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

Chapter 79: The Crane's Shadow Crosses the Cold Pond, the Cold Moon Buries the Flower's Soul

The three of them chatted for a quarter of an hour, and Jia Yuanchun learned a lot about the family. She knew that people from the Shi and Wang families were at the Jia family, and she also learned about the incident of the Jia family's slave riot the night before.

"Thanks to the great grace of Heaven, Your Majesty sent someone to guard outside, so nothing happened at home."

Yuanchun held her second sister's hand tightly, as if she could empathize with her and witnessed the bloody storm that night.

Xiangyun went to bed early that night. The next day she only heard that many people had died. The maids and servants fetched water to clean the bloodstains on the floor, and it took them a whole day to wipe them clean.

"Is there anything else at home?" Yuanchun asked again with concern.

Yingchun replied, "The old lady asked me to come and ask about Brother Zhen from the East Palace... as well as Baoyu and Lang'er. I wonder if you know how they are doing now?"

The Ning and Rong mansions were still surrounded, and it was difficult for news from outside to get in.

"Go back and tell the old lady that Brother Zhen has violated the Five Constant Virtues and the Six Disciplines, and he deserves the punishment. His Majesty has decreed his death!"

Jia Yuanchun warned him that if the emperor had not allowed him to commit suicide, she would not be able to call him brother Zhen anymore.

Yingchun hesitated for a moment and said, "The old lady is worried that no one will bury Brother Zhen's body..."

Jia Yuanchun was silent for a moment, not wanting to mention Jia Zhen any further. She only said, "The East Palace is managed by Rong's daughter-in-law."

Xiangyun laughed when she heard this and said, "Someone from the East Palace came over and said that from now on we can no longer call her Rong Grandma, but Qin!"

Yuanchun was stunned for a moment, and gradually figured out some things.

I originally thought that the emperor asked Qin Keqing to take charge of Ningguo Mansion because he saw that there was no one there, but now it seems that is not the case.

After chatting for a while, Yuanchun mentioned that Jia Lan was in the palace, and the two were naturally happy.

"Miss."

Xia Shouzhong came to report, holding a stack of documents in his hands and respectfully presented them. "This is the general account of the Western Garden, which I received from the Minister of Internal Affairs, Dai Quan. It contains all the landscape and buildings in the garden, whether existing, under construction, or not yet started!"

Baoqin took the document and presented it to the imperial concubine.

"Why haven't I seen the accounts of Daming Palace?"

Jia Yuanchun glanced through it and asked him again.

Xia Shouzhong laughed and said, "The Daming Palace has been renovated and rebuilt many times over the years. The original overview account is no longer usable. I have ordered someone to compile it urgently!"

Baoqin glared at him. "You're in charge of the Daming Palace, aren't you? Humph, you have all the accounts for Xiyuan, but the accounts for Daming Palace are gone!"

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly knelt down and cried out for justice, saying that although he was in charge of the Daming Palace, the internal minister of the Daming Palace was Dai Quan.

Jia Yuanchun remained silent. After looking through the account books for a while, she ordered him, "Give the account books to the Empress for review."

Xia Shouzhong went as ordered, and immediately a female historian came in and reported what had happened in Fengzao Palace.

Xiangyun and Yingchun didn't say anything, but just watched the imperial concubine handle palace affairs and learn more about the palace rules.

After a while of busy work, Yuanchun finally remembered the two of them and said with a smile, "You go sit inside for a while and read a book. When His Majesty summons you, I'll have someone bring you tea and snacks."

Xiangyun and Yingchun went into the warm room and sat down.

"There are so many rules in the palace!" Xiangyun complained quietly.

Yingchun looked at her, and Xiangyun continued, "Eunuch Xia, who is so majestic outside, didn't dare to do anything when questioned by the palace maids around the Empress. Those palace maids and eunuchs all stood quietly, unlike the maids in our house."

She has a good relationship with Yuanyang, Xiren, Jinchuan and Ping'er. They always talk and laugh when they meet. How could there be such strict rules?
Yingchun smiled and said, "Her name is Baoqin. She is the maid that my eldest sister brought into the palace."

"Ha! It really is related to Qin!"

Xiangyun discovered the secret and clapped her hands, laughing, "Baoqin, Siqi, Shishu, Ruhua, now I have seen them all!"

He added, "No wonder I've seen Second Sister playing chess a few times!"

Yingchun smiled and said, "I'm not good at chess, I just play it to amuse myself with my sisters during the day."

