The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

The Empress had her own selfish reasons for choosing Daiyu as her third son's wife—Daiyu had no powerful family, and the Rongguo Mansion was in such a state that she would naturally rely on the Empress.

Now, seeing Daiyu's actions, the Empress was very relieved: "Don't be fooled by the Crown Princess's cold and unapproachable demeanor; she's actually kind-hearted. If you treat her well, she'll treat you even better. But if you take her kindness for granted, she'll remember your wrongdoing."

The Crown Princess is very clever and has already gained prestige in the palace. Even Granny Hu once praised her, saying, "Don't let her gentle appearance fool you; she's incredibly capable when it comes to getting things done. Even the most senior nannies and stewards in the palace are completely convinced of her abilities."

So when Daiyu came to the Empress to ask to return the palace affairs, the Empress immediately shook her head: "Yu'er, I see that you have managed all the big and small matters perfectly these days, so I might as well take it easy for the next two years. I have already spoken to your father about this."

Daiyu was a little stunned. She carefully observed the Empress's expression, fearing that the Empress was still troubled, but seeing that the Empress was not unhappy at all, she was relieved.

"Don't worry, I already spoke with Consort Xu and Consort Zhou. No matter where the family is, a daughter-in-law has no right to interfere with her father-in-law's concubines. So, since the Crown Princess is in charge of palace affairs, the two of them can't shirk their responsibilities."

"Therefore, I have handed over the records of the Imperial Household Department and the access to the Imperial Archives to Consort Zhou. Consort Xu has more seniority, so from now on, all matters between the concubines, from minor squabbles and fights to major plots to harm concubines and princes, will be handled by her."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu immediately admired the Empress: Her Majesty's delegation of power has actually made Consort Xu and the others take on more responsibility. The Emperor's harem may not have many people, but there are still plenty of things to do.

"I see that you, Yu'er, are very capable in handling things and know how to manage people. Besides using both kindness and severity, you must be discerning in your approach and assign tasks accordingly, ensuring that everyone fulfills their responsibilities." The Empress pulled Daiyu aside and earnestly told her, "Just be careful, take your time. I'm entrusting things to you, but that doesn't mean I'm completely letting go. The princesses of the princes outside, and even those imperial relatives, still have some reservations about me, the Empress. Yu'er, just do whatever you want to do."

The meaning is clear: the Crown Princess can do whatever she wants, the Empress will take care of it.

Thus, Daiyu had completely taken over the palace affairs. After receiving the report that the concubine of Prince Rui's mansion was pregnant, Daiyu immediately summoned the imperial physician and gave him instructions. She also sent gifts from the Imperial Household Department to Prince Rui's mansion according to old custom.

Looking at the delivered items, Song Huilan casually asked, "Did Her Majesty the Empress send this?"

The arriving eunuch answered truthfully: "Now the Crown Princess is in charge of palace affairs, and these were all sent on her orders."

Song Huilan was extremely displeased: Wang Xiyun's pregnancy was a good thing for the Prince Rui's mansion, but not for her, the princess consort. Wang Xiyun was already favored, and in the future, she might even be able to lord it over her.

Seeing the Crown Princess living such a comfortable life, she was even more jealous: Back then, who would have thought that the third prince would become the Crown Prince? Not to mention, the Crown Princess was so delicate and frail, yet now she has both a son and a daughter.

Ultimately, it's all the fault of the fourth brother and his wife, who plotted to cause her to have a premature birth. Otherwise, she might already have a son and a daughter.

Song Huilan was furious and wanted to incite the fourth prince's wife to pick a fight with the crown princess at the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet.

To everyone's surprise, it was the fourth prince who brought his concubine, Jin Jiazhu, to the palace banquet. Song Huilan was immediately taken aback and couldn't help but blurt out, "What? Is your princess unwell? Why isn't she coming to the palace on such a joyous occasion?"

This question was, of course, directed at Kim Ga-joo.

Jin Jiazhu had a deep understanding of Princess Rui: this princess was somewhat more capable than Ge Xijia herself, but only to a limited extent. However, hearing that a concubine in their household was pregnant, she was probably not feeling well either.

Seeing the disbelief mixed with disappointment on Princess Rui's face, Jin Jiazhu guessed that Princess Rui must have had some ulterior motives from the beginning.

So Jin Jiazhu deliberately said, "As Your Highness knows, our Princess is currently learning etiquette under Granny Yang."

“Learning the rules is one thing, but on a day like this, when families are supposed to be together, are we not allowed to enter the palace?” Song Huilan felt that something was amiss.

