The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

What Daiyu didn't expect was that not only Gao Xin, Tan Chun, Xi Chun, and her cousin Qiao Lanruo, but Xiao Tingjun also brought back the sixth prince, Xiao Tingyu, early on.

Xiao Tingyu is almost twelve years old, but he still has some childlike qualities. When he saw Qiao Lanruo and the others playing backgammon, he rushed over to watch the fun.

Later, Xiao Tingyu saw that the boats at Daiyu's place were shaped like rabbits, ducks, and even birds. He was truly amazed. He returned to the palace to pay his respects to his mother, Consort Lu. Coincidentally, Consort Lu was at the Empress's residence. So Xiao Tingyu excitedly told the Empress and Consort Lu about the delicious food at Prince Yi's residence.

"Oh my, those boat-shaped snacks look so good and taste so delicious. I heard from my third sister-in-law that, in addition to animal shapes, they can also make pavilions, towers, and figures."

Unexpectedly, the emperor came in just in time to hear this and couldn't help but laugh, "No wonder my eldest sister's daughter, Xin, wants to run to the third son's residence every few days. Last time, her grandfather said that she was using the excuse of learning poetry to go eat."

Xiao Tingyu was honest and straightforward: "That's not entirely true. Today, Xin'er and the others drew pictures, and my son thinks they're better than his."

The emperor deliberately put on a stern face and said, "You still have the nerve to say that? You don't study hard enough, and you can't even compare to a little girl."

"It's not like she drew it herself. Third Sister-in-law and Sister-in-law's sister helped her too." Xiao Tingyu was the youngest son, and he was the most uninhibited in front of the emperor.

"Hmph, I see you like your third brother. You should learn from him in the future." The emperor became somewhat curious about the Prince Yi's residence. "I was saying before that I wanted to visit my three sons' residences. Empress, you can arrange it."

The Empress immediately accepted the task with a smile, and the news quickly spread throughout the palace. Consort Wu and Consort Xu, of course, both wanted to go out and see for themselves, and they all came to beg the Empress.

The Empress naturally agreed; she also wanted to go and see. She first invited three princesses to the palace, told them about the Emperor's visit, and made detailed arrangements.

Because His Majesty said he would have lunch at Prince Yi's residence, the Empress arranged for His Majesty to first visit Prince Rui's residence in the morning, then go to Prince Yi's residence, have lunch and stroll around, and then go to Prince Li's residence.

Consort Xu was unaware that His Majesty had specifically requested lunch at Prince Yi's residence, and thus she was somewhat dissatisfied with the Empress's arrangement, feeling that the Empress favored the second and third princes and was deliberately mistreating her fourth son. The Emperor only visited the fourth prince in the afternoon, and even then, he left after only a short while.

Dissatisfied, Consort Xu brought up the matter when the Emperor came to her palace, implying that the Empress favored the third son.

To his surprise, the emperor was not pleased: "I was the one who said I was going to have dinner at the Third Prince's residence. What nonsense are you spouting?"

The displeased emperor showed no respect to Consort Xu, getting up and leaving as soon as he sat down. News of the emperor's brief visit to Consort Xu's palace and his displeased expression upon leaving quickly spread throughout the palace.

Many concubines were laughing at Consort Xu, and some were also dissatisfied when they heard that the emperor had gone to Consort Xiande's place—hadn't Consort Xiande been out of favor for a long time? Why did the emperor suddenly remember her again?

Consort Wu was the most well-informed, and the melodious sound of the zither filled Consort Xian's Fengzao Palace. In addition, the emperor was about to give Prince Teng an important position again.

That night, the emperor stayed at Fengzao Palace. The next day, Consort Wu sent Yuan Mama with palace maids to deliver some gifts to Yuan Chun. Now, the Ningguo Mansion had completely sided with her son. As for the Rongguo Mansion, as long as Yuan Chun was of one mind with her, she was not afraid that they would not help. Besides, there was also Prince Teng.

