The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 127 The situation has changed
Tu Chengyu forced himself to swallow the tea in his mouth and quickly exhaled a few breaths.

Then, under Lin Daiyu's worried expression, he said something that made people both laugh and cry.

"It's burning me!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu's worries instantly vanished, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She said, "Your Highness is too impatient."

As they spoke, Lin Daiyu refilled the teacup in front of Tu Chengyu.

After finishing, he didn't forget to add, "This time, Your Highness, please wait a while before drinking."

Tu Chengyu was caught off guard just now, so he will naturally be more careful this time.

Next, he deliberately waited for the tea to cool down for a while before picking it up to taste.

Tu Chengyu has never studied tea.

He didn't really taste the flower tea and couldn't say anything about it. He just felt that the tea had a fragrant aroma, and it was surprisingly delicious, especially when paired with snacks.

Therefore, he drank several cups in a row.

Lin Daiyu was pleased to see how much he enjoyed drinking it, and asked:

"Your Highness, what do you think of the flower tea?"

Tu Chengyu smiled as he looked at Lin Daiyu's expectant eyes, but a wicked idea popped into his mind.

He pretended to be deep in thought, even picking up his teacup to take another sip, before speaking in a pretentious manner:

“Hmm, this tea bar,” he said, then suddenly stopped.

Lin Daiyu was rather anxious, so she asked, "Your Highness, how is the tea? Tell me!"

Tu Chengyu chuckled and said, "It's quite thirst-quenching."

"Your Highness, you..." Lin Daiyu hadn't expected Tu Chengyu to be playing a trick on her again. She was at a loss for words.

What left her speechless was that Jia Tanchun, who was standing next to her, also turned around to join in the fun:

"Sister Lin, the prince is right, it really does quench your thirst."

Lin Daiyu said angrily, "Like a cow chewing on a peony."

After saying that, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, as if something had occurred to her.

Although they didn't know what she was laughing about, the other three people saw her laughing happily and started laughing along with her.

After everyone finished laughing, the incident was over, and we felt more familiar with each other.

Then, the group sat around the tea table and continued drinking tea and chatting.

Tu Chengyu shared some of his observations and experiences along the way, while Lin Daiyu recounted some interesting stories from Yangzhou.

At the end of the conversation, everyone agreed to visit the surrounding scenic spots and historical sites when they had time in a few days.

This unexpected encounter led to a pleasant conversation between the two parties.

Over the next few days, the group still met occasionally, chatted, and drank tea together, and they all felt very happy.

But happy times are always short-lived, and troubles soon find their way in.

That day, Tu Chengyu returned from the garden and had just entered his study. Before he could even sit down, Quan Wenwei came looking for him.

He came in and said, "Your Highness, the situation has changed."

Tu Chengyu knew that Quan Wenwei had been trying to contact Yang Chun with Lao Yao and the others for the past few days.

The situation he described is very likely related to Yang Chun and his group.

So Tu Chengyu asked, "Have you managed to contact Yang Chun?"

Quan Wenwei said, "I was unable to contact the person sent by Lord Yang, but I unexpectedly received a message from another person today."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Who is it?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "Does Your Highness remember Feng Dewen from Jining?"

Although it has been more than twenty days since he left Jining, Tu Chengyu still remembers the events that happened there very clearly.

Tu Chengyu would never forget Feng Dewen, who surrendered to him at the last moment.

Seeing that Quan Wenwei had brought up this person, Tu Chengyu asked, "Did Feng Dewen send someone to deliver a message?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness guessed correctly. It was indeed Feng Dewen who sent someone to deliver a note to me. The note had the agreed-upon markings on it, so I believe it's not fake news."

Since it's not fake news, it means something really happened.

Tu Chengyu quickly asked, "What did the message say?"

Quan Wenwei replied: "The news says that a fire broke out at an inn in Zhenjiang, across the river, yesterday, killing several people with Beijing accents."

"What?" Tu Chengyu stood up in shock. Since the information mentioned people with Beijing accents, it meant that these people were very likely Yang Chun's men. Otherwise, Feng Dewen would not have risked sending such a message.

