The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 113 Turning Enemies into Friends: A Bitter Scheme

When Tu Chengyu heard that Feng Dewen knew where these Japanese slaves came from, he felt that the deal was worthwhile.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu said, "I will give you this opportunity."

Feng Dewen was overjoyed to hear that Tu Chengyu was willing to give him a chance, and immediately said:
"Your Highness, your guess was correct. The people I brought are not soldiers from the Jining Garrison."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu suddenly asked, "None of them?"

Feng Dewen replied, "Neither."

The situation was actually different from what Ma Yizhen had said.

Ma Yizhen's previous message was that some of the soldiers in the garrison battalion were thugs of salt smugglers, but now Feng Dewen says that none of them are from the garrison battalion, they are all thugs.

It seems that the information Ma Yizhen sent earlier was not accurate enough.

While thinking about these things, Tu Chengyu said to Feng Dewen, "Continue."

Feng Dewen said, "The people the students brought were all hired by Liu Ba, a local gang leader."

Tu Chengyu asked, "This Liu Ba is so capable, he was able to find so many people for you in such a short time, including Japanese slaves."

Feng Dewen said, "This Liu Ba is the biggest salt smuggler in Jining. He has powerful connections and influence in Jining."

"As for how he was able to recruit so many people so quickly, that was just a coincidence."

"As far as the students know, there happened to be a fleet of ships transporting smuggled salt from the south coming north these days, along with a large group of thugs, which is why he was able to gather so many people in such a short time."

“If the smuggling fleet hadn’t arrived, the students really would have brought the garrison battalion with them.”

Of all that he said, what really caught Tu Chengyu's attention was the smuggled salt dealers from the south.

Tu Chengyu asked, "So, these Japanese slaves came with the salt smugglers?"

Feng Dewen said, "That's most likely the case. I've heard from others that these salt smugglers love to hire Japanese thugs as henchmen."

If Feng Dewen was not lying, this would mean that it was common for salt smugglers to hire Japanese slaves.

This shows that there are a great many Japanese slaves mingling in the world, and they can even roam around everywhere.

As someone with a deep understanding of the Japanese invaders, Tu Chengyu was well aware of the harm these Japanese invaders would cause by coming ashore.

It seems necessary to speak to the Emperor about increasing the crackdown on these salt smugglers, otherwise they will truly become lawless.

Tu Chengyu asked again, "Do you know where in the south these smuggled salts are transported from?"

Feng Dewen replied, "Your Highness, all the salt in the land is produced in Huaiyang, and this smuggled salt is no exception."

Tu Chengyu asked in surprise, "Who said that smuggled salt also came from the salt merchants of Yangzhou?"

Feng Dewen replied, "Your Highness, there are only such rumors; no one has any evidence. After all, the Yangzhou salt merchants are recognized by the imperial court; why would they risk smuggling salt?"

Although Feng Dewen said that Yangzhou salt merchants would not smuggle salt, Tu Chengyu heard this as a blatant statement that Yangzhou salt merchants were definitely smuggling salt.

After all, without them, how could so much smuggled salt have flowed out? These smugglers wouldn't have been so brazen as to transport smuggled salt directly through the canal.

Having learned all this, Tu Chengyu suddenly understood what the Emperor Emeritus meant when he said his real purpose in going to Yangzhou was to see Lin Ruhai.

That means letting him come, to hear what Lin Ruhai has to say, and to see for himself what the situation is.

It is clear that the Emperor, the Retired Emperor, and Lin Ruhai all noticed the salt merchants' underhanded tactics.

After thinking about these things, Tu Chengyu asked, "Besides Liu Ba, do you know any other salt smugglers?"

Feng Dewen replied, "Your Highness, I am only making trouble in this small area of ​​Jining. I know nothing about others."

He didn't know, and Tu Chengyu didn't force him, so he asked, "Besides that, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

From the questions just now, Feng Dewen sensed that the Prince Su in front of him was not like the arrogant and disdainful royal prince that people had in mind.

So Feng Dewen mustered his courage and said, "Your Highness, there is something I don't understand. Could you please enlighten me?"

Considering his willingness to cooperate, Tu Chengyu asked, "What is it?"

