The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 118 Raising the Butcher's Knife Only Out of Resentment
The suddenly appearing boy not only remembered the murderer who killed a family in Nanshan Village, but also led the constables to find the murderer.

This boy is a relative of the family that was murdered in Nanshan Village. He came here to visit relatives a couple of days ago.

That night, when the murderer broke in, the boy happened to be outside the yard and escaped unharmed.

The murderers were unaware of the existence of such a boy, and seeing that the whole family was dead, they did not conduct a thorough search.

The boy, who had been hiding nearby and witnessed everything, was fortunate enough to remain undiscovered.

If it were an ordinary teenager, encountering such a thing...

Those who are more timid might run away alone in fear; those who are slightly bolder might run to the village to call for help.

But this boy was different from ordinary people; he was not only bold but also meticulous.

He didn't run away or call for help. Instead, he followed the murderer from a distance, found the murderer's hideout, and then quietly sneaked back to the county town, preparing to report the crime to the authorities when the opportunity arose.

The boy's choice was absolutely correct, because there was an informant for the murderer in the village. If he had called for help, it would have alerted the murderer, and he might be dead by now.

When he arrived in the county town, he did not report to the authorities immediately, but instead sought information from various sources.

When he learned that a prince had come to Longxing County.

Moreover, as soon as this prince arrived, he arrested many members of the Tu family who had been running rampant in Longxing County, and even made the county magistrate convict them.

Upon hearing this news, he felt that the time had come to report it to the authorities, so he ran to beat the drum to appeal for justice.

Later, because Tu Chengyu was in charge, Magistrate Du Ruyi dared not be negligent and, under the guidance of this young man, easily captured the murderer.

When these murderers were arrested and interrogated, it was discovered that they were none other than people from Longxing County, and the leader was even a cousin of that Ah Tong.

Atong and the others kept saying that Zhuoru was ruining someone else's daughter, and that they were helping to catch the bad guys.

Now that the bad guy is dead, his cousin secretly went to Nanshan Village and murdered the family to silence them.

After something like this happened, even a fool would know that Atong and his group were lying.

Therefore, after Tu Chengyu sent Quan Wenwei to support him, Du Ruyi mustered his courage and opened a trial for the case.

Having reached this point, Ah Tong and the others realized they could no longer deny it, so they confessed the whole story.

It turns out it was this Ah Tong who had taken a fancy to that family's daughter and wanted to take her home as his concubine.

Unexpectedly, the family disagreed, so he planned to find a way to ruin the girl's reputation, and then he had his chance.

Just then, Zhuo Ru came to Longxing County to investigate the farmland.

Atong then thought of using Zhuoru, an outsider, to achieve his goal.

This led to his slander of Zhuo Ru and his decision to confront Tu Chengyu at the dock in order to kill Zhuo Ru.

He told this story very well; it was basically self-consistent.

If Tu Chengyu hadn't saved Zhuo Ru and already known the real reason behind the matter, he might have actually believed their lies.

Although Tu Chengyu has been bathing and meditating these past few days, avoiding visitors, he has still been able to hear these news from Quan Wenwei.

Therefore, after Quan Wenwei recounted the whole story, Tu Chengyu had a basic judgment in mind.

Tu Chengyu asked, "So, these people are prepared to take the blame for others?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, it seems that's the case. Those who were arrested have taken all the blame upon themselves, without implicating anyone else."

Tu Chengyu asked, "I remember they were detained separately, how come it looks like they're colluding to give a false testimony now?"

Quan Wenwei shook his head and said after hearing Tu Chengyu's words:

“Your Highness, it’s not just that it looks like it, it’s that they’re colluding. Their testimonies are exactly the same as what they’ve planned, leaving no room for doubt.”

Tu Chengyu said angrily, "It seems I underestimated them. They still dare to do these petty things right under my nose. They're quite bold."

Quan Wenwei strongly agreed with Tu Chengyu's view, saying:
“Your Highness, they are indeed audacious, but because Your Highness is here, they only colluded to fabricate evidence and did not attempt to escape. If Your Highness were not here, they might not even have entered the prison.”

Tu Chengyu had experienced the arrogance of his clansmen back home from the moment he disembarked, and was now somewhat numb to it.

