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

Chapter 178 Imperial Court Adjudication (Part 1)
Qingwen, Xiangling, and Yuchuan left the room and saw a beautifully made-up concubine with a graceful figure standing in the hall. Qingwen looked up at her and thought that this concubine surnamed Li in the palace was very beautiful, dignified and virtuous. She was here to serve the emperor tonight.

Thinking to themselves, Qingwen and Yuchuan bowed to her, intending to avoid her and leave, but then they saw Xiangling smilingly greeting the concubine, which startled Qingwen. She wondered why this silly Xiangling was so impetuous, but then she heard her say:

"Hello, grandma."

Grandma?!

Grandma Zhu?!
Surprised and suspicious, Qingwen looked up and examined the face closely before she could vaguely discern Li Wan's serene and elegant appearance from the face of the beautifully made-up concubine.

The person the emperor summoned to his bedchamber tonight was none other than her!

Qingwen was even more surprised. When the emperor first came to the Grand View Garden, which was full of young ladies, the first person he summoned to sleep with was none other than the widowed Madam Zhu.

But after carefully examining her attire, Qingwen realized the emperor was right:

Grandma Zhu was elegant in appearance and graceful in figure. After being made up, she was just as beautiful as Grandma Lian.

Qingwen couldn't help but think to herself, "The emperor is indeed the greatest in the world. Madam Zhu has been widowed for several years and has never dressed up. Yet now the emperor has summoned her to serve him in bed."

Not only the girls in the garden, but also the young grandmothers and their maids, will probably be summoned by the emperor for his pleasure.

"Why are you here?"

Li Wan was surprised to see the three of them. Her face, which was lightly made up, showed a shy expression. She never expected that they would see her coming to serve the emperor.

Yu Chuan said, "The Emperor summoned us and told us to serve him in the house from now on. Madam, please go in."

After saying goodbye to Xiangling and Qingwen, he quickly left.

Li Wan gazed thoughtfully at the three figures as they walked away. After gathering her thoughts, she first apologized to the people inside before lifting the curtain and entering. Her gaze fell upon the tall man sitting on the couch.

The moment she saw him, the suppressed fire in Li Wan's heart seemed to ignite instantly. Her face burned even hotter, and she lowered her head shyly. She gracefully walked to him, slightly curtsied, and softly said:
"Your Majesty, I...I am late."

The words "I am your concubine" seem to reflect her feelings of accepting the emperor's favor.

In the first three intimate encounters with the emperor, she also referred to herself as "this concubine." In front of the emperor, she was merely a woman waiting to be favored, not a virtuous widow to be scrutinized.

Looking at the stunningly beautiful Li Wan before him, Chu Yan feigned surprise and said, "Where did this beauty come from? I had no idea that there was such a beauty in the Daguan Palace!"

Li Wan was initially surprised, but when she looked up and saw the Emperor's smiling eyes, she realized that he was just joking with her.

Li Wan was captivated.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she softly complained, "Why does Your Majesty have to tease me like this? I am... Lady Li."

Her face burned, and her heart was pounding.

Chu Yan looked her over again and smiled, "So it's the palace lady! After all that makeup, I almost didn't recognize you. Come, come before me!"

Li Wan's heart skipped a beat, knowing that she was to serve the emperor tonight. She had been interrupted the previous two times, but tonight there was no way to avoid it.

She had been a widow for years, raising Jia Lan, and now she had no choice but to submit to a man again, from which she would receive his favor...

"His Majesty……"

Li Wan took two steps forward, still with her head down, looking shy.

Chu Yan reached out and pulled her closer. Li Wan was forced to kneel on his lap, half of her body falling into his strong arms. Touching the man's arm again and feeling his presence made her heart pound wildly, and she was overcome with shame.

Chu Yan remained silent, his eyes burning with desire as he carefully admired Li Wan's beauty. He noticed the fullness and curves of her white, side-fastened jacket, the hairpins and earrings she wore, and the rouge on her lips, indicating that she had dressed up for the evening. He was quite pleased and reached out to stroke her cheek.

