The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 232 The Emperor Goes Mad, Unrest Remains in the Court and Country
Tu Chengyu was naturally very willing to move back into his original home.

However, he also knew the special significance of the Prince An's residence, so he did not reply immediately.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's appearance, the Emperor smiled and said:

"It's just a temporary stay for a few days, nothing serious, you don't need to worry about it."

Since the Emperor had put it this way, Tu Chengyu couldn't be too coy, so he said frankly:
"My son, I would like to thank my father."

The Emperor smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Whenever you want to move in, just let Xia Shouzhong know."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu thanked him once again.

After finishing this matter, the emperor waited for a while and, finding that no one else was speaking, sent all his sons away.

After leaving the Imperial Study, the other four were about to leave the palace, while Tu Chengyu was about to return to the inner palace.

So at the fork in the road, Tu Chengyu said goodbye and parted ways with them.

When saying goodbye, Tu Chengyu paid special attention to the expressions of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.

Finding that these people were all normal, it seemed that my arrangement to stay at the Prince An's residence did not have a significant impact on them.

With that, Tu Chengyu felt even more at ease.

Tu Chengyu was relieved, but when the news of this reached outside the palace, it caused a huge uproar.

Although the court officials, after learning the details, knew that this was an expedient measure arranged by the emperor.

However, due to the special nature of the Prince An's residence, it held an unexpectedly high proportion among officials in the court.

Moreover, these ministers are constantly scheming against each other and always assume the worst of everyone's intentions.

They would never believe that the Emperor's move was simply to provide Prince Su with a safe place to stay outside the palace.

Most court officials believed that the emperor's actions must have had another meaning.

The more honest ones were still carefully guessing the emperor's intentions, while the more quick-witted ones were already thinking about things that were completely out of their minds.

Some, eager to stir up trouble in the court, have already begun spreading rumors in private that the Emperor is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and is therefore preparing to groom Prince Su.

As these rumors slowly spread, I wonder what others thought.

In any case, the officials under the Crown Prince's command had long been restless.

Just one day later, one after another, with deadpan expressions, they rushed to the Crown Prince's residence, forcibly pulling the Crown Prince aside and talking to him about something.

Anyway, a few days later, Tu Chengyu heard that the Crown Prince was annoyed by these people and finally lost his temper, which made them stop.

Tu Chengyu thought that the Crown Prince's outburst on this matter, and his order to stop the officials in his residence from spreading rumors, was enough to show his attitude.

In this way, those rumors should gradually disappear.

However, what Tu Chengyu didn't expect was that after the news of the Crown Prince's outburst spread...

The rumors in the capital did not subside; instead, they intensified.

Many rumors suggest that the Crown Prince's outburst was not directed at the officials of his residence, but rather at his dissatisfaction with the Emperor's arrangement for Prince Su to reside in Prince An's residence, which is why he took the opportunity to lash out.

The person who spread this rumor is undeniably malicious.

This is blatantly aimed at sowing discord between the emperor and his officials.

But that wasn't the end of it. What truly stirred up public opinion in the capital was the news that came from the Second Prince's residence.

It turns out that rumors started circulating the day after the Crown Prince's outburst.

It is said that when Prince Xing was in his residence, he also got angry and smashed a lot of things in the residence.

Normally, people would only talk about such rumors for a couple of minutes before forgetting about them.

However, these past few days have been a time when all sorts of rumors have been spreading throughout the capital.

Therefore, people combined the news of Xingwang smashing things with the previous rumors.

Then rumors started circulating that the Prince of Xing was also dissatisfied with the Emperor's arrangements, and that he was expressing his attitude by smashing things.

These people who spread rumors are not only highly skilled, but also incredibly audacious.

In just a few days, the royal family's power had been shattered, turning father and son into enemies.

At this moment, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Prince of Xing must all hate the person who fabricated the rumor.

Many people believed that if such a rumor reached the emperor's ears, it would surely enrage him, prompting him to send people to investigate the person who spread the rumor.

When that time comes, those who spread rumors will be severely punished, even if they are executed immediately.

This is what most people think.

Therefore, when the rumors were at their peak, the officials in the court, especially the senior ministers, wisely kept quiet.

