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

Chapter 287 Poetry Contest at Longcui Nunnery (Part 2)
Upon entering the gate of Longcui Nunnery, Chu Yan saw the lush flowers and plants in the courtyard. Plum trees were planted both inside and outside the courtyard walls, but since it was winter, the plum branches were bare.

After glancing at it twice, he smiled and said, "I'll come back to admire the plum blossoms when they bloom."

Miaoyu, who was leading the way, turned around and glanced at him upon hearing this.

The concubines were chattering amongst themselves, which annoyed her. Two concubines, whose identities she didn't know, kept trying to please the emperor, so she said, "There's still more than a month before the plum blossoms bloom, so please come in quickly."

As she spoke, she walked inside, then turned back to wait for him.

Chu Yan strolled in, followed closely by Daiyu, Baochai, Xiangyun, and others. Miaoyu then asked, "Would Your Majesty and the ladies wish to worship Buddha?"

Chu Yan said, "Go ahead and worship if you want. I don't worship any Buddhas or immortals."

Daiyu looked at Qinghe and Baoqin and said with a smile, "After the New Year, we will go to Huangen Temple to fulfill our vows."

The two smiled and nodded in agreement.

Before Chu Yan went to war, they went to Huang'en Temple to invite Empress Zhang back to the palace and pray for his safe return. Now that Chu Yan has returned, they want to go and fulfill their vows again.

Miaoyu then led everyone to the East Meditation Hall. After Chu Yan entered, he saw that the interior was elegantly and quietly furnished. There were wooden planks on the floor and about a dozen prayer cushions, which Miaoyu usually used when lecturing to the young nuns, or to Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and others.

After Chu Yan entered, he sat on the central prayer mat below the main seat. Baochai, who had been holding his arm the whole way, also sat down next to him. Daiyu, Xiangyun, Baoqin, and others took their seats.

The nuns and nuns of Longcui Nunnery found several more prayer cushions, but they were still not enough to accommodate all the concubines in the harem, which made them feel apprehensive.

Yuan Chun said, "No need for trouble. Some of us are not good at poetry, so we can just stand around and listen to the girls compose poems."

Upon hearing this, Yingchun was about to stand up, but it turned out that the young ladies had sat on the prayer mats first.

Empress Zhang, who was nearby, pressed down on her shoulder and said with a smile, "Second Miss, please sit down."

She was addressed as "Miss" instead of "Consort Shun".

Consort Zhou and the others had no choice but to give up and stand aside, watching longingly.

Daiyu glanced back twice, whispered a few words to Chu Yan, then got up to find Miaoyu, who was brewing tea, and also spoke a few words to her.

Miaoyu smiled and said, "I heard that the Emperor intends to make you Empress, and it is indeed true."

Daiyu quickly said, "This matter should not be spread around."

Miaoyu remained silent and instead ordered someone to find some chairs and place them around the meditation hall so that the concubines could rest when they got tired of standing.

Soon after, she brought out a small tea tray carved with begonia flowers, on which were placed two cups of tea. She first placed it in front of Chu Yan, lowered her head, and said, "Please have some tea, Your Majesty."

His posture was undeniably humble, showing that although he was aloof, he was also capable of assessing the situation.

Chu Yan picked up the teacup and examined it carefully. He saw the words "Song Yuanfeng Year 5" on it and asked with a smile, "I heard that Miaoyu has a cup that was treasured by Wang Kai of the Jin Dynasty."

Miaoyu said calmly, "I threw that cup away."

Daiyu, Baochai, and the others were all surprised. Xiangyun asked, "Why would you throw away a perfectly good cup? Did you accidentally break it?"

Miaoyu looked disgusted and said only, "I don't keep cups that eunuchs have used!"

The people around her had different expressions. Sister Feng laughed and said, "Eunuchs come to Longcui Nunnery? Did they sneak in? I'll have someone investigate tomorrow, and I guarantee no eunuch will dare to sneak in and disturb you again."

