The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

So when Xiao Tingjun returned, he saw his wife looking worried, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

Xiao Tingjun was immediately startled and quickly asked what had happened.

Daiyu shook her head: "Nothing happened. It's just that I've heard that a person's fortune in this life is limited. I'm a little scared now that Cong'er is like this."

Xiao Tingjun was taken aback at first, then he realized: His father had been showering Yu'er with favors lately, which must have frightened her.

Xiao Tingjun immediately laughed and said, "Yu'er, don't worry, it's nothing. The harvests in most places have been good in recent years. Father Emperor originally intended to exempt taxes for a year. Our Cong'er was just lucky to be here."

"Besides, all the maids and servants in our Delin Palace are very dedicated, there are also female physicians, and the Empress Dowager manages the six palaces. Look at Yueyue and her aunt, they are both safe and sound, so you can rest assured."

Daiyu nodded after hearing this.

But just as Xiao Tingjun was about to reach out and hug the child, before Daiyu could even speak, Yueyue at the door shouted, "Daddy hasn't washed his hands, he can't touch the little brother."

Xiao Tingjun was startled, and he chuckled, "Who said that?"

"That's what the nanny said," Yueyue said earnestly.

Daiyu explained to Xiao Tingjun: When Yueyue and her aunt came to see Cong'er, they wanted to touch him, but Granny Gu told them that they had to wash their hands first.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tingjun saw Chunxian bringing over a copper basin. He quickly washed his hands with warm water in the basin, dried them with a towel, and then picked up his son.

Daiyu was still in her postpartum period when the weather gradually turned cold. Crown Prince Xiao Tingjun thus became quite busy.

Even the Empress felt extremely busy. She rubbed her temples and sighed to Granny Hu, "This person is indeed getting old. He gets exhausted just from handling a little bit of work."

Hu Mama smiled and said, "Ever since the Crown Princess entered the palace, Your Majesty has entrusted so many things to her. Now that the Crown Princess is in confinement, it is naturally Your Majesty who will have to work hard."

Seeing that the Empress was tired, Hu Mama had already sent someone to bring over a bowl of steaming rock sugar, white fungus, and red date soup. As she served it, she asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to ask the Imperial Concubine or the other concubines to help out?"

Without a second thought, the Empress shook her head, picked up a small spoon with colorful fish and seaweed patterns, and began to drink her soup. After finishing, she said, "We must be especially careful at this time. We can't be sure what they are thinking."

Hu Mama understood what she meant; she absolutely could not allow anything to happen to the Crown Prince's son.

At this time of year, many New Year's goods from foreign vassal states and various regions have already arrived in the capital. It's better to arrive early than late. If heavy snow blocks the roads and the congratulatory messages and gifts from local officials are delayed until after the New Year, the Emperor's cold face will arrive soon, and his hat may be gone just as quickly.

When the palace receives something, it naturally has to be distributed as a reward. Apart from the Emperor and Empress, Delin Palace received the first share this year. Not to mention the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, in previous years, because the Emperor favored the little princess, she naturally received a lot of things. This year, with the addition of a grandson, it is even more remarkable.

This year, Sichuan sent a lot of tribute oranges, including a variety called Da Hong Pao, which is named for its bright red color. During the festive season, when people especially love red, Da Hong Pao oranges are in high demand.

Moreover, not only is the flesh of Da Hong Pao orange delicious, but even the peel has extremely high medicinal value.

This year, the crimson robes sent from Sichuan weighed about fifty jin. Upon seeing them, the Emperor immediately thought of the Empress: "The Empress is from Sichuan and loves local products the most. I will send ten jin of these crimson robes, including the Empress's, to the Phoenix Palace."

Then, mentioning General Zuo Qing, I said, "I heard that the old general has been coughing recently. I heard that this can stop coughing and dispel cold, so I will send him ten catties."

"In addition, send a total of twenty catties to the six ministers, including Minister Song, and let them divide it among themselves."

After the emperor divided it up, only ten catties remained.

"Your Highness has worked hard all year, and with Yueyue and Cong'er, send five catties to Delin Palace."

"In addition, Consort Gui, Consort Shu, Consort Chen, and Consort Rong will each receive one jin. Recently, Consort Zhao has been working hard with the princess, so I will send one jin to them and their daughter."

