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

Chapter 163 Daiyu: You want to be a eunuch too?
Hearing his weeping and seeing his state, Daiyu felt both sorrow and resentment.

What she grieved about was that she was powerless to control her own destiny, trapped in the inner palace with no way out; what she hated was that Baoyu still could not understand her true feelings. If he had kept the words in her letter in mind, he would not have tried to kill himself to see her again, nor would he have resented her for covering her face with a fan.

Given the current situation, what good would it do to see it?

This displeased the emperor, making it even more difficult for him to be pardoned.

She was unwilling to enter the palace to suffer humiliation, but because Baoyu needed money outside the city, and because the old lady, the madam, and others were all hoping that she would enter the palace, she had no choice but to enter the palace to suffer the humiliation of Emperor Chu Yan, be embraced by him, and thus gradually came to this point, agreeing to live with him in the Daming Palace.

If she hadn't entered the palace... seeing Baoyu like this now, she would surely be heartbroken and disregard everything else, knowing that death would be the only outcome.

But she has already entered the palace and seen the emperor. If she dies, Baoyu, the old lady, and the madam will likely all suffer...

“Baoyu…”

Daiyu slowly lowered her fan, revealing her beautiful and ethereal face, with a pair of dewy eyes that seemed to sparkle with water, leaving everyone mesmerized.

"Sister Lin..."

Jia Baoyu was mesmerized.

Daiyu took a step forward, still separated from him by the threshold. Beside her were Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng, and others. With complicated expressions, she instructed him: "You must perform your corvée labor well outside the city. You must remember the letter I wrote to you. Times have changed. You must not act willfully anymore. If you change, you will not have failed my good intentions, and you will put Grandmother and Madam at ease."

In the letter, she said that she had not been summoned by the emperor to serve in the palace and that Baoyu should perform his corvée labor properly, but now it seems that Baoyu did not believe her.

Madam Wang wiped away her tears and said, "You should remember what your Lin sister said!"

Jia Baoyu also guessed the meaning behind her words. Although he was glad that Lin Daiyu was still an innocent girl to marry, the emperor was about to visit the mansion and live with Lin Daiyu. How could that wicked emperor resist summoning Lin Daiyu?!

"Sister Lin, you are in the palace..." Jia Baoyu hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Baoyu, don't worry, your Lin sister is doing very well. She has been favored by the emperor several times when she entered the palace. You asked for more than a thousand taels of silver, and it was only after Lin sister pleaded that she gave it to you outside the city."

Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu became even more anxious. Wasn't Lin Daiyu being favored by the emperor just like a concubine being favored by an empress? Was he going to send her to serve him in bed?
Grandmother Jia then said, “Baoyu, you should settle down and do your corvée labor outside the city. You must not cause any more trouble. I heard from your second brother that you want to become a monk and have wasted a lot of money on Qi Guan. You must correct these mistakes and never do them again!”

Jia Baoyu dared not disobey his grandmother and readily agreed to everything she said.

Grandmother Jia was finally satisfied. She had Wang Xifeng help her out of the house, and lovingly stroked her face, sighing, "My dear grandson, just bear with it for a few more days. You don't need to worry about the sisters at home anymore. There will be a better day in the future."

Wang Xifeng wanted to say something, but when she got close to Baoyu, the sour smell was unbearable. No wonder Madam didn't dare to hug him.

Jia Lian said quietly from the side, "That's life in the military camp outside the city. If you dress too well, you'll easily be resented. If Madam and Grandmother care about us, give us some old cotton-padded coats to keep warm in the winter."

"How are you going to get through the winter this year?!" Wang Xifeng suddenly remembered that the winter in the capital would bring heavy snow. Even living in the mansion with charcoal burning was cold. How were Baoyu and the others going to get through it?
Jia Lian sighed, "Let's wait until winter comes. In a few days, we heard that the military camp is going to be moved. We don't know where we'll be sent to do hard labor."

Seeing that Grandmother Jia and the others were worried, Jia Lian quickly said, "Fortunately, His Majesty has shown mercy and allowed me to be a steward so that I can assign some lighter tasks to the family."

Everyone was relieved.

Aunt Zhao also came out and asked how Jia Huan was doing. She learned from Jia Lian that he really didn't have to do any work, and she was relieved. She then took three taels of silver and gave it to Jia Lian, asking him to pass it on to Jia Huan.

What good are three taels of silver?

However, this money was the only thing Aunt Zhao and Tan Chun could afford. Upon seeing this, Daiyu couldn't help but look at Baoyu, realizing that the more than one thousand taels given to him earlier was truly extravagant.

Baochai also sent Ying'er out to inquire about her brother Xue Pan's situation and asked Jia Lian to help send out some clothes and money.

There's no need to go into details about the others. After they finished speaking, Xiangyun stood at the door and said to Baoyu outside, "Second Brother, I gave you fifty taels last time, and this time I'll give you another fifty taels to buy clothes. Remember to be frugal in the future. If you ask me again next time, I won't have any money to give you."

She was straightforward, but when she said it to his face, it made Jia Baoyu blush with embarrassment. He could only say, "I don't want your money. I can earn money now."

Xiangyun asked curiously, "How do you make money in the army? Are you lying to me and Sister Lin again?"

How did I lie to you?

"Aren't you just making a fuss about wanting to die or become a nun? But I see you're perfectly fine. You just want to come back to see us and even think about going into the garden to fool around with us girls."

Shi Xiangyun said it bluntly.

Jia Baoyu blushed.

Jia Lian hurriedly said, "Since it's from Sister Yun, you should accept it and have your father take it."

