The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 112 The True Enemy is the Scapegoat

Earlier, when Ma Yizhen sought refuge with Tu Chengyu, he mentioned Feng Dewen in his letter and also revealed Feng Dewen's identity.

Now that Feng Dewen is here, it's not so surprising.

Because he was both a representative of the gentry in Jining and an advisor to the prefect of Jining.

He was to lead the search party to find Lai Shangrong. If they found him, he could secretly take Lai Shangrong away without handing him over to Ma Yizhen.

If he fails to find anything, or if he runs into Tu Chengyu, he can use his position as the prefect of Jining to exonerate himself.

However, there were two things he hadn't considered.

One problem was that some of the people he employed were Japanese, and Tu Chengyu's side recognized them immediately.

Secondly, he never expected that Ma Yizhen had already sided with Tu Chengyu, and that Ma Yizhen had already informed Tu Chengyu of his actions.

Therefore, when he said his name, Tu Chengyu could already guess what he was planning.

Tu Chengyu asked, "You said you're Prefect Ma's advisor, so what are you doing here?"

Feng Dewen replied, "I am here on the orders of Prefect Ma to arrest a fugitive."

Tu Chengyu asked again, "What kind of fugitive are you arresting?"

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's question, Feng Dewen began to feign ignorance, saying, "This matter is a secret of the imperial court, and I cannot speak of it."

Tu Chengyu figured that if he didn't reveal his identity, Feng Dewen would probably continue to play dumb, so he said directly:
"Since you don't know me, let me tell you. I am the fifth prince of this dynasty, Prince Su."

When Feng Dewen heard Tu Chengyu reveal his identity, he pretended to have just found out.

First, he had an expression of disbelief, then surprise. Finally, he said, quite timidly;
"Young master, you mustn't be lying to me."

Tu Chengyu greatly admired the fat man's acting skills, but he didn't have time to expose his act right now, so he said directly:
"Whether I've lied to you or not, you know very well in your heart. I'm revealing my identity to you only to make the questioning easier, not to prove that I am who I am."

Tu Chengyu said something very difficult to understand, but Feng Dewen clearly understood it.

He knew perfectly well that the person in front of him was Prince Su, so he dared not question him any further and quickly knelt down to pay his respects.

"Student Feng Dewen greets His Highness Prince Su."

Tu Chengyu ignored his greeting and asked directly, "Now, can you tell me why Prefect Ma sent you here?"

Tu Chengyu thought that since he had revealed his identity, he should be able to answer his questions truthfully.

To Tu Chengyu's utter surprise, this person turned out to be a cunning schemer.

Then Feng Dewen continued his act, saying, "Although you are the Prince of Su, you cannot interfere in local affairs."

Based on the fact that he dared to answer Tu Chengyu in this way at this time, Tu Chengyu believed that this person did indeed intend to commit suicide after killing Lai Shangrong.

This shows that this guy is not afraid of death in this matter, so it will probably be very troublesome to get any useful information out of him.

Although it was troublesome, Tu Chengyu did not want to give up and continued:

"I will naturally not interfere in local affairs, but earlier tonight, my fleet was attacked at the dock in Jining, and the perpetrators just happened to have fled here."

"In that case, do you think I may intervene in this matter?"

Even now, Tu Chengyu is still trying to reason with him, but this person thinks that Tu Chengyu is weak and easy to bully.

He immediately said, "But Prefect Ma said that the attack on the fleet tonight was arranged by Your Highness yourself."

He not only betrayed Ma Yizhen completely, but also said in front of Tu Chengyu that Tu Chengyu was acting.

It can be said that he has perfectly demonstrated his fearlessness.

At this point, Tu Chengyu realized that this person was truly impervious to reason.

It seems that unless we give him some strong medicine, he'll really think he's an easy kid to bully.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu stood up, walked out from behind the table, stood in front of him, and stared at him, saying:
"Is that really what Ma Yi said?"

Feng Dewen replied, "Your Highness, that is indeed what Prefect Ma told the student."

After hearing his words, Tu Chengyu burst into laughter, and after laughing, he said:
"It seems you believe what Ma Yizhen said."

Feng Dewen remained silent.

Seeing his appearance, Tu Chengyu said, "Raise your head for me."