Consort Wu is currently riding high. Her daughter-in-law is pregnant, her son is highly regarded in the Ministry of War, and the Prince of Nan'an's mansion has already led troops into battle. All of them support her son. Once the southeast is won, her son will likely become the crown prince.

The smug Consort Wu was naturally not satisfied with the Emperor's request to dine at Prince Yi's residence—the third prince and his wife certainly knew how to please people, and both the Princess and the Emperor inevitably showed them too much favoritism.

Consort Wu was eager to see what kind of tricks the Prince Yi's mansion would pull this time.

Unexpectedly, the chef at Prince Yi's residence was indeed quite skilled. Because it was the Spring Equinox, the banquet was held in the garden in front of Xiangxue Tower. The peach blossoms were half-open, the willows swayed, the butterflies fluttered, and the orioles sang. The warm sun and gentle breeze made people feel pleasant.

Before the meal, a spring tea, rose oolong, was served. The mellow taste of the oolong and the fragrance of the rose prompted the emperor to immediately praise, "Excellent, the aftertaste lingers."

Then, the maids brought out the first dish: a crystal flower blooming amidst greenery in a sweet white porcelain bowl. Daiyu introduced it to everyone: "I used mung bean crystal white jade skin to wrap dried scallops, shrimp, bamboo shoots, green beans, and bracken. Today is the Spring Equinox, so please, Father, Mother, and all the ladies, taste the flavor of spring."

Consort Xu couldn't help but sigh, "It looks so good that it's almost too beautiful to eat."

The emperor had already taken a bite and nodded repeatedly: "Refreshing and delicious, with various umami flavors, layered yet not chaotic, very good."

"This dish is a thick soup with delicate bamboo shoots and swallows. I must thank Father for the bamboo shoots; they were freshly delivered from Wanmei Manor." Wanmei Manor, which Daiyu mentioned, was a gift from the Emperor before her marriage.

The emperor was delighted to hear this. After tasting it, Consort Wu asked, "How was this made? It has a mild flavor and the freshness of bamboo shoots."

“Slender bamboo shoots are cut into thin strips and paired with bird’s nest.” Daiyu knew all this very well.

Next came stir-fried cherry pork ribs and shredded chicken with buckwheat noodles in satay sauce. After four dishes, it was time for tea.

"What kind of tea is this? It's sweet and sour, just right to cut through the richness," the Empress asked.

"This is cherry tea." After Daiyu replied, three more dishes were served: one was spring green wormwood, another was early morning loquat stewed with fish maw, and the last was mandarin fish.

"The mandarin fish is at its best at this time of year; the peach blossoms float on the flowing water, and the mandarin fish are plump." The emperor was in high spirits, not only satisfying his appetite but also admiring the picturesque food, which was indeed a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Next came the pre-Qingming Longjing tea. After drinking it, the emperor sighed, "Today is the Spring Equinox. I am fortunate to be able to savor the entirety of spring. I am very satisfied."

"The kitchen staff worked hard today, so there is a reward." The Emperor spoke directly, instructing the Imperial Household Department to reward the people of Prince Yi's residence. He then strolled around with great interest, quite liking the layout of Prince Yi's residence, with its pavilions, terraces, and lush flowers and trees. It wasn't until late afternoon that Consort Xu finally couldn't help but remind the Emperor that he hadn't yet visited the Prince's residence.

Xiao Tingjun and Daiyu stayed with him until late afternoon before returning to the palace.

Zijuan and Xueyan quickly came up to serve, while Chunyu and Chunxian brought hot water and a copper basin and hot towels, respectively. The kitchen also received the news and quickly sent over dinner.

The dishes on the table include three-delicacy duck, chicken stew with fresh mushrooms, stir-fried ham and mushrooms, cucumber rolls cooked in oil, and fish fillets in cream sauce.

