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

Chapter 226 How about the Empress comes back with me?

The imperial physician who had come to Huang'en Temple left in a hurry. After apologizing to Chu Yan, Feng Jie, Tan Chun, Li Wan, and the others also rushed off to see him.

Baochai and Baoqin stayed behind, Xichun didn't leave either, and Keqing naturally stayed with Chu Yan. The young lady from the Wang family, Xuanzhu, asked, "Your Majesty, shall we go and see?"

Chu Yan said, "Go if you want." As he said this, he looked at Daiyu.

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and after a long while, she said softly, "I'll go and take a look too. We've known each other for a long time, yet she's doing something so crazy. I can't understand it at all."

Baochai glanced at her, stood up and said with a smile, "Let me and you go and see. I heard that in the previous dynasty, many people castrated themselves in order to enter the palace to serve. The Shun dynasty emperor had to issue an edict forbidding men from castrating themselves. Now this has happened again. If the old lady and madam find out, they will probably cry their hearts out."

Chu Yan said calmly, "Go and take a look."

So Daiyu and Baochai left together, and Baoqin said to him, "Your Majesty, I'll go and see too. I received a lot of care from the old lady when I was in the Jia family."

Chu Yan nodded, and Baoqin followed her two older sisters, and the rest of the group followed as well.

Only Qin Keqing and Xichun remained.

Ke Qing, with a calm demeanor, chatted with Chu Yan with a light smile, her eyes glancing intentionally or unintentionally at Xi Chun, who sat there with her head half-lowered, silent and cold.

Chu Yan didn't ask Xi Chun why she didn't go. He chatted with her for a few minutes, deliberately avoiding the topic.

On the way to the backyard.

"girl."

Zijuan came over, looking nervous, and whispered, "I had Qingwen return the things."

Daiyu understood the implication in her words: after the handkerchief was returned to Baoyu, news of his self-castration spread. Zijuan was worried that the two things were related, so she said to her, "I wonder who angered him again and made him do such a crazy thing. If he has the ability to castrate himself, he should suffer the consequences himself and not blame others."

Zijuan sighed, "I'm worried about you, Miss. You must be feeling terrible."

In the past, the girl would have cried secretly, not for Baoyu, but for [other reasons].

Zijuan still remembered when the young lady first came to the Jia family, the second master broke the jade for some reason, which made the young lady cry all night, saying, "I just came today, and I've already caused him to go crazy. Isn't it all because of her?"

Now that the Second Master has castrated himself, it's probably related to that handkerchief. The young lady may say she doesn't blame anyone, but she must be feeling terrible inside.

Over the years, the girl has grown up and is no longer as sensitive and suspicious as she was when she was a child.

Sure enough, after hearing her words, Daiyu remained silent and went to the backyard with Baochai and the others.

"Lin Daiyu, Lin Daiyu."

Before they even got close, they could hear Jia Baoyu's increasingly pitiful cries coming from inside the house. It was no good for anyone else to come to see him, only his Lin sister could.

When Tan Chun, Li Wan, and the others saw Daiyu arrive, they quickly made way for her.

An old doctor inside had already examined Jia Baoyu, stopped the bleeding, and given him some medicine.

Daiyu went in, and no one could tell what her expression was. She didn't cry, but she wasn't indifferent either; perhaps she had many sighs.

Upon seeing her arrive, Sister Feng hurriedly said, "Your Lin sister is here!"

Jia Baoyu, who was in excruciating pain and covered in cold sweat, looked up and saw his beloved Lin Daiyu. He sighed and said, "After seeing what you sent, I realize that I have misunderstood you all this time. From now on, I will never doubt you again!"

Yingchun asked, "What could have made Brother Bao do such a thing?"

Daiyu couldn't say it, and Jia Baoyu didn't dare to either. He just looked at her with sincere eyes and forced a smile, saying, "Let's continue as before, sister, is that alright?"

Daiyu said, "What exactly do you want? You were the one who wrote the letter, and now you're the one causing trouble. You promised to renounce worldly life and become a monk, but now you've gone back on your word." She looked at him again and said, "You said you would become a monk twice. I didn't understand it at first, but now it seems you really want to become a monk again."

This is to blame him for not understanding, for agreeing to become a monk but then going back on his word.

Jia Baoyu looked uneasy and hurriedly said, "I will never be a monk again. I will only become a eunuch and go to the palace to serve Sister Lin and Sister Bao. I will never go anywhere else!"

Everyone said, "Brother Bao is talking nonsense again."

Aunt Xue advised, "Baoyu has always been somewhat foolish. He and Miss Lin have been together since childhood, unlike the other sisters. Now that he has become a monk, he thinks he will never see his sisters again, so he did such a thing... Baoyu, don't blame your aunt for scolding you. Your mother and grandmother are at home. How can they bear to let you go to the palace to become a eunuch? Besides, now your sister Lin is a concubine in the palace, and your sister Bao and the other sisters are also concubines in the palace. How can they get mixed up with you?"

