Chapter 31. You won't feel wronged anymore.
Zhao Qing returned to his residence to report. Half a day later, at dusk, Chu Heng returned from the palace, followed by several carts of rewards.
Zhao Qing sent people to unload the boxes, gave the people who pulled the carts a reward, and wanted them to stay for tea and a meal. However, because it was too late, they all declined. Zhao Qing added some silver and told them to enjoy themselves the next day.
"Your Highness." Zhao Qing entered the inner room, bowed, and presented the list of gifts to his master. He smiled and said, "His Majesty summoned Your Highness to the palace, was it for the purpose of bestowing a reward?"
Chu Heng took the item and casually placed it on the table, ignoring the question, and instead asked, "How is Miss Lin doing?"
Zhao Qing hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, when I went to the Jia family today, I happened to run into the second wife's sister-in-law. I then relayed Your Highness's words to her. You can rest assured that with your protection, the Wang family will certainly not dare to have any more thoughts of harming Miss Lin in the future. I saw that Miss Lin looked well and was in good spirits, and it seems that she has not been affected."
"Okay, that's good." Chu Heng nodded after hearing this. "I will go to the Jia family before the fifteenth of August. There is no need to inform the Jia family in advance."
"Yes," Zhao Qing said with a smile, "This servant will prepare some gifts for Miss Lin. The watermelons and grapes this year are very good, so I'll take them for Miss Lin to try. There are also mooncakes; this servant will instruct people to make more of the new styles. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Chu Heng smiled and said, "That's right. His Majesty bestowed many brocades, jade hairpins and rings upon us today, all of which are suitable for young ladies. They have all been added to the gift list."
Zhao Qing smiled and said, "His Majesty has bestowed many jewels and brocades upon you in the past. Your Highness, you should take some time to go to the storeroom and pick some out. They are all fine items. It's a pity that they have been sitting in the storeroom all this time without anyone using them."
“His Majesty’s reward is certainly good, but it’s not something you get for nothing.” Chu Heng rested his chin on his hand, his brow furrowed.
Zhao Qing sensed something amiss in these words and tentatively asked, "But...is His Majesty making things difficult for the Prince?"
That shouldn't be the case. Over the years, His Majesty and the Prince have always been on friendly terms and get along well. The Prince spends his days recuperating from illness and rarely leaves the palace or his residence, so he can't cause any trouble. What could possibly displease His Majesty?
Moreover, if it's difficult, the prince brought back so many rewards today!
"It is indeed difficult for me," Chu Heng said quietly.
Zhao Qing thought for a moment and asked, "His Majesty seems to have noticed that the Prince is better, but has he mentioned asking you to share his burdens?"
Chu Heng glanced at him.
Zhao Qing lowered his head and said, "Didn't Your Highness decline it last time? His Majesty agreed to bring it up again after your marriage. Why is it happening again today..."
Chu Heng slowly drank a cup of water before saying, "Perhaps the Fang family women went to the palace today to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor was displeased when he found out. So he simply made me unhappy as well, and he was quite pleased to see that."
The Empress Dowager's maiden name was Fang. In order to consolidate her position as heir apparent and deal with the late emperor, the emperor had made great efforts to promote the Fang family. Now, many of the male members of the Fang family hold high positions and great power. Therefore, the Empress Dowager has always been able to influence the outer court. The emperor has always disliked the Fang family because of this.
“Uh…” Zhao Qing was speechless.
There are some things that the masters can say, and they can just listen and leave it at that, but they have no right to say more.
Chu Heng didn't make things difficult for him: "Leave the things for now, we'll pack them up tomorrow. Bring some snacks, I'm hungry."
Zhao Qing breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly gave instructions to the maids who were serving him.
Three days later, Chu Heng received a reply from Daiyu.
...
Since the incident involving Lady Wang, Grandmother Jia's spirits had been low. She no longer joked and laughed with the children, but stayed quietly in her room. Whenever people came to pay their respects, she would sit for a while and then leave.
The same thing happened on this day. After visiting Grandmother Jia, Daiyu ran into Wang Xifeng as she was leaving, who came over to discuss the arrangements for the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August with Grandmother Jia.
Lady Wang lost her imperial title and was confined to a small room, forbidden from seeing anyone. However, the power to manage the household did not fall into Jia She's hands as he had hoped. Now, all matters concerning the inner quarters of the Rongguo Duke's mansion are managed by Wang Xifeng, with Li Wan and Tan Chun assisting from the side.
Seeing that Wang Xifeng's expression was not good, Daiyu said, "I haven't seen Sister Feng come to my place for tea. Has she been busy lately?"
“That’s right…” Wang Xifeng’s smile was no longer the same as before, but was filled with sorrow.
"Second Madam is here." Yuanyang came out to greet her. "The old lady is waiting for you."
Wang Xifeng could only say, "I'll talk to my sister another day."
Daiyu smiled and said, "You're busy."
I don't know what kind of luck I had today. I just said goodbye to Wang Xifeng, and then I ran into Xue Baochai at the foot of the platform. Daiyu stopped and said, "Sister Bao is here, and Sister Feng just came over too."
In the past, no young lady living in the Jia family would arrive earlier than Xue Baochai for the morning and evening greetings. Recently, however, because Aunt Xue had fallen ill from fright, she had to take care of her mother, so she always arrived at the latest. Daiyu had never seen her before, but today, for some reason, she arrived a quarter of an hour early.
Xue Baochai's complexion was even worse than her cousin's; she had also lost a lot of weight and looked visibly haggard.
"Hmm." Xue Baochai forced a smile, but had nothing else to say.
