Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Lady You entered the palace today and first went to Chuxiu Palace to see Xichun.

After all, she was her sister-in-law in name and in fact, so she, as the eldest sister-in-law, had to show the necessary care.

Then I heard that Sister Feng was holding a flower party in the Imperial Garden and invited all the sisters in the harem to attend.

She then invited herself to Yanxi Palace and called her two younger sisters.

She was quite familiar with Yanxi Palace, so she went straight to the main hall and saw her two younger sisters' personal maids waiting quietly in the hallway, showing none of their usual restlessness.

After a slight pause, he asked, "Where are Second Sister and Third Sister?"

The maid rose to greet her and, after answering her questions, noticed that Lady You was about to go inside and quickly reminded her, "His Majesty is inside too..."

Lady You paused, thought for a moment, and said to her maid, "When your lady is free later, tell her that Her Majesty the Empress has invited them to the Imperial Garden to attend the Hundred Flowers Gathering."

"Yes."

Madam You glanced at the inner room, then turned to leave.

Although she also wanted to see Jia Lian, her two younger sisters were now imperial concubines, and she could no longer treat them as casually as before.

Jia Lian had countless beauties in his harem.

Today might be a rare day of being favored by them, so I shouldn't disturb them.

That's what she thought, but before she could even turn around, she heard Sister You's voice from inside: "Is that Eldest Sister? Come in..."

Upon hearing this, Madam You felt a pang of anxiety, but in front of the maids, she couldn't show anything unusual. She responded and stepped inside.

Upon entering the room and passing the screen, Lady You immediately blushed when she saw the scene at the soft chairs.

His two younger sisters were kneeling there side by side, serving their Emperor.

The younger sister seemed to want to break free, but was held back by a large hand and could not leave.

Lady You remained silent, standing still and waiting for Jia Lian to finish his business.

Her calm and easygoing demeanor amused Jia Lian.

Thinking that it had been a long time since he had experienced the joy of being with the three sisters, he gently patted the cheeks of the third and second sisters, signaling them to get up.

However, his actions led to a misunderstanding between Sister You and Sister San.

They were holding me back from getting up just now, but now that they see my older sister, they turn on me without any mercy.

Could it be that the eldest sister, a woman in her early thirties, is more attractive than the two sisters?

Thinking of You Sanjie, she couldn't help but glance at Jia Lian with a resentful look. She pretended to be reluctant and delayed for a while. When You Erjie had difficulty getting up, she finally let go of her hand, turned around and helped her sister up.

Lady You also misunderstood and, seeing this, tried to make amends.

Jia Lian watched silently.

Ms. You had fair skin and a plump figure.

After serving as the mistress of the Ningguo Mansion for many years, her every move exuded elegance and grace.

With her skirt lifted and knees bent, she exuded a more mature charm than Sister You and her companion, and thus did not rush to speak.

He watched her quietly until he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Sister You was about to get restless, then he sat up, touched Sister You's round face, and said with a smile, "Alright, get up, go lie down over there."

Lady You glanced sideways and saw that Jia Lian was referring to the tea table behind him; her heart immediately skipped a beat.

She was one of the first women to follow Jia Lian, so she naturally knew that both the current method and the one he had just indicated were her favorite ways.

When You Sanjie lived in Ningguo Mansion, she was disciplined by You Shi, even more so than by her mother, and she couldn't help but harbor some resentment towards You Shi.

Seeing that he was being "humiliated" by Jia Lian, he not only did not help him out, but was actually happy.

She quickly moved the only tea set on the table, saying with a smile, "Big sister, hurry up, this is the Emperor's favor to you."

My sister and I longed for the Emperor's favor every day, but it was a rare treat.

The eldest sister is great, she got it as soon as she arrived.

It's clear that the Emperor loves you even more than we do.

Ms. You was initially a little embarrassed.

No matter how outrageous she was in Ningguo Mansion before, it was still her territory.

Now that she was in the imperial palace, she naturally felt a sense of awe.

However, after hearing her younger sister's gloating remarks, she felt much more at ease.

Yingying stood up and replied calmly, "The way you put it makes it sound like I've stolen your favor."

In that case, why don't you come over too?

"Our sisters are of one mind, which will make the Emperor more pleased."

Upon hearing this, Sister You secretly cursed You Shi for being shameless.

However, when she saw Jia Lian's ambiguous smile as he looked at her, she knew that her elder sister's suggestion had moved him.

No, perhaps that's exactly what he was planning when he asked me to leave my older sister behind!

Although she hesitated for a moment, Sister You quickly made up her mind.

Thinking that she couldn't let her eldest sister outdo her, and that this wasn't something unusual that had happened before in Ningguo Mansion, she decided to play this game.

