The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Hearing Xiao Tingfeng's words, Jin Jiazhu breathed a sigh of relief: it seems that Consort Xu's persuasion had worked.

"I'm not afraid of upsetting Your Highness. A few days ago, when I went to the palace, I mentioned it to my mother. As long as this family is peaceful and healthy, that's enough. I don't have any great ambitions." Jin Jiazhu didn't mind expressing her attitude to Xiao Tingfeng. Besides, perhaps Consort Xu had already told Xiao Tingfeng what she meant.

"It is already my good fortune to be able to marry Your Highness and receive Your Highness's favor." Jin Jiazhu said sincerely, "I only hope that Your Highness will be safe and sound. After all, matters of the imperial family can be very complicated. If you are not careful, your whole family may be ruined."

"Your Highness, please don't laugh at my ignorance. All I want is to give you a son and a daughter, so that our family can live happily together in the future."

“Your Highness, you were born in the Central Plains and have never seen life in Goryeo. Although I am a princess of Goryeo, my life in the past was not as good as that of a girl from an ordinary official family in the Central Plains. So, I am very content.”

Xiao Tingfeng believed this, because his father didn't really like the things that came as tribute from Goryeo, but he kept them all because of diplomatic relations.

In fact, Xiao Tingfeng had already realized that ever since the third brother became the crown prince, the emperor's reliance on the crown prince far exceeded that on him and his second brother. Even the fifth brother, who was later granted the title of prince, held a higher position in the emperor's heart than him and his second brother.

Without even needing to think carefully, anyone with eyes can see that the fifth brother supports the crown prince, or in other words, the fifth brother supports the emperor's heir apparent.

The Empress's support for the Crown Prince means that the Empress's entire family will stand behind him, and the Crown Prince's two maternal uncles are already quite powerful figures.

If the crown prince is arrogant and complacent because he has a lot of support, he may make mistakes.

But Third Brother is quite composed. After becoming Crown Prince, he is even more low-key than when he was a Prince. In recent years, he has hardly celebrated even the Crown Princess's birthday, only having a small family banquet.

For a prince and his wife who are both capable and low-key, trying to bring them down would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Looking at himself, when he married Ge Xijia, the Ge family had considerable influence, but now that Ge Xijia's grandfather has passed away, the political winds among the court officials have shifted very quickly. Now, the number of people who will truly support him can be counted on one hand.

While his second brother still had some die-hard supporters, he himself did not.

If that's the case, then what's the point of arguing?

Now that his mother and Jin Jiazhu have both said so, Xiao Tingfeng seems to have found an outlet—if it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to say he wouldn't fight for it.

Holding his beloved concubine's hand, Xiao Tingfeng felt somewhat helpless, yet also more relaxed than ever before.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." As soon as Xiao Tingfeng said this, Jin Jiazhu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. If they didn't compete, then at least a prince's position would be within their grasp in the future. As long as she and Xiao Tingfeng followed in the footsteps of the Crown Prince and his wife, their future treatment would definitely not be bad.

"Your Highness, I am truly delighted." Jin Jiazhu leaned against Xiao Tingfeng's chest. "However, I fear the Princess Consort might be unwilling to accept this. Therefore, I suggest that we not tell the Princess Consort. She is already quite agitated because of Yang Mama's instruction on etiquette. If this matter is added to the mix, I'm afraid it will cause a scene and make things unpleasant."

Seeing that Jin Jiazhu was wholeheartedly planning for him, Xiao Tingfeng nodded with emotion: "Speaking of this, Granny Yang was wronged today. I have to make things clear with the Princess. If she still can't sort things out, she won't need to manage this palace anymore."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Tingfeng's attempts to communicate with her were ineffective. In fact, at the New Year's Eve family banquet, Ge Xijia picked a fight with the Crown Princess again.

It's unclear what Princess Li was thinking. Every time she encountered Daiyu, she never won, yet she refused to accept defeat and insisted on going head-to-head with her.

The result of this confrontation was that even the emperor couldn't stand it anymore. He directly ordered that from now on, the affairs of the Prince's residence would be managed by the concubine, and the princess would not need to attend these banquets. Instead, she could stay at home and focus on learning etiquette.

