The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 218 A Series of Twists and Turns, Failure to Achieve One's Goal
Tu Chengyu thought he had guessed his uncle's thoughts, but a question also arose in his mind.

That was to withdraw several of his cousins ​​from the Crown Prince's residence, citing their lack of ability as the reason, but in reality, it was suspected that they were not aligned with the Crown Prince.

According to Tu Chengyu's understanding of his uncle, after such an incident, his uncle would definitely try to keep a low profile and not let others notice.

However, the eldest uncle told Tu Chengyu about this matter and wanted his cousins ​​to help him repair the palace.

No matter how I look at it, my uncle's actions seem to contradict his usual style.

Was my uncle doing this to remind me?

So Tu Chengyu asked directly, "Uncle, have you noticed anything amiss at the Crown Prince's residence?"

The eldest uncle was taken aback by Tu Chengyu's direct question and paused for a moment before replying:

"Since Your Highness asks this, I will not hide it from you. There is indeed some chaos in the Crown Prince's residence."

As expected, and this is also why the Emperor is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince.

Tu Chengyu couldn't help but worry for the Crown Prince and hurriedly asked, "Since you know there's a problem in the Crown Prince's residence, why don't you remind him?"

Even without being reminded, you can have a few of your cousins ​​accompany the Crown Prince to help him fill in the gaps and correct any mistakes.

Tu Chengyu spoke with a hint of complaint in his voice.

The eldest uncle is also the crown prince's maternal uncle, and the crown prince has contributed to the eldest uncle's family's current title.

But now that the Crown Prince is in trouble, his maternal uncle is trying to avoid it and has no intention of helping the Crown Prince through the crisis.

The eldest uncle listened to Tu Chengyu's words and gave a wry smile. He said:

"Your Highness misunderstands. It's not that I didn't remind the Crown Prince, but for some reason, he doesn't quite believe what I say."

Later, after I tried to persuade him many times, the Crown Prince became angry. It wasn't that I willingly let your cousins ​​go home; it was because of me that the Crown Prince took his anger out on them, and that's why they were driven out.”

It turns out that what my uncle said earlier was a lie he made up to take care of the crown prince.

However, this made Tu Chengyu feel very uncomfortable. What exactly happened to the Crown Prince that made him even take his anger out on his maternal uncle?

Starting with Jia Jing, Tu Chengyu kept receiving bad news from the Crown Prince's residence.

But even now, he still doesn't know what exactly happened.

Moreover, Tu Chengyu shouldn't rush to the Crown Prince before fully understanding the situation.

Fortunately, my cousins ​​had spent some time at the Crown Prince's residence and might know some clues.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu asked his eldest uncle:

"Uncle, do you know why there is such chaos here in the Crown Prince's residence?"

The eldest uncle knew that, given Tu Chengyu's concern for the Crown Prince, he would surely ask about the matter.

So when Tu Chengyu asked this question, his uncle, in order to avoid causing any resentment in Tu Chengyu, answered without reservation:
"Your Highness, from my observation, the problems in the Crown Prince's residence do not lie with anyone else; the root of the problem lies with the Crown Prince himself."

Tu Chengyu also knew that the Crown Prince himself was certainly involved in the events at the Crown Prince's residence, so he asked:

"What exactly did the Crown Prince do to cause such chaos in his residence?"

The eldest uncle shook his head and said, "It's not that the Crown Prince did anything; on the contrary, it's that the Crown Prince did nothing, which allowed the servants to act so recklessly."

Tu Chengyu frowned as he listened. The Crown Prince, as the Emperor's eldest son and the former heir of the Prince of An's Mansion, had been carefully nurtured since childhood. How could his uncle say that he couldn't even manage a small Crown Prince's Mansion?

Tu Chengyu asked, "Does Uncle mean that the Crown Prince can't manage the affairs of the Crown Prince's residence?"

The eldest uncle shook his head and said, "It's not that I can't manage it, it's that I don't know how to manage it."

"Doesn't this mean the Crown Prince is incompetent?" Tu Chengyu said in disbelief.

"My uncle may not understand. The Crown Prince was raised by the Emperor from childhood. He wouldn't be unable to manage even a small Crown Prince's residence."

The eldest uncle said, "It's not that the Crown Prince lacks ability, but rather that his personality has some shortcomings."

Tu Chengyu couldn't imagine that the Crown Prince would have any shortcomings in his personality.

He didn't speak, looking at his uncle and waiting for him to continue.

Upon seeing this, the eldest uncle continued:

"The Crown Prince's personality is too kind. This kind of perfectionist nature would naturally be very good if he were the heir of the Prince An's mansion."

