The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

After seeing Baoqin off, Zijuan and Xueyan came in. Looking at Daiyu lying on the kang, both of them were a little worried.

"Please don't be sad, Miss." Zijuan and Xueyan both knew why Baoqin had come today. Because Baoqin was afraid that she couldn't explain it clearly, she specially asked her maid Xiaoluo to talk to Zijuan alone and explain it to her. In particular, she wanted to make it clear that their Miss Qin had no intention of becoming a concubine in the Prince's mansion.

Hearing the voice, Daiyu snapped out of her thoughts and smiled faintly, "I'm not sad, what's there to be sad about?"

She was just thinking about how to retaliate and give her grandmother a big gift.

When someone outside said that the prince had returned, Daiyu got up. Xueyan went forward and lifted the curtain, and saw that Xiao Tingjun had already entered. He took off his pale yellow satin cloak, and Daiyu took it and hung it on the rosewood coat rack with a lotus pattern. She then took the hot tea that Zijuan brought and served it to Xiao Tingjun.

"No need to rush, the maids can handle these things." Xiao Tingjun had just returned from the Ministry of Works. As the year draws to a close, all departments are quite busy.

After drinking the tea, he brought up a person: "That Lai Shangrong, I heard he was a servant in your maternal grandmother's household. Now he's very good at scheming and has managed to get a position as a construction supervisor in the Ministry of Works."

The Lai family? Yes, Daiyu suddenly smiled. Xiao Tingjun asked, puzzled, "What good news is this?"

"That's not a good thing. If we tell the Prince, he'll be overjoyed," Daiyu said deliberately. "My second aunt has a goddaughter who is exceptionally beautiful and talented. Your Highness, what do you think of Ehuang and Nüying?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tingjun knew that things were not simple. He grabbed Daiyu's slender waist with one hand, pulled her to sit in his lap, leaned in and said with a sidelong glance, "Good Yu'er, what nonsense are you talking about? What about Ehuang and Nüying? I only want you."

Taking advantage of Daiyu's inattention, he stole a kiss, which earned him a glare from Daiyu.

"Stop fooling around, I'm talking to you about something serious." Daiyu had an idea: There were two people around Grandmother Jia whom she trusted the most. One was Yuanyang, whom she had already won over, and the other was Granny Lai. If Grandmother Jia found out that the Lai family had made a lot of money over the years and was abusing their power, then Grandmother Jia would probably be very busy for a while.

If Daiyu remembers correctly, Lai Shangrong was able to become an official only because of the influence of the Jia family.

Chapter 67 The Lai Family's Trouble Sends a Warning to the Jia Family

Having thought of all this, Daiyu waited until after the meal and, without any pretense, told Xiao Tingjun everything that Baoqin had said that day.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tingjun's face turned dark with anger, and he spoke through gritted teeth: "What a clever scheme! If Consort De is so free, then I think we should find her something to do."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu quickly grasped Xiao Tingjun's hand and shook it, saying, "I will go to the palace to see Consort De, so you don't need to worry. If I don't do a good job, you can think of another way, okay?"

Looking into Daiyu's eyes, which were like black pearls, Xiao Tingjun lost his temper: "Fine, but I don't want you to suffer. Consort De is one of Father Emperor's concubines, and we are a generation below her, so it's not always convenient. I will still communicate with Mother Empress."

Daiyu thought that if this happened once, it would happen again. Baoqin was a smart person, but not everyone else was. It would be good if the Empress could take care of her. So she nodded.

"Many things at Consort De's place are instigated by my second aunt, so I think I should give the Jia family a warning first." Daiyu asked about Lai Shangrong, "Judging from your tone, you're not a good official?"

“Of course not. When I was a county magistrate, the Jia family helped me a lot. When I was a county magistrate, I was corrupt and greedy, and I was very good at flattering my superiors. I was even transferred to the capital to be a construction worker in the Ministry of Works.” Xiao Tingjun looked down on him.

"His grandmother was the old lady's dowry maid, and she rose through the ranks to become the head housekeeper, enjoying the old lady's utmost trust." Daiyu told Xiao Tingjun about the Lai family's situation. The family had two courtyards and servants, who had risen from servants to masters.

"Indeed, when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." Xiao Tingjun sneered, having understood Daiyu's meaning. "You want to make a move against the Lai family?"

“Yes, since he’s a corrupt official, wouldn’t it be better for the Ministry of Works?” Daiyu thought for a moment, then quickly added, “If it’s inconvenient for you, then forget it.”

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it. My second and fourth brothers have been doing well in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue lately, so I can’t be too bad. Besides, it’s almost the end of the year, and I should show some results.” Xiao Tingjun already had a plan. He held Daiyu’s hand to reassure her, “Just wait for news at home.”

