The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

After Daiyu left, Grandmother Jia also sent everyone else away, leaving only Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng behind.

"Did Your Highness send anyone to deliver a message?" Grandmother Jia was full of doubts.

Chapter 5 The shrewd Grandmother Jia reprimands Zijuan

When Grandmother Jia asked about the Empress, Lady Wang shook her head: "The Empress hasn't sent anyone out these days."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia became even more anxious: the Emperor and Empress would never treat Yu'er so well for no reason. Thinking of the Zhen family, whose property had been confiscated, Grandmother Jia became even more restless.

He immediately instructed Yuanyang: "Go and tell Zijuan privately to come over when she has some free time. I have something to say to her. Tell her that Yu'er doesn't need to know."

Yuanyang was the most trusted by Grandmother Jia, knew the most about Grandmother Jia, and was the best at guessing Grandmother Jia's thoughts. After hearing the instructions, Yuanyang went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

As they walked, Yuanyang couldn't help but ponder. Not to mention others, even she, Jia Mu's head maid, had thought that Miss Lin was probably beyond help. Jia Mu's treatment of Miss Lin was not as good as before. So, when Zijuan came to Jia Mu to talk about Daiyu's illness several times, Yuanyang blocked her with the excuse that Jia Mu was resting or other reasons.

Unexpectedly, things took such a dramatic turn.

Walking along the bluestone path under the bamboo forest, listening to the occasional birdsong, the mandarin duck felt a chill run down its spine for some reason.

She entered the courtyard and saw Zijuan sitting on the railing under the eaves. She quickly and quietly went up to her, patted Zijuan on the shoulder, and gestured for her to come out and talk.

Yuanyang conveyed the old lady's meaning in a low voice while observing Zijuan's expression: Although they had grown up together, Yuanyang's relationship with Zijuan was not as good as her relationship with Xiren, Ping'er, and others.

"I understand, Sister Yuanyang, you should go back now." Zijuan saw that Grandmother Jia wanted to see her alone and didn't want Daiyu to know, so she had a guess in her heart. "I'll go in and quietly take a look. Miss takes a nap every afternoon. I'll sneak over after Miss falls asleep."

After hearing this, Yuanyang nodded and left.

Zijuan looked at Yuanyang's retreating figure and smiled coldly, then turned around and went inside to see Daiyu.

Daiyu was reclining on the couch, pondering what the Empress meant. When she saw Zijuan come in, she asked her if there was anything she needed.

Zijuan then told Daiyu what Yuanyang had said earlier: "I was thinking of going to tell you, Miss, and hear what you think."

Grandmother Jia only thought that Zijuan was a servant born into the Jia family, and that her parents were both in the Jia household. She thought she had Zijuan under her control, but she didn't know that Zijuan's brother had already left the Jia household with Daiyu's help.

This story goes back five years. At that time, Zijuan's mother was very ill, and the medical expenses were quite high. After all, Zijuan's parents were honest people who did manual labor outside and earned very little money each month. Zijuan's brother was also not given important responsibilities. As a result, the family's savings were almost all gone.

Originally, Zijuan's father thought that since she had been a servant in the manor for many years, he should ask his superiors for permission to withdraw a few months' wages, but Lai Da refused outright. Having no other choice, Zijuan's father had to come to his daughter and beg her to plead with Miss Lin.

Coincidentally, Daiyu had just lost her father and returned from Yangzhou at that time, so she was financially well-off. Upon hearing Zijuan's predicament, she immediately took out fifty taels of silver.

Since entering the Jia family, Daiyu has been well taken care of by Zijuan, for which she is very grateful. When she learned that her brother Zijuan had no chance to serve by Jia Lian's or Baoyu's side, and heard Zijuan talk about how Lai Da and Zhou Rui in the mansion were all-powerful, she simply took some money and asked Zijuan to find a way to redeem her brother.

For many years, Grandmother Jia had been detached from worldly affairs, while Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng were both shrewd but actually muddle-headed. The matter of Zijuan's brother's redemption never reached their hands. Lai Da, having received a benefit, came in and used sweet words to hand over another hundred taels of silver. Wang Xifeng saw that this amount was much more than the original redemption money, so she didn't ask any questions at the time. She only heard that he was a handyman outside and released him directly.

