Harem Daily Life

Chapter 249 Speculations about the Queen

Tao Yanyan took the opportunity to take a look at the cold palace, which was a small and dilapidated courtyard.

Due to years of disrepair, the doors and windows are crumbling. There is a well and a crooked jujube tree in the yard, and nothing else.

Because it is far away from the Imperial Garden and is the most remote corner of the palace, few people come here. In addition, the weather is cold and the sky is gray, so it looks particularly desolate.

"When your majesty doted on them, he provided them with fine clothes and delicious food, and loved them every night. But when they made a mistake, he threw them here and left them to fend for themselves. How cruel!"

If ordinary people are in trouble, they can still divorce or divorce their wives, and forget about each other. But women who marry into the royal family can only be royal family members in this life. Even if they are demoted to common people, they can't leave the palace. They can either die, be imprisoned in the cold palace, or become a nun. Anyway, there is no other way.

"Zhaoyi feels sorry for them. She is kind-hearted, but they did do something wrong. This is the punishment they deserve." Qingfeng comforted her.

Tao Yanyan knew that she shouldn't be soft-hearted, she just sighed. Even if she was asked to be a saint, she would not do it.

After waiting for a while, the door of Wen's house opened, and the maid led the eldest princess out and said respectfully: "Madam Wen, please let Zhaoyi in to talk. I will take the eldest princess to wait outside."

Tao Yanyan took Qingfeng and Xianglan in. There were palace servants outside, so she was not worried about the safety of the eldest princess.

Wen knelt down in front of Tao Yanyan and kowtowed three times: "Thank you, Zhaoyi Tao, for protecting Xuan'er. I have nothing to repay you now, so I can only kowtow to you to express my gratitude."

Tao Yanyan asked Xianglan to help her up: "The Queen Mother loves her granddaughter and gave the eldest princess to me. Since I have raised her, I will treat her well, don't worry."

Wen nodded. She also knew that the Queen Mother's choice of Tao Zhaoyi was the best choice, and no one else was suitable.

"Xuan'er has been spoiled by me since she was young, so it's inevitable that she has a bad temper. I hope that Tao Zhaoyi will not blame her. Considering that she lost her mother at a young age, please be more tolerant."

Tao Yanyan nodded, and Wen continued: "I will never have the chance to see her again in this life. I hope that Tao Zhaoyi can protect her and choose a suitable husband for her. I don't ask for a rich and powerful man, but I just hope he treats her well."

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "If I can successfully raise her to adulthood and nothing happens to me, I will definitely arrange a marriage for her."

Tao Yanyan couldn't guarantee that she would be able to go on smoothly in the palace, so she didn't promise too much.

Wen also understood why she said that. There was infighting in the harem, and the emperor's love was not long-lasting. Indeed, no one could guarantee a smooth journey.

After thinking for a while, the imperial concubine said, "There is something that I have never figured out. I will tell it to Tao Zhaoyi today. It will be good for you to understand it."

After saying that, he looked at Tao Yanyan's two maids. Tao Yanyan had no intention of asking Qingfeng and Xianglan to avoid him: "You can talk as you like."

Wen said, "I did plant two people around the Queen, Tinglan and Fanglan. I admit this. It was indeed my idea to release the snake that day. But Guixi is not my man. I did not let anyone put tuberose pollen on the Queen and the Second Princess to attract snakes. I just wanted to scare the Queen and make her miscarry. I never thought of hurting the Second Princess. The Second Princess can't have any impact on me. I only targeted the baby boy in the Queen's belly."

Tao Yanyan snorted coldly: "The fetus is innocent. Your behavior of harming a pregnant woman is really despicable."

After that, Wen Shi laughed at herself and said, "Yeah, I don't know when I became like this, using any means to harm the fetus. Haha, I don't even recognize myself anymore. But, I didn't instigate Gui Xi. Someone knew my plan and sent Gui Xi to help me secretly. He placed the sachets filled with pollen on the queen and the second princess. This person is not an easy person to deal with."

