The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 261 Conflict Arises Between Brothers

Tu Chengyu was stunned when he heard Quan Xu say that they hadn't found the person.

Zhang Congming clearly said that he had sent the child here, so was Zhang Congming lying to me?

Or perhaps the child was indeed sent here, but was taken away by the people in the manor beforehand.

Another possibility is that there are hidden places on the estate that are difficult to find, where they hide the children.

In either case, it's not good news for Tu Chengyu.

So he asked to confirm, "You really haven't found anyone?"

"Your Highness, we have indeed not found it. We have searched every part of the garden, but have not found any trace of it."

"Think carefully, are there any places we haven't searched yet, such as shacks or dark rooms?"

"Your Highness, we have searched all these places."

Hearing him say that, Tu Chengyu stopped asking questions and kept thinking of solutions.

After thinking for a moment, he asked Quan Xu again:
"The disaster victims besieged the manor yesterday, didn't they?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"After the encirclement, did anyone escape from the manor?"

"No, as far as I know, since the siege began, there has only been entry and no exit."

Having confirmed these two points, Tu Chengyu had a better understanding of the situation.

In his opinion, it was unlikely that Zhang Cong was lying.

Firstly, Zhang Cong was just a commoner; where would he get the audacity to deceive a prince? Wouldn't that just cause trouble for his whole family?

Secondly, Tu Chengyu's intervention in the fight among the disaster victims was a spur-of-the-moment decision, which no one could have predicted in advance, and he even risked the lives of Zhang Cong's entire family to lure him in.

At the same time, Tu Chengyu did not believe that they had sent the children they brought here away.

The reason is the same as above: things developed too suddenly, and Tu Chengyu responded quickly, leaving them no time to do anything else.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu boldly concluded that the child was still in the manor, but had been hidden away.

However, this is just speculation, and he needs to find other evidence to corroborate it.

So he asked Quan Xu again, "When you were looking for people earlier, did you find any knives or other weapons in the manor?"

Tu Chengyu asked this question because when he was outside the gate, he saw the servants hiding inside the gate, holding a number of weapons.

Having so many weapons on display is not a good thing for the people in the manor.

Therefore, when the people in the manor knew that Tu Chengyu would definitely search the manor, and that they had a secret place to hide things, they would definitely hide these weapons as well.

That place was very likely where the children were hidden.

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's question, Quan Xu quickly answered.

"I have not found any weapons."

Upon hearing this answer, Tu Chengyu instantly felt relieved and said to Quan Xu:
“There must be a very hidden place in this manor where the child is hiding. Take your men and search carefully again. If you still can’t find him, I will allow you to interrogate the servants in the manor.”

Although Quan Xu didn't know how Tu Chengyu was sure the person was still in the manor, he obediently led his men to continue the search.

Once they are free, Tu Chengyu, Xiao Chengzi, and several guards will be at the pavilion.

At this moment, Tu Chengyu was no longer in the mood to appreciate the scenery. He stood under the pavilion, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.

Just as Tu Chengyu was lost in thought, Xiao Chengzi leaned over and whispered to him:

"Your Highness, this servant has discovered that there is one place that has not been searched."

There are still places that haven't been searched; those might be the places where the criminals slipped through the net.

So he quickly asked, "Where?"

Xiao Chengzi pointed to the pavilion and said, "Your Highness, there's still some area that hasn't been searched."

Tu Chengyu looked at the place he was talking about and was initially a little confused. The pavilion was simple and it was obvious at a glance that it was not a place for hiding people.

However, he then noticed the half of the artificial hill under the pavilion and suddenly understood.

"You mean the person is hiding under this hill?"

Xiao Chengzi nodded and said, "Your Highness, that's what I'm thinking. Look at this little hill, a significant part of it is made up of artificial rock. When it's renovated, it's very likely that a cavity will be left underneath."

Xiao Chengzi's words were exactly the same as Tu Chengyu's thoughts; it seems the two of them were thinking the same thing.

Moreover, Tu Chengyu felt that this idea was very reliable, because creating a space where people could hide in this place was indeed a very good design.

