The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Meanwhile, the Prince of Fu had already spoken with the elders of both families and was asking Li Ke for favors.

"Well? You should thank me, I've done you a great favor." Prince Fu is now in charge of the Ministry of Works. Interestingly, after Li Ke spent a year in the Hanlin Academy, he went to the Ministry of Works. Although he was just a minor official in the Ministry of Works' Construction Office, which is only a ninth-rank official, no one dared to look down on him because of his background and ability.

"If anyone should be thanking someone, it should be the Dowager Consort and the Empress. Why should I thank you?" Li Ke joked.

“Hey, you ungrateful bastard, don’t be too happy yet. Things aren’t completely settled yet.” Prince Fu glared at him, but didn’t continue the topic. Instead, he brought up Jia Lan, who had already left the capital. “Jia Lan is quite lucky. He got to be an official in Sichuan. I’ve heard the Empress Dowager always talk about how great Sichuan is.”

"That's right, Sichuan is my hometown." Li Ke actually wanted to be transferred to another region so he could travel around and see the sights.

"That Jia Lan is faster than you at everything. He already has a son," Prince Fu joked. He and Jia Lan kept in touch through letters.

"Then I still can't compare to Your Highness," Li Ke joked back. Prince Fu already had a daughter and a son.

"That's right, who told you to be so slow? Humph, if it weren't for me, you'd still be a bachelor." Prince Fu said smugly. "Alright, just toast me a couple more times when you get married. I'm in a hurry to go home. You have no idea how lovely my daughter is."

Looking at the Prince of Fu's back, which was overflowing with happiness, Li Ke also had a real feeling that he would soon be able to settle down and start a family, and unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

With the emperor bestowing a marriage and the empress adding dowry, the princess's wedding became one of the grandest events in the capital at the end of the year.

Red silk ribbons fluttered, and colorful lanterns hung over the ten-mile-long vermilion gates; the sounds of sheng and xiao filled the air, and wedding carriages blocked the long street.

When the sedan chair arrived at the main gate of the Princess's residence, the chief eunuch, Zhao Bingxin, who had served the Emperor for many years, unfurled a yellow silk imperial edict and announced loudly, "His Majesty commands that the Prince Consort shoot down the pearl on the gate plaque with three arrows!" The crowd erupted in uproar.

The bright pearl adorned the plaque above the Princess's residence, swaying gently in the breeze. This was no easy task; if the shot missed and the plaque was damaged, it would be a great misfortune.

The bowstring twanged, and three arrows pierced the east wind in succession. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the three arrows were actually barbed arrows. Li Ke used the momentum to leap into the air, personally plucked the pearl, and knelt down to present it. Everyone cheered.

Zhao Bingxin respectfully accepted the tray, which was covered with pale yellow brocade, and instructed him to deliver it to the princess.

Only after passing the first hurdle can the gate be opened.

A screen with ink splashes had been prepared in front of the princess's courtyard. A maidservant said with a smile, "Since the prince consort comes from the Hanlin Academy, shouldn't we let everyone see his poems?"

Li Ke looked at the lit incense stick with the character "heart" on it; it seemed he was to write it before it burned out. With a slight smile, Li Ke confidently picked up the wolf-hair brush.

"The morning bell of the golden palace resounds through the purple clouds, and the jade maiden in the jade tower is separated by veils. She is too lazy to paint the distant mountains on her dressing table, and laughs as she asks her lover if he can understand her praise?" In an instant, the seven-character quatrain was displayed on the screen, and the cursive script was even more amazing, with the brushstrokes combining squareness and roundness, and the rules of the script.

The maid had the screen carried inside for the princess to see before the courtyard gate was opened.

The princess's younger brother carried his sister out of the house, and the groom couldn't suppress his smile.

The arrival of the Emperor and Empress brought the newlyweds even greater joy.

Daiyu, who had attended the wedding banquet, felt somewhat melancholy upon returning to the palace.

Jia Yue, who had gone to the Princess's residence early to witness the ceremony, vividly described to her father and mother the lively scene of blocking the groom.

When Crown Prince Jia Cong arrived, his elder sister was playfully teasing their mother. Upon seeing him enter, Jia Yue recounted to her younger brother the incident of blocking the groom. Only then did Daiyu have a moment to ask Xiao Tingjun, "Fourth brother submitted a memorial requesting that Jin Jia be made the principal wife. Has it been approved?"

