The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 79 A Memorial Causes Unease
Hearing how serious it sounded, Tu Chengyu couldn't just walk away. He first helped Yang Chun stand up before saying:

"Since it is such an important matter, you should report it to the Emperor."

Yang Chun said, "This matter cannot be made public. If I were to report it openly, it would inevitably lead to an unmanageable situation."

Tu Chengyu said, "Why don't you just report it to them privately?"

Yang Chun said, "That was my original plan as well. I intended to speak to His Majesty privately when he inspected the Imperial Study."

"But recently, due to a series of major events in the court, the Emperor has been very busy with state affairs and has not come to the Imperial Study for two days."

"I am unable to personally present my report, and the matter is urgent, so I have no choice but to humbly ask Your Highness for help."

Even though Yang Chun had brought it up, Tu Chengyu still hesitated, because the bigger the matter, the more trouble it would cause if he got involved.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Why did you specifically seek out me among so many princes in the palace?"

Yang Chun said, "The Prince of Xing, the Prince of Qi, and the Prince of Yi are not in the Imperial Study, and I cannot find them. The other princes studying in the Imperial Study are too young, so I can only ask Your Highness for help."

Tu Chengyu then asked, "If I hadn't come to the Imperial Study today, what would you have done?"

Yang Chun said, "If we wait until the afternoon and there is still no other way, I will prepare to go to the outer court to petition the emperor."

Tu Chengyu said, "You should know that if an official petitions the emperor without being asked why, he will be dismissed and exiled."

Yang Chun said, "I know, but this matter is of utmost importance, and I will do it even if it costs me my life."

Seeing his firm attitude, Tu Chengyu originally wanted to ask him how he got this information, but he was worried that he might ask something he shouldn't hear.

Not knowing what to say for a moment, Yang Chun thought Tu Chengyu was unwilling to help, so he quickly said:

"This matter will erupt tomorrow, and it may cause chaos in the court and may also involve the Crown Prince. I hope Your Highness will not refuse."

After considering for a long time, Tu Chengyu said, "How do you want me to help you?"

Yang Chun said, "I have written a memorial. Your Highness only needs to submit it to the Emperor."

Tu Chengyu said, "Is it really that simple?"

Yang Chun replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

If it were just delivering a letter, it wouldn't matter much; at most, I'd get a few scoldings from my father.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Where is the letter?"

Upon hearing that Tu Chengyu was willing to help, Yang Chun quickly raised his arm and pulled out a thick envelope from the wide sleeve of his official robe, presumably containing the memorial to the throne.

The envelope was sealed tightly, with mud and glue pressed against the opening, and stamped on it; the security measures were quite comprehensive.

Tu Chengyu accepted the envelope, and Yang Chun bowed deeply, saying:

"Your Highness, I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure, and I am deeply ashamed that I have implicated you."

"When Your Highness submitted your memorial, you said that it was only after my repeated requests that Your Highness helped you. I'm sure the Emperor won't blame Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu said, "If I were afraid of being implicated, I wouldn't bother with you at all."

"Now that I have taken over, I will definitely submit it to the Emperor. However, if you spout nonsense in the memorial, I will not let you off the hook."

Yang Chun said, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will wait here. If I have deceived Your Highness, please do with me as you see fit."

Having decided to do it, Tu Chengyu didn't delay any longer. He put the envelope in his pocket and left with Xiao Xuanzi.

As soon as he came out, Tu Chengyu headed towards the Imperial Study. There was no morning court session today, so the Emperor should be in the Imperial Study.

Upon arrival, they indeed saw several eunuchs standing guard at the entrance to the imperial study.

While sending someone in to report, Tu Chengyu instructed Xiao Xuanzi not to wander off and to wait there.

He had barely spoken a few words when the emperor summoned him inside.

Tu Chengyu entered, paid his respects, and seeing that only the Emperor and Xia Shouzhong were in the Imperial Study, he took out the memorial from his robes and said:

"Father, Yang Chun, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, requests that I present you with a memorial."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, the emperor's face immediately darkened.

He stared at Tu Chengyu and said, "Is this any of your business?"

Tu Chengyu thought to himself that he didn't want to get involved, but the moment Yang Chun knelt down, he was already entangled.

Rather than doing nothing and waiting to be held accountable for causing serious problems, it's better to take the initiative. You might even gain some sympathy for your courage and responsibility.

He forced himself to say, "Yang Chun said this matter is of great importance, so I dared to submit a memorial on his behalf."

Although the emperor was angry, he knew that Tu Chengyu was not someone who didn't know his place. Even after Xia Shouzhong presented the memorial, he said:

"I'll deal with you after I've finished reading this."

The memorial was quite thick and contained a lot of information; it took the emperor quite a while to finish reading it.

After reading it, the emperor's expression became very solemn. He did not speak, but sat quietly on the dragon throne, closing his eyes in thought.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the emperor finally opened his eyes and asked:

"When Yang Chun presented you with his memorial, was anyone else seen?" Tu Chengyu asked. "Besides me and Yang Chun, there was only the eunuch Xiao Xuanzi who was with me."

