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

Chapter 207 Daiyu's Enlightenment
The next day, Chu Yan woke up, took a bath and changed his clothes, and instructed Qingwen and the others to check on Xiangling to see if she had woken up.

"Your Majesty, I have awakened."

Xiangling's somewhat hoarse voice came from inside the room.

Chu Yan, who had put on his round-necked dragon robe, went in to see her. He saw Xiang Ling shyly hiding under the thin quilt, her face flushed. He teased her cheeks a couple of times, gave her some instructions, and then left.

Qingwen and Yuchuan saw him off before returning to the bedroom. There, they found Xiangling already up. Her fair and slender body was still bare, with many marks on her skin, showing what she had gone through the night before.

Yu Chuan laughed, "Qing Wen and I were just about to help you get up, why did you get up by yourself?" She glanced at the handkerchief with a few bloodstains on the bed, covered her mouth and laughed.

Xiangling blushed again and hurriedly said, "How could I let you serve me? I saw there was still hot water, so I got up early, ate lunch, and then took a nap instead of eating."

All three were maids in the emperor's quarters, none of them being more noble.

Qingwen looked down at her crotch, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, and said, "You are injured and swollen, making it difficult for you to walk. Please sit down, and I will have the civil officials come to serve you!"

So she went out and called the four young actresses who hadn't yet gone out to perform to serve her, but Lingguan refused to come. Qingwen sneered and let her go.

When Fangguan saw Xiangling, she sighed, "She looks like she's been beaten up. It's clear the Emperor used a lot of force."

Everyone blushed with embarrassment and quickly told her to shut up.

Di Guan was trembling with fear. She wanted to ask something, but was too embarrassed to speak. After serving Xiang Ling, she hurriedly went out to find Ou Guan.

Before long, they arrived at Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Upon entering, they saw Ouguan dressing in front of a mirror. Diguan's tears immediately welled up. She stepped forward, performed a theatrical greeting, and sang in a dramatic voice, "My lord, I..."

Ou Guan was taken aback and quickly helped her up, replying in a similarly melodious voice, "My lady, why are you so sad?"

Although the two were singing, their voices were only in ordinary tones. Moreover, both of them were women. Ou Guan was slightly slender with delicate features and a round, youthful face, while Di Guan was somewhat plump and had a shy personality. Both of them looked like young girls, yet they addressed each other as husband and wife, which was truly surprising. Xue Yan happened to see them outside the door and found them very strange, so she hid outside the door to listen to what they were saying.

With tears streaming down her face, Di Guan grasped Ou Guan's slender arm and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to say goodbye to you forever from now on!"

Ou Guan hurriedly asked what was wrong, and Xue Yan outside the door was also startled, thinking that something serious had happened.

Di Guan whispered, "Last night the Emperor favored Xiang Ling and ordered us to serve him as his concubines. I was thinking that it might be my turn in the future... This morning I saw Xiang Ling, and her whole body was covered in marks from men. If it were my turn... I would ruin my purity, and how could I still be your husband?"

Upon hearing this, Xueyan felt both amused and sorry for them, thinking to herself, "How can girls be husband and wife? These two are truly insane!"

Ou Guan comforted her for a long time before saying, "Since ancient times, some couples have shown true love after going through hardships. You and I are still able to stay in the garden... If His Majesty asks you to serve him, you must grit your teeth and endure it. You must not seek death to preserve your chastity. If you die for this, wouldn't it be my fault?"

When Xueyan heard her, a young girl, say "my husband" and say it as if she were performing a play, she couldn't help but chuckle.

The two people inside were startled!
Xueyan hurried inside and, pretending nothing was wrong, smiled at Diguan and said, "Why are you here again? Even Bao Erye wasn't as frequent as you when he came here before."

The two then relaxed and gave vague replies.

After they went out to perform, Xueyan hurried to find Zijuan and told her about it.

Zijuan was also very surprised: "Two girls, what are you going to do as husband and wife?"

After thinking for a while, he was worried about Ouguan and Diguan. Although they were both girls, it wouldn't sound good if word got out, so he went to find the girl and planned to talk to her about it.

