The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 98 Encountering an Old Friend in Jiangnan
February 28th, the sky is clear and the air is fresh, it's a good day for travel.

After several busy days of packing, everything is finally packed up.

Most of them have already been packed and sent to the small courtyard outside the palace.

On the day he was to leave Beijing, Tu Chengyu got up before dawn.

He first tidied himself up, and then went to the Eastern Palace to pay his respects and bid farewell to the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager Xiaoning.

As for Empress Dowager Cixi, who was also in the Eastern Palace, Tu Chengyu kept his distance.

Given their current relationship, if Tu Chengyu really dares to approach her, Empress Dowager Cixi really would dare to take action against him in person.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, he went to pay his respects to the Emperor and Empress.

Finally, he went to see the Crown Prince.

As for the other brothers, they had already said goodbye by drinking that night, and there's no need to see them today since time is tight.

By the time everything was done, it was already broad daylight.

We need to get to Tongzhou today, and the journey is quite long. If we are delayed for too long, we might not be able to arrive by tonight.

Therefore, after leaving the Crown Prince's residence, Tu Chengyu headed straight out of the palace.

As soon as they exited the palace gates, Old Yao was already waiting with his men and horses.

Tu Chengyu sat on his horse, while the others led the horses.

Once they exited Zhengyang Gate, the rest of the group mounted their horses and rode directly out of the capital.

The reason Tu Chengyu was able to travel so simply was that early in the morning, he sent Xiao Xing'er and the other palace maids out to meet up with the main force outside the city.

Heading south, past the Temple of Heaven, and out of Yongding Gate, Tu Chengyu saw all the people who had accompanied him on his journey to Jiangnan.

There were more than a dozen eunuchs and palace maids in the palace, as well as Quan Wenwei and his daughter.

There were several guards, including Lao Yao, who had already been transferred to Tu Chengyu's side.

In addition, there are 100 newly transferred guards from the Prince Su's mansion, and 200 soldiers from the Beijing Garrison who will accompany and protect them.

The one leading this army was none other than Su Xuanbao, who was transferred here to become a junior officer in the Prince Su's mansion.

The other one is Quan Xu, who is Wang Ziteng's personal guard. He came here to lead the Beijing garrison to protect Tu Chengyu.

Both of these people had worked alongside Tu Chengyu.

Tu Chengyu acknowledged their abilities, so when the emperor was selecting generals to lead the troops, Tu Chengyu requested these two men from the emperor.

Besides Tu Chengyu's group, there was another team nearby.

They were none other than the carriages and horses of the Jia family.

The old lady of Rongguo Mansion has been thinking about her granddaughter Lin Daiyu ever since her daughter passed away at the end of last year.

This year, Lin Ruhai sent another letter, saying that he planned to send his daughter to the capital to be raised by the old lady for a few years.

Therefore, the Jia family had long planned to send someone to Yangzhou, but they didn't expect to go so soon.

Later, the Jia family heard that Prince Su was going to Yangzhou.

Because of the special relationship between the Jia family and Prince Su, the Jia family thought it would be good to go to Yangzhou with Prince Su.

Therefore, the Jia family pleaded with the Emperor, which is why the Jia family's carriages and horses are following behind Tu Chengyu today.

The person the Jia family sent to Yangzhou this time was Jia Lian, whom Tu Chengyu was familiar with.

With Tu Chengyu's arrival, everyone was finally present.

The team set off randomly, with Quan Xu leading the way and Su Xuanbao bringing up the rear.

The entire procession consisted of carriages traveling in the middle, with guards on two horses each, surrounding the perimeter.

The journey from the capital to Tongzhou was neither too far nor too short. At Tu Chengyu's pace, they stopped three times and finally arrived in Tongzhou in the dead of night.

Upon arriving in Tongzhou, they didn't go anywhere else. Led by Jia Lian, they headed straight for the Tongzhou post station.

Tongzhou connects the Grand Canal to the capital, making it a crucial point for grain transported from the south to Beijing. It's no exaggeration to call it a vital transportation hub between the north and south.

Because of its unique geographical location, the post stations in Tongzhou were quite different from others.

First of all, the scale of the post station was much larger than that of a typical post station, with more than a dozen separate courtyards.

Secondly, there was the rank of the post station administrator. In other places, the post station administrator was a low-ranking official.

Upon arriving at the Tongzhou post station, they were directly appointed by an official from the Ministry of Rites, and not just any low-ranking official, but a sixth-rank official from the capital.

The reason for appointing a government official as a postmaster was that Tongzhou was the eastern gateway to the capital.

In addition to normal reception and exchanges, this place also undertakes the responsibility of welcoming foreign guests.

Because those small overseas countries, when they came to the capital to pay tribute, usually had to stay in Tongzhou and wait for the emperor's permission before they could enter the capital.

Upon arriving at the post station, Jia Lian took the initiative to communicate with them.

Tu Chengyu's trip was arranged long ago, and someone was sent to inform him yesterday.

So the officials at the Tongzhou post station were already waiting.

As soon as Jia Lian ran over to report it, the young postmaster quickly led his men out.

"Your Highness, I, Chu Shizhang, the postmaster of Tongzhou Post Station, have come to pay my respects."

