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

Chapter 174 If you say Lin Daiyu's talent has run dry, I will borrow the stars to continue her legacy.

Chu Yan sat down in the main hall, with the others accompanying him on the left and right or below.

As the garden built for the Imperial Concubine's visit to her family, the main hall is the most magnificent, with five bays in width and two bays in depth. There is a platform in front, where officials and female relatives can come to kowtow and pay their respects. In front of the Grand View Pavilion, there is a stage for watching plays.

Behind the main hall is Jiayin Hall, with side halls on the left and right sides, as well as two flying pavilions, Hanfang Pavilion and Zhuijin Pavilion. Chu Yan had seen the main hall and Jiayin Hall and felt that the main hall was not suitable for living, so he changed Jiayin Hall to Yangxin Hall and stayed there at night.

Yuan Chun and Xiang Yun live in the left and right side halls respectively. He just asked, and Xiang Yun felt that living alone was too lonely. In the past ten nights, she has spent nine nights at Ningguo Mansion with her grandmother, aunt and sisters.

Chu Yan let her do as she pleased; the main hall would only be lively after he moved in.

After sitting down, he looked around and said, "You may all sit down as well."

Since he was sitting alone on the platform, some distance from them, Xia Shouzhong hurriedly announced in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, please take your seats, ladies and female guests!"

Chu Yan smiled. It was hard to believe he had thought of the term "female guest." After all, according to custom, the emperor hosted banquets for his subjects, while only the empress hosted banquets for the women of noble birth.

But most of those attending the emperor's banquet today are servants.

"Thank you, Your Majesty~"

Chu Yan was surrounded by a group of beautiful women. When they joined together to praise the emperor, the girls' voices blended together like the song of orioles.

The young ladies took their seats first, followed by Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Shi Xiangyun's grandmother, and others. Then, several tables of maids sat down in the corridor not far away. Qingwen, Xiangling, Zijuan, Xueyan, Siqi, Cuilu, and other maids who were the young ladies' personal maids all took their seats.

Ping'er, Ruizhu, and others whom Chu Yan had favored were seated at a separate table, conveniently located between the young ladies and maids, presumably arranged by the eunuchs and palace maids.

"Consort Jia and Miss Yun will pour wine for me, while Consort Qin and the princess will keep me company."

Chu Yan then gave further instructions.

Xia Shouzhong then announced the decree again. The four men stood up, bowed, and walked onto the platform under the gaze of many people, sitting down next to Chu Yan.

Yuan Chun and Xiang Yun sat on his couch, one on his left and one on his right, while Qin Keqing and Princess Qinghe sat on either side of the table.

"You can't act recklessly in public, Your Majesty."

After Xiangyun sat down, she leaned over and whispered something. Chu Yan glanced at her and saw that her face was slightly shy, so she must still remember what happened at Xiaoxiang Pavilion not long ago.

"I know it well."

He smiled and gestured for Xia Shouzhong to issue the decree to begin the banquet.

The palace maids first brought out various prepared cold dishes, snacks, and fruits from the side hall, and then went to the kitchens in various parts of the mansion to bring out hot dishes. For a time, the palace maids shuttled back and forth in the garden, creating a lively scene that attracted attention.

After the cold dishes were served, Yuan Chun picked up the wine pot to pour wine, then raised the wine cup to Chu Yan and said with a soft smile, "Your Majesty, please."

Xiangyun was accompanying him for the first time, so she stared at him intently.

Many people below were seeing the emperor drink for the first time, and they all looked up and secretly glanced over.

Xiren sat at a table with Zijuan and the others, and asked her with a smile, "When you last entered the palace, was it also at the Daming Palace that you ate at a banquet? Did the Emperor send someone to accompany you?"

Zijuan smiled and said, "Last time, His Majesty asked our young lady and Miss Bao to accompany him."

The maids all looked on with envy, making Zijuan a little embarrassed. She quickly said to Qingwen, "I heard that His Majesty has asked you and Xiangling to go to the room to serve him. I must congratulate you in advance."

All the maids were surprised. Qingwen, who looked even more charming after being dressed up, was also surprised and looked at her, saying, "How did you know about this? When the Emperor came to Yihong Courtyard this afternoon, he did not specifically ask me to serve him."

Xiren hurriedly asked, "Is this matter approved? There are many palace maids in the palace, from elderly female officials and nannies to young and beautiful maids. Would His Majesty choose someone from our household to serve him?"

Upon hearing this, Zijuan regretted revealing it earlier. When the emperor went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion earlier, he mentioned that he wanted to keep Qingwen and Xiangling, which led her to make such a guess.

It seems that His Majesty has not yet made up his mind, and she will be punished for making wild guesses—this is a rule she heard from the palace maids, and one should not easily try to guess the Emperor's intentions.

He smiled and said, "I can't say for sure, perhaps it's not decided yet."