Back then, Daiyu was actually quite cautious. Her father's words constantly echoed in her ears; as an orphan living with relatives, it was truly inconvenient.

Zijuan's brother went out; being a man, he might be able to help me with something.

For example, Daiyu had an estate in the suburbs of Beijing. Grandmother Jia was unaware of it, and Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng were even less aware. It was purchased for Daiyu by Lin Ruhai and his wife after she was born.

After Zijuan's brother left, he helped to make connections. Daiyu didn't even step out of the Jia family mansion, yet she was able to know the current prices of rice, flour, and oil, as well as the harvests of farmers in the suburbs of Beijing.

Unexpectedly, the worst-case scenario that Daiyu had foreseen actually occurred.

Now that Grandmother Jia wanted to send Zijuan, Daiyu pondered for a moment and said, "I can't even figure out the situation myself. When you go, you don't need to hide anything. I guess Grandmother Jia will ask you who you met in the palace and what you said. Just tell her the truth."

"Then Miss, please rest for a while. I'll be right back." Upon hearing Daiyu's words, Zijuan turned and went to Grandmother Jia's room.

Clearly, Grandmother Jia had already instructed the maids that when Zijuan arrived, Amber quickly announced her arrival and even personally lifted the curtain for her.

The room was dimly lit. Zijuan entered suddenly under the sun and felt a little uncomfortable. She immediately saw Grandmother Jia sitting above. Despite her kind and benevolent appearance, she looked like a clay statue of a bodhisattva, which made her feel uneasy.

Zijuan quickly stepped forward to bow.

"Get up, get up and talk." Inside Grandmother Jia's room, only Yuanyang was there.

Just as Daiyu had predicted, when Grandmother Jia asked about their experience of entering the palace, Zijuan, having received instructions from Daiyu, honestly recounted the entire experience.

"When the young lady went to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress, many other ladies were there, including our lady. The Empress said she liked the young lady and prepared the Swallow Tower for her to stay in. She also sent Physician Liu to examine the young lady. The next day, our lady invited the young lady to have dinner together."

Upon hearing Zijuan use the phrase "our mistress," Grandmother Jia was immediately pleased, realizing that Zijuan had not lied.

But Grandmother Jia couldn't glean anything from those words alone, so she continued, "What did you say when you went to see Her Highness, Miss?"

Zijuan replied, "When you went to the Empress's place, Miss, you were accompanied by Granny Gu. I went with you, and Sister Baoqin led me down for tea. I don't know what the Empress and you talked about, but I suppose it wasn't anything important."

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia asked, "Then, Her Majesty the Empress invited Physician Liu to examine Yu'er. What did Physician Liu say?"

Zijuan honestly recounted what Physician Liu had said. After listening, Grandmother Jia was even more puzzled: How could the Empress like Yu'er so much? And even have the imperial physician diagnose her.

Looking at Zijuan standing in front of her, Grandmother Jia decided to take the opportunity to give her a few words of advice: "Yingge."

Zijuan was taken aback. Ever since she followed Miss Lin and the girl changed her name, she hadn't heard anyone call her "Parrot" for many years. It seemed that Grandmother Jia's deliberate use of this name at this moment had a special meaning.

“You are a maid in our family, and you have served Lin’s maid wholeheartedly all these years. You should continue to do so in the future. You must keep track of where your young lady goes, who she meets, and what she says.”

Sure enough, I still have to keep an eye on the girl myself. The old lady says she loves the girl the most, but in reality, it's just empty talk and can't be taken seriously at all.

“Your parents are getting old, I’ll have Feng’er arrange some easy jobs for them later.”

Ultimately, they still need to use their parents to blackmail themselves.

Zijuan concealed her disgust and said respectfully, "Yes, it's all thanks to the old lady's pity."

Grandmother Jia was very pleased to see that Zijuan was so obedient, and had Yuanyang bring her two strings of cash as a reward: "Go back and serve your young lady."