Jin Jiazhu was overjoyed upon hearing this imperial decree: since childhood, her father had specially hired experienced matrons from the capital to teach her. From welcoming guests and seeing them off in the mansion, to meticulous accounting, and the discipline and instruction of the servants, she had studied everything diligently and carefully. The matrons all praised her for her exceptional intelligence and quick understanding.

Ge Xijia was furious, but since it was her father's decree, she dared not disobey it no matter how dissatisfied she was. Moreover, now that Granny Yang had received the imperial order, she could record any violation of the rules by Princess Li and send it to the palace. If she repeatedly failed to correct her behavior, then Princess Li's title could be revoked.

Moreover, the Ge family is no longer what it used to be. With Grandpa's passing, the incompetence of the Ge family's descendants has become increasingly apparent. Ge Xijia is no longer the Ge Xijia who could flaunt her family's power.

Ge Xijia originally thought that Jin Jiazhu, being from a foreign land, would definitely not be able to manage the Prince's Mansion. However, in just two months, the Prince's Mansion was actually well-organized, with maids and servants each performing their duties. The etiquette and manners of welcoming and sending off guests also won praise from many noblewomen in the capital.

Ge Xijia finally realized that she was finished—Jin Jiazhu had a son, Xiao Tingfeng's doting love, and now she was also so capable.

While waiting for the autumn hunt, Xiao Tingfeng even directly requested permission to take Jin Jiazhu along.

Ge Xijia was so angry that she fell seriously ill.

Chapter 321 Extra Chapter 6: Longing for Home Amidst the Wind and Smoke (4)

Ge Xijia fell ill, and when she recovered, she discovered that everything had changed: the emperor had abdicated and the crown prince had ascended the throne.

The thought of the Crown Princess's upcoming coronation ceremony made Ge Xijia furious again: she had always looked down on that Miss Lin, who looked so frail that the wind could blow her away. In addition, since Miss Lin's parents were dead, Ge Xijia did not consider her a rival at all.

It turns out they were just pretending to be weak while actually being strong. The third son and his wife were the same; they always put on an act and tried to please their father and mother.

Jin Jiazhu, who manages the palace, came to see Ge Xijia in person, and she was very respectful.

"The Princess Consort is much better now. I was just thinking of telling the Prince that it would be better if my sister accompanied him to the palace for the Empress's coronation ceremony," Jin Jiazhu said with a slight smile.

Jin Jiazhu knew that Ge Xijia had always resented the former Crown Princess and now the Empress, so she deliberately said this to spite Ge Xijia.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ge Xijia turned pale with anger. She roared furiously, "I knew it! You're like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—you're up to no good! You dared to go to the autumn hunt, but you don't dare to go to the coronation ceremony?"

Jin Jiazhu remained unmoved. She deliberately sighed, feigning helplessness, and said, "After all, it is the princess who is my sister. If I were to go, wouldn't people misunderstand?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Xijia's heart tightened. She suddenly realized that what Jin Jiazhu said was true. If Jin Jiazhu attended the coronation ceremony, wouldn't that make outsiders think that she, the Princess Consort of Li, was already dead in name only?

No matter how much she resented the new empress, Ge Xijia had no choice but to accept her fate and reluctantly attend the coronation ceremony.

However, seeing such a grand and solemn ceremony for the coronation of the empress, especially seeing the emperor actually welcoming the empress forward and the two standing side by side, Ge Xijia could not suppress her jealousy and resentment.

But what Ge Xijia didn't expect was that with a new emperor comes a new atmosphere. Less than half a month after the empress's coronation ceremony, the emperor summoned Prince Li, Prince Cheng, Minister of Personnel Li Su, and Minister of Revenue Yao Xing to begin the work of cracking down on corruption.

The Ge family, on the other hand, became a negative example.

When Ge Xijia's grandfather was still alive, the Ge family gradually became arrogant and spoiled because they had produced an imperial tutor and a minister. They used their power to amass wealth and forcibly seize farmland. They bought thousands of acres of fertile land at low prices and then rented it to farmers at high prices. When disaster struck, they forced farmers to pay rent and grain, causing countless people to be displaced.

Furthermore, there was salt tax fraud, with officials colluding with salt merchants to forge salt permits, smuggle official salt, and embezzle salt taxes.

