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

Chapter 204 Han Xiangyun, You Shunu, Qing Guniang

Fengjie went out to Tianxiang Tower, while Daiyu, Xiangyun, and others chatted and laughed with Grandmother Jia.

About half an hour later, Ping'er returned and smiled at everyone, saying, "The matter has been investigated. Qingwen and Yuchuan have taken a sedan chair to the palace to report to the Empress, who will handle the matter."

The maids and servants were all amazed when they heard this, saying, "Qingwen and the other two are quite remarkable now. They serve in the Emperor's quarters and go in and out of the palace to meet the Empress."

Grandmother Jia also laughed and said, "Qingwen and Yuchuan's good fortune today is their destiny. Who would have thought that the Emperor would take a liking to all three of them?"

Everyone laughed, but Madam Wang's face remained stiff; every time Yu Chuan was mentioned, her face would turn red.

Baochai said, "Although there are palace maids and eunuchs serving His Majesty, three maids are still not as good as those who serve in the Emperor's room." She said to Grandmother Jia, "If you have any other maids, you can choose two more to serve in the Emperor's room."

Everyone was stunned.

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "Three maids are a bit few, but the Emperor may not like the maids we chose, and he may also think we are making trouble."

Baochai smiled and said, "Pick a few out, and I'll ask His Majesty again. It's alright. If His Majesty doesn't like them, we can just let them come back."

Grandmother Jia then smiled and pointed at Yuanyang, saying, "Apart from Yuanyang, you can choose any other people for the Emperor. Whoever is lucky enough to be chosen will have their good fortune and have finally made it."

Yuanyang wanted to call Amber and Pearl out, but Daiyu laughed and said, "Why bother? His Majesty knows better than the old lady and the madam how many people are in the mansion. If he liked someone, he would have picked them long ago. The emperor is quite domineering."

Xiangyun smiled and said, "How did Sister Lin know that His Majesty the Emperor knew how many maids he had?"

Daiyu remained silent, while Baochai smiled and said, "Although it's troublesome, it's ultimately for His Majesty's sake. I'll report to His Majesty tonight and then select someone else."

At this moment, Madam Wang said, "The fact that Qingwen and the other two argued with the palace maids shows that they may not be suitable. Bao'er, your concerns are justified. We should select a few better ones to send over so that no trouble can be caused."

Upon hearing this, Baochai regretted bringing it up.

Lady Wang was dissatisfied with Yu Chuan, but her words also criticized Qing Wen and Xiang Ling for not serving her properly. Given Qing Wen's temper, she would probably sneer and mock her upon hearing this.

Now that Qingwen is serving in the Emperor's quarters, she is no longer afraid of the ladies in the mansion.

Grandmother Jia said, "We have no say in how the people in the Emperor's household behave. If they do something wrong, the Emperor will punish them. Why are you making comments about them?"

Although the words were spoken softly, they made Madam Wang blush, and she quickly stood up and said yes.

Grandmother Jia did not tell her to sit down, so she could only continue standing.

Jia Yuanchun was still sitting to the side. Seeing her mother's embarrassment, she wanted to speak up for her mother, but she didn't know how to say it. So she gave Yuanyang a wink.

Yuanyang smiled and said some kind words, and only then did Grandmother Jia let Lady Wang sit down.

Xiangyun saw this scene and said with a smile, "In my opinion, Grandma should give Yuanyang to His Majesty the Emperor. Yuanyang is such a good person, His Majesty the Emperor will definitely want her to stay!"

Everyone in the room laughed, but Yuanyang blushed and didn't dare to talk back. She could only retreat to Grandmother Jia's side, squat down and massage her legs, saying, "I wouldn't dare to disobey if you asked me to leave, but I can't bear to part with you, Grandmother."

Grandmother Jia laughed and said, "If you leave, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat or sleep well. If you stay here, I won't let you go until the Emperor issues an edict ordering you to leave!"

Daiyu was perceptive and noticed something, but she didn't say anything.

She couldn't tell if Yun Yatou was joking, genuinely thinking of her emperor brother, or something else entirely.

Yun Yatou is usually too naive and straightforward, so this was probably just a joke.

Although Baoqin was younger than them, she saw things clearly. They said they didn't dislike Qingwen, Xiangling, and Yuchuan, but they felt that it would be better to send a reliable maid to serve the emperor.

Baoqin herself thought that Qingwen had a fiery temper, Xiangling was obedient and gentle, Yuchuan was somewhat stubborn, and the four little actresses were even worse. They sang operas every day and didn't even learn how to serve others. If there were a more composed maid to serve His Majesty, it would indeed be better.

Characters like Yuanyang, Ping'er, Xiren, and Zijuan are all dignified and considerate. However, except for Xiren, the others all have their own masters to serve. Xiren, on the other hand, has no master and happens to be Baoyu's maidservant.

