The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 81 Farewell, Drinking and Singing (and more)

This feeling of unease had been there since I met Prince Yoshikō, but I hadn't paid it any mind at the time.

Only after staying there for a long time did this feeling of unease slowly creep into my mind.

However, Tu Chengyu only sensed that Prince Yixiao was acting strangely, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong.

At this moment, Prince Yoshikō, who was sitting in the main seat, seemed very happy.

After everyone was seated, he stood up and said:
“I’m so glad you all came today, really glad.”

"Those who came today are all uncles and brothers, all family members, so we don't need to follow so many rules and can all be more at ease."

He was the main character today, and everyone echoed his words.

Prince Yoshikō continued, "Since we're feeling more at ease, I won't worry about anything else. Let me first offer everyone a toast."

As he spoke, he picked up his wine glass, gesturing for everyone to have a drink together.

Everyone raised their wine cups upon hearing Prince Yixiao's suggestion, except for the prince consort Huo Daichun, who spoke up to dissuade them:

“Brother Zong, the imperial physician said that you are not fit to drink alcohol. I think you should drink tea instead of wine. I believe everyone will understand.”

Huo Daichun was the husband of Princess Duanjing, the second daughter of the retired emperor, and Princess Duanjing was the same mother as the former crown prince.

Therefore, Huo Daichun and Prince Yixiao were quite close, and Huo Daichun naturally knew more about his health condition.

Now that Huo Daichun had said this, everyone present realized that Prince Yixiao was not allowed to drink alcohol.

So one by one they stood up and tried to persuade Prince Yoshikō not to drink.

However, Prince Yixiao said, "My condition has improved significantly, and I have stopped taking medicine for a while. Drinking a little wine will not cause any problems."

Huo Daichun added, "Now that you've recovered, you should be even more careful. Why rush things, Zong-ge? It's not too late to drink after you've fully recovered."

Prince Yoshikō, however, said, "I have waited for so many years, I can't wait any longer."

"Besides, today is a joyous day, and I just want to take advantage of this occasion to have some fun. Uncle, please don't try to persuade me anymore."

Since Prince Yixiao had said so, Huo Daichun could no longer object.

Prince Yixiao ignored what others were saying, raised his wine cup and said:

"A Feast"

He then drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Perhaps because he had never drunk alcohol before, Prince Yoshikō's face turned bright red instantly after drinking just one small cup.

This was accompanied by a series of coughs.

Upon seeing this scene, Tu Chengyu immediately realized why he had felt something was off about Prince Yixiao today.

Tu Chengyu still remembered that when he met Prince Yixiao at the park not long ago, Prince Yixiao would cough from time to time.

But today, from the moment Tu Chengyu met Prince Yixiao until just now, before drinking, Prince Yixiao hadn't coughed even once.

If it weren't for that glass of wine that made Prince Yixiao cough again, Tu Chengyu might still be wondering what was wrong with him.

Tu Chengyu thought back for a moment and realized that besides the cough, Prince Yixiao's complexion also seemed a bit off.

The last time I saw Prince Yixiao, his complexion was just like that of a normal person, but today it looked rather rosy.

Especially now, after having a glass of wine, she looks radiant.

Tu Chengyu thought to himself, "Is Prince Yixiao really alright, or is it just because he's happy today?"

As Tu Chengyu was lost in thought, Prince Yixiao's coughing stopped as the eunuch behind him stroked it.

He looked up and saw everyone staring at him with concern, then smiled and said:
"I'm fine, I just choked on the alcohol. You guys shouldn't just stand there, hurry up and drink!"

Since Prince Yixiao was alright, everyone drank and sat down.

Of course, Tu Chengyu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Huangshu could only drink juice.

After downing a cup of wine and resting briefly, Prince Yixiao picked up another cup of wine.

Upon seeing this, Huo Daichun immediately stood up to try and stop it.

But Prince Yixiao spoke up before him: "Uncle, I'm in a good mood today, so it's fine to have a couple of drinks. Anyway, I won't have another chance to drink like this in the future."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Huo Daichun could only hesitate and sit down.

Prince Yoshikō, holding his wine cup, said a few more words of thanks, and then drank the second cup of wine in one gulp.

Next, Prince Yoshikō found various excuses to drink, as if what he held in his hand was not wine, but a delicacy.

Soon, Prince Yixiao had drunk down the two ounces of wine in the wine pot to just one cup, and at this point, he looked somewhat drunk.

But he still didn't stop. He picked up the last glass of wine and said, "This is the last glass of this pot of wine, and it's also my last glass."

"For this last drink, I have to say something that will spoil the mood."

"Today is supposed to be a happy day, and I shouldn't say anything that would spoil the mood, but if I don't say it, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to say it again."

No one knew why Prince Yoshikō suddenly said such a thing, so they assumed he was drunk and sat quietly listening to what he had to say.

Prince Yoshikō continued, "There is an old saying that one should not celebrate one's birthday when one's parents have passed away."

“A person as unlucky as me should not celebrate my birthday.”

"Originally, I was afraid of attracting criticism and didn't want to celebrate my birthday."

"But then something happened that made me realize that if I didn't celebrate my birthday this time, I probably wouldn't have the chance again."

