The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

"The reason I carved a calf is that my colleagues and I in the Ministry of Works were working on improving farm tools," Xiao Tingjun told Daiyu.

After listening to his long speech, Daiyu knew that he was clearly thriving at the Ministry of Works: "This ox is quite interestingly carved. When I came to Beijing from Yangzhou, I was fortunate enough to see farmers using waterwheels. I think it would be great if those waterwheels could be improved."

“It seems that Yu’er and I are thinking the same thing.” Xiao Tingjun was even happier to see that Daiyu was very interested in these things. “We were drawing up blueprints just a couple of days ago. We can give the blueprints to you, Yu’er, to take a look later.”

"Is that even possible? Shouldn't the Ministry of Works' documents not be circulated outside?" Daiyu shook her head upon hearing this.

“It is indeed not to be told to outsiders, but Yu’er, you are not an outsider. Besides, it’s just a waterwheel, not a weapon.” Xiao Tingjun returned the hand warmer to Daiyu. “I’m warm now. A couple of days ago, my eldest aunt came to the palace, and I ran into her. She told me to take good care of you.”

Upon hearing this, Daiyu sighed with emotion: "The Princess has treated me very well."

“This is a good thing. So many people in the capital want to curry favor with Auntie, but they can’t find a way. You’ve won her over. Even Father Emperor said that Auntie is picky and ordinary people can’t catch her eye.” Xiao Tingjun thought that the connection between people is really wonderful.

"By the way, there's something you can keep an eye on," Xiao Tingjun said after making sure no one was around and the palace maids and eunuchs were following at a distance. "It seems that the Ningguo Mansion is getting very close to my second brother."

Ningguo Mansion? Daiyu remembered the matter of the branching of the clan, so she told Xiao Tingjun about the branching of the Ning and Rong mansions.

"It seems that the head of the Ningguo Mansion does indeed have some ambitions." Xiao Tingjun wasn't very familiar with Jia Zhen, but now it seemed he needed to learn more about him.

Daiyu, on the contrary, took the initiative to bring up the Ningguo Mansion, talking about Xichun and the gossip of the Rongguo Mansion people about the Ningguo Mansion.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tingjun became even more intrigued: "Your sister is rather arrogant. Let's go back to Fengyi Palace and have a chat with Mother."

Daiyu nodded, and the two chatted until it was almost lunchtime.

Seeing the two of them enter together, the Empress joked, "You really know how to keep track of time. I'm about to serve lunch."

Xiao Tingjun replied with a smile, "I'm just here to freeload a meal for Mother. Knowing that Yu'er was here, Mother instructed the kitchen to prepare something delicious."

To everyone's surprise, news came from outside that the Emperor had arrived. The Empress was slightly puzzled, but she led Xiao Tingjun and Daiyu to greet him.

The Emperor was clearly in a good mood today. He entered with a smile and said, "Empress, it's lively here. What delicious food are we having today?" He helped the Empress up before she could even curtsy, thus exempting her from the formalities.

"What good food could there be? Yu'er is here, so I asked the kitchen to add two more Jiangnan dishes." The Empress smiled and invited His Majesty to take a seat.

The emperor then asked Daiyu, "What is the best dish in Yangzhou? When the late emperor went to the south of the Yangtze River, I never got to taste it."

At that time, among the late emperor's sons, the emperor was not favored.

"Crab meat lion's head meatballs, Yangzhou gourd duck." Daiyu was young when she lived in Yangzhou, but she still had a fondness for Yangzhou cuisine.

"Isn't this a coincidence? The kitchen just happened to make it today. Yu'er can try it and see if it's the same as the one in Yangzhou," the Empress said.

After the meal, the emperor remembered something and said to Xiao Tingjun, "I heard Lord Tian speak highly of you. I will come to the Ministry of Works tomorrow to see you."

Xiao Tingjun quickly agreed.

The Emperor glanced at Daiyu and then said, "Is your mansion almost finished? The other day, the second son said he wanted to go and see it. You brothers can go and take a look together. Miss Lin should also see it, since you'll be living there in the future."

Daiyu quickly expressed her gratitude.

"I heard from my elder sister that Miss Lin can also make pumpkin lanterns. When you brothers move, I will visit every place you go."

