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

Chapter 184 The Bet with Lingguan
Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "It's not a difficult matter. Your Majesty has entrusted this matter to me, and I guarantee that they will be arranged properly."

Chu Yan smiled but remained silent.

It was clear that he was dissatisfied with Sister Feng's failure to get things done immediately.

Tan Chun also smiled and said, "There are several uninhabited rooms in Huifang Garden in the East Mansion, as well as covered walkways and warm pavilions. They are comfortable to live in. Since Huifang Garden has also been incorporated into the Grand View Garden, how about letting them live in Huifang Garden?"

Chu Yan, sitting in the main seat, nodded, "That's a good idea."

The subtext is, is there anything better?

At this moment, Fangguan said, "When His Majesty comes to handle state affairs, one room is enough. It won't be a problem for us to stay here."

It's clear she doesn't really want to move.

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed: "When you perform, you beat drums and gongs, making a racket. How can the Emperor concentrate? Besides, when the Emperor wants to summon his ministers, don't you even try to avoid it?"

Fangguan blushed at his words.

She didn't find it noisy when she was acting or singing, and she didn't know that the emperor needed to summon his ministers to do things, which led to this funny situation.

Chu Yan glanced at her twice. Fangguan was the most beautiful among the group of young actresses. She should be the leading female role, also called the Qingyi, which occupies the most important position among the female roles.

Baochai took in the Emperor's gaze and said with a smile, "I have an idea, but I don't know if it's right."

"Go ahead," Chu Yan said, picking up the tea Qingwen had brought and taking a sip.

Baochai said in detail, "In my opinion, singing opera is not a long-term thing. Some of the older women in our palace used to sing opera, but they stopped singing after they got older and switched to serving people in their rooms and making their masters happy."

"In our palace?"

Sister Feng was stunned for a moment before she remembered that the Ning and Rong mansions had been renamed Daguan Palace, and from now on they could no longer refer to their own mansion as the East or West Mansion.

All twelve young actresses looked over, their expressions somewhat strange. Fangguan pursed her lips, muttering something under her breath.

Baochai continued, “You are not young anymore. Why don’t you take advantage of the opportunity to move out and learn some ways to serve others in His Majesty’s or the ladies’ rooms? You don’t have to actually serve. During the day, you can still gather together to practice your operas and sing for His Majesty for a few more years. Later, when His Majesty is kind enough, he can arrange for you to go to various places. Wouldn’t that be better than just singing operas?”

The civil official was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed and kowtowed to express his gratitude. He was so eager to change careers and serve others instead of performing in plays.

It's clear that Baochai hit the nail on the head regarding her worries: singing opera isn't a long-term career, and she'll have to find another way out in the future.

Tan Chun asked, "Where do they practice during the day?"

Baochai smiled and said, "There is a stage in Huifang Garden. People from that mansion used to invite us to watch plays there. Now that it's abandoned, wouldn't it be good to pick it up and use it?"

Daiyu understood what she meant. It wasn't that the place was abandoned; it was that after Jia Zhen was sentenced to death, there was no one in the East Mansion, and since the emperor was living in the Grand View Garden, the stage in Huifang Garden was naturally abandoned and unused.

"What do you think?"

Chu Yan asked the actors.

These words stunned them. They were just actors, and they always obeyed their masters' orders. They were never asked whether they were willing or not.
The civil official hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, please decide for us!"

Chu Yan laughed: "You are quite clever with words. Very well, you, Fangguan, Lingguan, and Diguan will come to my room. The rest of you will go to the girls' rooms to listen to their requests. During the day, you will still go to the Huifang Garden stage to rehearse."

The Hall of Mental Cultivation has side rooms on the left and right that can accommodate a few of them, while the other palace maids can only live in the original servants' quarters of the Jia family.

Qingwen looked over and saw four more maids? These were still the same young opera girls.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The civil official was overjoyed and hurriedly led everyone to kneel down. Needless to say, the four of them could serve in His Majesty's room, and the other actresses could also go to the girls' rooms. From now on, they would have a place to stay and would no longer have to worry about being sold off because of their age.

Of the twelve people, eleven, including Fangguan, Diguan, and Ouguan, knelt down and kowtowed, while only one person remained standing.

Tan Chun and Wang Xifeng didn't recognize her, and they couldn't very well tell her to kneel, so they were quite unhappy.

Daiyu recognized her and glanced at Chu Yan to see how he would deal with this ungrateful little actress. Would he fly into a rage, punish her lightly, or pamper her since she was going to serve him in the room?

Xiangyun recognized her too, and turned to smile at Daiyu.

Daiyu ignored her. Last year, it was Yun'er who said that the little actress looked like her. Now Yun'er must have remembered this again!

"Ah."

Qingwen stepped forward with a cold laugh, "So it's Lingguan!"

She was now serving the emperor, and since the girls were all silent, it was naturally her turn to discipline this unruly little actress!
Tan Chun and Wang Xifeng both looked rather displeased. Ying Chun glanced at Chu Yan but remained mostly silent.

"Your Majesty," Lingguan knelt down and kowtowed, "This servant dares not disobey Your Majesty's decree, but I am filled with fear. I beg Your Majesty to issue a decree allowing me to serve the young ladies!"

Wang Xifeng was startled and quickly said, "Who taught you such manners? You can't just say things like that. His Majesty summoning you to serve him in his room is a blessing you've accumulated over three lifetimes. You should thank him quickly!"

She could tell that Lingguan didn't want to serve the emperor, but was willing to serve the young lady; clearly, she had a man in her heart.

If it got out that the servants had an affair, it would bring shame to the Jia family. In the past, they would have kicked her out to be married off to a servant!
Lingguan lowered her head and said, "Wouldn't it be better if I gave this good fortune to them?"

