The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Chapter 130 A Series of Joyful Events, a Tragic Past

When Daiyu mentioned to Yingchun that Ziju's brother wanted to marry Xiuju, Yingchun naturally didn't object and immediately said, "This girl has been with me for so many years, and compared to the other sisters' maids, she has really worked much harder. It has always been my greatest wish for her to have a good marriage. Although I don't know Ziju's brother, since he works for the princess and has a sister like Ziju, he must be a good man."

This matter was not kept from Xiangyun, Xichun, and others. Xiangyun, who was overhearing this, hurriedly said to Daiyu, "There have been so many happy events lately. I heard a few days ago that Baoqin's brother has also gotten engaged."

Yingchun thought of Xing Xiuyan and couldn't help but ask Xiangyun which girl she had booked.

"I heard she's from the family of a military officer, not some wealthy or noble family." Xiangyun seemed to know a bit about her. "Oh, her surname is Wei."

The Fenwu Captain was an eighth-rank military officer, and indeed came from an ordinary family.

“I heard from Baoqin that she’s getting married this September.” Baoqin comes to Huatang Chunxiu’s house to help out now, but less often than Xiangyun and Yingchun. “If Yingchun’s maid gets married, won’t there be one less person to serve her?”

"What's the big deal? Anyway, we don't need that many maids at home right now. I was just thinking the other day about getting rid of some of them." Yingchun is the only mistress in the house, and she's the kind of person who likes to keep things simple. She also enjoys coming to Huatang Chunxiu to do some work and chat with everyone, so we really don't need that many maids.

“Xiuju isn’t getting married right away. Ziju’s parents are busy with house preparations and such, so they won’t be there until the end of the year. Second Sister needs to train the new maids, so there’s still time.” Xichun thought this was a good match.

Although Xiuju was a maid, Ziju's family still valued her highly. After all, Ziju's brother was their only son, and now that Ziju's parents were no longer servants, they were just ordinary people. Getting a new daughter-in-law was always something to be happy about, and the six rites were still observed, although they didn't include as many valuable items as those from wealthy families.

Xiuju was bought by the Rongguo Mansion from outside. She was an orphan girl whose family had suffered a disaster. She had no father or mother, so Yingchun's place was considered her maternal home.

Asking the name is just a formality, but the betrothal ceremony is still necessary. According to the rules, it would be best to have a live goose, but live geese are rare, so a pair of large white geese were used instead.

On the day of the auspicious occasion, the Zhao family prepared three gold items: a gold ring, gold earrings, and a gold bracelet. In return, Xiu Ju presented them with handmade shoes and a hat.

While this was a joyous occasion, the old stories of He'an Village that Zijuan's brother, Zhao Shunda, had learned were quite tragic.

Twelve years ago, there was a farming family in He'an Village named Ding. The male head of the household, Ding Zheng, inherited about ten mu of land from his ancestors, plus seven ancestral houses. In He'an Village, they were considered a well-off family.

Ding Zheng and his wife have three children: their eldest daughter Ding Xiu, their eldest son Ding Ping, and their second daughter Ding An. Because the family was relatively well-off, their son Ding Ping started attending the village private school at a young age.

Ding Zheng and his wife were capable and amiable, and had always had a good reputation in the village. That year, their eldest daughter got married, and their second son, at a young age, took the imperial examination and became a student. Wearing a square scarf and a blue shirt, he went to study at the county school.

They were a happy and joyful family.

Unexpectedly, that year, Zhang Youliang, the landlord of He'an Village, set his sights on the Ding family's fertile land. Speaking of which, the Zhang family was already a prominent family in the village, and now they were even more remarkable. It was said that Zhang Youliang's younger brother had become an official in the capital.

Zhang Youliang proposed to buy the Ding family's fertile land, offering two taels of silver per mu (unit of land area) at market price. The Zhang family then said that since they were all from the same village, there was no need to make a scene, and they would offer the Ding family five taels of silver per mu.

But what farmer would be willing to sell their land if they could make a living? It's their family's livelihood.

Moreover, the Ding family owns a total of ten mu of land, which amounts to only fifty taels of silver. What can they do with fifty taels? How will they survive in the future?

Ding Zheng didn't think much of it and directly rejected the Zhang family.

At first, Ding Zheng was a little worried that he might offend the Zhang family, but for the next three months, the Zhang family did not make any moves. Ding Zheng thought he was just overthinking it and that the matter was over.

