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

Chapter 263 Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival, A Collection of Poems Under the Moon

As night fell, the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Zijuan, Chunyan, Siqi, Cuilu and others lit and hung the lanterns on the painted boats, making the three boats brightly lit and the lake surface sparkle once again.

Let's compose a poem!

Xiangyun laughed, which made everyone smile. Baoqin laughed and said, "With such a beautiful view in front of me, I won't agree to not write a poem."

Tan Chun smiled and asked, "What should the topic be? What rhyme scheme should it follow?"

Daiyu glanced at Chu Yan and smiled, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although the ancients have written countless poems about the Mid-Autumn Festival, expressing themes of moon-viewing, homesickness, and family reunion, and there are already famous lines like 'Sharing the same moon across a thousand miles,' it still feels a bit lacking if you don't write a poem on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. Besides, the moon is so bright tonight, not to mention Yun'er, even I am inspired to write poetry!"

Xiangyun clapped her hands and laughed, "Perfect! I'll have a one-on-one competition with Sister Lin later!"

Daiyu was not afraid at all and accepted the challenge with a smile.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Baochai smiled and said, "Since we're using the Mid-Autumn Festival as the theme, why don't we stop limiting the rhyme scheme? Just write down any good poems you have, don't be bound by the rhyme."

Xiangyun smiled and said, "Sister Bao is right. There are many people on our boat, some who can write poetry and some who can't, so we won't make things difficult for anyone."

Consort Zhou said, “Everyone of you can write poetry, but I can’t. I’ll be so embarrassed later. I’ll just write a moon poem that I’ve heard before to fit the occasion.”

Chu Yan smiled and asked, "What poems have you heard before?"

Consort Zhou hurriedly replied, "My mother taught me a poem when I was a child, something like 'Raising my cup to gaze at the bright moon, I bow my head and think of home!'"

The girls on the boat all laughed, but everyone complied with her request, letting her fill in the blanks with a poem about "raising a cup to gaze at the bright moon".

Yingchun secretly breathed a sigh of relief; at least she could write some miscellaneous poems, which was better than Consort Zhou's.

Xi Chun originally wanted to say that she would write poems for everyone and didn't want to write poems, but seeing that Consort Zhou also submitted a poem, she had no choice but to think about what poem to write to appease everyone.

As long as the rhyme is right, that's fine.

Chu Yan said, "What about the two other people who can write poetry?"

Everyone turned and looked around, and seeing that two people were indeed missing from the second floor, Yingchun quickly stood up and said, "I'll go and call Sister Xing up!"

She went down to the first floor and saw Xiuyan and Miaoyu sitting together, with Qingwen and the others sitting with them. When they saw her come down, they all smiled and said, "You should go up quickly, His Majesty is calling you."

Miaoyu looked at Yingchun, and sure enough, it was someone who came to call her.

Xiuyan said with shame, "I saw Miaoyu on the first floor and was afraid she would be lonely, so I stayed to keep her company. I will go to apologize to His Majesty later."

As he spoke, he gently tugged at the hem of Miaoyu's robe.

Miaoyu had no choice but to follow them upstairs. As soon as they got up there, Baochai and the others started laughing and said they would punish Xiuyan and Miaoyu by making them the first to compose a poem later.

Miaoyu's face burned.

She was not used to such a lively and festive scene. It was one thing to entertain Grandmother Jia and others before, but now she was participating in the Mid-Autumn Festival lake tour as a "concubine".

Chu Yan turned around, smiling and beckoning: "You two, come here."

Xiuyan blushed, and the girls also smiled with flushed faces. They now knew that the emperor summoned them because he wanted to favor them.

Only Miaoyu was puzzled.

She and Xiuyan walked to the bow of the boat, still thinking about how to answer the emperor's questions, but as his large hands reached out, the two of them involuntarily fell into his arms.

Xiangyun burst out laughing, and Baochai and the others also lowered their voices and laughed. Daiyu glanced over there and said, "What a tyrant!"

