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

Chapter 224 The Emperor's Trip
Chu Yan waited in the meditation hall for a while, but no one came to serve tea; the young nuns were all playing outside.

"Your Majesty, this humble nun has come to beg for forgiveness."

As Miaoyu's cool, indifferent voice rang out, Chu Yan looked over and saw her walk in carrying a small sandalwood tea tray with two phoenixes. She had changed into a gray monk's robe, and her previously jet-black hair was now covered by a monk's hat.

The beauty's natural, unadorned appearance held a different charm compared to when her hair was disheveled.

Especially after she changed into a loose gray monk's robe, it was impossible to tell what her figure was like, but Chu Yan couldn't help but recall the slender waist and plump figure he had seen earlier.

He stared intently at Miaoyu. If he hadn't barged in earlier, Miaoyu would have already sneered inwardly, thinking that the emperor was nothing special.

But after he said he would make her a concubine, Miaoyu knew that he was looking at her now because he was attracted by her beauty.

Therefore, she lowered her head slightly, presented the tea tray to him, and said indifferently, "Please have some tea, Your Majesty."

Chu Yan took it and smiled, "You personally boiled the water and brewed the tea?"

Miaoyu said, "Even those who cultivate diligently outside the threshold are practicing spiritual cultivation." As she spoke, she glanced over, seemingly trying to gauge whether Chu Yan knew what "those who cultivate outside the threshold" meant.

Chu Yan pretended not to understand and asked, "Where did this outsider come from?"

Miaoyu smiled coldly and remained silent. Chu Yan pointed to the chair next to him, indicating that she should sit down. Then, looking at her monk's hat, he smiled and said, "I advise you to take off your hat. Otherwise, with your hair all wet inside, it's easy to damage your hair roots."

Miaoyu subconsciously touched her monk's hat, then hesitated for a moment.

Chu Yan added, "Miaoyu is a rare beauty in the world. If she had sparse hair, was bald, or had dry and yellow hair, then she would not be beautiful."

Miaoyu blushed, knowing he was teasing her, but she held back and said, "It is really indecent to show my hair in front of the Emperor. I will wash it again after I send the Emperor back. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Chu Yan glanced at her figure in her monk's robe and smiled, "Why did you change into such simple clothes, Miaoyu? Last time I saw you, you were wearing a rice paddy dress, which suited you perfectly."

Miaoyu's heart tightened.

She originally intended to meet him with a bare face so that he would give up the idea of ​​taking a concubine, but he saw through her plan in one sentence!
There was no escaping it after all.

Miaoyu looked at him and said seriously, "Your Majesty already has many concubines, why do you want to make things difficult for a nun like me?"

Chu Yan asked, "Why is it considered difficult?"

Miaoyu did not answer, so he asked again: "Is it that you don't want to be a concubine, or that you don't want to get married? If it's the latter, as far as I know, you and Jia Baoyu have a very close relationship."

Miaoyu blushed instantly, stood up angrily, but dared not lash out in front of the emperor, so she said coldly, "Where did Your Majesty hear this rumor? I rarely associate with men. Although Baoyu often comes to my place, he is just a young man and has never had any romantic feelings for me."

She glanced at him and said, "His Majesty barged into the nunnery's backyard on his first visit and even said he wanted to take this poor nun as his concubine."

Perhaps the last few words were too shameful; the idea of ​​taking a nun as a concubine was truly embarrassing for the virtuous Miaoyu.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "I heard that you wrote a letter to Baoyu that reads, 'Miaoyu, an outsider, respectfully sends her greetings on your auspicious birthday.' Is that right?"

Miaoyu was startled and frowned as she looked at him: "So you know about the people outside the threshold!"

Chu Yan smiled but remained silent.

Miaoyu then said, “This humble nun does not know where Your Majesty heard this from, but please look at the two characters ‘Fangchen’ to express this humble nun’s feelings.”

Chu Yan suddenly realized, "So you consider Baoyu a close female friend."

