The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 283 Qin Keqing's Wedding is Approaching

Although he knew that someone was plotting against him, Tu Chengyu's travels continued as usual and were not affected.

He had just finished his work that day and was looking for a place to go home early when he saw Quan Xu grinning from ear to ear, looking very happy as he came to see him.

"Quan Xu, did you find money on the street?" Tu Chengyu asked jokingly.

Quan Xu chuckled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. In this place, several people would fight over a single coin. How could I possibly have a chance? I've come to deliver an invitation to you."

"What invitation?" Tu Chengyu asked, reaching out to take Quan Xu's invitation. When he saw the bright red "double happiness" character on the invitation, he immediately understood.

Are you getting married?

"Yes, Your Highness." Quan Xu said with a smile, "The event will be held over three days. Originally, I wanted to send Your Highness an invitation earlier, but Your Highness has been too busy lately, so I didn't bother you."

Tu Chengyu knew about Quan Xu's wedding, and he had even promised to attend.

He'd been so busy lately that he'd forgotten which day it was.

Now that I hear it, I realize there are only three days left.

Quan Xu handed out the invitation and looked at Tu Chengyu expectantly. At first, Tu Chengyu didn't react, but then he immediately understood what he meant.

So he quickly replied, "Don't worry, I will definitely be there."

Upon hearing this, Quan Xu was overjoyed and repeatedly said:
"This humble servant thanks Your Highness."

"Alright, let's not stand on ceremony." Tu Chengyu waved his hand and said, "Since you're getting married the day after tomorrow, how about I give you a few days off, and you can come back to work after a while?"

If Tu Chengyu hadn't had many capable people under his command at the beginning, he might have stopped Quan Xu.

But now that a group of students from the Imperial Academy have arrived, and many things are back on track, Tu Chengyu can give Quan Xu a holiday.

Upon hearing this, Quan Xu quickly replied:
“Your Highness, I do not need to take a leave of absence for the time being. My family is handling the wedding arrangements, and I cannot help them even if I go back.”

Tu Chengyu didn't insist on saying it that way, and simply said:

"Just keep it in mind and don't neglect the bride. If you need any help, just tell me."

"This humble servant understands, and thanks Your Highness for your concern."

Quan Xu sent out sample invitations, then went back to do his own thing.

After he left, Tu Chengyu felt that something was vaguely in his mind, but he couldn't quite recall it.

This made him feel a little uncomfortable, until he looked down at the invitation in his hand and suddenly remembered what it was about.

At that time, the retired emperor ordered him to go to the Qin family to inquire about Qin Keqing's marriage.

He was too busy and completely forgot. If Quan Xu hadn't come to deliver the wedding invitations today, he probably would have forgotten about it entirely.

Fortunately, he didn't go back to the palace to see the retired emperor these past few days, otherwise it would have been troublesome if he were asked about it.

Now that he remembered this matter, Tu Chengyu felt that he couldn't put it off any longer, otherwise he would forget about it again, which would be really troublesome.

Since I had some free time today, I decided to take care of it.

Having made up his mind, Tu Chengyu didn't delay any longer and immediately led his men to the Qin family.

The Qin family lived in the inner city, and it took Tu Chengyu quite a while to arrive.

When he arrived, the Qin family home was quite lively. A large group of people were going in and out, carrying things in boxes and crates.

Since Lao Yao was an old neighbor, Tu Chengyu asked him to go and inquire about it.

Before long, Old Yao had found out the details and returned to report:

"Your Highness, this is a gift from the Qin family's son-in-law to his father-in-law."

"A gift?" Tu Chengyu was somewhat incredulous. So many things, just for a gift? This son-in-law of the Qin family is too rich.

Seeing that Tu Chengyu didn't believe him, Lao Yao walked up to him and said:
"Your Highness, these things are actually part of the dowry prepared by the Qin family's son-in-law. As you know, the Qin family isn't very wealthy. But the Qin family's son-in-law's family is a wealthy household in Jiangnan. He was worried that the Qin family's daughter wouldn't have a decent dowry when she got married, so he helped prepare some."

This is no small amount; it's more extravagant than many officials in the capital marrying off their daughters. It seems that the Qin family's son-in-law values ​​this marriage quite a bit.

Although the other party seemed quite busy, Tu Chengyu didn't have the extra time to make another trip, so he asked Lao Yao to go and inform Qin Ye.

Not long after Old Yao arrived, a group of people poured out of the Qin family's gate. Then, the servants who were carrying things seemed to have been notified and all hid elsewhere, clearing the gate and the courtyard.

