The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

A short while later, Xueyan returned and said to Daiyu, "Your Highness, I saw that the Prince of Nan'an's mansion sent something to the Prince of Rui's mansion."

"Did the Prince Rui's mansion receive them?" Daiyu couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, I received both boxes. Just now, the old woman from the Prince of Nan'an's residence also gave something to the Princess. I told her that the Princess is taking a bath right now and is too tired to see guests today. I also asked her to take the things back." Xueyan and the others had all received instructions from Daiyu, and these days they were very sensitive to families related to the war in the southeast.

"Second sister-in-law is really bold. At this time, she still dares to ask for things from the Prince of Nan'an's mansion." Daiyu shook her head. "Xueyan, you two need to be more vigilant these days."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Tingjun came in from outside: "This time, I'm afraid the Prince of Nan'an's mansion will be raided."

Chapter 108 A Two-Pronged Approach: Confiscation of Property and Compensation

Just as Xiao Tingjun had told Daiyu, as soon as the Prince of Nan'an and his entourage arrived in the capital, punishment followed.

The commander-in-chief, Prince Nan'an, and his deputy, Ma Shangyuan, were both grandsons of Duke Zhiguo, Ma Kui, and hereditary third-rank Weiyuan Generals. Both were sentenced to immediate execution. The Prince Nan'an's and Duke Zhiguo's mansions were confiscated, the men were exiled to the army, and the women were sold into slavery.

The imperial decree arrived quickly, and the Five Cities Garrison acted even faster. In an instant, a prince's mansion and a duke's mansion were completely ransacked, shocking many people in the capital.

As Daiyu told Xiangyun, in this battle, all officials of the third rank and above were severely punished according to the severity of their crimes. Confiscating their property was the most severe punishment. Many others lost their official positions and titles, while others with lighter crimes were only demoted.

In a short time, quite a few officials in the court were implicated, including many from prominent families. Among them, most of them supported the Second Prince, Prince Rui.

The eldest wife of the Wei family was still feeling fortunate that she had been smart enough to separate from the family early on, otherwise she might have been implicated. Although many people outside said that she was cold-hearted and indifferent to the future hardships of her nephew and niece-in-law, she felt that as long as she could protect her own family, what did these rumors matter?

However, just as she was feeling smug, someone from the imperial court suddenly arrived—it was from the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites sent someone to confer upon Xiangyun the title of Lady of Imperial Decree. Although it was only a fourth-class title, it was already quite good for the Wei family.

Moreover, it wasn't just the official title conferred; the imperial court also provided Xiangyun and her husband with a pension, not a large sum all at once, but monthly payments thereafter.

This left Madam Wei dumbfounded—she had clearly been defeated, yet they still gave her an imperial title and money; it was truly unbelievable.

There are quite a few people who think like the eldest wife of the Wei family. Some of them, like the eldest wife of the Wei family, separated from their families or clans for fear of being implicated. Now they regret their actions.

The emperor's actions immediately reversed public opinion: previously, there was widespread dissatisfaction with the defeat, especially among the common people who were furious. However, once ordinary soldiers' families received compensation and the families of the dead and wounded were taken care of, many began to praise the emperor as a benevolent ruler.

After returning home from court, Xiao Tingjun couldn't help but sigh to Daiyu, "It really comes down to Father Emperor. In this way, those who are punished and get into trouble are either from aristocratic families or high-ranking officials, while those who benefit are those who have truly worked hard and risked their lives. If you saw the real gold, silver, jewelry, jade, and rare and precious goods that were confiscated from the Nan'an Prince's Mansion and the Zhiguo Duke's Mansion, I'm afraid you would be shocked, Yu'er."

Daiyu thought of the Rongguo Mansion and Ningguo Mansion: "I can imagine it without even seeing it. When I gave our money to the Empress Dowager, she said that the Emperor had said that the money comes from the sheep's back. Although the metaphor is a bit inappropriate, it is clear that the Emperor had already planned to use the money obtained from confiscating the property to compensate the fallen and wounded soldiers."

Before Xiao Tingjun could speak, Chunyu came in and said, "Her Majesty the Empress has sent someone to say that this flower appreciation banquet will be themed around peonies. Her Majesty praised the Princess Consort for her ingenuity and said that she wants to start making arrangements as soon as possible. She requests that Her Majesty come to the palace early tomorrow morning to help."

Daiyu received the order and went to the palace early the next morning, but she didn't expect that there were people who went there even earlier than her, namely Consort Wu and Princess Rui.

