The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 215 Uncle and Nephew Meet in Shuntian Prison

So he asked directly, "I wonder how General Cheng'en is doing here?"

Zhu Shiguo said, "Your Highness, rest assured. Although I cannot release General Chengen without imperial decree, I have had a cell prepared for him to live in alone, and his food and drink are of the finest quality."

Regardless of his motives, Tu Chengyu owes a debt of gratitude to Zhu Shiguo for taking such good care of his second uncle.

He said in a deep voice, "I am grateful for Lord Zhu's trouble. I thank you on behalf of General Cheng'en."

Zhu Shiguo dared not accept this gift of thanks, and quickly stood up to avoid it, then continued:

"This is what I should do, Your Highness need not do so."

After the two pushed each other back and forth a few more times, Tu Chengyu gave up.

If Tu Chengyu had nothing else to do at this time, he would have immediately returned to the palace to plead for his second uncle.

However, he has something to attend to now and cannot go to the palace immediately, so he is thinking about whether he can go in first to see his second uncle.

So he said, "Lord Zhu, I would like to see General Cheng'en now, is that convenient?"

Zhu Shiguo knew that General Chengen was being held here and could be released at any time. Moreover, people from General Chengen's residence would come to deliver food every few days, so Tu Chengyu's visit was not an unreasonable request.

So without thinking, he said, "If Your Highness wishes to visit General Cheng'en, that is certainly permissible."

Tu Chengyu immediately replied, "Since that's possible, let me go in and take a look now."

Zhu Shiguo naturally had no objections. He sent someone to make arrangements while accompanying Tu Chengyu toward the Shuntian Prefecture prison.

When Tu Chengyu arrived at the prison, everything had already been arranged.

Tu Chengyu and Zhu Shiguo, led by the jailer, headed towards the prison cells in the backyard of Shuntian Prefecture.

After passing through a series of low houses, they arrived at the middle of the backyard, where the jailer pointed to the room where Tu Chengyu's second uncle's cell was located.

Before Tu Chengyu could even enter the room, his second uncle's voice could be heard from inside.

"I'm not bragging, but my eldest nephew is the Crown Prince of the current dynasty, and my second nephew is a prince of the current dynasty."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately objected.

"Old Chen, you didn't drink today, so why are you bragging again? You keep talking nonsense like this. Be careful someone tells the Crown Prince and you'll be charged with a serious offense of disrespect."

When the second uncle heard what the other person said, he hurriedly retorted: "How did I give up my cow? If I didn't have such a connection, how could my son bring me food the next day? This is the Shuntian Prefecture prison."

That's not wrong. Someone who can deliver food every few days must have a very strong connection.

But to say that this relationship involves the current crown prince is simply unbelievable.

Another prisoner said, "Since your nephew is the crown prince, then you are the emperor's brother-in-law. How can you still be locked up in prison?"

This was the second uncle's Achilles' heel, but having been imprisoned for so long, he had already come up with a suitable answer.

He said, "Although I am the Crown Prince's maternal uncle, I am also a reasonable person. I was deceived and made a mistake at the time."

Logically speaking, this mistake shouldn't warrant my attention, but since I'm the Crown Prince's maternal uncle, I can't tarnish his reputation, can I?

Therefore, I took the initiative to suggest that we come to this prison to clear my name and prevent the Crown Prince from being accused of favoritism.

At the time, both the Crown Prince and my second nephew, a prince, tried their best to dissuade me from coming to the prison, but I was determined not to implicate my nephew, which is why I am now in prison.

My second uncle spoke with great passion, as if this were the truth of the matter.

Those who were imprisoned with him were mostly ignorant and naive, and they believed his bold and reckless words to some extent.

Standing outside the cell, Tu Chengyu found it both funny and absurd to hear his second uncle still managing to fool people like this even while in jail.

Tu Chengyu didn't seem to mind his second uncle constantly mentioning him and the Crown Prince.

If his words got out, not many people who didn't know the truth would believe them.

However, now that Zhu Shiguo, who knows some of the truth, is around, Tu Chengyu can't let his second uncle talk nonsense anymore.

So he didn't want to wait any longer and said to the jailer, "Open the door, I'll go in and take a look."

As the jailer made his move, the people inside heard the noise and immediately fell silent.

When the jailer opened the cell door, Tu Chengyu did not go in immediately.

Instead, Lao Yao led his men inside to check the area, and only allowed Tu Chengyu to enter after confirming it was safe.

