The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Xiao Tingjun hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have not been thorough in my investigation. I will certainly be more diligent in the future." It seems that the Emperor had long been aware of Jia She's many mistakes, and that he himself was indeed too inexperienced.

"Good to know. There is still much for you to learn beyond the Six Ministries." The Emperor was very satisfied with his son's attitude. "This time, it wasn't just you; the Minister of Justice and the two Vice Ministers also had shortcomings, so they had to be punished."

Xiao Tingjun hurriedly knelt down to accept the punishment.

"Your imperial grandfather mentioned many times when he was alive that the current laws should be revised again to address their shortcomings." The emperor had long held this intention, so he has now entrusted this task to the crown prince. "You will lead the Ministry of Justice, together with the Court of Judicial Review, to revise the regulations properly in light of the recent confusion in the laws."

"Is this the punishment?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Tingjun hurriedly accepted the order and kowtowed.

"This task is meticulous and complex; don't underestimate it," the emperor instructed.

After leaving the Emperor's residence, Xiao Tingjun first returned to the Ministry of Justice to convey the Emperor's words to everyone, and then instructed everyone to disperse for the day before returning to Delin Palace.

Unexpectedly, the fifth son and his wife were both inside Delin Palace. The fifth son's wife was teasing Jiayue: "Yue'er, come on, move around."

The fifth brother, standing beside him, also looked at his little niece on the couch with a smile. It was the first time he had ever seen such a tiny little bundle of joy, and he found it both curious and amusing.

Hearing footsteps, Daiyu laughed and said, "Why didn't you let anyone announce our arrival?"

"Why announce it when it's our own home?" Xiao Tingjun saw his daughter and reached out to hug her, but Daiyu slapped his hand away.

"You just came from outside, you haven't changed your clothes or washed your hands, don't touch our Yue'er." She wouldn't let him hold her.

Xiao Tingjun could only smile awkwardly and hurriedly called for someone to fetch water to wash his hands.

Xiao Tingzhao couldn't help but laugh when he saw this: "So it turns out that Third Brother isn't fearless after all." He was teasing his Third Brother.

“You should learn from Third Brother. Third Brother is someone who can admit his mistakes and correct them,” Zuo Jiangqiu said directly.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu and Xiao Tingjun were both relieved: the couple had initially harbored some resentment towards each other, but now that they were married, they had truly developed feelings for each other.

Xiao Tingjun played with the child for a while before asking if his younger brother had anything to do.

“Of course there is something to discuss. Third Brother, didn’t you suggest adding a Grand Kitchen to the Six Ministries? Father Emperor entrusted this matter to me, and I’m here to ask for your opinion.” Xiao Tingzhao is currently working in the Ministry of Revenue. Xiao Tingjun wrote a proposal on this matter, which was discussed by the Emperor and his officials. The Emperor even praised the Crown Prince, and then entrusted the actual work to the Ministry of Revenue, letting the Fifth Prince take the lead.

The court officials immediately understood that this was an attempt to cultivate Prince Cheng. It was common knowledge that Prince Cheng and his wife were now close to the Crown Prince and his wife.

"Alright, let's talk in the study." Xiao Tingjun handed the child to Daiyu and led Xiao Tingzhao to the study.

The two discussed for a full hour and a half. Seeing that it was almost dinner time, Daiyu instructed the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes and invited them to stay for dinner.

Zuo Jiangqiu even joked, "From now on, let's all come at mealtimes so we can have a good meal at Third Sister-in-law's place."

"It's just the two of us anyway, we'd love for you to come, it's more lively with more people." Daiyu and Xiao Tingjun saw them off together.

"Then Third Brother won't be happy and will complain that we eat too much," Xiao Tingzhao joked.

After seeing off the fifth prince and his wife, Xiao Tingjun told Daiyu about Jia Yucun from the Ministry of Justice: "I'm afraid the Rongguo Mansion will soon be punished."

When Daiyu recalled the days when she studied with Jia Yucun as a child, she couldn't help but sigh: People's hearts are fickle, no wonder she wrote "The Everlasting Regret" that "human hearts are not like water, and waves can rise from calm ground."

Just as Xiao Tingjun had said, the Rongguo Mansion soon welcomed a eunuch from the palace to deliver an imperial edict.

Jia She, who originally thought he was fine, became even more complacent after hearing that Jia Yucun had died. However, he was suddenly met with an imperial edict, the contents of which dealt him a heavy blow!

Jia She, a first-class general of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, is petty and short-sighted, neglecting his duties, engaging in corrupt practices, colluding with officials outside the capital, betraying the Emperor's favor, and disgracing his ancestors. He is hereby dismissed from his post and will never be allowed to serve again.

