The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 282 There's always a rat plotting in the shadows

Tu Chengyu thought that if someone wanted to assassinate the Crown Prince or the Emperor, it would be understandable, but assassinating him, the Prince of Su, was a bit incomprehensible.

Even if the assassination succeeds, it won't change anything and will only invite retaliation from three generations of the royal family.

If the assassination fails, not only will it be a wasted effort, but it will also invite royal retaliation.

Who could have come up with such a stupid idea?

Seeing that Tu Chengyu didn't believe it, Quan Wenwei had no choice but to explain, "Your Highness, I don't believe this either, but someone came to report it, so I have to believe it even if I don't want to."

"Oh? Someone brought a message. Who was it?" Tu Chengyu was also curious when he heard this.

Quan Wenwei explained, "It was a disaster victim who came quietly and told us. The students listened to what he said and felt that he didn't seem to be lying, so Your Highness should also take it seriously."

The disaster victims came to report the news, which piqued Tu Chengyu's interest even more: "Where is the person who brought the news?"

"The students were afraid of alerting him, so they let him go after he finished speaking."

"I see. So who did he say wanted to assassinate me?"

"He said that some disaster victims were the ones who took action, but it seems that other people got involved."

"The disaster victims are going to die, Your Majesty? He's not joking, is he?" Tu Chengyu said, puzzled. "Haven't I been good enough to the disaster victims? Don't they realize that throughout history, who else has thought of the disaster victims like me? And yet, some people still want to assassinate me?"

Tu Chengyu couldn't understand this. He thought that even if the disaster victims didn't appreciate his kindness, they wouldn't go so far as to assassinate him.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's face turn ugly, Quan Wenwei knew that Tu Chengyu had misunderstood and quickly said:

"Your Highness, things are not as you think. The vast majority of the disaster victims are grateful for what Your Highness has done. But have you ever thought about this? It is said that great disasters always bring great thieves. So where do these great thieves come from? Why don't we see any great thieves here?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu's mind raced, and he said, "Mr. Quan, do you mean that this great thief is hiding among these refugees, and that they are the ones who want to assassinate me?"

“That’s right!” Quan Wenwei explained, “Great thieves throughout history have risen up when chaos reigns and act when disaster strikes. They incite the disaster victims to act as their henchmen, sometimes colluding with others to wreak havoc in a region, and sometimes engaging in riots and looting, harming the common people. However, this time, Your Highness has arranged for the disaster victims in an orderly manner and has kept them under strict control, depriving these restless thieves of the opportunity to profit from chaos. As a result, they will inevitably harbor resentment towards Your Highness. Coupled with the instigation of those with ulterior motives, they have developed the idea of ​​assassinating Your Highness.”

Tu Chengyu can understand that there are people who take advantage of disasters to cause trouble.

This phenomenon has existed throughout history, and even in modern society, there are still some scoundrels who profit from national crises.

But what Tu Chengyu couldn't understand was, if he couldn't profit from the national crisis, why did he have to kill people? And what's more, the person he killed was a prince of the current dynasty.

Are they so confident that they can assassinate a prince right under the emperor's nose and escape unscathed?

Tu Chengyu shared his doubts with Quan Wenwei, who listened and then smiled wryly, saying:
"Your Highness, you think too highly of them. Do you think these great thieves are all like the powerful and ruthless emperors Gaozu and Taizu? In fact, most of them are just simple-minded, brave and violent scoundrels. They don't think things through when they do things. If someone just provokes them a little, they might risk their lives to do it."

After hearing Quan Wenwei's explanation, Tu Chengyu immediately understood.

Indeed, I had overestimated people and complicated things.

In recent years, he has frequently dealt with emperors and ministers, who are all exceptional individuals, so he unconsciously began to think that others were also somewhat intelligent.

In reality, only a minority of people are exceptional; ordinary people are the majority in the world.

Therefore, those big thieves among the disaster victims who are always thinking about causing trouble are very likely not smart people, but just some desperate criminals who rely on violence to commit crimes.