Upon entering the study, I saw the girl sitting there, gazing absently at the bamboo grove outside the window.

Zijuan waited for a while, and seeing that she neither moved nor noticed anyone coming, she called out to her, "Miss."

Daiyu slowly turned her head to look at her.

Zijuan said, "There's something I want to tell you."

So he told her about Ou Guan and Di Guan.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu frowned deeply and said after a long while, "The two of them probably developed feelings for each other because they often played husband and wife on the stage. Call Ouguan back and I will ask her carefully."

Zijuan then realized that this was a bad thing, so she sent an old woman to Huifang Garden to call back Ouguan, who was performing in the play.

"Girl! Please spare me!"

After entering the study, Ou Guan knelt down in front of Daiyu while crying. Knowing that she could not avoid it, she told her everything!
Upon hearing this, Daiyu told her to get up and said, "You two fell in love because of the play. Others may just think you've gone mad from singing, but if someone holds a grudge, you won't escape this calamity either."

Ou Guan turned pale with fright and cried, "From now on, I will break ties with Di Guan. She will serve the Emperor, and I will serve you. I will never do it again."

Seeing her like this, Daiyu couldn't help but feel sad and comforted her, saying, "Now there is an emperor in the garden, and he can only make decisions according to his own preferences. I will tell him in a few days."

Daiyu's original intention was that Chu Yan was easy to talk to and wouldn't make things difficult for the young actresses, so there was no problem in talking to him about it.

But when Ou Guan heard this, she was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and kowtowed, begging her not to tell anyone.

Daiyu had no choice but to give up and told her to go back to acting.

After Ouguan left, Daiyu sat alone for half a day before finally making up her mind to get up and go out. She didn't ask Zijuan and Xueyan to come with her, and went to Yihong Courtyard all by herself.

The place remained the same, but because of her sorrow, she felt it was much more desolate without Baoyu.

She entered the Yihong Courtyard, only to hear laughter coming from the corridor. Looking over, she saw several young maids playing with bracelets, and a pretty girl sitting leaning against the railing, looking sickly as she watched them play. When she saw her, she quickly stood up and said, "Miss Lin, what brings you here?"

"Let me take a look."

Daiyu glanced at her twice and asked, "You look unfamiliar. Were you also from the Grand View Garden?"

"My name is Wu'er, and I'm the daughter of the Liu family in the kitchen," the girl said in a low voice.

Zhui'er laughed and said, "She has been ill for a while. A few days ago, the eldest young lady said that she wanted to get rid of the freeloaders in the garden. That's why her mother went to Fangguan. Fangguan came and told Xiren that Liu Wu'er should be put in our Yihong Courtyard."

Liu Wu'er glanced at her, remained silent, her hands clenched tightly, feeling both nervous and afraid, worried that Miss Lin would kick her out again with a single word.

When Jia Baoyu was alive, she envied the maids who served the young ladies in the garden because they were so well-regarded. She was in poor health and it would have been difficult for her to enter the Yihong Courtyard. But after the Second Master Bao left, things took an unexpected turn, and Fangguan, who was on good terms with her, went to serve the Emperor.

Fangguan only had to say a word before Liu Wu'er was able to enter the Yihong Courtyard and take on a leisurely job, without having to do any work every day.

However, this displeased Zhui'er and the others.

Daiyu looked at her and asked, "Are you also ill? Have you taken any medicine?"

Liu Wu'er said, "My family has hired a doctor to come and see me, and bought some medicine for me, but we are not well-off, so we dare not buy too much medicine."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Now that you're working at Yihong Courtyard, the money for your medicine will go to the palace. You don't need to be stingy with it. Just tell the head maid to send someone to deliver your medicine."

Liu Wu'er was overjoyed and thanked Daiyu profusely.

The servants who were on duty used the government's money to buy medicine when they were sick. However, now that Rongguo Mansion has been transformed into Daguan Palace and there are rumors of budget cuts, Wu'er dared not go to get the medicine.

Daiyu asked again, "Is Xiren here?"

Wu'er hurriedly replied, "Xiren went out early this morning, I heard she was going to find Miss Yun."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Please go and tell her to come back."