The words "Remove from office and never be reappointed" caused Jia She to collapse to the ground on the spot, almost fainting.

Not to mention that everyone else in the Rongguo Mansion was shocked when they heard the news.

After receiving the imperial edict, Jia She immediately fell ill. Instead of repenting, he felt that the Crown Princess was heartless, as he had taken many treasures from her private treasury when she married him.

So, as soon as he recovered from his illness, he went to Grandmother Jia and made a huge scene.

"It's clear that we've raised an ungrateful wretch all these years. The Crown Princess is no ordinary person now. Can't she say a word for me, her uncle? Old Madam, think about it. This is a demotion. Does that mean the Duke's mansion can't be passed down in the future? I'm old anyway, so I'm not afraid. But what about Lian'er? And what about Baoyu?"

Grandmother Jia, who was currently ill intermittently, had already received the news and harbored resentment towards Daiyu. However, upon hearing her eldest son's direct complaint, she couldn't help but rebuke him, saying, "Shut up! Do you want to add insult to injury? The Crown Princess is not someone we can casually discuss. If you are accused of disrespect, I don't think you'll have a chance to complain to me anymore; you'll be stuck in jail."

Jia She didn't care at all; he didn't believe there were palace surveillance personnel at home. He was now utterly enraged and reckless: "Old Madam, what time is it? You're still protecting that ungrateful wretch! We've raised her with such care for so many years, and now she can just stand by and watch her maternal grandfather's Duke's mansion fall to such a state. What will become of her in the future...?"

Grandmother Jia anticipated that what he was about to say wouldn't be nice, and in anger, she threw her cane at him on the spot. However, Grandmother Jia was not strong enough and didn't hit Jia She at all. The cane was of good quality, and it fell to the ground with a thud, but it wasn't damaged at all.

"If you don't want your head, keep spouting nonsense! The Duke's mansion hasn't been taken back, has it? Do you want to live in a small place like Zhen'er?"

Grandmother Jia was now completely bewildered, utterly unable to comprehend how things had suddenly come to this. When she first heard that Daiyu had been named Crown Princess, Grandmother Jia was secretly delighted, thinking that the household now had a powerful patron.

Chapter 179 Jia Lan Receives a Reward, Daiyu Sees Through It All

While Grandmother Jia and everyone in the Rongguo Mansion were feeling uneasy, Baochai instructed the kitchen to prepare a good meal and wine and send it to the main house. She also personally went to talk to Madam Xing and brought two bolts of fabric with her.

Madam Xing looked at Baochai as if she were her own daughter: "Baochai is so thoughtful, unlike that heartless, short-lived girl. No wonder she brought death to her parents."

These words were obviously directed at Daiyu. Upon hearing this, Baochai had a sudden inspiration: if the Princess Consort of Ruijun asked her for advice again, then it would be a good thing to spread a rumor that the Crown Princess had an unlucky fate.

However, at present, Baochai should take this opportunity to improve her relationship with the eldest son's family—the title of Duke of the State will not fall to Baoyu anyway, so it is more important to fully support the Second Prince.

Becoming the crown prince doesn't necessarily mean becoming the emperor.

Meanwhile, Baochai was also keeping an eye on Jia Lan. It has to be said, Lan-ge'er is quite something; even after such a big incident, he acts as if nothing happened, going to the academy every day, and today he even went to the palace.

Jia Lan entered the palace, naturally because he received an invitation from the Sixth Prince. Besides Jia Lan, Li Ke, the Empress's nephew, whose father was the current Minister of Personnel, also received an invitation from the Sixth Prince. There was also a young man named Zhou Cheng, the son of the Marquis of Changyuan, and another named Lu Zhongxiang, a distant nephew of Consort Lu, who was quite talented in literature.

The sixth prince's birthday banquet was held in Qingjiang Garden, where the Chinese tallow trees were already red and the ginkgo trees were in full bloom. Amidst the interplay of red and yellow, hundreds of varieties of chrysanthemums were in full bloom, a feast for the eyes.

This time, it was the sixth prince's birthday. She had received instructions from the emperor and empress, and she was also in charge of organizing it after becoming the crown princess. Daiyu originally thought that Song Huilan and others would definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble, but she did not expect that both Song Huilan and Ge Xijia would remain quite silent.

On the contrary, Consort Wu smiled and said after seeing Jia Lan, "I remember this child is the Crown Princess's cousin, isn't he?"

After saying that, Consort Wu immediately added, "Oh, look at my memory, this child is Consort Xiande's nephew."

