The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 172 Is there something difficult to say in the palace?
These words clearly reveal the second son's ambition to seize the throne.

However, what Tu Chengyu didn't understand was why the second son was in such a hurry to reveal his ambition to seize the throne.

When they were in Jiangnan, Quan Wenwei analyzed He Lizhang's words for Tu Chengyu.

He said that the reason why the second son was so eager to show his ambition to seize the throne was probably to tell the officials in the court what he was thinking.

This was to let all the officials in the court know that the crown prince was not the only one who could inherit the throne.

But even if he wanted to achieve this goal, he didn't necessarily have to collude with Empress Dowager Cixi.

He won't gain much by doing this; on the contrary, it will make the emperor dislike him.

Logically, someone as intelligent as the second son wouldn't do something so unwise, but he did it anyway.

This made Tu Chengyu feel that there must be other things behind this matter that he didn't know about.

He suppressed his doubts for the time being and then asked Empress Dowager Xiaoning:

"Grandmother, how do you want your grandson to help the Crown Prince?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager said, "I would like you to put in a good word for the Crown Prince with the Emperor Emeritus, so that the Emperor Emeritus may visit the Crown Prince's residence in his spare time."

After hearing this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Is it possible that this old lady's IQ has gradually decreased because she has been living a better life for the past six months and there is no danger around her?

Did he not know that since the former crown prince's rebellion, the retired emperor had not even left the Eastern Palace once, and that the emperor and the crown prince rarely summoned him?

This situation was clearly a signal that the retired emperor was deliberately sending to others, indicating that he would no longer interfere in court affairs.

Empress Dowager Xiaoning couldn't possibly be unaware of the Emperor Emeritus's intentions, yet she still ordered Tu Chengyu to do it.

She's practically pushing her own grandson into a fire pit for the sake of the crown prince.

If Tu Chengyu listened to the old lady and, in a daze, went to the Emperor Emeritus to plead for mercy.

The retired emperor might think that Tu Chengyu was up to no good, and might stop being close to his grandson Tu Chengyu.

Furthermore, if the Emperor knew that Tu Chengyu had done this, wouldn't he think that Tu Chengyu was trying to use the retired Emperor for something?

So after thinking it over, Tu Chengyu realized that he didn't know if this matter would help the Crown Prince, but it certainly wouldn't benefit him.

Tu Chengyu could understand the old lady's worries about the crown prince, but no matter how worried she was, she couldn't act recklessly.

There is an old saying that the royal family loves their eldest son, and there is also an old saying that the youngest son and the eldest grandson are the lifeblood of the elderly couple.

The Crown Prince was both the eldest son of the royal family and the eldest grandson of the old lady.

So the old lady is more concerned about the Crown Prince, but you can't disregard the lives of your other grandsons just for the sake of the Crown Prince.

Tu Chengyu was somewhat dissatisfied with the old lady's actions, but for the sake of the Crown Prince, he remained silent.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Grandmother, as you know, since the Emperor Emeritus came to the Eastern Palace, he has only been thinking about recuperating and no longer cares about worldly affairs."

Moreover, in the past six months, the Emperor Emeritus's complexion has been improving steadily. At this time, how could his grandson dare to disturb his rest?

Tu Chengyu spoke tactfully, but also made it clear that the retired emperor would not concern himself with the crown prince's affairs.

But the old lady seemed not to understand and said:

"Can't you go to the Emperor Emeritus and plead for the Crown Prince? You are the Crown Prince's own brother, and your mother passed away early. You are the only one who can help the Crown Prince."

Hearing these words, Tu Chengyu felt inexplicably exhausted. If doing so could help the Crown Prince, even if it was detrimental to Tu Chengyu, he might ultimately do it.

The problem now is that such reckless actions will not only fail to help the crown prince, but may even have the opposite effect.

She didn't even consider what would happen if the retired emperor, who hadn't left the palace for a long time, suddenly appeared in the crown prince's residence.

This has such a huge impact on the court; won't the officials think that the retired emperor has ulterior motives?

How the emperor would perceive the actions of the retired emperor would have far more implications than they appear on the surface.

Tu Chengyu could understand the reasoning behind this, but he couldn't explain it clearly to the old lady.

They could only try different approaches, saying, "Grandmother, the Crown Prince was personally chosen by Father and approved by all the officials. Unless something major happens..."

No one can shake the Crown Prince's position, so in this matter, it's better to remain still than to take any action.

