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

Chapter 181 Daiyu Pleads Again

"Please sit down, Baochai, come here."

After bathing and changing, Chu Yan sat down in the west side room. Li Wan had not yet gotten up, so he raised his hand and called Baochai to his side.

"His Majesty…"

Baochai's round, full, fair face blushed slightly. This was the first time she had received the treatment of a "favored concubine." In the past, it was Xiangyun and Baoqin who sat next to the emperor.

As she approached, Chu Yan reached out and embraced Baochai's full and firm body, savoring the sensation.

The reason he described it as "tight" is that after he hugged Baochai, he realized that Baochai's waist was "very thick." Compared to Xiangyun, Daiyu, and others, Baochai's waist was quite fleshy. When she sat on his lap, her buttocks were round, firm, and plump, like two ripe peaches.

With its elasticity, tightness, and smoothness, Chu Yan was usually not easily angered in the morning, but when Baochai sat down, he was truly irresistible.

"His Majesty……"

Such an intimate gesture naturally made Baochai blush with shyness, her fair and full face turning red, and she didn't know how to react for a moment.

Chu Yan smiled, hugged her and kissed her cheeks and lips twice, tasting Baochai's flavor, before letting her sit beside him to avoid losing control of his temper.

After being kissed twice, Baochai lowered her head shyly, pursed her lips, and felt the lips that the man had kissed.

"You should also find a place to sit down, don't stand."

Chu Yanchao addressed the three people in front of him, including Qingwen, and pointed to the soft couch next to him and the chairs in the room. Qingwen and Yuchuan sat on the couch together, while Xiangling went to sit on a chair.

Chu Yan said, “From now on, you will live in the side rooms next to Yangxin Hall. Each of you will choose a room to live in. You don’t need to keep watch at night. I usually sleep until dawn. As for other matters… you must not spread anything that happens in my room.”

"Yes, Your Majesty." All three of them obediently replied.

Qingwen was still somewhat unsettled after witnessing the emperor's physique. She had never served Baoyu a bath before, but compared to when Baoyu wore thin clothes, the emperor's body was undoubtedly taller and stronger.

The palace maids who were serving were also quite old and had served many times before, but they were still blushing with embarrassment.

Thinking of the appearances of the palace maids, she thought to herself, no wonder the emperor chose them.

Chu Yan nodded, "You can learn the rest slowly. Don't worry about making mistakes or not knowing the rules. As long as you don't do anything illegal, I won't make things difficult for you."

Let them adjust gradually. Chu Yan turned to Baochai with a smile and asked, "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Baochai smiled and said, "Xiangling comes from our family. My mother was worried that she was too naive and didn't know any better, so she asked me to give her some instructions. Now that I see His Majesty treats these three girls so well, I was just being overly concerned."

Chu Yan suddenly remembered Aunt Xue, whom he had met yesterday, and nodded, saying, "I'll visit your house again another day."

Baochai's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Your Majesty, are you referring to Hengwu Garden?"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Since we're going to Hengwu Garden, we're also going to your house."

Baochai had no choice but to agree.

Xiangling stood up and said, "I'll go pour His Majesty and Miss Bao a cup of tea."

"No need," Chu Yan called out to her. "They will bring me breakfast later. You can have some with me too. Miss Bao, please stay and have breakfast with me."

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a palace maid's voice from outside: "Miss Lin and the second and third young ladies of the Jia family have arrived."

Upon hearing this, Qingwen and the other two stood up, gave up their seats, and walked outside to wait and serve them outside the curtain.

Baochai also stood up, because Yingchun was older than her.

"You've been here all night?" Tan Chun asked curiously as she entered the room and saw Qing Wen and the others.

"You don't know yet, but from then on they served in the Emperor's quarters." This was Daiyu's soft voice.

As they were talking, the three of them lifted the curtain and came in. They were all somewhat surprised to see Baochai.

