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

Chapter 296 Springtime Scenery (Part 1)

After hosting a banquet for all the civil and military officials, Chu Yan returned to the Grand View Palace from the palace. After sitting for a while, Daiyu and others also hosted a banquet for the wives of dukes and noblewomen. They then returned to the garden from Rongxi Hall.

Upon hearing of his return, everyone rushed to Yangxintang.

Upon seeing Dai, Xiang, and the others, Chu Yan smiled and asked, "Sister Lin, did the morning audience go smoothly?"

I specifically asked her to answer.

Daiyu stood up and nodded with a smile: "Today, all the noble ladies in the capital came to pay their respects to the Empress, whose throne is now empty. By order of His Majesty, I, along with Third Miss, Sister Feng, and my sisters, hosted a banquet to entertain them and gave them a small gift. The banquet has now ended, and the noble ladies have all left."

Chu Yan raised his hand, gesturing for her to sit down and talk, and then said, "Being Empress is not difficult. I have conquered the whole world, so what is a palace?"

Baoqin smiled and said, "Sister Lin is both beautiful and talented. Everyone who came to pay their respects today was full of admiration when they saw her sitting in the first seat. After learning that Sister Lin was the daughter of a former third-ranked scholar, they praised her even more for her natural majesty!"

Everyone laughed and said yes. Daiyu secretly glanced at Empress Zhang's expression and, seeing that she looked normal, quickly smiled and said, "Your Majesty also held a banquet for the officials in the palace today. I wonder if it went smoothly?"

Chu Yan nodded, chatted with them for a while, then stood up and smiled at Yuan Chun, "Come on, let's go to Tianxiang Tower to watch a play, today is your birthday!"

Yuan Chun declined, saying, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report."

As everyone looked on, she said softly, "Today His Majesty went to the palace to host a banquet for his ministers, and we also held a banquet in the front hall to entertain many noblewomen. Everyone is tired, so I will cancel my birthday banquet here."

Chu Yan looked at her, then at Daiyu and the others, and seeing that they were indeed a bit tired, he nodded and said, "Alright, let's have a simple birthday celebration for you today, and we'll go to Tianxiang Tower tomorrow to make up for it and watch a play again."

Yuan Chun smiled and agreed.

Upon seeing this, everyone ordered their servants to go back and fetch some gifts to present to Yuan Chun. Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and others also came to pay their respects and offer their congratulations, just as Yuan Chun had done before at Fengzao Palace.

After they finished their fuss, Daiyu and the others went back to rest, leaving Yuanchun alone in the warm pavilion to keep Chu Yan company while he read and chatted.

Today is her birthday, and everyone has made a special effort to allow her to be alone with the Emperor.

Chu Yan held Yuan Chun's soft waist and lay with her on the kang (a heated brick bed). The mattress covered their legs and feet, and Yuan Chun nestled obediently in his arms.

Chu Yan stroked Yuan Chun's cheek for a moment and said with a smile, "I have neglected you a lot lately."

Yuan Chun leaned against him and whispered, "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, and there are many concubines in the harem, as well as unfavored girls. I know that I am not outstanding in appearance or talent. If Your Majesty can spend a moment with me, I will have no complaints."

After hearing this, Chu Yan sighed and said, "It's hard for you to be so virtuous. You and the Empress are managing the harem for me. Don't worry, I remember everything."

Yuan Chun smiled and said, "His Majesty intends to make Miss Lin his empress. Lianxin and I have also discussed this privately, and we will entrust Miss Lin with all the affairs of the harem in the future."

Chu Yan asked, "Who is Lianxin?"

Yuan Chun laughed again: "It's the Empress. Her nickname is Xiao Lian. When she was practicing at Huang En Temple, she gave herself a Dharma name, Lian Xin."

Chu Yan suddenly realized, and sighed, "I have also neglected her, and did not ask her about these things."