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "I naturally understand this principle, but now that others have conspired to deal with the Crown Prince, am I supposed to just stand by and watch?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but roll his eyes.

If you don't want to just watch, then take action yourself. Why make me get involved in this mess?

Although she was inwardly complaining, she still had to comfort her aloud: "Grandmother, don't worry. Judging from the current situation, no matter how much they cause trouble, they're just clowns."

It won't affect the Crown Prince at all. Besides, I'm here with my grandson; I won't let them do anything to the Crown Prince."

Empress Dowager Xiaoning saw that Tu Chengyu, no matter how much she talked, just didn't want to plead with the Emperor Emeritus as she wished.

He knew he couldn't fulfill that request, so he settled for second best, saying:
"In that case, could you talk to the Emperor Emeritus and ask him not to shut the Crown Prince out?"

"Turned out?" Tu Chengyu didn't know what the old lady was talking about and asked in confusion, "Why would the Emperor Emeritus turn away the Crown Prince?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "I am also unaware of the reason, but in recent months, the Emperor Emeritus has suddenly stopped summoning anyone."
Even the Crown Prince's routine greetings after moving out of the palace were exempted by the retired emperor; he was only allowed to pay his respects at the gate of the East Palace every month.

"Of all the grandchildren the Emperor Emeritus has seen over this long period of time, you, Yu-ge'er, are the only ones he's met."

Tu Chengyu initially thought that the Emperor Emeritus was only refusing to see the Crown Prince, but now he realized that the Emperor Emeritus was refusing to see anyone.

In that case, Tu Chengyu didn't think the Emperor Emeritus had done anything wrong.

After all, before Tu Chengyu left the capital, the retired emperor rarely summoned his children and grandchildren; this was just another step forward.

Moreover, the fact that the retired emperor does not summon anyone will not affect the crown prince in any way, so why is the old lady so concerned about this matter?

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Grandmother, have you asked why the Emperor Emeritus suddenly disappeared from the Crown Prince and the others?"

Empress Dowager Xiaoning said, "I did mention it to the Emperor Emeritus, but he said he had no interest in seeing anyone and forbade me from bringing it up again."

After hearing this, Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "So you've already tried it, and it didn't work."

Now you're telling me to try again? It seems you're not so guileless.

When the Empress Dowager saw that Tu Chengyu remained silent, she knew that he was still unwilling to do so.

So he quickly said, "Brother Yu, I just asked you to go and say a word to the Emperor Emeritus. You wouldn't refuse to help the Crown Prince with such a small favor, would you?"

Tu Chengyu was speechless again. You've become quite clever when it comes to silencing people.

Although Tu Chengyu didn't understand why the old lady was so insistent on him pleading with the Emperor Emeritus.

But he didn't want to argue with the old lady any further about this, so he said:
"Grandson has remembered Grandmother's words. When I see the Emperor Emeritus next time, I will definitely do as Grandmother instructed."

She verbally agreed, but whether she would actually do it depended on Tu Chengyu's decision. The old lady seemed very happy to see Tu Chengyu agree.

At this moment, the old lady seemed to suddenly remember that Tu Chengyu had gone on a long trip and returned from Jiangnan.

So she immediately changed her attitude and started showing great concern for Tu Chengyu.

They inquired about Tu Chengyu's health and asked about his experiences in Jiangnan.

His concerned expression was exactly the same as before.

For a moment, Tu Chengyu was somewhat dazed, wondering if the Empress Dowager Xiaoning who had just forced him to do things for the sake of the Crown Prince was the real one.

Or is the old lady who looks so concerned about her grandson the real one?
Or are both faces real?

Tu Chengyu was unaware of the situation at the moment and could only bite the bullet and cooperate with the old lady to create a heartwarming scene.

After finally managing to deal with the old lady, Tu Chengyu emerged from the palace.

When he came out and looked at the sun in the sky, Tu Chengyu realized that he had spent the entire morning in the East Palace.

During this period, he first resolved many doubts from the retired emperor.

Later, I received some more questions from Empress Dowager Xiaoning.

In short, he gained a lot from his trip to pay his respects to the Crown Prince.

However, this is not the time to reflect on these things, because according to the previous arrangements...

After paying his respects to the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager, Tu Chengyu was to proceed to pay his respects to the Emperor after the court session.

Judging from the current time, the Emperor had likely already finished court, so Tu Chengyu dared not delay and hurried toward the East Palace gate.