Unexpectedly, one day in August, the county yamen runners came to his door, saying that Ding Zheng had committed a serious crime of disrespect by slandering the imperial court.

This was clearly a fabricated charge, and the Ding family, being ordinary citizens, had no recourse. Ding Zheng was imprisoned. His son-in-law tried his best to intervene, but to no avail.

"A year later, Ding Zheng was convicted and executed." Zijuan told Daiyu all the information her brother had gathered. "And the Ding family's land was swallowed up by the Zhang family."

"Is the Consort of the Palace related to the Ding family?" Daiyu knew that in every dynasty, there were always cases of encroaching on farmland, and each dynasty also promulgated laws. For example, not long after the founding of this dynasty, laws were promulgated to prohibit theft and forced cultivation of land.

The law stipulates: "Anyone who steals another's land shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane for less than one mu, with an additional degree for every five mu, up to a maximum of eighty strokes. For abandoned land, the degree of punishment shall be reduced. For those who are forceful, the punishment shall be increased by one degree. For those who are officials, the punishment shall be increased by two degrees. The proceeds from the theft shall belong to the official or the owner."

Yet, it's still impossible to completely prevent these kinds of things from happening. Ultimately, it comes down to people. Some people are simply insatiable.

"Yes, at that time, the youngest daughter of the Ding family, who is now Consort Chongyi, was only seven years old. Her brother, who spoke out for their father, was also arrested and imprisoned. Two months later, he supposedly committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

"Huh? Isn't that Guo, the Assistant Director of the Imperial Stables, Guo Chongyi's brother?" Daiyu remembered Baoqin saying that the Xia family got in touch with Consort Guo through this Guo.

“Yes, but not by blood. He’s a cousin from a different branch of the family. The Consort’s mother passed away a year after her husband and son died, and sent her daughter to live with a cousin in her own family.” Zijuan told Daiyu, “To avoid attracting attention, the youngest daughter changed her surname. And that landlord, Zhang Youliang, is a relative of the Princess Consort of Rui County.”

“The surname is Zhang. I remember that Princess Rui’s mother was from the Zhang family.” Daiyu felt sorry for the Ding family, but she was unsure of Guo Chongyi’s purpose.

“Yes, Zhang Youliang is the younger brother of Princess Rui’s maternal grandfather.” Zijuan was very indignant. Such people who bully others by relying on their power are the most hateful.

Twelve years ago, the current emperor had not yet ascended the throne; he was merely a prince.

Did Guo Chongyi want revenge? Daiyu pondered for a while, then instructed Zijuan not to make a fuss about it. After Xiao Tingjun returned home, she told him the whole story in detail.

“Twelve years ago, I checked back and found that the records of official changes were all registered.” Xiao Tingjun also took it to heart. Guo Chongyi’s maid’s initiative to say that to Xueyan must have been for a reason.

The couple did not intentionally harm others, but they should always be wary of others.

“Of course, we should also tell Mother about this,” Daiyu nodded.

Chapter 131 The Imperial Concubine's Birthday: Undercurrents in the Harem

Xiao Tingjun checked the official records from twelve years ago and told Daiyu upon his return: "Princess Rui's maternal grandfather, Zhang Youshan, was the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture twelve years ago."

It's truly ironic. Shuntian Prefecture governs the entire capital, but it only governs He'an Village. Therefore, it's likely that Zhang Youliang's elder brother played a significant role in Zhang Youliang's attempt to seize the Ding family's land.

Daiyu thought of Granny Liu from the Rongguo Mansion. Back then, she was young and ignorant and even mocked Granny Liu. Now, after experiencing so much, she understands that Granny Liu was forced to do this because of the hardships of life.

“His name is Zhang Youshan, what an ironic name,” Daiyu sighed. “I will go to the palace tomorrow and tell the Empress Dowager about it.”

As she spoke, Daiyu got up and took a letter from the bookshelf: "Third sister has sent a letter. I have already sorted out the useful information. Take a look. By the way, do you have a coastal defense map?"

Xiao Tingjun took the letter but didn't open it. Instead, he looked at Daiyu with delight and said, "I'm so lucky to have married such a wonderful wife."

Daiyu rolled her eyes at him: "Don't be so frivolous. I'm talking about serious matters."

"What I'm saying is also important. Yu'er even knows the coastal defense map. With such a virtuous wife, don't you think I'm too lucky?" Xiao Tingjun saw Daiyu, then reached out and pulled her, and their clothes clinked together, leaving a lingering fragrance.