Xiao Tingjun, the Prince of Yi, still carries considerable weight. Moreover, since joining the Ministry of Works, he has been diligent and meticulous in his work, and has not been greedy for credit. Minister of Works Tian Jingmin greatly admires this young prince. Therefore, when Xiao Tingjun's written suggestions for the assessment of officials within the Ministry of Works were placed on his desk, he carefully read them three times, and his eyes revealed delight. He immediately invited Xiao Tingjun and the two vice ministers of the Ministry of Works to discuss the matter together.

They are all people who get things done, and once they have a clear understanding, they act very quickly.

On the first day before the Lunar New Year, Daiyu visited the Jia family mansion.

Grandmother Jia and the others knew nothing about it and were happily and solemnly welcoming her. Unexpectedly, after Daiyu arrived and exchanged a few words with everyone, she smiled and said that she wanted to talk with the old lady. The others did not say much and had to leave first.

As soon as the person left, Daiyu spoke frankly to Grandmother Jia: "Grandmother, I have received news from the Prince that the Ministry of Works is conducting an internal assessment and has found many faults with that Lai family member. I'm afraid something bad is going to happen this time."

The Lai family? Grandmother Jia immediately became alarmed: "A serious crime?"

"Yes, a serious crime, the kind that would likely implicate the entire family. Yu'er remembers that back then, it was thanks to her uncles' help that the Lai family is where it is today. So, Grandmother, you must tell your uncles to cut ties quickly, otherwise they might be implicated." Daiyu is currently trying to curry favor with the Jia family because she and Xiao Tingjun have carefully analyzed the situation. Right now, the emperor is dealing with the former officials, but it's not the right time for the Jia family to cause trouble.

Grandmother Jia was startled and quickly took Daiyu's hand, sighing, "Yu'er is the best. Look at this matter, your second uncle is in court and can't get any information. If it weren't for you, Yu'er, speaking up, wouldn't we all be kept in the dark?"

Daiyu seized the opportunity to say, "What are you saying, Grandmother? I have no other relatives now, so naturally I side with my uncles. However, the Lai family has been bullying others with their power all these years. Grandmother should take this opportunity to investigate them thoroughly. We can't let the mistakes made by the servants implicate the family and the ladies in the palace."

Grandmother Jia nodded, inwardly feeling resentful towards Granny Lai's entire family. "Good heavens," she thought, "the ungrateful wretches I raised." For some reason, Grandmother Jia thought of the Xue family; they were all ungrateful wretches too. She had even considered sending Baoqin to Prince Yi's place, but if she went there, she might find the same ungrateful wretches.

Thinking this, he felt a little sorry for Daiyu, so he held Daiyu's hand and tightened his grip: "Yu'er, my Yu'er is still the best."

Daiyu didn't take these words to heart. After comforting Grandmother Jia for a while, she went to the garden to see Tanchun and Xichun.

Grandmother Jia quickly summoned Jia She, Jia Zheng, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, and Baochai to discuss countermeasures. The family was busy for two days and had just finished the division when they heard that the Lai family had been raided. Grandmother Jia was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat. She stared at Madam Wang meaningfully and said, "If it weren't for the Princess Consort rushing to tell us, we don't know how much trouble our family would have been in. Some people just happened to dislike the Princess Consort back then."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xing quickly replied, "That's right, it's still my niece who thinks of our family. It's no wonder that the old lady and her uncles have doted on her."

Grandmother Jia usually looked down on Madam Xing, but she was quite pleased to hear this and praised her, saying, "When the Princess Consort got married, you were all generous, how could she not know? But now that she's the Princess Consort, don't keep calling her 'niece, niece' all the time, making outsiders pick on the gifts."

"Grandma, I know, that's what I was saying in your room." Madam Xing was happy to see Madam Wang get the short end of the stick, and also glanced at Baochai. "Speaking of which, Baochai and Baoyu have been married for over a year now. She shouldn't just be thinking about managing the household; she should try harder to have a child soon."

Just as Lady Wang was about to say a few words in support of Baochai, Grandmother Jia sided with Lady Xing, saying, "That's very true. In a family like ours, it's best to have many children and grandchildren."

Baochai's face burned, but she could only lower her head and say "yes".

Baochai, still angry, never expected that Lady Wang would call her aside that afternoon and speak to her earnestly: "It's not that I, as your mother-in-law, am not considerate, but you and Baoyu have been married for so long. That child is honest and kind, but he has always been very good to his sisters. You two should have a child."

Baochai was in a difficult situation, as Baoyu wouldn't even touch her, so how could she have a child?