Upon seeing this, Daiyu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The Jia family had already made Xue Baochai lose face by ignoring the marriage proposal brought up by the Xue family. Now, with Aunt Xue bringing up the matter of the two Baochai again, the gossipy servants of the Jia family would have something to talk about.
It was an open secret in the Jia family that Baochai wanted to become Baochai's wife.
The servants also dug up the story of Xue Baochai running from Jia Baoyu's room to Yihong Courtyard. Some even said that Baochai had embroidered a bellyband for Baoyu. They gossiped and said all sorts of unsavory things, completely disgracing Xue Baochai.
As soon as Xue Baochai moved into the Jia family home, people started comparing her to Daiyu. And to make matters worse, they all said that Lin Daiyu was inferior to Baochai. Daiyu wasn't stupid; she naturally knew there was a deliberate element involved. Such methods were truly despicable, and Daiyu had always disliked Xue Baochai.
Seeing her like this now, Daiyu couldn't help but feel sorry for her. But what you sow, you reap; it was all the Xue family's own choice.
Xue Baochai watched Daiyu leave, her eyes brimming with envy, resentment, and jealousy, but in the end, all of it vanished.
She can't do anything now.
The Jia family now looks down on the Xue family, but the Xue family has no choice. The Wang family refuses to touch this hot potato, so they have no choice but to shamelessly stay with the Jia family.
Xue Baochai still had to come to pay her respects to Grandmother Jia every day. She was suspicious of even the slightest glance from the servants, feeling that they were mocking her. She cried countless times in secret.
Daiyu was clearly not as good as herself, so how come Daiyu is doing so well now while she has ended up feeling utterly worthless...
...
On August 12th, Prince Duan visited the Jia family without warning. No one dared to criticize his gifts, and the men of the Jia family dressed themselves up and rushed to greet him.
Perhaps because it was the first time they escorted Daiyu back to the mansion through the West Corner Gate, every time Prince Duan's carriage came afterward, it entered through the West Corner Gate. The Jia family dared not say anything, but simply respectfully welcomed the person into the gate.
Jia She glanced at the carriage pulling the boxes behind him and couldn't help but feel envious. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it wouldn't be good for a prince to come to the mansion empty-handed; surely one or two of the items would be for him?
"I am the princess's uncle!" Jia She puffed out his chest.
Chu Heng's first words were: "Let's go to the back to see the Grand Madam first."
Jia She thought to himself, "This isn't a trip to see the Grand Madam; it's clearly a trip to see my fiancée!"
On second thought, it's better for the prince to be so fond of Lin than to ignore her.
They just couldn't gain any advantage, and Jia She was starting to resent it. How could they possibly maintain good relations with Prince Duan?
Jia Lian sent someone to inform Grandmother Jia, and when Chu Heng arrived at Grandmother Jia's main room, Daiyu was already waiting there.
Chu Heng smiled and said, "Greetings, Madam."
Grandmother Jia bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"No need for such formalities, Madam." Chu Heng turned to Daiyu, raised his hand in a greeting, and then smiled, "Greetings, Miss Lin. It's been so long. How have you been?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Everything is fine." Daiyu smiled and curtsied in return.
Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction, feeling that he had done an excellent and proper job, but unexpectedly, his father glared at him a few times, leaving him completely bewildered.
Little did Jia She know that he was just regretting not being able to exchange a few words with the prince and was taking the opportunity to build a relationship with him.
Compared to his elder brother, who still harbored ambitions to curry favor with Prince Duan, Jia Zheng was merely going through the motions with a forced smile. Regardless of right or wrong, he gained nothing from this marriage to Daiyu; he only suffered harm.
But given Prince Duan's status, Jia Zheng only dared to harbor resentment in private, showing no sign of it outwardly. As for what he might do to retaliate against Prince Duan and Daiyu...
It can only be said that making an example of someone to scare others is absolutely the right thing to do.
Chu Heng didn't care about the Jia family's intrigues. After not seeing Daiyu for many days, he almost stared at her, but he barely restrained himself for fear of having a bad influence on Miss Lin.
With so many people around, it was inconvenient to talk, so Chu Heng simply took the gift list and handed it to Daiyu: "Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, this is a gift for Miss Lin. Take a look and see if it's alright. If anything is missing, just tell me and I'll make it up for you when we get back."
Looking at the thickness of the gift list and feeling its weight in her hands, Daiyu couldn't help but gasp. This was hardly a festival gift; she had thought that Prince Duan was going to hold another betrothal ceremony!
Daiyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. My maternal grandmother has always treated me very well, and I lack nothing."
Upon hearing this, Chu Heng looked at Grandmother Jia and subconsciously put on a smile: "Your Highness has gone to great lengths. Our family is poor, and we can only ensure that Lin girl has enough to eat and wear. There's nothing better, and we've wronged her all these years."
"You won't have to suffer in the future." Chu Heng smiled. "It's time to make winter clothes now. I brought some fur and fabric with me. Please trouble the Grand Madam to send someone to make them. Miss Lin is frail, so please don't let her get cold."
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured." Grandmother Jia smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
Chu Heng nodded, exchanged a few more polite words with Grandmother Jia, then stood up and said with a smile, "I'll have to ask Miss Lin to see me off again."
Everyone stood up, and Daiyu said with a smile, "Please, Your Highness."
The others could only watch them leave, just like last time. Jia She glanced at the red gift list that Daiyu had casually placed on the table.
"These can't all belong to Lin girl..."
Grandmother Jia shouted, "Shut up!"
Chu Heng, who was standing on the platform, paused and smiled, "Madam is in good spirits."
Daiyu merely glanced at him without saying a word.
Chu Heng coughed lightly and said, "Miss Lin, I..."
"Has Your Highness received my letter?" Daiyu interrupted him, asking in return.
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