The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 132 Concealing Intent with a Little Trick
Faced with Tu Chengyu's questioning, Han Bocai remained silent for a long time.

It wasn't that he was intimidated by Tu Chengyu, but rather that he couldn't find the right words for the moment.

Han Bocai thought he had come to discuss with Tu Suwang how to let the Lu family go, but he did not expect that the other party had no intention of letting the Lu family go as soon as he opened his mouth.

He didn't know whether Prince Su was saying this on purpose to gain the upper hand in the negotiations, or whether he truly meant it.

With everything uncertain, Han Bocai could only test the waters first before deciding on his next course of action.

He said, "Your Highness, as far as I know, Lu Yinghui was not involved in the smuggling of salt. Why does Your Highness say he is a fugitive?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Because someone from the Lu family was involved, I naturally had to question this Lu family head. But this Lu family head escaped before I could question him. What else could he be but a fugitive?"

From this perspective, Lu Yinghui can indeed be considered a fugitive.

However, Han Bocai couldn't accept this. He said, "As one of the twelve salt merchants, the Lu family usually travels to various places to handle salt affairs. Therefore, Lu Yinghui may not have run away, but rather he may not have known that the Prince was looking for him."

When Han Bocai spoke, he first removed Lu Yinghui from the conversation, indicating that he was not a fugitive and implying that Lu Yinghui might not know about the smuggled salt, thus paving the way for the subsequent negotiations.

Upon hearing his words, Tu Chengyu asked, "Since he may not know that I am looking for him, can you, as the head of the salt merchants' association, help me find him?"

Han Bocai said, "I can help Your Highness look for him, but I can't guarantee whether we can find him."

Tu Chengyu wouldn't fall for such ambiguous words. He said, "In that case, wait until you find him before you come back to talk to me."

From the moment Han Bocai came in until now, Tu Chengyu has shown that he really doesn't want to talk to him.

This attitude further diminished Han Bocai's initial hopes.

He couldn't help but wonder, was Prince Su really not going to negotiate? Then what was the meaning of the conditions that Prince Su had Du Ruoheng bring back?

Han Bocai was puzzled, but he continued, "I will do my best to find Lu Yinghui, but there is another matter I would like to report to Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu asked, "What is it?"

Han Bocai said, "This student wishes to plead for the Lu family on behalf of Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu repeatedly showed his reluctance to talk, not because he didn't really believe in talking, but because he was using this tactic to lower Han Bocai's expectations.

Now that he has achieved his goal and forced Han Bocai to plead for mercy, he has finally succeeded.

Tu Chengyu followed up, "Are you representing the salt merchants, or just your Han family pleading for him?"

The way Han Bocai spoke about this matter revealed the extent of his power.

This was not a choice that could be made easily, but Han Bocai said it without even thinking:

"The students represent twelve salt merchants and have come to plead for the Lu family."

After he said that, he was clearly telling Tu Chengyu that if he wanted to take down the Lu family, he had to take down all the salt merchants in Yangzhou.

Tu Chengyu naturally understood the meaning behind his words, and this time he did not retort as forcefully as before.

He said slowly, "It seems that you salt merchants are quite united."

Han Bocai said, "We are all serving the court, so naturally we should help each other."

After listening, Tu Chengyu smiled and said, "So, you salt merchants really do care about the other party. Otherwise, no salt merchant family would report the Lu family's mistake to me to prevent them from making an even bigger error. Their intentions are truly commendable."

Hearing Tu Chengyu openly say to his face that someone among the salt merchants had reported the Lu family.

This blatant attempt to sow discord left Han Bocai at a loss for how to respond.

If he said that no salt merchant would do such a thing as informing, wouldn't he be telling Prince Su that they, the salt merchants, only care about personal feelings and don't care about the law?

Conversely, if he admits that some salt merchants might inform on him, wouldn't he easily fall into Prince Su's trap of sowing discord? If this gets out, how can the salt merchants continue to work together?

This is a dilemma where both sides are at a disadvantage, and no matter what Han Bocai chooses, it's not the best answer.

At this point, Han Bo finally realized how formidable the Prince of Su was, and dared not treat the child in front of him as a child anymore.

Tu Chengyu looked at Han Bocai, who was frowning and silent.

He knew that Han Bocai was stumped by his blatant attempt to sow discord, but such tactics were not something that Han Bocai could avoid by simply remaining silent.

