The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 171 Royal Scandals: The Empress Dowager's Troublemaking
Tu Chengyu couldn't help but feel suspicious of He Lizhang before asking:
"Grandpa, are you saying that there's something wrong with He Lizhang?"

Unexpectedly, the retired emperor said, "It's not that He Lizhang has a problem, but that old man has a problem?"

The "old thing" the retired emperor was referring to was probably the Grand Secretary.

Tu Chengyu asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with the Grand Secretary?"

The retired emperor did not answer Tu Chengyu's question, but instead asked, "You should know that the old man's background is not a secret in the royal family?"

Tu Chengyu nodded to indicate that he did know this, and that He Lizhang had told him about it.

The retired emperor continued, "Since that's the case, he shouldn't be afraid of his secret background being exposed, so there's no need for him to send He Lizhang to negotiate with you, only to be taken advantage of in the end."

Although Tu Chengyu felt that the Emperor Emeritus's words made some sense, he did not consider all the circumstances.

So Tu Chengyu said, "Grandpa, it's because I found out that he was secretly raising the orphans of salt workers. He was afraid that this would be exposed, so he came to negotiate with me."

The retired emperor shook his head and said, "But have you ever thought that their family raised the orphans of salt workers decades ago?"

Something that had remained hidden for decades has suddenly come to light; isn't that a bit suspicious?

Hearing the Emperor Emeritus's words, Tu Chengyu suddenly felt something was amiss, and he said somewhat uncertainly:

"Did Vice Minister Tang discover these things in order to bring down the Grand Minister?"

The retired emperor said, "Perhaps that's possible, but based on my understanding of the old man, he can keep a secret for decades, so it's impossible for it to be discovered so easily."

Tu Chengyu asked thoughtfully, "Grandfather, do you mean that the information about the Grand Secretary was deliberately leaked by him?"

The retired emperor nodded.

Tu Chengyu asked, puzzled, "What exactly is the Prime Minister's purpose in doing this?"

The retired emperor said, "If I am not mistaken, the Grand Secretary may be trying to use this matter to resign from his position."

Tu Chengyu found the Emperor Emeritus's words somewhat unbelievable.

He never imagined that the Grand Secretary was spreading damaging information about him in order to bring him down.

Tu Chengyu asked incredulously, "Grandfather, if the Grand Secretary wants to retire, he can just tell Father. Why do this? Isn't he afraid that his subordinates will not do a good job and cause him to lose face in his later years?"

The retired emperor said, "When he sits in the position of Grand Secretary, he will be at the pinnacle of power and seem to be enjoying great prestige, but he will also be subject to many constraints."

Think about it, he got to this position because many people supported him, so he himself is related to the future of those people.

So many people follow him, hoping he will rise in rank and make a fortune. If he were to suddenly retire, what would happen to those who followed him?

Tu Chengyu thought that this was because the higher one's position, the more entanglements one had. What seemed like a position second only to the emperor was not actually as glamorous as it appeared.

They probably take into account the interests of all parties involved in everything they do.

Often, what seems like a simple matter is extremely complicated in their eyes.

Take this incident for example. A simple resignation incident ultimately forced the current prime minister to resort to such tactics.

However, Tu Chengyu still had some questions. He asked, "Grandpa Emperor, since it's so difficult for the Grand Secretary to retire, why doesn't he just stay in retirement?"

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, the retired emperor sneered and said, "He doesn't want to step down, but your father doesn't want him to stay in the Council of State Affairs."

Tu Chengyu never expected that the matter would involve his father again. However, this involved the power struggle in the imperial court. Tu Chengyu had been away from the capital for several months and had no idea what was happening in the court, so he dared not interrupt.

Seeing that Tu Chengyu did not speak, the Emperor Emeritus continued:

"Your father is a man with a heart as small as a needle point. Since ascending the throne, he has not wanted to use the people I left for him, especially the regents in the Council of State Affairs, who have almost become thorns in his side."

The old man probably saw through the emperor's thoughts and knew that, given his position, it was virtually impossible for him to gain the emperor's favor, which is why he wanted to use this method to resign from his position as chief minister.

Hearing the retired emperor speak ill of the emperor, Tu Chengyu, as a junior, could only pretend to be deaf and dumb once again, acting as if he hadn't heard these words.

