Harem Daily Life

Chapter 423: Cheating Brother

Mrs. Tao looked at her suspiciously, "What are you reporting?"

Tao Yanyan bit her lip and said, "Before you came just now, in order to get Gu Ning to tell me about her and her brother, I lied to her and said that her brother not only had broken ribs, but also that part... was injured. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to have children in the future..."

Mrs. Tao looked at her daughter with a puzzled look on her face. "No wonder Gu Ning said that she was willing to adopt a child. After all this time, it was you... who was spreading rumors about your brother?"

Tao Yanyan lowered his head and pointed at his fingers: "My cousin refused to tell me, so I was anxious to find out the truth. Anyway, my eldest brother doesn't know the inside story, and my mother helped me keep it a secret, so I just don't tell you."

Madam Tao looked at her helplessly and dotingly: "You, you are already a mother of three children, but you still have the mentality of a child. From childhood to adulthood, you have always been cheating your brother. Well, I will definitely not tell your brother, otherwise, if he knew that you spread rumors about him, I'm afraid he would have to get up and argue with you even with his injuries! But Gu Ning is a really good child. Knowing that your brother is not capable, she is still willing to marry and adopt a child. It seems that she really likes your brother to the bone. Alas, originally I went to the Marquis' Mansion to ask her feelings because of the pressure from your brother, but now I like this child more and more."

Tao Yanyan took Mrs. Tao's arm and said coquettishly: "You see, this little lie of mine is not completely useless. It also makes you see clearly that Gu Ning is a good daughter-in-law."

Mrs. Tao glared at her and said, "Don't let your brother know this!"

Tao Yanyan made a gesture of pulling up her mouth, looking cute and adorable. Mrs. Tao was in a trance for a moment and sighed: "You are eighteen years old in the blink of an eye. You were so small when you first came into my arms." Mrs. Tao gestured.

After saying this, he said in a somewhat depressed mood: "Fortunately, you are now of noble status. As long as you can live smoothly and safely in the palace and continue to be favored by His Majesty, I will be worthy of your biological mother's trust."

Tao Yanyan held Madam Tao's arm, looking intimate. Thinking of the deceased mother and daughter of the original owner, she felt a little indescribable in her heart. Fortunately, Concubine Li, who killed the original owner's biological mother, is dead, and the original owner's revenge has been avenged for her. I hope their souls in heaven can be comforted.

This was Tao Yanyan's first time back to the Tao family in the capital. This house was originally a reward from His Majesty, and the location was particularly good, in one of the most prosperous areas in the capital. The entire courtyard was a four-entry house, low-key and luxurious, completely matching the status of a senior official in the capital.

The reward at the beginning was a bit excessive, exceeding Tao Qian's official position, but Tao Qian was the father of the favorite concubine, and since the emperor wanted to reward him in this way, outsiders could not say anything.

Tao Yanyan was taken by Mrs. Tao to see Tao Zhixing. When he saw his sister coming, Tao Zhixing felt a little embarrassed and his face turned red.

"Brother has kept it a secret so well that he hasn't revealed any news at all. If it weren't for this incident, how long would you have kept it a secret? How many more years will my cousin have to wait?" Tao Yanyan complained, pretending to be angry.

Tao Zhixing knew he was in the wrong, and he didn't dare to refute her, so he could only apologize: "It's all my fault, sister, please stop making fun of me. Then... Gu Ning..."

He looked at Madam Tao, who smiled and said, "Just rest and recover. I will discuss with your father and find a good day to go to Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion to propose marriage."

When Tao Zhixing heard this, he was so excited that he almost sat up. However, the slightest movement would cause the wound on his body to become painful, and he gasped in pain.

"Brother, don't get excited. It's more important to take good care of your injury. If you don't heal your injury, the marriage will have to be postponed." Tao Yanyan joked.

Tao Zhixing just smiled foolishly and looked silly.

"By the way, Yan Yan, when I went to Miaoyinfang that day, I always felt that there was something strange about this place." Tao Zhixing was stunned for a while, and finally remembered the abnormality he saw that day and mentioned it.

Tao Yanyan was suspicious: "How is it so strange?"

Tao Zhixing organized his words and said, "This Miaoyinfang has three floors. I found that going up to the third floor requires strict inspection. It seems that only special guests with tokens can go up. Even the young masters in the capital cannot pass without tokens. Of course, it is possible that the people who receive guests on the third floor are only a few rich and noble people. I am just ignorant."

Tao Yanyan suddenly thought of the two lines of poetry that Li Cairen had said before, the second half of which was "The wonderful sound spread to the four countries." He wondered whether the Miaoyin in the poem was related to Miaoyinfang.

But after listening to Tao Zhixing's words, she was quite interested in the third floor. She had never seen an ancient music house.

"Brother, have you ever asked them how they got the token?"

Tao Zhixing shook his head: "I wanted to ask that originally, but then I got into a fight with those playboys."

Tao Yanyan took this matter to heart. After returning to the palace from Tao's house, she told He Linzhang about it: "Although it may be useless, it won't hurt anything if Your Majesty sends someone to investigate secretly."

When He Linzhang heard this, he immediately understood what she was thinking. She was thinking about those two lines of poetry.

He summoned Shadow Guard to investigate the matter. After three days of undercover investigation, Shadow Guard finally found a way to get the token.

"Was it given by Master Cang Xuan?" He Linzhang frowned. Master Cang Xuan was a famous musician in the Great Zhou Dynasty. He was good at playing various musical instruments and had composed many famous songs that were widely circulated.

"So, if you want to get the token, you have to find Master Cang Xuan?" He Linzhang asked.

Ying Yi nodded: "Master Cang Xuan is not in the capital, he said he was traveling. We have no way of knowing his whereabouts. However, next month is the Miaoyinfang's triennial selection competition, and they will re-examine the four top performers in the academy. In the past, Master Cang Xuan would serve as a referee, but I don't know if he will appear this year."

"I remember that in previous selections, people who are knowledgeable about music among the dignitaries in the capital would be invited to serve as judges?" He Linzhang asked.

Ying Yi nodded: "Prince Changping and Marquis Ningyuan have both served as judges. In addition, there are also Imperial College Master Cai Jijiu and Master Wen."

When He Linzhang heard Master Wen, he remembered that he was taught music theory by Master Wen. The former Imperial Concubine Wen, who had passed away, also knew about music.

Thinking that Tao Yanyan played the pipa very well, he wanted to take her on a secret visit to see the fun.

"You go and make the arrangements. When the time comes, I will take the Imperial Concubine to the scene to take a look. We will secretly eliminate the hidden dangers in advance, prepare the necessary locations, and train a few personnel first."

Ying Yi immediately accepted the order, but he felt miserable. The emperor was going out of the palace incognito, and to such a busy place, which was really tiring. All aspects had to be taken into consideration, all hidden dangers had to be eliminated in advance, and the division of labor had to be clear, with each person responsible for what.

Yingyi is working non-stop to prepare, and also has to keep a close eye on Miaoyinfang to see their operations, processes, and venues, so as not to miss any point and create hidden dangers.