The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 86 discusses how scheming can lead to unpredictable life and death.

Tu Chengyu genuinely believed that the Emperor had not plotted against him.

Firstly, this method is prone to leaving evidence against us.

Secondly, there is no need to plot against him, because given the current situation, Prince Yixiao has no chance of affecting the emperor's position.

Thirdly, since the retired emperor is still alive, the emperor has no need to risk incurring the retired emperor's wrath by doing this.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu guessed that the doctor Prince Yixiao found was either unskilled or lied.

Looking at Prince Yixiao's resentful expression, Tu Chengyu asked:
"Where did you find the doctor who treated you?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Yixiao said, "What, what mischief are you up to now?"

Tu Chengyu said, "I didn't mean to do anything. I'm just asking you whether you found those doctors yourself or someone helped you find them. And is it possible that the person who helped you was lying to you?"

After hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Prince Yixiao first looked at him with a mocking expression, as if he was laughing at Tu Chengyu for resorting to such a low-class tactic of sowing discord.

He said, "No matter how you try to explain, it's no use. I won't believe you, and don't even think about escaping from here."

Tu Chengyu asked in confusion, "What is it that makes you so trusting of the diagnosis of the country doctor?"

Prince Yixiao said, "If it were just a doctor, I wouldn't easily believe it, but someone brought out my medical records from the palace, and the diagnosis on them is something I saw with my own eyes. There can't be any faked that."

Tu Chengyu said, "On the contrary, medical records are the easiest to forge. You've probably been fooled."

Prince Yoshikō said, "Others may deceive me, but this person will not."

Tu Chengyu asked curiously, "Who is it that you can trust and who has access to the palace's records?"

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's question, Prince Yixiao gave a strange smile and said:

"It's one of your older brothers."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but laugh and said, "I'm about to die under your musket, why bother with such a pointless divisive tactic against me?"

Prince Yixiao said, "Whether it's a divisive tactic or not, you know in your heart. You can think about why I suddenly wanted to change my residence."

Tu Chengyu frowned and thought for a moment, could it be that he gave up the Prince's Mansion just to incite a fight among his brothers?

If that's the case, his plan has succeeded, because the third son is even planning to compete with the second son for the mansion.

Even worse, in their struggle for the mansion, they might secretly conspire with Prince Yoshikō. In that case, the person who stole the pulse from the palace for Prince Yoshikō could very well be one of their own older brothers.

One of the prime suspects is the third brother.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu wanted to ask if it was the third son, but when he looked up and saw the mocking expression on Prince Yixiao's face in the distance, he thought to himself, "Oh no, I've been tricked."

Prince Yoshikō's scheme to sow discord was very simple and easy to see through.

However, this divisive tactic doesn't work immediately. Its real power lies in planting seeds of doubt in people's minds through a mix of true and false evidence, allowing them to slowly sprout.

Then wait, until the moment it erupts, this seedling of doubt will instantly grow into a towering tree with astonishing destructive power, completely destroying the trust between people.

That's what makes this scheme so disgusting, and Tu Chengyu had clearly already begun to have doubts.

Seeing Tu Chengyu's frustrated expression, Prince Yixiao couldn't help but laugh smugly:
"Are you starting to suspect your brothers? Have you already figured out who is the most likely suspect?"

"Hahaha, Xiao Wu, do you still think my scheme to sow discord is boring?"

Looking at his arrogant demeanor, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but say:

"You want my life, yet you went to great lengths to trick me. Is it to make yourself seem clever?"

Prince Yixiao was taken aback by Tu Chengyu's words and then fell silent.

Seeing that Prince Yixiao remained silent, Tu Chengyu brought up the previous topic again.

He asked, "According to what you just said, one of your three elder brothers stole the medical records from you. How can you guarantee that the medical records they gave you are genuine?"

Prince Yoshikō said, "Because they have no reason to lie to me."

Tu Chengyu said, "The Emperor has no reason to lie to you, so in my opinion, you just have a prejudice against the Emperor."

"And some people will take advantage of your prejudice to make you believe that the imperial physician's diagnosis is false, so that you will do things that benefit them."

"Think carefully about the person who found you a doctor. Did he take advantage of your condition to make money for himself? Once you understand this, you'll be able to determine whose medical advice is genuine."

Prince Yoshikō said, "At this point, is there still any need to distinguish between truth and falsehood?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Of course it's necessary. If what the imperial physician said is true, you wouldn't have died."

Upon hearing Tu Chengyu's words, Prince Yixiao couldn't help but stand up again and say:

"Xiao Wu, even now, you still treat me like a child."