Miaoyu's face was much calmer.

To everyone's surprise, Chu Yan said, "But we are friends after all. How can a relationship between a man and a woman not involve love? As the saying goes, there is always gossip around a widow's door. You are keeping your hair long and associating with men, which shows that you have worldly desires and are willing to marry a man!"

Miaoyu was angered by these words again, and her large, conspicuous body rippled beneath her gray monk's robe.

After a long pause, she sneered, "Is Your Majesty trying to frame this humble nun? My relationships with any man have always been completely innocent; I have never harbored any romantic feelings for anyone! Gods and Buddhas can bear witness!"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "So you don't want to enter the palace as a concubine?"

Miaoyu lowered her head and did not answer.

Chu Yan said, "Very well, I won't force you today. Think it over and give me your answer next time." Seeing that she still had nothing to say, he continued, "I will take the young ladies to Huang'en Temple tomorrow. How about you go too? I imagine the old monks at Huang'en Temple are quite skilled. You can sit down and discuss philosophy with them then."

Miaoyu sneered: "This humble nun never associates with monks, so let's skip the discussion."

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up at him and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, is this the reason you came to Longcui Nunnery today?"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Of the Twelve Beauties, you are the only one I haven't seen. Naturally, I thought of you. You've been living in the Jia family for over a year now, and you must be quite bored. Why don't you come out with us for a trip?"

Miaoyu didn't know who the Twelve Beauties he mentioned were, but the fact that she was included showed that the person who compiled the Twelve Beauties had poor judgment.

That's right, I heard about someone named Leng Zixing before, I guess he made that up, no wonder the emperor wanted to take her as a concubine as soon as he arrived!
After thinking it over, she coldly refused, saying, "This humble nun rarely meddles in worldly affairs. Although I live in the garden, I don't associate with the young ladies much. So, I'll pass on the idea of ​​going out for fun."

Chu Yan finished his tea in one gulp, stood up and said, "This is my decree, you must go tomorrow!"

Finished talking and left.

Miaoyu stared blankly as his tall figure strode out of the meditation hall, leaving cleanly and decisively. Her mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, and after a long while, she finally sighed.

She had a premonition that the peace and quiet would never return, and that the emperor would surely come to Longcui Nunnery again.

……

As soon as Chu Yan left Longcui Nunnery, he encountered the graceful and beautiful Xiuyan walking into the mountain gate. Upon seeing him, she hurried forward, smiling and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty."

Chu Yan smiled and said, "You're here to see Miaoyu? She's probably angry right now. Go and say a few words to her."

Xiuyan said, "I just got home and heard the maids say that His Majesty had come, so I rushed to Longcui Nunnery, but I just missed him."

Chu Yan nodded and said, "I'll come visit you again next time."

Xiuyan asked curiously, "Why is Miaoyu angry? Her temperament is a bit eccentric, Your Majesty need not take it to heart."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "She didn't provoke me, I provoked her. I asked her to come to Huang'en Temple with us tomorrow. You can go and tell her later that you can all come to my place tomorrow and go out together."

Xiuyan agreed and then smiled, "His Majesty will issue an order to summon her on time, otherwise, given Miaoyu's personality, she will not be willing to go out."

"Xiuyan guessed right!" Chu Yan raised his hand to stroke her cheek and said affectionately.

There are few times when I talk to her alone, and we are somewhat unfamiliar with each other. I need physical contact to make her treat me as her husband.

Xiuyan blushed slightly and whispered, "Your Majesty... Xiuyan dares not refuse, but this is a nunnery, and we need to go to the main temple to offer incense tomorrow. How about Your Majesty visits my home another day?"

Seeing her shy expression, Chu Yan couldn't help but tease her, "What's wrong with going to Xiuyan's house?"

Miss Xing blushed even more, lowered her head, fiddled with the hem of her clothes, and remained silent.

Chu Yan chuckled softly, “It’s clear that although Xiuyan doesn’t come to my place often, she knows about the girls’ favor on the bed and knows that it will be her turn.”

