The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

So he said to his sister-in-law, "Although that place used to be the Duke's mansion, it has declined now, so don't be afraid, sister-in-law."

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Even if it's the Duke's mansion, we're not afraid. I've heard that the Eldest Princess is a reasonable person." Although Madam Luo said this, she was still a little timid, but for the sake of her younger brother's life, she had to muster her courage.

The princess invited her to bring her son and daughter, but firstly, her son had to go to school and secondly, he was getting old. After thinking about it, Luo only brought her daughter and prepared some local specialties from her hometown. The princess probably had nothing to lack, but this was her way of showing her appreciation.

Since arriving in the capital, Luo had visited several households, none of which boasted a residence as grand as the Princess's. In fact, the servants in those households often looked down on her. However, at the Princess's residence, the servants performed their duties diligently, treating Luo with the same politeness and attentiveness, showing no sign of disrespect.

The eldest princess herself was equally approachable. She asked for tea and snacks, inquired about her well-being in the capital, and then turned the conversation to her children's marriages.

"Although this girl is not related to me, I really like her." The princess told Luo about Xichun's situation, and then asked a maid to invite Xichun.

Before long, Xichun came out with Gao Xin in her hand. Luo Shi was immediately impressed. She was indeed a beautiful girl. She was wearing a pink cross-collar gauze shirt with an orange gauze skirt. She looked as delicate as a flower.

Although she already knew the other person's identity, Xichun felt a little uneasy, but she still greeted him generously.

Xi Chun was well aware of her awkward position. She was clearly from the Ningguo Mansion, but now that the Ningguo Mansion was gone, she, the so-called daughter of a prominent family, had become an ordinary person. Yet, she was living in the Rongguo Mansion. Although the Rongguo Mansion had also fallen, out of respect for Grandmother Jia, the Emperor still allowed them to live in such a large mansion. However, the Emperor also said that he would take back the mansion after Grandmother Jia passed away.

Therefore, she wouldn't even dare to think about someone like Liu Jishan. Despite the Princess's pity and Sister Lin's care, Xichun still felt uneasy.

When Xichun met Liu Jishan's sister-in-law, who had a kind face, she felt much more at ease. After hearing about Liu Jishan's background, she felt sorry for him and admired his sister-in-law very much. It was quite difficult for a woman to raise her younger brother and children, even with the help of her clansmen.

At the same time, it also made Xichun realize how naive she had been when she complained about her background and family: even though her mother died early and her father went to a Taoist temple and didn't care about her, she still grew up in a mansion where she didn't have to worry about food and drink, and she had some maids to serve her.

After her second sister got married, she was not happy, which made Xichun afraid of getting married. Even though she saw that her sister Lin was very happy after getting married, Xichun was still worried: her sister Lin was lucky to marry the third prince. With her brother's character, she wondered if she would end up like her second sister.

Even after the man surnamed Sun died in battle in the southeast, and her second sister's life improved, Xichun still had some doubts.

So when Sister Lin sent Zijuan's mother to ask for her opinion, Xichun remembered that she had seen Liu Jishan at Sister Lin's Wanmei Manor. At that time, the man personally rowed the boat, his posture as sturdy as a cypress or pine, and his movements clean and neat.

Seeing that Xichun, though not talkative, was very cautious and sincere, and did not look down on her, a peasant woman, Luo was very satisfied. To be honest, when her brother mentioned that the prince consort had come to inquire about such a girl, Luo was very worried, fearing that these girls raised in wealthy families would be too arrogant and look down on them.

Seeing that Luo Shi and Xi Chun were not having a lively conversation, but the atmosphere was harmonious, the Princess was completely relieved. She invited Luo Shi to stay for a meal, while Gao Xin had already taken Luo Shi's daughter to play in her courtyard.

The eldest princess was always a woman of action. The next day, she had Gao Zhen send someone to explain to Jia Zhen and his wife, and at the same time sent someone to the palace to deliver a message to Daiyu.

Upon receiving the news of the prince consort, Jia Zhen was stunned for a long time, thinking to himself: Now he definitely can't agree to Prince Rui's proposal. This son of a third-ranking scholar who is about to become a sub-prefect is much better than the second son of the Marquis of Jinxiang who has no title to inherit.

Besides, this was arranged by the Princess's household. Even if it wasn't a young man as outstanding as Liu Jishan, Jia Zhen would still have to agree—how could they dare to offend the Princess these days?

So Jia Zhen immediately agreed to the request from the Prince Consort's mansion, and even said that he would definitely prepare a good dowry for his sister. Back then, the Crown Princess's father was a third-ranked scholar, so perhaps his future brother-in-law could also achieve great things.

At the same time, Jia Zhen personally went to apologize to Prince Rui.