His Majesty chose Qingwen over Xiren at the Grand View Garden, perhaps for this reason only, besides the fact that Qingwen was more beautiful.

The girls fell silent for a moment. Grandmother Jia said, "You can all go back to the garden and play. When the Emperor returns tonight, you can still keep him company and chat. There's no need for you to come here."

Daiyu, Xiangyun, and the other girls all got up to take their leave. Grandmother Jia then said to Li Wan, Lady Wang, and the others, "You may go too. I'll rest for a while."

After everyone left, Yuanyang gestured to Amber to stay and serve them, while she saw the girls out.

Lady Wang went home, and Yuan Chun went with her. However, Li Wan did not go to pay her respects. Instead, she took Jia Lan and the young ladies back to the garden.

Upon entering the garden, Yuanyang saw that only the young ladies and Madam Zhu were left with them, while the maids were all behind. She said, "Miss Yun is usually very outspoken and speaks without thinking, but she shouldn't have made such a joke in front of the old lady, asking me to serve the emperor. The old lady just said that apart from me..."

Everyone, including Yingchun and Xichun, looked over.

Xiangyun wasn't annoyed, and asked her with a smile, "Did Sister Yuanyang take my joke seriously?"

Yuanyang panicked and hurriedly said, "I didn't take it seriously, but some people might take it seriously and spread it around, wouldn't that be terrible?"

Xiangyun said, "That would be terrible if word got out. Sister Lin, you know His Majesty the Emperor's temperament best. You tell them what His Majesty will do when he finds out."

Baochai nodded and smiled, "That's right. Since Sister Lin said that 'His Majesty knows better than the Old Madam and Madam how many people are in the mansion,' I can guess what His Majesty will say when he finds out."

Everyone laughed.

Daiyu was just listening quietly, but Yun'er insisted on dragging her into it, and Baochai, with her wicked intentions, egged her on to speak.

She even said she knew the King of Thieves best, which made her blush with embarrassment, but she couldn't help but recall the time she met Chu Yan in her dream.

Come to think of it, it's been a month since the two of them dreamed together.

Li Wan sent her son Jia Lan to play in the front, then turned to Daiyu and smiled, "Everyone says that Yun'er is straightforward, but they don't know that she also has a heart. Tell us, and we'll hear what you two are thinking."

Daiyu could only say, "Although Yun'er's emperor brother usually dotes on you, he is still somewhat domineering and has a great fondness for women..."

As she said this, her little face turned red again.

The girls around them, who were favored by the emperor and possessed "female beauty," as well as Li Wan, couldn't help but blush. Although they knew Daiyu was joking, they dared not respond.

Yuanyang couldn't help but wonder if she was also among the emperor's favorite "women".
Daiyu spat lightly, cursing the wicked king in her heart, before continuing, "If he knew that we had secretly removed Yuanyang from the list and not sent her over to serve him, he might very well issue another decree ordering Yuanyang to go there and blame us."

In fact, it was Jia Mu who was blaming the woman, and the phrase "excluding Yuanyang" was also said by Jia Mu.

Because he was an elder, Daiyu took the blame.

Xiangyun chuckled: "That's right. Sister Lin thinks the same way I do. The Emperor is easy to talk to. If you go and beg him for mercy, he might not agree or get angry. But if you disobey the imperial decree, the Emperor will make things difficult for you! He'll get angry and force you to agree. That's why I made the joke of asking Sister Yuanyang to serve you."

Yingchun, Xichun, Li Wan, and others finally understood.

Yuanyang sighed, "It's kind of you to think of me like this."

Li Wan said, "It's fine for us to say these things among ourselves, but if it reaches His Majesty's ears, he might issue an order for you to serve him."

Xiangyun laughed and asked, "Who would go and complain?" She circled her arms, pointed at Baochai, and said with a smile, "Is it Sister Bao?" Then she pointed at Baoqin and asked, "Sister Qin? Or some other Sister Lin or sisters?"

Her sweet, innocent voice made everyone laugh. They chatted and joked around for a while and then agreed to go to Xichun's room to watch her paint.

Yuanyang laughed and said, "I can't keep you company. I still have to serve the old lady lunch when I get back."

She left after saying that.

Baoqin glanced at her slender back and recalled Daiyu's words, "The emperor is fond of women." She thought to herself that perhaps what she had just said would have reached the emperor's ears.

Daiyu was a suspicious person, and she wondered if Yuanyang had deliberately said what she just said in front of others? Did she really want to serve in the Emperor's room?
However, she couldn't say much about it, and she could tell that Chu Yan's room was indeed lacking a maid who could manage things, so it was reasonable to send Yuanyang. Therefore, she just thought about it briefly and then put it aside.

As they walked, Xiangyun suddenly sighed, "It's a pity that Sister Xiren can't go to serve the Emperor."

