The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 249 Provoking the child brings in the elder.
Just as Tu Chengyu was causing trouble at Chunfeng Pavilion, news of him quickly spread throughout the capital.

First and foremost is the royal palace, which has the best access to information.

The Imperial Study in the Palace.

As evening approached, the Emperor had just finished reading the memorials and was preparing to rest for a while before having his meal.

At this moment, Xia Shouzhong hurriedly walked in.

The Emperor was pacing back and forth in his study, stretching his body. Upon hearing footsteps, he asked without pausing his movements:
"What happened?"

Xia Shouzhong bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this servant just received news that this afternoon, Prince Su led his men to Chunfeng Pavilion in the southern city."

"Spring Phoenix Pavilion? Sounds like a brothel."

"Your Majesty is wise; this place is indeed a place of pleasure."

Upon hearing that his son had gone to brothels, the Emperor showed no anger, but merely asked with suspicion:

"Why would Prince Su go to a place like that?"

Xia Shouzhong answered truthfully: "Your Majesty, according to reports from my men, Chunfeng Pavilion sold the daughter of a disaster victim. Prince Su disagreed and led his men to demand her return."

"The Chunfeng Pavilion sold a daughter of a disaster victim, and Prince Su disagreed?" The Emperor was now puzzled: "Could this woman have some kind of relationship with Prince Su?"

It wasn't that the Emperor liked to speculate about such things; it was simply that the Emperor also knew that it was common for disaster victims to sell their daughters to brothels.

As long as both parties agree, even the imperial court cannot easily stop such a thing.

Therefore, the emperor believed that Prince Su wanted the woman because of her relationship with Prince Su.

Xia Shouzhong already knew the truth, so when he heard the emperor's guess, he quickly explained on behalf of Prince Su.

"Your Majesty, there is another reason for this."

"Oh, what's the reason?"

"Your Majesty, Prince Su saved the woman not because of any relationship with her, but because it is said that His Highness the Crown Prince gave him an order."
The order was to ensure the safety of the disaster victims and prohibited the arbitrary buying and selling of their people. Anyone wishing to buy or sell them had to report to Prince Su in advance and obtain permission before proceeding.

There was also a rule that strictly forbade selling female victims of disaster to brothels, no matter the reason.

Prince Su was acting on the Crown Prince's orders when he went to demand the release of the prisoners.

After Xia Shouzhong finished explaining the reasons, the emperor became even more puzzled.

"This is an order from the Crown Prince? Why didn't he mention it to me?"

The Emperor was naturally well aware of the Crown Prince's character.

This seemingly safe but actually risky order was something the Crown Prince could never have imagined.

Even if someone under the Crown Prince makes such a suggestion, the Crown Prince will report it in advance and only implement it after obtaining permission.

It will never be like this again, where the emperor can only hear things from other people.

The Emperor thought that if he was not mistaken, this bold and radical idea must have come from Prince Su himself.

Moreover, it was done without the Crown Prince's knowledge, in his name, and with the execution done first and the report given later.

As he thought about it, the emperor couldn't help but laugh.

After the emperor finished laughing, he asked again:
"What has the Crown Prince been doing these past few days?"

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and Prince Xing are leading men to investigate the granaries outside Dongzhimen. They are at a critical stage of the investigation and are said to be working very late every day before returning to their residences to rest."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor became even more certain that what Prince Su had done today was entirely his own decision and had nothing to do with the Crown Prince.

However, the Emperor also knew that Prince Su had deep feelings for the Crown Prince and would not harm the Crown Prince casually.

Therefore, if Prince Su acts in the name of the Crown Prince, it will certainly not cause trouble for the Crown Prince, and may even be for the Crown Prince's benefit.

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. The Emperor guessed Tu Chengyu's little scheme in no time.

Thinking of this, the emperor felt relieved.

He continued moving his body as before, then asked:

"Did Prince Su manage to get the person back in the end?"

"Your Majesty, the person was eventually taken away by Prince Su, but there were some complications along the way."

If it were anything else, Xia Shouzhong would probably just report the result.

But since it concerned the prince, he dared not omit the details, especially when the prince was being bullied; he had to make sure everything was clear.

Sure enough, when the emperor heard that there had been twists and turns in the process, his face darkened.

"Given all this trouble, does anyone dare to obstruct Prince Su?"

Xia Shouzhong quickly said, "When Prince Su went, he didn't reveal his identity at first, but he had already discussed it with them."