Chapter 193 Prince Rui Dissatisfied with the Consort's Slander

Jia Zhen's embarrassed yet obsequious expression made Xiao Tingkai very uncomfortable, but unfortunately, Prince Rui couldn't find fault with what Jia Zhen said.

"Having received Your Highness's instructions, I immediately sent my wife to the Rongguo Mansion. But who knew that the Princess had already taken everyone away? Now my wife can only wait for my younger sister to return. Who would have thought that the Prince Consort would act so swiftly?" Jia Zhen kept apologizing. "Your Highness, please forgive me. Although I am the elder brother, the Princess and the Prince Consort have both spoken on this matter. How could I dare to disobey?"

Xiao Tingkai had long been familiar with Jia Zhen's cunning, so he didn't directly lash out at Jia Zhen. Instead, he generously patted Jia Zhen on the shoulder and said, "This is not your fault. On the contrary, I want to congratulate you. Your sister is so well-liked by your aunt. She will definitely have a bright future."

"It's all thanks to the masters' kindness." Jia Zhen guessed that Prince Rui must be unhappy, so he didn't say anything more and quickly made an excuse to leave.

Watching Jia Zhen's retreating figure, Xiao Tingkai grew increasingly angry and immediately went to ask his wife how things were going.

But Song Huilan also received bad news: "We were too slow. Yesterday, we sent someone to the Liu family and heard that his sister-in-law had been invited to the princess's residence."

“Aunt is really too biased. Not only does she help the third son herself, but she also openly helps him make friends with court officials.” Seeing that his wife’s side had failed, Xiao Tingkai became even more furious and started to speak recklessly. “I don’t believe it. Liu Jishan is just a nobody. I want to see what tricks the third son can use.”

Song Huilan was also quite discouraged, but after hearing Xiao Tingkai's words, she couldn't help but have a few thoughts: "Do you think Father Emperor will be unhappy?"

"What's wrong?" Xiao Tingkai didn't understand the meaning behind Song Huilan's words for a moment.

“Throughout history, emperors have never liked their sons associating with court officials, and even the third prince is no exception,” Song Huilan reminded Xiao Tingkai.

“But this time, it was Aunt who helped. You know how Father treats Aunt.” Xiao Tingkai thought that the third son and his wife were really cunning, managing to persuade Aunt to help.

“But that girl is the Crown Princess’s cousin, and they are the closest of friends. Father has always respected Aunt, but that doesn’t mean it will always be so. There are many cases of people discarding their birds after they’ve served their purpose. If Father thinks that Aunt has overstepped her bounds, it’s hard to say what will happen in the future.” Song Huilan analyzed carefully.

Xiao Tingkai fell into deep thought for a moment: He had to admit that Song Huilan's analysis made a lot of sense, but Xiao Tingkai was not sure how much the emperor trusted his aunt.

After thinking for a while, Xiao Tingkai said to his wife, "How about this, when you go to the palace to pay your respects to Mother tomorrow, ask her what she thinks. If she thinks it's feasible, she'll know what to do."

Song Huilan nodded; this was indeed the only option at the moment.

After hearing her daughter-in-law's words, Consort Wu also fell into deep thought: The eldest princess has clearly sided with the crown prince this time, and she will not support the second prince either, so he is an enemy.

The daughter-in-law's words also made a lot of sense. Since ancient times, no emperor has ever been happy to see his son befriending court officials. Since the emperor thinks so highly of Liu Jishan, it would be a good opportunity for him to make his mark.

But how to bring this up with the Emperor was something Consort Wu had to think carefully about, since the Eldest Princess held a special place in the Emperor's heart.

She pondered how to pretend nothing was wrong and tell the emperor about it as if it were news or gossip, so as not to arouse his suspicion. As a result, she pondered for several days, and since the emperor had not come recently, and Liu Jishan and Xichun were engaged, Consort Wu finally found an opportunity.

The emperor did not allow announcements. When they arrived, Consort Wu was chatting with Consort Jia. The two were sitting on chairs in the courtyard, with tea and snacks on a small table.

"I heard there's good news in your family?" Consort Wu casually brought it up.

Now that Lady Wang has left the Buddhist shrine, she was able to enter the palace to see her daughter on the first day of the new year. Upon seeing her daughter, who had been demoted to the rank of Zhaoyuan, Lady Wang cried bitterly.

Therefore, it was Lady Wang who informed her daughter about Xichun's engagement.

"It's something Your Highness is thinking about. My cousin from another branch of the family is engaged to the third-ranked scholar from a few years ago." Yuan Chun was unaware of the Consort's thoughts, since she knew nothing about Prince Rui's attempt to win over Liu Jishan. So when the Consort asked, she didn't hide it from her.

