The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 1 Even a prince can be meat on a chopping board

Autumn of the twentieth year of Ding'an.

Both the north and south have a bumper harvest, the autumn grain is stored in the granaries, and the world is at peace.

On the occasion of the emperor's birthday,
The emperor ordered the construction of a temporary palace in preparation for the celebration.

The emperor was displeased with the advice of his ministers.
-
On the eve of the Emperor's birthday, in the west courtyard of Prince An's residence.

Tu Chengyu went to bed early, as usual.

Unexpectedly, I was woken up just as I was falling asleep.

"Fifth Master, Fifth Master, wake up quickly."

The person who came pushed and shouted.

Tu Chengyu angrily sat up, looked at the little maid who was cowering like a quail, took a few deep breaths, and then asked:
"What's the matter?"

The maidservant replied tremblingly, "The prince summoned him, and Steward Kang, who serves the prince, is already waiting in the courtyard."

The fact that my father sent someone over in the middle of the night clearly indicates that it was an urgent matter.

Tu Chengyu dared not delay and hurriedly got up. With the help of the maid, he dressed and went out. He saw his father's son, Xiao Sikang, standing bowing under the eaves.

"Where is Father?" Tu Chengyu asked.

"Reporting to Fifth Master, the Prince is in the Fengsheng Hall in the front courtyard."

Tu Chengyu nodded, pondered for a moment, and got up to go. Kang Zhong and Tu Chengyu's little follower Zhao San'er followed behind him, one on each side.

Upon leaving his small courtyard, Tu Chengyu saw that all the candles in the Prince's Mansion had been lit, and countless torches were scattered throughout, illuminating the entire Prince's Mansion.

Such a grand display astonished Tu Chengyu, and his ten-year-old face showed the solemnity of an adult.

"What happened?"

Kang Zhong hurried two steps closer to Tu Chengyu and replied, "Reporting to Fifth Master, it is said that there is a mutiny in the outer city. The Prince has asked all the masters to go to the main hall so that they can look after each other."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu did not ask any further questions.

A mutiny in the capital city would be a momentous event, one that would shake the very heavens and earth. Even Prince An would not dare to get involved in the slightest, let alone him, the fifth son of Prince An.

With a heart full of trepidation, I arrived at the entrance of the Fengsheng Hall and saw a group of guards in full armor surrounding the main hall. The guard at the entrance was Cheng Changbao, the fifth-rank general and head of the guards of the Prince's Mansion.

General Cheng

"Fifth Master, please come in." Cheng Changbao had risen from a guard to the head guard in the Prince's mansion, so he was naturally familiar with all the masters of the mansion. After seeing Tu Chengyu, he didn't even need to announce himself.

After nodding, Tu Chengyu went straight into the main hall. Passing the screen at the entrance, he saw his father, also fully armored, sitting astride a long chair, surrounded by his brothers and sisters, while his aunts and sisters hid in the back hall.

The older brothers were all dressed in armor and carrying swords, but the sixth brother, who was the same age as Tu Chengyu, was dressed in ordinary clothes.

Tu Chengyu greeted each of them, and then stood next to Xiao Liu very consciously.

Because Tu Chengyu deliberately kept a low profile, his presence in the Prince An's mansion was very low. Apart from Xiao Liu, who studied with him, the others only knew that Xiao Wu liked food.

Even Tu Chengying, the heir of the royal family who shared the same mother as Tu Chengyu, didn't know much about his younger brother.

In such a tense moment, no one was in the mood to speak. The whole family huddled together like lambs to the slaughter, anxious and at a loss.

After an unknown amount of time, a series of hurried footsteps approached. Everyone looked up and saw that it was Cheng Changbao walking briskly towards them.

"Your Highness, Lord Zhang has sent someone."

Lord Zhang is the chief secretary of Prince An's mansion, the prince's most trusted official. The fact that he would send someone to deliver a letter at this time clearly indicates that it is a very important letter.

"Bring it in quickly!"

Cheng Changbao responded verbally, then turned and brought over a middle-aged man with a dusty and disheveled appearance. The man's clothes were tattered and worn, but his expression was very calm.

"I've met the prince!"

