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

Chapter 260 Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhaojun's Letter (Part 1)

On the Mid-Autumn Festival.

After Chu Yan got up, washed and changed, he sat in the room for a while and saw Qingwen and Yuchuan arranging a large pile of fruits, mooncakes, incense and candles. He asked with a smile, "What are you doing?"

Yuanyang laughed from the side, "Qingwen said that she also worships the moon in the house at night, and she will come back to pay her respects when she has free time tonight."

Qingwen smiled and said, "It's not easy to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it's good to have a family visit as well. That way, it will be more lively."

Chu Yan has been busy with other matters lately, and has left the Mid-Autumn Festival moon-viewing arrangements to Yuan Chun and Xiang Yun. He knows that they will go boating on the lake to admire the moon in the evening, but he knows nothing else.

After listening to their conversation, he guessed Qingwen's intention.

"Qingwen, come here." Chu Yan beckoned to her.

Qingwen had served him for many days and knew that when the Emperor summoned someone, it was usually to show affection and intimacy. Therefore, her pretty face blushed, and she put down the lamps and candles and came to him.

Sure enough, the emperor embraced her.

"Are you coming back tonight to offer sacrifices to the moon?"

Chu Yan reached out and stroked and played with Qingwen's slender waist. In just a few strokes, he made her body go limp and her face turn completely red.

Seeing her nod, Chu Yan added, "I don't know when I'll be back tonight, but as the saying goes, the moon is fullest on the sixteenth, so we can worship the moon again tomorrow morning."

The words "moon worship" reminded him of Qingwen's prophecy: "A clear moon is hard to find, and colorful clouds are easy to scatter."

Qingwen leaned against him, a hint of emotion in her eyes, and smiled, "Tomorrow morning is fine too. Let's go home, offer a simple prayer to the moon, and then go to sleep. We can sleep until noon!"

Chu Yan nodded, kissed her rosy lips, and was about to speak when Wu'er came in to report: "Your Majesty, the girls have arrived!"

Qingwen was a little disappointed, but she didn't pester him and obediently got up from his arms.

She wasn't like Fangguan, that little slut who, whenever the girls weren't around, would cling to His Majesty, claiming to be hot, and strip down to just her undergarments, then act like a vixen on the soft couch, vying for his favor.

Yuanyang asked, "Who's here?"

Wu'er had been bedridden for many years and had never served anyone. After she came to the house as a maid, Chu Yan specifically instructed him not to overwork her.

For example, right now, her reply was unclear, and neither Yuanyang nor Qingwen said anything to her.

Wu'er laughed and said, "Miss Yun, Miss Lin, and Miss Bao, you've all come together!"

A moment later, Xiangyun's laughter came: "Let's hurry up and stop gossiping. If we're any later, His Majesty the Emperor will be going to court."

Chu Yan sat in the room, and sure enough, a large group of girls came in. He smiled and said, "Hurry up and get to the point so I can go to court. Or we can talk about it at noon."

They all laughed, and Xiangyun quickly said, "Brother Emperor, shall we send someone to invite my grandmother and aunt to the palace? If they go to the palace in the morning, they can take a good nap at noon and be well-rested to enjoy the moon in the evening!"

Chu Yan smiled and said, "Although you have not been made concubines, you are all concubines in the palace. You can make the arrangements. If anyone dares to refuse, then come and talk to me."

Baoqin quickly smiled and said, "Sister Yun has been made a Consort Jing!"

Everyone laughed again. Ke Qing was actually there too, but most of the girls hadn't been made concubines yet, which is why Chu Yan said that.

Xiangyun nodded in agreement: "I'll go and tell my elder sister later to arrange for someone to go to the Grand View Palace to invite the old lady and the ladies to the palace."

Daiyu hurriedly said, "Don't forget to invite Sister Feng to the palace as well!"

Xiangyun chuckled and pointed at Sister Lin.

Keqing laughed and pinched Daiyu, "You little rascal, I just told you and you blurted it out in the blink of an eye!"

