The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 92 Grandfather and Grandson Discuss Power Before Leaving the Capital

Tu Chengyu ran away like that.

He ran all the way from the West Palace to the East Palace.

Upon arriving at the gate of the East Palace, he directly shouted to the eunuchs on duty:
"Quickly report to the Emperor Emeritus that someone is trying to harm me."

The eunuch at the gate was startled by Tu Chengyu's words and, without bothering to discern whether they were true or false, took off running towards the palace.

A short while later, the eunuch returned, accompanied by a panting Dai Quan.

As soon as Dai Quan came out, he asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Tu Chengyu said, "This noon, someone poisoned my food, and I almost ate it."

"I have come here to beg my grandfather to do me justice."

Dai Quan and the retired emperor were practically inseparable, and Dai Quan knew almost everything the retired emperor instructed him to do.

So when Tu Chengyu said those words, he understood that Prince Su was taking the opportunity to cause trouble again.

Having learned the truth, Dai Quan was no longer in a hurry. After catching his breath, he said:

"Your Highness, the Emperor Emeritus wants you to come in."

Although Dai Quan saw through his act, Tu Chengyu continued to perform with great enthusiasm, shouting even louder when he entered the East Palace.

Dai Quan followed behind Tu Chengyu, his face calm, but inwardly he had a strong urge to roll his eyes.

This grandfather and grandson are both so prone to causing trouble.

The retired emperor was so annoyed by the empress dowager that he wanted to make his grandson look foolish so he could have some fun.

Prince Su's grandson, unable to bear the injustice, went straight to the Eastern Palace to cause trouble.

Tu Chengyu had no idea what Dai Quan was thinking. He rushed to the Daming Palace, where the retired emperor lived.

This time, the eunuch at the entrance of the main hall did not stop him, and Tu Chengyu went straight into the palace and ran to the East Warm Pavilion.

He went inside, knelt down with a thud, and shouted:
"Grandfather, you must do justice for your grandson! Someone is trying to frame me!"

The Emperor Emeritus watched with great interest as Tu Chengyu pretended to wipe away tears below, a smile playing on his lips.

Tu Chengyu acted for quite a while, but when he didn't hear the Emperor Emeritus speak, he couldn't help but look up.

Then I saw the Emperor Emeritus with a big smile on his face.

Tu Chengyu asked, "Grandpa, why didn't you stop me?"

The retired emperor said, "Your monkey show is so wonderful, why should I stop you?"

Tu Chengyu pouted and said, "Grandpa Emperor, I came to you for help, but you treat me like a monkey."

The retired emperor laughed and said, "You little monkey, throwing a tantrum here, isn't that just making a fool of yourself?"

Tu Chengyu realized that the Emperor Emeritus would not listen to his tactics today.

So he immediately changed his approach, switching from acting to ingratiating himself.

He stood up on his own, a broad smile on his face, and approached the retired emperor, saying:

"Grandfather, how was my performance today? I wonder if the Empress Dowager feels any better now?"

The Emperor Emeritus looked at Tu Chengyu and said, "Do you really care about the Empress Dowager's feelings?"

This problem, though seemingly trivial, was one that Tu Chengyu dared not take lightly.

He answered very seriously: "Grandpa, although the Empress Dowager has been scolding me these past few days, I know that the responsibility lies with me, so I will not have any dissatisfaction and will naturally care about the Empress Dowager's feelings."

After hearing this, the retired emperor said very seriously:

“Brother Yu, you must remember what you said today, and remember it well.”

"From now on, no matter what you think in your heart, you must say this to anyone, understand?"

Tu Chengyu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

The retired emperor continued, "You are the emperor's son, with the emperor and I backing you up. You can do whatever you want and are not afraid of any infamy."

"However, there is only one thing: you must never bear the reputation of being unfilial."

This time, Tu Chengyu understood and answered seriously:
"Grandfather, I understand."

The retired emperor continued, "Now that you know, you can understand why the Empress Dowager made a scene for several days and did so many outrageous things."

"Neither I nor the Emperor intervened, and I even asked you to play along so that the Empress Dowager could vent her anger."

Tu Chengyu blinked but didn't speak, so the Emperor Emeritus explained:

"I did this for the sake of the Empress Dowager. She was suddenly struck by the terrible news and became mentally confused. If I don't let her vent her anger, she will surely go mad."

"Secondly, it's for your sake. If it's because of the Empress Dowager's commotion these past few days, I will punish her or lock her up."

"If this gets out, people will think that our royal family doesn't understand filial piety and that we're punishing the Empress Dowager for the sake of the princes."

"Therefore, you will have to bear the reputation of being unfilial."

After listening, Tu Chengyu said, "Grandpa, but it's not appropriate for the Empress Dowager to continue like this."

The Emperor Emeritus said, "I will naturally handle the Empress Dowager's affairs. You just need to remember my words and do them diligently."

Tu Chengyu said, "Grandson understands the Emperor's good intentions and will definitely remember the Emperor's words."

The grandfather and grandson were discussing this heavy topic when suddenly they heard a commotion outside. The Emperor Emeritus called out in a deep voice towards the outside of the warm pavilion:

"Dai Quan, what's going on outside?"

