The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 124 Lin Ruhai, who loves his daughter dearly

At this point, Tu Chengyu understood.

This morning's incident was all orchestrated by Yin Weixing.

Yin Weixing may not have intended to target Tu Chengyu, but he definitely planned to frame Wei Yuncai and his son.

If he were only scheming against Wei Yuncai and his son, Tu Chengyu wouldn't bother with them. But now that this guy is scheming against him, Tu Chengyu isn't so easy to talk to.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Besides Wei Yuncai and his son coming to apologize, have the other two families made any moves?"

Lin Ruhai said, "The other two families haven't made any move, not even sending a servant to say hello."

It seems that these two companies are either playing dumb or determined to fight to the bitter end.

Regardless of which one, it's clear that there's a problem.

After finishing their conversation, the two continued walking, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the Lin family's garden.

Once inside the garden, we settled down in the central pavilion.

After Lin Ruhai had his servants serve tea, he sent everyone away.

Seeing Lin Ruhai's arrangement, Tu Chengyu thought to himself that Lin Ruhai had something to say to him.

He didn't know what Lin Ruhai wanted to say, so he just sat quietly and drank his tea.

Lin Ruhai didn't keep Tu Chengyu waiting long. He sat down and began to speak:
"Your Highness, when do you plan to return to the capital?"

Tu Chengyu was surprised that Lin Ruhai would ask this question. He paused for a moment and said, "Why is Lord Lin concerned about this issue?"

Lin Ruhai explained, "If Your Highness returns to the capital, I have a favor to ask of you."

Tu Chengyu: "What is it that you need my help with?"

Lin Ruhai said, "When Your Highness returns to the capital, I would like to invite my daughter to come along as well, so that she may stay at the Jia family mansion in the capital for a while."

Upon hearing Lin Ruhai say this, Tu Chengyu suddenly remembered that before he left the capital, Lin Ruhai had already planned to send Lin Daiyu to the Jia family.

At that time, the retired emperor also analyzed this matter with Tu Chengyu, saying that Lin Ruhai felt that Yangzhou was in danger, which is why he thought of sending his daughter to the Jia family.

Today, Lin Ruhai brought up this matter again, and even asked me to bring Lin Daiyu to the capital. Could it be that there is really some danger in Yangzhou, forcing Lin Ruhai to do this?
Tu Chengyu tentatively asked, "Is Lord Lin worried that your daughter might be in danger staying in Yangzhou?"

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's question, Lin Ruhai looked at Tu Chengyu in surprise, and after a long while, he finally said:

"Why does Your Highness say that?"

Tu Chengyu said, "It has been less than half a year since Madam Lin passed away. How can your daughter, as her only daughter, leave during the period of mourning?"

"Furthermore, Lord Lin is serving as an official alone in a foreign land and needs the company of his family. Your daughter should not leave at this time."

"Lord Lin must be aware of these circumstances. However, Lord Lin is still considering sending your daughter to the capital. Unless there is a very compelling reason, Lord Lin would surely be unwilling to be separated from his own flesh and blood."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu's explanation was logical and reasonable, Lin Ruhai knew there was no point in hiding it anymore, so he said:

"Since Your Highness is aware of this, I will not hide it from you. Yangzhou City is indeed not very safe."

Although he had already witnessed the power of the officials and gentry in Jiangnan, Tu Chengyu still couldn't believe that they would dare to take action against officials appointed by the imperial court.

So he asked, "Lord Lin, would they dare to harm an official like yourself, a high-ranking official of the court?"

Lin Ruhai said, "Your Highness, in the open, naturally no one would dare to harm an official appointed by the imperial court."

"But it involves interests, and who knows what they might do in secret."

“If I were to infringe upon their interests, they might not dare to attack me, but they could target my daughter. Therefore, I am sending my daughter to the capital as a precaution.”

Judging from Lin Ruhai's words, it seemed that he already knew who would be hostile to him.

Moreover, judging from Lin Ruhai's eagerness to send Lin Daiyu to the capital, he seems to have made up his mind to challenge the interests of these people.

The thing that Lin Ruhai was willing to do so was most likely related to salt administration.

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Lord Lin, do you intend to reorganize the salt administration?"

Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "Your Highness, I do indeed have plans to reorganize the salt administration in Yangzhou."

"In recent years, due to various reasons, the salt administration in Yangzhou has gradually deteriorated. If we do not take advantage of my current position to rectify it in time, it will be too late to do so once a new person takes over."