Baoqin, Baochai, and Tanchun all laughed, which shows that they also knew about this from somewhere. Perhaps only Wang Xifeng herself didn't know and thought she had kept it a secret.

Not only did Keqing want to pinch Daiyu, but even Chu Yan wanted to pinch her; Lin Daiyu was a mischievous girl.

In fact, Daiyu had known about Wang Xifeng's affair with the emperor for a long time, but she only brought it up to tease him now that there was no way to hide it anymore. Otherwise, she would never have revealed it.

Qinghe smiled and said, "Sister Pin'er is lively and full of energy today. How about I invite you to come with me to Ci'en Temple? We can go in the morning and come back for a nap at noon."

They're all going to take a nap at noon today because they'll be staying up all night to admire the moon.

Daiyu glanced at Chu Yan, then agreed: "I'll go to the temple to burn incense and pray for peace and safety."

Baochai and the others, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, understood the meaning behind her words and couldn't help but look at her as well.

Chu Yan simply smiled and said, "It would be good for you to go out and visit a temple; it's boring staying in the palace all day."

Yingchun said, "I'll go too. Fourth sister, do you want to go?" She invited Xichun to go with her, and Xichun agreed. The two sisters went to the temple together to offer incense and pray for the expedition.

Baoqin and her sister exchanged glances, and Baoqin also went to the temple together.

Xiuyan went to Daguan Palace to invite Miaoyu from Longcui Nunnery into the palace, or rather, to bring her into the palace.

After thinking for a moment, Xiangyun said, "You all have things to do, and it's no fun for me to stay at home. I'll go back with Sister Xing."

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "I'm not going anywhere today. I'll just stay home and rest, and then drink with His Majesty tonight."

Chu Yan agreed, and he went to court, while Daiyu and the others busied themselves with their tasks.

Xuanzheng Hall.

With many matters already arranged, and since it was Mid-Autumn Festival today, Chu Yan didn't discuss court affairs much. He quickly adjourned the court, allowing the ministers to handle their official duties and then go home to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Xie Defu soon came to see him.

As soon as Chu Yanxuan entered, the old man stepped in with his left foot and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

Chu Yan laughed: "Is your Xie family planning a rebellion?"

Xie Defu continued kowtowing, saying in fear, "Your Majesty, I dare not!"

Chu Yan said calmly, "Come here and give me your answer."

Xie Defu looked up at everyone, his face showing difficulty. Chu Yan said, "Just tell me, could it be that your daughter has been resurrected after death?"

Xie Defu stood up, knelt down again, wiped his forehead, and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, I dare not hide anything, but it was my son who told me this himself, and I... do not know how to bring it up!"

Chu Yan said, "Then let's not talk about it anymore. You should go back to Jinling and retire."

Xie Defu hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, the matter is as follows: My son rode back to Jinling a few days ago without delay. Upon returning, he immediately invited several of his clanswomen to the Prince’s residence to respectfully invite the Imperial Concubine to travel to the capital.”

The Prince's Mansion is the Qian Prince's Mansion.

Chu Yan asked, "Didn't you see her?"

Xie Defu shook his head and said, "They saw her, and the Empress agreed to come to the capital. The wives all breathed a sigh of relief, but the Empress said, 'You all wait outside while I go inside to change my clothes.' So they waited outside, but no one came out. They then sent the Empress's maids inside, and the maids cried out, 'The Empress is gone!'"

Chu Yan looked at him, and Xie Defu kowtowed again: "Every word I have said is true!"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "She's quite clever and mischievous, so what?"

Xie Defu continued, "Everyone was terrified. They searched the house first, then the entire mansion, but couldn't find her. It wasn't until the next morning that the maids found the Empress lying in bed asleep. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and asked where the Empress had gone the day before. The Empress just smiled."

"Everyone was terrified and stayed close to the Empress. We will rest for a day before inviting the Empress to the carriage."

Xie Defu raised his head and said with a wry smile, "The Empress got into the carriage, but after traveling for half a day, when everyone was resting by the roadside after leaving the city, the maid brought tea to the Empress. When she lifted the carriage curtain, the Empress was nowhere to be found!"