Yuan Chun comforted him, saying, "It's not His Majesty's fault. She was originally going to stay at Huang'en Temple for two or three years. If His Majesty remembered her, she would come back. If he didn't remember her, she would spend the rest of her life with the green lamp. Not many people know the name Lianxin yet, and many nuns still call her Empress."

Chu Yan nodded, then pondered for a moment and said, "Lianxin... I also quite like this Dharma name."

Yuan Chun said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please don't be offended. She has always been worried that if she were to enter the palace as a concubine again as the former empress, people would laugh at Your Majesty. Therefore, she was somewhat reluctant to accept the title of concubine from Your Majesty, but she dared not mention it in front of Your Majesty."

Chu Yan said, "I'll talk to her about it next time." He stroked Yuan Chun's fair and rosy face and asked her, "Are you worried about this?"

Yuan Chun shook her head slightly, "My reputation is not well-known, so I am not afraid of being remembered."

Chu Yan laughed and teased, "Who doesn't know about the Virtuous Consort?" He then recited, "For twenty years she has distinguished right from wrong, and the pomegranate blossoms illuminate the official residence."

Yuan Chun asked curiously, "Is Your Majesty referring to me in this poem?"

Chu Yan rolled over and pinned her beneath him. Gazing at Jia Yuanchun's dignified face, he couldn't help but cup her in his hands and lower his head to kiss her.

Yuan Chun quickly abandoned her previous question and wholeheartedly tried to please her.

The two made up happily on the kang (heated brick bed).

Today is her birthday, and Chu Yan didn't ask Baoqin to come. Plus, she was tired, so the party ended quickly.

After Baoqin and Xiangling wiped their bodies, Chu Yan wrapped Yuan Chun in a blanket and carried her back to the bedroom.

"Your Majesty, please don't do this again next time," Yuan Chun advised him from his arms. "Qingwen got a fever last night because she went out without clothes on."

Chu Yan smiled and said, "It's alright."

Yuan Chun laughed and said, "Only if Lin Daiyu persuades His Majesty will it be effective."

"No, Lin Daiyu won't say anything if she sees that I'm healthy. Of course, I'm not blaming you either."

Chu Yan played with the person in his arms, and Yuan Chun didn't mind. However, after being caressed so much, she couldn't help but have wild thoughts. In addition, the two of them were covered with the same quilt and chatted on the bed like a married couple.

She suddenly remembered something and said with a shy smile, "His Majesty is very vigorous, and it is difficult for me alone to serve him..." She paused and then said, "My three younger sisters have been in the palace for some time now. His Majesty has favored the second sister. I wonder when His Majesty will summon the third sister to serve him?"

Before Chu Yan could ask, Yuan Chun explained, "My third sister is the Minister of the Daguan Palace, but she doesn't have a formal title of imperial concubine yet. Although she hasn't said it, I guess she's anxious about it."

Chu Yan laughed and asked, "Where's your fourth sister?"

Yuan Chun asked, "Does Your Majesty wish to favor Fourth Sister first? That is fine. There is no need to follow their ages. Sister Yun will be favored first as well."

Chu Yan shook his head and whispered something in her ear.

Yuan Chun's eyes widened in shock. Even with her usual composure and dignified manners, she couldn't help but complain, "How could Your Majesty have come up with such a thing..."

As soon as she spoke, she suddenly remembered that when Chu Yan first entered the palace, he forced her to attend a banquet with the Empress, ordered her to play the zither, and ordered the Empress to dance.

Looking back on those humiliating events now, it feels like a lifetime ago.

It was only because the Emperor had been treating them well lately that she forgot... that His Majesty was actually extremely fond of women.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "It's only human nature. I want to see the beauty of the four ladies of the Jia family. If you refuse, I can't make things difficult for you now, otherwise I would be heartless."

When he first entered the palace, he was able to forcefully issue an imperial decree ordering the Empress and Consort of the Shun Dynasty to dance for his amusement.

