The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

The emperor always held the empress in the highest esteem, and such matters were always discussed with her.

The Empress immediately smiled and said, "I know Your Majesty has your own considerations, but now that the children are getting married, we should also listen to their opinions. Although a concubine is not as good as the principal wife, once she enters the family, she is still part of the family. If things don't go well, Your Majesty, you love the children, but you will have to worry. Don't you think so?"

Hearing the Empress's words, the Emperor became even more certain that Consort Wu must have said something to the Empress. He really wasn't giving up; the Emperor was becoming increasingly critical of Consort Wu and her son.

However, the Emperor now feels that although the third prince has become the crown prince and he will do his best to cultivate him, he is still too inexperienced. Therefore, he has made up his mind to balance the power among the princes and use his other sons as whetstones to test the true abilities of the princes.

The second son is a perfect whetstone; if he can really bring down the third son, then it can only mean that the third son is inferior. This vast empire must be handed over to a capable person; otherwise, even in death, one would be ashamed to face one's ancestors.

So the emperor smiled slightly, and when the empress saw the emperor's smile, she knew that she had guessed the emperor's thoughts correctly—although a crown prince had been appointed, all emperors had to adopt balancing measures.

Therefore, in the Empress's view, there was no need to worry about Consort Wu and her son. The Emperor would never choose a concubine of too low a birth for his second son.

"So, what are the second prince's own thoughts?" The emperor was, of course, asking Consort Wu.

So easy? Consort Wu recalled the last time the Emperor had refuted her. Today, the Empress hadn't said anything, yet the Emperor's attitude had changed. Sure enough, despite the Emperor's past favor towards her, in reality, the Empress was far more important to him than she was.

However, she didn't have time to feel sad, fearing that she would miss the opportunity, and hurriedly said with a smile: "How could the second son have any chance to get to know a girl? But the second son's wife is on good terms with a young mistress of the Rongguo Mansion. This young mistress is Wang Ziteng's niece. She introduced her uncle's daughter to the second son's wife. Unexpectedly, the second son's wife and the girl got along very well."

As she spoke, Consort Wu closely observed the Emperor's expression. Seeing that the Emperor did not seem to object, she continued, "It would be a good thing if a concubine could get along with the Second Prince's wife. Therefore, I inquired about her. The girl is of similar age, has excellent manners and character, and is born out of wedlock. I thought I would ask Your Majesty's opinion."

The Wang family is quite interesting. Wang Ziteng is currently the Governor-General of Liangjiang and has close ties with prominent families in the capital.

However, the second son was short-sighted, only seeing the present. Which of these officials in the court was promoted overnight?

"In that case, let's choose this girl," the emperor said calmly.

That's it? Consort Wu was completely dumbfounded.

So, even before the imperial edict was issued, many people already knew about this matter.

When Daiyu found out, she smiled mischievously: "Bao Er's wife and his sister-in-law have always been the closest. Now that the concubine is also Bao Er's wife's cousin, if the wife and concubine have a conflict, whose side should Bao Er's wife take?"

Seeing her rosy cheeks and charming smile, Xiao Tingjun found her truly adorable and reached out to pull her into his arms, saying, "You're just eager to see the joke."

Daiyu immediately pushed him away: "You're being reckless again. In broad daylight, the Empress Dowager asked me to help arrange the New Year's banquet. The kitchen staff will be here soon."

Xiao Tingjun had no choice but to agree and release his wife, shrugging his shoulders: "Compared to this, the Prince's Mansion is much more comfortable."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Bingxin came to invite, "His Majesty requests Your Highness to come to the Sansi Hall."

Xiao Tingjun quickly straightened his clothes, and as he walked to the door, he turned back to remind Daiyu, "Don't tire yourself out with the palace banquet."

Daiyu nodded, and Xiao Tingjun then went out.

At this moment, Zijuan came in and whispered in Daiyu's ear, "I heard that Chunmei has passed away at the Prince Li's residence."

Chapter 181 The Empress trains Daiyu to manage affairs

When Daiyu heard the news about Chunmei, she was stunned: When she first entered the palace, she had seen this useful palace maid of Consort Xu a few times. Later, she was given to the Prince Li's mansion, and then she became pregnant, but later she lost the child.

And now, even she has passed away.

Although Daiyu strongly disagreed with Consort Xu's actions, Chunmei was still a living being, so hearing the news still made her feel quite sad.

