The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 214 Prince Su's Imprisonment

Zhu Shiguo probably thought that Prince Su was just here to report a case and would leave after that.

To his surprise, Prince Su did not leave after reporting the case, but instead waited there for Shuntian Prefecture to retrieve the items.

From this, Zhu Shiguo could also realize that the lost items were very important to Prince Su.

But even the most important things can't be found in half a day; not everyone in Shuntian Prefecture is a detective.

But standing before him was Prince Su. Even though Zhu Shiguo was a high-ranking official in the court, he had no reason to drive out the current prince.

Seeing Tu Chengyu sitting upright in the lobby, drinking tea in a very comfortable manner.

Zhu Shiguo sighed inwardly and could only go down to arrange for people to find the items.

Just as the Shuntian Prefecture mobilized its entire staff once again to conduct a massive manhunt throughout the capital due to Tu Chengyu's arrival.

The emperor, sitting in the palace, also received the news from here.

"You said that Prince Su went to Shuntian Prefecture again, and then all the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture were mobilized?"

The emperor asked Xia Shouzhong in disbelief.

Xia Shouzhong bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, the messengers below brought in news from the local area, and this is what they said."

The Emperor asked again, "Do you know what happened? Why did you send Prince Su to Shuntian Prefecture again?"

Xia Shouzhong replied, "Please excuse me. It is said that Prince Su was shopping with Lin Ruhai's daughter when they bought a piece of jewelry, which was stolen by a thief in the capital."

Prince Su was furious, which is why he went to the Shuntian Prefecture to arrest the two petty thieves.

When the Emperor heard this, he was both amused and exasperated by the reason. He thought something serious had happened that made Prince Su order the Shuntian Prefecture to act again, but he never expected it was because of a piece of jewelry.

Thinking of this, the emperor felt it was somewhat absurd, and he laughed as he said:

“Prince Su doesn’t seem to care about being so stingy. As a prince, he’s causing such a commotion in the capital over a piece of jewelry. If the censors find out, he’ll be impeached again.”

Hearing the emperor scold his son, Xia Shouzhong lowered his head and pretended not to hear.

The Emperor was not surprised by this, and simply continued:
"Send someone to tell Prince Su to stop making a fuss. It's just a piece of jewelry; he can always buy another one."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Xia Shouzhong replied, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he hesitated, as if he had something to tell the Emperor.

As a eunuch who had been by Xia Shouzhong's side since childhood, the emperor naturally knew Xia Shouzhong's personality. Seeing him like this, the emperor knew that there was something he was reluctant to say.

The Emperor, as always, said without any concern:
"Is there something you wish to tell me?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Shouzhong lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, this servant deserves to die. There was something extremely important that I had forgotten, and I only just remembered it now. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

Based on the emperor's understanding of Xia Shouzhong, he was not the kind of person who would forget important things.

The reason for saying this is probably because someone forgot something, and Xia Shouzhong took the blame in order to avoid making that person bear the responsibility.

The problem is that, given Xia Shouzhong's current position, there aren't many people he can voluntarily take responsibility for anymore.

The emperor thought about it again. They had just been talking about Prince Su, so the candidate was basically obvious.

Having understood what Xia Shouzhong was trying to do, the Emperor asked:
"You are someone I rely on. If you can forget important things, I will not dare to trust you in the future. Tell me, what have you forgotten?"

When the emperor uttered such words, the eunuchs would have been terrified.

However, Xia Shouzhong only looked slightly frightened, but did not panic.

Moreover, judging from his behavior, even this little bit of fear was probably just an act.

Xia Shouzhong replied, "Your Majesty, General Chengen is still imprisoned in the Shuntian Prefecture prison. I originally intended to remind Your Majesty at the appropriate time, but as time went by, I forgot."

"If Prince Su hadn't gone to Shuntian Prefecture, I might not have remembered at all. This is my fault."

General Chengen was Tu Chengyu's second maternal uncle. When the emperor ascended the throne, he bestowed upon him this leisurely position.

Upon hearing Xia Shouzhong's words, the emperor seemed to suddenly remember that such a person existed.

He asked in bewilderment, "How did he end up in the Shuntian Prefecture prison?"

Xia Shouzhong was not surprised that the emperor was unaware of his brother-in-law's imprisonment. He quickly explained:

"Your Majesty, when Your Majesty went to the capital to review the troops last time, you happened to witness the assassination attempt on Prince Su by local thugs. At that time, Your Majesty ordered all levels of government to arrest these thugs."