Chu Yan nodded and said, "Interesting. Where is she? Have you found her?" Xie Defu hurriedly said, "We found her. Everyone returned to Jinling and saw the Empress in the Prince's Mansion. Everyone had no choice but to keep their eyes on the Empress, since they dared not disobey the imperial decree."

The Empress refused to leave this time. Several of her wives apologized and went forward to try and help her into the sedan chair, but no matter how hard they tried, the Empress wouldn't budge. They even called for several strong old women, but they still couldn't lift a single finger from her!

Xie Defu's voice trembled.

Inside the hall, the eunuchs and several Hanlin scholars exchanged bewildered glances. Such supernatural and bizarre matters were one thing for Taoist priests and monks, but now they were coming from a concubine…

Chu Yan asked, "Does she have anything to say to me?"

"Have!"

Xie Defu hurriedly took out a letter and presented it with both hands, saying, "Her Majesty has something to say: 'This letter will be sent to the capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival to inform His Majesty. The letter should be opened when the banquet is about to end. Her Majesty will bear all the blame!'"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yan was filled with rage and wanted to tie Xie Zhaojun up and beat her round buttocks more than a thousand times to vent his anger!
Unfortunately, she was hiding, and despite having many guesses, we had to give up.

After accepting the letter from the eunuch, Chu Yan said calmly, "Your daughter is getting more and more mischievous."

Xie Defu kowtowed and said, "To tell you the truth, I am increasingly afraid to regard the Imperial Concubine as my daughter..."

On the surface, it is said that Xie Zhaojun is already a Noble Consort and can no longer be treated as his daughter. In reality, it is said that Xie Zhaojun possesses supernatural abilities and he dares not treat her as his daughter anymore.

Chu Yan told him to step back.

As I caressed the letter, I recalled Xie Zhaojun's companionship over the years. She was nothing special until the Northern Expedition began, when she gradually became different.

Before the Northern Expedition, Xie Zhaojun gave him a letter and instructed him to open it only after entering the city.

In the letter, she advised Chu Yan to treat the women in the city kindly. Although she did not mention the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, upon closer reflection now, perhaps that was her true intention.

"Fine, who she is doesn't matter. Next time we meet, no matter who she is, I'll punish her properly!"

Silently pondering, Chu Yan put away the letter, reviewed the last few memorials, and left the rest for the army to read the next evening.

……

Daguan Palace.

Because she was going to the palace to admire the moon with the emperor today, Wang Xifeng got up early in the morning to instruct the old women to do things, reminding them to be careful tonight, to close all the doors, and to be careful of fire.

Just then, a maid came to report: "Second Madam, Second Master Lian is back!"

A slight ripple stirred in Wang Xifeng's heart, but her expression remained calm as she said to the old woman, "What do you mean 'returned'? Where did he return from?"

The stewardess beside him quickly said, "That's right. Now that the mansion has been transformed into the Grand View Palace, the Second Master isn't back; he's here to pay a visit!"

The old woman was obsequious, and the crowd chased her out, saying that the Second Mistress should no longer see men outside the marriage.

Seeing that the old woman was about to leave, Fengjie, still showing some consideration for their past relationship, called her back and said, "Come with me to the second gate and see what the second master has to say."

If it's time to cut ties, then cut ties. It's better to do it today than sooner!

A group of stewardesses escorted Fengjie out of the second gate, where she immediately saw Jia Lian, with Jia Baoyu, who lived in the back room, by her side.

"Greetings, Second Madam! I pay my respects to you!"

As before, Jia Lian stepped forward to bow and pay his respects, glancing at his wife through the door, his eyes immediately filled with amazement.

Was this woman, adorned in colorful embroidery, truly his virtuous wife in the past?
Now she's become increasingly alluring and seductive. Her phoenix eyes gaze at him from afar through the door, and he's instantly captivated, something he's never experienced before.

"Lian, what are you saying?"

Sister Feng sneered, "Do you know what has become of Ping'er?"

Jia Lian was puzzled.