Tu Chengyu waved for him to rise and asked, "Have my lodgings been arranged?"

The postmaster said, "As per the prince's orders, a small courtyard and a large courtyard have been prepared."

Tu Chengyu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Okay, lead the way."

The postmaster led the way, while Tu Chengyu led Xiao Xuanzi and the others behind.

Because the courtyard was behind the post station, Tu Chengyu and his group had to take a detour.

As Tu Chengyu passed through a courtyard, he suddenly recognized someone he knew. Although the figure quickly disappeared, Tu Chengyu still recognized him.

Tu Chengyu asked the postmaster, "Who lives in this courtyard?"

The postmaster glanced at the room and said, "Your Highness, this is where several scholars are staying on their way home."

Tu Chengyu then asked, "Which prefecture or state is he from?"

The postmaster replied, "Your Highness, they are scholars from Yuzhang Prefecture."

Now the information matches up, it seems I really didn't misjudge him.

So, Tu Chengyu beckoned Old Yao to come to his side and said to him:
Do you remember Du Ruoheng, the one we met while strolling in the park?

Old Yao replied, "I remember."

Tu Chengyu said, "I just saw him in that small courtyard up ahead. Go and call him over, and tell him I have something to ask him."

Old Yao accepted the order and left, while Tu Chengyu and the others continued forward.

On the other side, Du Ruoheng also saw Tu Chengyu, but Tu Chengyu left a rather frightening impression on him, so he quickly hid when he saw him from afar.

The reason he was here was because of Prince Su, who made him realize that things in the capital had been somewhat unsettled lately.

Fearing that he would be implicated, he gave up the great opportunity to make friends and left the capital ahead of schedule.

He arrived in Tongzhou the day before yesterday, and if things were normal, he should have left by boat yesterday.

But yesterday, the people at the post station told him that because Prince Su was going to Jiangnan, the official ships would not be allowed to pass for the next two days, so he was left here.

To avoid running into Prince Su, he hasn't gone anywhere these past two days and has stayed in the courtyard the whole time.

As it grew dark, he assumed that Prince Su wouldn't be coming today, so he went out into the courtyard for some fresh air.

But to his surprise, he had only strolled around the yard twice when he heard people talking outside.

He unconsciously looked up and saw the face of Prince Su that he remembered so vividly.

Although he turned his face away immediately, he couldn't guarantee that Prince Su hadn't recognized him.

So now he's hiding in his room, looking quite restless.

He was afraid that Prince Su would recognize him.

What he fears most is what comes to pass.

Just as he was worrying, the voice of the innkeeper came from outside the door.

"Is Master Du inside?"

Du Ruoheng, unsure of the waiter's intentions, asked, "What is it?"

The waiter said, "Master Du, there is a young man here who says he is an old friend of yours and wants to catch up with you."

When Xiao Er mentioned old friends, Du Ruoheng inexplicably thought of Tu Chengyu's face.

He asked nervously, "Did my old friend leave his name?"

Xiao Er was about to answer when Lao Yao, who was standing next to him, stopped him.

Old Yao shouted into the room, "Young Master Du, our Fifth Master Chen invites you. Do you have some free time?"

When Du Ruoheng heard people outside mentioning Master Chen, he knew that it was someone sent by Prince Su to summon him.

This means that I have been recognized.

Now that they've been recognized, there's no point in hiding anymore.

He quickly got up and pushed open the door. As soon as he came out, he saw Old Yao standing next to the waiter and recognized him as the guard who had served Prince Su that day.

He immediately clasped his hands in a salute and said, "This student did not know that it was Master Chen Wu who had arrived, and I have not been able to pay my respects. I hope you will forgive me. May I ask where Master Chen Wu is now?"

Old Yao said, "Fifth Master is waiting for you in the backyard. Come with me."

After saying that, Old Yao asked the waiter to lead the way, and then gestured for Du Ruoheng to follow. Du Ruoheng had no choice but to follow.

The innkeeper led the way, and the two followed behind, heading towards the backyard.

When they arrived at the backyard, Tu Chengyu had already settled in, so Du Ruoheng was not kept waiting and was allowed to come in.

Upon entering, Du Ruoheng quickly bowed.

"Student Du Ruoheng greets Your Highness."

Tu Chengyu had a pretty good impression of Du Ruoheng, so when he saw him earlier, he wanted to call him over and say a few words.

He said, "No need for formalities, sit down and have a word with me."

Du Ruoheng replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

After saying that, he found a stool near the door and sat down properly.

Tu Chengyu said with a smile, "Don't be nervous, I just want to have a chat with you."

Du Ruoheng replied, "Your Highness, I am not nervous."

I said I wasn't nervous, but I was actually even more nervous inside.

It wasn't that Du Ruoheng was timid, but rather that he had personally witnessed Hu Guangjin, a scholar who originally had a bright future.

After arguing with the Prince Su in front of him, he went from being the top scholar, a position that everyone expected, to a position where he couldn't even hope to be ranked second.

That's not all; what's most frightening is...

The Prince Su, who was said to be only eleven years old, had personally killed his cousin, Prince Yixiao.

How could anyone not be nervous about such a notoriously fierce prince?

(End of this chapter)