The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

They were unaware that this waterwheel was somehow connected to Xiao Tingjun's work at the Ministry of Works.

Moreover, the two had mentioned waterwheels during their last conversation, so Daiyu understood that this waterwheel was probably the latest improved model from the Ministry of Works.

The palace celebrated Daiyu's birthday. Apart from Daiyu receiving a lot of gifts, there was nothing particularly special. After the Empress had Daiyu stay for two days, she sent a carriage to take her back.

It just so happened that Xiao Tingjun was on leave, so the Empress said, "In that case, why don't you take Yu'er to see how your Prince's Mansion is doing, and then you can send Yu'er back."

Xiao Tingjun was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Mother."

Seeing that everyone had left, Hu Mama, the Empress's head maid, couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, this old servant observes that Prince Yi seems to value Miss Lin very much."

"This is a good thing. After all, if you become husband and wife and there is no affection between you, there will be problems." After the Empress finished speaking, for some reason, she thought of herself and the Emperor.

The Empress married at the age of sixteen, when the Emperor was still Prince Cheng. The Empress's family was from Sichuan, and at that time her father was the General Who Pacifies the Distant Regions, and he had contributed to the rebellions in Miao and Yunnan.

The young couple couldn't be said to have no feelings for each other, but later, a concubine came along, the Empress's legitimate son passed away, and one thing after another happened. Fortunately, they still respected each other. Now, his eldest brother is the Governor-General of Liangjiang, while his second brother is just the headmaster of Qingcheng Academy, not an official.

For the emperor to give face to the empress, it was only if she performed well. Managing the harem, interacting with the imperial family, and many other matters required her to be impartial and to clearly distinguish between those close to her and those distant from her.

Seeing the Empress's expression, Granny Hu voiced her concerns: "Then, Your Majesty, should we arrange a concubine for Prince Yi?"

The Empress immediately shook her head, her tone somewhat serious: "Are you confused? This kind of matter, even if the third prince were married, let alone not married, the choice of a concubine isn't something I can decide. Alright, don't worry, does he think he'll forget his mother after getting a wife? The third prince has always been sensible."

Upon hearing the Empress's words, Granny Hu quickly apologized, "It's all my fault for being so talkative. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

The Empress looked closely at Hu Mama, her wet nurse who had been by her side for many years. Her family was all in Sichuan and were being taken care of by her second brother's family, so she was absolutely loyal to her.

The Empress softened her tone and said, "Alright, I know you mean well, but don't say these things again. It would be bad if the Third Prince heard them. Since I'm helping him, I'll help him properly."

Granny Hu quickly responded.

Xiao Tingjun had horses prepared for escorting Daiyu out of the palace. Daiyu, on the other hand, rode in a carriage arranged by the Empress.

The mansion bestowed by the emperor upon Prince Yi was originally the residence of a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. It was a gift from the emperor at the time. After the Grand Secretary passed away, his descendants did not excel in their official careers and left the capital to return to their hometowns, leaving the mansion vacant.

From the palace gate to the future Prince's Mansion, the carriage slowly arrived in about half an hour.

The mansion's main gate is currently empty, and the pillars on either side are also bare, naturally waiting for the emperor to inscribe a plaque.

After entering the gate, unlike the screen walls of ordinary mansions, there is no screen wall in this mansion. Instead, three original stones are stacked together to form a natural screen wall.

Xiao Tingjun told Daiyu, "This stone is very interesting. Now that it is springtime, it turns from pale green to emerald green. In summer, it gradually becomes greener. In autumn, the emerald green gradually turns into smoky gray. In winter, it becomes black. It changes with the seasons all year round."

After Daiyu carefully examined the area, the two of them walked inside, followed by Xueyan and Chunyu, and then the eunuchs who served Xiao Tingjun.

Daiyu had seen the blueprints. The entire mansion was centered around a lake, surrounded by buildings in a "回" shape. It is said that the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion was from Jiangnan, so the garden had a Jiangnan style.

"We have plenty of time today, shall we take a stroll along the north-south axis?" Xiao Tingjun had already visited this place many times, since the Ministry of Works was responsible for its repairs, and he happened to be working there.

Sansongtang, nestled against the mountain and beside the water, serves as the front courtyard and is used to receive guests. Walking forward from Sansongtang, you will see a small lake about eighty steps in length, with Furong Pavilion in the center. The other buildings are almost all built around the small lake.

