The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Chapter 125 The Imperial Concubine's Dissatisfaction and Increased Pressure

When Consort Wu learned that Prince Yi's residence was hosting a banquet and had specifically invited the fifth prince and his future wife, she immediately became wary—was the third prince trying to win over the fifth prince? She then recalled that a few days ago, Consort Zhou had invited the Zuo family's daughter to the palace and had even specifically asked Prince Yi's wife to accompany her.

Or perhaps, Zhou Chenfei feels that her son has no future, and now that she sees the third son being given important responsibilities, is she preparing to side with the third son?

Regardless of the truth, Consort Wu could no longer sit still. She used to be more composed than Consort Xu. Firstly, her father was the Minister of Personnel, but now he had resigned and returned to his hometown. Secondly, her second son was older and had started working earlier, so he was much more favored by the emperor than the fourth son.

But now the situation has completely changed, and Consort Wu can no longer remain so calm.

Consort Wu immediately summoned Song Huilan to the palace. Seeing that Song Huilan seemed unaffected, she was displeased and spoke in a somewhat cold tone: "Are you aware of the banquet held at Prince Yi's residence before the Lunar New Year?"

Song Huilan hadn't expected that Consort Wu would call her over this matter: "I know, but there aren't many people, just a few."

"Not many? Why don't you think about why you specifically invited the Fifth Prince and the Zuo family's daughter?" Consort Wu was even more displeased when she saw that Song Huilan didn't take this matter seriously.

Although Song Huilan also felt that Prince Yi and his wife had only invited the fifth prince and his future wife, it was clear that they were trying to win people over. However, Song Huilan also felt that if she could find out, then her father should have thought of it as well.

"Mother, I've thought about it too, but since you and I both know about this, I suppose Father must know as well. I'm thinking of seeing Father's reaction. If Father doesn't object, I'll host a proper banquet for my fifth brother and the Zuo family's daughter." Song Huilan was quite clever; Consort Wu's displeasure was written all over her face, so she quickly and shrewdly said this.

Consort Wu thought it made some sense. Neither she nor Song Huilan knew that Prince Yi and his wife were hosting the banquet for the Fifth Prince and his wife on the Emperor's orders.

After thinking for a moment, Consort Wu reminded Song Huilan: "The Zuo family is not simple. Right now, General Zuo is personally in charge in the southeast, and the deputy commander happens to be the third prince's uncle. So winning over the Zuo family's daughter is especially important for you and the second prince. Find out carefully what that girl likes, so you don't get outdone by Princess Yi."

Song Huilan certainly understood the importance of the Zuo family. She had heard that Consort Xu had asked the fourth prince for a daughter from the Zuo family, but unfortunately, her father refused.

Father is really biased.

He muttered to himself, but outwardly responded respectfully.

"I heard that Prince Yi and his wife made lanterns with the guests. You can handle it yourself." Consort Wu couldn't help but tell Song Huilan the news from the spies she had planted in Prince Yi's residence. "I heard the atmosphere was particularly good. The girl from the Zuo family is cheerful, generous, and easy to get along with."

Song Huilan immediately grasped the key point—how could her mother know so much about the affairs of Prince Yi's residence? In an instant, she looked up at Consort Wu, her surprise undisguised.

He quickly looked away, but a seed had been planted in his heart.

After chatting with Consort Wu for a while, Song Huilan left the palace and returned to her residence. On the carriage, she wondered if her mother had planted spies in Prince Yi's residence. Yes, the palace maids and eunuchs in the Prince's residence were all selected and trained by the Imperial Household Department and assigned to the residence.

"Yes, just ask your uncle. He's the head of the Imperial Household Department," Song Huilan smiled.

The thought of the Prince Yi's residence being monitored by Consort Wu made Song Huilan feel very good. Upon returning to the residence, she immediately began to think about inviting the Zuo family's daughter and the Fifth Prince to visit.

Since it was a banquet anyway, inviting only the two of them would be a bit lonely. Song Huilan thought for a moment and invited Madam Du and Madam Liao. She also sent invitations to her two cousins, her cousin-in-law and cousin-in-law from the Wu family. At first, she considered whether to invite Baochai, but then she thought that Baochai was a merchant after all, and her husband did not have any official rank. If the Zuo family's daughter did not like her, she gave up on the idea.

