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

Chapter 283 Lin Daiyu sits in the first seat
"Empress—"

Chu Yan murmured to himself, his gaze sweeping over them, passing over Daiyu, Xiangyun, Baochai, Baoqin, Empress Zhang, Tanchun, and others. When his eyes met Fengnu's, he saw her expression shift slightly as she glanced at him.

Daiyu and the others mostly remained silent, only smiling or remaining indifferent.

Chu Yan glanced at Daiyu again, then smiled at Tan Chun and said, "You, like the court officials, are urging me to establish an empress."

Tan Chun smiled and said, "Your Majesty already has the empire; it would be better to establish an empress soon to reassure the people."

Empress Zhang also said, "Since ancient times, no one has ever conquered the world without marrying or having children. Even Emperor Taizong of Tang, who started his rebellion in Taiyuan at the age of sixteen, married Lady Changsun early on." She then smiled and said, "Only Your Majesty is brave and powerful, who has conquered the world without marrying or having children."

The girls joined in the praise, and Chu Yan laughed, "I have already said that there are too many things that have happened for the first time in history." He then asked her, "You have been an empress before, who do you think I should make empress? Or should I still make you empress?"

Empress Zhang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please don't tease me. Neither the princess nor I are suitable to be the empress of the new dynasty."

Chu Yan smiled and glanced at Qinghe.

Empress Zhang also looked at them: "Your Majesty has asked me, so I will dare to speak." She slowly said: "When Your Majesty was conquering the world, you did not rely on the power of your wife's family. Now that you are in power, you probably do not need to choose an unmarried girl from a meritorious family to be your empress."

Chu Yan nodded: "Indeed."

Empress Zhang continued, "After His Majesty entered the capital, he only favored a few concubines from the previous dynasty's harem, as well as the young ladies and mistresses in the Grand View Garden."

Daiyu, Yingchun, and the others blushed, and even Li Wan was a little shy.

Empress Zhang said, "Aside from Consort Xie, whom we have yet to meet, His Majesty's preferred empress is probably among the young ladies in this room!"

Everyone has different expressions.

For the past six months or so, when Chu Yan was in the capital, he spent most of his time with them and even made a few more of them his concubines.

It was not surprising that the position of empress fell to them.

They even had some guesses in their minds about who would become empress.

Xiangyun smiled at Chu Yan and said, "As the saying goes, hesitation leads to trouble. If Your Majesty establishes an Empress sooner, not only will we in the harem have a pillar of support, but the court officials will also feel at ease."

Chu Yan chuckled and said, "Yun'er is so straightforward. In that case—" He looked at Daiyu, who straightened her back and looked nervous. She then gave him a look, as if she wanted to dissuade him.

but.

Chu Yanchao said to Tan Chun, "Leave one chair for the future Empress. As for the seating arrangement, Lin Daiyu should sit in the head seat. The rest of you may sit wherever you like."

The twenty or thirty concubines in the hall, including Keqing, Xiangyun, Li Wan, Yuan Ying Tanxi, Baochai Baoqin, Qinghe, and Zhou Guiren, all looked at Daiyu.

Even the straightforward Xiangyun remained silent at this moment.

While not exactly jealous, she did envy her sister Lin, and knew that an empress was destined to be made.

Furthermore, she did not offer her congratulations because she knew that Sister Lin was not yet the Empress, and there were still uncertainties. She would have to wait until the beginning of spring next March to find out who the Empress would be.

After Chu Yan spoke, Daiyu remained silent, but stood up, gave him a slight bow, and then sat down.

Baochai glanced at her silently. She had just been intimate with Chu Yan in Hengwu Garden when she suddenly heard that Daiyu was hoping to become empress, which made her feel empty inside.

His Majesty said she was Yang Guifei, but she was indeed just a Guifei (a concubine of high rank).

Seeing that they were all silent, Baoqin smiled and said, "Congratulations, Sister Lin!"

As soon as she said that, everyone laughed and congratulated her, as if the girl who used to live in Xiaoxiang Pavilion and was accompanied by medicine pots every day was now the Empress.

Daiyu, who had been silent, blushed at this moment, but found it difficult to speak.

Chu Yan showered her with praise and honor, but in private she refused You Ke's request. In front of everyone, however, she would never contradict his decree.

This was his good intention, and also his sincere wish.

Seeing that they were still laughing at her, Daiyu said shyly and angrily, "I'm not the Empress. This time I was favored by His Majesty and was able to sit in the first place. Next time it will be Sister Yun, Sister Qin and Sister Bao's turn!"

Xiangyun quickly smiled and said, "We didn't say we were establishing an empress. We just congratulated Sister Lin on receiving His Majesty's favor!"

Everyone laughed again.

Finally, it was settled, and most of them could accept it—at least on the surface, things were harmonious. Chu Yan was also happy and said with a smile, "That's settled then. I have nothing more to say. There will be no Empress this year. You will all go to receive the congratulations of the noblewomen on the first day of the new year. As for the rest, you can have a lively and festive time from the New Year to the Lantern Festival."

