The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Then Daiyu recounted in detail how Yuanchun had specifically summoned her to ridicule her the last time.

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia was at her wits' end: "Has Yuan Chun gone mad? Even if she wants to support the Second Prince, she doesn't need to offend the Third Prince and his wife!"

“Your cousin Yuan Chun is a bit dull, just like your second uncle Bao Yu. They’re both very old-fashioned. Yu’er, please don’t take it to heart,” Grandmother Jia quickly said.

These words were quite interesting. Daiyu didn't really care, after all, Yuanchun was just a stranger to her, unlike Tanchun, with whom she had grown up. She immediately shook her head and said, "Don't worry, Grandmother, a few words won't make me angry. But there is one thing, I don't know if Your Highness has told you."

Seeing that Daiyu's face did not show any signs of anger, Grandmother Jia was relieved and quickly asked what was wrong.

“It’s just that Second Uncle is now in the position of Education Commissioner, so we must be careful. Firstly, this position was given to Second Uncle by the Fourth Prince himself. The Fourth Prince knows that the Empress in the palace supports the Second Prince, so we don’t know what the Fourth Prince’s intentions are. Secondly, the local officials in the area where Second Uncle is in charge of education have very close ties with the Ge family.” Daiyu told Grandmother Jia, “I also reminded the Empress the other day, but I don’t know if the Empress has told the Old Madam?”

When Grandmother Jia visited the palace last time, Yuan Chun didn't mention this matter at all, which made Grandmother Jia increasingly dissatisfied with Yuan Chun. However, considering that her family had no conflict with the Fourth Prince, Grandmother Jia didn't take Daiyu's words to heart. When the family sent a letter to Jia Zheng, Grandmother Jia only mentioned it briefly in the letter.

Daiyu came today to talk about this matter. Although the Fourth Prince has not been directly punished, Ge Xijia has not only been punished, but the Li County Prince's Mansion now has Xu Shufei's people, which is causing some chaos.

Neither the Fourth Prince nor his wife were patient, so Daiyu naturally had to be on guard if they made any moves.

Having finished asking and saying everything that needed to be said to Grandmother Jia, Daiyu got up and went to Li Wan's place—since she had come to wish Li Wan a happy birthday, she should at least go and greet her.

But to everyone's surprise, as they walked, a heavily pregnant woman suddenly rushed out and charged straight at Daiyu. Fortunately, Xueyan reacted quickly and stood in front of Daiyu.

The woman grabbed Xueyan and nearly knocked her over.

"Miss Lin, please save me, please save my child!" The woman's high-pitched voice startled Xueyan.

The maids behind Daiyu quickly stepped forward to pull the woman away, and then two more young maids from the Rongguo Mansion ran over and quickly pulled the woman away, apologizing to Daiyu.

Daiyu ignored those people and asked Xueyan if she was alright.

"My ankle hurts, I think I twisted it," Xueyan told Daiyu after seeing that she was alright.

"Quickly, help Xueyan to her sister-in-law's room, and go fetch a doctor." After making these arrangements, Daiyu looked at the woman who had been pulled along.

At this moment, Ying'er arrived in a hurry with two maids. She quickly bowed to Daiyu and apologized: "Your Highness, please forgive us. It was our fault for not keeping a close eye on Aunt Qiuwen and startling Your Highness."

Qiuwen? Daiyu couldn't help but look at the pregnant woman again. She recognized Qiuwen, but if Ying'er hadn't mentioned her, Daiyu wouldn't have recognized her at all—not only was she heavily pregnant, but she was also very overweight. Although she was dressed in bright and beautiful clothes, she had an air of impending death.

Baochai, who rushed over upon hearing the news, looked quite displeased. She disliked being embarrassed in front of Daiyu the most, but now, Daiyu had to see it.

"Miss Lin, please save me and my child, I..." Qiuwen was about to speak when Baochai immediately instructed Ying'er.

"Pull them away! You've already disturbed the Princess. Luckily, she's alright, otherwise, you would have been beaten to death!"

Chapter 96 Qiuwen Gives Birth, Daiyu is Startled

The news of Qiuwen's clash with Daiyu quickly reached even Grandmother Jia's ears, not to mention Baoyu, who returned home that evening and immediately lashed out at Baochai with a sullen face.

Baochai immediately gave Baoyu a cold look: "Second Master, ask yourself honestly, ever since Qiuwen became pregnant, how have I treated her badly? I send all kinds of expensive tonics to her room, two little maids serve her, and everything she eats, drinks, wears, and uses is the best for her?"

These words left Baoyu speechless for a moment. He had been worried that Baochai would mistreat Qiuwen and had been on guard at all times, but he had not expected that Baochai would actually treat Qiuwen very well and care for her so much.