Upon hearing this, Feng Dewen raised his head.

Then, Tu Chengyu stared into his eyes and said, "I'm telling you now, my fleet was attacked by villains tonight. Do you understand?"

Feng Dewen didn't know how to respond to Tu Chengyu's sudden and forceful question, so he could only kneel on the ground in a daze.

Tu Chengyu ignored him and continued, "And this villain who attacked me is the one you killed. Now, can you honestly tell me what you're doing here?"

Before he could answer, Tu Chengyu continued, "I know you are not afraid of death, but I don't know if your entire family is afraid of death."

Tu Chengyu's words finally elicited a response from this man, who said, "Your Highness, you are a prince of the current dynasty, yet you threaten a commoner like me with your entire family. Aren't you afraid of public opinion and the judgment of the world?"

Tu Chengyu said with a smile, "You may not know me. I have never been afraid of any criticism when I do things."

"If you don't believe me, you can try it with your entire family."

Upon hearing this, Feng Dewen finally remembered that this Prince Su seemed truly audacious and reckless. Rumor had it that he had personally killed his own cousin.

Thinking of this, Feng Dewen really didn't dare to risk his entire family.

Therefore, he immediately changed his attitude and replied, "Your Highness, Prefect Ma sent his students here to arrest the fugitive Lai Shangrong."

Seeing that he understood, Tu Chengyu continued to ask, "Since you were ordered to arrest people, why did you kill Lai Shangrong instead?"

Feng Dewen replied, "Your Highness, it was dark when the men you sent suddenly rushed out."

“The students thought they were Lai Shangrong’s accomplices who came to rob him. The students did not want Lai Shangrong to escape again, so they killed him.”

Feng Dewen's explanation sounded perfect and was clearly carefully prepared.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu didn't dwell on that point and instead asked another question:
"Where are the men you brought from?"

Feng Dewen said, "The people the student brought are all from the Jining Garrison. They are following the student under the orders of Prefect Ma."

This guy is very clever; as soon as he saw an opportunity, he shifted the blame onto Ma Yizhen.

If Ma Yizhen hadn't already sided with Tu Chengyu, Tu Chengyu might have actually believed that Ma Yizhen was behind everything, after hearing him push Ma Yizhen to the forefront time and time again.

Now, Tu Chengyu naturally didn't believe his nonsense and said directly:

"You say Ma Yizhen sent soldiers from the garrison to you? Should I summon Ma Yizhen now and confront him face to face?" Feng Dewen continued to argue, saying, "Your Highness, if it weren't for Prefect Ma's orders, how could a mere scholar like me command the garrison soldiers?"

Tu Chengyu said, "If you can't command the soldiers of the garrison battalion, what if these people weren't from the garrison battalion? Would you be able to command them at will then?"

Ma Yizhen sent a second messenger, clearly stating that some outsiders were mixed in with the messengers they sent.

Furthermore, the fact that all the people Quan Xu killed earlier were Japanese slaves speaks volumes.

Tu Chengyu pointed this out directly, hoping to shatter Feng Dewen's wishful thinking, but to his surprise, the man remained resolute, saying:

“The student cannot understand Your Highness’s words. The people the student brought are indeed from the garrison. The garrison commander can testify to this.”

Not only was his attitude firm, but he also invoked the title of the garrison commander of Jining Garrison to vouch for himself.

Tu Chengyu knew without a doubt that the garrison commander of Jining Garrison Battalion was definitely in cahoots with Feng Dewen.

If Tu Chengyu really summoned Ma Yizhen and this garrison commander to confront Feng Dewen face to face, they would definitely unite and falsely accuse Ma Yizhen of murder.

At that time, Ma Yizhen will bear all the blame, and they will be able to easily extricate themselves without getting involved in any trouble.

This is probably why Feng Dewen is still making excuses when facing Tu Chengyu.

Unfortunately, despite their meticulous planning, they made two crucial oversights.

Tu Chengyu looked at him mockingly and said, "Are you sure the garrison commander can vouch for you?"

Feng Dewen said, "The student is confirmed."

Tu Chengyu smiled and said, "It's good that you're sure. Don't change your mind when he arrives. However, I'm worried that he might not dare to testify after he comes."