"That's wonderful news! I heard His Majesty values ​​this third-ranked scholar very much," the Consort continued. "I also heard that it was the Eldest Princess who intervened? It seems your cousin is quite favored by the princess."

There was no affection between Yuan Chun and Xi Chun, and Yuan Chun had heard that Xi Chun was on very good terms with the Crown Princess. Upon hearing this, she said indifferently, "It's just a matter of personal fate. My cousin was already on good terms with the Crown Princess, and it was through the Crown Princess's introduction that she caught the eye of the Eldest Princess. As for me, we have no dealings."

Consort Wu knew the Emperor had arrived, but she pretended not to. She had deliberately arranged her seat today, with her back to the moon gate. It was only natural that her servants hadn't reported the Emperor's arrival.

"It's clear that the Princess and the Crown Princess cherish her very much. Lord Liu is young and promising, and he will surely be successful in the future. Your sister will definitely enjoy a good life after marrying into his family." Consort Wu did not mention befriending court officials at all, but she believed that the Emperor would definitely make the connection when he heard this.

To her surprise, the emperor replied, "That's quite true. My elder sister came to the palace a few days ago and told me that she wanted to be a matchmaker for the third-ranked scholar. I was curious about which family it was. It turns out it's your family."

Upon hearing the Emperor's voice, Consort Wu and Yuan Chun quickly rose and turned to pay their respects.

Yuan Chun's panic was genuine, while Consort Wu's was feigned, but she was also very unsettled: Did His Majesty already know about the Princess's affair? Did His Majesty really not care?

However, she was also very glad that she hadn't foolishly gone to the emperor's ear to sow discord this time, otherwise she would probably have been scolded again.

Thinking of this, Consort Wu quickly smiled and said, "That is truly a good marriage. Consort Jia's younger sister must be exceptionally beautiful and talented."

"That's true. Princess Qingjia is also outstanding. As for this Fourth Miss, I have seen her paintings. She is exceptionally talented at such a young age," the Emperor praised.

Hearing this, Yuan Chun felt even more bitter: even if her fourth sister married well, she probably couldn't help her much. After all, her cousin from another branch of the family was quite distant. Moreover, Xi Chun and Dai Yu were close friends.

Consort Wu thought to herself: The third prince and his wife are indeed formidable. Now that they have the eldest princess's family as a great help, the second prince will have to put in even more effort.

For the second son, the best course of action would be to quickly marry the daughter of Prince Teng's family.

Unexpectedly, before this Miss Wang even married into the family, the Wang family sent her a grand gift—a gift related to the Crown Princess.

Chapter 194 Using Old Stories to Attack the Crown Prince

Although the emperor had agreed to select the youngest daughter of Prince Teng's concubine to become Prince Rui's secondary consort, he only issued the decree two months ago.

Consort Wu was somewhat annoyed to see the Crown Princess and the Eldest Princess trying to win over Liu Jishan for the Third Prince. However, just two days later, the Wang family, through the Wu family, delivered good news to Consort Wu.

Wang Ziteng, now the Governor-General of Liangjiang, discovered that Lin Ruhai had committed illegal acts when he was in charge of the salt administration.

Embezzlement. And not a small amount, but a very large sum.

Less than a year after Wang Ziteng was promoted to Governor-General of Liangjiang, he received an imperial edict that his illegitimate youngest daughter had been chosen to be a concubine of Prince Rui.

After receiving the imperial decree, Prince Teng pondered it carefully: even if his daughter married Prince Rui, should he tie himself to the Second Prince's side? To put it bluntly, he had several daughters, and this one was even born out of wedlock; whether it worked out or not didn't matter. What Prince Teng needed to consider more was the entire Wang family.

Over the years, the emperor has increasingly neglected him. His promotion to the so-called Inspector General of Nine Provinces was actually a demotion in disguise. He originally held military power, but the title of Inspector General of Nine Provinces sounded prestigious, but compared to the military power to defend the capital, it was merely nominal.

Through my own efforts over the past few years, I have finally managed to become the Governor-General of Liangjiang, a genuine second-rank official.

Prince Rui's situation has not been very optimistic in the past two years, especially now that the Third Prince has been named Crown Prince. If the other princes openly compete for the title, it would be considered an act of insubordination.

However, as for the Crown Prince, he, as the Governor-General of Liangjiang, was not even among the candidates for cooperation—the Crown Prince's two maternal uncles were both very powerful, and with the Empress's side as well, he was practically insignificant.

Should he take a gamble? Wang Ziteng pondered for a long time. Thinking back to the events involving the Xue family and the Rongguo Mansion, and then to Jia Yucun, whom he had recently eliminated, Wang Ziteng clearly realized that if the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne one day, he would likely be the one to be purged.

