The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 217 Why is the eldest uncle so concerned?

When the second uncle heard that he was going to do this, he was no longer as resistant as before, and obediently followed the eldest uncle out of the main hall.

Tu Chengyu was also curious about what his uncle was going to do next, so he got up and followed him out.

However, Tu Chengyu didn't go out; he just stood at the door to see what they were going to do.

At the entrance, Tu Chengyu saw a lit charcoal fire on the open ground in front of the main hall.

The steward who had just come in to report was standing next to the brazier, and behind him was a servant carrying several pieces of clothing, obviously intended for my second uncle to change into.

Everything was ready. Second Uncle came out and, with the help of servants, stepped over the brazier. Then he followed the servant carrying his clothes to the next room to change.

The eldest uncle watched everything from the corridor from beginning to end. After it was all done, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and then turned around to return to the main hall.

Just as he turned around, he immediately saw Tu Chengyu standing at the door, watching with great interest.

The eldest uncle was clearly surprised that Tu Chengyu would be interested in such a thing, but he quickly composed himself.

He walked over to Tu Chengyu and said:
"I apologize for keeping Your Highness waiting."

Tu Chengyu didn't seem to care, and asked with considerable interest:
"Uncle, I heard that stepping over the fire basin is usually done as soon as you enter the house, so why is it only being done now here, Uncle?"

To everyone's surprise, Tu Chengyu was not only interested in this kind of thing, but also inquired about the details.

However, the eldest uncle had encountered many troubles, and upon noticing Tu Chengyu's curiosity, he only paused slightly before saying:
“Generally speaking, it is indeed necessary to do as the prince said, but your second uncle came rather suddenly today, so it’s not too late for him to do it later. Besides, doing this is just to seek peace of mind, so as long as it is done, there is no need to be so strict.”

Tu Chengyu had always thought that his uncle was a rather strict person, but he didn't expect him to be so flexible.

Just as Tu Chengyu and his eldest uncle were talking at the door, his third cousin, who had heard the news, came running over with two servants and a few clothes.

He entered the front yard and did not see his father, but saw Tu Chengyu and his uncle talking, so he quickly came over to pay his respects.

"I've met the prince."

Compared to when we met outside Shuntian Prefecture, my third cousin is now noticeably more enthusiastic.

Tu Chengyu naturally knew the reason for his third cousin's change in attitude, so he smiled and told him not to stand on ceremony.

Then the third cousin bowed to his eldest uncle and asked:
"Uncle, I brought some clothes for Father to change into. I wonder where Father is now?"

The eldest uncle pointed to the room next door and said:
"I just found a set of clothes, your father is changing inside, you can just wait at the door."

The third cousin then realized that his eldest uncle had already done it, and thanked him once again.

Just then, the door next to him opened, and my second uncle, looking completely refreshed, walked out of the room.

Perhaps because he was wearing new clothes, my second uncle looked very energetic, and his face was full of smiles.

After the eldest uncle looked at it, he said to the second uncle:

"You've just gotten home, you must be very tired, so go back and wash up and rest."

Although my second uncle was well taken care of in prison, it was still a prison cell, and it was difficult for him, a prisoner who had grown up in luxury, to adapt.

Therefore, the time he spent in prison was extremely difficult for him.

Now that I'm home, I naturally want to get some rest.

So when he heard what his eldest uncle said, his second uncle didn't say anything. He greeted Tu Chengyu and then took his third cousin back home.

After the second uncle left, the eldest uncle said to Tu Chengyu:

"It's still early, and I have something I'd like to say to Your Highness."

Hearing that he had something to say, Tu Chengyu turned around and went back into the main hall.

The eldest uncle followed Tu Chengyu in and closed the main hall door.

Seeing his uncle's action, Tu Chengyu knew that his uncle was probably about to say something important.

So he sat upright in the chair, wanting to hear what his uncle had to say.

However, this time, Tu Chengyu's guess was not quite correct. After his eldest uncle came over, he did not talk about anything important, but instead talked about his second uncle.

"The prince went to Shuntian Prefecture just to bring your second uncle back on imperial orders?"

Tu Chengyu knew that there were many inconsistencies in his decision to bring his second uncle back today.

He originally thought that his uncle hadn't asked about the strange things because he didn't want to deal with them.

It now seems that the eldest uncle just didn't want to mention it in front of the second uncle. Now that the second uncle has come over, the eldest uncle has asked about it.

Therefore, sending the second uncle back to rest might have been a deliberate act by the eldest uncle.