The Ge family's crimes lay not only in corruption, but also in their arrogance and lack of restraint. The mansion they built in their ancestral home was comparable in scale to that of a prince, and even the maids in the mansion were dressed more luxuriously than the daughters of ordinary officials, their extravagance was astonishing.

Ge Xijia thought that in this investigation of the Ge family, her husband, Prince Li Xiao Tingfeng, was the chief official, and the others were just assisting from the side. If Xiao Tingfeng was willing to cover up for the family, things would be much easier.

So even before she started investigating the case, she made sure to put on a good show. First, she instructed the kitchen to make Xiao Tingfeng's favorite dishes, and then she quickly showed off a purse. She set out lunch under the spring blossoms and chose Xiao Tingfeng's favorite apricot wine.

Seeing that Ge Xijia was as gentle and virtuous as when she first married into the family, Xiao Tingfeng wondered if she had changed her personality because she realized that she could only be a princess in this life and there was no need to fight anymore.

However, after Ge Xijia revealed the details of the corruption investigation, Xiao Tingfeng immediately realized that her supposed change of heart was just a ploy to get something from him.

With a cold laugh, Xiao Tingfeng finished his drink in one gulp: "Heh, I thought the Princess was being considerate of my hard work these past few days, but I didn't expect that the Princess is pleading for the Ge family?"

"What Ge family? Your Highness, what will I do if something happens to the Ge family? I might even implicate Your Highness..." Ge Xijia was interrupted by Xiao Tingfeng before she could finish speaking.

"How could I be implicated? Don't think I'm still the same fool I was back then, relying on your Ge family for survival. I've known this for a long time, so I've only prepared for everything, so you don't need to worry about it, Your Highness. As for you, Your Highness, don't you know that a married woman follows her husband?"

"As long as you behave yourself and don't interfere in the Ge family's affairs, you will remain the Princess Consort. But if you ignore my advice and still want to interfere, then I'm afraid you are no longer suitable for the position of Princess Consort."

After saying this, Xiao Tingfeng didn't give Ge Xijia another chance to speak and got up to leave.

Ge Xijia was stunned by Xiao Tingfeng's words: Xiao Tingfeng didn't seem to be so eloquent in the past, and every word he said hit the nail on the head.

When she came to her senses, Xiao Tingfeng had already left. Listening to the birds chirping in her ears, Ge Xijia was overwhelmed with sorrow. Although the spring flowers were in full bloom and the birds were singing, it made her feel even sadder.

Parting is heart-wrenching, like birds startling their own hearts.

A month later, the Ge family's property was ransacked, and Ge Xijia fell ill and never recovered.

Xiao Tingfeng did invite imperial physicians, and all the famous physicians from the Imperial Hospital came one by one, but the princess's illness not only did not improve, but became more and more serious.

However, Ge Xijia passed away a year and a half later.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu, who was already the Empress, couldn't help but sigh: she remembered that year when she was betrothed to the Third Prince, Song Huilan held a banquet and invited her and Ge Xijia to attend.

At that time, Ge Xijia was still an innocent and lively girl.

Two years later, Xiao Tingfeng submitted a memorial requesting that his concubine Jin Jiazhu be granted the title of Princess Consort of Prince Li.

After court, Xiao Tingjun told Daiyu about the matter: "Several officials still have some objections, after all, Jin Jia is from Goryeo. However, I don't think it matters. This princess has been very sensible since she married into the family."

Daiyu nodded: "She is indeed sensible. I think that although she has some ulterior motives, she does not make mistakes on important matters. Moreover, what is even more remarkable is that she was able to persuade Fourth Brother, which is no easy feat."

These words struck a chord with Xiao Tingjun, and the emperor chuckled, saying, "Yu'er is quite right. Originally, Fourth Brother also had quite aspirations for the throne, but he later restrained himself. This concubine deserves a lot of credit for this."

After exchanging a few words with the Empress, Xiao Tingjun made up his mind. So the next day, the Emperor first summoned the ministers of the six ministries to discuss the matter, and then the Emperor shared his thoughts.

Li Su was the first to stand up in support, and Minister of Rites Liang also stood up in support. Seeing this, the others did not insist any further.

Jin Jiazhu smiled happily as she held the imperial edict of investiture. She now had two children, a son and a daughter, and she was already very content.

"Your Highness," the head maidservant arrived, "Princess Zhaohuan's birthday gifts have been prepared as instructed. Please take a look."

