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

Chapter 252 Golden Hairpin Pool Banquet, Yingchun Wins the Crown and Receives Favor (Continued)

Let's take a 15-minute break before the final.

Chu Yan leaned back in his recliner, watching them chat animatedly about the upcoming match with a smile.

Yingchun, being the only one of the four Jia family daughters to make it to the finals, received praise from her sisters. Siqi finally found an opportunity to pull Yingchun aside and whisper to her.

"Just now I saw that when the girl jumped into the water, she didn't step hard on the shore, but when she came back, she pushed off the shore with both feet. If the girl remembers this during the final, she can be much faster!"

Siqi offered advice to her daughter.

Yingchun asked curiously, "Where did you get that idea from?"

Siqi smiled and said, "It was Miss Qin who used it first. I heard from Consort Zhou's maid that she was told."

Yingchun hesitated and said, "This was Qin's idea. If I use it, wouldn't I be taking away her benefits? Absolutely not."

Siqi was very anxious after hearing this and hurriedly advised, "What are you saying, Miss? Just because she came up with a move doesn't mean others can't use it too."

Yingchun said, "But she's in the finals too. If she's not in the next round, then so be it."

Siqi sighed, "Miss, you're being too stubborn. Everyone else uses it, but you don't. Aren't you at a disadvantage?"

Yingchun hurriedly said, "Forget it, I'm unlikely to win the competition either, so borrowing her method won't help. Besides, I'm not familiar with her. It would be fine if it were Lin Daiyu."

Siqi glanced at the girl and saw that her swimsuit was clinging to her body and some water droplets were still rolling down her fair thighs. She had no choice but to stop for a moment, take a towel to wipe her dry, and let her rest.

As the girls discussed it, Consort Wu learned the techniques of the competition, and felt a little better.

In their group, Baochai and Daiyu both used clever techniques, no wonder they swam faster than her.

Shortly after, the final match began.

Under Chu Yan's smiling gaze, eight girls stood by the pool. They were all young and beautiful, some were daughters of noble families, some were princesses of the previous dynasty, some were light and agile, and some were plump and graceful.

There were dozens of onlookers on the shore, and the little princesses clapped their hands with joy, shouting, "Auntie, swim harder and be number one!" "Auntie, cheer up!"

Their screams alone were enough to drown out the screams of the maids.

Qinghe is usually dignified and virtuous, always elegant and reserved in her eating, reading and writing. But now she is standing by the pool in a close-fitting swimsuit, smiling and waving her arms and kicking her snow-white legs in preparation.

Xiangyun was clearly nervous; she remained silent, gazing at the opposite bank.

Xiuyan remained faint, a stark contrast to her appearance.

Yingchun was also watching the opposite bank, and it was the first time Chu Yan had seen fighting spirit in her.

After a while.

"Ready!" Chu Yan shouted, holding a gold pocket watch. Immediately, the area around the pool became quiet.

Baoqin squatted down, and Baochai was stunned when she saw this. The others also noticed, but they didn't have time to think about it. A voice said "Start" and entered their ears.

Baoqin quickly jumped into the water.

Yingchun jumped into the water, and in the blink of an eye, all eight of them were swimming underwater, frolicking in the water like happy fish.

Shouts and screams erupted from the shore, and even the usually composed Yuan Chun watched the competition in the pool with tension.

Fangguan clapped her hands until they were red.

In the blink of an eye, the game was over.

Three people arrived at the shore almost at the same time: Xiangyun, Qinghe, and Yingchun.

Baoqin had a move in mind to squat down and start moving, but she was still a bit too slow.

"Who's number one?!" Xiangyun poked her little head out of the water and asked impatiently.

Water droplets rolled down Qinghe's beautiful face. She wiped them away with her hand and laughed, "I was slow. I saw that Second Miss and Sister Yun were faster than me while swimming."

She voluntarily withdrew from the competition for first or second place.