Now that his uncle was asking, Tu Chengyu naturally couldn't tell the truth, so he answered his uncle the same way he had just said.

But when the eldest uncle heard this, he shook his head, clearly not believing Tu Chengyu's words.

However, given Tu Chengyu's status, his uncle couldn't directly expose his lie, and could only say it tactfully:

“Your Highness, regarding your second uncle’s return home, regardless of whether there are other entanglements involved, I believe Your Highness must have your own plans. What I’m more worried about is that Your Highness might encounter some trouble.”

Tu Chengyu didn't quite understand, so he quickly asked, "Uncle, what's wrong with me?"

The eldest uncle solemnly said, "I heard from the servants in the mansion that just now, all the yamen runners from Shuntian Prefecture were mobilized to search for something throughout the capital."

It just so happens that Your Highness brought your second uncle back from Shuntian Prefecture at this time, so I'm worried that Your Highness might have done something else to get your second uncle out of prison.

If that's the case, then the prince's actions are somewhat inappropriate, and the censor, upon hearing this, will surely impeach the prince.

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu realized that his uncle had misunderstood.

The eldest uncle believed that the mobilization of the Shuntian Prefecture yamen runners was something he had done to get his second uncle released.

However, this is not the uncle's fault for misunderstanding; it was caused by Tu Chengyu himself lying.

He just said that he was ordered to send his second uncle home today.

The eldest uncle naturally assumed that Tu Chengyu had done nothing but this one thing after leaving the palace.

Meanwhile, the eldest uncle also heard about the mobilization of all the yamen runners in Shuntian Prefecture, which made him think twice.

Tu Chengyu then smiled and said, "Uncle, there's no need to worry. The fact that the Shuntian Prefecture officials are out on duty has nothing to do with your return home."

Hearing this, the eldest uncle was relieved, but he still asked one question:
"So, does it have anything to do with the Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu's expression stiffened, and he grinned, saying, "It does have something to do with me."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, the eldest uncle's face turned serious again.

He said, "The Shuntian Prefecture is right under the Emperor's nose; countless eyes are watching. How could Your Highness cause such a commotion?" If it weren't for close relatives, people would be happy to see him make a fool of himself; who would care about Tu Chengyu's affairs?

Tu Chengyu himself felt that his trip to Shuntian Prefecture today was somewhat reckless.

If he had thought more carefully at the time, he shouldn't have gone to Shuntian Prefecture himself and instead sat there waiting for someone to look for his things.

The correct approach would be to send Lao Yao over there and file a report according to the normal procedures.

In that case, whatever Shuntian Prefecture does next will have nothing to do with Tu Chengyu.

Now that Tu Chengyu has done this, people will think that Tu Chengyu is using his status to coerce Shuntian Prefecture into making this government office run errands for him.

There is a suspicion of using power to intimidate others and abusing public resources for private gain.

Tu Chengyu hadn't thought of these things before, but now he knows that his actions were problematic.

At this point, all we can say is that concern leads to confusion.

When the eldest uncle saw Tu Chengyu sitting there with his expression constantly changing, he knew that Tu Chengyu was in trouble.

He asked, "Your Highness, has something gone wrong? If it's convenient, please tell me what's wrong, and perhaps I can help you think of a way to fix it."

Seeing his uncle's serious expression, Tu Chengyu knew that his uncle was overthinking things again.

Knowing that if he didn't explain things clearly, he might cause trouble for his uncle again.

So he said, “Uncle, don’t worry, it’s not that serious. It’s just that I left the palace early today, and the imperial decree to release Second Uncle hasn’t come down yet.”

So I took some people for a stroll on the street, where we encountered two inconspicuous thieves who stole the jewelry I had bought. That's when I went to Shuntian Prefecture to report the case.

Lord Zhu of Shuntian Prefecture was afraid of my wrath, which is why he sent so many people to search for the item. I've already ordered him to withdraw his men.

After hearing Tu Chengyu's explanation, the eldest uncle was indeed no longer so worried.

"Although there is a reason for this, the mobilization of all the yamen runners in Shuntian Prefecture is too much of a commotion. The censor will definitely impeach you tomorrow. Your Highness should be prepared."

Tu Chengyu has faced numerous impeachments from censors in the past six months, and he is no longer as concerned about them as he was at the beginning.

When the time comes, all you need to do is go to the emperor, admit your mistake, and explain things clearly, and there won't be any major problems.

Tu Chengyu said with a smile, "Let them impeach me. My father won't punish me."

