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

Chapter 205 Xing Xiangling (Part 1)
In the afternoon, after finishing his official duties, Chu Yan returned to the garden from Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

Because of the hot weather, he didn't want to go anywhere else, so he went straight back to Yangxin Hall and sat down, waiting to see if any girls would come, or if he would call a few more people over after the sun went down.

"His Majesty."

Xiangling came out to greet him and lifted the curtain for him. After Chu Yan sat down, she obediently came over to pour tea. The tea was lukewarm, just right for summer.

Chu Yan took a sip of tea and asked her, "Where are Qingwen and Yuchuan?"

Xiangling smiled and said, "Qingwen went to the palace to report to the Empress about what happened this morning, Yuchuan went to listen to the female officials of the Shanggong Bureau investigate the case, and the civil officials went to practice their plays."

She was also a little embarrassed: "I'm the only one in the house."

Chu Yan nodded, glanced at Xiang Ling's pretty face a few times, and then beckoned to her: "Come sit here with me."

Xiangling's heart tightened, her pure and pretty face slowly turned red, and she slowly walked to his side and obediently sat down.

She had been serving the Emperor for some time and knew that whenever the Emperor beckoned someone to sit beside him, it meant he was going to show favor to them. This was true for Miss Yun, the Princess, and the Virtuous Consort, among others.

Chu Yanxian wasn't in a hurry. He took Xiangling's soft little hand and asked with a smile, "Are you getting used to serving me in my room? Are you doing well?"

Xiangling blushed and nodded, whispering, "His Majesty has not mistreated us. There aren't many people in the room, and His Majesty has treated us very well."

There was something she didn't say: after getting over the initial tension, she felt more at ease in the Emperor's residence than in the Xue family's. His Majesty, of course, was the emperor, high and mighty, but he was also willing to joke and laugh with them.

Chu Yan smiled, pulled Xiangling into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "I want Xiangling to serve me in bed. Is Xiangling willing?"

When dealing with obedient and docile girls, Chu Yan prefers to take direct action. Otherwise, relying solely on gentleness would take forever to win their hearts, especially since Xiangling is already in his room.

Hearing this, Xiangling blushed even more. With him holding her, she couldn't help but think of the strong body of the man she had seen when she served him a bath that morning.

She roughly learned about matters between men and women, and from Chu Yan's daily summons of his concubines, she gradually realized that she would probably also be serving him in bed.

So, she closed her eyes and nodded shyly and slowly.

Chu Yan embraced her and chuckled, "Xiangling is a well-behaved girl, and I like her very much. It's just too hot during the day, so I'll have Xiangling serve me again tonight."

The girl in his arms finally let out a soft "hmm" after a long while.

Chu Yan lifted her smooth and pretty chin with his hand, met her gaze, and, amidst her shy expression, lowered his head and kissed her.

He kissed Xiangling's lips and said softly, "It's hot, so I'll only kiss Xiangling a few times. Don't be too nervous."

His words were meant to tease her.

Who wouldn't be nervous for their first kiss?

Xiangling seemed stunned and nervous when the kiss landed on her lips. After Chu Yan kissed her several times and stroked her cheeks for a long time, Xiangling slowly softened in his arms, her soft, girlish body nestled against Chu Yan.

Her cheeks were rosy, and even her ears were red.

Chu Yan was very pleased.

Although he didn't say he was enjoying anything, holding a beautiful young girl in his arms, admiring her appearance, seeing her shy expression, and appreciating her gentle and submissive demeanor was a great pleasure for even a man, and for an emperor.

"In the sweltering summer, I am delighted to have Xiangling's little mouth to eat!"

Chu Yan spoke without any apparent reason.

Xiangling gradually came to her senses and said shyly, "Your Majesty's words are... a bit too embarrassing!"

Chu Yan leaned back on the pillow and said with a smile, "Come here, I want to try it again."

The second pleasure of being an emperor lies in this: you can have shy girls serve you.

Xiangling's delicate face was flushed, but she closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss her randomly. Seeing this, Chu Yan put his arm around her slender waist and slowly savored the taste of her lips.