As soon as Tu Chengyu stepped out of the East Palace gate, he saw the eunuch who had greeted him that morning still standing at the entrance waiting for him.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu quickly said, "It's getting late. Has Father sent anyone to summon us?"

The eunuch leading the way said, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. I sent someone to the Imperial Study to inquire, and the Emperor hasn't finished his court session yet."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but look up at the sky. The time was correct, so he asked:
"It's almost lunchtime, why hasn't the court session ended yet?"

The eunuch said, "I don't know the reason either, but Chief Steward Xia said that His Majesty might be late finishing court today, so please don't go to the Imperial Study to wait for him, Your Highness."

It seems there was some unexpected situation in the court today, otherwise why would the grand court assembly have been delayed for so long?

Since he couldn't see the Emperor now, Tu Chengyu headed straight for his own courtyard.

On the way back, Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and then sent the little eunuch who was following him to the study to invite Xiao Liuzi over.

Generally speaking, when studying in the Imperial Study, there is a break at noon.

Tu Chengyu wanted to take advantage of his break to call him over and ask him some questions.

Judging from Empress Dowager Xiaoning's behavior today, something must have happened in the palace.

If Tu Chengyu doesn't ask clearly, he might have trouble handling things when they happen in the future.

He originally planned to ask them when he met the Emperor or the Crown Prince.

Now that the Emperor and the Crown Prince are both busy, Tu Chengyu thought of calling Xiao Liuzi over.

After all, Xiao Liu Zi had been in the palace all along. Although he couldn't possibly know everything, he must have heard about some major events.

Leisurely enjoying the scenery of the palace, Tu Chengyu finally returned to his long-missed courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Tu Chengyu saw Xiao Xuanzi and Xiao Xing'er directing the palace maids and eunuchs under his command.

Like a swarm of little bees, they flitted back and forth in the yard.

They're so busy mainly because they're tidying up the yard.

After all, everyone has been away from the palace for so long, how can we stay here without tidying up properly?

Just as Tu Chengyu entered, Xiao Xuanzi, who was directing the eunuchs to move things, also saw Tu Chengyu.

He hurried over and said to Tu Chengyu, "Your Highness, you're back?"

Tu Chengyu nodded, then asked, "How's the yard coming along?"

Xiao Xuanzi said, "Your Highness, the study and your bedroom have been prepared, and you can rest at any time."

Hearing this, Tu Chengyu was very satisfied and said:
"Well done. You can go ahead and do your work. I'll go sit in my study."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuanzi gave a brief report before quickly going down to direct the work.

Tu Chengyu walked around the yard, which was piled with things, and headed to the study.

However, he hadn't walked more than a few steps when he saw a small, unexpected figure appear in his field of vision.

Tu Chengyu exclaimed in surprise, "Tan Chun?"

Jia Tanchun, who was carrying a pile of clothes, peeked out from behind the clothes and saw that it was Tu Chengyu calling her.

She quickened her pace, piling the change of clothes she was carrying aside. Then she walked over to Tu Chengyu in a few steps.

"Your Highness, did you call me?"

Tu Chengyu nodded and asked, "Didn't I grant you leave to go home and stay for a few days?"

When they arrived outside the capital yesterday, Tu Chengyu considered that it might be a little uncomfortable for Lin Daiyu, who was visiting the capital for the first time.

Therefore, Tan Chun was granted leave to return to the Jia family mansion to stay with Lin Daiyu for a few days, and at the same time, Tan Chun was allowed to reunite with her family.

The girl was so happy to agree at the time, how come she's back in the palace in the blink of an eye?

In response to Tu Chengyu's question, Tan Chun said:
"Your Highness, I originally wanted to go home, but when I thought about how Your Highness had just returned to the palace, there would definitely be a shortage of manpower in the courtyard, so after much consideration, I decided it would be better to go to the palace first."

As for Sister Lin, Your Highness need not worry. With Your Highness's support and the Old Madam's presence, no one will dare to do anything to Sister Lin.

Tu Chengyu's original intention was to reunite her with her family, but it seems that Tan Chun does not want to go home.

Although he didn't know what had happened, he respected Tan Chun's decision.

So Tu Chengyu said, "Now that you're back in the palace, work hard. But if you ever want to go home for a visit, just let me know."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu not only did not punish her for her little act of willfulness, but also allowed her to go home.

Tan Chun quickly thanked him, saying, "This servant thanks Your Highness."

Watching Tan Chun skip and hop off to work, Tu Chengyu returned to his study.

(End of this chapter)