For some unknown reason, General Chengen became involved with the arrested person. In order to prevent General Chengen from being implicated, Prince Su ordered him to be imprisoned in the Shuntian Prefecture prison.

Prince Su originally intended to release General Cheng'en after this matter had passed, but unexpectedly, Prince Su had too many things to do later.

Then I forgot to order someone to release General Cheng'en. I originally remembered it, but gradually I forgot about it too.

Xia Shouzhong explained the matter in detail, and the emperor remembered it.

The emperor suddenly realized and said, "I remember this happened. So much time has passed, and the person still hasn't been released?"

Xia Shouzhong replied, "Your Majesty, they haven't been released yet."

The emperor then asked, "He's been imprisoned for so long, and the Marquis of Chengji hasn't mentioned it at all?"

Xia Shouzhong replied, "I don't know why, but Marquis Chengji has not submitted a report on this matter. However, according to what I've learned, Marquis Chengji has been to Shuntian Prefecture."
They pleaded on General Cheng'en's behalf, ensuring that his family could visit him frequently.

Upon hearing this, the emperor suddenly asked:
"Has the Shuntian Prefecture granted Marquis Chengji's request?"

Although this is a small matter, the people involved are all extraordinary. If the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture dares to agree casually, the Emperor will have to consider replacing him.

After all, the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was crucial to the safety of the capital, so how could the emperor entrust this position to someone who was biased and favoritism?

Xia Shouzhong, true to his reputation as the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Court, replied without hesitation:

“Your Majesty, I remember that Lord Zhu of Shuntian Prefecture submitted a memorial on this matter, and the Council of State Affairs approved it. Your Majesty also wrote the word ‘approved’ at the time.”

Memorials submitted to the imperial court were usually first submitted to the Council of State Affairs, where the senior officials would review all of them.

Then, write your opinions on the memorial, and then sort the memorials according to their importance before presenting them to the emperor.

The emperor would then make a final decision based on the opinions given by the Council of State Affairs.

Among these memorials, there was a type that did not require the emperor's attention; he only needed to write an approval based on the opinion of the Council of State Affairs.

The memorial submitted by Shuntian Prefecture regarding Tu Chengyu's second maternal uncle is of this type.

The emperor probably didn't even read the contents at the time, but just wrote "approved," which is why he couldn't remember it.

On the other hand, Xia Shouzhong remembered even such a small matter very clearly. From this, it can be seen that Xia Shouzhong's earlier statement that he had forgotten General Chengen's imprisonment in the Shuntian Prefecture prison was probably a lie. Since he lied about that matter, he is now saying something so easy for others to see through.

The contradictions may be difficult for outsiders to understand, but the emperor certainly knew what Xia Shouzhong was trying to express.

So after Xia Shouzhong finished speaking, the emperor remained silent for a long time, sitting upright on the dragon throne and thinking for a long time.

Then he said with a smile, "Since Marquis Chengji would rather go to Shuntian Prefecture to plead for General Chengen's release and have him taken care of in prison than come to me to beg for his release."

It seems the Chen family doesn't want to release him so quickly either; General Cheng'en's imprisonment was well-deserved.

It must be said that Tu Chengyu's maternal uncle, Marquis Chengji, did indeed have some wisdom in doing so.

Because when he recognized Tu Chengyu as his second uncle, he was imprisoned by Tu Chengyu himself, and he did indeed have deep ties with thugs.

If they want to release the person, only Tu Chengyu or the emperor can make the decision.

If Marquis Chengji were to plead for leniency, it would not only be suspected of favoritism and cover-up, but outsiders might also see it as a slap in the face to Prince Tu Chengyu.

So, since Tu Chengyu forgot about the matter, the emperor didn't take it to heart either.

Marquis Chengji could only handle the matter at hand, treating Tu Chengyu's second uncle as if he were a normal prisoner.

The advantage of doing this is that it spares Tu Chengyu the reputation of being heartless towards his family, and it also teaches General Cheng'en a profound lesson.

So even after the first step, the emperor could still laugh.

After the emperor finished laughing, he said to Xia Shouzhong, "Since you have brought this up, let's take this opportunity to release General Cheng'en. Otherwise, if I forget about him again, he might be imprisoned for who knows how long."

"This servant obeys the decree," Xia Shouzhong bowed and replied, then said, "Your Majesty, Prince Su is currently at the Shuntian Prefecture office. This servant will send someone over to deliver the decree. Should we inform Prince Su?"

