The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 53: The Case Interrogation Encounters the Old Fox Again

Tu Chengyu originally thought that he came along just to watch others ransack their homes and maybe get some benefits for himself.

It won't take too long; we'll still have time to get back to the royal camp to rest that night.

Now he realizes that things here are not so simple, and he estimates he will have to spend the night here.

Since we're going to spend the night on the mountain, we should send someone to inform the Emperor that we won't have enough manpower here if we stay overnight.

So Tu Chengyu wrote a memorial, asking the Imperial Horse Administration to request an audience with the Emperor to send an additional troop of soldiers.

Before the messenger left, Tu Chengyu had Lao Yao and the others spread a message that they had found the seals of the rebels who had been using to contact others, as well as some letters that had not yet been burned.

He did this to create a smokescreen, to shock the person behind the scenes in the capital. It would be best if some people believed him, but it didn't matter if no one did.

After sending his men out, Tu Chengyu continued to interrogate Quan Wenwei, feeling that there was something he hadn't managed to extract from the man.

This time, Tu Chengyu separated Quan Wenwei from his beautiful daughter to put some pressure on the guy, otherwise he would still have a glimmer of hope.

Tu Chengyu had Lao Yao find an empty room and bring the guy in.

Once inside, Tu Chengyu left only two people in the room, and had the rest guard outside the door.

After some preparation, they were just about to begin the interrogation.

Before Tu Chengyu could speak, Quan Wenwei suddenly spoke first: "Your Highness, I have something important to report."

Tu Chengyu was taken aback. Just now, this guy was acting like he wouldn't say anything unless pressed, trying to get away with it. Why is he suddenly being so proactive now? Is it because he's worried about separating his daughter from him?
Tu Chengyu said, "What is it that's important? Just say it."

Quan Wenwei glanced at Lao Yao and the other man, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. It was obvious that he wanted Tu Chengyu to send Lao Yao and the other man away so they could talk privately.

Tu Chengyu remained unmoved by Quan Wenwei's hints.

Not to mention that Lao Yao and his companion were sent by the emperor, Tu Chengyu would not send the emperor's spies away at this time for information that he didn't even know what it was.

Even assuming the emperor didn't care about these things, it's impossible for Tu Chengyu to be alone in a room with someone who had just been captured from the rebels' lair.

Safety is one aspect, but on the other hand, what if this guy harbors malicious intentions towards me? He might casually bring up something during a private conversation and then implicate me during the interrogation at the Ministry of Justice. In that case, I'd have no way to clear my name.

Tu Chengyu said to him, "Speak quickly if you have something to say. If you don't want to talk, just wait for me to ask you questions. Don't try to play any tricks."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu was unmoved and wouldn't even look at the bait he had offered, Quan Wenwei knew that this prince was no ordinary person and that he needed to be more careful.

So when he opened his mouth, he changed what he wanted to say on the spot. He said, "Your Highness, what I want to say is that I know the true identity of that eunuch."

The eunuch Quan Wenwei mentioned was the corpse that Tu Chengyu had ordered the search to find. Quan Wenwei happened to be nearby when the Imperial Horse Administration officials brought the body to report; he knew Tu Chengyu was investigating the eunuch's identity, so it wasn't surprising. Tu Chengyu said, "Tell me about it."

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, this eunuch is named Zhang Qiyang. He was brought from the foot of the mountain two months ago, supposedly to train young eunuchs here. Later, after several probing attempts, I learned from him that he comes from the former Crown Prince's residence."

Tu Chengyu frowned and asked, "This is a matter of life and death; you'd better not speak carelessly."

Quan Wenwei said, "This humble subject dares not lie. This person's name when he was in the former Crown Prince's residence is Zhang Qiyang, whom I just mentioned. Your Highness can find out the truth by sending someone to investigate."

Quan Wenwei spoke with such certainty that it was highly likely to be true. This, in turn, implicated the former crown prince.

The problem is that the former crown prince had already died two months ago, so who sent this eunuch from the former crown prince's residence?

Was it done by the frail and chronically ill Prince Yixiao? Or was someone else using this old eunuch's special status to cause trouble?

Regardless of who is behind this, once the old eunuch's identity is confirmed, the former Crown Prince's residence will inevitably be implicated. At that point, it will depend on how deeply or how little they are involved.

Tu Chengyu felt that things were becoming increasingly confusing, and that he had once again stumbled into a whirlpool by coming here.

Shaking his head to dismiss these wild guesses, Tu Chengyu asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Quan Wenwei hesitated again. After thinking for a while, he said, "Your Highness, I know something of great importance. However, I would like to ask Your Highness to spare my life and my daughter's life before I will tell you this."

Tu Chengyu knew this kind of person wouldn't be so easy to deal with. Sure enough, after this guy had just offered a little something to pique his interest, he started making demands.

The big event they mentioned is definitely happening, but whether it's worth the risk is something to carefully consider.

In order to prevent this guy from taking advantage of him later, Tu Chengyu could not show his interest in the important matter he mentioned. So he said, "Trying to negotiate with me, is that it? Believe me or not, I will take you and your daughter out and behead you right now."

Quan Wenwei pleaded, "Your Highness, it's not that I'm trying to bargain, but I'm truly innocent! I used to live a leisurely life in the countryside, farming and studying. But then the rebel Gao Chonghe heard some wandering Taoist priest's nonsense that my daughter was destined to be the empress, so he sent men to kidnap my daughter and bring us to these mountains, forcing me to become his father-in-law. Your Highness, I haven't done anything wrong, and yet I've become this rebel's father-in-law, a traitor! Tell me, isn't this a terrible injustice?"

His words sounded quite unjust, but Tu Chengyu didn't respond at all. He said, "Whether you're innocent or not is for the Ministry of Justice to investigate. But if you're hiding anything important, I can say with certainty that you and your father will definitely die."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu showed no sympathy for his tragic experience, Quan Wenwei changed his tactics and said, "Since Your Highness does not agree, I dare not let Your Highness take responsibility. However, my daughter is still young and was not involved in these matters. I cannot bear to see her die in vain. Therefore, I only ask Your Highness for one thing: please save my daughter and let her serve Your Highness as a servant for the rest of her life in gratitude."

This guy has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, and he can come up with all sorts of methods at any time, but unfortunately Tu Chengyu doesn't fall for them.

Tu Chengyu said, "I'll give you three more chances. If you still can't say what I want to hear, you'll never have another chance in your life. Listen carefully, I'm not joking with you."

Quan Wenwei could tell that Tu Chengyu was serious, so he didn't dare to make any more demands.

(End of this chapter)