The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 255 The Conspiracy Revealed Again: Prince Su

There were tens of thousands of disaster victims, and countless children with them. Quan Wenwei didn't have much hope of finding the child Zhang Cong had mentioned by the moat.

So after giving instructions to his soldiers, he immediately turned back and continued to interrogate Zhang Cong.

"Besides the one in charge, have you had contact with anyone else?"

Zhang Cong thought for a moment and said, "I have met a few, but I have never spoken to them and I don't know much about them."

When did you meet these people?

“I saw him last night when I went to see Wang Gen’s son off.”

Upon hearing him bring up Wang Gen's son, Quan Wenwei was initially delighted, then asked:

"So, you really didn't hide Wang Gen's son in the grove, but handed him over to someone else?"

Zhang Cong nodded and said, "Yes."

"Then do you know where Wang Gen's son is being held?"

"I dare not speak recklessly. I only took the child to a manor and handed him over to the people there. As for whether they moved him or not, I have no idea."

Upon hearing a specific address, Quan Wenwei immediately perked up.

"Can you see this clearly? What kind of manor is this? And roughly where is it located?"

Zhang Cong shook his head and said, "I was taken there by horse-drawn carriage with my head covered, so I couldn't see the road clearly and therefore didn't know where this manor was."

However, I think this manor is about ten miles away from here, and there must be a main road connecting it. The carriage I rode in last night didn't bump much at all.

The manor located about ten kilometers from the main road in the south of the city narrowed down the search area considerably.

However, there are many nobles in the capital, and many manors outside the city as well.

Even though the area has been narrowed down considerably, it's still impossible to determine which manor it is.

Upon seeing this, Quan Wenwei continued to ask:
"Have you gotten a good look at what this manor looks like?"

Zhang Cong continued to shake his head: "It's too dark to see clearly, but I can vaguely see that there is a small hill in this manor, and there seems to be a pavilion on the hill."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked:

"Are you sure there's a small hill in that manor, and a pavilion on that hill?"

"I'm not sure either. I just saw a lantern hanging very high from outside the wall. I was curious why the lantern was hung so high. Later, when I looked closely, I could vaguely see the shape of a pavilion and the outline of a small hill."

Upon hearing these descriptions, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but smile.

"If you are not lying, I should know which manor it is?"

Quan Wenwei asked in surprise, "Your Highness, you know?"

“I might not know much about other manors, but I know this one very well. Moreover, this manor is only about ten miles away from here, and it is right by the main road.”

Tu Chengyu knew about this manor because of the small hill and the pavilion on it.

Back when he was still living in the Prince An's Mansion, he went on a spring outing with his family one year.

On his way back to the city, he passed by this manor. He was sitting in the carriage at the time and saw the uniquely shaped, tall pavilion through the carriage window.

Moreover, with his sharp eyes, he also noticed two people in the pavilion pointing and gesturing at pedestrians on the road outside.

This superb viewpoint made Tu Chengyu envious for a long time.

He even thought that when he divided the kingdom into kingdoms in the future, he would build such a viewing pavilion.

It was because of this incident that Tu Chengyu had such a deep memory of this manor.

At this moment, Quan Wenwei said happily:
"It's good that Your Highness has found this place; this way, we can find their hideout."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu asked, "Mr. Quan, do you mean to go to this manor to arrest people?"

Unexpectedly, Quan Wenwei shook his head and said, "There's no need to go directly to arrest people, but it would be better to send someone to monitor this place."

Tu Chengyu didn't quite understand Quan Wenwei's choice. The two of them had gone to great lengths to finally persuade Zhang Cong, this stubborn guy.

And after asking around for so long, he only got this one useful piece of information. Why doesn't he want to take action immediately?

Tu Chengyu was puzzled and wanted to ask Quan Wenwei what he was thinking.

But before he could speak, Quan Wenwei interrupted, saying:
"Your Highness, may I speak to you in private?"

Seeing his expression, Tu Chengyu knew that he didn't want Zhang Cong to hear what he was about to say.