Chapter 318 Extra Chapter 6: Longing for Home Amidst the Wind and Smoke (1)

Xiao Tingfeng's wife, Ge Xijia, fell ill and never recovered after the new emperor ascended the throne.

All her years of scheming have come to naught, and Ge Xijia is now completely neglected by Xiao Tingfeng. Watching Concubine Jin Jia, who came from Goryeo, gradually gain favor and give birth to a son, Ge Xijia grows increasingly jealous.

But Jin Jia was not Chunmei, who was merely a palace maid bestowed upon her by Consort Xu. Jin Jia, on the other hand, was a princess representing the harmonious relations between the two countries.

Not to mention that Jin Jia was also exceptionally clever. At first, when Jin Jia tried to please the Crown Princess in every way, Ge Xijia made sarcastic remarks on several occasions.

However, Jin Jiazhu was always composed, and she ignored Ge Xijia's sarcasm—from the moment she chose Prince Li, she knew what kind of life she would face.

Although she was a princess, and even a legitimate daughter, Kim Ga-joo knew very well that a princess of a small country did not have the right to be willful. From a very young age, Kim Ga-joo and her sister saw that, for the sake of their country, their father not only had to pay tribute to the Central Plains dynasty, but also had to fight with the tribal leaders within the country; fighting and killing were the norm.

Ultimately, the father conquered everyone and gained the recognition of the Central Plains dynasty, thus securing his throne.

Their king must be recognized and appointed by the Central Plains court; otherwise, he would offend the Central Plains court.

Although the Central Plains court has never interfered, the premise is that they understand the rules and proactively report everything that should be reported to the Central Plains court.

When their father brought the sisters to participate in the spring hunt of the emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty, he made it very clear to them: try to have one of them be valued and marry into the Central Plains.

With their father getting old and their elder brother lacking both experience and prestige, the Central Plains dynasty's recognition would prevent other tribes from daring to confront it head-on, even if they were willing.

After careful consideration, Jin Jiazhu resolutely chose Prince Li. After all, for a princess of a foreign race like her, becoming empress was simply a pipe dream.

Moreover, through just two days of observation, she had already clearly realized that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had an extremely deep and loving relationship, and there was simply no room for her to interfere.

Looking at the other princes, Prince Rui is ambitious and obviously not a good choice; Prince Cheng's wife not only comes from a military family, but also has a close relationship with the Crown Princess, which will undoubtedly make his position in the prince's mansion even more awkward.

In contrast, although Prince Li may seem somewhat foolish, at least he doesn't have as much scheming and calculating mind.

More importantly, Princess Consort Li seemed to be an arrogant person, always trying to compete with the Crown Princess. Therefore, if she could enter the Li Prince's residence, she might even have a chance to become a princess consort. Thinking of this, Jin Jiazhu couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

Therefore, after successfully becoming the concubine of Prince Li, Jin Jiazhu's attitude towards Princess Ge Xijia's provocations and sarcasm was to let it go in one ear and out the other, since she didn't take it to heart. In this way, Ge Xijia's words could not hurt her.

Jin Jiazhu has a clear goal: to persuade Prince Li to stop thinking about the throne.

Based on the current situation of the princes, it is not difficult to conclude that Prince Li has absolutely no chance of ascending the throne.

First of all, the Crown Prince has successfully taken the throne. According to the Central Plains Dynasty's concept of "favorable timing and geographical advantage," the Crown Prince has the advantage of geographical advantage.

Secondly, the crown prince has a clever wife, and a wise empress in the palace to help him. In other words, he has the support of the people.

Finally, all that's left is timing. Timing is something that's really hard to predict.

As the saying goes, "favorable timing, advantageous location, and popular support," and the Crown Prince already possesses two of these three advantages. Judging from the current situation, the Emperor is quite satisfied with the Crown Prince's performance. Therefore, while it cannot be said with absolute certainty that the Crown Prince will smoothly inherit the throne, there is at least an 80% probability. Since things have come to this, why should Prince Li continue to fight so fiercely?

However, while the reasoning behind this is simple and easy to understand, it cannot be explained too bluntly to Prince Li. After all, everyone has self-esteem, and if the words are too direct, it may not only fail to persuade Prince Li, but also provoke his resentment and disgust, and may even cause unnecessary conflict and contradiction.

