The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Qiuxiang Garden can be described as a garden of chrysanthemums, with a wide variety of chrysanthemums in different colors and shapes. Among them are the precious Phoenix Spreading Wings, which blooms like a phoenix spreading its wings; the beautiful and charming Green Cloud, which resembles colorful clouds; and the white Jade Phoenix, shaped like a spoon lotus, and so on.

"With flowers come poems, and I eagerly await your fine verses." The Emperor said this to his three princes, waving his hand to dismiss them to admire the flowers and chat.

The Emperor had not forgotten that today's banquet was specially arranged to allow the princes and their consorts to spend time together.

Daiyu spotted the beautiful bird at a glance and suddenly remembered composing chrysanthemum poems with her sisters in the garden that year.

Time flies so fast; things have changed, and everything is over. It's true what they say.

Just as she was feeling a bit sentimental, the Third Prince Xiao Tingjun handed her a small carved box from the Hutian kiln, which puzzled Daiyu.

"These are the snacks that Father Emperor gave you in the study just now. I thought you came to the palace too early, so you must be hungry now."

Daiyu took it and opened it. The small round cakes were white and glutinous, and looked very cute.

"This is cold rose, made with glutinous rice skin, and filled with rose petals and hawthorn. It's soft, sweet and sour," Xiao Tingjun explained. "I don't know if you'll like it, it's still early for lunch."

"Thank you. I'm not hungry, but I am a little hungry." Daiyu noticed a narrow groove next to the box containing small bamboo skewers and marveled at the Third Prince's thoughtfulness, noting that he had even considered the detail that she hadn't washed her hands.

Daiyu picked up a small bamboo skewer, stuck a piece in her mouth, tasted it carefully, and then smiled and said, "It really tastes like roses. It's so delicious that it leaves a lingering fragrance on my lips and teeth."

Xiao Tingjun unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Initially, he had put a lot of thought into it and agreed to the Empress's suggestion, but after meeting her and sending his trusted eunuch to inquire about her, he began to feel sorry for her. If such a girl were still alive, she would be so happy.

"I'm glad you like it. I was worried you wouldn't be used to it. I was thinking of packing some sesame rolls and other snacks together, but I couldn't find a suitable box for it right now." Xiao Tingjun asked Daiyu if she was very hungry. "If you are very hungry, I will ask someone to bring some snacks so that everyone can eat."

Daiyu shook her head, ate two more pieces, and then stopped. She had a small appetite to begin with, but now that Physician Liu had been taking care of her health, she was eating more than usual.

"Well, Third Brother, you're eating all by yourself here." Fourth Prince Xiao Tingfeng, with Ge Xijia by his side, saw the small box that Daiyu hadn't yet closed and was quite impressed: It seems that Third Brother really has his future wife in his heart and never forgets her.

Ge Xijia joined in the teasing, but her target was Daiyu: "No wonder Sister Lin is wearing a rose-print dress today, I can even smell the roses."

Today, Daiyu's clothes happen to be embroidered with red roses.

Song Huilan, who arrived a little later, laughed when she heard this: "So, Third Brother and Sister Lin are of one mind, they understand each other without even being told."

Daiyu blushed, unsure how to refute, and in her haste, she could only utter, "None of you are good people."

Song Huilan and Ge Xijia burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Xiao Tingjun changed the subject: "Fourth brother, second brother, since you're both interested in teasing me, it seems you're quite confident about the chrysanthemum poem, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, both the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince laughed. The two brothers thought to themselves, "As expected, our Third Brother is truly protecting his future sister-in-law, and he's so eager to help her out of this predicament."

"I don't care. Father Emperor knows my poetry skills." The Second Prince, Prince Rui, Xiao Tingkai, was quite frank.

“Me too. Among us brothers, only Fifth Brother and Third Brother are good at writing poetry. Since Fifth Brother isn’t here today, it will surely be Third Brother who shows off his talent,” said the Fourth Prince, Prince Li, Xiao Tingfeng.