Yuan Chun smiled to herself, but inwardly she was filled with emotion: in the past, she valued Bao Yu the most, but she never expected that Jia Lan would be the one who would amount to so much. When she returned home to visit her family, she never spoke to Jia Lan alone, and the two aunt and nephew were completely estranged.

On the contrary, Daiyu smiled and said, "Your Highness has a good memory. It's been quite a while since we last met. Yuntao Academy is indeed a wonderful place. Lan'er has become more and more mature, and her demeanor is quite graceful now."

The Sixth Prince hurriedly interjected, "Third Sister-in-law, you're being biased. Don't I have any manners?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor, who had just arrived, snorted and said, "You're quite the boastful one. Now you have both ash trees and ginkgo trees. Why don't you write a good poem and let us see your progress?"

The emperor was followed by the crown prince and other princes. Everyone quickly bowed, and the emperor raised his hand, smiling as he looked at the sixth prince.

"Father, you really are something. Today is my birthday, and you insist on playing to my strengths. When it comes to poetry, I am naturally no match for Jia Lan, but I am still on par with Zhou Cheng," said the Sixth Prince.

"Then let me test you. I'll see who writes the best, and I'll reward them." The Emperor glanced at the four boys. Ever since he learned that the Sixth Prince had invited them, the Emperor had investigated them. Regardless of their backgrounds, all four of them had their own strengths at Yuntao Academy. The Sixth Prince seemed to have a good ability to make friends.

Upon hearing that the emperor was testing him, Hu Delu quickly ordered someone to bring writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, while the empress led the other palace ladies to admire the flowers, leaving the space to them.

The four boys had naturally prepared for their visit to the palace today, including how to answer questions posed by the emperor. Although they were somewhat nervous about composing poems, they quickly regained their composure.

Those who could study at Yuntao Academy all possessed considerable poetic talent. A moment later, five people, including the Sixth Prince, submitted their poems, which the Emperor reviewed one by one.

The emperor also invited several princes to appreciate the poems. Instead of offering his own opinion, the emperor asked the princes, "Tell me, which poem do you like best?"

The brothers all looked at Xiao Tingjun first, since he was now the Crown Prince, so of course they had to ask the Crown Prince to give his opinion first.

"Your Majesty, I like this poem. It includes the Chinese tallow tree, ginkgo, and chrysanthemum. The line 'cutting the autumn light' is particularly wonderful." Xiao Tingjun was praising Jia Lan's poem.

The Second Prince, Xiao Tingkai, laughed and said, "Your subject thinks Sixth Brother's poem is very good. He has made great progress. The line 'The ground is covered with yellow leaves' is also very evocative."

Prince Li, Xiao Tingfeng, preferred Zhou Cheng's: "This is good. The description of the ginkgo rain is very vivid. When the wind blows, isn't it just like ginkgo rain?"

Prince Cheng, Xiao Tingzhao, sighed, "I think they're all good, at least they're better than me at writing. Father Emperor knows my poetry. But I also like this one. It not only depicts the late autumn scenery in both form and spirit, but also the wild geese. Just now, a flock of wild geese flew by."

He was also referring to Jia Lan.

The second prince looked down on the fifth prince: Now that the third prince had become the crown prince, the fifth prince was practically fawning over him. Of course, the third prince would also try to win people over, entrusting the task of setting up a grand kitchen for the six ministries to the fifth prince, which was a way to place people in positions and make a quick buck.

The Emperor nodded: "I also like this poem the most. Yellow flowers on the ground, red tallow trees, blue sky, wild geese flying in formation, the composition is quite good."

Then he summoned Jia Lan for questioning. Upon hearing that Jia Lan's father had died young, he couldn't help but sigh. Now, the hereditary title of Rongguo Mansion had been taken away by the emperor, all because the emperor couldn't stand those who lay on the ancestral merits, eating and drinking for free and doing evil. Now, seeing Jia Lan, he was able to show him favor.

So the emperor immediately ordered Hu Delu: "Bring him the bamboo-shaped mung bean paste inkstone, the 'Wine-selling Picture' calligraphy scroll, the Wenyuan Pavilion poetry ink, and the white jade brush licker that symbolizes winning the top three honors."

Jia Lan quickly knelt down to express his gratitude, and the emperor then selected round lacquered inkstones with floral and bird patterns for the other three boys.

The sixth prince pouted, "Father, you should also give me some. It's my birthday, after all."

"You really dare to ask for it. Fine, here you go with this yellow jade toad pendant." The emperor casually took it off and gave it to his son.