This is why Tu Chengyu was shocked when he heard it.

Then he asked, "Did Feng Dewen say anything else?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "That's all."

Hearing this, Tu Chengyu sat down again, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what to do.

After thinking for a long time without figuring it out, he could only look up and ask Quan Wenwei:

"Mr. Quan, do you think the people who were burned to death were those who went out with Yang Chun?"

Quan Wenwei may have been thinking about this question after receiving the news, so when Tu Chengyu asked, he answered without hesitation:
"Your Highness, I believe that the person who could get Feng Dewen to specifically deliver this message is most likely Yang Chun and his group."

It seems that Quan Wenwei's judgment was the same as his own.

Tu Chengyu abandoned any hope of escape and said, "Since our people have been burned to death, what should I do?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "Your Highness, regardless of whether those burned to death were our people or not, since they are already dead, we cannot act rashly."

"Otherwise, the prince's intention to investigate the grain fields will be exposed."

Tu Chengyu knew that Quan Wenwei had said the truth, but given his personality, he would feel uneasy if he didn't retaliate after such a thing.

He said, "Mr. Quan, I cannot swallow this insult."

Knowing Tu Chengyu's personality, Quan Wenwei advised, "Your Highness, if you truly cannot bear it, I have a way to help you vent your anger."

Tu Chengyu: "Mr. Quan, please feel free to share your ideas."

Quan Wenwei said, "Didn't Your Highness discuss with Lord Lin a few days ago about dealing with the salt merchants? Now is the time to take action."

Taking revenge on the salt merchants is one way to go.

However, this matter was arranged by Lin Ruhai, and Tu Chengyu did not know how his arrangements were going.

He thought for a moment and said, "I wonder how Lord Lin's preparations are going? Go and summon Lord Lin now, and we can discuss it in person."

Upon hearing this, Quan Wenwei immediately went out to find someone. Not long after, he brought Lin Ruhai back.

After the two of them arrived, Tu Chengyu asked Quan Wenwei to tell Lin Ruhai what had happened, and also told him about their plans.

After listening to my full account, Lin Ruhai understood what had happened.

He said to Tu Chengyu, "Your Highness, I was just about to tell you about this. I received news today that a salt merchant is going to sell a batch of smuggled salt in the next few days, which is perfect for Your Highness to deal with."

Just when I was dozing off, a pillow appeared. Tu Chengyu asked, "When will they make the deal?"

Lin Ruhai: "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will happen within the next three to five days."

Tu Chengyu: "Where will the transaction take place?"

Lin Ruhai: "It's right outside Yangzhou city."

The time and place can be confirmed, so this matter is probably very close to being true.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Lord Lin, how do you plan to capture them?"

Lin Ruhai said, "Your Highness, I have come up with a plan, but I need your help."

Tu Chengyu said, "If there's anything I can help you with, just tell me."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's agreement, Lin Ruhai explained his plan to Tu Chengyu and Quan Wenwei in detail.

After listening, Tu Chengyu felt that the idea was quite reliable and should be able to achieve the goal this time.

Next, the three of them discussed the details of the operation based on the plan.

The three of them discussed the plan for an afternoon, during which Quan Wenwei added to it, making the whole plan more complete.

The day after they finalized their plan, Tu Chengyu, who had been holed up in the Lin residence for many days, finally came out.

This was Tu Chengyu's first time coming out of Yangzhou, and also his first public appearance.

As a prince of the reigning dynasty, after arriving in Yangzhou, he neither met with any officials nor made any public appearances. He spent all his time at the Lin residence, and no one knows what he was doing.

His behavior naturally aroused the curiosity of the people of Yangzhou.

So when he suddenly came out of the Lin residence, he walked down the street without any attempt to conceal himself.

Naturally, this attracted the attention of those who were interested, and they sent people over one by one to see what Tu Chengyu was up to.

Some of those with guilty consciences even sent several people to follow them.

Tu Chengyu was well aware that someone was watching him, but he didn't care at all.

With this group of people keeping watch over him, Tu Chengyu first went to the best restaurant in Yangzhou and had a delicious lunch.