Daiyu smiled and said, "What a coincidence this morning, to meet Sister Bao here again."

Baochai said, "Xiangling and I came together. She came to the room to serve the emperor as he bathed and changed. Why did you both come so early in the morning? Please sit down before we talk."

Daiyu glanced at Chu Yan, and seeing that he didn't speak, she sat down in a chair and pointed to the soft couch, telling Yingchun and Tanchun to sit down.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "You two came together so early in the morning, presumably because of what happened last night."

Tan Chun hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is wise." She then explained, "Last night after I went back, I thought about it for a while and felt that it was a bit inconvenient to have the young actresses stay at the Grand View Garden."

Looking at him, Tan Chun continued, "Firstly, Yi Hong Courtyard is close to Aunt Xue's house, and when they practice their opera performances, they bang gongs and drums, which inevitably disturbs people. Secondly, there are about twenty young actors and their instructors, so Yi Hong Courtyard seems a bit small."

Chu Yan asked her, "What are your thoughts?"

Tan Chun smiled and said, "I think it would be better to find a place for them to live in the East Mansion. The Huifang Garden and the Grand View Garden are combined. There were originally places like Tianxiang Tower, Ningxi Pavilion, Dengxian Pavilion, and Conglu Hall inside. The ancestral hall that was moved out can be modified to make it habitable. The Jia family's ancestral tablets have all been moved out, so there is no need to be superstitious about anything anymore."

The Yihong Courtyard will remain for the young ladies; if Miss Qin doesn't want to stay there, Miss Xing will take her.

Chu Yan nodded and said, "I didn't get to visit Pear Fragrance Courtyard yesterday, but I know about the place. Since you have time, please accompany me there later and ask Fangguan and the others."

Daiyu looked up and asked, "Does Your Majesty know Fangguan?"

Chu Yan smiled but did not answer. Baochai's heart skipped a beat. Among the twelve young actresses, there were those whom the emperor had his eye on. No wonder the imperial decree last night ordered them to be moved to the Yihong Courtyard.

Tan Chun asked with a smile, "Is His Majesty not attending court today?"

"Isn't this a court assembly?" Chu Yan pointed at them. "You come to me so early in the morning to discuss matters. You are not my beloved concubines, but my subjects."

Baochai and the others blushed and quickly apologized.

Daiyu seized the opportunity and said with a smile, "We would like to be his subjects and discuss the internal affairs of the Grand View Palace with His Majesty."

"What do you want to discuss?" Chu Yan looked at her with a half-smile. Last night's decree didn't involve her much, but she came this morning.

Ermutou Yingchun also came, which shows that the two are probably in cahoots and came for Madam Xing.

Sure enough, Daiyu said, "The Emperor wants to rebuild the wall around my eldest aunt's and second sister's mother's house and ask my eldest aunt to move out. I wonder what the Emperor wants that place for?"

Chu Yan said calmly, "I haven't decided yet, but it's not right for her to live in such a big place by herself." As he spoke, he smiled at Yingchun and said, "Second Miss isn't her daughter, and she's not usually that nice to you and Miss Xing."

Upon hearing this, the group realized that the emperor was standing up for Yingchun and Xiuyan and had ordered Madam Xing to move out.

Yingchun hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "My mother has treated me fairly well and has never mistreated me."

Tan Chun sighed after a long while, "The First Madam is usually quite strict with Sister Xing. At the beginning of the year, when the spring chill was still there, she had very few clothes and was shivering from the cold. She also had very few pieces of jewelry. I secretly gave her a jade pendant. Since all the sisters in the garden had one, it was embarrassing for her not to have one. Now that His Majesty is taking care of her, she has some money and won't have to suffer so much in the future."

Yingchun said, "I gave her a few old clothes, but she didn't want them."

Tan Chun laughed and said, "How dare she take your things? She's already living with you. If she takes your things, it will be even more embarrassing for her. Although she's a free spirit and doesn't care much about face, outsiders will gossip and make the First Madam lose face too."