Song Huilan's thoughts on Daiyu now are quite different from before: Now that the southeast has been defeated, many noble families who supported Prince Rui have been severely punished, their property confiscated, and they have been exiled and dismissed from their posts. As a result, Prince Rui's power has been greatly weakened.

On the contrary, the third brother and his wife benefited a lot from this matter—the third brother not only runs between the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, but Daiyu, because of the Empress's favor, was even helped by the Empress in selecting someone to be sent for a marriage alliance.

Song Huilan was naturally very unhappy. She felt that the Empress was biased, but she never thought that it was because she herself was not as skilled as others.

"Mother is going to hold a flower appreciation banquet, and your daughter-in-law came uninvited, thinking that she could do her part. I hope Mother and sister-in-law won't blame her?" Song Huilan said with a smile.

Daiyu couldn't help but think: Indeed, when people are in a hurry, they are prone to making mistakes. This statement is quite inappropriate. However, with the Empress present, Daiyu didn't need to step forward.

The Empress smiled faintly: "I've always known you to be exceptionally intelligent and kind-hearted. Of course, I'm delighted that you've come to help. But I wonder, Lan'er, what are your thoughts?"

Song Huilan had already learned the purpose of this flower-viewing banquet from Consort Wu, knowing that they were going to select a virtuous, talented, and intelligent girl for a political marriage. Therefore, she had already thought it through: "The flower viewing is just a pretext; the real purpose is to test the girls' talents. So, I thought I'd help Mother Empress come up with some questions. What do you think, Mother?"

"Lan'er's idea is good, but His Majesty has already set a challenge. He also said that he would like to invite the newly appointed noble ladies of the capital to attend the flower viewing banquet, so we should make sure it is handled properly." Upon hearing the Empress's words, Consort Wu and Song Huilan were both surprised.

Consort Wu was somewhat disheartened by her lack of information in the palace, while Song Huilan was quite surprised that the Emperor himself had set the questions: Among the girls selected this time, Song Huilan chose one, Mo Wenxiu, the daughter of a concubine from the Mo family, who was the assistant commander of the infantry battalion.

Yesterday, Song Huilan even sent a special invitation to Miss Mo, thinking she could get the questions in advance, but it seems that's not going to happen now.

However, Song Huilan was not discouraged and continued, "In that case, your daughter-in-law can help Mother write the invitations."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I know your calligraphy, Lan'er, is quite outstanding." The Empress smiled and asked Granny Hu to bring over the invitations to be sent to the newly appointed noblewomen.

The thick stack of documents made Song Huilan's eyes widen, but since she had already said what she was going to say, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and take on the task.

Then Song Huilan subconsciously looked at Daiyu, wanting to see what task the Empress had given Daiyu. Naturally, her appearance also caught the Empress's eye.

"His Majesty said a few days ago that although it is a banquet, everything should be kept simple and the amount of money spent should not be too much, but the royal face should not be lost. So I have another problem to solve. Why don't Lan'er and Yu'er each give it a try? Write a plan with peonies as the theme, how to arrange the decorations, what the dishes should be, how much to spend, etc. Send it to me tomorrow. His Majesty and I will review it and choose one. Whoever's plan is chosen will be responsible for it. Is that alright?" Since Song Huilan was willing, the Empress decided to give them a chance.

Upon hearing this, Song Huilan immediately agreed. She refused to believe that she was inferior to Lin Daiyu, who had no parents and no upbringing.

Chapter 109 The Flower Appreciation Banquet: Daiyu's Clever Intentions

Song Huilan was determined to win the position of person in charge of the flower viewing banquet. Now that Prince Rui was not doing well in the court, many people had begun to look down on the couple. If she could come out at this time and preside over such a grand banquet, it would undoubtedly show that the emperor still valued them.

As long as the emperor values ​​you, everything is negotiable.

But when she saw that the cost of the banquet was only five hundred taels of silver, she was dumbfounded: five hundred taels of silver would certainly be enough for a banquet in an ordinary mansion, but this was the palace, and there were so many girls who came to participate in the selection, plus these newly appointed noble ladies, the banquet certainly couldn't be too shabby, what could five hundred taels of silver be enough for?

"How about Your Highness offers some financial assistance?" She brought in a helper, the daughter of Consort Wu's brother, who was now married to the Du family, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. Based on the kinship with Prince Rui, she addressed the daughter as her cousin. After seeing Song Huilan's predicament, Madam Du offered this suggestion.

Song Huilan almost made a sarcastic remark, but out of consideration for their kinship, she could only say, "Your Majesty the Empress is testing me with this. If I were to subsidize it myself, I wouldn't need to go through all this trouble."