Zijuan quickly thanked him and then turned to leave.

Just then, Wang Xifeng rushed in. It turned out that the imperial physician had been sent by the palace to examine Daiyu.

Grandmother Jia and the others grew increasingly curious, and at the same time, increasingly guilty. Years ago, she took Daiyu in to raise her, partly out of love for her granddaughter, and partly out of fear that Lin Ruhai would drift away from the Rongguo Mansion. Later, when Lin Ruhai passed away, entrusting Daiyu and the family fortune to the mansion, she genuinely wanted to have two daughters, but how did things come to this?

After much deliberation, Grandmother Jia decided to test Daiyu.

Chapter 6: Superficial Family Ties and the Battle of Wits Between Grandparents and Grandchildren

With the help of Yuanyang and Amber, Grandmother Jia personally went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Chunxian, who was working in the courtyard, had seen this early on and quickly went to inform Daiyu. Therefore, when Grandmother Jia entered the courtyard, she saw Daiyu leading Zijuan and Xueyan, with the two maids from the palace following behind, all greeting her.

Seeing the four servants following Daiyu in a neat row, Grandmother Jia felt as if she were seeing her own daughter.

“Why did you come in person, Grandmother? Although it’s not very hot now, there’s still sunshine. What if you get sunburned? If there’s anything, just call me.” Daiyu quickly stepped forward to support Grandmother Jia.

Seeing this, Amber retreated to the back.

"It's only April, and the sun is shining so brightly; it's warm and comfortable," Grandmother Jia said with a smile as she walked inside.

Daiyu helped Grandmother Jia to her seat, naturally having some guesses in her mind. After Grandmother Jia was seated, Zijuan brought tea, which Daiyu personally served to Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia took the tea and first played the emotional card: "I remember that year, when Granny Liu came, I brought her to your room. At that time, I even asked your second sister-in-law to change the window screens for you."

"That's right, that silver-red one, isn't it the one that the old lady had her second sister-in-law bring over to change?" Daiyu naturally remembered that day when her second aunt deliberately refused to drink her tea, so the old lady suggested changing the window screens for her. At that time, Daiyu thought that the old lady still loved her after all.

But in the end, it turned out that the old lady loved the Jia family the most.

Seeing that Daiyu still remembered, Grandmother Jia felt a little relieved: Yu'er is kind-hearted and sentimental. If she really discovers something in the future, she should not hold it against her because she raised and loved her.

After drinking the tea, Grandmother Jia noticed that both nannies were there and asked them if they were comfortable staying there. She also thanked them for coming to teach Daiyu manners.

"Thank you for your concern, Madam. Miss Lin's place is quiet and elegant, and we are not uncomfortable with it at all. We are here on the orders of His Majesty and Her Majesty, and we do not deserve your gratitude." Granny Gu said in a serious tone.

Just by looking at the two men, Grandmother Jia knew that the people sent by the Empress were no ordinary people.

"You all go and rest. I'm here to talk to Yu'er." Grandmother Jia said this not only to the maids, but also to the two nannies.

However, the two old women did not move. They both looked at Daiyu, and only after Daiyu nodded did they leave.

All of this naturally came to the attention of Grandmother Jia, who was not pleased, but since the two men were sent by the Emperor and Empress, there was nothing she could do.

Besides, she didn't come to see the two nannies today, but to test Daiyu. With that in mind, Grandmother Jia put aside her dislike for the nannies and began to care about Daiyu instead.

"I couldn't put my mind at ease when you went to the palace a few days ago." Grandmother Jia pulled Daiyu to sit down beside her, and the two chatted warmly as they always had. "Did anything go wrong for you, Yu'er, during your trip to the palace?"

Looking at the concern in her grandmother's eyes, Daiyu realized that if so many things hadn't happened, and if her grandmother hadn't first asked Zijuan to question her, she probably would have been fooled again.

But things are different now.

Although Daiyu was wary, she still slowly recounted what she had seen and heard since entering the palace to Grandmother Jia, just as she always did.

