The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 120 Hearing the Secret and Meeting Daiyu
Faced with his third uncle's deliberate harassment, Tu Chengyu did not get angry as he had expected.

Instead, he calmly said to him, "Third Uncle, I have come to visit you sincerely, and I have no intention of being hypocritical towards you."

Looking at Tu Chengyu in front of him, the third uncle really didn't expect that this child from the fourth brother's family could be so calm at such a young age.

Such a temperament and disposition is something that even someone ten years older than him might not possess.

Moreover, he also knew that the current crown prince was a mature child, whose abilities were still unknown, and whose temperament was also first-rate.

Therefore, it's no wonder that the fourth brother became the ultimate winner; at least in the matter of teaching children, he surpassed all his brothers.

Thinking of all this, Uncle San no longer had the heart to make things difficult for Tu Chengyu.

He stopped having a stern face and even asked his third aunt to help him comb his hair again. He then went back to his bedroom to change his clothes and trim his beard.

Then he appeared before Tu Chengyu looking completely refreshed.

It was only at this point that the uncle and nephew seemed to truly begin to meet.

After his third aunt was sent away by his third uncle, Tu Chengyu greeted his third uncle again, and this time his third uncle returned the greeting earnestly.

After doing all that, the uncle and nephew sat down facing each other and started chatting about everyday things.

The third uncle asked first, "Is the Emperor Emeritus in good health now?"

Tu Chengyu replied, "Grandfather is in good health. Without the worries of state affairs, his health is much better than before."

Then my third uncle asked about Empress Dowager Cixi.

This time, Tu Chengyu hesitated, unsure how to answer.

My third uncle is under house arrest here, so his information network isn't very efficient, and he might not have heard about some of the things happening in the capital.

Therefore, when he saw Tu Chengyu's hesitation, he thought something had happened to Empress Dowager Cixi, and asked anxiously:

"What exactly happened to the Empress Dowager?"

Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and said, "The Empress Dowager has locked herself in the palace, chanting Buddhist scriptures and eating vegetarian food all day long, and refuses to see outsiders."

Uncle San asked in confusion, "During the New Year, the Empress Dowager sent a message saying that she was doing well. Why is she suddenly going back to vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist prayers?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Third Uncle, this matter concerns me."

Third Uncle asked, "Is it related to you? What did you do to cause the Empress Dowager such grief?"

Having decided to speak, Tu Chengyu no longer concealed anything and said, "My nephew killed my cousin Yixiao."

Even the former King Ping, who had seen many storms, was still shocked upon hearing this news.

He said incredulously, "You killed Zong Ge'er?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu simply nodded without replying.

After seeing this, the third uncle muttered to himself, "No wonder the Empress Dowager was heartbroken; Zong-ge'er is the apple of her eye."

After he finished talking to himself, he sat blankly in the chair, lost in thought.

Tu Chengyu didn't want to disturb him, so he just stayed with him in his daze.

After a while, Uncle San came to his senses.

He looked Tu Chengyu up and down for a few moments, then sighed and said, "I never expected you to do something like this at such a young age."

Tu Chengyu casually explained, "He plotted against my nephew time and time again, and my nephew was forced into it and had no choice but to do so."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's explanation, Third Uncle shook his head and said, "I'm not blaming you; on the contrary, I think you did a great job."

Now it was Tu Chengyu's turn to be puzzled. He looked at his third uncle with great confusion, hoping that his third uncle could explain the reason.

Third Uncle seemed to know that Tu Chengyu would be puzzled, so he continued, "That Zong-ge'er is a menace. It's a good thing for everyone that you were able to get rid of him so early."

Tu Chengyu found it hard to believe that his third uncle would have such a view of his own nephew.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Why did you say that, Uncle?"

Instead of answering Tu Chengyu's question, Third Uncle asked Tu Chengyu, "Do you know why the former Crown Prince did not concentrate his forces to attack the palace on the night of the rebellion, but instead divided his forces to attack the various princely residences?"

Tu Chengyu shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

Third Uncle didn't expect Tu Chengyu to be able to answer the question. He said, "The former crown prince did this because it was Zong-ge'er's idea."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu interjected, saying, "Brother Yixiao once told me that the former Crown Prince looked down on him. Why did the former Crown Prince adopt his suggestions?"

