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

Chapter 112 Li Wan
"Your Majesty... Sister-in-law."

Yuan Chun slowly came to her senses, a blush rising on her fair, moon-like face. She shyly tried to turn her head away, but her eyes kept glancing at the two kissing.

His Majesty saw her coming, but did not stop, because her sister-in-law Li Wan had not stopped yet. The sister-in-law seemed to be mesmerized, her cheeks flushed, and she was gently accommodating him.

It seems they were frightened and had no choice but to obey His Majesty.

Regardless of the reason, what Yuan Chun saw was that her sister-in-law had not noticed her arrival. She still kept her eyes closed, tilted her head back, and her lips were slightly parted. A soft kiss came from where their lips met, making one feel shy.

The eldest sister-in-law was mesmerized, but His Majesty stared at her with his eyes open, as if he wanted to say something to her...

Yuan Chun dared not speak again, fearing she would disturb His Majesty's enjoyment. After calming herself down, she slowly sat down on one side of the kang (a heated brick bed), lowered her head, and listened to the soft kisses between His Majesty and her sister-in-law.

The kiss only ended slowly when her sister-in-law, Li Wan, was out of breath.

Yuan Chun looked up and saw her sister-in-law with her eyes closed, her red lips opening and closing rapidly, breathing quickly, like a fish that had just come ashore.

His Majesty did not stray far from her, gently stroking her with his hand and occasionally exchanging glances with Yuan Chun.

After a while, Yuan Chun saw her sister-in-law slowly open her shy eyes, which were soft and gentle, as if she were shy and timid.

"Your mistress is back."

Chu Yan chuckled in her ear.

Li Wan suddenly woke up!

Turning her head, she saw her sister-in-law, Jia Yuanchun, watching her from behind. Startled, she tried to leave Chu Yan's embrace, but he held her waist with his large hand, preventing her from leaving.

"His Majesty!!"

Li Wan lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"The court official need not panic."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Your mistress is not a jealous person. Although you are a maid serving her and have only been in the palace for a short time, it is not unreasonable for you to serve me. She will not scold you for being a vixen."

As he spoke, his gaze returned to Yuan Chun.

Jia Yuanchun understood His Majesty's meaning. Although she found it amusing, she went along with His Majesty's wishes and said, "I am happy that the palace maid is so beautiful and favored by His Majesty. The palace maid is also someone who came from my Changchun Palace."

Li Wan blushed and glanced at her sister-in-law, their eyes meeting as if to say: His Majesty hasn't noticed me yet...?
Yuan Chun subtly gestured to her.

She then said to Chu Yan, "I was just discussing some matters with the Empress and was unable to greet Your Majesty. Now that it is time for dinner, I will prepare dinner for Your Majesty as an apology."

He stood up and walked outside.

The two were left inside.

Chu Yan still held Li Wan in his arms, grasped her hand, and smiled, "The palace official still seems nervous."

How could Li Wan not be nervous?
The moment she saw her sister-in-law, she felt like a prostitute caught in the act of adultery; her hair stood on end, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Only after seeing Yuan Chun leave did she realize something:

Even though she was a widow, and the emperor held her in his arms, kissed her, and defiled her, no one dared to criticize her.

Upon realizing this, Li Wan couldn't help but look at him again, her nervousness turning into shyness, the lingering thrill of their kiss still present.

"This servant... Now that Your Highness has returned, please summon Your Highness to serve His Majesty... This servant."

Li Wan was afraid of saying the wrong thing and displeasing the emperor, so she spoke hesitantly.

Chu Yan said slowly and deliberately, "Now that she has left, it is your chance to be favored. Now that you have entered the palace, how come you don't even have this much sense?"

Li Wan lowered her head in embarrassment.

Chu Yan laughed again, "Fortunately, you are to my liking. I will pamper you tonight. Come, let me taste you again."

Knowing that she was Li Wan, Chu Yan had the idea of ​​teasing her. Seeing her shyness and hesitation, he deliberately tried to scare her:

"My words are law!"

Li Wan, who was in his arms, was indeed frightened. She quickly closed her eyes and kissed him haphazardly.

Chu Yan was laughing inwardly. After being kissed haphazardly by Li Wan for a while, he leaned over and kissed her lips.

Li Wan froze, and after a moment, she slowly began to breathe, her lips slightly parted in response.

"Your Majesty, the meal has arrived!"

When Yuan Chun entered the East Warm Pavilion again, she saw her sister-in-law and the Emperor embracing and kissing. This time, she was not too surprised. She ordered two palace maids to carefully carry in tables and chairs and set out dinner.

His Majesty is touching me inappropriately.

Yuan Chun sat by the kang (a heated brick bed) waiting, watching her sister-in-law gradually become engrossed in the moment, wondering if it was due to the Emperor's shrewd methods or her sister-in-law's long years of widowhood.

I remember it was like this when she first received His Majesty's favor.

for a long time.

Li Wan buried her face in Chu Yan's neck, a fine ring of fragrant sweat on her smooth forehead.

Chu Yan took out his hand and said to Yuan Chun, "Give the palace maid a dinner, allow her to stay in a separate place, and have a palace maid serve her. Also, please give her some silk ornaments for me."

"Your concubine obeys." Yuan Chun rose to receive the imperial decree. Seeing that Chu Yan had released her sister-in-law's waist, she went forward and helped the exhausted Li Wan up, handing her over to Bao Qin to be helped out.

"Let's have a meal."

Chu Yan got up and sat down in a chair. Yuan Chun sat down next to him, and then called Bao Qin over and told her to sit down as well.

Although Baoqin has not yet been granted the title of Imperial Concubine, she is already equivalent to half a talented woman. When Chu Yan and Yuan Chun were having dinner, she sat opposite them.

