The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Jin Jiazhu was truly stunned, because she understood the Crown Princess's words: Ge Xijia was personally chosen by the Emperor for Prince Li, and was his lawfully wedded wife. She also had the Ge family behind her. The Central Plains dynasties had seven grounds for divorce, but also three exceptions; therefore, removing Ge Xijia from her position as the principal wife would not be easy.

Seeing that Jin Jiazhu seemed to be deep in thought, Daiyu knew that she understood what she meant.

So Daiyu continued, "As for the third matter, according to examples from past dynasties, although there is no precedent in the royal family for the principal wife and concubine to switch roles, it is not uncommon for princes' mansions to abolish the principal wife and allow concubines to take charge of affairs."

Jin Jiazhu's eyes widened immediately: it wouldn't be easy to get Ge Xijia divorced, but if she kept making mistakes, then it might not be difficult to stop her from managing affairs and make herself the manager of the backyard of the Prince Li's mansion.

Although Jin Jiazhu had only been married for less than a year, she already knew that Ge Xijia had committed a serious offense and been confined to her quarters for several months, even being punished by copying the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra. Upon hearing this, Jin Jiazhu curiously flipped through the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra. Clearly, this sutra was meant to help Ge Xijia deeply understand the teachings and compassion of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, so it could be inferred that Ge Xijia's mistake had greatly displeased both the Emperor and the Empress.

However, although Ge Xijia copied the scriptures, she clearly failed to grasp their meaning.

Having received the Crown Princess's guidance, Jin Jiazhu quickly stood up and bowed solemnly: "Your Highness's teachings are etched in my mind."

Seeing this, Daiyu continued, "You know that a family should always live in harmony."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Jin Jiazhu did not linger any longer, lest staying too long cause controversy, and took her leave directly.

Watching Jin Jiazhu's retreating figure, Daiyu fell into deep thought: How much of Jin Jiazhu's behavior was genuine and how much was fake? But regardless of her true thoughts, one thing was quite certain: Huatang Chunxiu was attracting considerable attention.

This reminded Daiyu that the management of Huatang Chunxiu needed to be more systematic and regulated.

Thinking of Daiyu, she walked to the table, poured some water into the Duan inkstone with the relief of landscape and people, picked up a rectangular piece of pine soot ink with plum blossom poems carved on it, and slowly began to grind it.

"Your Highness, shall I come?" Chunyu stepped forward upon seeing this.

Daiyu shook her head: "I need to think about this for a while, don't disturb me."

Seeing this, Chunyu withdrew and silently watched from the side. After a while, the Crown Princess picked up her brush and began to write on the prepared paper.

After writing two whole pages, Daiyu waved to Chunyu: "Let Zijuan and Xueyan come over, you come too, and take a look."

Zijuan, Xueyan, and the others went forward to take a look and found that the Crown Princess was setting rules for Huatang Chunxiu.

After the three of them finished reading it together, Daiyu asked them if they felt there was anything wrong with it.

Chapter 240 The Clever Yuuka Makes Her Move

Just as Daiyu was setting rules and regulations for Huatang Chunxiu, Ge Xijia truly believed she had a handle on the Crown Princess. In order to prevent the people at Huatang Chunxiu from thinking that she, the Princess of Lijun, had discovered the matter, she even went back to her parents' home and asked her sister-in-law to help her buy a pair of embroidered floral hanging screens from Huatang Chunxiu.

Putting everything else aside, this pair of hanging screens is truly exquisite. The entire piece employs techniques such as flat stitch embroidery, gold thread embroidery, and seed stitch embroidery, depicting flowers, flower baskets, and flowerpots in vibrant colors. The overall style is full and opulent, with superb craftsmanship. The peony flowers are embroidered using extremely fine seed stitch. The gold parts are gold thread embroidery, with tightly packed gold threads, showcasing the pinnacle of handcrafting skills and possessing extremely high collectible artistic value. The remaining parts are embroidered with flat stitch, also with meticulous workmanship.

Ge Xijia chose an auspicious day and specially went to the palace to present the pair of hanging screens to Consort Xu.