However, he became even more determined to win them over.

He asked, "Mr. Quan, under the current circumstances, if I wish to continue investigating further, is it possible to uncover the person behind them?"

Quan Wenwei understands Tu Chengyu. He knows that when this prince disapproves of certain things or people, he wants to wipe out his enemies in one fell swoop, but now is not a good time.

Quan Wenwei told Tu Chengyu everything she was thinking.

"Your Highness, I believe now is not the time to delve into this matter, for several reasons."

"Firstly, the Tu family of Longxing County has intricate connections with the royal family. If Your Highness acts rashly without an imperial decree, it may be difficult to find the people behind them."

"Secondly, they have clearly prepared for the worst, and it will be very difficult for Your Highness to get any useful evidence from them."

"Thirdly, this matter must involve the encroachment on farmland. If Your Highness pursues it relentlessly, the matter of the farmland will inevitably be exposed in the end."

"In this way, people in other prefectures in Jiangnan will realize that the prince is inspecting the grain fields. They will be more vigilant, and it will be more difficult for the people the prince secretly sends to investigate to find out the truth."

The full analysis is thorough and the explanation is very clear.

As someone who listens to advice, Tu Chengyu naturally gave up his plan to investigate further.

Although he would not pursue the matter further, Tu Chengyu had no intention of letting go of the people he had arrested.

He asked Quan Wenwei, "Are these two groups of people who have been arrested still of any use?"

Quan Wenwei guessed that Tu Chengyu must have some very bold idea in his mind, and it was related to punishing A Tong and the others.

He guessed in his heart, but didn't stop talking. He said, "Your Highness, these people are very tight-lipped and are basically useless now."

Tu Chengyu listened to me and said with a smile, "It's good that they're useless. Now I can do what I want."

Quan Wenwei asked curiously, "What does Your Highness intend to do?"

Tu Chengyu had no intention of hiding it from Quan Wenwei, so he said directly, "I want to bring these people before our ancestors during the ancestral worship ceremony and cut off their heads to teach these people back home a lesson."

Although Quan Wenwei guessed that Tu Chengyu would do something bold, he never expected that Tu Chengyu would do something so audacious.

Isn't he afraid that doing this will disturb the Tu family's ancestors? Aren't he afraid of offending everyone in the Tu family here? Aren't he afraid of being punished by the Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus?
Quan Wenwei couldn't believe that Tu Chengyu hadn't considered such serious consequences. Yet, even though he had, he still stubbornly insisted on doing it.

Quan Wenwei asked, "Your Highness, why do you insist on making things so cruel?"

Tu Chengyu looked at Quan Wenwei's puzzled expression and said, "If you don't understand, I don't blame you."

"I can tell you the reason, but I'm afraid you won't believe it."

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, please speak freely; I will certainly believe what Your Highness says."

Tu Chengyu said, "I am doing this to seek justice for the family in Nanshan Village who died unjustly. Do you believe my reason?"

Quan Wenwei tried hard to convince himself to believe it, but deep down he found it hard to believe. He said:

“If Your Highness wants to seek justice for them, there are many ways. Why did you choose the most difficult one?”

Tu Chengyu said, "Only by doing this can we make those people remember this lesson and make them fearful when they do these things again in the future."

Quan Wenwei still couldn't understand and said, "If you want to teach them a lesson, Your Highness can ask the Emperor to give these people a severe sentence, even to tear them apart by five horses."

"This will achieve the same goal, so why does Your Highness have to put yourself in such a dangerous situation?"

After listening, Tu Chengyu chuckled softly and said, "Mr. Quan, this is where we differ."

“When you consider things for me, you are acting in my best interests and come up with comprehensive solutions.”

"These methods work well most of the time, but sometimes, a comprehensive approach is not the best approach."

Quan Wenwei wanted to know what Tu Chengyu was thinking, so he said, "Please explain in detail, Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu said, "You know, I didn't originally intend to do it this way. But just now I heard you say that they used that girl's innocence as a tool to slander Zhuo Ru."

"You should know that once this girl has this reputation, even if she isn't silenced, it will be very difficult for her to survive in the future."