Upon hearing this, the Empress felt even more pleased with Daiyu: it seems that Miss Lin is indeed the third prince's lucky star.

After staying for two days, the Empress personally sent a carriage to take Daiyu back to the Rongguo Mansion, and gave her many gifts along the way.

Daiyu never expected that upon returning home, she would hear new news: it seemed that the marriage between Miss Xing and the second master of the Xue family had fallen through.

Chapter 47 Xue Ke's Other Plans for Annulling the Engagement (Part 1)

Daiyu brought Xueyan and Chunyu with her when she entered the palace, so Zijuan personally told Daiyu the news.

"It's quite interesting. Back then, the Xue family said they had arranged a marriage for Miss Xing for their second master, but it was just a verbal agreement between the two parties, and no formal betrothal was actually made." Zijuan hadn't paid much attention to it before, but after this incident, she suddenly realized what had happened.

Zijuan then told Daiyu the cause and course of events.

On the winter solstice, Aunt Xue, who hadn't visited the Jia family mansion in a long time, came to pay her respects, bringing Baoqin and many other gifts.

Aunt Xue came today, naturally she had something to ask of her.

Ever since Xue Pan was executed, Baochai would occasionally go home to comfort her mother. The last time she went home, Baochai brought up the marriage between Xue Ke and Xing Xiuyan.

“Back then, Mother asked the old lady to act as matchmaker, but it was only a verbal agreement and there was no real action yet. Now I see that my younger brother is grown up, and it’s time,” Baochai suggested first.

Aunt Xue was slightly taken aback, because the marriage was actually part of the Xue family's plan: at the time, in order to get the eldest branch of the Jia family to support Baochai as Baoyu's daughter-in-law, Xing Xiuyan happened to arrive and was a pretty good girl, so they decided to verbally agree on the arrangement first.

Overwhelmed with grief, Aunt Xue had almost forgotten about the incident.

“But, I’m thinking, now that your brother is gone, your younger brother has to manage everything at home and outside. Why not find him a better marriage? His future father-in-law is from a respectable family and can lend a hand.” Aunt Xue had another idea in mind.

Baochai quickly shook her head: "I advise Mother to give up these thoughts. Now that my brother is in trouble, where are there any good families willing to marry into our family? Those who are really willing are all greedy. Besides, no matter how poor Miss Xing's family is, she has an uncle who is the heir of a Duke's mansion. Now, besides the Empress, the Jia family also has Lin Daiyu, the Princess Consort."

While Aunt Xue was still pondering, Baochai said, "Miss Xing lived in the garden for a while and got along well with the other girls. If she really marries into the family, Lin Daiyu, the Princess Consort, might be willing to help her out of respect for Miss Xing."

Aunt Xue then realized that Baochai's words made sense, and nodded: "Then I'll go and bring it up on the Winter Solstice."

So it was on the winter solstice that Aunt Xue came to visit.

She first went to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia, and after talking for a while, she turned the conversation to Xue Ke and Xing Xiuyan: "Back then, it was you, Grandmother, who acted as matchmaker. I'm thinking that now that the two children are grown up, it's time to get engaged. I would like to ask you for your help, Grandmother."

Grandmother Jia didn't think much of it. After all, Xing Xiuyan wasn't her granddaughter. Although the Xue family had fallen on hard times, their conditions were still better than Xing Xiuyan's.

So Grandmother Jia immediately sent someone to invite Madam Xing over.

When Madam Xing entered, Aunt Xue, Madam Wang, and others were chatting with Grandmother Jia, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. Grandmother Jia's maids had never held Madam Xing in high regard, so Madam Xing had no idea why Grandmother Jia had invited her.

Upon hearing that they had come to propose marriage to Xue Ke, Madam Xing immediately smiled.

“Madam, it’s not that I’m disrespecting you. Back then, you asked the old lady to act as matchmaker, and I thought the two children were good, so I agreed. But more than two years have passed, and you haven’t mentioned sending Xing’s birth date and time to her parents. It’s as if nothing happened.”

As soon as Madam Xing opened her mouth, Aunt Xue immediately knew that it would be difficult to fool Madam Xing today.

The reason the Xue family acted that way in the first place was that they never intended to arrange a marriage between Xue Ke and Xing Xiuyan; it was merely a temporary measure.