“Of course not, it’s just that our Princess Consort hasn’t learned the rules yet, and we’re afraid she might offend someone in the palace. Even the Prince said that there are many children in the palace now, and it’s not good for them to see a bad example.” Jin Jiazhu said with a regretful expression, “I still have to thank Father Emperor for personally sending Granny Yang. Even I have learned a lot of manners from her.”

Just as Song Huilan was about to speak again, Consort Xu had already summoned Jin Jiazhu. Consort Xu was holding her grandson and was very happy. Jin Jiazhu was beside Consort Xu, and the two of them were talking. If outsiders saw them, they would probably think that Jin Jiazhu was the Princess Consort of Li County.

Song Huilan couldn't help but recall the gossip she had overheard a few days ago, saying that Jin Jiazhu, the concubine, was now managing the Prince's mansion.

Just then, the emperor appeared carrying his grandson, who was not even two years old. No one knows what the child said, but the emperor's smile never faded.

Song Huilan felt both jealous and worried: If the Prince Li's mansion was like this, would her own mansion be the same in the future?

Daiyu, however, paid no attention to Song Huilan; she was busy finding a tutor for Yueyue.

Because Yueyue and her aunt Princess Ying were about the same age, the emperor decided that it would be appropriate to find a scholar who had passed the imperial examination to be their teacher.

But the emperor's pickiness surprised both Daiyu and Xiao Tingjun.

Chapter 267 Selecting a Teacher Considers the Top Scholar

The emperor was quite picky about hiring tutors for his daughter and granddaughter.

They needed to be scholars who had passed the imperial examinations, but not too old, lest they raise the young girls to be pedantic and rigid. They also needed to be humorous and witty, so that the two girls wouldn't be forced to study all the time.

Upon hearing the Emperor's series of requests, the Crown Prince couldn't help but joke with his wife upon his return: "Those who know, say that Father is choosing teachers for Yueyue and the others. Those who don't know, think the princess is choosing a husband."

Daiyu glared at him: "You can still laugh? Wait until Yueyue grows up and gets married. I'd like to see if you'll still be willing to let her go then."

“That’s true, but Yueyue is still young, so there’s no need to rush. Although our dynasty can’t select a top scholar as a son-in-law like in the Tang dynasty, there are still plenty of good men in the world.” Xiao Tingjun had a flash of inspiration when talking about the top scholar, “This year’s new top scholar is quite interesting. Why don’t we suggest to Father Emperor that we select a top scholar to be our daughter’s teacher?”

Daiyu had some recollection of the new top scholar, having seen him twice from afar, so she asked, "I seem to remember that this year's top scholar has some connection with the Empress Dowager?"

Xiao Tingjun nodded: "She is a distant relative of the Empress Dowager. In fact, the grandfather of the top scholar and the mother of the Empress Dowager are cousins."

After saying "Oh," Daiyu exclaimed in admiration, "It's clear that the Empress Dowager's family produces talented people. To be able to become the top scholar at such a young age is truly remarkable."

But then he said to Xiao Tingjun, "However, you shouldn't make any random suggestions in front of the Emperor. I imagine that even though you've become the top scholar, he wouldn't be satisfied with you being the tutor of a princess and a county princess who are so young."

It would be a waste of talent to have someone go through all that trouble to become the top scholar in the imperial examinations, and to give him the position of tutor to two young girls would surely displease the emperor.

Xiao Tingjun said mysteriously to Daiyu, "You can't think like that. You wait, I'll bring it up, and I'm afraid Father will definitely agree."

Daiyu asked him why he was so confident, but Xiao Tingjun kept her in suspense.

"I won't tell you yet. Wait until things are settled and everything is in order, then I'll explain it to you." Xiao Tingjun had an idea in mind, and the next day, while chatting with the emperor, he brought it up on his own initiative.

Upon hearing the name of the top scholar Lu Wenzhi, the emperor chuckled and looked at Xiao Tingjun: "You're not just looking for a tutor for your daughter, are you?"

Xiao Tingjun was naturally very honest: "A few days ago, my aunt asked me what I thought of the top scholar. It seems that both my aunt and uncle thought that Scholar Lu was quite good."

"I say your aunt is worrying for nothing. Xin'er just had her coming-of-age ceremony last year, and she's already in a hurry to find her a husband." The Emperor also knows about this. It seems that the eldest sister and brother-in-law are very satisfied with Scholar Lu.