The food consisted of a plate of small steamed buns with ivory-shaped patterns, a plate of palm-sized, golden-brown baked pastries, and millet porridge. Daiyu was tired today and had no appetite; she just kept drinking the porridge.

Xiao Tingjun felt sorry for her, but he didn't say anything. He turned to Zijuan and told the kitchen to prepare some light late-night snacks.

After they finished eating, Xiao Tingjun told Daiyu to rest.

"It's alright. Since there's an inside traitor, let's take a look together." We got through today smoothly entirely thanks to Xueyan—she coincidentally discovered that someone was trying to tamper with the food.

Chapter 75 The Emperor Personally Visits Daiyu to Catch the Ghost (Part 2)

Xiao Tingjun felt sorry for Daiyu because she was too tired today, and he didn't want Daiyu to see these upsetting things. It was too derelict of his duty as a prince that there were spies in his own mansion.

Before the marriage, everyone had been carefully selected, with the Empress and himself personally overseeing the process. Yet, some still slipped through the net. Xiao Tingjun felt somewhat discouraged when he thought of this.

Daiyu saw through it all and immediately said, "People's hearts can change. Fortunately, Xueyan was careful today. Now that she's been caught, we can just interrogate her slowly."

Xiao Tingjun took Daiyu's hand and decided to lay the groundwork for her first: "That's natural, but the methods used to interrogate people in the palace are quite unusual, so don't be frightened later, Yu'er."

Daiyu shook her head: "Don't worry."

The two arrived at the woodshed, where the woman was locked. Granny Xu and Granny Gu had accompanied the Empress from the Prince's Mansion to the Palace, and now they had come to the Prince's Mansion. They were very familiar with these matters.

Upon seeing the Prince and Princess arrive, the two old women quickly stepped forward to apologize: "In the end, it was our negligence that led to this. We used to patrol the house every day, but we never discovered such a traitor. Please punish us, Your Highness and Your Highness."

Daiyu glanced over and saw that the woman was gagged and tied to a wooden pillar in the woodshed, her feet not touching the ground, unable to go up or down. Clearly, she was exhausted and terrified. When she saw Daiyu and Xiao Tingjun, she shrank back and didn't dare to look at them.

Zhao Bingxin quickly had a eunuch bring over stools for the prince and princess to sit on.

After Xiao Tingjun and Daiyu sat down, Daiyu spoke up: "Two old women, this matter does indeed deserve punishment, but it's not just you. Zijuan and Xueyan, who are by my side, should also be punished, as should Jiang, the head of the kitchen. Today, Father Emperor rewarded each person in the kitchen with ten taels of silver. I was thinking that everyone in the mansion had worked hard and should also be rewarded. Since the merits and demerits cancel each other out, I won't reward them. The rewards for the rest of the kitchen staff will still be issued as usual."

Seeing that Daiyu had so easily let it go, Granny Gu was about to kowtow and say something when Daiyu preemptively said, "I have already made up my mind, you don't need to say anything more. Get up, everyone, and just do your jobs well from now on."

After Gu Mama and Xu Mama kowtowed to express their gratitude, they stood up and heard Xiao Tingjun ask, "Grannies, you both work in the palace. I've heard that the palace has a clear system of rewards and punishments, but I don't know what methods are used. Could you two tell me about them?"

The two old women immediately understood that this wasn't something the prince wanted to hear, but rather something meant for the woman.

Then Granny Gu began to speak, describing the various punishments, from minor ones like ringing a bell, slapping the mouth or face, to later ones like fasting and water restriction, and then to things like being beaten on the board and chained to the ground—all cruel punishments that made people wish they were dead.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tingjun stood up, walked to the bound woman, looked into her eyes, and said, "I know you're not afraid of death, but I won't let you die. I'll make you wish you were dead. You should think this through carefully. Don't forget, when you entered the palace, your home and family members were all clearly recorded. I've asked the Empress to investigate; she'll know everything. The Princess Consort is kind-hearted and willing to give you a chance to reform. If you don't want that chance, then don't blame me for being impolite. Not only you, but your son will also suffer a fate worse than death."