Hearing what Daiyu said, which was almost identical to what Zijuan had said, only with more details, Grandmother Jia finally believed that Zijuan had not lied.

"It's clear that our Yu'er is very likable." After listening to Daiyu's story, Grandmother Jia asked, "When you met your sister Yuanchun, did she say anything to you?"

"The Empress asked how my maternal grandmother and aunt were doing, how everyone at home was, and if there were any difficulties at home." Daiyu did not hide anything. It seemed that Yuan Chun did not know that she would enter the palace. When she suddenly saw her, she probably did not say anything for a while because she had not liked her in the past.

However, Daiyu still took the initiative to tell Grandmother Jia about Yuanchun's situation in the palace: "The Empress looks to be in good health. When we ate together, His Majesty even specially bestowed two dishes upon her."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia was immediately relieved: only she, her second son's wife, and Feng'er knew that Yuan Chun's child had been lost; no one else in the family knew, so Yu'er was unaware of the situation. Now that His Majesty had specially bestowed dishes upon her, it seemed that Yuan Chun's favor with the Emperor had not diminished.

As long as His Majesty still favors Yuan Chun, everything will be fine.

Even so, Grandmother Jia still couldn't figure out why the Emperor and Empress suddenly valued Daiyu so much. Seeing that Daiyu was as well-behaved as before in front of her, Grandmother Jia asked directly, "Then, Yu'er, do you find it strange? Why did His Majesty and the Empress suddenly summon you?"

It seems that her maternal grandmother was very curious. Naturally, Daiyu would not tell Grandmother Jia what her father had told her, nor would she tell her grandmother her own speculations.

Daiyu shook her head, her expression very sincere: "From the arrival of the Princess to the summons by the Empress, I was really curious for a while, but I couldn't figure it out no matter how hard I tried. I thought that once I entered the palace, the Empress would say something, but who knew that the Empress didn't say anything at all."

At this point, Daiyu paused deliberately, then continued, "That day at Consort Xiande's place, I wanted to ask her something, but I was afraid I shouldn't. If I asked inappropriately, it would put Consort Xiande in a difficult position. I also want to ask Grandmother if she knows what happened."

Seeing that Daiyu didn't seem to be lying, Grandmother Jia first praised Daiyu: "My Yu'er has indeed grown up and knows how to consider the Virtuous Consort."

Then she said, "Grandmother doesn't know the details of this matter either. But it seems that Her Majesty the Empress likes you, which is a good thing. Since Her Majesty has sent a nanny to teach you manners, you should study hard; it will always be beneficial for you."

"Yes, Grandmother, please rest assured." Daiyu nodded.

Grandmother Jia then gave Daiyu many more instructions before saying that she was tired and would be going home first. Daiyu personally saw Grandmother Jia out.

"Yu'er, there's no need to see her off. Go back and rest." Grandmother Jia was quite satisfied with her visit today. Although she couldn't figure out the Emperor and Empress's motives, seeing that Daiyu was still the same as before, she thought to herself, "In the end, Daiyu has no one to rely on. If she were smart, she would know to listen to me."

However, what Grandmother Jia didn't know was that the Empress in the palace also had the same plan.

The Empress summoned the Third Prince and brought up his marriage: "Your second brother is engaged to the granddaughter of the Minister of Revenue, and your fourth brother is being betrothed by Consort Shu to the granddaughter of the General of the State. Third Prince, tell your mother the truth, do you have any thoughts on this?"

Chapter 7: A Mother-Son Conversation Discussing Marriage

The Third Prince, Xiao Tingjun, possessed the best features of both his father and mother, with a sharply defined face, slanted eyebrows, and piercing eyes.

Upon hearing the Empress's words, Xiao Tingjun replied without hesitation, "I've been busy studying every day, and now that Father has sent me to the Ministry of Personnel, I haven't thought about this matter."

The Empress knew about Xiao Tingjun's studies at the Ministry of Personnel. Hearing him say this, she simply said, "Your second and fourth brothers are probably going to marry noble ladies. What I want to say is, Jun'er, you should keep a low profile. Showing your talents too early may not be a good thing. What do you think?"