The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 196 Jia Jingyan Discusses the Crown Prince
Tu Chengyu himself was also very curious to know what important things had happened to him since he left the capital.

Hearing that Jia Jing had sought him out to discuss these matters, Tu Chengyu immediately became interested and asked:
"Then tell me, what exactly happened in the court?"

After saying this, Tu Chengyu wanted Jia Jing to say what he thought, but he couldn't help but think of his meeting with the Crown Prince earlier.

Considering the changes in the Crown Prince, Tu Chengyu felt it would be better to understand the Crown Prince's situation first.

Then he continued, "Put everything else aside for now. Tell me, what has happened to the Crown Prince during this period?"
Hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Jia Jing seemed quite surprised and asked, "Your Highness, what aspects of the Crown Prince would you like to hear about?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Anything related to the Crown Prince, anything that can affect the Crown Prince."

Upon returning to the capital this time, Tu Chengyu noticed that the Crown Prince had changed a lot, and these changes did not seem to be for the better.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu really wanted to know if anything else had happened besides what the Crown Prince had said today.

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Jia Jing thought for a moment and said, "Speaking of matters concerning the Crown Prince, the most significant one is that the Emperor suddenly released Prince Xing to take charge of affairs."

Tu Chengyu had heard different versions of this story from different people, but previously they were all told by his own family.

Now he wants to hear how things appear to outsiders.

"Tell me about this matter in detail."

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing said, "I don't know any more detailed information, but I do know that the palace was under martial law for a few days some time ago."
Shortly after the lifting of martial law, the emperor released Prince Xing and two other princes to resume their duties.

Not long after, someone else said that Prince Xing had designs on vying for the throne. In my opinion, this was the most significant event affecting the Crown Prince.

After saying this, Jia Jing secretly glanced at Tu Chengyu. Clearly, given the involvement of the struggle for the throne, Jia Jing remained somewhat cautious.

However, Tu Chengyu was engrossed in his own thoughts and did not notice Jia Jing's actions.

At that moment, he thought that the martial law in the palace must have been in effect during the few days when the emperor suddenly fell ill.

According to Jia Jing, it was only after the Emperor recovered from his illness that he decided to let the Second Prince and others take up their posts.

Following this line of reasoning, something must have happened during the Emperor's illness that led him to do this.

But the Crown Prince just said that he did nothing during the Emperor's illness and would not displease the Emperor.

It seems that the two sides have different accounts of this matter.

However, Tu Chengyu couldn't determine who was telling the truth and who was lying.

He could only change the subject and ask something else: "Besides these, have you heard anything else?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing looked embarrassed, as if there was something he couldn't say.

However, he only hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Your Highness, I only heard a few random words from others and I don't know if they are true or false. Moreover, these rumors are quite detrimental to the Crown Prince's reputation. I wonder if Your Highness would like to listen to them?"

Now that things have come to this point, Tu Chengyu is determined to listen to whatever is said, no matter how harsh it may be.

Tu Chengyu said, "Speak freely, there's nothing I can't hear."

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing felt relieved and said:

"Your Highness, I have heard from other sources that since the Crown Prince moved into the Crown Prince's residence, without the Emperor watching over him, his behavior has changed drastically, and he has become quite dissolute."

For a crown prince, being dissolute and unrestrained is not a good thing.

Especially since they had just moved out of the palace, such rumors were already circulating, which was basically telling everyone.

This crown prince lacked self-control, and his true nature was revealed after he left the emperor's supervision.

Hearing this, Tu Chengyu was utterly speechless, and frowned as he asked:

"What exactly are these rumors?"

Jia Jing thought for a moment and said, "There are rumors that after the Crown Prince left the palace, he drank and made merry every night and had no interest in the state affairs entrusted to him by the Emperor."

Everything was left to the officials of the Crown Prince's residence. Furthermore, some people said that the Crown Prince was greedy and lustful, and that he not only sent people to seize the businesses of merchants in the capital, but also...
He even injured a stranger over a young woman.

In just a few months, so many unfavorable news stories have emerged about the Crown Prince.

Hearing these words, one gets the feeling that this is not the crown prince of the current dynasty at all, but simply a heinous tyrant.

