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

Chapter 271 The Favored Concubines of the Grand View Garden

After bathing and changing, Chu Yan and Qin Keqing sat on the kang (heated brick bed) in the warm pavilion. When Xiangling came in, Chu Yan asked her, "Have all the girls gone home? How long until dinner?"

Xiangling said, "They've all gone back, saying they wouldn't disturb His Majesty's rest. There's still an hour before dinner, would His Majesty like to serve the dishes ahead of time?"

"No need," Chu Yan said with a smile. "Go tell Yun'er that I'm taking a bath and see if she wants to come."

Xiangyun lives in the side hall and can come over quickly.

Xiangling agreed and went out.

Soon after, Xiangyun walked in with a smile, called out "Emperor Brother", and seeing Qin Keqing on the kang, she sat down in a chair.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "It's been a few months since I last saw you, and Yun'er has become distant from me."

Xiangyun quickly got up, glanced at Keqing twice, and then walked over shyly, leaning her increasingly tall figure into his arms.

Chu Yan carried her up, kissed her a few times, and said, "I've missed Yun'er terribly these past few days."

Xiangyun's cheeks were flushed, and she whispered, "I miss His Majesty too..."

Feeling embarrassed to be affectionate with her husband in front of others, she quickly made conversation and said with a smile, "Sister Lin said before that she could see her brother the emperor in her dreams, and we were all skeptical. But later, the court said that they had made contact through letters, and we gradually began to believe it."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Your Sister Lin is no ordinary person. Do you want to know who she is?"

Xiangyun naturally nodded and said she wanted to.

Chu Yan then pointed at Qin Keqing: "She knows."

"Your Majesty~~" Qin Keqing smiled pleadingly and leaned on his shoulder, then smiled at Xiangyun and said, "Miss Yun will know when spring comes next year. I can't explain it to you now."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "Is it related to Consort Xie? Then I won't ask. I'll see what kind of extraordinary person that consort is next year!"

Seeing that Qin Keqing was smiling and not speaking, Chu Yan said, "I was just about to ask Yun'er if she had noticed any changes in her recently, but she managed to fool me."

Keqing begged for mercy again, acting coquettishly.

Xiangyun thought for a while and said, "Sister Lifei has not been acting strangely lately. She just often comes to His Majesty's room to sit and says things like if His Majesty were there and holding her, she wouldn't be cold."

Qin Keqing opened her eyes wide.

Chu Yan couldn't help but laugh and pulled her into his arms, teasing her for a while. Xiang Yun watched from the side and chuckled, but unexpectedly, she was also pulled into Chu Yan's arms, the two of them on either side.

After playing around for a while and chatting idly, Baochai and Baoqin arrived together.

"Sister Qin, come and sit down." Qin Keqing stood up with a smile and invited the beautiful Sister Qin to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) so that she could sit next to Chu Yan.

The emperor has just returned, and everyone in the garden wants to get close to him. However, Ke Qing has already enjoyed herself in the bathhouse, so she should now defer to her younger sisters.

"Sister Bao, come and sit down."

Xiangyun also gave up her seat, but Chu Yan didn't let her leave. After Keqing got up, he pulled Baochai and Baoqin to sit down.

Baochai had a voluptuous waist, and Qin was delicate and beautiful. Chu Yan spent some time being intimate with them before pulling Baoqin into his arms and asking her, "I didn't think to ask earlier, Qin, did you move to Tubi Manor? Are you doing well?"

Baoqin smiled and said, "I moved there when I came back. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm quite comfortable there. Although it's high up, the houses built by the craftsmen are sturdy, and I'm not cold." She then said shyly, "The Empress in the palace said that although we haven't been granted the title of Consort, we are still given winter supplies according to the rank of Consort."

Chu Yan held her soft, jade-like hand, playing with it in his palm, and said, "I promised you that I would make you concubines, so that means it is."

Baoqin was moved and buried her head in his arms, letting the three of them watch from the side.

