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

Chapter 208 Daiyu: I will not disturb His Majesty's enjoyment
Day two.

In the afternoon, a young maid came to Hengwu Garden, found Ying'er, and said with a smile, "His Majesty has returned to the garden. I saw him come back from the back gate."

Ying'er grabbed a handful of money and gave it to her, then went inside and told the girl about it.

After hearing this, Baochai waited a while before changing her clothes, putting on a veiled hat to shield herself from the sun, and going out.

Just then, Baoqin came out of the house and saw her sister wearing a hat, so she asked with a smile, "In such a bright sun, who are you going out to see, sister?"

Baochai smiled and replied, "Staying at home is so boring. I'm going to go talk to Sister Yun for a while. Do you want to come with me?"

Baoqin glanced at the sun outside again and shook her head: "It's terribly hot. I'll wait until it cools down before I go to Yangxin Hall to sit for a while."

Going to Yangxin Hall was naturally to see the emperor.

Baochai nodded and said, "His Majesty has moved into the garden for some time now, and I haven't seen you go to Yangxin Hall to sit for a while. When you go later, please invite Sister Xing along so that everyone can have a more lively time."

Upon hearing this, Baoqin smiled and said, "There are too many people in His Majesty's room, so I feel a little embarrassed to go. I only managed to go the other day under the pretense of looking at paintings. Sister, please go ahead first, and I will go and call Sister Xing later."

The day before yesterday, Xichun and I went to Yangxintang to discuss the painting, but Xing Xiuyan was the only one missing.

Baochai went out wearing a veiled hat. Xiaoluo watched Baochai's back and smiled at Baoqin, saying, "Your sister is quite interesting. She had this novel hat made."

Baoqin laughed and said, "This is a veiled hat that was popular in the Tang and Song dynasties. Nowadays, people mostly use veils to cover their heads and shield themselves from the sun. In some overseas places, women wear hats that only expose their eyes when they go out. Wouldn't you find that even stranger?"

Xiao Luo suddenly realized: "So it's a hat worn by people in ancient times! No wonder Bao-guniang looked just like the people in the paintings when she wore it!"

Baoqin laughed again: "You remember it clearly. This hat is also called Zhaojun hat. Many ladies in paintings wear this. My sister also made one for me. Take it with you when you go out later."

Xiao Luo agreed and went to prepare the veil, which we will not discuss further.

……

Hengwu Garden is very close to Yangxin Hall. Following the main road of the garden, you will soon reach the back gate of Yangxin Hall. When Baochai went around from the back to the front, she happened to hear Xiangyun and Daiyu laughing and talking. Looking further ahead, she saw the two of them coming out of the main hall.

One was slender and tall, the other graceful and elegant. Bathed in the afternoon sun, their faces seemed to glow, their fair and delicate skin radiant. Daiyu, in particular, whose already stunning beauty faded in the sunlight, became even more unforgettable with her breathtaking appearance.

Baochai smiled and said, "Pin'er, stop right there."

Upon hearing this, Xiangyun and Daiyu stopped. Xiangyun quickly smiled and said, "What brings you here, Sister Bao?"

Baochai smiled and said, "It's just a coincidence, I was just about to go and look for you."

Daiyu shielded her forehead from the sunlight with her slender hand and asked with a smile, "Why does Sister Bao want me to stand here?"

Baochai laughed and said, "What an unparalleled beauty! If His Majesty were to see you, wouldn't he be even more captivated? No wonder His Majesty dotes on you the most."

Both of them were somewhat surprised. Daiyu blushed and remained silent.

Xiangyun smiled and said, "Sister Lin had a letter to deliver to Brother Bao, and she was worried that His Majesty the Emperor would blame her again, so she dragged me along. We just happened to run into Sister Bao, so let's go inside together!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Qingwen walked out of Yangxin Hall and smiled at the three of them, saying, "His Majesty has heard what you said. Please come in quickly."

The three of them then entered the room, and Qingwen lifted the curtain for them, leading them into the east side room.

There were only two people in the room: the dignified and graceful Empress Zhang, and the gentle and virtuous Princess Qinghe.

The tall emperor reclined on the soft couch, while Empress Zhang gently fanned him with a fan. Qinghe, a young woman in her prime, held a small dish of sliced ​​fruit, picked it out with a bamboo skewer, and fed it to the emperor.