"Your Majesty." Xiuyan was obedient and submissive. Chu Yan placed her on his right and then put his arm around Miaoyu, who was tall and slender, and let her sit on the right by the window. He laughed and said, "If you can't come up with a poem that will outshine the ladies, I will punish you."

Given the pride of talented women like Daiyu and Baochai, they would not deliberately write bad poems to prevent Miaoyu from being punished.

Miaoyu's face burned with embarrassment. After a long while, she asked, "What poem do you want to write?"

Chu Yan put his arm around her waist and said, "The theme is Mid-Autumn Festival, and there are no rhyme restrictions."

Miaoyu could only lower her head and silently think of a poem.

A little while later, after Xiuyan finished writing, she took the paper and pen and also wrote a Mid-Autumn Festival poem.

Xiangyun collected the poems written by everyone, divided them into two copies, and passed them around among the people on both sides of the painted boat.

Chu Yan quickly saw Daiyu's poem, the very first line of which exuded a sense of coldness: "The cold moon, frost-laden, soaks the painted oar; the autumn lotus's fading shadow casts a slender waist."

He glanced back and said with a smile, "Lin Daiyu, eat more."

Xiangyun leaned closer to take a look, chuckled, and praised, "How did you come up with the phrase 'slender waist'? It's so unique and fitting; I'm afraid I can't compare. Let me read on..."

Daiyu smiled and sat down with Qinghe, cracking melon seeds together.

The people passed around the poems, one saying that Baoqin's "The dust of the barbarians once shone on the snow of the felt city, the Han moon now warms the flowers of the old garden" was good, and another saying that Tanchun's "The clouds part and the moon shines like a mirror on the jade banquet" was wonderful.

After careful reading, Li Wan's poem was ranked first, while the individual contest between Daiyu and Xiangyun ended in a draw.

Miaoyu whispered, "If His Majesty wants to punish me, none of them dare to put me first."

Chu Yan laughed, and Miao Yu said in embarrassment and annoyance, "It's not that I'm not convinced by her, but you know Miss Lin's personality. She chose me as number one!"

Chu Yan said, "Therefore, I am the emperor!"

As he spoke, he forcefully wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his head to kiss her.

Miaoyu shuddered. Her lips had been taken by him. The intense stimulation of kissing him in public made her tremble. She felt dizzy and her lips were being repeatedly tasted by him.

After a long while, Chu Yan finally released her.

Miaoyu felt hot all over, covered her face with one hand, her eyes filled with a mixture of resentment and shame, and remained silent.

By the time she came to her senses, the girls had already begun composing poems together.

After they finished composing the poems, Baoqin smiled and said, "We've been the ones writing the poems; His Majesty hasn't bestowed any literary works upon us yet tonight."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "I was just thinking of taking a break tonight, enjoying the beauty and the full moon, without composing any poems, but you just won't let me off the hook."

Baoqin giggled, walked over and sat down next to him, took his hand, and coaxed him to write a poem.

Miaoyu then noticed that Xiuyan had gone to sit with Yingchun at some point. She wanted to leave, but she was worried that Chu Yan would not allow her to pass by.

"That's fine."

Chu Yan put his left arm around Miaoyu and his right arm around Baoqin, and said, "I will also come up with a title for a poem."

"What is it?" Baoqin asked hurriedly.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "You should write more poems about chrysanthemums, crabapples, and crabs in your daily lives."

Before she could finish speaking, everyone laughed at the "crab poem." Xiangyun turned her head and whispered to Sister Lin, "Brother Bao is on the boat behind."

She only remembered it because of the crab feast.

Daiyu chuckled softly, "Don't mention your second brother. If you do, the Emperor will be unhappy again." As she spoke, she glanced at Chu Yan.

Xiangyun smiled too.

Chu Yan heard their conversation but ignored it, continuing, "But I actually prefer lyrical poetry, such as—"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Daiyu: "Lin Daiyu's 'The Burial of Flowers'."

Daiyu blushed and laughed, "With the joyful scene before me, you want me to compose another 'Burial of Flowers'? I simply can't do it."

Chu Yan smiled and said, "I also like 'Ode to the Five Beauties'."

