The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 64 Rescuing Qin Keqing, the Jia Family Suffers Disaster

After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Tu Chengyu did not choose to meet up with Quan Wenwei and the others, but instead returned to the courtyard from the other side.

When Tu Chengyu returned, Quan Wenwei had already driven the carriage into the backyard.

After he finished making the arrangements and returned to his study, Tu Chengyu asked him, "Mr. Quan, are you all settled?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, I've placed them in the cellar in the backyard and chilled them with ice. They should be fine for two or three days. Your Highness only needs to quietly send over a few people later, and everything will be perfectly safe."

Tu Chengyu said, "I will arrange the manpower. I have another matter to discuss with you."

What Tu Chengyu wanted to tell Quan Wenwei was Qin Keqing's annulment of the engagement. He had left the palace today under the pretext of doing something for the Emperor Emeritus, and if he didn't make any progress, he wouldn't know how to answer if the Emperor Emeritus asked him about it when he returned to the palace.

Upon hearing that there was something else to discuss, Quan Wenwei quickly said, "Your Highness, please speak."

Then, Tu Chengyu mentioned the marriage between the Qin and Jia families, omitting the Emperor Emeritus, and only said that he wanted to cancel the marriage and asked if he had any way to do so.

After listening, Quan Wenwei stroked his beard and thought for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, this matter involves the Jia family, and you cannot personally intervene, so it is quite difficult to handle."

Tu Chengyu said, "You don't need to consider the Jia family's reaction, you only need to consider how to break off the engagement without damaging the reputation of the Qin family's daughter."

Quan Wenwei thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then it's easy to handle. I have two methods: one is to do it quietly, and the other is to do it in a big way."

Tu Chengyu was surprised that Quan Wenwei had a solution so quickly, and asked, "Tell me about both methods, so I can hear them."

Quan Wenwei said, "The first option is for Your Highness to send someone to privately inform both families of your intentions. I'm sure both families will understand and discuss it together, so Your Highness won't have to worry about it."

The method was quite good; the marriage was dissolved quietly. Although it would attract some criticism, it would neither damage the Jia family's reputation nor the Qin family's image.

The only downside is that, in order to complete the task safely, Tu Chengyu has to do it in the name of the retired emperor, which the retired emperor might not agree to.

Tu Chengyu asked, "What do you mean by 'making a big fuss'?"

Quan Wenwei said, "This grand gesture might completely offend the Jia family and bring unnecessary trouble to Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu said, "You don't need to consider me, just say what you want."

Quan Wenwei then said with relief, "The method is this: the prince sends someone to persuade the Qin family, and then, in the name of the Qin family, a message is spread that the Qin family's daughter has heard that the Jia family's son is a纨绔子弟 (a spoiled brat who wastes his time), idle all day long, and has no ambition, so she does not want to marry such a person. Then, another message is spread that Qin Ye is forcing his daughter to marry into the Jia family, and that the Qin family's daughter is going to commit suicide or become a nun in order not to marry. Then Qin Ye goes to the Jia family to apologize and break off the engagement. At this point, the Jia family will never agree to a marriage alliance with the Qin family again."

This method is rather ruthless; it's completely disrespectful to the Jia family. One can easily imagine how furious the Jia family must be upon hearing this news, probably even contemplating wiping out the entire Qin family.

Even with the retired emperor as the Qin family's backer, putting pressure on the Jia family, the Jia family might only outwardly submit while secretly plotting against the Qin family and trying to ruin Qin Keqing's reputation.

For the Jia family to refrain from retaliating after suffering such a great loss, the emperor and the retired emperor would have to offer them substantial benefits.

Originally, the Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus had already discussed how to compensate the Jia family, which was to give them the position of a princess.

But if Tu Chengyu were to proceed with such a grand scheme now, the position of princess wouldn't be enough to compensate the Jia family for their losses. After all, face is still very important to the Jia family. The thought of being schemed against, having to exchange favors even for a princess, filled Tu Chengyu with rage. He had already silently favored the second method and asked Quan Wenwei, "Mr. Quan, what are the advantages of this second method?"

Quan Wenwei said, "The advantage is that we can cleanly and neatly annul the engagement, and also give the Qin family's daughter a good reputation for being strong-willed, but..."

Tu Chengyu asked, "But what?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Although the reputation is good, it won't be so easy for her to get married. She wouldn't dare to marry into a poor family, and she wouldn't be interested in a wealthy family. So, I think that Your Highness should choose the first method, which is the most suitable and good for all families."

Tu Chengyu thought to himself, it's good for all the companies, but not for me, so why should I worry so much?

Besides, the concern that Qin Keqing might not be able to marry is not a problem at all. The Emperor Emeritus has already prepared to choose a suitable husband for Qin Keqing from among the scholars. When the marriage is officially granted, her reputation for being strong-willed will actually be a plus.

As for how the Jia family will react with anger and retaliation, that's for the Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus to deal with; it's none of my business.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu said fiercely, "Let's do it the second way. If the Jia family dares to scheme against me, I'll make them lose face first."

Quan Wenwei looked helplessly at Tu Chengyu's willful choice and tentatively suggested, "Your Highness, should we report this to the Emperor?"

Tu Chengyu shook his head and said, "No need."

After saying that, he turned and called out towards the study door, "Old Yao, come in for a moment."

After Lao Yao came in, Tu Chengyu said, "I have a message to send out. Do you have any ideas?"

Old Yao bowed and said, "This humble servant knows some ways, Your Highness, please just give the order."

Tu Chengyu said, "It's good that you have connections. Remember the message you need to spread. When I find someone to replace you, you can spread the message."

Then Tu Chengyu relayed the message he wanted to convey, and only after Lao Yao had memorized it did he let him leave.

After Lao Yao left, Tu Chengyu said to Quan Wenwei, "Mr. Quan, go to the Qin family in my name and explain the whole plan to Qin Ye. If he doesn't believe you, emphasize to him that this was arranged by me, and Qin Ye will understand."

Seeing that Tu Chengyu had made a decision, Quan Wenwei said nothing more. He took the voucher written by Tu Chengyu, and without even eating, went to the Qin family to act as a persuader.

After Quan Wenwei left, Tu Chengyu wrote another letter and handed it to the steward of the courtyard, saying to him:
"Send someone to the Prince An's residence and deliver the letter to a steward named Shen Ye. Then have the messenger wait there and await Shen Ye's instructions."

The steward received the letter but did not send anyone; instead, he went himself.

Only after finishing all this did Tu Chengyu have some free time.

Hearing my stomach rumbling, I realized I hadn't eaten lunch yet, so I quickly asked someone to bring up the prepared food.

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(End of this chapter)