The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 12 The Mysterious Records of the Crown Prince of the Imperial Dynasty

The new emperor has been on the throne for less than half a day, and the coronation ceremony has not yet been held, yet so many conspiracies and schemes have already emerged in Tu Chengyu's case alone.

Tu Chengyu felt that a hidden hand was manipulating things in the capital, wanting to stir up endless storms and create a dark cloud hanging over the city.

It's unclear when they will launch their attack—before the coronation ceremony or during it.

Tu Chengyu made this conjecture because of the name his second uncle mentioned when he left.

This man is named Lu Feiwu, courtesy name Xinwu. He is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and is currently only a city patrol censor.

Tu Chengyu should have had no connection with such a person.

However, this person did two major things in the past year, which made Tu Chengyu remember his name deeply.

This first thing happened a year ago.

At that time, the Emperor's birthday celebration had just ended, and the entire court of civil and military officials was still immersed in the extravagance and festivities of the celebration.

At this moment, however, this person submitted a memorial, instantly throwing the entire court into chaos.

The emperor was so angry that he dismissed the court. The crown prince wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. His master, Prince Ping, also hated him with a vengeance. Prince An was so frightened that he shut his doors and closed his residence, becoming a hermit in the capital.

Why did a mere censor's memorial have such power? It was simply because in his memorial he mentioned something that everyone in the court had heard of, but no one wanted to talk about openly.

This thing is a small booklet with a horrifying name: "The Prince's Strange Tales".

The second thing happened six months ago.

At that time, Princess Liu led the women of the household and several younger children to a manor outside the city for a spring outing, and returned to the city a little late.

Prince An waited in his residence for a long time, but his family did not return, so he sent his heir to meet them.

Because he was in a hurry, the prince rode his horse there, but unexpectedly encountered Lu Feiwu, who was on patrol in the city. Lu Feiwu blocked his way and ordered Tu Chengying to dismount and be punished.

When his follower said that the person they had stopped was the heir apparent of Prince An, the man remained unmoved. He not only reprimanded Tu Chengying on the spot but also threatened to submit a memorial to impeach him.

Then he said something that made Tu Chengying break out in a cold sweat.

He said, "Prince An's son was originally loyal, filial, humble, and respectful. Why does he now dare to ride his horse recklessly in the imperial city, showing contempt for the laws and regulations of the country? Do you really think that record of strange events is true?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Tu Chengying's legs went weak on the spot, and Prince An, who had been confined to his quarters for half a year, went to the palace gate in the middle of the night to kneel and beg for forgiveness.

This man's actions twice caused widespread criticism in the court, and both times he ultimately harmed Prince An. How could Tu Chengyu not remember him?

The bizarre events he mentioned twice further intensified the struggle between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Ping, and the Crown Prince's rebellion last night may be related to this matter.

The reason why this book of strange tales is so powerful lies in its absurd content.

Before this content was written, it was originally just idle gossip among ordinary people, and at most, people would just laugh it off.

Later, at some unknown time, someone compiled these rumors into a book, adding embellishments and using supernatural language and astrological calculations to write about the crown princes since the founding of the dynasty.

These mysterious palace gossips are most appealing to the bored, and within a month, they had spread throughout the capital. However, people only discussed them in private, not daring to let them surface in the open.

In order to strike at the Crown Prince's faction, Lu Feiwu directly presented this booklet to the Emperor.

It was around this time that Tu Chengyu learned about the book, and after reading it, he found it quite absurd. The book begins by stating, "All the crown princes of the dynasty are short-lived and die young, and none of them are destined to succeed to the throne."

These words, though seemingly written based on the actual situation of the dynasty, are far-fetched and nonsensical.

Because, since the beginning of the dynasty, including the current crown prince, there have only been three crown princes.

The first two did die young, but the current crown prince is already nearing forty and is unlikely to die young.

Moreover, there were reasons why the first two crown princes died too young.

The first Crown Prince, Yiwen, was the eldest son of Emperor Taizu Wu. He was frail from a young age and unfortunately died of illness at the age of nineteen, which was perfectly normal. After that, the throne passed to Emperor Wu's second son, Emperor Taizong Wen.

The second Crown Prince Yizhong was the eldest son of Emperor Taizong. He was strong and healthy from a young age, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and had extraordinary courage. It is said that he had the style of Emperor Taizu.

In his twenties, he was on a border patrol for the emperor, but he was ambushed while pursuing the northern barbarians alone and died on the battlefield. The throne then passed to the third son of Emperor Taizong, who was Tu Chengyu's grandfather.

Based on the events surrounding these two former crown princes, the Record of Strange Tales makes wild inferences and asserts that the current crown prince will also die and will not be able to succeed to the throne.

These words struck a nerve with the Crown Prince, especially since it was Lu Feiwu, a member of the Prince of Ping's faction, who had brought the "Record of Strange Events" to the court, which further fueled the Crown Prince's faction's frenzied attacks on the Prince of Ping's faction.

Besides fabricating stories about several crown princes, the Record of Strange Events also makes far-fetched pronouncements about the succession to the throne.

According to the book, the first emperor of the dynasty, Emperor Taizu, was the eldest son of the first generation of the Tu family. The second emperor, Emperor Taizong, was the second son of the second generation of the Tu family. Coincidentally, the third emperor was the third son of the third generation of the Tu family.

Based on this, it can be inferred that the fourth emperor will be the fourth son of the fourth generation, Prince An. This order will continue thereafter.

This explains why, after the Record of Strange Tales was brought to the court, Prince An remained secluded at home; and why, after the Crown Prince was scolded, Prince An apologized overnight.

However, at the time, although the Record of Strange Events had a great influence, no one in the court took it seriously, and regarded it as a witchcraft story deliberately fabricated by the Prince Ping's faction in order to trip up the Crown Prince.

Who could have predicted that such an absurd prediction would actually come true?

Another crown prince died an unnatural death, and the throne truly passed to the fourth prince of the fourth generation.

It is foreseeable that from now on, this record of strange events will be intertwined with the Tu family's succession to the throne for generations to come.

This is why Tu Chengyu felt something was amiss as soon as he heard the name Lu Feiwu. It was simply because this person's appearance naturally reminded everyone of the Chronicles of Strange Tales.

Now, Lu Feiwu has struck again, using his methods on Tu Chengyu. If Tu Chengyu didn't have experience beyond his years, he might have already fallen for it.

Moreover, Tu Chengyu felt that although this scheme was insidious, it was also easy to see through.

I'm worried that the person behind this might have other tricks up their sleeve.

After all, Lu Feiwu, who was almost synonymous with the Record of Strange Tales, had appeared. How could the mastermind behind the scenes easily let go of something as deadly as the Record of Strange Tales?

The implementation was also very simple; all that was needed was for Lu Feiwu to appear in court again in a way that would attract attention.

Naturally, everyone thought of the Record of Strange Tales, and the imperial court and the capital city were abuzz with talk of Tu Chengying, who was about to be made crown prince.

People will also keep mentioning Tu Chengyu, who was previously overlooked.

Because Tu Chengyu is the fifth son of the fifth generation. Moreover, he is the second legitimate son of the original wife, Princess Chen, and the younger brother of the heir apparent, Tu Chengying, from the same mother.

(End of this chapter)