The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 233 The Retired Emperor Intentionally Discusses the Court
The retired emperor was shrewd and experienced, and naturally knew that Tu Chengyu was just putting on an act.

But enjoying the company of children and grandchildren is simply about playing with your grandchildren.

The retired emperor was happy to go along with Tu Chengyu, pretending not to notice, and asked:

"Who has angered Yu-ge'er? Tell me!"

Since Tu Chengyu sought answers from the retired emperor, he naturally wouldn't hide the problems he was facing.

His performance just now was also to make it easier for him to voice his problems.

Now, upon hearing the Emperor Emeritus's words, he took the opportunity to voice his question.

"Grandpa, I did something foolish a few days ago that almost caused a disaster."

"What stupid thing did you do?"

"A few days ago, when I was in the Imperial Study, I asked Father to arrange a place for me to stay outside the palace. I don't know what Father thought about that."
So the Emperor arranged for his grandson to live in the former Prince An's residence. This matter has caused unrest in the capital for the past few days, and the grandson is also feeling uneasy. He wanted his grandfather to help him find some peace.

When the retired emperor heard about this matter, there was no surprise on his face.

Clearly, even though the retired emperor lived deep within the palace, he was still aware of news from outside.

The retired emperor said, "Hasn't this matter already been resolved by the emperor? What are you so uneasy about?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Grandpa, I'm not worried about whether the matter has been resolved. What I'm worried about is that this matter was caused by me. Will there be any other troubles?"

At first, the retired emperor did not understand Tu Chengyu's words. He thought that this matter was arranged by the emperor and he was just following orders. What trouble could there be?

However, after a moment's thought, the Emperor Emeritus understood Tu Chengyu's true intentions.

He asked, "When the emperor arranged for you to reside in the Prince An's residence, did you refuse?"

"I declined, but Father was very firm in his decision, so I had no choice but to agree."

Upon hearing this answer, the Emperor Emeritus nodded and said;

"Since that's the case, I understand. What you really want to ask is why the Emperor allowed you to live in the Prince An's residence? Does the Emperor have other intentions in making this arrangement?"

That's why he's called the retired emperor; with just a few words, he figured out Tu Chengyu's true intentions.

Tu Chengyu wanted to ask this question, but as the emperor's son, he couldn't just ask directly, so he asked it more tactfully.

Now that the retired emperor has said it, it's much safer.

Tu Chengyu listened without saying anything, taking it as tacit agreement.

Upon seeing this, the retired emperor understood.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Based on my understanding of the Emperor, he values ​​you children very much and would not easily do anything to harm you."

Tu Chengyu naturally knew that the Emperor was this kind of person; otherwise, he wouldn't be asking the Emperor Emeritus for clarification now, but would directly suspect that the Emperor had ulterior motives.

So he said, "Grandfather, but I really don't understand why Father insists that I live in the Prince An's residence?"

The retired emperor chuckled and said, "This was just something the emperor did casually; it wasn't something he had planned to scheme against you beforehand."

This is somewhat different from what Tu Chengyu had expected before he came.

Tu Chengyu thought that the emperor must have planned this all along, using him to lure some people into a trap, and then sending people to close the net.

However, the retired emperor believed that the emperor had not prepared for this in advance.

So Tu Chengyu asked in confusion, "Grandfather, if Father hadn't prepared in advance, how come the arrests were made so quickly earlier? Many of those arrested had already prepared all the evidence."

After listening, the Emperor Emeritus smiled and said, "Is that what you're talking about? In my opinion, the Emperor's arrests this time were indeed well-planned, and the people targeted were clearly targeted with a specific purpose."
"But this has nothing to do with you. The fact that you're being housed in Prince An's residence is merely a prelude to this whole affair. Even if it doesn't involve you, the Emperor will certainly arrange other things."

After hearing the Emperor Emeritus's words, Tu Chengyu had an "aha!" moment.

Tu Chengyu then realized that he had not been tricked by the emperor, but had simply been the one to act as the emperor's pretext.

If Tu Chengyu hadn't brought up the idea of ​​staying outside the palace that day in the Imperial Study, he probably wouldn't have become the catalyst.

Of course, the Emperor will still arrest people, but it will have nothing to do with Tu Chengyu.

Knowing this, Tu Chengyu breathed a sigh of relief.

He feared that the emperor would become the kind of scheming person who would even plot against his own son.

If that's the case, Tu Chengyu doesn't know how he'll get through the rest of his life.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's constantly changing expression, the Emperor Emeritus asked:
"What, are you scared?"

