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

Chapter 214 Laying Off Staff, Sister Feng (Part 2)
The next day, Chu Yan was still bathing at Tianxiang Tower. Qingwen and the others came to serve him early in the morning. They saw two people sleeping on the bed and two more on the couch. All of them had their snow-white bodies exposed, with only a thin blanket covering their lower abdomens.

Qingwen and the other two were not particularly surprised and continued to serve His Majesty.

After Chu Yan left Tianxiang Tower to attend court, the four people sleeping in the room slowly woke up.

"It's Grandma Zhen!"

Seeing her get up, Qingwen sneered, making You Shi so ashamed that she couldn't lift her head. She could only beg her, "Miss, please don't tell anyone!"

Qingwen sneered again, "That's strange. Yesterday, it was clearly the eldest mistress who invited His Majesty over. Now that her wish has been fulfilled, why are you covering it up?"

Lady You glanced at Ke Qing, but dared not reply.

Qin Keqing smiled at Qingwen and the other two and said, "You don't need to concern yourselves with His Majesty's affairs. He makes sense no matter what."

Qingwen was about to say something when Yuchuan tugged at her hand, and Xiangling also said with a smile, "The warm water is ready, Your Highness, please come outside to bathe!"

Qin Keqing lazily got up from the bed without putting on any clothes, revealing her beautiful figure to Qingwen and the others. Xiangling quickly went to support her and helped the frail Qin Keqing to sit down by the bathtub outside.

Lady You dared not stay too long, so she hastily put on her clothes and was about to leave, without even staying to take a bath.

"Mother-in-law."

Qin Keqing stopped her and said with a smile, "Don't worry, although His Majesty has not given any reward, the three of you can stay in the mansion and live peacefully from now on. If you can give His Majesty a son or daughter, becoming a concubine is not out of the question."

These words drew the attention of Xiangling, Qingwen, and the others. A strange light flickered in the eyes of the girls, and even the shy You Shi felt a stirring in her heart.
Children born to the emperor were granted the titles of princes if they were sons and princesses if they were daughters. What a noble honor!

Xie Luan, who had served the emperor diligently last night, hurriedly asked, "I heard that serving the emperor will bring female officials..."

Before she could finish speaking, someone knocked on the door. Xiangling seemed to guess who it was and went out to open the door and let them in.

Sure enough, two women dressed as female officials entered, their eyes fixed straight ahead, holding paper and pen, and asked Xiangling and the other two, "May I ask, ladies, who did His Majesty favor last night?"

Qingwen said irritably, "The one inside is it!"

The lady-in-waiting holding the paper and pen looked at Madam You again and asked, "Who is Madam?"

Lady You hurriedly replied, "I was originally Jia Zhen's wife, and my surname is You."

Before the lady-in-waiting could even register her name, Xie Luan hurriedly stepped forward and announced her name in a sweet, coquettish voice: "I am Jia Zhen's concubine, nineteen years old, and my name is Xie Luan~"

Qingwen glanced at her and muttered, "Vixen!"

Xie Luan dared not utter a sound and muttered as she withdrew.

Pei Feng also gave her name. Qin Keqing goes without saying; with her there, just remember to write her down. The Emperor must have favored her last night.

After the female official finished recording, she bowed to Qin Keqing, bid farewell to Xiangling and the other two, and left.

Lady You didn't dare linger and hurriedly left.

She dared not make a sound. What happened last night would remain a secret at Tianxiang Tower. Unless she could actually give birth to a child for the emperor, she would never be eligible to be made a concubine.

Xie Luan quietly came to ask Qin Keqing, "Your Majesty, what about the maids around us..."

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll still be at your beck and call."

The two then left happily.

……

Qingwen returned to Yangxin Hall, finished making the insoles for Chu Yan, and was about to rest for a while when Mushe and the others came to play with her.

Somehow the conversation turned to Aunt Zhao, and Qiuwen laughed, "This morning I saw Aunt Zhao looking quite smug again. Later I found out that His Majesty had agreed to the Third Miss's plea."

Yu Chuan listened with great interest and laughed, "It's thanks to you all that we didn't know so much about what's going on outside."

Musk Moon glanced at them and said enviously, "Now that you serve in His Majesty's quarters, the maids and servants all respect you. Who would dare to gossip in front of you?"

Everyone laughed. Just then, Ping'er came in, and Yu Chuan quickly got up to greet her and asked what was wrong.

Ping'er smiled and said, "Grandma sent me here. When His Majesty returns later, please send someone to inform Grandma."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zijuan also came in, asking Xiangling to send someone to inform Miss Lin after the Emperor returned.

