The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 294 There is a traitor among the imperial servants

Although Nan Yiping had been observing, Tu Chengyu had long ago hidden Wan He and the others among the previous prisoners, so from the outside, it was impossible to find any trace of Wan He and the others.

When the group reached a flat area, Tu Chengyu's group was temporarily unable to leave because the men brought by Nan Yiping were guarding the main road.

So Tu Chengyu led the group behind Nan Yiping and the others, and they stopped for a while.

At this moment, Nan Yiping finally saw that there was a large number of prisoners in Tu Chengyu's group.

So he approached Tu Chengyu again and asked:

"Your Highness, why are there so many prisoners here?"

Tu Chengyu casually pointed to another intersection and said:
"I fought a battle with the rebels over there and captured some of their soldiers, which I plan to bring over to General Cheng."

Upon hearing that it had been captured from elsewhere, Nan Yiping smiled and said:
"Your Highness is truly remarkable. We've been guarding this place for half a day and haven't encountered a single rebel soldier, yet Your Highness has already captured so many prisoners."

Hearing his flattery, Tu Chengyu only gave a few perfunctory replies.

Then asked:

Do you know where General Cheng and the others are?

Upon hearing this, Nan Yiping shook his head and said:
"Since General Cheng assigned us our tasks, he has been leading his men to surround and suppress the rebels, so I do not know where General Cheng is now."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu didn't press for details, but simply said:

"It seems I will have to wait here for another half a day."

"Your Highness, please wait. I will certainly protect your safety."

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

The two briefly discussed the matter, and then Nan Yiping turned back to continue guarding his position.

Tu Chengyu told everyone to sit and rest, and see if they could wait for General Cheng or his uncle to arrive.

While waiting, Nan Yiping repeatedly moved closer to Tu Chengyu, constantly trying to find topics to talk about with him.

At first, Tu Chengyu thought that he had met him, the Prince of Su, and wanted to curry favor with him.

But after he came more often, Tu Chengyu noticed that every time this person came over to talk, he would intentionally or unintentionally glance at Tu Chengyu's group of people.

Seeing his appearance, Tu Chengyu immediately became wary.

While casually responding to Nan Yiping, he also gave Lao Yao and the others meaningful glances to alert them.

Old Yao truly lived up to his reputation as the person who had followed Tu Chengyu the longest; he understood everything from just one look at Tu Chengyu's expression.

Then he quietly got up and conveyed Tu Chengyu's message.

After Tu Chengyu became alert and cunning, it was unclear whether it was due to psychological factors or other reasons.

He always sensed a tense atmosphere between the two sides.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu became even more vigilant and instructed Lao Yao, Gan Ze, and others to be ready to take action at any time.

Just as Tu Chengyu felt the atmosphere was getting incredibly tense, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, breaking the tension.

Upon hearing the sound, Tu Chengyu quickly got up and looked over.

From afar, he spotted his uncle riding on horseback, followed by a large contingent of cavalry.

Tu Chengyu was no longer nervous.

My uncle and his men came this way.

After he arrived, he stood not far from the soldier where Nan Yiping had fallen, mounted his horse, and went to ask Nan Yiping questions.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu first shouted something.

"Big Uncle"

Upon hearing this, Chen Chongli, the eldest uncle, turned to look. His eyes were filled with confusion when he saw Tu Chengyu that day. He didn't dismount, but instead shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Brother Yu, what are you doing here?"

This would be a long explanation, so Tu Chengyu simply stated:

"Uncle, I captured some prisoners from the other side and want to give them to you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chongli's face turned dark, and he quickly said:
"How dare you do something so dangerous? His Majesty sent you to the imperial palace, so you went. Why did you have to come here and cause trouble?"

Although the eldest uncle was talking about Tu Chengyu, his eyes were constantly scanning Tu Chengyu's body up and down, as if checking if Tu Chengyu was injured.

After observing for a while and finding that Tu Chengyu was unharmed, he was relieved.

Then he said to Nan Yiping:
"Have your men make way for Prince Su to come over."

The eldest uncle probably knew Tu Chengyu's personality, so he didn't persuade him to return to the palace, but instead told him to come and find him.

As one of the two main generals who quelled the rebellion, Chen Chongli should have jurisdiction over all the troops that came out today.

Therefore, Nan Yiping should carry out his orders immediately.

Unexpectedly, Nan Yiping refused outright.

He said, “General Chen, I am under His Majesty’s orders to guard this intersection. I dare not easily break the formation. I hope General Chen will forgive me.”

Chen Chongli did not expect that his order would be refused.

So he said with a dark face:
"Nan Yiping, this is a military order, not something I'm going to negotiate with you."

Upon hearing this, Nan Yiping's face darkened even more than Chen Chongli's.

Military orders are absolute, and he dared not disobey. So he waved his hand, ordering his men to stand up and clear a path for Tu Chengyu.

His actions threw his troops into disarray, disrupting part of their formation and reducing their previous defensive capabilities.

Throughout the process, Tu Chengyu kept observing Nan Yiping. He noticed that Nan Yiping became particularly nervous after his uncle arrived.

Moreover, after hearing his uncle's order, he hesitated.

It seems there's something on my mind that I can't seem to decide on.

Later, under his uncle's coercion, although he obeyed the order, he was very cautious in giving Tu Chengyu a position.

He only directed a portion of his troops to move, while the rest remained quietly guarding their positions.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu's suspicions about this person deepened even further.

At this moment, Tu Chengyu truly suspected that Nan Yiping was the one who let Wan He and the others go.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have reacted this way after seeing himself.

With this suspicion lingering in his mind, Tu Chengyu was caught in a dilemma.

He was thinking, what if this person is the mole, and he hasn't exposed his identity yet? What if he runs away later?

On the other hand, he was also thinking that if he made a mistake, he would not only wrong an officer, but it could also cause a mutiny.

Tu Chengyu was at a loss for what to do, and then he subconsciously looked up at everyone.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the cavalry brought by his uncle seemed to be converging towards the center, and some had already spread out, stopping at a distance where their horses could charge.

Seeing this, Tu Chengyu seemed to understand something.

He quickly instructed the people behind him to be on alert.

After giving his instructions, he turned his gaze to Nan Yiping.

(End of this chapter)