The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 103: The Journey to Shandong is Halfway Over

Tu Chengyu turned to Lao Yao, looked at him and said, "Didn't I tell you to find someone you have no ties with?"

Old Yao quickly said, "Your Highness, I have failed in my duty. Please forgive me. I will throw this boy back and replace him with someone else."

The boy who had spoken began to tremble uncontrollably upon hearing this.

Tu Chengyu stared at him and asked, "Did you hear that? If you try to bring others along, I'll throw you back and make you continue being my boatman."

Faced with this opportunity to escape his misery, the boy seemed to struggle. After thinking for a while, he said:
"Grandpa Niu saved my life, I can't abandon him."

Seeing that he made this choice, Tu Chengyu asked with considerable curiosity:
"Who is this Grandpa Niu you're talking about?"

The boy said, "Your Highness, we are just from the same place. Grandpa Niu has no children, and I have lost my parents, so we make do with each other to live together."

Tu Chengyu said, "Since you can't bear to part with him, why don't you go back and continue pulling the boat with him?"

Upon hearing this, the boy knelt down once more and said, "Please, Your Highness, show mercy and take in my grandfather and grandson."

Tu Chengyu said, "What would I need an old man for?"

The boy said, “Your Highness, I am strong and capable of doing the work of two people. If Your Highness can take me in, I will repay Your Highness’s kindness with my life.”

Tu Chengyu ignored him and said to Lao Yao, "Throw him back."

Upon hearing this, Old Yao grabbed the boy and, ignoring his pleas, carried him back to the riverbank.

Watching the boy dejectedly return to his original spot, he silently sat down next to an old man.

Tu Chengyu withdrew his gaze, looked at the boy who had remained, and asked, "Is there anyone you want to take with you?"

The boy quickly shook his head, indicating that he did not.

Seeing this, Tu Chengyu said to Lao Yao, who had turned back, "Take him to another boat and find him a change of clothes."

Old Yao went to make arrangements for the young man, while Tu Chengyu led the others to his new boat.

Because of the change of ships, everything needs to be transferred from the old ship to the new one, which can't be done in a short time.

Tu Chengyu rested and waited on the boat.

At this moment, Quan Wenwei, who was escorting the ship on another ship, came over here.

Upon seeing Tu Chengyu, he immediately asked, "Was Your Highness spreading false information again just now?"

Tu Chengyu said, "It was just a coincidence, a casual arrangement."

"What I'm worried about now is the canal. As you can see, Mr. Quan, we have so many boatmen pulling our few small boats. With so much grain to be transported every year, wouldn't we need even more people to pull the boats?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, this has always been the way the grain transport has always been."

Tu Chengyu said, "Hasn't the imperial court considered any other solutions? Why not sea transport?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness may not know this, but although the canal transport is very expensive, it can guarantee that the grain will be transported to the capital every year."

“If the grain is transported by sea, the ships carrying it are in danger of capsizing.”

"At the beginning of the founding of the country, Emperor Taizu also tried to transport grain to the capital by sea."

"In the span of five years, there were three incidents in which grain ships were completely swept into the sea. From then on, grain was transported via the canal again."

After listening, Tu Chengyu understood the reason why the imperial court relied on grain transport.

But there was one thing he didn't understand: were the waves in the East China Sea really that big that they could capsize the imperial grain transport ships twice in five years?

Moreover, according to Tu Chengyu, for many years, Westerners have been able to cross oceans and seas to trade with the imperial court.

It's unbelievable that Westerners can come here from the ocean, yet the imperial court can't transport grain from the coastal waters.

Seeing that Tu Chengyu was still thinking about this, Quan Wenwei said:
"Your Highness, the court has its own considerations for this matter, and your worries now will not help."

Upon hearing Quan Wenwei's words, Tu Chengyu chuckled and said, "Mr. Quan is right; I was just worrying unnecessarily."

After saying that, he asked, "Mr. Quan, is there anything else you want to see me about?"

Quan Wenwei said, "I just saw Your Highness take in two young men, but why did you drive one away?"

Tu Chengyu then recounted what had just happened to him.

After listening, Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness is not usually this kind of person. Why did you harden your heart and do this today?"

Tu Chengyu said, "This young man is just a boatman, yet he dares to make demands of me."

"Such a person is either a little clever and wants to take advantage of my kindness."

"Either this person is truly loyal and devoted, and never abandoned the old man who saved him."

"I deliberately drove him away to see his reaction. If he doesn't take his anger out on the old man, why not give him a chance?"

Quan Wenwei never expected that Tu Chengyu was testing this young man.

He couldn't quite understand how a prince like Tu Chengyu could have so many people at his disposal.

Moreover, if he just asked, even more people would come begging him to do things for them. Why would he bother testing a young man who pulls a boat?

