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

Chapter 148 Arrangements, Bellyband

After everyone was seated, Grandmother Jia asked, "Shall we proceed as we did when the Imperial Concubine visited her family last time?"

Sun, the eunuch from Fengzao Palace, laughed and said, "How can His Majesty's visit be the same as that of the Imperial Concubine?"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Our family is not fortunate enough to receive the emperor several times like the Zhen family. We don't know what the rules are like inside, so please keep an eye on things."

Eunuch Zhou from Kunning Palace said, “When the Imperial Concubine visits her family, she is requesting permission to leave the palace. When she leaves the palace, when she arrives home, where she changes clothes, sits, receives gifts, and holds a banquet are all done according to imperial decree. However, when the Emperor travels for leisure, when he leaves, where he changes clothes, and when he holds a banquet are all decided by the Emperor’s word.”

After saying that, he smiled at the girls and said, "What we can do is serve His Majesty well, arrange the security and the curtains, so that no one will bump into the imperial carriage."

Everyone nodded, and Eunuch Zhou continued, "His Majesty will stay in the mansion for a few days, and we don't know when he will summon the young ladies."

As she spoke, she looked at the young grandmothers, ladies and maids, and said with a smile, "If His Majesty is in the mood, he may also visit other beautiful women in the mansion. If you want to rise to the top and become phoenixes, you'd better dress up properly!"

His words made all the women in the room blush with embarrassment.

Several older women, such as Grandmother Jia, Madam Xing, and Madam Wang, showed no embarrassment. As Grandmother Jia once said, "I'm old, how could I not raise that little brat?" Therefore, they did not shy away from the topic.

However, Wang Xifeng, Wang Ziteng's wife, Shi Xiangyun's second aunt, and others were all still capable of bearing children. Upon hearing Eunuch Zhou's words, all these ladies blushed with embarrassment.

But you can't scold him.

The emperor is the supreme ruler, and even if he summons their husbands to watch, their families can only obey his orders, let alone summon them to his bedside.

The ladies were all too embarrassed to speak, but Wang Xifeng quickly said with a smile, "Father-in-law, you are joking. The young ladies are all beautiful, and there are many pretty maids in the mansion. Why would the Emperor look at us young married women?"

A female official glanced at her and said, "That's hard to say, young lady. In my opinion, all the women in the mansion who are attractive should dress up and tidy up their rooms. The Emperor will be spending the night in the palaces of the various concubines, so all the rooms in the mansion should be cleaned in preparation for His Majesty's visit."

All the eunuchs and female officials nodded in agreement, so how could Baochai, Baoqin, Tanchun, and the others object? They had no choice but to let them make the arrangements.

Madam Wang glanced at Madam Xing, then looked at Wang Xifeng.

Her heart trembled. If the emperor would favor a married woman, wouldn't her daughter-in-law Li Wan, who had entered the palace, also have been favored by the emperor?

Qin Keqing has entered the palace, as has Li Wan, and Wang Xifeng will likely be summoned to the palace as well…

All of Jia's daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law were taken into the emperor's harem!
Madam Xing also glanced at her daughter-in-law, noticing Wang Xifeng's alluring figure, charming eyes, and slender build. No wonder there had been rumors in both households that she and her nephew Jia Rong had an improper relationship.

With her looks—both fierce and strong-willed, yet alluring and seductive—which man wouldn't stare at her the moment he saw her?
Upon hearing the eunuch's words, Baochai couldn't help but look at her mother, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly cleared her mind of all distractions.

She and her brother were not yet married. Her mother was only in her thirties. Although she had been widowed for many years and did not wear makeup, she was the second young lady of the Wang family and was naturally beautiful.

Her figure was also inherited from her mother. Usually, her mother always covered her beautiful figure tightly, and no one could see her ample bosom. Baochai could only catch a glimpse of her mother's figure and know her proudness as a woman when she saw her mother wearing thin clothes after taking a bath in the inner courtyard.

But now, the emperor is going to visit the Jia family, and her mother has no choice but to go and greet him. If Chu Yan were to see them then...

"Amitabha Buddha, please protect my family from this calamity..."

Even though Xue Baochai was dignified and composed, she was completely at a loss when it came to the matter of her mother being humiliated.

If the emperor took a liking to her mother and summoned her to his bedchamber, she would never dare to stop him. Just as Lin Daiyu often said, the emperor seemed easy to talk to, but in reality, he was very domineering!