Princess Chang's granddaughter, Gao Xin, had a grand coming-of-age ceremony last year, during which the Emperor sent her many gifts. Gao Xin has been by Princess Chang's side since she was a child, and as her only granddaughter, Princess Chang is naturally reluctant to let her get married.

Therefore, the eldest princess set about choosing a husband for her granddaughter. She carefully examined every young man in the capital who was of suitable age, but couldn't find a single one she liked.

Therefore, the eldest princess turned her attention to this spring's imperial examination. Coincidentally, this year's top scholar was a young man. In terms of age, he was only two years older than the sixth prince.

"Yesterday, Yu'er and I were talking about it, and Yu'er said that when Yueyue grows up and chooses a husband, I might have a hard time," Xiao Tingjun said casually.

Such gossip only made the emperor more at ease with the crown prince. The relationship between the late emperor and the crown prince was more that of ruler and subject, not the warm father-son dynamic they had before.

"Don't even mention you, even I, looking at Yingying and Yueyue, if they both get married in the future, I don't know how I'll find fault with them." The Emperor sighed for a moment, and then said, "However, Lu Wenzhi is eleven years older than Xin'er, and I always feel that he is a bit too old."

Lu Wenzhi is twenty-seven years old this year. If we talk about becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination, then he is truly the youngest top scholar since the founding of this dynasty.

But Gao Xin is only sixteen years old this year, and there is indeed a big age difference between the two.

“My son also mentioned it to his aunt, but she said it’s not a decision yet, just something to look at first. The article is well-written, but we don’t know anything else yet.” Xiao Tingjun relayed the princess’s words.

The Emperor thought for a while and said, "Alright, you don't need to worry about this. If your aunt really has this idea, it's better to leave it to the Crown Princess. She's much better at these things than you are."

"However, since Lu Wenzhi will be staying in the Hanlin Academy for a year anyway, I can have him serve as Yingying and Yueyue's tutor first," the Emperor said.

After Xiao Tingjun returned, he told Daiyu with a smile, "Yueyue's teacher is probably Scholar Lu."

"Why were you acting so mysteriously yesterday?" Daiyu was instructing Zijuan to send a few things to Fengyi Palace.

Xiao Tingjun then told her about the princess's plan to choose a husband for Gao Xin. Upon hearing this, Daiyu couldn't help but ask the same question: "This top scholar is much older than Xin'er."

“Father said so too.” Xiao Tingjun nodded. “Father also said that if Aunt really has this idea, then it’s up to you, Yu’er, that you are much smarter than me.”

Upon hearing this, Daiyu sighed with emotion. She remembered when she first met Gao Xin, she was just a young girl, and now, in the blink of an eye, she had reached the age to choose a husband.

“When we lived in the Prince’s Mansion, Xin’er used to come and play often, but she doesn’t come often now.” Daiyu recalled the time when she was in the Prince’s Mansion, and called Xueyan over, “Take out my old set of thumb rings and send them to Xin’er.”

Then Xueyan brought over a huanghuali box inlaid with narcissus and plum blossom patterns. Inside were seven thumb rings, made of white jade, green jade, crystal, glass, jadeite, horn, and fire-burnt jade.

Xiao Tingjun glanced at it and said, "Wow, this is some good stuff."

This set of thumb rings is suitable for both playing with and wearing. For example, the crystal thumb ring has an engraved pattern on its outer wall, which is combined with the natural crystal texture of the crystal to create a landscape pattern, making it more layered and crystal clear.

"This was a gift from Father Emperor during the New Year a few years ago. Now that Xin'er has learned archery from Fifth Sister-in-law, it's quite suitable for her." Daiyu asked Xueyan to deliver it, and also told the Princess that she would invite Gao Xin to come and play for a few days.

After Xueyan left, Daiyu expressed her concerns: "Scholar Lu is so old, neither married nor engaged. There might be some reason for this. I'll go to Mother's place later to inquire. We can bring Cong'er back at the same time."

Now that the Empress has handed over palace affairs to Daiyu, she often comes to take Cong'er away.

When Daiyu asked about the top scholar's marriage, the Empress sighed and said, "It's not that it can't be told to outsiders. There's a story behind it, which I only heard my sister-in-law tell me when she came to the palace a few days ago."

Chapter 268 mentions the past upheaval of the engagement.

The Empress told Daiyu the story of the Lu family's top scholar.

Although Lu Wenzhi's grandfather and the Empress's mother were cousins, they were actually cousins ​​from two generations apart, so their relationship was quite distant.