Wu'er hesitated. Zhui'er looked at her, then at the other maids, before stepping forward and saying, "You're not feeling well and can't walk. I'll go and call them."

Saying this, he went out to find Xiren.

Daiyu bid them farewell and walked into the house. Musk Moon, Autumn Pattern, and the others had already heard her voice and came out to welcome her inside. Daiyu chatted with them, and Musk Moon sighed, "Master Bao is gone, Qingwen is gone, and it seems that Yihong Courtyard is about to fall apart. Fortunately, Miss Yun still often comes to chat with Xiren."

Daiyu knew what she was talking about. The Yihong Courtyard was exquisite, but no young ladies lived there. If even Xiangyun didn't come, there would really be no one to support them. The maids and servants would treat people differently based on their status, and they wouldn't even give them enough food.

Daiyu said, "Yesterday, Sister Bao mentioned that the Emperor's quarters need a few servants."

"what!"

Before she could finish speaking, Qiuwen, Sheyue, and the others exclaimed and stood up, staring at her with wide eyes, as if to say: Could it be that Miss Lin has recommended us to the Emperor's residence?

It is clear that they were all willing to serve the emperor and would not stay because of Baoyu.

Daiyu shook her head and said, "I only mentioned it, but the Emperor did not agree to take people. Perhaps he felt that the side rooms could not accommodate many people."

Musk Moon sighed, "Even if I don't live in His Majesty's room, I can still go there to serve him every morning and come back in the evening."

Daiyu remained silent; she had no say in the matter.

A while later, Xiren returned. Qiuwen, Sheyue, Bihen, and the others knew that Miss Lin had come to see her, so they all went back to their rooms.

Xiren smiled and said, "Miss Lin, what brings you here? I'm sorry to trouble you to come in person. If you had come earlier, I wouldn't have gone out."

Daiyu sat down with her and looked at her for a while before saying, "His Majesty has entrusted Sister Xiren to me."

Xiren was initially surprised, but then she was overjoyed and wanted to kneel down and kowtow, so that she could serve her at Xiaoxiang Pavilion from then on.

Daiyu quickly helped her up and said, "I was just about to ask you, if I let you go, would you still be willing to wait for Baoyu?"

Xi Ren was taken aback. Looking into Miss Lin's clear eyes, her heart pounded.

Could it be that she was testing him, to see if he still had feelings for Baoyu?

If she refuses, will you get angry and punish her?
That's not right either. Miss Lin has never been that kind of person. She treats her servants kindly. Zijuan and Xueyan have never been punished. Although she has a bit of a temper, she never schemes.

After a long pause, Xiren lowered her head and said, "Does Miss Lin think I should go out and continue serving Master Bao?"

Daiyu said, "Just speak your mind, I won't make things difficult for you."

Xiren looked at her and asked, "May I ask you, young lady, will Master Bao ever regain his freedom?"

Daiyu frowned and said, "It is probably possible, but it will be several years before the Emperor issues an edict of pardon."

Xiren sighed, “I have served the Second Master for so many years, and we naturally have feelings for each other. But I also know that the Second Master does not have me in his heart. If I wait for him for a few years, and he wants to marry someone else in the future, but he is worried about me waiting all these years, wouldn’t that be harming him?”

Daiyu was taken aback, then realized that she would only agree to be with Xiren if she wanted to be Baoyu's wife, not a concubine.

Firstly, Baoyu was now a commoner, no longer a noble young master from the Duke's mansion, making it difficult for him to keep concubines.

Secondly, Xiren also said that the person Baoyu wanted to marry was not her.

After thinking it over, Daiyu sighed softly, "Your concerns are very valid. After such a catastrophe, it's impossible to go back to the way things were. It's better to let go of each other as soon as possible, so that we can be more at ease. Just like Sister Bao advised me, it's better to forget each other in the vast world than to cling to each other in hardship."

From Ouguan and Diguan to Sheyue and Xiren, from Qin Keqing to Xiangyun and Baochai, they either had no choice but to let go, or they voluntarily entered the palace, abandoning their original identities, or they accepted their fate and entered the palace to serve the emperor.

All of this suggests that from the moment the Jia family's property was confiscated, everyone had to find their own path and could no longer indulge in the past, spending their days joking and having fun in the inner quarters.