Another helper was a daughter of the Bai family, a close friend of Song Huilan from her youth. Her husband was a deputy general of the infantry, surnamed Liao. After looking at the list, Mrs. Liao also began to have a headache: "Then, what should we do?" When she entertained three or five friends in her youth, she would often spend several tens or even five hundred taels of silver to hold a palace banquet. She was also at a loss as to where to start.

The other three people who came to help also chimed in, unsure of what to do.

Looking at her relatives and friends who couldn't help her, Song Huilan felt very dissatisfied, but she couldn't show it on her face. After all, those who could still keep in touch with her were her closest relatives and friends.

Having no other options but also unable to give up halfway, Song Huilan racked her brains and submitted a plan, which, as expected, was defeated by Daiyu.

But Song Huilan was still unwilling to give up. She wanted to see what good ideas Princess Yi had.

After Song Huilan wrote the invitation and sent it to the palace, she learned of the following arrangement: the newly appointed ladies of the court could bring a vegetarian snack into the palace if they wished.

Song Huilan looked down on it. Could this be Princess Yi's arrangement? Surely they couldn't possibly be eating only vegetarian snacks?

Immediately afterwards, someone from the palace came to inform her of the dress code for the day. Song Huilan immediately understood—the husbands or sons of the newly conferred imperial ladies had either died or were seriously injured, and this was to express their condolences.

Princess Yi still only focuses on such trivial matters, and Song Huilan still doesn't believe that Daiyu can have any good ideas.

On that day, Song Huilan entered the palace early.

The flower-viewing banquet, themed around peonies, was held at Yu Chun Garden, which is planted with many varieties of peonies.

Daiyu divided the guests into two groups. One group consisted of the young ladies who were participating in the selection. They were placed in the Weiyu Tower, nestled among the peony bushes, where it would be more convenient to set up a table and answer questions.

The other group consisted of the noble ladies, who were in a spacious garden. There was a long table set up in the garden, with colored paper, scissors, bamboo strips, paste, and other items, as well as writing brushes, ink, and paints.

The vegetarian snacks brought by the noble ladies were sent to the Imperial Kitchen, and the Empress and her concubines came together.

"We are on the battlefield, and there is no hope of meeting again." After everyone paid their respects, the Empress said to the ladies of the court, "I know you are heartbroken, just like Su Wu's poem, 'If I live, I will return; if I die, I will long for you forever.'"

For a moment, all the noble ladies lowered their heads and became heartbroken.

"Today, I am here on behalf of His Majesty and all the people to express my heartfelt gratitude." With that, the Empress bowed solemnly to the ladies, who hurriedly returned the bow.

"At the same time, together with the ladies of the harem, the princes' wives, and all the ladies, I will personally make colorful paper offerings, including a coffin, new clothes, a fine horse, and servants. Once they are finished, we will burn them together, wishing them an early ascension to paradise, and wishing all the ladies to look forward and live their lives well." After the Empress finished speaking, she personally walked to the table and began to make offerings.

The ladies were both heartbroken and moved, finding some solace in the fact that their loved ones were still remembered by the Emperor and Empress.

Song Huilan's resentment grew stronger, especially when she saw several noble ladies taking the opportunity to speak with Daiyu. She couldn't help but feel that Daiyu was being fawned over like a star.

"Everyone can write down what they want to say." Daiyu pointed to the pen and ink on the side, where skillful ladies of noble birth had already made sets of paper clothes and shoes.

Xiangyun moved quietly to Daiyu's side and whispered, "The way Princess Rui is looking at you is very strange."

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Daiyu knew very well that Song Huilan would not be happy with her taking charge of the arrangements.

But now that His Majesty and the Empress are pushing me and Xiao Tingjun out, we can no longer afford to keep a low profile. Besides, we must seize the opportunity when it comes.

Although Daiyu told Xiangyun not to pay attention, she secretly remembered that she had to be careful with both Song Huilan and Ge Xijia. After all, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.

The luncheon was also separate, and once again it was beyond Song Huilan's expectations—she originally thought that the vegetarian snacks brought by the noble ladies would be shared by everyone, but that was not the case. These snacks were given to the girls who were competing in the quiz. It was said that the quiz was not over yet, so they could only fill their stomachs with snacks first.

The luncheons for the ladies of the imperial family were prepared and delivered by the imperial kitchen.

It was indeed a vegetarian banquet, and almost all of the dishes were unfamiliar to everyone. The Empress said that it was all the idea of ​​Princess Yi, who asked her to introduce them to everyone.

