The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Chapter 171 The General's Triumphant Return and the Establishment of the Crown Prince

Daiyu didn't go, but that didn't stop Gao Xin from going and then vividly recounting the story to Daiyu. Xichun would fill in any gaps in Gao Xin's description. As for Zuo Jiangqiu, the royal daughter-in-law, she naturally had to return to the palace to attend the banquet.

"It was truly a sight to behold, with bugles blaring and military music playing. Watching the captain stride out with his sword at his side was simply magnificent. I've never seen such a breathtaking scene before." Gao Xin was genuinely shocked. "And, my fifth aunt's grandfather was so imposing! He reminded me of a poem: 'The vulture's feathers are golden, and the swallow's tail is embroidered with a bow.'"

Later, the officials entered the palace through the left side gate to receive the banquet, and Gao Xin and the others returned. She could have gone to the palace, but she found it boring and preferred to come to her third aunt's house to play with her little sister.

The banquet held in the palace was of the highest standard, but it was nothing more than eating and drinking. No one was really interested in the food and drink. However, no one expected that after the emperor publicly rewarded the soldiers, he would issue three more imperial edicts.

“Twenty thousand taels of silver were issued from the imperial treasury as a reward to the soldiers returning to the capital.”

"Liu Jishan was instructed to draft a monument commemorating the merits of the Southeast War, which was then inscribed on stone in southern Fujian as a lasting memorial."

"The Third Prince Xiao Tingjun is hereby appointed as Crown Prince, and his principal wife, Lady Lin, is hereby appointed as Crown Princess. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department are hereby ordered to expedite the preparations for the investiture ceremony."

While the first two imperial edicts were somewhat anticipated, the third was unexpected: although many court officials had petitioned for the appointment of the third prince as crown prince, the announcement at this time was still surprising.

Caught off guard, all the civil and military officials quickly rose and kowtowed, shouting that the emperor was wise and benevolent.

Meanwhile, the women of the inner palace, as well as the noble ladies and imperial relatives who were qualified to attend today's banquet, all had their own thoughts.

Although Consort Wu and Consort Xu were aware of the situation, their feelings upon hearing the imperial decree were still quite complex.

"The most important matters of the state are sacrifice and war. When the crown prince is secure, the people's hearts are at peace." After saying this, the old Princess Chun stood up to congratulate the Empress, and everyone else also stood up to offer their congratulations.

After the excitement subsided, Consort Wu smiled and said, "It's a pity that the Crown Princess is not in good health. Otherwise, we would have congratulated her."

This is quite interesting; it clearly implies that Daiyu is in poor health. A crown princess who is in poor health is naturally less fortunate.

The Empress smiled faintly and did not speak, but Consort Zhou said with a smile, "Women should take good care of themselves after giving birth. Jia Yue was only a little over five pounds at birth, but she weighed nine pounds at her last month's celebration. It's clear she's been well taken care of. The Crown Princess has been working hard, so she should rest more."

Guo Chongyi also laughed and said, "That's right, our Ying'er weighed more than six pounds at birth and only nine pounds at one month old. It's quite a coincidence that the two of them, aunt and niece, are like this."

Immediately, everyone echoed each other's sentiments, praising Princess Yongjia's beauty and the Crown Princess's lively and adorable child, but no one mentioned the young county princess of the Rui County Prince's Mansion.

Consort Wu glanced at Consort Zhou, who was usually quiet: "She really knows how to flatter. As soon as the third prince was named crown prince, she couldn't wait to take sides."

Unfortunately, Consort Wu forgot that Consort Zhou's daughter-in-law, Zuo Jiangqiu's grandfather, was currently a great general who had been highly rewarded by the Emperor.

Consort Wu was in a bad mood, and her son Xiao Tingkai was in an even worse mood.

Xiao Tingkai is currently working in the Ministry of Rites. Whether it's rewarding the army, conferring the title of First-Class Duke on Zuo Qing and Third-Class Duke on Qiao Yushan, or promoting and rewarding other generals and related personnel, the Ministry of Rites is keeping itself extremely busy.

Zhao Feng, the current Minister of Rites, is a cautious man. In order to avoid making any mistakes, he voluntarily and consciously works overtime, and he hardly leaves the ministry until the curfew in the capital.

If even the Minister of Rites is this diligent, what about the officials below him?

As for Xiao Tingkai, a prince and a county lord, he didn't have to work so hard, but he wanted to salvage his image in the emperor's eyes and hadn't given up on the struggle for the throne, so he naturally had to put in a lot of effort at the Ministry of Rites.