So Wang Ziteng decided to take a gamble.

Having thought it through, Wang Ziteng decided to start with the two former governors, Li Su and Lin Ruhai from back then—Wang Ziteng knew about the trouble that had happened to the Zhang family, the maternal grandfather of Princess Rui, and the fact that his sister had suffered a stroke.

Wang Ziteng believed that this was definitely the Crown Prince's doing, but the Crown Prince had done it so meticulously that it was impossible to verify it for the time being.

Since the Crown Prince is so ruthless, then let's settle this score. As the Governor-General of Liangjiang, it's only right that I investigate all the past officials in Liangjiang.

But no matter how hard they investigated, they couldn't find any evidence against Li Su and Lin Ruhai. Wang Ziteng refused to believe it; were these two really so incorruptible?

Having no other choice, Wang Ziteng came up with another idea: he hosted banquets for many wealthy merchants and officials from Jiangnan, and one of them quickly made contact with Wang Ziteng.

A salt merchant named Ye Yingnan is the current head of the wealthy Ye family in Jiangnan. The Ye family has declined considerably in recent years, which is why Ye Yingnan is eager to make a good impression on Wang Ziteng.

Listening to Wang Ziteng's words, which implied he was inquiring about the previous Governor-General of Liangjiang, Li Su, and the former Salt Commissioner, Lin Ruhai, Ye Yingnan, being a shrewd person, immediately figured out what was going on.

Ye Yingnan knew almost nothing about the affairs of Li Su, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, but he did know some things about Lin Ruhai.

In particular, the matter of Lin Ruhai accepting silver donations from salt merchants.

At that time, the head of the Ye family was Ye Yingnan's father, and Ye Yingnan learned about the salt merchants giving money to Lin Ruhai from his father's sigh.

"Lin Ruhai is such an unlucky man. If I had known, I wouldn't have sent so much money these past two years. I was thinking that whether he got promoted or stayed on, he would be able to help our family. Now look what happened, he's gone and all our money has gone down the drain."

Lin Ruhai had only passed away a few days prior. Ye Yingnan had previously thought Lin Ruhai was an honest official, so upon hearing this, she immediately asked her father, "What? We still give him gifts?"

"It's not about giving gifts. That Lin fellow is very shrewd. Haven't you seen how Lin Ruhai would host a banquet for the salt merchants at the end of each year? Do you think that banquet is good for you? We have to donate silver voluntarily. After donating, we have to sign a document saying that we did it voluntarily and willingly." Speaking of this, Ye's father wasn't heartbroken about the money, but rather regretted losing this opportunity. Lin Ruhai was the son-in-law of the Rongguo Mansion, a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, and was also rumored to be serving as an imperial censor. Everyone originally thought that he would definitely be promoted and become a high-ranking official in the capital, and that he would have to take care of people like them.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Ruhai passed away, and the money was lost for nothing. Father Ye was truly annoyed.

Now that Ye Yingnan's father has passed away for several years, when she heard Wang Ziteng ask about Lin Ruhai, she thought for a while and told Wang Ziteng about the matter in detail. She also asked another salt merchant, Chen Yifang, to tell him what he knew.

Chen Yifang was sixteen years older than Ye Yingnan and had personally attended the banquet where money was donated to Lin Ruhai. Although the Chen family was not as wealthy as the Ye family, they still donated a considerable amount every year. Therefore, he knew much more about sending money to Lin Ruhai than Ye Yingnan, and he told Wang Ziteng everything in detail.

Lin Ruhai's case would implicate the Crown Princess. Wang Ziteng was overjoyed upon hearing the news.

After some deliberation, Wang Ziteng sent the information to the capital and told Prince Rui and his mother his thoughts: they should pretend they didn't know anything, and he should use his connections in the Censorate to launch an impeachment against Lin Ruhai. At the same time, the Prefect of Yangzhou was also one of his people. By combining the two sides, even if Lin Ruhai died, the Crown Princess would be implicated in the crime of her father being a corrupt official.

Consort Wu and her son were overjoyed upon receiving this news. They immediately sent a message to Liangjiang, instructing Prince Teng to proceed according to the plan.

They were all convinced that this time they would deliver a heavy blow to the Crown Prince and his wife.

Wang Ziteng acted swiftly; by early September, the memorial from the Censorate impeaching Lin Ruhai had been delivered to the Emperor.

Upon seeing the memorial, the emperor's expression turned quite grim. He remained silent for a long while, and then, unexpectedly, he waved for everyone to leave.

The official from the Inspectorate, who was acting on Wang Ziteng's orders, was named Shen Jun. Still unwilling to give up, he quickly tried to speak.

To everyone's surprise, the emperor said directly, "I will handle this matter impartially. You may all leave now."