Speaking of salt affairs, Tu Chengyu remembered that one of his tasks during his trip to Jiangnan was to hear Lin Ruhai's views on Yangzhou's salt affairs and to learn about the current situation of Yangzhou's salt affairs.

Since the topic had come up, Tu Chengyu went straight to asking about the salt administration.

"Lord Lin, His Majesty instructed me to thoroughly understand the salt affairs in Yangzhou during my trip to Jiangnan. Now, you can tell me about the situation regarding the salt affairs."

Although he hadn't seen the imperial edict, Lin Ruhai believed it because Tu Chengyu said it to his face.

He then said, “Your Highness, the salt affairs in Yangzhou are rife with complex and intertwined interests. But in essence, it boils down to a few words: collusion between officials and merchants, and rampant smuggling of salt.”

Tu Chengyu had not yet witnessed the collusion between officials and businessmen, but he had already seen the rampant smuggling of salt back in Jining Prefecture.

Moreover, in Tu Chengyu's view, the simple phrase "rampant illegal salt trade" is simply insufficient to describe the arrogance of these illegal salt traffickers.

It's important to know that these people weren't secretly hiding and running away when they were smuggling salt, as many people might imagine.

They brazenly sailed their private salt boats, openly traveling on the canal.

That's not all. What's even more outrageous is that the thugs they hired to escort the salt ships were actually Japanese pirates who were enemies of the imperial court.

From this perspective, the salt smugglers were not just arrogant, they practically disregarded the imperial court.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu told Lin Ruhai about what had happened in Jining.

Lin Ruhai listened without showing the slightest surprise, which showed that the officials in Jiangnan were aware of what the salt smugglers were doing.

The fact that none of them reported these matters to the imperial court speaks volumes.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Lord Lin, since you know about the shady dealings, why don't you report it to the court?"

Lin Ruhai said, "Last year, when the Emperor Emeritus was still in power, I raised this matter with the court through the Imperial Horse Administration, but for some reason, the court did not respond to it."

"Later, around the Lunar New Year, I submitted several memorials to the Emperor through the post station, but I did not receive a response."

Considering the possibility the Emperor Emeritus had mentioned, Tu Chengyu asked, "How many memorials did you submit around the Lunar New Year?"

Lin Ruhai thought for a moment and said, "There are four in total: three are greetings and one is about salt affairs." As soon as he finished speaking, Tu Chengyu understood what was going on. He said, "The Emperor only received the three greetings and did not receive the salt affairs report you mentioned."

Lin Ruhai was taken aback by Tu Chengyu's words. He stared wide-eyed and said, "Your Highness, do you mean that someone intercepted my memorial?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Based on the information we have now, that is indeed the case."

Lin Ruhai shook his head and muttered to himself, "They're too arrogant, absolutely too arrogant. It seems that if we don't teach them a lesson, they'll become completely lawless."

Taking the opportunity, Tu Chengyu asked, "Lord Lin, how do you plan to deal with these people?"

Lin Ruhai had clearly thought about this beforehand, so when Tu Chengyu asked, he immediately replied:
"I have already obtained some clues about them. As long as we continue the investigation, we will surely be able to obtain complete evidence. When that time comes, as long as we hand over this evidence to the court, we will be able to bring these people to justice."

Tu Chengyu didn't quite believe Lin Ruhai's explanation.

If things were really as simple as he described, why would he be in such a hurry to send Lin Daiyu to the capital?

Tu Chengyu estimated that Lin Ruhai did not receive a reply from the court after submitting several memorials.

There may be some reason why Lin Ruhai didn't have time to wait for the court's reply, so he wanted to fight these people alone.

Regardless of the outcome, it will attract the attention of the imperial court.

Of course, these are all just Tu Chengyu's guesses, and he has no idea what Lin Ruhai really thinks.

However, judging from the method Lin Ruhai just mentioned, it is highly likely that he will not be able to accomplish this.

Tu Chengyu said, "Lord Lin, as you just said, the salt administration in Yangzhou has become a situation of collusion between officials and merchants, and it is no longer just a problem of salt administration."

"As the Salt Commissioner, you can only oversee salt affairs and cannot manage other officials."

"Therefore, it is virtually impossible for you to investigate this matter on your own, and you may even get yourself involved if you are not careful."