They rose, bowed, and took their leave.

"There's one more thing!" Chu Yan remembered, and the concubines who had just walked out the door all turned back.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "I almost forgot, Yuan Chun, it's your birthday on the first day of the Lunar New Year. I'll hold a celebration for you at Yangxin Hall then."

Upon hearing this, Qinghe laughed and said, "So the Virtuous Consort's name is Yuanchun."

Yuan Chun was touched and smiled, saying, "I am happy that Your Majesty remembered my birthday. However, it was right after the New Year, and everyone was tired, so it was not appropriate to hold a large banquet. This year is not my birthday either, so let's just have a meal indoors."

Chu Yan asked, "You didn't hold a birthday party in previous years either?"

Empress Zhang replied, "It is a custom in the palace that concubines receive rewards on their birthdays."

Yuan Chun hurriedly replied, "That's how it is in the palace."

Chu Yan nodded and said, "We'll go to Tianxiang Tower on the first day of the Lunar New Year and invite several opera troupes to perform."

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

Yuan Chun bowed again to express her gratitude, and then took her leave with a gentle smile.

After watching them leave, Chu Yan left Daiyu behind and took her hand as they returned to the warm pavilion.

The two remained silent for a moment, simply sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) and gazing at each other.

After a while, Chu Yan led Daiyu onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and smiled down at her, saying, "Yu'er, do you really not want to be the empress?"

Daiyu nestled in his arms and sighed softly, "How could I not see your heartfelt intentions?"

Chu Yan released her. "Let's talk about this seriously."

When Daiyu saw that he really wanted to make her empress, she quickly laughed and said, "Am I being inappropriate? I have three things to say, are you going to listen?"

"Tell me about it." Chu Yan leaned back on the pillow, holding her soft, jade-like hand, and looked at her with a smile.

Daiyu held his hand and said, "Your Majesty the Empress needs to give birth to a Crown Prince to stabilize the country. My health has always been poor, and I may not be able to shoulder this heavy responsibility."

Chu Yan was about to speak when Daiyu interrupted, "Since there is no empress right now, why not wait until a concubine gives birth to His Majesty's eldest son before making her empress? That would save a lot of trouble." Chu Yan said, "I've told you before that I can live a long time. The matter of the crown prince will have to wait until ten years later. The court can't wait ten years to persuade me to make an empress."

When Daiyu heard him say that he "would live a long time", her expression darkened for a moment. She then advised him again, "The Empress has to manage the three palaces and six courtyards. I am weak and do not have the energy to handle many things."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "What's this? I rule the world and am very busy, but I still find time to see you. The girls in the garden are all very talented. If that doesn't work, you can still ask Yuan Chun and Empress Zhang for help, and also invite Tan Chun, Feng Jie, Bao Chai, and a few others. You can just be a hands-off manager."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu laughed: "You call yourself the Emperor, yet you don't know that shopkeepers are the most adept at shortchanging customers and deceiving their superiors. If I were the Empress and didn't care about anything, the eunuchs and maids would definitely be cursing me behind my back!"

Chu Yan pinched her cheek: "Lin Meimei, your little mouth is spouting nonsense again. You never leave your house and don't even know what a pawn ticket is. How would you know these things?"

Daiyu blushed and covered her mouth with a shy smile, saying, "Since you know about pawn tickets, you must also know that this belongs to Sister Bao's family, so why ask me again?"

Chu Yan sighed, "So it was your sister Bao who said it. Is there a third one?"

Daiyu then said, "Consort Xie is more suited to be Empress."

Chu Yan said, "When she came to the capital, I beat her up quite a bit. It's good enough that she can be a noble lady; she has no chance of becoming empress."

Daiyu just smiled. Chu Yan hugged her and kissed her a lot. Only then did she cover her rosy lips with her jade hand and said with a pleading smile, "Consort Xie is no ordinary person. She is even more shrewd than you. She once said when she came back to life that she was destined to become empress. Even if His Majesty dares to make me empress, I would not dare to accept it."

Chu Yan said calmly, "It was precisely because of her words that I did not want to make her empress in the first place, let alone after I got to know you all."

Knowing she couldn't persuade him, Daiyu stopped talking and postponed it until next spring, at least until Consort Xie came to the capital.

Chu Yan agreed.

After finishing our business, seeing that Lin Daiyu's lips were rosy and pink, like two peach blossoms or glistening fruit flesh, he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her again.

Daiyu also put aside what had just happened, and shyly and gently yielded to him. The two lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and embraced and kissed.

I don't know how long it has been.

Daiyu covered her dry and slightly swollen lips, her emotions welling up in her eyes, and smiled at him, saying, "I'm going back. I always get bullied by you when I'm with you. I won't come here tonight."

Chu Yan asked with a smile, "Tonight, or tomorrow night?"