After all this commotion, the prisoners inside realized that a big shot was coming in.

They all sat obediently against the wall, secretly watching the prison gate.

Accompanied by Zhu Shiguo, Tu Chengyu stepped into the prison cell.

Upon entering, the environment of the cell exceeded Tu Chengyu's expectations.

In his mind, ancient prisons were generally dirty, messy, and dark.

But what I see now is beyond my imagination. This cell is divided into many small compartments by thick wooden blocks, and each compartment holds three to five people.

However, there was no feeling of dirt or disorder at all. On the contrary, the kitchen was very clean. If you ignore the condition of personal freedom, the living environment here is better than some ordinary people's homes.

Tu Chengyu knew that ancient prisons could not possibly provide such a good environment.

The reason for this unusual situation is likely because my second uncle is being held here.

Just as Tu Chengyu entered the cell and was still observing his surroundings, his second uncle, who was sitting at the innermost seat, had already spotted him and exclaimed in disbelief:
"Brother Yu, you've come to see me?"

Having been in prison for so long, he had long since given up on the idea of ​​being released quickly. So when he saw Tu Chengyu come in, his first reaction was not that Tu Chengyu had come to pick him up, but that Tu Chengyu had come to visit him.

Moreover, in all this time, apart from his own son, no one had come to visit him. Now, seeing Tu Chengyu suddenly, the second uncle was quite excited.

Hearing the shouts, Tu Chengyu looked up and saw his second uncle's location in the direction of the sound.

He quickly stepped forward, walked to the outside of his second uncle's cell, and said:

"Second Uncle, I've come to see you."

Hearing Tu Chengyu address him as "Second Uncle" in a rather affectionate tone, the Second Uncle felt pleased.

He stood up, walked to the door of the cubicle, looked at Tu Chengyu, and said:
"Brother Yu, your second uncle is very happy that you came to visit."

After saying that, he turned to the other prisoners and said, "This is my second nephew."

If you hadn't heard his previous boasting, you would have thought he was just showing off that his nephew had come to visit him on set.

However, considering what he just said, it's clear that he was hinting to someone that this person was the prince's nephew he had mentioned earlier.

The other prisoners in the jail, hearing this, were also very curious, constantly scrutinizing Tu Chengyu, trying to see if the man before them was indeed a prince. Tu Chengyu felt somewhat helpless about this, but he didn't stop his second uncle from showing off.

After all, his second uncle had been locked up here by him for so long, and now that he was being used to brag about it, he had nothing to say.

Meanwhile, Zhu Shiguo, who was standing to the side, was also a clever man. He saw that Tu Chengyu didn't care that General Chengen was making a fuss about his reputation, and seemed to want to give General Chengen permission to boast.

Therefore, Zhu Shiguo said something very timely at this moment.

"Your Highness, the prison cell is cramped and not a good place to talk. Would you like to go out with the Imperial Brother-in-law and talk in the public room?"

It should be noted that Zhu Shiguo was an official in Shuntian Prefecture, and he was wearing the official robes of the Shuntian Prefect.

His attire made it clear to others that he was aiming for a high-ranking official.

Zhu Shiguo, dressed in official robes, was now addressing Tu Chengyu as "Your Highness" with great respect, which meant that the young nobleman in front of him was indeed a prince.

This also indirectly proves that Old Chen, who has been bragging to everyone for some time, really does have a nephew who is a prince of the current dynasty.

It turns out that Old Chen wasn't bragging; he was telling the truth.

Suddenly, everyone in the cell changed their expressions. Some looked at the second uncle with envy, while others looked terrified.

But my second uncle looked smug.

Tu Chengyu was more than willing to satisfy his second uncle's vanity with just a few words.

When he heard Zhu Shiguo want him to take his second uncle outside to talk, he naturally knew that this was a favor being done for him.

Tu Chengyu also knew that although his second uncle was a troublemaker, he was not a daring person and he definitely did not have the guts to escape from prison.

Tu Chengyu nodded and agreed to Zhu Shiguo's proposal.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's actions, Zhu Shiguo ordered the jailer to open the door to his second uncle's cell and release him.

When his second uncle came out, Tu Chengyu didn't say much. He turned around and led his second uncle outside the cell.

Led by the jailer, we arrived at the common room where the prison guards were on their daily shifts.

The uncle and nephew, though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, met again in such a place.

The two of them didn't have anything particularly to say; they simply exchanged words of concern and greetings.

