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

Chapter 292 Qingwen Sheyue warms the bed
Chu Yan and Daiyu returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and since he had just shown favor to the Jia and Xue families, Baoqin and the others had no more worries, and their faces were filled with joy.

Chu Yan and the others took a leisurely stroll around the garden, visited Zilingzhou and Daohuacun, and watched Jia Lan practice calligraphy for a while.

An hour later, Daiyu said she was tired and wanted to go back to her room to rest.

Chu Yan asked, "And you?"

Baochai smiled and said, "I will also accompany His Majesty on a tour."

Xiangyun and Baoqin also said they wanted to come along, and Chu Yan nodded and said, "We'll take Lin Daiyu back later, and then we'll stop by Qinghe for a while and have lunch."

The group then went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion and escorted Daiyu into the room. Chu Yan took her hand and stroked her cheek twice. She had just told him her heartfelt thoughts, saying that she wanted to see him more often.

Daiyu blushed, understanding the meaning behind his gesture of touching her face, and said, "Your Majesty and the ladies should go for a stroll. If I have time in the evening, I will go to Yangxin Hall."

"it is good."

Chu Yan cupped her face in his hands, and under the watchful eyes of Xiangyun and the others, he lowered his head and kissed Daiyu's rosy lips, giving her a deep kiss.

Xiangyun, Baochai, and Baoqin turned their heads away in embarrassment, but secretly watched the two of them. They clearly saw that Daiyu's face was flushed from the kiss, she was panting, and her legs were weak. It took her a while to push him away.

Chu Yan and Daiyu looked at each other, savoring the moment before smiling and letting go.

Daiyu remained silent, blushing and quickly hid in her room, which made Xiangyun laugh behind her back.

"let's go."

Chu Yan smiled and went out with the three of them. When they reached the covered walkway, Baochai said with a shy smile, "It's quite amusing when Lin Daiyu is shy. I've rarely seen her being hugged and kissed by His Majesty."

These women were all concubines in the imperial harem, and they often played in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where the emperor would hold them in his arms and show them his favor. That is why Baochai dared to say such things.

Not to mention that Xiangyun was already married.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Miss Bao, would you like to try your Lin sister's rouge?"

"What His Majesty said..."

Before Baochai could react, Chu Yan pulled her into his arms, and his rouge-covered, full lips were captured by her, kissed, and savored.

“Your Majesty…” Baoqin’s eyes were strange; she understood the meaning behind her husband’s words.

Inside the room, Daiyu saw this scene through the crack in the window and remembered that night when he kissed Baochai first before coming back to kiss her.

At that time, she said that Chu Yan's mouth tasted like Baochai, so he hugged her and kept kissing her to make her cover up the taste of Baochai.

Now, the tables have turned. Baochai tasted her rouge, and it overshadowed her flavor.

"Go quickly, I need to rest."

Daiyu felt a pang of jealousy, but mindful of her status as the "future empress," she only spoke softly.

Her voice was already soft, so when she spoke softly, no one could hear her.

Daiyu clearly saw that after Chu Yan kissed Baochai, he smiled at Xiangyun and said, "Would you like to taste your Baochai's rouge?"

"Dark Lord!"

Daiyu glared at him through the window, then pulled Xiangyun into her arms and kissed her lips with the same lips she had just kissed Baochai.

Baoqin was left alone, and needless to say, she couldn't escape either. Baoqin was shy and wanted to leave, but Chu Yan pulled her back, smiled and kissed her a few times, making Baoqin blush.

Daiyu couldn't sit still any longer. She quickly opened the window and shouted outside, "You tyrant, stop! Sister Qin, run away quickly!"

Baoqin and Xiangyun covered their faces in embarrassment and laughed, then quickly pulled the Emperor away.

After they went outside, the blush on their faces gradually faded. Chu Yan held Bao Qin's hand, while Bao Chai and Xiang Yun accompanied them.

As the four walked, Xiangyun pursed her lips, then suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, turned to Baochai and smiled, saying, "What kind of rouge does Sister Bao use? It smells so fragrant."

Baochai was extremely embarrassed and raised her hand to pinch her cheek: "It's all in the past, why do you have to bring it up again!"

Xiangyun quickly hid behind Chu Yan and played around with her sister Bao for a while.

Chu Yan looked over and saw that Xiangyun was lively and spirited, while Baochai was charming and graceful, her beautiful figure trembling even under the thick winter clothes.

"Husband~" Baoqin tiptoed and chuckled in his ear. Chu Yan glanced at her and knew that his sister Qin had seen where his gaze was.

He reached out and embraced Baoqin's waist, whispering in her ear, "Your husband also likes Qin'er."

This sentence was far more powerful than kissing her in front of Daiyu and the others. Baoqin's face turned bright red, and she looked at him with affection in her eyes. She even ignored everything and took the initiative to lean in and kiss him for a moment.

"Your Majesty, there are many people watching."

Baochai came to her senses and gently and smilingly tried to dissuade the two of them.

Yuanyang, Qingwen, and some eunuchs and palace maids followed from a distance.