Dai Quan replied through the door, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager heard that Prince Su had come to the Eastern Palace and wished to come in to see him."

They said they were meeting, but in reality they were there to interrogate him.

Tu Chengyu didn't know what to do, so he turned to look at the Emperor Emeritus.

The retired emperor also looked worried, and after thinking for a moment, said:
"Dai Quan, go out and tell the Empress Dowager that I am punishing Prince Su, and that she can return to her palace in peace."

Dai Quan accepted the order and left. Tu Chengyu said:

"Grandfather, should I go out and kowtow to the Empress Dowager to apologize? Let her calm down."

Although he knew that Tu Chengyu might just be saying that, and might not actually want to go out and face the Empress Dowager.

However, the Emperor Emeritus was still pleased with Tu Chengyu's obedient and sensible manner, and he said:

"Stay here and behave yourself. Going out now will only make things worse."

Tu Chengyu gave an "oh" and obediently stood in front of the Emperor Emeritus.

Then he said, "Grandpa, I have something to ask you to explain it to me."

The retired emperor asked, "What is it?"

Tu Chengyu said, "Yesterday, the Crown Prince told me that the Emperor wants me to go to Jiangnan."

The retired emperor asked, "Did the crown prince say what the emperor wanted you to do in Jiangnan?"

Tu Chengyu said, "They said it was so that their grandson could return to his hometown to pay respects on behalf of his father."

The retired emperor said, "The sacrificial ceremony was a pretense; my real intention was to send you out to avoid the limelight."

"You've been causing too much trouble lately. The emperor was afraid you'd get into trouble again, so he sent you away."

Tu Chengyu said, "I understand sending my grandson away, but why does Father insist that I leave the capital by the end of the month?"

"My grandson still wants to celebrate his birthday in the capital."

Upon hearing this, the retired emperor asked, "Your Majesty, I ordered you to leave the capital before the end of the month?"

Tu Chengyu said, "That's what the Crown Prince told his grandson."

The retired emperor stroked his beard and thought for a moment before saying, "The palace examination is on the first day of the third month. The emperor wants you to leave the capital before the end of the month."

"It seems the emperor is going to punish these scholars."

Tu Chengyu asked in confusion, "Grandpa, what does it have to do with whether I'm in the capital or not, since Father wants to deal with the scholars?"

"Does the Emperor think that with his grandson here, Father can't deal with the scholars?"

The retired emperor said, "If the scholar whom the emperor punishes is Hu Guangjin, do you think it has anything to do with you?"

Upon hearing this name, Tu Chengyu immediately realized that this matter was indeed related to him.

If the emperor were to punish Hu Guangjin and lower his ranking in the palace examination, the scholars would surely think that the emperor was doing this to avenge his son.

At that time, Tu Chengyu will once again be thrust into the eye of the storm. If Tu Chengyu were to escape beforehand, no matter how big the storm is, it won't affect him for a while.

However, Tu Chengyu had another question, which he asked:
“Grandfather, Hu Guangjin previously asked my third brother to submit a memorial to the Emperor.”

"He has already given in, and the Emperor, valuing his talent, has allowed him to continue with the palace examination."

"Why is Father punishing him again now?"

The retired emperor said, "This is because the emperor's good intentions were rejected by Hu Guangjin."

Tu Chengyu said in surprise, "He dares to refuse Father's kindness?"

The retired emperor said with a smile, "If it were scholars from other prefectures, they would be overjoyed to see the emperor's kindness."

"But the scholars of Yuzhang County, especially those with great reputations like Hu Guangjin, would never be willing to be the emperor's lackeys."

Tu Chengyu asked, "Why is that?"

The retired emperor said, "Over the years, the ministers in charge of the government have never lacked those who came from Yuzhang County."

"This fostered a culture in Yuzhang County where every scholar aimed to enter the Hall of State Affairs, and outstanding individuals like Hu Guangjin were seen as potential candidates for the next Grand Secretary from Yuzhang."

"Therefore, even though Hu Guangjin knew that refusing the emperor would bring him suppression, he still did it."

Tu Chengyu asked, "But he offended the emperor, and the emperor will not allow him to enter the Hall of State Affairs either. Why is he doing this?"

The retired emperor said, "He can wait until the next emperor and then find a way to enter the Council of State Affairs."

"Even if he never gets that opportunity in his lifetime, he can leave behind a reputation for not being afraid of imperial power, which will allow his descendants to go further on the path of the imperial examination."

Tu Chengyu said, "Is it worth fighting with the emperor just to advance in politics?"

The retired emperor said, "This is not simply a struggle for entry into the Council of State Affairs; it is a struggle between civil officials and imperial power."

"They used this method to constantly select those who dared to challenge the emperor for power, and then tried every means to send them into the Council of State Affairs to limit the emperor's power."

Tu Chengyu asked in surprise, "Civil officials really have that much power?"

The retired emperor shook his head and said, "On the contrary, it is precisely because the power of civil officials is not as great as that of the emperor that they try every means to restrain the emperor's power."

(End of this chapter)