The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 223 Father Teaching Son Under the Emperor's Inner Court

Zhu Shiguo was the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, so his words were naturally convincing. Coupled with the Emperor's words just now, no one dared to say that Tu Chengyu was abusing his position and neglecting his public duties for private gain.

Even Shen Weiyan, the one who came out to impeach, looked ashamed.

"Your Majesty, it seems that I did not understand the matter. I will apologize to Prince Su immediately."

This guy reacted quickly; seeing that he couldn't avoid impeachment, he immediately changed the subject.

However, as an imperial censor, he had the right to report matters based on hearsay, and even if there was no basis for the accusation or the accusation was unfounded, you could not pursue the matter.

Sure enough, as soon as Shen Weiyan said he wanted to apologize to Tu Chengyu, the Emperor immediately stopped him.

“Minister Shen, you are an imperial censor, so there is no need for you to apologize.”

Shen Weiyan didn't really intend to apologize to Tu Chengyu, and upon hearing this, he said:
"Your Majesty, I thank you."

After they finished speaking, the Emperor turned to Tu Chengyu and said:
"Now that things have been explained, you may join the ranks."

This left Tu Chengyu somewhat bewildered.

They rushed over in a panic, but ended up making a half-hearted effort, explaining the situation in just a few words.

Shen Weiyan, who stepped forward to impeach him, was not pursued relentlessly, and the emperor dealt with the matter lightly.

If Tu Chengyu had known it was this simple, he wouldn't have needed to come at all.

Furthermore, since he has explained everything clearly, why doesn't the Emperor allow him to leave and instead keep him in the court?

Unfortunately, after speaking with him, the emperor went to discuss other matters with his ministers and had no time to pay attention to Tu Chengyu.

Seeing this, Tu Chengyu could only silently walk in front of the court officials and stand next to the fourth prince.

Today's court assembly was attended by everyone from the Crown Prince to the Fourth Prince.

They all witnessed the impeachment of Tu Chengyu.

So when Tu Chengyu arrives, everyone from the Crown Prince to the Fourth Prince will be watching him.

Not wanting to say much in the main hall, Tu Chengyu simply nodded to his brothers, acknowledging their meeting.

After exchanging cryptic greetings, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince turned their attention to the political affairs being discussed.

Only the fourth brother kept looking at Tu Chengyu. After Tu Chengyu walked to his side, he whispered:

"How did you manage to give the censors a handle to use against you again?"

The fourth brother and the others probably didn't know about Tu Chengyu's affairs in Shuntian Prefecture, so he maintained his previous statement:

"I wasn't running errands for my father, and before I knew it, the censors here saw me. But I feel there's something strange about today's impeachment. Did something happen before I arrived?"

The fourth brother said softly, "Nothing happened before you came, but I know what's strange about it."

The fourth prince frequently attended court, so he was naturally quite familiar with what was happening there. When he said he knew, Tu Chengyu actually believed him.

He asked, "Fourth Brother, what's the reason?"

The fourth brother said, "Because they never intended to impeach you in the first place."

After hearing this, Tu Chengyu was somewhat skeptical and said:

"If you really don't want to impeach me, why did you have Shen Weiyan do it?"

The fourth brother chuckled and said, "That's because they've impeached you so many times that they know you're not one to back down easily. If they just let any censor impeach you, they're afraid you'll make things difficult for them later."
"Look now, Shen Weiyan intervened, and before you even understood what was going on, the matter was over."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but glance at Lao Si twice. This guy usually gave the impression of being simple-minded, but unexpectedly, he was able to analyze this matter for Tu Chengyu today.

Tu Chengyu said with some doubt, "Fourth Brother, tell me, if you didn't want to impeach me, why did you still impeach me?"

The fourth prince said, "Everyone in the capital knows what you did. If these censors don't impeach you, they won't be able to get along with the officials and the emperor."

But if they were to impeach him, it wouldn't be a big deal, so it would just be a formality.

After hearing what the fourth brother said, Tu Chengyu realized that it was indeed the case, but he still had one question:
"Since Father Emperor knows it's just a formality, he could have simply called Zhu Shiguo out and asked him a question. Why did he have to summon me here?"

The fourth prince answered in a low voice, "I don't know either. I guess Father Emperor just wanted to give you a warning."

This is quite possible.

Since that's the case, Tu Chengyu stopped speculating and stood quietly next to the fourth prince, listening to the court officials bickering.