Consort Xu liked it very much at first glance: "This really shows a lot of thought. Putting aside everything else, the seed stitch technique takes a lot of effort and time. It is a variation of lockstitch, with loops and loops of embroidery thread, which requires a lot of skill."

Consort Xu was an exceptionally skilled seamstress. Back in the Prince's residence, she frequently made clothes, shoes, and socks for him. It was this skill that caught his attention, allowing her to gain his favor and give birth to a son.

Ge Xijia, of course, quickly praised Consort Xu for her discerning eye.

"Oh, this is made with spring silk as the base, so it must be a good thing." Consort Xu was also very familiar with the fabric. Spring silk is made by reeling silk and twisting the thread. Consort Xu looked at it carefully and said, "It is very similar to the fabric that His Majesty gave me the year before last. I heard that it was a tribute from Hangzhou."

Consort Xu remembered it so clearly because the density of this batch of spring silk was just right, making it perfect for making autumn clothes.

"I'm afraid this won't be cheap, will it?" Consort Xu liked it very much and immediately ordered it to be hung up.

Seeing that Consort Xu had not considered the implications at all, Ge Xijia quickly smiled and said, "Yes, I bought it at Huatang Chunxiu for fifty taels of silver."

"Painted Hall Spring Embroidery," isn't that the place where the Crown Princess is? Consort Xu said "Oh," and then added, "You seem to support the Crown Princess quite a bit."

Seeing that Consort Xu still didn't understand her meaning, Ge Xijia had no choice but to point it out: "It's not that, Mother, don't you think it's a bit strange?"

"What's a little strange?" Consort Xu still didn't understand.

“Just as Mother Consort said, the fabric used for this hanging screen is all spring silk, a tribute from Hangzhou.” Ge Xijia pointed out the spring silk.

Consort Xu seemed to understand something immediately, and quickly moved closer to examine it carefully. She even asked her maid Chunjuan to find out the lotus-colored silk jacket she had only worn twice.

Chunjuan spent some time finding it, since the Empress didn't wear it often and had put it aside. She took it out and unfolded it, and Consort Xu immediately compared it to the hanging screen.

"Oh, it really does look like the same batch." After saying that, Consort Xu also realized something was amiss: How come Huatang Chunxiu has high-quality materials?

"Daughter-in-law is still at Huatang Chunxiu, and she has seen several very special materials, including a very special single-thread gauze produced in Sichuan." Ge Xijia quickly reported to Consort Xu.

Consort Xu fell into thought: At the end of last year, the Empress fell ill, and the Crown Princess was in charge of all the affairs of the harem. Could it be that the Crown Princess was embezzling from her own position?

After thinking for a while, Consort Xu waved her hand and said, "Forget it, we only look alike. We can't really say for sure. There's no need to make things unpleasant over this."

Consort Xu always felt that every time Ge Xijia tried to cause trouble for the Crown Princess, she ended up suffering the consequences. She decided to simply ignore the matter. After all, the news of the Crown Princess's second pregnancy had made the Emperor and Empress very happy just a couple of days ago, so there was no need to provoke them now.

Hearing Consort Xu say this, Ge Xijia couldn't believe her ears and immediately became dissatisfied: "Mother, this is such a big handle. Maybe the Crown Princess has done other illegal things while in charge of the harem. If you just say something, the Noble Consort might take the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. When it's found out, the Crown Princess and even the Crown Prince will be in deep trouble."

"I advise you to give up this idea. The Crown Princess is pregnant now, and His Majesty is very happy. You insist on causing trouble. If it doesn't work out, you'll only put yourself in a passive position. Why bother?" Consort Xu didn't want to get involved herself and planned to persuade Ge Xijia not to interfere either.

Seeing this, Ge Xijia was furious and looked down on Consort Xu: She really has no guts. No wonder, with her background, it would be a miracle if she had any courage.

Ge Xijia was too lazy to talk to Consort Xu, nor did she intend to take back the pair of hanging screens. Instead, she took out another dark blue brocade satin round-necked robe, which she had also bought from Huatang Chunxiu. This one cost thirty taels of silver.

With this document in hand, Ge Xijia presented it directly to the Empress and poured out all her doubts.