"And then, their people were arrested, and to prevent their tricks from being exposed, they sent people to wipe out the entire family."

"They even forced the family's neighbors to act as their inside agents."

"Their behavior shows a complete disregard for human life; it is utterly inhuman."

“Since they don’t value other people’s lives and kill people at will to silence them, then I will give them a taste of their own medicine.”

"Let them see clearly that there are people in this world who don't value their lives and who can do whatever they want with them."

Quan Wenwei understood Tu Chengyu's anger, but he couldn't understand how someone who grew up in the royal palace and faced those scheming people from the royal family every day could develop such a compassionate heart for the common people.

He couldn't understand this matter until his death. But that didn't stop him from doing things for Tu Chengyu.

He said, "Since Your Highness intends to do this, would you like me to make other arrangements?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Tomorrow is the day of the memorial service. Go to the county government now and have Du Ruyi close the case today. Then send people to arrest them all and take them to the vicinity of the ancestral graves to behead them first thing tomorrow morning."

Quan Wenwei realized he couldn't dissuade Tu Chengyu, so he could only do his best to help him complete the task. Therefore, as soon as Tu Chengyu finished speaking, he didn't even rest before rushing back to the county government office to make arrangements in advance.

After Quan Wenwei left, Tu Chengyu stayed in the study, quietly cherishing this last half-day of peace.

The three days of burning incense and bathing passed in a flash. On the morning of the day of worship, Tu Chengyu was woken up early, just like the previous days.

Moreover, this time, I got up earlier than the previous three days.

We started by taking a shower, just like before, and then changed our clothes.

However, the clothes he changed into this time were different from the previous ones. In the past few days, he had changed into his everyday clothes, but today he was going to change into that very complicated prince's formal attire, which is why he got up earlier.

After changing my clothes and leaving the room, it was just dawn, the darkest time of day.

However, with torches filling the courtyard, the sky had no effect on Tu Chengyu.

Tu Chengyu followed the path illuminated by the torches all the way to the main gate.

Before leaving the villa, the old clan chief, along with all the clan members from the county, had already been waiting at the gate.

Since ancestors are of utmost importance, everyone simply exchanged greetings here before separating and boarding their respective carriages, heading towards the ancestral graves outside the county town.

The ancestral graves of the Tu family in Longxing County are not far away, located on a small hill west of the county seat.

The entire hill was occupied by the Tu family, who used it specifically to bury their clansmen.

Tu Chengyu originally thought that since the ancestral graves were on the mountain, he would have to climb the mountain to pay respects to his ancestors today.

But when they arrived, they found a courtyard built at the foot of the mountain, which contained an ancestral hall and temple, enshrining all the ancestors of the Tu family whose names they could name.

There's no need for him to climb the mountain to worship his ancestors.

Upon arriving at the ancestral hall, Tu Chengyu, the chief officiant, did not have to do much.

Everything was being handled by the old clan chief and the elders; Tu Chengyu only needed to follow their arrangements and procedures.

It's possible that Tu Chengyu's ancestral worship ceremony was the first time the new emperor had sent someone to perform it.

They held this sacrificial ceremony to a very grand scale; the entire ritual was long and complicated.

If it weren't for Tu Chengyu's good health, he wouldn't have been able to barely keep going. For an average eleven-year-old, they would probably have collapsed from exhaustion halfway through the ceremony.

Even with Tu Chengyu's excellent health, by the time the entire ceremony was completed, he was so exhausted that he didn't even have the strength to lift his arm.

Even though he was exhausted, Tu Chengyu couldn't rest immediately because he had to deal with Ah Tong and the other murderers.

Therefore, after the ceremony, he did not go to the side room of the ancestral hall to eat and rest as arranged by the elder clan leader.

Instead, he sat down on a chair in the courtyard and started eating the food that Xiao Xuanzi had brought.

The old clan chief and the others didn't know what Tu Chengyu was going to do, and they didn't dare to ask too many questions. They could only stay by his side and wait quietly.

After eating and drinking to your heart's content, rest for a while until your strength has recovered somewhat.

Tu Chengyu stood up and addressed all the Tu clan members present:

"The ancestral worship is over, but some matters are not yet settled. I wish to resolve these matters here and now."

(End of this chapter)