Tao Yanyan narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "It's really extraordinary that he knew you were going to send someone to release the snake that day, and he actively cooperated and accurately locked on the target. Who could it be?"

It was impossible for Concubine De, and it was impossible for Concubine Shu, so how could it be possible for Concubine Li, who had a beautiful appearance but a poor brain? Tao Yanyan also had a hunch that it was not her.

"You said Gui Xi is not your man, I believe that, but Gui Xi has been beaten to death, so I can't ask him any more questions."

This has become an unsolved case, and since all the people who should be blamed are dead, there is no way to investigate.

Wen's eyes darkened: "I have a bold guess, but I can't be sure. I think, maybe, the queen already knew the identities of Fanglan and Tinglan, as well as Guixi's identity, and just took the opportunity to expose us and catch us all in one fell swoop."

Tao Yanyan was shocked: "So what you mean is that the Queen knew that the Second Princess was carrying a snake-attracting sachet but she did nothing? She watched helplessly as her own daughter was at risk of being bitten by a snake?"

Tao Yanyan couldn't believe it, but saw Wen's eyes were firm: "Yes, what's impossible? After all, opportunities are rare, aren't they? This is the best opportunity to completely bring me down, and it can also wipe out the spies buried around her in one fell swoop. The queen will never miss it!"

Tao Yanyan simply couldn't believe this possibility, but Wen's analysis seemed to make some sense.

She remained silent, but her heart could not calm down for a long time.

Seeing Tao Yanyan's shocked expression, Wen said, "In this palace, even if you appear to be on good terms with her, you may stab her in the back. Familiar friends who share the same husband will become enemies sooner or later. If you want to walk away with a smile, you have to give birth to a favored prince and fight for your son and family. To be honest, I have no regrets about coming to this point today. If I were given another chance to choose, I would still take the risk of pulling down the queen and replacing her myself. The only thing I regret is that I didn't have enough means, I had bad luck, and I was not as skilled as others."

Tao Yanyan frowned and looked at her: "But you only have one daughter, the eldest princess. Even if you replace the queen, what can you do? It depends on fate to have a son."

Wen closed her eyes: "Yes, everything is unknown, but once the queen gives birth to a legitimate son, he may be made the crown prince. So what if I give birth to another prince in the future? Am I going to wait for him to grow up and then force him to rebel? That will cost a hundred times a thousand times more! Five years ago, when your majesty ascended the throne, the princes rebelled and rivers of blood flowed. I don't want my child to follow that path in the future, so it's better to be one step ahead and prevent the queen from giving birth!"

Seeing her persistence, Tao Yanyan was too lazy to say anything. Wen also knew that she could not impose her ideas on Tao Yanyan, so they both looked at each other in silence.

"Tao Zhaoyi, you are outstanding in appearance and are deeply favored by His Majesty. But as someone who has been through this, I want to advise you that in this deep palace, the friendship of the emperor is the last thing you can expect. Only the real power and interests in your hands are your magic weapon. While His Majesty still has feelings for you, it is better to hold on to more power and interests than anything else."

Tao Yanyan thanked her for her honesty: "Don't worry, I understand what you are saying."

"Then please go back. Thank you for bringing Xuan'er to see me today. If... that's it, I'm afraid I will never have the chance to see her again in this life." After Wen finished speaking, she shed a line of tears, turned her back and wiped them away with her hands.

"I have something to tell you. Maybe you will be sent to Jingci Nunnery in two days. The Wen family pleaded for mercy, and His Majesty agreed to let you enter the royal nunnery to practice with your hair untied, but you still need to ask the Queen Mother before making a decision. After you leave the palace, take care of yourself. If there is a chance in the future, I will bring the eldest princess to see you."

A bright light flashed in Wen's eyes, and she bowed to Tao Yanyan: "Thank you very much, I will recite sutras and pray for you every day in front of the Bodhisattva, and I wish you peace."

Tao Yanyan did not comment. Wen asked the Buddha to bless her just for the eldest princess to have a better life.

After coming out of the cold palace, Tao Yanyan thought about Wen's speculation about the queen, and her heart was cold.