The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 36 Love in the Sky and Sea: Qin Keqing

Ever since the five brothers were punished by their father to kneel, Tu Chengyu has obediently stayed in the palace, continuing to be a royal homebody.

And this stay lasted for more than a month. By early February, Tu Chengyu had gotten used to this leisurely life, but his father summoned him to the emperor's presence once again.

With numerous affairs in the court recently, Tu Chengyu's father has been extremely busy, and he hasn't had a proper conversation with him in a long time.

Now that his father has specially sent someone to summon him, although there might be something he needs to do, he is still very happy.

Tu Chengyu didn't delay. He had his maid Xing'er help him change his clothes, and then went to the Imperial Study with the eunuch who had come to deliver the message.

When Tu Chengyu arrived, his father was talking to the Crown Prince. Tu Chengyu noticed that every time his father wanted to talk to him, he would call the Crown Prince over.

Tu Chengyu entered the imperial study and paid his respects to his father.

The emperor beckoned him closer and said, "Little Wu, do you still remember the general of the rebel army who took you hostage on the night of the turmoil and then committed suicide?"

Tu Chengyu nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I naturally remember him, and I also remember that he said his name was Qin Er."

Upon seeing Tu Chengyu, the Emperor said, "Do you still remember that you promised those rebels that you would take care of their families? I have already sent people to make arrangements for the families of the others. Only Qin Er's family has not been found yet."

Tu Chengyu said, "Does this Qin Er have no relatives or family members still alive?"

The emperor shook his head and said, "He has an older brother, who was recently found by the people I sent. However, his brother is a minor official in the capital, and it is inconvenient for me to send someone to look after him. So I thought I'd let you go secretly to check on him, and if he needs any help, I'll send someone to make arrangements."

Tu Chengyu was quite surprised to hear this. He had indeed promised to help take care of the families of those rebels. Of course, he couldn't go back on his word, but it didn't require the ruler of a country to abandon state affairs to specifically inquire about it.

Something unusual must be going on. Tu Chengyu felt that, given his father's behavior since ascending the throne, he would never have personally arranged for him, a prince, to leave the palace just to catch a glimpse of a rebel's family.

I suspect my father is plotting something again, so he sent his troublemaking son out to lead the charge.

However, Tu Chengyu quite liked this arrangement. He caused trouble, and his father cleaned up his mess, while he could also scheme against others. Why not?

So Tu Chengyu said, "I accept the order, but I don't know when to do it."

The emperor said, "There's no time to lose, let's go today. Go back and change your clothes first, and someone will take you out of the palace shortly. But remember, come back immediately after you've finished looking around, and don't linger outside the palace."

After listening, Tu Chengyu asked, "Father, is there anything I should pay special attention to after I go?"

The emperor said, "It will suffice to understand his family's current situation."

At this point, Tu Chengyu knew what to do. He quickly returned to his courtyard and had Xiao Xing'er find the clothes he used to wear. After changing, an unfamiliar old eunuch arrived and led him out secretly through a small gate in the palace.

As soon as Tu Chengyu stepped out of the small door, he saw seven or eight strong men, all dressed in ordinary people's clothes, standing in a circle outside the door waiting.

Tu Chengyu took a closer look and realized that these people looked familiar. They were the eight guards who had been sent to protect him when he went to the Jia family mansion to deliver an imperial decree last time. He hadn't expected that they would be the same people sent by the emperor again this time.

The guards seemed pleased to see Tu Chengyu and came over to greet him one by one. Tu Chengyu exchanged a few words with them, and after becoming somewhat familiar with each other, he took a slip of paper from his sleeve and handed it to the nearest guard, saying:

"Does any of you know this place?"

This note was given to Tu Tu Chengyu by the emperor, and it contained the address of Qin Er's brother's home.

Several guards passed the slip of paper back and forth. One of them said, "Reporting to Fifth Master, I know this place. In fact, I even know their family."

Tu Chengyu said in surprise, "What a coincidence! How do you know this family?"

The guard said, "My family and theirs live in the same neighborhood, so we naturally know each other."

Since someone knew about this family, Tu Chengyu wasn't in a hurry to go and check on them. He had his guards find the nearest restaurant and planned to eat and chat with them.

Tu Chengyu hadn't eaten out in a long time. Since he had the chance today, he ordered one of every single one of the restaurant's signature dishes.

While waiting for the restaurant to prepare the food, Tu Chengyu said to the guard, "Tell me about that family."

Upon hearing this, the guard said, "This family's surname is Qin, and the head of the family is named Qin Ye, who is a construction worker in the Ministry of Works. There are only three people in their family: Qin Ye and his two children."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Doesn't this Qin Ye have a wife?"

The guard replied, "His wife died many years ago. Qin Ye is an old man, and his son and daughter are all grown up, so he has not remarried."

He denied it again and asked, "Have you heard? Does this Qin Ye have any other brothers or nephews?"

Tu Chengyu asked this question to confirm whether this family was indeed Qin Er's brother's family.

The guard shook his head and said, "I was born and raised here, and I've never heard of Qin Ye having any brothers." Tu Chengyu was genuinely surprised now. If Qin Ye had no siblings, then why would his father say that this family was Qin Er's older brother's family?