“So, no matter what, you can’t become someone’s concubine.” Xueyan chimed in, feeling the same way. “Otherwise, you might not even know how you died.”

"Alright, there's no such thing as a taboo when it comes to life and death. Besides, with your sharp tongue, no one would dare to take you as a concubine." Daiyu shook her head and looked at Zijuan instead. This girl was already twenty-two years old. Before Daiyu was to be named the Crown Princess, Daiyu had asked a few maids if they wanted to go to the palace with her. Once they entered the palace, everything would be different.

For example, Zijuan is now a seventh-rank female official in charge of proofreading. Everyone in the palace calls her by her original surname, except for Daiyu, Xueyan and others who call her Zijuan.

If that happens, then one will have to wait until they are twenty-five years old before they can be released from the palace.

However, the maids were all very loyal and wanted to follow Daiyu into the palace.

As Daiyu was lost in thought, Chunyu came in and said that the manager of the tea and food room had arrived, so Daiyu ordered him to be invited in.

Two eunuchs entered, one was the head of the kitchen, surnamed Zhu, and the other was the head of the tea room, surnamed Huang. After entering, the two first bowed to Daiyu.

"I have invited you two here today to discuss the banquet His Majesty will be hosting at Yingzhou Terrace before the New Year." The banquet at Yingzhou Terrace that Daiyu mentioned is also known as the tea banquet. It is a tradition started by the late emperor, in which the emperor invites his key ministers to enjoy tea together on the day before the New Year.

Since there were countless civil and military officials in the court, those who were invited by the emperor to Yingzhou Terrace for tea were naturally the emperor's confidants and pillars of the court.

Because there were only eighteen seats available for this tea banquet, whether or not one was invited, and the seating arrangement thereafter, was extremely important to all the civil and military officials. It practically foreshadowed their position in the court the following year.

The Emperor entrusted such an important tea banquet to the Empress, which naturally shows his trust in her. And the Empress's current entrustment of this task to Daiyu is even more of a cultivation of the Crown Princess.

Although Daiyu had heard of this rather important tea banquet, she did not know the usual rules—it was impossible to spend the whole day there drinking tea.

So Daiyu naturally called the tea and food service staff to ask about the past years' rules. The two staff members were well-prepared and quickly reported the procedures from last year, as well as the snacks, tea sets, tea leaves, and lunch dishes that were delivered. They also presented the booklets from previous years.

Xueyan took it, and after Daiyu asked a few more questions, she said, "Leave the booklet for now. I'll think about it some more, and once I have a plan, I'll invite you both over."

Zhu and Huang were both veterans, and seeing the Empress carrying the Crown Princess, they naturally wouldn't want to offend her. They quickly smiled and said, "It's our duty as servants to do our work. We can't accept the Crown Princess's request."

He then took his leave.

They won't get into trouble, but some people will.

The next day, Daiyu received an invitation from Yuanchun to have tea.

This was the first time Yuan Chun had invited her since she became the Crown Princess. After thinking for a while, Daiyu took Xueyan and Chunyu with her to Yuan Chun's Fengzao Palace.

In winter, the flowers and plants in Fengzao Palace have withered, giving it a somewhat desolate feel.

According to the rules of the dynasty, all four imperial concubines were of the first rank, and Daiyu, the Crown Princess, was also of the first rank. The two were of the same rank, but because the Virtuous Consort was the emperor's concubine, that is, the elder of the Crown Princess, Daiyu bowed first.

Yuan Chun quickly smiled and said, "Your Highness, please don't stand on ceremony. If we're talking about it in detail, we are actually cousins."

Daiyu immediately replied, "I dare not accept such praise. A woman follows her husband after marriage. You are the Emperor's concubine, so the order should not be disrupted."

Although Daiyu didn't visit Yuan Chun's Fengzao Palace often, she knew it was leaky like a sieve, so she had to be careful with her words, otherwise someone with ulterior motives might find out about their conversation.

One sentence dampened Yuan Chun's desire to reminisce, but thinking of family matters, Yuan Chun held back and maintained a smile: "No wonder His Majesty and the Empress praised the Crown Princess for being sensible."

Daiyu didn't respond to that, but simply maintained a smile: Although she didn't know what Yuanchun wanted to do when she invited her, she had already decided to remain unchanged in the face of any eventuality.

