The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 5 led to her tragic death.
Since the rebels had already attacked, Tu Chengyu knew that there was no point in saying anything more, so he stepped back and mingled with everyone else, waiting for the rebels to arrive.

On the other side, a group of seven or eight rebel soldiers rushed over, carrying door panels that had been dismantled long ago.

Like the Xuan Tie Guards, the Prince's Palace guards also lacked bows and arrows, and could only watch helplessly as the chaotic army rushed to the wall, using the door panels as ladders to attack.

The three-meter-high wall, with the door panels as stepping stones, was nothing to the rebel soldiers; they could reach the top of the wall in no time.

Because the wall at the second gate was not long, the rebels, despite their large numbers, were unable to attack together.

This gave Tu Chengyu's side an opportunity to deal with the situation. Under Dong Da's command, a guard from the Prince's Mansion, along with several servants, dealt with a group of rebels.

Thanks to Dong Da's previous arrangements and his continued assistance, the battle was evenly matched for a time, preventing the rebels from rushing over the courtyard wall immediately.

However, these are only temporary.

Although the rebels were cornered at the wall, they suffered almost no casualties. In addition, their large numbers allowed them to take turns attacking, making their fighting increasingly fierce.

On the contrary, Tu Chengyu's servants, lacking weapons and armor, were taken advantage of by the rebels and suffered many injuries.

Before long, almost all the servants were injured, their morale was low, and they were on the verge of collapse. If it weren't for the guards of the Prince's Mansion leading the way, and the fact that Tu Chengyu, the young master of the Prince's Mansion, was still on the wall, these people would have jumped down and escaped long ago.

However, it won't last long; once death occurs, collapse will follow.

Tu Chengyu was extremely anxious. He kept looking back in the direction of the Fengsheng Temple, but he still did not see any sign of reinforcements.

Were all my previous guesses wrong? Did my father leave no backup plan?

"Why haven't Fifth Master's reinforcements arrived yet? We can't hold on much longer," Dong Da said, his arm dangling and his face covered in blood.

Tu Chengyu glanced at the fierce fighting on the wall and said, "Let everyone hold on a little longer, reinforcements will be here soon."

Dong Da knew that Tu Chengyu was trying to appease everyone, but there was nothing he could do. He sighed inwardly and went to continue urging everyone on.

In the face of absolute power, no means are effective.

After the first servant was pulled off the wall by the rebels and fell silent, the other servants dared not approach.

The collapse began after the second and third servants were dragged away.

The timid servants were the first to jump over the wall and escape, while the bolder ones fought and retreated. Only the guards of the Prince's mansion retreated to Tu Chengyu's side and stubbornly resisted.

Continuing to hold out would be futile and would only increase casualties, so Tu Chengyu gave orders to his guards:

"No need to fight anymore."

The five guards, including Dong Dasuan, who were still standing, exchanged glances, dropped their weapons, and ceased their resistance.

With no resistance, the rebels easily occupied the top of the wall.

The rebel general's deep voice rang out again: "Two men go down and open the door, and a few more men go and grab that kid who only knows how to talk big."

Upon hearing the order, the rebel soldiers on the wall cleared away the debris blocking the door in the two front yards, preparing to open the second door. The remaining seven or eight rushed over and surrounded Tu Chengyu and his companions, dragging them away, binding them, and throwing them among the wounded rebels.

Having been captured by the rebels, Tu Chengyu had nothing to worry about. He knew that as long as he wasn't killed immediately, his life would be safe.

The biggest concern now is that the rebels will breach the second gate and enter the front courtyard, causing the entire palace's defenses to collapse. The core of the palace, the Fengsheng Hall, will then be directly exposed to the rebels' blade.

With the second gate about to be opened and the rebels about to storm the front yard, it would be too late if reinforcements didn't arrive soon.

Just as Tu Chengyu was thinking of reinforcements, he heard the sound of bowstrings being released. Suddenly, two sharp arrows shot out simultaneously from the attics at both ends of the central courtyard's rear building, shooting down two rebel soldiers who were standing guard on the courtyard wall.

This attic is not connected to other houses; the only way to get up there is via the wooden ladders on either side of the rear building, which is currently controlled by the rebels.

In other words, if there were reinforcements, they wouldn't be on the attic. If it wasn't reinforcements, then it must be an ambush force that had been laid in advance.

However, the ambush was already there. Why didn't they attack when the rebels attacked? Instead, they waited until more than half of the guards and soldiers defending the wall were killed or wounded, and the rebels occupied the top of the wall before launching their attack.

As soon as these questions surfaced in Tu Chengyu's mind, he suddenly sprang to his feet and crouched down as he ran into the back room.

Caught off guard by the sudden arrow attack, the rebels were thrown into chaos and had no chance to stop Tu Chengyu's escape.

From the moment the first two arrows were shot to Tu Chengyu's escape, only a few breaths passed.

In that short time, the rebels had no time to react, and the ambush troops didn't give them a chance to react either. A barrage of arrows rained down from above, and the unsuspecting rebels fell to the ground in droves under the sudden arrow rain.