When the woman was captured by Xueyan today, she knew that everything was over—but when she heard the prince mention his son, she was immediately stunned. How did the prince know that she had a son?

Before the woman could figure it out, she heard the prince speak again: "Don't take any chances. I have plenty of patience and time, but don't keep testing my patience. If you don't want to see your son's head delivered to you, you'd better cooperate."

After saying this, Xiao Tingjun went over to help Daiyu up, and the two left together.

Whether it was because the woman's son was mentioned or not, the next morning, Granny Gu came to report to Daiyu: "Your Highness, Madam He is willing to confess."

Daiyu nodded, and then Granny Gu had two strong women bring He Shi in and pin her to the ground.

He kowtowed to Daiyu several times in one breath before sobbing, "This servant didn't want to do this either. It was Consort Wu who said that if this servant obeyed, her son would serve Prince Rui properly. If this servant disobeyed, her son would be executed. This servant dared not disobey."

Consort Wu? Daiyu thought of Consort Wu, who had followed behind her father and mother yesterday. She was always smiling and seemed more kind and gentle than Consort Xu.

Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.

"Your son is He Jun, who serves Prince Rui, right?" Daiyu's question chilled He Shi to the bone—the prince and princess actually knew who her son was.

Ms. He's husband died early, and she raised her son alone with great difficulty to get to where she is today. Her only weakness is her son.

“You don’t need to worry. Since the Prince and I have been able to find out your background, we naturally know what to do.” Daiyu looked He Shi up and down. “As long as you are obedient, you can continue to work in my mansion, deliver messages to Consort Wu, and Prince Rui can take your son with him to do things.”

Madam He stared at Daiyu in disbelief.

Daiyu and Xiao Tingjun had already devised a plan last night—the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. They would make the enemy think they had something on them, then turn the tables and seize the enemy's weakness.

"Go back and think it over carefully. If you're not willing to cooperate, then don't blame me and the Prince." Daiyu gestured for Granny Gu to take the person away.

After everyone had left, Zijuan and Xueyan spoke first, expressing their doubts: "Your Highness, we can't trust people who betray their masters like this."

Daiyu shook her head and smiled: "Don't worry, since the prince and I have made this decision, we are naturally very confident. Besides, Consort Wu and my second brother are full of flaws."

Seeing that Daiyu was so confident, Zijuan and Xueyan said no more. In any case, they had long understood that the two of them, plus Chunyu and Chunxian, were no match for the Princess alone.

Zijuan then discussed with Daiyu the matter of going to the palace in a few days. Chunyu came in and said that Zijuan's brother was outside the second gate.

"Go and see her; perhaps there's been a resolution regarding the antique shop." Daiyu had recently stumbled upon something that was closely related to her second aunt's concubine, Zhou Rui's wife. So she asked Zijuan's brother to investigate first.

"The Imperial Household Department sent over a lot of cherries and several kinds of pastries. Pack some for your brother." Daiyu was always very generous to her own people.

Zijuan knew perfectly well: "Miss should also take a good rest, as she will have to go to the palace again in a couple of days."

Indeed, this time it's Consort Xu's birthday. Not only do I have to go to the palace, but I also have to prepare a gift. After all, on my birthday that year, Consort Xu gave me a banana leaf-shaped guqin made by Zhu Gongwang.

But what Daiyu didn't expect was that this time when she entered the palace, she would be summoned by Yuan Chun and ridiculed.

Chapter 76 Yuan Chun's Triumph and Dai Yu's Warning

When Consort Xu celebrated her birthday, Daiyu presented her with a pair of jade relief carvings of children offering longevity gourds. Consort Xu loved jade, and the pair of jade pieces that Daiyu gave her were of excellent quality, with a bright green color and even distribution of color. They were shaped like gourds, decorated with bats hanging from them, their wings embracing the gourds. The carving was superb.

