Harem Daily Life

Chapter 255: Three Things the New Concubine Do When She Takes Office

Tao Yanyan didn't put on airs and just let him go. She was in a high position now, so she naturally found a seat in the front and sat down.

Wang Zhaoyi was sitting next to her and said calmly, "Tao Zhaoyi was given the title of consort. It's really surprising. She has been a consort only one year after entering the palace. It shows how much His Majesty dotes on you."

Concubine Zhou said: "But she doesn't seem to be favored either. Compared with Concubine Li back then, she still lacks something. Oh, Madam Tao, you didn't give me a title, but just used my surname. No wonder I felt something was missing."

Tao Yanyan remembered that He Linzhang had asked her about the title the night before. He Linzhang had intended to give her a title and wrote three words for her to choose from, but she didn't want any of them and insisted on using her surname. He Linzhang finally agreed to her decision.

Tao Yanyan wanted to keep the surname for the original owner. Now that the original owner is gone, does that mean even the name has to be erased?

Ignoring the two noisy people, Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Empress Shufei is your Majesty's cousin and the Queen Mother's niece, and she has not been given a title either. What's wrong with me not having a title? You two are so concerned about this, why don't you think about how to attract your Majesty? If you stick to your Majesty, will you still be afraid of not being promoted or getting a title in the future? Instead of always staring at others, why not take a good look at yourself and improve yourself, so that you can achieve perfection."

Wang Zhaoyi and Zhou Jieyu were choked and didn't know how to refute.

Did they not try to attract His Majesty? Yes, they did, but His Majesty didn't care at all!

When Wang Zhaoyi thought about the fact that she had not slept with the emperor for half a year, she became so angry that her face turned red and her neck became thick. She had to stay alone in her empty room day and night, without even a sip of soup, let alone any meat.

Wang Zhaoyi was so angry that she ignored her status and said in a deep voice: "Since the Empress came, Your Majesty has been to other palaces only a few times. Your Majesty must be very happy to occupy Your Majesty's palace, right? It's a pity that the rest of us combined can't sleep with Your Majesty as many times as Your Majesty."

Hearing these sour words, Tao Yanyan looked at her with amusement. She had to say that He Linzhang was really lucky. If Wang Zhaoyi were put in later generations, she would definitely be a great beauty. It was a pity that she was not as beautiful as the original owner.

The only two people in the palace who could match the original owner's appearance were the former Imperial Concubine Wen who was a few years younger, and the Concubine Li who was a few pounds fatter. Everyone else had to surpass her.

"Hey, I often remind your majesty not to come to my palace all the time. I have to take care of two children every day and manage the royal property. It's really tiring, but your majesty doesn't listen. He even says he wants to come to my palace. Can you hear what he's saying? Isn't this just making other palaces jealous of me? Sometimes I can smell the sour smell of vinegar wherever I go." After saying that, she waved a handkerchief in front of her nose: "A little vinegar is good for your health, but eating too much will make your teeth fall out. Wang Zhaoyi, Zhou Jieyu, vinegar is good for your health, but don't be greedy!"

Wang Zhou and his companions were choked and could not speak for a long time, and could only hold back their words until their faces turned red.

Many concubines of lower rank came one after another, and when most of them had arrived, Concubine De came out.

Today, Concubine De is dressed up in a gorgeous dress, with her hair full of pearls and jade, looking quite majestic. Everyone stood up to salute, and Concubine De, who was sitting at the head, smiled and said, "Sisters, please stand up. I asked you to come here today because, firstly, I am temporarily taking over the Queen's place to assist in the management of the six palaces. If you have any questions, you can talk to me directly and I will help you coordinate. Secondly, I have looked at the expenditure accounts of the rear palaces over the past few years, and the amount is really huge. So I thought, please come and discuss with me to see if there is any way to reduce expenses and relieve His Majesty's worries."

As soon as she finished speaking, Concubine Li said in a shrill voice: "Empress Defei, the expenses of us low-ranking concubines have never been much. If we reduce them further, I'm afraid it will be difficult to maintain our daily lives. If we really want to reduce them, we have to set an example for others to follow in order to see any effect."

Concubine Li first gave Concubine De a trick: If you want to reduce my money, you have to reduce it first, and you can't just take advantage of the people below us.

Concubine De had expected someone to say this, so she smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lady Li. Since it was me who proposed this, I will naturally set an example."

After saying that, she looked at Tao Yanyan: "What do you think, Princess Tao?"

Tao Yanyan raised her eyebrows: "Your Majesty asked me to assist you in managing the six palaces and taking charge of the royal property. The expenses of the harem have been reduced, so I will naturally listen to you."

Tao Yanyan is very easy to talk to. He just says "I'll do whatever you tell me to do" without even struggling.

Seeing how docile she was, Concubine De snorted in her heart, but said amiably, "Since the high-ranking Concubine Tao has no objection, then let's refer to the previous share rates of each palace and reduce them all by 20%."

As soon as the words were spoken, few people were happy. The money in their pockets was deducted again. It would be strange if anyone was happy.

After saying goodbye, everyone went back to the palace in twos and threes. Wang Zhaoyi walked quickly to Tao Yanyan and bowed: "Your Majesty has been promoted from a low position to a high position. You should know that our monthly allowance is really just enough for daily expenses in this palace. Why didn't Your Majesty speak up for us, but instead agreed with Concubine De and agreed to the proposal to cut expenses so obediently?"

Tao Yanyan looked at her like she was crazy: "Just now, Concubine De asked everyone to speak freely. Why didn't Wang Zhaoyi speak out what was on her mind? She had to wait until everything was settled before coming to me to complain. She even wanted me to come out and refute Concubine De. You want me to be the first to do so, but I won't fall for it. If you think the money is not enough and cannot be reduced, then go and say it yourself. Don't think that others will indulge you and listen to your orders."

After saying that, he rolled his eyes at her, turned around, got on the sedan chair, and left on his own.

After walking for a while, Qingfeng said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you were so good at criticizing Wang Zhaoyi today! People like this should be taught a lesson."

Tao Yanyan glanced at her and said, "She is used to being a noble lady and thinks everyone has to serve her. She doesn't know that if she wants something, she has to fight for it herself. Well, let's not talk about her. Go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs later and tell them that they don't need to send any more servants to Changle Palace. Since we need to cut costs, these people can be saved. I have enough of you guys by my side, so I don't need so many people to serve me."

Tao Yanyan was not worried about the high expenses. She had money now. The shop paid two hundred taels of dividend every month, which was several times her monthly salary. She was already a small wealthy woman and could afford to support as many people as she wanted. Her main concern was that it would be difficult to manage too many people. What if one or two of them were planted by others? She would not be able to discover it for a while.

Nowadays, Qingfeng, Mingyue, Changtai, Dongfang and the others are all able to work on their own and are more than capable of leading the people below them. There is no need to recruit more people.

Manager Li had already carefully selected four capable men for Concubine Tao, but upon hearing Qingfeng's opinion, he had no choice but to give up.

The few people who were chosen were all covered in dust and dirt, and missed a great opportunity to serve the favorite concubine.

One of the palace maids' eyes flickered, and after nightfall, she quietly climbed over a weed-covered courtyard wall and disappeared into the night.