The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 60 Returning Home and Being Scolded Again

Early the next morning, Tu Chengyu came down from the Western Hills with a long procession and entered the capital before lunch.

This time, Tu Chengyu didn't choose to keep a low profile when he entered the city; instead, he was very flamboyant.

In Tu Chengyu's view, since someone has been plotting to assassinate him, it's no use no matter how low he keeps a low profile.

It would be better to show up openly and tell that person that you are still alive and that your assassination plot has failed.

So he openly wore a dazzling suit of princely armor, rode a tall horse, and was surrounded by a group of palace guards as he swaggered through Xizhimen into the capital.

This wasn't the end of it. Behind him, a burly soldier carried a long bamboo pole, at the top of which hung a head—the head of the bandit leader, the Black-Armored General.

Following behind were a line of carriages escorted by the Imperial Horse Administration and the personal guards of the Beijing Garrison Commander. The carriages in front were filled with valuables confiscated from the rebel palace, while the carriages behind held the family members of those captured from the rebel palace in the Western Hills.

These were just the things that were out in the open. In the shadows, countless spies from the Imperial Stables, who had received orders, entered the capital ahead of time and secretly spread rumors throughout the city that Prince Su had wiped out the rebels and captured their leader.

Tu Chengyu went to such great lengths to tell the mastermind in the capital that he knew about his conspiracy, had information about him, and would soon be able to bring him to justice.

This could force the person behind the scenes to take action, and perhaps then we could find their weakness.

This performance was naturally completed once they entered the capital.

The prisoners and the seized property were naturally handled by the Beijing Garrison and the Imperial Horse Administration, while Tu Chengyu, the commander-in-chief, hurriedly returned to the palace alone.

This time, it was only three days before and after leaving the palace, but it felt like thirty days to Tu Chengyu, because so much had happened in those three days.

After taking off his flashy armor and handing it to Lao Yao and the others, Tu Chengyu swaggered home alone.

As soon as he entered the palace, he saw a eunuch standing inside the palace gate, waiting for someone.

The young eunuch kept his eyes fixed on the palace gate, so he spotted Tu Chengyu immediately. He walked over with a beaming smile and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Highness!"

Seeing the eunuch heading straight for him, Tu Chengyu had a guess in mind, but still asked, "What are you doing here?"

The eunuch replied, "His Majesty summoned Your Highness, so he instructed me to wait here."

Tu Chengyu knew this would happen, and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go."

The eunuch responded and led the way, with Tu Chengyu following behind.

The emperor summoned him to the imperial study, but this time the crown prince was not present.

Upon entering the Imperial Study, the Emperor dismissed the eunuch and Xia Shouzhong. Then he emerged from behind the imperial desk, stood with his hands behind his back, and stared at Tu Chengyu, circling around him as if trying to see through him.

Tu Chengyu felt a chill run down his spine after being stared at by the emperor for a couple of rounds. Sensing that something was amiss, he tentatively called out.

"Father."

The emperor did not agree, but instead turned to face Tu Chengyu, stared into Tu Chengyu's eyes and said, "Your audacity is growing."

Tu Chengyu pretended to be stupid, but in his heart he began to think. He had done more than one bold thing this time. He didn't know which one his father was talking about. He couldn't say it rashly, or he would be admitting it.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's expression, the emperor knew what his son was up to and said, "Playing dumb in front of me?"

Tu Chengyu chuckled and said, "How could I dare? I'm just figuring out how to report to Father Emperor."

The emperor said, "Have you thought it through now?"

Tu Chengyu said, "I've thought it through, I've thought it through."

The emperor said, "What have you figured out? Tell me."

Tu Chengyu immediately said, "Your subject was indeed a bit bold and reckless. When the two armies were facing off, I dared to go forward to watch the battle and almost got hurt by the enemy."

The emperor listened quietly to Tu Chengyu's report, but to his surprise, Tu Chengyu only said two short sentences and then stopped. The emperor looked at Tu Chengyu in confusion and said:
"Are you finished speaking?"

Tu Chengyu answered very seriously: "Your subject has finished speaking."

The emperor was amused by his anger. He tapped Tu Chengyu's forehead with his finger and said, "You've grown quite cunning in the few days you've been away. You dare to try and fool me now."

Tu Chengyu, also looking puzzled, asked, "Father, is this not what you're asking about? Well, let me think... Oh, right. There is indeed another matter. I shouldn't have acted so arrogantly when entering the city, disturbing the lives of the people of the capital."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu was still dodging the question and refusing to get to the point, the emperor had no interest in playing mind games with him, so he said directly, "How do you explain to me the matter of mobilizing troops to attack the rebels' stronghold?"

