Chapter 535: Scheming for Imperial Favor

Da Zhou Imperial Palace, Fengzao Palace, the courtyard of the female historian's office.

Upon seeing the letter, Baoqin's eyes instantly reddened. She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Young Lady, what exactly did the Cong Sanye write in the letter?"

Yuanchun murmured, "The hometown remains as it was, the years pass easily, the zither is dusted and the bed is swept, siblings are of the same kin."

Baoqin had served Yuanchun for many years; although she was literate, Jia Cong's words were obscure, and she did not quite understand them.

Yuanchun said, "The message from the Lady only just reached the palace, and Third Brother's New Year gifts and letter followed right after. I suspect there must be a connection between the two."

"Third Brother must have known the Lady's intentions and felt it was inappropriate, which is why he sent the letter and gifts into the palace."

"Third Brother has repeatedly received imperial favor, unmatched among the younger generation, and has already established a prominent position among the old noble families, standing in the crosshairs of public scrutiny."

"Wisdom is hard to abandon, and it is lonely at the top; the more glorious one's official rank, the greater the danger."

"Now that he is the head of the family, yet people in the house are maneuvering for a high position for me in the palace, it inevitably involves him. With his intelligence, he cannot be unaware of the severity of this."

"Although Third Brother's letter is concise, I have understood his meaning. He is asking me whether I still wish to seek wealth and status in the palace."

"If I no longer have such desires, I should cherish my youth and hope to return home. He will sweep the bed and prepare the zither to wait for me, so we may recount our sibling bond."

Hearing this, Baoqin's expression was agitated. She asked, "I have always known the Young Lady's heart; naturally, you wish to go home."

Yuanchun smiled slightly, "Not only do you understand my heart, Third Brother guessed it long ago."

"He is a talent of the age. Now that his achievements are complete, not only has he been granted a title for his merits, but he has also inherited the Rongguo hereditary title. With the Jia family's East and West Prefectures standing together, it is enough to protect the family's prosperity and security."

"He has done everything that should be done. Why should I remain in this deep palace? Naturally, I hope to return home soon..."

Baoqin's expression was excited, her eyes moist as if she were about to weep. She said, "Returning home is truly the best. As long as I can return to the mansion with the Young Lady for a few days, I would be content even if I died."

Yuanchun laughed, "What a silly girl, what silly talk is this? How can you speak of death? In the future, we will return home together and live long and happily together."

"It is just that I cannot leave yet. I must wait until next year, when the ten-year term of palace service is fulfilled. According to Da Zhou palace regulations, there will be an opportunity to leave."

Baoqin smiled, "The Young Lady is right. There is no need to worry about this. The Cong Sanye is so capable; when the time comes, he will surely find a way to bring the Young Lady out."

Yuanchun was all smiles upon hearing this, but she quickly restrained her smile and said, "This time, with the passing of the Great Master and Second Brother Lian getting into trouble, Third Brother inherited the title. Although I did not see the full picture, I can guess the general situation."

"Xing Xing Fu Ren expects me to win glory and wealth for the Second Branch; I fear this intention will be very difficult to let go..."

Yuanchun pondered for a moment, walked gracefully to the desk, spread Jia Cong's brief letter on it, looked at it intently for a few moments, took a blank sheet of paper, picked up a brush, wrote a few lines, and put it into an envelope.

From Jia Cong's box of New Year gifts, she selected a few exquisite folding fans, perfume, scented soap, and other items, and packed them in an elegant parcel.

She said, "Baoqin, take these items and send them to Eunuch Yuan at the Qanyang Palace. Just say that Third Brother's New Year gifts have been received, and these are small tokens of gratitude. Trouble him to send this letter out of the palace to Third Brother."

"Since Third Brother would entrust this person with matters, he must have a harmonious relationship with him. He will certainly help with this small favor. Moreover, having him deliver this letter is the most appropriate way..."

After the second day of the second lunar month, the Jia family's East and West Prefectures were lively for a while, starting with Xue Yima's birthday.

They borrowed the large flower hall behind the Rongqing Hall, set up several banquet tables, and invited Jia Mu and the other Jia family women to drink and listen to opera.

Because Jia Mu heard that Xue Pan was looking for a marriage match—a topic the women of the inner chambers loved to discuss most—she spoke many auspicious words with Xue Yima at the banquet.

Although the Xia family mother and daughter had returned for a few days without news, Xue Yima still held onto hope in her heart. Hearing Jia Mu's words, she felt proud, as if she could drink the daughter-in-law's tea immediately.