Thinking about this, Tu Chengyu finally accepted the fact that some disaster victims wanted to assassinate him in the capital.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Since this was a conspiracy, how did this disaster victim know about it?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "This person was originally one of these people, one of those who wanted to make a fortune during the chaos. However, he's rather timid. He's fine with bullying the disaster victims, but when he heard about the assassination attempt on Your Highness, he became frightened and secretly came to inform you."

Tu Chengyu thought that his actions had moved the man, but it turned out he was just a coward.

If this person were bold, they might actually have managed to keep this news from them.

Tu Chengyu didn't know whether this was his good fortune or misfortune.

"Mr. Quan, have you asked them when they plan to make their move against me?"

Quan Wenwei shook his head and said, "These people have only just started plotting, and they haven't decided how to do it yet."

They were betrayed by their accomplices right after they started plotting; I really don't know how they did it.

Since a plan has not yet been finalized, Tu Chengyu is safe for the time being.

Although Tu Chengyu wasn't afraid of these people plotting assassination, it would still be better if these things didn't happen.

He asked Quan Wenwei, "In that case, what should we do? Arrest them immediately and interrogate the person who instigated this?"

After a moment's thought, Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness's idea is not without merit, but I worry that since they've only just begun their plan, the mastermind behind it all might not reveal themselves easily. Even if they capture these disaster victims who are causing trouble, they probably won't be able to extract the true mastermind's information."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu said, "Mr. Quan, do you mean to cast a long line to catch a big fish, and lure out the person behind the scenes?"

Quan Wenwei nodded; "That's exactly what I think, but that would put Your Highness in some danger. So, Your Highness needs to consider this carefully before making a decision."

Quan Wenwei's words provided Tu Chengyu with two solutions.

One is quick and effective, with no side effects, but the corresponding results won't be very significant.

The other timeframe carries some risk, but the rewards might be greater.

Tu Chengyu's first reaction was, of course, to choose the second option.

However, he was not a reckless person; he knew it was better to think things through before making a decision.

So he didn't speak, but lowered his head and began to think slowly.

After thinking for a long while, he suddenly looked up and asked:

"Mr. Quan, do you think this person who came to deliver the message is reliable? What if he is deliberately trying to distract us?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "Your Highness, that's possible, which is why I had people watching him when I let him go. However, I think it's unlikely, since they can't predict how Your Highness will react. So I still believe what this person said is true." Hearing this, Tu Chengyu understood and said to Quan Wenwei:
"Since that's the case, then I'll play the long game and see what they're really up to."

Quan Wenwei could probably guess what Tu Chengyu would ultimately choose.

So as soon as Tu Chengyu finished speaking, he immediately said:

"Since Your Highness intends to do this, then I will make the arrangements accordingly. Furthermore, Your Highness should arrange for several more guards, as Your Highness's safety is of paramount importance."

"Won't suddenly assigning more guards arouse their suspicion?" Tu Chengyu asked worriedly.

Quan Wenwei said, "The prince can simply have his guards keep watch in secret. In my estimation, even if he wanted to assassinate the prince, he wouldn't choose a place in the capital. He would most likely do it when the prince is inspecting the disaster victims. Therefore, the guards the prince has arranged can simply hide among the disaster victims."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu knew what to do.

However, Tu Chengyu did not make any rash moves on the surface and continued to act as usual.

It wasn't until he returned to Prince An's residence that evening that he secretly sent someone to the palace to report the whole story to the emperor.

That very night, in a secluded room, several people hiding in the shadows were discussing the same matter.

"Liu'er, is the search complete?" A hoarse voice rang out from the shadows. It was clear that the voice was being deliberately suppressed, as if the person did not want anyone to hear their true voice.

The one called Liu'er didn't change his voice and said normally:
"Old steward, the people have all been found. I disguised myself and personally met with them, and as you instructed, I conveyed your message."

"What was their reaction?" the old butler asked impatiently.