"Sister Lin... shall I be your concubine!"

Jia Baoyu was struck dumb again, muttering to himself.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Aunt Xue continued, "That's enough, there's no point in saying anything more. What's done is done. We'll have to ask the girls to plead with the Emperor later to let you go home to recuperate. In front of the Old Madam and Madam, you must not say anything foolish or do anything foolish. From now on, I think it's best if you stay at home and don't go anywhere else."

She was also afraid of her sister's son, and in order to mingle with her sisters in the inner quarters, she cruelly castrated herself.

But now the inner quarters have long been transformed into the emperor's harem, home to numerous concubines. Where is he still a place to mingle?

Sister Feng smiled and said, "Auntie is right. We will ask the young ladies to plead for you later. Baoyu, you should rest and recuperate at the temple for now. We can talk about going back or entering the palace after your injuries have healed."

He then gestured for everyone to leave.

Then Jia Baoyu hurriedly called out, "Sister Lin, it's me!"

Daiyu turned around, but her steps didn't stop, and she went out the door with her sisters.

Jia Baoyu hurriedly said, "I will not stay in the temple anymore. I know you have been wronged. Even if Lin Daiyu is a concubine in the palace, I will be willing to go to the palace to serve her." He then pleaded, "Sister Bao, I know you must be favored in the palace. Please ask the Emperor to allow me to enter the palace."

Baochai frowned upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "Brother Bao, don't say that. If we're talking about being favored, no one can compare to your sister Yun. You can beg her much faster than I can."

Jia Baoyu quickly looked at Xiangyun, who agreed and then advised him, "Second brother, don't go on your crazy ways again. His Majesty the Emperor is easy to talk to, but he can't stand your repeated troubles. If you don't respect the Emperor, even if it's Sister Lin begging you, the Emperor won't forgive you."

Daiyu said, "Why are you dragging me into this? I am neither a concubine nor favored, unlike some concubines who live in side halls."

Everyone laughed.

Xiangyun laughed and said, "Don't try to fool me. I saw what you and the Emperor were doing when you came back from Huifang Garden a few days ago!"

Daiyu blushed and spat at her. Of all people to see this, it had to be the most outspoken Yun girl who saw it!
The group left laughing and talking. Before leaving, Miaoyu glanced at Jia Baoyu. She didn't say a word the whole time, just looked at him indifferently. Because there were so many people visiting, Baoyu probably didn't even see her.

All that Jia Baoyu heard was, "Lin Daiyu did not enter the palace to become a concubine!"

After they had gone far away, he ecstatically chanted Buddhist prayers, "Amitabha! Lin Daiyu is still a pure young woman; she wasn't defiled by that emperor." Then he suddenly thought that his own sisters had been concubines for so long; he wondered how many of them were still virtuous.
I also heard that the emperor stayed in the Grand View Garden. I was afraid that the maids in the garden might have become unclean because of this. Whenever I thought of this, I couldn't help but sigh deeply.

These thoughts actually suppressed the pain!

Now, let's talk about Chu Yan.

After Daiyu and the others left, a graceful figure walked in. Qin Keqing quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."

Xichun was a step behind and got up as well.

Empress Zhang, dressed in white mourning clothes and a white mourning cap, tucked her long black hair into the cap. Her expression was slightly sorrowful. She stepped forward and slowly bowed to Chu Yan, saying softly, "This humble concubine greets Your Majesty."

The former empress, who once ruled the world with grace and dignity, is now a sorrowful and desolate figure, as if today is the day her kingdom falls, a day that has truly come after she has moved out of the palace.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you've finally decided to come? If you hadn't come, I would have gone back, and I don't know when I would have seen you again."

After a long pause, Empress Zhang sighed and said, "This humble concubine thanks Your Majesty for your mercy in allowing me to come to the Muni Temple to copy Buddhist scriptures for my father. From now on, I will keep company with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp."

For some reason, Chu Yan thought of her slurred speech or the way her slender waist twisted. The two of them had once made love at night, so why was she so heartless today?
Keqing smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. His Majesty will remember your kindness. He also told me that he praised your waist as the best and that you are the most hardworking."

"you!"

Empress Zhang was disfigured in an instant and glared at her in embarrassment and anger.

Chu Yan then understood, burst into laughter, and reached out to take Empress Zhang's slender hand.

The Empress hurriedly shook off the man and said, "There are people here... I dare not tarnish Your Majesty's reputation."

Xi Chun lowered her head slightly. She recognized the words as lewd talk, the kind of playful banter between the concubines and the emperor. She knew she would likely experience similar things someday, so there was no harm in listening now.