"So despite some criticism, I asked the Emperor Emeritus to allow me to be willful this time."

"I held a birthday banquet for myself out of selfishness, disregarding my mourning period. It is really unfilial of me."

"I can only offer this glass of wine to comfort my parents' spirits in heaven, and I hope they will not blame me."

After saying his last sentence, he downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, which naturally triggered another cough. Prince Yoshikō's words were filled with profound sorrow.

However, this matter involved the former crown prince, so no one dared to offer any advice.

Even the imperial son-in-law, Huo Daichun, could only watch with worried eyes.

Prince Yoshikō, having recovered somewhat, noticed the tense atmosphere and said:

"I was just drunk and talking nonsense, you don't need to take it to heart."

But since the words have already been spoken, how can everyone not care?

Besides, Prince Yoshikō mentioned more than once in his words that this was his last time.

This has also caused concern among people, as they wondered if his previous claim that his condition had improved was a lie, and that his condition had actually worsened.

Everyone had their own thoughts, and no one spoke.

Fortunately, at this moment, a servant came to report something, which broke the oppressive atmosphere.

A servant ran over and asked, "Your Highness, the kitchen says the dishes are ready. Would you like to serve them?"

Prince Yoshikō said, "The dishes are ready, so let's serve them."

Upon hearing the order, the servants immediately ran downstairs. A short while later, they saw the servants of the Prince's Mansion lined up in two rows, each carrying a food box.

Since everyone is seated separately today, each person will naturally receive a portion of the dishes.

The number of servants serving food in the Prince's mansion was also determined by the number of tables, with one servant responsible for one guest.

Once the servants reached the platform, they opened the food box and placed the two dishes on the table.

Tu Chengyu took a look and saw that one dish was pickled goose feet and duck tongues, and the other was ham stewed with pork hock.

These are all common dishes, but today the imperial chef is in charge, so they look very appetizing.

Even Tu Chengyu couldn't resist picking up his chopsticks when he saw such delicious food, and the little imperial uncle sitting next to him couldn't resist even more.

When the young prince was in the palace, he was surrounded by elders during meals, who naturally restrained him.

But now that he's here, he's both the youngest and the most senior, so no one is there to restrain him.

This allowed the young prince to gradually let himself go.

So as soon as the dishes arrived, he picked up his chopsticks and prepared to start eating.

Fortunately, Tu Chengyu reacted quickly and stopped him.

Being denied access to delicious food naturally displeased the young imperial uncle, who glared at Tu Chengyu as if asking, "Why are you stopping me?"

Tu Chengyu explained to him in a low voice, "Uncle, today is Prince Yixiao's birthday banquet. This dish should be eaten by Prince Yixiao first."

Although the young prince was angry that he couldn't eat the delicious food immediately, he was also an obedient child. When he heard Tu Chengyu say that, he put down his chopsticks.

Prince Yixiao knew that everyone was waiting for him to start eating, so he didn't delay. He picked up his chopsticks, casually picked up some food, and put it in his mouth.

After finishing his meal in a few bites, he said, "The dishes today are quite good, everyone, hurry up and eat."

After Prince Yoshikō finished speaking, everyone picked up their chopsticks to eat, but before they could even pick up any food, someone shouted loudly:

"Your Highness, the dishes that were just served are poisoned; you can't eat them."

This was like a bolt from the blue. Tu Chengyu was so shocked that he threw down his chopsticks and immediately turned to look at his uncle and sixth brother on either side.

By the time Tu Chengyu looked over, Dai Quan, who had been standing behind him, had already taken away his chopsticks and was even being held by Dai Quan for protection.

Xiao Liu, probably shocked by the news, sat there motionless, chopsticks in hand.

Seeing this, Tu Chengyu slapped the chopsticks out of his hand. Xiao Liu, regaining his senses, said with a pale face:

"Fifth Brother, this is terrifying."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Have you eaten any vegetables?"

Xiao Liu shook his head and said, "I didn't."

That's good. Seeing that Xiao Liu and the young imperial uncle were both alright, Tu Chengyu finally had the mind to check on the others.

Upon seeing this, my heart skipped a beat again.

Because at the scene, three people were vomiting.

One of them was Prince Yixiao, who was the first to eat in front of everyone, which was not surprising.

The second one was a distant relative, younger than the other, probably also a glutton.

The third one is Tu Chengyu's third brother, that simpleton.

Upon seeing this, Tu Chengyu quickly ran over to check and asked;

"Second brother, have the three of you eaten?"

The second son nodded and said, "I only ate one bite, and now I've spat it out."

Tu Chengyu then asked the third brother, "Third brother, how are you feeling now?"

The third brother was also terrified, his face turning deathly pale. Hearing Tu Chengyu's words, he said, "I'm alright for now, I don't feel anything."

The third prince is fine, but it seems there's a big problem with Prince Yixiao.

The black-robed eunuch behind Prince Yixiao was desperately supporting the prince's body while shouting incessantly.
"Your Highness, what's wrong, Your Highness!"

His shouts attracted the attention of a large crowd.

Tu Chengyu naturally looked over as well, and upon seeing it, his heart sank.

Thank you all for your support. More will be released later.

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(End of this chapter)