As long as Tu Chengyu says it in front of Han Bocai, then have someone spread the word about the conversation.

When the salt merchants hear this, some will surely fall for it. In particular, the Wei and Lu families, who are currently at odds, may very well split apart because of this simple scheme.

Even if the salt merchants hadn't been fooled, it wouldn't have caused Tu Chengyu any loss; he had just said something casually.

Now that the words have been spoken and the scheme to sow discord has begun, it's no longer important whether Han Bocai speaks or not.

To prevent Han Bocai from remaining silent, Tu Chengyu took the initiative to ask:
"How do you plan to plead for the Lu family?"

Hearing Tu Chengyu's question, Han Bo was startled out of his reverie.

He said, "I would like to ask Your Highness to spare the Lu family this time, considering how diligently they have served the court for so many years."

Tu Chengyu asked, "You want me to not pursue the Lu family at all?"

Han Bocai said, "I beg Your Highness to show leniency beyond the law."

Tu Chengyu: "The Lu family is selling smuggled salt, which is illegal. You expect me to let them off so easily?"

The implication of this statement is that they won't be let off the hook without paying a price.

Han Bocai, a seasoned veteran, naturally understood the meaning behind Tu Chengyu's words.

He said directly, "I know that Your Highness has worked hard to lead the raid on the salt smuggling operation. After this is over, we are willing to offer Your Highness 20,000 taels of silver for tea."

He immediately asked for 20,000 taels of silver, and that was the bottom line. If Tu Chengyu were to haggle further, it wouldn't be impossible for the price to double.

Therefore, it is clear that the wealth of salt merchants was indeed extraordinary.

Although Tu Chengyu's purpose was not the money at all, in order to mislead Han Bocai, he still pretended to be dissatisfied and bargained with him.

Tu Chengyu said, "You think a mere 20,000 taels of silver will make me forgive the Lu family for their crime of smuggling salt?"

Han Bocai and his men naturally knew that 20,000 taels of silver would not satisfy the appetite of a prince, but this was only the lowest price they offered, intended to test Prince Su's attitude.

Seeing that Prince Su was indeed interested in silver, Han Bocai was secretly pleased. He quickly replied, "If Your Highness feels that 20,000 taels of silver is not enough, you may state your requirements."

Tu Chengyu said, "Hasn't Du Ruoheng already told you my requirements?"

Upon hearing this, Han Bocai said incredulously, "Your Highness, do you still mean to have the Lu family withdraw from the salt merchants?"

Tu Chengyu nodded, indicating that this was his intention.

Han Bocai didn't know how to express his feelings.

He thought that he was here to negotiate with Prince Su, starting from the demands that Prince Su had initially made and working his way down step by step.

Unexpectedly, after talking for a long time and stating his conditions, Prince Su's requirements remained unchanged.

If this is the demand before I came to negotiate, and he still has the same demand after I arrived, then what was the point of my trip?

He asked, "As far as I know, the Lu family's smuggling of salt was done by their servants on their own. Why does Your Highness insist on putting the Lu family to death?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Can you guarantee that the smuggling of salt was only done by servants of the Lu family?"

Having reached this point, Han Bocai could no longer back down. He said:

"Based on the students' understanding of Lu Yinghui, he wouldn't dare to do such a thing, and the students are willing to vouch for him."

Tu Chengyu said with a sneer, "But I caught Lu Yinghui's son at the scene of the smuggled salt transaction. Do you still dare to say that the Lu family was not involved?"

Han Bocai naturally knew about Lu Yinghui's second son's arrest, and when Tu Chengyu brought it up now, he naturally used the method he had already thought of to deal with it.

He said, "I suppose Your Highness has captured Lu Yinghui's second son. I know a little about this son. He has been unruly since childhood and often does outrageous things. I suppose he was lured into this salt smuggling business by his servants."

"Although Lu Yinghui dotes on his son, he would never do anything illegal with him."

These people are ruthless; in order to protect Lu Yinghui, they directly abandoned Lu Yinghui's son.

Han Bocai and his group had no choice but to abandon Lu Yinghui's son in order to protect Lu Yinghui.

Because all twelve salt merchants were involved in the illicit salt trade.

