The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

So, taking advantage of the New Year, and the fact that the second son's wife had repented for several years and should take charge, the second son's wife was released.

Fortunately, Baochai was out today and didn't hear these words.

Wenxing saw that Bao Er's wife was very angry, but she still had to continue, "Madam said that she asked Bao Er's wife to come over after she returns."

Baochai was caught off guard, but after a moment of panic, she calmed down. Instead of rushing to see Lady Wang, she asked Wenxing to bring her tea.

She needs to think carefully about what to say first when she gets there.

I thought that since my aunt had offended the Crown Princess, she probably wouldn't be released. But who knew that the old fox, Grandmother Jia, would actually release her. That would definitely have a big impact on my control of the household.

Being overly polite is never a bad thing, so Baochai quickly found two fine old ginseng roots and personally took them to see Lady Wang.

But Baochai never expected that Baoyu, Ying'er, and Zhige'er would also be at Lady Wang's place at this moment. Baochai was still at the courtyard gate when she heard laughter coming from inside.

“Zhi’er is so good. Take a few more steps, come here to your grandmother.” This was clearly Madam Wang’s voice.

"Look, Madam, how clever Zhi-ge is, and how close he is to his grandmother." This was actually Ying-er's voice.

“Of course, blood is thicker than water, and Zhi-ge’er is smart; he knows who is good to him,” Bao-yu said.

Baochai was startled and quickly went inside.

But as soon as they entered, they heard Madam Wang say in a sarcastic tone, "That girl Yuchuan is becoming more and more unruly. She doesn't even know to announce when guests arrive."

This isn't about Yu Chuan'er at all; it's clearly a dig at herself.

However, Baochai always kept her composure. She immediately stepped forward with a smile, first paying her respects to Madam Wang, and then said with a smile, "I was so happy to hear that Madam is out now. Unfortunately, I had some business to attend to today, and I rushed back to see Madam as soon as I got back. I was thinking about how Madam had suffered in the Buddhist hall in the past, and these two old ginseng roots are the most nourishing, so I wanted to offer them to Madam as a token of my respect."

As she spoke, she opened the box. When Madam Wang saw it, she realized that the contents were indeed of good quality. However, since Xue Baochai had always been indifferent to her, she looked down on her now.

"You do have a filial heart." Madam Wang told Yuchuan to take the things away, but then she remained cold and distant. "Where have you been during the New Year? You don't even know how to take care of the children. I heard from Baoyu that Ying'er is taking care of Zhige'er."

Baochai felt wronged. She had to manage such a large household, so naturally she didn't have as much time as Ying'er.

"I had some business to attend to, so I went out with my uncle's daughter, Xi Yuan." Baochai knew that Lady Wang also needed to rely on Wang Ziteng, so she brought up her uncle.

After listening, Madam Wang remained silent for a moment, but still continued to press the issue: "That's fine, but today the old lady mentioned that you, the housekeeper, are a bit too young, and asked me to come out and lend a hand."

Sure enough, it was all about the power to manage the household. But even so, Baochai had no right to refuse.

“A daughter-in-law is not as experienced as the mistress. Now that the mistress is out, she can teach her daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law will definitely learn diligently,” Baochai quickly said.

Seeing Baochai's compliant appearance, Lady Wang's mood improved slightly. Looking at Ying'er beside her, she said, "Indeed, we must take it slowly. Things are different now. She no longer has the title, so she must be even more careful in the future."

Thinking of Yuan Chun in the palace, Madam Wang felt a burning hatred in her teeth—it was all that short-lived Lin family wretch's fault. If it weren't for her, how could things have come to this?

However, the most urgent task now is to sort things out at home.

“When Feng was in charge of the household, Ping’er was a good helper. You should be the same now. I think Ying’er is the most well-behaved and sensible. From now on, let Ying’er help you.” With a casual remark, Madam Wang promoted Ying’er. “If there’s anything, you can bring Ying’er to report to me.”

