The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

The Empress glanced at Daiyu, who was smiling and talking to the Eldest Princess, and felt a pang of emotion. "This one from the Zuo family, it seems, gets along very well with Yu'er," she thought. "Consort Zhou is a clever woman, and the Fifth Prince isn't as carefree as his brothers. The Fifth Prince and his wife might be very helpful to the Third Prince and his wife."

The Empress stayed at Prince Yi's residence until the afternoon. When she saw that the Sixth Prince had brought Li Ke and Jia Lan to visit the child, she couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that the Third Prince and his wife were even better at dealing with people than she had thought. The Sixth Prince was the youngest, and the Emperor had some affection for his youngest son. Therefore, it was a great thing for the Third Prince and his wife that the Sixth Prince was willing to visit each other often.

"Is my niece asleep? I've never seen such a tiny baby before." The Sixth Prince was quite sensible, speaking in a low voice. He was very curious about his niece, who was a small, red bundle.

Then, quite generously, he took off a jade disc with a dragon and tiger design from his waist: "It's a gift for my little niece."

Even the Empress was somewhat surprised when she saw it: This was a reward from the Emperor to the Sixth Prince for his excellent archery skills. It was made of very precious red jade, with one side carved with a dragon-tiger pattern. The dragon-tiger had a coiled body, powerful limbs, and an upturned tail that circled around the body. The lines of the pattern were deeply and sharply carved, smooth and vivid.

The sixth prince had always cherished it, but now he wanted to give it to his little niece.

Daiyu whispered from the side, "Then we really should thank Jiayue's sixth uncle on her behalf."

Soon after, Zijuan and her maids brought over some snacks and tea, which the Sixth Prince and the others happily ate.

When the Empress returned to the palace, she told the Emperor about how Xiao Liu had given gifts to his niece. The Emperor was even happier after hearing this: "This child is not as good as his brothers in reading and riding horses, but there is one thing I like about him: he is generous and cheerful."

After saying this, the emperor immediately ordered Hu Delu to take a green jade thumb ring and a jade dragon-tiger pendant to the sixth prince, and also to give a jade auspicious beast ornament to Consort Lu.

Seeing this, the Empress knew that the Emperor was close to the Sixth Prince and the Third Prince and his wife, and did not object.

"There's another piece of great news. The new ruler of the island nation, the nephew of the old ruler, is going to submit a letter to acknowledge his vassal status," the emperor told the empress. "The Princess Qingjia we sent will become the regent empress dowager."

Chapter 169 The Island Nation Submits to the Government, and the Generals Return to the Capital

When the Empress heard that the island nation was going to become a vassal state, and that Princess Qingjia could become the Regent Empress Dowager, she was greatly surprised, but she quickly recovered and congratulated the Emperor with a smile.

"Your Majesty's strategic planning has led to this great victory with such minimal casualties. It is truly a cause for celebration." The Empress was also very pleased. This great victory in the southeast was the third prince's biggest asset. Yu'er's birth was also very timely. The Emperor did not bestow the title of county princess, yet he gave so many rewards and personally attended the child's third-day celebration. His intentions were quite clear. Now, the island nation has submitted to the Emperor, something even the late Emperor could not do. This is a great achievement for the country.

In this way, when it comes to rewarding meritorious service, the emperor will likely appoint a crown prince.

"Princess Qingjia is the cousin of the third son's wife. It's a pity that the Rongguo Mansion doesn't have a son like her." The Emperor sighed, but he didn't intend to reward anyone from the Rongguo Mansion.

"That's just how family matters are sometimes," the Empress sighed. "However, I have heard Xiao Liu mention a few times that there is a young master in the Rongguo Mansion who studies at Yuntao Academy with him."

"Really? Then going to Yuntao Academy seems like a good option." The Emperor remembered that the Empress's nephew was also at Yuntao Academy. "That's good. I can bring him to meet me tomorrow."

The reason the Empress mentioned it earlier was because she saw that child at the Third Prince's residence today. His coming to Yu'er's place clearly indicates that he has his own ideas—Yu'er's family doesn't have many members, so having a capable cousin in the future would be beneficial.

The Emperor now has some interest in using the Rongguo Mansion because of Princess Qingjia. After all, he doesn't want his ministers to say that "a new emperor brings a new court," and that His Majesty is targeting the families of old ministers.