The emperor, sitting in the pavilion, saw the children getting along well and said to the empress with satisfaction, "This Mid-Autumn Festival is indeed a good day."

At that moment, Hu Quan, the head of the imperial kitchen, came to ask where to place the lunch. The emperor was in a good mood and indicated that it should be placed in the pavilion in Qiuxiang Garden.

Since it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the emperor's relatives from all the palaces were coming to visit, so he had to bestow dishes upon each of them. He bestowed dishes upon Consort Zhou, Consort Lu, Consort Feng, and so on. When the emperor looked up, he saw Daiyu talking with the empress and then remembered that there was also a Virtuous Consort.

Fine, I'll just have to give you a meal. After thinking about it, I chose a dish of grilled shrimp.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Yuan Chun, who had received a complimentary dish, showed little joy.

Chapter 25 The Virtuous Consort's Outburst - Lady Jia

Today, as soon as Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang arrived at Fengzao Palace to pay their respects to Yuan Chun, Grandmother Jia already sensed that something was amiss.

She quickly examined Yuan Chun's complexion closely; it seemed she wasn't ill.

The reason why Grandmother Jia insisted on coming to the palace today was that she thought she could pay her respects to the Empress and see how the Empress treated Daiyu, but she didn't expect that she couldn't see her at all.

Secondly, it was to stop Lady Wang: Grandmother Jia was still afraid that Lady Wang, a woman who couldn't tell the big picture, would use Xue Pan's matter to ask Yuan Chun for help.

However, what Grandmother Jia did not expect was that Yuan Chun brought up Xue Pan's matter on her own initiative, and her tone was very unpleasant as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Mother, you are so foolish."

With the palace servants dismissed, Yuan Chun had no inhibitions and seemed ready to release all the frustration, helplessness, and pain she had been feeling for days.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were both dumbfounded.

Especially Madam Wang, who originally wanted to tell her daughter about the grievances she had suffered recently, was met with this harsh remark.

Lady Wang looked up at her daughter in surprise.

Yuan Chun frowned and continued, "Mother, do you know about the incident where the Xue family killed someone in Jinling that year?" She didn't even want to call Xue Pan her cousin, lest it sully her mouth.

Lady Wang's heart tightened even more. She didn't notice that Yuan Chun had even changed her way of addressing her, but Grandmother Jia did: she didn't even address her cousin anymore, but directly called him "that one from the Xue family."

It seems that the Empress is very dissatisfied with the Xue family, Grandmother Jia thought to herself.

Madam Wang initially wanted to say she didn't know, but under her daughter's seemingly insightful gaze, she couldn't help but nod: "I know, but..."

"You know? You know, Mother, yet you still tell me how wonderful Baochai is and that Baoyu must marry her. Don't you ever think that Baoyu will end up marrying the sister of a murderer?" Hearing her mother say that she knew, Yuan Chun's anger and sadness, which she had suppressed for many days, finally erupted.

"Not only that, Mother, you've let them live in the mansion for so many years. Aren't you afraid they'll corrupt Baoyu and the other nephews and brothers in the family?"

Madam Wang, who had also been feeling wronged for many days, couldn't help but retort when she heard her daughter make such accusations as soon as she arrived: "How can Your Highness say such a thing? She is your own aunt, after all. They are so pitiful, a widow and her children. Are they supposed to stay outside and be bullied if they don't live in our house? Besides, your uncle also knows about this."

When these last words were uttered, both Yuan Chun and Grandmother Jia were surprised.

A fierce glint flashed in Grandmother Jia's eyes: That Wang fellow was indeed no good. If it weren't for the Duke's promotion, how could he have risen so quickly? In the blink of an eye, he's already scheming against the Jia family.

However, this was in Fengzao Palace, not in her own main room, so Grandmother Jia remained silent.

Yuan Chun asked incredulously, "What did Mother say? Does Uncle know?"

"Of course, it was your uncle who said that your aunt and your uncle's wife never got along, so they stayed at our house..." At this point, Madam Wang seemed to come to her senses, and she didn't finish her sentence.