After a slight hesitation, Baochai leaned slowly on Chu Yan's shoulder, hugging his arms. Her soft, rounded chest was still impressive even through the winter clothes.

Chu Yan shifted his gaze from Baoqin's face to Baochai's stunningly beautiful face, and couldn't help but lower his head to kiss her rosy lips twice.

Xiangyun, sitting to the side, stared wide-eyed:
The Emperor's lips pressed against Baochai's soft lips, moving slowly a few times. Baochai was initially shy, her eyelids trembling slightly, and after a long while, she gently moved her lips.

The emperor lowered his head and kissed her twice more, and Baochai's face immediately burned like fire.

A pang of sadness rose in Xiangyun's heart. Although it was her respected Sister Bao, and although her Emperor brother was the Emperor...

"His Majesty."

Tan Chun's voice broke the atmosphere in the room. She lifted the curtain and came in. After seeing the scene in the warm pavilion, she stopped at the door and smiled, "It seems like my timing is not very good?"

Chu Yan released Baochai, whose face was flushed and who was panting, and looked at Tan Chun with a smile, saying, "Isn't the Third Miss one of my concubines? How could you have come at such an inopportune time?"

Tan Chun blushed, lowered the curtain, and came in, intending to sit with Qin Keqing. Baoqin, in Chu Yan's arms, quickly said, "Third Sister, please sit with His Majesty. That way, everyone can receive His Majesty's favor."

Everyone laughed, and Chu Yan said with a smile, "Sister Qin also has the qualities of the Empress!"

The group looked over, and Baoqin stood up and shook her head: "Your Majesty should appoint a girl who can command respect, whose family is powerful, and who has the talent to manage the harem as Empress. I am absolutely not fit to be Empress."

Xiangyun also said, "If even Sister Qin is not qualified, then I am not qualified to be the Empress who will rule the world."

After hearing this, Baochai also said tactfully, "In my opinion, among all the concubines in the harem, there are two who are worthy of being chosen as the next in line: one is Consort Xie, and the other is Sister Lin."

Tan Chun said, "It's a pity that Consort Xie has not yet arrived in the capital, so we have not been able to see her beauty."

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "Sister... Consort Xie cannot be Empress, this is what His Majesty said himself~, in Bao-meimei's opinion, it is Dai-er who can be Empress?"

Baochai smiled and said, "I am truly convinced that Daiyu is the Empress. Among all the sisters in the garden, she stands out the most in terms of character and demeanor, surpassing all the others."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "Sister Lin's character is secondary; what's truly extraordinary is her ability to meet His Majesty the Emperor in a dream, something we can't compare to. Most importantly, His Majesty the Emperor favors Sister Lin even more!"

They finally finished speaking.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "What's going on? I only said one sentence, and you all said a whole bunch of things."

Baoqin gave him a resentful look, and Xiangyun, being straightforward, also chided, "Brother Emperor, you've brought up the Empress's matter again. Aren't you just testing us? Last time, you told us to speak freely. Now that we've said it, please don't blame us, Brother Emperor."

Faced with their gazes, Chu Yan could only nod and say, "I was just saying it casually. I have indeed been troubled by the matter of establishing an empress lately. You are all my favorites. I did not want to establish an empress, but I want to set an example for the world. It is not acceptable to have no empress."

Ke Qing said softly, “Your Majesty is blessed by Heaven. You won the world from humble beginnings and have won many battles in the past ten years. Now you are troubled by the matter of establishing an Empress. Is it because Your Majesty favors and cares for us that you are troubled? I beg Your Majesty not to worry about this. No matter who Your Majesty favors, the sisters in the harem will definitely respect the Empress and do their best to assist her in managing the six palaces.”

Xiangyun, Tanchun, Baoqin, and Baochai all agreed.

Just as Chu Yan was about to speak, Lin Daiyu, dressed in a bright red cloak, swayed in. Her clear eyes swept around the room, and she smiled, "The Emperor is back today, and the room is indeed lively. What interesting things are you all talking about?"