"We are the women, so we shouldn't have come forward to submit our birth dates and times; it would have made us a laughingstock. My concubine ignored us completely, which led to my brother giving me a lot of complaints, saying I shouldn't have agreed. He said the Xue family is a wealthy merchant family, and we, from a humble background, are far beyond our reach."

Madam Xing had prepared these words well in advance, and she spoke them in a very logical and eloquent manner.

Grandmother Jia usually didn't pay attention, but this time she sensed something was wrong and just looked at Aunt Xue without saying a word.

Aunt Xue quickly smiled and said, "It's understandable that Madam dotes on her niece. Usually, I think that since the children are still young and both families have agreed, we should wait until the auspicious day to hold the betrothal ceremony. But since Madam has brought it up today, we will choose an auspicious day to ask Miss Xing for her birth date."

Madam Xing shook her head and said, "I think we should forget about it. Although our Xing girl comes from a poor background, she is a well-educated and sensible young lady. It's unreasonable for her to be left out for over two years and then have to wait and see. Besides, even if the child is young and the auspicious ceremony is later, shouldn't the Second Master Xue pay a visit during the New Year?"

“I don’t think Auntie is sincere. I didn’t understand it before, but I’ve figured it out now. Auntie just wants to win us over so that Bao’er can marry Baoyu. If it weren’t for your family’s troubles, she probably wouldn’t want our Xing’er anymore. Anyway, it’s just talk, and no betrothal has been made. Since that’s the case, let’s just let it go and never mention it again.”

These words made Aunt Xue's face turn pale. Aunt Xue, whose thoughts had been exposed, was eager to defend herself, but Baochai was afraid that her mother would say the wrong thing, so she quickly said, "Aunt, you are overthinking it. Back then, Mother really thought of arranging for my second brother's marriage because she saw that Sister Xing was steady and dignified. She had no other thoughts at all."

“Oh, niece-in-law, although you manage the household, it’s probably not your place to speak up right now, is it?” Madam Xing, unlike her usual dullness, immediately seized the key point and accused Baochai of disrespecting her elders.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but squint at Madam Xing: The eldest daughter-in-law's appearance didn't seem like she was improvising; it seemed like she had been preparing for a long time.

Grandmother Jia guessed correctly. Madam Xing didn't really care about her niece Xing Xiuyan. Rather, it was because Jia She had brought up the matter a few days ago when he came back from drinking.

"I remember you mentioned that your niece was engaged to the Xue family?" Jia She had only overheard it briefly and didn't know the details.

Madam Xing nodded, but added, "It's just talk, nothing's actually settled yet."

To everyone's surprise, Jia She immediately became happy: "That's great, then let's not make an agreement. The Xue family is no good now, that big idiot Xue has already had his head chopped off."

Madam Xing didn't care: "Isn't that even better? The Xue family has no sons, so won't all the family property go to Xue Ke in the future?"

Madam Xing loves money, and the Xue family is wealthy. If Xing Xiuyan becomes a daughter-in-law of the Xue family in the future, they should at least show some appreciation to her aunt.

"Pah, you brainless idiot, and you still have money? The Xue family is no longer the Xue family it used to be. Not only have many businesses been taken away, but they've also spent a lot to save this big idiot Xue. I heard that several shops in the capital have closed down." Jia She didn't really know the details; he had heard these words from Jia Zhen.

Although the two families had separated, Jia Zhen was still willing to associate with Jia She. After all, Jia Lian was an official outside the family, and they might be able to join forces.

Upon hearing that the Xue family was broke, Madam Xing's attitude changed.

Chapter 48 Xue Ke's Other Plans for Annulling the Engagement (Part 2)

Jia She immediately said to Madam Xing, "Besides, times have changed. Now that Yu'er has become the Princess Consort, you and I have spent a lot of money and rare treasures on her. I will have to find a way to talk to my niece about it in the future. We can't let her suffer in silence."

What Jia She meant by spending money and treasures was that Grandmother Jia forced them to contribute money and things for Daiyu's dowry. Jia She was very unhappy at the time and originally wanted to make a big scene, but then he thought that it would be better to agree to Grandmother Jia first and make sure Daiyu knew the truth later.