Chu Yan stared at Empress Zhang, who was dressed in mourning clothes, for a long time before saying, "How about you come back to the palace with me today? Stay for a few days and then quietly return."

Empress Zhang said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty is not allowed to come and bother me."

"You really won't come with me?"

"I cannot comply." "Hmph, I won't come another day."

"This is my fate, and even the solitary life of a Buddhist monk and the dim light of a lamp can do nothing about it."

"So literary!"

Chu Yan said something and reached out to pull Empress Zhang, who was dressed in mourning clothes, into his arms. The eunuchs and palace maids standing around all had their backs to him, but it was possible that someone had seen them.

Just as Empress Zhang was about to struggle, Qin Keqing leaned closer and pointed with her fair finger to a Buddhist temple in the distance: "Your Majesty, there is a place over there that is just right for you to have your way with the Empress!"

Empress Zhang was shocked and quickly said, "This is a sacred Buddhist site; you must not be so disrespectful!"

Everyone was taken aback, then Chu Yan laughed, lifting Empress Zhang's chin and saying with a smile, "This is how an empress should speak."

Qin Keqing hurriedly got up and tried to kneel down to beg the Empress for forgiveness. Empress Zhang was annoyed by her recklessness and couldn't help but pinch her cheek, saying helplessly, "Keqing, you should be more serious and stop fooling around with His Majesty."

It's clear that the two have a good relationship.

After the laughter and merriment subsided, Empress Zhang sat in the pavilion, exchanged a few words, and then rose to take her leave.

Chu Yan said in a low voice, "I sincerely wish that the Empress would come back with me for one night."

Keqing smiled, guessing His Majesty's thoughts: the Empress, dressed in mourning clothes, would only have a second chance if she missed this opportunity, when her husband, Anle Gong, died.

Oh, and there was also the Empress Dowager, who also had to wear mourning clothes back then.

Empress Zhang glanced at him with a mournful look, then lowered her head and said, "If Your Majesty remembers my kindness, please give me some face."

Chu Yan looked at her for a while before nodding and saying, "If that's the case, then so be it."

Empress Zhang rose, gracefully expressed her gratitude, and took her leave. After walking a few steps, she turned back to look at him, her face flushed with shyness, and said, "If His Majesty issues an edict summoning me to the palace in the future, I will certainly... obey."

Having said that, he turned and left.

Qin Keqing waved her round fan with her slender hand, smiling, but said nothing.

Xi Chun glanced at the Empress's back for a while before turning her gaze away. Just then, she saw her sisters returning and hurriedly got up to greet them.

The crowd gathered again under the pavilion.

After listening to their words, Chu Yan glanced at Daiyu, Xiangyun, and Tanchun a few more times and asked, "Why did he castrate himself?"

Upon hearing this, the girls, along with Sister Feng, Aunt Xue, Madam You, and others, all felt a jolt in their hearts.

They knew that Chu Yan must have seen through something, yet he still asked, which meant he wanted to hold someone accountable.
The people inside the pavilion looked at each other, unsure of who should speak, as if they were all afraid of the emperor's wrath falling on them.

Logically, Daiyu should have come out, but Chu Yan didn't see her come to explain.

Xi Chun felt uneasy and kept glancing around.

In the end, it was Tan Chun, who was Jia Baoyu's biological sister, who stepped forward and said: "My second brother regretted shaving his head and still wanted to go home to be with his mother. He also missed the sisters he used to play with, so he did such a foolish thing."

Chu Yan laughed: "It's his own fault for being so confused. I've heard Leng Zixing mention him before, and Miaoyu calls him Fangchen. It turns out your brother really is a bit of a fool."

Miaoyu stood outside the crowd, glanced over upon hearing this, and said with a sneer, "Baoyu often says that men are made of mud and women are made of water, so calling his birthday 'Fangchen' suits his taste perfectly."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "This is interesting. What do you intend to do now?"

Fengjie didn't want Tanchun to stand up alone, so she quickly said with a smile, "If you ask me, Baoyu is a bit muddle-headed. He's always been mischievous and naughty. But since this has already happened, His Majesty is usually kind and wise. Why not do him a favor and issue an edict ordering him to return to the Grand View Palace first, so he can learn some manners of serving others? If he learns well, then let him enter the palace. Otherwise, just let Baoyu stay with his mother. If he misbehaves again, let our Grand View Palace Minister punish him!"

Most of the girls acquiesced, but Xiangyun stepped closer and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please have mercy and let Baoyu return to the Grand View Palace first. If he causes any more trouble, I will never plead for him again!"

Chu Yan laughed and asked, "Is that really true?"