All three were stunned by this scene, especially Daiyu, who inwardly spat at him: This is how a tyrant enjoys himself!
Baochai, however, noticed something different:
When Empress Zhang arrived at the garden the day before yesterday, she was cold and aloof, like an empress who had submitted to a traitor. But today, she has become gentle and charming, kneeling on the soft couch and fanning the emperor with a tender expression.

"Did you appease her when the emperor favored her last night?"

Baochai thought to herself, "The day before yesterday, the emperor said that he would summon the empress to his bedchamber last night. I suppose Empress Zhang has already received his favor last night, so I am at peace."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "Brother Emperor is enjoying himself so much. The Empress is fanning him, and the Princess is feeding him. No one in the world is more pleased than Brother Emperor!"

Everyone was taken aback. Qinghe blushed, but Empress Zhang merely glanced at her.

Chu Yan laughed: "I'll let Sister Yun enjoy herself too, come and lie down with me!"

Daiyu remained silent. If he dared to embrace one woman on each side, she would immediately leave!

He's increasingly resembling a foolish and incompetent ruler who will bring about the downfall of his country!

Empress Zhang said casually, "With the new emperor ascending the throne, I, as the empress of a fallen kingdom, have no choice but to submit."

Daiyu's expression darkened. Wasn't the Empress and the Princess in the same predicament as her?
Qinghe, holding Empress Zhang's hand, smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, don't blame her. Sister Yun speaks frankly; she didn't mean to make fun of me."

Xiangyun fell silent.

Chu Yan smiled at her and said, "Yun girl is not a heartless person. She must have some ulterior motives. Tell me about it."

Xiangyun then smiled and said, "His Majesty made a scene from afternoon until midnight yesterday. Sister Lin came to see me twice, but the door to Yangxin Hall was not opened. I asked her and found out that Sister Lin asked His Majesty to send a letter to Brother Bao Er."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "So Yun'er wants to be a female knight-errant and fight for justice."

Xiangyun sat next to him, holding his hand and smiling.

Chu Yan tapped her delicate nose before saying, "There's a saying that goes, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.' I love you all, so naturally I want you to serve me and make me comfortable. Besides, I won't make things too difficult for you."

Daiyu glanced over and said, "Why are all these proverbs and sayings you're talking about things we've never heard of before?"

Xiangyun quickly replied, "That's right, we were wondering about that before."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "I'm from the South, so I'm different from you."

Daiyu sneered: "Isn't Suzhou in the South? It's clear I wasted several years of my life in Yangzhou."

Faced with the quick-witted Lin Daiyu, Chu Yan could only smile and ignore her, knowing that she wanted to ask him why he could predict the future.

He did find a pattern in Daiyu's behavior:
Every time she saw him, Lin Daiyu was always very respectful, but after a few words, she would start to reveal her true nature and no longer treat him as an emperor.

Empress Zhang smiled and said, "His Majesty cherishes the young ladies; no one dares to say otherwise."

"Are they young ladies or concubines?" Chu Yan turned and touched her dignified and imposing face.

Empress Zhang smiled and lowered her head: "That naturally includes me." She then smiled at Xiangyun and said: "Miss Yun, please go to the bed. I will fan His Majesty and let you enjoy it for once."

Xiangyun quickly stood up: "I dare not ask the Empress to serve me!"

Everyone laughed and sat down. Since Chu Yan was half-lying down, Daiyu and Baochai sat in chairs, while only Empress Zhang was left on the couch to serve them.

Chu Yan looked at Daiyu, exchanged a glance with her, and then smiled and said, "Sister Lin, are you going to write a letter to Baoyu again? Very well, since Yun'er is pleading for you today, I'll help you this once."

He directly instructed Qingwen: "Take the letter to Xia Shouzhong later and ask him to have someone deliver it to Jia Baoyu."

Qingwen got up and agreed, her heart filled with mixed feelings:
The once-proud Master Bao has now fallen into this predicament, even needing Miss Lin to deliver his letters.

Then it suddenly occurred to her: she had once given an old handkerchief to Master Bao and then to Miss Lin, but now it was the other way around, and Miss Lin's letter had to be delivered through her.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Daiyu also stood up and bowed, then said, "My maternal grandmother and second aunt heard about this and wanted to pass on some messages to Baoyu, so they asked me to write them down as well."

Chu Yan nodded: "Just send them together." After looking at her, he smiled and said: "If you have any money, you can send it to him at the same time."

If it were the old Daiyu, she would probably have been furious to hear Chu Yan teasing her.