This kiss was Xiangling's true first kiss.

Her initial shyness at being favored faded, and she began to enjoy kissing Chu Yan. Since love between men and women has existed since ancient times, it was only natural that Xiangling became obsessed with it.

After the kiss ended, Xiangling was completely exhausted, feeling dizzy and only able to lean against Chu Yan's chest, panting.

After a while.

Chu Yan said, "It's really hot. Fan me for a while while I read my book."

Xiangling nodded, obediently got up to get a fan, and stood by the soft couch to fan him.

Chu Yan pulled her hand: "What are you standing for? Come up and sit next to me!"

Xiangling had no choice but to kneel down and continue fanning herself.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "You don't need to keep using so much force, or you'll get tired in no time. Slow down. And if you get tired, go find a palace maid."

Xiangling hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I am not tired. Qingwen said that palace maids and eunuchs should not be allowed to easily enter the room to serve tea and water."

In wealthy families, the roles of first-class maids and second-class maids are clearly defined. Currently, Chu Yan's room has three first-class maids, four second-class maids, and the rest are just maids. Therefore, Qingwen did not want to invite anyone else into the room.

Chu Yan didn't care. If they couldn't distinguish between inside and outside the house, they wouldn't serve him diligently anymore. Just like the people who fought against him, most of them were only after being promoted to high positions.

Reaching out to embrace Xiangling's slender waist, Chu Yan pulled her closer, then continued reading, his legs propped up on the soft couch, leaning against the pillows, enjoying the cool breeze from Xiangling's fan.

The room fell silent.

The cicadas chirped incessantly in the big tree in the courtyard outside. Inside the house, Xiangling pursed her lips, savoring the lingering taste of the Emperor's kiss on her lips, and then quietly looked at him.

His Majesty had a handsome appearance; he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. And this man had just been holding her and kissing her, saying her little mouth was sweet...

Xiangling's heart raced, and the thought of serving the emperor tonight caused a strange heat to rise from her lower abdomen, making her heart race even more, and she stared at the emperor in a daze.

After a while, Chu Yan looked over and saw her dazed expression, but her fan in her hand didn't stop. Amused, he pulled Xiangling into his arms and kissed her again.

Just as Xiangling was enjoying the emperor's favor, Xiangyun's laughter came from outside: "Brother Emperor, we've come to see you!"

Like a startled deer, Xiangling hurriedly left Chu Yan's embrace. Xiangyun, however, had already lifted the curtain and walked in. Seeing Xiangling kneeling on the soft couch, she immediately knew what had happened. Her cute little face flushed red, and she scolded, "Your Majesty is teasing me again!"

Hearing footsteps, Chu Yan asked in surprise, "How many of you are here?"

"So many people! Sister Lin, Sister Bao, Fourth Sister, please come in quickly!"

As Xiangyun called out, everyone who had gone to Xichun's house to look at the paintings that morning came in. Tanchun was also there; she had finished dealing with all her affairs and came with her sisters.

The small west wing room was crammed with seven or eight girls, but they could barely fit everyone in.

Chu Yan sat up straight, beckoned to Xiangyun to sit next to him, and then pointed to the other side of the soft couch and said with a smile, "Any of you can sit here, no need for elders or sisters to politely decline."

Baochai, Tanchun, and Yingchun exchanged glances. Li Wan smiled and sat down on a chair on the east side, saying, "Girls, please go and sit down."

Baochai smiled and said, "Fourth Sister brought a painting; let her go and sit down."

As she spoke, she sat down on the chair on the west side. Tan Chun and Ying Chun sat down on other chairs one after another. Bao Qin smiled at them and pulled Xi Chun to sit on the couch.

It was just the right size.

The soft couch seated four people, and there were only four chairs on the left and right sides.

Xiangyun remembered someone and hurriedly called out, "Sister Lin, why haven't you come in yet?"

Chu Yan laughed, "Your sister Lin is probably afraid that I'm going to eat people, so she's too scared to come in."

Everyone laughed and called Daiyu into the room.