Both men were puzzled and chatted for a few more minutes. After the things on the boat were loaded, Quan Wenwei returned to his own boat.

After lunch, the fleet continued its journey.

For the next few days, they continued south without stopping, just like before.

During this process, Tu Chengyu also periodically sent people to observe the boy he had deliberately let go, to see how he had behaved over the past few days. After this observation, Tu Chengyu was quite satisfied.

After being released by Tu Chengyu, the boy seemed rather depressed, but he continued to take care of the old man Niu as before.

Tu Chengyu thought that when the boat reached the Yellow River, he would take the boy and the old man Niu into the boat together.

As the fleet continued south, it reached the Yellow River ferry, and the boy naturally became a member of the fleet.

Immediately afterwards, they crossed the ferry and entered the Yellow River.

The fleet traveled upstream on the Yellow River for two more days before finally arriving at Jining Prefecture.

Here, Tu Chengyu will experience a second boat change; the boat is larger, and the canal is wider.

After changing boats and traveling south on the canal for two more days, the fleet arrived at the dock outside the city of Jining Prefecture.

Upon reaching the dock, the fleet did not continue its journey but stopped.

Because Lai Shangrong was the magistrate of Jining Prefecture, and Tu Chengyu and Jia Lian had agreed to meet here.

The original plan was for Jia Lian to lure and capture Lai Shangrong's trusted henchmen and bring them here.

Tu Chengyu interrogated Lai Shangrong's crimes from among his trusted followers.

Once the crime is confirmed, we can go directly to him, arrest him, and then make a big scene.

In this way, Tu Chengyu could completely confirm the false rumor that he was specifically there to deal with corrupt officials.

At the same time, we can also take care of Lai Shangrong.

The boat remained docked for two full hours to wait for Jia Lian and his companions.

Tu Chengyu and Quan Wenwei sat on the deck, watching the sky darken as they still hadn't seen them, and assumed that Jia Lian and the others wouldn't be coming today.

Just then, Xiao Xuanzi rushed over and said, "Your Highness, one of the guards who went with Jia Lian has returned."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu immediately said, "Let him come aboard the ship."

After hearing this, Xiao Xuanzi turned around and ran back. A moment later, he brought up a guard dressed in commoner's clothes, his face covered in dust.

As soon as the guard arrived, Tu Chengyu asked, "How did things go?"

The guard reported, "Your Highness, Young Master Jia has captured this man's confidant."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Now that you've caught him, why not bring him back?"

The guard said, "Your Highness, one of the two people arrested by Young Master Jia was originally a servant of the Jia family."

"After meeting Young Master Jia, this man learned that we had come to collect evidence of Lai Shangrong's crimes."

"This man then told Young Master Jia some things he knew, including a very important clue."

"Young Master Jia is worried that if Lai Shangrong finds out, he might destroy this clue."

"Then he led us to retrieve the evidence."

"Unexpectedly, this alarmed Lai Shangrong, who then dispatched his constables to arrest us everywhere."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Are you all alright?"

The guard said, "Your Highness, after we escaped the county town, we hid in a mountain with the help of some villagers."

"Nothing happened before I was sent out. I wonder how things are now?"

After listening, Tu Chengyu glanced at Quan Wenwei, who then said:
"Your Highness, there is no time to lose. We should send someone to rescue Young Master Jia and the others right now."

Tu Chengyu, however, said, "I think that since Jia Lian has already found the evidence, why don't we go directly there and arrest Lai Shangrong?"

"This move will not only rescue Jia Lian and the others, but also prevent Lai Shangrong from resorting to desperate measures."

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, the method is good, but we need to obtain evidence first."

"To rashly remove the magistrate of a county would likely invite impeachment against the prince in the imperial court."

Tu Chengyu said, "Since I want to cause trouble, I am not afraid of their impeachment. Besides, haven't Jia Lian and the others already obtained the evidence?"

Quan Wenwei still advised, "Your Highness, please reconsider."

Tu Chengyu said, "My mind is made up, Mr. Quan, please don't try to persuade me."

After listening to the whole story, Quan Wenwei fell silent.

Tu Chengyu turned to the guard and asked, "How far is it from here to the county town?"

The guard replied, "Your Highness, it's over forty li."

After listening, Tu Chengyu calculated that the journey would only take a little over an hour on horseback, and he should be able to arrive before dark.

Thinking of this, he asked the guards, "How many horses did you bring with you when you came?"

The guard replied, "Your Highness, we brought thirty horses, and twenty of them are currently at the post station at the dock."

There are only twenty horses, so if you want to ride over there, you can only send twenty people first.

It would be quite difficult for such a small group of people to capture a county magistrate.

Tu Chengyu suddenly realized that things were getting a bit complicated.

(End of this chapter)