But Daiyu just smiled and said, "I receive five taels of silver from His Majesty every month. I also have to give it to the maids and servants and buy cosmetics. Where would I get any to give to others? Even if I did, I could only save one or two taels."

Chu Yan was momentarily surprised, glanced at her twice, and then looked at them.

Baochai smiled but remained silent. Xiangyun, sitting on a chair and fanning herself, laughed and said, "It's a wonder you're now calculating how to spend five taels of silver, when before you were giving away hundreds of taels at a time."

Daiyu felt somewhat ashamed, because at that time she was worried and confused, fearing that Baoyu would ruin his health by doing corvée labor.

But when I saw how dirty he looked not long ago, I finally gave up: as long as you're doing corvée labor, no amount of money will make you live well.

Empress Zhang chuckled and said, "As expected, Yun is a straightforward girl."

Everyone in the room laughed. Baochai said with a smile, "Grandma likes her honesty the most. She came a few times before the New Year, and every time she wanted to play with Baoyu and Xiren. It can be seen that she has not changed her mischievousness."

Daiyu looked over, then at Chu Yan, and was relieved to see that he ignored her words.

Xiangyun sighed, "Let's not talk about Brother Baoyu anymore. We don't know when we'll see him again. His Majesty can't pardon the criminals of the previous dynasty anytime soon because of state affairs."

Chu Yan said, "The world is unpredictable. Who knows when your brother Baoyu might turn into a god and come to kill me."

Daiyu looked up and thought to herself that Baoyu was probably the Divine Stone Attendant in his story, the one to whom Crimson Pearl had to repay her debt of tears.

But what will happen after Jiangzhu has repaid her debt of tears?
Xiangyun quickly said, "Your Majesty is just trying to scare people. What gods and monsters? If there really were gods, wouldn't Your Majesty be a real dragon? In plays, which monster would dare to harm the emperor? Even gods wouldn't dare."

Everyone laughed again.

Taking this opportunity, Empress Zhang smiled and said, "I have something to tell Your Majesty, and I beg Your Majesty to grant me this favor."

After hearing this, Daiyu glanced at Chu Yan, knowing that he would agree to anything as long as it wasn't too unreasonable.

"You speak." Chu Yan pulled her into his arms, drawing the still-fanning Empress Zhang into his embrace. The sight of the dignified beauty in the man's arms made the four unmarried girls blush. Yet, none of them got up to leave.

Even Daiyu was forced to get used to the fact that the rebel king had become a debauched and tyrannical ruler, and she would simply look away from him.

Baochai glanced at it a couple more times before lowering her head.

Empress Zhang leaned against his chest and sighed softly, saying, "Two days ago, His Majesty sent someone back to inquire, and I learned about the illness of the Duke of Chongle. Since His Majesty intends to make Qinghe a concubine, we should do it as soon as possible."

Chu Yan looked at Princess Qinghe and saw her lowering her head shyly, so he smiled and said, "Very well, that's exactly what I said a couple of days ago. Let's do it tomorrow then. Tomorrow I will call all the concubines in the garden to come and watch the ceremony, and I will give you the imperial seal of the concubine. The register will be drafted by the Ministry of Rites later, and you will be conferred the register together with the others."

The official investiture is granted by the Ministry of Rites, but Chu Yan wanted to wait for Consort Xie to arrive in the capital, so he gave her the imperial seal first.

Empress Zhang gave her a signal.

Princess Qinghe stood up and respectfully knelt down to kowtow and express her gratitude. Chu Yan stopped her from performing the three kneelings and nine prostrations, and said with a smile, "It's not too late to perform the grand ceremony tomorrow."

Empress Zhang pulled Qinghe up and said with a smile, "Although it's just a conferment of the title of Consort, it should still be done in a celebratory manner. What does Your Majesty think?"

Chu Yan nodded and told her to do it.

Baochai asked with a smile, "What title will His Majesty bestow upon the princess?"

Everyone looked over, even Daiyu was curious.

Chu Yan shook his head: "Even I don't know." He paused and then explained: "I did not order the making of new imperial concubine seals. Fortunately, the seals from the previous dynasty do not have the dynasty on them, so they can still be used. Have someone pick one tomorrow. Whatever one is chosen will be the title of the concubine."

Xiangyun laughed: "This is really interesting, letting fate decide what title everyone will have."