So Tu Chengyu didn't say anything more and followed Quan Wenwei out of the tent and walked to the side.

Once they reached an unfamiliar place, Tu Chengyu asked again:

"Mr. Quan, what are your thoughts on going to the manor to rescue people?"

Quan Wenwei said very seriously, "Your Highness, I would naturally be very supportive of going to rescue people. However, I think we need to think this matter carefully and must not act rashly."

"Did you find something amiss?"

Unexpectedly, Quan Wenwei shook his head and said, "I didn't find anything wrong, but I feel that things are going too smoothly. How could someone who is so meticulous in planning these things expose their position so easily?"

"Mr. Quan, are you doubting Zhang Cong's words and deliberately saying them to us?"

"Zhang Cong may not be lying, but what he saw may not all be true. Maybe it was something you deliberately let him know?"

Tu Chengyu initially had doubts about this as well, but he couldn't understand why Zhang Cong would risk his life to lie to him.
Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and seemed to understand something. He asked, "Are these people plotting against me again?"

Quan Wenwei nodded and said, "That's exactly what I'm worried about, so I'm asking Your Highness to be careful."

Tu Chengyu was so angry he laughed. Damn it, ever since the Emperor ascended the throne and the Crown Prince was established...

Tu Chengyu became the prime target for being schemed against.

Whether they wanted to curry favor with the Crown Prince or plot against him, they all unanimously regarded Tu Chengyu as the breakthrough point for their schemes against the Crown Prince.

Therefore, in just over a year, from last year to now, Tu Chengyu has been forced to participate in countless struggles.

The fact that the article didn't mention anything inappropriate suggests that the judgment was based on past experience.

Tu Chengyu suppressed his anger and said to Quan Wenwei:
"Since they are plotting against me again, I should not hide. Instead, I should charge forward squarely and let them taste my thunderous methods."

After listening to Tu Chengyu's words, Quan Wenwei stroked his beard and slowly said:

"The person who planned this might be the one who led Your Highness to do this. Your Highness, think about it, since the Emperor ascended the throne, you have done many things, intermittently."

This also included dealing with the schemes of others, so by now, many people are familiar with the prince's modus operandi. Therefore, the student believes that they might have been exploiting the prince's style of behavior to set up this scheme.

Tu Chengyu actually agreed with Quan Wenwei's words.

The world is so big, and there are plenty of smart people. There are always some perceptive individuals who can discern Tu Chengyu's work style from past events.

Then they took advantage of this and designed a new layout, which led Tu Chengyu to accidentally stumble into it.

However, for Tu Chengyu, no matter how ingenious the plan was, it was of little use to him.

Because Tu Chengyu is now without desires or wants, he has no intention of competing for power, status, or reputation.

In addition, he was a prince of the current dynasty, the younger brother of the crown prince, and the favorite grandson of the retired emperor.

As long as he doesn't openly rebel, nothing can harm the podium.

This is also why Tu Chengyu is unwilling to think too much about things. Firstly, with Quan Wenwei by his side, Tu Chengyu doesn't have to think things through before making a decision, as he used to.

Secondly, with my current status, I can simply get through whatever happens, which is better than anything else.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu said to Quan Wenwei;

"Mr. Quan's consideration is very thorough, but when you encounter someone who plots in secret, it's better to just strike directly. No matter what their scheme is, a single blow will expose their conspiracy to the light of day."

Quan Wenwei said with a wry smile, "Your Highness's approach can indeed save a lot of trouble, but has Your Highness considered that if this matter is indeed planned by someone, then when Your Highness comes knocking on their door, they will definitely take that into consideration."

And they will definitely use the prince's actions to devise a larger plan.

Hearing Quan Wenwei's relentless persuasion, Tu Chengyu calmed down and slowly asked:

"Mr. Quan, is something on your mind?"

Quan Wenwei nodded and said, "I have indeed thought of some things, but I am not sure yet. Only when I know who the owner of that manor is can I guess what others are plotting."

"The owner of the manor?" Tu Chengyu pondered unconsciously. He seemed to have heard before that the manor belonged to someone, but he had forgotten who it was.