"Don't blame your aunt for not reminding you. If you still can't have a child in another year, I'm afraid the old lady will have to put someone in Baoyu's room." Seeing that Baochai had her head down, Madam Wang changed her words.

Baochai was startled, but she also understood that what Lady Wang said was the absolute truth. Not only Grandmother Jia, but Lady Wang herself would probably also send people to Baoyu's room in the future.

But Baochai never expected that the Xue family would be the first to suffer trouble.

Chapter 68 Xue Ke and his sister set up their own household

When the old woman from the Xue family arrived, she looked very unwell. Upon seeing Baochai, she immediately burst into tears: "Miss, hurry home and see! Second Master and Miss Qin are leaving home, and Madam has fainted from anger."

What?! Leaving home? Where to? Upon hearing this, Baochai felt a sudden panic, and her vision blurred. Fortunately, she was sitting down, so she didn't fall.

“Please clarify one point: what exactly happened with leaving home?” Baochai asked, seizing the key point.

"This old servant doesn't quite understand either. It seems that the Second Master found a house and he and Miss Qin are going to move out." The old woman actually understood what was being said, but she couldn't comprehend it. She didn't understand why the Second Master suddenly said he was moving out.

But Baochai understood immediately: Xue Ke and Baoqin were planning to establish their own household. Baochai felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her whole body turning cold: lately, she had been busy managing the Rongguo Mansion and hadn't paid attention to the Xue family.

But ever since his brother's accident, Xue Ke has been managing the Xue family's business. The fact that he brought it up now probably means he has made thorough preparations.

Perhaps Xue Ke and Baoqin had already planned to take the family's money and live separately. Baochai couldn't help but think back to when she got married; to leave herself a way out, she had specifically instructed her family not to prepare an expensive dowry.

Could it be that Xue Ke and his sister have taken all these things?

Baochai felt increasingly uneasy and began to tremble. Ying'er, sensing the danger, quickly brought her some hot tea. Baochai, however, refused to drink it and instead pondered what to do.

Regardless, let's go home and ask first. If that doesn't work, we'll have to ask our parents-in-law for help: whether Xue Ke and his sister stay in the capital or return to Jinling, they won't succeed as long as there are officials blocking their way.

With this thought, Baochai's emotions calmed down considerably. After thinking for a moment, she left Ying'er to look after the mansion and took Wenxing to Lady Wang's place, intending to go home after saying goodbye.

Madam Wang sighed upon hearing this: "Look at you, a married girl, running back to your parents' home every other day. You have to handle everything at your parents' home. People who don't know better might think we're bullying you, making you unable to stay at home and forcing you to return to your parents' home."

These words stung Baochai's heart, but this was her mother-in-law, and she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Madam Wang did not stop her from going back: "Alright, go ahead. If anything happens, just send someone back to let us know."

Baochai quickly thanked her and hurried back.

When they rushed back to the Xue family, Aunt Xue had already woken up and was crying and cursing. When she saw Baochai return, she felt emboldened and pointed at Xue Ke, scolding, "You siblings are all ungrateful wretches! Ever since your mother passed away, I've taken care of everything for you when you came to the capital. Now that you've grown up, you want to fly away."

Baochai quickly stepped forward to calm Aunt Xue down, then calmly asked, "Second brother, sister Qin, what exactly happened?"

Xue Ke stood there, quite calmly: "It's good that my cousin is back. Today, my brother and I will explain everything in front of my cousin and aunt. I've found a house and my sister and I are moving out. From now on, our two families will be separated, and we will each be our own family."

Upon hearing the words "severing ties," Baochai's eyes turned completely cold. She stared intently at Xue Ke and remained silent for a long while.

Seeing that Xue Ke and Baoqin were both very calm, Baochai couldn't help but laugh in exasperation: "Severing ties, Second Brother, you make it sound so easy. So, Second Brother, are you going to stay in the capital or return to Jinling?"

Xue Ke wasn't afraid of Baochai, because he had made thorough preparations and deliberately chose this time to say it: During the New Year, everyone would hold their own banquets, taking the opportunity to show the outside world that they had no connection whatsoever with the Xue family.

"Of course I'll stay in the capital." While managing the Xue family shop, Xue Ke had already built up connections and started his own small business.

“The capital? My brother should understand that the word ‘official’ has two mouths. If my brother and sister go out alone, I’m afraid they won’t have an easy time.” Baochai said coldly.

"You don't need to worry about that. We've already obtained an introduction from the Prefect of the Capital. Life will be a little tough in the future, but it certainly won't be a problem." Xue Ke didn't mind letting Baochai know that he had someone backing him up.