Just as the two of them were chatting idly, they saw an official from Shuntian Prefecture hurrying over from the front yard.

After this person arrived, he shouted anxiously:

"Your Excellency, someone from the palace has arrived with an imperial decree. Your Excellency should go and receive it immediately."

Upon hearing that an imperial edict had arrived, Zhu Shiguo naturally dared not delay. He bowed to Tu Chengyu and then went to receive the edict.

Receiving the imperial decree was a major event, and Tu Chengyu naturally had no reason to obstruct it.

He waved his hand, telling Zhu Shiguo to go ahead and get busy, while he would chat here for a while longer.

Tu Chengyu thought it would take Zhu Shiguo quite a while to receive the imperial edict.

Unexpectedly, they returned shortly afterward, bringing with them the messenger.

"Chief Steward Xia, what are you doing here?" Tu Chengyu asked casually when he saw Xia Shouzhong there, guessing that he was probably here to deliver an imperial decree.

Xia Shouzhong bowed to Tu Chengyu and then said:
"Your Highness, His Majesty has a decree to convey to you."

"An imperial decree for me?" Tu Chengyu pointed at himself, asking incredulously. This was Shuntian Prefecture; why would the emperor issue an imperial decree to him?

Xia Shouzhong bowed and replied, "His Majesty does indeed have an imperial decree for the Prince."

Since that's the case, Tu Chengyu stood up, performed a clean and proper salute, and waited for the imperial edict to be issued.

However, this imperial edict was only verbal and not written.

Xia Shouzhong stood there and began to recite.

"His Majesty has decreed that Prince Su should listen attentively. Shuntian Prefecture is a government office, not yours, Prince Su. How can you expect the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture to be so timid as to fetch things for you?"

Tu Chengyu was still puzzled. Why would the Emperor send him an imperial edict for no reason, and why would he know that he was in the Shuntian Prefecture?

It turned out that he had sent everyone from Shuntian Prefecture out to search for things, which alarmed the Emperor and led to the reprimand.

Although Tu Chengyu was anxious to find the item, his father, the emperor, forbade him to do so, so he had no choice but to accept the imperial decree and try to find a solution later.

Tu Chengyu received the imperial decree and wanted to have a chat with Xia Shouzhong, but before he could act, Xia Shouzhong said:
"Your Highness, please don't be in a hurry, there is another imperial edict."

"There's more?" Tu Chengyu was a little dumbfounded. Couldn't they have just said it all at once? Why did they have to do it twice?

Despite his inner complaints, he still obediently bowed and waited for Xia Shouzhong to deliver the decree.

"His Majesty has decreed that General Chen Chongzhi has committed a serious crime and should remain imprisoned in the Shuntian Prefecture prison. However, since you and the Crown Prince have pleaded for his life, I have pardoned him and allowed him to return home to reflect on his mistakes."

"You shall escort General Cheng'en back to the Marquis of Chengji's residence, and let the Marquis of Chengji discipline him properly. Convey my decree clearly to the Marquis of Chengji: if General Cheng'en commits such an error again, I will certainly hold him accountable severely."

The second imperial edict was actually about the second uncle, and just as Tu Chengyu had thought, it ordered the second uncle to be released.

In this way, Tu Chengyu was spared the trouble of running back to the palace to plead for mercy.

This was good news for Tu Chengyu, especially as he was receiving the imperial decree and expressing his gratitude.

The second uncle, who had been hiding in the public room, had already excitedly run out upon hearing the imperial decree.

He bowed respectfully to Xia Shouzhong.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness. I will definitely repent and never make such a mistake again, so as not to cause Your Majesty any trouble."

Seeing his second uncle's excited expression, Tu Chengyu said nothing more and joined him in receiving the imperial decree to express his gratitude.

After delivering the two imperial edicts, Xia Shouzhong did not linger for a moment, and turned to leave with his men.

Tu Chengyu's attempt to gather information failed.

After Xia Shouzhong left, Tu Chengyu said to Zhu Shiguo:
"You must have received these two imperial edicts."

Zhu Shiguo said, "I did receive it."

Tu Chengyu then said, "Since you have received the imperial decree, do as the emperor wishes. Recall some of the constables who are out on the streets, and stop the large-scale search. However, you cannot simply abandon the search; you must still search diligently."

Zhu Shiguo replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will make proper arrangements to ensure that Your Highness's belongings are not lost."

(End of this chapter)