"You don't need to take too much. Don't take the rotten ones. Just take the good ones. I'll go back and make some fried chicken with chestnuts today."

"I didn't expect there would be a large area of chestnut trees on the back hill. We can pick more tomorrow and make chestnut cakes."

Dong Fang understood as soon as he heard it. Lady Tao was thinking of adding another variety of snacks to the shop.

These chestnuts, which cost nothing, can be made into snacks and sold as snacks, which can bring huge profits.

He took note of it silently and decided to call a few more people to come tomorrow to pick all the chestnuts from the trees and deliver them to the shop when they had time.

The Queen Mother enjoyed the roast chestnut chicken and praised it highly.

After Tao Yanyan had the leftovers removed, she said, "We picked a lot of chestnuts today. I made sugar-roasted chestnuts with the rest, but you can't eat too much, or you'll get a sore throat. I'm going to make some chestnut cakes, which are also a soft, sweet and fragrant snack."

"You arrange it, I just need to eat. Having said that, I have gained several pounds in the past few months. After the New Year, I have to lose weight and can't keep eating like this." The Queen Mother touched the soft flesh around her waist, which seemed to be a circle larger than before she left the palace.

Little Jin'an smacked his lips and said, "Mother, I can't eat like this anymore. I can hardly wear clothes."

Tao Yanyan held him over and touched his protruding belly. When the child was first brought home, he was so thin that he was just skin and bones, with only a little baby fat on his face. But now, his whole body was visibly plump and round.

"Jin'an has grown a little taller and his sleeves have become shorter." Tao Yanyan was very satisfied with the results of his feeding.

"Fortunately, all the winter clothes are made for you in Wangdali. When we return to the palace, I will ask the Clothing Bureau to make new clothes for you." Just as he finished speaking, Eunuch Gui came to report that Eunuch Zhang was ordered to announce the decree and was outside the palace.

The Queen Mother gave a suspicious look and summoned someone in.

"I am here to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager and meet Concubine Tao. Hi, I should call her Concubine Tao now. Your Majesty has promoted Concubine Tao's rank, and I have come here specially to announce the decree." After Eunuch Zhang finished speaking, he read the emperor's decree of promotion.

Tao Yanyan thanked her and took it. The Queen Mother snorted and said, "You've only just been promoted to the fourth rank? How stingy."

Eunuch Zhang smiled awkwardly and glanced at Concubine Tao. "Originally, His Majesty wanted to make her a concubine directly, but Lord Tao stopped him, saying that she had not yet given birth to an heir, and that it would be more legitimate to make her a concubine after she had children for the royal family in the future. In addition, the Imperial Concubine also felt that it was inappropriate to promote her too quickly, so she promoted her to Concubine. However, His Majesty specifically asked me to select several palaces with good locations for Concubine Tao to live in, and we will make a decision when Concubine Tao returns to the palace tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"What? Go back to the palace?" Tao Yanyan frowned: "It's still more than ten days away from the New Year, why do we have to go back early?" She also wanted to ask Dong Fang to send chestnuts to the shop to make chestnut cakes in the name of going out to purchase. If she went back in the next two days, Dong Fang would not have time to pick the chestnuts and send them back.

It really hinders her from making money!

The Empress Dowager was also a little suspicious, because in previous years she would always return on the 27th or 28th of the twelfth lunar month.

"Originally, we were not in a hurry. It was just that the Imperial Concubine requested permission to let Concubine Tao assist in the management of palace affairs. The main purpose was to see how the royal industries could increase revenue..." So, Eunuch Zhang told him everything about how the Imperial Concubine came to ask for money, Lord Tao gave advice, and finally found a job for Concubine Tao.

Tao Yanyan was speechless and choked. Does this count as people being on a happy vacation, but the boss and a group of senior executives inexplicably assign tasks to the vacationers, throwing a hot potato at them, and urging them to go back and work like slaves before their vacation is over?

The Queen Mother looked unhappy: "Even if you are anxious to increase revenue, there is no need to rush at this time, right?" Thinking that she had not yet eaten the sweet chestnut cakes and had not had enough of this carefree palace life, the Queen Mother said: "How about this, I will give you 5,000 taels of silver, and you can take the banknotes back to help the imperial concubine in case of emergency. As for the royal property, wait until after the New Year, after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and then ask Concubine Tao to take a look."

Eunuch Zhang was speechless for a moment. Your Majesty meant to bring the person back as soon as possible! Your Majesty is eagerly looking forward to it!

"But, His Majesty..." Eunuch Zhang said in embarrassment.

"Why, the money has been taken care of for him, and he can't wait to go back ten or eight days later?" The Queen Mother said impatiently: "Okay, okay, it's settled. Let Eunuch Gui take you downstairs to rest, and ask the kitchen to make some supper. It's winter, and it's not easy to travel."

Having said this, Eunuch Zhang knew that he would not be able to take Concubine Tao back on schedule, so he had to respectfully take his leave.

After everyone left, the Queen Mother said, "It's hard to manage the affairs of the harem, but it's also easy. Fortunately, you only need to manage those industries. Let Li, the chief steward, familiarize you with them. Improve what can be improved, and don't force what can't be improved. Those industries have an annual income of about 200,000 taels. If you can increase it by 10,000 taels, it will be a credit. Don't worry, if you can't increase the income, you can open a shop and sell food, and the money will come."

The Queen Mother was very satisfied with Tao Yanyan's cooking skills and even figured out how to open a profitable shop for her.

Tao Yanyan thanked him with a smile. The more he got along with the Queen Mother, the more lovable she was. Who would have thought that when they first met, they were still so tense!

Eunuch Zhang was ultimately unable to pick up the people in advance, so the next day he took some freshly-baked chestnut cakes and rode back to the palace in a carriage.

Someone was waiting anxiously but no one came back. He was so angry that his face looked like it was struck by twelve or thirteen lightning bolts and was black as smoke.

Eunuch Zhang did not dare to raise his eyebrows these days, and could only serve with trembling fear. After sending the three thousand taels of silver notes to the imperial concubine, he put the remaining two thousand taels into the emperor's private treasury, just waiting to get through this period of time, looking forward to Concubine Tao returning to the palace, and then cheering up and living a good life again.

There were many things to do before the New Year in the palace. On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, red lanterns were already hung up. Each palace also cut red window decorations and pasted them on the windows. The New Year atmosphere was getting stronger and stronger.

At night on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, several carriages passed through the palace gate, and the emperor and the concubine personally welcomed the empress dowager back to the palace.

Little Jinan had fallen asleep in the carriage. As soon as Tao Yanyan carried the child down from the carriage, Yin Jiu took him over, and Dong Fang immediately wrapped him in a cloak.

He Linzhang first greeted the Queen Mother who got off the carriage, then took a look at Tao Yanyan and the child. Seeing that the child had fallen asleep, he said, "Send the child back first, so that he won't be blown by the wind."

After saying that, he took Tao Yanyan's hand and said, "You are tired from the journey. You should go back and rest first. I will send the Queen Mother back to the palace first, and then come to see you."

"I will be leaving in a sedan chair. The emperor doesn't need to see me off. You can go back directly. We haven't seen each other for a month. A short absence is better than a new marriage."

He Linzhang and Tao Yanyan's faces turned red. Fortunately, it was night and they couldn't see clearly, otherwise they would have been really embarrassed by the Queen Mother's words.

The imperial concubine standing next to the empress dowager's eyes flickered, her expression unclear in the night.