At the banquet, Baoyu heard that Xue Pan was getting married and asked a few curious questions. Seeing Tan Chun mentioned in passing that the young lady was a beauty of outstanding appearance.

Baoyu thought of Xue Pan, that dissolute "Foolish Tyrant," vulgar and crude, actually being matched with such a beauty. It was truly like a piece of fine jade trapped in filth, and he felt somewhat indignant.

Thinking that since Heaven cherished such peerless daughters, creating these gentle beings made of water, why must they be so trampled and abandoned? He couldn't help but fall into a trance, seeking sorrow and resentment for a while.

He also thought that if such a beautiful woman were matched with someone like Xue Pan, once she realized it, what pain and regret she would feel. He feared she would henceforth abandon herself, and the fine jade and pearls would inevitably turn into dead fish eyes.

Thinking of this, Baoyu became too absorbed and forgot he was still at the banquet, letting out several sighs.

If Xue Yima knew what Baoyu was thinking, she would likely be choked to death...

Seeing Baoyu falling into a trance again, Seeing Tan Chun secretly blamed herself for being loose-lipped and stopped mentioning it. Fortunately, she only said it was a beautiful young lady and didn't say which family she was from, saving Baoyu from getting to the bottom of it.

By the twelfth day of the second month, the Flower God Festival, it was Lin Daiyu's birthday.

Jia Mu had Wang Xifeng prepare a day in advance to hold a banquet in the large flower hall to celebrate her precious granddaughter's birthday, and she herself could take the opportunity to have a grand time.

At dawn, the lights were lit in Daiyu's courtyard in the East Prefecture. Daiyu got up early to bathe, changed into new clothes, and sat before the diamond-patterned mirror to comb her hair and dress.

The candlelight flickered, and the refreshing fragrance of the young lady after her bath floated in the boudoir, lingering.

Hearing Zi Juan used a soft towel of Songjiang cotton to dry Daiyu's freshly washed hair. Seeing Daiyu's beautiful face in the diamond mirror, her cheeks pink and tender, she found her very moving.

She smiled, "The Cong Sanye still has the best methods, finding that Physician Zhang Youshi to concoct such a precious medicine as the Three Lives Soul-Nourishing Pill. Since the Young Lady started taking the medicine, her body has been much more refreshed than before."

"In previous years, she slept very lightly every night. If she could sleep through the night three out of ten days, it was considered very good. Now, the Young Lady sleeps extremely soundly every night, and her complexion is getting better and better."

Daiyu smiled slightly, "My body is nothing much. Although it was a bit weak before, it was passable. It is only after taking this precious medicine that I know Physician Zhang's medical skills are miraculous."

"My father also received his treatment; his illness must also be getting better day by day. This is the most important thing."

While letting Hearing Zi Juan comb her hair, Daiyu casually picked up various gifts on the dressing table to play with.

These were birthday gifts from sisters like Yingchun, Seeing Tan Chun, and Baochai. Most were items made by hand, showing both care and intimacy.

Baoyu also sent New Year birthday gifts, several gorgeous and wealthy hairpins and jewelry. Judging by the style, most were Jia Mu's collection, brought out for Baoyu to save face.

There was also a jar of rose rouge paste that Baoyu had fussed over. According to him, the rouge paste outside was not clean, and only what he made himself was clean and intimate enough.

It was just that the rose rouge paste had a fragrance that was too rich, which suited Baoyu's temperament, but Daiyu found it very uncomfortable to smell. Naturally, she wouldn't use it and just left it idle there.

Daiyu's gaze fell upon a black sandalwood carved wooden box among the gifts, and a smile appeared on her face. That was the birthday gift Jia Cong had sent her.

She opened the wooden box, and inside was a pair of water-seed jade bracelets, pale red in color, translucent and flawless. They felt warm and cool on her wrists, which was very rare.

Seeing Daiyu wearing the bracelets on both hands, playing with and admiring them as if she had obtained something extremely pleasing, she couldn't put them down.

She smiled, "I heard Wuer say that this pair of bracelets was found by the Cong Sanye after visiting every jewelry shop in the Love Shenjing, from an old shop in the north of the city. It is said to be a rare item that flowed out of the palace in the previous dynasty."

"Because the color is very rare, like the color of a newly bloomed hibiscus flower, it is called Hibiscus Fat Jade."

Daiyu wore the bracelets for a while, then took them off and carefully put them back in the box.

Hearing Zi Juan asked, "Today is the Young Lady's birthday. How beautiful it would be to wear these bracelets. It is also the Cong Sanye's intention. Why take them off again?"

