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

Chapter 91 Baochai Delivers the Imperial Order
On the second day after Baochai visited the Daming Palace, after noon, Li Wan reluctantly said goodbye to her son Jia Lan and told him to be obedient in the palace.

Baochai smiled and said, "Don't worry too much about Lang'er, sister-in-law. I have my elder sister to look after him in the palace. The old concubine of Shun Dynasty is also in Fengzao Palace. Lang'er will not be wronged."

Li Wan thought about what she had seen and heard in the palace in the past two days, and heard from Baochai that the new emperor was kind to others, so she felt a little relieved. After bidding farewell to Jia Lan, she took a sedan chair out of the palace and returned to the Jia family.

After entering the corner gate, Li Wan became increasingly uneasy.

For a widowed woman, if she stayed overnight without returning home, her reputation would be ruined. Even if she stayed overnight in the palace, when others heard about it, they would often only care about the four words "spent the night without returning home", and would doubt whether she was really in the palace or spent the night with her adulterer somewhere else.

Sure enough, when she and Baochai came to Lady Jia's courtyard and entered the house, more than half of the young wives and mothers-in-law looked at her.

Among them, her mother-in-law, Mrs. Wang, had an ugly look on her face and didn't pay much attention to her greeting.

Grandmother Jia asked, "Did you stay in the palace last night?"

Li Wan said with a smile, "Yesterday afternoon, the Emperor invited Miss Bao and Madam Qin to visit the Daming Palace. They returned at nightfall. I entered the palace as a maid and could not leave alone, so I could only return home with Miss Bao today."

When people heard that Baochai was visiting the Daming Palace with the emperor, their expressions varied.

Mrs. Wang asked, "Have you seen Lan'er?"

"Yes, Lan'er lives in Fengzao Palace with the old empress dowager." Li Wan said with a smile.

Mrs. Wang stopped talking.

Li Wan has always known that her mother-in-law does not care much about her grandson Jia Lan, and most of her love is on Baoyu, so she did not say much and just stood aside silently.

Shi Xiangyun said with a smile, "Sister Bao, did you go to Daming Palace to play this time when you came to the palace? Did you encounter anything interesting? Tell me about it. The last time my second sister and I went there, we came back in a hurry."

As she spoke, she blushed a little, but no one noticed and they just thought she had a rosy face.

Baochai could see it, because when she entered the palace this time, she also saw how the concubines chatted with the emperor. It was really... embarrassing.

Yun Yatou probably saw it too, so she blushed.

Thinking of this, Baochai smiled at her and said, "I haven't encountered anything interesting. There are so many rules in the palace that I have to be careful even when walking. Fortunately, Grandma Qin and Big Sister are here, so I don't get embarrassed. Amitabha, the emperor is also a kind and benevolent person. He didn't blame us for not knowing the palace rules."

Shi Xiangyun burst out laughing and said, "Has Sister Bao also learned from Sister Lin? Sister Lin is the one who is used to saying 'Amitabha'!"

Everyone laughed, knowing that Daiyu also chanted Buddha's name.

Mrs. Wang said, "Since the Emperor is a kind and benevolent man, Baoyu and the master will probably be allowed to return home soon."

Everyone said that it was because several girls entered the palace one after another, which made it easier to seek favor from the emperor. Although Yuanchun was not a noble concubine, she was more powerful than before, and now she managed the harem together with the queen.

Baochai looked at Lady Jia and the others, and thinking of what Chu Yan had said in the palace, she said, "It just so happens that the old lady and the madam are here. I have a few things I want to discuss with the madam and the grandmothers."

"What's the matter?" Wang Xifeng asked hurriedly.

"Should we call Miss Lin and Miss Qin?" Mrs. Wang also asked, looking a little nervous.

"There's no need to call them. I'm just going to tell them first and then talk to them later. I'll also discuss with the ladies first to see how these things are going to be done."

Baochai said.

After hearing this, Jia Mu laughed and said, "Just tell me, Bao-ya-ge! Logically, you don't need to go through us when you're in charge. I'm just afraid that some shrewd wives and old women won't listen and think you're young, so they want us to come forward."

Baochai nodded slightly and continued, "The Emperor once told Madam Qin that the Ning and Rong mansions should be confiscated, and the housekeepers and servants should also be implicated."

She looked around at everyone. "Because of Leng Zixing, the two mansions were saved, but the assets of the housekeepers and servants were not confiscated. So, Grandma Qin said that among the servants with rich assets, one or two families should be confiscated, and the rest should donate half of their money to the government!"

