The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

The room fell into an unnatural silence.

At this moment, Ge Xijia admired her two sisters-in-law. They just sat there without saying a word, as if they were competing to see who could keep their composure the longest.

Fortunately, Chunyu brought tea at that moment. Ge Xijia took it, smelled it, and immediately exclaimed, "Wow, this was just delivered a few days ago. They said it's pre-Qingming tea from this spring, Xinyang Maojian!"

Song Huilan immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness, what good tea do you have here?" She had heard that the tea had only been delivered in small quantities, and that Song Huilan and her family did not have any, so she couldn't help but ask as soon as she opened her mouth.

Is this deliberately picking a fight?

If this were the old Daiyu, she would have immediately retaliated upon hearing such sarcastic remarks. The current Daiyu, however, remained remarkably calm.

She merely glanced at Song Huilan with a smile, without replying, but Song Huilan felt embarrassed that her thoughts had been seen through.

Ge Xijia felt helpless. Her second sister-in-law had arrived, but instead of doing anything important, she was even more impatient than herself. She smiled and praised the tea a couple of times.

Seeing that Daiyu remained silent, Song Huilan couldn't help but sigh: "She really is different now that she's become the Crown Princess."

So, putting aside her resentment and envy, Song Huilan became sentimental: "Father Emperor's trip to the mausoleum for the Qingming Festival was supposed to be relaxing and joyful, but he can't seem to find any joy in it."

Ge Xijia quickly chimed in, "Indeed, 'The rain falls in torrents during the Qingming Festival, and travelers on the road are heartbroken.' The Crown Princess must feel this even more deeply, right?"

When did these two make up? They clearly came prepared this time. Are they planning to provoke me?

Seeing that Daiyu remained composed, Song Huilan had no choice but to continue, "Of course, the Crown Princess's parents are both resting in Suzhou, I'm afraid she won't have the opportunity to go back to pay her respects, will she?"

See? She's finally showing her true colors. Daiyu learned this steady trick from the Empress; sometimes you have to pretend you don't understand and insist that the other person reveal their true intentions.

Otherwise, it would become mere speculation, which could easily lead to being falsely accused.

Daiyu thought that this tactic of provoking her was something that Bao Er's wife had used in the past. She and her mother put on a show of deep mother-daughter affection in front of her, which was more stimulating than Song Huilan and Ge Xijia's few dry words.

In fact, Daiyu had been missing her deceased father and mother very much these past few days, but she could not show weakness in the face of their obvious feelings.

So what Song Huilan and Ge Xijia saw was Daiyu's almost unchanging expression.

Even before Ge Xijia could speak, Daiyu, who had been silent all along, spoke first: "It is clear that Second Sister-in-law and Fourth Sister-in-law are the most empathetic. After all, as far as I know, Second Sister-in-law and Fourth Sister-in-law's grandparents and maternal grandparents are still alive. I'm afraid they have never experienced the grief of losing a close relative."

These two were surprised by what he said.

“Oh, that’s not quite right either. I heard that the concubine in Fourth Brother’s household has passed away? Fourth Brother’s wife and she were like sisters, so she must be very sad.” Daiyu looked regretful, and her words directly hit Ge Xijia’s sore spot.

Ge Xijia was about to retort in anger, but Song Huilan quickly said, "Why is Your Highness so upset? We, your sisters-in-law, are just trying to comfort you because we were afraid you would be sad."

"Oh—" Daiyu's exclamation was quite meaningful.

Song Huilan was speechless. In fact, it was her concubine who told her to provoke the Crown Princess.

Wang Xiyun was the daughter of Prince Teng, born out of wedlock, and a cousin of Bao Er's wife. She obtained a lot of information about the Crown Princess from Bao Er's wife.

One of them is that the Crown Princess, having lost her parents at a young age, has always longed for family affection and envies those who have both parents.

Upon hearing this, Song Huilan felt that Qingming Festival was a good opportunity. This time, the impeachment of Lin Ruhai failed, and instead caused her husband to suffer losses. It would be better to touch the Crown Princess's sore spot and let her experience what it means to be heartbroken.

I never expected to be on the same side as Ge Xijia—it seems that the enemy of my enemy is indeed my friend. Ge Xijia is now doing even worse than me.