It couldn't be that Dad made a mistake. But considering Dad's caution and the fact that the people investigating this matter are all experts, the possibility of him admitting a mistake is unlikely.

It seems I need to find out more about this," Tu Chengyu said, "Tell me more about Qin Ye's children."

The guard replied, "His son is nothing special. He's a grown man but looks like a woman, and he's always acting like a sissy. But Qin Ye's daughter is something else entirely."

At this point, the guard became somewhat shy. He chuckled and said, "His daughter is truly beautiful, even more beautiful than the top courtesan in a brothel."

The guard was about to continue describing the Qin family's daughter's beauty when he was interrupted by an older guard who said, "Old Yao, you can't mention such a filthy place in front of Fifth Master."

Tu Chengyu waved his hand and said, "It's fine to just say whatever comes to mind."

Old Yao, the guard, was a man who knew his place. He had only blurted out the words "brothel" in a moment of slip-up.

Now that he realized it, even if Tu Chengyu didn't mind, he wouldn't dare to say anything carelessly: "Beautiful women attract a lot of trouble. Ever since this Qin family's daughter came of age, matchmakers have been coming one after another. But Qin Ye, that old man, has rejected them all. However, I heard that the Jia family has recently come to the Qin family to propose marriage. Given the Jia family's status, I guess old Qin Ye won't refuse again."

After Old Yao finished speaking, another guard exclaimed in surprise, "The Jia family you mentioned, is it the Ningguo Mansion in the East of Ningrong Street? I heard that Jia Zhen, the eldest master of the Rongguo Mansion, found a daughter of a minor official for his son, Jia Rong. At the time, I thought it was false; how could the Jia family possibly choose a daughter from such a humble family? But now, hearing what you've said, it's actually true. The Jia family probably coveted the Qin family's daughter's beauty, which is why a noble family like theirs would choose the daughter of a minor official."

Upon hearing the guards mention that Jia Rong was getting married, and that the family he was proposing to belonged to happened to be surnamed Qin, Tu Chengyu began to suspect something.

He asked Old Yao, "Do you know what the Qin family's daughter's name is?"

Logically speaking, it's not a good thing to casually ask someone else's daughter's name. But the one asking the question is a prince, and he's only ten years old. The guards didn't think much of it.

Old Yao replied, "His daughter's name is Qin Keqing."

Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "It really is her."

So the person who went to check this time might be Qin Keqing.

When Qin Keqing is mentioned, Tu Chengyu thinks of her ending in the book.

Such a beautiful woman, after marrying into the Jia family, found herself with a husband who was an irresponsible coward, and a father-in-law who was a shameless, audacious, and lecherous devil.

Encountering such a father and son, this weak woman, married into a family of such low social standing as the Jia family, not only did she not enjoy wealth and luxury, but she was also bullied and humiliated, ultimately dying in despair. Her end was truly tragic.

Thinking that Qin Keqing might be a relative of Qin Er, Tu Chengyu wondered if he should step in and help her, at least to prevent her from marrying into the Jia family.

But upon closer reflection, it's highly unlikely that the Jia family, a prominent and influential noble family in the capital, would choose a woman from such a humble background for their eldest son and grandson. It couldn't possibly be because Qin Keqing was beautiful.

There must be other things involved. Tu Chengyu felt that before things were cleared up, he shouldn't act rashly and try to be a good Samaritan.
After having a satisfying meal at the restaurant, Tu Chengyu and his companions followed Lao Yao to the Qin family's residence.

When they arrived, they were surprised to find the Qin family's place bustling with noise and activity, and they wondered what they were doing.
With Old Yao, an old neighbor, around, he quickly found out from elsewhere that today was the day the Jia family was coming to the Qin family to propose marriage.

No wonder it's so lively.

Today was only for the betrothal ceremony, and according to custom, outside guests were not to be received. However, with Old Yao, a neighbor, present, Tu Chengyu and his group managed to sneak into the Qin family's courtyard.

Upon entering, the Qin family courtyard was bustling with people, including neighbors who came to help and servants from the Jia family.

The courtyard was bustling with people, and the Qin family had arranged for today's guests to be seated in the main hall.

Tu Chengyu didn't come in to watch the show, so he tried to get closer to the main hall to see what was going on inside.

He was just a child, and no one would pay much attention to him running around in such a lively place.

So it wasn't long before Tu Chengyu found his way to the entrance of the main hall.

He peeked through the door and saw two large round tables placed on either side of the main hall. The tables were packed with people.

Tu Chengyu glanced around but couldn't recognize Qin Ye. He only recognized Jia Lian in the crowd.

At this moment, Lao Yao also secretly ran over, hid behind Tu Chengyu, pointed at the people inside, and introduced which one was Qin Ye.

Just as Tu Chengyu was standing at the door recognizing people, Jia Lian, who was enjoying a drink in the main hall, turned his head unintentionally and was surprised to find the current Prince Su, the Prince Su who dared to beat the palace's chief eunuch at the slightest disagreement, standing at the door looking at him with a grin.

Seeing this, Jia Lian, who was just a little drunk, was suddenly jolted awake. He jumped to his feet.

After confirming that she wasn't seeing things, she was about to go out to pay her respects when Tu Chengyu stopped her with a look.

(End of this chapter)