Those on the shore couldn't tell who was faster. Xiangyun turned to Yingchun and said with a smile, "Second Sister is still the fastest. She's as fast as us without even using any skills!"

Yingchun was still panting when she heard this and quickly said, "I..."

"All right!"

Chu Yan interrupted her, reached out and pulled her out of the water, then leaned down and kissed Yingchun's wet lips hard, laughing, "Second Miss won first place in the first Women's Swimming Competition of Daqian!"

Everyone offered their congratulations.

Xiangyun stepped ashore from the water and was held in Chu Yan's arms. He kissed her left cheek and announced, "Yun'er is second!"

Chu Yan then lifted Qinghe out of the water and kissed her on the right cheek again: "Princess, third!"

The little princesses quickly said, "Your Majesty, we are princesses too!"

Chu Yan laughed and changed his words, saying, "Princess Qinghe is third!"

Then he put his arm around Baoqin's waist, kissed her, and said with a smile, "Sister Qin has won the Best Skill Award!"

Then bring Baochai over and kiss her too.

Daiyu looked over: "What is the reason for this?"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Miss Bao wins the Best Figure Award!"

Everyone laughed, and Baochai smiled shyly as well. Consort Zhou tried to squeeze in to win the Emperor's favor, but the Emperor had already let go of her, pulled Yingchun to sit down, and even gave her a snack as a reward for being the first.

After the competition, Chu Yan sat idly with them in the bamboo forest. The little princesses wanted to play in the water, and Qinghe wanted to take them away, but Chu Yan stopped them and let the little princesses play in the pool.

The little girls were so engrossed in playing that Xiangyun soon couldn't sit still and pulled Baoqin into the water to play with them.

After sitting for a while, Zijuan quietly tugged at Daiyu's sleeve, and Daiyu said, "The competition is over, and it's not convenient for me to go back into the water to play. I need to go and put on my clothes. You can continue playing if you want."

Chu Yan nodded and asked her, "Are you tired? Do you want to go back and rest?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "I'm not tired, but it's inconvenient to go into the water today."

Chu Yan said, "Go change your clothes first. I've just thought of something elegant." He then pointed to the babbling stream above the Dali Temple.

Baochai saw that he could guess what it was just by pointing, so she smiled and said, "I'll go wipe myself down and put on some clothes, and then I'll come back to drink with His Majesty later."

Seeing this, Daiyu smiled and took Baochai's hand to go behind the banana tree, where Zijuan and Ying'er followed to serve her.

Some people changed their clothes while others didn't, but after hearing that the Emperor was going to hold a banquet in the bamboo forest, they all went to dry themselves and change their clothes. Qinghe also called the little princesses ashore. Xiangyun had no one to play with, so she had to give up and go ashore to change her clothes.

That concludes our water play for today.

Chu Yan simply put on some clothes and smiled at them, saying, "I am very happy to be gathered here with such beauties today. It reminds me of an elegant practice of the ancients. Let's follow suit and indulge in this refined pursuit!"

"What is it?" Xiangyun asked hurriedly.

Chu Yan pointed to the flowing water again, and many people were puzzled, but Xiangyun quickly guessed it and clapped her hands and laughed, "So it's the 'Floating Wine Cups on a Winding Stream' game, how wonderful! We used to play drinking games, such as finger-guessing, flying flower games, and drumming, but we never used flowing water for this kind of elegant ancient activity. Today we have the opportunity, so we should have a good drink!"

Baoqin laughed and said, "It's not just about drinking; it's also about composing poems and essays. That's the refined taste of the Wei and Jin literati!"

Daiyu, Tanchun, Baochai, and others were naturally unafraid, but Ping'er, Zhou Guiren, and others looked around nervously, fearing that they might be called upon to compose poems or essays later.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "It's not just about literary works; you can even tell a joke on the spot. If you can't do it, you'll be punished with three cups of wine. Back when Wang Xizhi wrote the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, many people couldn't write anything about it, let alone you and me."