……

After the discussion, the eunuchs and female officials hurriedly returned to the palace, and said they would send someone to make the arrangements the next day.

Baochai asked them with a smile, "Tomorrow I'm going to the palace to accompany the Emperor on a tour of the Daming Palace. Lin Daiyu and Yun Daiyu will be there too. Would you like to come along?"

“I’ll go with my sister,” Baoqin said with a smile.

With the matter settled, Grandmother Jia was in a much better mood. She leaned back on the couch and smiled at the young women, saying, "You can go and discuss it. It doesn't matter who goes. The Emperor will be coming to the mansion anyway, so we can meet again then."

Lady Wang Ziteng first looked at Wang Xifeng, and after they exchanged glances, she said, "How about my two daughters also go to the palace with you, Miss Bao? Let them see what the imperial garden of the Daming Palace is like."

"mother……"

Wang Junyi blushed.

Baochai looked at the two of them. Wang Junyi was gentle and quiet, with excellent looks and character; Wang Xuanzhu was lively, charming and lovely. They would probably be favored if they entered the palace. Both of them were proper daughters of officials.

Wang Xuanzhu was not shy at all; on the contrary, she looked over expectantly.

Baochai smiled and said, "There will be many people accompanying the Emperor to the garden tomorrow, so it will be good for you to go along and familiarize yourselves with the route."

Then look at the three sisters, Ying, Tan, and Xi.

Yingchun still couldn't decide whether to go or not, and Xichun was reluctant to enter the palace, so no one pressured her much.

Tan Chun laughed and said, "You've all gone to the palace, and my sister-in-law isn't here either. Wouldn't the garden be left to be ransacked by anyone? I'll stay here. There will be plenty of opportunities to visit the Daming Palace."

She was also one of those who entered the palace to serve the emperor, and sooner or later she would have to live in the palace.

So the matter was settled, and they agreed on the time to enter the palace the next day, after which they would all go their separate ways.

……

When Wang Xifeng and Ping'er returned home, Ping'er saw her grandmother slumped on the couch, unable to speak for a long time.

Ping'er advised her, "Grandma, try to think more positively. The emperor isn't that scary. He asked you to embroider a bellyband just for the sake of boudoir fun, not to deliberately make things difficult for you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng immediately glared and shouted, "Isn't he just trying to make things difficult for me? Is making me wear such indecent clothes for him to scrutinize me?! That damned man—"

He didn't dare utter the words "dog emperor" out loud.

Ping'er's expression was strange, and she remained silent for a long time.

Wang Xifeng guessed what she meant, and was startled. She stood up in surprise and asked, "Does he really want me to wear that undergarment?!"

Ping'er sighed, "No, is it because you want Grandma to embroider it for fun?" It was precisely because the emperor had given the order that Ping'er was certain that Grandma would be summoned to the emperor's bedchamber. At that time, the emperor would definitely make her wear that "Phoenix Slave is Guilty" bodice and undergarment, and then have Grandma take off her clothes to admire it carefully.

Ping'er blushed. It was the same when she served the emperor last time. She was caressed all over in the outer room before the emperor carried her back to the room.

"Damn king... bastard."

Wang Xifeng slumped back onto the soft couch, wanting to scold but not daring to.

Ping'er went into the inner room, pulled the undergarment out from under the covers, and then came out to hand it to her: "Grandma, the last word should be embroidered..."

A red silk bodice hangs down, already embroidered with three characters, only the last stroke of the most important character is missing:

The character "奴" is missing a stroke.

Wang Xifeng's hands trembled as she took the bellyband.

Ping'er added, "Grandma, on the day the Emperor arrives, you'll probably have to wear this undergarment, just in case..."

Wang Xifeng glared at her resentfully, "What kind of trick is this now?"

Ping'er did not answer.

"Fine, fine, damn it, I'll throw away my reputation!"

Wang Xifeng coldly accepted the bodice and needle and thread, and hastily patched up the last stitch.

Ironically, she was originally illiterate, but these past few days, the four words "Feng Nu is guilty" have been deeply etched into her mind, and it's hard for her to forget them!
After finishing the embroidery, Wang Xifeng threw down the needle and thread, took the bodice and went inside, coldly saying, "You little hussy, come with me."

