Chapter 9, Chapter 9, Painstaking Efforts.
“The prince doesn’t like seeing outsiders. He doesn’t want to get out of the carriage, and I can’t force him,” Daiyu explained softly.
This was no lie; Chu Heng truly had no intention of getting off the carriage. However, Daiyu was unsure whether the old lady and others believed his story.
There was no one else in the room at this time. After frowning and thinking for a moment, Grandmother Jia asked, "Yu'er, did the Prince suggest sending you back to the manor?"
Daiyu shook her head and answered truthfully, "It was Her Majesty the Empress who ordered the Prince to escort me back to the mansion."
Grandmother Jia asked in confusion, "The Empress? Why is the Empress here... Yu'er, tell your grandmother in detail about what happened when you entered the palace today."
Daiyu paused and recounted her meeting with Prince Duan, arranged by the Empress Dowager, and her subsequent meal with the royal family. However, she did not mention the details of her interactions with Prince Duan or her own thoughts.
After listening, Grandmother Jia pondered for a long time and sorted out the logic. She said, "The Empress Dowager values you, the Empress understands the Empress's intentions, and Prince Duan is very filial and obedient to the Empress Dowager's wishes, which is good. However, Yu'er, Prince Duan is your future husband, so you still need to win his favor."
Not to mention that Daiyu didn't think Prince Duan wanted a princess to please him, even if he did, Daiyu couldn't give it to him.
Daiyu did want to live, but she wouldn't abandon all principles just to survive.
At present, Prince Duan is very much in line with Daiyu's expectations.
Daiyu lowered her eyes and said, "Grandma, we are not yet married, and men and women should be kept separate. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me and the Prince to meet. Let's talk about this another day."
Grandmother Jia thought she was shy and smiled, "What rules and regulations are there? Can they be more important than the Empress Dowager? The royal family is not like ordinary families. Of course, the rules are more important, but if nobles insist on disregarding the rules, can they really fight against the Empress Dowager?"
As she spoke, Grandmother Jia held Daiyu's hand: "Yu'er, you are going to marry into the royal family, so you need to be aware of many things. If something happens to you in the future, your grandmother will not be able to protect you in front of the nobles."
From the moment the imperial edict was issued, Daiyu already knew that no one could protect her in the eyes of the imperial family.
Daiyu nodded: "Grandmother, I understand."
Grandmother Jia patted her hand: "I met Prince Duan today and spoke with him. Did you find out what Prince Duan likes? You are good at poetry, calligraphy, painting, music and chess. Right, don't you have a poetry club? Next time you see Prince Duan, show him your poems."
Daiyu had no intention of taking the old lady's advice or arguing with her. She simply smiled and brushed it off for now: "Yes."
In any case, when the Empress Dowager arranged for her to meet with Prince Duan again, the old lady would not be able to accompany her.
Now that Daiyu is no longer a concern for the old lady, she should start planning how much benefit this marriage can bring to the Jia family.
Although Daiyu was somewhat saddened by this, she was not too upset. Over the years, she had come to understand that while the old lady's love and affection for her was genuine, the old lady's love and affection were never limited to Daiyu alone.
Of course, the old lady couldn't possibly plan for Daiyu without considering anything else.
“Besides your marriage to the Prince, there’s also your eldest sister in the palace. Our family and the Prince aren’t exactly outsiders,” Grandmother Jia added. “There will be opportunities to meet in the future. As you get to know each other better, your eldest brother Zhen and second brother Lian will be able to visit each other more often.”
Daiyu understood what the old lady meant. She and Prince Duan had a long time ahead of them, and there would always be opportunities to say good things to him and help him get to know the Jia family.
Nowadays, many of the Jia family's old friends and relatives are not valued by the Emperor, so they really need to make friends with relatives like Prince Duan.
Having lived in the Jia family for so many years, Daiyu would naturally hope for their well-being, as the Jia family would become her second family. However…
Could befriending Prince Duan really bring benefits to the Jia family?
Daiyu harbored doubts.
If Prince Duan wanted to make connections with outside officials, he wouldn't have remained secluded in his home all the time. Daiyu, as Prince Duan's wife, didn't have enough influence to change Prince Duan's temperament and habits.
Or perhaps Prince Duan did it intentionally, because for someone of his status, staying away from court intrigues was the best way to protect himself.
—And the Jia family wanted to befriend Prince Duan, whose identity was so sensitive. Putting aside any benefits, they might regret it if things went wrong one day.
As the Prince of Duan, there is nothing he doesn't want to do that no one in the world can force him to do, except for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
With the wrinkles around Grandmother Jia's eyes and the white hair at her temples right in front of Daiyu, she couldn't help but feel reluctant to speak her mind.
Perhaps my grandmother couldn't see through it all, but she simply had no other choice.
It's bad enough that the Jia family has no capable sons and grandsons, but these people are also busy ruining the family business and reputation. The old lady can't control the men in front, so she can only do her best to save the Jia family.
Daiyu smiled and responded again, and Grandmother Jia smiled and patted her head: "Good child."
It's uncertain how much longer the Jia family can hold on; hopefully, the old lady won't live to see that day.
...
The following day, the Jia family once again welcomed female officials and eunuchs from Renshou Palace.
Madam Xing glanced at Madam Wang, her eyes full of mockery. The second concubine had only brought eunuchs who wanted money, but had never seen any rewards from the Empress Dowager. A concubine was not as good as a princess. She really didn't know what she was showing off all day long. Her daughter-in-law was still picking and choosing.
Shuangyun handed the bright red stationery to Grandmother Jia and said with a smile, "This is the date for the six rites calculated by Master Pingyi. Please keep it safe, Madam."