Daiyu replied, "Although these bracelets are good, they are too eye-catching. Even in Grandmother's collection, there is nothing like this. If I wear them out at the banquet, everyone will notice, and asking about them will lead to more gossip."

Hearing Zi Juan was quick-witted, and upon hearing this, she understood the meaning.

Hearing Zi Juan said, "A few days ago, I heard rumors from the West Prefecture that the Second Lady wants to arrange a marriage for Young Master Bao, and vaguely heard that she wants to settle on Miss Bao."

Daiyu heard this and said casually, "What is so strange about this? For the past two years, the family has been talking about the 'Gold and Jade Affinity.' The Second Aunt has always valued Sister Bao."

"It is just that Sister Bao has high aspirations; I fear she may not necessarily be willing. Haven't you seen that she no longer wears that gold locket..."

By noon, Jia Mu held a banquet in the large flower hall to celebrate Daiyu's birthday. Jia Cong and the sisters were all gathered together, which was very lively.

Xue Yima was also invited, but there was no joy on her face like last time. Since the Xia family mother and daughter left, nearly a month had passed, and there was still no reply. It must be that the matter was not going to happen.

Daiyu had invited Lady Wang in advance, but she did not attend the banquet. It was said that she was unwell and was recuperating in the East Road Courtyard...

Rongguo Prefecture, East Road Courtyard.

Today, because it was Daiyu's birthday banquet, Li Wan and Seeing Tan Chun had gone to attend, and even Jia Lan had followed his mother. The entire East Road Courtyard appeared somewhat desolate.

Jia Zheng was still at the government office during the day, leaving only Lady Wang in the room, feeling stifled.

Although Lady Wang did not like Daiyu in her heart, she usually did not show it on her face because Daiyu was Grandmother's precious granddaughter. In the past, if she encountered Daiyu's birthday banquet, Lady Wang, although feeling uncomfortable, would definitely attend to keep up appearances.

Especially now that the Second Branch had moved to the East Road Courtyard, things were truly not what they used to be. As long as she could appear in the West Prefecture in a dignified manner, Lady Wang would not miss such an opportunity.

But today she claimed illness and did not go out, truly because she was extremely unhappy in her heart. Going would only result in a bad face, and rather than letting Jia Mu see it and become suspicious, it was better not to go at all.

Ever since Jia Cong inherited the Rongguo hereditary title and the Second Branch moved into the East Road Courtyard, Lady Wang was so ashamed and angry she wanted to die. She felt that in front of the eight branches of the Jia family in the Love Shenjing, she had lost all face and become a laughingstock.

She feared that by now the news had already spread back to the old home in Jin Ling. The original eldest daughter of the Wang family, who married into the Jia family's Second Branch and became the mistress of the house—how glorious that was back then.

Now, because of the failure to inherit the title, she had become the mistress of a side branch of the Jia family.

What difference was there between her and those women of the Jia family's side branches who lived on the Ningrong Street, struggling for a living day and night?

As the mistress of the house who has lived in Rongxi Hall for fifteen years, she could not accept such a setback under any circumstances.

Although Baoyu still enjoyed the Old Matriarch's favor for the time being and continued to live peacefully in the West Prefecture, even Lady Wang had long realized that Baoyu was, after all, incapable of handling important matters.

Now, the only person she could count on was her eldest daughter, Yuanchun, who had entered the palace as a lady-in-waiting due to her virtue and talent.

……

According to news leaked from the palace, her daughter Yuanchun had been highly regarded by the Empress over the past two years, and by the sound of it, her situation and momentum were quite good.

Lady Wang also heard word from her elder brother, Wang Ziteng, that the current Emperor did not care for women; the previous few selections had been mere formalities, and the number of young ladies chosen to fill the inner palace could be counted on one hand.

But for this triennial selection, the rumors suggested it would be done with great fanfare, and there was a reason for this.

The current Emperor had only three sons; the eldest, Prince Zhao, and the second, Prince Ning, had already come of age and been granted titles, while the third son had not yet reached adulthood and was currently being raised in the palace, though he had always been frail and sickly.

Among the Emperor's sons, Prince Zhao, Li Zhongmao, possessed outstanding talent, was skilled in both civil and military arts, and was dazzlingly brilliant; he was highly esteemed by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and had always been viewed as the successor to the imperial line.

However, last year, when Jia Cong uncovered the major case involving the Guard Army in Jin Ling, Zhang Kangnian—whom Prince Zhao had vigorously supported and recommended—was found to be one of the principal culprits in the major case, and this man was also the paternal cousin of Prince Zhao's consort.