Xiuyan said shyly, "Why must Your Majesty say it aloud?"

Chu Yan chuckled and let her in, then returned to Yangxin Hall himself.

Qingwen was sitting in the room. When she saw him return, she stood up and said with a smile, "His Majesty doesn't allow eunuchs to follow him when he goes out. If he wants to find someone, he doesn't know where to look. In my opinion, it would be more convenient to have two eunuchs follow him from a distance. If there is anything, it would be easier to summon him and give him instructions."

Chu Yan leaned lazily against the soft couch. "We'll see. Not a single girl came today?"

"The girls are all avoiding His Majesty!" she said with a knowing smile.

Chu Yan glanced at Qingwen's slender waist and laughed, "Then come here, Qingwen, and give me a good rub."

Qingwen was startled and blushed as she hurriedly said, "We are going to the temple to offer incense and pray to Buddha tomorrow. Your Majesty should fast for one night. We can't let this important time be ruined."

Chu Yan had no choice but to give up. It seemed he would have to abstain from sex tonight to make it three days.

Qingwen went inside and found a pair of insoles. She took them out to show him and said with a smile, "I've finished making the insoles. Would Your Majesty like to try them on?"

Chu Yan took it and looked at it with interest, then nodded and said, "Okay, put it on for me."

Qingwen sat at his feet, took off his shoes and put them on for him. Chu Yan tried walking a few steps and was very satisfied. He smiled and said, "With Qingwen's skills, it would be a waste to only make these insoles. But if you make anything too complicated, it will be tiring and you won't be able to finish it in a few months."

Qingwen said, "Making some small clothes and shoes is fine."

Chu Yan chatted with her, and Qingwen suddenly asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to place a few more maids in the house?" "Why do you ask?"

“We don’t have enough people to serve us, and we don’t know the palace maids outside. Fangguan and the others always use the excuse of singing opera to be naughty and not do any work.”

Chu Yan understood and laughed, "Who do you want to come?"

Qingwen said shyly, "It's Musk Moon. I went to see her at Yihong Courtyard yesterday, and when she saw me saying we needed someone, she said she could come. I thought Musk Moon was innocent, so I thought I'd ask her to come."

Chu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Yangxin Hall can't accommodate so many people. We'll talk about it when we get back to Daming Palace. Zichen Hall has about twenty rooms, which is enough for everyone."

Qingwen smiled and stood up to express her gratitude. Chu Yan pulled her to sit down, and they remained silent for the time being.

It wasn't until evening that Baochai, Baoqin, and Tanchun came to Yangxin Hall together—the Xue sisters were returning to Hengwu Garden and came by on their way, while Tanchun was there to report on the outing the next day.

After they left, night fell, and Xiangyun, who lived in the right-hand hall, came into the room, her face showing a hesitant expression.

Chu Yan raised his hand to beckon her over, and Xiangyun sat down next to him.

"What's wrong with Yun'er?" Chu Yan gently rubbed her delicate cheeks.

Xiangyun said shyly, "Just now, Sister Lin and I were in the old lady's room. The old lady kept crying and begged us to persuade Second Brother to give up the idea of ​​becoming a monk after we see Baoyu tomorrow."

Chu Yan smiled and asked, "Have you, Sister Lin, and your third sister agreed yet?" Tan Chun had come earlier but hadn't mentioned Bao Yu.

Xiangyun said, "Sister Lin said she would help persuade Second Brother, and Second Sister and I also agreed to try. Whether we can persuade him or not, we'll only know tomorrow."

Chu Yan said, "You want me to pardon him?"

Xiangyun stared at him blankly.

Even the once adorable and innocent young lady from a noble family has her troubles. This version of Shi Xiangyun shows that she has grown up quite a bit and is no longer the naive and straightforward girl she used to be.