In addition, the Lu family has not been doing particularly well in recent years. Especially in recent years, after the death of the first patriarch of the Lu family, the current patriarch has been muddle-headed, favoring his own brothers and neglecting the other branches of the Lu family.

In recent years, the Lu family has not produced any outstanding talents. Relying on the small amount of land passed down from their ancestors, they can only be considered an ordinary family in Sichuan.

Lu Wenzhi's grandfather passed away early. In his father's generation, his father was the eldest son in the family and dropped out of school early to take on family responsibilities. He and his mother raised two younger brothers and a younger sister. He married a woman surnamed Mi from the same village, and they had Lu Wenzhi and his sister.

Although the family was poor, Lu's father insisted on sending his son to school. Lu Wenzhi lived up to expectations, passing the preliminary examination at the age of thirteen and becoming a student. The young boy, wearing a square cap and a blue shirt, went to the county school. He ranked first in the annual examination and then went on to take the autumn examination, where he stood out and became a successful candidate in the provincial examination at the age of sixteen.

At this time, a matchmaker took the initiative to visit the Lu family and propose a marriage.

The story concerns the daughter of the county magistrate. This magistrate, He, while not exactly a paragon of virtue in the area, wasn't like some corrupt officials who only knew how to rake in money. He was, by a fair measure, an ordinary county magistrate.

The He family had three daughters and one son. The son was their youngest child and was the most beloved. The eldest and second daughters had married one after the other. The one being mentioned here is the third daughter, who was a year and a half younger than Lu Wenzhi and had been studying and learning to read since she was a child.

Madam Lu had, by chance, met the third daughter of the He family once. At that time, the girl wore her hair in a low bun, adorned with several pearl hairpins and a gilded hair ornament. She wore a lotus-colored cross-collar jacket and skirt, with delicate intertwined floral patterns embroidered on the front and several budding lotus flowers embroidered on the hem. A light purple silk sash was tied around her waist, which further accentuated her slender figure.

In terms of appearance, she was indeed a good match for her son, but the Lu family was somewhat hesitant because they were poor.

To everyone's surprise, the matchmaker was quite direct: "Your son is already a scholar who has passed the imperial examination. What the He family values ​​is your son's talent. If they cared about family background, they wouldn't have sent me to inquire about it."

The girl's family had taken the initiative to propose marriage, and after discussing it, Lu's parents felt that the marriage was a good match. Although they were poor, they still prepared gifts and went to propose marriage.

The engagement was arranged, and all relatives and friends knew about it. Both families had agreed that the children were still young and there was no need to rush. The wedding date was set for two years from now.

But to everyone's surprise, a little over a year later, the He family proposed to annul the engagement, which shocked the entire Lu family and even alarmed their clansmen.

According to custom, a marriage can only be dissolved when one party has committed a serious offense. The He family's actions are completely unreasonable, but a higher-ranking official can have absolute power, and besides, no one in the Lu family holds an official position now. The He family not only has Magistrate He, but it's also rumored that Magistrate He's elder brother is the Deputy Commissioner of the Provincial Judicial Commission in Shaanxi.

At the time, some members of the clan did suggest that they should plead with the Li family to stop the He family from bullying them. However, Mr. Lu felt that the two families were already quite distant and it was inappropriate to try to establish a connection. Furthermore, the Li family had produced an empress; they couldn't allow people to think that the Li family was using the empress's influence to bully others.

Moreover, the Lu family learned that the reason the He family was breaking off their marriage was because the He family had climbed up to the position of Assistant Salt Commissioner, whose wife had died a year ago and who was now about to remarry.

The He family hurriedly sent someone to the prefect's house to discuss the matter. Seeing that the prefect was interested, they rushed to break off the engagement.

Ultimately, Magistrate He initially thought that since Lu's son had passed the imperial examination at such a young age, his future was likely limitless.

But now there is already a fourth-rank official there. Even if Lu's son goes to the capital to take the imperial examination, it is not clear whether he will pass. Even if he does pass, it does not necessarily mean that he will be a good official.

Not to mention, in such an important place as the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, that Assistant Magistrate is only in his early thirties, and he probably has a good chance of being promoted in the future.

After much deliberation, Magistrate He decided to annul the engagement.

Although breaking off the engagement will cause a lot of controversy, in the long run, it will benefit the He family. They still have a young son, and if he can get his brother-in-law's help in the future, he will benefit immensely.

From the moment Lu Wenzhi first heard the other party's request to break off the engagement, to now understanding the reasons for it, he recovered from his initial anger and sadness, and calmly went to his parents and said a few words.