Consort Xu was immediately delighted upon seeing it; compared to the blue-glazed gilt ruyi-shaped incense burner with the Three Friends of Winter motif presented by Prince Rui and his wife, it was not so appealing.

Daiyu thought, it's not that the gift was bad, it's that the person who gave it was bad in Consort Xu's eyes—her second brother and sister-in-law were currently riding high, so of course Consort Xu would be annoyed.

Celebrating a birthday in the palace was nothing more than a banquet and a play. However, it was unexpected that Yuan Chun would take the initiative to invite Daiyu to sit in her Fengzao Palace. At first, Daiyu did not think anything of it, but when Yuan Chun mentioned her second uncle, Daiyu instantly understood.

"Now that Lin Daiyu is a princess consort, the past is the past, so why bother with it?" Yuan Chun was quite pleased with herself recently. The emperor had visited her Fengzao Palace for several days in a row, and her father had been promoted by the Ministry of Works. Now, the emperor had appointed him as the educational commissioner, and he had already set off for his post.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu immediately frowned: "I don't know what Your Highness means?"

“Prince Yi was in the Ministry of Works last year, and your second uncle was also in the Ministry of Works. They were thinking of helping him out.” Yuan Chun was so proud that she couldn’t tell what was important. She immediately said, “But who knew that now it was the Fourth Prince, Prince Li, who went to the Ministry of Works and recommended my father.”

Daiyu understood; this was a rebuke of Xiao Tingjun for not taking care of the Jia family. Alas, Yuan Chun, this supposedly virtuous concubine, was utterly foolish. So Daiyu immediately asked, "Since Your Majesty summoned me, I will speak frankly. Does Your Majesty know what the Education Commissioner actually does?"

Yuan Chun was immediately dissatisfied, feeling that Daiyu looked down on her, and immediately said: "The education commissioner is the supervisor of education. Each province can only have one, who is a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) who is an official in the court, such as a vice minister, a high-ranking official in the capital, a member of the Hanlin Academy, a censor, or a ministerial official."

After saying that, Yuan Chun added, "The position of Provincial Education Commissioner is a very good one. All the students in a province will regard the Provincial Education Commissioner as their mentor in the future. Then, the pillars of the court who emerge from among the students will all have the proper relationship of teacher and student."

"It seems Your Highness is quite aware. May I ask further, Your Highness, is Second Uncle a graduate of the imperial examinations?" Daiyu seized on the key point—this was a matter she and Xiao Tingjun had already discussed in detail when Jia Zheng received his promotion. The couple unanimously agreed that their fourth brother was either trying to win over the Rongguo Mansion or setting a trap for the Jia family. Given the already close relationship between the Rongguo Mansion and the Second Prince, the latter seemed more likely.

Yuan Chun, however, did not see anything wrong with it. On the contrary, she felt that Daiyu was looking down on her father for not having passed the imperial examination: "So what if your second uncle did not pass the imperial examination but was an official through hereditary privilege?"

“In the past, even though Lord Su Shunqin was the son of a prime minister, he refused to accept an official position through hereditary privilege. Your Majesty, think about it again. In recent years, which of the court’s educational officials was not a graduate of the imperial examinations? And they were all among the top scorers in the examinations. Your Majesty, tell me, what do students think when they see an educational official who enjoys the blessings of his ancestors, has no official rank, yet serves as an educational official in charge of the examinations and studies of students and scholars?” Daiyu felt that she had made herself clear enough. If Yuanchun still couldn’t understand, then she would be incredibly foolish.

Yuan Chun then realized: Yes, her father was clearly in the Ministry of Works, so even if he was to be promoted and appreciated, why was he chosen as the Education Commissioner?

Seeing that Yuan Chun was silent, Daiyu knew that she had probably come to her senses by now: Daiyu had told Xiao Tingjun that her second uncle was a rigid person who was not good at being an official. The position of educational commissioner seemed glorious, but in reality, it was very complicated.