"Your Majesty, please understand. I only felt that this matter was suspicious. How could the people in Huatang Chunxiu have the palace's fabric? I was worried that someone was up to something and secretly took the palace's fabric to sell." Of course, Ge Xijia would not say that she suspected the Crown Princess.

But everyone knows that the Huatang Chunxiu was organized by the Crown Princess.

The Empress knew that the Crown Princess had taken the surplus fabric to Huatang Chunxiu, so when she heard Ge Xijia's words, she smiled faintly and said, "It must have been difficult for you. His Majesty and I both know about this. You can take this robe back."

What does that mean? What does it mean that both the emperor and the empress knew? Ge Xijia was completely confused.

Looking at the Empress's smiling face, Ge Xijia always felt that the Empress was protecting the Crown Princess.

"You know? What does Mother mean?" Ge Xijia asked boldly, feeling that if she pressed for an answer, the Empress couldn't say she was wrong.

Just then, news came that the Emperor had arrived, so the Empress had no choice but to get up and greet him.

"Oh, fourth son's wife is here." The emperor was in a good mood lately. His second son had handled the disaster relief work in Hunan and Hubei very well. The emperor even had a smile on his face when he spoke. When he saw the dark blue brocade round-necked robe with gold embroidery on the table, he was very curious. "Why did you take out a robe?"

The Empress originally intended to cover it up to avoid displeasing the Emperor, but little did she know that Ge Xijia would see the Empress's attempt to cover it up as evidence of protecting the Crown Princess. Ge Xijia had a sudden inspiration and realized that His Majesty might not know about this matter.

So he quickly spoke up and explained the whole story in a fast-paced manner.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that the emperor's expression had changed.

"Oh, I see. Fourth son's wife is quite thoughtful." This statement itself seems reasonable, but only if one ignores the emperor's almost icy tone.

Ge Xijia knew she was in big trouble.

Chapter 241 The Emperor's Dissatisfaction Leads to the Bestowal of a Nanny

Hearing the emperor's tone, Ge Xijia knew she was in trouble this time, and quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

"It was my fault for being so thoughtless. I was just worried and didn't think things through before bothering you, Mother. I hope you will forgive me, Father and Mother," Ge Xijia quickly said.

The Empress was very dissatisfied with Ge Xijia's behavior earlier: she had clearly told her that she and the Emperor knew about this matter, but Ge Xijia insisted on interrupting. Now, the Empress had no intention of saving her, so she didn't say a word.

“You are indeed very ignorant. I think it’s time to teach you some manners.” The Emperor immediately instructed the Empress, “Empress, choose one of the governesses who is respectable and capable, and send her to live in the Prince Li’s residence so that she can teach the Princess Consort manners.”

What? They're actually sending someone to my residence? How can that be? If Xiao Tingfeng finds out, he'll definitely scold me. Besides, isn't this just letting Jin Jiazhu laugh at me?

Ge Xijia was completely flustered, but when she looked up and saw the emperor's expression, she had no choice but to obediently lower her head and kneel to express her gratitude.

The Empress immediately had a candidate in mind: "I'm afraid we'll have to borrow someone from Your Majesty."

The Empress didn't want to send her own people, lest Ge Xijia fail to learn the proper etiquette and blame the people she sent. Moreover, sending the Emperor's people would prevent Consort Shu from suspecting that she was using the opportunity to plant people in the Prince Li's residence.

"Oh, who does the Empress think is suitable?" the Emperor asked curiously.

"Granny Yang, does His Majesty still remember when the Crown Princess first organized the Dragon Boat Festival banquet? It was Granny Yang who helped." The Granny Yang that the Empress mentioned was one of the four senior female officials of the Sansi Palace. Even the Emperor praised her for her loyalty and competence.

The female officials in the Sansi Hall were replaced every few years. Each new official had to be taught by the "Four Great Grannies," including Granny Yang. Therefore, Granny Yang's discipline was impeccable.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded: "You've chosen a good person. Back then, when the Crown Princess was just a Prince's wife, it was Granny Yang who helped her. Now it's just right."

"Indeed, the Crown Princess told me back then that Granny Yang was an upright and principled person, and she was flexible and adaptable in her work. She really helped her a lot." The Empress praised Granny Yang as if she didn't care about money.

Hearing this, Ge Xijia became even more frustrated: who knows how the nanny on the Emperor's side will make things difficult for her.