Lin Ruhai naturally understood what Tu Chengyu was saying, and he had no choice but to deal with it alone.

Now that he heard Tu Chengyu wanted to ask, he said, "Your Highness, what other choice do I have if I don't do this?"

Tu Chengyu said, "We can wait for the imperial court to send someone to help you with it."

Lin Ruhai shook his head and said, "In my estimation, the corruption in Yangzhou's salt administration must be supported by high-ranking officials in the imperial court."

"Therefore, if they want to wait for the imperial court to send someone to handle this matter, others will have already prepared countermeasures. In that case, the imperial envoy's investigation will become just a formality."

Seeing Lin Ruhai's resolute expression, Tu Chengyu sat and thought for a long time before saying:
"Lord Lin, I do have a way to get the court to help you without the news leaking out in advance."

Lin Ruhai asked in confusion, "What method is it, Your Highness?"

Tu Chengyu said, "How about I help you?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai quickly said, "Your Highness, although you are of noble status, the laws of the dynasty are supreme. As members of the royal family, you cannot interfere in local affairs without imperial decree."

"If Your Highness were to rashly get involved, wouldn't that give others ammunition to impeach you?"

Tu Chengyu shook his head and said, "Although I cannot directly interfere in local affairs, with me here, I believe I can provide Lord Lin with some assistance."

"Furthermore, before I left Jining, I had already reported the matter of selling smuggled salt and hiring Japanese slaves to the Emperor."

"I reckon that in the end, His Majesty will still entrust this matter to me."

Hearing that Tu Chengyu was determined to get involved in this matter, Lin Ruhai was extremely unwilling.

He said, "Your Highness, I have some things I'd like to say that may be unpleasant to hear. I hope you won't be angry after hearing them."

Tu Chengyu said, "Lord Lin, please speak freely."

Lin Ruhai said, "Your Highness, you are favored by the Emperor Emeritus, valued by the Emperor, and are also the Crown Prince's younger brother."

"In terms of status and prestige, few people in the world can compare to you."

"If that's the case, why are you getting involved in this mess?"

"If this matter is handled well, it won't elevate your status. But if it's handled poorly, it could damage your reputation. Why would Your Highness do something so harmful and pointless?"

Despite being a minor official, Lin Ruhai was able to speak so frankly to Tu Chengyu, a prince, without any regard for the consequences.

There may be an element of advice or admonition involved, but the main reason is probably concern.

Lin Ruhai knew how complicated the salt trade in Yangzhou was, so he didn't want Tu Chengyu to get involved.

After all, Tu Chengyu is his son-in-law. If Tu Chengyu suffers a loss in this matter, it will ultimately affect his daughter's future life.

Tu Chengyu understood Lin Ruhai's concerns, but Tu Chengyu also had his own considerations.

From the moment he decided to leave Beijing, Tu Chengyu had no intention of hiding his abilities or being low-key and patient.

He had already positioned himself as a knife, a knife that served the emperor.

The Emperor clearly recognized Tu Chengyu's potential, which is why he entrusted Tu Chengyu with many tasks despite Tu Chengyu being just a child.

This is why Tu Chengyu just told Lin Ruhai that the Emperor had asked him to handle this matter.

Tu Chengyu couldn't tell Lin Ruhai the reasons directly, but he could explain them to him in a roundabout way.

Tu Chengyu said, "His Majesty sent me to Jiangnan to do something, so I can't just quit whenever I want."

Hearing Tu Chengyu say this, Lin Ruhai was clearly not expected. He paused for a moment and said:
"Why did His Majesty insist on sending a prince out to do this? Doesn't His Majesty know how much trouble it will cause in the future if Your Majesty is too involved in court affairs?"

Lin Ruhai was probably too worried to think clearly, and actually said something taboo in front of Tu Chengyu.

Although the words were spoken in a serious tone, the underlying principle was clearly explained.

He was worried about Tu Chengyu, the emperor's legitimate son, who was the most likely prince to inherit the throne besides the crown prince.

Doing too much for the court and cultivating a faction can lead to the development of inappropriate thoughts.

If Tu Chengyu were to have such thoughts, his future fate would certainly be one of near-death or even certain death.

Lin Ruhai might not care about Tu Chengyu's appearance, but the fact that his daughter Lin Daiyu would also lose her life because of it was the last thing Lin Ruhai wanted to see.

That's why his reaction was so strong.

(End of this chapter)