“Completely different from the gardens I’ve seen in the capital, but more like many gardens in Suzhou. It’s definitely in the Jiangnan style.” Daiyu stepped onto the white jade bridge, with Xiao Tingjun following three steps behind her. Along the winding white jade bridge, one could see the clear spring water and its reflection.

The Hibiscus Pavilion has three stories, but Daiyu and Xiao Tingjun did not go up. After walking around, they arrived at the northwest corner, where there was a large artificial mountain with steep cliffs and secluded ravines, and winding paths. There was a small pavilion at the top of the mountain, which Daiyu was more interested in going up to take a look at.

The pavilion is inscribed with the two characters "Lin Yuan". From the pavilion, one can see all four sides of the garden and even the streets and alleys outside the mansion. Daiyu smiled and said, "This must be the highest point."

"Yes." Xiao Tingjun pointed to the two characters "Lin Yuan" and asked Daiyu if she had written them well.

"Excellent, did you write this?" Daiyu had seen Xiao Tingjun's handwriting before, but this was written in cursive script, which was different from the regular script she had seen Xiao Tingjun write before.

"Yes." Xiao Tingjun added that there were several places waiting for Daiyu to name and inscribe them in the future.

The two had only explored a small part of the place when Xiao Tingjun beckoned to Zhao Bingxin, asking him to take some people to Songguilou to buy food. He then introduced the food to Daiyu, saying, "Songguilou is most famous for its southern cuisine. Their crispy fried peony flower slices, Longjing shrimp, and lotus duck skewers are all excellent."

He even whispered to Daiyu, "It's even better than what the imperial kitchen makes."

His slight display of childlike innocence made Daiyu laugh.

Now that the world is at peace and the capital is prosperous, many restaurants allow customers to take their meals home, only needing to return them later. Zhao Bingxin was quick and efficient, and soon returned with several eunuchs. Even if the food was bought and brought back, the restaurants paid attention to the presentation, serving each dish one by one. It was Daiyu's first time experiencing this, and while she was curious, she also felt Xiao Tingjun's thoughtfulness.

It was lunchtime, and Daiyu, who had eaten a bowl of millet porridge and a tofu skin bun in the palace that morning, was now hungry.

The two sat facing each other in the pavilion at the highest point.

Xiao Tingjun poured a tea-colored beverage from a gourd-shaped earthenware jar and told Daiyu, "This is perilla drink. It's perfect for this time of year when the weather is still chilly."

Xueyan and the others were all outside the pavilion. Zhao Bingxin had bought some dishes, so naturally there would be a portion for everyone. Otherwise, wouldn't they have to serve others on an empty stomach?

The two continued strolling through the garden in the afternoon. At midday, they exited through the south gate, the back gate of the mansion. Zhao Bingxin had already instructed the coachman to wait there, and Xiao Tingjun escorted Daiyu back to the Rongguo Mansion.

Prince Yi personally escorted Daiyu back, and Daiyu received so many birthday gifts that everyone in the Rongguo Mansion looked at her with increasingly different eyes.

Daiyu ignored them completely and returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, where she had Zijuan and Xueyan register and store all the items. She had been walking around for a long time and was a little tired, so she lay down on the couch and closed her eyes to rest.

Zijuan brought over some Pu'er tea, as this tea is good for the spleen and stomach in spring. Seeing that Daiyu had rested enough, she quietly told Daiyu, "I heard that the Mei family has made a betrothal to Miss Xing."

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Chapter 56 Xing and Wang Bicker, Hairpin Probes a Gap

Upon hearing Zijuan say that the Mei family had engaged Miss Xing, Daiyu was stunned. It took her a long while to ask, "Who said that?"

"The First Madam said it herself a few days ago," Zijuan recounted to Daiyu vividly.

Madam Xing was always someone who couldn't keep secrets. That day, when she came to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia, after exchanging a few words with her, Grandmother Jia sent both Madam Xing and Madam Wang away.

When the two came out, Madam Xing's face was full of joy, but Madam Wang couldn't resist asking, "Sister-in-law, is there something good happening? You seem so happy."

Madam Xing was eager to tell everyone, and upon hearing Madam Wang's question, she immediately smiled and said, "It's not just happy news, it's that our Xiuyan girl has made a reservation. Auntie, can you guess which family she's with?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang immediately wished she hadn't asked, since it was Madam Xing who had orchestrated Xue Ke's broken engagement.