After the group came out, they headed straight for Tu Chengyu. Leading the way was Qin Ye, whom Tu Chengyu had met before. On his left was his son, Qin Zhong, while on his right was a young man whom Tu Chengyu had never seen before.

The three men, accompanied by a group of servants, bowed and greeted Tu Chengyu upon arrival.

"Your humble servant Qin Ye, along with his son Qin Zhong, pays his respects to Your Highness."

"Your humble servant Wu Shangbin greets Your Highness."

After paying his respects to Qin Ye, he led Tu Chengyu home. On the way in, Tu Chengyu kept thinking about Wu Shangbin, feeling that he had heard the name before.

After thinking for a long time, Tu Chengyu finally remembered when he entered the Qin family's living room.

On that day, he was entrusted by the retired emperor to go among the scholars to choose a son-in-law for Qin Keqing.

When he went to the garden to chat with other scholars that day, he overheard the name Wu Shangbin.

At that time, this person was as famous as Hu Guangjin, and was also a rare young talent.

Later, Tu Chengyu returned to the palace and told the retired emperor about the information he had gathered, and then paid no further attention to the matter.

However, judging from Wu Shangbin's appearance at the Qin family today, the retired emperor has probably chosen this person.

Tu Chengyu came today to inquire about Qin Keqing's wedding date and to check on the progress of her wedding preparations.

So when Tu Chengyu met this son-in-law of the Qin family, he felt it would be good to ask him about it.

After everyone entered the house and sat down, Tu Chengyu asked Qin Ye first.

"Is this your son-in-law?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ye replied, "He is indeed my daughter's husband."

Now that it's been determined, Tu Chengyu's next step is to directly address the issue.

"Where is this young master Wu from?"

"Your Highness, I am a native of Lingnan, Guangdong."

Upon hearing the address, it matched the one Tu Chengyu remembered.

He then asked, "What kind of business do you run at home?"

"Your Highness, my family has been in business for generations, and my father was the first to start studying."

So he was a businessman; no wonder he's so extravagant.

His identity is quite suitable for Qin Keqing.

His family were merchants, and although he had passed the imperial examination, he was at a disadvantage compared to others from the start.

On the Qin family's side, although they were a small and humble household, Qin Ye was a high-ranking official in the capital, which gave them a higher status than others.

In this case, the marriage of a Qin family girl to a Wu family member would be a blessing for the Wu family.

Most importantly, Qin Keqing has a hidden identity, which is probably what the Wu family values ​​most.

This identity proved to be of immense help to Wu Shangbin's future career.

Thinking about all this, Tu Chengyu continued to ask:

"Which government office are you currently serving in?" "Your Highness, after passing the imperial examination, I went to the Hanlin Academy to observe government affairs. According to the court's past regulations, one can only be assigned an official position after observing government affairs."

Those who could attend the Hanlin Academy to observe politics were all among the top scholars of their class.

They are generally key talents cultivated by the imperial court, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will be given important positions in the future.

Judging from this, he should have achieved good results in this imperial examination.

At the time, it was said that this person was as famous as Hu Guangjin, a talented scholar from Jiangnan. Hu Guangjin was regarded by them as the only candidate for the top scholar. However, later, because of Tu Chengyu, that guy withdrew from the exam and did not take the top scholar position.

So what ranking did Wu Shangbin, who was equally famous as him, ultimately achieve?

Thinking about it this way, Tu Chengyu suddenly became interested and asked:

"What ranking did you achieve in this year's imperial examination?"

Wu Shangbin knew Qin Keqing's hidden identity, so he probably also knew why Tu Chengyu had come to the Qin family.

But what he didn't expect was that this prince, at such a young age, was so fond of asking questions.

He seems to want to know everything about me.

Wu Shangbin was reluctant to answer, but since he was being asked if he was a prince, he had no choice but to continue.

"Your Highness, I have been favored by His Majesty and appointed as the third-ranked scholar in this imperial examination."

It's amazing that it achieved such a high ranking.

I just don't know if his ranking is due to genuine talent or if the Emperor Emeritus manipulated things behind the scenes to choose a son-in-law for his granddaughter.

Tu Chengyu couldn't say anything carelessly about this issue, so he let it go.

He then chatted with Wu Shangbin for a while, finding out all of Wu Shangbin's basic information before letting him leave.

As Wu Shangbin emerged from the Qin family's living room, he couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.

He was so overwhelmed by Tu Chengyu's barrage of questions that he was almost drenched in sweat.

Wu Shangbin thought that Tu Chengyu came to the Qin family to visit Qin Keqing, but he did not expect that he came for him.