"Alright, it's rare for you to be so generous, I'm happy to oblige."

As she spoke, Sister You walked confidently to the table and leaned over to sit down.

She even deliberately bent over, sticking out her small, pert buttocks high, as if challenging Ms. You.

Madam You shook her head secretly, then naturally lay prostrate on the table next to her.

Sister You said, "Then you guys have fun, I'm leaving now..."

"Why leave? It's rare for you sisters to be all together, stay."

Seeing that Sister You was still hesitant, Jia Lian, who had already walked behind Sister You, looked up and smiled, "Have you forgotten what I said again?"

Second Sister You smiled wryly.

Of course she hadn't forgotten; in fact, she remembered it vividly.

As long as the pregnancy is not in a stable state or labor is imminent, it's perfectly fine to be affectionate...

At first, she was skeptical. Every time Jia Lian was about to do this, she would repeatedly remind him to be careful and not to hurt the child.

Now that her first two children have been born safely and healthily, she is naturally much more convinced of this.

Therefore, after realizing that Jia Lian was serious, he obediently walked to You Sanjie's side and copied her posture.

……

Half an hour later, Jia Lian calmly left Yanxi Palace.

As for the three You sisters, they still need some time to sort things out.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Garden, it was indeed different from what it used to be.

The roadside and flower beds were filled with all kinds of flowers, making the whole place look like a huge flower garden.

Most importantly, the garden is filled with graceful women, a picturesque scene.

"Greetings, Your Majesty..."

"No need for formalities. Where is the Empress?"

He casually called out a few palace maids who were bowing to him, and after receiving their reply, he went to the Phoenix Pavilion.

Sure enough, the density and quality of beauties here are several levels higher than those in the surrounding areas.

"Hehe, the Emperor is here..."

As sharp-eyed people spotted him, a large group of beauties, both young and old, gathered from all directions.

Feng Jie walked at the front, gave a graceful curtsy, and said with a smile, "I was just having a casual gathering with my sisters here. How did I manage to disturb the Emperor?"

"I had nothing better to do, and I heard you were up to something big here, so I came to check it out."

"What big move? It's just that the Imperial Household Department sent over a hundred pots of flowers, which I find quite beautiful."

With the Emperor's birthday approaching, it would be better to gather the sisters together.

Firstly, they discussed how to celebrate the Emperor's birthday; secondly, the sisters chatted, admired the flowers, and passed the time.

Jia Lian nodded, his gaze sweeping over his beloved concubines.

Miaoyu, Qin Keqing, and others were naturally even more stunning and beautiful.

Even the Li sisters and Xiangyun, who were quite young back then, have grown into graceful and lovely young women.

Jia Yuchai, An Cai'er, and others were also included in the list.

However, he couldn't see the two most important ones, so Jia Lian asked, "Where are Baochai and Lin Daiyu?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "You know how frail Lin Daiyu's body is. Now that she's finally pregnant, how could I dare to disturb her?"

As for Bao Ya...

I'd like to ask Your Majesty, how many duties do you, as a subject, have that you can't keep up with?

Ever since Bao Yatou became that executive vice minister, we sisters rarely see her at our gatherings.

Even if they did, they wouldn't stay long before being called away.

Now, it's almost time to include Tan'er and Ying'er as well.

Didn't you notice that neither of them were there either?

Jia Lian, who had already walked into the pavilion, smiled upon hearing this.

As its business capabilities and influence expanded, the former Commerce Department naturally became the Ministry of Commerce.

However, in order to distinguish it from the traditional Six Ministries and to give those conservatives some leeway, its rank is the same as that of the General Administration of Customs, only the second rank, which is slightly lower than the Six Ministries.

Princess Zhaoyang still held the position of minister, but Baochai was in charge of coordinating all affairs, large and small, within the ministry.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Princess Zhaoyang was sidelined.

Of course, Princess Zhaoyang, as the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards, the deputy head of the Imperial Clan Court, and now the supervisor of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, wouldn't care.

Because of the rapid development, Baochai naturally needed more manpower.

Her subordinates within the ministry were mostly officials from outside the ministry, so it was inconvenient for her, as a concubine, to have much contact with them.

Thus, Tan Chun, who also had great ambitions, quickly became her right-hand woman and is now the director of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce.

The two sisters spent all their time together, and their conversations revolved around abacuses and economics, making them stand out from the other sisters in the harem.

Perhaps seeing a way out for Tan Chun, Ying Chun, who felt she had nothing to do in the harem, also took the initiative to approach Bao Chai and asked for a position as a "secretary".

It just so happens that Yingchun's regular script is very good, and Baochai thinks it would be very suitable for her to be a scribe.