Yuan Chun's face was instantly covered with sadness after being hit hard. She had always thought that her uncle and father were no good officials, and her uncle was her only support in the court. She never thought that her uncle had been scheming clearly and plainly from the very beginning.

“Mother, you are really too confused.” Yuan Chun’s anger disappeared, replaced by deep sorrow. She looked into her mother’s eyes and asked, “Did Uncle tell you not to tell anyone in the family that the Xue family killed someone, especially Grandmother and Uncle’s family? Otherwise, Uncle’s family will use this to make Father and Mother move out of Rongxi Hall?”

Madam Wang nodded. That was exactly what her brother had said: no one in the Jia family should know that Xue Pan had killed someone, otherwise even their Wang family would be implicated.

Her brother also said that the old lady brought the Lin family's daughter over, clearly intending to arrange a marriage for Baoyu. He urged her to quickly bring Baochai over so that the old lady wouldn't get her way.

Yuan Chun closed her eyes and shed two lines of tears. She had endured so many hardships in the palace over the years, finally managing to carve out a way to survive and hoping to uphold the reputation of the Rongguo Mansion, but her mother was causing such trouble outside.

What was the purpose of her life in the first half of her life that caused her to suffer so much?

When Grandmother Jia saw this, she felt helpless. They had all been kept in the dark because they only knew that the servants of the Xue family were abusing their power and did not know that Xue Pan had led the killing. They only helped because of their kinship.

But since it had already happened, Grandmother Jia had no choice but to advise, "Your Majesty, things have come to this point, and there's no use in regretting it now. Fortunately, it's not irreversible, and we can take things slowly in the future."

Yuan Chun had no choice but to open her eyes, look at her white-haired grandmother, sigh, and then look at her mother: "Mother, think about it yourself, should Bao Yu and I be surnamed Jia or Wang? Think about it again, if your eldest uncle's family wanted to make trouble, they would have already done so. Just the fact that your eldest uncle is the eldest son of the legitimate wife means that even your grandmother can't do anything about it."

"If I had known earlier that the Xue family had killed someone in Jinling that year, I would never have let Baoyu marry my cousin from the Xue family. Mother, you have no idea how many concubines in the palace have been openly and secretly mocking me these days, saying that my younger brother is marrying the sister of a murderer."

"Mother, think about it, why didn't Uncle go to Yingtian Prefecture to ask for help himself, but instead took Father's visiting card to Jia Yucun?"

"Mother, think about it again. How was the case resolved back then? Did Uncle tell you?"

Yuan Chun's barrage of questions finally brought Lady Wang to her senses: her own brother's actions not only helped the Xue family resolve their problems at the time, but also successfully shifted any potential trouble to the Jia family.

Lady Wang wanted to speak, but Yuan Chun was already talking to Grandmother Jia: "Grandmother, you said something good just now. We can take it slowly in the future. Now that Lin Daiyu has been betrothed to the Third Prince, and the Third Prince has been granted the title of Prince, Lin Daiyu will at least be a princess in the future. So Grandmother, you should treat Lin Daiyu even better. If anything happens, that will be our family's way out."

Grandmother Jia felt a pang of sadness: "Your Majesty, this is nothing yet. You are still young and have other opportunities."

Yuan Chun didn't believe it, but to avoid worrying Grandmother Jia, she changed the subject: "Grandmother, did you come in today for something?"

Grandmother Jia nodded and asked, "In Your Majesty's opinion, do His Majesty and Your Majesty truly love your Lin sister?"

These words stumped Yuan Chun: Now that she was no longer in the emperor's favor, she often didn't see him even once a month. The empress, on the other hand, was very steady in her dealings with everyone in the harem, treating them all the same, making it impossible to discern whether they were close or distant.

But she did not say these words to Grandmother Jia.

"Of course he likes her. If he didn't like her, why would he bestow a marriage upon her?" Yuan Chun had overheard from Bao Qin that the Third Prince was particularly fond of Miss Lin and had even asked the Emperor for a poem written by Miss Lin's uncle from back then, which he then presented to Miss Lin.