Seeing that Baoyu remained silent, Baochai gave a cold laugh and turned to leave. But Baochai harbored suspicions—today's events were not her arrangement. Qiuwen was usually very obedient, staying quietly in the courtyard, afraid of being disturbed. Why would she go out today?

Not only did she go out, but she also deliberately said those things. How did she know that I was going to harm her? Could it be that Ying'er was behind this?

Baochai recalled the two times she had provoked Daiyu. The first time, Ying'er was punished with a beating, and the second time, Old Ye's mother lost her job. Upon reflection, she realized that Ying'er probably harbored resentment towards her.

It seems it's time to be on the lookout and take precautions.

Baochai went to visit Qiuwen, but Qiuwen was still frightened by Ying'er's previous words. She couldn't tell whether Baochai's kindness to her was genuine or not.

After two nights of nightmares, Qiuwen was so agitated that she went into labor early. It was already December, and the weather was freezing cold. When Baochai heard the commotion, she immediately made a grand effort to invite a doctor and a midwife to show her generosity and thoughtfulness.

Although Baoyu wanted to stay with her, Grandmother Jia personally sent Amber to prevent him from entering the delivery room. Tanchun, being an unmarried young lady, was also not allowed to come, and Li Wan, being a widow, did not come to avoid suspicion.

In this way, Baochai naturally held the highest position in the courtyard. However, Baochai was always good at putting on a show, directing the maids and servants to boil water, prepare food, hot towels, and so on. Even the old woman sent by Grandmother Jia said that Baochai was a really good person, and that she was so attentive to the needs of a concubine giving birth to Baochai.

However, when the midwife came out and said that the baby was too big and that delivery would be difficult, and asked whether to save the mother or the child, Baoyu was dumbfounded.

Seeing that Baoyu was still hesitating, Baochai directly ordered, "Save the child."

Baoyu opened his mouth, but ultimately did not object.

After a hectic half-day, Qiuwen gave birth to a baby boy weighing seven pounds, but she was already on the verge of death.

Baoyu then rushed in to see Qiuwen. The woman, who was about to die, suddenly found courage and strength and screamed, "It's all Second Mistress's fault!"

Then he passed away.

Whether it was a mother's instinct or not, the child was crying loudly in Baochai's arms. No one in the courtyard dared to utter a sound, and the atmosphere became extremely strange.

Soon, Qiuwen's last words spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion, but no one could blame Baochai—after all, the difficult childbirth was not something Baochai could control. Many people, even if they had their own thoughts, could only discuss it behind her back.

The next day, Daiyu received the news; Zijuan came in and told Daiyu.

“No wonder Qiuwen rushed out to beg you that day. Could it be that Qiuwen already knew something?” Zijuan guessed. “In my opinion, this matter of Qiuwen’s was probably planned by Bao Er’s mistress. The mother was taken away and the child was kept. To outsiders, it looked like an accident, and no one could find fault with Bao Er’s mistress.”

Daiyu was shocked by Qiuwen's plump appearance that day. She thought of Song Huilan, who had given birth prematurely. Her second sister-in-law's situation was clearly more difficult. It is said that she was born with a high risk of death, but she was able to give birth smoothly. Although Qiuwen also gave birth early, it was only about twenty days early, which was not even considered premature. Her situation should be much better.

"I heard that the baby was too big, which caused the difficult labor," Zijuan said when she heard Daiyu's question.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu couldn't help but sigh, "I used to think that the Second Madam was already very capable, but look at her, Third Sister and Huan'er still grew up. Now, Bao Er's wife is even more capable than the Second Madam."

When Zijuan heard that Daiyu didn't even address her as her second aunt, she knew that her young lady loathed Lady Wang: "What's wrong with that? Isn't that how Bao Er's wife always is? She loves to buy a reputation for being virtuous, but she doesn't do anything virtuous at all. A person like her will not have a good end sooner or later."

After a moment of silence, Daiyu said, "Never mind, it's not our family's business anyway. Just be extra careful when you go there in the future. Xueyan really suffered this time."

Then he asked Zijuan, "Has Xueyan's ankle swelling gone down any better?"

That day, Xueyan sprained her ankle, and a big lump swelled up on her ankle. When she returned, Tanchun had someone carry her out in a rattan chair and put her in a sedan chair.

"She's much better now, but it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, so it'll probably take quite a while before she's fully recovered." Zijuan felt sorry for her. It was Xueyan who accompanied Daiyu back that day; if it had been her, she probably would have been injured too.