"Then daughter-in-law, hurry back and tidy up the house." Ge Xijia thought to herself, and hurried back to make arrangements in advance so that Jin Jiazhu wouldn't laugh at her.

To everyone's surprise, the Emperor said, "That's not necessary. I'll have Granny Yang come right away. You can take her with you; it will be more convenient."

Ge Xijia wanted to leave but couldn't. The thought of taking Yang Mama back to the mansion immediately made her extremely unwilling, but she dared not speak, lest she displease the emperor again.

Ge Xijia was unhappy, and Yang Mama was also depressed when she heard the news: everyone knew that Princess Li was unreliable. If she went there now, she might be implicated by Princess Li, which would be a thankless task.

Even though Granny Yang was unwilling, she still had to kowtow and express her gratitude to the emperor, telling him that she would do her best.

Seeing this, the Empress helped Yang Mama: "His Majesty has always valued Mama. Her quiet manners are unmatched in the entire palace. So, Fourth Prince's wife, you must do your best to learn from her. I hope that next time you enter the palace, you will have a new look."

Ge Xijia thought to herself: The Empress's words are too much. It's as if it's my problem if I don't learn well, and that this Granny Yang will never have any problems.

What frustrated Ge Xijia even more was that the emperor agreed with the empress's words, saying, "That's right, I'm completely at ease leaving it to Yang Mama."

Ge Xijia could only return to the Prince Li's mansion with Granny Yang, full of resentment.

She had expected Jin Jiazhu to come and watch the show, but she didn't. She had spent the whole day thinking about how to shut Jin Jiazhu up, but now she had wasted half a day thinking about it.

Even when Xiao Tingfeng returned, Jin Jiazhu did not come.

Xiao Tingfeng was furious: He was working at the Ministry of Works when he ran into his second brother, Xiao Tingkai, on the way home, and was mocked by him.

"Father still dotes on Fourth Brother. I heard that even Granny Yang has gone to Fourth Brother's residence."

At that time, Xiao Tingfeng was still unaware and completely confused. After thinking for a while, he left the Ministry of Works early and went to the palace to see his mother.

Upon seeing her son, Consort Xu, before Xiao Tingfeng could even ask any questions, began to complain, "My son and I don't know what sins we committed in this life to end up with such a woman. I told your wife not to cause trouble for the Crown Princess, but she wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened; not only has she angered your father, but he's also sent someone to your residence to monitor you."

Xiao Tingfeng was completely confused and quickly asked his mother what was going on.

Xu Shufei sighed and then told Xiao Tingfeng the whole story in detail.

It would have been better if he hadn't listened, because once he did, Xiao Tingfeng was furious: Ge Xijia, that idiot! Her mother had already warned her, yet she still acted this way. She even displeased her father to the point that he sent the nanny from the Sansi Palace; this was a really big deal.

No wonder my second brother looked so gloating.

Therefore, Xiao Tingfeng was really angry when he returned to the Prince's Mansion. However, since Yang Mama was also there, he couldn't vent his anger. But he was very angry when he saw Ge Xijia, so he went straight to Jin Jiazhu's courtyard without saying a word.

Ge Xijia felt guilty and didn't dare to say a word.

Jin Jiazhu thoughtfully had a maid bring over the stewed peach gum and white fungus soup, and then presented it to Xiao Tingfeng herself: "Your Highness, please don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health. I was also shocked by what happened to my sister today, but after thinking about it carefully, I think it's a blessing in disguise."

Xiao Tingfeng glared at Jin Jiazhu, but seeing how considerate she was, he still took the sweet soup: "What do you mean by a stroke of luck amidst misfortune?"

“Your Highness, think about it. Although Father Emperor is somewhat angry about this matter, it hasn’t caused a major uproar. Moreover, the fact that Father Emperor and Mother Emperor are willing to give my sister a nanny shows that they still have expectations for her.” Jin Jiazhu explained her thoughts gently, her gentle expression calming Xiao Tingfeng’s anger.

"Besides, Father Emperor has so openly and honestly given us a nanny, I think it's definitely not to spy on us," Jin Jiazhu continued. "Moreover, there are some things I can't say."