After the rebellion was successful, I realized that this place was the Red Mansion

Chapter 107 Hui Zijuan

The rear hall, the east side room.

Before entering the palace, Zijuan never imagined that she would be alone in a room with the emperor. She was flustered and nervous, afraid that the emperor would ask her something bad.

To everyone's surprise, the emperor's first words were:

"How many tears has Miss Lin shed lately?"

Zijuan was taken aback, looked up at him, and asked not anything else, but only how many times the girl had shed tears.

He is the emperor, the most powerful man in the land, yet he cares so much about the girl. He asked me to stay behind alone. Is it because he saw that the girl was not in a good mood for him, and he wanted to learn about the girl from her?
Zijuan was unaware of the inside story. Chu Yan asked Lin Daiyu if she was crying because she knew that in the novel "Dream of the Red Chamber," Lin Daiyu was born to repay her debt of tears, and would return once she had done so.

Now that I see her, judging from her appearance and demeanor, I can roughly tell that she is determined to die.

Otherwise, given Lin Daiyu's disdain for the powerful and wealthy, she wouldn't have addressed him respectfully as the Emperor. She had previously thrown away Prince Bei Jing's belongings, saying, "What a stinky man has touched these things!"

"His Majesty is asking... how many tears did Miss Lin shed?"

Zijuan asked again and received an affirmative answer from Chu Yan. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "These past few days, Miss Lin only cries for a short while at night, but during the day she goes out to Yihong Courtyard and stays for a long time, expressing her gratitude to Master Bao."

After speaking, she felt uneasy.

She knew the emperor wanted to take the girl into the harem, but the girl was truly in love with Bao Erye. Perhaps if she spoke up, the emperor would grant the girl's wish.

The girl had once recited the poem, "Once you enter the palace gates, it's like entering a deep sea; from then on, Xiao Lang is just a stranger." Later, she inquired about the story behind the poem and learned that Cui Jiao, who wrote it, and the maid who made a vow of eternal love, eventually found happiness in marriage with the help of the person who bought the maid.

Chu Yan asked, "You said she only cried for a short while, but she used to cry a lot?"

Zijuan nodded and cautiously replied, "In the past, even when there was nothing wrong, Miss would often shed tears in secret, feeling melancholy about spring and autumn. She would even shed a few tears when she saw flowers wither. Since the Jia family suffered a drastic change, Miss has cried even more. Recently, perhaps she has damaged her eyes from crying, and her tears have gradually decreased."

Chu Yan sighed, "She truly lives up to her name, Lin Daiyu. Her eyes, seemingly weeping yet still glistening with dew, are so pitiful to behold."

Zijuan lowered her head, and upon hearing these words, her heart sank.

The emperor praised Miss Lin's beauty, yet ignored the affection between Bao Erye and Miss Lin, showing that he was unwilling to let the girl and Bao Erye off easily.

Chu Yan then asked, "Miss Lin and Jia Baoyu had a deep affection for each other. When he was kicked out, did Miss Lin have any thoughts of suicide?"

Hearing Zijuan's words, Lin Daiyu felt as if she had confirmed what she had said in her dream: in a few months, she would have to go back home with all her tears.

Zijuan finally slowly raised her head, looked at Chu Yan, pursed her lips, and asked him, "Your Majesty, may I ask you a question?"

"Just ask."

Zijuan felt somewhat relieved and asked with curiosity, "How did His Majesty know that the young lady would try to kill herself?"

"You can tell."

Zijuan remained silent for a moment, then said, “His Majesty knows everything, and this servant dares not conceal anything. Before the rebel army entered the city, Miss, you secretly prepared a white silk ribbon.”

"She was preparing before I led my troops into the city?" Chu Yan nodded. "It seems she didn't want to be humiliated and wanted to preserve her chastity, not to die for Jia Baoyu."

If Lin Daiyu were to commit suicide for love, it would prove that her love for Jia Baoyu was stronger than gold and would be difficult to break.

Now is the time to seize the opportunity.

Zijuan sighed, "Even if Miss won't hang herself for Master Bao, she would cry herself to death if anything happened to him. A few days ago, Miss was bedridden and looked like she was about to die. Fortunately, His Majesty sent an imperial physician."