With time running out and the Lunar New Year fast approaching, Song Huilan had no choice but to choose the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The Prince Yi's mansion makes lanterns, so we can't do the same here. After thinking for a long time, I came up with backgammon, Go, and of course, dominoes, but I'm afraid the Zuo family's daughter won't like them.

"Not necessarily. The Zuo family is a family of military generals, so their family style might be even more unrestrained." On the contrary, Xiao Tingkai, who had just returned, thought that they could set up dominoes after hearing Song Huilan's worries about how to play. "If she wants to play, she can play; if she doesn't want to play, then so be it. It's not like you haven't prepared other options."

Upon hearing this, Song Huilan realized that it made sense. After all, it wouldn't be good for her cousin-in-law, Wu, to be alone, since she didn't like Go or anything like that.

Besides inviting the Fifth Prince Xiao Tingzhao, Xiao Tingkai also invited two former colleagues from the Ministry of War. One was from the Military Selection and Appointment Office, and the other from the Military Arsenal Office. Although they were only fifth-rank officials, the former was in charge of the selection, appointment, rank, conferment, and hereditary privileges of military officials, while the latter was in charge of weapons, tallies, registers, martial arts, firewood, and servants. Both were important positions, and since Xiao Tingkai was no longer in the Ministry of War, he naturally had to put in more effort to gather information.

In addition, Xiao Tingkai also invited Wu's cousin and Song Huilan's two cousins. Compared to the Prince Yi's Mansion, the scale of the banquet at the Prince Rui's Mansion was much larger.

Upon receiving the invitation, Zuo Jiangqiu immediately smiled at his eldest maid, Songyan, and said, "Look, we're not even married yet, and there are already so many troubles."

Songyan knew her daughter's personality very well. In fact, no one in the Zuo family wanted their daughter to marry the Fifth Prince—the girl was free-spirited and intelligent, so finding a suitable husband wouldn't be difficult. The young couple would live a relaxed and comfortable life, but things would be very different once the girl married the Fifth Prince.

“The young lady has already been to Prince Yi’s residence and had a good time, so I think going to Prince Rui’s residence shouldn’t be a problem.” Songyan knew that if her young lady didn’t go, Prince Rui’s residence would definitely be unhappy.

Zuo Jiangqiu had known Song Huilan and Ge Xijia for a long time. Although the capital was large, there were many interactions between officials and their families. Zuo Jiangqiu had seen the two of them more than once at banquets.

On the contrary, Zuo Jiangqiu didn't know the Princess Consort of Yi County before. It wasn't until he heard that the Third Prince's wife was the granddaughter of the Rongguo Mansion that Zuo Jiangqiu heard some information about her from his grandmother.

Song Huilan, Princess Consort of Rui County.

Zuo Jiangqiu couldn't help but think of Princess Rui's flower room, which was clearly a copy of Princess Yi's idea, which Zuo Jiangqiu disliked very much.

"I've always known how to make myself happy." As the youngest girl in her family, Zuo Jiangqiu has a whole bunch of older brothers, sisters, cousins, and other relatives, and all the elders in the family dote on her.

When Zuo Jiangqiu saw the dominoes game at the Prince Rui's Mansion, she smiled – her luck had come today.

Chapter 126 Yi Mansion Receives Reward, Sisters-in-Law Quarrel

Song Huilan's banquet at the Prince Rui's Mansion was like Pigsy looking in a mirror.

Firstly, on that day, in order to win over Zuo Jiangqiu, Song Huilan deliberately let him win at dominoes. However, Zuo Jiangqiu, although he didn't like playing, was actually a master at it and easily won a lot of money.

This displeased Wu's cousin-in-law, who was playing dominoes with her: "You, Princess Rui, want to win people over, but you're asking me to spend money, and quite a lot of money at that. I'm not happy about that."