Uncle San said, "That's how it is between father and son. They both wish the other would die immediately, but in the end, they have no choice but to rely on each other."

After listening, Tu Chengyu stopped pressing the issue and asked, "Why would he give such an idea to the former crown prince?"

Third Uncle said, "Of course, he did it to protect his position as the Crown Prince. Do you know the specifics of his idea?"

Tu Chengyu shook his head again, indicating that he did not know.

Third Uncle continued, "Zong-ge'er's idea was to have the former Crown Prince arrest and kill all the princes and grandsons in the capital when he rebelled, leaving only the father and son alive."

"In this way, even if their rebellion fails, the retired emperor will spare them to prevent the throne from falling into the hands of collateral branches."

This was the first time Tu Chengyu had heard such a statement, but he had no doubt about its authenticity.

This was indeed beneficial to the former crown prince and his son, and the process of the rebellion proved this point.

Having learned the truth about a secret incident, Tu Chengyu was not happy at all.

This made him even more aware of the cruelty and ruthlessness of the royal family.

Seeing Tu Chengyu remain silent, Third Uncle chuckled and said, "What's wrong? Are you scared?"

Tu Chengyu shook his head and said, "I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu didn't seem frightened, Third Uncle said, "Alright, let's not talk about such discouraging things. I've finally met someone from the outside world, and I'd like to hear about what's happened in the past six months."

Since his third uncle took the initiative to change the subject, Tu Chengyu stopped talking.

He listened to his third uncle's request and gave him a brief account of what had happened in the capital.

Whether it was because he had been confined for a long time or for some other reason, Uncle San seemed very interested in everything Tu Chengyu said.

This caused Tu Chengyu to unknowingly spend a whole hour talking there.

In the end, Tu Chengyu really didn't know what to say, so his third uncle reluctantly let him go.

Taking this opportunity, Tu Chengyu prepared to leave. His third uncle wanted to persuade him to stay, but seeing that it was getting late, he said nothing more and let Tu Chengyu leave.

After bidding farewell to his third uncle, Tu Chengyu came out of the room and also said goodbye to his third aunt and the others.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed that his third aunt was staring at him, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Clearly, she also had something to say.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Third Aunt, is there something you want to say?" Seeing that Tu Chengyu had taken the initiative to bring up the topic, the Third Aunt did not hesitate any longer and said, "I have something I would like to ask the Prince for help with."

Tu Chengyu didn't know what favor he needed from him, so he didn't express his opinion first, but asked, "What favor does Third Aunt want me to do?"

Third Aunt said, "It's not a difficult thing to do, it's just about Xin Ge'er's marriage. There was originally a marriage proposal, but it was called off after something happened."

“Now that Xin’er is getting on in years, we can’t delay any longer. So I would like to ask Your Highness to report this matter to the Emperor Emeritus after returning to the capital, and ask the Emperor Emeritus to come up with a plan.”

The "new brother" that my third aunt mentioned is my third uncle's eldest son. He seems to be a year or two older than the prince. It seems that the marriage really can't be delayed.

After Auntie finished speaking, she looked at Tu Chengyu expectantly. Everyone else in the courtyard looked the same way. Even Uncle, who had been acting very nonchalantly just now, was watching quietly through the window.

This was not a particularly difficult task, and Tu Chengyu would not refuse. He said, "I have some things to do, and I may not be able to return to the capital for a while."

Hearing him say that, Auntie and the others thought that Tu Chengyu had refused, and they couldn't help but show their disappointment.

However, Tu Chengyu's next words brought smiles back to their faces.

Tu Chengyu said, "When I return to the villa, I will write a letter to report this matter to my grandfather. I am sure he will make a decision once he knows about it."

Amidst her aunt's words of gratitude, Tu Chengyu emerged from the small courtyard.

After watching the courtyard gate close again, Tu Chengyu left.

By this time, everything in Longxing County was done, and Tu Chengyu had nothing left to regret.

Back at the villa, he told Xiao Xuanzi and Xiao Xing'er to pack their things, preparing to leave early the next morning.

It's possible that what Tu Chengyu did at the ancestral hall this time was indeed a bit excessive.

So after he returned to the villa, none of the Tu clan members came to look for Tu Chengyu.

Even the very next day, when Tu Chengyu left, there were fewer people at the dock to see him off than when he was being welcomed.

