The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 66 What are your thoughts on today's garden tour?

Tu Chengyu returned to the palace and, as discussed with Quan Wenwei, invited a royal physician specializing in knife wounds. He then went to the courtyard outside the palace to continue acting for those secretly observing him.

Then he went to the Daming Palace to report his idea to the Emperor Emeritus.

When the Emperor Emeritus heard that Tu Chengyu was going to use such a drastic method to annul the engagement, a strange smile flashed across his face.

He didn't object, but reminded Tu Chengyu: "Brother Yu, if you do this, be careful your father will confine you to your quarters again."

Tu Chengyu said with delight, "Grandpa Emperor, is it just a house arrest? That's wonderful!"

The retired emperor was speechless at this question. His resentment towards the emperor grew even stronger. He thought to himself, "All you do as emperor is scheme and plot. And when you raise your child, all you do is indulge him. Look at what this little rascal has become. You haven't learned a thing of what I taught you."

Tu Chengyu, of course, had no idea what the Emperor Emeritus was thinking. Hearing that the punishment wouldn't be too severe, he happily exchanged a few more words with the Emperor Emeritus before running back to his own courtyard.

Nothing happened that night. Early the next morning, before the emperor remembered him, Tu Chengyu, under the pretext of doing something for the retired emperor, ran out of the palace.

Arriving at the palace courtyard and seeing that it was safe and sound, he knew that his trap had not worked and the mastermind had not fallen for it.

Upon entering the study, he dismissed the others, leaving Quan Wenwei behind. He asked, "Mr. Quan, has the person behind the scenes made any move?"

Quan Wenwei replied, "Although we didn't take any action last night, there are now many more people watching around the courtyard. The person behind it probably still doesn't know whether the person we captured is dead or alive."

Tu Chengyu said, "If that's the case, then we need to add fuel to the fire."

Quan Wenwei said, "This is the only way. Today, I will have someone throw out a corpse to see their reaction. In the evening, I will send the imperial physician who came yesterday back to the scene and send some information to the person behind the scenes. Let's see if they make any moves tonight."

Tu Chengyu nodded in agreement to proceed according to the original plan, but a question remained in his mind: "With such strict nighttime controls in the capital, would the person behind this really dare to send someone to snatch them away?"

Quan Wenwei said, "Judging from these traitors who committed suicide, the person behind the scenes must have assassins. If he believes that we have captured someone alive, he will definitely send assassins to snatch them away."

Tu Chengyu said, "In that case, Mr. Quan, please take care of things carefully. Even if the person behind the scenes doesn't send anyone, it won't matter. I have other matters to attend to today, so I'll be leaving now."

Quan Wenwei said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will make all the arrangements."

After speaking with Quan Wenwei, Tu Chengyu led Lao Yao and the others to their destination for the day.

On the way, Tu Chengyu asked Lao Yao, "How's the message I asked you to spread yesterday coming along?"

Old Yao replied, "Your Highness, I made the arrangements last night, and it should be out today."

Hearing that everything was arranged, Tu Chengyu felt relieved. Then he asked, "Did you arrange for anyone else to be nearby today? I saw several palace guards around here."

Old Yao replied, "Your Highness is right. The Emperor knew last night that Your Highness would be leaving the palace today, so he sent more people to protect Your Highness in the shadows."

So the emperor knew my whereabouts these past two days, and he must also know that I was going to take action against the Jia family. Why didn't he stop me? Did my father have other plans?

Tu Chengyu couldn't figure it out for the time being, but he didn't think too much about it. He strolled leisurely along the way and eventually arrived at the largest restaurant in the city.

The restaurant, named Youyuan, was a top-notch spot in the capital. Tu Chengyu came here simply because Youyuan was a favorite destination for scholars traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, and it was the perfect place to gather information about them.

The reason why these scholars liked this restaurant so much can be traced back to the very beginning of its opening.

When the Youyuan Garden opened, it coincided with the imperial examinations. In order to attract scholars to stay there, the Youyuan Garden made a rule that was very attractive to scholars from all over the country.

That was during the imperial examinations in spring, when the first-class rooms in the garden were open only to scholars. This practice of elevating the status of scholars naturally attracted their favor.

However, this was only one of the regulations. Another rule followed: the top-ranking scholars from each prefecture could stay at the garden for free upon presentation of official documents. As soon as this rule was announced, almost all the top-ranking scholars from each prefecture that year stayed in the garden's first-class rooms.

That wasn't all. In order to catch all the scholars in one fell swoop, the amusement park also made a rule that those scholars who were not the top scholars in the provincial examinations but had great reputations could also stay for free.

Another clause was added at the end: those who pass the imperial examination can be exempted from room fees.

With this strategy implemented one after another, after only two imperial examinations, Youyuan became the preferred place for scholars to stay.

Of course, while his regulations were ingeniously designed, other inns and restaurants could also follow suit.

However, the reason why no other inn or restaurant has been able to catch up so far is that Youyuan has an advantage that no other inn or restaurant can imitate: its size. The reason why Youyuan has "Yuan" in its name is because it is not just a restaurant, but a manor covering more than ten acres.