Daiyu asked curiously, "Who wrote this poem?"

Chu Yan didn't answer, but continued, "I also like Xue Xiaomei's poems about the past." Baoqin laughed, wondering why her husband called her Xue Xiaomei. Baochai, upon hearing this, seemed to be deep in thought.

Chu Yan said, "I also like a poem by an ancient poet called 'Yu Meiren,' which reads, 'In my youth, I listened to the rain in the pavilion, with red candles dimly lighting the silk curtains.'"

Xiangyun clapped her hands and laughed, "Perfectly fitting for the occasion!"

Although it wasn't a brothel, it was accompanied by imperial concubines, with red candles lit, and the painted boat floated on the lake.

Chu Yan sighed, "I am no longer a young man."

Baochai smiled and said, "Why does Your Majesty sigh? Your Majesty started a rebellion in your youth, and your heroic spirit is unparalleled throughout history."

Daiyu murmured softly, "Now I listen to the rain... joy and sorrow, separation and reunion, are all heartless."

She couldn't help but feel sad.

The others didn't hear her whisper, but Chu Yan did, and he quickly laughed and said, "I will write a nostalgic poem tonight, and you can all do one too."

Tan Chun laughed and said, "We don't have His Majesty's feat of leading troops in battle for ten years. Writing nostalgic poems is probably just the sentimental lament of young ladies in their youth."

Chu Yan said, "I also like 'The Burial of Flowers'."

He brought it up again, and everyone fell silent.

"correct."

Chu Yan suddenly turned to look at Empress Zhang and said with a smile, "I grant the Empress and the Princess permission to write poems about the fall of their kingdom."

Qinghe was in dire straits.

Empress Zhang's eyes were strange. After a long while, she said, "When I was living in the temple, I did write a few poems reminiscing about my homeland. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "How could that be? If my beloved concubine could write such fine poems as Li Yu and be remembered in history, I would be overjoyed!" He then laughed and said, "Come, Empress, recite a poem for me to hear."

He added, "It has nothing to do with the rise and fall of dynasties, only with poetry!"

Everyone looked over.

Empress Zhang could only recite: "I composed a poem called 'Man Ting Fang,' which reads: The smoke of the old country has dissipated, the moss grows deep in the Zen temple, and the remaining scriptures are locked in the empty building. The old mirror now reflects the head of a monk in his robes."

Chu Yan clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Great words!"

Empress Zhang remained silent.

She originally intended to send this poem to the palace secretly if the emperor couldn't remember her, so that Chu Yan would remember her and summon her back to the palace.

Now that she has returned to the palace, this phrase can only be used to impersonate a queen of a fallen kingdom and to amuse the new emperor.

"...Night after night, in the shadow of the green lamp, a thousand tears of tribulation, darkly eroding the golden dragon. In the dream of fleeting life, only the lotus seat remains, the incense burner facing the divine land."

She finished reading the words.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "What beautiful words! They probably perfectly capture the Empress's sorrowful state of mind."

"Your Majesty!" Empress Zhang hurriedly stood up.

Chu Yan laughed again: "Sit down. Who can remain unmoved after experiencing calamity? Even the most carefree person would feel sentimental."

"Who is it?" Xichun asked at the opportune moment.

"Summon Wang Xifeng and Qiao Jie!"

Chu Yan instructed, "How can we do without two of the ten beauties gathered together?"
Consort Wu, who was sitting in the back, came downstairs and instructed Yuanyang to call Wang Xifeng to bring her daughter.

Yuanyang followed the wooden plank connecting the two painted boats to the second boat, lifted the curtain and went inside. She saw the old lady, the madam, the wives of the Wang and Shi families, and others. However, compared to the lively scene of the young ladies accompanying the emperor, the place seemed much quieter.

Even with Sister Feng telling jokes, it was still inevitably deserted.

Yuanyang thought to herself, "It really needs the young ladies to be around to liven things up. The ladies are getting old and don't like to joke around anymore. Baoyu is here, but he's not really there. Luckily, there's Lan-ge'er to keep him company."

