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

Chapter 297 Springtime Scenery (Part 2)

Chu Yan held Yingchun's soft hand in his palm, playing with her fingers, and said, "I love your beauty and talent, so I keep you in the palace. I can't bear to let any of you go. I have too many concubines, so I can't spare the time to spend with you."

Yingchun glanced at him, her face flushed with shyness, and said, "In terms of looks and figure, I am not outstanding. Your Majesty has kept me in the palace and bestowed upon me the title of Consort Shun. I do not know how to express my gratitude to Your Majesty..."

Chu Yan smiled, and Siqi, who still looked tall and robust sitting on the kang, quickly said with a smile, "His Majesty loves you, that's why he's telling you these things from his heart."

Yingchun, belatedly realizing what was happening, reached out and hugged Chu Yan, saying, "I'm so happy that Your Majesty can visit me from time to time. I also visit Yangxin Hall occasionally." She then lowered her head shyly, adding, "If I could bear Your Majesty a son or daughter, you would have someone to rely on in the future..."

Siqi quickly gave the young lady a meaningful look. These words were spoken to her by the First Madam; how could she say them in front of His Majesty?
Chu Yan laughed and teased Yingchun's cheek, saying, "Then you'll have to visit my room often to be favored, so you can get pregnant with my child sooner."

Yingchun's round, fair face was flushed with shyness. Seeing this, Siqi quietly got up and left.

Yingchun glanced at her, and gradually regained the intimate feeling she had when she was with Chu Yan. She nestled in his arms and asked softly, "His Majesty said last time that he wanted me to serve with my elder sister."

Chu Yan smiled and said, "I came here for this very reason. Tonight, the four of you sisters..."

He whispered this in Yingchun's ear, and Yingchun blushed deeply, stammering, "As the saying goes, a wife should obey her husband. I... I will obey Your Majesty."

Ermutou is so sensible it breaks my heart!

Chu Yan held her tenderly for a while, asking her if she had been wronged lately, whether the maids and servants dared to bully her, and how her mother was waiting.

Yingchun smiled and said, "I'm doing well at home. Siqi and Xiuju both speak up for me, and whenever my mother comes to visit, she always kowtows and bows before speaking to me."

She spoke somewhat shyly, but she had already accepted that she had become Consort Shun, possessing a status even more noble than her parents, and was no longer being scolded by Madam Xing as before.

Chu Yan nodded and said, "You are easy-going and not good at arguing with others. We will instruct Siqi and Xiuju to speak up for you. If you are wronged by other girls, come and tell me."

Yingchun was taken aback, then quickly smiled and said, "I won't argue with my sisters."

Chu Yan smiled and said, "I know, but in the future—"

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I was afraid that you would quarrel with each other, and it would be impossible to tell who was right and who was wrong. I didn't know who to help. Fortunately, you are all noble ladies, and you are usually amicable and respectable people."

Yingchun thought for a moment and slowly said, "My third sister, Lin sister, Bao sister, and I have been playing together since we were little. We have never had a fight. Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will not compete with my sisters for anything."

Chu Yan smiled and said no more.

Yingchun removed the necklace from her neck, opened the golden gourd to reveal a talisman, and looked at him with some unease: "Your Majesty..."

Hesitant to speak.

Chu Yan closed the golden gourd with his hand and reassured him, "Don't worry, nothing will happen!"

Yingchun said in a low voice, "After I came back and went to sleep, I had a strange dream about Qingwen's illness."

"What dream?" Chu Yan quickly asked her. These girls, whose names were on the Fairy Disenchantment's Love Ranking, had quite a few dreams!

Yingchun looked at him and said, "I dreamt that I flew to the capital and saw a fairy goddess leading more than ten fairies down to earth. After seeing me, the fairies all laughed and said, 'Linghua, you have been in the mortal world for more than ten years. You have married, experienced the ups and downs of human relationships, and enjoyed... the emperor's favor. It is time for you to go back. Would you like to come back with us?'"

When she mentioned the emperor, she paused and hurriedly changed her words.

Chu Yan remained silent for a while before asking, "What did you reply?"

He thought of the Fairy Disenchantment in the Dream of the Red Chamber, who would indeed descend to the mortal world from time to time to investigate.

Yingchun said, "I replied to them, 'I'm not going back. I have the Emperor's love, and I have parents, brothers, and sisters at home.'"

"and then?"

"The fairies all expressed their regret and told me that I would soon fall seriously ill and that I should wear the amulet my sister gave me."

"...Zhaojun, Jinghuan!"

Chu Yan gritted his teeth and said to Yingchun, "Don't worry about this. There will be results in three months."

Yingchun smiled gently.

Knowing that the Emperor was leaving, she got up to see him off, escorting him to the door and watching his back recede into the distance before returning inside.

Siqi said regretfully, "I thought you were going to be favored tonight, Miss."

Yingchun blushed slightly and stammered, "We're going to Yangxintang tonight..."

However, she wasn't the only one; there were four sisters.

……

Chu Yan quickly arrived at Qiushuangzhai. Tan Chun was not at home, so the old woman went to look for her. Before long, she returned.