When the kitchen staff brought in some food, Yuan Chun stopped talking.

Seeing that the Emperor had rewarded her with roasted shrimp, Yuan Chun felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that the Emperor had not completely forgotten her after all.

So when Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were about to take their leave after lunch, Yuan Chun couldn't help but want to test them.

She summoned Baoqin and said, "Go and inquire with the Empress. Tell her that Grandmother and the others are going back, and see if Lin Daiyu will come with them."

Having received the instructions, Baoqin quickly led the young palace maid towards Fengyi Palace.

Chapter 26 The Clever Daiyu Wins Praise

Baoqin roughly knew that the Empress liked Miss Lin quite a bit, and she also knew that the Third Prince liked Miss Lin very much, but what she didn't know was that Miss Lin, who was usually described by Lady Wang as being immature and petty, could actually be praised by the Emperor and Consort Wu, among others.

This time, although she didn't see it with her own eyes, she heard it with her own ears.

When Baoqin arrived outside Fengyi Palace, she learned from the palace maids that His Majesty, the Empress, the Noble Consort, and Consort Xu were all in Qiuxiang Garden.

Baoqin knew that Yuanchun had sent her not simply to ask if Miss Lin wanted to go back with Grandmother Jia, but to take the opportunity to find out what was going on here, so she rushed to Qiuxiang Garden.

The Qiuxiang Garden was bustling with activity. Baoqin had just arrived at the garden gate when she heard laughter coming from inside—the Emperor's laughter.

Baoqin had followed Yuanchun into the palace for many years and often heard the late emperor laugh like this, but rarely heard the current emperor laugh so heartily. Therefore, she was very curious about what was going on inside.

But she couldn't just go in like that. Even if it were Yuan Chun, she would have to ask permission before she could go in.

His Majesty is suspicious and ungrateful, and he is very particular about rules, which is completely different from the benevolent late emperor.

So he took the zither and went up to the eunuch at the door to explain his purpose, and then slipped a silver coin into the eunuch's hand.

The young eunuch was immediately in a good mood and went in to help Baoqin inquire. He secretly found Xuehua, the Empress's maid, to ask about the situation.

Xuehua was one of the Empress's trusted maids. When she heard that someone from Consort Xiande's side had come, a hint of disdain flashed in Xuehua's eyes, but it was only for a moment and no one saw it.

Xuehua walked up to Hu Mama, the Empress's head maid, and asked a couple of questions in a low voice before turning around and coming out with the little eunuch.

"Sister Xuehua." Baoqin quickly greeted Xuehua. Although they were both palace maids, Xuehua had some status in front of the Empress, and even Yuanchun had to be polite to her.

"His Majesty and the empresses are truly delighted." This seemingly casual remark was actually Baoqin's attempt to glean information about what was happening inside.

Snowflakes, of course, understood perfectly, and immediately smiled and said, "Miss Lin painted a picture of chrysanthemum appreciation, and the Third Prince wrote a poem on it. His Majesty, the Empress, and the Imperial Concubine all like it and are vying for it."

Baoqin became even more curious upon hearing this: If His Majesty and the Empress are only considering the Third Prince's feelings, how come the Imperial Concubine also likes Miss Lin?

"Her Majesty the Empress said that since Miss Lin rarely comes to the palace, she won't be going back today. She'll let her stay for a few days and will send someone to escort her back later," Xuehua said with a smile.

Baoqin quickly thanked Xuehua and turned to walk towards Fengzao Palace.

Xuehua watched Baoqin's retreating figure, her smile vanished, and after standing there for a moment, she turned back to serve the Empress.

Although Xuehua had served the Empress for many years, she didn't know much about painting. At this moment, Princess Rui was praising Daiyu's painting: "Sister's painting is elegant and beautiful, which can make the viewer feel relaxed and happy. It is really rare. In particular, when you paint the petals, you use the same color as the flower to outline them, and you emphasize the color of the petal tips. Moreover, the lines of the petals are all smooth and uniform, so the flowers appear crystal clear."