It's safe to say that it's less than 30%.

Tu Chengyu didn't care at all about their behavior.

Without even exchanging pleasantries, he simply boarded a boat and left.

……

The journey upstream took a long time, but the journey downstream was smooth sailing, and the fleet arrived at Yangzhou's dock in half the time.

When we arrived, it was also in the morning.

As soon as the ship docked, Tu Chengyu sent someone to the Salt Administration Office to report the news.

However, the person sent out returned not long after leaving, accompanied by a young man.

Quan Wenwei went down to ask and found out that this person was sent by Lin Ruhai to the dock to wait for news of Tu Chengyu.

He was here when Tu Chengyu's fleet docked last time, so he knows Tu Chengyu's fleet.

The fleet just sent someone to deliver a message, and after he saw it, he stopped them and asked questions.

After confirming that it was Tu Chengyu's fleet, he had someone bring him to pay his respects.

Quan Wenwei learned the whole story and came to report it to Tu Chengyu.

"Your Highness, this man was sent to the dock by Lord Lin specifically to await Your Highness's arrival. After confirming that it was Your Highness's fleet, he has already sent someone back to inform Lord Lin. It should be soon that Lord Lin will come to pay his respects to Your Highness."

Since someone had already informed Lin Ruhai, Tu Chengyu didn't bother with it anymore. He said:

"In that case, Mr. Quan, you keep an eye on things and let them move the goods. I will wait on the ship."

Quan Wenwei asked, "Won't Your Highness rest at the post station for a while?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Lord Lin shouldn't be here for too long, so why should I go to the post station and cause them chaos, and I won't get any rest myself?"

Seeing that Tu Chengyu had made up his mind, Quan Wenwei didn't say anything more and went out to watch the moving of things.

Tu Chengyu sat in his room on the ship and waited for half an hour before someone came to report that Lord Lin had arrived.

Tu Chengyu then left the room and disembarked from the boat.

Before he even reached the dock, he saw Lin Ruhai standing not far away with Jia Lian.

Behind them, a carriage was parked, and Jia Tanchun's little head was peeking out from behind the carriage curtain, grinning foolishly at Tu Chengyu.

Tu Chengyu walked to the dock, and Jia Tanchun got off the carriage and followed Lin Ruhai to pay her respects.

While talking to them, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but glance at the carriage a few more times.

Just now, when he and Lin Ruhai exchanged greetings...

He inadvertently noticed that the curtain of the carriage was lifted a crack, and someone inside seemed to be looking him over. However, when he looked over, the person lowered the curtain and hid inside the carriage.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but guess the identity of the person in the carriage.

Actually, you don't need to put in much effort to guess; you can figure it out with just a little thought.

Because Lin Daiyu was the only one who could sit in the same carriage as Tan Chun without having to get off with her after Tan Chun disembarked.

When Tu Chengyu thought of the person sitting in the carriage, he realized that it was the famous Lin Daiyu, who was also his betrothed princess, and he couldn't help but take a few more glances.

However, even through the carriage, Tu Chengyu couldn't see what the people inside looked like, which made him quite curious.

Tu Chengyu's behavior was observed by Tan Chun, who was standing to the side.

Once everything was packed up and everyone was returning, Tan Chun got back into the carriage and immediately started teasing them.

"Sister Lin, have you seen your Mr. Right yet?"

Although Lin Daiyu knew that Tan Chun would tease her, she still blushed when she heard it to her face.

She turned her head shyly and said, "You silly girl, teasing me again. I came here today to accompany you, not to see him."

After listening, Tan Chun continued with a smile, "If Sister Lin didn't come to see him, then who was it that secretly lifted the curtain just now?"

Caught red-handed in her act of peeping, Lin Daiyu was both ashamed and angry, saying, "Hmph, I just wanted to look at the scenery at the dock, how did that become looking at him?"

Tan Chun said, "Alright, alright, Sister Lin wasn't looking at him, but he kept looking at the carriage, so he must have guessed that Sister Lin was in the carriage."

Lin Daiyu snorted again and said, "What does it have to do with me if he's looking at him?"

Tan Chun couldn't help but laugh when she saw Lin Daiyu blushing and looking so proud.

Seeing that Jia Tanchun was still laughing at her, Lin Daiyu rushed over, and the two of them started playing around in the carriage.

(End of this chapter)