After the Emperor Emeritus finished speaking, Tu Chengyu said, "Grandfather, if all of this is the Grand Secretary's scheme, then after I return to the capital, will he arrange for someone to expose what happened in Jiangnan and then take the opportunity to resign?"

The Emperor Emeritus looked at Tu Chengyu with satisfaction and said, "You came up with this idea; it shows that my efforts were not in vain."

Tu Chengyu chuckled and said, "Grandson thanks His Majesty for the praise, but how can I know that they are about to launch this operation?"

The Emperor Emeritus said, "The reason neither side made this public beforehand was to wait for your return to the capital. If my guess is correct..."

Once they learn that you have returned to the capital, there will certainly be many memorials impeaching the Grand Secretary before the next grand court assembly.

Among these memorials, some will mention matters concerning Jiangnan. You only need to keep an eye on these memorials to know when they plan to reveal their true intentions.

The retired emperor specifically emphasized that they were waiting for Tu Chengyu to return to the capital, something Tu Chengyu understood perfectly well.

This is because Tu Chengyu was involved in several events in Jiangnan, and personally participated in most of them.

In addition, his special status makes his words more believable to others.

This may be why the Grand Secretary pinned the blame on Tu Chengyu, and it may also be the reason why Lord Tang, despite having evidence, has not yet taken action.

This reveals the circumstances surrounding the Grand Secretary's planned resignation.

He himself, the emperor, and the second-in-command who opposed him all hoped that the chief minister's resignation would be successful.

The only ones who didn't want the Grand Secretary to resign were the officials who were kept in the dark.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu asked again, "Grandfather, how should I deal with this matter?"

The retired emperor smiled and said, "I'm sure Your Majesty already has a plan in mind, so you don't need to ask me."

Tu Chengyu never expected that the Emperor Emeritus would throw a tantrum at such a crucial moment.

However, Tu Chengyu could understand. After all, the emperor was so blatantly suppressing the former officials who had served the retired emperor, so the retired emperor would naturally not be happy.

To Tu Chengyu's delight, so far, although the retired emperor has some dissatisfaction, he has not shown any intention of interfering in the emperor's affairs.

Moreover, the Emperor Emeritus was so patient in explaining the whole situation to Tu Chengyu, showing him how to proceed.

From this perspective, the retired emperor was also helping the emperor control the court.

Compared to the Grand Secretary's resignation, Tu Chengyu was more concerned about the Emperor Emeritus's attitude.

After all, at present, the biggest obstacle to the emperor's control of the court is the retired emperor.

Regardless of what the retired emperor did or not, as long as he was alive, the emperor would always have some reservations when dealing with those former officials.

The retired emperor is now aware of this situation and is even secretly helping the emperor.

This would greatly reduce the obstacles to the emperor's control over the court.

Tu Chengyu believed that with his father's abilities, as long as the retired emperor didn't interfere, dealing with the court shouldn't be a problem.

The fact that the Grand Secretary was forced to use such means to protect himself also proved Tu Chengyu's thoughts. After recounting this incident, Tu Chengyu had already been serving the Emperor Emeritus for quite some time.

He just returned to the palace today, and there are quite a few places he needs to visit to pay his respects.

So once there was nothing of importance left, the Emperor Emeritus stopped keeping Tu Chengyu around and told him to get back to work.

Thus, Tu Chengyu bid farewell to the Emperor Emeritus and prepared to go elsewhere.

Although Tu Chengyu left the main hall of Daming Palace, he did not leave the East Palace.

Because there were two places in the Eastern Palace that he had to go to.

The first place was where Empress Dowager Cixi resided.

Although Empress Dowager Cixi hated Tu Chengyu to the core because of the matter concerning Prince Yixiao, she might not like Tu Chengyu coming to pay his respects.

However, as a junior, Tu Chengyu should not lose his manners because of this.

He arrived at the gate of Empress Dowager Cixi's palace, accompanied by Dai Quan.

Upon arrival, Tu Chengyu did not have anyone announce his arrival. He simply knelt obediently in front of the door and kowtowed a few times.

After going through the formalities here, his next step was to visit his grandmother, Empress Dowager Xiaoning.

Tu Chengyu thought that going to see Empress Dowager Xiaoning was just a formality.

After all, among her many grandsons, she did not hold a high position in Empress Dowager Xiaoning's heart.

The grandfather and grandson have never been alone together in all these years, so they probably don't have much to talk about.

But to Tu Chengyu's surprise, after he finished paying his respects...