He casually asked, "I heard you used to have a lot of money saved up at home?"

Li Wan, who was already prepared to be favored by the emperor, looked at him in surprise upon hearing this. After a long while, she replied, "I did save a lot of silver before, about four or five hundred taels."

Chu Yan laughed and pinched her cheek.

"His Majesty…"

Li Wan's voice trembled.

Heaven have mercy! She's a married woman who's been married for many years and has always been the one pinching girls' cheeks, but now the emperor is pinching her cheeks. How can she not be ashamed?

Li Wan's heart was pounding like a deer's, and she couldn't help but bury her head in his arms, no longer caring about how much money there was, she just wanted to go inside.

Chu Yan put his arm around her waist and laughed, "You're still lying to me. Four or five hundred taels is probably just your annual salary."

Li Wan looked up at him, and said resentfully, "What does Your Majesty want to say? All my silver has been confiscated by the government, and now I have nothing left but five taels of silver a month..."

Chu Yan asked, "Were they all taken away?"

Seeing her nod, he smiled and said, "I originally wanted to return the silver to you, but since you said you only have four or five hundred taels, I will return five hundred taels to you."

Li Wan then understood his intention, and couldn't help but laugh and be moved at the same time. She nestled in the emperor's arms and said softly, "I originally wanted to say less, but I was afraid that Your Majesty would misunderstand that I was greedy. But now it's fine. Five hundred taels it is. I thank Your Majesty for your mercy."

She wanted to bow, but Chu Yan held her waist, so she could only shyly raise her head and kiss Chu Yan's face a few times.

The warm breath exhaled by the beautiful widow who had been widowed for many years stirred one's desires, making one want to take her inside and cherish her fiercely.

However, Chu Yan was patient after all. He carried her onto the couch, and Li Wan knelt on the couch to take off his shoes. She also took off her soft-soled embroidered shoes, revealing her beautiful arches in silk stockings.

The two went to bed together.

Chu Yan leaned against the pillow, and Li Wan nestled against his chest, looking as if she were being cherished and loved.

The two had been intimate three times, and the atmosphere quickly became tender.

As if drunk, Li Wan looked up at him and said, "I saved that silver so that my son would have somewhere to go in the future."

Chu Yan said, "Your son is the eldest grandson of the second branch of the Duke's mansion. Do you really need to scheme for him?"

Li Wan's eyes were filled with resentment: "I'm not afraid to say it, but the title of Changsun sounds good when it's spread, but outsiders don't know what's going on in the Duke's mansion..." She slowly poured out her heart in Chu Yan's arms.

Chu Yan then realized that although Jia Lan was the eldest grandson, whether the descendants of dukes and marquises could be favored depended entirely on their parents. Li Wan's father was only the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and he had already retired, so he could not support her.

Therefore, Jia Lan received far less affection than Jia Baoyu, who had both parents.

Li Wan was originally able to take over the household management from Lady Wang, but because she had no husband and no one to support her, and she was not capable of handling external affairs, she had to leave it to Jia Lian and his wife.

"The court official need not worry."

Chu Yan gently stroked her cheek and smiled, "From now on, I am your man, and I will support you!"

Li Wan blushed slightly, but was deeply moved. She said, "I don't know how to repay Your Majesty..."

Chu Yan looked at her and asked, "You really don't know?"

Li Wan closed her eyes, her elegant face blushing with shyness, her expression one of waiting to be favored. She softly said from her red lips, "This concubine... serves Your Majesty with her beauty, hoping Your Majesty will cherish her."

Chu Yan knew that Gong Cai was moved, but he still wanted to tease her, so he smiled and said to the outside, "Yun girl, what brings you here?"

In an instant, Li Wan was so frightened that she knelt up straight. Only after seeing that no one had come in did she realize that she had been tricked.