Holding his wife's waist, Xiao Tingjun was actually very tired lately. There were too many things to do in the court. Even though he had never relaxed for a moment over the years, doing real work was completely different from studying in the past.

Moreover, with his father watching from above, his ministers observing from below, and his second and fourth brothers eyeing him covetously, he naturally had to be extremely cautious.

Burying his head in Daiyu's neck, inhaling the familiar, faint fragrance, Xiao Tingjun closed his eyes and rested for a while before raising his head and releasing his wife.

“I have a coastal defense map in my study. Let’s go together.” Xiao Tingjun led Daiyu to the study, and the two studied the message sent by Tanchun for more than an hour.

The next day, Xiao Tingjun had to go to court early in the morning. Daiyu was tired and got up late, so Zijuan and Xueyan came in to serve her.

While combing Daiyu's hair, Zijuan told Daiyu about the birthday gifts prepared for Consort Wu: "A pair of Jun kiln sky-blue glazed plum vases, four bolts each of Huzhou satin, foreign satin, Hangzhou fine silk, and cotton, a jade eighteen-bead bracelet with red agate and crystal, and a jade beaded bracelet."

After listening, Daiyu thought for a moment and said, "I don't want the jade eighteen beads paired with the red agate and crystal bracelet and the jade beaded bracelet. I'll just replace them with a pair of red gold red agate bracelets. Consort Wu doesn't believe in Buddhism."

Zijuan quickly agreed, and after combing her hair, she put a pair of green jade flower and phoenix hairpins in Daiyu's hair. Today, the Yaotai hairstyle paired with the phoenix hairpins is like a bird flying over distant mountains.

Consort Wu's birthday is a few days away, and Daiyu is going to the palace today to pay her respects to the Empress.

After hearing the news about Consort Guo brought by Daiyu, the Empress sighed, "It seems Consort Guo harbors deep hatred for the Zhang family. As for what Consort Guo will do, we'll have to wait and see."

Neither Daiyu nor the Empress expected that Consort Wu would take advantage of her birthday banquet to launch an attack on Consort Guo.

Consort Wu has been in a particularly bad mood lately. It should be said that ever since her father retired to his hometown, and then her son went to the Ministry of Rites, Consort Wu has felt that everything is going wrong.

Consort Wu's birthday banquet could not compare with the Empress's birthday celebration, but as the highest-ranking concubine below the Empress, Consort Wu's birthday celebration was naturally of a high standard.

As was customary, the Emperor and Empress bestowed rewards, and the Imperial Household Department sent many gifts. Members of the imperial family and some ladies of noble birth also sent gifts.

As younger generations like Daiyu naturally had to send gifts, the gifts from Prince Rui's residence were undoubtedly the most valuable, which was understandable given that Consort Wu was Prince Rui's mother. The gifts from Prince Li's residence were the least impressive, which was also acceptable, considering that both sides had openly broken off relations.

Consort Wu looked at the gifts sent by Prince Yijun's residence. Although she was dissatisfied with the Emperor's current reliance on the third prince, she couldn't find any fault with them.

Upon seeing a pot of geraniums nearby, her face immediately fell: "Who sent this?"

To think that he would give himself a potted plant! Although geraniums bloom in a ball-like shape and have vibrant colors, they look ridiculous among a pile of jade bonsai, coral, and jewelry.

The palace maid on the side didn't dare to breathe, because she could already hear the displeasure in the Consort's voice. But she still forced herself to reply, "It was sent by Consort Chongyi. There are also a few potted flowers next to it."

Consort Wu was furious when she saw the four pots of flowers. There was only one Consort in the palace, that little slut who had recently become very popular. Because of her youth and beauty, the Emperor had spent five nights in a row sleeping at her place.

"Someone who started out working in the Imperial Clothing Bureau has really risen to prominence overnight and doesn't even know who he is anymore," Consort Wu sneered.

So when Consort Lu and other concubines of lower rank came to congratulate her on her birthday, Consort Wu immediately selected Consort Guo.

"I heard that Sister Guo's brother works as a horse breeder?" Consort Wu deliberately said this in front of everyone, just to expose the plight of Consort Guo's family.