Seeing this, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but whisper to his second brother, "Sister Feng and Sister Ping'er went to the palace a few days ago, and Sister Ping'er was granted the title of Noble Lady!"

Jia Lian was stunned!

Sister Feng snorted coldly: "What is there to say now? If you keep calling people names like that, the eunuchs will slap you!"

The back room is home to many eunuchs who used to serve as servants outside the second gate of the Jia family mansion; they are now all keeping watch.

Jia Lian's lips moved, and he couldn't help but ask, "You also went to the palace not long ago?"

Sister Feng blushed.

That trip to the palace almost cost her her life. She had indulged in pleasure with the emperor by the spring pool with her sister-in-law Li Wan, Yuan Chun, You Shi, and others. Whenever she thought about it afterward, she would feel a pang of sadness.

Now, in front of Jia Lian, she thought of it again, and it was even more intense than before, making her body feel hot.

Sister Feng quickly bit her tongue and sneered, "So what if I enter the palace?"

Jia Lian sighed inwardly, then knelt down respectfully and kowtowed, saying, "To Grandmother, no, this servant deserves to die, but to Your Majesty!"

The difference between "Second Grandmother" and "Grandma" is just one word, but the meaning is completely different.

Sister Feng felt a pang of sadness. After all, they had been husband and wife for several years. If she could remain unmoved by the breakup now, she wouldn't be human.

After calming down, Sister Feng nodded and smiled, "That's good. Lian, you've always been smart and know what to say and what not to say. There's no need to mention what happened before. I'll take good care of my elder sister. You can have a few more children outside, so don't worry about her anymore."

Jia Lian knelt down and thought for a while, then sighed, "Perfect, with you by my side, my elder sister will surely enjoy wealth and honor when she gets married in the future."

In other words, when Qiaojie gets married in the future, she will no longer need to ask her father Jia Lian for his opinion; it will be up to Fengjie and the Emperor to decide.

Sister Feng laughed and said, "Lian, get up and do your job well. The old lady won't abandon you." As she spoke, she glanced at Baoyu and sighed inwardly.

Since Baoyu is unable to inherit the family business, the Jia family will have to rely on Jia Lian, Jia Lan, Jia Huan, and others in the future.

After kowtowing, Jia Lian stood up and said with a smile, "I came today to kowtow to the old lady and the madam to congratulate them on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but it is not appropriate to go into the palace, so I will kowtow to the old lady outside the gate."

Sister Feng said, "Wait here, I'll send someone in to tell the old lady and the madam."

Feng'er went inside and came out a short while later to report: "The old lady knows and told Second Master Lian to kowtow outside the door. The old lady will send someone out to deliver mooncakes later, and ask Second Master to pass them on to the master and the others. Madam also said that things are different at home than before, and told the master not to be disgusted by the gifts."

Jia Lian knelt down and kowtowed again.

Just then, several eunuchs entered and shouted, "Your Highnesses, return to the Grand View Palace! All irrelevant people, please leave!"

After Jia Lian found out that it was Miss Xing and Xiangyun who had returned, he hurriedly went out.

Today, not only has he severed his marital ties with Sister Feng, but from now on he will not be allowed to enter the Grand View Palace again. He will not even enter the second gate, and will only dare to send someone to deliver messages.

Wang Xifeng watched Jia Lian leave, then turned to Feng'er and the group of old women and instructed them: "From now on, just call me Grandma, and never mention Second Grandma again!"

Everyone agreed, and an old woman laughed and said, "Grandma is still keeping the matter of going to the palace a secret from the old lady and the ladies."

Sister Feng said, "Let's leave this matter aside for now and not tell anyone."

When she returned from the palace last time, it was already night, so naturally she couldn't hide it from the maids and servants in the mansion. But they dared not say anything. Firstly, Tan Chun was in the palace, and Feng Jie was in charge of the household. Secondly, Feng Jie had entered the palace and was favored, so they dared not speak carelessly.

Therefore, everyone in the mansion knew about it, except for Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Lady Xing.

(End of this chapter)