The eldest uncle knew that the emperor was quite protective of his own, so he stopped talking about it.

Then they changed the subject to another topic.

He said, "In the past six months, the Crown Prince and several other princes, including Prince Xing, have moved out of the palace. I wonder when the princes will move out as well?"

Tu Chengyu didn't know why his uncle suddenly brought up this topic, so he assumed it was out of concern for him and said:
"My father has never mentioned moving out of the palace to establish his own residence, but given my current age, it will probably be a few more years before that happens."

Upon hearing this, the eldest uncle said, "Although Wenyan is still young, there aren't many years left before he leaves the palace. He should prepare in advance."

Tu Chengyu asked without answering, "It's still several years away, there's no need to prepare so early. It seems that the Crown Prince and my second brother only started preparing a little earlier."

The eldest uncle said, "The prince and the crown prince are different. When the crown prince established his residence, the crown prince's residence already existed. It only needed to be renovated before he could move in. The Prince of Xing and his family are examples of this."

Your Highness, however, does not yet have a completed palace, so preparations need to be made in advance.

Generally speaking, it takes at least four or five years from the start of preparations to when a prince's residence is ready to be lived in.

"And since the prince will be away from the palace for four or five years, if we want things to proceed at a more relaxed pace, preparations for his residence should begin now."

After listening to his uncle's words, Tu Chengyu did the calculations carefully and found that it was indeed the case.

Given the current situation in the capital, it is indeed necessary to build a new residence.

From a timing perspective, starting construction now is just right, as there's no need to rush.

Tu Chengyu hadn't taken this matter seriously at all before.

Unexpectedly, his uncle was thinking of him, so Tu Chengyu quickly said:

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I will report to Father Emperor when I return to the palace."

The eldest uncle waved his hand and said, "I also have some private matters to discuss. It's just that your cousins ​​have nothing to do right now, so I was thinking that if you want to repair your mansion, I'll send them over to keep an eye on things for you."

This way, you won't be fooled by others, and it will also keep your cousins ​​busy.

If his maternal uncle hadn't mentioned his cousin, Tu Chengyu would have assumed that his maternal uncle was just concerned about him and that's why he remembered things about his residence.

But now that his uncle has said this, Tu Chengyu feels that his uncle must have other intentions in bringing up the matter of building a mansion for him.

Tu Chengyu is unaware of this intention yet, but it is definitely not to find work for his cousins.

Firstly, his maternal uncle was not the type to show favoritism, and secondly, Tu Chengyu remembered that his maternal uncle's two cousins ​​seemed to have already been assigned jobs.

Watching my uncle pretend to be embarrassed, it seemed like he was really doing it for his cousins.

Suddenly, something occurred to Tu Chengyu, and he asked:
“Since none of my cousins ​​have anything to do, why doesn’t my uncle let them go to the Crown Prince’s place? The Crown Prince has just moved out of the palace and is short of people right now.”

Hearing this, the eldest uncle looked even more embarrassed and said:
"Initially, we did send them to the Crown Prince's residence, but as you know, your cousins ​​are mediocre and not capable of handling important responsibilities there."

To avoid putting the Crown Prince in a difficult position, I allowed them to return. Now they're all idle, so I shamelessly asked the Prince to lend them a hand.

Tu Chengyu didn't believe a word his uncle said about his cousins.

He remembered that it was because his uncle's family had produced such an unreliable person as his second uncle.

The eldest uncle was extremely strict in educating his children and nephews. Whether it was his own children or his second uncle's children, they were all personally taught by the eldest uncle.

Under the strict tutelage of our eldest uncle, my cousins ​​have all become outstanding in terms of both ability and other aspects.

Now, my uncle says that my cousins ​​are not capable enough to work in the Crown Prince's residence.

That doesn't sound very real at all.

Since the topic of the Crown Prince's residence came up, Tu Chengyu thought of all the things he had heard about happening there recently.

Whether it was the Crown Princess's elder brother acting recklessly in the capital under the Crown Prince's name, or Shen Ye, the Crown Prince's attendant, going to Tu Chengyu to discuss right and wrong, it was all a matter of concern.

All of this indicates that things are not very peaceful in the Crown Prince's residence right now.

Perhaps the eldest uncle had sensed the unrest in the Crown Prince's residence and didn't want his cousins ​​to get involved in the power struggles there, so he made up an excuse to call them home.

Given my uncle's cautious nature, he might actually do that.

(End of this chapter)