Daiyu lifted the curtain, her dewy eyes gazing into the room, and said with a smile, "I thought there would be many people, so we would have to sit outside, but it turns out we're indoors."

"Sister Lin, come sit here!" Baoqin stood up and invited her to sit.

Tan Chun and Xi Chun, who were younger than her, also stood up.

Chu Yan said, "Come and sit here."

As he spoke, he told Xiangling to remove the low table from the soft couch, and then he sat cross-legged on it. The couch was wide enough to accommodate a full seat.

Daiyu could only sit down.

The room was filled with beautiful women, some plump and some slender, some charming and others sweet, and there was also the beautiful Li Wan, who was gorgeous and virtuous, yet mature and juicy.

Chu Yan took in the whole scene, looked around and admired it, then smiled and said, "You all rarely gather in my room, is it for Xichun's painting?"

Baochai mentioned it briefly just now.

Xiangyun quickly laughed and said, "His Majesty ordered Fourth Sister to paint a picture, and he wants us to paint many interesting things that we don't know about!"

Daiyu was only there to accompany me today, so she didn't say anything.

Xiangling, who had just been favored by Chu Yan, was now taking on the responsibility of a maid, fetching tea from outside. Because there were many people, the maids brought by the other young ladies also came to help, such as Ying'er, Cuilu, and Ruhua.

Chu Yan reached out and pinched her cute little face, laughing, "Yun'er lying drunk in the peony garden is indeed amusing."

Everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh, even Daiyu covered her mouth with her handkerchief and smiled.

Xiangyun asked, "Has His Majesty divined anything else? Tell Fourth Sister to draw it as well."

Chu Yan shook his head: "No, let Fourth Miss paint whatever she wants, or you can pick a few things that you find interesting and tell her." Everyone started chatting around the painting. A palace maid brought in chilled fruits, which were then cut and brought in by Xiangling and Zijuan.

Chu Yan was eating watermelon with them when Xiangyun suddenly turned her head and looked at him: "Brother Emperor, I have something to tell you, but you mustn't be angry."

While eating melon seeds, Chu Yan said, "It seems like a troublesome matter. Since you say so, then don't say anything more, lest you spoil my mood."

Xiangyun quickly grabbed his arm, acting like a spoiled little girl, and pleaded, "Good brother, forgive me, you shouldn't have said that."

Chu Yan laughed and asked her what was wrong.

Xiangyun said, "It's Sister Xiren."

She glanced at Chu Yan before continuing, "We also know about what happened at Tianxiang Tower this morning. When Sister Bao noticed that there were not enough maids serving you, she asked the Old Madam and Madam to send a few suitable ones over. Everyone thought that Yuanyang, Ping'er, and Xiren were good at serving you, but the Old Madam couldn't do without Sister Yuanyang, and Sister Ping'er was in Sister Feng's room, so only Xiren was suitable."

Xiangyun smiled again and said, "Didn't my Emperor brother also praise her as a virtuous woman?"

Chu Yan asked, "Did she ask you for anything?"

Xiangyun shook her head: "Sister Xiren only told me that she doesn't know who to serve and where to go in the future, and she is worried about it."

Chu Yan said, "I know her."

After saying this, he didn't say anything more. No one in the room could figure out what he was thinking, so Xiangyun didn't ask any further questions, knowing that Sister Xiren didn't suit his taste.

Chu Yan turned to look at Daiyu and smiled, "What does Sister Lin think?"

Daiyu, whose voice was naturally soft, asked him in return, "What is Your Majesty asking?"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Sister Lin definitely knows what I want to ask, so don't try to coax me."

Daiyu said, "Forgive my stupidity, but I really can't guess what His Majesty is thinking."

Chu Yan said, "You never called Xiren 'sister-in-law'?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu immediately looked over in surprise, as did Xiangyun, Baochai, and the others. Tanchun was somewhat uneasy, her face flushed with shame, and Li Wan's expression was also rather unpleasant. Xichun blushed and lowered her head without making a sound. Yingchun, on the other hand, was slightly taken aback and it took her a while to understand the meaning of the words.

