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

Chapter 164 Hongyu's Promotion

After the two left, Grandmother Jia and the others returned to their residence, each shedding tears of sorrow.

Baochai lagged behind a few steps, and an old woman came up and asked, "Miss, that place is not clean. I'll have a few people bring water to wash it later."

Baochai smiled and said, "It's kind of you to think of this."

The old woman laughed and said, "Last year when Granny Liu came, she went to the Longcui Nunnery. It was also Master Bao who had someone bring water to wash the floor she had stood on, saying it was not clean. I just saw that Master Bao was much dirtier than Granny Liu, so I thought of washing the floor."

Baochai seemed to be thinking, "Last year, Miss Lin and I went to Longcui Nunnery together, but we came out early and didn't know about this. Well, that's fine. Go and ask a few people to bring some buckets of water to wash the floor."

The old woman responded and left, and Baochai also entered the mansion.

Lin Hongyu heard everything clearly and couldn't help but sigh. Jia Hui, who was standing nearby, laughed and asked her, "Why are you sighing? It's not like you were the one who was smelled."

Hongyu laughed and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who smells bad?"

Jia Hui laughed and said, "Didn't you see it just now? Qingwen was standing outside the door, holding her nose, her face all scrunched up like an old woman. Usually, they stay in the main room with Master Bao, and we get scolded even if we go in to pour tea. But what's going on now? Xiren, Sheyue, and Qiuwen won't even come out, and Qingwen is also holding her nose to avoid Master Bao. It's clear that the saying 'what goes around comes around' is true."

Hongyu was startled and quickly pulled her back to the garden. Once they were alone, she said to her, "You used to call them 'Big Sister Hua' and 'Sister Qing' so respectfully, but now you're being very disrespectful to them. What will people think?"

Jia Hui then said, "How dare I disrespect Sister Hua? It's just that I'm very dissatisfied with Qingwen, Qixian, and the others."

Hongyu said, "Yihong Courtyard is in such a state now, what's there to be upset about? In a few days, when the Emperor comes, we won't know which girl will live in Yihong Courtyard. I heard that Miss Qin and Miss Xing are going to find places to live in the garden. Yihong Courtyard is big enough for both of them. When they move in, who knows what will happen then."

Jia Hui hurriedly asked, "Where did you hear that from?"

Hongyu smiled and returned to Yihong Courtyard with her, only to find the room full of maids and servants busy. When Qingwen saw them, she scolded, "I don't know where you've gone off to play again. Everyone else has returned, but you little maids are nowhere to be seen. The Emperor has decreed that everyone in the mansion should be equal, so you've become complacent and stopped doing your work!"

Hongyu blushed as she was scolded, and said, "I was a little slow because I saw Miss Bao staying behind and was afraid she had something to tell me."

Jia Hui remained silent.

Hongyu hurriedly asked again, "Does Sister Qing have anything she wants us to do?"

Qingwen then instructed them: "We just took stock of the Second Master's things and found a book whose owner we don't know. Take it and ask around. When you come back, go to the kitchen and fetch some hot water. The dishes the Second Master used need to be washed."

Upon hearing this, Bihen said with a somber expression, "Second Master's things should be inventoried and put away. The maids have already washed the used dishes regularly, so why wash them again?"

She could tell that either Qingwen or Xiren were somewhat disgusted by the uncleanliness of the dishes.

Qingwen asked her, "Have you seen Master Bao?"

Bihen and the others shook their heads. They were hiding inside the door, and there were many people at the threshold, so they didn't see the Second Master.

Qingwen sighed, "If you saw him, you would feel the same disgust as me... Second Master is never coming back."

He went inside, took out a book, and handed it to Hongyu.

Hongyu noticed that the book had no title, so she opened it and saw that it seemed to be about some kind of play. She then asked Qingwen, "Don't you know whose books are in Second Master's room?"

Qiuwen glared at her and sneered, "Second Master is a man, what business is it of ours what he does?"