Taking things step by step and adapting to circumstances in daily life is the best strategy that Kim Ga-joo has chosen.

Just when she was about to fall asleep, someone handed her a pillow. This pillow was personally handed to her by Princess Ge Xijia. She had spoken out of turn, which displeased the emperor, who then sent Granny Yang to the Prince Li's residence to instruct the princess in manners.

Jin Jiazhu, of course, had to quickly express that she, as a concubine from another race, also wanted to learn the etiquette. After all, there's no harm without comparison; her earnestness and dedication, compared to Ge Xijia's perfunctory attitude and resistance, would naturally make Xiao Tingfeng dislike Ge Xijia even more.

Sure enough, Xiao Tingfeng felt that the concubine was much more sensible than the princess.

"I can't say anything about others, but the Princess Consort doesn't just represent herself, she represents the entire Prince's Mansion." Jin Jiazhu took the opportunity to appear in front of Xiao Tingfeng as if she were completely considering the interests of the Prince's Mansion and the Prince. "Look at the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess now, they are husband and wife as one, and they are so well liked by the Emperor and the Empress. If the Princess Consort continues like this, it will be detrimental to you, Your Highness."

Jin Jiazhu not only focused her efforts on Xiao Tingfeng, but also took every opportunity to visit the palace to chat with Consort Xu. Her mother-in-law and Ge Xijia couldn't stand each other.

This is also a good opportunity for her.

Playing the role of a dutiful daughter-in-law is not difficult, because Consort Xu is usually in the palace. Every time she enters the palace, she must bring something with her, whether it's food, clothing, or toys.

When faced with Consort Xu's complaints, one should offer advice or even offer a few words of agreement. A woman who is bored and restless in the deep palace will be quite happy if someone keeps her company and listens to her talk.

Having won over Consort Xu, Kim Ga-joo thought that Consort Xu's help was also necessary.

Chapter 319 Extra Chapter 6: Longing for Home Amidst the Wind and Smoke (2)

When Xiao Tingfeng entered the palace one day, he saw his mother's pot of Cymbidium orchids, all the leaves of which were leaning in one direction.

“Mother, you should move that pot. Look, it should be growing symmetrically, but it doesn’t look good like this now.” Xiao Tingfeng immediately bent down and moved the flowerpot to a different position.

Consort Xu immediately looked at her son: "You know to move a potted plant, so why can't you even do your own thing?"

Xiao Tingfeng blinked, not understanding for a moment.

“It is the nature of all things to turn towards the sun, but if they are suddenly placed under the scorching sun, I’m afraid they won’t be able to withstand it.” Xu Shufei pointed to the potted plants. “It’s like if you were suddenly placed in that gilded position… putting aside everything else, I’m afraid you yourself wouldn’t be able to withstand it.”

Xiao Tingfeng was even more surprised: "Mother, why did you suddenly bring this up today?"

"With so much excitement going on in your household lately, and seeing you still so focused on court affairs, I felt I had to remind you." Consort Xu had already been persuaded by Jin Jiazhu. In the end, she knew her son's capabilities. In the early years, without a crown prince, everyone could be considered equals, since the Third Prince Xiao Tingjun wasn't born to the Empress. But now, the position of crown prince had been established for several years, and the crown prince had a son who was reliable and praised by the court officials. The fourth prince was still thinking so much, fearing he would not have a good ending in the future.

Back then, the late emperor's sons fought amongst themselves, and some died while others were imprisoned. On the contrary, the younger princes who didn't get to fight for them ended up holding the position of prince with a considerable salary. Thinking about it, it would have been better not to fight for them at all.

“Look at your princess consort, how can she compare to the Crown Princess? Your father, the Emperor, values ​​the Crown Prince so much.” Seeing that her son remained silent, Consort Xu used the late Emperor’s sons as examples and spoke earnestly for a while.

"Mother, these are not the words you wanted to say, are they?" Xiao Tingfeng looked at his mother seriously after she finished speaking.

"Why can't it be what I want to say?" Consort Xu still refused to admit it.

But she gave in to her son's gaze and sighed, "Yes, your wife, Jin Jia, also said some things, but I can see that she is genuinely thinking of you. I have also thought about it carefully for a long time. Since you listened to your wife's advice and caused your second son's wife to have a premature birth, this matter is no longer possible. I'm afraid your father will always have a knot in his heart."

Although it happened a long time ago, Xiao Tingfeng still regrets it whenever he talks about it—he was so stupid back then.