Chu Yan laughed heartily, put his arm around her and said, "Look how scared you are! You were scared too when Yun'er came in last time. What's there to worry about? You're no longer the daughter-in-law of the Jia family, but my concubine!"

She added, "Yun'er is too."

Li Wan retorted, "Your Majesty is truly absurd. Even if Yun'er and I are both concubines, it's still inappropriate... inappropriate for us to meet in bed."

She had never heard of a wife and concubine serving each other.

Chu Yan smiled but didn't say anything. After tonight, Li Wan would realize how wrong she was.

He said to her, "Take off your clothes, I want to see you."

Li Wan was taken aback at first, then understood what he meant, and quickly said, "Let's go inside..."

"No need, it's bright outside. I'll just look at you from here!"

"..."

Only then did Li Wan realize that her intimacy with the emperor on the soft couch last time was not accidental, but intentional.

She wanted to persuade His Majesty again, but Chu Yan had made up his mind. He said that Yuan Chun and Qing He were both like this, so there was no need for her to be ashamed.

When Li Wan first heard about the emperor's sexual affairs with another man, she was filled with shock and doubt. Seeing that Chu Yan still insisted, she had no choice but to agree, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"I'll go close the door!"

Li Wan didn't want to be seen by Xiangyun or Daiyu again, so she left the hotel.

Su Yun and Bi Yue stood guard outside. Li Wan hesitated for a moment, then told them to close the door first and go to the west side room to stand guard. They were not allowed to enter without her summons.

Su Yun and Bi Yue both knew that the eldest mistress was going to make love with the emperor in the east room. They both blushed and responded in hushed tones. They went outside to tell the palace maids, then closed the door and went to the west side room to wait.

"You absolutely must not come in!"

Li Wan added her instructions.

The east side room was separated by only a curtain, yet she was to receive imperial favor from inside. Last time, when Xiangyun, Xiuyan, and Daiyu barged in, she had already died of embarrassment under the covers.

"Grandma, you go ahead, we'll stay inside."

The two men stood there, watching the beautifully dressed matriarch, and couldn't help but imagine her taking off her clothes, removing the pearl hairpins and earrings she had just put on, revealing her fair and graceful body, and then serving the emperor on his bed...

They had just served Li Wan during her bath and knew that she was fair-skinned and beautiful with a graceful figure. Especially after giving birth to a son, her body had become even more charming and mature.

Right now, right next door, the eldest mistress is about to receive the Emperor's favor and enter the palace as a concubine.

Upon entering the west wing room, Su Yun whispered, "If Grandma has another child, and it's a boy, wouldn't he be able to become...the Crown Prince?!"

Women who have given birth can easily conceive again.

Biyue shook her head: "The Crown Prince is the legitimate son born to the Empress. My grandmother has been married before, so her son can only be a prince."

"That's hard to say. The Emperor has never had an heir... Who knows, maybe our grandmother, no, our empress, will be able to give birth to a son!"

The two were discussing things in the west room.

In the side room to the east, at Chu Yan's request, Li Wan stood shyly before him, slowly undressing with trembling hands.

Chu Yan leaned against the soft cushions on the couch, admiring the beautiful and dignified woman with a smile in his eyes as she gradually revealed her graceful figure to him.

Belt, waistband, white side-fastening jacket, undergarment...

In the end, Li Wan was left wearing only a bellyband.

She had already closed her eyes, her face flushed. Every time she took off a piece of clothing, she would bend down and fold it on the side of the soft couch. Several times she secretly glanced at His Majesty and saw that he was staring at her without blinking, looking at every part of her body.

Slim waist, round hips, lower abdomen, back...

At this moment, Li Wan finally understood why His Majesty had specifically asked her to undress in the brightly lit east side room—it was to see her blushing appearance.

But she actually agreed, and she felt an overwhelming joy in her heart, as if her stomach was on fire. She was like a woman possessed, and obediently did as she was told.

"He is the emperor. Since he has issued an order for me to do it, how can I refuse?"

Li Wan told herself this in her heart.

(End of this chapter)