Although Ge Xijia used tricks to cause Chunmei to miscarry, and later used the maids' words to provoke Chunmei into depression and melancholy, which eventually led to her death, this also left Ge Xijia and Prince Li with no more affection between them.

Not only that, Consort Xu was even more dissatisfied with Ge Xijia. Whenever Ge Xijia came to the palace to pay her respects, she would be made to feel uncomfortable.

Two disillusioned individuals, both envious of Daiyu, temporarily set aside their past grievances and became allies.

But at this moment, the Crown Princess's behavior was far from what they had expected.

Enraged by the Crown Princess's words, Ge Xijia looked at Daiyu's haughty demeanor and couldn't help but retort: ​​"The Crown Princess really cares about the affairs of our household. Whether I'm sad or not is none of the Crown Princess's concern."

“It’s not that I want to pay attention to what’s going on in your household, but this matter has spread throughout the capital. It’s not easy for me to pretend I don’t know.” Daiyu glanced coldly at Ge Xijia, then turned her gaze to Song Huilan. “Second sister-in-law is really pregnant. Poor Qiongnan is really pitiful.”

"What do you mean?" Song Huilan couldn't sit still any longer.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I was just praising my second sister-in-law. The sisters-in-law are getting along well, and my second sister-in-law really cares. But then again, my fourth sister-in-law did copy a thick copy of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra." Daiyu's words came out in rapid succession, successfully making Song Huilan and Ge Xijia feel annoyed again.

Back then, Ge Xijia and her husband plotted against Song Huilan and her husband, causing Song Huilan to have a premature birth. Daiyu's remark this time is a sarcastic remark about Song Huilan forgetting her past hatred and siding with her enemy.

Unable to withstand Daiyu's sarcasm, the two could no longer sit still. Ge Xijia stood up first: "The Crown Princess really doesn't appreciate kindness. In that case, we'll take our leave."

Song Huilan couldn't think of a good way to retaliate against Daiyu's words for a while. She was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something: Wang Xiyun said that the Crown Princess had a hard life and had caused the deaths of her parents.

Then she turned to look at Daiyu, who was sitting upright, and suddenly smiled: "The Crown Princess is indeed lucky, but I'm afraid her name is too strong, which may have caused the death of her parents."

Then she walked away without looking back.

Daiyu, on the other hand, was stunned—this wasn't the first time she'd heard the saying "hard-fated." But these past few days she'd been missing her parents, and for a moment, her heart ached terribly.

Upon returning from discussing the spring hunt arrangements with the Emperor, Xiao Tingjun immediately noticed that his wife's expression was off.

Chapter 203 The Crown Prince's Beloved Wife's Design Competition

Seeing his wife's sorrowful expression, Xiao Tingjun had a hunch and quickly asked Daiyu softly what was wrong.

Daiyu didn't want Xiao Tingjun to worry about such trivial matters, so she quickly composed herself and said, "It's nothing, I was just overthinking things."

Xiao Tingjun tenderly embraced his wife, taking the handkerchief from Daiyu's hand to wipe her eyes: "You're crying, yet you say you're alright. We're husband and wife, is there anything you can't tell me?"

Daiyu leaned against Xiao Tingjun, closed her eyes and said, "There are many graves on the hills north and south. During Qingming Festival, people are busy sweeping tombs. Thinking of my parents, I feel sad for a moment."

Xiao Tingjun had been paying attention these past few days and noticed that his wife would occasionally stare blankly out the window. He guessed it was because of the Qingming Festival and that his wife was missing her parents.

Even so, his wife hadn't lost her composure like she did tonight. He sensed something must have happened, but seeing that Yu'er was unwilling to talk about it, he didn't press her further. Instead, he hugged his wife tightly and said, "I'm afraid we won't have the chance to go back and pay our respects in person for the next two years. In a couple of years, I'll see what Father Emperor's attitude is. Perhaps Father Emperor will also want to go to Jiangnan, just like Grandfather?"

Daiyu knew very well that given their current special status, it was indeed unlikely that they would go to Suzhou, but Xiao Tingjun's words still made her somewhat happy.