However, for some unknown reason, the people in Chunfeng Pavilion later found another excuse and refused to hand over the person.

Finally, having no other choice, Prince Su revealed his identity and was able to obtain the person.

That's why they say the mouth is flat and the tongue is soft.

It was clearly Tu Chengyu who wanted to use his identity to escalate the situation, but now Xia Shouzhong claims that Prince Su was forced to reveal his identity. What difference is there between him saying this and adding fuel to the fire?

As expected, the emperor flew into a rage upon hearing this, and coldly snorted, saying:
"They really are a bunch of scoundrels. They went back on their word, yet forced Prince Su to reveal his identity in that kind of place. Isn't that just giving those censors grounds for impeachment?"

The emperor's protectiveness of his own is truly unparalleled.

He didn't consider that if Prince Su were truly afraid of damaging his reputation, he wouldn't have personally gone to a place like Chunfeng Pavilion.

Since he went, it was his own choice.

Now, judging from the Emperor's words, it seems as if someone forced his son to go to a brothel.

Originally a very shrewd emperor, he became somewhat dim-witted when it came to caring for his son.

The overprotective emperor was unreasonable; after pacing around for a moment, he said to Xia Shouzhong:
"Since these scoundrels are so blind, we can't let them off easily. Here's what we'll do: Go and give the Shuntian Prefecture a password."

They said that Chunfeng Pavilion was illegally buying and selling people, so the Shuntian Prefecture sent people to seal up Chunfeng Pavilion and imprison all the people inside.

If the people in Chunfeng Pavilion heard this news, they would probably faint from crying.

They probably can't understand how buying a woman from disaster victims could have led to this situation.

In previous years, which brothel didn't sell people, and which noble family didn't torment and kill several disaster victims? How come it's different this year?

Unfortunately, the people in Chunfeng Pavilion were unaware of this devastating news at that time.

They were relieved that Prince Su hadn't gone too far in the afternoon.

The head steward, Ding Ke, and the second steward, Shen Xiu, were arranging for people to clean up the pavilion that had been wrecked by Jia Lian and his men.

But before he could finish tidying up, a waiter came running over like a madman.

"Two stewards, the people from Shuntian Prefecture have arrived."

Upon hearing that the people from Shuntian Prefecture had arrived, both stewards remained calm.

The head steward asked directly, "The person from Shuntian Prefecture has arrived. Didn't you tell the guest that Chunfeng Pavilion is closed today and we can't entertain guests?"

The servant boy said with a mournful face, "Steward, the people from Shuntian Prefecture aren't here for leisure. They say they're here on official business and want the two stewards to come forward to meet them." Ding Ke asked, "Which official from Shuntian Prefecture came? Did they say what their purpose was?"

As the largest brothel in the southern part of the city, Chunfeng Pavilion naturally had a good relationship with Shuntian Prefecture.

Not to mention the monthly tributes, Chunfeng Pavilion's powerful backers could even speak with the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

So, when the Shuntian Prefecture came to Chunfeng Pavilion to do official business.

If something bad happens, the people of Shuntian Prefecture will find a way to notify you in advance; if something good happens, it will come directly to you.

It seems like things are going well now, which is why these two are so calm.

But the servant's demeanor was completely different; he said:
"Two stewards, I suspect this isn't going to be so simple. I just glanced at the group, and the one leading them is none other than Master Liu, a notorious troublemaker."

Moreover, the junior officer noticed that the arriving officials all had stern faces and didn't seem like they were easy to talk to.

Upon hearing that the person who had arrived was Liu San, the notorious black-faced man from Shuntian Prefecture, the two stewards' expressions changed.

It's important to know that each constable in Shuntian Prefecture has a different title.

When the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture sent Liu San out, it meant things wouldn't end well.

Ding Ke sighed and said:

"Since Liu San is here, let's go up and take a look. Let's just hope it's not related to what happened with Prince Su today."

Upon hearing the name of Prince Su, Shen Xiu's expression changed, and he said:
"I think it's probably caused by the Prince Su's affair. I think this matter can't be delayed any longer, and we must inform the other owners."

It turned out that after Prince Su finished his commotion, the two stewards did not immediately inform their powerful backers, intending to wait until things were settled before devising a better plan to report back.

It seems that it is impossible now.