Daiyu remained silent for a long time, and for some unknown reason, she suddenly burst into tears, turning her head away to the side and weeping silently.

Xiangyun hurriedly came to comfort her: "Sister Lin, why are you crying again? Are you thinking of Brother Bao? It's also my fault, I shouldn't have brought it up!"

Daiyu continued to weep.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Good sister, don't cry. I just said something joking and you cried. I didn't blame you or anything."

Daiyu gradually stopped crying, lowered her head and said softly, "I'm sorry for making Your Majesty laugh."

Upon hearing this, Xiangyun whispered to Chu Yan, "Sister Lin is still angry and hasn't come out yet."

Although the voice was soft, the people sitting on the soft couch heard it, so Daiyu nudged her and told her to stop talking.

Just as Chu Yan was about to speak, Xiang Ling announced from outside the curtain, "Your Majesty, the princess and Consort Qin have arrived."

Xiangyun, Baoqin, and the others rose to greet him. Qin Keqing walked in and, seeing a room full of young ladies, laughed: "Why are there so many people in His Majesty's room today?"

Qinghe also laughed and asked, "What interesting things are you talking about?"

Xiangyun quietly pointed at Daiyu, and Qinghe then noticed that her eyes were red.

Chu Yan smiled and asked the two women where they had come from. He then called Baoqin and Xiangyun to come up to the couch and sit down next to him so that Qinghe and Keqing could sit down.

The soft couch was packed with people.

Xiangyun and Baoqin were practically leaning on him, and even though the room was full of girls who were all concubines in Chu Yan's harem, they couldn't help but blush slightly.

After chatting for a while, they took their leave one after another, and Daiyu also returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

After an unknown amount of time, someone came to report that Qingwen and Empress Zhang had returned to the garden.

Chu Yan ordered them to come in. A moment later, Qingwen, with her slender waist, and the beautiful and elegantly made-up Empress Zhang entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Baochai and Xiangyun, who were still in the room, stood up to greet them, and Qin Keqing also stood up to greet Empress Zhang.

"Hello, sister-in-law!" Qinghe walked to the door and greeted her sister-in-law with a smile, lifting the curtain for her.

After Empress Zhang entered the room, she exchanged a glance with the Qian Dynasty Emperor.

Chu Yan laughed: "I have missed Your Majesty the Empress very much, as it has been many days since I last saw you."

Empress Zhang wore a round-necked, front-opening brocade blouse with gold thread, a dark blue horse-face skirt, and her hair was adorned with pearls and jade. She was noble and dignified. She slowly curtsied to him, addressing him as "this concubine." Her graceful demeanor was so captivating that it was impossible to look away.

She possessed a unique charisma that others lacked. After all, she was once the Empress, the mother of the nation. Now, Chu Yan had granted her a position akin to that of an Empress, allowing her to continue living a life of luxury. This was the perfect time for her to enjoy it.

There were fewer people in the room than before. Chu Yan no longer concealed himself and directly ordered the Empress, "Come to me."

Xiangyun glanced over, her face flushed, and she quickly said, "I won't stay any longer. I'll come play with the Emperor again tomorrow."

He ran out after saying that.

Baochai, who was left behind, was unwilling to leave but felt shy to stay. After thinking about it, she felt that the emperor probably wouldn't do anything to the empress in front of them, so she stayed to listen to what the empress and Qingwen had to say.

After the crowd thinned out, Qin Keqing also reclined on the soft couch, leisurely eating the fruit from the plate with her delicate hands, and smilingly looking at the Empress.

Empress Zhang walked expressionlessly to the edge of the soft couch, where the new emperor of the Qian Dynasty pulled her up.

"His Majesty!"

Qinghe, sitting on the chair, said coquettishly.

Baochai covered her mouth and laughed, her round and plump face slightly flushed. She said with a smile, "Qinghe girl is becoming more and more like Yun-meimei."

Qinghe glanced at her.

Chu Yan embraced Empress Zhang, but did nothing more. He first asked Qingwen, "Did you see or hear anything during your trip to the palace?"