Zhou Ruijia was standing at the gate, and her face turned pale with fright after hearing this.

Wang Shanbao's wife, Lai Wang's wife, Wu Xindeng's wife, and many other maids also hurried in to kowtow, saying, "Miss Bao, we are truly wronged!"

"Shut up!"

Grandmother Jia rebuked the maids, "Young lady, you are appointed as the housekeeper by imperial decree, and what you are conveying is also the emperor's decree. Why are you here to complain?" She then scolded them, "Now that the house has been ransacked, the money you stole while doing the accounting at home should be returned and confiscated by the government!"

All the money of these housekeepers and maids in the mansion was confiscated, but they all bought mansions outside.

Wang Xifeng said, "If we were to confiscate any family, the Lai family would be the first to be confiscated."

The maids immediately shut up.

Nanny Lai is the most prestigious person among the servants of the Jia family. Her grandson Lai Shangrong is a seventh-rank county magistrate. Lai Da and Lai Er are the chief stewards of the Ning and Rong mansions respectively. They are more respectable than the young ladies in the mansion!

She doesn't live in the mansion often now. The Lai family has a mansion outside, which is smaller than the Grand View Garden, but more exquisite and luxurious.

"Madame Lai's house..." Mrs. Wang hesitated.

Baochai nodded decisively: "Of course the Lai family will be confiscated. Although I am not from the mansion, I know that the Lai family is extremely powerful."

After she said this, no one dared to object.

Baochai then asked Sister Feng, "Who is the next family to be raided? Does Sister Feng have any idea?"

The maids hurriedly looked at Wang Xifeng again, and Wang Xifeng felt very happy at once, and regained the dignity she had when she was the housekeeper.

Unfortunately, this majesty comes from Baochai, and Baochai's majesty comes from the emperor.

She laughed and said, "If we were to talk about who is the second richest in our family, it's not us."

As soon as the maids heard who it was, they all said to Baochai, "The Wu family who manages the farm outside probably has more money at home than the manor!"

Baochai said, "In my opinion, it is sufficient to search and confiscate the property of both families. I will discuss this with Miss Lin and the others before making any final decisions. Those whose property has not been searched should not even think of hiding their money. If I discover anything, I will report it to His Majesty, and there will be no mercy then."

Her voice was not particularly harsh, but because she mentioned the emperor, it seemed intimidating.

The maids didn't dare to speak and retreated in a nod.

Baochai continued, "While the search is underway, I intend to register all the valuables, including the rare antiques, jades, and fine clothing, in every room of the mansion. Everyone can continue to use them, but they will only be recorded in the account book for easy inspection."

After hearing this, Lady Jia, Mrs. Wang and others were speechless.

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Good girl Bao! She just finished ransacking the houses of the other women and now comes to raid ours!"

Baochai also laughed and said, "After all, we must be more cautious. It's not just the two mansions, my own family can't escape it either. The shops outside will all be recorded in the account."

Grandmother Jia could only nod and said with a smile: "Since it is a house search, it should be done this way. Bao-ya-tou, just go ahead and do it. Start by registering with me. I will ask Yuanyang to help you."

"Old lady, I just want to say one more thing."

"what's up?"

"The Emperor once told me and Grandmother Qin that everyone in the palace is now a slave, and no one is more noble than anyone else. The maids and servants in each room no longer need to serve their former masters and are all considered slaves."

After Baochai's words, not only the people in the room, but even Li Wan, who entered the palace with her, looked at her in surprise.

The emperor meant... to treat all the wives and grandmothers in the palace as slaves, and not allow the maids to serve them anymore?!

Wang Xifeng subconsciously looked at Ping'er, and the master and servant looked at each other.

A smile suddenly appeared in Ping'er's eyes, as if saying: Dear grandma, now you are in my hands!
Wang Xifeng had been with her for many years, how could she not see the look in her eyes?

She gritted her teeth and cursed this little bitch in her heart. She wanted to rebel against her just because someone was backing her up!

"Did the emperor say that?" Mrs. Wang was still a little bit unbelievable.

Previously, the emperor had issued an edict to deprive her of her food as a wife, and she could only eat stale rice and pickles, and only once every few days to eat meat. She was not used to it.

Now even the maids serving in the house have been deprived of their rights by the emperor’s decree!
(End of this chapter)