Empress Dowager Xiaoning did not let him leave. Instead, she sent away all the palace maids around her, leaving only one personal maid.

Judging from this, Empress Dowager Xiaoning clearly had something important to tell him.

Tu Chengyu didn't know what she was going to say, so he could only sit obediently in the chair and wait for her to speak.

Empress Dowager Xiaoning seemed to find it difficult to speak. She sat on her high chair, pondered for a long time, and finally began to say:
"Yu-ge'er, now that you're back in the capital, you must help the Crown Prince properly."

This statement was so cryptic that it left Tu Chengyu completely bewildered.

However, his first thought was that something must have happened to the Crown Prince, which was why the Empress Dowager asked him to help the Crown Prince.

However, if something happens to the Crown Prince, the Emperor Emeritus will not fail to mention it.

This left Tu Chengyu somewhat confused, so he quickly asked, "Grandmother, has something happened to the Crown Prince?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "Nothing serious has happened to the Crown Prince. It's just that I know someone is plotting against him, which is why I want you, Yu'er, to help him."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu was startled.

She quickly asked, "Grandmother, where did you hear that someone is plotting against the Crown Prince?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "There is plenty of information in this palace, so there is no need for me to inquire about it."

Tu Chengyu agreed with this statement. The imperial palace seemed to be heavily guarded, making it difficult even for flies to get in.

But here, news seems to have wings and can always fly everywhere.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu did not suspect that Empress Dowager Xiaoning was lying to him; he was just worried that the news the Empress Dowager heard might not be true.

So he asked, "Grandmother, did you hear who is plotting against the Crown Prince?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "Hmph, who else could it be but that person in the palace who pretends to be a vegetarian and chants Buddhist prayers?"

The only person who could be described in such a tone by Empress Dowager Xiaoning, who was the one Tu Chengyu had just visited to pay his respects to, is Empress Dowager Cixi.

If it were Empress Dowager Cixi who wanted to harm the Crown Prince, that would be quite possible.

After all, Tu Chengyu and his sons were probably all enemies in the eyes of Empress Dowager Cixi.

After Tu Chengyu, the person she hated most, left the capital, it is quite possible that she transferred her hatred to the Crown Prince.

Thinking about it this way, he realized that what Empress Dowager Xiaoning said was very likely true.

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Grandmother, do you know what she plans to do to the Crown Prince?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "What other way is there? It's nothing more than inciting you brothers to fight each other."

At this point, Empress Dowager Xiaoning suddenly became serious and earnestly said to Tu Chengyu:

“Yu-ge’er, you are the Crown Prince’s own brother, and the Crown Prince has treated you well. You can’t have any improper thoughts like others.”

Tu Chengyu was both amused and exasperated after hearing this. Just a moment ago, the prince asked him to help him, but now he was starting to doubt him.

Tu Chengyu remembered that his grandmother had always been a very intelligent person, so why did she seem somewhat panicked when talking about the Crown Prince?

To reassure her, Tu Chengyu immediately said, "Grandmother, rest assured, I have never had that thought in my mind."

Empress Dowager Xiaoning was very satisfied with this answer and said, "If the others all have the same thoughts as you, I won't worry about them."

From the Empress Dowager's words, Tu Chengyu recalled what He Lizhang had once said to him.

When they were in Jiangnan, He Lizhang once said that his second brother seemed to have the ambition to seize the throne and had even taken some action.

Tu Chengyu was skeptical about the news at first, but now it seems to be true.

Moreover, this matter also involves Empress Dowager Cixi, which means things might really get complicated. No wonder Empress Dowager Xiaoning is so worried.

To confirm whether his guess was correct, Tu Chengyu asked:

"Grandmother, are you saying that my second brother is colluding with the Empress Dowager?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning nodded firmly upon hearing this.

Tu Chengyu then asked, "How did you discover that they were colluding together?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "Not long after you left the capital, she summoned the Empress to her palace every few days to question you."
At first, the Empress just went through the motions, but later I noticed that the Empress was spending more and more time in her palace.

Not long after, the Liu family began causing trouble outside the palace.

If this is true, then what Empress Dowager Xiaoning said is true.

Otherwise, given the hatred that Empress Dowager Cixi harbored towards Tu Chengyu and his family, she would not have summoned the Empress so frequently, nor would she have allowed the Empress to stay in her palace for such a long time.

(End of this chapter)