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

Chapter 215 Crimson Pearl's Tears Run Dry, Yearning to Return to Heaven (Part 1)
Day two.

Hearing the noise inside the room, Lin Hongyu was suddenly awakened. She immediately thought of what happened last night and hurriedly grabbed her clothes from the bedside and put them on in the dark.

Perhaps because she already had her grandmother and elder sister serving her, the emperor did not ask her to serve him in bed last night.

After Hongyu entered the room, she immediately saw the emperor's tall and strong figure. He had already gotten out of bed, and his heroic appearance reminded Hongyu of last night. Her face flushed, and she hurried over and whispered, "I will help Your Majesty change your clothes."

Chu Yan glanced at her and nodded.

Hongyu took his round-necked dragon robe and trousers from the chair and helped him put them on.

After Chu Yan finished dressing, he smiled and said, "It's kind of you to remember to pick up our clothes while you were serving us last night. You and Ping'er can go and tell the Third Miss to let your family stay."

Then, turning to the two people lying on the bed behind him, he said, "I'm going back now. You can do as you please. I'll summon you to the Yangxin Hall another day."

After saying that, he walked out, leaving Hongyu behind who didn't even have time to bow. She hurriedly chased after him, saying, "I'll escort Your Majesty back."

Ping'er only had time to say, "Let Feng'er go too, and call a few more old women."

But Chu Yan got up early, and Feng'er stayed in bed a little longer and was still getting dressed, so only Hongyu and Chu Yan went out.

When they were almost at the garden gate, Chu Yan saw Yu Chuan and the civil official. The two thought they were late and hurriedly came over to apologize.

"It's alright, I just got up early today."

As Chu Yan spoke, he entered the garden. After walking for a while, he turned onto a path leading to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, and Hongyu and the others followed.

When I entered Xiaoxiang Pavilion, it was just beginning to get light.

The young maids and old women had woken up and were about to fetch water when they saw him, and they were all surprised.

Chu Yan ignored her and went straight into the room. He saw Zijuan, who was already dressed, smiled at her, and then went into Daiyu's room.

Needless to say, there was that delicate fragrance that belonged to Daiyu. She was lying on the bed, her posture was serene and her expression was peaceful. A thin quilt covered her slender waist. Although it was hot, her delicate body did not reveal much skin. She was wearing a thin undergarment and trousers, and her small feet were covered with a pair of silk socks, which made her delicate feet look even more beautiful.

Daiyu was still asleep.

Chu Yan asked Zijuan, who had anxiously followed him in, "Does your daughter also wear socks to bed in the summer?"

Zijuan hurriedly said, "Miss is often sick and weak. If she catches a chill, she will be ill for several days." Then she looked at her again and said with a strange expression, "Miss usually doesn't sleep well and will be woken up by anyone. But today she is sleeping soundly. I will wake her up and His Majesty will wait outside for a moment."

Chu Yan shook his head: "No need, I just stopped by on the way. You can come after she wakes up..."

As they were talking, Daiyu woke up with a soft moan and said in a weak voice, "Baoyu, I'm going back now. You don't need to come looking for me anymore."

Zijuan was startled and hurriedly looked at the emperor nervously. How could the emperor not be angry if she dreamed of Bao Erye again in front of him?

"Lin Daiyu is still asleep, what nonsense is she talking in her sleep about?"

Chu Yan came to her bedside, raised his hand and gently pinched her smooth little face, startling Daiyu so much that she rolled over and sat up. When she saw it was him, she said angrily, "So you are this domineering thief... King!"

He's called the King of Thieves!

Zijuan couldn't bear to look and covered her face.

"So that's how worthless I am in Lin Daiyu's eyes!"

Chu Yan reached out and gently rubbed her exceptionally beautiful cheek. Daiyu quickly hid inside the bed, blushing as she laughed, "You're disturbing my peaceful sleep so early in the morning, what else could you be but a thief? You go out first, let me get up."