After resting briefly at the restaurant, he set off again with his men, wandering around Yangzhou.

He strolled around leisurely for the afternoon, and while waiting for dinner, he found a restaurant and had dinner there.

After having dinner, he went home satisfied.

Tu Chengyu strolled around and returned in a carefree manner, leaving those who had been paying attention to his movements somewhat dumbfounded.

They simply couldn't understand what Prince Su was trying to do, having spent most of the day wandering around.

Many people couldn't understand it, and after much analysis, someone came up with a rather unreliable conjecture.

'Could it be that Prince Su came out today simply for leisure?'

Once this idea was put out, coupled with the places Tu Chengyu had visited today, it really did look like a trip.

If that's the case, then all the effort we put into sending people to keep watch today has been for nothing.

Some people believe it, and some people don't.

However, everyone was in a similar opinion: they would see if Prince Su would come out again tomorrow.

If they still come out, then we'll keep an eye on them for another day.

As they wished, Tu Chengyu went out again the next day.

Moreover, this trip was very different from yesterday's.

The first difference was that he came out even earlier than yesterday; he actually came out very early in the morning.

The second difference is that more people went out this time than yesterday.

Yesterday, Tu Chengyu wandered around the city alone with his guards; today, however, he brought his female relatives with him as he left the Lin residence.

Besides the two differences mentioned above, the biggest difference is that he no longer went out on foot today, but with a horse-drawn carriage.

Upon seeing the carriage and the guards on horseback surrounding it, those who were keeping watch had a bad feeling.

They thought to themselves, "Is Prince Su going to leave the city? If he does, those of us on foot outside the city won't be able to keep up."

The more they try to prevent something from happening, the more likely it is to happen.

So they watched helplessly as Tu Chengyu and his group rode horses or traveled by car.

They marched out of Yangzhou city in a grand and undisguised manner, heading towards the outskirts.

Some of those who were keeping watch continued to follow, while others, being more astute, had already gone back to report from the very beginning.

So, before Tu Chengyu and his group had gone far out of the city, those who had gone back to report the news early in the morning had already switched from walking to riding horses and came back to continue following Tu Chengyu at a distance.

They followed along, watching helplessly as Tu Chengyu led his female relatives to the foot of the mountain outside the city.

They chose a scenic spot and set up camp there.

Watching them unload a dazzling array of things from the carriage.

There are tents, tables and chairs, food, and drinks.

Then I saw people setting up tents and tables and chairs on the grass.

Then, they lit the stove and started brewing tea.

Finally, they saw that everyone, whether princes or guards, was sitting cross-legged on the beautiful grass, eating snacks and sipping tea.

Seeing the smug look on the other side, and then looking at themselves huddled in some corner, the people keeping watch completely lost their guard.

These people now know that Prince Su has brought his entourage here for a spring outing.

But they dared not leave, and so they stood guard for Prince Su for a whole day, lying prone on the wild ground outside Yangzhou City.

After finally getting through the day, they furtively escorted Prince Su back to the Lin residence.

Then, they ran back to their respective masters to report Tu Chengyu's itinerary for the day.

At this point, those who had been paying attention to Tu Chengyu finally believed that the Prince of Su's wanderings these past two days were indeed just for fun and had no other intentions.

So, when Tu Chengyu went out again on the third day, he clearly felt that there were fewer people watching him.

Although the number of people has decreased, Tu Chengyu still continues to act as usual.

He followed the agreed-upon plan and led Lin Daiyu and the others to the outskirts of Yangzhou.

This time, however, he wasn't going for a spring outing; instead, he went boating and fishing on the lake to the north.

After fishing all day in the large lake outside the city and outlasting the few people keeping watch, Tu Chengyu returned to Yangzhou City before the city gates closed.

Now, no one doubts that Tu Chengyu went to Yangzhou to take his future princess sightseeing.

Therefore, when Tu Chengyu left the city again on the fourth day, there were no longer any people watching him.

However, this time, the carriage that accompanied Tu Chengyu out of the city was no longer filled with women like Lin Daiyu.

The person inside the carriage had become Lin Ruhai, who hadn't shown up for several days.

(End of this chapter)