"By the way, it's time to have Delin Palace cleaned up." The Emperor suddenly said, and the Empress's heart skipped a beat. Delin Palace was the residence of the current Crown Prince, and it had been empty ever since the Emperor's brother, the deposed Crown Prince, got into trouble.

Is it really time to appoint the third prince as the crown prince?

Seeing the Empress's surprised expression, the Emperor was in a good mood: "I do intend to appoint the third prince as the crown prince. Tomorrow I will summon the ministers to discuss the reward for the southeast. Appointing a crown prince is no small matter. I hope you know this, Empress."

The emperor's words also had another layer of meaning: the third prince had made great contributions this time, and the emperor did not want to propose that the third prince be made crown prince himself. Instead, he wanted the court officials to submit a memorial. In this way, the position of crown prince for the third prince would not be chosen by the emperor, but supported by the court officials.

The deposed crown prince was chosen by the late emperor.

These subtle differences are crucial to the governance of the imperial court.

"However, we can give some pointers to the third son's wife, so that she can prepare early and get the Prince's mansion ready, so that the fifth son and his wife can move in directly," the Emperor added.

The Empress immediately agreed, thinking that she should go there herself and have a good talk with Daiyu.

As the emperor had expected, some insightful officials, such as Tian Jingmin, the Minister of Works, had already stayed up all night to write a memorial requesting the emperor to appoint the third prince as the crown prince. When the emperor proposed to reward the generals and soldiers in the southeast, they submitted it.

Therefore, when the Empress spoke to Daiyu, the matter of establishing a crown prince was practically a done deal.

Daiyu had some premonition, but when the outcome actually came to pass, it felt somewhat unreal. After listening to the Empress's words, she asked after a long while, "Won't it be unfair to give the place we used to live in to Fifth Brother and Fifth Sister-in-law? Although it can be renovated, the overall layout of the mansion cannot be changed."

The Empress was surprised that Daiyu would ask about this. She smiled and said, "This matter was actually decided a long time ago. When the Fifth Prince was getting married, Consort Zhou came to ask for my opinion. I asked His Majesty. The Fifth Prince and his wife were both aware of this. Do you know what the Fifth Prince's wife said?"

Daiyu shook her head; she naturally couldn't guess and was very curious.

"She said it was fortunate that she didn't have to come, because she couldn't tidy up the house herself. Her mother often nagged her when she was a girl at home. Now that she had a ready-made mansion, it couldn't be better." The Empress found it very interesting to recall the way Zuo Jiangqiu spoke at the time.

Daiyu couldn't help but smile when she heard this. She and Zuo Jiangqiu quickly became close friends after getting to know each other, in less than half a year. The girl was cheerful and straightforward, and easy to like.

Then Daiyu became concerned about the island nation in the southeast. Now that Tanchun could actually become the regent empress dowager, it was truly a wish fulfilled. With Tanchun's abilities and the support of the Central Plains dynasty, it was indeed quite good for her to be a regent empress dowager.

However, the details will become clear once Xiao Tingjun returns.

Soon, the date for the return of the southeastern generals to the capital was set. Ranks were awarded for merit, and positions were appointed based on ability. Thus, the court conferred the title of First-Class Duke upon General Zuo Qing and Third-Class Duke upon Deputy Commander Qiao Yushan. The remaining officers and soldiers were each promoted one rank, and their records were transferred to the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department for review and approval of their respective positions.

The Second Prince, Xiao Tingkai, watching all this from the Ministry of Rites, was quite displeased. General Zuo was one thing; after all, he was a top-tier military officer, and his age was uncertain, with no guarantee of how many more years he would live. But Qiao Yushan was the Third Prince's maternal uncle, now granted the title of Third-Class Duke, and to be further promoted to Grand General of Pacification upon his return. For the Third Prince, this was truly a powerful ally.

Not to mention, many officials have already submitted memorials requesting that the third prince be made crown prince—it turns out they were fools who actually thought the third prince loved beauty more than the country and stayed home with his wife to prepare for childbirth. In reality, the third prince had already secretly run off to the southeast.

Ultimately, it's all because the Emperor is biased. The Third Prince's trip this time was clearly just to grab a big credit. What did he actually do? The Southeast strategy had already been planned by the Emperor, the Ministry of War, and the Southeast authorities. Whether the Third Prince went or not was completely irrelevant.