She is capable of being filial to her elders and taking care of her younger siblings; preserving the Anwang Mansion's legacy is a given.

However, such a personality trait is somewhat lacking for a crown prince.

Tu Chengyu was naturally aware of the Crown Prince's kind and benevolent nature; otherwise, he wouldn't have followed the Crown Prince so wholeheartedly, hoping to become a Prince of Taiping.

But what his uncle said left Tu Chengyu confused.

Could it be that the Crown Prince's excessive kindness is actually a bad thing?

Tu Chengyu closed his eyes and pondered, recalling the Crown Prince from his memory.

However, no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't find many distinctive features in the Crown Prince.

Especially regarding the management of servants, since the Crown Prince was in the Prince An's mansion before, with his father in charge, he had no opportunity to manage the household, so his strengths and weaknesses in this area were not apparent.

Moreover, at that time, no one could have predicted that Prince An would inherit the throne and ascend to the throne; even Prince An himself probably didn't expect it.

Therefore, in terms of cultivating the crown prince, Prince An only prepared him to be the heir apparent of the princely residence.

Perhaps this is why the Crown Prince, having suddenly ascended to such a high position, was at a loss as to how to conduct himself.

Tu Chengyu could only guess at this, but he was still unwilling to give up, so he asked:
"Even if the Crown Prince is benevolent, can't he manage a small Crown Prince's residence?"

The eldest uncle said, "Your Highness, don't underestimate the Crown Prince's residence. From the outside, there really isn't anyone worth paying attention to in the Crown Prince's residence right now."

But everyone inside has their own identity and background.

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu snorted coldly and said, "What are their backgrounds? Are they all of such high status that even the Crown Prince dares not deal with them?"

The eldest uncle said with a wry smile, "There's nothing particularly noble about them, but the Crown Prince is too eager to please everyone, so he doesn't know how to deal with these people."

Tu Chengyu asked, puzzled, "Who are they connected to that makes the Crown Prince so worried?"

The eldest uncle said, "The Crown Prince's residence basically has all the power in the court. There's also the noble family represented by the Crown Princess's elder brother, Geng Huchen."

There was a group of civil officials representing the Crown Prince's household, people sent to the Crown Prince's household by the Emperor, and maternal relatives like your cousin.

Tu Chengyu still couldn't understand. He said, "Even if they represent their respective forces, the Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince. If he punishes a few people, would anyone dare to hold him accountable?" His uncle said, "If Your Highness were to act in this way, this would not be surprising. However, the Crown Prince is too eager to please and does not want to offend any force, which is why he has lost his composure."

The Crown Prince probably didn't expect that these various factions each had their own agendas and wanted to gain a foothold in the Crown Prince's residence. Therefore, conflict arose from the very beginning, and the Crown Prince's failure to stop their infighting in time allowed these people to disrupt the Crown Prince's residence.

Hearing this made Tu Chengyu feel somewhat aggrieved.

The prince's benevolence ironically became the root cause of these people's misbehavior.

Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "I hope these bastards don't fall into my hands."

If I were to find something on them, I would make sure they suffer the consequences.

At the same time, Tu Chengyu felt it was necessary for him to meet with the Crown Prince and have a detailed talk with him to see what he thought.

If the Crown Prince is being kept in the dark by these servants, Tu Chengyu must find a way to help him uncover their deception.

If the Crown Prince is only worried about dealing with people, it will put him in a difficult position.

Tu Chengyu didn't mind being a tool in the Crown Prince's hands, helping him do things he couldn't do himself.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu said to his eldest uncle:
"Since my cousins ​​work in the Crown Prince's residence, they must know something about the people there. I'd like to trouble you, Uncle, to have them write down the names of the people currently in the Crown Prince's residence and give them to me. I'll go back and study them to see how to help the Crown Prince deal with these people."

This was no difficult task, and my uncle agreed without even thinking about it.

After the uncle and nephew finished discussing the Crown Prince in private, they had no more interest in talking about anything else.

Besides, it was getting late, and Tu Chengyu didn't want to stay there any longer.

Tu Chengyu then got up to take his leave, and after leaving his maternal uncle's house, he prepared to return to the palace.

Suddenly, I remembered that I also needed to ask Lin Daiyu to take care of my ornaments. I was so engrossed in my conversation with my uncle that I almost forgot about it.

So he sat in the carriage and, as they moved, asked Xiao Xuanzi, who was sitting in front, "Can I inquire about Miss Lin's jewelry?"

What Tu Chengyu can forget, Xiao Xuanzi dares not forget.