Feng Dewen said, "This student doesn't understand, why does Your Highness suddenly want to arrest Lai Shangrong?"

Tu Chengyu couldn't tell him the real reason for this; he could only give him the superficial explanation.

“When the people complain, I naturally have to look into it. I just didn’t expect Lai Shangrong to be so cowardly that he ran away before I could even ask him anything.”

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's high-sounding reason, Feng Dewen naturally didn't believe it. He said:
"The student has already become the prince's prisoner, why does the prince still deceive the student?"

Tu Chengyu asked curiously, "Why do you say that I am lying to you?"

Feng Dewen said, "Your Highness, I was born and raised here, so naturally I know a bit about things here."

"Although Lai Shangrong is a corrupt official, he would never allow ordinary people to go around filing complaints."

"Moreover, he had no reason to flee because of corruption."

Tu Chengyu also wanted to know why Lai Shangrong had fled so decisively, and why the gentry of Jining were so nervous after his escape that they were willing to fight Tu Chengyu head-on to take him away and even try to silence him.

He asked, "Then do you know why Lai Shangrong ran away?"

Feng Dewen did not answer Tu Chengyu's question immediately, but thought about it seriously before saying:

"Your Highness, although I cannot be entirely certain, I do have some guesses."

He stopped before he could finish speaking, seemingly hesitant.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu said, "Feel free to share your guesses."

Upon hearing this, Feng Dewen boldly spoke up, "This student suspects that Lai Shangrong's escape might be related to the Prince and the Crown Prince."

Why are we talking about the Crown Prince again? Tu Chengyu frowned and asked, "Why do you have this guess?"

Feng Dewen said, "Your Highness, this is a long story. Please listen patiently to my explanation."

Tu Chengyu said, "I have plenty of time. You can explain it to me slowly."

After listening, Feng Dewen organized his thoughts slightly and said, "I'm sure Your Highness is also aware that Lai Shangrong is from the Jia family in the capital."

"The Jia family had been supported by the former crown prince for the past few years, so Lai Shangrong and many other people in Shandong were part of the former crown prince's faction."

"Six months ago, the former crown prince committed suicide, and his cronies became like rats in the street. Although they weren't universally hated, many people were eyeing their positions."

"In order to keep their positions, they have been pulling strings and using connections everywhere for the past six months."

Hearing this, Tu Chengyu interjected and asked, "Did they find the Crown Prince?" Feng Dewen replied, "I heard that they did indeed approach the Crown Prince, but even the officials in the capital can't get close to him, let alone a few minor local officials like them."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Since the Crown Prince did not accept these people, why do you say that Lai Shangrong's escape is related to the Crown Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Dewen replied, "If the Crown Prince does not accept them, they will naturally look for someone else."

Tu Chengyu asked curiously, "Who did they contact?"

At this point, Feng Dewen looked up at Tu Chengyu before saying, "I've heard that they seem to be having closer ties with the Liu family of Yangcheng Marquis recently."

Upon hearing him mention the Liu family of Marquis Yangcheng, Tu Chengyu raised his voice and asked, "You mean they've pledged allegiance to Second Brother?"

Feng Dewen clearly sensed that Tu Chengyu was angry, and he said with a forced smile, "I only heard it secondhand, so it may not be accurate."

When Tu Chengyu heard him say this, his doubts were not dispelled. Instead, he felt that the fact that they had sought refuge with his second brother was so widely known that it must not be entirely unfounded.

However, Tu Chengyu was angry when he heard this news, not because someone had sided with his second brother.

Rather, it was because the Liu family had a very close relationship with this group of people who were corrupt, colluded with salt smugglers, and even had dealings with Japanese pirates.

Tu Chengyu is still unsure whether his interactions with Lai Shangrong and his associates were conducted privately by the Liu family or at the behest of his second brother.

If it's the former, Tu Chengyu feels there's still room for redemption.

If it's the latter, just because he forced Lai Shangrong to his death this time, he might have a grudge against his second brother.

With these troubling thoughts in mind, Tu Chengyu continued speaking.
"What does all this have to do with Lai Shangrong's escape?"

