The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 259 Riding a tall horse and trampling through the manor

By the time Tu Chengyu met the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor, it was already quite late, so he decided to stay in the palace.

I spent the night having fun with my brothers, including Xiao Liu, and didn't leave the palace until early the next morning.

That same evening, the men that the Emperor Emeritus had lent to Tu Chengyu had arrived.

Tu Chengyu didn't see many of these people, only one of their leaders, and gave him his first task: to secretly investigate who owned the manor with the mountain pavilion.

In a manor like this outside the city, there might be one person on the surface, but in reality, it's used by someone else. What Tu Chengyu wants to know is the person who actually uses it.

Investigating these matters was somewhat difficult for Tu Chengyu, but it was a piece of cake for Dai Quan.

When Tu Chengyu left the palace early the next morning, the people he had sent to investigate the matter the day before were already mixed in with Tu Chengyu's guards and waiting for orders.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu took the man to a secluded place.

"Have you investigated the matter I asked you to handle last night?"

"Your Highness, the investigation has been completed."

"Is that manor related to Prince Xing?" This was Tu Chengyu's biggest concern.

"There is indeed a connection. This manor belongs to Kong Hezhen, the cousin of the Prince of Xing's aunt."

It turns out it belongs to my second aunt's cousin's estate; this makes things a bit tricky.

Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and asked:

"Have you found out when this garden came into the possession of the Kong family?"

"It was given to the Kong family by a merchant in the capital at the beginning of the year."

"Do you know whether the Prince of Xing knows that the Kong family owns this manor?"

"This matter has not yet been thoroughly investigated by this humble servant."

Whether he was afraid to investigate or simply didn't have enough time to find anything, Tu Chengyu's actions were no longer considered a continuation.

He then gave the man other orders.

"Let's leave this matter here for now. You take your men, disguise yourself, and blend into the crowd of disaster victims to help me investigate and see if anyone is causing trouble among them. If you find anything, report it to me immediately."

"It's the prince."

After saying that, the man left quietly.

After talking with this person, Tu Chengyu did not immediately go to the south of the city, but instead asked Xiao Xuanzi, who had been stationed with the disaster victims the night before.

"Did Wang Gen and his men go to the manor to look for someone yesterday afternoon?"

"Your Highness, they went, and they haven't returned yet."

It's good that they didn't come back; that fits Tu Chengyu and Quan Wenwei's original plan.

"What was the reaction of the people in the manor after the disaster victims surrounded them?"

"Your Highness, the people in the manor initially reacted very strongly and almost clashed with the disaster victims. However, the number of disaster victims was large and they were all very agitated, so they dared not provoke them."

Later, they tried to secretly send people out, but unfortunately, they were surrounded by disaster victims on all sides, and none of them managed to slip through.

If that's the case, then it means that news of the manor being besieged hasn't spread yet.

The time is now to investigate this manor.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu said to Xiao Xuanzi:
"Let's not go to the South City first, let's go to the Prince's Mansion first."

Then the group changed direction and returned to the Prince An's residence.

Upon returning, Tu Chengyu immediately went into the study of Fengsheng Hall and quickly wrote two letters.

Then he handed the letter to Xiao Xuanzi.

"Here are two letters, one addressed to the Crown Prince and the other to the Prince of Xing. When you set out, find the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xing, personally hand them these two letters, ask them to read the contents of the letters immediately, and then see what their reply is. Bring them back."

Upon receiving the order, Xiao Xuanzi set off immediately without saying a word.

After Xiao Xuanzi left, Tu Chengyu said to the guards beside him:
"Go to Mr. Quan in Nancheng immediately and tell him that I have instructed him to prepare a troop of men, as I am about to close in."

The guard repeated Tu Chengyu's orders, and once he had memorized them completely, he immediately set off.

After giving these instructions, Tu Chengyu stayed at the Prince's residence for a while before slowly walking towards the south of the city.

When he arrived at the place where the disaster victims were stationed outside the south city, he saw Quan Wenwei already waiting outside the tent.

Seeing this, Tu Chengyu asked from across the carriage, "Mr. Quan, are the people ready?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "Your Highness, the troops are all ready, led by General Quan Xu, and are waiting outside for Your Highness's orders."

"That's good. Bring my mount over here."

After Tu Chengyu finished speaking, Xiao Chengzi, who was following behind the carriage, led Tu Chengyu's mount over.