It must be said that the timing of this counterattack was perfect, launching it when the rebels were most relaxed, and then striking with lightning speed and full force.

The archers, like reapers of death in the night, relentlessly reaped all living beings below, indiscriminately shooting down friend and foe alike. If Tu Chengyu hadn't run fast, he might already be riddled with arrows.

The rebel general never expected that the Prince's mansion had a backup plan, especially with archers. It's important to understand that archery was strictly controlled in the capital. Not only were the Prince's mansion's guards few, but even the Xuan Tie Guards protecting the outer city were few in number. Who could have predicted that the Prince's mansion would harbor such a large number of skilled archers?

"Quickly, retreat! Retreat to the back rooms!" the rebel general roared, shouting to his few remaining men.

In fact, he didn't even need to shout; the more quick-witted ones would have already run inside, while those who panicked had already become victims of arrows.

Like Tu Chengyu, the fleeing rebels also chose to run into the rear quarters.

The rebel general looked at his men, only a dozen or so of whom had escaped, and felt a pang of sorrow.

He ordered his men to close all the windows while he walked over and brought Tu Chengyu in front of him.

As the shouts and arrows outside gradually subsided, the rebels grew tense.

The rebel general, panting heavily, asked in a deep voice, "Boy, who is leading the archers outside?"

Tu Chengyu shook his head and replied, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" The rebel general's tone was full of disbelief.

Tu Chengyu answered with certainty: "Not only do I not know who the general leading the archers is, I don't even know that this army exists."

Upon hearing this, the rebel general remained silent for a long while before saying, "You didn't know there were archers lying in ambush on both sides, yet you risked your life to fight us, buying time for the archers to prepare. Why is that? Are you really not afraid of death?"

Tu Chengyu said, "It's not that I'm not afraid of death, but I can't let you into the front yard, even if it means death. Besides, I believe my father has a backup plan. I just need to hold you off."

Upon hearing this, the rebel general angrily retorted, "Is this to stall us? You, a prince, are acting like a madman, gambling with your own life just to stall us, betting that we won't dare to kill you?"

Tu Chengyu said in a relaxed tone, "I bet you were right, you really don't dare to kill me."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu still seemed fearless, the rebel general, who should have been angry, suddenly stopped. He said, "No, you made the wrong bet. You're in my hands now, and I still have the final say on your life."

Tu Chengyu remained calm and said, "I didn't make a wrong bet. It's just that one of my pawns has developed his own ideas."

Upon hearing this, the rebel general remained silent for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter. He pointed outside the house, then at Tu Chengyu, and said, "Interesting. You royals are truly interesting. The elders haven't even achieved anything yet, and the younger ones are already plotting against you from behind."

Tu Chengyu said, as if mocking himself, "There has always been much trouble in the royal family."

Seeing Tu Chengyu's calm expression, the rebel general said sarcastically, "Yes, you royals, you scheme against this person and that person, and in the end you are schemed against yourself. Just like the Crown Prince said, it begins with scheming and ends with scheming."

Upon hearing the traitor's mockery, a sentence suddenly popped into Tu Chengyu's mind, and he blurted out: "Too clever by half, he ruined his own life."

The traitor said, "Oh, so you're also aware of the character of your royal family. When did you realize you'd been tricked?"

Tu Chengyu said, "I knew it from the moment the first arrow was shot. I just didn't expect that person to be so ruthless and still scheming against me, otherwise I wouldn't have let you guys live."

The rebel general asked urgently, "Is he trying to use someone else to do his dirty work?"

Tu Chengyu nodded, indicating that you were right: "I'll use you to kill me, and then I'll silence you."

The rebel general was getting anxious. He said, "I was originally thinking of using you to save my own life, but now I'm in trouble. You've become a hot potato."

Tu Chengyu glanced sideways at the traitorous general and said, "What, you still think you can survive? Forget about it. At this point, the guards outside will not let you go no matter what."

The rebel general said, "Kid, you're wrong. I'm not planning to escape from here now. I just want to buy time and prevent the guards outside from attacking. Once the crown prince ascends the throne, will they dare not release me?"

This traitorous general, even now, still fantasizes about the crown prince ascending the throne.

We have to make it clear to him, otherwise, in order to save his own life, this guy might trade his life for time.

Just as Tu Chengyu was trying to come up with a solution, the traitor leaned close to Tu Chengyu's ear and whispered, "If I discuss with that person outside that I will kill you for him and he will buy me time, do you think he would do it?"

Tu Chengyu ignored the crazed traitor and turned to the rest of the rebels, asking, "Did you bring in the arrows that were shot at us just now?"

The rebel general asked, "What do you need the arrows for?"

Tu Chengyu said, "I'll let you die knowing why."

The rebel general, unaware of Tu Chengyu's intentions, still ordered his men to fetch an arrow.

When the rebel soldiers handed the arrows they had found to their general, before Tu Chengyu could even speak, the general's face changed, and he stammered, "Iron... iron arrows?"

Tu Chengyu said, "It is indeed an iron arrow."

"How could they possibly be here?" the rebel general asked in a desolate tone.

(End of this chapter)