It was afternoon in a blink of an eye.

Chu Yan had only been back for a short while when people started arriving one after another.

First came Baochai and Baoqin, the two sisters. Chu Yan had only chatted with them for a few words when Yingchun came in, and Madam Xing also arrived.

After the mother and daughter entered the house, they kowtowed to him to express their gratitude. Chu Yan then had Madam Xing chat idly for a few minutes before sending her away.

This was Madam Xing's first time meeting the Emperor with her daughter. She had hoped to stay a little longer so that the Emperor would remember that she was Yingchun's legal mother. However, there was no chair in the Emperor's room for an elderly woman like her. Even if the room wasn't full, it wouldn't be her turn to sit!

As soon as Madam Xing stepped out, she encountered Tan Chun and Aunt Zhao arriving together. She stood and waited for a while, and sure enough, Aunt Zhao came out not long after going in, looking very unwilling.

The emperor only kowtowed to them to express his gratitude, and did not want to care about anything else.

"Could it be... that this is what the emperor was originally like?"

Madam Xing was startled.

If it weren't for the girls, even if they kowtowed until their heads were injured, the emperor would not have shown them any favor.

Madam Xing lamented that she couldn't give birth to a daughter.

Inside the house, the girls came and went, came and went.

Chu Yan had dinner with Daiyu, Baochai, and Ping'er. They didn't say much during the meal. After the meal, Daiyu got up to say goodbye. Before leaving, she gave Chu Yan a look, as if she wanted to say something but didn't want to be bothered by the crowd.

Baochai glanced at Ping'er and smiled, "I won't disturb His Majesty's rest any longer." With that, she left with Daiyu.

Chu Yan leaned against the couch. It was not yet night. He smiled at Ping'er and said, "Where is your grandmother? Now that she's gone, you can send someone to call her back."

Ping'er smiled and took the initiative to come over and sit down: "Nothing can be hidden from His Majesty."

Chu Yan said, "Isn't it easy to guess? Feng Nu came and left yesterday, and today only you came. Stay until I have dinner. I also guess what your grandmother wants to do."

"Your Majesty guessed it?" Ping'er asked in surprise.

"Is it Xiao Hong?" Chu Yan asked with a smile.

Ping'er was surprised at first, but after looking at him, she covered her mouth and laughed, guessing what had happened.

Xiao Hong is exceptionally beautiful; His Majesty must have taken a liking to her!

"What is Ping'er laughing at?"

“I’m laughing. I wonder how much suffering Grandma will endure when she comes to His Majesty’s place tonight,” Ping’er said playfully.

As she spoke, she stood up, preparing to instruct Feng'er to go back and tell her grandmother to bathe and get dressed before coming over under the cover of night.

Chu Yan initially ignored it and continued talking with Ping'er on the couch. However, when Feng'er returned, she came into the room and reported, "Your Majesty, Miss Ping, our mistress said that our eldest daughter is tired from a long day and wants to go to bed early tonight. Our mistress will come over after she has gone to sleep, so she will be about half an hour late."

Ping'er knew she couldn't hide it from the Emperor, so she quickly smiled and said, "Grandma is also confused. With a wet nurse taking care of her, why is she making excuses? It's obvious that Grandma is deliberately delaying. Go and tell Grandma to come quickly, or His Majesty will punish her if she doesn't come soon!"

Feng'er had guessed something, but dared not say it. After glancing at the emperor, she was about to leave.

"and many more."

Chu Yan called out to her and smiled at Ping'er, "Let's go to Feng Nu's room tonight."

Feng'er turned her head and looked over, her little face showing surprise. She thought to herself, "Feng Nu? Is that Grandma's name?!"

Ping'er was taken aback, and after a long while, she said, "If His Majesty goes to Grandmother's room, I'm afraid we can't keep it a secret any longer."

Chu Yan casually said, "If we can keep it a secret, we will; if we can't, it's not a big deal."

What was a trivial matter in the emperor's eyes was of great importance to Ping'er and the others.

Ping'er, quick-witted, said with a smile, "Why don't I walk in front when we go over there, and if we run into anyone, I can ask her to give way?"

Chu Yan smiled and pinched her cheek, agreeing. Seeing that she was about to instruct Feng'er to go back and report, he said, "There's no need to tell Feng Nu. It's tiring for her to run back and forth."

Ping'er had no choice but to give up and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is very considerate." Feng'er bowed and thanked the Emperor before leaving, her little face flushed. Qingwen outside asked her what was wrong.

Feng'er whispered to her, "His Majesty is going to spend the night in our grandmother's room tonight!"

