The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 96 Suffering from a Hangover, Tan Chun Weeps

Tu Chengyu didn't get out of bed until the sun was high in the sky.

It wasn't that he was lazy and stayed in bed; rather, his brothers came to see him off yesterday, and he got so happy that he drank some wine.

This was the first time he had ever drunk alcohol since he came into this world, so his body couldn't handle it.

So much so that he didn't fall asleep until late last night.

If you go to bed late, you'll naturally wake up late.

The sound of him waking up startled Xiao Xing'er, who was guarding outside.

She rushed in and looked at Tu Chengyu, who had just sat up, and asked, "Your Highness, how are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?"

Tu Chengyu shook his head, not seeing any problem, and said, "I am fine."

Hearing that Tu Chengyu was alright, they then helped him get up and dressed.

After getting dressed, Xiao Xing'er waved to the outside room.

Several palace maids brought in basins of water and towels to help Tu Chengyu wash up.

While washing up, Xiao Xing'er said, "Your Highness, His Majesty just sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, saying that after court, you are summoned to the Imperial Study for an audience."

Upon hearing that there was an imperial edict, Tu Chengyu hurriedly said, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Xiao Xing'er said, "This servant originally wanted to call Your Highness, but the eunuch who came said that His Majesty instructed that if Your Highness has not yet woken up, you should not wake him up."

So that's what happened. Tu Chengyu was relieved after hearing that.

Then Tu Chengyu asked, "How much time is left before the court session ends?"

Xiao Xing'er said, "Your Highness, it's still early, there's still half an hour left."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu realized it was still early and wasn't in a hurry, so he slowly washed up.

After washing up and having breakfast, Tu Chengyu slowly walked towards the Imperial Study.

As they strolled along, digesting their food, they happened to run into the emperor returning from court just as they were about to reach the imperial study.

The emperor, sitting on the dragon carriage, naturally saw Tu Chengyu as well.

He waved to Tu Chengyu, signaling him to follow.

Tu Chengyu followed the imperial carriage all the way to the imperial study. As soon as he entered, the emperor said to Xia Shouzhong:

"Go to the Imperial Study and bring Yang Chun to me."

After Xia Shouzhong left to receive his orders, the emperor turned to Tu Chengyu and asked him a question.

"I heard you drank last night? And got drunk?"

Although Tu Chengyu knew that nothing, big or small, could be kept from his father, they did not expect that his father would bring up the matter the very next day.

Tu Chengyu said embarrassedly, "Father, yesterday the Crown Prince and my second brother came to celebrate my birthday in advance. I was so happy that I drank a little bit."

The emperor said, "A little wine is fine, but you must be careful not to get drunk again."

Tu Chengyu said, "Your subject will remember."

The emperor then asked, "Have you decided on which day to leave the capital?"

Tu Chengyu replied, "Last night while we were drinking, the Crown Prince said that the 28th was an auspicious day for travel, so I decided to leave the capital on the 28th."

The emperor said, "Once you've made up your mind, is everything packed?"

Tu Chengyu said, "The eunuchs and palace maids are packing. I don't have many things, so they should be able to pack by today."

The father and son chatted for a while, exchanging pleasantries. Then the emperor turned to business, saying:

"I presume the Emperor Emeritus has already told you my true intention in sending you to Jiangnan?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Father, the Emperor Emeritus did indeed speak to me about it."

The emperor said, "Then tell me, what instructions did the retired emperor give you?"

Upon hearing the emperor's question, Tu Chengyu recounted his conversation with the retired emperor the previous day.

After listening, the emperor said, "The Emperor Emeritus's instructions are very good; you must keep them firmly in mind. However, besides what the Emperor Emeritus said, I have something else for you to do."

Tu Chengyu remained silent, waiting for the emperor to continue. The emperor continued, "After you go to Jiangnan, besides these two things, don't stay in the city all the time. You should travel more to the countryside outside the city."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Father, are you sending me to investigate the people's conditions?"