Thinking of this, Zijuan couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, I have a few words to say, but I still can't help but say them. You should go to Rongguo Mansion less often. Apart from the Third Miss and the Fourth Miss, I'm afraid the people there are not well-intentioned. If they want to harm you, it will be troublesome."

Daiyu knew that Zijuan was loyal to her mistress, so she nodded and said, "Of course, I have learned my lesson this time, so don't worry."

At this moment, Granny Xu came in and reported to Daiyu: "Your Highness, the New Year's goods have arrived from the estate. Would you like to take a look yourself?"

Although Daiyu didn't manage the household affairs when she was in the Rongguo Mansion, she had witnessed the abundance of New Year's goods there. Now that she is the mistress of the Yijun Prince's Mansion, although she has to go to the palace to receive banquets on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the Prince's Mansion still has a lot of New Year's goods.

There were plenty of roe deer, Siamese boars, wild boars, and blue sheep, as well as countless chickens, ducks, and fish. Although Daiyu didn't particularly enjoy looking at them, she still led Zijuan to take a look, mainly to give the people from the estate a reward; they deserved it after a year of hard work.

Upon seeing two nine-sectioned wolves in a cage, Daiyu was pleasantly surprised: "I've only ever seen these little creatures in books. Their red fur is so beautiful."

"This was sent from Shu, and it was originally a little trinket for the Princess." The head steward quickly reported, "But Princess, please be careful. Although this little thing is very affectionate once it's been tamed, its claws are still sharp at first."

"Just two? Granny Gu, find someone to send these little creatures to the palace for the Empress to see. If she likes them, she can keep them." The Empress was bored all the time. Last time in the palace, she was very interested in watching the thrushes bathe. Daiyu also remembered that the Empress's hometown was in Sichuan, so she asked Zijuan to "divide our Shu brocade, gastrodia elata, fritillaria cirrhosa, and fermented bean curd into three portions, send one portion to the Empress, and send the other portion to the Princess's residence."

Upon hearing this, Granny Gu hurriedly went to carry out her duties with Zijuan. When Granny Gu entered the palace, the Empress was overjoyed to see the nine-sectioned wolf.

"When the Princess saw this little thing, she said she wanted to send it to Her Majesty the Empress." Granny Gu had served the Empress for many years and was naturally very happy that the Princess was so filial to the Empress.

"Oh, is the Empress opening a shop here? There are so many things." The Emperor saw a lot of things as soon as he arrived.

Upon seeing the two red kittens, he was even more surprised: "What interesting little creatures! I have never seen them before."

Upon hearing that it was Daiyu who sent it, the Emperor snorted, "Look at you, you only remember your mother, but no one cares about your father."

"Your Majesty's words are truly heartwarming to hear. Didn't we just receive knee pads, hand warmers, and boots a few days ago? Your Majesty also received quite a few fans for the summer. Besides, we've eaten and used all of these things together." The Empress chatted like an ordinary wife.

The emperor's bad mood improved as well—the southeast was demanding money and grain again, and it was almost the New Year, yet they still hadn't started a war.

Looking at the things, the Emperor suddenly remembered: "Isn't Jia Zheng of the Rongguo Mansion Yu'er's uncle?"

Chapter 97 Feigning Illness to Refuse Guests, Emperor Visits in Person

Many officials and imperial relatives in the capital felt very quiet this year. Prince Rui was in seclusion, and apart from holding a full-moon celebration for his child, the Prince's mansion did not entertain any guests. Princess Li was copying Buddhist scriptures, so the New Year's banquet at Prince Li's mansion was also canceled.

So everyone's attention turned to Prince Yi, who not only escaped unscathed but was even rewarded for doing a good job in the Ministry of Revenue's year-end duties.

However, the officials and imperial relatives all felt that Prince Yi and his wife were not easy to approach. Last year, when Prince Yi held a banquet at his residence after the New Year, they were not invited as outsiders. If they wanted to visit Prince Yi's residence this year, they would have to inquire first and try to get on his good side.

However, the result of the inquiry was unexpected: Princess Yi was ill, and the Prince Yi's residence did not plan to hold a banquet.

Whether Princess Yi was truly ill or feigning illness quickly became a topic of concern for many. Even Consort Xu and Consort Wu subtly inquired with the Empress, sending her numerous precious medicinal herbs.

The Emperor overheard something from Consort Xu and then asked the Empress, "I heard that the Third Prince's wife is ill and hasn't left the house for several days. Is she very ill?"