But now that they have known each other for a long time, Yuan Chun has feelings for him, and he also likes her and Empress Zhang, so forcing them would be too heartless.

"Ugh……"

Yuan Chun sighed deeply, nestled against his chest, and said softly and shyly, "Your Majesty is magnanimous and benevolent, and I should serve you with all my heart. However, although Your Majesty is wise and powerful, I also worry that Your Majesty will become infatuated with the beauties of the harem..."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "How have I become addicted?"

Yuan Chun, amused and annoyed, changed her tone and said, "In Your Majesty's harem, Miss Lin and Miss Bao are naturally exceptional; I noticed their extraordinary beauty when I visited my family. Leaving aside the beauty of Sister Yun and Sister Qin, just consider Consort Qin alone—she is the most beautiful woman in the entire harem. That day, at the spring pool…"

She was ashamed to recall that summer day when the concubines indulged in debauchery with the emperor at the spring pool. Chu Yan said, "Don't worry, I know my limits. Although you are alluring, I am still the founding emperor who led the army to conquer the world."

Yuan Chun responded and hugged him tightly.

She had thought about it a few times: what would happen if the previous dynasty had loyal ministers who attacked the capital again?
At that time, she would probably abandon everything and either stay with him to the death or retreat to the capital and never return to the Shun Dynasty.

After a long pause, Yuan Chun said softly, "Tomorrow I will talk to my three younger sisters. My second sister will definitely agree. My fourth sister is cold-hearted, but she listens to His Majesty very much, so she will probably agree as well. Only my third sister is not yet married, so she may feel ashamed. I will try to persuade her then."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "You don't need to go. I'll go find them tomorrow, and we'll sleep together tomorrow night!"

Yuan Chun remained silent for a long while, then said with a hint of resentment, "Your Majesty really can't wait even a day longer..."

Chu Yan said, "Yuan Chun, Ying Chun, Tan Chun, Xi Chun, you four sisters of the Jia family, I... will show you more affection tomorrow night!"

Yuan Chun dared not utter a sound.

It wasn't for any other reason than that she sensed His Majesty was in high spirits, and that if he said another word, he would be in trouble.

She had been pampered enough tonight and only wanted to sleep tenderly with His Majesty, not to cause any more trouble.

I'll serve him tomorrow night...

After a while, Chu Yan said, "Go to sleep. There is no court session tomorrow, so you can sleep a little longer with my beloved concubine."

Yuan Chun smiled and hugged the Emperor tightly once more.

……

I got up the next day.

Chu Yan indeed slept in late, but Yuan Chun couldn't stay awake any longer and got up first, asking Fang Guan and Ling Guan to go to bed with him.

After a while, Baochai came into the room and saw Chu Yan reading a book on the bed, with two beautiful and charming young actresses on the bed, their clothes scattered everywhere.

Baochai blushed for a moment, but did not dodge. She sat on the edge of the bed and smiled, "It is rare for the Emperor to have time to rest. During the Song and Ming dynasties, many emperors did not attend court. However, Your Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler and is not like them."

Chu Yan pulled Baochai down onto the quilt, stroking her cheek as he looked at his book and said with a smile, "The new dynasty has just been established, so there are many affairs to attend to. Once the world is at peace, it will be fine to hold court every three to five days."

He then asked her, "Are you the only one who came? Where are Yun'er and the others?"

Baochai said, "Qin'er is at home. Yun'er should go home and talk to her aunt."

Chu Yan finally put down his book and looked at Baochai. He saw that she was wearing a winter dress and a thick coat, but it still couldn't hide her plump figure.

He was in particularly high spirits today, and couldn't help but reach out and lift Baochai onto the bed. He teased her fair and delicate face with his fingers and said with a smile, "Miss Bao, are you afraid your hands are cold?"

Baochai's cheeks flushed, and she gently shook her head. Then, his hand reached inside.

"His Majesty!"

She said she wasn't afraid of the cold, but when Chu Yan's hand touched her waist and abdomen, she still couldn't help but tremble.