Ping'er breathed a sigh of relief and thought to herself, "We really can't compare to the young ladies. It's alright for me, but when Grandma comes to the banquet in the future, she can't even read many words. How will she compose poems and lyrics?" Not long after, many palace maids carried low tables, dishes, and fine wine, and set up about twenty tables by a winding stream, so that the concubines and young ladies could sit by the stream, drink wine, and write poems.

Chu Yan sat in the middle of the stream, with the first, second, and third place winners of the swimming competition sitting next to him.

Nowadays, people don't practice the game of floating wine cups on a winding stream, nor do they have wine jugs that can float. So Ping'er used a wooden tray as a substitute, placed four or five narrow-necked bottles of wine on it, and said with a smile, "Whoever the wine floats to later has to write a poem or compose a lyric, or tell a joke. If they can't do either, they'll be punished with three cups of wine! Take some wine from the basin, pour it up, and drink it!"

Everyone agreed and urged them to start.

So Ping'er took the wooden tray, went to the edge of the pool, and put it down, letting the tray slowly drift downstream with the current.

As everyone slowly drank and ate, they watched the wooden tray slowly flow past them, finding it novel and elegant, which made them laugh again, saying that the ancients really had a lot of interest, even drinking wine so slowly.

Maybe they were playing it wrong.

Finally, coincidentally, the wooden tray came to rest on the stream in front of Chu Yan.

“His Majesty is the first one!” they all laughed.

Chu Yan smiled, thought for a moment, and said, "I will compose a poem in the style of Partridge Sky to commemorate this day, and also to offer a starting point for further discussion."

Under their watchful eyes, he recited: "In the green pond garden, dancers in colorful robes frolic in the clear sunlight."

The fragrance of lotus blossoms carries the warmth of silk, while the shadows of willows sway gently, cool as amber.

The horses are close, the drums are beating. Let us not waste this night's wine.

"Waiting to break through the clouds in golden armor, then we'll once again share the spring breeze and revel in the crabapple blossoms."

After reading it aloud, Consort Zhou and the others all said it was good, but Daiyu was surprised and doubtful. She didn't say much, so she could only write it down for the time being.

Xiangyun, Baoqin, Qinghe, and Tanchun were all skilled in poetry, and they couldn't help but feel a little surprised when they heard this poem.

Seeing that Chu Yan's expression remained unchanged, they didn't dare to ask and could only continue drinking, watching the water continue to flow down the wooden plate.

An hour later, the banquet ended.

They followed Chu Yan out of the spring pool, strolled in the evening glow, and walked home. They said goodbye to whoever's house they passed by.

As Yingchun was about to leave, Chu Yan stopped her, smiling as he asked, "How about the Second Miss keeps me company tonight?"

Everyone looked at Yingchun. It turned out that the first place winner of the swimming competition would also receive a special treat in the evening.

Yingchun was taken aback at first, then realized what she meant, her face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and she stammered a shy agreement.

Seeing the young lady's shy demeanor, Siqi stepped forward and said with a smile, "Miss, please go back and bathe and change your clothes first, and then go to Zichen Hall later?"

Chu Yan said, "No need, you can take a bath in Jingyun Pavilion. Just come with me."

“...Yes, Your Majesty,” Yingchun said obediently, bowing her head.

Siqi guessed that the young lady might also be staying at Jingyunxuan for a few days, so she hurriedly sent Xiuju back to get her clothes, and followed the Emperor back with a lot of trepidation.

As they walked, the girls gradually returned home. Daiyu went back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, and when they arrived at Zichen Hall, Baochai also took her leave, leaving only Yingchun behind.

"Come on, let's go in!"

Chu Yan led Yingchun through the door, followed by Xiangling, Qingwen, Yuanyang, and the others. Yuanyang was surprised when she heard Fangguan and the others talk about what happened that day, and laughed, "So it was the Second Miss who won first place in the competition!"

