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

Chapter 125 If you are not drunk, everyone will get drunk.

There were seven or eight dishes on the table. After Chu Yan picked up his chopsticks, he first tasted the braised pork with bamboo shoots and said to the two of them with a smile, "You should eat too. The bamboo shoots are very fresh in spring."

Baoqin took a small bite, smiled at him, and said, "Although bamboo shoots from the North are delicious, they are not as good as those from the South. Three years ago, I ate a kind of bamboo shoot called Tianzhu in Panyu with my father. It was especially fragrant! Your Majesty is also from the South. Have you ever tried it?"

When she smiled, the two dimples under the corners of her mouth reappeared.

"I may have eaten it, but I don't remember what it was or what kind it was."

While eating, Chu Yan asked, "Did your father always take you with him when he went on business trips?"

Baoqin said, “Doing business means selling surplus goods here to places where they are in short supply. Once you buy and sell, you have to stay in the place of buying and selling. You may not be able to go home for half a year or a year. My father couldn’t bear to part with us, so he took my brother, my mother and me with him and we traveled all over the country.”

Baochai laughed and said, "How could His Majesty not know about business? You'll have to explain it to him."

Baoqin felt a little embarrassed.

Chu Yan laughed and said, "Sister Qin's words hit the nail on the head regarding the essence of business, which is to buy low and sell high. If one can hoard goods and speculate, there will be several times the profit, and merchants will flock to it, just like the recent prices in the capital."

Baochai's face flushed, and she said, "It is shameful to say that merchants do not engage in production but pursue profit. In the end, they are not as refined and noble as scholars."

The Xue family were imperial merchants. Although one of their ancestors held an official position, by her generation, no one in the family held an official position, and her mother was not a titled lady.

Chu Yan shook his head, took a sip of wine, and said, "Why can merchants buy low and sell high? Because there are too many goods in one place, and they are not worth much. For example, if you transport rice from the south to the north and make a profit from the price difference, both sides will benefit. Or, for example, if you transport Chinese porcelain abroad and exchange it for gold and silver, then the economy of the world can be active."

His words sounded quite novel to the two Xue family daughters, who came from wealthy merchant families.

Baoqin, in particular, had traveled to many places with her father and was familiar with all kinds of businesses, but this was the first time she had ever heard such words.

Is the global economy thriving?

Baochai held her bowl and ate, thinking carefully for a while before saying, "Throughout history, the social hierarchy has always been scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants being the lowest in status..."

Baoqin laughed and said, "His Majesty is just teasing us~"

"Just accept that as true!"

Chu Yan laughed heartily, and Baochai shut up. It was good that Baoqin interrupted her.

The three of them set aside their conversation about the garden and focused on Baoqin, listening to her talk about the places she had visited over the years.

Jiaozhi, Zhenzhen Kingdom, Persia, Oro, Siam, Java, Western countries...

Although Baoqin had not been to all these foreign countries, she knew a little about them and had a broader perspective than the girls who had always stayed in the garden.

Chu Yan had never been to these countries either. The world map was somewhat different from his previous life, so he could only share some of his experiences from his previous life with them.

Even so, Baoqin was still impressed: "His Majesty said he has never been to a foreign country, yet he knows more than I do."

Baochai also laughed and said, "Listening to His Majesty's words is better than reading ten books every day."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "It's just idle talk. We'll find out the real situation in the future."

He plans to build a navy for overseas operations in the future, but that's a long way off, something that will take ten or twenty years to complete.

After the meal, the palace maids came to remove the tables and chairs, and Chu Yan and the others sat back on the soft couches.

Baochai took out the account books of the Ning and Rong mansions and said softly, "I have come to report the accounts of the two mansions to His Majesty."

Night had fallen, and lanterns were hung in the Linjing Hall, while candles were lit in the east side room. The palace maids had lit some kind of incense, creating a serene and pleasant atmosphere. Chu Yan leaned against the pillows, and the more he looked at the two young women opposite him, the more he felt that their beauty was breathtaking and captivating.