As she spoke, she covered her body with the blanket again.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "I just happened to be passing by. I'll only say a few words and then leave. Tonight, are you coming to my place, or should I come to Sister Lin's?"

Daiyu retorted angrily, "I'm not going to plead with you anymore! All you ever think about is this vulgar stuff!"

Chu Yan said, "No."

Seeing that he was silent, Daiyu believed him a little more. She sat on the bed with the quilt in her arms, thinking about the dream she had last night. Although she had never met him, she was still somewhat related to him.

He sighed, "If I go to your place again this afternoon, I will inevitably suffer your humiliation."

Chu Yan smiled, made an appointment with her, and got up to leave. When he reached the door, Daiyu suddenly called out to him, "May I ask whose house His Majesty stayed at last night?"

She actually figured it out.

Chu Yan turned around and laughed, "Alright, I won't hide it from you, it's at your Sister Feng's house."

Daiyu's eyes held a strange and somewhat disdainful look as she sneered, "No wonder His Majesty always says it's on the way; it turns out he's secretly going to see Sister Feng, and she doesn't even bother to kick you out!"

Chu Yan said slowly, "You know, let alone Sister Feng, even if it were to sleep with your aunt, she would have no choice but to come."

"What are you talking about?!"

Daiyu glared at him, her pretty face contorted with anger, and pointed her slender finger at him: "If you continue to act recklessly, I... will go back in tears!"

Will the tears be wiped away and gone?

Chu Yan was surprised and stared at her for a long time. When he saw Daiyu turn away in anger, he went back to sit down and coaxed her, saying, "Don't be angry. It was just a joke. I won't say these things again from now on."

After I sat down, I noticed tears in her eyes and comforted her for a while.

Daiyu held back her tears and said only, "Go back now, I will go and beg you tonight."

Chu Yan vaguely sensed that she had something on her mind, but he had to go to the morning court and didn't have time to ask in detail. After leaving the house, he instructed Zijuan to keep an eye on her, and then returned to Yangxin Hall to bathe and change his clothes.

After he left, Zijuan came in to help the young lady get up, and couldn't help but whisper with a smile, "His Majesty is quite amusing, coming to visit the young lady both in the morning and evening." Which young lady in the garden could match such favor?
Daiyu sneered: "What do you know? He went to... to sleep with someone else, and only came to see me on the way!"

"what?"

Zijuan was somewhat surprised, and after a long while she said, "Although it was on the way, it was still a thoughtful gesture. Miss, please don't call yourself 'King of Thieves' anymore, it makes people's necks go cold."

Daiyu was amused by her words: "It would be better if he ordered my execution, so I wouldn't have to cry all the time before I died!"

Zijuan hurriedly asked, "What did you say, young lady?"

Daiyu did not answer. After dressing up, she went to pay her respects to the old lady and then to her two aunts. By the time she returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, it was noon.

"Miss Lin." Xiangling arrived at Xiaoxiang Pavilion with a letter in her hand and smiled at her, "Qiang-ge from the East Mansion sent a letter, saying it's for you."

Daiyu was stunned.

The events of last night's dream came flooding back, and they indeed came true today. It was clearly destined, and she had no choice but to accept it!
Seeing that the young lady's face had suddenly turned pale and she looked like she was about to collapse, Zijuan quickly stepped forward to support her: "Miss, Miss, what's wrong?"

Xiangling was also startled.

After a long pause, Daiyu forced a smile and said, "My body is always like this, it's nothing serious. But Xiangling's side, if the Emperor finds out that someone is secretly sending a message from outside, he'll probably punish you."

Xiangling hurriedly said, "This letter was given to me by a eunuch. His Majesty will probably know about it too. I will report it to him when he returns. It's alright."

Daiyu accepted the letter and asked Zijuan to give her a reward. Xiangling smiled and said, "Why should I give you a reward for just delivering a letter? Thank you for your kindness, Miss Lin." With that, she left.

Seeing that the young lady was lost in thought with the letter and showed no intention of opening it immediately, Zijuan left.