Tu Chengyu was naturally a little scared, but he didn't want to appear too vulnerable in front of the Emperor Emeritus.

So he chuckled and said, "I'm not afraid."

The Emperor Emeritus didn't care whether Tu Chengyu was genuinely unafraid or just pretending, and continued speaking to himself:

"That's the right thing to do. Being afraid is useless in the royal family. We still have to face what we have to face."

Tu Chengyu was a little confused when he heard this. Why would the Emperor Emeritus suddenly say such a thing?

Was it something that came to mind, or was it a spontaneous expression of feeling?

While Tu Chengyu was still confused, the Emperor Emeritus continued:
"Xiao Wu, since you asked about the emperor arresting people today, do you want to know why the emperor arrests people?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu shook his head vigorously.

Judging from the Emperor Emeritus's analysis, this matter was something His Majesty had been planning for a long time, and it must have involved many aspects.

There must have been quite a few schemes and plots on both sides.

Tu Chengyu would rather avoid something like this than want to end things with you.

But the retired emperor was like a naughty child; he insisted on telling others what they didn't want to hear.

"This matter involves you as well, so you'd better listen to it."

"Really?" Tu Chengyu asked, half-believing, "Grandpa didn't lie to his grandson?"

The retired emperor smiled and said, "Why would I lie to you? I've just been bored these past few days and wanted to talk to someone. Since you happened to be here, I thought I'd chat with you a bit more."

Another coincidence. Just a few days ago, the Emperor, by sheer coincidence, used Tu Chengyu to almost drive the entire capital crazy.

The Emperor Emeritus said this again today, so he probably has his own calculations in mind.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu was even less willing to listen, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

The retired emperor, however, refused to give up and said, "You really don't want to know?"

Tu Chengyu continued to shake his head.

The Emperor Emeritus said regretfully, "I wanted to tell you about the Crown Prince's recent gains and losses, but it seems you don't want to hear it."

The retired emperor is really something. Even though Tu Chengyu has expressed that he doesn't want to listen anymore, he still insists that Tu Chengyu listen. When he can't persuade him, he even tries to use the matter of the crown prince to manipulate him.

His behavior is becoming more and more like that of a child.

However, Tu Chengyu's weakness really was the Crown Prince. When he heard the Emperor Emeritus mention the Crown Prince, he became somewhat interested in hearing about it.

So Tu Chengyu said with a grin, "Since Grandfather wants to tell his grandson so much, grandson will reluctantly listen." Upon hearing this, the Emperor Emeritus glared at him and said angrily, "Hmph, if you don't want to listen, then so be it. I didn't force you to listen."

Now that things have come to this point, Tu Chengyu naturally wanted to hear more.

So he smiled and said, "Grandpa, it was your grandson who wanted to hear it, but you forced your grandson to listen."

The retired emperor then tilted his head back and snorted again, just like a child who had won a game.

"Since you want to hear it, I will tell you."

"Grandpa, please speak. Your grandson is all ears."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor Emeritus began to speak, recounting what he wanted Tu Chengyu to hear.

"Do you know how the Emperor dealt with all the people he arrested this time?" the retired emperor asked at the outset.

Tu Chengyu also chimed in enthusiastically: "I heard that some were imprisoned and others were killed."

"Who are they imprisoning? What are they killing?"

"My grandson has learned that those imprisoned were officials, while those killed were gentry, clerks, and common people."

Why did the emperor do this?

Tu Chengyu was taken aback by the question. Why hadn't he thought about this when Xiao Xuanzi was talking about it?

Hearing the Emperor Emeritus ask this question, Tu Chengyu thought about it.

Then, he tentatively asked, "Could it be that they hold official positions and are connected with court officials, so Father Emperor is considering sparing them to save face for the officials?"

Upon hearing this answer, the retired emperor burst into laughter.

After laughing, he said, "If the emperor were to consider the face of his ministers, he would have to arrest these minor officials. Why go through all this trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu realized that it was true; his previous answer had indeed been ill-considered.

Since that's the case, Tu Chengyu stopped thinking about it and asked directly:
"Grandfather, why do you think Father did this?"

The retired emperor said, "The emperor did this for the sake of the ministers in the court, but as you just mentioned, the emperor was not doing it to save face for the ministers."

On the contrary, the emperor did this precisely to create difficulties for his ministers.

"Huh?" Tu Chengyu was even more confused: "Why would Father Emperor make things difficult for the ministers when he's perfectly fine?"

The retired emperor snorted coldly: "When the emperor starts to deliberately make things difficult for his ministers, it is naturally because those ministers are at fault first."