Qingwen picked up her wine cup, took a sip, gritted her teeth, and cursed, "I don't know which gossipy maid spread these rumors. It's better to clear things up now. If it gets out, those gossipy maids and old women will laugh at me for trying to climb the social ladder by meeting the emperor."

As she spoke, she rolled her eyes and said haughtily, "I don't want to be cursed like that behind my back!"

She didn't want people to say that she wanted to climb the social ladder by meeting the emperor. It wasn't that she didn't want to serve the emperor, but saying it like that would make her seem too arrogant, as if she didn't even want to climb the social ladder with the emperor, and she was just a maid.

Zijuan quickly said, "We don't know who spread the word. It concerns the Emperor, so let's not talk about it."

Musk Moon laughed and said, "You're being too cautious. Besides, what's wrong with climbing the social ladder? There are people in our Yihong Courtyard who have already done just that."

Qingwen laughed and pointed to a spot not far away: "Isn't that it?"

It was referring to Xiao Hong. Wang Xifeng brought her to the banquet as well, and she sat with several prominent female officials.

Zijuan, not wanting to get involved in the affairs of their Yihong Courtyard, kept quiet and looked at her mistress from afar, seeing her chatting and laughing with Baochai and Yingchun.

Zijuan glanced at the banquet tables and saw that everyone was there except for Miaoyu.

Miaoyu abstained from meat, so she shouldn't have been invited to the banquet.

At this moment, Zijuan heard the sound of the gong, turned her head to look at the stage, and saw that among the twelve young actors in the mansion, the leading female role, Fangguan, went up to sing.

While eating and drinking, she listened for a while, and after noticing something, she quickly grabbed Xiren's hand and asked with a smile, "Listen, isn't this the first play that the young lady sang when she visited her family last time? It's called 'The Grand Feast'!"

After listening for a while, Xiren shook her head and smiled, "I can't tell. I haven't paid attention to these plays."

Xiangling, who was sitting at the next table, smiled and said, "It's that play. I remember the poem in it, 'The Huqin plays every night on the frontier, and the soldiers return home late at night.' It's very well written."

"You can write poetry?" Qingwen asked curiously.

Ying'er, who was sitting next to her, laughed and replied, "Xiangling is different from us. She has been able to read since she was a child and can also write poems and lyrics. Even the Third Miss praised her for her talent. It would be a waste for her to be a concubine."

Just as Xiangling was about to speak, she heard the eunuch's voice coming from the girls' table. Turning her head, she saw the eunuch smiling as he relayed an imperial edict to the girls: "His Majesty has ordered the girls to compose another poem based on the theme of the poem written when the Imperial Concubine visited her family. The winner will be able to choose a play and receive a reward. The play list will not be sent to the girls; it will be sent to the ladies of the household first."

"The topic of the poem last time?" Yingchun was a little nervous. "I forgot what I wrote... What should I do?"

She had just hastily composed a poem last time, and afterwards she was too ashamed to recall it, and even forgot what the title of the poem was.

Tan Chun smiled and said, "Second sister, don't panic. I still remember. Even if I don't remember, there are two talented poets here."

Baochai laughed and said, "That's right. With Daiyu and the foreign beauty who can compose poetry here, one of them is bound to be the champion." Daiyu put away her earlier surprise and quickly turned to look: "Where is the foreign beauty?"

Baoqin laughed and playfully punched her, saying, "Sister Lin is teasing me too. She just asked me if this was a lavish banquet, and now she's laughing at me with you."

When the Emperor selected the first play, "The Grand Feast," Sister Lin looked over in surprise. When asked about the previous incident, Baoqin guessed that it was Yuanchun, who was accompanying her, who had told her.

Daiyu, however, disagreed.

The play "The Grand Feast" might not be remembered by Jia Yuanchun, who was a concubine.

What I can remember is that certain thief king who was very good at pulling people into dreams, and from whom I learned many things...

Therefore, Daiyu harbored doubts and looked towards the platform several times to observe the emperor's face as he chatted and laughed with Xiangyun and appeared intimate with Yuanchun, trying to discern something from his expression.

Unfortunately, she didn't pay attention when choosing the play.

Thinking back on his words from the previous times, his appearance in her dream, and his knowledge that Yu Chuan was a maid in the madam's room, Daiyu became increasingly suspicious. After glancing at him from afar, she picked up a pen and paper and wrote a poem on each of the two sheets of paper.

After a while, Xia Shouzhong came to collect the poems, including those written by Li Wan, and presented them to the emperor's table.

Daiyu stared at him intently from afar, but he didn't immediately look at the poem. Instead, he lowered his head and drank the wine that Xiangyun offered to his lips, which made Yunyun playfully scold him. They laughed and joked together on the platform.

If the emperor behaves like this, how can his subordinates be expected to follow the rules?
Soon, maids came around to offer wine, and Xiren also brought wine to toast them. Yuanyang also arrived.

Daiyu hastily drank a few cups, her eyes constantly fixed on that direction. Finally, she saw the emperor pick up a poem, with Yun'er clinging to him as they read together, both of them quite drunk.