Daiyu quickly laughed at her, "Amitabha, may Yun'er be blessed to choose Consort Zhuang's treasure in the future!"

Everyone in the room laughed. Given Xiangyun's personality, she was really not a good match for the word "scholar".

Baochai also laughed and said, "In my opinion, there has never been a fixed number of titles and ranks for imperial concubines throughout history. Although the Zhou Rites stipulated 'one empress, three consorts, nine concubines, twenty-seven ladies-in-waiting, and eighty-one imperial wives,' the Zhou Rites gradually became chaotic after the Tang Dynasty. It just so happens that Yun'er's name contains the character 'Xiang,' so why not carve a 'Xiangfei' seal for her?"

Xiangyun quickly replied, "Xiangfei is Sister Lin; she lives in Xiaoxiang Pavilion!"

“I don’t want it!” Daiyu replied immediately.

Her expression was indifferent, making it impossible to guess whether she thought Xiangfei was not good enough or refused to become a concubine of the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Chu Yan knew that if he pressed her further, she wouldn't answer, so he turned to Baochai and asked, "What kind of imperial concubine title does Miss Bao want?"

If Baochai were to utter the words "I want to be a Noble Consort," then she would truly become Chu Yan's favored concubine.

Unfortunately, Baochai could only say shyly, "Since His Majesty has said that the bestowal of the title of Consort is entirely up to Heaven, I dare not presume to ask for such a title. What is wrong with serving His Majesty and being a concubine?"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "With Miss Bao's beauty, wouldn't it be like 'a beautiful jade being covered in dust and a famous flower being left to wither on the ground' if she were only made a concubine?"

Baochai lowered her head in embarrassment.

Daiyu sneered, "Twenty-seven ladies-in-waiting and eighty-one imperial wives, Your Majesty should take a good look at the garden to fill the harem!"

Just as Chu Yan was about to speak, Empress Zhang covered her mouth and laughed, "With His Majesty's vigor and intelligence, he can handle 121 concubines."

"Hahaha!"

Chu Yan burst into laughter!

Only a married woman could tell such a silly joke. The girls were all puzzled, but Baochai seemed to be thinking about it and blushed.

"I shall take my leave now."

Empress Zhang rose with a smile and called to Qinghe, "Come back with me to prepare for tomorrow's investiture ceremony. I'll have someone fetch your wedding dress from the palace so you can wear it tomorrow."

As she spoke, she tested the new emperor's intentions. Seeing that he did not object, she made the decision and then called to Qingwen, "Miss Qingwen, please send someone to invite the Third Miss of the manor. I have some things to discuss with her."

Qingwen smiled and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. Just give your orders."

The three of them went out. Before leaving, Qinghe looked back at him one last time before leaving with his sister-in-law.

Chu Yan thought that Daiyu and Xiangyun would also take their leave soon, but they ended up sitting for almost an hour until Baoqin and Xiuyan came into the room together.

"What brings Miss Xing here?"

Chu Yan looked at the composed girl with delicate features, like a light ink painting, and beckoned to her: "It's been a while since I've seen you. Are you afraid to come here to me?"

When Daiyu saw him beckoning, she guessed what he wanted to do. She wanted to leave, but she didn't want to leave immediately.

Xiuyan approached the soft couch and said with a gentle smile, "Your Majesty's room is full of people. I have also been busy moving to the Jade Emperor Temple these past few days and have not been able to come and pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Chu Yan nodded, gestured for her to sit down, then looked at her attire and smiled, "You bought some jewelry with silver?"

Xiangyun and the others looked over, and Baoqin then noticed that Xiuyan had several beautiful pieces of jewelry on her body and head; it was quite remarkable that he could spot them at a glance.

Xiuyan hurriedly said, "These were all bestowed upon me by His Majesty. The few I bought are all kept at home."

Chu Yan raised his hand and fiddled with the hairpins in her hair. This action made even the carefree Xiuyan blush with embarrassment. However, she had already decided to enter the palace and become an imperial concubine. Since everyone in the room was also a concubine, she did not shy away and sat obediently.

Chu Yan asked her, "Are you settling in well at the Jade Emperor Temple? How is Miaoyu?"

Upon hearing him mention Miaoyu, Daiyu immediately guessed what he was thinking. She gave a cold laugh and asked, "What exactly does Your Majesty ask a nun? Does he ask if she eats well and dresses warmly, or if she wants to enter the palace as a concubine and what title she wants?"