"At first they were a little scared, but after I gave them a few pointers as the old steward had instructed, they weren't afraid anymore, and they were all clamoring to be that person."

"That's good," the old steward breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Liu'er's words, and then said, "You've seen them today, let's see if they can accomplish this."

Hearing this, Liu'er remained silent for a long while, then said:
"Old steward, will you tell the truth or a lie?"

"You little rascal, of course I want to hear the truth."

"To be honest, I'll tell you, old steward, they basically can't do this." Liu'er said bluntly, "Old steward, don't you think about it? Prince Su went through such a huge quagmire in Jiangnan and came back unscathed. After returning, he took over the mess of the disaster victims and is doing a pretty good job. Do you really think that you can just find two random people to do anything to him?"

These words were so honest that the old butler didn't know how to respond.

After a long while, he spoke again.

"Is there not even the slightest chance?"

"It's unlikely," Liu'er said bluntly. "Unless Prince Su has a moment of impulsiveness and only brings two or three guards, running into these people, they won't fare well."

These words seemed to shatter the old butler's illusions, and he remained silent for a long time.

Then, as if remembering something else, he asked again:

"Since these few won't work, why don't you look for others that can do it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu'er couldn't help but sigh:

“My old steward, this is a disaster relief camp, not some dangerous place like the Nine Borders. Do you think you can just find any two people to do something that will cost you your head? These few are the ones I carefully selected. Most people would be scared half to death just hearing this. Don’t expect to find such a formidable desperado in the disaster relief camp. If all else fails, you might as well find people elsewhere and have them disguise themselves as disaster victims to infiltrate the camp. That way, they might be able to get away with it.”

Hearing this, the old butler sighed and said:
"That's settled then. Have them prepare. I'll let you know when everything's arranged."

Liu'er, being tactful, knew this was a gesture to see the guest off and said something.

"I'm glad you understand. I'll be going now."

Not long after Liu'er left, a hidden door opened in the dark room, and two other people walked out.

Because it was dark inside the room, the faces of the two people could not be seen clearly; they could only be seen that one was tall and the other short.

The two men came out and sat down in the dark on chairs against the wall. The taller one asked:

"Old Chen, is this Liu'er reliable?"

Old Chen, who was also the old butler from before, regained his normal voice and said:

“What’s the point of him being reliable or unreliable? We’ll pay him to do things, and we don’t care about anything else.”

"If he's unreliable, why would you dare use him?"

"What can we do without him? Are you going to let me contact the disaster victims? I might have the guts, but would you trust me to show my face?" Old Chen replied irritably, then added, "Don't worry, although he's a playboy, he's also a smart man. He won't go around talking about something that could cost him his life."

"What a clever man!" the short man, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "A clever man like him would dare to wade into these muddy waters and take on such a head-risking job?"

Judging from his voice, he was not very old, but he spoke with an air of arrogance.

Facing this person, Old Chen no longer displayed the same assertiveness he had shown when confronting the tall man, and explained rather gently:
"He's the kind of person who lives by his own mouth. As long as there's money, they'll take on anything. Besides, he knows this deal won't cause much of a stir, which is why he's so willing to help us with the arrangements."

It turns out that Old Chen knew the disaster victims wouldn't cause much of a commotion, so why did he spend money to have Liu Er arrange things?

Then the tall man asked again, "What did Liu Er mean by what he said before he left? Did he discover our backup plan?"

Old Chen thought for a moment and said, "It's not that I've discovered anything, but this kid probably guessed something and is deliberately testing me with those words. However, our backup plan needs to be more discreet; we can't let this kid figure it out."

"How could he possibly see through such detailed arrangements?" the arrogant short man spoke again.

"Don't underestimate him. This guy makes a living on the edge, and he still manages to live so well. How could he not have some tricks up his sleeve? We should be careful, after all, this matter is too serious, and no one can take responsibility if something goes wrong."

"So what if he sees through it? Does he dare to report it?"

"He may not report it, but he can ruin things."

(End of this chapter)