Baochai was dumbfounded: the Prefectural Governor's Office? It seems Xue Ke and the others really made thorough preparations.

“It’s not that we don’t appreciate your kindness, but back then, when Aunt wanted me to marry Miss Xing, did she ask for my opinion? Miss Xing’s engagement was broken off because of Aunt and my sister’s mess. And Sister Qin, if it weren’t for my brother killing someone, how could Sister Qin have been broken off with her engagement?” Xue Ke felt that since they had to break off relations, he had to say what needed to be said.

"I've helped manage the shop all these years, but what's the result? The shop assistants all laugh at me, calling me a gofer. When the Princess Consort of Yi got married recently, so many ladies praised Sister Qin, but when they found out that she was involved with your family, none of them were willing to come and act as matchmakers anymore."

“My brother and I would rather live a hard life than live with the stigma of being the younger siblings of murderers.”

Xue Ke stared at Baochai and said all these words in one breath. Then, together with Baoqin, they solemnly kowtowed to Aunt Xue and were about to leave.

Baochai retorted loudly, "Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to make a living?"

Baoqin, who hadn't spoken until now, stopped and turned to look at Baochai: "Second Madam Bao, you think too highly of yourself. I know you have an uncle who is a high-ranking official, you've married into the Duke's mansion, and you even have a virtuous concubine in the palace, but we're not afraid of you. If you dare to have people target us, we can make sure that the Xue family's scandals are known to everyone."

“Shameful things? What shameful things could our family possibly have now?” Baochai thought. Xue Pan is gone, what shameful things could there be?

"Is that so? Does it count as stealing other people's business and causing their families to be ruined just because you have the backing of the Rongguo Mansion?" Baoqin looked at Baochai coldly. "I know that Second Madam Bao is very shrewd, but don't forget that the Rongguo Mansion is now just an empty shell that can't make ends meet. It's no secret that the Empress is not favored in the palace."

Suddenly seeing Baoqin's cold and indifferent appearance, Baochai was startled. She finally realized that Xue Ke had been helping to manage the shop all these years and had long since gained leverage over them.

In that instant, she caught a glimpse of the cunning smile that flashed across Baoqin's face, and couldn't help but think: they really are sisters, both equally shrewd and calculating. She had always thought that her obedient and well-behaved younger sister had actually been plotting for a long time.

Unexpectedly, Baoqin suddenly laughed: "By the way, Second Madam Bao, there is something I can tell you. Originally, my good godmother wanted me to become a concubine in the Prince Yi's mansion. I thought about it for a while and felt that it was too unreliable, so I informed the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort said that she would keep an eye on my marriage in the future."

"As the Princess Consort of a dignified Prince, she certainly carries far more weight than you, the wife of Bao Er, wouldn't you agree?"

After saying this, Xue Kebaoqin didn't turn her head.

Baochai shed two tears of anger. Her jealousy and hatred towards Daiyu were even more evident when she went to Prince Yi's mansion on the eighth day of the new year, and she couldn't hide it no matter what she did.

Chapter 69 Daiyu and her husband cleverly avoid the limelight

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Prince Yi's mansion hosted a banquet.

Ever since the three princes were betrothed and enfeoffed as princes on the same day, the court officials were well aware that a new round of struggle for the throne had begun.

As the three princes each got married, and the Prince's Mansion and the County Prince's Mansion formed a triangular arrangement on the same street, some people secretly said: "Now it really is a situation of three kingdoms."

The emperor was somewhat aware of the thoughts of his court officials, which is why he paid close attention to the New Year banquets held by the three princely residences.

The Prince Rui's residence hosted a banquet on the third day of the Lunar New Year, inviting almost half of the officials in the capital. After all, Consort Wu's father was the Minister of Personnel, with many protégés and former subordinates, while Princess Rui's grandfather was the Minister of Revenue, also with many relatives, friends, and mentors. In addition, there were members of the imperial family, making for a truly large gathering. It was almost as grand as the New Year's banquet in the palace, with just as many guests.

The Prince Li's mansion hosted a banquet on the fourth day of the lunar new year. It was just as grand as the Prince Rui's mansion, although it had fewer guests. The delicious food and fine wines, as well as the opera troupe specially invited from Huizhou, made the guests remember the banquet fondly.

The emperor was somewhat displeased. These two really thought they were some kind of princes, living a life of unparalleled glory. In a bad mood, the emperor thought to himself, "I'll see how the third prince's family handles their banquet."

To everyone's surprise, the third son's family still didn't host a banquet on the fifth, sixth, or seventh day of the lunar new year. The emperor couldn't help but ask the empress, "Do you know when the third son will host a banquet?"