Upon seeing Wang Ziteng on the list of personnel, Xiao Tingkai became wary. This old fox was quite capable; from the late emperor to the present, through several changes in the court, he seemed to have managed to maintain stability.

This time, he, as the Fujian Provincial Treasurer, has made a contribution, and he has even been promoted to Governor-General of Liangjiang.

It seems that Wang Ziteng is someone you need to firmly hold in your own hands.

He remembered that when Prince Teng went to his post, his family was all in the capital. He heard that Prince Teng had a concubine's daughter, and he was determined to have a concubine.

Thinking of all this, Xiao Tingkai found an opportunity to enter the palace and tell his mother his thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Consort Wu realized that the Wang family was indeed a good choice, but there were more important matters to attend to at the moment.

"Now that you are in the Ministry of Rites, you should suggest to your father that you go to the outskirts to welcome the victorious soldiers back to the capital. What do you say?" Consort Wu knew very well that the third prince was likely to become the crown prince this time.

“Sometimes, when circumstances force you to back down, it can be beneficial to be more low-key and humble.” Consort Wu had thought about this for a long time and even received guidance from her own brother before coming up with this idea.

Xiao Tingkai paused for a moment, then nodded.

Chapter 170 Prince Yi Returns Home, Couple Reunited

When Xiao Tingjun arrived at the Luhe Post Station on the outskirts of the capital with his entourage, he saw the waiting procession in the distance. As he rode forward, he learned that his second brother had personally led officials from the Ministry of Rites to greet him, and Xiao Tingjun quickly dismounted.

Xiao Tingkai was stunned – there was neither General Zuo Qing nor Qiao Yushan, only Xiao Tingjun leading a group of men, which did not match the information he had received.

Xiao Tingjun came up and greeted his second brother with a smile: "Second brother, how could I accept this personal invitation? I was eager to go home and see my children, so I spoke with the old general and also sent a letter to Father Emperor before bringing my people back."

Although this cleared up Xiao Tingkai's doubts, seeing his third brother's smiling face made Xiao Tingkai even more unhappy. This person spoke so casually, yet he always gave people the impression that he was the victor.

Actually, Xiao Tingkai was overthinking it; Xiao Tingjun was telling the truth.

"So Second Brother has to wait for the old general and the others, I'm afraid they won't be here until the day after tomorrow," Xiao Tingjun continued.

"Look at what you're saying, Third Brother. It's only right that I pick you up first and then come back the day after tomorrow." Although he harbored some resentment, Xiao Tingkai smiled broadly, took Xiao Tingjun's hand, and greeted him. To onlookers, it truly appeared to be a scene of brotherly affection and respect.

Upon hearing Xiao Tingjun say that General Zuo Qing and the others would not be arriving today, Xiao Tingkai did not wait any longer and mounted his horse to return to the city with Xiao Tingjun.

However, Xiao Tingjun did not go directly to the palace. Instead, he said to Xiao Tingkai, "I have already submitted a memorial to Father, and Father has given his permission. I will go back to the Prince's Mansion now. Second brother, please do as you please."

As he spoke, he actually rode back to Prince Yi's residence. Apart from a few guards who followed Xiao Tingjun, the rest of his entourage had their own destinations—they didn't need to go to the palace, but instead went to the military headquarters.

Watching Xiao Tingjun's retreating figure, Xiao Tingkai couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the third prince is unaware of the court officials' petition to appoint him as the crown prince? Or is it that he's become so arrogant now that he's already secured the position of crown prince? Is it really worth all this fuss over a mere daughter?

Xiao Tingjun didn't care about his second brother's thoughts. He really didn't expect his second brother to come to pick him up in person, and what he said was the truth: he really missed his wife and wanted to see his daughter who was a little over a month old.

However, Xiao Tingjun did not inform anyone in the Prince Yi's mansion in advance—although Yu'er had finished her postpartum confinement, she was still exhausted, and there was no need for her to come and worry about her again.

Unexpectedly, when he returned, Yu'er was already asleep.

Xiao Tingjun told Zijuan and the others not to make a fuss, and went to change his clothes and wash up before coming to see the child. The wet nurse, Mo, was holding the baby, and Xiao Tingjun carefully took him from her.

The child was asleep. Looking at that rosy little face, Xiao Tingjun couldn't help but smile, his heart softening: he had thought about it so many times, and finally he had seen his child.