Qingwen was stunned. After a long while, she went to tell Xiangling and Yuchuan about it. The three of them stood guard outside the door, wondering whether they should go along later.

As dusk fell, with only a short time before nightfall, Chu Yan went out with Ping'er and said to Qingwen and the other two, "You don't need to come along. Prepare warm water in the room tomorrow morning. Yuchuan, you call the civil official to come and fetch me."

With that, Ping'er and Feng'er left Yangxin Hall together.

To avoid Yuan Chun, Xiang Yun, and the princess in the side halls, Chu Yan deliberately took a slightly longer route by going through the back door of Yangxin Hall.

Feng'er led the way, Ping'er followed not far behind, and Chu Yan followed at a leisurely pace, his expression not at all like someone going to steal someone, but more like someone strolling in a garden.

Passing by Qinfang Pavilion, he suddenly thought of Daiyu, so he called Ping'er over and said, "Let's stop by Miss Lin's place for a while."

Ping'er had no choice but to lead the way.

The three entered Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

"Why have you come?" Daiyu, who was in the study, stood up in surprise.

Chu Yan entered her study and was greeted by a faint fragrance, which made him feel more cheerful. He smiled and said, "When Sun Wukong was learning his skills, Bodhi Patriarch tapped him on the head three times. Today, Lin Daiyu glanced at me, and I ran over just like the Great Sage Sun."

Daiyu was amused by his words and scolded him, "The emperor himself compares himself to Sun Wukong, aren't you ashamed!"

"Emperors are human too."

Chu Yan smiled.

Daiyu had always been somewhat wary of him, knowing that she could only believe a fraction of what he said, so she asked, "Your Majesty has troubled to come to me in person..."

As she spoke, her cheeks flushed, thinking that the emperor had noticed her plea for mercy and had specially followed her to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Chu Yan saw what Daiyu was thinking and smiled, "There's no rush to talk about your business. I just happened to be passing by tonight and wanted to let you know. I'll come to see you again tomorrow night."

Daiyu was annoyed when she heard that it was just a coincidence, and sneered, "In that case, I won't keep you any longer. Zijuan, come and see the guest out!"

Chu Yan was puzzled, but it was indeed not appropriate to stay any longer, so he just smiled and said, "I'll come again tomorrow night, Lin sister, remember to leave the door open for me."

"Where do you think this is?" Daiyu said defiantly.

"I'll definitely come!"

As Chu Yan spoke, he walked out, leaving Daiyu in a daze, wondering why he had come so suddenly and left in such a hurry, and why he was alone. It was definitely not his intention to come to her place, nor was he just strolling around the garden.

Could it be that he is...

After leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Chu Yan, led by Ping'er and Feng'er, entered Wang Xifeng's home for the first time, and couldn't help but feel a little excited.

In terms of having an affair, this is truly unprecedented.

After quietly entering the house, she bumped into a young maid. She turned around and saw a man. She was about to cry out when Chu Yan grabbed her mouth and pulled her into the inner room.

When Fengjie, who was comforting her daughter in bed, heard the noise, she hurriedly asked, "Xiaohong, what's wrong?"

The next moment, she saw Xiao Hong being carried in by a tall man, which startled Feng Jie. Qiao Jie, who was still awake in bed, also sat up and stared at her mother and the strange man who had appeared.

Chu Yan released Lin Hongyu's hand and laughed, "Feng Nu, are you so surprised?"

Her hair was loose, she must have just taken a bath, and she was completely different from the imposing Second Madam I usually saw. Her black hair was spread out behind her head, and her beautiful face had a natural charm. Her expression was both shy and annoyed.

Wang Xifeng blushed, and seeing Ping'er walk in, she guessed what had happened and quickly said with a forced smile, "I didn't know His Majesty had come..."

Chu Yan reached out and pulled her over, sat her on the bed, placed Feng Jie across his lap, and slapped her across the face.

"Dog Emperor..."

Sister Feng swallowed the last word back, her face flushed with embarrassment as she covered her buttocks. When she turned her head, she saw her daughter staring at her with her eyes open.

"mother!"

Qiao Jie was young and naive. When she saw her mother being beaten, she rushed over to protect her and cried to Chu Yan, "Don't hit my mother!"

Chu Yan smiled, released Feng Jie, and seeing that Ping'er and Xiao Hong wanted to leave, he called them back.

The people inside finally quieted down.

Chu Yan sat on Feng Jie's bed, and waited until Qiao Jie stopped crying before reaching out to tease her cheek: "I didn't hit your mother. Your mother was happy to be hit. You can ask her if you don't believe me." He then said, "Feng Nu, don't you think so?"