Others might be skeptical of this kind of news, while some might believe it.

However, as his younger brother, Tu Chengyu did not believe that the Crown Prince would do such a thing.

Because neither Tu Chengyu's understanding of the Crown Prince nor the Crown Prince's upbringing over the years could have caused such a huge change in him in just a few months.

Besides, even if the crown prince were unrestrained and allowed to run wild, the emperor, sitting in the palace, would not allow him to act so recklessly.

If all this messy stuff really happened, the Crown Prince would have been dealt with immediately after it occurred.

We've waited until today to remind you with two books.

However, judging from the Emperor's attitude towards the Crown Prince today, Tu Chengyu is indeed a real person.

In summary, it seems that the Crown Prince did indeed do some outrageous things.

However, the situation wasn't as serious as rumored, which is why we're in this state today.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu asked, "You're in the capital, so you're well-informed. Do you think the Crown Prince has done these things?"

Without hesitation, Jia Jing replied, "I believe the Crown Prince would not have done such a thing, or at least not something so heinous."

After these rumors about the Crown Prince came out, I also made inquiries, and it seems that these messages were deliberately spread by someone.

A large portion of these rumors are deliberately exaggerated by those spreading them. Also, some of the things mentioned in the rumors may have been done by others.
Then, those with ulterior motives pinned the blame on the crown prince, using this to slander him.

Jia Jing's words were partly the same as Tu Chengyu's; they both believed that the Crown Prince would not do such a heinous thing.

The other part, however, gave Tu Chengyu a jolt.

He then realized that he had oversimplified everything; he had been looking for the cause in the Crown Prince's case from the very beginning.

I never thought of looking for problems in others, but now that I've heard Jia Jing say this...

He suddenly understood, realizing that someone was deliberately framing the Crown Prince.

No wonder the Crown Prince's reputation has changed so much in just six months.

Moreover, Tu Chengyu could also figure out that those spreading these rumors were basically related to the second son.

It now seems that the struggle between the second son and the crown prince is more serious than I imagined.

However, what Tu Chengyu still doesn't understand is that the Emperor knew that releasing the second son would lead to a struggle with the Crown Prince.

Why release the second son before the crown prince has even secured his position? Doesn't the emperor fear that the brothers' conflict might reignite a bloodbath within the royal family?

Has the Emperor not learned enough from the lesson of the former Crown Prince's rebellion?

Or rather, in the emperor's mind, the crown prince did not meet his requirements.

This was done to replace the crown prince.

All these possibilities gave Tu Chengyu a headache.

He truly couldn't understand how his family had become like this after only being away from Beijing for six months.

Could the throne really make everyone lose their minds and abandon their family ties?
Whatever the reason, Tu Chengyu could not stand by and watch the Crown Prince be abandoned by the Emperor.

He thought for a moment and then asked Jia Jing, "Of all these things, which do you think the Crown Prince did, and which were framed by others?"

Jia Jing thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I have no way of knowing what is going on in the Crown Prince's residence, and I don't know the truth of the matter."

As for what happened on the street, I specifically sent someone to inquire about it. Regarding that widely publicized incident of abducting a woman...
When it happened, the Crown Prince didn't even show up; in fact, it's possible he's still unaware of it.

There's something fishy going on here; this seems like something really wrong.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Since the Crown Prince hasn't come forward, who did this?"

Jia Jing readily agreed, saying, "The one who took charge was the steward of the Geng family, the Marquis of Changping, and the one giving instructions is very likely Geng Huchen, the eldest son of the Geng family."

Upon hearing the name, Tu Chengyu suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, and after a moment's thought, he remembered it.

The Geng family of Marquis Changping is the Crown Princess's maternal family.

The emperor chose a daughter of the Geng family as the crown princess mainly because Marquis Geng was one of the few veteran generals who had fought on the battlefield.

Moreover, he was cautious and careful in his actions and meticulous in managing his family.

That's why the Emperor thought of using the Geng family's daughter as the Crown Prince's consort, in order to help the Crown Prince.

But now it seems that the Geng family isn't as good as it appears on the surface.