Miaoyu glanced at him, her eyes seeming to look at a complete fool. Fengjie's heart skipped a beat. She knew Miaoyu was eccentric, and for her to look at her like that, she must have said something to offend her!
Fengjie glanced at the others again. Yuanchun, Yingchun, Xichun, and her two younger sisters didn't seem to care much. Daiyu and Baochai were also silent, but they seemed to have guessed something.

Until Xiangyun clapped her hands and said, "The eunuch you're talking about, is it Brother Bao?"

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng's expression immediately turned awkward.

How could she have forgotten to mention "eunuch"!
In the past, the only men who could visit the Green Bamboo Nunnery were Baoyu, Jia Lan, and Jia Huan; eunuchs would never come.

Presumably, the "treasured collection of Wang Kai of the Jin Dynasty" was the cup that Baoyu used when he came to Longcui Nunnery. After Miaoyu learned that he had become a eunuch, she threw the cup away when she returned home.

After Xiangyun finished speaking, she saw that everyone around her had quieted down, and then she regretted speaking so quickly.

"What a pity about that cup."

Baochai smiled and gently covered up the matter.

Chu Yan just chuckled, not paying any attention, and took a sip of tea.

After seeing him drink the tea, Miaoyu took the tea tray and handed it to Daiyu, saying, "Please have some tea, Miss Lin."

The emperor and his fiancée each drank a cup.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Daiyu picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Miaoyu put down the tea tray and ordered the nuns and young nuns in the Longcui Nunnery to bring up the tea tray and distribute the tea to the concubines.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "Miaoyu, please have a seat."

When the emperor spoke, Miaoyu, who had been entertaining the concubines, had no choice but to step forward and, following his gaze, sit in the main seat, facing him and Daiyu.

This is the meditation cushion she usually uses.

Chu Yan said, "It's a rare opportunity for me to come all this way. It just so happens that my concubines are also here. I'd like to ask Master Miaoyu to explain a passage of scripture to them. That way, my trip won't be in vain."

Hearing this, not only did Miaoyu secretly breathe a sigh of relief, but Xiuyan, who had been worried about her, also felt relieved.

His Majesty will not make things difficult for Miaoyu.

Originally, they had come to challenge each other to a poetry contest, but after arriving at Longcui Nunnery, they were treated to tea and asked to recite scriptures, which immediately eased the tension between the two sides.

Miaoyu, dressed in a paddy-patterned robe and with her hair styled in the Miaochang bun, sat cross-legged on a futon and said with a smile, "In the past, I would explain scriptures to the people in the meditation hall and practice together with them. Today, however, I am explaining them to His Majesty and his concubines. What a grand occasion! I wonder what scriptures His Majesty and His Consorts would like to hear?"

The emperor led all the concubines to Longcui Nunnery to listen to the sutras, which pleased Miaoyu greatly—at least in Xiuyan's opinion, Miaoyu's smile at this moment was rare.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "I'm not used to listening to sutras, but Miss Lin often chants Amitabha Buddha. You can ask her."

Daiyu blushed, and seeing Miaoyu looking at her, she blurted out, "Just recite the Diamond Sutra."

Miaoyu nodded, and without bringing out the scriptures, waited until they put down their teacups before beginning to explain in her clear voice: "The Diamond Sutra says: There is no dharma called Bodhisattva. Therefore, the Buddha said: All dharmas are without self, without person..."

Listening to Miaoyu reciting Buddhist scriptures, and with Daiyu and the others by his side, Chu Yan found it rare to calm down.

After listening for about half an hour, Yuan Chun quietly came to Daiyu's side and told her, "The kitchen has prepared the meal; it's time to call His Majesty for dinner."

After saying that, he went back to sit down by the wall.

Daiyu relayed the message to Chu Yan, and after receiving a reply, she gestured to Yuan Chun with her eyes.

Soon after, the meal was served, and Chu Yan got up and sat down with the others in the side hall of Longcui Nunnery. Since it was a nunnery, the meal was vegetarian.