The only thing we know is that this manor belongs to some noble family.

Tu Chengyu told Quan Wenwei what he knew, and after listening, Quan Wenwei said with a helpless expression:

"It seems we need to send someone to find out who owns the manor first."

"Mr. Quan cares so much about the owner of the manor, could it be that you have guessed who it is?"

Quan Wenwei shook his head and said, "The students have no way of knowing exactly who it is, but they are very worried about one situation..."

That is, once the owner of this manor becomes involved with Prince Xing, what will happen if Your Highness recklessly storms his door? Your Highness should be able to imagine the consequences.”

Tu Chengyu could certainly have thought of that.

Now that the Prince of Xing is openly challenging the Crown Prince, at this time, the Crown Prince's younger brother, born of the same mother, is in a difficult position.

Suddenly, someone leads a group to raid a manor connected to King Xing. What do you think King Xing will think?

Even if King Xing is magnanimous and doesn't care about these things, what about the people who follow him?
Who is the person who is hiding in the shadows, secretly plotting all of this?

They will not stand idly by; they will inevitably fan the flames.

Even if Tu Chengyu finds evidence that the manor is doing something illegal, who will care?

They would only think that Prince Su was taking this opportunity to help the Crown Prince suppress Prince Xing.

If this kind of instigation is repeated a couple of times, the power struggle that has just subsided can immediately reignite.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu was also a little frightened. He felt that this time, he should listen to Quan Wenwei's opinion first.

"Mr. Quan, according to your considerations, how should I proceed with this matter?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, please calm down. These are just my guesses. The most urgent thing now is to find a way to confirm whether my guesses are true before we can make appropriate arrangements."

"How does Mr. Quan plan to confirm this matter?"

Quan Wenwei pointed to Zhang Cong in the other tent and said:
"It will still fall on him."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu asked in confusion:

"This Zhang Cong was also being used; he probably doesn't know much either."

Quan Wenwei said, "He doesn't need to know much. As long as he can recount what he has done, the students will naturally make their own judgment."

Seeing how confident Quan Wenwei was, Tu Chengyu no longer doubted him and quietly waited to see what he was going to do.

Then, the two returned to the place where Zhang Cong was imprisoned.

As soon as they entered, Quan Wenwei said to Zhang Cong:

"Zhang Cong, let me ask you this: when was the order given to you to steal Wang Gen's son?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cong replied without hesitation, "From Tongzhou onwards, the person in charge gave this instruction, but he told me to approach the child first."

Then yesterday, he finally allowed the commoner to steal the child away.

So it seems that Wang Gen's son was targeted long ago.

"Do you know why they stole this child?"

“They didn’t tell the common people, and the common people didn’t dare to ask. But the people in charge kept telling the common people to find a way to make the disaster victims fight each other, and the bigger the fight, the better.”

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu and Quan Wenwei exchanged glances, confirming Quan Wenwei's suspicions.

Moreover, according to Zhang Cong, the purpose of stealing the child was to incite a fight between the two sides.

After saying that, Quan Wenwei didn't ask him any more questions for the time being, and closed her eyes to think it over for a while.

After he had thought it through, he opened his eyes and asked again:
"They want you to incite conflict among the disaster victims, any kind of disaster victim will do, or do they want you to incite conflict only between you and Wang Gen and his group?"

Zhang Cong thought for a moment and said, "He only told me to start a fight with Zhang Cong, and warned me not to do anything reckless, but to just keep an eye on Wang Gen."

As soon as he finished speaking, Quan Wenwei frowned deeply, clearly indicating that something was troubling him.

Quan Wenwei frowned and closed his eyes again, but this time, he kept muttering something.

Tu Chengyu was close to Quan Wenwei, and because he had good hearing, he clearly heard what Quan Wenwei was saying.

"Why is this happening? If he wanted the disaster victims to cause trouble, he could have done it anywhere. Why are they specifically targeting Wang Gen and his group? I don't understand. Is there something special about Wang Gen?"

(End of this chapter)