"His Majesty!"

Tan Chun hurriedly entered the room to pay her respects. Chu Yan smiled and waved to her. When Tan Chun came over, he casually pulled her into his arms.

After some casual conversation, Tan Chun smiled and said, "I have something I'd like to report to His Majesty."

"You said."

"Last time, the palace eunuchs were searched, and land deeds, house deeds, shops, gold, silver and antiques, etc., amounted to about six million taels. Of these, four million two hundred thousand taels were recorded in the palace’s inner treasury account book, and the rest were recorded in the Daguan Palace account book. Sister Feng has already ordered people to find buyers and sell some of the shops and antiques to replenish the palace’s coffers."

Tan Chun reported everything.

Chu Yan lay back on the kang, holding her hand and laughing, "I trust you to be the Minister of the Daguan Palace. Feng Nu is capable, but she is greedy. If you think she has done something wrong in the future, just scold her. You are a Minister and also a concubine, so don't be afraid of your sister-in-law."

Tan Chun nodded and said, "Yes, I've kept Your Majesty's words in mind. There's one more thing... um."

Chu Yan covered her mouth with his hand and said, "You can decide other things yourself, but I have something important to tell you."

"What's the big deal?"

"..."

After hearing this, Tan Chun's usually bright and spirited face flushed red, and she couldn't help but say resentfully, "How could Your Majesty come up with such an absurd idea? There are four of us sisters..."

Chu Yan held her hand and smiled, "I've heard that there are stories of people enjoying the blessings of having multiple wives, and I'd like to experience what it's like to do it. You four sisters are all beautiful and talented, and I want to cherish you all more!"

These words were quite shameless, but to get them to agree, the only options besides issuing an imperial decree to force them to serve him were to coax and persuade them in this way.

Tan Chun blushed, lowered her head and thought for a long time before shyly nodding slowly. Then she asked suspiciously, "Did both eldest sister and second sister agree?"

"Yes."

"Plus me, aside from Fourth Sister... Fourth Sister is aloof by nature, so she probably won't refuse His Majesty." Tan Chun analyzed for a moment, then covered her face and turned away shyly: "His Majesty will be able to enjoy the bliss of having two women tonight!"

Chu Yan smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Tan Chun gradually calmed down, recalling the first time she met Chu Yan.

At that time, the two met for the first time, their relationship was cold, and they had no feelings for each other. The emperor issued the decree in a cold and ruthless manner, demonstrating his supreme imperial authority.

Now, when he asked the four of them to serve him again, he came to each of them individually to discuss the matter.

Tan Chun looked at him and said, "His Majesty loves us, so we are not entirely wronged. However, I am a little worried that His Majesty's reputation in future generations may be tarnished by us."

The imperial harem was filled with beauties, which Tan Chun had seen all of. There was the graceful and charming Daiyu, the plump and dignified Baochai, as well as Consort Qin, Xiangyun, Baoqin, and other women such as Sister-in-law Feng, Sister-in-law Da, and the Empress.

With such beauty before him, Tan Chun worried that the Emperor would become obsessed and, like those in history books, be condemned by posterity. Chu Yan laughed and said, "Only incompetent and tyrannical emperors are condemned for their lust for women. Wise and mighty emperors will only be praised by posterity for their bravery. As the saying goes, heroes love beauties!"

Tan Chun chuckled and agreed, saying, "Your Majesty has established the empire and launched a northern expedition against the Jurchens, making you a truly great ruler. I have recently heard about Your Majesty's achievements in the court, and it seems as if I can see Your Majesty working diligently to create a prosperous era!"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "You will see in the future that I will make the world anew."

Tan Chun looked at him with admiration and felt honored. After a moment, she said shyly, "We girls cannot achieve great things like His Majesty. We can only serve His Majesty well in the back garden... Tonight, let the four of us sisters serve His Majesty together."

The third daughter, Tan Chun, was unusually shy and couldn't lift her head.

Chu Yan couldn't resist the urge and tried to kiss her, but Tan Chun smiled and refused, blushing as she said, "Your Majesty, please wait until tonight."

Chu Yan had no choice but to give up. After sitting for a while, he got up and went to Nuanxiangwu.

Xi Chun came out to greet him, and Chu Yan took her hand and led her into the house, only to find that she was painting.

"Why are you still painting in this cold weather?" Chu Yan asked while admiring her artwork.

Xichun said, "It's just a little break in the midst of a busy schedule. We're going to Tianxiang Tower to watch a play this afternoon, and I'll draw some pictures when I have time in the morning."

Chu Yan saw that she had already drawn up the outline of the painting, and all the figures and scenes were drawn on it. For example, the place where Daiyu buried flowers was drawn in the upper right corner.

Chu Yan told her about what happened tonight.

Xichun nodded and said, "Okay."

Chu Yan looked at her, chuckled, and teased her aloof yet adorable face: "Why didn't Fourth Sister ask a few more questions?"