The following day, the emperor also bestowed gifts upon Jia Lan's mother, Li Wan—praising her for her chastity as a husband and her careful upbringing of her son. He rewarded her with two bolts each of Shu brocade, Yun brocade, Hu satin, and Yun gauze, as well as a bamboo carving of a shepherd boy riding an ox and a bamboo carving of a lion playing with a ball, all bearing the inscription by Wang Zhiyu.

Daiyu understood the Emperor's intentions perfectly. She said to Xiao Tingjun, "Your Majesty is not only showing this to the Rongguo Mansion, but also to other noble families. They should not always rely on their ancestors' achievements, but should earn their own future. Whether it is studying for the imperial examinations or becoming a military general, they should always strive for advancement."

“Yu’er is absolutely right,” Xiao Tingjun praised. “However, Jia Lan is indeed quite capable. He is gentle and polite in every word and deed, and it is rare that he is neither humble nor arrogant in front of the emperor.”

Daiyu saw things clearly, but that doesn't mean others could see them clearly too.

Inside the Rongguo Mansion, the attitudes of the people were naturally quite complicated because Jia Lan and his mother were rewarded, while Jia She was punished and stripped of his title.

On the contrary, Baochai was even happier because of another matter: she heard that Prince Rui was going to take a concubine, and the one he chose was a girl born out of wedlock from her uncle's family.

Chapter 180 The Empress's Considerate Wishes and High Skill

Not only Baochai, but even Daiyu heard about Prince Rui's plan to take a concubine and that he had chosen a daughter born out of wedlock from Prince Teng's family.

The reason Daiyu heard about it was entirely because Consort Wu and her son's schemes were far inferior to the Empress's.

At first, Consort Wu wanted to choose a concubine for her son herself. However, the emperor was in a bad mood and said that he would choose one for his son. Consort Wu began to worry: Now that the third son has been made crown prince, the emperor's heart is biased. I'm afraid he won't be willing to choose a girl from a high-class family to be the second son's concubine. What if he chooses a girl from a poor family?

After Wang Ziteng gave birth to the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Xiao Tingkai had an idea: he heard that Wang Ziteng's other daughter had married into the Baoling Marquis's family. The Shi family now had two marquises, Baoling Marquis Shi Nai and Zhongjing Marquis Shi Ding, both of whom were capable.

In that case, if they could marry Prince Teng's daughter as a concubine, they would not only win over Prince Teng, but also win over the Shi family.

Wang Ziteng is a real fox. After years of navigating the ups and downs of officialdom, he knows exactly which side to choose and who will betray you. Don't be fooled by his current support; if he really thinks you're no longer capable, he'll probably run away faster than anyone else.

Since that's the case, let's just use our kinship to tie him down. Wang Ziteng's niece, Wang Xifeng, is still in Ping'an Prefecture, where she's a former subordinate of the Shi Jia family. Perhaps she can be of use there.

Moreover, the Wang family is wealthy, and I have many expenses these days. With Song Huilan's uncle and maternal grandfather in trouble, the Ruijun Prince's Mansion's income has decreased significantly.

Therefore, offering a concubine position would be quite worthwhile, but since Wang Ziteng's two remaining daughters are both born out of wedlock, he can only choose a girl born out of wedlock.

After careful analysis, Xiao Tingkai went to the palace to speak with his mother. Consort Wu was somewhat powerless at the moment, but for her son's future, she still had to think of a way.

She certainly couldn't ask the Emperor for help again, so after thinking about it, she went to the Empress for help.

"Your Majesty, in the end, it's still about choosing a concubine for the second prince. As the saying goes, whether a family is happy or not is something only they know. A concubine is more sensitive than the principal wife. If the chosen child can't get along with the principal wife, it will only make the royal family a laughing stock." Consort Wu's words ultimately aimed to persuade the emperor to listen to the second prince's thoughts when choosing a concubine.

The Empress smiled and nodded, "What the Consort says is quite right. I will ask His Majesty for his opinion on this matter when I have time."

Seeing the Empress's quick agreement, Consort Wu was somewhat stunned. She had prepared many arguments to persuade the Empress, since she now believed the Empress wholeheartedly supported the third prince. Since the Empress supported the third prince, she certainly wouldn't want the second prince to choose a suitable concubine. Otherwise, it would only bolster the second prince's power.

What surprised Consort Wu even more was that the Empress actually spoke to the Emperor, and in front of Consort Wu, displaying the magnanimity of the Empress: "Your Majesty, the end of the year is approaching. You mentioned choosing a concubine for Prince Rui, but why has there been no further news?"

After hearing this, the emperor glanced at Consort Wu and Consort Xu beside him, and after a moment said, "I was just thinking of discussing this matter with you."