Jia Lan was sitting next to Grandmother Jia.

"Yuanyang is back!" Fengjie said with a smile when she saw her return.

Everyone laughed, and Madam Xing also laughed and said, "Yuanyang is only coming back to see us, not to return to our home."

Grandmother Jia said, "Yuanyang is serving the Emperor now, what would she do if she came back to our family? I'm happy that she has a bright future."

Yuanyang smiled and said, "I also appreciate the old lady's kindness. I have been busy serving His Majesty and have not had time to ask about it. If anything is missing, just tell me, or I will ask Chunyan and Wu'er to fetch it."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "We just had some wine and were thinking of resting for a while. You go ahead and get busy; the Emperor needs someone to serve him."

Yuanyang laughed and pulled Fengjie up. When Grandmother Jia saw this, she laughed and said, "No one here says a word. You come and pull Fengjie away. This boat will be even more deserted."

Yuanyang hurriedly said, "It is the Emperor's decree. If the old lady feels it's not lively enough, I'll have Fangguan and the others sing a few operas!"

Grandmother Jia said, "That's enough. It's better to enjoy the moon quietly. We've had enough of the excitement in previous years."

Yuanyang had spent more than ten years in the Jia family, so how could she not know what things were like in previous years? It was just that these things were not easy to say. In previous years, there were men from the Jia family present, but this year there were few of them.

While Fengjie was still hesitating, Yuanyang was already pulling her along, and then she also picked up Qiaojie. The three of them went to the emperor's ship together.

Fengjie could hear the girls' laughter downstairs, a stark contrast to the desolation of Erchuan.

"Qiao'er is here?"

Chu Yan beckoned Qiao Jie over, ignoring Feng Jie. When Qiao Jie came closer, he picked her up, sat her on his lap, and gave her a pastry.

Baoqin asked with a smile, "What about His Majesty's poems?"

Chu Yan nodded and said, "I will imitate Jiang Jie's 'Yu Meiren' and write one myself. Listen to it:"

A young man, sword in hand, departs from Jiangzuo; a spirited steed braves the flames of war. His cold blade rips through nine layers of gauze, and with a laugh, he points to the Jade Palace, where he reigns as royalty.

Daiyu couldn't help but look at Qinghe. The princess of the fallen kingdom looked ashamed, but with her sister-in-law's poem about the fall of the kingdom before her, she roughly knew that she could write poetry without any scruples tonight.

The Chen family ultimately lost to Chu Yan.

She herself married the new emperor...

Chu Yan continued: "In middle age, the drums beat and the golden stomp urge the procession on, blood splatters on the cold banners. Before the tent, withered bones bloom with red flowers, who hears the sound of flower sellers in the deep alleys of the lonely city? In old age, one sits alone on a glass couch, old armor covered with frost. Where the map is torn, a mournful bugle sounds, only the stone beasts before the mausoleum call out to His Majesty."

Xiangyun chuckled and said, "He should be punished! His Majesty is not old yet, how can he be old? He is not even middle-aged, the poem should describe him as young!"

Chu Yan laughed heartily: "It's just to make it rhyme, fine, I'll punish myself with a cup!"

After saying that, he coaxed Qiaojie to pour him a drink, which he then downed in one gulp.

Qiao Jie looked up at him and giggled, "Uncle Emperor is so generous, he drank a whole cup!"

Chu Yan teased her little face.

No one took the poems seriously, but Daiyu frowned slightly, recalling the line "The cold moon buries the flower's soul," and then her own poem, "I borrow stars to continue the Xiaoxiang River."

Is it going to come true?

But if it comes true, how could he, with his three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, sit alone on a glass couch in his old age?

Enough, enough, let's not think about it anymore. There are still decades before everyone grows old, so if it really comes true, it will be a long time from now.

On the painted boat, everyone drank and composed poems until Xiangling came to report that the old lady of the Shi family felt seasick and wanted to return to shore to rest. Only then did Chu Yan order the boat to dock.

Seeing this, Qin Keqing quietly pulled Empress Zhang aside for a whispered conversation.

(End of this chapter)