The Empress knew that if the concubines in the harem couldn't get the truth, someone would definitely whisper in the Emperor's ear. At this moment, she was playing with the nine-section wolf that Daiyu had sent, feeding the little thing a walnut kernel, and truthfully answering the Emperor: "She just caught a cold, it's not serious. The child specially sent Gu Mama back to tell me a couple of days ago that there have been many people sending invitations to her Prince's Mansion these days, and she can't handle it. She can't afford to offend the wives of important officials and the wives of royal relatives, so she simply pretended to be sick, thus saving face for everyone."

The emperor subconsciously raised an eyebrow: "He's really honest, but this isn't a good solution."

The Empress sighed: "Your Majesty still remembers how we were trembling with fear in the Prince's residence after the Crown Prince was deposed. So I understand that child. Although the situation is much better now than it was then, it's still not easy to handle being in that position."

The emperor remembered that when the crown prince was deposed, it seemed that no matter what he and his brothers did in front of their father, it was wrong.

On second thought, it was better that the third son and his wife didn't want to win people over than to scheme and plot to gain their favor. After thinking about it this way, the emperor felt that although Daiyu's actions were a bit naive, her intentions were good.

"Since we're bored anyway, why don't we have the Empress accompany me to Prince Yi's residence?" The Emperor became interested and wanted to see what the Princess Yi, who was pretending to be sick, and the Third Prince were doing at home.

The Empress smiled helplessly: "Your Majesty is truly capricious. We'll have to instruct the guards."

Fortunately, the imperial guards were always thorough and made arrangements in no time. In addition, the Prince Yi's residence was very close to the palace, so it didn't take the emperor and empress too long to get from the palace to the Prince Yi's residence.

The guards of the Prince's mansion were stunned and quickly went in to announce that Xiao Tingjun and Daiyu had rushed to greet the emperor. The emperor then said that there was no need for formalities, looked at Daiyu, and couldn't help but laugh: "If this person who is pretending to be sick were to actually go out and meet people, wouldn't she be exposed immediately?"

Daiyu and her husband were completely unprepared for the Emperor's arrival. They were both dressed casually at home. Daiyu hadn't even been wearing a cloak while inside, but she quickly put it on when she heard the Emperor was coming. Her hair was simply tied into a small bun, secured with a long pearl hairpin. With light makeup and delicate eyebrows, she possessed a natural, refined beauty, like a poem from the Song Dynasty.

Xiao Tingjun quickly apologized: "It was all because your son didn't know what to do, that Yu'er resorted to this desperate measure. Father, please don't blame Yu'er."

"Alright, if you want to blame me, I won't have come." The Emperor waved his hand. "It's so cold, you can't possibly not let your mother and me into the house, can you?"

Xiao Tingjun quickly invited the Emperor and Empress into the room, which was just as it had been before. It was cold, and Daiyu and the maids had nothing to do, so they lit a charcoal brazier in the room and put peanuts, walnuts, ginkgo nuts, and taro into the charcoal ash. When they were cooked and smelled the aroma, they used long chopsticks to scoop them out.

Upon hearing that the Emperor was coming, Zijuan hurriedly tried to lead people to pack up, but Daiyu said to leave it as is, as the Emperor would naturally smell the fragrance as soon as he entered.

"Oh, what delicious food is this?" The emperor looked around but didn't see anything to eat.

Daiyu then explained to the Emperor: "When I was a child, I lived in Yangzhou. In the south, there were no heated kang beds or underfloor heating. In winter, we would gather around the charcoal brazier and stove to brew tea and eat. It was warm and fun."

In the north, where there are heated brick beds (kang) and underground heating systems in the imperial palace, this was the first time the emperor had enjoyed such comfort. After eating a roasted peanut, he nodded and sighed, "Indeed, the warmth of charcoal fire and the aroma of grain can make the days warm and long."

Zijuan and the others watched as the Emperor and Empress, like an ordinary couple, sat around the charcoal brazier with the Prince and his wife.

Xu Mama and Gu Mama exchanged a glance: The Princess Consort really knows how to handle things. Since His Majesty became Emperor, they have never seen him so relaxed.

"Your father once managed the salt administration in Yangzhou. Yangzhou is a good place." As the emperor ate the ordinary food, he thought of Lin Ruhai. The salt administration in the Jianghuai region was a large part of the imperial court's tax revenue.

“Yes, Yangzhou is a prosperous city. When I was a child, my daughter-in-law loved watching the water horses run.” Daiyu said.

"What is a 'running water horse'?" The Emperor and Empress asked almost simultaneously.

“Every year on the 18th of June, there is a Guanyin incense market in Yangzhou. In the evening, many pleasure boats gather under the Lotus Bridge, remove their canopies and row, each showing off their skills. The boats come and go like shuttles, which is very interesting to watch from the bridge and the shore. It is like Yangzhou’s running water horses,” Daiyu explained.