Although Xue Ke and Madam Wang are not related, the brother and sister are now living with Aunt Xue. Now that the Xue family has no male heir, Aunt Xue treats Xue Ke as her own son, and Madam Wang, as Aunt Xue's sister, also feels that Xue Ke is like her nephew.

Even if Madam Wang didn't press the matter, Madam Xing would still continue to say smugly, "It's quite a coincidence, isn't it? You know his aunt, she's from the Mei family, the former Hanlin scholar Mei, now the director of the Imperial Clan Court Mei family."

The Mei family?! Madam Wang simply couldn't believe it and blurted out, "How could that be? The Xing family is so poor..."

He realized what he was saying as soon as he spoke, and quickly stopped himself.

The word "shabby" had already provoked Madam Xing, and she immediately sneered, "That's right, our Xing family is naturally very poor, not as good as the Xue family, the wealthy and powerful imperial merchant family. It's a pity that the Mei family would rather choose a girl from a poor family than a good girl from an imperial merchant family. It's quite interesting, isn't it, Auntie?"

Before Madam Wang could answer, Madam Xing continued, "No wonder back then, when Madam Xue said she had betrothed Xiuyan to me, she actually looked down on our Xing family's poverty. But what goes around comes around. I never expected that the Mei family back then was just all talk. Auntie, you're too calculating. It's not good."

After saying that, he ignored Madam Wang's expression and left.

Madam Wang was so angry that she stood there for a long time, watching Madam Xing's back before finally saying in a very vicious tone, "What's with all the arrogance of a hen that can't lay eggs?"

After this exchange between the two sisters-in-law, news soon spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion that the Mei family had engaged Xing Xiuyan, a young lady from the family.

After hearing this, Daiyu sighed, but said something else: "There must be something more to this than meets the eye. I think it's not simple."

Zijuan didn't know what Daiyu meant by "not simple," but she didn't ask. After all, her young lady was so clever that she thought of many things more deeply than she did.

Then Zijuan heard Daiyu sigh again: "Now that they have changed the manager, the situation of servants gossiping and spreading rumors has not changed."

Upon hearing this, Zijuan immediately snorted: "Everyone used to praise Miss Xue for being good at managing the household, and for keeping the shops and servants in such good order. But now that she's become Bao Er's wife, she's lost her ability to manage the household."

Zijuan harbored deep resentment towards Baochai and her mother: they had been so kind to the young lady, sending her bird's nest and keeping her company, but in the end, they schemed against her.

Seeing the Xue family in such a sorry state, Zijuan was secretly pleased.

However, Daiyu's thoughts were not simple, and she found the answer when Yingchun came to visit on Tanchun's birthday.

Regarding Tan Chun's birthday, there was actually some conflict between Baochai and Tan Chun—although neither of them said anything at the time, the two were no longer on the same path.

The reason was that Baochai wanted to hold a grand birthday banquet for Tanchun. The reason was simple: Daiyu was taken to the palace for her birthday, and the Rongguo Mansion missed the opportunity to win over the powerful and influential people in the capital. Tanchun's birthday was a little later than Daiyu's, and since Daiyu, as the Princess Consort, was still living in the Rongguo Mansion, if Tanchun's birthday was held in a grand manner, many families would naturally come.

In this way, not only will Tan Chun herself have the opportunity to appear in front of the ladies of the powerful and influential in the capital, but Bao Qin will also be able to go out and about with them. This will be very helpful for the two of them in finding a suitable partner in the future.

Meanwhile, Baochai, who is now in charge of the household, knows that the Rongguo Mansion's treasury is in a precarious state. In order to prepare a dowry for Daiyu, the old lady and the madam have taken out a lot of good things from their private treasuries. The old lady has even forced the eldest son and his wife to take out their private savings as well.

If Tan Chun's birthday is celebrated in a grand manner, some wealthy merchants in the capital who want to curry favor with powerful families will certainly try to attend, and the gifts they send will be quite substantial.

After much thought, Baochai felt more and more that it was very necessary to hold a proper birthday banquet for Tanchun.

Knowing that Tan Chun was always a person with her own ideas, Bao Chai decided to talk to Tan Chun first.

"Third Sister." Baochai arrived at Qiushuangzhai and chatted for a while before bringing up Tanchun's birthday. "I've been married into this family for quite some time now, and it just so happens to be Third Sister's first birthday. I was thinking of having a proper celebration for you. What do you think, Sister?"