So when the imperial edict to appoint the Crown Prince and Crown Princess arrived, Xiao Tingkai, who worked in the Ministry of Rites, felt like he had swallowed a mouthful of flies and had to bear it.

No matter how uncomfortable he was, he still had to put on a happy face. Every day he had to painstakingly follow the old rules, check the etiquette procedures, and even inquire about the furnishings and utensils of the Imperial Household Department.

This was clearly a case of paving the way for the crown prince's future, causing him to return to his palace each day with an exceptionally gloomy expression, as if water could drip from his face.

At first, Song Huilan tried to comfort him, but she gradually realized that it would be better if she didn't speak. The more she spoke, the more irritable Xiao Tingkai became, as if his inability to become the crown prince was all her fault for not marrying a good wife.

It's ironic. You're not as capable as your third brother. Who told you to lack the ability to judge character? In this life, you recommended the Prince of Nan'an, only to suffer a crushing defeat. Meanwhile, your third brother's uncle won a decisive victory.

So Song Huilan deliberately avoided Xiao Tingkai, and didn't even bother to hide herself. Xiao Tingkai couldn't directly confront Song Huilan, which made him even more frustrated.

Meanwhile, things weren't easy for Prince Yi's mansion either. The Imperial Observatory had determined that the second day of the ninth month was an auspicious day for the investiture ceremony, and Xiao Tingjun and his wife were to move into Delin Palace at the end of August.

So the whole household got busy, packing things up and organizing them into chests and boxes. Daiyu herself couldn't help but sigh as she looked at all the things: "We've only lived here for a few years, and we already have so much stuff."

Xiao Tingjun still attends court as usual, but he needs to be extra cautious at times like these, so he can only leave the affairs of the household to Daiyu.

That day, Zuo Jiangqiu brought several bibs with auspicious patterns such as cranes carrying lingzhi and deer carrying flowers to visit his little niece Jiayue. Seeing that there were also many boxes and cages piled on the ground, he couldn't help but say, "Moving is really a big project."

"I won't bother you any longer. Have you packed your things?" Daiyu continued to give instructions, and told Xueyan to make sure to put away the books carefully.

The Imperial Observatory also calculated the date, and it was determined that Prince Cheng and his wife would move here on the tenth day of the ninth month, at which point Prince Yi's residence would become Prince Cheng's residence.

"It's nothing, I don't care, Mother Consort sent someone to watch over it for me." Zuo Jiangqiu reached out and took the child from the wet nurse's arms. Because the wet nurse often came and held the child, little Jiayue liked this aunt quite a bit.

Although she said she wouldn't interfere, she didn't really. It's just that the nanny she brought with her when she got married was carefully selected by the Zuo family, and she took great care of everything, big and small, so Zuo Jiangqiu had a very relaxed time. Besides, they had only been married for a short time, and they didn't have many things to bring.

"I'm doing great now. In the Prince's mansion, I can be completely in charge of my own affairs from now on. It's not convenient to live in the palace, where someone is watching my every move," Zuo Jiangqiu said quickly.

Daiyu, thinking of the affairs of her own household, whispered to Zuo Jiangqiu, "You still need to be careful. Even in a prince's mansion, there might be some issues. So you need to put some thought into the people selected for the prince's mansion."

Zuo Jiangqiu understood immediately and nodded.

September will arrive in the blink of an eye.

Chapter 172 Entering the Eastern Palace: Emperor, Ministers, Father and Son

As autumn arrived and the weather became cooler, a grand investiture ceremony for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess was held on the second day of the ninth lunar month.

Daiyu was awakened before dawn, and then underwent a dressing and grooming process no less elaborate than that for her wedding. The Crown Princess's ceremonial robes had already been delivered, made by the Imperial Dress Bureau according to Daiyu's measurements. The robes were made of ramie, gauze, and silk gauze, in a deep blue color, woven with nine grades of pheasant patterns, totaling one hundred and thirty-eight pairs, interspersed with small floral patterns. The collar, cuffs, hem, and skirt were all edged in red and decorated with woven gold cloud and phoenix patterns.

The inner garment is made of jade-colored gauze, with eleven axe-patterned patterns woven on the collar. The knee-covering matches the color of the garment, woven with two grades of pheasant patterns, interspersed with three small floral patterns, and edged with woven gold cloud and phoenix patterns. The jade tablet is seven inches long, with a grain-patterned design.