Then, Tu Chengyu, dressed in full armor, got out of the carriage and, using the carriage shaft, climbed directly onto his mount.

This scene left Quan Wenwei somewhat bewildered. When he came to his senses, he quickly asked:

"Why is Your Highness dressed like this?"

Tu Chengyu laughed heartily and said, "Mr. Quan, can't you see? I'm preparing to lead my men into battle."

Quan Wenwei was almost dizzy from listening. It was just going to the manor to investigate something, why make such a big fuss?

Regardless of what Quan Wenwei thought, Tu Chengyu lightly tapped his legs, turned his horse around, and rode off towards Quan Xu's direction.

His guards, who were already on horseback behind him, quickly spurred their horses to catch up.

Quan Wenwei watched Tu Chengyu gradually disappear into the dust, and helplessly had no choice but to find a horse and hurriedly follow behind.

When he finally arrived at Quan Xu's encampment, there was no one there. He had no choice but to continue the chase without stopping.

Just as Quan Wenwei was struggling to catch up, Tu Chengyu had already arrived at the manor with the small hill and pavilion with Quan Xu's men.

However, before they even got close to the manor, they heard a huge commotion coming from there.

At this moment, only disaster victims who came to demand their release were present. The commotion was probably caused by a conflict between the disaster victims and the people in the manor.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu quickly spurred his horse and headed towards the place where the noise was loudest.

Just as Tu Chengyu had predicted, a group of servants wielding sticks were driving away the disaster victims blocking the gate of the manor.

The disaster victims, not to be outdone, grabbed tree branches and trunks they had found from who-knows-where and fought back to a standstill.

If that's all there is to it, Tu Chengyu isn't too worried.

After all, fighting with sticks and clubs is unlikely to kill anyone.

However, as Tu Chengyu sat on his horse, he saw a group of servants who had been waiting in the distance inside the manor gate. They were different from the servants in front of the gate; they were all carrying knives and spears.

It seems they intend to take drastic measures against the disaster victims.

Regardless of whether these people violated the laws of the imperial court by taking out so many knives in private.

Tu Chengyu, however, could not allow them to harm the disaster victims in the slightest.

With this in mind, Tu Chengyu took the lead and headed straight for the place where the conflict was most intense.

While riding the horse, he kept shouting:

"Stop!" The soldiers following behind Tu Chengyu shouted when they saw his appearance.

The loud shouts startled both sides in the fight.

When the disaster victims saw a group of fully armed soldiers rushing over, they assumed they were there to arrest them and quickly hid to both sides.

The servants guarding the gate stopped what they were doing and looked curiously at the approaching group.

Once both sides stepped back, the area in front of the manor was empty. Tu Chengyu rode his horse directly to the manor gate before stopping.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's attitude, the servants in the manor were unsure of his stance.

One of the leaders quickly probed:
"Sir, is there something you need?"

Tu Chengyu ignored him, and Quan Xu answered for Tu Chengyu.

"This is His Highness Prince Su. Quickly summon the person in charge of your garden to answer this question."

Upon hearing that the person in front of him was Prince Su, the head servant's expression immediately changed.

He first bowed and greeted them before speaking:
"I was unaware of Your Highness's arrival and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me, Your Highness. Please come and rest in the garden first. I will find the steward to report back immediately."

Quan Xu continued to reply on behalf of Tu Chengyu: "His Highness will not go in for the time being. You can have the steward come out and give an answer."

Upon hearing this, the servant dared not say anything more and quickly sent someone in to find the person.

The disaster victims, who were hiding in the distance, heard that the person who had arrived was none other than His Highness Prince Su.

They suddenly felt a sense of confidence.

Because they learned from elsewhere that Prince Su was the important person who supported their arrival.

So, gradually, the bolder disaster victims slowly approached.

Wang Gen, especially, who was anxious to find his son, followed Tu Chengyu and walked to a position just one step away from his bodyguard.

Not long after, hurried footsteps could be heard inside the manor, and then a chubby white man ran out of the gate.

"This humble servant, Bai Jian, greets Your Highness, Prince Su."

Upon seeing the person in charge arrive, Tu Chengyu finally spoke.

"Are you the one in charge of this manor?"

"Your Highness, I am the steward of this scenic garden."

Since he was the general manager, Tu Chengyu got straight to the point.