Daiyu then introduced them one by one, including black rice, wheat-filled cakes, and warm mushroom buns, which are all Qingming Festival foods in the Minnan region: "The soldiers on the front lines have also eaten these during this battle in the southeast. Today, I would like to invite all the ladies to try them as well."

The people in the imperial kitchen were very attentive. They made ordinary food into something very cute. For example, the wheat-filled rice cakes were made into the shape of little rabbits, and the warm mushroom buns were made into the shape of willow leaf dumplings, which made people's appetites increase.

The warm mushroom buns come in two flavors: sweet and savory. The sweet filling is mainly red beans and brown sugar, while the vegetarian filling is made from stir-fried bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and bok choy. Song Huilan tried the sweet one, and the red bean paste was very smooth.

It must be admitted that Daiyu was much more insightful than herself when it came to these small matters. Song Huilan began to imagine what the banquet would be like.

The girls will definitely finish their competition soon; they can't possibly hold separate banquets for each other.

Seeing that the palace maids and eunuchs had brought out many pumpkins that had already been carved into shape, Song Huilan became even more curious.

Pumpkins were placed on the branches, under the leaves, and in the holes of the stones in Yu Chun Garden. The pumpkin cores were all hollowed out, and even the pumpkin skins were carved into shapes. Candles were placed on them, and they were all lit when it got dark.

The light wasn't bright, after all, candles have limited brightness and are rather weak, just a tiny speck. Yet, thousands upon thousands of these specks made the entire garden seem as if it were filled with countless stars. The banquet amidst these countless stars brought joy to the girls who had been tense all day, and made the ladies of noble birth feel as if they were in a dream.

Chapter 110 A Dreamlike Journey: The Prince's Thoughts

The emperor, accompanied by his princes, visited the garden and, upon gazing upon its scenery, felt as if he had stepped into another world. For some reason, the emperor suddenly recalled the River of Oblivion, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Terrace of Longing for Home, the Stone of Three Lives, and the Soup of Forgetfulness—things that seemed completely unrelated.

My heart grew heavy, and I was unconsciously overcome with sorrow.

Amidst the dreamlike lights of Yu Chun Yuan, with a crescent moon hanging in the distant sky, all the guests were seated, and the aroma of vegetarian dishes filled the air.

Everyone held their breath, as if afraid of shattering a dream.

After the meal, the Empress and the ladies-in-waiting, along with the noble ladies, took all the funeral shrines, new clothes, horses, servants, and even lanterns that they had personally prepared to an open space in the garden. The Emperor and the Empress went up and lit the one that the Empress had prepared, and then invited the noble ladies to go and light it.

The pile of paper offerings seemed to be under a spell, igniting rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the fire spread like wildfire, growing ever more intense. The flames roared, leaping and dancing, orange and red hues blending together to create a magnificent and colorful spectacle. This sea of ​​fire was like a giant stage, the flames displaying their passion and vitality to the fullest.

As the fire grew, the surrounding air gradually heated up, enveloping everyone in a scorching heat that pulled them out of their grief and gradually invigorated them.

Everyone gasped in amazement, as if the deceased had truly ascended to paradise with the blazing flames. Slowly, the fire subsided, leaving only ashes. Yet, the smell of fire lingered in the air, and the crowd, gathered around the charred remains, grew increasingly bewildered.

The candle inside the pumpkin was still burning, and the moon was still in the sky. After a long while, the emperor said something to everyone.

We will not return until we have conquered Loulan.

The palace maids guided the guests away, and the emperor, looking at the ashes, remarked, "The Empress's thoughtfulness is truly touching."

The Empress's voice was not loud, but she stated the facts: "It was all caused by the third son's wife."

Consort Wu and Consort Xu each had their own ideas, and the princes had even more differing thoughts.

Prince Rui, Xiao Tingkai, had known beforehand that his wife and Princess Yi were vying for the planning and arrangement of the banquet, but his wife had ultimately lost out. Now, having witnessed everything, Xiao Tingkai was also impressed by Princess Yi's ingenious ideas.

At the same time, he was also deeply uneasy—the Nan'an Prince's Mansion and the Zhiguo Duke's Mansion had both collapsed, and now even the Minister of War, Zhang Zilin, had been dismissed from his post. What was even more deadly was that the new Minister of War was none other than his third brother's uncle, Qiao Yuji, the former Vice Minister of War.

As one side gains while the other loses, his own power is weakened by more than half, while the third brother quietly gains considerable power.