It takes time to get used to it.

A moment later, Chu Yan withdrew his hand, sniffed his palm, and was greeted by the smooth, delicate fragrance of a virgin. Baochai was already blushing and nestled in his arms.

Chu Yanxin said contentedly in her ear, "Chai'er is becoming more and more of my favorite. With your talent, beauty and character, you are more than qualified to be the empress. It's a pity that there can only be one empress in the world."

Baochai said softly, “Your Majesty need not say such things. I dare not aspire to the rank of Empress. On New Year’s Eve, Your Majesty said in public that I had the air of a Noble Consort, and I was already overjoyed and grateful to have won Your Majesty’s favor.”

Chu Yan smiled and nodded, cuddling her tenderly for a moment before getting up and lazily washing up and changing clothes.

In the afternoon, Chu Yan did not take a nap. After lunch, he first sent someone to Zilingzhou to inquire. After learning that Yingchun was at home, he got up and went to her place.

Upon arriving at Zilingzhou, he saw Yingchun standing at the gate, accompanied by a group of maids and servants. They rushed to greet him upon seeing him.

"No need to be polite."

Chu Yan took Yingchun's hand and led her into the house. Under Yingchun's guidance, they entered the warm pavilion of Zilingzhou.

After sitting down, Chu Yan smiled and said, "I don't come here often, so I didn't even know where your warm room was."

Yingchun became a little reserved again, and forced a smile as she said, "Your Majesty does not know, but my warm pavilion is a separate room, and the space is small. Usually, when the sisters come, there is barely enough room for them to sit down."

Chu Yan asked, "Should we make it bigger?"

Yingchun hurriedly replied, "There's no need to go through all that trouble. I'm used to it. Besides, the sisters don't come every day."

Chu Yan nodded and asked, "Where is your Siqi?"

Yingchun called Siqi in. Chu Yan looked at this tall and robust maid. She was only slightly pretty, but her figure was unmatched in the entire garden, even by Aunt Xue.

Chu Yan smiled at her and said, "Your young lady is shy again. Siqi, you teach your young lady how to get close to me."

Siqi chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. Yingchun, sitting next to her, blushed and stood up, bowing her head in apology.

Siqi took her hand and pushed her onto the kang (a heated brick bed), where she fell directly into Chu Yan's arms. She laughed and said, "Your Majesty, please don't be offended. The young lady is a bit shy and timid. She has served Your Majesty several times and stayed in Your Majesty's room for five days. Today, Your Majesty came to the young lady's house, and the young lady sat far away. How could this be?"

Chu Yan hugged Yingchun tightly and sighed, "I didn't know you were like this, Er Mu Tou. I'll definitely come here more often from now on. I was just joking earlier, don't take it to heart."

Yingchun was held tightly in his arms for a long while before she whispered, "I know Your Majesty was just joking with me and didn't mean to make fun of me. I'm happy that Your Majesty came to me... I was flustered just now and didn't dare to get close to Your Majesty."

"Why don't you dare?"

Chu Yan gestured for Si Qi to take off Ying Chun's shoes, then embraced her and helped her onto the kang (heated brick bed), where they shared a quilt.

Siqi did not leave; she remained seated in the same chair.

The Emperor visited the young ladies several times, and she and Xiuju served them. Yingchun stayed with the Emperor for a few days, and they also served him for a few days.

That's why His Majesty just called her over to play around with the girl.

Yingchun whispered, "It's not that I dare not, but I'm afraid that His Majesty will look down on me... In the harem, all the sisters are better than me, and they can write poetry better than me."

Chu Yan understood; it turned out that Yingchun was feeling inferior.

She was by nature timid and yielding, unable to even control the old women in her own room, let alone compete with the outstanding young ladies in the garden.

Even Consort Zhou and others probably wouldn't dare to argue with her, even though she had already been granted the title of Consort Shun.

(End of this chapter)