Princess Zhaohuan, also known as Qiongnan, was the eldest daughter of Xiao Tingkai, who was demoted to a commoner.

Chapter 322 Extra Chapter 7: May I One Day Repay the Kindness of the Crow (1)

When Xiao Tingkai's hunting party staged the coup, Qiongnan was already ten years old, a perfectly sensible age. Her parents had been demoted to commoners and exiled to Qian. Although she and her younger sister Qiongfang were still county princesses and raised in the Empress's palace, she was still filled with fear and trepidation.

Especially Qiongnan, because Qiongfang was too young to understand many things and didn't have many memories. Qiongnan was different. From birth to being taken to the palace to study, and later because of her mother's unreasonable behavior, her grandfather made her live in the Empress's palace. The already sensitive girl became even more thoughtful.

Qiongnan knew that the Empress treated her very well, even more so than her own mother. She remembered that when she was in the Prince's residence, her mother would sometimes be exceptionally kind to her, and other times she would get angry with her. There was even one time when her mother slapped her.

Feeling incredibly wronged, Qiongnan overheard her wet nurse say, "If only the county princess were a boy."

These words were etched into her mind and she couldn't shake them off.

At first, Qiongnan was unaware that her father had made a grave mistake. It was only after her sister Qiongfang was sent to the palace that she realized something was wrong.

The Empress was their grandmother, but Qiongnan had long known that the Empress was not her father's biological mother.

The Empress noticed the little girl's confusion, took her and her sister's hands, squatted down and said to her, "Your father and mother made a mistake, so your grandfather sent them to Qian. From now on, you and your sister should live obediently with your grandmother and not think too much, understand?"

Qiongnan remembered learning about Guizhou when she was in school. She knew it was a mountainous and barren land, plagued by miasma. Although her grandmother hadn't said it explicitly, Qiongnan could guess that her parents must have made a terrible mistake.

For the next few days, Qiongnan was unable to sleep peacefully and was restless.

While they were studying together, Princess Ying, the little aunt, noticed something was up first. She tugged at Jia Yue's sleeve and told her her guess.

Jia Yue thought for a moment, then went over and took Qiong Nan's hand: "Sister, do you want to go see our rabbits? Our rabbits have given birth to several babies."

Qiongnan knew that although Jiayue was her younger sister, Jiayue was a princess, and her status was different from hers. Although they had had conflicts before, Jiayue was a very lovely and generous younger sister.

Looking into Jia Yue's bright, sparkling eyes, Qiong Nan couldn't bring herself to refuse. Jia Yue even offered, "I'll ask Aunt Zijuan to bring Qiong Fang over to play together."

Qiongnan nodded after hearing this.

The little girls were both surprised and delighted to see the baby rabbits that were less than three months old.

"The little rabbit is so tiny." It was the first time Qiongfang had ever seen a rabbit, and she immediately liked it and couldn't help but reach out and pat its long ears.

Qiongnan panicked and quickly grabbed her sister's hand: "Don't touch it, what if it bites you?"

“No, we raise rabbits to be very docile.” Jia Yue was much more familiar with them; she even caught one and handed it to Qiong Nan.

Girls are probably naturally drawn to these fluffy, warm little bundles of fur. Qiongnan carefully took it, held it tightly, and gently stroked its back to comfort it.

The little rabbit seemed to be a turning point, and Qiongnan and Qiongfang began to enjoy playing at Delin Palace. There was delicious food and fun things to do there, as well as the gentle and considerate Aunt Zijuan and Aunt Xueyan, who would occasionally bring them little trinkets from outside the palace. Sometimes, Aunt Xueyan's children would also come to play.

After my third uncle went from being the crown prince to the emperor, and my aunt went from being the crown princess to the empress, the empress ordered the Imperial Household Department to clean up the Magnolia Palace next to the Delin Palace.

“Magnolia Palace is big enough for you and your niece to move in. Only Qiongfang is a bit small, so she can stay with your grandmother for now.” Daiyu thought that the girls were all grown up and it would be more fun for them to live and study together.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, Jia Yue was granted the title of Princess He Kang, her aunt Princess Ying became Princess Jing Fu, and Qiong Nan and Qiong Fang were granted the titles of Princess Zhao Huan and Princess Yao Hua, respectively.