"What a foolish ruler! He even behaves like this in front of Yun's grandmother and aunt."

Daiyu thought to herself, when suddenly she heard Xiangyun laugh. She turned her head and saw Xiangyun holding a piece of paper and talking about something.

After a while, Daiyu finally saw the emperor turn his head sharply and exchange a glance with her from afar.

The two seemed to be of one mind, each understanding the other's feelings. Just like that time after the dream, when Chu Yan came to her room, she knew why the emperor had come. The two also knew that the other had a dream, but neither of them said it out loud.

It's the same this time.

Daiyu was certain that the emperor was a fortune teller; although he hadn't personally witnessed the Imperial Concubine's visit home, he knew more about things than they did!
The emperor, knowing she was testing him, smiled at her when he looked over.

The emperor didn't care that she knew! Because he was the emperor, what did it matter if he knew she possessed magic?

Daiyu was helpless against him.

……

On the platform.

"Oh dear?" Xiangyun picked up the poem in front of Chu Yan and asked curiously, "Who wrote this? Why is it unsigned?"

She looked at the poem above and thought it was quite well written. The last two lines, "In a prosperous age, there is no hunger or cold; why bother with farming and weaving?", were indeed lines praising the emperor.

Chu Yan knew whose poem it was as soon as he saw it, so he looked at Daiyu from afar, exchanged a glance with her, and smiled at her.

They pulled Yuan Chun over, saying, "Come and take a look, what do you think of these poems?"

Xiangyun didn't know, or rather, didn't remember, the poem her sister Lin had written. Chu Yan wanted to see if Yuanchun remembered it; she definitely had.

After reading it, Yuan Chun praised it, saying, "It is very well written. I wonder who wrote it. I have forgotten to sign it. It could have been selected as the champion, but now it is hard to say."

Xiangyun hurriedly flipped through the other poems, hoping to find the missing person, but to her surprise, she couldn't find it. She exclaimed in surprise, "This is an extra poem!"

Chu Yan smiled and said, "She's very thoughtful; she brought paper and pen."

A palace maid brought over pen and ink, and Chu Yan picked up the brush and wrote another line of poetry after her poem: "The pearls and jade still linger on the beams during the visit home, but the literary talent has vanished when tested again. If you say that Lin Daiyu's talent has run dry, I will borrow the stars to continue her legacy."

"Ha, so it was Sister Lin who was up to her tricks!"

Upon seeing the poem, Shi Xiangyun immediately understood the reason and laughed, "Sister Bao is absolutely right. She's such a naughty girl, using the poem she wrote last time to get by. Emperor, you've appointed me as the Ambassador of Rewards and Punishments, so I'll personally punish her and see if she's ashamed!"

Her words revealed the charming and innocent nature of the youngest daughter.

Chu Yan smiled and handed the paper to her: "Go, Imperial Envoy Yun."

Upon receiving the order, Xiangyun ran down the platform with great enthusiasm and came to her sister Lin to "read the decree"!
All the girls looked at her with smiles, knowing that Lin Daiyu had used the poem from last time to fool the emperor. They said that it was fortunate that the emperor was not angry and ordered Yun'er to punish her.

“Good sister, I was wrong. Please apologize to the emperor on my behalf.”

Daiyu hurriedly begged for forgiveness and bowed to Chu Yan on the platform. Only then did Xiangyun smile and say that she would forgive her.

The girls were all smiles, much like they were at an emperor's banquet. It was even more lively than a family dinner, which surprised and frightened their elders. They were relieved and their joy turned when they saw that the emperor was not angry.

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "The Emperor dotes on the girls, so Grandmother, don't worry. Look at Yun'er, she's always running up and down the hill, and the Emperor doesn't get angry with her."

Grandmother Jia nodded and smiled, "She knows how to make people happy. No wonder the Emperor wants her to keep him company. I also like Yun'er because she loves to play and laugh."

Just as Shi Xiangyun's grandmother was about to speak, she saw Jia's daughter-in-law, named Li Wan, stand up.

"Grandma, Madam, and all the ladies and grandmothers of my in-laws."

Li Wan bowed and said, "Excuse me, I need to go back and bathe and change."

Aunt Xiangyun asked her curiously, "The banquet isn't over yet, how can you go back?"

Li Wan blushed, and Madam Wang said coldly, "She has to serve the Emperor tonight. She should go back to bathe and change now so that she can serve him in bed."

The ladies and grandmothers of the Shi and Wang families were all surprised. Aunt Xiangyun quickly got up to see them off, and said with a smile, "So that's how it is. Let me see you off."

The others also got up to see her off.

Seeing this, Madam Wang felt as if she had been humiliated. Her daughter-in-law, who had not yet been made a concubine, was treated with the same dignity as a lady in the palace in front of everyone!
Everyone stood up, including the old lady; how could she remain seated?

As a mother-in-law, she had to get up and see her daughter-in-law off... How could she not feel resentful!

(End of this chapter)