Upon hearing this, Ding Ke nodded and said:

"It seems this is the only way. Here's what we'll do: I'll go and keep Liu San calm while you quickly send someone to deliver the message."

Although the two usually had disagreements, they still cooperated very well in such a critical moment.

After saying that, Ding Ke led his servant to the front yard.

When he arrived, he saw Liu San leading a large number of officials and constables, surrounding the pavilion in the front yard.

This location is the same one where Prince Su was in the morning and afternoon. The only difference is that there is no one in the pavilion where Prince Su stayed.

Seeing this, Ding Ke felt a sense of foreboding, not knowing why.

He suppressed his bad feeling, ran over in a few steps, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"I don't know what wind blew Officer Liu here, it's truly an honor to have my humble abode here."

Despite Ding Ke's flattery, Liu San, with his dark, thin face and unsmiling demeanor, remained silent.

He simply said calmly:
"This constable has come to Chunfeng Pavilion on official business as instructed by the Prefect. I have a few questions for you."

It turned out to be a question. Ding Ke immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Officer Liu, please ask me anything. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"Tell me, are all the people associated with Chunfeng Pavilion inside the courtyard right now?"

Ding Ke wanted to lie, but then he thought about how Liu San was a competitive person, and if he found out later, things would get complicated.

So he told the truth: "There are several people outside."

"How many people? State clearly."

Ding Ke had no idea how many people Shen Xiu would send out; he could only guess and say:

"Seven or eight, maybe."

Hearing the still vague answer, Officer Liu didn't press the matter further, but instead continued to ask:

"When will these people who went out be able to return?"

"According to the rules of Chunfeng Pavilion, people here are not allowed to stay out overnight, so they will all come back before curfew."

"That's good then," Officer Liu nodded in satisfaction, then turned to speak to the constables behind him.

Ding Ke was left standing there, waiting for quite a while. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he asked:
"Officer Liu, is there anything else you would like to ask?"

Without turning his head, Constable Liu said:

"There's nothing to ask. Go back now and call everyone in Chunfeng Pavilion to the courtyard. Don't leave anyone out."

Ding couldn't understand what Officer Liu was trying to do, so he asked:
"Officer Liu, it's getting dark, and it would be inconvenient to hand everyone over now."

These days, although torches can provide light, their brightness is limited and they don't really provide much illumination outside.

In places like Chunfeng Pavilion, there are plenty of opportunists, so Ding Ke was very reluctant to call everyone into the courtyard at this time.

But Officer Liu left no room for negotiation, stating directly:

"I'm not discussing this with you. You just need to do as I say."

As expected of Liu the Black-Faced, he really shows no mercy whatsoever.

But Ding Ke still wanted to struggle a bit, so he asked:
"Officer Liu, could you please tell me why everyone has been called out?"

Just then, Officer Liu finished giving instructions to his men. He turned to Ding Ke and said:

"Anyway, you'll find out soon enough, so telling you now won't hurt."
"This constable has received orders from Prefect Zhu to seal off your Chunfeng Pavilion. Everyone inside must be identified and imprisoned separately. Do you understand?"

"what?"

"what!"

As soon as Constable Liu finished speaking, two exclamations rang out in succession.

The first one is Ding Ke, and the second one is Shen Xiu, who just arrived.

After exclaiming in surprise, Ding Ke hurriedly asked, "Officer Liu, has Chunfeng Pavilion done anything wrong? Why was it suddenly shut down?"

Officer Liu said calmly, "I am only acting under orders. As for the reason, you can ask the master when you have the chance."

When Ding Ke heard that Constable Liu was unyielding, he had no better ideas. He could only hope that his powerful backers could help him get out of trouble.

Just as he was thinking about these things, Officer Liu spoke again:
“We are under orders to thoroughly check everyone here. So, will you go and call the people in this building, or will I send someone to call them? If I send someone, the methods will not be so gentle.”

Having just experienced the chaos caused by Jia Lian and his men, Ding Ke naturally knew what the outcome would be if these people went in to search.

So the man quickly said, "We wouldn't dare trouble you officers; we'll bring everyone down ourselves."

"In that case, shall we go?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Ke didn't dare to delay and hurriedly pulled Shen Xiu back, whether to call for help or to hide aside and think of a solution, it was unclear.

However, after the two men left, Officer Liu said to one of the people beside him:

"Send someone to keep a close eye on them and see if there's anything they're hiding."

(End of this chapter)