Tan Chun keenly sensed that things were definitely not simple, so she smiled and asked Bao Chai, "What does sister-in-law plan to do?"

As expected of Tan Chun, she was not easily fooled. However, Baochai had already prepared her explanation: "Third Sister is a sensible person, so I will speak frankly. Now that you are not young anymore, Lin Daiyu is very fortunate to have been married by the Emperor. It is time for Third Sister to show her face in front of everyone. Back then, Second Sister suffered the same loss, getting married in a daze and ending up like this."

“I have always admired my third sister. I don’t want her to end up like my second sister. Since it’s my third sister’s birthday, I will ask my wife and mother for permission to hold a proper birthday banquet for her and invite our relatives and friends in the capital.”

Baochai's words were all for Tanchun's sake.

To everyone's surprise, Tan Chun immediately refused: "I am very grateful to my sister-in-law for thinking of me. However, neither my second sister nor my fourth sister has ever celebrated my birthday in such a grand way. I feel bad about it being celebrated alone by me."

Before Baochai could speak, Tanchun continued, "Besides, now that you're in charge of the household, you know how difficult things are at home. You don't need to make things difficult for yourself because of me. After all, it's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality. There are so many brothers and nephews in the family. If you have to celebrate their birthdays in a grand way, it won't be easy for you, will it?"

Both of them were intelligent people, and Tan Chun's words were all for Bao Chai's benefit. Bao Chai was still not satisfied and tried to persuade her again. Tan Chun simply said directly, "I appreciate your kindness, sister-in-law. I have already made arrangements for your birthday, so you don't need to worry about it."

Seeing Tan Chun's firm resolve, Baochai had no choice but to give up on the idea: she knew how formidable Tan Chun was.

Tan Chun only invited her sisters to a gathering and even personally delivered the invitations. Even Daiyu, who also lived in the Grand View Garden, received an invitation.

Looking at Tan Chun's invitation, Daiyu couldn't help but recall the days when they started their poetry club. She said to Zijuan and Xueyan with emotion, "Things have really changed. Only Third Sister still has such refined tastes."

Finally, she sighed, "I wonder if Second Sister will be able to come back." Then she asked Zijuan to send Tanchun the newly acquired brocade satin with gold embroidery, the red-ribbed fan with gold studs, and the gold-flowered red-stamen hairpin as a birthday gift.

However, Yingchun returned, and clearly, she had tidied herself up carefully.

Seeing that it was Tan Chun's birthday today and only she, her sisters, and Daiyu were there, Ying Chun was very surprised and blurted out, "Why aren't my sisters-in-law here?"

"It's better if she doesn't come." Tan Chun simply mentioned Bao Chai's suggestion from a few days ago, and then added, "Now, Bao Er's sister-in-law is naturally unhappy, and I suppose Madam knows about it too, and Madam is also unhappy. Eldest sister-in-law doesn't dare to offend Madam, so why would she come?"

One sentence silenced all the women.

Chapter 57 Sisters Gather to Welcome Spring and Resolve Doubts

Looking at her three sisters present, Daiyu couldn't help but think: each of them had their own hardships. Xichun had been sent here since she was a child, her biological father had gone to a Taoist temple and no longer cared about worldly affairs, and her brother and sister-in-law only treated her with superficial courtesy; Tanchun was born out of wedlock, and Aunt Zhao was a troublemaker, while Lady Wang was kind on the surface but wicked on the inside; as for Yingchun, just by looking at her marriage, it was clear that none of the elders in the mansion truly cared for her.

Daiyu then cheered herself up and said, "Today is Third Sister's special day, so all of you sisters should not be downcast."

Tan Chun, the hostess, laughed and said, "That's right, don't mention unlucky people. But I was worried that Second Sister wouldn't be able to come."

Upon hearing this, Yingchun glanced at Daiyu and said, "In the end, it's all because of Lin Daiyu. My husband only bought his official position; he doesn't have a real post, so he's been doing nothing. When he married me, he thought he could get a position through the Duke's mansion, but it didn't work out at all. So he beat and scolded me. But then he heard that Lin Daiyu had been betrothed to a prince, and later the Third Prince was made a Prince of the County, and he started to have designs on her."

Tan Chun, Xi Chun, and the others all felt contempt for such a person.

However, Yingchun changed the subject and mentioned Xing Xiuyan: "You probably don't know, but Xing Xiuyan's marriage is also closely related to these people."