The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 156 A glimmer of hope followed by another period of darkness

As soon as Yang Chun entered, he brought Tu Chengyu some rather shocking news.

"Your Highness, Magistrate Lü's son, Lü Shize, and his advisor, Kang Ye, have returned."

"Really?" The news was so sudden that Tu Chengyu felt it was unreal.

Yang Chun said, "Your Highness, I saw it with my own eyes."

Tu Chengyu was just worrying about how to find these two people when, in the blink of an eye, they returned on their own.

It felt as if someone was helping him from the shadows.

Tu Chengyu asked excitedly, "How did they get back? Did they come back together?"

Yang Chun said, "Your Highness, these two did indeed return together. According to them, they heard about Magistrate Lü's affairs from others and rushed back together."

These words puzzled Tu Chengyu, and he asked:
"Didn't Madam Lü say that Mr. Kang had taken leave to go home? How come he's with Lü Chudan's son? And how come they came back so quickly?"

It has only been half a day since the news of Lü Chudan's death was released. How did they find out so quickly?
Furthermore, Madam Lü also said that her son had gone off to travel with those scholars and it was impossible for him to return so soon.

In response to this question, Yang Chun said, "I also inquired about this matter with the lawyer's servant. According to him, Mr. Kang was invited to attend the literary gathering and arrived in Donghu County yesterday. He also said that they rested in a temple outside the city yesterday, which is why they were able to return so quickly."

That explanation makes sense.

However, this also indirectly proves that Kangye was already within the Donghu area yesterday.

The coincidence of his return, coupled with the jade pendant, is enough to prove that he is highly suspicious of Lü Chudan's death.

However, it should be noted that Kang Ye was able to return with Lü Shize after hearing the news.

Either he is not the murderer, or he has a way to clear his name.

Neither of these methods is conducive to a quick investigation.

Tu Chengyu had wanted to find these two people from the beginning, and now that they were here, he should at least meet them.

Therefore, despite the fact that Quan Wenwei had come from afar, he hurriedly took him back to the county government office.

Upon arriving at the county government office, all that could be heard was the sound of weeping.

It must be Lü Shize, the eldest son of the Lü family, who has arrived, causing the whole family great sorrow once again.

This is a sad moment for them, and Tu Chengyu shouldn't be so insensitive.

So he stayed in the front courtyard of the county government office until the crying inside the hall stopped before he sent the yamen runners guarding the door to report.

When Prince Tu Chengyu came again, the Lü family still dared not show any disrespect.

The whole family wiped away their tears and hurried out to greet them.

Among the group of people who came out, Tu Chengyu immediately spotted two unfamiliar faces.

A middle-aged scholar and a young prodigy. These two must be Kang Ye and Lü Shize.

After they finished their greetings, Tu Chengyu asked directly:

"Mr. Kang, where were you last night?"

Kang Ye knew that the person in front of him was Prince Su, and he could also guess that Prince Su was investigating the circumstances of Lü Chudan's death.

So when he heard Tu Chengyu ask such a question, it was clear that he considered him a suspect.

Kang Ye appeared quite surprised by this, and he looked at Tu Chengyu in astonishment.

He then turned to look at Madam Lü, as if wanting to ask what had happened.

But at this moment, Madam Lü lowered her head, pretending not to see Kang Ye's questioning gaze.

Judging from Madam Lü's reaction, she did not reveal the news that Tu Chengyu and others suspected Kang Ye.

From this perspective, Madam Lü can be considered someone who knows what's important.

All of this made Kang Ye feel that something he was unaware of must have happened.

Therefore, he answered cautiously: "Your Highness, I was invited to attend the literary gathering and arrived at Jixiang Temple outside Donghu City yesterday afternoon. I have been staying here until today. Shize can testify to this."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu turned to look at Lü Shize, who nodded and said, "Teacher Kang was with the students and others all yesterday."

With Lü Shize's testimony, suspicions about Kangye can be reduced, but it cannot be completely ruled out.

After all, people always sleep separately at night, and it's possible that Kang Ye secretly ran into the city to kill someone while he was asleep.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu directly presented evidence and questioned him:
"Mr. Kang, do you recognize this jade pendant?"

As he said this, Tu Chengyu asked Yang Chun to take out the jade pendant that he had put away.