In fact, Xiao Tingfeng was well aware that his chances of winning were actually very low.

But if he were to give up directly, he wouldn't be like the fifth brother. The fifth and sixth brothers hadn't been involved from beginning to end, and no matter who succeeded him in the future, they wouldn't be treated badly.

If the Crown Prince were to hold a grudge about what I did back then, I don't know what would happen.

"Moreover, as I see it, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are both tolerant of others, so while there is still room for maneuver, you should quickly withdraw, otherwise it may be too late," Consort Xu advised earnestly.

Yes, it was my second brother I offended back then, not the Crown Prince. On the contrary, it was the Princess Consort who repeatedly provoked the Crown Princess.

"And your princess consort, your father should send someone to teach her a lesson. If she keeps offending people like this, even if the Crown Princess doesn't hold a grudge, the Crown Prince will." Consort Xu saw things clearly. The Crown Prince doesn't even want a concubine now, he's quite the romantic. If that's the case, then Ge Xijia has offended the Crown Princess so much, if the Crown Prince really ascends the throne one day, will she get anything good out of it?

When Xiao Tingfeng returned home, he was shocked to see Yang Mama being punished and kneeling on the porch. He quickly went up to her and asked her to get up: "Mama, this is not allowed. You were sent by the Emperor."

"Your Highness is joking. No matter what, I am still a servant. If the Princess Consort punishes me by making me kneel for two hours, I dare not disobey." Granny Yang was really furious and wanted to ask the Empress for permission to stop disciplining Princess Consort Li.

This princess has a bad temper and is impatient. Not only is she disobedient, but she also thinks too highly of herself. Today, just because Granny Yang punished her maid, the princess became protective of her own.

"Granny Yang, please don't flatter me. I know it must be the Princess's fault. Get up, I will definitely give you an explanation."

What a joke! This is a nanny whom the Emperor trusts very much. I heard that the Empress and the Crown Princess both praise her. If this nanny were to say a few words to the Emperor, I'm afraid I would be implicated.

Thinking of this, Xiao Tingfeng asked his maid to help Granny Yang up. Seeing this, Granny Yang did not refuse. Instead, she thanked the prince and said respectfully, "The maids in the prince's mansion are gossipy and talk about the masters in the palace behind their backs. If we do not stop them, I am afraid they will bring disaster to the prince and the mansion."

It seems that today's events are closely related to the Princess. Xiao Tingfeng nodded, turned around and went to Jin Jiazhu to find out the whole story.

Jin Jiazhu quickly explained the situation. It turned out that Ge Xijia's maid had been gossiping about the Crown Princess behind her back, which was overheard by Granny Yang. Granny Yang immediately reprimanded the maid and was about to punish her. However, the Princess not only defended her but also punished Granny Yang.

“With the Princess Consort’s words, she is the Princess Consort appointed by His Majesty, and even Yang Mama couldn’t do anything about it. I also advised my sister at the time that a maid who talks about her master behind his back should be punished, let alone talking about the masters in the palace. If someone with ulterior motives were to report this to His Majesty or the Empress, it might even implicate the Prince.” Jin Jiazhu didn’t need to add fuel to the fire at all, because Ge Xijia was just that stupid.

"As a result, my sister not only refused to listen, but also said that I was a foreigner and did not understand the customs of the Central Plains, so she dared to talk nonsense. She fined me a month's salary."

Xiao Tingfeng was almost driven mad after hearing this. He rubbed his temples and deeply felt that his mother was right.

What's the point of fighting for the throne? They can't even manage their own household affairs.

"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Talk to your sister properly. We're family behind closed doors. We shouldn't let outsiders laugh at us." Jin Jiazhu promptly brought over a cup of warm tea, Xiao Tingfeng's favorite jasmine tea.

After drinking tea and holding his beloved concubine's hand, Xiao Tingfeng suddenly asked, "Don't you think I'm useless?"

“How could that be? Your Highness has forgotten? It was I who begged my father to let me marry you. If that’s the case, wouldn’t that mean I have poor taste? I remember that day Your Highness shot an arrow on horseback, and you were so dashing and heroic.” Jin Jiazhu said without hesitation.

"So, if, I mean if, I can only ever be a prince for my entire life, what do you think?"

Chapter 320 Extra Chapter 6: Longing for Home Amidst the Wind and Smoke (3)