Daiyu got up, put her legs together on the kang (a heated brick bed), tidied her disheveled hair, and said with a smile, "I won't be coming anymore!"

"This will not do! I have summoned you by imperial decree!"

"I will defy the imperial decree!"

Amidst playful banter, Daiyu finished dressing and said to him, "I have something serious to tell you."

"What?" Chu Yan asked first, then came to his senses: "Lin Daiyu is imitating me!"

Daiyu smiled and said, "Go and talk to Sister Yun and Sister Bao."

Chu Yan understood her unspoken meaning and sighed, "Yu'er truly has the qualities of an empress. As an empress, the most important thing is to set an example for the world; everything else is secondary."

Daiyu said, "Even looks and mouth are secondary?"

After saying this, she blushed deeply and hurriedly ran away.

Chu Yan stared blankly at her retreating figure. His Lin sister could actually say "dirty things"?
Her words were half-dirty, a playful jest as she told him that he always managed to kiss her for a long time.

Inside the warm pavilion, Chu Yan pondered Daiyu's private words for a long time, feeling a strong urge to sleep with her tonight and see how beautiful and graceful Lin Daiyu would be during their intimate moments.
After a while, he left Yangxin Hall and went to the right side hall. When he entered, he saw Xiangyun lying on the warm pavilion. She was neither reading nor sleeping. She was just leaning against the pillow, her body covered with a quilt, her legs exposed, swaying gently.

Chu Yan looked at her for a while before coming to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

But Xiangyun remained oblivious, still lost in thought, swinging her legs.

Only when Chu Yan pressed his hands against the inside of her legs did Xiangyun, blushing, quickly sit up. Upon seeing it was him, she excitedly threw herself into his arms, exclaiming, "Why is Emperor Brother here?!"

The sound was cheerful and crisp.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "If I hadn't come, Sister Yun would have written the word 'envious' all over her face."

Xiangyun, though carefree, immediately understood the implication in his words and quickly said, "Even if I admire Sister Lin, I wouldn't write words on my forehead. It should be Sister Feng who knows how to write!"

Chu Yan suspected she knew something, but before he could ask, Xiangyun lowered her head and said, "Is it because my Emperor brother is afraid I'll get petty that he came to visit me?"

"No, my Yun'er isn't that petty," Chu Yan said, holding her hand.

Xiangyun nestled into his arms and said, "There is no emperor in the world who does not establish an empress. I will obey whoever my emperor brother chooses as empress, and I will respect her. I would not dare to complain about anything. I am happy that my emperor brother cares about me, but I was afraid that you would misunderstand, so I said this."

Chu Yan looked down at Xiang Yun's spirited yet beautiful and dignified face and sighed, "I wish I could split the Empress's position into a dozen parts and give each of you a part!"

Xiangyun chuckled, "Luckily, Emperor Brother didn't say that in front of Sister Lin." She added, "I'm happy for Sister Lin becoming Empress. Apart from her, only Sister Bao in the garden is suitable to be Empress!"

Chu Yan couldn't help but chuckle, teasing her cheeks as he asked, "And you?"

"I am not as good as Sister Lin, nor as good as Sister Bao."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "Sister Lin can write lyrics and poems, and can also meet with her Emperor brother in her dreams across thousands of miles; Sister Bao is steady and upright, and has a good relationship with her sisters, and the Xue family's relatives are not powerful."

Chu Yan was surprised: "Sister Yun already knows about the maternal relatives?"

Xiangyun nodded and said, "We are also concubines in the palace, and it will be difficult for us to return home in the future. I have recently been rereading history books, and I am reflecting on history from the perspective of concubines in the palace, seeing the fate of many nobles and dukes of the new dynasty." She then said solemnly, "The historians are able to live up to their reputation today entirely because of His Majesty's extra grace!"

Chu Yan pulled her into his arms and stroked her belly with his hand: "Yun'er is going to give birth to a flower fairy who is cultivating on Mount Hua for me."

Xiangyun quickly smiled and said, "It's not a flower fairy, it's a wisp of cloud from Mount Hua! I was just thinking about what name to give my future daughter. Does Your Majesty have a name to bestow upon her?"

Chu Yan said, "There's no rush, Yun'er isn't pregnant yet!"

As he spoke, he lifted Xiangyun onto the kang (a heated brick bed), kissed her, and whispered with a smile, "If Yun'er and I do it a couple more times, I guarantee Yun'er will get pregnant!"

Xiangyun's face was already flushed.

Xiangyun lazily stroked her belly with her hand: "Brother Emperor, I heard from our future daughter that she won't be able to enter my belly until March next year!"

"Next March again?" Chu Yan asked, puzzled.

Xiangyun laughed and said, "We'll be able to meet Consort Xie next year! I really hope Consort Xie is an interesting person, then our poetry club will be much more lively."

Chu Yan said helplessly, "She's even more ferocious than you when she goes crazy. You'll see when the time comes."

Xiangyun was full of anticipation.

(End of this chapter)