With just a few words, the emperor divided up all fifty catties of Da Hong Pao robes. This saved the empress a trip.

The Imperial Concubine was furious when she received only one jin of Da Hong Pao (a type of traditional Chinese robe): she was a Noble Concubine, yet she only received one jin, while the Second Prince's residence didn't receive even one jin! The Emperor was so biased; the Crown Prince's palace received a full five jin, which was almost the Emperor's own ration.

Unfortunately, a palace maid in her palace chimed in, "I heard that the Crown Princess sent a pound of it to Prince Cheng's residence."

Consort Wu was even more annoyed when she heard this: The third son and his wife were clearly trying to win over the fifth son and his wife. Look, they even divided the oranges clearly.

Despite her anger, the Imperial Concubine could only endure it, as her daughter-in-law had been punished by the Emperor to copy scriptures, and her son had repeatedly warned her not to cause any conflict with Delin Palace.

"Alright, pack all the oranges and send them to the second prince's residence so they can have a taste," Consort Wu sighed.

However, while she could hold back, some people couldn't.

The one who couldn't resist was Ge Xijia.

Chapter 249 Provocation Leads to Daiyu's Actions

In previous years, the Prince Li's residence would also receive Da Hong Pao oranges, though not many, only about a pound. But back then, even the Crown Prince and his wife would only receive three pounds.

But now that the Crown Princess has given birth to a son, she actually gave five catties to Delin Palace. Not to mention that, she herself doesn't have a single catty left.

What she cared about wasn't the orange itself, but the difference in status it represented.

While still in the Prince's mansion, Ge Xijia was already jumping up and down in anger.

On the contrary, Jin Jiazhu, who was pregnant, didn't care at all. She even kindly advised the princess: "Why are you so upset about such a small amount of oranges? I heard that even the Prince Rui and Prince Cheng's mansions don't have a single pound of them, so we're all in the same boat."

"You really are so easily offended. What oranges? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would get angry just because I can't have a few oranges?" Ge Xijia rolled her eyes.

Kim Ga-joo really wanted to say, "You've always been clueless." But she obviously couldn't say that.

“Think about it,” Ge Xijia added. “This time, Father Emperor only gave it to the Crown Prince and not to the other princes. He’s clearly telling the other princes to behave themselves.”

Jin Jiazhu's eyes widened: Since Your Highness understands, why are you still angry? Xiao Tingfeng is really not up to par, so don't have any expectations.

Jin Jiazhu originally thought that Ge Xijia would just stay at home and sulk, but who knew that she would dare to provoke her on the spot during the palace banquet.

Because she was pregnant and a concubine, Kim Ga-joo was offered a seat at the palace banquet, but she didn't attend. After all, at the New Year's Eve palace banquet, all the dishes were more about symbolism than taste, and they weren't as good as the food from her own kitchen.

Ge Xijia watched as the Crown Princess entered, her eyes darting around: The Crown Princess was dressed so magnificently today, wearing a brocade jacket and skirt with gold flowers and butterflies, trimmed with pearls and fur, and her hair adorned with a phoenix-patterned gold hairpin inlaid with South Sea pearls and a gold plum blossom hairpin inlaid with flying pearls. The dress and headdress complemented each other, making it impossible to look away.

Hmph, she really knows how to pretend. She used to dress simply, but now that she has a son, she's all dressed up.

Ge Xijia thought that she naturally wouldn't dare to pick a fight with the Crown Princess right now, since she was both her sister-in-law and the Crown Princess.

But Zuo Jiangqiu was sitting right next to her, so she smiled and said, "I heard that the Crown Princess gave Fifth Sister-in-law a pound of Da Hong Pao tea. It's true that those who bid well are different."

Zuo Jiangqiu looked at Ge Xijia with an expression as if she were an idiot, and remained silent for a long time.

Seeing that Zuo Jiangqiu remained silent, Ge Xijia was a little smug: "Fifth sister-in-law, in the past only you had a son, but now it's different. The Crown Princess also has a son. With the Crown Princess having a son, where are the other grandsons in Father's eyes? Don't you think so?"