Chu Yan smiled and walked with them past Yihong Courtyard again without going in. They crossed Baishi Bridge, then Longcui Nunnery, and headed towards Qingtang Thatched Cottage near the East Corner Gate.

Qingwen walked quickly forward, and Chu Yan, seeing her intention, said, "Qingwen, there's no need to call her."

Qingwen stopped and smiled, "I wonder if the princess is at home."

Chu Yan didn't mind and said, "If they're not here, we'll go to Hengwu Garden."

Fortunately, after entering the thatched cottage, Qinghe heard the noise and came out. Seeing that it was Chu Yan and Xiangyun, he quickly called his sister-in-law and the little princesses to come out and greet them.

"The Empress is here too?"

Chu Yan walked over with a smile, and pulled the dignified and gentle Empress Zhang into the house. The warm room of the thatched cottage could barely accommodate a few people. Chu Yan leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), holding Qinghe in his arms, while Empress Zhang stood to the side.

Xiangyun went to tease the little princesses.

After chatting with Qinghe for a while, Chu Yan asked Empress Zhang, "Does Your Majesty think it's not good to live in the front courtyard?"

Empress Zhang replied that it was not.

Chu Yan said, "Several women from the Jia family live in the front yard, which is a bit inconvenient on weekdays. There are still a few houses in Huifang Garden. We can renovate them next year and let you move in."

Empress Zhang was both moved and sighed. She rose and bowed to express her gratitude, saying, "Your Majesty has been very considerate of me. I am deeply honored. Living in the front courtyard or in Huifang Garden is not much different, but it would be more convenient to come to Qinghe from Huifang Garden."

Chu Yan raised his hand and pinched her cheek, laughing, "See, if I don't say anything, you won't say anything either."

Empress Zhang smiled and said, "In that case, I have one more request of Your Majesty."

"what?"

"From this day forward, I will no longer be called Empress."

She said seriously.

She had previously acquiesced to the title of Empress in order to comply with the new emperor's preferences. However, now that a new empress is about to appear, it would be somewhat presumptuous for her to retain the title of Empress. No matter how magnanimous the new empress is, there will still be people in the palace who will criticize her.

Everyone looked over. Chu Yan thought for a while and nodded, saying, "After Consort Xie arrives in the capital, I will no longer call you Empress in front of others. As for the rest of the palace, you may still call her Empress at your residence." He rubbed her face and said, "Let's do it that way."

Zhang had no choice but to bow, and then smiled at Qinghe, saying, "There's no need to change the title of princess. Before the concubines gave birth to His Majesty's princess, there was only one eldest princess in the harem, Qinghe."

Chu Yan chuckled and hugged the still bewildered Qinghe affectionately.

At noon, after having lunch with Qinghe, Xiangyun and the others took their leave to rest, while Chu Yan stayed behind to take a nap with the princess and Empress Zhang.

In the afternoon, when he returned to Yangxin Hall, Qingwen came to ask about putting up couplets. He was in high spirits and wrote a bunch of them.

As dinner time approached, Daiyu arrived, along with Keqing and the others. Chu Yan ate dinner with them, but because he was reluctant to let Daiyu go home in the cold night, he told them to go home early.

For a moment, Yangxin Hall fell silent, and even Xiangyun and Yuanchun did not come.

Chu Yan was reading on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Qingwen sat beside him, fiddling with something in her hands. After a while, she said, "Tell Wu'er to prepare some paste. Go around dinner time. She hasn't come back yet. I wonder if she's been slacking off again!"

Chu Yan reached out and, while reading a book, pulled Qingwen into his arms.

Just as I was about to speak, a sound came from outside. Wu'er came in, breathing out hot air, carrying a small plate filled with cooked paste.

Seeing Qingwen's unpleasant expression, she quickly explained, "The people in the kitchen said that the paste needs to be heated up a bit to prevent it from freezing soon, and they told me to tell Sister Qingwen to put up the couplets quickly, so I rushed back."

Qingwen quickly took the plate and said, "You're so clumsy! Why didn't you tell them to cook more? It's not easy for it to freeze!"

Wu'er said, "My mother said that there are fixed rules for what's in the kitchen, and we can't use more than necessary without the permission of the Third Miss and Grandma Feng."

Qingwen thought for a moment and then laughed, "That's right, we need to save money on the garden now. Alright, Musk Moon, come with me quickly, let's go put up the couplets!"

Chu Yan finally smiled and said, "You've been busy all day. You can have someone else do these things."

Qingwen said, "This calligraphy was written by His Majesty; it's the Emperor's masterpiece, extremely precious." She then added with a smile, "The Jia family previously acquired several pieces of imperial calligraphy, which they framed and displayed prominently. Now, however, we can display them everywhere; everywhere we look, we see the Emperor's calligraphy!"

The maids inside laughed. Hongyu picked up the couplet, looked at it, and said with a smile, "His Majesty's calligraphy is so good! Even Miss Lin praised it and asked for a pair to take back."

After dinner, Daiyu saw the couplets placed everywhere, so she pulled Chu Yan to the desk and watched him write with Xiangyun, Keqing, Tanchun and others. Chu Yan wrote them all in one go.