Sitting in the pavilion with Sister Feng and others, drinking tea and admiring the flowers and beautiful women, was indeed a very pleasant time.

The three You sisters soon entered the venue, but because they were dressed neatly and did not act in a high-profile manner, they did not attract much attention.

Only Sister Feng, upon seeing Sister You, made a special effort to stand up and show her concern.

Although Sister Feng has not been able to conceive again since giving birth to Xiao Bao.

However, Jia Lian thought that he would have more and more children in the future, and in order to secure his status, he did not hesitate and directly appointed his son with Feng Jie as the crown prince.

Originally, Sister Feng was fine, but after Baochai successfully gave birth to a prince last year, Sister Feng suddenly began to worry about potential dangers even in times of peace.

In short, he showed extraordinary concern for each of the sisters who became pregnant with the dragon's offspring.

Clearly, she wanted to establish good relationships in advance so that more people would support her son in the future.

Many of the women in the harem understood her intentions.

Jia Lian could see that too, of course.

He was happy to see this happen, since under his watchful eye, Sister Feng hadn't dared to do anything underhanded.

As for cultivating potential supporters for her son...

Jia Lian didn't care at all.

To be frank, given his age, it's uncertain whether he or the crown prince will outlive him in the future.

"Consort Lin has arrived!"

Upon hearing the announcement from the maids outside, Sister Feng quickly got up and went down to greet them.

"Didn't I specifically tell them not to disturb them? Why are you here again... Hmph, it must be you who did this."

Sister Feng stepped forward to help Daiyu, who was slightly pregnant, and glared at Zhen Yuhuan, who was also helping Daiyu.

In response, Zhen Yuhuan simply stuck out her tongue at Feng Jie.

Faced with Sister Feng's enthusiasm, Daiyu smiled and said, "I heard that there is a grand event here, and I was bored by myself in Chang Le Palace, so I came to take a look."

If my older sister doesn't welcome me, then I'll go back now.

"Welcome, welcome! How could we not welcome you?"

Everyone will be even happier if you can come.

But you must be careful, especially with the little prince in your belly; make sure he doesn't get hurt.

Daiyu found Fengjie's concern somewhat amusing.

She could clearly sense that Sister Feng was worried that she would give birth to a prince like Baochai, and hoped that she would give birth to a princess.

However, every time Sister Feng was there in person, she would always say that she was carrying a prince.

It was, undeniably, a wonderful feeling.

"Don't worry, sister. The imperial physician said that my pregnancy is stable and there won't be any problems."

As Daiyu spoke, she glanced wistfully at Jia Lian, who had also come over.

Ugh, you jerk! You made me so uncomfortable, and you don't even bother to check on me anymore...

Meeting Daiyu's haughty gaze, Jia Lian smiled slightly, took Zhen Yuhuan's other arm from her, and helped her to sit down in the pavilion.

"How is it?"

Jia Lian gently touched Daiyu's lower abdomen with his hand.

She was too thin. Even though she followed her own and the imperial physicians' advice to eat more each day in order to give birth to the prince smoothly, she still did not become plump.

So even though her birth dates were similar to those of Sister You, her belly felt smaller than Sister You's.

Daiyu casually replied to Jia Lian, not wanting Jia Lian and Feng Jie to both revolve around her.

With so many older sisters and younger sisters watching over her now, she didn't want to attract too much jealousy or resentment towards herself and her baby.

So he changed the subject: "Where are Baochai and Tanya? Are they busy again?"

Said Cao Cao, Cao Cao.

Baochai and the sisters Yingchun and Tanchun appeared at the opportune moment.

After exchanging pleasantries

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Jia Lian summoned them to his side and announced, "You all get ready. After the birthday banquet in the palace, I will take you on a trip to the south of the Yangtze River."

The women were taken aback for a moment, then immediately began to discuss among themselves.

Xiangyun smiled and said, "That's wonderful! I've never been to Jiangnan before!"

For Xiangyun, although the palace was nice, in truth, it wasn't as fun as the Grand View Garden.

There are many rules in the palace, and many arrangements are done in a very rigid manner.

Unlike the Grand View Garden, where one could run freely across the mountains and fields.

Perhaps the only thing that's better than before is that she is now a royal concubine, and as long as she doesn't alarm the Empress Dowager, no one in the harem will discipline her.

Hearing Xiangyun's words, Jia Lian chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself that it wasn't just Xiangyun who felt this way.

The three sisters, who were also among the Twelve Beauties of Jinling, never went to Jiangnan, which doesn't make sense.

This trip will allow them to return to their ancestral homeland and solidify their identities as the Twelve Beauties of Jinling. (End of Chapter)