After drinking some wine and chatting with them, Chu Yan felt the time was right and said to Baoqin with a smile, "Sister Qin, come here."

After the meal, Baoqin felt less awkward around him, so she didn't ask anything and got up to come to him.

Little did she know, the next moment, Chu Yan reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Xue Baoqin, still an unmarried girl, blushed with her delicate, picturesque face.

Holding the account book, Baochai couldn't help but blush, secretly surprised. Just moments ago, His Majesty was chatting happily with them at dinner, how could he suddenly want to favor Sister Qin...

Is this what the book means by "when people are well-fed and warm, they think of lust"?
"Come sit here with me."

Chu Yan tightened his grip slightly, then pulled the exquisitely beautiful Xue Baoqin into his arms and let her sit in his lap.

Both Baochai and Baoqin were his concubines.

Chu Yan wasn't drunk, but he was captivated by the two women's beauty. He lowered his head and kissed Bao Qin's cheek, making her blush even more, as if she had been frightened.

He really is a man I've only just met!

The atmosphere inside the room became somewhat tense.

Chu Yan regained his senses and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't be asking you to serve me tonight, Miss Bao, please continue."

Baochai lowered her eyes, knowing in her heart that the emperor's actions were not inappropriate, and that neither they, whether servants or concubines, had any reason to refuse.

After figuring it out, Baochai calmed down a bit, smiled lightly at Baoqin, and then opened the account books to begin reporting on the situation of the two households:
"The Rongguo Mansion currently possesses gold, including gold ingots and silver twigs, totaling 1,537 taels, 6 mace, and 7 candareens, of varying purity; silver ingots and silver twigs, totaling 56,372 taels; and 43,000 strings of copper coins..."

Baochai made a very detailed list. She put all the gold, silver and copper coins in the Rongguo Mansion into the storeroom, leaving only the corresponding gold and silver jewelry for the ladies, grandmothers and young ladies of each household.

Xiangyun was in charge of Ningguo Mansion. Chu Yan had already realized that Xiangyun regarded her, Sister Bao, as an idol. She followed Sister Bao's lead in doing whatever she did. As a result, all the money in Ningguo Mansion was put into the treasury.

Chu Yan held Bao Qin in his arms, leaning back lazily. Bao Qin didn't move in his arms. Chu Yan looked down at her and saw that she was looking up at him. When she saw him looking at her, Bao Qin blushed and lowered her head again.

"Sister Qin".

Chu Yan stroked her cheek briefly, then quickly let go.

Baoqin trembled slightly in his arms, and the girl shrank closer to him.

"...Last month, the Rongguo Mansion's expenditures amounted to more than 1,100 taels, not including the several hundred taels given by Lin Daiyu."

Seeing that he was listening, Baochai then listed out where the 1,500 taels would be used.

After she finished speaking, Chu Yan nodded: "You did a good job. How does the Rongguo Mansion's expenditure compare to before?"

Baochai had already memorized the account books and replied, "When the men of the Jia family were still alive, their monthly expenses were about 2,700 taels, which amounted to 30,000 to 50,000 taels a year."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "This shows that the men in the Jia family spend the majority of their money."

In the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Tan Chun managed to save three to five hundred taels of silver when she was in charge of the household, but Jia She spent eight hundred taels just to buy a concubine, and he spent money like water when he visited his family. So no matter how Tan Chun tried to "promote benefits and eliminate old abuses" in the inner quarters, it was all in vain.

Now that Chu Yan has cleared out all the men of the Jia family, the financial situation of the Ning and Rong mansions has immediately improved.

"Does Sister Lin have anything to say?"

Chu Yan laughed and said, "She spent almost half a month's worth of expenses in the manor by herself. I wonder if she's even ashamed?"

"Pfft~" Laughter came from his arms. Chu Yan looked down and saw Bao Qin in his arms with crescent-shaped eyes and shallow dimples, looking incredibly cute.

