The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 22 Royal Affairs: Prioritizing Interests

Tu Chengyu pretended not to hear the retired emperor's words of dissatisfaction with the emperor. He continued speaking to himself:
"Grandpa, Father said that due to many matters recently, the birthday banquet for you has been delayed. Therefore, Father asked me to ask you if we can hold a belated birthday banquet for you. What do you think, Grandpa?"

The retired emperor said, "Your father thinks I haven't lost face enough and wants outsiders to see my old face again, right?"

The retired emperor now harbors prejudice against the emperor, so he naturally resists everything the emperor does.

The saying "to hate someone because of their house" perfectly describes this situation.

When elders have a conflict, what can Tu Chengyu do? He can only pretend to be innocent and look at the Emperor Emeritus with his clear eyes.

The Emperor Emeritus also felt it was inappropriate to say such things to a child, and said irritably, "Let's not talk about these things anymore. I heard that you brought a lot of things to your grandfather. What are they? Let your grandfather see them."

When asked about what he had brought today, Tu Chengyu's eyes lit up, and he said proudly, "Grandpa, do you remember the sauna massage I told you about before? You said I was too young and didn't have the strength, so you wouldn't let me massage you. Now that I'm all grown up and have the strength, I promise I'll give you a very comfortable massage."

As soon as Tu Chengyu finished speaking, Dai Quan quickly added, "It must have been difficult for Prince Su to remember what he said two years ago. It shows how filial he is to the Emperor Emeritus."

Filial piety is good, the Emperor Emeritus loves filial children. However, the Emperor Emeritus could not agree so easily. He said, "These past few years, I have had people massage my bones and loosen my joints. It's not as good as you say. You're so young and you already know how to coax your grandfather."

Tu Chengyu said, "Grandpa, those eunuchs and palace maids who massage you are as timid as needles. Even if they had ten points of strength, they wouldn't be able to press on your body at all. Let me tell you, a massage needs to be strong to be comfortable. Besides, the massages here are not ordinary. They are a one-stop service: bath, sauna, and massage."

At the end, Tu Chengyu even struck an exaggerated pose, which made the Emperor Emeritus burst into laughter.

After laughing for a long time, the Emperor Emeritus finally said, "You little rascal, all you know how to do is act silly and make your Grandfather laugh. Since you say the massage is so good, your Grandfather will grant your request."

Upon hearing that the Emperor Emeritus had agreed, Tu Chengyu jumped up with joy. Without waiting for the Emperor Emeritus to say anything more, he dashed out of the warm pavilion to arrange the bathing supplies.

The Emperor Emeritus watched Tu Chengyu's small figure skip and hop away, his smile gradually fading. After watching for a long time, Tu Chengyu's figure had long since disappeared at the entrance of the East Warm Pavilion. The Emperor Emeritus seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps asking someone.

"If he were even half as good at sweet-talking as Yu-ge, he wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Upon hearing the Emperor Emeritus's words, Dai Quan, who had been quite adept at relaying messages just moments before, stood there like a dead man, his breathing barely audible.

On the other side, Tu Chengyu, who had run out of the East Warm Pavilion, quickly called in the eunuchs who had come with him today and asked them to carry the things they had brought to the back hall.

He personally directed the eunuchs to build a sauna in the back hall.

He had no choice but to do it himself; his father had assigned him the task of keeping the Emperor Emeritus happy, so he had to use every means at his disposal.

The sauna was assembled, and the eunuchs were instructed to bring over pre-heated hot water and pour it into the bath.

Once everything was ready, Tu Chengyu prepared to invite the Emperor Emeritus over. He hadn't taken two steps when he saw the Emperor Emeritus walking leisurely towards him with his hands behind his back.

"Grandpa Emperor, you've arrived!" Tu Chengyu greeted him warmly.

The retired emperor laughed and said, "You little rascal, you've been causing trouble in my palace for half the day. I wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't come and check on you."

Tu Chengyu said, "Don't worry, I guarantee I'll do a great job, and you'll definitely like it after using it."

He then ushered the Emperor Emeritus into the newly prepared sauna, waved for the eunuchs and maids to leave, leaving only Dai Quan to serve him.

After closing the doors and windows, Tu Chengyu brought out three sets of clothes from the table in the corner. They were a three-piece bath and massage set: a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and slippers.

Although the Emperor Emeritus found the clothes a bit strange, he didn't say anything and was helped by Dai Quan to the dressing room to change.

After changing their clothes, the three met. Tu Chengyu had a sense of familiarity. If it weren't for his hair being a bit out of place, he would have thought he was taking a bath in the same spot as before.

After giving a brief overview of the entire process, the Emperor Emeritus, under Tu Chengyu's arrangement, slowly enjoyed the sauna package from another world.

Everything went smoothly, and during the bone-setting, the Emperor Emeritus was so comfortable he almost fell asleep. Tu Chengyu, seeing this wouldn't do—he still had tasks assigned by his father to complete—quickly said:

"Grandpa, what are your thoughts on holding a belated birthday banquet for you? You must give your grandson a definite answer."

The retired emperor mumbled, "At this time, how could Grandfather be in the mood for a birthday banquet?" "But..."

Tu Chengyu was about to explain when the Emperor Emeritus continued, "Your father isn't someone who doesn't know what's important. Why would he think of holding a birthday banquet for me at this time? Does he have something else he wants me to do for him?"

Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "You two really understand each other. When my father told me, he said that I didn't need to say anything to the Emperor Emeritus; the Emperor Emeritus would guess it himself. And now, the Emperor Emeritus has indeed guessed it in just a few words."

Seeing that the Emperor Emeritus had already guessed, Tu Chengyu said, "There is one more thing. Father Emperor also asked his grandson to ask his grandfather's opinion."

The retired emperor snorted coldly and said, "That's just how your father is. He doesn't speak directly and likes to beat around the bush. What is it? Tell me."

Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "Dad wanted to talk to you face to face, but you wouldn't even see him. That's why Dad came up with this trick. He wanted you to talk about holding a belated birthday banquet first, to make you happy, and then he'd talk about something else."

As for the other matter, Tu Chengyu immediately said:

“Grandfather, my father said that the Crown Prince has been delayed for the past two years and has not been able to find a good marriage. Now that he is getting older, he cannot be delayed any longer. My father also said that he has not been very active in the capital in recent years and does not know much about the women of marriageable age. He would like to ask you, Grandfather, to choose a suitable Crown Princess for the Crown Prince.”

This was the emperor showing weakness to the retired emperor by offering the choice of the crown princess in exchange for the retired emperor not taking the matter of the day's court affairs to heart.

The retired emperor did not reply for a long time after hearing Tu Chengyu's words, but his eyes were now fully open, unlike his previous dazed state, and he was obviously thinking seriously.

After thinking for a while, the Emperor Emeritus said to Tu Chengyu, "I remember that the second son of the Rongguo Duke, Jia Zheng, has an eldest daughter who is of marriageable age. She should be about the same age as the Crown Prince. The Jia family has been noble for generations, so their family background and upbringing must be excellent. She is a good match for the Crown Prince."

When the Emperor Emeritus mentioned Jia Zheng's eldest daughter, Tu Chengyu's heart stirred. If he remembered correctly, in the book, Jia Zheng's eldest daughter, Jia Yuanchun, seemed to have entered the palace as a concubine and was later granted the title of Virtuous Consort, and was specially ordered to return home to visit her family.

Now the retired emperor is going to tell the crown prince about it. Where did things go wrong?

Most importantly, the Jia family in the book is a huge pitfall; it seems they were raided and their property confiscated. If the Crown Prince really marries Jia Yuanchun, wouldn't he be dragged down by this mess? No, we have to find a way to stop it.

Tu Chengyu's mind was wandering, and his hands unconsciously slowed down.

The Emperor Emeritus noticed this and gently patted Tu Chengyu's hand, saying, "You little monkey, what are you thinking about?"

Tu Chengyu came to his senses and said, "Grandfather, I heard that the Jia family is in quite a mess right now. How could their daughter be suitable to be the Crown Princess?"

The Emperor Emeritus smiled and looked at Tu Chengyu, saying, "What do you know, you little kid? Just tell your father about my chosen people, and he will know what to do."

Tu Chengyu said in surprise, "Grandpa Emperor is only giving us one choice? That's not enough. To choose a Crown Princess, we should at least select a dozen or so from the capital, not just from across the country, for the Crown Prince to choose from, right?"

Hearing Tu Chengyu's questioning, the Emperor Emeritus got angry and tapped Tu Chengyu on the head, saying, "Even your father doesn't dare to question my words, but you, little monkey, dare to contradict me. As for the Crown Princess, as long as she is suitable, that's fine. There's no point in picking so many. What are you thinking? You want to select someone from all over the capital and let the Crown Prince make the final decision? Let me tell you, the Crown Prince has no say in the selection of the Crown Princess."

Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "This is outdated feudal arranged marriage." He secretly resolved that when he found a wife in the future, he would definitely make his own decision and choose someone he liked.

Having finished explaining the task his father had assigned, and with the Emperor Emeritus's bone-setting process nearing its end, Tu Chengyu watched as the Emperor Emeritus gradually fell asleep. He whispered a few words to Dai Quan, then quietly left the Eastern Palace and returned to his father's study.

Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor and the Crown Prince were discussing matters when Tu Chengyu entered and relayed the Emperor Emeritus's opinion, emphasizing that the Emperor Emeritus had only one candidate for Crown Princess: Jia Yuanchun.

The Crown Prince remained remarkably calm about the possibility of Jia Yuanchun becoming his Crown Princess, as if it were someone else's marriage.

The emperor frowned, seemingly pondering the meaning behind the retired emperor's actions. After a moment's thought, he said, "A daughter from the Jia family would be suitable."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu became anxious and said, "I have heard that the Jia family is in trouble. I'm afraid their daughter is not a good match?"

The emperor smiled and said, "It doesn't matter whether the Jia family is safe or not, as long as Prince Teng doesn't cause trouble, this Crown Princess is a good match."

Tu Chengyu then realized that Jia Yuanchun was Wang Ziteng's niece. The reason why the retired emperor and the emperor chose the Jia family was because they valued Wang Ziteng, the military governor of the capital garrison.

But then he was confused again. The military governor of the capital garrison, though seemingly powerful, was someone the emperor could replace with a single word. If the emperor was not satisfied, he could simply replace him. Why bother trying to win over Prince Teng, even at the cost of the title of Crown Princess?

Tu Chengyu felt that his mind was still too simple and he couldn't figure out these complicated things.

(End of this chapter)