"Tomorrow I'll come play chess with you, and then I'll see how good you are. Don't try to fool me—you have to show your true abilities!" The two of them waited in the warm room until the afternoon, when a eunuch arrived to announce the emperor's decree: "Your Majesty has summoned Concubine Jia and the two young ladies to the Linjing Palace."

Xiangyun and Yingchun hurried out to tidy up their appearance with Jia Yuanchun, and then returned to Linjing Palace under the guidance of several eunuchs.

Shi Xiangyun's heart couldn't help but beat again.

The most important thing about entering the palace this time is to meet the newly enthroned emperor. The life and death, honor and disgrace of hundreds of people from the Shi, Jia and Wang families all depend on the emperor's decision.

After the three of them arrived at the Linjing Palace, Xiangyun couldn't help but quietly ask, "Big sister, what kind of person is the emperor?"

Jia Yuanchun gave her a look, signaling her to stop talking.

Xiangyun had no choice but to shut her mouth and nervously walked in through the back door, walked through a long corridor, entered a small courtyard, then entered another door, entered another courtyard, and then entered five large rooms.

Xiangyun saw the man sitting in the main hall at a glance. He was tall and strong, reading a book with his legs crossed.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Yuanchun bowed politely, and seeing Xiangyun was in a daze, she quickly pulled her to kneel down.

"Commoner Jia Yingchun/Shi Xiangyun, I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Hearing the voice, Chu Yan looked over and saw at first sight a tall and slender young girl with long legs, thin waist and a well-proportioned and graceful figure kneeling down towards him.

On Yuanchun's right was a girl with a rosy and fair face, a slightly plump figure, and a calm and friendly temperament. After kneeling on the prayer mat, she placed her hands on her knees, lowered her head, and did not dare to look him in the eye.

The girl with a well-proportioned and agile figure knelt down and looked at him with her big round eyes. Her expression was lively and lovely. After Chu Yan looked at her, she lowered her head shyly.

"Get up, everyone sit down."

Chu Yan was in a good mood. He asked them to sit down and then asked with a smile, "Are you Xiangyun, and are you Yingchun?"

One of the privileges of being an emperor is that you can call others by their names.

"Yes... Your Majesty, my name is Yingchun!"

Ermutou was very nervous and seemed to remember his family's teachings. He even dared to sit only halfway.

Chu Yan smiled and looked at Shi Xiangyun with some appreciation in his eyes. He said with a smile: "Yun girl is more relaxed than you. You don't have to be too nervous. Yuanchun, have you told them? I won't do anything that will be punished for my words."

"Your Majesty, I have not told them." Yuanchun said.

Shi Xiangyun raised her head again, looked at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, have you heard of my second sister and me from that antique dealer?"

Yuanchun felt a little awed, fearing that the emperor would blame her.

Chu Yan asked, "Are you talking about Leng Zixing? He mentioned you before, saying you had a wasp waist and a monkey back, and the posture of a crane and the figure of a mantis. Seeing you today, I think that description is indeed very apt!"

Xiangyun was even more surprised and asked in confusion, "I haven't seen any men outside the Jia family since I went to the Jia family... Is it Zhou Ruijia who is talking about me outside? She told everyone everything?"

Shi Xiangyun was a person with a clear distinction between love and hate. She had long been dissatisfied with Leng Zixing's mother-in-law, Zhou Ruijia, and had been talking about girls' maiden names without any reason.

Of course, Chu Yan couldn't tell her that he had read Dream of the Red Chamber and knew a lot about them.

He laughed and said, "I have heard of a fragment of a poem called 'The crane's shadow crosses the cold pond.'"

None of the three had heard of it, and Shi Xiangyun came to see it out of curiosity.

Seeing this, Chu Yan knew that Shi Xiangyun had not yet composed poems with Lin Daiyu in Aojing Pavilion. However, it was not surprising. When they were composing poems, the country was on the verge of collapse and even Yingchun was about to die.

Chu Yan looked at Jia Yingchun in front of him. She was called Ermu and was the only one among the Twelve Golden Hairpins whose ending was written.

"The shadow of the crane crosses the cold pond, and the soul of the flower is buried in the cold moon."

Chu Yan finished reading the poem written by Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu in the Dream of the Red Chamber and said with a smile, "It's a good poem, but it's a pity that the poet who wrote it is not here."

Shi Xiangyun naturally didn't understand what he said. She wanted to ask why it was "couplet poetry", but she was afraid of saying something wrong and offending him, so she didn't ask.

(End of this chapter)