The group quickly explained the situation, and Daiyu then said to Chu Yan, "This is a matter concerning the Xing family. His Majesty stood up for Miss Xing and punished the First Madam. If this gets out, won't it damage the relationship between Miss Xing's parents and the First Madam? As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Even if we ignore Miss Xing and the Second Miss, it doesn't make sense that she partitioned off a section of Daguan Palace and lived in such a large place all by herself."

Daiyu hurriedly said, "It's good that Aunt's house has been renovated. What we've come to ask is Your Majesty to grant Aunt a place to live in comfortably in her old age, so that Second Miss can serve Your Majesty with peace of mind."

"And you?" Chu Yan asked, looking at her.

Daiyu blushed and lowered her head without answering.

Chu Yan laughed again, "Yingchun came to ask me for help, so you must have invited her to come along. But I'm a little surprised, why is Lin Meimei asking me for help again? You haven't repaid the favors you and Yun'er owed me last time."

In the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Lin Daiyu's relationship with her two aunts seems rather ordinary, yet now she has taken the initiative to plead for them.

Everyone thought she was addicted to being hugged.

I'll pay you back next time!

Daiyu first retorted, and then said, "In the years since I came from Suzhou to live in the capital, my two aunts have been very kind to me. When I first visited my maternal grandmother's house to see my eldest aunt, she insisted that I stay for a meal. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me permission to find a good house for my eldest aunt to live in."

Since Chu Yan didn't speak, after Madam Xing moved out, she could only live in the servants' quarters. Tan Chun wouldn't dare to let Madam Xing live in any other nice places without permission.

"Oh."

Chu Yan then remembered that Madam Xing did indeed like Daiyu, inviting her to dinner on their first meeting, and that although Jia She was a very bad person, he also valued family ties very much.

Daiyu had lived in the Jia family for many years and owed many favors. Now, she could ask for a place for Madam Xing to live in by simply asking. She probably felt that she owed him too much, so she gritted her teeth and asked again.

"Alright." Chu Yan smiled and said to Tan Chun, "You and Madam Xing discuss where she wants to stay. These ladies and mistresses don't have many maids around them anymore, so three or five rooms should be enough for them."

Tan Chun should go down.

Chu Yan glanced at Yingchun and said, “Since she is your legal mother, I will grant Lady Xing and Lady Wang the same treatment. The mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and other direct relatives of the other girls in the garden will receive one tael of silver per month, and their other food, clothing, and other necessities will also be provided in the same way.”

Tan Chun, Baochai, Daiyu, and Yingchun all stood up to express their gratitude on behalf of the emperor.

Aunt Xue used to receive a monthly allowance of two hundred coins, which was equivalent to that of a young maid.

Chu Yan then said to Qingwen outside, "Come in. I forgot to tell you, your monthly allowance is two taels, and it will increase by one tael every year, up to a maximum of five taels."

All three were surprised. Two taels was already the monthly allowance for a concubine, while five taels was the allowance given to the second mistress. They had received the monthly allowance for a concubine as soon as they entered the palace, and they would be able to rise to the level of a mistress in the future!

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty!" Xiangling was about to kowtow when Chu Yan said, "I'll get angry if you keep kowtowing. Go ahead and check if breakfast is ready. Tell the kitchen to make more, the girls need to eat too."

Daiyu suddenly asked, "Is His Majesty not attending the morning court session this morning?"

If they had something to do early in the morning, they would go to see the emperor before the morning court session.

"No, I'm taking a rare day off today. If you're free later, come with me for a walk in Pear Blossom Courtyard."

Chu Yan was still interested in the twelve young actors.

Over the years, he has come to know that wealthy families keep actors not only for watching operas, but also as concubines.

The Jia family spent tens of thousands of taels of silver to buy these actors because the young actors were outstanding in appearance.

(End of this chapter)