Jia Baoyu looked at Daiyu and Xiangyun behind the second gate and sighed, "I do have the intention of becoming a monk and escaping the world, but I also want to see Lin Daiyu one more time, otherwise I will not be able to give up."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "You are serving your corvée labor. Even if you were to become a nun, you would have to wait for His Majesty the Emperor to grant you a pardon. You are thinking about other things. Quickly put your mind at ease and stay in the army camp."

Just as Jia Baoyu was about to speak, he suddenly saw two men walk out from the second gate. He was immediately surprised and hurriedly pointed at them, asking, "You said the mansion has become an inner palace, how come there are still men coming and going?! And you even said you were avoiding me, how heartless is Sister Bao!" As he spoke, he beat his feet and pounded his chest.

Daiyu glanced at them and saw them hurrying out, probably to make arrangements to welcome the emperor. She said, "Those are palace eunuchs. Do you want to become a eunuch too?"

eunuchs...

Jia Baoyu was stunned. Lady Wang quickly laughed and said, "Lin girl, don't talk nonsense. Is being a eunuch so easy?"

He said that because there were eunuchs present.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew by, and a sour smell rushed to Xiangyun, startling her so much that she quickly stepped back. Daiyu also hurriedly fanned herself with her fan and stepped back a few steps with her.

Seeing their reaction, Jia Baoyu looked down at his own clothes, then raised his sleeve and smelled it. He couldn't help but burst into tears: "The ancients said, 'If you stay in a room full of orchids for a long time, you will not smell their fragrance; if you stay in a fish market for a long time, you will not smell their stench.' Now I have become one of those filthy men, my whole body stinks, and I can't even smell it myself. How hateful!"

Xiangyun burst out laughing. Her words carried into the room, causing Baochai, Baoqin, Li Wan, and others to laugh as well, just like when Granny Liu came to the mansion and everyone teased and made fun of her.

However, it was Jia Baoyu who amused everyone.

Daiyu glanced at him again, but finally couldn't bear it any longer. She turned her head and said, "I've said what I needed to say. Now you can go in peace."

He said he was about to go inside, but didn't leave immediately.

Jia Baoyu quickly stopped her: "Sister Lin, I'll ask you one last question: Did you really enter the palace?!"

Lady Wang hardened her heart and said directly, "Your Lin sister and Bao sister have already chosen their palaces in the Daming Palace and are enjoying the Emperor's great favor. How can they not enter the palace?"

Daiyu had her back to him, knowing full well that her words would break Baoyu's heart, yet she still didn't turn around to look at him.

Even if Baoyu told him to his face that she was still a virgin, he still wouldn't believe her if she didn't believe him.

Daiyu went inside, and Xiangyun glanced at her second brother twice, then followed her in without saying anything more.

This hanging flower gate seemed to separate the inside from the outside, making it difficult to meet again even at the ends of the earth.

Grandmother Jia sighed, “You may go now. Lian’er, go and move the ancestral hall away. Temporarily place it in the house you bought. Remember, before moving the ancestral hall, face south and kowtow to express your gratitude for the Emperor’s boundless grace.”

Lady Wang wept uncontrollably, but had no choice but to let them go.

Everyone returned to the hanging flower gate. Jia Baoyu stood there, stunned, and suddenly shouted loudly again: "Xiren, Xiren, it's me, Baoyu! Are you inside?! Qingwen, Sheyue, Qiuwen, Bihen... are you all there?!"

These people were all maids who had served him in the Grand View Garden.

When Xiangyun saw that all the maids and servants were looking in one direction, she followed them and saw that the maids of Yihong Courtyard were gathered together, and all the people that Baoyu had called were there.

Seeing everyone looking at her, Xiren panicked. Before anyone could ask, she hurriedly explained, "We're in the Yihong Courtyard now, and we never go out to see other men. Although Master Bao is... well, things are different here now. How can we go out to see him again?"

These words dispelled the idea of ​​Musk Moon and Autumn Pattern. Seeing that Baochai, Baoqin, Yingchun and others did not go out to meet them, they were even less inclined to go out through the second gate.

But one person walked straight out. The old women saw her slender waist and narrow shoulders and immediately recognized her as Qingwen from the Grand View Garden!

"Second Master."

After Grandmother Jia and the others entered the room, Qingwen leaned against the door and asked him, "What do you want from us? Tell us quickly, we still need to go back and clean the house, the Emperor is going into the garden."

Seeing his pitiful state, Qingwen couldn't bear it and said, "If Second Master needs some clothes, he can ask Miss Lin to go to Yihong Courtyard and get a few more. We can't make that decision for him."

Jia Lian laughed and said, "What do we need clothes for now? The few pieces we took out last time were ruined and gone in less than two days. Miss Qingwen, since you have a kind heart, why don't you find some servants' clothes for us?"

Hearing this from inside the door, Baochai quickly said, "Qingwen, go find some clothes to give to Brother Bao. It's alright."

Although Tan Chun was the steward, the girls' words still carried weight.

Qingwen then ordered a few maids to open the back room, and rummaged through it to find about ten pieces of clothing belonging to the servants of the Rongguo Mansion. After tying them up, she gave them to the two of them.

"Qingwen..."

As Jia Baoyu held the clothes and looked at her beautiful face, he suddenly realized that he had mistaken her for someone else. Qingwen's affection for Xiren was more than a hundred times deeper.

Thinking this, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but walk towards her. Qingwen was startled and quickly pinched her nose with her fingers, saying in a muffled voice, "Second Master, please leave quickly and find a place to bathe and change your clothes. We can't serve you anymore."

He stinks so badly, how much bathwater would it take to clean him up? If he were to enter the brothel, the whole place would probably stink for three days!

Seeing that Qingwen disliked the smell on his body, Jia Baoyu felt ashamed and embarrassed, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. He couldn't stand it any longer and hurriedly went with Jia Lian to Ningguo Mansion to move the ancestral hall.

(End of this chapter)