"There's no need to explain what just happened to Li Wan."

Chu Yan smiled.

Baoqin was shocked; so His Majesty knew all along!
Yuan Chun gave him a reproachful look: "Why does Your Majesty need to hide it from her? My sister-in-law was restless just now. If you make it clear, she will understand and be able to serve Your Majesty with peace of mind." Chu Yan said: "You don't understand the meaning behind it."

Yuan Chun couldn't understand the meaning behind it, so she could only give up and keep it a secret for His Majesty.

"When did she enter the palace?" Chu Yan asked casually.

Yuan Chun was startled awake. She quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks and knelt on the ground. Bao Qin also dared not eat anymore and knelt down as well.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, but my sister-in-law followed Baochai into the palace without my knowledge..."

Chu Yan glanced at her and said indifferently, "Get up. Women of the Jia family do not need to ask for permission to enter the palace. Logically, you do not need to tell me about Li Wan's entry into the palace. She was taken into the Yeting Palace as a slave, so it is only natural for her to dress up as a palace maid."

Yuan Chun was overwhelmed with shame and said, "I know I'm guilty."

His Majesty defended her, but she felt even more guilty towards him. She should have mentioned it to His Majesty the day her sister-in-law entered the palace.

After they sat down again, she served Chu Yan her dinner with all her heart. Later that night, she took the initiative to help serve him, working together with Baoqin.

The next day, I felt like my back was about to break, and it took me half a day to rest.

……

Meanwhile, Li Wan, with her clothes disheveled, left the East Warm Pavilion. Several palace maids watched her, making her feel increasingly embarrassed. She hurriedly covered herself up and hid back in her room.

Feeling extremely confused, I sat there for a while before realizing something was wrong and went inside to change my clothes.

After a while, a palace maid knocked on the door and delivered an imperial edict:

"His Majesty's decree: The palace maid will be provided with meals, allowed to stay in a separate place, and be served by a palace maid. She will also be rewarded with silk and jewelry."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan felt as if she had drunk an ice-cold plum on a hot day, feeling refreshed and her emotions were turbulent and difficult to calm.

"Please choose a room to live in Changchun Palace," the palace maid said.

To avoid suspicion, Li Wan stayed in the palace maid's room with Su Yun whenever she entered the palace.

Now, after being embraced and kissed by the emperor, she was quickly moved to a separate bedroom in Changchun Palace by a palace maid. There was no need to find another palace maid; it was still Suyun, whom she had brought from home.

"Grandma...we can stay here?!"

Su Yun was overjoyed. The place bestowed by the emperor had three rooms: a main hall and two side rooms, which would be enough for them to stay in when they entered the palace.

Li Wan blushed and offered no further explanation.

The palace maid smiled and said, "This is where Consort Li of the late Shun Dynasty used to live. It just so happens that your surname is also Li. After gaining His Majesty's favor, you will probably be granted the title of Consort soon."

Su Yun then realized that it wasn't given by her grandmother's eldest sister-in-law, but was a gift from the emperor.

The emperor wouldn't bestow gifts without a reason. So, Grandma is...?!

"Stop talking nonsense." Li Wan said sternly, rejecting Su Yun's probing gaze.

A little while later, the emperor's dinner arrived, consisting of six dishes, two desserts, and a pot of wine. Li Wan ate the meal slowly, but felt quite uneasy.

But she ate quite a bit at that meal.

Despite her swirling thoughts, she had a good appetite. Even Su Yun laughed, "Grandma looks so radiant now, she's more than qualified to be a Consort!"

"You're always so talkative!"

Li Wan's face fell. "I was going to reward you after you finished eating, but now there's no need!"

Su Yun quickly begged for mercy: "Good grandmother, please reward me! I've been to the palace with you twice, but I've never eaten a meal bestowed by the emperor!"

Li Wan's expression softened, and she instructed her, "After you go back, you must not say a word about anything that happened in the palace."

Su Yun agreed, though she was worried that Madam would make things difficult for her grandmother if she found out. But then she thought that if her grandmother was really made a concubine, she wouldn't have to be afraid of Madam anymore.

night.

Li Wan lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

She kept thinking of Jia Zhu. Her late husband's voice and smile were still vivid in her mind. In the past, she would often think of him in the dead of night, but she dared not think too much about it, for fear of shedding tears.

Tonight, however, is a little different.

She kept thinking of her late husband, but in the intervals between her recollections, she also thought of the daytime scene where Emperor Chu Yan held her and kissed her lips despite her struggles.

The intense throbbing dispelled the grief she felt when she thought of her late husband, Jia Zhu, and filled her with dread.

Li Wan had read the Biographies of Exemplary Women.

Tao Ying wrote "The Song of the Yellow Swan," about the widow Liang who was of noble character, refused Liang's marriage proposal, and had her nose cut off as punishment... Throughout history, virtuous women have all remained faithful to their husbands until the end.

Now, however, I am with the emperor…

"Lan'er is young. If I don't comply, my late husband's orphan will surely not escape death."

She gradually came to understand the stakes involved and had to accept her loss of chastity, as well as the Emperor's promise to continue raising her son.

She realized that as long as this matter didn't get out of the palace, she would still be a chaste widow in front of the old lady and the madam.

If word gets out, and the mistress finds out she was favored by the emperor, she probably won't make things too difficult for her.

If she felt ashamed to remain in the Jia family, she had saved over a thousand taels of silver over the years. She begged His Majesty to allow her to take it with her so that she could raise Jia Lan to adulthood.

As for being granted the title of Imperial Concubine... if the Emperor knew she had a son, he would be grateful if he didn't punish her; he dared not even think about it.

After thinking it through completely, Li Wan closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Perhaps because of what happened during the day, she slept exceptionally well that night.

(End of this chapter)