Feng Dewen, unsure of Tu Chengyu's intentions, looked puzzled and asked, "Why does Your Highness say that?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Because among the soldiers of the garrison you brought, there are Japanese pirates."

"What?" Tu Chengyu's words startled Feng Dewen so much that he exclaimed.

Tu Chengyu said, "Judging from your expression, it seems you don't know about this."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Feng Dewen realized that he had lost his composure and quickly composed himself.

At the same time, he was trying to determine whether what Tu Chengyu said was true or false.

But given the current situation, he had no way of judging, and could only bite the bullet and say:

"Your Highness, how could there be Japanese pirates among the soldiers of the garrison? You must have seen wrong."

Tu Chengyu said, "I am also curious as to why there are Japanese pirates in this garrison camp."

"I didn't want this to be true either, but it just is."

"Now, do you still think that the garrison commander of Jining Garrison Battalion is your witness?"

If this news is true, even if the garrison commander is completely brainless, he would never stand up to testify for Feng Dewen.

Feng Dewen was clearly able to grasp this principle.

So, after he sorted out his thoughts, his face turned pale.

Seeing that the fire was almost ready, Tu Chengyu added fuel to the fire and said:
"You must know that if the garrison commander refuses to testify for you, then you will have to bear the blame for colluding with the Japanese."

"I ask you, can you bear the blame for this crime?"

Colluding with Japanese pirates is a serious crime. Although it may not result in the extermination of nine generations of one's family, the execution of the entire clan is inevitable.

Feng Dewen himself is not afraid of death, but could he just stand by and watch his family members die?

Faced with Tu Chengyu's questioning, Feng Dewen thought for a long time this time.

After an intense internal struggle, he finally gritted his teeth, looked up, and said:
"Your Highness, may I speak with you privately?"

Judging from his expression, it seemed he wanted to say something. Tu Chengyu waved his hand, dismissing the two eunuchs who had escorted him in, and ordered Xiao Xuanzi to stand guard outside the door.

Then he asked, "Now, you may speak if you have anything you wish to say to me."

Although Feng Dewen requested to speak with Tu Chengyu alone, he thought it was normal that Quan Wenwei hadn't left.

He said, "Your Highness, if I were to tell you that my family has already moved elsewhere, I'm afraid Your Highness would not be able to exterminate my entire family."

"Furthermore, students and their clans regard each other as enemies. If Your Highness could exterminate my entire clan, I would be even happier."

"Now, Your Highness, do you still think you can get me to talk?"

Tu Chengyu hadn't expected this situation, but since he suddenly brought it up, he certainly wasn't trying to make Tu Chengyu look bad.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Since you're not afraid, why did you seem so afraid when I mentioned the Japanese slaves? Were you just pretending?"

Feng Dewen shook his head and said, "I'm not pretending; I genuinely didn't expect there to be Japanese among the people I brought."

"I implore Your Highness to tell me whether Your Highness lied to me about the Japanese invaders or not."

Tu Chengyu nodded and said, "I did not lie to you."

Feng Dewen seemed to believe Tu Chengyu's words and said, "This student thanks Your Highness for informing me."

From the questions and answers just now, Tu Chengyu made a judgment in his mind: Feng Dewen seemed to really not know that there were Japanese slaves among the people he brought.

In other words, someone concealed this from him.

Moreover, he just mentioned that his family members have been moved elsewhere. On the surface, it seems that his family members are being protected, but from another perspective, aren't they also hostages in the hands of others?

So Tu Chengyu asked, "So, you're also a scapegoat thrown out by someone else?"

With a dejected look on his face, Feng De said, "The student can't deny it."

The situation took such a dramatic turn that Tu Chengyu wanted to applaud the person who orchestrated it all.

Tu Chengyu asked, "So, I can't get any useful information from you?"

Feng Dewen said, "Your Highness, I sent the others away not to amuse you, but to make a deal with you."

Tu Chengyu was not surprised by his words and said, "Tell me about it and see if it's worth it for me to make a deal with you."

Feng Dewen said, "If I could tell Your Highness who sent these Japanese pirates, I wonder if Your Highness would grant me this opportunity?"

Hearing him say that, Tu Chengyu suddenly became interested.

(End of this chapter)