Secondly, after the emperor learned of this, he directly called out Xiao Tingkai's name: "You haven't done a good job of being a brotherly friend. Why didn't you invite your unmarried younger brother, Xiao Liu, to come along?"

Xiao Tingkai hadn't thought about his sixth brother at all, otherwise he would have been happy to do this favor. Besides, he always felt that the emperor seemed quite unhappy about the banquet held at their residence.

After returning home, he couldn't help but complain to his wife: "Father is really biased. It's okay for the third brother to host a banquet, but not for us. Isn't the third brother just making it clear that he's trying to win over the fifth brother?"

“That’s right. I even discussed it with my mother, saying we should see how my father reacted. It wasn’t until he saw that he didn’t say anything wrong about my third brother and his wife that he invited them to dinner.” Song Huilan was also indignant after hearing her husband’s words.

However, while waiting for the palace banquet, the couple became even more resentful.

At the New Year's Eve banquet, the emperor bestowed gifts upon all his sons, but the gifts given to the third prince's household were more than those given to the other princes. Wasn't this blatant favoritism?

Not only that, but he also specially bestowed a white jade ruyi with a high relief carving of a phoenix holding a peony on it upon the Prince Yi's residence. Before bestowing the gift, he even said something like, "This ruyi is deeply pleasing to my heart."

It was indeed a fine ruyi scepter, made of white jade with a clear and lustrous texture. The head was shaped like a ruyi cloud, with a phoenix in a relief carrying a peony, its wings outstretched above the flowers, appearing lively and ready to take flight. The handle's lines were smooth and graceful, slightly raised in the middle, gradually concave downwards, and then slightly upturned at the tip, like a wavy ribbon, soft and elegant. In the center of the long handle was a phoenix standing on rocks and bamboo, conveying the noble and lofty sentiment that "the phoenix will not eat anything but bamboo seeds."

The ruyi scepter is tapered at the end and features a delicately carved begonia ring. Both the jade material and the carving technique are of the highest quality. Moreover, the phoenix holding a peony seems to signify the changed status of Prince Yi and his wife.

So when they went to the banquet in the palace, Song Huilan deliberately smiled at Ge Xijia and said, "Third sister-in-law is quite something now. Look, Consort Zhou is pulling her aside to talk to her."

Ge Xijia was in an even worse mood than Song Huilan. The Prince Li's mansion still had Chunmei, who was heavily pregnant, and she didn't want to have a child born out of wedlock so early. So, in response to Song Huilan's blatant provocation, she gave a cold smile: "Second sister-in-law, are you jealous? If you're jealous, then show your true abilities and outshine your third brother and sister-in-law, and that will be the end of it."

Although Ge Xijia disliked Daiyu, she knew very well that she had schemed against her second brother and sister-in-law, causing her sister-in-law to have a premature birth. How could her sister-in-law not hold a grudge? Right now, her sister-in-law was just using her as a pawn.

Seeing that her attempts to sow discord had failed, Song Huilan glanced at Ge Xijia and then said, "I was confused. I recently heard that my fourth brother's concubine has good news. I'm afraid my fourth brother's wife will become a mother next year."

This is deliberately rubbing salt into Ge Xijia's wounds.

Having her sore spot hit, Ge Xijia was instantly enraged. She was about to retort, but when she saw Consort Wu talking to Daiyu, she swallowed her words and her eyes lit up. After a while, she slowly opened her mouth.

"I heard that the Imperial Concubine mentioned to the Empress the other day that the princes are not young anymore and it's time to choose a concubine to help the Princess with household affairs." You made me unhappy, so how could I let you get away with it? Besides, this wasn't something she made up; it was Consort Xu who said it.

At the time, Consort Xu was actually trying to scare Ge Xijia. Her exact words were: "You should treat Chunmei well. She was just a palace maid who has given birth to a son and a daughter. Aren't the children yours and your husband's? Consort Wu has already mentioned the matter of choosing a concubine. Think about it, once a concubine enters the household, she will be different from Chunmei."

While speaking, Ge Xijia observed Song Huilan's expression and noticed a hint of unease flash across her face. She quickly added, "However, Second Sister-in-law and Second Brother are a loving couple, so there's no need to worry. Bringing back a concubine might even be helpful to Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law."