Miaoyu was prepared to make an exception and drink at the nunnery before facing off against them.

Unexpectedly, the meal was quickly finished, and Chu Yan didn't say a word. After finishing, he rinsed his mouth and washed his hands before leading everyone back to the meditation hall.

Miaoyu hesitated, but then she saw Chu Yan sitting on her usual prayer mat, sitting cross-legged casually with one hand on his knee, like the image of Guanyin of the Water Moon.

Facing the crowd, Chu Yan said, "Today's garden tour ends here. Those who do not enjoy poetry may go back and rest. I will take a short rest in the meditation hall and return this afternoon."

Seeing this, Empress Zhang took her leave and went back. Consort Zhou was unwilling, but she had no choice but to leave as well.

Wang Xifeng hesitated for a moment, then left Qiaojie behind, while she and Ping'er also left.

There were fewer people in the meditation hall.

For some reason, Miaoyu's face slowly turned red...

Did the emperor take a short rest at Longcui Nunnery?

Are you all ready?

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Since we have some free time today, this poetry contest will be divided into three rounds, best of three. We'll have one round before the break, and then continue after we've rested."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "Then we'd better hurry, it's easy to feel sleepy after eating." Chu Yan nodded and said directly, "The first round is quite standard, it's a poetry competition, with the theme of snow scene, it doesn't matter if it's a poem, lyric or rhyme, the one with the best lyrics wins."

Baochai chuckled, "His Majesty said this morning he wouldn't write about snow scenes, but now he's writing about them again? Consort Zhou's trip was for nothing."

Chu Yan laughed loudly.

Baoqin said, "Your Majesty speaks so quickly, you haven't even decided what the winner will be rewarded with. Are you trying to catch us off guard?"

Chu Yan pointed at them, then at Miaoyu: "You all join forces to fight her. You must defeat Miaoyu and put an end to her arrogance, as a sign of my punishment for her!"

Miaoyu merely sneered, not even bothering to ask where she had offended him, and simply accepted the challenge!

Chu Yan continued, "You are going to war on my behalf. If you are defeated—heh heh."

Xiangyun's expression hardened, and she quickly sat up straight.

Baoqin covered her mouth and laughed, not taking it to heart.

Tan Chun laughed and said, "Miao Yu is a few years older than us, so it's natural that her talent surpasses ours. However, there are more of us, and if we lose, it will be a disgrace. We must take this competition seriously!"

Miaoyu's cold laughter spurred her on.

Needless to say, Daiyu and Baochai are both talented and learned, but they usually hide their talents. However, at this moment, they must show their ambitions to feel truly happy.

Xichun laughed and said, "My second sister and I are not good at poetry, so we can only make up a poem to suit the occasion. I hope you sisters can show your talents and not be inferior to Miaoyu!"

Baochai smiled and said, "Of course."

Miaoyu said calmly, "I'm not afraid of you joining forces. Just bring it on!"

She didn't ask how to judge the contest, perhaps because she felt the emperor wouldn't try to extort her, or perhaps she knew that the contest was just the emperor joking around and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, the girls in the meditation hall were full of fighting spirit.

Chu Yan was also in high spirits. Watching them deep in thought, he felt as if he were giving the Jinshi examination in the Taiji Hall.

Although he had not yet started the imperial examinations.

The poem about the snow scene was completed shortly afterward.

Chu Yan instructed, "Yuanyang, take the poems written by the girls to someone, make a copy, and then return them."

Everyone was taken aback, then Xiangyun clapped her hands and laughed: "So we're all scholars who passed the imperial examinations, and we're taking the test in front of the Emperor!"

Chu Yan smiled, and Yun'er also thought of the palace examination.

However, the examination papers were not copied during the palace examination.

Everyone guessed what he meant and waited. Chu Yan said, "Go and rest. We'll see again in about half an hour."

The Longcui Nunnery has about ten rooms, and there is also Miaoyu's bedroom and a warm pavilion in the backyard, where you can lie down and take a nap.