"Look at the situation before me. Even if I weren't sick, what difference would it make? In the end, I'd still be heading towards death."

Tu Chengyu quickly said, "Of course there's a difference. What happened in the greenhouse is only known to you and me. As long as we don't tell anyone, who will know?"

Prince Yixiao said, "Little Fifth, you've said so much just to get me to release you?"

“I thought you weren’t afraid of death,” Tu Chengyu replied. “In this world, who isn’t afraid of death? I’m afraid of death, and so are you.”

"So, wouldn't it be better if we all survived?"

Prince Yoshikō shook his head and said, "Of course I wanted to live, but everything has already happened."

"Even if what happened in the greenhouse didn't get out, what about the actor's assassination attempt just now? How are you going to explain that to the emperor?"

"How do you explain the attack on Xishan?"

Tu Chengyu fell silent, because what Prince Yixiao had said were indeed dead ends.

Once the emperor finds out, he will certainly not let him off the hook.

However, Tu Chengyu still didn't want to give up, after all, no one knew how powerful the bullets fired from that musket were.

He said, "There is still no conclusive evidence regarding the attack on Xishan. As long as I don't pursue it further, no one will hold it against me."

"As for the actor's assassination attempt today, I can plead with the Emperor on your behalf. Considering you didn't harm me, I can spare your life."

Prince Yixiao shook his head again after hearing this, and said:

"You underestimate the emperor. Do you think that there is no evidence yet regarding the attack on Xishan?"

"But in reality, the emperor is about to find out about me, otherwise why would I be in such a hurry to do what I did today?"

"Xiao Wu, you may not know this, but since yesterday, countless spies from the Imperial Horse Administration have been turning my manor upside down, both openly and secretly. They've practically dug up the ground."

"Do you know what it means that the Imperial Horse Administration suddenly searched the Prince's residence like this? It means that the Emperor already knew yesterday that I was the one who did everything before."

Do you still think that pleading with the Emperor will be of any use?

Tu Chengyu said, "All of this is your guess, but there is one thing you guessed wrong."

“If Father had known yesterday that you were the mastermind, how could he have let us risk our lives here today?”

"You've been in prison for a long time, so you don't have the chance to show off in front of me anymore."

Prince Yoshikō said, "Although you are the emperor's own son, you don't really understand him."

"Your emperor is the most treacherous and ruthless. If he had arrested me yesterday, it might have made the original crown prince party members feel insecure."

"So he pretended not to know, and still let you come, using you as bait to lure me into a trap so that he could take the opportunity to get rid of me."

"In order to get rid of me, a thorn in his side, in a legitimate way, he did not hesitate to abandon his own son. Such a ruthless person, no wonder he eventually became emperor."

Tu Chengyu said, "You overestimate yourself. Taking care of someone like you wouldn't require so much effort."

Prince Yixiao said, "Solving my problems might not require such great effort, but if it could also solve the problems in the court, do you think the emperor would bother with it?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Maybe you're right, but what can we do about it?"

"What you've said so much is just to show that Father doesn't care about us sons and is willing to sacrifice us for his own benefit."

"You've already sown discord between us brothers, and now you're trying to sow discord between us father and son."

"You just want to see us, father and son, brothers, turn against each other to satisfy your dark desires."

"You say I don't understand Father Emperor as well as you do? Where do you get the confidence to say such a thing?"

"I'm telling you, Father will never let us get into danger."

After listening, Prince Yixiao raised the musket in his hand and said, "You said he wouldn't put you in danger, so what is this?"

Just as Tu Chengyu was about to retort, he heard someone banging loudly on the greenhouse door.

The knocking attracted the attention of the two men who were facing off.

They turned their heads and saw, besides the swaying door, a row of heads huddled together through the crack in the window next to it.

Upon closer inspection, Tu Chengyu realized that these people were actually Lao Er and his group.

They crowded around the window and naturally saw Prince Yixiao pointing a musket at Tu Chengyu.

The second brother shouted anxiously through the window, "Brother Yixiao, what's wrong? Can't you talk things out?"

Prince Yixiao turned to look at his second son and said, "Once we get underground, I will naturally have a proper talk with him."

Just as Prince Yixiao turned to talk to the old man, Tu Chengyu seized the opportunity, pulled out a small knife from his waist, and threw it at Prince Yixiao without even aiming.

This small room could greatly increase the threat posed by Prince Yixiao's musket, but it also allowed Tu Chengyu to easily hit his target with the dagger he threw.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu's knife easily struck Prince Yixiao.

Prince Yixiao, who was just talking to the second prince, was so startled by the sudden appearance of the knife that his hand trembled.

The musket in his hand immediately fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)