Outside, Wu Shangbin was still shaken, but inside, Tu Chengyu was quite satisfied. The more clearly he questioned Wu Shangbin, the more he would have to say when he met the Emperor Emeritus.

After Wu Shangbin left, Tu Chengyu turned his attention to Qin Ye.

"Lord Qin, has the wedding date been set yet?"

From the moment he heard that Prince Su had come to his home, Qin Ye was already preparing to answer questions related to Qin Keqing.

So when Tu Chengyu asked, he immediately answered:

"Your Highness, my daughter's wedding is set for early October."

The date is neither too far nor too near. Tu Chengyu will probably be free by then, and he might even be sent by the Emperor Emeritus to come and take a look.

Then Tu Chengyu asked, "The date isn't far off, how are the wedding preparations going?"

"Your Highness, preparations have been underway since the engagement, and they are almost complete now."

"Just be prepared," Tu Chengyu nodded and said, "If anything is missing, just send someone to deliver a message to me, and I will help you find a solution."

"We lack nothing," Qin Ye quickly waved his hand. "The palace has already bestowed quite a few things upon us, making my daughter's dowry much more presentable. We really lack nothing now."

Tu Chengyu was only asking on behalf of the Emperor Emeritus. Since the palace had already bestowed gifts and the Emperor said he lacked nothing, Tu Chengyu did not ask the question again.

Next, Tu Chengyu asked about other things, and Qin Ye answered them one by one.

Finally, when Tu Chengyu had understood everything and was about to leave, Qin Ye had something to say.

He said to Tu Chengyu, "Your Highness, I have something I would like to ask you. Is that alright?"

Tu Chengyu naturally wouldn't refuse, and said, "What is it? Tell me."

Qin Ye said, "Your Highness, I have come here to deliver betrothal gifts. In addition to sending some to my family, I also intend to send some to the palace. I am unsure whether this is in accordance with the law, which is why I would like to ask Your Highness for advice."

Wu Shangbin was quite clever. He knew that the Qin family girl was also a Tu family girl, and he was well aware that his future depended on the palace.

Therefore, two sets of betrothal gifts were prepared.

Logically speaking, it would be reasonable for the royal family, as the bride's family, to receive a dowry.

However, the matter of Qin Keqing was not something he could discuss openly.

Everyone knows it, but no one can say it openly.

Therefore, it was not easy for the royal family to obtain this betrothal gift.

However, Tu Chengyu wasn't sure what the Emperor Emeritus was thinking, so after thinking for a moment, he said to Qin Ye:

"I cannot make a decision on this matter. I will give you an answer after I go to the palace to find out the truth."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ye quickly replied, "This humble official thanks Your Highness for your trouble."

After he finished speaking, he continued:

"Your Highness, I have another matter I would like to ask for your help with."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu unconsciously frowned and said in a deep voice:
"What's the matter?"

"It is like this, my daughter heard that the Empress Dowager in the palace likes to worship Buddha, so she personally copied a copy of the Diamond Sutra and wanted to present it to the Empress Dowager. She also has a painting of a hundred longevity characters that she wanted to present to the Emperor Emeritus. I am of low rank and cannot deliver them to the palace, so I would like to ask Your Highness to help deliver them to the palace and present them to the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager."

Qin Keqing's actions can be considered a form of filial piety.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu thought for a moment and then said:
"I can help you send these two items in, but as for whether the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager will accept them, I can't help you with that."

"I would be eternally grateful if Your Highness could send it in."

"Alright, bring your things over."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ye turned and ran out. A short while later, he returned carrying a long, narrow package.

"Your Highness, these are the Hundred Longevity Painting and the Diamond Sutra."

Tu Chengyu waved his hand, signaling Lao Yao behind him to take the things.

Having said that, there was nothing more to say.

Tu Chengyu then bid farewell to the Jia family and returned to the Prince An's residence.

As for the things Qin Ye asked him to bring, they were naturally taken to the Prince An's residence by Tu Chengyu.

If there was still time, Tu Chengyu could naturally go to the palace immediately to present the items.

But by this time, it was not long before the palace gates were locked.

If Tu Chengyu were to enter the palace now, he would definitely have to stay there overnight.

Although his courtyard was still in the palace, all the eunuchs and maids around him had been taken to Prince An's residence.

Therefore, if he wanted to stay in the palace overnight, he would have to ask the Empress for arrangements.

All this back and forth is already troublesome enough.

So he decided to return to Prince An's residence first and then go to the palace early the next morning.

(End of this chapter)