Therefore, in order to involve everyone, they could not allow Lu Yinghui to be arrested by Prince Su on charges of selling smuggled salt.

We must use every means to protect Lu Yinghui, even if it means taking Lu Yinghui's son with us.

Tu Chengyu said, "So, according to you, Lu Yinghui knew nothing about the smuggling of salt?"

Han Bocai replied, "Yes, Your Highness. We can vouch for Lu Yinghui."

Tu Chengyu said, "Fine, even if what you say is true, his son was involved in this matter, and I even captured the Japanese slaves on the spot. You think you can get away with such a serious matter by saying you knew nothing about it?"

Han Bocai replied, "As the saying goes, if a child is raised but not taught, it is the father's fault. Since his son has made a mistake, Lu Yinghui is naturally to blame."

"However, Lu Yinghui has served the court well over the years, and considering that he was unaware of the situation, we hope Your Highness will be lenient in your punishment."

“If Your Highness can spare him, Lu Yinghui will be grateful for Your Highness’s kindness.”

Expressing gratitude wouldn't be empty words; that's why Han Bocai reminded Tu Chengyu once again that if Lu Yinghui could be let go, he could make further demands.

Han Bocai asked Tu Chengyu to state his conditions, but Tu Chengyu ignored him and instead brought up another topic.

"Do you know why I targeted the Lu family, and not other families?"

This is a question that Han Bocai and others urgently need to know, because it reveals the ultimate purpose of Prince Su in this matter.

Han Bocai naturally didn't know the reason behind Tu Chengyu's actions, so he could only wait quietly to see what Tu Chengyu would say.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Tu Chengyu continued, "Do you remember the day I first arrived in Yangzhou, a few cavalrymen bumped into my carriage for no reason?"

Han Bocai certainly remembered this matter; Wei Yuncai and Lu Yinghui had brought it up during their argument earlier that day.

He also knew that the collision was caused by a bet between Lu Yinghui's second son and Wei Yuncai's son, which led to the horse collision.

Why did Prince Su suddenly bring this up? Is he still holding a grudge about being offended? That's too petty of him.

Thinking of this, Han Bocai asked, "Is Your Highness trying to take your anger out on the two sons of the Lu family because your carriage was hit? But weren't they Wei Yuncai's two sons who hit Your Highness?"

Upon hearing his words, Tu Chengyu said, "Do you want me to go after the Wei family instead of the Lu family?"

Upon hearing this, Han Bocai was startled. He had never expected that his casual question would be seized upon by the Prince of Su to sow discord.

He quickly waved his hand and said, "That's not what I meant. I just don't understand why Your Highness would do this."

Tu Chengyu casually added a twist to the scheme, then ignored it and explained to Han Bocai:

"The reason I did not make things difficult for the Wei family is firstly because the Wei family offended me, and the father and son came to apologize. I am not a petty person, so I naturally forgave the Wei family's sins."

"Secondly, the son of the Wei family was instigated. Compared to being instigated, I resent the instigator more. Now you understand why I arrested the Lu family."

Hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Han Bocai was both happy and worried.

Fortunately, Prince Su arrested people to save face, not specifically to crack down on salt smuggling. Furthermore, the arrests targeted the Lu family, not all salt merchants.

The concern is that, for the royal family, the issue of face may be more important than the laws of the court. After all, the laws belong to the court and are open to negotiation, but face belongs to the family and is much harder to compromise on.

Han Bocai said, "Your Highness, just as I said, Lu Yinghui's second son is an unruly person. There are many things he has done that Lu Yinghui is unaware of."

"That's why he instigated others to offend the Prince. I suppose Lu Yinghui was unaware of this, otherwise he would have gone to apologize to the Prince immediately."

Tu Chengyu said with a sneer, "I don't care whether he knows or not. I only know that his son didn't take me seriously, and afterwards, the Lu family didn't give me an explanation."

"If I don't do something to the Lu family, how can I save face?"

Since it involved the face of a prince, Han Bocai dared not mention the Lu family's contributions anymore.

He tentatively asked, "Does Your Highness absolutely insist on replacing the Lu family?"

At this point, Han Bocai had already given up hope. He felt that this negotiation would not yield good results, and if he wanted to save the Lu family, he could only think of a solution after returning home.

However, just as he was about to leave, Tu Chengyu gave him a glimmer of hope.

(End of this chapter)