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

Chapter 11 Peace Negotiation
Changchun Palace.

After paying her respects to the old empress dowager and sitting for another half an hour, the virtuous concubine Jia Yuanchun returned to the palace and entered her usually deserted bedroom.

Several noble ladies and beauties who lived in Changchun Palace, including Song, Qian, and Zhao, came to pay their respects to her. After sitting with them for a while, Jia Yuanchun ordered them to go back.

Although she was one of the four concubines, she was not favored by the emperor. There were no less than two hundred concubines of the emperor and the emperor emeritus in the palace, and the six palaces in the east and west were not enough.

Seeing that there was no one around, Jia Yuanchun took out a letter from the cabinet and read it carefully in the light of the palace lantern.

After reading a few sentences, she couldn't stop crying:
"Grandma... Dad, Mom, when can I see you again?"

This letter was written more than a year ago. It mentioned the affairs of the Jia family and reminded her to be careful in the palace.

Whenever Yuanchun felt depressed, she would take out the old letters and read them.

"Miss!"

A maid hurried in, carrying a zither. Yuanchun quickly wiped away her tears, put the letter away, and calmed down before asking, "Why are you so flustered? Although this is a time of turmoil, we can't lose our ways. You've been with me for many years, and you should understand that this palace is not like home."

Baoqin was her personal maid brought from the Jia family. She had been serving her since she was a child. In the palace, Jia Yuanchun could only speak her mind to her and the old empress dowager.

"Miss!"

Baoqin didn't care about that anymore. She took a few steps forward and whispered to her, "The eunuchs sent by the Queen hinted that I wanted silver. I gave them two hundred taels, and they told me that the Queen had ordered them to prepare three feet of white cloth for later use!"

"what!"

A look of fear appeared on Jia Yuanchun's face, which was as white and delicate as the bright moon.

No matter how stupid a person is, he should know where the three feet of white cloth is used.

If the enemy army broke into the city, the eunuch on duty would use this three-foot white cloth to give to the concubines in the palace, forcing them to commit suicide and preserve the last dignity of the Shun Dynasty.

Jia Yuanchun was stunned. After she hugged her zither and called her several times, she burst into tears and faced the window without saying a word.

"Your Highness!" Baoqin knelt down and cried, "Your Highness entered the palace at the age of nine, and it has been nearly ten years now. You have endured ten years before being granted the title of Imperial Concubine. But the heavens are so cruel. Just when Your Highness was honored, before she even gave birth to a prince or princess, she suffered the disaster of the city being besieged by bandits... Now, she has to follow the Emperor... How blind is this thief of heaven!"

Although her name is Baoqin, she has an impatient temper. When she is in great trouble, she dares to say anything!
"Hold the qin, and don't say anything more."

Jia Yuanchun's face was dull, as if she had lost all hope. "Since I've come to this place where I can't see anyone, I've long anticipated this day... If the enemy army enters the city, you can take advantage of the chaos to escape and return home. Old Madam and Madam will not ignore you."

"My lady..."

Baoqin looked at Empress Yuanfei with a sad heart.

After a while, she walked out and looked at the palace in the night. It was dark and she could faintly hear a few coughs echoing around.

Baoqin lingered at the palace gate for a long time. The eunuchs on duty had just received silver and ignored her, sitting there playing cards.

"No! Absolutely not... How can I let the Empress commit suicide by my side?"

Baoqin made up her mind, hurried back to the empress's bedroom, lit a lamp by her bed, and wrote a letter overnight.

Tomorrow, she will go find the eunuch beside Eunuch Xia and deliver the letter to the Jia family!

Whether it worked or not, it was the only solution she could think of.

……

A night passed, the sun rose, and the bright spring sunshine shone on the capital of Dashun Dynasty inside and outside. The people in the city got up one after another, and some people walked hurriedly on the streets. When they met acquaintances, they just bowed and continued to busy themselves with their own things.

There are only two days left before King Qian attacks the city.

Unless necessary, the people would not go out, locked the doors and windows, and stayed at home, waiting for two days.

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"Snapped!"

The eunuch from the Ministry of Rites cracked his long whip, signaling the start of today's court session. Jia Zheng stood outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, looking around, a look of sadness on his face.

Compared to yesterday, the number of officials attending court this morning was half less.

Even Prince Zhongshun stopped coming and hid in the palace, only asking someone to spread the word that he advocated the surrender of Prince Qian.

Without anyone saying anything, many minor officials gathered outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony and listened closely to the quarrel coming from inside.

However, the noise in today's quarrel was much quieter than that of the previous two days. Most of those who advocated surrender had become like Prince Zhongshun, feigning illness at home and no longer attending court.

Even Jia Zheng, who was outside the hall, could feel the depressing atmosphere.

Half an hour later, the court meeting ended.

The ministers came out of the hall, and Jia Zheng hurried to greet his brother-in-law. Wang Ziteng did not hide anything and said two words in front of everyone:
"Peace talks."

The people waiting outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony were suddenly shocked.

Jia Zheng felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. He stroked his beard and nodded, "Given the current situation, we can only temporarily negotiate peace with the bandit king. I wonder who the emperor has sent?"

Wang Ziteng said, "It remains to be discussed. I have sent someone to invite Prince Zhongshun. Perhaps I will go with him."

One minister was worried: "Ever since he started his rebellion, Prince Qian has ignored the imperial court's invitation to surrender. I also heard that after he captures the city, he will definitely plunder the wealthy households and reward his subordinates... I'm afraid the imperial court will have to pay a heavy price to satisfy him in this peace negotiation!"

Jia Zheng took a look at him and saw that he was a counselor from the Grand Council. Even he called the bandit "King Qian"?
After discussing for a while, Jia Zheng decided that since he was a low-ranking official and it was not his turn to make the decision on the peace talks, he returned home and sat alone in his study.

He sat there for a full hour, but no one came to look for him.

His elder brother Jia She and Jia Zhen of the East Palace seemed to have nothing to do with them and were indifferent to the situation inside and outside the court. As for his cousin Jia Jing, he was just making elixirs and practicing Taoism in a Taoist temple outside the city, just like the emperor.

"Ugh."

Jia Zheng sighed deeply. If the city fell, what would happen to the Jia family? If the family was destroyed and everyone died...

Jia Zheng didn't dare to think further.

At this time, the servant called out from outside the door: "Master, Master Lian is here."

"Lian'er?"

Jia Zheng had an idea. In the Ning and Rong mansions, only Jia Lian was capable of handling the affairs. His son Jia Baoyu had some unique talents, but unfortunately he was unwilling to use them in the right path of official career.

"Let him in." Jia Zheng said.

Jia Lian quickly walked into the study, bowed, and then said, "Master, the Queen has secretly sent a letter from the palace. I dare not read it without permission, so I gave it to you, Master!"

"What? How dare she...?"

Jia Zheng was very frightened. The rules in the Shun Dynasty harem were very strict. If concubines secretly communicated with relatives, it would be tantamount to treason, in a serious sense. In a lighter sense, they would also be fined and demoted.

Jia Lian said, "There is a great chaos at hand, and we have no regard for the rules. Please read this letter, sir!"

After saying that, he handed over a letter with both hands.

Jia Zheng hurriedly opened it and looked at it. The more he looked, the more flustered he became.

"Master, master."

Jia Lian asked twice before he heard the master say, "This letter was sent by Baoqin."

"What did she say?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)