Just as Tu Chengyu was starting to doze off, the ministers' infighting finally came to an end.

When Tu Chengyu wanted to leave with the court officials and return to his own courtyard to gather information,

The emperor, sitting on the high platform, sent a eunuch to tell Tu Chengyu not to leave in a hurry, as the emperor wanted to see him in the imperial study.

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu seemed to understand that the Emperor had summoned him mainly to have a private audience with him, and dealing with the impeachment was just a side effect.

Tu Chengyu followed the little eunuch, slowly trailing behind the imperial carriage, heading towards the imperial study.

When Tu Chengyu arrived at the Imperial Study, he thought the Emperor would summon him immediately, but he waited for a long time without receiving any news of an audience.

Could it be that the Emperor doesn't know I've arrived? But just now, the Emperor was clearly on the imperial carriage and saw me, and he even sent someone in to report my arrival.

Unable to figure out the reason, Tu Chengyu stopped thinking about it, and he guessed that the emperor would not summon him for a while.

So he told the eunuch and slipped into the guardhouse at the entrance of the Imperial Study.

The duty room was empty; there wasn't a single person inside.

Tu Chengyu also spoke softly and casually, pulling over a chair as if to sit down and rest.

But as soon as he sat down, before he could even settle in, the curtain of the duty room was lifted, and the little eunuch who had been waiting outside walked in.

Tu Chengyu looked at the young eunuch with a puzzled expression and asked, "Didn't I tell you to wait outside for the Emperor's orders? Why did you run in?"

The young eunuch bowed and replied, "Your Highness, His Majesty summons you."

"Hey!" Tu Chengyu didn't know what to say. He had run over and stood at the door for a while without being summoned. But as soon as he ran into the duty room, he was immediately summoned. Was the Emperor observing him from the window and not wanting him to rest?
You know what, Tu Chengyu's guess actually guessed half the truth.

Indeed, someone was standing at the window watching him, but it wasn't the emperor; it was Xia Shouzhong, who was standing in front of the emperor.

However, Xia Shouzhong dared not casually spy on a prince; his actions were naturally ordered by the emperor.

At this moment, the two men, master and servant, who were plotting to observe Tu Chengyu, were talking.

The emperor spoke first: "Have they come out yet?"

Xia Shouzhong was still standing at the window looking outside when he saw Tu Chengyu's figure and said, "Prince Su has come out and is coming this way."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor laughed and scolded, "So many people stand obediently outside the Imperial Study without my permission, but he dares to sneak into the duty room to rest as soon as he sees that I am ignoring him."

"It's all because I was too lenient with them; they've become bolder. Otherwise, how could they have done so many outrageous things?"

Xia Shouzhong listened to the emperor scolding his son, and naturally kept his eyes down and head bowed, pretending to be polite, waiting for the emperor to finish his last sentence.

He then said, "It is because His Majesty has a compassionate heart that Prince Su is so close to His Majesty."

The Emperor smiled and said, "Don't try to find excuses for him. He's just used to being bold and fearless. Alright, bring him in now."

It was only a few steps from the duty room to the imperial study. By the time the emperor and Xia Shouzhong had exchanged a few words, Tu Chengyu had already arrived at the door.

However, before the eunuch could go in to report, Xia Shouzhong came out by lifting the curtain.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has summoned you."

Tu Chengyu and Xia Shouzhong didn't say anything, they just nodded to each other as a greeting. After Xia Shouzhong stepped aside, Tu Chengyu entered the Imperial Study.

"My sons and ministers meet their father"

The Emperor sat behind the table, flipping through a memorial. When he heard Tu Chengyu's words, he merely grunted in response and then remained silent.

Tu Chengyu straightened up and was somewhat bewildered to see the Emperor seemingly ignoring him.

Why is he calling me over but ignoring me?

However, since they were now in the Imperial Study, Tu Chengyu was not as bold as he was outside and could only stand there and wait.

After waiting for a while, Tu Chengyu noticed that the messenger seemed to have exchanged several memorials, but none of them seemed inclined to look up at him.

Tu Chengyu felt that the emperor was probably also dissatisfied with him and was deliberately trying to make things difficult for him.

Since that's the case, Tu Chengyu didn't dare to move around and stood obediently in place, pretending to be a good boy.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but Tu Chengyu knew that the Emperor only looked up when half of the memorials on his left side had disappeared.

"Why are you just standing there? Don't you know how to remind me?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but think to himself, "You clearly knew I was here, but you deliberately ignored me, and now you're blaming me for not reminding you."