Xiangyun quickly stretched out her finger, and everyone laughed, saying that Yunya was still a child. But then they saw Chu Yan also stretch out his hand and hook his finger with Xiangyun's, making her very happy.

Chu Yan summoned Qingwen and instructed her, "Go and convey the imperial decree: take Jia Baoyu and set off back to the Grand View Palace."

Only then did Xichun feel a little relieved.

The emperor's anger was tempered but not expressed, likely because he considered the relationships between Jia Baoyu and the young ladies: his elder sister Yuanchun, his younger sister Tanchun, his cousins ​​Yingchun and Lin Daiyu, Baoyu, and others. Therefore, he let it go lightly.

However, such great favor is not endless. If Jia Baoyu continues to act recklessly, even she will be implicated!

Speechless all the way.

When the emperor returned to the Grand View Palace, Jia Baoyu was carried through the second gate and then all the way to Lady Wang's house.

When the news spread, cries of grief filled the air.

Lying on the bed, Jia Baoyu looked at Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang and sighed, "After going through so much hardship, I'm finally back. I wonder how my Yihong Courtyard is doing, and where is Xiren? I even saw Qingwen at the temple, but where is she now?"

Everyone froze for a moment.

Daiyu was not there, nor was Baochai; only the three sisters Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun were present, and even Li Wan had avoided them.

Sister Feng sighed, "The garden is now inhabited by the emperor; the Yihong Courtyard can no longer be lived in."

Jia Baoyu was stunned.

Xichun suddenly stood up and said, "I'm going back now. Brother Bao, please take good care of yourself."

Without caring what others thought, he turned to leave.

Madam You pulled her back: "At least say a few words to your brother. You didn't even visit him before."

Xichun refused and insisted on leaving, saying, "From now on, I will not leave the garden. I will only pay my respects to the old lady and will not come here again!"

Inside the room, Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Lady Xing, and others were all surprised.

Madam You was also startled and hurriedly said with a smile, "I have long heard that the Fourth Miss is young and confused, saying such rude and inappropriate things in front of the Old Madam and Madam."

Xichun said, "You are all confused, but I am not! Don't you think that you made a mess of things and angered the emperor? After returning, you still don't know that you did something wrong and are still so confused? How can Second Brother continue to live in Yihong Courtyard? He returned as a eunuch and didn't even know it. He even carried Second Brother into Madam's room. That's fine. I won't interfere anymore, and it won't affect me!"

Tan Chun hurriedly said, "Fourth Sister's words are a bit harsh, but they are indeed insightful." She then said to Jia Baoyu, "After Second Brother recovers from his injury, he can move to the back room."

Lady Wang wanted to argue further, but Grandmother Jia turned to Xichun and said, "Fourth Sister, what have you noticed while following the Emperor?"

Xichun then went out, avoiding Jia Baoyu, and said, "Reporting to Grandmother, these are all my own thoughts. Please think about them carefully: Why did Second Brother castrate himself? It was because His Majesty was angered by his return to the garden. This is one point."

Secondly, our family's current predicament is ultimately due to His Majesty's confiscation of our property. Now that my second brother has harmed himself, even if we don't blame His Majesty, what will he think? Does His Majesty believe we will harbor resentment because of this?"

She then looked at them coldly and said, "His Majesty dotes on the young ladies, but how long can such favor last? The day his favor fades, our family will repeat the same mistakes. Please, Madam, Third Sister, think carefully about this calamity that could destroy our family!"

Madam Xing was sweating profusely and hurriedly said, "Quickly carry Baoyu out!"

Lady Wang was so frightened that she dared not say anything more about keeping Baoyu.

After thinking for a while, Tan Chun said to Grandmother Jia, "Later, please ask the old lady and Madam to come with us to express our gratitude to the Emperor."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "That's right. Once Baoyu is healed, he should go and kowtow." She then said to Lady Wang, "Don't make a fuss anymore. You can only do what the Emperor decrees. If there's no decree, don't let Baoyu enter the garden. You should go to the back room and take good care of him."

This was in agreement with Madam Xing's words, and Jia Baoyu was carried out of the back room.

Lady Wang had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Before long, several strong old women came into the house, carried Jia Baoyu out of the second gate, and placed him in a back room.

Jia Baoyu was lost in thought. On his very first day back, he sensed something different from before.

Night fell, and neither did Lin Daiyu, Baochai, or Yunmei. Xiren, Qingwen, Qiuwen, and Biyue also did not come to see him, as if they did not know he had returned.

"It must be that emperor who has confined the sisters to the garden again."

He thought to himself that if his injuries healed better the next day, he would go to the old lady's room and wait for Lin Daiyu to come and pay her respects to the old lady, so that he could meet her then.

Before Lin Daiyu arrived, he heard something: five days later, the emperor would move to the Daming Palace.

(End of this chapter)