The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

When Baochai arrived home in a hurry, she learned that the Mei family had come to break off the engagement.

In her early years, Baoqin was betrothed to Mei Qing, the eldest son of Mei Hanlin. Two years ago, Mei Hanlin was transferred to a post outside the capital, and his whole family went with him.

At the end of last year, Mei Hanlin was summoned back to the capital and became an official in the Imperial Clan Court.

The Xue family had assumed that the Mei family, now that they had arrived in the capital, would soon come to propose marriage to Baoqin. This morning, Madam Mei, accompanied by her maid, personally visited the family, much to Aunt Xue's delight.

When Mrs. Mei explained her family's intentions, Aunt Xue was dumbfounded: back then, Mr. Mei and Baoqin's father had only verbally agreed to the marriage and had not formally engaged in betrothal.

Therefore, it would be very easy for the Mei family to break off the engagement.

Aunt Xue couldn't help but think of Xue Ke. Back then, they had used this verbal agreement to try and trap the main branch of the Rongguo Mansion, but in the end, they had gained nothing.

But Aunt Xue never expected that Baoqin would be the same.

Aunt Xue was at a loss for what to do. Baoqin was an unmarried girl, so after thinking it over, she could only ask Baochai to come back and come up with a solution.

Upon hearing this news, Baochai's legs went weak, and she collapsed into a chair.

How could this be? Baochai had originally thought that with Baoqin's marriage, she would have another official relative by marriage, and they might be able to help each other in the future.

The image of Daiyu's glory from the previous two days flashed before her eyes, and Baochai couldn't help but burst into tears, burying her face in her hands on the table.

Seeing Baochai cry, Aunt Xue was at a loss and also started crying.

Baoqin, on the other hand, remained quite calm after learning the information. She had already analyzed why the Mei family would break off the engagement. Firstly, the Xue family had fallen from grace, and their title as imperial merchants was no longer worthy of their name. Secondly, her cousin's case had reached the imperial court and resulted in his execution. The Mei family must be well aware of such matters.

The Mei family prided themselves on being a family of upright people and would never marry a cousin who was a murderer, especially since they and their brother lived with their aunt.

Baoqin thought of the Ning and Rong families who had separated: even before anything happened to them, they were already scheming to separate for the sake of the future.

But are my brother and I really going to go down this dark path?

Although her elder sister successfully married into the Duke's mansion, outsiders perceived them as belonging to the Jia family, not the Xue family. Moreover, even with a godmother, it offered her no real benefit. The fact that the Mei family still wanted to annul the engagement meant that outsiders believed in the Xue family's decline and the poor upbringing of their children.

So if we want to change all of this, then my brother and I must go out into the world.

Baoqin didn't sleep well for a day and a night, and ignored what Baochai and Aunt Xue were talking about. Instead, she told her maid, Xiaoluo, to wait until the mistress wasn't paying attention and then go to find her brother.

When the brother and sister met, Baoqin spoke her mind directly: "Brother, is it alright for the two of us to live alone?"

Xue Ke was dumbfounded. He stood there for a while before asking, "What do you mean?"

“Of course we should separate the family,” Baoqin said, expressing her thoughts. “Now my brother is looked down upon, and I’ve been jilted. In the end, it’s all related to my brother’s situation. If we continue to live at Aunt’s house, I’m afraid it will be difficult for my brother and me in the future.”

Xue Ke had also thought about this issue after the Xing family rejected his engagement.

However, ever since their father passed away, the siblings went to live with their aunt's family. After all, the eldest uncle was the one who managed the Xue family back then. After the eldest uncle passed away, the eldest aunt and cousin had a conflict with the clan and, with the support of the Wang and Jia families, took away the shops and land.

Now, the siblings only have a small amount of savings left by their parents. If they were to separate, their lives would certainly be difficult.

As if knowing what Xue Ke was thinking, Baoqin added, "Besides, for the past two years, it's been you, brother, who's been managing the Xue family's business. You should know all about the shops and such."

Xue Ke was startled, because he could see a hint of scheming in his sister's eyes.

“I don’t want it to be like this either, but brother, do you have any good ideas?” Baoqin stared at her brother. Ever since their parents left, they had depended on each other for survival. Whether it was going to the capital to seek refuge with their aunt or recognizing Lady Wang as their godmother, the brother and sister did their best to make their future lives better.

But this is the only outcome. Baoqin is unwilling to accept it. Grandmother Jia clearly liked her and intended for her to marry Baoyu. However, for the sake of her sister, they had to give in.

Now, she's not going to back down.

Even though she knew that Grandmother Jia had only used her to compete with Lady Wang and didn't want Baoyu to marry her sister, what did it matter? It was her aunt and sister who had wronged her and her brother first.

Xue Ke was speechless when his sister asked him a question, because he really had no way out of his current predicament.

"Brother, think carefully about what we should do." Baoqin knew very well that even if they really had to leave their aunt's house, it wouldn't be right now. After all, they needed some time to prepare, and that time wouldn't be short.