Firstly, the place here is big enough, and the space created is also spacious enough.

Secondly, the main part of this place, from the outside, is a small hill that was originally there. Most people would not think that there would be a space under this hill that could hide people.

However, at present, all of this is still speculation by Tu Chengyu and his partner, and it needs to be confirmed.

Then Tu Chengyu said to his guards:

"Don't just look around, search all around this hill and see if you can find a hollow."

Upon hearing this, the guards, along with Xiao Chengzi, began searching around the hill.

The part made of artificial mountains was given special attention.

Tu Chengyu did not go with them. He climbed the stone steps alone again, wanting to stand on the high ground and see if he could find a flaw.

Because he needed to find a flaw, Tu Chengyu was much more careful when he climbed the pavilion this time.

As he walked, he observed carefully, and when he reached the pavilion, he noticed some different details this time.

He felt that the floor of the gazebo was a bit hollow when he stepped on it.

Because the floor here is wooden, and I didn't expect there to be a space underneath when I first came up, I didn't pay attention to the creaking of the floor.

Now that I look closely, I can see the difference.

So he quickly shouted to the people below.

"A few people, come up here and check if there's anything wrong."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's order, Xiao Chengzi quickly ran up with two guards.

Tu Chengyu pointed to the floor and said, "I feel there's a void underneath. You guys dig it up and take a look."

Upon hearing this, the two guards were about to draw their swords to attack, but Xiao Chengzi stopped them.

"Don't do anything rash yet. Let's check if there are any traps or mechanisms first."

Xiao Chengzi may be young, but he's quite experienced in handling things.

Seeing his thoughtful and deliberate approach, Tu Chengyu let him take charge.

Xiao Chengzi looked around the pavilion, surveyed the surroundings, and finally pointed to the chess table in the center of the pavilion, saying to the two guards:
"You guys move it away."

This is a wooden table, which should be easily moved by the two guards.

But when the two of them lifted the table, it didn't budge.

This strange phenomenon piqued Tu Chengyu's curiosity, so he went over to see what was going on.

Xiao Chengzi even lay down on the ground and peered under the table to observe.

After watching for a while, he stood up and said to Tu Chengyu:

"Your Highness, there are several slots under this table that hold it in place, so it can't be lifted easily."

Upon hearing about this design, Tu Chengyu perked up.

There's a high chance something fishy is going on with the base of a wooden table. Tu Chengyu quickly asked, "Can the table's latches be opened?"

Xiao Chengzi smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't worry, we can lift it by just turning the table slightly."

"In that case, let's get started."

Upon hearing this, the two guards returned to the sides of the table and, following Xiao Chengzi's instructions, turned the table slightly to the right, then easily moved it aside.

Once the table was moved, a square object resembling a basement door appeared where the table base had been covering.

Upon seeing this door panel, Tu Chengyu was certain that this was the place he was looking for.

Now that the location had been found, Tu Chengyu was no longer in a hurry.

Who knows who might be hiding in this space below?

Tu Chengyu only had these few people around him, and he didn't want to take the risk.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu ordered the guards to guard the entrance to the cellar and instructed the people under the pavilion to bring Quan Xu over.

Quan Xu was probably searching nearby. Not long after Tu Chengyu sent people over, he arrived with a large group of his men.

When he arrived, Tu Chengyu told him what he had discovered.

Quan Xu was also pleasantly surprised when he heard this.

He said to Tu Chengyu, "Your Highness, we don't know who is hiding here or what dangers we may be facing. So please wait downstairs for now, and leave this to me."

Tu Chengyu knew this was not the time to show off, so he readily accepted the advice and obediently hid under the pavilion.

Knowing that Tu Chengyu was waiting for news, Quan Xu immediately took action after Tu Chengyu left.

He had someone open the hidden door on the pavilion floor, revealing the entrance to the underground cellar.

Then he sent a few brave soldiers to crawl directly into the cellar through the entrance.

A while later, Tu Chengyu saw Quan Xu jump into the cellar from afar.

Judging from this, it seems there have been some results.

Sure enough, not long after, Quan Xu emerged from inside again, excitedly ran down, and went to Tu Chengyu, saying:

"Your Highness, the person has been found."