Everyone except Yingchun understood the meaning behind Xiangyun's words—Yingchun didn't know what she was saying, but she didn't ask.

Baochai smiled and called out to Cuilu, who was walking behind and chatting with Zijuan and the others, "Cuilu, come here. Your mistress wants you to serve in the Emperor's room, but she doesn't want you anymore!"

Cuilu believed it to be true and came over crying to kowtow to Xiangyun, which made a group of girls and Li Wan laugh. When Zijuan, Ying'er, Suyun and others heard about it, they also laughed and said that Cuilu was a silly girl.

Cuilu laughed when she heard it was a joke: "So it was just Miss Bao teasing me!"

Everyone laughed again.

Daiyu said to Xiangyun, "How do you know he won't let Xiren go if you haven't asked your emperor brother?" Li Wan looked a little uncomfortable. Xiren, like her and Feng'er, was no longer a virgin.

Logically speaking, she could also serve the emperor, but there were many maids in the mansion who were still virgins, so it was not her turn to serve.

Xiangyun and Xiren had a good relationship, and perhaps Xiren had asked her for help, which is why Xiangyun sighed with regret.

Xiangyun thought about it carefully and said with a smile, "I'll talk to my Emperor brother tonight!"

Everyone tried to persuade her, but seeing that Xiangyun was stubborn, they let her be.

Anyway, her emperor brother dotes on her.

After passing Lotus Fragrance Pavilion, some people soon arrived at Xichun's Warm Fragrance Pavilion. They went in together to watch her paint and asked her what had happened.

Xiangyun hurriedly asked, "Sister Bao chases butterflies, do you have any for me?"

Xichun said, "Don't be angry when I tell you."

Xiangyun urged her to speak quickly!

Xichun then laughed and said, "His Majesty wants me to paint Sister Yun sleeping drunk in the peony garden."

Xiangyun looked surprised, and everyone laughed: "This is something that silly Yun'er would do. His Majesty saw through it at a glance!"

Xiangyun thought for a while before laughing and saying, "No wonder when we passed by the peony garden that day, my brother the emperor asked me if I had ever been drunk. It turns out that this was going to come true!"

Upon hearing the words "come true," Daiyu was slightly taken aback.

Xiangyun laughed again, "Sister Bao chasing butterflies and sleeping drunkenly in the peony garden are both interesting things. Fourth Sister, tell me quickly, are there any others?"

Thinking that the paintings would eventually be displayed, Xichun said, "There is also one for Sister Lin, I need to ask Sister Lin before I can tell you; and another one is for Qingwen, His Majesty wants me to paint her tearing the fan."

"What is the story behind the silk fan?" Baoqin asked hurriedly.

Xichun said, "Qingwen tore the fan apart with her hand and made a playful gesture."

Everyone nodded: "So it's this torn fan. How interesting. Why would His Majesty think of it?"

They couldn't understand why, when Xiangyun, Baochai, and Daiyu were all young ladies and there were many other girls not depicted, a maid named Qingwen was added, and she was even depicted tearing a fan.

Baochai laughed and said, "Qingwen has a bad temper and loves to find fault with the young maids, so it's quite fitting that she made the fan-tearing gesture."

"Ask her again tonight."

Xiangyun turned to Daiyu and said, "Only Sister Lin hasn't said it yet!"

Daiyu said to Xichun, "Speak."

Xi Chun nodded, uttering only two words:
"Burying Flowers".

Everyone was taken aback, but Xiangyun clapped her hands and laughed, "So it really is this. 'The Cold Moon Buries the Flower Soul.' His Majesty the Emperor remembered the story of Sister Lin burying the flowers, which is why he asked Fourth Sister to draw it. It's strange, His Majesty has never seen it, so why is he so attached to the story of Sister Lin burying the flowers? Could it be that His Majesty witnessed it with his own eyes sometime in the spring?"

Daiyu sneered, "Although I've never seen him, he's quite the fortune teller." Then she asked Xichun, "Is there anything else to be painted?"

Xichun said, "His Majesty also mentioned 'virtuous Xiren, brave Qingwen, wise Zijuan, silly Sister Yun, silly Xiangling, clever Sister San, and elegant Lady'."

Before she could finish speaking, Daiyu chuckled and said to Xiangyun, "Silly Sister Xiangyun!"

Xiangyun quickly smiled and said, "And there's Third Sister Min! In my opinion, Lady You must be you too!"

Everyone laughed and said that the character "幽" (you) was very suitable for Lin Daiyu.

Xichun avoided using their names, so she addressed them as "elder sister," but the emperor spoke their names directly.

Li Wan called Zijuan, who was outside, in and said with a smile, "The Emperor praised you as 'wise Zijuan'."