Zijuan was clever and attributed the credit to the imperial physician sent by Chu Yan.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "Crying to death may not be her intention."

Zijuan looked puzzled, unable to discern the deeper meaning in his words.

Chu Yan didn't explain, and continued, "I know you are a loyal maid, and you don't want to see Miss Lin die like this."

Zijuan lowered her head and didn't say anything.

"If you have anything to say or ask, just say it," Chu Yan said.

Zijuan remained silent for a while before saying, "I only pray that you are safe and sound, and that you don't need to worry about Master Bao, Master Bao, or anything in the palace... I just hope you will be alright."

"What about yourself?"

"I?"

Zijuan was puzzled at first, then blushed, "The old lady sent me to serve the young lady in her room. I have been close to the young lady over the years, and I will follow her wherever she marries in the future."

Chu Yan glanced at her again. Zijuan's figure and appearance were both excellent. He said to her, "I heard Leng Zixing mention your daughter before, and I just saw her in person. I like her very much."

Zijuan looked up at him, then looked down again.

Only an emperor could speak like that. All the people under heaven were his subjects. If he said he liked a girl, he could take her as a concubine.

This is the tone of an emperor.

“But given your daughter’s character, I’m afraid she won’t easily agree to enter the palace as my concubine. Even if she has wronged me, she might still need my help,” Chu Yan said.

Zijuan's voice choked with sobs: "These past few days, Miss has been worried about how to repay the debts. Master Bao has spent a lot of money in the military camp, the mansion has been confiscated, Miss's father is missing, and the Lin family's property may also be..."

The Lin family's property has most likely been confiscated as well!
Chu Yan smiled and said, "I don't want to hold her responsible for the time being. Of course, don't tell her about this."

Zijuan stopped crying and stood up to express her gratitude on behalf of the young lady.

Chu Yan said slowly, "I'll just tell you straight, Miss Zijuan."

Zijuan looked up at him.

"I want to take Lin Daiyu as my concubine, but she is too stubborn. I can't blame her for that; if she weren't like that, she wouldn't be Qingqing." Qingqing is the description of Lin Daiyu in the Fairy Disenchantment's List of Love. The first "qing" is a verb, meaning that Lin Daiyu has feelings for the person she has feelings for.

To be honest, Chu Yan didn't understand it.

Was Lin Daiyu's affection truly infatuation, or was it love for the person who loved her, or perhaps it was only love for the person who loved her, without actually liking that person?
Chu Yan had no intention of figuring out the situation.

He disregarded the so-called "List of Lovers" by Fairy Disenchantment, partly because he was already the emperor and had disrupted the fates of the Twelve Beauties and their secondary consorts, yet Fairy Disenchantment did not come to warn him.

Another reason is that he traveled from the future and believed more in the philosophical interpretations of humanity from that era.

"Love?"

Zijuan was even more puzzled. It sounded like "Qingqing" or "Qinqin," which were things that only married couples would say in the bedroom, or that people of questionable character would say!
Zijuan looked at him. This emperor was domineering in his words and actions, but unintentionally, he also revealed his genuine concern for the girl.

Chu Yan smiled at her and said, "You've been with her the longest. Do you have any way to get her to abandon Baoyu and come to the palace? At least, don't let her have any thoughts of suicide. I'm not going to eat her."

Wang Xifeng in the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber* was right; Lin Daiyu was like a beautiful lamp, easily broken by the wind.

“If she agrees, I will issue an imperial decree to treat the Jia family leniently and to help her find her father. I just heard you say that Lin Ruhai is missing, not that he died of illness.”

Chu Yan added.

Upon hearing this, Zijuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the true domineering power of an emperor!
He had been polite and courteous before, but he refused to let go of the Jia family and the young lady, insisting that the young lady enter the palace.

If the girl hadn't been determined to die, the emperor probably wouldn't have asked any further questions and would have simply taken her into the harem. Over time, the girl would have given in.

The emperor absolutely had to have the girl!

