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

Chapter 288 The Golden Hairpins Gather in the Meditation Hall
Inside the meditation hall, Miaoyu's waist was tightly embraced by Chu Yan. Her face flushed, she struggled and said angrily, "Since I won the first round, why is Your Majesty punishing me again?"

Chu Yan smiled and said, "This is a reward."

Miaoyu's face turned bright red. She frowned and thought for a long time before sneering, "So it was the Emperor playing a trick on me. No wonder! I clearly saw a poem with eight circles, and I added one more. How did I win?"

Everyone was surprised. Eight rings and she wasn't the winner? Was the Emperor intentionally trying to make Miaoyu win the competition?
Xiangyun looked at Sister Lin.

Baoqin smiled and looked at her.

Even Yingchun could tell that Lin Daiyu's poems were probably better, but the Emperor had deliberately overshadowed them.

Watched by everyone, Daiyu remained silent, not caring much about it; it was just a minor incident.

Chu Yan glanced at Daiyu and smiled, "I'll recite a poem for you all to hear. The title is 'Lingering Snow,' and the poem reads:"

The icy spirit gradually dissipated with the morning clouds.

Alone, I stand on the small hill, my heart heavy with cold.

Even withered branches droop with white tears.
"Do not let the east wind blow to the tallest building."

After everyone carefully savored the poem, Xiangyun exclaimed with a smile, "It's Sister Lin's poem!"

Baochai also laughed and said, "No wonder His Majesty didn't choose Lin Daiyu as the champion. Even though it was copied once, it was still easy to recognize that it was her poem."

Chu Yan nodded and said, "That's right. Lin Daiyu has the bearing of an empress, and you all recognize her poems. Since the emperor and empress are one, you will inevitably side with her when commenting on poetry. Therefore, I selected Miaoyu as the champion."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's face slowly flushed red, especially as everyone looked on with smiles, making her even more shy.

Other innuendos are one thing, but that phrase "the emperor and empress are one" is another—doesn't that imply that husband and wife are one?
With Chu Yan holding her waist, Miaoyu said calmly, "If that's the case, it's meaningless for me to win, since I can't discern Empress Lin's true talent."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Who is Empress Lin? Just now, Yun'er said that this is equivalent to the imperial examination. Whoever the emperor chooses as the top scholar will be the number one. I accept that."

Miaoyu calmed down a bit and said, "Alright, alright, I'm not one to back down from a loss. Let's have another round!" After saying that, she turned to look at Chu Yan and said with a smile, "Please, Your Majesty, give us another challenge!"

Not far away, Xiuyan, sitting on a futon, took in this scene and felt happy for her.

At this moment, Miaoyu was being held in the man's arms, yet she spoke with a smile, which was enough to show that she had probably tacitly agreed to enter the palace as a concubine.

Although Chu Yan had his arm around Miao Yu's waist, he did not do anything inappropriate. He held her for a while and then smiled and said, "The ancients often used poems to describe the scene before their eyes and to express their feelings. Today we have also written about a snow scene. Why don't we do it the other way around this time?"

"What does it mean to do it the other way around?" they all asked.

"Winter Scenery Depicted as Spring!"

Xiangyun found it interesting and quickly asked, "Is it about spring scenery? A spring outing? Or something else?"

Chu Yan smiled and said, "You guys solve this problem."

While everyone was busy thinking, Chu Yan looked at Miaoyu and saw that she was also deep in thought. The elegant and serene nun with her hair still intact was being held by his waist, which was quite interesting.

No wonder Jia Lian described her as "Miaoyu in her monk's robes, graceful and elegant."

Thinking back to that thatched pavilion and thatched cottage, three or four months had passed. At that time, I only had a fleeting glimpse of her, and it was at dusk, so I didn't get a good look at her body.

Seemingly sensing the burning gaze of the man beside her, Miaoyu blushed, the color spreading to her ears, and she tried to struggle away.

"How about Miaoyu becoming my concubine?"