Tu Chengyu asked Jia Jing, "According to you, this Geng Huchen is using the Crown Prince's name to flaunt his actions outside?"

Jia Jing replied, "Your Highness, Geng Huchen is currently working at the Crown Prince's residence, and he is managing some of the residence's properties."

Hearing this, Tu Chengyu asked with great confusion:
"Properties in the Crown Prince's residence? The Crown Prince only moved out a few days ago. How could the Crown Prince's residence have properties that require special management?"

Tu Chengyu's question startled Jia Jing, who paused for a moment before replying:
"Does Your Highness not know that when princes leave the palace to live elsewhere, a portion of the royal property is allocated to them?"

"I know all this, but as far as I know, when a prince first leaves the palace, he is only given a small amount of property, so there is no need for someone to manage it."

“I do know something about that,” Jia Jing said upon hearing Tu Chengyu’s words. “This is because the Crown Prince has a special status; when he leaves the palace, the Emperor gives him more property.”
In addition to what the Emperor gave him, after the Crown Prince left the palace, the Marquis of Chengji and the Marquis of Changping also gifted him some properties, so the Crown Prince owned quite a few.

Marquis Chengji was the maternal uncle of Tu Chengyu and the Crown Prince. It makes sense for an uncle to give his nephew property.

It makes sense that the Crown Prince's maternal family would send him property.

However, after giving away the property, he sent his own family members to the Crown Prince's residence to manage these properties for him, and in doing so, they caused such a big problem. This is intolerable.

Tu Chengyu asked, "So, all these things were done by Geng Huchen while he was helping the Crown Prince manage his businesses?"

Jia Jing nodded and said, "According to the information I've gathered, that's indeed the case."

Tu Chengyu asked again, "Have you found out if the Crown Prince knows what Geng Huchen has been doing?"

Jia Jing shook his head and said, "I just investigated what happened in the Crown Prince's residence. However, after these things were spread, I haven't heard any news about Geng Huchen being punished."

Although Jia Jing didn't say the rest of the sentence, Tu Chengyu knew that what he meant was that the Crown Prince was unaware of these matters, or if he knew, he didn't take them to heart.

Either way, it's not a good situation for the crown prince.

The fact that the Crown Prince was unaware of Geng Huchen's actions outside meant that he was being kept in the dark by his subordinates and was unaware of what was happening around him.

If it's the second scenario, knowing about it but not punishing it means the crown prince can't manage his subordinates and allows them to run rampant.

However, the Crown Prince had only recently left the palace and was no longer under the Emperor's control, so it was understandable that he couldn't manage his servants well.

However, what puzzled Tu Chengyu was that these things could not be hidden from the Emperor at all.

But why didn't the Emperor step in and help the Crown Prince clean up these messes?

This is yet another perplexing matter.

Since the Emperor wouldn't help the Crown Prince resolve the issue, Tu Chengyu decided to do it himself.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu asked Jia Jing again, "How long has Geng Huchen been doing this?"

Jia Jing asked, "Which matter is Your Highness asking about?"

Tu Chengyu was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked thoughtfully, "Could it be that he did several other things like this?"

Jia Jing said, "That's exactly right. He was the one who forcibly abducted women and seized people's property."

"Did he do all this under the guise of the Crown Prince?" Tu Chengyu asked angrily.

Jia Jing nodded. "It was his doing."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu was so angry he felt like his anger was about to burst out of his head.

He frowned and said, "Then tell me separately how long he has been doing these outrageous things."

Jia Jing said, "As far as I know, Geng Huchen has been forcibly taking women for more than a month, but his seizure of people's property has only been for a month at most."

The two events were not far apart, and both occurred recently.

Tu Chengyu felt that since it was Geng Huchen who was handling this matter, the Crown Prince could have dealt with it promptly as soon as it came to light, and perhaps the current trouble would not have occurred.

Unfortunately, the Crown Prince failed to handle the situation in time, and with others plotting behind the scenes, things have turned out this way.

It seems that in the future, I can no longer be as indifferent to things in the capital as I used to be.

I need to find someone to help me keep track of what's happening in the capital.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but look at Jia Jing.

This old guy is quite adept at doing this kind of thing.

(End of this chapter)