The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 102: Observing the Canal and Deploying More Smoke Screens
Tu Chengyu called the boat captain and several boatmen to go to the lock to inquire about the siltation situation.

The captain, who was in his forties, had dark skin, strong limbs, and a thick beard that made him look honest and rugged.

However, after chatting with him for a couple of minutes, Tu Chengyu realized that this person was not as honest and simple as he appeared.

From the conversation, Tu Chengyu learned that his surname was Gao and that he was now under the jurisdiction of the Grand Canal Transport Office, serving as the head of this fleet.

As he spoke, the foreman led Tu Chengyu to the bank beside the silt, pointed to the shallow water in the river below, and said to Tu Chengyu:

"Your Highness, this is the area with the most severe siltation."

Tu Chengyu walked closer to the riverbank and looked around. The river water wasn't very clear, but you could actually see the bottom.

He also discovered that this section of the river was much narrower than the previous one.

He pointed to the river and asked, "Chief Gao, is this place impassable during the winter and spring every year?"

The head constable replied, "Your Highness, it's the same every year."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Is it because of the siltation?"

The foreman said, "It's mainly due to siltation, but there are some other reasons as well."

Tu Chengyu said, "In that case, why not send someone to clear the silt? That way, it will be passable."

The foreman explained, "Your Highness, the canal transport office used to send people to clear the silt here every year in the past."

"But after the silt is cleared, it will silt up again once spring and summer arrive and the surrounding rivers flood twice."

“It cost a lot of money every year, but it was never properly cleaned. Eventually, the canal transport authorities stopped taking care of it.”

Tu Chengyu said, "If we don't do anything about it, won't the siltation get worse and worse? How will we transport grain to the capital in the future?"

The foreman said, "Your Highness, rest assured. When transporting grain to the capital, it is usually in the summer and spring seasons. At that time, there is a lot of rain and the rivers are swollen, so this little bit of siltation is nothing."

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Are there many places like this along the canal where silt has accumulated?"

The foreman said, "Besides here, it's just along the Yellow River."

After asking about the areas of siltation, Tu Chengyu asked again:

"During these past few days of sailing, I have observed that most of the time, these boats are being pulled forward by boatmen."

"I wonder, do all ships need to be pulled by boatmen to sail?"

The head constable replied, "Your Highness, it depends on the weather and the water level."

"If the wind and current are favorable, the boatmen will not be needed to pull it. If the wind and current are unfavorable, the boatmen will be needed to pull it."

"The places the prince has passed through these past few days have slow-moving water and little wind, so most of the time the boatmen have to pull him along."

Tu Chengyu took what he said to heart and then asked, "Where did these boatmen come from? Are they from the Grand Canal Administration?"

The foreman said, "Your Highness, some of these boat pullers make a living by working along the canal, while others are people conscripted by the court to perform corvée labor."

Hearing what the foreman said, Tu Chengyu turned to look at the boatmen resting on the riverbank.

In this still chilly spring weather, they wore thin linen clothes, and some were even shirtless.

They were all emaciated, their eyes filled with deathly stillness.

Among these people, Tu Chengyu could see both elderly people with white hair and young boys with tender faces.

Tu Chengyu found it hard to imagine what could have led them to make a living by pulling boats.

Is farming harder than pulling boats? Or have they run out of land to farm?

As Tu Chengyu pondered, he asked, "Those who make a living by pulling boats, are they people who have been doing this for generations, or did they come from elsewhere later?"

The foreman said, “Your Highness, pulling the boat is a physically demanding job. It’s rare for people to do it for generations. Most of them make a living on the canal, but their bodies break down after ten years or so, and they have to find someone from elsewhere to take their place.”

Tu Chengyu asked, "Is it easy to recruit people?"

The foreman said, "Your Highness, it's easy. Don't be fooled by how hard the job is; the pay is prompt, and there are plenty of people eager to do it."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Everyone's scrambling to do this job, but the pay is higher than for other jobs?"

The head constable replied, "Your Highness, the amount of money isn't too high."

Tu Chengyu asked疑惑地问道, "Since the pay isn't high, why are they scrambling to do such hard work?"

The foreman said, "Your Highness, you don't know this, but the work of pulling the boat is hard, but it doesn't discriminate against people. As long as you have strength, you can do this job."

"Other jobs may be easier, but if you don't have the skills, no one will hire you."

Tu Chengyu nodded as if he understood, and said, "Farming only requires strength, so why don't they farm?"

When Gao Batou heard Tu Chengyu ask such a childish question, he thought that Tu Chengyu had grown up in the royal family and was out of touch with reality.

Without suspecting anything, he followed Tu Chengyu's words and said, "Your Highness, if they owned land, why would they come here to do the work of pulling boats?"