"Mourning the deceased is as simple as having a heart; nothing else matters but formalities. You don't need to worry about it for me." In the years she lived in the Rongguo Mansion, Daiyu had always performed private rites on her own, so she was used to it.

"Of course I care about you. They say that if you can't sweep one's own house, you can sweep the world. For me, if I can't even protect my wife, how can I protect the emperor and the people?" Seeing that his wife's mood had improved, Xiao Tingjun tried to distract her by talking about the spring hunt.

The next morning, Xiao Tingjun still sought out Xueyan alone and asked who had come the day before.

If Xiao Tingjun hadn't come, Xueyan would probably have complained to the Crown Prince. Hearing the Crown Prince ask, she quickly replied, "It was Princess Rui and Princess Li. The Crown Princess was fine at first, but after they left, she became sad. Although I don't know what they said, I guess they must have said something unpleasant."

They were outside at the time, so Xueyan really didn't know what they talked about inside.

It's them again. A hint of disgust flashed across Xiao Tingjun's face, but he quickly regained his composure and said to Xueyan, "Take good care of them. In the future, when these two princesses come, unless your Crown Princess doesn't want you to serve them in the room, you should serve them. If they say anything bad, your Crown Princess shouldn't come forward to refute it. You can just refute it and say it's my idea."

Ever since the young lady was named Crown Princess and entered the palace, Zijuan, Xueyan, and the others have all become very cautious. After all, they are different from other palace maids. Those palace maids were selected by the Imperial Household Department and underwent strict training. Although they were also trained by Granny Gu and Granny Xu, they are still different.

Moreover, they all knew very well that the young lady was now the Crown Princess, and many eyes were watching her. Therefore, as the ones who brought her into the palace, they couldn't afford to make any mistakes that would give others a handle to attack her.

Therefore, they had always been cautious, afraid of accidentally offending others. Now that the Crown Prince had said this, Xueyan hurriedly kowtowed and said, "With the Crown Prince like this, we servants are relieved."

The Crown Prince gestured for her to rise, but inwardly he thought: Yu'er's maids are all devoted to her, which shows that Yu'er is kind and good-hearted.

Thinking this way, he became increasingly dissatisfied with both Princess Rui and Princess Li. Suddenly, Xiao Tingjun had a flash of inspiration.

Then, with a smile playing on his lips, he turned and left.

Xueyan was a little confused, thinking that the Crown Prince had something important to attend to and was in a hurry to go out.

It can't be said that it's not a big deal. Although the emperor didn't bring many people with him for this spring hunt, Goryeo received the news early on and sent a memorial, wanting to pay their respects to the emperor of the Central Plains.

When Emperor Taizu of this dynasty established his kingdom, King Jeon of Goryeo immediately sent envoys to express his submission, becoming the first vassal state of this dynasty. King Jeon of Goryeo showed great respect and loyalty to this dynasty, referring to Emperor Taizu as "Son of Heaven" and himself as "subject," and adopted the orthodox calendar of this dynasty.

As a result, successive Goryeo kings would come to pay homage on major holidays after ascending the throne.

The emperor thought that Goryeo was so sincere, so he agreed.

Xiao Tingjun was in charge of arranging this trip, so the emperor had informed him of it well in advance, adding, "The current King of Goryeo, Jian, said he would bring his two sons and two daughters. There will naturally be a horse-riding and archery competition, so you must not lose face."

It's one thing for the King of Goryeo to bring his son, but to bring his daughter as well suggests he intends to arrange a marriage. The late Emperor also had concubines from Goryeo in his harem.

Thinking of this, Xiao Tingjun smiled. If it came to archery and horsemanship, then his fourth brother was naturally the most skilled.

So Xiao Tingjun found his brothers and told them in advance about the possible competition with the Goryeo prince.

"Goryeo probably has some provocative intentions this time, so we must outdo them," Xiao Tingjun said.

These words successfully stirred the thoughts of the Second Prince Xiao Tingkai and the Fourth Prince Xiao Tingfeng: Xiao Tingkai had recently displeased the Emperor several times, and he wanted to take this opportunity to salvage his image. As for Xiao Tingfeng, he had been depressed for a long time because of Chunmei's death. By the time he came to his senses, his Third Brother had already been named Crown Prince. Realizing that he shouldn't be so preoccupied with personal feelings, he decided to pull himself together and make a name for himself.