Chu Yan did not hide from the crowd. He lowered his head and kissed Miaoyu's fair earlobe, causing her to tremble. He then kissed her cheek, and Miaoyu trembled violently. But if she struggled violently in front of so many people, wouldn't that be even more shameful?
This man just hugged Qin Keqing intimately, which shows that he doesn't shy away from favoring her in front of the concubines in the harem!

"Why does Your Majesty make things difficult for this poor nun?"

Miaoyu spoke in a low voice, referring to herself again as a poor nun, to show her intention to leave the world and cultivate herself.

Chu Yan released her waist and instead held her hand, lowering his voice: "I want you."

The emperor didn't need to hide his taking of concubines; Miaoyu wasn't a married woman.

Miaoyu sighed softly, "With so many beautiful concubines sitting inside, is His Majesty still not satisfied? I have long since severed all worldly desires..."

Why deceive yourself?

Chu Yan smiled.

Miaoyu remained silent; in this situation, she had nothing to say.

Chu Yan leaned close to her ear and said, "How about I make you my concubine?"

Miaoyu sneered and turned her head away, disdainful of being a concubine.

Chu Yan coaxed her again, saying, "Fine, fine, if you don't want to be a concubine, then stay at Longcui Nunnery. If you become pregnant in the future, then you can be made a concubine!"

Miaoyu was both ashamed and angry, but in the end, she returned to calm.

Suddenly, Qin Keqing clapped her hands and laughed, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have gained another hairpin! Only one of the twelve hairpins remains."

The sound interrupted everyone's thoughts, and they all looked up with questioning eyes.

Xiangyun looked at Miaoyu and said, "Miaoyu is indeed one of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, which shows that my previous ranking of people was correct."

"The Twelve Beauties?"

Miaoyu also looked at Chu Yan, her shyness gradually fading as suspicion arose in her heart.

Baoqin, Xichun, and the others also suspected something, but they didn't dare to ask.

Chu Yan beckoned to Qin Keqing, and she obediently got up, sat down next to him, and honestly bowed her head to admit her mistake.

Chu Yan couldn't bring himself to punish her, so he gave up and instructed her, "Tell me, what are the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, and who are they?"

Qin Keqing's expression was solemn as she looked at them and sighed softly, "The Twelve Beauties of Jinling is Leng Zixing... Oh dear!"

The moment Leng Zixing uttered his name, Chu Yan tapped him on the head, making Xiangyun and the others laugh.

Daiyu laughed and said, "I don't believe in Leng Zixing at all. It's clearly the Emperor who lied to us."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Sister Lin, you've wronged me. This isn't a lie. Jianmei, please continue."

Ke Qing smiled and said, "Since I grew up, few people have called me by that nickname anymore." She then said, "That Leng Zixing is also quite shrewd. A few years ago, when he passed through Jinling, he happened to see many beautiful women and flower goddesses in Jinling. Therefore, he ranked twelve of them as the 'Twelve Beauties of Jinling' because they were all exceptionally talented, had tragic backgrounds, and were outstanding in their abilities!"

The crowd reacted with varying expressions, but Chu Yan laughed and scolded, "Nonsense!"

Qin Keqing smiled and hugged his arm, leaning her head close to him and acting coquettishly.

After a while, he smiled at Miaoyu and said, "After you entered the palace as a concubine, eleven of the twelve beauties have already been taken as concubines by His Majesty."

The group exchanged glances.

Chu Yan said, “You don’t need to make wild guesses. Although Leng Zixing listed twelve beauties, before I met you, I also had the idea of ​​seeing your talents and appearances. After meeting you, I truly love you. You are the twelve beauties who deserve to be called the Twelve Beauties. You are outstanding women rarely seen in the world. How can you not be loved?”

Daiyu smiled, pursing her lips.

Since the night she died with tears streaming down her face, and Chu Yan stayed by her side, she never doubted his sincerity.

"Who are the Twelve Beauties?" Xiangyun asked.

"With you here," Chu Yan said with a smile.

Xiangyun was delighted and quickly asked, "Sister Lin, Sister Bao, and Sister Qin must be too, plus Second Sister and her two sisters, that makes eight people in total!"

