The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 83 Seeking the Truth, Assassination Suddenly Occurs
Prince Yoshikō was still very angry about the suicide of the man surnamed Yuan, even though it was a predictable outcome.

He couldn't help but be angry, because once this person died, unless other clues could be found immediately, he would be a suspect for a short period of time.

Given his current situation, being suspected could be fatal.

For Prince Yixiao, this short half-day was an agonizing ordeal.

He was initially happy because of everyone's arrival, but then became saddened when he spoke of the former crown prince.

Then, she was so frightened by the claim that the food was poisoned that she fainted. After finally waking up, she found herself in this predicament.

This series of events would be difficult for even a healthy person to bear, let alone someone like him who is always on medication.

So when he heard that someone surnamed Yuan had committed suicide, he was so angry that he slumped into his chair once again.

Seeing this, Eunuch Du quickly advised:
"Your Highness, your health is the most important thing. Why bother getting angry with these people?"

"With Chief Steward Dai here today, along with so many people from the Imperial Horse Administration, this matter will surely be thoroughly investigated."

"This servant will have someone take you back to your room to rest. I will take care of things here."

Prince Yixiao waved his hand weakly and said, "I won't die. Let's wait for Old Chang to arrive."

Eunuch Du then said, "Your Highness, let Physician Lou examine you again."

Prince Yixiao said, "What's there to see? It's nothing but talk about being anxious and needing to rest. It's useless."

Not long after, a servant brought over an old man. Without asking, everyone knew that this was the old man everyone was waiting for.

When Lao Chang arrived at Prince Yixiao's place, he was too weak to ask any questions, so Eunuch Du had to do it for him.

Eunuch Du asked, "Old Chang, I remember you're quite familiar with the cook surnamed Yuan in the manor. Do you know anything about him?"

Old Chang said, "I am indeed familiar with him and know a little about him. I wonder what the steward wants to ask?"

Eunuch Du said, "Do you know where Chef Yuan is from and how many people are in his family?"

Old Chang said, "Cook Yuan and I are both from the outskirts of Beijing. He only has a wife and children at home; his parents are both dead."

Eunuch Du asked, "Then, where are his wife and children now?"

Old Chang replied, "He bought a house in the city. His whole family originally lived in Beijing, but the other day, he asked me to take his wife and children back to the countryside."

Upon hearing this, it goes without saying that Chef Yuan's wife and children have also disappeared, and the useful clues have run dry.

Undeterred, Eunuch Du asked again, "Do you know if Chef Yuan has any other relatives or family members?"

Old Chang said, "Cook Yuan was adopted from a distant relative; he has no other relatives here."

Eunuch Du asked, "What about his biological parents?"

Old Chang said, "When I heard him brag before, he did mention that he had a younger brother who also worked in the capital, apparently as a guard in the Prince An's mansion."

The moment the Prince An's Mansion was mentioned, Tu Chengyu and his brothers perked up instantly.

Eunuch Du continued, "Do you know what his younger brother's name is?"

Old Chang said, "He never told me his name. I only know that his younger brother later committed a crime and was beheaded. His parents, wife and children were also sent to remote places for supervision."

A guard named Yuan from the Prince An's mansion committed a crime and was beheaded; his parents, wife, and children were sent away.

From this series of information, Tu Chengyu could only think of that bastard Yuan Jian.

Tu Chengyu turned to look at his other brothers, who all seemed to have realized it as well. It seemed they had all thought of it too.

Eunuch Du was also adept at reading people's expressions, and he naturally noticed the princes' reactions. He immediately asked the second prince.

"Your Highness, do you remember that there used to be a guard like this in the Prince An's residence?"

The second prince said, "As far as I know, there is indeed a man named Yuan Jian who fits the description quite well."

Eunuch Du then asked, "Your Highness, what was the reason this man was beheaded?"

The murder of Yuan Jian involved secrets of the Prince An's mansion, so the second son naturally couldn't tell him the truth.

So he said, "I'm not quite sure either."

Seeing that the second son wouldn't speak, Eunuch Du had no choice but to give up.

While resting, Prince Yixiao reminded him, "Ask him which table the poisoner served the food to."

"That kid is right here," he said, pointing to the spot where Tu Chengyu had been sitting without anyone else having to ask.
"The one surnamed Yuan is the one I asked to bring to this table."

Everyone turned around and realized that this was aimed at Tu Chengyu.

Prince Yoshikō said, "It seems they're here for my fifth brother; that makes sense."

Eunuch Du said, "Your Highness, have you thought of something?"

Prince Yixiao said, "I just realized that perhaps this cook Yuan poisoned my fifth brother to avenge his younger brother."

What Prince Yoshikō said seemed to make some sense, and several of the others in the pavilion nodded in agreement.

Tu Chengyu didn't say it aloud, but in his heart he scoffed at this guess.

Yuan Jian brought this upon himself by betraying the Prince's Mansion, which led to his execution.

His death was entirely his own fault, and he had no one in the Prince An's mansion to blame.