As soon as she said this, Daiyu regretted it. Her words had been too blunt, and she was also angered by the lustful emperor!
Baoqin and Xiangyun were both a little shy.

Xiuyan was surprised, but she sighed inwardly, thinking that Miaoyu couldn't escape it after all.

These past few days, Miaoyu has been quite suspicious and absent-minded, perhaps guessing that the Emperor will soon visit Longcui Nunnery.

Chu Yan looked at Daiyu for a long time, then nodded and said, "Miaoyu is not as pretty as Lin Daiyu."

Daiyu's face immediately flushed red, and she lowered her head. After a long while, she said, "If your words reach Miaoyu's ears, won't that put me and her in a difficult position?"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Aren't you trying to put me in a difficult position?"

Xiangyun laughed, took Daiyu's hand and said with a smile, "You all say I'm blunt, but Sister Lin is even blunter than me. How are you going to apologize to Miaoyu now? Luckily, His Majesty was just joking."

Baoqin smiled, realizing that things would only get better if Sister Yun joked things over.

Xiuyan then replied, "When I was a child, I was used to living in a temple. Before, my whole family squeezed into two rooms, which was not as good as the Jade Emperor Temple. Now I have several rooms to live in, and I have Miaoyu, who is both my teacher and my friend, to accompany me. I am overjoyed and thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Chu Yan nodded, and Xiu Yan continued, "Miao Yu is still the same as before. She gets up in the morning to sweep, do her homework, copy Buddhist scriptures, and meditate. In the evening, she takes a walk around the Concave Crystal Pavilion. I thank His Majesty for his care on Miao Yu's behalf, and we will come together another day to express our gratitude to His Majesty."

Rather than sitting and waiting for the emperor to come to the door, it would be better to let the restless Miaoyu take the initiative to visit him.

Chu Yan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll visit you another day and stop by Longcui Nunnery on the way."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Yun'er whispered to me: His Majesty clearly said that we should go to Longcui Nunnery another day and visit the Jade Emperor Temple on the way!"

Xiangyun looked at her in surprise and quickly said, "I didn't say that!"

Daiyu covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed.

Xiuyan wasn't angry, knowing she was telling the truth, because the Emperor had previously said he was going to Longcui Nunnery.

Chu Yan sighed, "Forget it, wouldn't you offend Xiuyan by saying that? Let's go to Longcui Nunnery another day, and then to the Jade Emperor Temple another day!"

Daiyu, Xiangyun, Xiuyan, and Baoqin all laughed, and Baochai also laughed and said, "It's just that Daiyu has such a sharp tongue. His Majesty only said that because the Jade Emperor Temple and the Green Bamboo Nunnery are close by and can be visited in one day."

Daiyu glanced at Chu Yan, but she didn't think much of it. He clearly wanted to go to Longcui Nunnery!
At this moment, Baoqin laughed and said, "Today, my sister asked me to invite Sister Xing over. Luckily, I went to invite her, otherwise, wouldn't I have missed out on a lot of fun?"

Daiyu was clever and quick-witted, and immediately understood what Baoqin meant: it was because Sister Bao remembered Miss Xing that she went to invite her.

Chu Yan said, "It's a rare treat for Miss Xing to come today. You should all stay and have a drink with me before you go back!"

Xiuyan stood up, feeling ashamed and apologetic: "I will definitely come to pay my respects to Your Majesty more often in the future."

Chu Yan smiled and reached out to embrace her waist, pulling Xiuyan into his arms. "I was just joking with you. How could I get angry so easily?"

Seeing him act like this again, Daiyu spat and got up to leave. Baochai quickly stopped her, saying, "Where are you going? His Majesty has ordered us to stay for dinner."

Daiyu flung the curtain aside and went out, saying, "I'll go sit in the west room for a while, so as not to disturb His Majesty's enjoyment!"

Baoqin hurriedly chased after her, saying, "I'll go sit in that room with Sister Lin."

Xiangyun chuckled, gave Chu Yan a coquettish look, and then got up and left.

Baochai didn't want to keep them either, so she glanced at the two of them and left as well.

Chu Yan was left holding Xiu Yan's delicate body, and he carried her onto the soft couch.

Xiuyan had never experienced anything like this before. Her body trembled for a moment, and after a long while, she collapsed into his arms.

Chu Yan chatted with her for a while, teased her, and soon kissed Xiuyan's lips, savoring her taste again after half a month.

(End of this chapter)