The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 8: All the Nobles in the Capital Remain Silent

The moonlight finally faded, and the sun pierced the dawn.

For the noble families of the capital, the long-awaited Emperor's birthday celebration has finally arrived.

However, after the chaos caused by the mutinous soldiers last night, the nobles throughout the capital were already filled with fear and unease. Although they were dressed in their finest robes, not a single family was filled with joy.

The Jia family, in particular, which held a pivotal position among the nobility, was devastated, as if they had lost their parents.

The masters of both the East and West mansions wore long faces, and one after another, they sent out stewards and servants to gather information.

Such an atmosphere made Ningrong Street feel somewhat desolate, and the servants held their breath, afraid that if they were not careful, they might offend some master and inexplicably get a beating.

At this very moment, in the Rongguo Mansion to the west, all the masters and servants of the household gathered together, sitting in the Rongxi Hall, sighing in silence.

The prominent stewards and maids crowded the corridor outside the hall, but no one dared to speak or move.

Just when the atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost suffocating, a clear, childlike voice came from the moon gate.

“Master Zhen and Madam Zhen from the East Mansion have brought Master Rong here.”

The shout startled everyone awake. Among the head maids, two reacted the fastest.

A middle-aged steward walked straight toward the moon gate, while a clever maid lifted the curtain and went inside to report.

Inside the main hall, Grandmother Jia sat in the central seat, with her children and grandchildren seated on either side. Seeing the maid enter, Grandmother Jia asked anxiously, "Pearl, has someone from the East Mansion arrived?"

The maid, Pearl, curtsied and replied, "Reporting to the old lady, Master Zhen, Madam Zhen, and Master Rong from the East Mansion have arrived together. Steward Lin has gone to greet them."

Grandmother Jia said, "Good, good, quickly lift the curtain and let them in."

Pearl responded and prepared to go over and pull up the curtain. Before she got there, the curtain was lifted from the outside, revealing an even smaller maid.

The maid lifted the curtain, and three people walked in beside her.

A pale-faced, short-bearded, and thin middle-aged man; a dignified and elegant lady adorned in crimson and jade; and a fair-skinned boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old. These were the three masters of the East Mansion.

The three of them entered, greeted the elders of the West Mansion one by one, and then sat down in the empty seat on the left.

Once the three of them were seated, Grandmother Jia waved for the maids to leave and then asked, "Zhen-ge'er, is there any news of your father?"

Jia Zhen stood up and replied, "Reporting to the old lady, my master went to pay his respects to the Crown Prince yesterday noon and has not returned yet."

Before Jia Zhen could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Jia Zheng, the second master of the West Mansion, who said, "Did he really go to pay his respects to the Crown Prince?"

Jia Zhen replied, "My master said it himself."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng sighed in despair, "Oh dear, what should we do? Why did Brother Jing have to go see the Crown Prince at this time?"

The news that came in this morning said that it was the crown prince who had rebelled.

As luck would have it, Jia Jing, who had been staying at home for two years, cultivating Taoism and not seeing any outsiders, unexpectedly went to see the Crown Prince at this critical moment, dragging the Jia family into the struggle for imperial power.

Why is that? The others in the room also wanted to know the answer, but since the patriarch of the East Mansion was not present, no one knew what he was thinking.

Grandmother Jia sighed, then forced herself to speak, "Has your father sent anyone back?"

Jia Zhen said, "The master's personal attendant just returned with a letter from the master."

Grandmother Jia asked, "Where is the letter?"

“It’s here with your grandson,” Jia Zhen said, getting up and taking out the letter from his bosom, handing it to his grandmother.

Although it's called a letter, it's actually just a piece of paper, folded in half to the size of a palm.

When Grandmother Jia received it, she unfolded it and saw that there were only eight characters written on the paper.

Although the phrase "The whole household is at peace, and we must guard our home carefully" had no preamble or follow-up, it relieved most of the worries in Grandmother Jia's heart.