Chu Yan said, “Others can endure the hardship of corvée labor, so why can’t he? It’s clear that his elders spoiled him too much and didn’t teach him properly. Think about it, if we agree to pardon him today, won’t we agree to let him go back to the garden tomorrow? And the day after tomorrow, he’ll beg to marry you. Won’t that cause chaos?”

Xiangyun laughed and said, "We never thought about marrying Baoyu. Even Sister Lin, now... seems to have given up on that idea." Then she sighed and said, "What the Emperor said makes a lot of sense. Since the Emperor entered the city, everything has changed. Many people and things have changed. We can never go back to how we were when we were children."

Then he smiled at Chu Yan and said, "Tomorrow when I see Brother Bao, I will persuade him properly. Whether he becomes a monk or goes back to the imperial estate to perform corvée labor, he must calm down, endure the hardship, and have an indomitable will to become a man who can stand tall and upright like my brother the emperor!"

Chu Yan couldn't help but chuckle.

When Shi Xiangyun said these words, she first shook her head and sighed, then clenched her fists in a cute and charming way, and spoke at length, which was completely different from her usual cheerful appearance, making her even more lovable.

"Yun'er is absolutely right!"

Chu Yan embraced her, and Xiangyun nestled obediently into his arms, blushing as she whispered, "Your Majesty, you mustn't do anything lewd tonight... at least wait until after we've finished offering incense tomorrow."

Chu Yan lowered his head and kissed her cheek, then smiled and said, "Just like this, we can chat and pass the time."

"What do you want to talk about?" Xiangyun asked, her face slightly flushed, as she leaned against his chest.

"After we finish visiting the temples tomorrow, it will be about time for us to head back to Daming Palace."

"Hmm, I wonder if the house I chose is cleaned?"

The two chatted casually for half an hour before Xiangyun happily went back to sleep, looking forward to the outing the next day.

The next day came in a flash.

Chu Yan gave himself a day off and skipped the morning court session. After getting up, he read a book on his couch, letting Hongyu, Qingwen, and the others busy themselves. Fangguan's laughter could be heard from time to time, though she was only making things worse.

After breakfast, the girls arrived one after another at the side hall, first meeting up with Xiangyun, and then together they went to the Yangxin Hall and sat down in the main hall.

Chu Yan wasn't in a hurry to go out, and neither were they; they chatted outside.

Hongyu lifted the curtain and walked in, smiling at him: "The concubines and young ladies in the palace have all arrived, and they are all dressed up. Xia Shouzhong also came to report that the carriages and horses are ready."

Chu Yan asked with a smile, "Are all the concubines dressed up?"

Hongyu quickly replied with a smile, "That's right! Today, when we went out to play in the palace, all the concubines and young ladies were wearing bright and beautiful clothes. I couldn't take it all in. I just thought they were all so pretty and charming!"

Fangguan happened to come in from the side room and said with a smile, "Don't even mention how beautiful the concubines are, even the two widows are stunning beauties!"

Hongyu was startled and quickly gave her a meaningful look. Fangguan then realized she had misspoke, smiled at Chu Yan, and leaned closer to beg for forgiveness.

Lately, she has become increasingly adept at understanding Chu Yan's preferences.

"What about the civil officials?" Chu Yan asked.

"Coming right away!"

The three civil officials hurriedly came out, each carrying a bundle in their hands. Chu Yan ignored them and walked out.

Upon entering, one is greeted by a vibrant spring scene. Among the women are beauties like Qin Keqing and Wang Xifeng, gentle ladies like Li Wan and You Shi, and the voluptuous and mature Xue Yima, whose slightly flushed face makes her even more captivating.

Among the young ladies, there was the fair-skinned and beautiful Baochai, whose beauty surpassed all others like a peony; there was also Baoqin, whose grace and elegance were as exquisite as a beauty in a painting; then there were the three sisters of the Spring Festival, each with their own unique characteristics; in addition, there was Xiuyan, whose makeup was elegant and refined, standing beside Miaoyu, who was dressed in a paddy field dress, like a carefree hermit; and there were also two beautiful sisters from the Wang family outside the Red Mansion, Xuanzhu and Junyi.