Upon hearing this, Baochai felt a wave of nausea and irritation. She had truly misjudged Ying'er by promoting her to be Baoyu's concubine. Not only had this vixen bewitched Baoyu, but now even the Madam trusted her.

Ying'er lowered her head: "Madam is too kind. It's just that I am not as capable as Sister Ping'er, and I'm afraid I won't be able to win people's respect."

"What's the big deal? I'll take care of you." Madam Wang looked at Ying'er with a loving expression. "Your second mistress isn't intolerant of others. I heard that it was your second mistress who took the initiative to go to the old lady and promote you to be Baoyu's concubine. It's good that you two are so harmonious."

Baochai quickly interjected, "Madam is very thoughtful. It's also thanks to Ying'er's help that we can manage this household well together."

If Ying'er goes out to work, be careful. Maybe if you leave Ying'er, Baoyu will find another maid. If that doesn't work, you can just bring up another concubine.

Anyway, I am the legal wife, and I can deal with the concubines later.

As for the housekeeper, Ying'er is just a concubine; she won't amount to much. However, I still need to be careful; this girl has already changed her mind.

Seeing this, Madam Wang nodded: "Alright, I'm tired too. Zhi'er, you can stay here. You may all leave."

Li Wan informed Daiyu of the events that had occurred in the manor within a few days.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu sighed, "This family doesn't know how to work together at all. They fight like fighting cocks. It's really pointless."

It's hard for a family like that not to decline.

However, Daiyu soon had no time to reflect, because the Empress entrusted her with Princess Yongjia's first birthday celebration. At this moment, the ladies from the Bureau of Clothing and the Treasury came to consult her.

But Daiyu would never have expected that her first birthday celebration would cause a conflict between her second brother and sister-in-law.

Chapter 186 The Princess's First Birthday Flower Room Mystery

Since Princess Yongjia was born, the emperor has been particularly fond of her. So he not only promoted Consort Guo to Zhaoyi, but also proposed to hold a grand first birthday banquet for the child.

The Empress summoned Daiyu: "I'm exhausted from the New Year's banquet, so I'll leave this entirely to you. It's been a while since any children in the palace have had their first birthday celebration, so let's make it festive and have some fun."

Since it was a first birthday celebration for the Prince of Yongjia, Daiyu naturally had to go to Consort Guo's place to hear her thoughts.

Although it was still a bit cold, the sun was shining brightly, and it was already afternoon. Consort Guo was playing with the children in the courtyard. Thick felt was laid out on the ground, and wet nurses and palace maids were watching over them. When the little princess, who had just started learning to walk, saw Daiyu arrive, she clapped her hands and called out, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law."

Daiyu took a small cloth tiger doll, which Xueyan had made a few days ago, one for the little princess and one for a young noblewoman.

The little girl hugged her plush tiger doll and laughed happily. Guo Zhaoyi told her to say thank you, sister-in-law. She managed to say those four words with difficulty, but then she started drooling.

Consort Guo quickly wiped her clean with an apron. Seeing that the Crown Princess must have something to do at this time, she told the wet nurse to take the child away.

Daiyu then discussed the princess's first birthday celebration with Consort Guo.

Ever since she avenged her family's great grudge and knew that the Empress and the Crown Princess had helped her, Consort Guo was very obedient to the Empress and quite easy to talk to in front of the Crown Princess.

"She's just a child, all spoiled by His Majesty." Speaking of her daughter, Consort Guo's child was less than three months older than Daiyu's daughter, so the two new mothers could talk quite a bit.

Consort Guo had no particular thoughts on her daughter's first birthday celebration: "Just do it the way it was for children in the palace before. Now that His Majesty is so fond of her, it has already made others unhappy. I just want her to grow up safely and peacefully."

Consort Guo knew very well that Consort Wu disliked her intensely.

"Then once the regulations are finalized, we'll send them to Consort Zhaoyi for her review. If any changes are needed, there will be time." Daiyu always liked to prepare in advance, allowing ample time for revisions.