Kang Ye looked at the jade pendant in Yang Chun's hand and blurted out:

"Your Highness, this jade pendant is indeed mine."

Since he admits it, that makes things easier. Tu Chengyu then asked, "If it's your jade pendant, why did it end up in Magistrate Lü's hands?"

Kang Ye hadn't answered the question yet, but Lü Shize, who was standing to the side, seemed a little flustered.

He shouted, "How could this happen?"

While shouting, he was also rummaging through his waist and sleeves for something.

Lu Shize's bizarre behavior astonished everyone.

Madam Lü asked with a worried expression, "Ze'er, what's wrong with you?"

With a mournful face, Lü Shize said, "Mother, this jade pendant should be on me. How did it end up in Father's hands?"

This news was undoubtedly unexpected by everyone present.

Originally, it was thought that the jade pendant that Lü Chudan was holding tightly was a clue left behind by the murderer.

Unexpectedly, the clue ultimately pointed to his own son.

Madam Lü was clearly unable to accept this change. She said incredulously, "Ze'er, what are you saying?"

Lu Shize said, "Mother, Mr. Kang's jade pendant was originally on me."

Madam Lü asked, "How did it end up on you?"

Lu Shize said, "This was my father's idea. Before Teacher Kang returned home, my father had me and Teacher Kang exchange our jade pendants."

“I was afraid of damaging your jade pendant, so I kept it inside my clothes, which is why you didn’t see it.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Lü looked at Mr. Kang and asked, "Is the matter as Ze'er described?"

Kang Ye nodded and said, "That's right."

After saying this, he took another jade pendant from his waist, handed it to Madam Lü, and continued:

"Madam, this is the young master's jade pendant."

Madam Lü naturally recognized Lü Shize's jade pendant, so after taking it and glancing at it briefly, she confirmed its authenticity.

Since the jade pendant wasn't lost from Kang Ye, his suspicion can be temporarily cleared.

However, another question arises: how did the jade pendant on Lü Shize end up in Lü Chudan's hands?

Tu Chengyu asked, "Young Master Lü, do you remember when you lost your jade pendant?" Lü Shize said with a look of annoyance, "I can't remember when I lost it. I only remember that when I met Mr. Kang at Jixiang Temple yesterday afternoon, the jade pendant was still on me. I even showed it to you at the time."

Upon hearing this, Kang Ye nodded in agreement.

That means someone took the jade pendant from Lü Shize yesterday.

However, Lu Shize also said that he had kept the jade pendant inside his clothes, and it wouldn't be so easy for someone else to take it away.

It must be someone who has a close relationship with Lü Shize and can get close to him.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu glanced at Kang Ye seemingly casually.

This humane act perfectly meets this standard.

Firstly, he had a close relationship with Lü Shize; secondly, he knew exactly where the jade pendant was placed on Lü Shize's body; and thirdly, he also knew the inside story of how the jade pendant was switched.

What Tu Chengyu can think of, others can naturally think of as well.

At this moment, it is estimated that many people are secretly observing Kang Ye.

Compared to everyone's secretive observation, Lü Shize, this young man, seemed rather naive.

After considering this possibility, he brazenly looked at Kang Ye.

Such a look naturally made Kang Ye very uncomfortable, and he was about to lose his temper.

Lu Shize shook his head and said, "It can't be yours, sir. Someone must have taken the jade pendant from me. I need to think about it carefully."

After saying that, he ignored everyone's stares and walked to the side, closing his eyes to think.

He was so focused that it was best not to disturb him.

So Tu Chengyu and his group could only stand by and watch him spin around in circles.

Just as Tu Chengyu was about to lose patience, Lü Shize suddenly opened his eyes and shouted loudly:
"It's Chai Suwen, it must be him."

He was able to figure out who stole the jade pendant from him when he was about to hit you.

This made Lü Shize both happy and sad, his conflicted expression seemingly distorting his entire face.

Seeing him like this, Tu Chengyu quickly calmed him down and then asked:

"Who is this Chai Suwen? How can you be so sure that he was the one who took the jade pendant?"

It took Lü Shize a while to calm himself down before he said:

“Your Highness, Chai Suwen is my best friend. We studied together and passed the imperial examinations together. I never expected him to treat me like this.”

Although these facts do not prove that Chai Suwen killed Lü Chudan.