"I've heard that you're hiding children from disaster victims here, and I happen to be in charge of their safety, so you'd better hand these children over quickly."

The manor's steward had assumed that someone of Prince Su's status would be more tactful in his words and actions, but he hadn't expected him to be so direct.

Prosecutor Bai was caught off guard by the direct question and was momentarily at a loss for words.

He changed his tune and said, "Your Highness, this is a respectable family. Why would we hide children of disaster victims? Your Highness must have misheard."

Ignoring the sophistry, Tu Chengyu said directly:
"So, you're saying you're not planning to hand them over?"

"Oh, Your Highness," the prosecutor said with a wronged expression, "I really don't know about any children of disaster victims. Even if I wanted to hand them over, I had no one to hand them over."

No matter how he tries to justify himself, Tu Chengyu is always straightforward.

"If you don't hand over the person, I will take my men and go in to find them myself."

Hearing that Tu Chengyu was unyielding, Prosecutor Bai knew that explaining would be useless, so he quickly changed his approach.

He said, "Your Highness, there must be some hidden reason at this time. May I speak with you in private?"

Tu Chengyu came here to uncover the truth; there was no way he would give him the plans he was told in private.

"You don't need to waste your time. I have nothing to say to you. I'll give you a quarter of an hour. If you don't hand over the person after that, I won't be polite."

After Tu Chengyu finished speaking, Bai Jian's chubby face turned even paler, and he broke out in even more cold sweat. He quickly bid farewell to Tu Chengyu and ran back to the garden to discuss something with someone.

The surrounding disaster victims, upon hearing this, spontaneously cheered.

With the prince standing so firmly in their defense, how could they not cheer?

It was supposed to be a quarter of an hour, but less than a third of that time had passed before the prosecutor returned.

When he returned, he was followed by several other people.

The children who followed were not children of disaster victims, but two young men dressed in fine clothes.

Tu Chengyu even knew one of them.

He was none other than Liu Shigui, the cousin of the second son's uncle, who had almost killed Tu Chengyu that day.

Enemies meeting are bound to be furious. When Tu Chengyu saw him, he was reminded of the night of the rebellion and how disheveled he looked.

So he asked rather bluntly:
"Why are you here?"

When Liu Shigui met Tu Chengyu, he seemed somewhat insecure.

He replied, "I am a guest here."

From the news that came in the morning, Tu Chengyu naturally knew that Liu Shigui had a special relationship with the owner of this manor.

However, he was too lazy to expose him and simply said, "Since you're a guest, you should leave quickly so that you don't get into trouble later."

Hearing Tu Chengyu's seemingly concerned but actually threatening words...

Liu Shigui didn't move. He took two steps forward, walked up to Tu Chengyu, and tilted his head back to say:

"Your Highness, we're all on the same side. Why can't we discuss things together instead of making such a big fuss?"

Tu Chengyu didn't answer his question, but instead teased him:
"Since you're here as a guest, don't try to take over and make decisions for others."

Liu Shigui braced himself and said, "This humble servant has a very close relationship with the master of this place and can make some decisions."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu smiled amusedly and asked:

"Are you really capable of making that decision?"

"I can make the decision."

"Being able to make decisions means being able to take responsibility."

“Can…” At this point, Liu Shigui cautiously shut his mouth, then he realized that Tu Chengyu still didn’t want to discuss it.

So he said, "What responsibility? Everything here is perfectly clear, there's no responsibility to speak of."

Seeing that he was changing the subject, Tu Chengyu didn't beat around the bush and said:
"Since you don't want to take responsibility, then step aside and let the one who can take responsibility speak."

While speaking, Tu Chengyu turned his gaze to another young man in fine clothes. In his opinion, this man was most likely the second brother's other cousin, Kong Hezhen, the current owner of the manor.

Tu Chengyu didn't want to talk to Liu Shigui, but Liu Shigui didn't intend to avoid him.

He continued, "Your Highness, we are, after all, relatives of the emperor and the empress's family. Are you really going to show us no respect at all?"

Upon hearing him mention the Empress, Tu Chengyu immediately straightened his face and stared intently down at him.

Tu Chengyu only spoke when Liu Shigui's eyes began to dart away.

"You still dare to mention the Empress at a time like this? Are you trying to drag her down with you?"

(End of this chapter)