"You're wrong," Chu Yan corrected with a smile, "Qin'er is not one of the Twelve Beauties."

"what!?"

Doubtful voices arose inside the room, and everyone looked at Baoqin. With such outstanding looks and talent, how could she not be one of the Twelve Beauties?

It's clear that Leng Zixing's arrangement was also random!

Chu Yan and Qin Keqing exchanged a smile.

Keqing smiled and said, "Being ranked among the Twelve Beauties isn't just about looks and talent. Not being among them is actually a good thing. Sister Qin, don't think about it. His Majesty loves and cherishes you, and his affection for you has never changed because you're not one of the Twelve Beauties." Baoqin blushed and said, "I don't care. How could I not see His Majesty's sincere feelings?"

She rarely expressed her feelings in front of everyone.

There was a strange atmosphere in the meditation hall at this moment, as if Qin Keqing was leading them.

Keqing smiled and said, "The Twelve Beauties should include my eldest sister-in-law and Aunt Feng. In addition, Consort Xiande is also a Golden Hairpin."

Yuan Chun has already returned with Empress Zhang and the others; otherwise, she would have been very happy.

Baochai silently counted in her mind and murmured, "Eleven people."

She couldn't help but look at Princess Qinghe; it wasn't her, she wasn't from Jinling.

Looking at Xiuyan again, she was from Jinling.

Everyone guessed it was her and looked over, making Xiuyan a little embarrassed.

"The last one must be Aunt Xing!" Qiao Jie, who had been kept behind by her mother to listen to the poetry recitation, happened to be next to her.

Qin Keqing laughed: "Eldest sister, it's you."

"I?"

Qiao Jie's face froze, clearly at a loss for what to do.

What's even more terrifying is that everyone in the room is looking at her!
Qiaojie, feeling shy and scared, immediately hid in Xiuyan's arms, which made them all laugh.

Chu Yan glanced at Qin Keqing and nodded, saying, "The last of the Twelve Beauties is indeed Qiao Jie, the daughter of Feng Nu, although I don't know how Leng Zixing ranked them."

Everyone was relieved; His Majesty had no intention of taking Qiao Jie as a concubine.

At least not yet.

Daiyu said, "Why bring up that person at a time like this?"

Chu Yan smiled, and seeing Miao Yu staring blankly into space, he lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

It was as if he was saying, "He wants all twelve beauties."

Miaoyu raised her hand to cover her lips subconsciously, staring at him intently. After a long while, she got up and left in a hurry, her usually cool face now flushed with embarrassment.

After a moment of silence, Xiuyan stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I'm going to speak with Miaoyu."

Chu Yan nodded and said, "Tell her that she must come to Yangxin Hall for the New Year's Eve dinner. I will ask the kitchen to prepare vegetarian food."

Xiuyan agreed and chased after him.

Inside the meditation hall, everyone continued to compose poems, but they had lost their poetic inspiration and the poems they wrote were meaningless. Chu Yan waved for them to go back and rest, while he stayed at Longcui Nunnery to wait for Xiuyan to return.

For some reason, Qiao Jie broke free from the old woman's hand and ran to Chu Yan, staring at him with her big, dark eyes.

"What's wrong with Qiao'er?"

Chu Yan smiled.

Qiaojie asked seriously, "How could Uncle Emperor kiss someone's lips so casually?"

Chu Yan laughed loudly, "Because I am the emperor!"

Qiaojie paused for a moment, but being clever, she quickly nodded and said, "My mother said that the emperor is the highest official, in charge of all things in the world."

He then said happily, "When I get back, I'll tell my mother that Uncle Emperor has also included me in the Twelve Beauties!"

Chu Yan pinched her smooth little face: "I didn't arrange the Twelve Beauties."

"Yes, yes!"

Qiao Jie, for some reason, became convinced of this and ran off with a grin. The old woman hurriedly followed, saying, "My little darling, slow down! You're already one of the Twelve Beauties; you should learn some manners as a girl!"