Ping'er smiled and followed her into the inner room, thoughtfully lowering the curtain, leaving only the two of them, mistress and servant, in the bedroom.

Ping'er helped her grandmother undress. As Wang Xifeng took off her clothes one by one, her slender and exquisite fair body was gradually revealed. After her undergarments were removed, the room seemed to brighten up. The second grandmother's beautiful and snow-white body was so stunning that it was hard to look away.

Wang Xifeng hesitated.

Ping'er chuckled, took the bodice from her hand, and placed it against her delicate body. Seeing that the size was almost right, her grandmother's chest was just able to hold it up, and it covered her slender waist perfectly.

Ping'er then took the ties of the bib, went around to the back of the second mistress, tied them behind her neck, and then bent down to tie the ties around her waist as well.

After it was finished, Ping'er looked at her from the front and saw that the Second Mistress had already blushed.

Ping'er glanced at the "Feng Nu is Guilty" undergarment and was too ashamed to look any longer, so she quickly brought out a mirror.

"...Take it quickly, whatever you like is fine!"

Wang Xifeng glanced in the mirror and was so embarrassed by the radiant woman in it that she felt completely uncomfortable, as if the person in the mirror was not her at all, but some shameless slut!
The young woman, with her snow-white and slender body, was only wearing a shameful bodice...

Ping'er suppressed a laugh, but when she saw her grandmother glaring at her, she quickly took off the undergarment and said, "The size is just right. If you sew the hem back on in the next couple of days, it will be ready for the Emperor's visit."

"Hmph, I'd love for him not to come!"

Wang Xifeng changed back into her original clothes, went outside and sat down, her face flushed with embarrassment that lingered for a long time.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, the image of her wearing a bodice embroidered with the words "Feng Nu is guilty" remained unforgettable. It was as if the emperor, whom she had never met, was already sitting in the room, ordering her to wear that bodice...

Seeing her grandmother lost in thought, Ping'er didn't dare to offend her. She said something and then went out.

She was certain that the Emperor would summon her grandmother, and that her grandmother would come to her senses and enter the palace with the other girls.

In the afternoon, as evening approached, an old woman came to find her, smiling, "Miss Ping, Second Master Lian is here, waiting outside the second gate. He asked me to pass on a message, saying he wishes to see you!"

Ping'er quickly stood up and said with a smile, "What are you saying? Second Master only said he wanted to see me when he came back, why did he have to say 'please see me'... Second Master only wants to see me?"

The old woman whispered, "The second master said he doesn't dare to ask to see the second mistress directly, but wants to see the young lady first."

Ping'er understood and went with her to the second gate, where she stood under the gate and spoke to Jia Lian.

"Greetings, young lady!" Jia Lian bowed in greeting.

Ping'er initially wanted to avoid the greeting, but then she remembered that night when the emperor had slept with her...

Although she was not given a formal title, she could be considered half a concubine, so it was only right that she received this courtesy from Jia Lian.

"Second Master." Ping'er's expression was complicated. After all, she had been half husband and wife with him. People say that even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness.

Seeing that she accepted his greeting, Jia Lian quickly understood. Needless to say, he felt a mix of emotions, but his demeanor became even more respectful. He smiled and said, "I'm going into town today, so I thought I'd give my regards to Miss Ping."

Ping'er quickly composed herself and asked politely, "Second Master, you are too kind. I am here to convey Second Madam's and Old Madam's greetings to the gentlemen outside the city."

"The gentlemen are fine, but Baoyu..."

"You want more money?"

Ping'er asked, frowning.

Jia Lian sighed, “It’s not about the money, it’s something even more troublesome… Last time, Baoyu gave the money to Qi Guan, and after waiting for seven or eight days without him returning, Baoyu still refused to believe that he had run away. He said he was going to look for him at the estate in the east of the city. Qi Guan had bought several acres of land in Zitan Fort, so he must have gone there… We tried to persuade him, but we couldn’t convince him.”

Upon hearing this, Ping'er said, "Weren't the Second Master and the other masters watching him? Running away without permission is a serious crime."

Jia Lian said, "Qi Guan didn't run away. He has already been redeemed by Bao Yu, and Bao Yu didn't ask for his indenture."

Ping'er smiled and said, "I'm talking about Master Bao."

Jia Lian then realized what was happening, glanced at Ping'er, and smiled to himself.

(End of this chapter)