Hongyu knew she had spoken out of turn, but she didn't feel guilty. They were the ones who didn't know whose book it was, and they even told her to ask them one by one.

Qingwen smiled and said, "Although we serve the Second Master in the house, no one has ever seen this book before. Perhaps the Second Master brought it back just the day before. Go and ask Miss Lin."

Hongyu agreed and took the book out.

But he was always suspicious, so he found a place, opened a book and started reading. After a while, his face turned red, and he spat out a curse: "So it's some lewd song brought in from outside! I always thought he was a clean man, but he's actually so unclean and has so many crooked thoughts behind my back!"

The book was full of shameful tales of male thievery and female prostitution, so Hongyu put it aside and refused to read it.

Then he thought, "Where did he get this book? If people find out, he'll be scolded. Even if the girls in the garden haven't read this book, it will still ruin their reputation if word gets out."

"Now that the young ladies have all entered the palace, the emperor, remembering that they are still unmarried, bestows upon them much favor. If he knew that such lewd and obscene songs were hidden in the garden..."

"This book... must not be leaked!"

Hongyu was both surprised and frightened. After hesitating for a while, she finally made up her mind and hurriedly went to find Ping'er.

But she couldn't find anyone. She asked Feng'er and learned that Ping'er and the Second Mistress were in the East Mansion discussing how to welcome the Emperor. Hongyu then asked her to tell Ping'er that there was something extremely urgent that she needed to talk to her about.

Feng'er was reluctant to go, because Lin Hongyu was just a lowly maid in the Yihong Courtyard. What important business could she possibly have? She wouldn't be able to say anything later and would only cause Lin Hongyu to get scolded.

He then declined.

Hongyu had no choice but to go back to her mother and ask another old woman to find Ping'er.

After waiting for half an hour, Ping'er finally returned. Hongyu knew that this Miss Ping was kind and shrewd, so she quietly told her what had happened.

"Is this really true?!"

Ping'er was also startled. She looked at Hongyu and then flipped through the book again. Unfortunately, neither she nor the Second Mistress could read, so it wasn't appropriate to show the book to anyone. She quickly told Feng'er to go find the Second Mistress and bring her back. After a while, Wang Xifeng returned. Seeing Hongyu in the room, she glanced at her and, noticing her pretty and fair appearance, smiled and asked, "Which room are you from?"

Hongyu quickly got up and replied, "I am from Master Bao's room."

Wang Xifeng sat down on the couch, and Ping'er went outside and instructed, "Everyone, disperse. Madam wants to rest for a while."

Hearing this, Wang Xifeng became even more surprised and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something unclean in the room that's causing you to hide from people?"

Hongyu hurriedly handed the book over, but Wang Xifeng opened it, glanced at it, then tossed it aside, laughing and scolding, "You little rascal, you know I don't know many words, are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"

Hongyu smiled and told her some of the contents of the book.

Wang Xifeng's expression changed, and she hurriedly flipped open the book again to look at it. With the few words she knew, she could barely make out that it was indeed an obscene book that she didn't know where it came from!

"Who knows about this?!" Wang Xifeng's voice became stern, her phoenix eyes sharp and authoritative.

Hongyu said, "Qingwen gave me the book. None of them had seen what was written in it. They thought it was from some young lady's room. Since none of them knew whose book it was, I only glanced at it. I didn't dare tell anyone, so I hurriedly came to report to Second Madam."

"Good, good, good!"

Wang Xifeng's anger turned to joy, and she praised her, saying, "Good child, it's hard for you to be so thoughtful and meticulous. Now that there is no mistress in Yihong Courtyard, come and come with me. I will recognize you as my daughter, and you will be successful once I take care of you."

Hongyu chuckled upon hearing this.

Wang Xifeng said, "What are you laughing at? Do you think I'm too young to be your mother? Or do you think I don't manage the household anymore and am not worthy to order you around?"