Consort Wu thought that Consort Guo would feel ashamed after hearing her words, but to her surprise, Consort Guo smiled and said, "Consort, you have a good memory. My brother does work in the Imperial Stables of the Court of Imperial Stud. So what? His Majesty said that one should not be concerned with one's background. It is more important for everyone to work honestly and live a clean life. It is shameful if one's family members are corrupt officials."

These words were clearly pointed at, and Consort Wu, who had intended to ridicule someone, felt even more uncomfortable after being rebuffed like this.

"Sister Guo is indeed sharp-tongued. One should be more modest in life and not act arrogantly just because you are currently favored. Have you not heard the saying, 'Beauty fades before favor ends, and one sits leaning against the incense burner until dawn'?" Consort Wu said with a cold smile, using a tone of admonition.

Consort Guo was no pushover like Consort Lu or Consort Cheng. Hearing Consort Wu's words, Consort Guo smiled even more smugly: "Thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty. Your words are truly insightful and must be the wisdom of someone who has been through it all. I will certainly keep them in mind."

This was clearly a sarcastic remark about Consort Wu's current loss of favor.

Consort Wu lost her temper after being rebuffed twice by Consort Guo. She was about to teach Consort Wu a lesson when the Emperor and Empress were summoned.

It was certainly a good thing that the Emperor himself attended her birthday celebration, but the fact that the Empress also came made Consort Wu less happy.

But no matter what, Consort Wu still had to lead everyone to welcome the Emperor and Empress.

"Oh, you're all here with the Imperial Concubine." The Emperor smiled and looked at Consort Lu and the others. The court meeting went smoothly today, especially since the Third Prince had managed to obtain information about the island nation. The Emperor was in a great mood.

Then everyone heard Consort Guo say sweetly, "Yes, we're here to celebrate the Imperial Concubine's birthday. The Imperial Concubine is currently reprimanding me."

A lesson? The emperor was taken aback.

Chapter 132 The Imperial Concubine Suffers a Setback, Qiu Dai Takes Her in.

Consort Guo first mentioned Consort Wu's reprimand, which already stunned many people present. But what she said next left everyone, including the Empress, speechless.

"Your Highness first said that my brother was a horse breeder, which wasn't wrong, since the Imperial Stud was responsible for raising horses for the court and His Majesty. Then Your Highness said that I shouldn't be proud, lest my favor with the emperor end before my beauty fades. I thought to myself, His Majesty is a very affectionate person, and I've also noticed that the ladies in the palace are all doing quite well. The Empress never criticizes anyone, so I can only appreciate Your Highness's kindness."

Guo Chongyi smacked her lips and said a string of words that left everyone stunned.

However, they are all seasoned veterans of the inner palace, and each of them is shrewd. At this moment, they not only heard Consort Guo trying to sow discord between Consort Wu and Consort Wu, but also flattering the Emperor and Empress. This was far too audacious.

Besides, since ancient times, the infighting among women in the imperial harem has always been a tale of sweet talk and hidden daggers. Even if one wanted to accuse someone, one should do so discreetly. Where had anyone ever seen Consort Guo act like this, so brazenly blurting out everything in front of the Emperor and Empress, and even in front of Consort Wu herself?

However, after listening, the emperor simply shook his head: "You really have no manners. The Imperial Concubine taught you to be reserved and cautious, but you don't understand."

Isn't this blatant favoritism? The Emperor is really good to Consort Guo, many people are thinking.

"Today is a special day for the Imperial Concubine. I have specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare dishes that she enjoys. Why don't we all take our seats together?" The Emperor showed no intention of punishing Consort Guo.

Consort Wu was displeased. She had been a step too slow to speak, and that little wretch had not only stolen her words but also spouted a bunch of nonsense. The Emperor had just let it go so easily.

Even though she was unhappy, Consort Wu had to put on a smiling face. After all, Consort Guo could be shameless and disregard her status, but she couldn't. In front of the Emperor, Consort Wu had always been a gentle, wise, and humble concubine, and now she could only suffer in silence.

However, this matter was not over yet. Two days later, Consort Wu heard that Consort Guo's brother had been promoted. Although he was only a deputy supervisor of the pasture, a sixth-rank official, he was promoted two ranks at once, just two days after her birthday. Wasn't this a clear indication that the emperor had listened to Consort Guo and given her a resounding slap in the face?

Consort Wu was even angrier.

"Your Highness, the Princess's residence has welcomed a new member," Granny Yuan reported to Consort Wu. "It's a grandson this time, and I heard that His Majesty has already received the news and bestowed a reward upon him."