Besides, this cook surnamed Yuan is just a cook.

He doesn't have the ability to obtain poison and bring it safely into the Prince Yixiao's residence.

He managed to evade the rigorous searches of the past two days by having a servant poison him. If no one had secretly helped him, a cook like him might not even have known where Tu Chengyu was sitting, let alone poison him.

Now, it is unclear whether Prince Yoshikō is trying to clear himself of suspicion or has some other purpose.

Tu Chengyu didn't want to refute the claim that the cook surnamed Yuan poisoned the food to avenge his brother.

Because this case cannot be decided by whatever Prince Yixiao says; ultimately, it must be handed over to the Imperial Horse Administration.

Having barely managed to find a plausible excuse, Prince Yoshikō seemed to have exhausted all his energy.

With the help of Eunuch Du, he stood up and addressed everyone:
"I was a bit reckless today, and then this happened, so my body can't take it anymore. I need to go downstairs to take my medicine now."

"I feel very guilty for not being able to be with everyone."

Everyone has seen Prince Yixiao's current situation, and they all understand his decision to leave Zhongtong.

After Prince Yixiao finished speaking to everyone, he turned to Eunuch Du and said:

"I'm going back to take my medicine. You stay here and serve the guests properly."

After giving his instructions, he was carried back by several servants.

However, after they had just been carried off the pavilion and hadn't gone far, he stopped and sent a servant back to the pavilion.

After the servant ran over, he whispered a few words to Eunuch Du, who then walked up to Tu Chengyu with a very embarrassed expression and said:
"Your Highness Prince Su, our lord would like to invite you over for a few words."

Tu Chengyu asked in surprise, "Is something the matter?"

What Tu Chengyu really wanted to ask was why he hadn't asked her earlier, and why he had to make her come over now.

Eunuch Du explained, "Our Prince wanted to ask His Highness Prince Su about the matter he had asked you to do a few days ago, but because of what happened just now, our Prince forgot in his haste."

Tu Chengyu understood; Prince Yixiao was after Qin Keqing's marriage.

This matter is indeed not suitable to be discussed publicly here, and it is likely that Prince Yoshikō forgot about it, which was also intentional.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu said, "Alright, I'll go and have a chat with Brother Yixiao."

Prince Yixiao hadn't gone far when Tu Chengyu arrived.

When Tu Chengyu arrived, Prince Yixiao had already disembarked from his palanquin and was standing with the help of a servant.

Seeing this situation, Tu Chengyu said:

“Brother Yixiao, since you are not feeling well, why don’t we go back to your room and talk about it?”

Prince Yoshikō said, "It's just a matter of a few words, let's say it here."

Since he insisted, Tu Chengyu stopped trying to persuade him.

Prince Yixiao asked Tu Chengyu to help him up, and then tried to send several servants away.

Just then, Tu Chengyu heard a servant beside him shout:

"My lord, be careful."

Then, he and Prince Yixiao were pushed down by two servants, and Tu Chengyu was momentarily unaware of what had happened.

All that could be heard was a chaotic cacophony of shouts all around.

Tu Chengyu hurriedly turned over and the first thing he saw was two long spears stuck not far from him.

The spearhead was mostly embedded in the soil; if such force were used to pierce a person, it would definitely create two large holes.

Then Tu Chengyu saw that not far away, those opera singers were actually fighting with the guards of the Prince's mansion.

Tu Chengyu asked the servants of the Prince's residence beside him, "What happened?"

Instead of answering Tu Chengyu's question immediately, the servant pulled Tu Chengyu up and shielded him behind him.

On the other side, Prince Yoshikō was also helped up by two other servants.

The servant protecting Tu Chengyu, seeing that neither of the princes was injured, then answered Tu Chengyu's question:
"Your Highness, those actors suddenly attacked you two for some unknown reason."

"It's not safe here now. I'll escort the two princes to a safe place."

At this moment, Prince Yoshikō, who was barely alive after being hit, said:
"Go to the greenhouse next to the horse farm. The house there is sturdy, and we can hide there temporarily."

The servants of the Prince's mansion clearly knew about the warm room; two of them supported Prince Yixiao, while the other two protected Tu Chengyu.

They avoided the fighting area, crossed the horse farm, and ran to the warm room that Prince Yoshikō had mentioned.

This greenhouse was built separately on the other side of the horse farm, and was not connected to any other buildings.

The greenhouse has thick walls and sturdy doors and windows, and it does look very solid.

The servants opened the door and led the two inside.

Prince Yixiao was helped to sit on a recliner to rest, while Tu Chengyu took the opportunity to look out the window.

The greenhouse was a bit far from the fighting area, and due to the angle, Tu Chengyu could only barely see a group of people fighting together.

Among the people fighting were actors in theatrical costumes, guards from the Prince's mansion, and people sent from the palace.

These people were all mixed together, fighting fiercely and completely disregarding who was friend or foe.

And it's unclear whether the fight was too intense or something else entirely.

To this day, neither the princes' guards nor anyone sent by the palace have come to see them.

(End of this chapter)