Under Prince Zhao's patronage, Zhang Kangnian had successively served as Commander of the Su Zhou Guard, Assistant Regional Commander of the Jin Ling Regional Military Commission, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of War in the auxiliary capital; every position he held involved the core of military power in Jiangnan.

If Zhang Kangnian had not been involved in the major Jin Ling Guard Army case, none of this would have been too eye-catching.

However, Jia Cong discovered that Zhang Kangnian was a key criminal in a heaven-shaking case, and because it involved the Jin Ling Guard Army's abuse of power and political chaos, Prince Zhao, as his patron, suddenly surfaced.

Many rumors spread inside and outside the court, all to the effect that Prince Zhao had sinister intentions, was cultivating his own power, and was manipulating Jiangnan's maritime administration.

Although there was no solid evidence for these rumors so far, they touched the most sensitive nerve in Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's heart.

It caused him to feel deep disappointment toward this prince he had always relied upon, which subsequently gave rise to wariness and suspicion.

Since Jia Cong uncovered the major Jin Ling case and returned to the capital to report, in just a few short months, many of Prince Zhao's military deployments and recommended officials had suffered severe blows; the lighter punishments were dismissal from office, while the heavier ones involved facing the law.

And Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, now over forty, suddenly realized the hidden danger of having few heirs; word came from the palace that this year's selection would be conducted with great solemnity.

All young ladies from official families who had reached the age of fifteen were to enter the palace for selection, and any among the female officials of the palace's Six Bureaus and Twenty-Four Offices who were beautiful in appearance and pure in virtue would have the honor of being chosen.

The Six Bureaus within the Great Zhou palace specifically referred to the Bureau of Palace Attendants, the Bureau of Ceremonies, the Bureau of Apparel, the Bureau of Food, the Bureau of Bedchamber, and the Bureau of Works, with the Twenty-Four Offices established under these six bureaus.

Yuanchun's official rank as a lady-in-waiting in the Fengzao Palace meant she was affiliated with the Bureau of Palace Attendants.

Years ago, because of the false accusation regarding the top candidate in the Yongzhou provincial examination, a rift had formed between the Jia and Wang families, making Wang Ziteng's official career difficult and leaving him trapped in the nominal position of Regional Commander of the Capital Garrison.

He spent his days racking his brains on how to climb and borrow influence to break the current stalemate in his official career.

Lady Wang, because the Jia family's second branch had been demoted from the primary line to a secondary one, and their glory and wealth had fallen into others' hands, was also exhausting her efforts to reverse the decline.

Hearing such news that could turn the tide, the two siblings were naturally burning with anxiety, pinning all their hopes on the talented and beautiful Yuanchun.

……

Two days ago, following past customs and because of Yuanchun's triennial affair, Lady Wang had someone pass a message to Wang Xifeng to withdraw four thousand taels of silver from the public treasury to be used for arrangements in the palace.

Lady Wang knew that the situation in the Jia family had changed drastically, and for the second branch to withdraw silver from the public treasury independently, aside from their daily allowance, was no longer in accordance with clan laws and family rules.

Furthermore, with Jia Cong now supporting the family business, the Jia family was no longer what it used to be, and whether Yuanchun still needed to seek favor in the palace was already a matter of uncertainty.

Therefore, she lacked the confidence to inform the Old Matriarch first and instead used words to test Wang Xifeng's stance.

She had originally thought that upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng would not speak rashly and would at least consult the Old Matriarch, as the Old Matriarch had always been very keen on Yuanchun establishing a position in the inner palace.

But things went beyond her expectations; after Wang Xifeng received the message, less than half a day passed before she had Ping'er pass on a reply.

She said that the public funds of the Rongguo Prefecture were tight and could not support a large withdrawal at once, so the matter was to be shelved for the time being, and the Old Matriarch had not sent any word over either.

Lady Wang knew that Wang Xifeng had not informed the Old Matriarch of this at all, and looking at it, it didn't seem like she had made the decision on her own; it must have been that boy from the East Prefecture backing her, which was why she had the confidence to refuse the silver.

Although Lady Wang hated Jia Cong for using his authority as head of the family to ruin the second branch's major affair, she felt even more resentment toward Wang Xifeng in her heart.

She was, after all, her own niece, yet she showed no respect at all in her actions; she was truly treacherous and heartless to the extreme.

Thinking of the vast difference in their current status—Wang Xifeng had become the managing sister-in-law of the Rongguo primary branch, while she had become a mere housewife of the Jia family's secondary branch—Lady Wang was truly infuriated.

