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

Chapter 188 Lingguan Daiying
Nighttime, Yangxin Hall.

Qingwen yawned, propped her head up with her hand, and slumped in the chair, looking sleepy.

Upon seeing this, Yu Chuan smiled and said, "You go to sleep first. I'll wait for His Majesty to return. One person can keep watch at night."

Qingwen, now more awake, said, "Tonight is my first time serving the Emperor, I don't know how it will be. I'm not like the little maids who just fall asleep anywhere."

Just then, Lingguan entered with her head down, perhaps still thinking about the day's events, and seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Qingwen ignored her, but Xiangling chatted with her for a while.

Suddenly a palace maid came to report: "His Majesty has returned!"

Inside, Qingwen and the others rushed out to greet them, only to find a voluptuous concubine with her back to them in front of a large group of people. Her two round, peach-like buttocks were hanging in the air, quite eye-catching, wrapped in her dress.

Upon closer inspection, Qingwen realized that she was being carried by the Emperor. The plump and beautiful concubine was being held in his arms, her arms and legs wrapped around him, forced to sway and bounce up and down as they walked toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation, followed by a dozen or so eunuchs.

When the Emperor approached, Qingwen recognized her. It turned out to be the dignified and composed Consort Xiande, the eldest daughter of the Jia family!

She blushed deeply and buried her face in Chu Yan's arms, refusing to come out. She must have been carried out of the side hall by the man and headed straight for the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"His Majesty!"

Qingwen and the others bowed and watched as he carried Jia Yuanchun into the hall. The eunuchs who had been following them had already stopped and were waiting for the imperial decree to be issued.

Chu Yan said, "Go and fetch me a basin of hot water. The rest of you may leave."

He then supported Yuan Chun's buttocks with one hand and walked into the west side room.

Qingwen's face had already turned red, but after only a slight hesitation, she ordered the palace maids outside to fetch hot water and towels. She and Xiangling stood outside the curtain waiting to be served.

This morning, she had already seen the emperor bathe, and as mentioned before, she was now the emperor's concubine, so she should serve him in this way.

"Your Majesty... slow down."

From inside came the soft, sweet voice of the Virtuous Consort, accompanied by the sound of clothes being undone, and Qingwen and the others guessed what was happening inside.

Lingguan was in a terrible predicament. Originally, she wanted to serve the emperor in the evening to atone for what happened during the day, but unexpectedly, the emperor favored Consort Xiande. Now she couldn't leave either, or she would be scolded by Qingwen again.

After a while, a palace maid brought hot water. Qingwen took it, called out, lifted the curtain, and walked in with her head down.

Xiangling hesitated for a moment before following her inside, while Yuchuan waited outside, but couldn't help but steal a glance inside:
His Majesty had already manipulated Consort Xiande into a white lamb; her soft, white body leaned against His Majesty's chest, and her dignified, round, and noble face was already flushed.

Lingguan dared not look, her heart filled with bitterness as she thought of her meeting with Jia Qiang during the day.

Inside the house, Chu Yan said to Qingwen, "I just got back, and I have some rainwater on my clothes and head. Please use a towel to wipe me dry."

Yuan Chun propped up her plump, fair body and said softly with a smile, "I will help Your Majesty change clothes. Qingwen, get me a towel."

Chu Yan then stood up, and Yuan Chun helped him undress. Soon, he was standing naked in front of the three men.

Although Qingwen and Xiangling had seen it once that morning, they immediately noticed the difference upon seeing it again this time:
"!!"

"People say you're a silly Xiangling, and it's true." Chu Yan laughed, and seeing that the two of them were at a loss, he said, "You're both unmarried girls, so it's not your fault."

Qingwen blushed and lowered her head: "A young lady is considered unmarried only if she is not married. We are not worthy of her."

As she spoke, she took a towel and, with her eyes half-open, wiped Chu Yan's body, using the hot towel to remove the rain and moisture.

Chu Yan sat down and placed his hand on Yuan Chun's head. Qing Wen understood and dried his hair.

Xiangling's hands and feet went weak. She had never seen a concubine being favored before.

She knew that she had been bought to be a concubine, and that concubines often rose through the ranks from maids who served their masters in bed. Although she hadn't learned these things, she roughly knew them, so she obediently lowered her head and helped Qingwen wash the emperor's hair.

Chu Yan slowly savored the moment, rubbing Yuan Chun's head. Seeing the hollowness in her cheeks, he suddenly asked, "Is that Ling Guan outside?"

“Yu Chuan is here too,” Qing Wen said.

"Let them in," Chu Yan ordered.

Qingwen called out to the outside, and when the two came in and saw this scene, their faces turned red.

Yu Chuan was alright, as she had made preparations in advance.

Lingguan was seeing Jia Qiang for the first time, and having met him during the day, she felt increasingly ashamed and indignant, yet she had no choice but to stand with her head down.

Chu Yan looked at her and saw that Lingguan had beautiful eyes, a delicate face, and a slender waist, resembling Daiyu. He then said, "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

Lingguan looked up for a moment, then lowered her head again: "His Majesty summoned me to serve you..."

"That's right."

Chu Yan nodded and said, "Don't worry, as long as you serve me well, I will not treat you unfairly. Come here, let me see you."

Lingguan knew she couldn't escape this ordeal, so she had no choice but to go over. But when she saw the way the eldest daughter of the Jia family was swallowing her food, she couldn't help but close her eyes.

The next moment, the emperor carried her to his arms.

Qingwen glanced at it, a surge of inexplicable anger rising within her:
Although he is a good person, he is still the emperor, and there will always be times when he puts on an imperial air to oppress them, which is very different from Bao Erye.

The only saving grace was that the emperor was considerate of them and did not punish Lingguan for her disobedience. Instead, he gave Lingguan a few choices.

Although, Lingguan still couldn't escape the emperor's grasp.

Yu Chuan lowered her head and remained silent.

Xiangling wasn't surprised. She remembered being beaten when she was a slave trader, and she knew the rules for concubines: they couldn't disobey their masters.

Therefore, when she saw Lingguan being embraced by the waist, with her clothes scattered on the ground, she did not say anything, but felt a little sorry for Lingguan.

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment," Yuan Chun said gently. "She is still an inexperienced girl and cannot bear Your Majesty's recklessness."

Qingwen heard the emperor laugh and say, "Don't worry, I'm always gentle with young ladies. Qingwen, you don't need to serve me tonight, go back to sleep."

The three women, Qingwen and Lingguan, carried the basins of water and left behind the curtain. Their last scene was that Lingguan, who was a young female role singer, was embraced by the tall emperor and placed on the couch.

Na Lingguan had already gone limp, closing her eyes and remaining silent.

After a while, Qingwen heard her cry out in pain, followed by Yuanchun's comforting voice.

The three of them stayed behind the curtain, their cheeks flushed and their limbs weak, listening for a while. When they heard Lingguan begin to sing opera, making soft, guttural sounds, the three of them didn't quite understand at first, but gradually realized that it was a pleasant sound. So they hurriedly left and went back to their rooms to sleep.

After lying down, Qingwen suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said to Xiangling, "Did His Majesty send Lingguan to serve him because she was disobedient?"

Xiangling went to bed early.

Feeling awkward, Qingwen also went to sleep haphazardly.

But then she had a dream, in which she, like Lingguan, was carried to bed by the emperor...

(End of this chapter)