If the girl doesn't comply, won't she die?
Zijuan felt helpless. How could the young lady, Baoyu, and the Jia family possibly defy the emperor?
The only saving grace was that the emperor was very fond of the girl. But with three thousand concubines in the harem, how long could this fondness last?
Even the most loving couples will develop rifts over time.

Things in this world are rarely perfect. For example, Master Bao, though favored by the young lady, is useless; Master Lian, though handsome and loving with his wife, is too philandering.

The emperor before me had dragon-like eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, and was tall and imposing, which made people feel awe. It was a wonder that he had conquered the world at such a young age!
Having put aside her thoughts, Zijuan said seriously, "Miss and Master Bao spend every day together and know each other intimately. It would be extremely difficult for outsiders to interfere. Miss is also very perceptive and insightful about human relationships. She can figure out roughly who is sincere and who is not by choice when others do things to her."

Chu Yan smiled.

He enjoys challenges!

After a long pause, Zijuan said in a low voice, "If you want Miss to give up on Master Bao, you need to... think it through yourself, or Master Bao will change his mind."

Chu Yan nodded, and Zijuan stood up again. "This servant only asks that Your Majesty treat you kindly, whether you release you or send you to the palace. Your health is not good and you cannot withstand the ravages of wind and rain."

Chu Yan smiled and said, "She takes medicine all year round. If she stops taking it, it will kill her. I will treat her well."

Zijuan bowed in gratitude.

"Go now and summon Miss Lin," Chu Yan instructed.

Zijuan went out and, guided by a palace maid, came to the west side room, where she saw the young lady standing there, lost in thought.

Upon seeing her, Daiyu stood up, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Separating two people for questioning is a method of interrogating a criminal! It's also the best time to sow discord!
"Miss," Zijuan said softly, "His Majesty asked me, 'How many times have you cried?'"

Daiyu was taken aback.

Zijuan then asked, "Ask me again how to break up Miss and Master Bao."

Daiyu was even more surprised. Zijuan gave her a deep look, believing that with the young lady's talent, she would surely be able to guess what the emperor and she had talked about.

“Miss, go ahead. His Majesty is waiting for you. Don’t worry too much. He is a reasonable man,” Zijuan said softly.

Daiyu glanced at her, and the more she said that, the more suspicious she became that her Zijuan had betrayed her and been deceived by the emperor's sweet words.

But upon closer reflection on her three sentences, Daiyu guessed how Zijuan had answered the emperor.

She tugged at Zijuan's hand, met her gaze, and then let go, walking towards the east side room.

Upon entering the room, one comes face to face with the emperor, who sits on a soft couch.

When Chu Yan saw Lin Daiyu again, she was much more imposing this time. Her eyes looked at him with a hint of Lin Daiyu's sharp tongue.

Chu Yan looked at her more closely. Her eyebrows were like wisps of smoke, neither frowning nor smiling, and her eyes were like dewdrops, neither crying nor smiling.

Before seeing her, Chu Yan didn't believe it; who in the world would look like that?

But upon seeing Lin Daiyu, I realized that a girl's eyebrows and eyes could look like that.

With eyes that seemed to be weeping but weren't, and recalling what Zijuan had said—that Lin Daiyu had been crying so much lately—Chu Yan had the urge to scare her into tears, to see with his own eyes how pitiful she would be when she cried, with her rare, dewy eyes and her two arched eyebrows that resembled distant green mountains.

Daiyu was also looking at him. This rebel Prince Qian truly lived up to his reputation as a king of rebels. He had an extremely fierce appearance. Just by standing there, he looked like a bloodthirsty tiger, capable of scaring people to tears.

His expression was indifferent, his eyebrows were like swords, his eyes were like cold stars, and his lips were like painted vermilion. Sitting there, his aura was as majestic as a mountain, and as powerful as a great river, with surging waves hidden beneath the surface.

"Sister Lin, we meet again."

Chu Yan said.

The word "again" reveals that the two had met in a dream.

Daiyu sneered: "My father was a former third-place scholar in the imperial examinations during the Shun Dynasty. What merit or ability does he have to call the new emperor his elder brother?"

Chu Yan laughed. This was the sharp-tongued Lin Daiyu; she immediately called him a traitor.

(End of this chapter)