Only a few arrogant minor officials and ordinary people in the capital are left, still gossiping everywhere.

To everyone's disappointment, the emperor remained indifferent to the matter for many days.

It was as if they hadn't heard a word; they didn't say a single thing.

Some persistent people, fearing that the emperor might not have heard the news, deliberately reported the rumors directly to the emperor in front of all the officials during court sessions.

And so, the emperor did not intervene, only saying one thing:
"Since it's just a rumor, let's ignore it. It will naturally dissipate in a few days."

Those who didn't know the emperor thought this meant he didn't want to pay attention to the rumors.

But those ministers who had followed the emperor since his ascension to the throne saw this as a dangerous sign.

Based on their understanding of the emperor, they knew that he was neither a weak emperor nor an incompetent one.

In other words, under normal circumstances, given the current emperor's temperament, he would not ignore these absurd rumors.

However, the emperor has not shown any intention to intervene, which is something to ponder.

Those old foxes believed that although the emperor had not made any moves on the surface, he must have made arrangements in private.

It was precisely because of these concerns that many ministers kept their mouths shut.

That's why they say old ginger is spicier.

These elders were right; that was indeed the Emperor's plan.

At the time when rumors are spreading most enthusiastically, the elders keep their mouths shut the tightest.

The emperor suddenly revealed his move.

Early that morning, while the emperor was holding court with his ministers, the Imperial Horse Administration, along with two battalions of soldiers from the Imperial Guard, came out in full force.

After arriving in the capital, they went their separate ways with a clear purpose.

A man from the Imperial Horse Administration, leading a group of Imperial Guard soldiers, headed straight for the pre-selected destination.

In just one hour, they arrested no fewer than a hundred people from all over the capital.

Among these people were officials from the imperial court, as well as some prominent figures in the capital.

The only surprising thing is that only a very small number of these people are ordinary citizens.

This shows that the Emperor's purpose in arresting people this time was not simply to quell rumors, but likely had other motives.

And this goal may have been planned from the very beginning.

Otherwise, how can we explain why the emperor initially ignored the rumors but then launched a full-scale attack at the crucial moment?

What's most chilling is that after these people were arrested, those with official positions were thrown into prison to await trial.

The remaining criminals were not interrogated at all. The Imperial Horse Administration presented evidence of their crimes of spreading rumors as soon as they were caught, and then they were taken directly outside the city and executed.

This series of actions must have terrified countless people.

Anyway, according to Xiao Xuanzi, the atmosphere in the capital is extremely tense right now.

Forget about spreading rumors, there are hardly any people talking on the street.

In the capital, whether ordinary citizens or high-ranking officials, no one dares to go out on the streets these days.

Those who had to go out would rush out to run their errands and then head home without lingering.

Not only on the streets, but even in the palace, Tu Chengyu could clearly feel it.

The eunuchs and maids in the palace were all in a state of extreme caution.

Those who had duties worked much more efficiently than usual, while those who didn't have duties that day dared not wander out and all hid in their rooms pretending to be dead.

Even Xiao Xuanzi, if Tu Chengyu hadn't given him the order to gather information...

I reckon he'll stay obediently by Tu Chengyu's side for the next few days and won't want to run around.

In short, the Emperor's methods this time have frightened many people.

Even Tu Chengyu was somewhat apprehensive.

He didn't believe that the emperor did this to prevent rumors from harming him.

On the contrary, Tu Chengyu believed that his father, the emperor, was using him in this operation.

He deliberately suggested that he, the Prince of Su, move into the Prince of An's residence, and at first, he allowed the rumors to spread.

In the end, however, they were well-prepared and caught all those who spread the rumors in one fell swoop.

With such a smooth arrangement, who would believe it wasn't pre-arranged?

The thought of this possibility made Tu Chengyu lose his mood.

Xiao Xuanzi probably noticed that Tu Chengyu was unhappy, so she smiled and said to Tu Chengyu:
"Your Highness, I have some good news for you. You will be delighted to hear it."

Tu Chengyu saw that Xiao Xuanzi was deliberately acting silly, and knew that he was trying to make him happy.

So Tu Chengyu played along and asked, "What good news?"

Xiao Xuanzi said, "I heard today that His Majesty has issued an edict to the court officials, ordering the Ministry of Works to begin a thorough search of the inner city to see where a new palace would be suitable to build."