Lady Wang had originally wanted to go to the Old Matriarch and make a scene, but for the past two days, the Old Matriarch had been busy with the birthday celebration of her beloved granddaughter, and if she ruined the Old Matriarch's mood, she would likely not receive a pleasant look.

Moreover, Lady Wang lacked confidence that the Old Matriarch would still favor the second branch, not only because the Old Matriarch had rolled through the inner chambers for a lifetime and understood the ways of assessing the situation better than she did.

Therefore, Lady Wang could only endure these two days before finding an opening to discuss the matter with the Old Matriarch.

After all, as long as Yuanchun could establish herself in the inner palace, the Jia family's second branch and primary branch could stand on equal footing, and they wouldn't have to live under others' shadows in the East Road courtyard anymore; she thought the Old Matriarch would be happy to see that happen……

……

Just as Lady Wang was feeling anxious and restless over Yuanchun's affair, the maid Caiyun came to report that the Xia family's mistress had brought gifts to visit the Lady.

Lady Wang found it strange; if the Xia mistress wanted to visit, she should have gone to Lixiang courtyard to visit her younger sister, so why come to visit her? Although Lady Wang thought this, she told Caiyun to quickly invite the person into the inner courtyard.

Now that the Jia family's second branch had fallen and had neither wealth nor power in the Jia family, and the Osmanthus Xia family was a famous and wealthy imperial merchant family in the Love Shenjing, Lady Wang was naturally willing to associate more with such a family.

After the Xia mistress entered the inner courtyard and Lady Wang served tea and exchanged pleasantries, the Xia mistress explained her purpose with a look of apology.

Lady Wang was greatly surprised; the Xia mistress said that since the Xue family returned, they had originally intended to go through with the marriage, but half a month ago, she had asked a high monk to cast a fortune for her daughter.

The high monk said that her daughter and Young Master Xue's zodiac signs and horoscopes were incompatible, and if they were forced into a union, it would surely lead to unprovoked disaster.

The Xia family feared hurting the Xue family's deep affection and found it difficult to visit and refuse, so they had to ask Lady Jia to convey their apologies on their behalf.

Lady Wang did not know if the high monk's words mentioned by the Xia mistress were true, or if it was just an excuse because the Xia family looked down on Xue Pan.

However, this matter had nothing to do with her, and the one who should have a headache was her younger sister; she had no need to create a rift with the Xia family over this.

Besides, Lady Wang had a good impression of Miss Xia and felt that this girl was a top-tier person; she secretly felt that Xue Pan was not a match for her, so it was only natural that the marriage didn't work out……

It was just that since Xue Pan's marriage didn't work out, the marriage between her Baoyu and Baochai would also be delayed, and she didn't know how to resolve it; although she was a bit troubled, there was nothing she could do.

Moreover, this Xia mistress was very thoughtful in her etiquette; she only came to entrust a matter, yet she brought two chests of gifts.

The chests were filled with dazzling top-quality silk, aged ginseng and deer antler medicinal herbs, fine dragon saliva incense, and so on.

Lady Wang was used to managing the household and naturally had some discernment; if it were in previous years, although these gifts were valuable, they wouldn't have counted for much.

Now that the situation had changed drastically, seeing these things again, her feelings were different from before, and she could only sigh in her heart at the Xia family's lavish wealth.

She did not know that although the Xia mistress came to decline the marriage, the old man's intention was not in the wine; she was using this matter to build a good relationship with the Jia family, which was why she was so generous with the gifts.

Lady Wang said with a kind expression: "The Xia mistress is being too polite. Marriage between children must be handled with caution. Since the high monk has cast the fortune, it naturally cannot be violated, so as not to hurt the children's affinity."

"My younger sister is a woman of a prominent family; she is kind-hearted and understands etiquette, so she will surely understand the Xia mistress's painstaking efforts. I will help speak for both families; this is not worth worrying about."

Lady Wang spoke openly, and the Xia mistress was also a clever person; the conversation between the two became increasingly harmonious, and the atmosphere between host and guest became more and more congenial.

While the two women were drinking tea and chatting, the Xia mistress also spoke of the family business and the difficulties of being a widow with no one to inherit the family estate.

She even mentioned, quite unintentionally, some of the Xia family's connections in the Imperial Household Department and the palace……

The Xia mistress was just speaking casually without intention, but Lady Wang was a listener with intent, and her eyes lit up slightly, unable to be suppressed. (End of chapter)