The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 42 The Emperor's Actions Cause Unrest Among Nobles

On the way out of the city, Tu Chengyu asked Dong Da, "The Emperor's inspection of the Beijing Garrison was originally scheduled for tomorrow, why was it suddenly moved up?"

When Dong Da heard that Tu Chengyu was asking about the Emperor, he was initially hesitant to answer, but then, for some reason, he spoke up:
"Originally, we were scheduled to leave the city early tomorrow morning, but when the Emperor heard the news of the Prince's assassination, he was very angry and decided to go to the Beijing Garrison today."

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Who is accompanying you?"

Dong Da replied, "Your Highness, the Emperor specially brought along the Prince of Xing, the Prince of Qi, and the Prince of Yi, and also issued an edict that all the nobles who have positions in the Beijing Garrison, regardless of where they are now, must report to the Emperor's camp outside the city before dawn tomorrow."

Tu Chengyu asked, "The Crown Prince didn't go?"

Dong Da replied, "This humble servant is unaware of the matter concerning the Crown Prince."

Tu Chengyu listened thoughtfully. His father left the crown prince in the palace under the watchful eye of the retired emperor, while he himself led several older princes to spend the night in the military camp outside the city. It seemed that his father was going all out this time, intending to make a big fuss.

What Tu Chengyu didn't know was that his father was not only making a big fuss, but was actually aiming to strike at the heart of the nobility.

The emperor's early departure from the city, coupled with the complete martial law in the capital, threw all the nobles into a state of panic.

The Shao family, especially, were pacing anxiously inside the hall, father and sons looking up at the door every few steps, clearly waiting for someone.

Just as they were getting impatient, footsteps sounded outside the door, and then a middle-aged man walked in. The Shao family father and son inside the house all turned to look at the newcomer.

The current head of the Shao family, Shao Wenbiao, who looked to be under fifty, walked up to the newcomer and asked, "Steward Liu, do you have any contact with the eldest son?"

Steward Liu shook his head and said, "Master, all the city gates, both inside and outside the capital, are guarded by imperial soldiers. Our people can't get out at all, and we can't contact Dalang."

Although Shao Wenbiao had guessed this would be the outcome, he still couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Then he asked, "Have the people sent to other noble families returned, especially those to Prince Chungshun's household?"

Steward Liu shook his head and said, "Master, although the city gates in the capital are not as heavily guarded, there are still many soldiers. The men sent out by the manor will have to avoid these soldiers, so they probably won't be back so soon."

After hearing this, Shao Wenbiao slammed his fist into his palm, turned around, sat down in a chair, and sighed.

His second son, Shao He, came over and said, "Father, why don't we send someone to find Wang Ziteng? He is the military governor of the capital garrison. If he can help us, he will surely be able to help our family get through this difficult time."

Shao Wenbiao said, "You usually don't take Wang Ziteng's military orders seriously, and now you're asking him for help. Do you think it will work?"

Shao He said, "We can give him a share of the coal business outside the city. I think he won't be unmoved by the benefits."

Shao Wenbiao considered his son's suggestion for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's too late. If this hadn't happened, you could have easily given Wang Ziteng shares. Now that the Emperor knows about the corruption in the Beijing Garrison, Wang Ziteng, as its commander, will be the first to be implicated. The Emperor will hold him accountable first. After this, it's hard to say whether he can keep his position as commander of the Beijing Garrison. Do you think he's still in the mood to help you through this crisis?"

Shao He said with a worried look, "What can we do? The soldiers of the Left Guard went to dig coal outside the city and won't be back until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. We originally planned to use the Yingmao Army to handle the task, but who knew that the Yingmao Army would assassinate Prince Su today? How could this be such a coincidence?" Hearing this, Shao Wenbiao's other son, Shao Hu, chimed in, "It is indeed too coincidental, as if someone deliberately plotted against our family. Steward Liu, have you found out whether the Yingmao Army's assassination of Prince Su today was a coincidence or something that Prince Su did on purpose?"

Steward Liu said, "I can't say for sure whether Prince Su did it intentionally or unintentionally. I only know that Prince Su suddenly left the palace today to have a banquet at the home of a minor official. When he left, he encountered the Yingmao Army causing trouble at that house. Prince Su couldn't stand their behavior and stepped forward to stop them. Then the Yingmao Army surrounded and attacked Prince Su."

Shao Hu said, "The Prince of Su suddenly left the palace to attend a banquet at the home of a minor official. Could it be that this minor official is special?"

Steward Liu replied, "I have inquired from many sources, but I have not heard anything special about his family. I only know that his daughter is very beautiful, but Prince Su is only ten years old. He would not have gone there for this girl."

Shao Hu said, "Since this family has nothing special about them, could it be that Prince Su's attendance at the banquet was intentional, and that he was targeting our family?"

His father, Shao Wenbiao, suddenly remembered something and interrupted their conversation, saying, "Steward Liu, you said before that this official's surname is Qin, is that right?"

Butler Liu replied, "Sir, this man is indeed surnamed Qin, named Qin Ye, and he is raising his two children all by himself."

After listening, Shao Wenbiao said thoughtfully, "It seems the rumors are true. This makes sense, as it explains why Prince Su would attend the betrothal ceremony of a court official's daughter."

Shao He asked, "Father, which rumor is it?"

Shao Wenbiao whispered, "The former crown prince's illegitimate daughter."

Now that I've explained it, everyone will understand.

This is an old rumor that someone said the former crown prince had an affair with a courtesan and had a daughter with her.

At the time, in order to protect the reputation of the crown prince and the face of the royal family, he did not acknowledge the daughter as his own, but instead sent her to another family for adoption.

At the time, the former crown prince's position was secure, and no one dared to spread such rumors, so the matter gradually faded away. Unexpectedly, it has now come up again, reminding Shao Wenbiao of it.

However, thinking about this matter only shows that Prince Su's visit to the banquet was not aimed at the Shao family, and it cannot solve their current predicament.

Thinking of this, everyone fell silent again. After a long while, Shao Hu seemed to remember something and asked, "This month, it shouldn't have been our Changsheng Guard that sent people to mine coal. It was only because other guards had other matters to attend to that our elder brother took over the coal mining job. Coincidentally, right after our elder brother sent out the soldiers of the Changsheng Guard's left wing, the Emperor issued an edict to inspect the Changsheng Guard, and the time was so urgent that our elder brother didn't have time to recall the soldiers."

Shao Wenbiao said, "You mean the Emperor knows about our secret affairs? But all twelve guards of the Beijing Garrison are involved in sending soldiers to mine coal. Each month, no one knows which guard is sent to mine coal until they arrive at the destination. How did the Emperor find out about this? Could it be that there is a traitor among the nobles who told the Emperor about this?"

If that's the case, it will be even more difficult for the Shao family.

After all, if it's just about dealing with the emperor, the nobles can help each other. But if a traitor appears, the nobles will start to doubt each other, so how can they help each other?

(End of this chapter)