Upon hearing this news, Tu Chengyu was naturally delighted, and he confirmed it:

"We've found him. Is he Wang Gen's son?"

"I have inquired, and one of them is Wang Gen's son."

"One of them?" Tu Chengyu was shocked. "There's more than one child locked up inside?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Quan Xu said angrily, "There are six children locked in the cellar, of varying ages, the youngest of whom should still be nursing."

Hearing this, Tu Chengyu's face contorted with anger.

At first, he thought that the purpose of stealing Wang Gen's son from the manor was to incite unrest among the disaster victims.

It now appears that they were not only instigating unrest among disaster victims, but also taking the opportunity to traffic children.

It seems the Kong family isn't doing anything clean.

Thinking of all this, Tu Chengyu wished he could go out and chop those two guys to pieces right now, but when he thought of the letter he had just sent to the Crown Prince and his second son that morning, he held back for the time being.

So he turned his attention back to the children.

"Have any problems with the six children?"

"Your Highness, I have examined the body. Apart from being a little frightened, there are no other problems."

"That's good. Now, have someone bring the child out."

Just as Quan Xu was arranging for someone to take care of the child, Quan Wenwei, who was outside, suddenly ran in.

"Your Highness, Prince Xing has arrived."

Upon hearing that his second brother had arrived, Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "Finally, the wait is over."

When he finished speaking in the morning, he wrote a letter to his second son, asking him to join him in staging a play.

However, he wasn't so confident about the current second son, and wasn't sure if he would come and act with him.

Hearing that he had finally arrived, Tu Chengyu felt a sense of relief.

Where is my second brother now?

Quan Wenwei replied, "They're right at the manor gate, talking to Young Master Liu and Young Master Kong."

Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and said, "Go out and call my second brother and those two guys in together, and have them come to see me."

Quan Wenwei was dumbfounded when he heard Tu Chengyu ask the second son to come in and see him.

The principle of respecting seniority must still be upheld; how could Your Highness be so presumptuous?

So Quan Wenwei advised, "Your Highness, it is Prince Xing who has arrived. You would be better off welcoming him."

Tu Chengyu laughed and said, "I'm very angry right now and I'm not in the mood to greet him."

He claimed to be angry, but his face was full of smiles. This scene puzzled Quan Wenwei greatly.

However, he also understood Tu Chengyu. When he tried to persuade him, Tu Chengyu still did the same thing, so he knew that Tu Chengyu was doing it on purpose.

So Quan Wenwei didn't say much and turned around to help Tu Chengyu greet the second son.

Tu Chengyu waited quietly under the pavilion until Quan Xu brought all the children out of the cellar and until Wang Gen and his son were finally reunited.

The second son then brought his two cousins ​​over.

As soon as he arrived, the second brother, with a dark expression, said to Tu Chengyu:

"Xiao Wu, what are you doing here?"

Tu Chengyu also said with a serious expression, "Second brother, I am here on a mission."

"What kind of mission is this, forcing your way into someone else's estate? Don't you have any respect for the laws of the court?"

Tu Chengyu seemed to be angry as well, and said loudly:

"I came here precisely because I uphold the laws and regulations of the imperial court."

The people around were dumbfounded to see the two princes start arguing like that.

Quan Wenwei quickly gave Tu Chengyu a meaningful look, signaling him not to be stubborn.

Although Liu Shigui and Kong Hezhen were very happy that Prince Xing had supported them, they also knew the importance of the matter.

They knew very well that the public argument between the two princes was far more serious than the abduction of a child.

If the emperor found out, the two princes would turn against each other because of them.

No matter what the reason, the two of them will be inseparable.

So the two of them kept trying to persuade him.

But the second brother's anger didn't subside at all. Instead, he unleashed an even greater rage on everyone.

"What are you all looking at? You want to see the prince's fun? All of you get out of here."

Whether they were disaster victims, guards who came with them, or servants in the garden.

When the two princes started arguing, they tried to get away, as their bodies couldn't withstand the aftershocks of their quarrel.

(End of this chapter)