But nothing major is happening right now, and Xiao Tingfeng happens to be skilled in horseback archery, so he really wants to seize this opportunity.

Xiao Tingjun noticed the expressions on his two brothers' faces and then added, "I heard that the King of Goryeo also brought a princess with him."

These words piqued Xiao Tingkai and Xiao Tingfeng's interest even more. Although Goryeo was only a vassal state, taking a Goryeo princess as a concubine would be very helpful to them in the future.

However, for Goryeo, they either had to choose the emperor or the crown prince; they certainly wouldn't want to choose a prince.

Xiao Tingkai immediately smiled and said, "Then it seems I should congratulate the Crown Prince in advance."

Xiao Tingfeng smiled meaningfully and looked at the Crown Prince.

However, the Crown Prince shook his head. Prince Cheng, Xiao Tingzhao, who was standing to the side, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and joked, "Third Brother and Sister-in-law are a perfect match, a union blessed with happiness. I think Third Brother can't bear to make Sister-in-law sad."

"It seems that my fifth brother understands me best," Xiao Tingjun said with a smile.

Xiao Tingkai and Xiao Tingfeng looked at Xiao Tingjun in surprise: Is the Crown Prince going to carry on with his deep affection to the very end?

But whether it's true or not, since the Crown Prince has no intention of marrying, it would be a beneficial and harmless thing for them to show off in front of their father and the King of Goryeo, and perhaps even marry a Goryeo daughter as a concubine.

Not to mention, the daughter brought by the King of Goryeo was beautiful and had a unique beauty that differed from that of women from the Central Plains.

Chapter 204 The Princess Has a Heart, Jiang Qiu Shows Off His Skills

Upon meeting the two princesses brought by the King of Goryeo, both the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince had their own ideas: the King of Goryeo was, after all, the king of a vassal state, and he might be able to help them a lot in the future.

However, the competition was not arranged from the beginning. Instead, venues for shooting willows, polo, and ball games were set up.

Princesses from Goryeo, elder sister Kim Ga-hee and younger sister Kim Ga-joo, although sisters, did not share the same mother. The elder sister's mother was a concubine, while the younger sister's mother was the queen.

Because she was a princess, the Crown Princess brought several princesses to accompany her. Seeing that Kim Ga-hee preferred to ride horses, while Kim Ga-joo was interested in polo, Zuo Jiangqiu immediately offered to ride horses with Kim Ga-hee. Song Hye-ran and Ge Xi-jia, who could not ride horses, were more familiar with polo, a game for young ladies, so they accompanied Kim Ga-joo.

"Princess Consort, please stay as well. The four of us can form two teams and compete," Jin Jiazhu invited.

Hearing her speak such fluent Mandarin, Daiyu understood: it seemed that the King of Goryeo had been grooming his daughters from a young age, clearly intending for them to form a marriage alliance with the Central Plains dynasty.

Similarly, both Song Huilan and Ge Xijia had considered this point. Song Huilan thought that her husband only had one concubine, so logically, she wouldn't choose him. But if the emperor really did choose the crown prince, wouldn't that increase the crown prince's power? She was very conflicted for a moment.

Ge Xijia is also caught in a dilemma. Her husband and she are currently experiencing deep marital problems. She doesn't know what kind of personality this Goryeo princess has, so she'll have to find out first.

Since Jin Jiazhu had already spoken, Daiyu couldn't refuse, thankfully she had learned from Zuo Jiangqiu. However, she hadn't expected Jin Jiazhu to take the initiative and say, "Can I be in a group with the Crown Princess?"

As soon as she spoke, Song Huilan and Ge Xijia both thought in unison: Could it be that this princess is already planning to become the Crown Prince's concubine?

However, none of them objected. Since it was a group competition, there were rules. So they agreed that if each group could hit the ball into the corresponding hole within three hits, they would get one point. The final winner would be determined by the scores of each group.

Jin Jiazhu raised her arm, held the bat high above her right shoulder, and swung it down, hitting the side of the ball with a "whoosh" and sending the ball flying. Then, she swung the bat back from the upper left to behind her head, drawing a beautiful arc.