Tu Chengyu said in surprise, "Father, it's not that I'm being bold, but time was of the essence. In order to prevent the rebels from escaping, I made a decisive decision to send them to besiege the rebels' stronghold. Moreover, in your letter to me, you also said that they should all obey my orders, so I made the decision on my own." The emperor said, "I sent them to protect you, not to let you lead them in reckless behavior. Do you know that without my decree, without the orders from the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions, mobilizing troops privately is a capital offense."

Tu Chengyu said, "Didn't Father Emperor write a letter to his son? This is the transfer order Father Emperor gave to his son."

The emperor said, "You certainly know how to save face. I acknowledge this letter, but will the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War acknowledge it?"

Tu Chengyu was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected his father's letter to be ineffective. He asked, "Father, what do we do now?"

The emperor said, "What should we do? I don't know either. You can wait for the Ministry of War to submit a memorial impeaching me."

Tu Chengyu realized that these were his father's angry words, and it seemed that he had acted rashly in mobilizing troops without authorization.

He quickly admitted his mistake: "Father, I made a mistake. I will remember it and will never do it again."

The emperor snorted coldly and said, "Now you know fear, but it's too late."

Tu Chengyu continued to beg for mercy, saying, "Father, I really know I was wrong. Please help me."

After several pleas for mercy, the emperor was finally satisfied. He returned behind his desk, sat down, and said, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Please enlighten me, Father."

The emperor said, "Besides mobilizing troops without authorization, you have made two other mistakes. First, why didn't you send someone to report to me immediately after mobilizing the troops?"

Tu Chengyu was speechless, but in his heart he thought, "I thought that letter would work, but I didn't expect that Father Emperor would be the first to deny it."

The emperor continued, "Secondly, you dared to say to the generals of the Imperial Horse Administration and the Beijing Garrison, 'Do you think that if the emperor knew about this, you two would still be involved?' Do you know that by saying such a thing, others could accuse you of bribing the army, plotting rebellion, and even committing the crime of disrespect?"

Tu Chengyu felt a chill run down his spine as his father repeated exactly what he had said the night before.

When he said that last night, there were hardly any people in the room. How could someone have reported it to the emperor so quickly?

The emperor looked at Tu Chengyu, who was standing there dumbfounded and at a loss, and said, "Fool, do you really think that just because they fought a battle with you, those people are your people? I wouldn't even dare to say that they are all my people. How can you be so naive as to think that?"

Tu Chengyu has truly learned his lesson. He actually knows the principle that "a ruler who is not discreet will lose his ministers, a minister who is not discreet will lose his life, and secrets that are not kept secret will lead to harm." However, knowing and doing are not the same thing. He believes that with this lesson, he will be more cautious in the future.

Tu Chengyu said sincerely to the emperor, "Father, I have remembered it."

The emperor said, "It's good that you've remembered it. You are my son. As long as you don't make any big mistakes, no one can do anything to you. However, if you make a mistake and don't even know where you went wrong, I can't save you."

Seeing that his father's attitude had softened, Tu Chengyu mustered his courage and asked, "Father, what should I do this time?"

The emperor said, "Go ask the crown prince about this."

Why is the Crown Prince involved again? Do they think that they are doing this at the Crown Prince's behest, or that they are secretly helping the Crown Prince win over the army?

Tu Chengyu quickly explained, "Father, you know your son well. I did all these things myself, and it has nothing to do with the Crown Prince."

The emperor said, "You two are quite the brothers, each vying to take responsibility for the other."

Tu Chengyu became anxious. He said, "Father, it's not that I want to take responsibility for the Crown Prince, but that the Crown Prince truly didn't know about this matter."

The emperor said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I'm not blaming you."

Tu Chengyu asked, "What does Father mean?"

The Emperor said, "The Crown Prince has already cleaned up the mess for you. He heard last night that you were attacked in Xishan and knew that you wouldn't let it go. He wrote a memorial in your name and took the troop mobilization documents from me. Go to the Crown Prince later, get the documents, and send someone to the Ministry of War to verify them."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu's nervousness vanished, and his face immediately broke into a broad smile. He thought to himself, "My older brother is so reliable; he always lends a hand in crucial moments."

The emperor, unable to bear Tu Chengyu's smug expression, added, "Although the outer court will not impeach you, you cannot escape punishment here. I hereby sentence you to ten days of confinement, during which you are not allowed to go anywhere except to study in the Imperial Study."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu's face fell once again. A simple house arrest would be fine, but to be confined to the study and forced to read was simply unacceptable.

This time, however, Tu Chengyu dared not beg for mercy, fearing that the emperor would become angry and impose a harsher punishment.

Having learned his lesson, Tu Chengyu prepared to obtain the troop mobilization order from the Crown Prince and then return to his own courtyard to remain in seclusion.

Before he could even leave the Imperial Study, the Emperor called him back, saying, "Please wait on the matter of your confinement; the Emperor Emeritus wishes to see you."

(End of this chapter)