Yingchun blushed again and said, "It was just a coincidence."

Chu Yan smiled and said, "This is no coincidence, it's something you've worked hard for." He then pulled her into the house and had her sit on the soft couch.

After Hongyu finished pouring the tea and left, Chu Yan asked Yingchun with a smile, "Did you have a good time today, Second Miss?"

Yingchun nodded and said, "The weather was hot today, but it was very refreshing to go into the water. The sisters played together and before we knew it, half a day had passed."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "It's pretty fast, but I don't know if we'll be able to play again next time. It's almost the beginning of autumn."

Yingchun quickly replied with a smile, "Not this year, but there will be another hot day next year. Then we'll accompany His Majesty to play in the water and have another swimming competition!"

Chu Yan looked at her and asked, "Are you happy to have won the game today?"

Yingchun immediately lowered her head shyly and said embarrassedly, "Of course I'm happy to have won first place."

Chu Yan pulled her over, and Yingchun sat obediently in his lap. She raised her eyes and secretly glanced at him, but her body was not as tense as it had been the previous times, clearly she had gotten used to his embrace.

Playing with her palm, Chu Yan laughed and said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not favoring you because you came in first place. I'm planning to summon you to serve me again at a good time, and today is the perfect opportunity."

Yingchun understood what he meant, and mustered her courage to look at him and say, "I don't mind this..."

She had no complaints even though she was favored because she won first place.

In other words, she had already made preparations to serve the emperor in bed.

Chu Yan touched her face and said, "It's good that you didn't think that way." He then smiled and said, "You're usually so unhurried in your work, but today you're unusually full of fighting spirit, going back and forth with Sister Yun and the others."

Yingchun, both shy and smiling, said, "I don't know if I won today or if Sister Yun won. After jumping into the water, I just wanted to swim faster... It was worth it for His Majesty to personally teach me to swim."

So that’s it!
Chu Yan hugged Yingchun tightly, kissed her for a while, and then smiled and said, "I saw you wearing a swimsuit today, and you look very beautiful. How about you show me again?"

Yingchun subconsciously said, "But Siqi took my swimsuit back to wash it."

Chu Yan pressed his forehead against hers: "People say you're a blockhead, and they're right. What I want to see isn't a swimsuit, it's your body."

Yingchun blushed, but with trembling hands, she obediently and slowly began to untie her sash.

Chu Yan watched with a smile until Yingchun's youthful and voluptuous body appeared before him.

Yingchun nervously closed her eyes, letting him embrace her, and the two of them got onto the bed together.

I don't know how long it has been.

Yingchun looked down in a daze and saw his head buried in front of her, his whole body weak and limp, feeling dizzy. She subconsciously said, "Your Majesty, I haven't bathed yet..."

"I'll go with you later."

Chu Yan held her in his arms and cherished her.

After a while, Xiangling came in and said, "Your Majesty, the hot water is ready."

Having seen it so many times, Xiangling gradually got used to seeing the Emperor favor his concubines, though she blushed a little and didn't dare to look too closely.

However, even in a fleeting glance, she could see the second young lady's aroused state.

"it is good!"

Chu Yan picked up Yingchun, who was exhausted from being bitten, and carried her to Jingyun Pavilion behind the house. It was already night, and palace lanterns were hanging in the corridor. Apart from the two personal maids, all the other palace maids had gone out, so Chu Yan had no worries and carried Yingchun into Jingyun Pavilion.

Siqi and Xiuju were waiting inside. Seeing that their young lady was completely naked and being held by the Emperor, they couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.

Xiangling and Yuchuan followed and served Chu Yan, helping him undress.

Seeing this, Siqi could only blush and step forward to serve.

She had also heard that on the night Miss Yun was favored, Cuilu was also visited by the Emperor.

Tonight, she and Xiuju will serve as the young lady Cheng'en's personal maids, and perhaps...

(End of this chapter)