As expected, after Yuan Chun finished speaking, seeing that Dai Yu had no reaction, she became somewhat uneasy. She told the maid to quickly serve tea, intending to chat casually. But to her surprise, for the next while, no matter what she said, Dai Yu maintained a polite and courteous demeanor, but rarely responded. She would not speak unless asked. If asked, Dai Yu would only say a few simple words and would never say more.

Having no other choice, Yuan Chun changed the subject to her purpose: "I heard that Her Majesty the Empress entrusted the Yingzhou Terrace tea banquet to the Crown Princess this year. It's just a pity that your uncle's official rank is too low to be qualified."

Oh, so it was about the tea banquet. But since Consort Xiande herself knows that her uncle's official rank is too low, why bother making this trip?

Daiyu nodded in agreement and remained silent.

Seeing that Daiyu didn't take the topic, Yuanchun had no choice but to grit her teeth and say, "Last time, when the Crown Princess organized the Sixth Prince's birthday banquet, she invited Lan'er to the palace. Now that His Majesty and the Empress both value the Crown Princess, I'm afraid that if the Crown Princess were willing to speak up, she might be able to ask for a favor for your uncle."

Daiyu's face immediately turned cold, but she still spoke in a steady and composed manner: "Your Highness, Consort Xiande, thinks too highly of me. It was the Sixth Prince who sent the invitation to Lan'er to enter the palace, and the Yingzhou Terrace tea banquet was arranged by His Majesty."

Seeing that Daiyu refused with a single word, Yuanchun was displeased. Looking at Daiyu's serious expression, she was furious. After thinking it over, she finally couldn't help but say, "The Crown Princess is indeed cold-hearted and heartless. Did she not remember any of the affection she had for you during those days when you lived in the Rongguo Mansion?"

Daiyu immediately changed her expression to one of solemnity mixed with seven parts fear, and stood up: "I cannot accept such words from the Virtuous Consort. The Yingzhou Terrace Tea Banquet is a matter of court affairs, and no one can put public duty aside for private reasons."

After saying this, without waiting for Consort Xiande to speak again, Daiyu took her leave: "The Empress has given me instructions and I still have things to do, so I won't disturb Her Majesty any longer."

Watching Daiyu's retreating figure, Yuanchun angrily knocked over a plate of tangerines on the table.

Baoqin quickly came over to mediate.

When Xiao Tingjun heard that Daiyu had been summoned by the Virtuous Consort, he naturally wanted to inquire. However, after hearing Daiyu's words, Xiao Tingjun felt a surge of dissatisfaction—the Virtuous Consort was being far too arrogant and unfair!

The next day, the emperor asked Xiao Tingjun to help him write, and Xiao Tingjun immediately had an idea.

Chapter 182 Heartache for Wife Yuan Chun's Demotion

The emperor had Xiao Tingjun help him write characters so that he could bestow blessings upon his ministers and princes. The so-called bestowal of blessings meant that in the twelfth lunar month, the emperor would personally write the character "福" (fortune) on bright red paper sprinkled with gold, and then send it to them.

Whether they were officials or princes, receiving the character "福" (fortune) was a great honor. However, there were too many officials in the court, plus so many members of the royal family, so the emperor would usually only write about twenty of them, and the rest would be written by the princes.

In previous years, the current emperor had never had any of his princes write on his behalf; instead, he would have the empress write some for him. Now that there is a crown prince, the emperor naturally summoned him, intending to write a few himself first and then leave the rest to him.

Xiao Tingjun quickly stepped forward to grind ink for the emperor. After grinding, he took out the ink stick and then wiped it dry with a fine cotton cloth to prevent the water-soaked ink stick from becoming brittle and falling off the ink particles, which would ruin this good ink.

"Father, the ink used today for the poem 'Broken Bridge and Lingering Snow' is one that I remember my grandfather bestowed upon me when I was a child." Xiao Tingjun watched as the Emperor finished writing the character "福" (fortune/blessing), then carefully took the large red paper sprinkled with gold and handed it to the eunuch serving beside him.

This ink is one of the collection of inks depicting the ten scenes of West Lake. The ink surface is inscribed with poems about West Lake, with gold filling in the intaglio. The back is painted with a picture of Broken Bridge in the snow, pavilions, trees, nearby water and distant mountains, all depicted with exquisite detail and vividness.