Song Huilan felt even more uneasy—she was well aware that her husband and mother-in-law harbored resentment because she had not been able to give birth to a son.

"As expected, Fourth Sister-in-law is more experienced. It seems the palace maid sent by Consort Shu has been a great help to you and Fourth Brother."

Although she felt wronged and sad inside, she couldn't show it on her face. Song Huilan even smiled lightly and retorted to Ge Xijia.

As soon as she finished speaking, seeing Daiyu return to her seat, Song Huilan immediately followed suit: "If we're talking about a good relationship, then it has to be Third Brother and Third Brother's wife. If Third Brother had a concubine, that would be an even greater help."

Daiyu had no idea what Song Huilan and Ge Xijia had been talking about, but now that the topic of concubines had come up, and considering the recent rewards her household had received, it was perfectly normal for her two sisters-in-law to be dissatisfied with her.

Daiyu smiled gently and said, "Whether or not a concubine is chosen is not something we can decide. Father is wise and Mother is virtuous. The concubines they choose will surely be virtuous and talented. Second sister-in-law, are you afraid that Father and Mother will be biased? If so, then Second brother should choose a concubine first."

Upon hearing Daiyu's words, Ge Xijia chuckled and said, "That's right. Second Brother is the oldest, so it's only natural that he should choose a concubine first."

“I used to think my third sister-in-law was quiet and reserved, but now that she’s riding high, she’s become quite sharp-tongued.” Song Huilan was getting increasingly impatient as the two of them teamed up to target her.

"Look at what you're saying, sister-in-law. Now you're the Princess Consort, and so am I. How come I'm the one who's riding high? Oh, could it be that you didn't like the dishes Father Emperor just gave you?" Daiyu knew very well what Song Huilan was thinking. She was unhappy to see her husband being valued by Father Emperor, so Daiyu deliberately poked at her sore spot, which made her so angry that her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs ached.

"Don't be so smug. You're just a Ruyi scepter. Do you really think you are..." Song Huilan was indeed furious and almost blurted out the words "Crown Princess." Fortunately, she still retained a little rationality.

At this moment, the Empress smiled and said, "Oh, you three, what are you talking about so excitedly?" She was too far away to hear, but seeing Song Huilan's exasperated look, she deliberately spoke up.

Song Huilan was so angry that she forgot to speak. Daiyu said with a smile, "Reporting to Mother, Second Sister-in-law praised the peanut, lotus seed and red date soup in the Imperial Kitchen as delicious."

Peanuts and lotus seeds all symbolize many children and good fortune. Ge Xijia couldn't help but laugh, thinking: "It turns out that Princess Yi is quite skilled with words."

Chapter 127 A Generous Banquet Makes a Clear Stance

Although Daiyu answered the Empress with a joking remark, the Empress still noticed something amiss and deliberately kept the Third Prince and his wife behind to talk after the palace banquet.

"Look, you two sisters-in-law are having a bit of a quarrel, aren't you?" the Empress asked Daiyu with a smile. She wasn't really concerned about why they were arguing. After all, the second and fourth sons were vying for power, so their wives and Daiyu were naturally enemies. It was perfectly normal for enemies to bicker.

“Mother sees things very clearly,” Daiyu said with a smile.

"I don't want to know what caused your argument, but you've always been so tolerant. Why did you change your approach today?" the Empress asked curiously.

“Times have changed. Even if I tolerate it now, my second sister-in-law and fourth sister-in-law will think that I’m being hypocritical. So let’s be more direct, so that no one will think I’m easy to bully.” Daiyu showed a bit of her childlike nature in front of the Empress. “Besides, it was my second sister-in-law who provoked us today.”

"Your Majesty bestowed those gifts upon you two, and your second sister-in-law must be unhappy about it." The Empress stopped them, still wanting to remind them, "Especially that jade ruyi. Consort Wu asked for it before, and Consort Xu also liked it, but His Majesty didn't give it to her. You two should keep that in mind."

After Daiyu nodded, she glanced at Xiao Tingjun and said, "Mother, don't worry. As long as things go smoothly in the southeast next year, everything will be fine."

