The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 72 Is this heart truly sincere?

Despite the uproar outside, Tu Chengyu remained completely unaffected, continuing to eat and drink as usual every day.

He didn't leave the palace that day, hiding in his own courtyard to find peace and quiet.

At the same time, I'm also thinking about what I want to do next.

Ever since the Crown Prince privately hinted that the Emperor might send him out to work ahead of schedule, Tu Chengyu had been thinking about this issue.

The past few days have been busy running errands for the retired emperor, and I haven't had time to think much about it.

Now that I have some free time, I can finally think about this issue.

In Tu Chengyu's view, the emperor would not place him in an important position if he started working at his age.

At first, you should find some small tasks to do, see how well you do them, and then gradually make adjustments.

Therefore, it was impossible for Tu Chengyu to enter the various government departments in the court at the beginning, and it was even more forbidden for him to enter the army.

Then the only option is to work in the royal family's properties, such as managing the imperial estates or dealing with royal merchants.

Just as Tu Chengyu was thinking about where he should go to work, a palace maid came in to report that Prince Qi had arrived.

Third Brother, why is he here?

Although Tu Chengyu had some doubts, he did not delay and quickly invited the person in.

When his third brother appeared in the courtyard, Tu Chengyu saw that he was alone and asked:
"Third brother, didn't fourth brother come along?"

The third brother said with a smile, "The fourth brother is busy, so I'm the only one who came to see you."

Tu Chengyu gestured for the third son to sit down, had tea served, and then asked:

"Why did Third Brother suddenly come here?"

The third brother said, "What? Can't I talk to you, brother?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Of course, Third Brother is welcome to come."

After the two brothers chatted for a bit, the third brother said seriously:

"Xiao Wu, I heard you've recently offended those scholars taking the imperial examination?"

Tu Chengyu didn't know why the third brother brought this up, so he casually said, "I just encountered a crazy guy and had a few words with him, but I didn't expect them to make such a big fuss."

The third brother said, "I'm not trying to criticize you, but why do you go and provoke those hotheads? Those scholars are like wild horses without reins; they'll kick up their tails even if no one bothers them."

Tu Chengyu said, "Do you think I'm afraid he'll kick me?"

The third brother said, "It's not a matter of being afraid or not. These are turbulent times, there's no need to lower ourselves to their level. If you really can't stand someone, just wait until they're given an official position, then you can decide what to do with them."

Tu Chengyu said, "I'm not like you, Third Brother, who considers things so thoroughly. You didn't call me here today just to talk about this, did you?"

The third brother waved his hand and said, "We are brothers, how could I say anything to you for the sake of a few scholars?"

"However, I heard that the scholars have already submitted a joint petition requesting the court officials to impeach you. You've really gotten yourself into big trouble now."

Tu Chengyu said, "What big trouble could there be? At most, I'll just get a beating from Father."

The third brother said with exasperation, "Little Fifth, you don't know this yet, do you? Father Emperor is planning to build a royal palace for us brothers in the capital. Now that you've caused this trouble, if Father Emperor gets angry and builds your palace in the outer city or some remote place, it will be too late then."

Tu Chengyu was genuinely unaware of the plan to rebuild the Prince's Mansion. He asked, "Wasn't it said that only you, my second brother, and my fourth brother were going out of the palace to build the mansion this time? How come I'm involved too?"

The third brother said, "The three of us will leave the palace first, so we need to choose the location for the Prince's residence together. This time, we even need to choose the residence for Little Twelfth."

"I see," Tu Chengyu said. "Thank you for telling me this, Third Brother. Otherwise, it would have ruined everything."

The third brother said, "The most important thing now is how to quell the scholars' unrest."

When Tu Chengyu heard the third brother steer the conversation towards the scholars causing trouble again, he asked thoughtfully:

"Third Brother, do you have a way to help me?"

Hearing that Tu Chengyu had finally gotten to the point, the third brother smiled and said:

"I don't have any good solutions either, but I happen to know a few scholars who can contact Hu Guangjin. If you, Xiao Wu, are willing to reconcile with them, I can help you make contact."

Tu Chengyu asked, "If we want to reach a settlement, what should I do?"

The third brother said, "Little Five, you don't need to do anything for now. I'll go and persuade that scholar to write a memorial stating that Hu Guangjin and you were exchanging ideas and that there was no suppression involved."

"Then write it again. Hu Guangjin couldn't bear to see everyone not preparing for the palace examination in peace because of a rumor. In order to avoid causing a bigger misunderstanding, Hu Guangjin decided to withdraw from this palace examination."

"Once this memorial is presented to Father, Xiao Wu, you can go to Father and plead for Hu Guangjin. Tell him that your conflict that day was a misunderstanding, and hope that Father will not grant Hu Guangjin's request for the sake of the country."

"In this way, if you each take a step back, you can successfully quell the public opinion outside."

This method sounds good and is easy to do.

However, if Tu Chengyu really listened to the third brother's words and pleaded for Hu Guangjin, wouldn't that confirm the rumors of suppressing Hu Guangjin were true? Otherwise, why would a prince of the current dynasty bother to plead for a scholar?