The civil official quickly tugged at her sleeve, telling her to stop talking.

Wang Xifeng sneered: "Can good fortune be given to others? Since you don't want it, I think... even the Emperor might not bestow this good fortune upon you."

If she were in charge of the household, she would immediately order the old woman who was in charge of her to come in and kick her out, without wasting any more words.

But now she was merely the head wife, and it wasn't her place to make decisions. Everyone looked to the emperor, waiting for his choice.

"The rest of you, get up first. The floor is too hard; your knees will hurt if you kneel."

Chu Yan instructed the civil officials Fang Guan and the others to get up.

Looking at Lingguan kneeling with her head bowed, I noticed her graceful figure. I vaguely remembered her singing on stage last night. Apart from Fangguan, who was the most beautiful, Lingguan was also a worthy contender for second or third place in terms of looks.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "You get up, raise your head, and come over here. I want to see you."

Xiangyun and Tanchun both looked over; they were seeing Chu Yan again giving orders to girls in the tone of an emperor.

Daiyu's heart tightened; she had already guessed what he was going to do!
Lingguan looks somewhat like her, and now she is experiencing the same kind of mistreatment as she was when she was bullied. This bandit king must have evil intentions and is just waiting for Lingguan to get closer before he attacks!
All the women in the room were on tenterhooks, watching the emperor, who was the supreme ruler, forcefully order Zhao Lingguan to come closer, to see her appearance and admire her beauty.

Outside the gate were a group of attendant eunuchs, and at the back gate were the emperor's personal guards. No one in the entire Daguan Palace could disobey the emperor's orders!
At this moment, even the favored Xiangyun dared not speak.

finally.

Lingguan slowly rose, her graceful figure moving slowly towards the emperor. She raised her head slightly, her fair and delicate face filled with grief and indignation, tears welling up in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.

Chu Yan saw Lingguan up close and found that she indeed resembled Lin Daiyu, with teary eyes, delicate eyebrows, and cherry lips and teeth.

"No wonder Yun'er said you look a bit like Lin Daiyu."

Chu Yan smiled.

Upon hearing this, Xiangyun immediately exclaimed "Ah!" and looked over in surprise. Wang Xifeng was also puzzled, as she had even forgotten that she had said those words. She only remembered them after seeing Xiangyun's reaction.

Daiyu gave a cold laugh; he really did know everything.

Therefore, when Chu Yan uttered "Jia Qiang," Daiyu was no longer surprised.

Lingguan's expression changed.

Wang Xifeng suddenly realized, "So you were with Qiang, the boy who manages the opera troupe... No wonder the mansion is so strict, men from outside can't come in, and the maids and servants don't see each other much. How could you have an affair? It turns out you've been embezzling from your own post!"

He then scolded, "That brat Qiang, how could he do such a thing? Even if the Emperor doesn't punish him with corvée labor, his family will still give him a good beating." He then scolded Lingguan, "You can't escape it either. How have we ever treated you badly? Instead of focusing on your opera, you're doing this kind of thing with a man..."

As she was cursing, Fengjie suddenly saw the emperor looking at her with a half-smile, as if he could see through her outer clothes and see the undergarment embroidered with the words "Feng Nu is guilty"!

For a moment, Sister Feng was speechless, secretly lamenting her predicament.

Lingguan was having an affair with Jia Qiang, yet she was wearing this shameful undergarment. Wasn't that even more lewd than the affair itself?

"Second Madam!"

Lingguan kowtowed while crying, “I did not have any affair with Qiang’er. There are many people in Lixiang Courtyard, and the sisters eat and live together. How could I have time to be friendly with others? It’s just that Qiang’er is good to me, and I recognize his kindness, that’s all… Please, Your Majesty and Second Madam, have mercy and spare me!”

She seemed to only become afraid when her affair was exposed.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "I told you to get up, why are you still kneeling? The way you and Jia Qiang are acting reminds me of someone."

Daiyu's heart tightened.

Xiangyun glanced at her secretly, but quickly turned her head away without saying a word, unlike last year when she listened to the opera and bluntly said that Lingguan looked like Sister Lin.

This is no joke.

"That's fine."

Chu Yan said calmly, "I'll take this bet with you."

Daiyu was so angry she laughed!
A pair of eyes were fixed on him, waiting to see what tricks he would pull!

Lingguan looked up, her expression somewhat blank, unable to understand why the emperor had suddenly brought up the bet.

Chu Yan said, "I will have Jia Qiang return from outside the city to meet you. If he refuses to be with you, I will pardon him and give him some silver to settle down."

Lingguan was stunned.

Daiyu was also stunned; this was clearly addressed to her.

"If he still thinks of you, I will not say anything, but will still send him back to perform his corvée labor without punishment or reward."

Chu Yanchao Lingguan laughed and said, "But this bet is not free. You must come to my room to serve me. You and the others will learn the rules from Qingwen and the others. If Jia Qiang and you stick to your word for a few years, I will remember your service and pardon you."

Wang Xifeng could tell that whether Lingguan would serve in bed depended entirely on the emperor's mood. If he was in the mood, he would send the actresses to bed as his concubines.

If the emperor wasn't in the mood, he would take turns summoning the concubines, young ladies, grandmothers, and other women in the garden, and there wouldn't be enough time to finish them all. The young maids would just be left in their rooms and ignored.

If they are not served well, it is fine to let them go in the future.

If you serve her well and reward her with some things, why worry that she won't stay?

Even Jia Qiang would probably choose not to be with Ling Guan, thus avoiding the hardship of corvée labor. Such imperial grace is not something that happens every day.

Therefore, this is a gamble that the emperor cannot lose.

(End of this chapter)