He kept thinking about the jewelry, and even when Tu Chengyu was at the Marquis of Chengji's residence, he kept sending people to inquire about it.

So when Tu Chengyu asked, he answered without hesitation:
"Your Highness, according to the message sent by your men in Shuntian Prefecture, the jewelry has not yet been found."

It wasn't surprising that Tu Chengyu couldn't find the jewelry after only half a day.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Has the Shuntian Prefecture sent anyone to continue the search?"

Tu Chengyu was worried that since the imperial edict had just been issued, forbidding Shuntian Prefecture from carrying out its work in a grand manner, what if Shuntian Prefecture took advantage of this and stopped sending anyone?

Xiao Xuanzi replied, "Your Highness, rest assured. Although Lord Zhu did withdraw a large number of personnel after receiving the imperial decree, a considerable number of yamen runners are still secretly searching."

Moreover, news just came that both mansions of the Jia family have also sent servants to help search for the items.

Hearing that there were still people searching, Tu Chengyu felt relieved.

He said to Xiao Xuanzi, "Don't let our men be idle. Send them all out to the streets. Although finding things may not be their forte, they can still help catch people."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will send someone to deliver the message right away." After saying that, Xiao Xuanzi called a little follower over and began to make arrangements in a low voice.

While Tu Chengyu was saying these things, there were other people discussing Lin Daiyu's jewelry collection.

These people were none other than Zhang Er and Ma Si, the two patrolling constables who had encountered the other party when the items were stolen.

It was Ma Si who spoke first: "Second Brother Zhang, was the person we met today really Prince Su?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Er, his face full of impatience, glared at Ma Si and said:
"I've said it so many times, it is indeed His Highness Prince Su. Aren't you tired of asking?"

Ma Si, however, was unfazed by Zhang Er's impatience. He chuckled and said:
“Brother Zhang, I’m so happy! It’s our good fortune to run into Prince Su on the street. Once we find the things, we’ll deliver them to Prince Su. If we get a few words of kindness from him, we’ll be set for life.”

Hearing Ma Si's hopeful expression, Zhang Er couldn't help but feel happy.

However, he still habitually poured cold water on Ma Si's enthusiasm: "Fourth brother, don't be too happy yet, the item hasn't been found yet."

Upon hearing Zhang Er's words, Ma Si indeed suppressed his joyful expression and said with a worried look:

"Brother Zhang, is the information your men send over reliable? What if it turns out to be fake when we go to investigate?"

Zhang Er shook his head and said, "They beg for food in our territory. Even if they had the guts, they wouldn't dare to lie to me. Since they said they found out who stole the jewelry, it can't be false."

"Now we just need to wait and let him find out where those two bastards are hiding. Then we can bring our men over and catch them."

Hearing Zhang Er's assurance, Ma Si became happy again, grinning foolishly, as if he was fantasizing about a bright future.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Er couldn't help but pour cold water on him once again.

"Don't be so happy yet. The people below just said that Shuntian Prefecture has sent out all its best people. They are very familiar with the capital and might find the item before we do."

Ma Si's fantasy was interrupted by Zhang Er one after another, and now he looked very unhappy.

However, he knew that what Zhang Er said was not impossible, so he said worriedly, "Brother Zhang Er, what should we do? Should we ask the boss to help? Even if the boss takes the lion's share of the credit, it's better than nothing."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Er shook his head and said, "It's too late. If you go to find the boss now, just wait to be dealt with by him."

Upon hearing Zhang Er's words, Ma Si probably thought of the leader they were talking about, and a look of fear appeared on his face.

Just as Ma Si was about to say something more, someone barged into the courtyard where they were.

The man was young and dressed in short clothes, looking like the kind of laborer commonly seen in the capital.

He entered the courtyard and called out, "Second Brother Zhang, Fourth Brother Ma, we've found the person."

Upon hearing the sound, the two people inside rushed into the yard.

Ma Si exclaimed excitedly, "Did you really find it?"

The man replied without hesitation, "I've already found out. I've left a few brothers to guard that area, just waiting for you two brothers to come and arrest them."

Hearing this, even the usually composed Zhang Er grinned from ear to ear.

He looked up at the sky and said, "Now that we've found them, let's go arrest them. We might be able to get the goods over there before nightfall."

Ma Si nodded in agreement and said, "We'll do as Brother Zhang says and set off now."

After exchanging a few words, the three of them turned around and prepared to leave.

But before he could even reach the door, he saw it being pushed open, followed by a sinister voice.

Where are you going? Who are you delivering something to?

(End of this chapter)