Other items include jade leather belts, large belts, large sashes, jade pendants, small sashes, blue socks, and blue shoes.

Just getting dressed took some time.

Daiyu also had to wear a nine-jadeite crown with four phoenixes. This crown was decorated with nine jadeite rings and four gold phoenixes, as well as pearl and jadeite clouds, large pearl flowers, and small pearl flowers. The bottom of the crown was a jadeite rim decorated with jeweled flowers, and a gold rim was placed on the back. There were four sideburns at the back of the crown, decorated with phoenixes.

With the headdress on, Daiyu felt as if her head weighed several pounds.

The etiquette was taught by officials in advance. From attending the ceremony at Fengxian Hall to worshipping the gods at Baohua Hall, and then paying homage to the ancestors at the ancestral temple, the entire series of rituals had to be performed without any mistakes in timing or rules.

After the ceremony was finally completed and they returned to Delin Palace, Daiyu couldn't help but say to Xiao Tingjun, "If it weren't for the two ladies-in-waiting supporting me today, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to stand up."

Crown Prince Xiao Tingjun was no better off; today he wore a nine-tassel crown and a black ceremonial robe with nine chapters.

Zijuan brought palace maids to serve him, while Xiao Tingjun looked at his wife and said, "Wait until you change into your everyday clothes, then we'll go and pay our respects to Father and Mother."

Daiyu was incredibly clever, and she immediately understood Xiao Tingjun's meaning: the grand ceremony just now was between the emperor and his subjects, but now that they were going to pay their respects, they were family.

"But how did you know that Father would be with Mother today?" Daiyu asked after nodding.

“Yu’er, as you know, your mother and father were a young couple. From Prince to Emperor, your mother has always been there for you. Your father must be grateful at this moment.” Xiao Tingjun’s eyes were full of tenderness. He and Yu’er had also gone from Prince to Crown Prince, and every step from now on would not be easy.

Xueyan and the palace servants had already prepared hot water for her bath. As the steam rose, Daiyu soaked in the water and asked Xueyan, "How is Yueyue today?"

"The little princess is very well-behaved today. She went to bed early and is sleeping soundly right now," Xueyan said hurriedly. Ever since the imperial decree conferred the title of Crown Prince, the emperor had conferred the title of Princess Rongqing upon Xiao Tingjun and Daiyu's daughter, so Xueyan and the others had changed their address to "little princess."

After taking a bath, Daiyu changed into casual clothes and had Xueyan put her hair up in a simple bun, inserting a crabapple hairpin into her hair.

Xiao Tingjun, however, was quicker. He leaned against the dressing table and waited for his wife. After Daiyu tidied herself up, the two got up and asked Granny Gu to inform her before setting off.

The Emperor was indeed in the Empress's Phoenix Palace. When the Emperor and Empress met Xiao Tingjun and his wife, the Empress smiled and said, "You must be tired after a long day. Why didn't you rest earlier? Is there something you need?"

Neither Xiao Tingjun nor his wife spoke, but knelt down together: "Thank you, Father and Mother." The couple then kowtowed in unison.

Not only the Empress, but even the Emperor's eyes were red. The Emperor even personally stepped forward to help Xiao Tingjun up, and the Empress quickly helped Daiyu up as well.

The Empress spoke first: "I still remember what Jun'er looked like when he was just born. In the blink of an eye, he's already the Crown Prince."

Looking at the perfect couple before him, the Emperor couldn't help but think of Lady Qiao, who had passed away many years ago. He spoke with great emotion, "If your mother were still alive, she would be so happy to see you two."

After saying that, he seemed to realize that it wasn't appropriate for him to reminisce about Lady Qiao in front of the Empress, so he quickly added, "From now on, the Crown Princess will be in the hands of the Empress. She should also help you manage the affairs of the inner palace."

The Empress would never be bothered by a dead person. If Lady Qiao were still alive, she might not have supported the third prince. So she had no complaints about the emperor missing his old flame. On the contrary, she wished the emperor would miss Lady Qiao more and more, so that the third prince's position as crown prince would be more secure.

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the Empress replied, "Does Your Majesty need to say that? Last year's Dragon Boat Festival banquet and the preceding flower-viewing banquet were all organized by Yu'er. Now that I am getting old, I really need Yu'er's help."

The Emperor nodded in agreement: "Yu'er has always been quite good, clever and meticulous. But the third prince, now that he's the Crown Prince, is quite different from when he was a Prince. You're quite familiar with the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works. I'm thinking of going to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow; there are some things that need to be sorted out."