She handed the letter down so that the others could read it among themselves. After reading the contents, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

While the others were whispering about the letters, Grandmother Jia asked Jia Zhen, "Besides the letters, has your father sent any other messages?"

Jia Zhen replied, "The servant said that the master was upset by the turmoil last night and did not want to deal with worldly affairs. This morning, he left the palace and did not go home. He went to the Xuanzhen Temple outside the city to become a Taoist priest."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia sighed, "It has finally come to this. Two years ago, he resigned from his official post and returned home to study Taoism in seclusion. I had already guessed this."

The others also sighed. Jia Jing was the head of the Jia family and the most capable person in the family. Now he had suddenly become a monk, which had a great impact on the two Jia families.

After finishing their business, no one left, for today was the birthday of the saint.

Although there was a rebellion last night, it has now been quelled, and the emperor may still summon nobles to the palace to offer birthday greetings.

The family chatted quietly, speculating whether they would go to the palace to offer birthday greetings today. As they talked, they somehow drifted into the topic of which prince would become the new crown prince.

Who will become the new crown prince is very important to this noble family. They like to discuss it in private and may even place their bets in advance.

Everyone in the Jia family was also speculating.

Most people shared Jia Zheng's view that the new crown prince should be Prince Yong, because Prince Yong was the emperor's second son by his legitimate wife. After the crown prince was deposed, he became the eldest son by his legitimate wife, and legally and morally, he could only be Prince Yong.

Some, like Jia She, predicted that the new crown prince would be Prince Ping. Prince Ping was the third son of the emperor, and although he was not as old as Prince Yong, he was the emperor's favorite son.

Over the years, with the emperor's tacit approval, the one who fought most fiercely against the crown prince was Prince Ping. He was favored by the emperor and supported by many civil and military officials, making him the most promising candidate.

No one mentioned Prince An in the end.

In the eyes of these nobles, Prince An was just an ordinary prince.

In terms of prestige, Prince An was born to a concubine and was not considered a legitimate son. In terms of age, Prince An was the fourth son, with three older brothers. In terms of reputation, Prince An was unknown and almost no one in the court associated with him.

Based on this calculation, no one would consider Prince An as a candidate for the new crown prince.

Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, Pearl's voice came from outside the door: "Grandma, Butler Lai is back."

Upon hearing that Lai Da, who had gone out to gather information, had returned, Grandmother Jia quickly stopped her children and grandchildren from arguing and asked Lai Da to come in and report.

Lai Da entered, first greeting each of his masters before recounting how he had gathered information.

"This old servant first went to several familiar residences, but they were all closed and no information could be circulated. Finally, having no other choice, I went to the residence of Prince Bei Jing, where I happened to meet Prince Bei Jing returning home from the palace. He then gave this old servant a few words of advice."

Grandmother Jia said, "What instructions does Prince Bei Jing have? Tell me quickly."

Lai Dadao: "Prince Beijing said that the Duke of Shanguo rebelled and injured the Crown Prince who led the troops to rescue the Emperor. The Emperor was heartbroken and lost interest in state affairs, so he issued an edict to abdicate and became the Retired Emperor. The Prince told his masters to prepare early, as they might have to go to the palace to meet the new Emperor later."

"This...this..." The Jia family members were all shocked by this sudden news and stood up.

The emperor's sudden abdication caught these nobles completely off guard.

The old lady was the first to come to her senses. She asked, "Has Prince Bei Jing said which prince will succeed to the throne?"

"Yes, yes, is it Prince Yong or Prince Ping?" Jia She also realized what was happening and quickly asked. Although the Jia family was caught off guard, they had a lot of dealings with these two princes on a regular basis, and knowing who had succeeded to the throne, they could use their past friendship to try and influence the situation.

Lai Da was the chief steward of the Rongguo Mansion. He knew everything about the interpersonal relationships in the mansion and also knew what his masters were thinking.

With a mournful face, he said, "It is Prince An."

"How could this be? How could this be!"

(End of this chapter)