The emperor asked, "Where is Xiao Xuanzi?"

Tu Chengyu replied, "I'll wait outside the Imperial Study."

The emperor asked, "Where are Xiao Liu and the others?"

Tu Chengyu replied, "They went to my courtyard."

The emperor didn't ask why Xiao Liu and the others had gone to Tu Chengyu's courtyard while they were studying. Instead, he said to Xia Shouzhong:
"You have three things to do now. First, take control of Xiao Xuanzi and prevent him from contacting anyone."

"Second, secretly send someone to tell Yang Chun that I have seen his memorial and that he should act as usual and not give anything away."

"Third, send someone to the Imperial Hospital, without alerting anyone, to quietly bring Zong Ge'er's medical records."

Upon hearing the emperor's instructions, Xia Shouzhong hurriedly left the imperial study.

After Xia Shouzhong left, the emperor said, "Tell me everything that just happened from beginning to end."

Tu Chengyu didn't hide anything and told the Emperor the whole story in detail, even including what he had said to Xiao Liu and the others.

After listening, the Emperor said, "So, this Yang Chun is not afraid of death after all."

Tu Chengyu didn't know how to answer the Emperor's question, so he stood there in silence.

The Emperor ignored him and continued speaking to himself, "If what Yang Chun said in his memorial is true, then this matter will indeed be difficult to handle."

After saying that, he thought for a moment and asked, "Xiao Wu, what did Zong-ge'er say to you when you went to the park that day?"

Tu Chengyu recalled the circumstances of their meeting that day and said:
"My brother, Prince Yixiao, has come to see me mainly about the marriage between the Qin and Jia families. He wants me to help him with the matter to the Emperor Emeritus."

“My brother, Prince Yixiao, was also worried that it would be bad for the Qin family’s daughter to marry into the Jia family, so he asked me to help him see the Emperor Emeritus and ask him to cancel the marriage.”

After listening, the emperor asked, "Besides this, are there any others?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Father, also, my brother Prince Yixiao invited me to his birthday banquet. Father already knew about this."

The emperor asked again, "When you saw Zong Ge'er that day, how did you feel about his health?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Your Majesty, judging from my brother Yixiao's complexion, he seems to be in good health, but he is a bit thin and coughs frequently."

After listening, the emperor said, "That's good, then I have nothing to worry about."

After saying this, the emperor paused slightly before continuing:
"There might be a little trouble at Zongge'er's residence tomorrow, so be careful. But don't worry too much, I will send more people over."

Tu Chengyu didn't pay much attention to it and asked, "Should I tell my second brother about this?"

The emperor said, "You just need to tell Xiao Liu. I will talk to the others."

Since that's the case, Tu Chengyu decided to leave it at that.

At this moment, Xia Shouzhong returned after finishing his business, holding Prince Yixiao's medical record in his hand.

Seeing that his father and the others were busy, Tu Chengyu took his leave.

As he was leaving, the emperor gave his final instructions: "Don't tell anyone about Yang Chun's memorial today, understand?"

After Tu Chengyu left, the emperor looked at Prince Yixiao's medical record and spoke to Xia Shouzhong.
"There will be trouble at Zongge'er's residence tomorrow. Send more people in tonight to inspect the entire residence for me."

Xia Shouzhong was clearly shocked by the news. He hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Your Majesty, since trouble is likely to arise, should we advise the princes not to go?"

The emperor didn't even look up and said, "What's wrong with going there? Is it some kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair?"

"Within this capital city, right under my nose, how could they possibly cause any trouble?"

"If I can't even protect my son within this capital city, I might as well quit being emperor."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Xia Shouzhong lowered his head in fear and remained silent.

This wasn't the emperor speaking out of anger, but rather a reminder to Xia Shouzhong that if things didn't go well tomorrow, and even the slightest mishap occurred, Xia Shouzhong would face dire consequences.

This also serves as a warning to those below: anyone who dares to neglect their duties tomorrow will be beheaded.

Having served the emperor for so many years, Xia Shouzhong naturally understood the emperor's intentions.

He immediately replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will certainly do my best to protect the safety of all the princes."

The emperor said, "I trust you to handle things, but you can't be careless. You must give clear instructions to your subordinates."

Xia Shouzhong replied, "Your Majesty, this servant will certainly ensure that they do their job diligently."

After finishing this, he added, "There might be some turmoil in the court tomorrow. Tonight, arrange for people to monitor every move in the capital. If you don't have enough people, go find Dai Quan."

"In addition, I have a few things to arrange for my ministers in the outer court. I will write a few notes later, and you can send them to them by a reliable person."

The emperor sat there and explained the tasks to be done, one by one.

Xia Shouzhong silently noted down each and every detail, then left the imperial kitchen to find someone to make the arrangements.

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(End of this chapter)