Since it's the little princess's first birthday celebration, the Bureau of Clothing and the Department of Jewelry and Gemstones naturally need to make preparations. Because she's a girl, exquisitely embroidered purses, cute rouge boxes, and other such items must be prepared. Of course, traditional books and calligraphy brushes are also necessary.

Daiyu had almost finished her preparations and reported them to the Empress. She also asked Consort Guo for her opinion, and everything went very smoothly.

The baby's first birthday celebration was exceptionally grand because of the emperor's personal attendance. The concubines and Daiyu's sisters-in-law all prepared gifts.

When Consort Wu saw the pot of beautifully blooming daffodils, she immediately smiled and praised, "Blooming with water is a wonder in itself; the flowers are made of water and jade. They are truly beautiful."

However, after a pause, she looked at Consort Guo with a hint of mockery: "Using such a rough pottery basin is rather unrefined. If Sister Guo doesn't have a suitable basin, just go to the Guangchu Department and pick one out. Not to mention the celadon-glazed rectangular flowerpot with string patterns, even the Ge kiln celadon-glazed begonia-shaped flowerpot would be excellent for pairing with daffodils."

Indeed, this potted plant with such beautiful flowers looks a bit out of place, but it's not actually that bad. Consort Wu's words clearly implied that she looked down on Consort Guo's low birth and wanted to mock her.

Upon closer listening, some criticized the Guangchu Department for its inadequate work. To put it more deeply, since the Empress ruled the inner palace, the Guangchu Department was also under her jurisdiction. So, ultimately, it was the Empress's dereliction of duty.

Sure enough, the emperor frowned upon hearing this: "The servants are becoming more and more skilled at their duties. Why are they using such a basin?"

The maids and servants in Consort Guo's palace were so frightened that they all immediately knelt down.

However, Consort Guo, holding the little princess, smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Noble Consort. However, these two pots of flowers were delivered by the Guangchu Department this morning. In the past, I have not placed fresh flowers in the room for the sake of the child. Today, I thought that it was the baby's first birthday celebration and His Majesty and my sisters would be coming. In order not to leave the room bare, I had them placed here."

This means that the Guangchu Division is not taking things seriously.

The emperor immediately summoned Eunuch Tao, the head eunuch of the Guangchu Department's flower and tree workshop.

Consort Wu was somewhat smug, but she didn't notice that her daughter-in-law, Song Huilan, was pale.

Daiyu glanced at the smiling and composed Empress, and her heart calmed down: it was clear that even if the Empress did not know the truth, she was aware of the matter, so there was no need to worry.

Sure enough, a short while later, Eunuch Tao from the Guangchu Division's flower and tree room arrived. After greeting his masters, he calmly recounted the events.

“Nowadays, the purchase of flowers and trees is handled by the Imperial Household Department. These are the daffodils that were delivered yesterday. They are just like this. We servants don’t know what kind of pots the masters like to use, so we didn’t choose any,” Eunuch Tao knelt down and reported truthfully.

The emperor didn't think too much about it at first, but Consort Guo laughed and said, "So we can't blame Eunuch Tao and the others. But I heard that a pot of daffodils like this costs fifty taels of silver, is that right?"

Eunuch Tao bowed his head and said, "Yes, the account books for the flower and tree room are all there. If Your Highness feels anything is amiss, you can check the accounts."

After all, it wasn't Eunuch Tao who went to buy it; he was only responsible for receiving and signing it.

The Emperor immediately realized something was amiss: fifty taels of silver couldn't even buy a decent flowerpot? Even Consort Wu belatedly realized—the Imperial Household Department buys flowers from the Second Prince's wife's flower room, so could there be some connection?

Just as the emperor was about to erupt in anger, the empress quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, today is our little princess's first birthday celebration. We can sort out those matters later."