The letter contained nothing of the content; Zijuan only saw that the girl cried incessantly again in the afternoon, and it was only after about an hour that she gradually stopped.

Zijuan came in and tried to comfort her, saying, "Miss's eyes are red from crying again. This morning, Miss said she would die after crying, which is clearly an unlucky thing to say." Daiyu didn't answer, but only asked her, "How much silver do I have left in my chest?"

Zijuan was stunned. Although the girl usually didn't ask about the money, she remembered the amount of money very clearly and always had a slight surplus every month. Why was she suddenly asking about it today?

So he said, "After the house was raided, the girl only had two months' worth of monthly allowance, totaling ten taels, and now she has a little over four taels left."

"How much silver was there originally?"

“The things the young lady brought from the Lin family are all kept with the old lady. Over the years, they have accumulated more than four hundred taels of silver, as well as some gold, silver and valuables. I estimate that they are also worth about three hundred taels.” Zijuan added, “These do not include the things that the old lady bestowed upon us in previous years.”

Daiyu nodded and said, "When no one is around, take one hundred taels and send it to Mother. You should also take one hundred taels for yourself."

The mother was Daiyu's wet nurse, who had been by her side since she came from Yangzhou. However, the wet nurse was taciturn and did not usually get close to Daiyu.

Zijuan quickly said, "I don't want this money!"

Daiyu grabbed her hand: "I'm so grateful for your care all these years. Please take this. This silver belongs to the emperor. He was angry with me this morning, so I stole his silver to use!"

Zijuan was a clever girl; how could she not tell that the girl was lying?

Although the Rongguo Mansion was raided, the homes of the young ladies in the garden remained untouched. Given His Majesty's current favor towards the young ladies, it is likely that the money will still be used for their daily needs.

Only then did Zijuan understand why the emperor had asked her to watch over the girl that morning.

After giving her instructions, Daiyu sat alone in her study. The parrot under the eaves outside the moon-shaped window was chattering again, but she didn't listen. Her thoughts drifted like willow catkins.

She thought of her deceased mother and her missing father, and all the little things she had experienced living under the roof of the Jia family over the years, laughing and playing with her sisters. She also thought of Baoyu, and how she used to be heartbroken and cry herself blind for him. Now, all of these things seemed somewhat ridiculous.

Then I thought of the bandit king Chu Yan entering the city, meeting him several times in my dreams, hearing him talk about Jiangzhu repaying her debt of tears, and remembering when he first came to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, the parrot recited her poem: "Look at how spring ends and flowers gradually fall, that is when beauty fades and dies."

It seems now that he didn't die of old age, but rather returned when the time came.

Daiyu thought to herself, "It's not a pity if I die. I've been sickly since I was a child, always ill, like I'm soaking in a medicine pot. I expected this day to come. Although that man said he would kill the entire Jia family if I committed suicide, he will still remember how much affection I had for him. I didn't commit suicide; it's fate. He can't blame my grandmother and aunt."

As for Baoyu, I have never wronged him, and he has hardened his heart to become a monk. Let him go ahead and become a monk; from now on, we will have nothing to do with each other.

After much thought, only one thing remained on my mind:
When she first met that man in a dream, she asked the emperor to keep her at the Jia family's residence for several months, so that after she died and her soul returned to heaven, he would bless her with a long and healthy life.

"Although he said I am the Crimson Pearl Flower, I have no idea what happens to me after death. If I cannot protect him, wouldn't I be owing him a debt?"

He said I was born to repay my debt of tears, and now I owe him even more. Am I to repay him with another lifetime of tears in the next life?

"It's clear that I was foolish in my past life, unable to resolve the karmic entanglements that led to my current situation."

After thinking it over, Daiyu felt at peace and just waited to see him that evening.

In the afternoon, Xiangling came to Xiaoxiang Pavilion again and said with a smile, "His Majesty is chatting with Miss Yun and Miss Bao. Please come and sit for a while, Miss Lin."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Go and tell him: I'm going to pay my respects to my maternal grandmother and aunt, and I'll go over at dinner time."