Grandmother Jia was a first-rank imperial consort, and Shuangyun was a first-rank female official. Although the first rank in the inner and outer courts was not the same thing, Shuangyun was still a favorite of the Empress Dowager. When Grandmother Jia received something from her, she had to stand up.
"Thank you for your trouble," said Grandmother Jia with a smile. "Please inform the Empress Dowager that our household will make preparations as soon as possible."
Shuangyun nodded and smiled: "The Dowager has experienced many big events, so your family will naturally handle such a small matter properly. The Empress Dowager has no worries."
Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Please have some tea, young lady."
Shuangyun sat down and took a small sip of tea, then said, "There's one more thing. There were many things to do yesterday, and the Empress Dowager forgot to mention it to Miss Lin. She asked me to convey her message to her today."
Daiyu, who was sitting next to Grandmother Jia, stood up upon hearing this and said, "Please give your instructions, Empress Dowager."
Shuangyun also stood up and said with a smile: "The Prince's recovery this time is entirely due to the compassion of the Master and the protection of Buddha. Therefore, the Twenty-Five Empress Dowagers will go to Longhua Temple to worship Buddha, firstly to fulfill her vow and thank Buddha for his compassion, and secondly to pray that Buddha will protect the royal family and the people of the world."
Grandmother Jia stood up, and since no one could sit, they stood and listened to Shuangyun continue: "The Empress Dowager's idea is that Miss Lin should go over there to chant Buddhist prayers and burn incense, so as to keep her company."
Accompanying the Empress Dowager to worship Buddha! In an instant, everyone was in an uproar; this was an immense favor!
Daiyu curtsied and said, "Yes."
Shuangyun smiled again and said, "On the morning of the 25th, the Empress Dowager will send someone to pick you up, Miss."
Daiyu curtsied again and said, "Yes."
Yesterday, the old lady said that no rules or etiquette were greater than those of the Empress Dowager, and today the Empress Dowager has come up with a new trick.
Among those who accompanied the Empress Dowager to worship Buddha at Longhua Temple, Daiyu was certain that Prince Duan would be among them.
Shuangyun did not linger. After completing the tasks instructed by the Empress Dowager, she disregarded Grandmother Jia's attempts to persuade her to stay and left the Jia family directly in a sedan chair.
Grandmother Jia held Daiyu's hand and smiled, "Yu'er, the Empress Dowager truly loves you."
No matter how bitter she felt, everyone around her had to agree with the old lady, and the room became lively in an instant.
After hearing the flattery, Grandmother Jia instructed, "It'll be two days until the 25th. Feng'er, help your sister pack her luggage for the Longhua Temple. Just tell me if she needs anything or anything."
When going out with the Empress Dowager, one cannot be stingy with good things, otherwise it will be the Duke's mansion that loses face.
Madam Xing's face immediately darkened. The old lady had plenty of good things, but she kept giving them away to this person today and that person tomorrow. By the time it was their turn in the main branch of the family, who knew how much junk would be left!
Lady Wang was also unhappy. She was just a princess; how could she compare to her daughter, a noble consort? How could the Empress Dowager possibly approve of this brat! Most of the good things the old lady had belonged to Baoyu, and now this little girl was trying to get her share. This made Lady Wang furious!
No matter how angry they were, no one dared to vent their anger in front of Grandmother Jia.
After Grandmother Jia's gathering dispersed, Wang Xifeng and Daiyu went to her room to pack their luggage. Madam Xing watched their retreating figures and let out a loud snort.
What a wicked Second Madam Lian! I'm afraid she's long forgotten whose family she belongs to!
Lady Wang pretended not to hear or see anything, and led the people back to the main courtyard of Rongxi Hall. After changing their clothes and chanting sutras in front of the Buddha for half an hour, Lady Wang said, "Where is Baoyu? Call him over."
Yu Chuan obeyed the order and went to fetch him, but a moment later she ran back in a panic and shouted, "Madam! Master Bao is not in the room, and Xi Ren doesn't know where he went either!"
Madam Wang's mind went blank for a moment. She steadied herself by holding onto her maid's hand, and after regaining her composure, she hurriedly said, "Hurry up and go find them!"
On the day of the arranged marriage, Jia Baoyu made a scene and fell ill for several days. From then on, Lady Wang confined him to her own courtyard. To avoid further trouble, Grandmother Jia hardened her heart and forbade Jia Baoyu from going to her courtyard, thus preventing Jia Baoyu from meeting Daiyu.
Jia Baoyu, however, did not want to heed his elders' words. He wanted to see Lin Daiyu again and speak with her once more, even though he knew he could not disobey the imperial decree...
But does that mean he will never be able to say another word to Lin Daiyu in this lifetime?
He didn't want it to be like this!
Making a fuss was useless. This time, Madam Wang was determined. No matter how much Jia Baoyu cried or made a scene, she refused to let him step out of the main room.
The maids around Jia Baoyu coaxed and persuaded him, managing to calm him down for a few days. However, he was still unwilling to give up and kept thinking about how to sneak out and see Lin Daiyu without the help of others.
With this thought in mind, Jia Baoyu pretended to accept his fate, stopped making a fuss and stopped mentioning seeing Lin Daiyu, and only played and joked with the maids.
Once everyone had completely relaxed their guard and stopped watching him all the time, Jia Baoyu quietly ran out, avoiding all the servants, and went straight to Daiyu's door, where he was discovered by Chunxian, who was embroidering in the corridor.
"Master Bao!" Chunxian exclaimed in surprise, "How could you..."
"Sister Lin!" Jia Baoyu called out as he stepped over the threshold. Seeing Daiyu's slender figure through the beaded curtain, he immediately burst into tears. "Sister Lin..."
A note from the author:
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