Dad is getting harder and harder to please; Tu Chengyu can't even figure out his temper anymore.

However, having finally managed to get the Emperor's attention, Tu Chengyu dared not say anything outrageous and could only pretend to be honest, saying:
"Your Majesty is busy reviewing memorials and I don't want to disturb you."

After listening, the Emperor seemed pleased and said, "I am very pleased that you could think of these things."

Upon hearing that the emperor was actually speaking well of him, Tu Chengyu almost overturned his earlier criticisms of the emperor.

But before he could even change his mind, he heard the Emperor continue:
"But if you can see even this much, why were you so inconsiderate back in Shuntian Prefecture? Is your brain only meant for trying to outsmart me?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu knew the Emperor was angry, so he quickly explained:

"Your Majesty, I did not think things through at the time. However, I was also confused by my concern and lost my sense of proportion."

Hearing Tu Chengyu's words, the Emperor became even more furious. He slammed his fist on the table and cursed:

"Concern makes you lose your composure? Just a set of jewelry and you've already lost your sense of propriety. What can I expect you to do in the future?"

Although Tu Chengyu's situation was not like that at the time, he could only endure the emperor's scolding.

Fortunately, Xia Shouzhong had taken all the eunuchs out when he came in, otherwise it would have been a huge embarrassment.

Seeing that Tu Chengyu did not answer, the Emperor continued:
"You say that concern leads to confusion, but in my opinion, this is reckless and shows a lack of reverence."

The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, a high-ranking official of the imperial court, is someone you would normally ask to help you find your jewelry. What kind of behavior is that?

Fortunately, Zhu Shiguo had a good temper and didn't kick you out on the spot. He even sent people to help you find your jewelry and spoke up for you during the impeachment. If you had encountered someone with a bad temper, you wouldn't even have been able to get into the Shuntian Prefecture government office.

Having been scolded by the Emperor, Tu Chengyu already knew where his problem lay.

He did not handle yesterday's matter very poorly.

So after the Emperor finished scolding him, Tu Chengyu readily admitted his mistake.

"Your Majesty's teachings are correct. Your son has realized his mistake and will never repeat it in the future."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor snorted coldly and said:
"It's good that you've realized your mistake. Remember this in the future: even though we are royalty and have a superior status, we cannot disregard the court officials."

"Your Majesty's teachings have been remembered by your son," Tu Chengyu sincerely admitted his mistake.

Seeing that Tu Chengyu had admitted his mistake well, the Emperor stopped talking and changed the subject to another matter.

"Today in court, Zhu Shiguo said he arrested members of the Jia and Geng families, and that they are involved in a murder case. Do you know what happened?"

The Emperor had actually heard about Tu Chengyu's matter, but Tu Chengyu had only just received the news and didn't yet know the full details. Moreover, Tu Chengyu believed that the Emperor must possess more detailed information than he did.

So, when the Emperor asked this question, it wasn't to inquire about information from Tu Chengyu, but rather to ask for Tu Chengyu's opinion on the matter.

Or to be more specific, I want to ask what role the Jia family played in this matter, and whether they actually committed any crime.

Having figured this out, Tu Chengyu knew how to answer.

"Your Majesty, the Jia family sent people there to search for jewelry; there was absolutely no possibility of murder."

The Emperor also knew that because of Lin Daiyu's existence, Tu Chengyu and the Jia family must have an unusual relationship, and Tu Chengyu would inevitably take care of the Jia family in some matters.

However, this care cannot be given indiscriminately or without any basis.

Besides, you, Xiao Wu, are first and foremost my son, and only secondly a relative of the Jia family. If anyone needs to be taken care of, it should be my father first, and then outsiders.

The emperor's jealousy suddenly erupted at this moment, and he said:

"How can you be so sure that the person wasn't killed by the Jia family? Even if it wasn't intentional, it's possible that it was an accident during the robbery of the jewelry?"

The Emperor's words sound like he's trying to frame the Jia family, even resorting to baseless accusations.

Could it be that the Jia family offended the Emperor somewhere, which is why the Emperor wanted to take this opportunity to teach the Jia family a lesson?

Tu Chengyu thought about it again and again, considering many possibilities, but he never imagined it.

The reason the Emperor harbored hostility towards the Jia family was because he couldn't stand his own son so openly protecting others.

Who would have thought that a monarch with such a broad mind would be so concerned about these things?

(End of this chapter)