So he lowered his head and kissed her cheek again.

Although he didn't ask her to serve him in bed, he still got to have his fun first.

"His Majesty smells of alcohol..."

Baoqin pinched her nose with her slender fingers, her voice slightly muffled, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted over her as His Majesty lowered his head to kiss her.

It wasn't unpleasant to smell, but her face turned red after smelling it.

Chu Yan smiled and said, "Sister Qin, bring me a cup of tea."

Baochai stopped reporting at the right moment, looking over with a hint of shyness in her eyes. She saw that Qin Meimei was being embraced by His Majesty like a favored concubine. After hearing his words, she obediently picked up his teacup from the low table, held it with a slender, white, and smooth jade hand, and brought it to his lips.

Chu Yan took a sip, which slightly sobered him up.

But for some reason, with Baoqin in his arms and Baojie opposite him, he became even more drunk. He lowered his head and kissed the dimples on Baoqin's lips, then gently kissed her lips.

Baoqin's face was exquisitely beautiful, and after he kissed her twice, she turned her head and buried her face in his arms, ashamed to be favored by the emperor again.

"I'm probably drunk, please forgive me, Sister Qin."

Chu Yan smiled and said that he would not continue to nibble on Baoqin. Tonight was enough for her, an unmarried girl.

Hearing her words, Baoqin turned to look at him, her eyes filled with reproach: "Your Majesty is not drunk at all."

Chu Yan laughed and said, "It's not the wine that makes people drunk, it's the person who makes them drunk. With Sister Qin in my arms and Sister Bao right across from me, how can I not be drunk?"

Baoqin was immediately puzzled: "Why are you calling me 'Sister Bao'? I should be the one calling you 'Sister'."

Baochai also had this question.

Chu Yan smiled and, seeing that Baoqin wasn't particularly shy, couldn't help but kiss her again.

But this time, Baoqin dodged away, buried her head in his arms, and secretly glanced at him to see if he was angry.

Chu Yan stroked her blushing face, stopped teasing her, and asked Baochai, "Where were we?"

Baochai did not spoil his mood, and replied with a shy smile: "Your Majesty asked about Lin Daiyu. After giving Baoyu the money, Lin Daiyu has been restless and said that she wanted to go to the palace to apologize. A few days ago, she gave Baoyu money again and said that she did not know when she could repay Your Majesty."

Chu Yan asked, "Does he want money again?"

Seeing that he was not angry, Baochai replied, "Baoyu asked Second Brother Lian to come back and asked me and Miss Yun for money. I saw that the amount was huge and dared not agree. I said I would go back to the old lady. But Sister Feng said that the money was for Baoyu and that it would not be the same if it was returned to the old lady."

Chu Yan nodded, and Baochai continued, "Sister Feng went to Ningguo Mansion to look for Miss Yun again..."

After hearing this, Chu Yan couldn't help but laugh and said, "If we give him those five hundred taels, he'll spend them all in a few days. The people in the military camp have plenty of ways to get money out of the Jia family."

Gambling is a common problem in military camps, and it is less prevalent when management is strict.

Despite being born into a noble family, the Jia family will certainly be no match for the soldiers once they are relegated to the military.

Baochai said, "Sister Lin also has this concern, but she and Baoyu grew up together and she can't bear to see him suffer, so she gave him money a few times."

Chu Yan nodded and said, "Things shouldn't happen more than three times. She's already asked for over a thousand taels, which is no small amount. When you get back, tell her that if she wants a large sum of money again, she should come to the palace. We can't give it away so easily anymore."

Baochai agreed.

Baoqin, still in Chu Yan's arms, couldn't help but think that he had managed two ducal mansions for them, allowing them to withdraw tens of thousands of taels of silver without sending anyone to supervise them. However, he was not completely laissez-faire; if they did not perform well, they would still be punished by him.

Even so, he was still very good to the girls, supporting them with two ducal mansions.

(End of this chapter)