Xiao Tingjun quickly agreed, and at that moment, Granny Hu and a palace maid brought over a late-night snack.

"Is it going to be some lotus seed soup again?" The emperor was a little hungry, but he didn't want to eat lotus seed soup.

When it was served, the Emperor smiled and said, "As expected, the Empress understands me best."

The Emperor was busy with grand ceremonies today and didn't eat much at dinner. The Empress noticed this, so she specially ordered that his favorite dishes be prepared.

The Emperor took a small bite of the fish ball, finding it incredibly tender and smooth, and praised it. During his late-night snack, the Emperor didn't adhere to the rule of not speaking while eating. Remembering the Yangzhou fish soup noodles Daiyu had given him last time, he smiled and said, "The fish soup noodles the Crown Princess sent for Mid-Autumn Festival—the broth was milky white, extremely delicious without a trace of fishiness, and the noodles were springy and chewy, each bite full of flavor. I really enjoyed them."

"If Father Emperor likes it, I will write down the recipe for the kitchen later, so it will be convenient for Father Emperor to eat it when he wants." Daiyu ate a little with him.

"Eating fish balls now reminds me of when I was a child. My family used to eat them in the ninth month of the lunar calendar. In Sichuan, we don't call them fish balls, we call them round balls, which symbolize family harmony and reunion." The Empress ate the fish balls, thinking of her family in the past.

These words pleased the emperor: "This is a good name, Yuanzi. Right now, the whole family is not together in harmony."

After having a late-night snack with the Emperor and Empress, Xiao Tingjun and his wife chatted for a while before taking their leave.

It takes less than a quarter of an hour to walk from Fengyi Palace to their current residence, Delin Palace. Xiao Tingjun, on the other hand, readily took his wife's hand, and the two slowly walked back.

The palace was very quiet, with the chirping of crickets and the calls of unknown autumn insects. The two walked slowly, but they both knew in their hearts that from tomorrow onwards, they would have to carefully face every step that followed.

The Delin Palace and the Prince Yi's Mansion are quite different.

Both of them were exhausted today, but they both slept well.

But Xiao Tingjun didn't expect that on his first day at the Ministry of Revenue, he would encounter a case that was somehow connected to his wife.

Chapter 173 Bringing up old stories to implicate the Crown Princess

Early in the morning, Xiao Tingjun and Daiyu sat facing each other and had breakfast.

Seeing that Xiao Tingjun had a good appetite, eating a basket of shrimp shumai, a round and golden fried sesame ball, a bowl of red rice porridge, and a cup of soy milk, Daiyu couldn't help but say, "Don't eat too much, or you'll feel unwell later."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Today isn't the grand court assembly, and I have to go to the Ministry of Justice. I'm afraid I won't be able to have lunch by the time it's time." Although it was Xiao Tingjun's first day attending court as the Crown Prince, he was very familiar with the schedule of the Ministry of Justice.

Seeing him get up, Daiyu personally took a white jade ruyi pendant and tied it on his head, then took a dark satin purse embroidered with red plum blossoms and tied it on his head as well: "In the past, when you were in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, you could send him snacks. Is it still like this now?"

"If Yu'er has time, she can have the eunuch deliver it. The current Minister of Justice, Liu Zhizhang, is a bit stern, but he does a very good job." Ever since the Second Prince kept a mistress, the original Minister of Justice, Lord Zhao, was dismissed and replaced by this Liu Zhizhang.

After the idle chatter, Xiao Tingjun went to court in high spirits.

But he didn't expect that upon arriving at the Ministry of Justice, he would encounter a case. It could be described as an old case, but ironically, this case had a slight connection to his wife.

The Minister of Justice, Liu Zhizhang, presented the old case of Shi Daizi from back then—when Jia Yucun sentenced a commoner surnamed Shi for owing government silver and accepted twenty old fans as payment.

The man surnamed Shi had already been beheaded. His distant cousin, Shi Chu, submitted a petition to the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, accusing Jia Yucun of abusing his power and disregarding human life.

Xiao Tingjun already knew about this matter—his wife had mentioned it to him and the Empress: Jia Yucun had driven someone to death, taken Shi Daizi's fan, and given part of it to Jia She. The other part was either taken by Jia Yucun himself or given to someone else.

Liu Zhizhang bluntly added, "I've heard that this Jia Yucun was once the Crown Princess's teacher. This case should naturally be led by His Highness the Crown Prince."