The emperor thought for a moment and said, "Since we are helping Prince Su settle this matter, let Prince Su know that he has done something foolish."

However, the official statement was that after Prince Su returned to the capital, he specifically pleaded with the Emperor, which is why the Emperor released General Cheng'en.

The emperor's decision was not unexpected by Xia Shouzhong.

After receiving the imperial decree, he prepared to leave, but before he had even stepped out of the imperial study, he heard the emperor say:
"This matter involves quite a few things, so you should go and make the trip yourself."

The emperor didn't trust anyone else; he was worried that if things got complicated, Tu Chengyu might get implicated.

Upon hearing this, Xia Shouzhong turned back and responded before leaving the imperial study. He then mustered his men and headed out of the palace toward the Shuntian Prefecture government office.

Meanwhile, in the Shuntian Prefecture government office, Tu Chengyu was talking to someone about his second uncle.

This was not because Tu Chengyu discovered that his second uncle was still imprisoned in the Shuntian Prefecture jail.

Rather, he was curious about his third cousin whom he had just met.

He couldn't understand why his third cousin would appear here carrying a food box, and why he had such a strange expression when he saw him.

So after Zhu Shiguo finished his work, he asked him about it.

The surrounding streets are all Zhu Shiguo's territory; he might know about his cousin's actions.

"Lord Zhu, I just saw the eldest son of my second maternal uncle, General Chengen, at your Shuntian Prefecture office. Is he here on business?"

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's question, Zhu Shiguo replied with a strange expression:

"Your Highness, Young Master Chen is indeed here on business, but he didn't come to the front hall of the yamen. Instead, he went to the back to deliver food to General Cheng'en."

Zhu Shiguo's words startled Tu Chengyu.

Did he know what lay behind the Shuntian Prefecture? It was the place where the Shuntian Prefecture imprisoned criminals.

Why would my third cousin come here to bring food to my second uncle?

Could it be that my second uncle is currently working in the prison of Shuntian Prefecture?
The idea was rejected by Tu Chengyu as soon as it came to mind.

Putting aside my second uncle's personality, he would never choose such a job. Even considering his status, the Emperor would not allow him to work in the prison of Shuntian Prefecture.

Since he's not working here, does that mean my second uncle is in prison in Shuntian Prefecture?

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu immediately recalled that before leaving the capital, he had sent his second uncle to the Shuntian Prefecture prison.

Thinking about all this made Tu Chengyu feel a little flustered.

He immediately thought of a terrible possibility: could it be that he hadn't released his second uncle from prison since he locked him up?

Tu Chengyu himself knew, of course, that for various reasons, he had not allowed his second uncle to be released.

However, Tu Chengyu believed that with his maternal uncle and father in power, they would not allow his second uncle to suffer in prison for so long.

However, all the signs now indicate that my second uncle is indeed still in jail.

The real culprit might be traced back to Tu Chengyu.

Thinking about all this made Tu Chengyu feel a little guilty.

However, at this moment, he dared not reveal that he had forgotten his second uncle.

What he was thinking now was to first find out the situation indirectly. If he was indeed still imprisoned, he would go back to the palace to plead for his father to issue an edict to release his second uncle.

Having made up his mind, Tu Chengyu said to Zhu Shiguo:
"When did this food delivery service start?"

Zhu Shiguo, of course, was unaware that Tu Chengyu had forgotten about his second uncle's imprisonment, and could only state the truth:

"Not long after the Prince left the capital, Marquis Chengji came to plead for him. I submitted a memorial, and it was only after the Emperor approved it that things began."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu was basically certain that his second uncle had indeed been imprisoned until now.

However, to ensure the accuracy of the information, Tu Chengyu continued to probe indirectly.

"I wonder if, besides Lord Zhu's memorial, Father has issued any other decrees concerning General Cheng'en?"

Tu Chengyu's words were purely a test. If his second uncle was imprisoned here, Zhu Shiguo's answer would be whether there was an imperial decree.

If the person is released, Zhu Shiguo's answer will be different.

So after Tu Chengyu asked the question, he waited quietly for Zhu Shiguo's answer.

Zhu Shiguo didn't think much of it and replied directly, "Your Highness, His Majesty has not issued any decree."

After hearing this, Tu Chengyu was quite certain that his second uncle had not been released from the Shuntian Prefecture prison since he was imprisoned there.

(End of this chapter)