The Imperial Household Department was a general term, not a single building. Its subordinate Guangchu Department was further divided into six warehouses: silver, leather, porcelain, satin, clothing, and tea. All the items needed by the inner palace were distributed from the Guangchu Department.

Within the palace, departments such as Guangchu Si and Shangfu Ju were under the Empress's jurisdiction, while outside, departments such as Duyu Si and Kuaiji Si were under the Emperor's command. For example, the head of the Imperial Household Department was previously Zhang Guangsheng, and now Cao Moshan has been appointed, both of whom were appointed through the Emperor's hand.

Half of the flowers, trees, and bonsai in the flower and tree room were cultivated by Fengchen Garden itself, while the other half were purchased from outside. Although Eunuch Tao was the chief eunuch of the flower and tree room, the purchases were not made through him.

Therefore, the Empress was not flustered at all, but Princess Consort Song Huilan of Rui County was very flustered.

Suddenly, the little princess grabbed a calligraphy brush, and the emperor picked up his daughter and laughed, "My little princess is amazing! She will definitely be a talented woman in the future."

It wasn't a real calligraphy brush, but rather a specially designed, adorable one. However, there were even more eye-catching items like a sewing box next to it. The little princess still grabbed the brush, much to the emperor's delight.

No matter what the little princess grabbed, everyone showered her with auspicious words.

Song Huilan was absent-minded. After leaving the palace, she went to her own flower room first. Little did she know, there were more troubles waiting for her.

Chapter 187 The Devastating Truth: Prince Rui's Embezzlement

Song Huilan hadn't been to the flower room for many days. After all, everything had been going smoothly. She had arranged for someone to manage it and felt there were no problems, so she naturally didn't put much effort into it. After all, she had only made a copy of Daiyu's "Painted Hall Spring Embroidery" because the emperor liked it.

Moreover, so many things had happened in the past year and a half: his maternal grandfather and uncle had both run into trouble, the Princess Consort of Yi was pregnant, and then the couple were appointed Crown Prince and Crown Princess. His mind was entirely on the Prince's mansion and his rivals, so he had no time to manage the flower room.

Upon arriving today and seeing so many unfamiliar faces, Song Huilan was even more alarmed: How come she didn't recognize so many people? Even if only some of the noble ladies came voluntarily, and the rest came out of Song Huilan's favors, they should have earned quite a bit over the past three years, so they shouldn't have stopped coming.

Besides, the tasks these ladies of noble birth had to do were very simple. There was no way they could actually cultivate flowers and trees or make bonsai. Basically, Song Huilan hired some gardening masters from outside.

Unlike the elaborate embroidery in the painted hall, the ladies of the imperial family were truly working stitch by stitch.

Song Huilan didn't believe anyone would be unhappy about a job that paid for doing nothing.

Song Huilan immediately had her head maid, Dongqing, summon Wu De, the head steward of the flower room.

Seeing that Princess Rui had arrived without prior notice, Wu De, already feeling guilty, naturally became somewhat evasive. After greeting Song Huilan, he quickly smiled and said, "If Your Highness needs anything, just let me know. How could I dare to trouble you?"

He quickly ordered someone to serve tea to the princess: "I don't have any good tea here, so please make do with what you have."

Song Huilan gave a cold laugh: "No need to bother. I don't drink tea. If I hadn't come, I'm afraid I wouldn't even know if this greenhouse would still be mine tomorrow."

Wu De's heart skipped a beat: Could it be that the princess heard something somewhere?

However, he still smiled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. This is your flower room, known to everyone in the world."

"It's my greenhouse, so why aren't many of those noble ladies here? And I don't recognize many of the people here either?" Song Huilan asked immediately.

“The Princess is kind-hearted and told the ladies of the nobility not to come every day. They just happened to be absent today. Anyway, there are craftsmen here. Some of the craftsmen who work here have gone to other places in the new year, so I have hired a new batch of people.” Wu De responded in a very methodical manner.

Song Huilan said "oh" but didn't believe it, and then mentioned that she wanted to go see the narcissus.