Qingwen then recounted what she had seen in the palace, including what Consort Wu and Consort Zhou had said, as well as the two talented ladies.

Chu Yan nodded and said to her, "They just said they feel there aren't enough maids in my room and they want to call some more. Who do you and Xiangling think we should call?"

Qingwen was surprised and looked at Xiangling. After thinking for a while, she said, "His Majesty has a lot of things to do in his room. It's not enough for just the three of us to serve him. Although there are palace maids outside, they are all full of resentment and are useless!"

With just one sentence, he belittled all the palace maids.

Chu Yan smiled and ignored him. If he hadn't read the novel "Dream of the Red Chamber," he wouldn't have chosen palace maids or servants to come into his room. Although they were pretty, there were plenty of beautiful girls in the world, and it wasn't their turn to serve him.

Qingwen thought for a while before continuing, "I don't know much about the other people in the mansion, but speaking of the Yihong Courtyard, apart from Xiren, all the other maids can be kept in the house."

Fortunately, Xiangyun left, otherwise, upon hearing her words, I would have definitely asked for more details.

Chu Yan didn't ask Qingwen why she mentioned Xiren, but simply nodded: "Leave your old friends at Yihong Courtyard for now. I've taken a liking to someone, but I'll keep it a secret for now. We'll decide who to choose later."

Hearing this, Empress Zhang, who was being held in his arms, asked calmly, "Whom does Your Majesty have taken a fancy to, or do you have to wait until later?"

Chu Yan touched her beautiful face and said seriously, "I like it."

Empress Zhang stared at him for a long time before finally bursting into laughter.

Qin Keqing lay languidly on the couch. Perhaps sensing Chu Yan's interest, she covered her mouth with her slender hand and smiled. She picked up a piece of fruit and brought it to his lips: "Would Your Majesty like to try some?"

Chu Yan opened his mouth and ate, then ordered, "The Empress should also serve me."

The two unmarried girls from Qinghe and Baochai blushed.

Empress Zhang, who was serving him wine with Yuan Chun, already knew the new emperor's preferences. She turned and ordered Qing Wen to fetch water so she could wash her hands.

Qingwen glanced at her before going out to call a palace maid to bring water.

Taking advantage of the break, Baochai said, "The old lady has eight head maids, the madam has three, and the East Mansion also has several head maids. They are all well-trained and know the rules. If His Majesty needs more people, he can choose a few from among them, and the old lady and the others can replace them with new maids."

Empress Zhang said calmly, "Eight maids are too many. After His Majesty entered the palace, he issued an edict to reduce the number of palace servants. The Empress has sixteen maids, the Imperial Concubine has ten, the Consort has six, the Concubine has four, and the rest have only two. In my opinion, your old lady should also be reduced to four head maids."

The regulations only stipulated that palace maids should serve the women personally, not the eunuchs who were assigned to outside the palace. The eunuchs would not enter the room to serve the women; they would do all the rough work.

The Great Qian Dynasty had no empress yet, and Empress Zhang's Kunning Palace also dismissed many of her personal maids.

Baochai quickly said, "Although they are still senior maids, they only receive one string of cash a month, not one tael as before."

Empress Zhang simply nodded and said nothing.

After Qingwen brought in the water, she washed her hands before picking up a piece of fruit and bringing it to the new emperor's lips.

Chu Yan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Qingwen, go and talk to Consort Xiande later and ask her how the reduction of palace staff is going, including Daguan Palace." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Tell her that the maids and servants in the garden don't need to be moved, but some of the others should be laid off."

Besides those with names and surnames, the Ning and Rong mansions also had many maids, young wives, and some young concubines bought by Jia Zhen and Jia She, as well as Jia Rong's maids, all of whom were to be laid off.

We can't just keep a bunch of people on our payroll and expect them to do nothing.

Upon hearing this, Qingwen laughed and said, "Once His Majesty issues this decree, I wonder how many people will beat their feet and regret it, just like before."

Chu Yan smiled and let her go.

After Qingwen left, only Xiangling remained to serve in the room. Although they had brought their own maids, there were still too few of them.

(End of this chapter)