Xiao Tingjun understood Daiyu's meaning: Father Emperor was thinking of fighting again next year. As long as the Southeast won, then everything would indeed be negotiable.

"It seems the pressure is all on me," Xiao Tingjun joked, then told the Empress seriously, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

"Of course, you're the one who puts your mind to the affairs of the court. I'd like to ask, what are your plans for the New Year's banquet? You can't possibly keep claiming illness," the Empress teased. Daiyu had claimed illness at the previous New Year's banquet.

Daiyu quickly smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mother. I was just about to tell you that my wife and Changsheng have discussed it and decided to hold the banquet on the eighth day of the new year. As for the guest list, I have prepared a list and would like to ask you to take a look."

As she spoke, she pulled out a guest list from her sleeve. The Empress took it; there weren't many people, so she looked through it quickly. After finishing, she asked, "What? You're not inviting anyone from the Rongguo Mansion?"

"On the tenth of the month, my daughter-in-law will host a banquet for the ladies of the nobility and those who help with the embroidery at Huatang Chunxiu. My cousins ​​will be invited then." Daiyu planned to invite the people from Huatang Chunxiu separately, since they were all women, many of whom were widows, so it would be better to arrange it separately. Yingchun, Xichun, Xiangyun, and Baoqin would all come at that time.

"That's fine, but I think it would be better to invite your two uncles. After all, the Princess is from the Rongguo Mansion and is your second uncle's daughter. Your eldest uncle doesn't hold any real position anyway, and your second uncle is just a Hanlin Academician, so it doesn't matter. Not inviting them would only give people something to talk about." The Empress offered her suggestion. "As for the other people from the Rongguo Mansion, you can still send them invitations, but I don't think she'll come."

After a moment's thought, Daiyu felt that the Empress's suggestion was more considerate, and quickly agreed.

"The rest of the guests are all relatives of you and the Third Prince, so I don't think there's any problem." The Empress was quite satisfied with Daiyu's arrangement. "However, I'm afraid the court officials will worry that the Third Prince and you are both difficult to approach."

"What's the big deal? People who truly care about the country won't care about these things." Xiao Tingjun thought this was a good idea. They didn't invite the Empress's brother, the newly appointed Minister of Personnel, Li Su. In this way, the other ministers wouldn't be able to say anything.

This New Year, the banquets hosted by the princes were also a major focus of attention for the court officials. Although Prince Rui had been transferred to the Ministry of Rites and was not highly regarded, the Song and Wu families still held considerable influence. In addition, Prince Rui's wife had a county princess, who was, after all, the emperor's only granddaughter.

Therefore, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, the Prince Rui's Mansion hosted a banquet, which was still quite large. However, it was somewhat more subdued than before.

The Prince Yi's residence goes without saying; it's incredibly sought-after. But getting a guest there isn't easy. Over the past six months, the court officials have figured out the trick: if the Prince Yi doesn't invite you, no matter how much effort you put in, it's useless. Many people have given up after being turned down multiple times.

As for the Prince Li's residence, the situation seemed somewhat delicate. The Princess Consort of Li was ill and not receiving guests. Prince Li himself, however, arranged a banquet. It was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

The emperor, though in the palace, was well-informed. He was naturally displeased to see the state of the Prince of Li's residence, but considering the upcoming New Year, he held back and said nothing.

When people in the capital saw that the Prince Yi's residence had only invited relatives of the prince and princess, many sighed, "This couple is indeed very cautious." However, when they saw that on the tenth day of the month, the Prince Yi's residence held another banquet, many people hurriedly inquired about it.

Upon inquiring, it was discovered that the people who had hired Huatang Chunxiu were the ones who had the job. Some families couldn't help but frown: "The Prince Yi's mansion really doesn't care about such things. Those are all widows. How unlucky is that?"

However, some people praised, "The Prince Yi's Mansion has done a great job. These women's husbands sacrificed their lives for the country, and now they are being given a way to supplement their household income and are even being treated to a banquet. It is clear that the Prince and Princess are kind-hearted."