But when his best friend is associated with his father's death, even the toughest man would be saddened, let alone such a young man.

Although he was very sad, the most important thing now was to investigate the murderer.

Tu Chengyu asked, "How did he take the jade pendant from you?"

Lu Shize said, "Last night, we were discussing poetry and essays at the Lay Buddhist Courtyard outside Jixiang Temple. During the discussion, a student accidentally drank too much."

"He was the one who escorted the student back to their room, and after they got back, he was the one who helped the student take off their coat."

"During this process, he intentionally or unintentionally touched the student's sleeve and waist several times. Although the student was not very drunk at the time, he was still sober."

"I asked him if he was looking for something, and he laughed and said that he wanted to see if I had hidden any essays copied from literary gatherings."

"For us candidates, the essays written by those who have already passed the imperial examinations are of great help. Usually, when someone writes an essay at a literary gathering, we will copy it and study it."

"So when he said that, the student didn't pay any attention. Now that I think about it, he wasn't looking for Shi Wen, but for the student's jade pendant."

After hearing what Lü Shize said, Chai Suwen was indeed a suspect.

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Do you know where Chai Suwen is now?"

Lu Shize said, "When I heard the news of my father's accident, Mr. Kang, Chai Suwen, and I borrowed donkeys from the temple and rushed back together."

"However, during the journey, Chai Suwen gradually fell behind. When Mr. Kang and I entered the city, we could no longer see him."

"At the time, I thought he couldn't keep up, but now I think he might have deliberately fallen behind and then run away."

Why is it like this again? We just got a tiny clue, and then the people involved disappeared again.

If Chai Suwen was truly involved in Lü Chudan's death, then such a long period of time would have been enough for him to disappear without a trace.

Moreover, if the person behind the scenes was ruthless enough, he could have killed Chai Suwen to silence him during his escape.

If that were to happen, with current methods, it would be virtually impossible to find the person behind it all.

However, at this point, we had to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless, and we had to send people to search for them before we were satisfied.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu asked, "You are familiar with Chai Suwen, so you must know where he works? And where he usually goes?"

Lu Shize immediately said, "Chai Suwen's servants also know this. If Your Highness wants to send someone to his house, you can have the servants lead the way."

"However, from the students' perspective, Chai Suwen would definitely not come to his home in the city. He is more likely to be hiding outside the city."

Tu Chengyu asked, "If he hides outside the city, where would he go?"

Lu Shize said, "I have heard from others that Chai Suwen's family has a long-standing friendship with a wealthy merchant named Wu Youwei outside the city. Although I have never seen him interact with Wu Youwei's family, I think it is not just hearsay."

Upon hearing the name Wu Youwei, Tu Chengyu's heart skipped a beat.

Wu Youwei was the criminal who instigated the salt workers' rebellion, and his crimes have not yet been fully explained.

Unexpectedly, this has led to another involvement here.

Wu Youwei is someone who is determined to take the blame for others, and he's incredibly stubborn.

Tu Chengyu was just wondering how to get him to talk, but unexpectedly he found a solution here.

If what Lü Shize said is true, then the Chai Suwen family and the Wu Youwei family are indeed old friends.

Perhaps we can use Lü Chudan's death to bring the Chai family to be interrogated, and maybe we can find some ways to break Wu Youwei out of them.

With this in mind, Tu Chengyu didn't delay any longer and immediately arranged for the arrest of the Chai family.

Since Su Xuanbao had previously gone to Wu Youwei's house to arrest someone, the task of trying his luck to arrest Chai Suwen at Wu Youwei's house this time was still assigned to him.

With Su Xuanbao now having work to do, the remaining task of rounding up and capturing the Chai family in the city was left to Yang Chun.

Originally, all the tasks of arresting people were assigned to Quan Xu, but at this time Quan Xu was guarding the house at the dock.

Then we can only let Yang Chun, who is capable, do the extra work and go on this trip.

The two men, having received their orders, naturally dared not delay.

They immediately mustered their forces and set off towards their respective destinations.

After they left, Tu Chengyu asked Lü Shize some more questions, and also inquired about the relationship between the Chai family and the Wu Youwei family from Kang Ye and others.

He had a strong feeling that he might find what he wanted from the relationship between Wu Youwei and the Chai family.

(End of this chapter)