After all, he hadn't spent a single penny of the Lin family's money; it was all spent by the second son's family. In the future, Daiyu should feel some affection for her maternal uncle. A genuine prince's principal wife, even a casual favor, was far better than any of the concubines in the palace.

"So, your niece might be able to find a better match in the future. After all, there are plenty of people who want to marry into our family." Jia She said this to Madam Xing. Madam Xing thought that since the Xue family was broke, she really couldn't agree to it.

That's why she prepared so many excuses when Aunt Xue came to bring it up today.

Madam Xing was very firm, Madam Wang wanted to speak but had no right to do so, and Grandmother Jia didn't want to get involved at all, because Grandmother Jia remembered something: back then, Aunt Xue went to Yu'er and said that she wanted to act as a matchmaker for Yu'er and marry her off to Baoyu.

The Xue family mother and daughter are indeed shrewd. Perhaps, as the eldest daughter-in-law said, they didn't really choose Xing girl at all; they just wanted to win over the eldest son's family.

Seeing that Grandmother Jia remained silent, Aunt Xue's mind raced, and she quickly smiled and said to Grandmother Jia, "Grandma, you are the matchmaker, this matter..."

She looked at Grandmother Jia with a troubled expression, thinking that Grandmother Jia had always looked down on Madam Xing and would surely speak up for her. Little did she know that Grandmother Jia was actually dissatisfied with her. Hearing her words, Grandmother Jia sighed: "This matter is indeed due to your negligence, Aunt. Now that the Xing family is unhappy, there is nothing we can do. After all, Xing girl is the daughter of the Xing family, and the eldest daughter of the eldest son is just an aunt. What can she do?"

The meaning is quite clear: if Xing Xiuyan's parents disagree, it won't matter even if Madam Xing agrees.

Aunt Xue finally understood that the Xing family was unwilling to form a marriage alliance because the Xue family had lost out, and she immediately became angry: "Fine then, it's just that our Xue family is not worthy of yours."

These words were spoken inappropriately. Grandmother Jia glanced at Baochai below and said slowly, "Auntie, what are you saying? We're still relatives, aren't we? What's with this talk of climbing the social ladder?"

Just then, word came from outside that the second young lady had returned. Soon after, Yingchun entered, wearing a light pink round-necked long coat embroidered with bamboo leaves and plum blossoms, paired with a dark green horse-face skirt. Compared to her usual homecoming, she seemed to be dressed more elegantly and beautifully.

Yingchun, unaware of the situation here, came up to greet her.

"I was just worried that Second Sister wouldn't have time to come back." After being rebuffed by Madam Xing, Baochai said this on purpose: Yingchun's marriage was not good, and apart from keeping it from Grandmother Jia, almost everyone in the mansion knew.

Although Yingchun was not as clever as her sisters, she could still understand the implication in Baochai's words, but she was by nature easygoing and pretended not to understand.

"Why aren't Third Sister and Fourth Sister here?" Yingchun asked, sensing that the atmosphere in the room was not good.

Grandmother Jia immediately sent a maid to invite Tan Chun, Xi Chun, and Bao Qin.

Baoqin just arrived with Aunt Xue. After paying her respects to Grandmother Jia and the others, she went to talk to Tanchun.

Since the main branch of the family had no intention of keeping it a secret, Zijuan heard many rumors about it without even asking around. So when Daiyu returned from the palace, Zijuan told Daiyu all of this.

After hearing this, Daiyu remained silent for a while. Xing Xiuyan had lived in the garden for a short time, but not a very long time either. At that time, she lived with her second sister and was not particularly noticeable compared to Baoqin, who was praised by everyone from the beginning.

Daiyu remembered Xing Xiuyan's poem about red plum blossoms, which seemed to be no ordinary color, its shades varying in intensity amidst ice and snow.

The younger sister of the Xing family is quite similar to this poem. Thinking about it carefully, although her parents are not good, she herself is not elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses. Now that I see it, Miss Xing is more insightful and calmer than I am.

"I wonder what kind of family Miss Xing will marry into in the future. I just hope she doesn't end up like the Second Miss," Xueyan sighed after hearing this.

There was another half-sentence that Xueyan didn't say, but Daiyu could probably guess: If her uncle treated his own daughter this way, he would probably treat his wife's niece even worse; he just wanted to get a good price for her.

The phrase "waiting for the best price" is truly ironic.