The story of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling spread like wildfire throughout the Grand View Palace.

It is likely that the news will soon spread outside, and the officials of the court, and even the people of the capital, will know that there are twelve beautiful women from Nanjing in the emperor's harem.

After watching Qiao Jie leave, Chu Yan called Qing Wen over: "Go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion and tell Miss Lin that I will go to see her tonight."

Qingwen nodded and left.

Unsurprisingly, Miss Lin had already taken one foot into the position of Empress, and the Emperor treated her especially differently.

"Your Majesty~"

Qin Keqing had returned at some point, stepped across the threshold but didn't come in. She stood there, her tall and graceful figure smiling shyly.

"Does Ke'er have something to say?" Chu Yan asked.

Qin Keqing knelt on the ground, saying, "I have acted presumptuously and feel deeply guilty. I will surely pray to Your Majesty for forgiveness together with my sister in the future!"

Chu Yan's expression was strange. Looking at her slender and graceful back as she knelt, he chuckled and said, "You and your sister are both good at causing trouble. Fortunately, you know my temperament, so I can't do anything about you. Alright, get up and go back. We'll talk about it again next March."

Qin Keqing bowed again, stood up, smiled sweetly at Chu Yan, and then turned and left.

Chu Yan sat alone in the meditation hall. After a while, Yuanyang came to bring tea and couldn't help but say, "His Majesty and Consort Li are no ordinary people. Thinking about it carefully, it's even more miraculous that Miss Lin was able to see His Majesty in her dream. Perhaps it's what 'Leng Zixing' said: that the Twelve Beauties are all reincarnations of the Flower Goddess!"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "There is no Leng Zixing."

Yuanyang laughed, then he suddenly pulled her into his arms, making her both shy and surprised.

Chu Yan teased Yuanyang's face: "Do you know why I wanted you to come into the room?"

The mandarin duck in her arms shook her head and went limp. Having served in the room for so long, she had grown accustomed to being embraced and kissed by the Emperor.

Chu Yan stroked her cheek: "Besides the twelve golden hairpins, there are twelve sets of hairpins, and twelve sets of hairpins in total. You are one of them!"

The mandarin ducks looked on in surprise.

Hongyu, Yuchuan, Wu'er, and others in the meditation hall were also surprised. Since Yuanyang was a secondary hairpin, wouldn't they also be ranked above her?

After a while, Xiuyan hurriedly returned and reported: "Your Majesty, Miaoyu has mostly agreed to enter the palace as a concubine, but she is shy and does not want to say it outright. She is still allowed to stay at Longcui Nunnery. She will be able to understand after some time."

Chu Yan nodded, stood up and said, "I will come to Longcui Nunnery again after the New Year. There will be no one else there then, so I can sit down and chat and drink tea with her and you."

Xiuyan nodded in agreement. Since His Majesty was willing to put in the effort for Miaoyu and had even made her a concubine, it wouldn't be long before Miaoyu would half-heartedly agree to become a concubine as well.

Miaoyu may still refuse to submit, but unfortunately, the one who wants her is the emperor.

"Let's go chat for a while."

Chu Yan took Xiu Yan's hand and led her out of Longcui Nunnery, escorting her back to the Jade Emperor Temple.

On the way, Chu Yan asked, "Does Xiuyan think I'm too domineering?"

Xiuyan quickly shook her head.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "I said I wouldn't blame you for your words."

The naturally open-minded girl nodded shyly and said, "His Majesty is busy with many affairs of state, and Miaoyu has such an eccentric personality. Even though His Majesty forced himself on her in front of the girls, she didn't have any wild thoughts."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "That's right. Never mind, I will treat you well from now on."

Xiuyan smiled gently, leaned into his arms, and looked at him, saying, "I don't really know how Your Majesty treats others, but Your Majesty is very good to me."

Chu Yan put his arm around Xiu Yan's waist, lifted her up, letting her feet dangle in the air, and lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Xiuyan closed her eyes and went along with it.

(End of this chapter)