Seeing her like this, Zuo Jiangqiu deliberately said, "Fourth Sister-in-law, are you angry because you didn't get the Da Hong Pao oranges? Do you know that it's not just the oranges, Father also gave Delin Palace two baskets of gold ingots, saying that Third Sister-in-law, oh, the Crown Princess, should use them to reward the servants."

Upon hearing this, Ge Xijia became even more annoyed: "Isn't it all fixed? The Crown Princess already receives far more money, grain, and cloth than us every month, yet she's still so biased."

Seeing her angry, Zuo Jiangqiu was pleased: "There's nothing we can do about it. As you said yourself, Fourth Sister-in-law, the Crown Princess has given birth to a son. Now the Crown Princess has both a son and a daughter. Fourth Sister-in-law, you also have to work hard. When you have both a son and a daughter, maybe you'll have both Da Hong Pao oranges and Jin Kezi."

"You..." Ge Xijia's eyes turned red with anger. Not having a child was her pain. Now, her concubine was already more than seven months pregnant. With Yang Mama watching over her, and Jin Jiazhu herself being very shrewd, it seemed that she would definitely have a smooth delivery.

"My dear sisters-in-law, what are you chatting about that's so fun?" Song Huilan joined in.

Zuo Jiangqiu really wanted to say, "Which eye of yours saw us having a good chat?" But she didn't say anything. Ge Xijia had already angrily started talking to Song Huilan about the oranges and the gold ingots.

Song Huilan has been having a tough time lately. Her hand aches from copying the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the orange incident is also making her uncomfortable. Now, when she hears about the gold ingots, she pretends to be magnanimous and smiles: "Fourth sister-in-law, you need to learn to calm down. Anyway, you don't need a few gold ingots. As for me, I've already accepted my fate."

"Second sister-in-law, have you really resigned yourself to your fate?" Ge Xijia asked incredulously.

"Alas, I have no choice. I'm sure my fourth sister-in-law knows that I've been punished by copying the Avatamsaka Sutra. Now that the situation is against me, I have no choice but to bow my head." Song Huilan deliberately sighed, looking heartbroken.

At this moment, Daiyu came over to talk to Zuo Jiangqiu, and Ge Xijia immediately became sarcastic: "Crown Princess, as your sister-in-law, you should be calm. How come Ju Zi has five younger sisters-in-law, but we don't? Are we not worthy?"

Daiyu is now completely immune to Ge Xijia's low-level sarcastic remarks: "Fourth sister-in-law's words are interesting. The oranges were personally distributed by Father. As for who I give them to, it's entirely up to me. Even Father didn't say I couldn't give them away, or stipulate who I had to give them to. Fourth sister-in-law, don't you think so?"

Ge Xijia's eyes widened in anger, but then a sudden thought struck her, and she smiled instead: "Why does the Crown Princess need to provoke me with words? You are the Crown Princess, deeply favored by Father and Mother, and have probably amassed quite a few gold ingots over the years. I may be one thing, but the Crown Princess should at least think of our concubine, who is now pregnant and a princess from Goryeo. Shouldn't you at least take care of her?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's expression changed. She immediately gave Ge Xijia a cold look and her tone changed as she spoke: "Since Fourth Sister-in-law thinks I should take care of her, then I will speak up."

He called to Zijuan, "Go and see if Granny Yang came today. If she didn't, then invite her over."

Ge Xijia was now terrified of being controlled by Granny Yang. Upon hearing the name Granny Yang, she immediately became frightened and shouted, "What do you want her for? What do you want to do?"

A moment later, Granny Yang arrived. She was about to kneel when Daiyu quickly excused her, saying, "Granny Yang, you were sent by the Emperor to teach Princess Li the rules of etiquette. I see that she hasn't learned them well enough. They say that reading a book a hundred times will reveal its meaning. Granny Yang, take Princess Li back and have her copy the palace rules ten times. If she still doesn't understand after copying them ten times, then it really can't be blamed on Granny Yang."

Granny Yang quickly agreed.

Ge Xijia naturally refused, and immediately jumped up in anger: "You, you're not the Empress, how can you do this?"

Before Daiyu could speak, Granny Yang quickly spoke up.

Chapter 250 Punished with confinement and stripped of housekeeper

After hearing Ge Xijia's words, Granny Yang couldn't help but sigh, wondering how His Majesty could have chosen such a person as the principal wife of Prince Li. She simply didn't understand the rules at all.