Xiangling had no intention of "disobeying the imperial decree," and seeing that she was not going, she went back to report.

Daiyu got up to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia, Madam Xing, and Madam Wang. It wasn't until almost time for dinner that she set off to see Chu Yan.

Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he saw a room full of young women already seated at the table, waiting for the dishes to be served. He smiled and said, "I am late, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "I'll punish you with a drink later." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Never mind, you're not in good health, so it's best to drink less."

Daiyu insisted on drinking, saying, "Your Majesty, you can punish me all you want. I've been drinking since I was a child, why can't I drink?"

So they sat down, the seat next to him, one on each side of Princess Qinghe.

The food was served quickly, and Daiyu continued to chat and drink with her sisters.

After the meal, the tables and chairs were cleared away, and she sat on the couch without saying much, listening to them talk with the emperor.

As darkness fell, the girls gradually took their leave. Perhaps seeing that she was still there, Xiangyun and Qinghe, who lived in the side hall, also got up and left. After Baochai left, only Daiyu remained in the room.

Chu Yan smiled at her and said, "The weather is cool today, let's go outside and chat in the courtyard."

Daiyu sat there with her head slightly lowered, her figure slender. Upon hearing this, she laughed: "Even a tyrant has such leisure and refined tastes?"

Chu Yan's expression was strange. He said, "Sister Lin, you missed a sentence in your statement."

"What's missing?"

"The phrase 'women are the first priority' is missing."

"Bah! What a debauched and tyrannical ruler!"

Daiyu covered her mouth with her handkerchief and smiled shyly, then looked at him and said, "Thank you for not humiliating me tonight."

Chu Yan asked curiously, "You haven't asked me for anything, and I haven't agreed to anything, so why are you thanking me?"

Daiyu smiled at him and said, "You're the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force. If you joke with me tonight, you won't insist on me coming to you anymore. Am I right?"

Chu Yan was about to say that you were wrong, but then he thought that with Lin Meimei's cleverness, she would definitely guess that he would have a rebellious mentality. If he said that, Lin Meimei would probably laugh.

But then she thought, wasn't this something she had expected?

After their eyes met, they both laughed. Chu Yan's laughter was helpless, while Daiyu's was somewhat smug.

"That's all."

Chu Yan got up, reached out and took her soft little hand, and together they went out to the courtyard. He ordered Qingwen to bring over a table and chairs, and they sat down to cool off.

Daiyu took a sip of tea before saying, "If Yun'er were here, it would definitely be lively."

Xiangyun and the princess lived in the side hall; they could come over if you called them.

Chu Yan shook his head: "Tonight I want to hug Lin Daiyu, so I won't invite them over."

Daiyu blushed and sighed softly, "I was humiliated by you in exchange for my grandmother and aunt living in peace... In that case, come and hug me later, and I'll close my eyes and let you do as you please!"

Seeing her looking like she was going to her death, Chu Yan laughed and said, "Does Sister Lin know? Before I became emperor, I set a budget for myself to spend a certain amount of silver each year, so that I wouldn't live a hard life, but also wouldn't be too extravagant."

Daiyu was clever and immediately understood the implication in his words: "Is the expense of the Grand View Palace also included in this sum of money?"

"Yes."

Chu Yan said, "The court can only collect 20 to 30 million taels of tax now. If the emperor spends more, the court and the people will have less money to spend."

Daiyu thought for a while before sighing, "Your Majesty has the common people in your heart. It was my willful and reckless behavior that led me to resign. I will no longer ask Your Majesty to grant me mercy and keep the old lady and the people in the madam's room. Just send them out to get married."

Chu Yan smiled and asked, "Is Sister Lin speaking from the heart?"

Daiyu retorted angrily, "Since you don't believe me, I'll let you hold me anyway!"

Upon hearing this, her face flushed even more, and she quickly avoided his scrutinizing gaze, lowering her head.

(End of this chapter)