The emperor said, "I'm not here to inquire about the people's conditions, but to send you to see the grain fields in Jiangnan, to see how much grain is still being grown there."

Tu Chengyu said, "Father, shall I inspect all the prefectures and counties in Jiangnan?"

The emperor said, "You don't need to investigate everything. Just look at the three prefectures of Yuzhang, Jinling, and Yangzhou."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Father, what should I do if I discover anything amiss?"

The emperor said, "After you go there, just observe carefully and remember what you see. Don't worry about anything else."

Tu Chengyu said, "Your subject will remember."

Just as Xia Shouzhong arrived with Yang Chun, he finished explaining the matter in a few words.

This Yang Chun is the same Hanlin Academy lecturer who asked Tu Chengyu to deliver a memorial to the emperor in the Imperial Study a few days ago.

Because of his memorial, the emperor discovered some conspiracies in the court ahead of time.

This gave them the opportunity to plan ahead and, without much effort, bring Shang Yuanfeng to their side.

From this perspective, Yang Chun did serve the emperor well.

The emperor summoned Yang Chun, pointed at him, and said to Tu Chengyu:
"This is the helper I found for you."

Tu Chengyu looked at the emperor with a puzzled expression, wondering what kind of help a Hanlin Academy teacher could possibly offer him.

The emperor seemed to sense Tu Chengyu's confusion and explained:
"Although Yang Chun is a lecturer, he comes from a farming family and knows a lot about farming. He can help you when you go to Jiangnan to see the farmland this time."

Tu Chengyu then realized that his father was worried that he had grown up in luxury and never ate grains, so he found someone who knew how to farm to help him.

Tu Chengyu naturally had no objection to the emperor's arrangement.

Yang Chun dared not voice any objections.

The emperor was very busy, and as soon as he finished speaking, he sent Tu Chengyu away.

Yang Chun was left alone; it's unclear what arrangements he'll make next.

When Tu Chengyu returned to his courtyard from the Imperial Study, he saw Xiao Xing'er busily packing things with the eunuchs and maids.

Tu Chengyu then asked Xiao Xuanzi to help, while he went to the study to rest alone.

Tu Chengyu entered the study and hadn't been sitting for long when Xing'er brought in tea.

Tu Chengyu looked at Xiao Xing'er, then suddenly remembered something and asked:
"Where is Jia Tanchun? Wasn't she supposed to serve tea? Why are you doing it again? Did she slack off?"

Xiao Xing'er replied, "Your Highness, she wasn't slacking off; she just couldn't see you, so I didn't let her come."

Tu Chengyu said, "It's inconvenient for you to see me? What happened?"

Seeing that Tu Chengyu was pressing her for answers, Xiao Xing'er stopped hiding it and said:
“Jia Tanchun cried all night last night, and her eyes are swollen like rotten peaches today. I was afraid she would frighten the prince, so I didn’t let her come over.”

Tu Chengyu asked, "Wasn't she perfectly fine yesterday? Why did she cry last night?"

Xiao Xing'er said, "It's all because of the birthday gifts. Didn't the Prince send someone to the Jia family yesterday to ask them to send some gifts to Tan Chun?"

Tu Chengyu said, "This is a good thing, why is she crying?"

Xiao Xing'er continued to explain, "It's good that the gifts were delivered, but for some reason, the Jia family didn't send the gifts in until the palace gates were locked."

Tu Chengyu frowned and said, "Such a thing happened? Did the Jia family send anyone to explain the reason?"

Xiao Xing'er said, "The Jia family sent someone to say that because Tan Chun's birthday is on the second day of the third month, they originally planned to send gifts to the palace on that day."

"So, the gifts weren't all selected yesterday, so they weren't delivered."

After listening, Tu Chengyu said, "Now that everything has been explained, why is she crying?"

Xiao Xing'er said, "Tan Chun said that the Jia family was lying to her."

Tu Chengyu frowned unconsciously after hearing this, feeling that the Jia family had so many problems. Even a simple gift-giving could be made into such a complicated affair.

(End of this chapter)