So, before the Crown Princess could get any angrier, Granny Yang quickly said, "In this dynasty, the Crown Princess is a first-rank official, while the Princess Consort is only a third-rank official. In terms of rank, the Crown Princess can naturally teach the Princess Consort; and since you are the Crown Princess's sister-in-law, as her sister-in-law, you should also teach your sister-in-law."

Ge Xijia was about to speak when the Crown Princess, too lazy to talk to her, directly ordered, "Granny Yang, take the Princess Consort back."

Ge Xijia was startled by the Crown Princess's imposing manner. Seeing several burly old women approaching, she knew she was in trouble this time. She hung her head, ready to obediently go back.

But when she heard that the Emperor and Empress had arrived, Ge Xijia felt that she had a chance again and immediately began to complain.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor naturally turned his gaze over. Seeing that it was Princess Consort of Li County, he was immediately displeased and lashed out at Granny Yang: "You've been at the Prince's residence for so long, how have you taught her manners?"

Granny Yang knelt down to beg for forgiveness, speaking with utmost sincerity: "This servant is indeed capable in martial arts, but after all, I am not made of steel. If this servant is not careful, Her Highness the Princess will cause trouble. It's one thing if it's the Prince's residence, as there are also concubines to help this servant. But for palace banquets like this, this servant is not supposed to serve here. Just in case, I shamelessly came along anyway. Who knew that Her Highness the Princess would still not follow the rules. If Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress have pity on this servant, please choose someone else to come. This servant is truly powerless."

Looking at the white hair at Yang Mama's temples, the emperor was also moved. It had only been a short time, but Yang Mama had aged so much.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on Ge Xijia, and Xiao Tingfeng was also feeling very uncomfortable being stared at by his brothers and cousins: everyone else was fine, but it was his princess who made a mistake. He really wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Hu Delu had already quickly learned what had happened and whispered a recounting of it to the emperor.

The Emperor immediately said coldly, "Since that's the case, Granny Yang, take Princess Li back. The Princess should reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors and copy the palace rules twenty times. She can only come out when she has thoroughly learned the rules."

Ge Xijia's heart was completely cold, but there was something else that chilled her to the bone.

"For the time being, Yang Mama will help the concubine manage all the affairs of the Prince's mansion. After the concubine gives birth smoothly, the mansion will be handed over to her."

With a single word from the emperor, Ge Xijia was stripped of her power as housekeeper.

Ge Xijia collapsed to the ground. Yang Mama, having received the order, ignored Ge Xijia's expression and led several other nannies to carry her out.

Consort Wu glanced at the Crown Princess, who had remained calm throughout.

The Crown Princess is indeed remarkable. She remained composed throughout the entire situation. At her age, I would have easily lost my composure.

Don't be fooled by the Emperor's words. They may sound like he's only punishing the fourth prince's wife, but anyone with a discerning eye knows that with the fourth prince's arrival, he's effectively out of the running for the throne—unless all the princes run into trouble and he's the only one left.

Consort Wu turned to look at Consort Xu.

To everyone's surprise, Consort Xu seemed not to care at all. Instead, she happily prepared to watch the opera. When the opera list was sent to her and she was asked to choose an opera, she happily chose one.

Could it be that the fourth prince, seeing no hope of ascending the throne, had already given up? Consort Wu had this suspicion and brought it up when she spoke with her son two days later.

After hearing his mother's words, Xiao Tingkai fell into deep thought: Recently, the fourth son has indeed changed. He seems to be less impulsive, and I heard that he goes to the Ministry of Works on time every day and returns home on time. He seems like a good man, not going out to wander around, nor associating with his old friends.

"Regardless, I think we should not act rashly. Let's see what happens. The fourth prince's concubine is about to give birth in three months. We don't know if she will have a son or a daughter." Xiao Tingkai was not sure, but now that the crown princess had just given birth to a son, the emperor was quite satisfied with the crown prince and the crown princess. If we were to rush in now, it might cause trouble.

Consort Wu agreed with her son's statement, but still worriedly said, "Speaking of the fourth prince's concubine, she entered the manor almost a year later than your concubine, but look at her, she is already pregnant. Whether it is a boy or a girl, it will be a happy event."