These words are very much in line with the royal temperament.

As a member of the royal family, Tu Chengyu naturally favored the emperor.

However, he had one question: "The ministers in the court are all subjects, how could they dare to make things difficult for Father Emperor?"

The retired emperor said, "Don't underestimate these people in the court. They've fought their way up from the imperial examinations; what wouldn't they do?"
Don't be fooled by their obedient and docile demeanor in front of the royal family; behind the scenes, they're scheming against them.

Having experienced countless things from his past life to this one, Tu Chengyu naturally knew that those who could become officials were not good people.

Especially in this era, among the thousands of people who fought their way out of the imperial examinations, who among them would be considered a good child?

These officials in the capital, in particular, were among the most astute of all.

Tu Chengyu never underestimated these people.

But he couldn't believe that in this feudal era, especially when the emperor held real power, they would actually dare to offend him.

The emperor was forced to resort to such petty schemes, even using his own son, in order to cause trouble for the officials.

This is a bit like a dream.

Tu Chengyu asked incredulously, "Are they really not afraid of Father?"

The retired emperor said, "I am afraid, but as you know, the emperor suddenly ascended the throne and has no trusted assistants in the court, so he is often hampered when doing things."

The officials in the court took advantage of this, colluding with each other in private, trying to seize power from the emperor.

The emperor, naturally unwilling to compromise, resorted to various schemes to suppress the various factions within the court.

Tu Chengyu never imagined that the emperor could be made to such an extent by the court.

He asked with great concern, "Grandfather, is Father in such a difficult situation? Why don't you help Father?"

Tu Chengyu's words made the Emperor Emeritus laugh.

He said with a smile, "I would like to help, but I'm afraid the emperor wouldn't dare to agree."

Tu Chengyu immediately understood. The retired emperor was the previous emperor, especially since he had only been abdicated for a short time.

Their influence in the court remains strong; many of the current ministers were promoted during the reign of the retired emperor.

If the retired emperor were to interfere in court affairs, the impact would likely be greater than the influence of court officials on the emperor.

Therefore, the emperor probably did not want the retired emperor to return to power, even if the emperor could not control the court officials.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's worried expression after he understood, the Emperor Emeritus said:
"You don't need to worry. So far, the emperor has done a good job and has already suppressed the court officials."

"Really?" Tu Chengyu asked in surprise.

"Would I lie to you?" the Emperor Emeritus said irritably. "Think about it. When you first returned to the capital, the Grand Secretary resigned and went home to retire. That will make it clear."

"The Grand Secretary was forced out by the Emperor?" Tu Chengyu said incredulously. "Wasn't the Grand Secretary forced to retire because of his entanglements with the salt workers?"

The retired emperor shook his head and said, "This is just the trigger. The real reason is that the Grand Secretary knew the emperor's intentions and was also aware that the emperor was not someone who could be easily manipulated. This time, he had the idea of ​​resigning."

Otherwise, given the Grand Secretary's position in the court, how could he possibly risk retiring over such a trivial matter?

Tu Chengyu said, "Since the Grand Secretary has been forced to step down by the Emperor, no one in the court should dare to make things difficult for the Emperor. Why did the Emperor still do something so drastic?"

The retired emperor said, "Who says there are no people in the court who make things difficult for the emperor? The reason why the chief minister is unwilling to fight with the emperor is because he is too old and has long lost the desire to vie for power."
Being able to retire peacefully in his later years was more important to him, which is why he allowed the emperor to devise his plans.

But the other ministers were different. They weren't yet old enough to be considered emperors; they still dreamed of making a name for themselves in history, so naturally they would challenge the emperor.

After listening, Tu Chengyu asked, "So, the struggle between Father and the ministers will continue?"

The retired emperor said, "Not only will the fighting continue, but it will never stop. Not only will the current emperor fight with his court officials, but future emperors will too."

No one wants too much of this power; not only does the emperor want more, but the ministers do too. Therefore, infighting is common in the court, and neither the emperor nor the court officials should forget this.

You must also remember this saying: when you do things in the future, you must take into account the affairs of the court, otherwise you will easily be taken advantage of.

Tu Chengyu was annoyed. How did the conversation end up involving him? Moreover, Tu Chengyu felt that these were not things he should be considering.

He was neither an emperor nor did he want to be a minister whose name would be remembered in history.

So he said, "Grandfather, why are you telling your grandson these things? You should be telling the Crown Prince."

The retired emperor said meaningfully, "The crown prince has the emperor to worry about, it's enough for me to care about you."

(End of this chapter)