Baochai bowed to her and said with a smile, "We were just listening to His Majesty's discussion about making Lin Daiyu the Empress!"

Everyone laughed, and Daiyu blushed, saying, "I've only just arrived and you're already making fun of me!"

Baoqin laughed and said, "I'm not just joking. His Majesty said himself that Sister Lin has the qualities of an Empress!"

Daiyu quickly looked at him.

Chu Yan asked in surprise, "When did I say that?"

Baoqin laughed and said, "Your Majesty said 'there are also,' doesn't that mean I came after Sister Lin?"

Chu Yan then realized that he had let something slip.

Daiyu had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on, and said with a smile, "Let's not talk about the Empress anymore. What we should be discussing is how to play drinking games later."

Xiangyun was delighted to hear this and pulled her to sit down to talk about the drinking game.

Chu Yan held Baoqin in his arms, leaning back on the heated kang and chatting with her in a low voice. He then casually pulled Baochai, who was facing them and chatting, into his arms as well. Baochai chatted with them while snuggling in his arms.

Daiyu glanced at it but said nothing. After a while, Yingchun, Xichun, Xiuyan, and Li Wan all arrived, and the room became lively. Fengjie came in for a while and then went out to busy herself with preparing dinner. After she finished preparing, she came back and said with a smile, "Please join the young ladies and ladies in the hall for dinner, Your Majesty!"

Chu Yan got up and went to the main hall with them. They sat down and slowly drank and ate. They didn't play any drinking games, but just admired their unique beauty.

Daiyu and the others noticed that he was tired, so they didn't offer him much wine. After dinner, they returned to the warm pavilion to sit and chat.

"Lin Daiyu, come into my arms!"

Fueled by a bit of alcohol, Chu Yan wrapped his arms around Daiyu's waist and led her onto the heated kang bed, holding her close in his embrace.

Despite the precedent, Daiyu blushed with embarrassment. Although the two met in a dream, it was not as good as when they were awake, so she let it go.

Everyone sat down.

Chu Yan lowered his head and sniffed Daiyu's long, slender neck a few times, then lowered his head and gently kissed her lips before slightly releasing her.

Knowing that Daiyu was shy, it was already difficult enough to kiss her twice in front of her sisters, so he didn't want to tease her too much.

Even so, Daiyu was still too embarrassed to speak for a long time.

Chu Yan hugged her and smiled at Xiangyun and the others, "What interesting things have happened lately?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "We girls only live in the palace. When we're free, we chat and joke with our sisters. If there's anything interesting, it's just that Tan Yatou started a poetry club and invited me to join, which made us laugh."

Chu Yan said, "Poetry clubs are an elegant affair. When you have time, let's go see the snow and appreciate the plum blossoms together. It's a good time to compose poems."

Daiyu smiled and said, "The plum blossoms won't bloom until next year."

As she spoke, she quietly pulled her hand away from his, still feeling uncomfortable being intimate with him in front of a room full of people.

Chu Yan released his hand. "I remember there are many plum blossoms at Longcui Nunnery. We can go see them next year. How many days until New Year's Eve?"

“Today is the 20th, and in a few days we’ll be busy preparing for the New Year,” Li Wan said.

"How are we going to spend this year?" Tan Chun asked.

"We'll get through it the same way we did in previous years."

"That won't do. The Emperor is celebrating the New Year at the Daguan Palace; it should be lively."

"As lively as it may be, as for the money... never mind, let's wait for Her Majesty the Empress and the Imperial Concubine to decide."

They chatted about everything under the sun. Chu Yan raised his hand and called Yingchun over. When she came closer, he hugged her and chatted with her in a low voice, then kissed her for a while.

Yingchun blushed and went back, pushing her fourth sister to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). Chu Yan also hugged Xiao Xichun, teased her for a while, and kissed her.

Daiyu glanced over and saw him leaning against the mattress behind the low table on the kang, kissing Xichun intimately. He teased her so much that her cheeks flushed and she was panting heavily.

After a while, Xichun came down and pushed her third sister up again, so they could take turns playing with the emperor on the kang (heated brick bed).