As soon as he spoke, the emperor remembered that the Broken Bridge and Lingering Snow Poetry Ink was specially commissioned by the late emperor. The ink was of excellent quality and had a deep, dark color. The first batch was produced in small quantities and was used by the late emperor to reward several meritorious officials.

That year, the emperor was still a prince. He had just returned from an official mission in Shanxi. Because he had done a good job, the late emperor was very pleased and rewarded him with ten ink sticks.

"Indeed, your imperial grandfather loved these refined pursuits the most." The emperor recalled the past with a good mood. "Speaking of which, it was your imperial grandfather who started the tea banquet."

Speaking of the tea banquet, the Emperor recalled the Empress's words that this year the Crown Princess would be in charge of preparing it, so the Emperor asked Xiao Tingjun how the Crown Princess's preparations were going.

Xiao Tingjun immediately replied, "It was going very smoothly. The people in the tea and food room were very cooperative. Yu'er even said that she wanted something new. However, the Virtuous Consort summoned her and gave Yu'er a lecture."

The emperor is a man who, if you beat around the bush or speak vaguely, might become suspicious, but if you are straightforward, he will think you are honest and straightforward.

Upon hearing Xiao Tingjun's words, the emperor immediately frowned.

“Father also knows that the Crown Princess is intelligent and clear-headed, quick to understand, but also insists on the rules. So when she heard Consort Xiande say that she wanted to ask the Rongguo Mansion for favors, she immediately refuted Consort Xiande. But after returning, she couldn’t help but feel sad when she thought about living in the Rongguo Mansion for so many years.” Xiao Tingjun sighed after he finished speaking. “No one from the Rongguo Mansion was originally allowed to attend the tea banquet. This is not a matter of favors. If anyone is to blame, it is the descendants who are not up to par.”

The Emperor nodded upon hearing this, thinking that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were both people who knew what was important and what wasn't, which he liked very much. He recalled that the Empress had been the same in previous years.

Now that the Empress's brother has become the Minister of Personnel, the Empress will not inquire about who was invited to the tea banquet, nor will she say a word on behalf of her brother or ask for his help. She will only wholeheartedly share the Emperor's burdens, so the Emperor is very satisfied.

The current Crown Princess is the same. She accepted the task of organizing the tea banquet and meticulously arranged for the Imperial Household Department to handle every detail. This attitude pleased the Emperor.

In comparison, Consort Xiande was truly ignorant.

The emperor didn't actually like Consort Xiande very much at first. He only did so because of the Emperor Emeritus and Consort Zhen. In addition, he could use Consort Xiande to win over the old ministers. At that time, he had just ascended the throne and still had the Emperor Emeritus behind him. He couldn't really make decisions on many things.

Of the concubines, only Consort Xiande was not a former member of the Emperor's household. Consort Wu, Consort Xu, and Consort Zhou had all been by the Emperor's side for many years, not to mention the Empress.

The reason she was made one of the four consorts upon her arrival was entirely to put the Emperor Emeritus at ease and to appease the veteran officials.

If Consort Xiande were wiser, the Emperor would have overlooked the past because of her skill in playing the zither.

Unfortunately, he was insatiable, which immediately displeased the emperor. However, the emperor did not say anything in front of Xiao Tingjun.

But upon arriving at the Empress's Phoenix Palace, the Emperor immediately brought up the matter of the ranks of the empresses: "I have not promoted any empresses in recent years, it is time to take action."

One sentence left the Empress somewhat confused: "To be honest, there are only a few people in the Emperor's harem right now, so why bring this up all of a sudden?"

However, the Empress was not in a hurry, and instead asked, "Then what does His Majesty mean?"

"Now that Consort Lu's son is so grown up, it's time for her to be promoted to one of the four imperial consorts." The Emperor thought of the sixth prince and felt that although the child was a bit mischievous, he had a good heart. "As for Consort Guo, she has a princess now, so it's time to promote her rank."

Both of them have children. What does the Emperor mean by this? The Empress immediately thought of Consort Xiande and asked, "Then, does His Majesty mean that we should make some changes to Consort Xiande's side?"

"That's right, it's her. As a concubine, she still wants to ask her family for favors. Doesn't she even know what kind of people her family is?" The Emperor snorted. "The Empress probably doesn't know that she summoned the Crown Princess and gave her a dressing down, does she?"

The Empress nodded: "The Crown Princess is busy with tea banquets these days. When she comes to me, she only comes to pay her respects and discuss tea banquet snacks with me. She hasn't mentioned it at all."