"Miss Lin, please don't cry," Xiren advised her.

Daiyu asked in surprise, "I didn't cry..."

Before she could finish speaking, cool tears slid down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her slender finger, then was immediately surprised and puzzled:
I feel better now that I've come to terms with it, so why am I crying again?

Xiren thought she was just being stubborn and laughed, "Miss, you still say you haven't cried, but aren't you crying your eyes out? Hurry up and wipe them away, it won't look good if someone sees you."

The reason it's considered bad is that Daiyu was an imperial concubine, while this place is the Grand View Garden.

Daiyu wiped away her tears with her handkerchief, and after a moment of surprise, she saw that her tears gradually stopped.

Xiren hesitated for a moment, then said, "I shouldn't be asking, but seeing Miss Lin like this, I'm a little worried about you. The Emperor knows about Miss and Second Master's affair..."

"he knows!"

Daiyu said in a huff.

Xiren laughed and said, "How about I go to your room and serve you, Miss?"

Daiyu shook her head: "Xiaoxiang Pavilion is not big. It's already full after Ouguan came along. Sister Xiren doesn't need to come and serve me. She can stay in Yihong Courtyard." She smiled and said: "The Emperor said that there will be no reduction in the number of people in the garden, so you can rest assured."

Xi Ren felt a pang of regret, but there was nothing she could do.

Daiyu then said, "I'm going to write a letter to Baoyu later. Do you have any messages you'd like me to convey?"

Xiren thought for a while and hesitated for a long time. Suddenly she thought of Baoyu, whom she had seen at the second gate last time. He was slovenly and dirty, and looked dejected. He was crying and making a fuss. In that state, would she still marry him in the future?
A few years later, he was pardoned, but no one knew how badly he had been tormented by forced labor. Xiren, who came from a humble background, knew how hard physical labor was. In a year or two, if Baoyu stood in front of her again, she probably wouldn't recognize him.

Therefore, having made up her mind, Xiren smiled at Miss Lin and said, "Please pass on a message for me: Second Master Bao is doing his corvée labor in the Imperial Estate with peace of mind. His Majesty is compassionate towards his subjects and there will surely be a day of amnesty in the future. Tell him not to worry about me, Musk Moon, Autumn Pattern and others in the Grand View Garden anymore. We are all doing well in the garden. Tell Second Master Bao to take good care of himself too."

The implication was that they were parting ways amicably.

Daiyu noted it down.

After sitting for a while, Musk Moon and the others came out. She reassured them that no one in the Yihong Courtyard would be laid off before returning to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

She instructed Zijuan to grind the ink, and Daiyu took up her brush and wrote a letter to Baoyu on the paper.

Zijuan watched from the side, becoming more and more surprised.

Compared to the previous times the young lady wrote letters to Master Bao, this time she wrote with a peaceful expression, her slender hand holding the brush, writing one stroke after another, unhurriedly, without any of the sorrow and parting thoughts from the previous times.

It was like a final letter, a declaration that she would never think of him again.

After finishing the letter, Daiyu placed the pen on the white jade pen rest carved with a lingzhi mushroom shape. Zijuan then asked, "What did you write, Miss?"

Daiyu sighed, "I only told Baoyu not to think about me all the time. Thinking too much is useless, and being too sentimental is harmful to health."

Zijuan hesitated for a long time, but then asked, "To whom should this letter be sent, Miss?"

Daiyu glanced at the sky; some clouds were just beginning to block out the sunlight. She stood up and said, "Let's go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

Zijuan smiled and went out with her.

The two arrived together at Yangxin Hall, where Chu Yan lived. They entered the main hall but did not see anyone. They could only hear intermittent sounds coming from the west side room.

Upon listening more closely, Daiyu blushed and hurriedly ran away.

It was clearly the bandit king and Empress Zhang inside, and there seemed to be someone else there as well. Baoqin came out from the east side room, and Daiyu then realized that her elder sister was also inside...

What a foolish ruler!

Having just returned from reviewing memorials, he immediately summoned Empress Zhang and his elder sister to seek pleasure.

(End of this chapter)