Shortly after.

"Sister-in-law, you go over there too," Tan Chun whispered to Li Wan.

Although the words were spoken softly, all the concubines and young ladies in the room understood what they meant.

Li Wan blushed and quickly said, "I'm just a woman, unlike you young ladies, so I won't go. Let Qin'er go instead."

They all realized that the Emperor favored unmarried girls, and those who had just been summoned were all young women.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Aren't you both my beloved concubines? Palace Attendant, come here. I haven't seen you for many days."

Everyone looked at her. Qin Keqing smiled charmingly, while Wang Xifeng stared intently.

Tan Chun smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you should go." With that, she gave her a push, causing Li Wan to involuntarily come to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), where she was also pulled up by Chu Yan.

Although Li Wan was a woman, she was blushing with embarrassment at this moment.

Firstly, it was in front of everyone; secondly, Tan Chun even called her sister-in-law…

After embracing Li Wan, Chu Yan covered her body with a blanket and held her in his arms.

Everyone soon saw that Li Wan was trembling and huddled in the Emperor's arms, as if she had been through something.

After a while, Li Wan was seen hiding under the mattress tidying her clothes. After resting for a while, she came down with a flushed face.

After embracing Xiuyan affectionately for a while, Chu Yan smiled and said, "It's getting late, and it will get even colder after midnight. You should go back early. I will have plenty of time to spend with you in the future."

They all rose and bowed, and then, including Daiyu, they left.

Although Sister Feng was unwilling, she had no choice but to give up.

Only Xiangyun was kept by Chu Yan.

"Emperor brother..." Xiangyun was on the kang (heated brick bed) and was also held in Chu Yan's arms. Perhaps knowing what would happen tonight, her face slowly turned red.

Although she had experienced several personnel changes, the last time she had been intimate with Chu Yan was four months ago.

Now that her brother, the emperor, was about to favor her, Xiangyun's heart was pounding for some reason, as if she was looking forward to what was to come.

Chu Yan held Xiangyun and whispered sweet nothings to her for a while before helping her lie down and covering them both with a blanket.

The kang (heated brick bed) was warm and cozy. Chu Yan placed his hand on Xiangyun's waist and abdomen and chuckled, "Yun'er, you've grown taller in the past six months. I wonder if you've grown up yet?"

Xiangyun nestled in his arms, panting, and said, "Yun'er has grown up so much."

Last year, her family wanted to find her a husband, but nothing was decided yet.

"I don't believe it!"

Chu Yan crawled under the covers to cover himself and Xiang Yun. A moment later, pieces of clothing were thrown out.

Soon, the two of them were naked in bed. Xiangyun and Chu Yan rolled around and played in the blankets with Xiangyun, her cute and innocent face flushed.

After a while, Xiangling came in to serve her. When she saw that Xiangyun had one arm and one leg sticking out, she quickly said softly, "Be careful not to catch a cold."

So they covered Xiangyun's hands and legs again.

Xiangyun was speechless for a long time before she finally caught her breath and leaned against Chu Yan's chest, saying to Xiangling, "Call Lu'er here, Xiangling, you come up too. How many people can sleep on this kang? His Majesty hasn't been intimate with his concubines for quite some time, so he'll definitely be very intimate tonight."

She was no longer a young girl, but an imperial concubine. She knew these things and would make arrangements to serve her imperial brother to his heart's content.

Chu Yan held Xiangyun in his arms and kissed her, saying, "With such a virtuous wife as Yun'er, what more could I ask for?"

Xiangyun chuckled, then blushed and said shyly, "Sister Lin said that Brother Emperor loves to say sweet nothings, and it's true!"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "How did I coax you? I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

Xiangyun nestled in his arms and slowly said, "Yun'er too..."

As she spoke, her face flushed with shyness, she whispered in his ear, "Brother, lie down. You must be tired from riding your horse through the wind and snow these past few days. Yun'er will take care of you."

She sat down.

Chu Yan sighed.

(End of this chapter)