During their casual conversation, Qingwen pasted the couplets on the door inside the house, then braved the cold wind to go outside, climbed a ladder to the top, and pasted the largest couplet on the doorpost of Yangxin Hall.

When she returned, her pretty and charming face was quite cold. Chu Yan beckoned her over and hugged her to warm her up.

Although Xiangling and Hongyu were in the room, and Fangguan was on the kang, Qingwen still couldn't help but snuggle into his arms.

Only when the girls are not around can they receive the Emperor's favor.

Chu Yan rubbed Qingwen's face and said, "Come warm my bed tonight?"

Qingwen looked up at him and smiled, then replied, "Musk Moon and I will warm His Majesty's bed together!"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Alright, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Although your cousin is not very close to you, you can send him some money during the New Year."

Qingwen wrinkled her nose and said reluctantly, "He and I don't usually have much contact. I've been in the manor for several years, and I haven't seen his family treat me any well. Since Your Majesty says so, I'll send one tael of silver and pick out some things to give them."

Chu Yan nodded, without explaining why.

Actually, he was thinking about Qingwen's fate on the Fairy Disenchantment's Love List. After being driven out of the Jia family, she was taken in by her cousin.

Perhaps because she hadn't felt any family affection, Qingwen called out for her mother all night before she died.

"I'll ask the Third Miss to add another five taels and send it over, so that it'll sound better as six taels," Chu Yan changed his mind.

Having never received any favors from her aunts, uncles, or cousins, Qingwen was even more unwilling, grumbling about how the garden wasn't very wealthy, but in the end she still obeyed.

Chu Yan remembered something and asked, "Is it convenient for you to ask the Third Miss for money on a regular basis?"

Qingwen smiled and said, "Third Miss will have someone put it in the account and will send someone to fetch the silver without asking any questions."

Chu Yan said, "That's fine. When you see her tomorrow, tell her that you've worked hard and that if you're too busy, you can leave it to Feng Nu to manage."

Just then, Yuanyang came into the room and, upon hearing this, laughed and said, "If we ask Grandma Feng to manage the money, isn't that like asking a rat to watch the lamp oil?"

Everyone in the room laughed and agreed.

It was past midnight.

Qingwen and Sheyue went to bed early to warm up their blankets. They covered themselves with a specially made large blanket and used another blanket to cover their feet. They also placed hot water bottles in the bedding, and soon the bed was warm and cozy.

Musk Moon yawned and said, "I wonder when His Majesty will go to sleep."

Qingwen, huddled in her blankets, said, "He would usually be asleep by this time, but these past few days, since he doesn't have to attend court, he's been sleeping later."

Musk Moon turned to her and smiled, "How dare you say that?"

Qingwen realized she had misspoke and shouldn't address the Emperor directly, but she didn't mind. She smiled and said, "His Majesty won't blame me for such a small matter. Don't tell anyone, or Sister Yuanyang will scold me again."

Although the women in the room were all senior maids, Yuanyang was capable and eloquent, and gradually even Qingwen respected her.

The two remained quiet on the emperor's dragon bed for a while.

Musk Moon suddenly turned her head and whispered, "If His Majesty were to favor us tonight..."

Qingwen blushed and after a long while, she said, "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Your Majesty should rest for the night. You have things to do tomorrow."

“That’s true.” Musk Moon lay back down, covered with the warm blankets, and couldn’t help but daydream, “If it were you and me… I wonder who would get pregnant first.”

"What did you say?!"

Qingwen propped herself up and glared at her.

Musk Moon laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? Which concubine in the harem doesn't hope to give birth to a prince or princess?"

Qingwen laughed and said, "I'll tear your mouth apart and see if you're not ashamed!"

The two were playfully frolicking on the bed when they suddenly noticed someone else beside it. They quickly stopped, knelt on the bed, and blushed, saying, "Your Majesty..."

"Yes, I like watching it."

Chu Yan chuckled, and Yu Chuan, Yuan Yang, and Hong Yu behind him all laughed, making Qing Wen and She Yue blush even more, as they had just made a fool of themselves with their clothes disheveled.

Hongyu and Yuchuan came up to help Chu Yan undress, while Qingwen and Sheyue crawled back into bed. Only after Chu Yan had changed his clothes did the two of them lift the covers.

A delicate, virginal fragrance wafted towards me.

They warmed the bed for a while, and the bedding took on the scent of the young girl. Chu Yan lay down between the two of them, and Yuanyang and Hongyu knelt down on the bed to tuck him in.

Since the three of them were sleeping together, there were three quilts on the large bed. One large quilt covered all three of them, one blanket covered their feet to prevent drafts, and another spare quilt was provided in case they were pulled apart. They didn't want to disturb Chu Yan, so they didn't dare to cover themselves with the quilt.

Yuanyang took the hot water bottle, lowered the gauze curtain, blew out the candles, and left with Hongyu and Yuchuan.

Inside the room, Chu Yan lay between Qingwen and Sheyue, reaching out to embrace them both.

(End of this chapter)