Xiao Xuanzi was right, this is indeed good news.

Since the Emperor has instructed the Ministry of Works to find a suitable location to build a prince's residence, it means that the Emperor is preparing a mansion for a certain prince.

Judging from the current situation, the first four already have new residences, and the rest are the younger ones like Tu Chengyu who are still in the palace.

Of the remaining princes, Tu Chengyu was the oldest.

Therefore, the palace that the Emperor is now ordering to be built must be for Tu Chengyu.

How could anyone not be happy to hear such good news?

Although Tu Chengyu knew that at this critical juncture, the Emperor would release such news.

The purpose was definitely to quell the previous rumors and, incidentally, to inform the court officials and the crown prince.

Prince Su will have his own residence, so he will not stay at Prince An's residence for long.

However, it is also gratifying to be able to put his own residence on the agenda.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu's mood brightened again, and he said to Xiao Xuanzi:

"Is there any other news regarding the mansion?"

Xiao Xuanzi said, "I heard that His Majesty instructed the Ministry of Works to select a site before the end of the year and then prepare timber and stone materials so that construction can begin next spring."

The timeframe was surprisingly tight, considering the usual construction period for a prince's palace.

If construction starts next spring, it will be completed the year after next.

In that case, wouldn't I have to prepare to move in two years?

A quick calculation reveals that I'm actually quite nervous.

Tu Chengyu talked with Xiao Xuanzi for a while longer, continuing the conversation about the mansion.

Tu Chengyu only stopped the topic when another eunuch from the courtyard came.

Then he turned to the newly arrived eunuch and asked, "What did the Emperor Emeritus say?"

This young eunuch was just sent by Tu Chengyu to the Emperor Emeritus to see if he was free at this time, as he wanted to go and have a chat with him.

This isn't because Tu Chengyu has nothing better to do than want to talk to someone.

Instead, he realized that he had experienced a lot in just a few days, some of which he found hard to understand. So he wanted to find the retired emperor and ask him to explain things to him.

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, the young eunuch quickly replied, "Your Highness, the Emperor Emeritus has sent someone to say that he has some free time and would like Your Highness to come over."

Upon hearing that the Emperor Emeritus had not refused his request to see him, Tu Chengyu got up and walked outside.

He knew the Emperor Emeritus wouldn't refuse his request, so he changed his clothes early and could go directly there now.

Seeing this, Xiao Xuanzi and the errand boy also quickly followed behind Tu Chengyu.

The three walked one after the other, passing through paths that were much less crowded than usual, and quickly made their way to the East Palace.

Upon arriving at the East Palace, Xiao Xuanzi and the other person waited at the entrance, while Tu Chengyu followed the eunuch of the East Palace to the Emperor Emeritus's sleeping quarters, the Daming Palace.

After being informed, Tu Chengyu met the Emperor Emeritus in a separate room.

"Grandfather, I greet you."

This time, Tu Chengyu deliberately pretended to be low on energy and spoke in a slow, deliberate manner.

Seeing this, the Emperor Emeritus glanced sideways at Tu Chengyu and slowly asked:

"Yu-ge'er, what's wrong today? Did you get scolded?"

Tu Chengyu slowly got up, had Dai Quan bring him a small round stool, and after sitting down, he said:
"Grandpa, please don't say anymore. It makes me sad just thinking about it."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu said he was sad, but his face showed no sadness at all.

The retired emperor knew that his grandson was up to his old tricks again.

However, the retired emperor liked these mischievous children.

I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, or what.

Since his abdication, the retired emperor has particularly enjoyed the feeling of having his children and grandchildren around him.

Unfortunately, among his many children and grandchildren, there weren't many who could give him this feeling.

One was the youngest son of the retired emperor, born late in life. Unfortunately, although the boy was a bit mischievous, he was not very clever and didn't know how to coax people.

The other one was Tu Chengyu, whom the retired emperor particularly valued.

This grandson is not only shameless and good at flattering and fawning, but he is also eloquent and always says things that make people happy and pleased.

Another point is that this kid is clever and mischievous, and he always manages to make the old man happy in some unexpected ways.

(End of this chapter)