"Immortality?"

When Daiyu opened her eyes, she saw Xiao Tingjun holding Jiayue, sitting by her bedside. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming and couldn't help but rub her eyes.

“Yu’er, it really is me.” Daiyu’s actions softened Xiao Tingjun’s heart even more, and he looked at his wife with a smile.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up? When did you get back? Did you go to the palace?" Daiyu still felt it was unreal.

"I came back two days early just to see you and the child. Don't worry, I already informed Father Emperor." As soon as Xiao Tingjun finished speaking, he noticed that Jia Yue, whom he was holding, was making a whimpering sound, as if she was about to cry, so he quickly shook her.

Daiyu was startled when she saw this: Xiao Tingjun really had no experience with children; he was being too rough. She quickly took the child from him and gently rocked him until he fell asleep again. Then, she looked at the child and said to Xiao Tingjun, "You can't be so rough. The child is delicate. You're shaking his little head too hard."

Seeing that his wife's gaze remained fixed on the child, Xiao Tingjun felt a pang of jealousy: "Yu'er, don't you care about me at all?"

Daiyu looked up at Xiao Tingjun, stunned, and after a while she finally reacted and couldn't help but chuckle.

Xiao Tingjun laughed too.

Daiyu gestured to Mo Shi, and the wet nurse quickly stepped forward to take the child and carry him away. Only then did she ask Xiao Tingjun if he was hungry or tired.

Xiao Tingjun, however, raised his hand first and tidied Daiyu's hair, which was a little messy from sleeping.

"I'm not hungry or tired." She then told me about her second brother coming to pick her up, "My third sister has a letter for me to deliver to you personally."

As he spoke, Xiao Tingjun took out a letter for Daiyu. It was a letter written by Tan Chun herself. After everything was settled in the island nation, Tan Chun brought the two-year-old island king to see them off and spoke to Xiao Tingjun alone.

"Although the Rongguo Mansion is the maternal grandmother's home, few people there truly care for her. Now that I am far away overseas, I ask Prince Yi to take good care of Sister Lin."

Xiao Tingjun had long known that Tan Chun was very resourceful, but her courage and bravery as a woman during the war still left a very deep impression on him.

Daiyu held the letter, feeling as if it weighed a ton.

She didn't open it immediately, but instead asked Xiao Tingjun, "How is Third Sister now?"

“Good, really good. However, as a regent empress dowager, she will still face many challenges. But you don’t need to worry, the court will definitely do its best to support her,” Xiao Tingjun told his wife.

"I'll read it slowly tonight. I want to hear you tell me about this battle and the situation in the southeast." Daiyu put the letter away.

Xiao Tingjun led his wife to sit down and began to explain everything to her. In fact, with Tan Chun's inside help, the battle went smoothly from start to finish, since everyone was already very familiar with the island nation's defenses.

Xiao Tingjun tried to use simple language to finish his story. Although he spoke lightly, Daiyu could still feel the hardship involved and understand the thrilling experiences Tan Chun had gone through while living on an island.

"Are you alright?" Daiyu looked Xiao Tingjun up and down.

"Don't worry, everything went smoothly this time, nothing's wrong at all." Xiao Tingjun took a sip of tea, and Daiyu, noticing it was getting cold, quickly sent someone to replace it.

"It's still my third sister who has courage and perseverance," Daiyu sighed.

"General Zuo and his entourage will arrive the day after tomorrow. Father has arranged a celebration. Yu'er, you shouldn't go out then. Just rest well." Xiao Tingjun was worried about Daiyu instead. There would probably be a huge crowd, and he was afraid something might go wrong.

"Don't worry, Mother instructed me this morning. You should also be careful on this matter." The more celebratory the occasion, the more cautious one should be.

Unexpectedly, Zuo Jiangqiu came excitedly to ask Daiyu if she wanted to go and watch: "I already sent someone to reserve a table at Fanshenglou, a private room, so I can see my grandfather then."

Not only Zuo Jiangqiu, but also Gao Xin and Xi Chun are going.

Daiyu thought the child was too young, so she had no choice but to decline.

“This is a rare sight, sister-in-law, it would be a shame if you didn’t go.” Zuo Jiangqiu saw that Daiyu was not going, but she herself was very interested—she had never seen her grandfather ride a horse since she was born.