Qiaojie looked at her mother in confusion. Fengjie could only grit her teeth and force a smile, saying, "This is your uncle, the Emperor, the most powerful person in the world. It's a blessing for your mother to be beaten by the Emperor!"

Chu Yan laughed loudly.

Lin Hongyu didn't know whether to hide or listen; her face was already flushed with embarrassment.

Hearing this, Qiaojie became happy and hurriedly knelt down on the bed to come over and took Chu Yan's hand: "Then Uncle Emperor will also hit me, so that I can also have good fortune, okay? Mother has been sighing and complaining these days that I am unlucky and have a hard life."

Chu Yan glanced at Qiao Jie; the little girl was indeed adorable. He had finally met the last of the Twelve Beauties.

He raised his hand to pat Qiaojie's little head, then pinched her cheek and laughed, "Alright, after being hit like this by Uncle Emperor, Qiao'er is also blessed."

Then he asked Wang Xifeng, "Why does Fengnu sigh all the time?"

Seeing that he wouldn't stop pressing her, Fengjie simply started to act spoiled, saying angrily, "Why does Your Majesty have to ask these questions? It's not like we'll just sigh about it later."

Chu Yan understood the meaning behind her words, so he smiled and stopped asking. He turned to Lin Hongyu and said, "I remember you. Your name is Lin Hongyu, right? Come here."

Ping'er gave her a look, which Lin Hongyu didn't quite understand. She could only get up and walk to the emperor, bowing her head slightly: "This servant is fortunate to be remembered by Your Majesty, and this is also this servant's blessing."

Chu Yan looked her over. Lin Hongyu was pretty, and although her skin wasn't snow-white, it was even, delicate, and smooth. Moreover, this time, she didn't hesitate or timidly speak like she did last time; her voice was very clear.

No wonder she was chosen by Sister Feng.

Chu Yan asked her some questions, such as how old she was and whether she had been to school. He then played with Qiao Jie for a while. Qiao Jie quickly accepted him, perhaps because she saw him sitting on her mother's bed and had a natural trust in him. Before long, she hugged Chu Yan's neck from behind and clung to him.

She was just a child; she didn't know what an emperor was, nor what the confiscation of the Jia family's property meant, and she didn't even realize that her father hadn't been home for many days.

Chu Yan tried to coax his daughter by holding Qiao Jie's two little hands and letting her rock back and forth on his back, which made Qiao Jie giggle and become very energetic, no longer wanting to sleep.

When Sister Feng saw this, she was stunned.

Ping'er came over and nudged Hongyu with a smile, saying, "Wasn't your mother also laid off? His Majesty is right in front of you, why aren't you kneeling down and begging? What are you waiting for?"

Hongyu had actually had this idea for a while, but it was against the rules for her to ask the emperor, so she dared not say it. Now, upon hearing Pingjie's words, she hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Do you know what the Second Miss and the Third Miss did when they begged me?"

Hongyu was naturally unaware of this. Ping'er glanced at Chu Yan, then smiled, pulled her up, and pushed Hongyu into the emperor's arms.

When Hongyu was hugged by a man for the first time, she was so frightened that she shrank back and covered her chest with her arms.

A moment later, she realized that the person holding her was the emperor. She slowly lowered her hand and let him admire and stroke her cheek, making her feel incredibly embarrassed.

"What's wrong with Uncle Emperor?" Qiaojie didn't quite understand, so she asked her mother, "Why does Uncle Emperor call Mother Fengnu?"

Fengjie blushed, and ignoring her daughter's protests, she carried her off the bed and handed her to Ping'er, who then took her outside to the wet nurse. Still somewhat worried, she instructed the wet nurse to take Qiaojie to Li Wan's room to sleep. Li Wan lived in Daoxiang Village, but there was another room in the mansion.

After Qiaojie reluctantly left, Chu Yan finally felt free to take Fengjie, who had just finished bathing and had not yet dressed, to bed, and then called Ping'er over.

Lin Hongyu had never been a maidservant before, but she was efficient. She first helped the three women undress, then watched them shyly for a while, roughly learning about the matters between men and women. She then went to find the maids and servants outside and told them not to tell anyone, otherwise it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

After scaring them into keeping quiet, let them figure out how to boil some hot water to prepare.

Back inside, Lin Hongyu heard the intense and excited sounds and realized why her grandmother had taken Qiaojie away.

If she stayed in the next room, Qiaojie wouldn't be able to sleep all night, and she would have to worry about whether her mother had been "beaten to death"...

Second Grandma was truly on the verge of death tonight.

(End of this chapter)