This one-word evaluation piqued their curiosity, and Cuilu and the others gathered around to ask if the emperor had commented on them.
The group chatted and laughed, agreeing to go to Yangxin Hall after the Emperor returned, and then dispersed. Only Xiangyun remained in Nuanxiangwu, continuing to talk with Xichun about the painting.

Now let's talk about Qingwen.

After leaving Pear Fragrance Courtyard, there were already a dozen or so palace maids and eunuchs waiting. When they saw her come out, they all rushed forward to greet her and called her "Miss Qing".

Qingwen said coldly, "This is my first time in the palace, and I don't know any of the rules. If I do anything wrong, just remind me. If anyone tries to trip me up again, don't blame me for taking advantage of you in the future!"

Everyone said fearfully that they dared not, because someone had just been punished and they dared not offend the maid who served the emperor.

Qingwen got into the sedan chair, and two eunuchs pulled her out first. When they reached a spacious place, they harnessed a mule and walked towards the palace through the west corner gate at the back.

Qingwen paid close attention to everything she saw and heard along the way.

She saw many men inside and outside the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, some wearing one type of official robe and some wearing another. When she went out the back gate to the main street, she saw even more guards on duty, who questioned her about what she was doing outside the Grand View Palace.

Upon hearing that she was a maidservant in the emperor's quarters, the guards' expressions softened, and they quickly let her pass.

After looking around for about half an hour, Qingwen saw the majestic palace gate. Upon asking, she learned that this was the west gate, not the main gate.

They entered the palace smoothly, and soon, with the eunuchs' shouts, some eunuchs and female officials came out, smiling and flattering, and led the way to Kunning Palace.

Someone had informed the Empress that when Qingwen arrived, she saw a dignified and elegant woman, impeccably dressed, waiting for her at the gate of Kunning Palace.

This was the first time Qingwen had encountered such a scene, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, directly conveying the message: "May I ask if you are Her Majesty the Empress?"

Empress Zhang smiled and said, "Apart from the original palace servants, the rest of you don't need to call me Empress. My surname is Zhang, just call me Zhang Shi."

Qingwen said, "I have come to convey His Majesty's oral decree."

Empress Zhang's face was solemn as she respectfully said, "This concubine obeys the decree." However, she did not kneel down, as it was only an oral edict.

Qingwen read aloud: "Something happened this morning, and His Majesty has ordered you to investigate and deal with it."

Empress Zhang asked, "What is it?"

Qingwen gave a brief explanation, and Empress Zhang smiled after listening, saying, "Come with me into the palace, sit down and have some tea, and I'll explain in detail. I still don't know how to address you. I heard you serve in His Majesty's quarters?"

Qingwen said yes, and then followed her into Kunning Palace.

She had only been sitting for a short while when several concubines came over, asking her about the Daguan Palace and when His Majesty would return. One of them, Consort Zhou, asked curiously, "Why are you, a mere maid, sitting in the Empress's Kunning Palace?"

Qingwen knew this was against the rules, but the Empress had pulled her to sit down.

Before she could speak, Empress Zhang said slowly, "Miss Qingwen is from the Emperor's household. Although she is a maid, she is just like us."

Consort Zhou stared at Qingwen for a long while before reluctantly saying, "Since His Majesty has ordered you to go inside and serve him, then so be it."

Qingwen felt much relieved and said with a smile, "His Majesty told us to sit inside as well, but he didn't ask us to follow any rules."

Empress Zhang laughed and said, "If you can sit in front of the Emperor, I can sit here even more comfortably!"

Qingwen felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey. She hadn't felt it before in front of Chu Yan, but now that she was in the palace, in front of the former Empress, she no longer needed to follow the rules and could sit with the Empress, the Imperial Concubine, and the Noble Lady.

The emperor's personal maid was more capable than she had imagined. Throughout the entire palace, everyone who saw her called her "Miss Qing"!
After the conversation, Empress Zhang smiled and said, "I know about the matter. Someone has made trouble for His Majesty. They are courting death. I will go with you to Daguan Palace to deal with this matter."

"I'll go too!" Consort Zhou hurriedly said.

Empress Zhang glanced at her and said, "Why don't you stay? All the concubines have left, and I was just thinking of temporarily entrusting palace affairs to Consort Wu."

Consort Zhou said defiantly, "What's the point of staying in the palace if the Emperor isn't here? You've all gone to the Grand View Palace with the Emperor, I want to go too!"

Consort Wu held her hand and pleaded with her to stay.

Empress Zhang asked Qingwen to wait a moment while she went inside to change her clothes. She then ordered the palace maids to pack some luggage and summoned the eunuchs and female officials on duty in each palace, giving them detailed instructions.

After two hours of work, Qingwen and Empress Zhang finally left the palace and headed back to Daguan Palace.

This trip to the palace truly broadened Qingwen's horizons!
The number of eunuchs and palace maids was several thousand to tens of thousands, far exceeding that of the Ning and Rong mansions.

(End of this chapter)