Cui Hong was somewhat like a matchmaker.
If a couple is doing well, it's because they've managed the relationship well.
If problems arise between a couple, the first person to be blamed is the matchmaker.
Cui Hong wasn't just a matchmaker for ordinary people; he was recommending a prince consort to the princess.
Although it was the late emperor who selected the son-in-law;
Ultimately, it was Princess Xinping herself who chose Yang.
But, whether it was the late emperor or the princess, they were both rulers.
A ruler, by nature, will not make mistakes.
The only person at fault is Cui Hong, the "matchmaker."
Cui Hong must be thankful that Xinping was only mistreated by Yang Fuma, and no one died.
If anything were to happen to Xinping, it would be a sure way to hand over the evidence to the royal family.
Historically, there have been instances where, after a princess died of illness, the emperor not only took his anger out on the prince consort's family but also punished the other princess who had acted as matchmaker.
That one was also a princess, yet she was still implicated.
Cui Hong was not a princess, but a court official. He had to apologize for causing such a mess.
"My lord, it is I who have implicated you!"
After hearing Cui Hong's words, Lady Yang felt even more strongly that Empress Xie had found out about her secret advice.
Empress Xie is deliberately retaliating.
Otherwise, the bizarre story of Princess Xinping and Prince Consort Yang is not a recent phenomenon, but rather has existed since their marriage.
Empress Xie didn't make a move earlier or later, but suddenly launched her attack after Lady Yang acted as matchmaker for Princess Nanling and the heir of the Prince of Ruyang... It's really illogical.
Xie Yuan: ...Actually, I just can't stand people who are obsessed with love, and I don't want Xinping to ruin the reputation of the entire royal family, so I took swift and decisive action.
Xie Yuan didn't think too much about it; it wasn't about revenge at all.
What's more, Xie Yuan was actually unaware of Yang's little scheme.
Actually, even if Xie Yuan knew, he wouldn't care.
Marriage is a natural human practice, and while she valued women, she never intended for her female attendants to be non-marriage advocates.
Isn't it more convincing to encourage a woman to continue pursuing her career even after getting married and having children?
...Xie Yuan has always been an open-minded and clear-headed person; she would never do anything foolish like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
What Xie Yuan most wants to do is to go with the flow, follow the trend, and gradually change society to awaken people.
Yang's thinking was purely a case of judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person.
"It's alright! There's no question of 'implicating' or 'implicating'!"
Cui Hong was not a coward; after all, he was a prime minister and possessed the shrewdness and vision expected of a powerful official.
"At most, they'll reprimand you or fine you."
Cui Hong said calmly, "It just so happens that my headache has flared up recently, so I might as well take this opportunity to ask for sick leave and recuperate for a while!"
After this period of competition, Cui Hong has figured it out.
Helian Jue was powerful, and his empress, Xie, was no pushover either.
Both of them are thoughtful and meticulous people.
They are all very opinionated.
Helian Jue rejected aristocratic families, so he continued to promote the imperial examination system;
Empress Xie, though a woman, had great ambitions. Not only did she sit high in the court, but she also brought women into the court.
Disregarding rules and acting recklessly.
It was truly a collapse of the traditional social order.
However, this Empress Xie was not entirely without her advantages!
"A woman with ambition is more terrifying than a man!"
As a scion of a well-educated family, Cui Hong was naturally aware of the troubles that would befall the Lü family.
Cui Hong and other court officials couldn't understand why Helian Jue trusted Empress Xie so much and went to great lengths to have her "oversee the country."
But the court officials understood human nature—once they were tainted by power and their desires were aroused, fathers and sons could kill each other, and husbands and wives could turn against each other!
Cui Hong refused to believe that Empress Xie had truly tasted the benefits of power and become accustomed to being the only one in charge. Would she still be willing to return to the inner palace?
Helian Jue would only lead the expedition in person, and he would return to the capital in three to five months, or at most ten months or a year.
At that time... Hmph, this couple will definitely develop a rift, and might even break off all ties!
With the emperor and empress at odds, these court officials had an opportunity to meddle in the harem.
Once Cui Hong thought about it, his mind was instantly opened up.
Therefore, the next day, when Cui Hong submitted a memorial to apologize, he was even more willing to say: "This old minister has a severe headache and needs to rest for some time. I hope Your Majesty the Empress will grant me permission."
Both Prime Minister Wang and Prime Minister Zheng were somewhat surprised by these words.
What's wrong with Prime Minister Cui?
They actually took the initiative to back down?
Wang and Zheng were not unaware of the affairs of Princess Xinping's residence, but Cui Hong was truly innocent in this marriage.
Cui Hong didn't need to be so "humble".
Even Xie Yuan was somewhat surprised—
Huh?
She simply couldn't stand the love-struck guy and gave him a good beating, but unexpectedly, she got a pleasant surprise.
The three prime ministers in the imperial court, Helian Jue and Xie Yuan, had long wanted to make a move.
However, Helian Jue was going to lead the army in person, and the court needed to maintain stability.
In addition, the "unity" of the aristocratic families was just broken by a "Clan Records", which caused problems within the families and weakened the aristocratic class.
While the powerful families cannot be said to have suffered a major blow, they have lost their former domineering nature.
Helian Jue and Xie Yuan both felt that they shouldn't push the aristocratic families too hard without being absolutely certain of success.
Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; even for powerful families, some leeway needs to be left.
Before leaving, Helian Jue told Xie Yuan, "Unless it is a disaster that angers the heavens and the people, the three prime ministers and the powerful officials from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers should not be changed easily."
Xie Yuan understood this principle and didn't need Helian Jue to remind him.
Xie Yuan also knew that Helian Jue was doing this for her own good, fearing that if she acted too aggressively and caused trouble while he was away, no one would help her clean up the mess.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! I will certainly keep your instructions in mind!"
Xie Yuan repeatedly stated that she would follow He Lianjue's strategy and take good care of his home.
Therefore, unless these court officials from aristocratic families cause another palace coup or rebellion, Xie Yuan will not easily dismiss them.
However, Cui Hong is not being dismissed; rather, he made a mistake and voluntarily requested punishment, even giving himself the excellent excuse of "recuperating."
Xie Yuan felt that she could simply go with the flow: "Alright! Since Prime Minister Cui's old illness has relapsed, then he should take good care of himself."
To show his gratitude, Xie Yuan even sent a royal physician to the Cui family to help with their medical examinations.
Cui Hong returned home with profuse thanks, and Wang and Zheng followed him to the Cui family home under the pretext of "visiting the sick."
"What is the plan behind Prime Minister Cui's move?"
As expected of old foxes who had also been in the court, Wang and Zheng quickly realized, after a brief moment of astonishment, that Cui Hong's retreat was not out of fear, but rather a pretext for something else.
"The Emperor is wise and mighty, and the Empress is intelligent and quick-witted. In terms of both talent and temperament, they are far superior to ordinary men!"
Cui Hong didn't keep them in suspense and subtly revealed his plan—to flatter them to their death!
He wanted Xie Yuan to experience firsthand what it felt like to rule the world and have the power of life and death over everyone.
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