And Xiangyun, Daiyu.

Many maids were standing under the eaves outside, including Ping'er, but she did not come in to sit down.

Chu Yan smiled at them, sat down in the main seat, and instructed, "Have a cup of tea, and we'll leave while the weather is still cool."

Wang Xifeng took out her gold pocket watch, glanced at the time, and laughed, "We'd better hurry, it'll get hot in half an hour, and riding in a sedan chair will be the most uncomfortable thing."

Hongyu hurriedly went to instruct someone to bring tea.

Fengjie glanced at her twice, then smiled at Chu Yan and said, "His Majesty took Xiao Hong from my room. Are you getting used to her?"

Chu Yan said, "You can't bear to part with it?"

She didn't mention it when I summoned her to my bedchamber last time, but she only brought up Xiao Hong's matter today.

Fengjie sighed, "I didn't realize it at first. I thought that since His Majesty was going to take her away, I could just find someone else to train. But after Xiaohong left, I found that I had no one to use in my room. Only then did I realize how good she was!"

Everyone laughed, and Ping'er hurried in, smiling, "Grandma, are you saying I'm wrong?"

Sister Feng said, "I would never dare to speak ill of Consort Ping'er!"

The girls inside laughed again. Li Wan said with a smile, "It's clear that Feng said this specifically because she can't order Ping'er around. She's feeling very wronged."

Amid laughter, everyone hurriedly drank a cup of tea, including Zijuan and Cuilu. After putting down their teacups, they quickly went out.

Chu Yan walked ahead, surrounded by a large number of beautiful women. When he left the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, the eunuchs outside stared in disbelief. This was truly the harem of three thousand beauties. The emperor only cared about beauty when choosing concubines, not their family background.

Pear Fragrance Courtyard was too cramped to accommodate many sedan chairs, so Chu Yan led them out through the back door. The streets outside had been surrounded by eunuchs. The girls boarded the carriages, and hundreds of carriages set off in a grand procession. Only after they left the back street did the mounted guards follow and protect them.

As a first-class maid in the emperor's quarters, Hongyu also had her own carriage. She lifted the curtain and looked out again and again, secretly marveling, "Indeed, it is the emperor's imperial procession, with hundreds or even thousands of people, and the entourage is extraordinary." She couldn't help but feel fortunate that, by a twist of fate, she had been chosen by the emperor to be his concubine.

Compared to her previous life as a lowly maid in the Grand View Garden, this was a thousand times better. It shows that the ancient saying that fortune and misfortune are interdependent is very true. The Jia family was raided, but she benefited from it.

Inside another ornate carriage, Aunt Xue sat with her daughter Baochai. The mother and daughter also witnessed the grand spectacle of the emperor's procession: carriages, umbrellas, flags, accompanied by drums and music, with officials from the Ministry of Rites in attendance, and imperial guards in silver helmets and armor riding tall horses, drawing awe from passersby.

Aunt Xue watched for a while before sighing, "This is what a royal procession looks like! I only got to see such a grand sight today because of you, girl."

Baochai smiled and said, "Mother, don't say that. We'll see each other again when we live in the Grand View Palace."

After a while, Baochai said again, "The Emperor said before that he wanted to visit our home, but now that he is going back to Daming Palace, he doesn't seem to remember it. This shows that Mother's worries were unfounded, and the Emperor may not have taken a liking to Mother."

Aunt Xue blushed and fell silent.

In the other sedan chair, Daiyu was lost in thought, wondering how she should respond to Baoyu when they met again.

In her view, Baoyu had not seen through the ways of the world; that letter was just something he said in anger. If she went to see him again, he would definitely say something and cry again.

However, due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, the friendship between the two, which they once shared as close friends, was gone.

Even if he changed his mind and returned to the imperial estate to perform corvée labor, he would never be the same as before.

(End of this chapter)