"Zhang Jin?" Upon seeing the man's face, Prince An appeared quite surprised. Zhang Jin was the second son of Chief Secretary Zhang and held a position in Prince An's residence, though he usually didn't come to report for duty. He hadn't expected that Chief Secretary Zhang would send him here at a time like tonight.

"Did your father have any words of advice for me?"

"Your Highness, my father has sent me with a letter."

"Take it out quickly."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jin stood up, took off his tattered long robe, pulled out a small piece of paper about the size of a thumb from the lining of the hem, and handed it to Prince An with both hands.

Prince An eagerly took the note, and only opened it after his sons had stepped aside.

Such a small piece of paper could not possibly contain many words, and Prince An read it at a glance before burning it on a nearby candle.

"Long-term protection"

"Your humble servant is here."

"Gather everyone in the manor in the front yard. The guards of the manor will only guard the front yard. From this moment on, draw your swords and nock your arrows. Without my order, no one may enter the manor."

"Yes," Cheng Changbao answered loudly, then turned and went out to make arrangements. Zhang Jin, the messenger, also went out at the same time.

After they left, An Wang called out to the back hall, "Bring out Little Twelve."

Little Twelfth is Prince An's youngest son, not yet three years old. He is clever and adorable, and is Prince An's favorite.

Princess Consort Liu personally led Little Twelve from the back hall to the front hall. As soon as Little Twelve saw Prince An, she cheered and rushed over. Even though Prince An was fully armored, he forcibly bent down and picked up Little Twelve.

The father and son played around like that, oblivious to everyone else, making their other sons envious. None of them received such favoritism from their father.

After the father and son had finished their playful antics, Prince An turned around and called over the eunuch on duty at the door.

"Shouzhong, come here."

Xia Shouzhong, who had been standing in the shadows by the door, quickly approached with small, quick steps, put his hands on his stomach, bowed his head, and replied:
"Yes, Your Highness."

Prince An looked at Little Twelve and said, "Go and choose two loyal and reliable companions to escort Little Twelve out through the secret passage. Be quick!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Shouzhong responded and hurried away.

Inside the Fengsheng Hall, the people of the Prince's Mansion reacted in various ways. The Princess looked sad and reluctant to part with him. Her sons were either stunned, envious, or expressionless. Sobbing could be heard from the back hall.

Prince An saw all of this but said nothing. He simply pulled Little Twelfth closer to him, looked at him, and said, "Your father wants you to go outside alone. Are you afraid?"

Little Twelfth did not answer directly. Instead, he straightened his posture and said seriously, like a little adult, "Father, I am still young. Let my elder brother take the men out of the manor!"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent, save for Prince An's sigh and the Princess's sobs.

Judging from Prince An's reaction and arrangements, everyone could see that the danger tonight was extraordinary. One wrong move and Prince An's mansion might cease to exist.

Under such circumstances, Prince An arranged for Xiao Twelve to hide outside, just in case, to ensure that the Prince An's family line would continue.

The fact that the twelfth prince unhesitatingly gave up such a chance to live to the crown prince is truly touching.

Prince An said with emotion, "Little Twelfth, it's not that your father favors you. How could your father not wish for the An Prince's Mansion to be safe and sound? But I know that person. In the entire An Prince's Mansion, only you are someone he won't pursue too much."

Although Prince An was speaking to the twelfth son, he was actually explaining this to his other sons.

Afterwards, Prince An gave Xiao Twelve some more instructions and had someone bring out some commoners' clothes for the princess to change into.

A moment later, Xia Shouzhong hurriedly returned, but there was no one else behind him. He obviously did not want others to know who the companion who had escaped with Xiao Shier was.

"Little Twelfth, you must remember this well: it will only take three days. If your father does not send anyone to look for you after three days, you must forget your current identity, forget everything about the Prince An's mansion, flee the capital, and from now on, consider yourself just an ordinary citizen!"

"Father..." Little Twelve finally couldn't hold back, and large tears welled up in his eyes, filling everyone in the Prince An's mansion with sorrow.

"Hurry up!" Prince An turned around, unable to bear watching. Xia Shouzhong silently carried Little Twelve away from the back hall.

Tu Chengyu was speechless. Ever since he came into this world and realized that he was no longer just an ordinary person, he had planned to enjoy the riches and honors of this life. Now it seemed that if he didn't do something right, he would die prematurely.

(End of this chapter)