Feng Dewen said, "Your Highness, you haven't even arrived in Jining yet, and you've already sent people to find evidence of Lai Shangrong's corruption."

"Lai Shangrong is close to the Yangcheng Marquis's family, so he may have something to hide. Therefore, as soon as you arrived, you immediately summoned him, which made Lai Shangrong think that you came for him."

That reason is plausible, but Tu Chengyu no longer cares about Lai Shangrong's affairs. He is now more concerned about whether his second brother is trying to win people over here.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Besides Lai Shangrong, who else is dating Liu?"

Feng Dewen did not answer Tu Chengyu's question, but instead asked a question in return: "If I were to speak, would Your Highness grant me a request?"

Tu Chengyu ignored his request and said directly, "I grant your request. Now you can speak about these people."

Hearing Tu Chengyu's personal agreement, Feng Dewen was no longer worried and directly told Tu Chengyu the names of all the people he knew.

After listening, Tu Chengyu realized that these people were involved in a lot of things.

He silently memorized these names, then asked:

"You can tell me what you want now."

Feng Dewen said, "I would like to ask Your Highness to save my wife and family."

His request was not unexpected to Tu Chengyu. He asked, "How do you want me to help you?"

Feng Dewen said, "I would like to ask Your Highness to give me a good beating, the more miserable the better."

Tu Chengyu asked in surprise, "Why would you make such a request?"

Feng Dewen replied, "When students are captured by princes, they become pawns in their eyes."

“If the student is still alive, they will definitely find out that the student has sided with the prince, which will then be detrimental to the student’s family.”

Hearing this, Tu Chengyu suddenly asked, "Since they'll worry if you're alive, what if you die? Didn't they promise to help you find a family?"

Feng Dewen said with a wry smile, "They certainly made such a promise, but when they secretly sent the Japanese without informing me of the truth, it was hard for me to believe their promise."

"Therefore, students are worried that if a student dies, they might become even more unscrupulous in harming the student's family."

Tu Chengyu finally understood what he was going to do. He said:

"So, you're trying to stage a self-inflicted injury to make those people hesitant to harm your family."

Feng Dewen said, "Your Highness is wise."

While this method might deter those people from acting rashly, it's not a long-term solution; it's best to rescue the person.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Besides this method, how do you plan to save your family?"

Feng Dewen said, "If nothing unexpected happens, the student's family should have been sent to Yangzhou."

"The student also has a few old acquaintances in Yangzhou who can help him find out where his family is."

"Once the student finds out the whereabouts of his family, please send someone to rescue them, Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu said, "If I knew where your family is, I wouldn't mind helping to rescue them."

"However, if you can do me a favor, I promise to do everything in my power to save your family."

Feng Dewen was a little confused when he heard Tu Chengyu's words. He had clearly agreed, so why were there additional conditions?

However, he dared not voice his doubts, and could only ask, "Your Highness, please tell me what you wish me to do."

Tu Chengyu said, "Hearing about your self-inflicted injury scheme, I have thought of a better way that can not only make your family safer, but also get you to help me do more truthful things."

Feng Dewen asked curiously, "What brilliant method is it? Please give your instructions, Your Highness."

This idea was just something Tu Chengyu came up with. It's not exactly brilliant, but if implemented well, it will definitely save a lot of trouble.

Tu Chengyu said, "The solution is to start with your self-inflicted injury ruse. I will have someone beat you up, pretending to torture you to extract a confession."

"Then, I'll create another opportunity for you to escape from the ship."

"That way, you can rightfully return to their side."

"In this way, you can protect your family, and you can also get information from them to help me gather information."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Feng Dewen's eyes lit up. This was definitely Feng Dewen's favorite idea.

He said happily, "This student is willing to do this for Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu said, "I'm glad you're willing, but don't go back and then pretend to comply with me but then refuse to help me with my business."

Upon hearing this, Feng Dewen quickly replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will do my best to serve you."

Although Feng Dewen spoke very seriously, Tu Chengyu still didn't believe him easily.

He made Quan Wenwei bring out pen and ink, and had Feng Dewen write a guarantee in person before letting him go out to be beaten.

(End of this chapter)