Xue Ke looked at his younger sister and nodded heavily.

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Even though the Xue family tried to keep it a secret, the news of Baoqin's engagement being called off quickly spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion.

Grandmother Jia immediately summoned Baochai to inquire, and Baochai did not hide anything: "Back then, my uncle and Master Mei only had a verbal agreement. Now that the Mei family has gone back on their word, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, my uncle is no longer here, so we can say that there's no proof."

Grandmother Jia fell into deep thought, and Lady Wang quickly said from the side, "Grandmother, do you think our family should act as a mediator and try to resolve this matter?"

Although Grandmother Jia did indeed intend to use Baoqin to compete with Lady Wang, Baoqin was a beautiful and sensible girl, and Grandmother Jia genuinely liked her. It was truly pitiful for such a girl to be rejected in her engagement.

Grandmother Jia pondered for a while: "Don't rush. I'll call your master over tonight and ask him what's going on with Master Mei. Neither of us can say for sure about matters of the court."

Madam Wang wanted to say a few more words. Although she didn't particularly like Baoqin, she had after all recognized her as a goddaughter. With such a big incident happening, it would be really unreasonable to ignore it.

But when she heard Grandmother Jia mention a few words about the imperial court, Lady Wang swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Grandmother Jia added, "Moreover, the next time you go to the palace to pay your respects to the Empress, you can tell her about this matter and hear her thoughts."

Grandmother Jia thought more deeply than Lady Wang. The Mei family was, after all, an official family, and they couldn't be offended easily. They certainly couldn't afford to offend them for the sake of Baoqin, a mere outsider.

Lady Wang agreed, and Baochai quickly said, "Thank you for your trouble, Madam."

Grandmother Jia then brought up another matter: "In a few days, it will be the Princess Consort's birthday. She is currently living in Xiaoxiang Pavilion, so we should give her a grand birthday celebration."

Madam Wang was displeased upon hearing this, as she had spent a considerable amount of her own money on this person. She hadn't considered that they had originally used the Lin family's money.

Baochai, however, thought this was a good opportunity. When the news was spread, many officials and wealthy families would want to make connections with her. This would allow Baoqin to show her face in front of the ladies, and perhaps someone would come to inquire about her.

However, Baochai's plan failed because someone from the palace arrived.

Chapter 54 Daiyu Receives a Big Gift on Her Birthday

Besides bestowing gifts upon Daiyu, the people from the palace also carried a message from the Empress: a carriage would be sent to pick up Daiyu on the day before her birthday.

This means that Daiyu will not celebrate her birthday at the Jia family mansion.

Lady Wang was initially quite happy to hear the news, but when she thought about how the Empress valued the Lin family, whom she despised, so highly, she became unhappy again.

Baochai was heartbroken, having lost a great opportunity: a chance for Baoqin to shine and for her to showcase her housekeeping and social skills.

But no matter what they thought, Daiyu was destined to enter the palace.

Daiyu was genuinely worried that the Empress's invitation to the palace to celebrate her birthday might upset others: celebrating the birthday of a woman who was not yet betrothed would be considered a bit ostentatious even in an ordinary family, let alone in the royal family.

Therefore, after entering the palace and paying her respects to the Empress, seeing that no one was around, Daiyu subtly expressed her doubts.

The Empress first praised, "It's good that Yu'er thought of these things." Then she told Daiyu, "But this time, it wasn't me who suggested bringing you into the palace; it was Consort Xu who brought it up with His Majesty."

Consort Xu? For some reason, Daiyu thought of the fact that the Ningguo Mansion had already sided with Consort Wu and her son.

So Daiyu was relieved: "Then Yu'er should thank Consort Shu."

Seeing that Daiyu understood the implication of her words, the Empress nodded and said, "That's right, His Majesty specifically instructed the Imperial Kitchen to prepare more southern dishes. Tomorrow, the Princess will also be bringing Xin'er over."

Consort Xu could not bear to see Consort Wu and her son and daughter-in-law so pleased with themselves. The Second Prince was doing well in the Ministry of Justice, praised by the Emperor and his officials. His wife, Princess Rui, was also well-regarded in the harem, praised by many concubines and admired by the Empress.

Therefore, Consort Xu deliberately mentioned Daiyu in front of the emperor, since her daughter-in-law had both parents alive, and it was not appropriate to suggest bringing her over for her birthday.

Besides, Consort Xu felt that by using Miss Lin to test the Emperor's attitude, she wouldn't get into trouble if something went wrong: after all, she wasn't Miss Lin's future mother-in-law.

The Emperor readily agreed, and even praised Miss Lin a few times, and also praised the Third Prince Xiao Tingjun. Then he said, "I think the Fourth Prince has made great progress recently, and all the brothers are doing well."

Consort Xu was relieved: at least for now, the Emperor had not yet made up his mind to appoint any prince as Crown Prince, so her son still had a chance.

When the Empress learned of this, she smiled faintly and said nothing. But when Daiyu asked about it, the Empress realized that the girl was very perceptive.