It would also give the impression that Tu Chengyu was currying favor and currying favor with scholars. Doing so seemed like a bad idea. It would be better to do nothing and let the Emperor and the court officials handle it.

In the end, even if I am branded as a miser to scholars, it doesn't matter.

This bad reputation might be troublesome for others, but for Tu Chengyu, it is actually a form of protection.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu said to his third brother, "Thank you for your concern, Third Brother, but I will not bow down to a scholar."

Hearing this, the third brother became anxious and said, "How can this be considered bowing down? This is a win-win situation!"

Tu Chengyu said, "Third Brother, let's not talk about this anymore."

Hearing Tu Chengyu's resolute attitude, the third brother was helpless. He wanted to say something more, but he couldn't open his mouth.

Seeing the third brother's hesitant look, Tu Chengyu asked, "Third brother, is there something else?"

The third brother said apologetically, "I originally wanted Xiao Wu to help me with something, but I couldn't do it for him, so I'm embarrassed to say it now."

Tu Chengyu had been wondering from the beginning why his third brother would rush over to help him; it turned out he needed something from him.

Tu Chengyu said, "What is it? Third Brother, just say it."

The third brother hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's about building the Prince's Mansion that I just mentioned."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Third Brother, have you decided where to build your palace?"

The third brother nodded and said, "There is a good place, but it's already there."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Which residence is it?"

The third brother said, "It is the residence of my brother, the Prince Yixiao."

Tu Chengyu suddenly stood up and looked at the third brother, saying, "Brother Yixiao is still alive. How can you be so interested in his palace? Third brother, aren't you afraid that Father and Grandfather will be angry?"

The third brother said, "It's not that I'm thinking about it, but Prince Yixiao himself said that he doesn't want to live in the current palace and wants to move to a quiet residence so he can recuperate in peace."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Did Brother Yixiao say that himself?"

The third brother nodded and said, "Yes, yesterday I went outside the palace and ran into my brother. He told me personally that he had submitted a memorial to the Emperor, requesting that the Emperor help him change his residence after his birthday."

"When I heard that, I thought that since my brother had passed away, the mansion would just be empty anyway, so I might as well ask my father to bestow it upon me."

Tu Chengyu really admired Third Brother; when it came to taking advantage of others, Third Brother always reacted the fastest.

The current residence of Prince Yixiao was originally the Yongwang Mansion, and its scale and exquisiteness are a level above the Anwang Mansion.

Although Prince Yixiao demolished many illegal buildings after moving in, it was still one of the top princely residences in the capital.

So, the third brother really does know how to take advantage.

Tu Chengyu said, "Since Brother Yixiao has already submitted the memorial, Third Brother, you can just go to Father and ask for it. Why are you looking for me?"

The third brother said, "Originally, I was thinking of going directly to Father Emperor to ask, but before I could go, I heard that the Empress wanted to bestow this mansion upon my second brother."

Why are the Empress and the Second Prince involved again? It's just a royal residence, is it really worth fighting over?

Tu Chengyu said, "The Empress has intervened, so there's no use in you coming to me."

The third son said, "I would like to ask the fifth son to plead with the Crown Prince to put in a good word for me with the Emperor."

Tu Chengyu said, "You want the Crown Prince and the Empress to fight over a mansion? Third Brother, are you still asleep or have you lost your mind?"

The third son said, "Fifth son, this is not a matter of the mansion, but rather the Empress has gone too far."

"Ever since Father Emperor hinted that he wanted to build a princely mansion for the princes, the Empress first requested that the Ping Prince's mansion be given to Second Brother. Now that she heard that Brother Yixiao wants to give up his residence, the Empress wants to give this mansion to Second Brother and the Ping Prince's mansion to Little Twelfth."

"Little Twelfth is the youngest among his brothers, so why should he be assigned to the Prince's Mansion first, and the best one at that?"

The third brother is full of complaints now, which boils down to his resentment and the fact that someone gave him this terrible idea.

He went to Tu Chengyu and started spouting nonsense, saying bad things about the Empress. If this got out, people would think that Tu Chengyu also had grievances against the Empress.

Tu Chengyu wouldn't tolerate this bad habit of his, and said:
“I don’t care why Twelfth Prince was assigned to the Prince’s Mansion, but what gives you the right to ask the Crown Prince to do things for you, Third Brother? If you continue to be so clueless, you should leave my place right now.”

The third son said anxiously, "As long as the Crown Prince helps me get this mansion, once I leave the palace, I will definitely follow the Crown Prince's lead and do things for him."

They've gone further and further absurd, and now they've even uttered such outrageous and blasphemous words.

Tu Chengyu quickly stopped him, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? Father Emperor is above us. Everyone is working for Father Emperor. No one can make you, a prince, follow his lead."

The third brother blushed deeply after Tu Chengyu's words, but he also came to his senses and became worried about the nonsense he had uttered in his haste.

The third brother said, "Fifth brother, I was just anxious, that's why I talked nonsense. Please don't spread this around."

Tu Chengyu said, "I'm just bored and have nothing better to do than spread these nonsense."

Seeing that he could not get help from Tu Chengyu, the third brother could only leave dejectedly.

(End of this chapter)