Hongyu quickly laughed and said, "I'm not laughing at that. I'm laughing because Grandma got the generation wrong. My mother is Grandma's daughter."

Wang Xifeng glanced at her again and asked, "Who is your mother?"

Ping'er laughed and said, "Grandma doesn't recognize her? She's from Lin Zhixiao's family."

"So it's her maid! What's her name?"

“Hongyu, because she was favored by Master Bao, is now called Hong’er.”

Wang Xifeng frowned upon hearing this, but since she had other matters to attend to, she didn't say anything more. Instead, she told Hongyu, "Go to Yihong Courtyard with Ping'er and tell them that it's Master Lian's book, and there are a few copies that he might have left there. Look carefully, and if you find them, bring them to me."

Hongyu and Ping'er went to Yihong Courtyard. Qingwen and Xiren were not suspicious at first, but when they saw that they had turned Yihong Courtyard upside down, they realized that the book was not right.

But with Ping'er around, they didn't dare to ask too many questions.

So Qingwen, Xiren, Sheyue, and others continued to tidy up Yihong Courtyard, packing all of Jia Baoyu's belongings into chests, changing the bedding, and washing all the bowls, plates, and cups. Finally, they finished tidying up Yihong Courtyard the day before the emperor's visit.

After tidying up, Daiyu came to sit for a while in the afternoon. Qingwen didn't see her cry, nor did she wander around the room as before. After drinking a cup of tea, she left.

In the morning, Tan Chun and Xiang Yun also came to Yi Hong Courtyard to sit for a while. Tan Chun reminisced about the time when Bao Yu was still alive, while Xiang Yun came to chat with Xi Ren.

The rest of the people did not come.

Qingwen stayed in Yihong Courtyard and didn't go out, letting everyone else in the mansion run around in a flurry of activity. Especially the day before the emperor's visit, the mansion was busy all night long, with lamps lit everywhere, and they didn't go to sleep until the fourth watch.

Qingwen ignored it and went to bed early in her room. As a result, she woke up earlier than everyone else the next day. With nothing to do, she took a stroll in the garden.

Seeing lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere, and incense burning everywhere, it was dazzling. Upon arriving at the Grand View Pavilion, one could see a group of eunuchs and palace maids rehearsing, waiting to welcome the emperor.

"It's even more lively than welcoming the Imperial Concubine!"

Qingwen thought to herself, and just as she turned to leave, she almost bumped into someone. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Xiangling. She laughed and scolded her, "Have you become a ghost? You walk so silently, you scared me half to death!"

Xiangling laughed and said, "I was so engrossed in watching the lanterns along the way that I almost bumped into you."

Qingwen asked her, "You got up so early, weren't you busy with chores last night?"

“I went to bed in the middle of the night last night. My daughter asked me to come and ask the eunuchs when they should come out to greet her.”

Qingwen chatted with her for a few minutes and continued to stroll around the garden. Passing by the Longcui Nunnery, she saw the abbess Miaoyu standing under the plum blossom tree. She had changed out of the gray monk's robe she had been wearing these days and put on her old paddy robe and white silk skirt again. With a whisk in her hand and prayer beads in her hand, she stood against the wind, as if she were about to go away with the wind, looking as ethereal as a fairy.

Qingwen had never seen her dressed like this before. As she approached, she saw that Miaoyu had light makeup on her face, a white plum blossom hairpin in her hair, and two small jade gourd earrings with two rubies hanging from them. She looked indescribably pure and elegant.

She was dressed as a nun, yet she was beautiful and otherworldly.

Qingwen knew she had a bad temper, so she quickly left while Qingwen was distracted and didn't see her.

She didn't want to be stopped by Miaoyu; if Miaoyu spoke then, she would definitely be unhappy.

After walking a distance, Qingwen turned back to look at her one last time, muttering, "She looks like a female bodhisattva, but unfortunately she's a talking female demon!"

(End of this chapter)