This place not only has inns and restaurants like those outside, but also quiet and secluded courtyards, and there are lakes and gardens in the garden, making it very exquisite and beautiful.

Such a scale was beyond the reach of other inns and restaurants. Therefore, from the very beginning, the garden tour left a unique impression on the scholars.

In each examination year, scholars considered it an honor to stay in the "甲" (jia) room of the Youyuan Garden for free. And the most successful candidates in each examination year stayed in the Youyuan Garden. This cycle continued for thirty years, resulting in the grandeur of the Youyuan Garden today.

Later, someone used a phrase to describe visiting the garden, which was:
"Gathering literary talent into one family, they stand out from the crowd."

Some people said that Youyuan's high-profile behavior was taboo and might invite suppression from the imperial court. However, after so many years, Youyuan is still the same Youyuan, without any trace of suppression.

Tu Chengyu knew this, which is why he brought his men to gather information and see if he could find a suitable husband for Qin Keqing.

Although there are regulations for visiting the garden, during the spring imperial examinations, only scholars are allowed to stay there. However, others are not prohibited from coming here to eat, drink, and discuss matters. This is because scholars also need to invite friends and acquaintances. It is not appropriate to make others go out to eat when they come.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu and his group were able to enter the park without any problems.

After entering, because they did not have the official residence permits for scholars, they could not go to the back garden and could only eat and drink at the restaurant in front.

That's alright. They're mainly here to gather information, and they'll find out more at the restaurant up ahead.

Upon entering the restaurant, Tu Chengyu did not go to the private room upstairs, but instead found a seat in the lobby on the first floor.

After sitting down, Lao Yao called the waiter to take their order, and Tu Chengyu turned around to look around.

At this time, although it was still morning, several tables were already occupied in the restaurant's main hall. Judging from their demeanor and attire, they should all be scholars preparing for the upcoming imperial examination.

Tu Chengyu looked around and then turned his attention to the table next to him. Firstly, the people at this table were close by and he could hear what they were saying, and secondly, they were discussing the scholars who had already been admitted to the imperial examinations.

Tu Chengyu focused his attention and listened to them for a while before he could make out what they were saying.

The scholars who are speaking now are all those who failed the imperial examination this time. Since they do not need to prepare for the palace examination, they have plenty of time to play around.

I've come here today to celebrate the successful candidates from my hometown who have been admitted to the imperial examinations, and also to get to know more of them so I can plan for the future.

As for why they were still waiting in the main hall when they came to see someone, it was because the person they were supposed to see had gone out early that morning to visit a fellow townsman who was an official in Beijing.

As they talked, they came to the person they were celebrating.

One person said, "It's a pity about Hu Jieyuan. Just because he was the youngest, the examiner suppressed his first place and selected someone else instead of him, so as to avoid controversy."

Another said, "This was a last resort. At the time, there was a great deal of public criticism. If the examiner had rashly selected the top scholar, students from other prefectures would certainly have been dissatisfied."

Then, the person closest to Tu Chengyu said, "Every cloud has a silver lining. The examiner's pressure has not only failed to affect Hu Jieyuan in the slightest, but has actually increased his reputation. Now, he is considered by many scholars as one of the candidates for the top scholar. If you ask me, given Hu Jieyuan's age and literary talent, he should at least get the title of third-place scholar."

Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement, and some even said, "This spring examination is a special one for the new emperor. As the saying goes, a new dynasty brings new opportunities, and the emperor may favor young people even more. Hu Jieyuan will surely become the top scholar."

Hearing them say that this Hu Jieyuan was the youngest scholar in this imperial examination, Tu Chengyu immediately became interested and listened to them more carefully.

Perhaps this Hu Jieyuan was truly exceptionally talented and gifted. They continued talking about him, which allowed Tu Chengyu to learn more about Hu Jieyuan.

It turns out that this Hu Jieyuan's real name was Hu Guangjin. He came from Yuzhang Prefecture, the hometown of Emperor Taizu, a major province for imperial examinations, and his family had been a scholarly family for generations.

This person was renowned for his talent from a young age, ranking first in every examination from the preliminary examination to the provincial examination. In the provincial examination, he even outshone everyone in Yuzhang Prefecture, a major prefecture for successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and easily won the title of Jieyuan.

In this year's imperial examination, he was regarded by all the scholars as the first person in the dynasty to achieve the highest honors in all six levels of the imperial examinations.

However, with fame comes trouble. Two days before the start of the imperial examination, rumors suddenly spread that the reason why Hu Guangjin was regarded by everyone as the person who would pass the imperial examination with the highest score in six consecutive examinations was because the chief examiner of this year's examination was Hu Guangjin's fellow townsman and a family friend.

Once this rumor spread, it quickly reached the scholars. Under such circumstances, how could the chief examiner dare to name Hu Guangjin as the top scholar? He could only give him third place because he was indeed talented.

The more they talked, the more interested Tu Chengyu became in this person. If this person wasn't engaged, he would be a good candidate for a marriage arranged by imperial decree.

(End of this chapter)