Such sensitivity is essential for a future crown princess or even an empress. The empress thought to herself.

Since the Emperor had instructed the Empress to bring Daiyu into the palace, and the Princess had also brought her wife and granddaughter, none of the concubines in the harem were fools; they all rushed to give gifts to Daiyu.

Daiyu received a multitude of birthday gifts, the most extravagant being a pair of white jade teacups carved with cowherd figures. These teacups were crafted from a single piece of Hetian white jade, its texture lustrous and smooth, with a rich, oily sheen and a slight sheen on the surface. The teacups are uniquely shaped, with a yellow ox at the base, its two horns on its head quite endearing, its eyes slightly closed, and its posture of crouching. The back of the ox supports the body of the cup, which is flat and round with a slightly flared rim. The outer wall is decorated with cloud patterns, and a phoenix-patterned handle connects to the ox's tail, forming the cup's handle. The lid is topped with a lifelike carving of a young cowherd holding a bamboo flute.

Consort Xu also presented a valuable gift: a banana-leaf-shaped guqin made by Zhu Gongwang. This guqin has a long, slender body, resembling a banana leaf, with a stem drooping from the bottom of the headboard, and the sides of the body undulating like the edges of a leaf. It is lacquered entirely in black lacquer and deer antler ash, with a cedar top and catalpa bottom, showing snake-belly cracks.

The soundboard is inlaid with thirteen mother-of-pearl emblems, and the wooden bridge, crown, and goose feet are also inlaid. The soundboard of this banana leaf zither is round and full. The bridge is located at the lower edge of the banana leaf. The bridge is thinned by steeply sloping towards the soundboard guard and is rounded to both sides. The soundboard guard is not thinned towards the soundboard, but is slightly raised. Therefore, the entire soundboard is elegant and round. The bridge on the towering soundboard is like the top of a mountain peak, or a red cloud above the green mountains.

The gifts from the other concubines—jade pendants, bracelets, headdresses, earrings, and the like—seemed quite ordinary compared to the gifts from these two.

Daiyu dared not accept such a valuable item.

The Empress smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just their kind gesture, you should accept it."

Consort Xu also laughed and said, "That's right. This guqin was found by my brother. I can't play it, so it would be useless to give it to me. It's better to give it to Yu'er. I heard that Yu'er is very good at playing the guqin. If there is an opportunity in the future, we can enjoy the music. That would be the good fortune of this guqin."

That was a beautifully said statement, and even the princess who came in praised it, saying, "This is what is meant by a fine sword for a hero and rouge for a beautiful woman."

The eldest princess's gift was an inkstone in the style of the Han Dynasty's Shiquge Pavilion, which Daiyu liked very much. What everyone found interesting was that Gao Xin also gave a gift.

Gao Xin's gift was a porcelain doll dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a big head and big eyes, which was quite cute.

"Princess, have you given all your most beloved porcelain dolls to Yu'er?" Consort Wu teased the little girl.

Gao Xin nodded: "Of course, I've already become an apprentice, so naturally I'll give my teacher my favorite gift."

Upon hearing that the young princess of the Eldest Princess's family had become Daiyu's student, Consort Wu recalled the rumors that the Eldest Princess held the Lin family's daughter in high regard, and now it seemed that this was indeed the case.

The Emperor's gifts arrived quickly, and Daiyu liked them quite a bit, but many of the concubines didn't care much, since they were rare and unique books by famous authors.

"I'm curious, what should our Prince Yi send later?" Consort Xu joked.

Daiyu and Xiao Tingjun's wedding date had already been set, so Consort Xu's joke made everyone laugh. Soon after, the Emperor arrived with several princes, and everyone looked at Xiao Tingjun.

"Hey, why are you all staring at the third prince?" the emperor asked curiously.

"Of course we have to see what good things our Prince Yi will give to Yu'er," Consort Xu said with a smile in front of the Emperor.

After the emperor realized what was happening, he smiled and looked at his son.

Xiao Tingjun scratched his head sheepishly: "My son's gift is still in Zichen Garden."

The emperor immediately said, "Then send someone to fetch it; I also want to see what good things it is."

Xiao Tingjun went out and told Zhao Bingxin, the eunuch who served him, to fetch the small waterwheel that he had placed on the table.

Zhao Bingxin brought two eunuchs with him, and they quickly delivered the items.

When everyone looked, they saw a waterwheel made of bamboo with a hand crank. It didn't look like a gift for Daiyu, but rather like a toy for a child.

Even the emperor couldn't help but glare at her: "The gift you sent is really strange."

Everyone looked at Daiyu's expression.

Chapter 55 Two Hearts Cherishing Each Other Explore the Residence

Everyone was surprised when Prince Yi gave Daiyu a mysterious bamboo waterwheel, but when they saw Daiyu slightly raise the corners of her mouth, they knew that the young couple were quite in sync.

Consort Wu and Consort Xu were both relieved: it seemed that the third prince and his wife were both fond of having fun.