Tu Chengyu said, "So, all these boatmen here are homeless? Do you know where they all came from?"

Hearing Tu Chengyu keep asking the same questions, Gao Batou realized something was wrong. He thought for a moment before answering Tu Chengyu's question.

"Your Highness, I am merely a boatman and have no idea where they all came from."

Since he didn't want to talk, Tu Chengyu didn't force him. He turned to Old Yao beside him and said, "Go to the boatmen and find two young men, the kind who have no ties and are single."

Old Yao accepted the order and went to recruit people, while the foreman looked at Tu Chengyu suspiciously, unable to guess why the Prince of Su wanted to recruit these boatmen.

Seeing the puzzled look on Gao's face, Tu Chengyu pretended to be kind and said to him:

"I am a man who likes to punish evil and promote good. After hearing what you just said, I think there must be corrupt officials harming the people. So I want to call two boatmen to ask them."

Gao Batou was stunned when he heard this. He couldn't believe that a prince of the current dynasty would be like this.

The tone of his voice was exactly like that of a Robin Hood-like outlaw.

Moreover, the prince immediately implicated himself, saying that he only realized there were corrupt officials after hearing his words.

If this gets out, once the prince leaves, those officials will tear me apart.

Thinking of this, he quickly said, "Your Highness, these are all just my ramblings, please don't take them seriously."

Tu Chengyu said, "I just want to deal with two corrupt officials, what are you afraid of?"

"Besides, with me here, who can do anything to you?"

Gao Batou frowned, his stubble standing up like steel needles.

He realized that, for some reason, this prince wanted to drag him into this mess.

He was already considering that after the prince left, he should rush back to the yamen and report the prince's plan to deal with corrupt officials, so as not to get himself involved if anything happened.

At this moment, Tu Chengyu was overjoyed to be able to find out Gao Batou's thoughts.

His purpose in talking to Chief Gao about dealing with corrupt officials was the same as his earlier conversation with Du Ruoheng at the post station.

They wanted to use their mouths to spread the message they wanted to convey.

He wanted those who cared about him to believe from the bottom of their hearts that he had come to Jiangnan to crack down on corrupt officials.

Both were lost in their own thoughts and did not speak.

The silence was broken when Old Yao arrived with two dark-skinned, thin, barefoot boys in short clothes.

Old Yao said, "Your Highness, I have brought the person you requested."

Upon hearing that the person in front of them was a prince, the two boys were so frightened that they knelt down on the ground with a thud, not daring to raise their heads.

Tu Chengyu glanced at the two of them a few times and said, "Don't be nervous, stand up and answer."

After hearing this, the two boys shifted their bodies but didn't dare to stand up.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu said to Lao Yao, "Bring those two up for me."

Upon hearing this, Old Yao grabbed the two boys, one in each hand, and lifted them up. Only then did the two boys dare to stand up properly, but they still kept their heads down, not daring to look at Tu Chengyu.

Ignoring their behavior, Tu Chengyu said:
"You two heard it too, I am a prince of the current dynasty."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, the two of them naturally wanted to kneel down, but were stopped from behind by Lao Yao, who was prepared in advance.

Tu Chengyu said, "You don't need to kneel when I speak."

Hearing this, the two of them dared to stand still.

Tu Chengyu continued, "I summoned you two here to inquire about some things. If you know the answers, you must tell me the truth."

After listening, the two said in unison, "We will definitely tell the truth."

Tu Chengyu said, "It's good that you can tell the truth. I would like to ask you about the magistrate of your county..."

Tu Chengyu suddenly stopped, turned to look at the foreman beside him and the boatmen who had come with him, and said:
Why are you still here?

The foreman was taken aback, thinking, "You didn't tell us to leave." But standing before him was a prince, not someone to be reasoned with.

He could only say, "Your Highness, I will take my leave now."

He then led his men to prepare to leave.

However, he hadn't gone far when he heard Tu Chengyu's voice coming from behind him.

"Old Yao, it's not convenient to talk here. Let's take these two boys to the new ship and question them there."

Although Gao Batou did not react physically upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, he remembered them firmly in his mind.

The two boys were unsure how to react when they heard that Tu Chengyu was going to take them to the boat.

The taller of the two mustered his courage and said:

"Your Highness, are you taking us away?"

Tu Chengyu raised his voice slightly and said, "Yes, I want to ask you about some important things. I'm afraid that if you tell the truth, someone will cause trouble for you two, so I'm taking you away."

The two boys were overjoyed when they heard that Tu Chengyu was going to take them away.

Seeing that Tu Chengyu was so easy to talk to, the boy who had asked the question then said:
"Your Highness, could you please bring one more person with you?"

Upon hearing his words, Tu Chengyu's face instantly turned gloomy.

(End of this chapter)