Xi Chun hadn't blushed before, but now that his fingers were caressing her cheek, her face slowly turned red. She replied, "His Majesty wants us sisters to serve him in bed, so we'll go and serve him. Why ask so many questions?"

Chu Yan said, "There's seven parts resentment in those words."

Xichun quickly said, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. There is no resentment on your part. I just think that Your Majesty usually treats the young ladies well. Eldest sister is currently favored and has a gentle and peaceful nature, so she will surely agree. Second sister has always been submissive and will also agree."

Chu Yan laughed: "Where's your third sister?"

Xichun continued, "Third Sister is trusted by His Majesty and manages the vast Daguan Palace, so she will agree."

Chu Yan couldn't help but pinch her little face and sighed, "Everyone says that Daiyu and Baochai are clever, but they don't know that Xichun is also so quick-witted."

Xichun said, "People are often burdened by their cleverness; sometimes it's better to be a little confused."

Chu Yan said, "It's better to be smart. A smart person can pretend to be a fool, but a fool can't pretend to be smart."

Xichun chuckled, nestled into his arms, and whispered shyly, "I'll come back early this afternoon to bathe. After Your Majesty returns from the opera, I'll go to Your Majesty's room."

"it is good!"

Chu Yan was in a good mood and hugged Xi Chun and kissed her several times. Xi Chun laughed and said, "Your Majesty is pretending to be stupid."

Xi Chun, who usually observes the world with a cold eye, is now frolicking with a man, revealing the charm and cuteness of a young girl.

Chu Yan chuckled and sighed, "You all see right through me."

She wasn't pretending to be stupid just now, but rather pretending to be a lecher. Xichun is a lady from a respectable family. Although she had heard some of Jia Zhen's romantic escapades, she had never actually seen what a lecherous man looked like.

All she knew was that the emperor had kissed her fiercely on purpose, which was why she laughed and said he was pretending to be stupid.

After teasing Xichun for a while, making her regain some of her charming and cute girlish appearance, Chu Yan got up and left.

……

Nothing was said that afternoon.

Chu Yan accompanied Yuan Chun to watch a play at Tianxiang Tower. Ke Qing, Feng Jie, Li Wan, Daiyu, Xiangyun, and others were also there. However, they did not watch until the end. Daiyu was still unwell and went back to rest after watching for an hour.

Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun also left one after another, prompting Keqing to ask in surprise, "Why did my third sister leave too?"

Chu Yan smiled but remained silent.

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), at Yuanchun's suggestion, the play ended early, and everyone went home. Chu Yan rejected the look that Keqing was giving him and told her to come back tomorrow night.

He returned to Yangxin Hall alone, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), held Qingwen in one arm, and waited while reading a book.

Qingwen suddenly sighed, "I wish these leisurely days could last forever."

Chu Yan snapped out of his daze and asked with a smile, "Why can't it go on forever?"

Qingwen lowered her head and slowly said, "The night I fell ill..."

Just as she was about to speak, Xiangling came in from outside and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Xiande has arrived."

Qingwen stopped talking. Chu Yan urged her to continue, but she smiled and shook her head: "It's nothing serious. Your Majesty, please go and talk to the Empress first."

He got up and went back into the house.

A moment later, Jia Yuanchun, dressed in her finest attire, gracefully entered the room.

She dressed up specially for this evening, adorned with pearls and hairpins, making her appear particularly dignified and noble.

Chu Yan looked at her for a while before smiling and beckoning, "My beloved concubine, come here!"

Jia Yuanchun blushed and slowly walked over, then lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), her upper body embraced by the Emperor.

"Is my beloved concubine cold?"

"Your Majesty, I am not cold."

Chu Yan's mind was no longer on idle chatter, nor on the book in his hand.

Not long after, Yu Chuan entered the room suspiciously and said, "Your Majesty, the Second Miss, the Third Miss, and the Fourth Miss have all arrived."

"Let them in quickly!" Chu Yan hurriedly ordered.

Yu Chuan was taken aback, then, as if remembering something, she hurriedly went out to invite the three of them into the warm pavilion.

The four Jia sisters were all dressed up tonight, some looking radiant and others looking heroic. They possessed both the tall and bright beauty of Tan Chun and the charming and lovely appearance of Xi Chun.

Even the most clueless person, seeing the four of them dressed like this and coming to the emperor's bedchamber at night, would know what was about to happen.

Yu Chuan said softly, "Xiao Hong and I will go inside and warm His Majesty's bed first."

She pulled Hongyu into the dormitory. They both guessed what was going on, but neither of them said anything.

The two men used the warmth of the hot water bottle to warm the large bed, and then asked several civil officials to bring two basins of charcoal fire to place inside the room. They also opened the window slightly to warm the room without making it too stuffy.

Not long after, Yu Chuan saw the four sisters of the Jia family enter the bedroom together. After a few shy and polite exchanges, they took off their clothes and went to bed.

The four of them crawled under the covers, leaving only their heads exposed, and waited shyly for the emperor to return.

Yu Chuan's heart was pounding. The Emperor was going to sleep with all four of the Jia family's daughters tonight!

(End of this chapter)