Chu Yan did not leave; he stayed in the meditation hall with Ke Qing and a few others, while Daiyu, Baochai, Xiangyun, and the others went to the warm pavilion.

There was silence for a moment, and the meditation hall became quiet.

Miaoyu sat alone on the meditation cushion in the meditation hall, glancing in that direction several times, her face gradually turning red:

The man was being increasingly intimate with Qin Keqing, and things were getting out of hand.

Three-quarters of an hour later, Xiuyan entered the meditation hall and saw Consort Li nestled in His Majesty's arms. Miaoyu had her back to the two of them. Without even looking at her expression, she knew that Miaoyu must be indignant.

People say out of sight, out of mind, but how can you ignore the ripples in your heart?

Xiuyan sat down next to Miaoyu and said softly with a smile.

Miaoyu said calmly, "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

Xiuyan glanced over there again, took her hand and whispered, "The Emperor is determined to take a nun as a concubine. Today's visit to Longcui Nunnery is all for you."

Miaoyu's heart trembled, but she closed her eyes again and said, "You brought people to fight me, and you say it's for me? What for me?"

Xiuyan smiled and said nothing more. She took a pillow and leaned against it to continue her nap.

Soon after, the girls returned one by one.

Chu Yan remained seated in the main seat, but Qin Keqing leaned against him, as if they were in the warm chamber of Yangxin Hall, half of her body pressed against him, her charming face full of smiles.

Chu Yan ignored it, and Xiangyun and the others had seen this many times before, so they regarded it as commonplace.

Although Daiyu disapproved, she remained silent and let it be.

Only Miaoyu felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

"Your Majesty, the girls' poems have been copied!" Yuanyang brought over a stack of poems.

Chu Yan instructed, "Distribute them and let the girls judge them. Circle any that they think are good."

Xiangyun laughed again and said, "This is interesting. We are both examinees and examiners. Later, everyone will draw circles around the poems and paintings they made for themselves?"

Everyone laughed: "What if you draw two?"

"Who's so shameless?"

Amidst their laughter, the poems they had written appeared in their hands one after another.

After they finished their general evaluation, Qin Keqing smiled and said, "Your Majesty hasn't decided how to punish the losers yet, but I have an idea."

"explain."

"Whoever loses will serve His Majesty tonight."

"what?"

The group of girls blushed, glaring at Qin Keqing with embarrassment and annoyance, then lowered their heads and remained silent.

Miaoyu's heart skipped a beat again, recalling what happened after the thatched cottage...

After everyone finished commenting on the poems, the papers were put away again. The three papers with the most circles were picked out by Yuanyang, Qingwen, and the others and presented to Chu Yan.

Everyone in the room eagerly awaited the result.

Chu Yan read it slowly and deliberately. After he finished reading, he smiled at Miao Yu and said, "Come here."

Qin Keqing glanced at him, then suddenly smiled, gracefully moving away from him to make room for him.

Daiyu gave him a look, seemingly scolding the foolish emperor for his absurdity, but she did not stop him.

She saw through the man's thoughts:
If Miaoyu wins, he will simply call her over; he will not try to hug or embrace her.

In other words, whether Miaoyu wins or loses, she will be extorted by him!
really.

The tall and slender Miaoyu stood up and, with unsteady steps, approached Chu Yan with a slightly shy and uneasy expression, having completely submitted to him.

She thought she had already lost, and that the emperor had summoned her to punish her.

only--

Chu Yan reached out and embraced Miao Yu's waist, pulling her into his arms as if he were embracing a concubine in the imperial harem.

But what came out of his mouth was: "In the first round, Miaoyu won, and she got eight circles!"

After a moment of silence, Qin Keqing burst into laughter, laughing so hard she bent over backwards. Xiangyun, Baochai, and the others below also couldn't help but chuckle.

Only Miaoyu, nestled in Chu Yan's arms, blushed deeply with her ethereal and aloof face.

(End of this chapter)