When Tang Huan saw Cui Yuanzhao again, her feelings were somewhat complicated.
Cui Renshi was a treacherous minister who committed numerous evils and deserved to die.
But Cui Yuanzhao was not like that.
Admittedly, Cui Yuanzhao has done a lot of bad things in the past few years, but in Tang Huan's opinion, he doesn't deserve to be punished so severely.
Moreover, after being treated as a sworn brother by Tang Huan in name only, this son of the prime minister did indeed treat Tang Huan with sincerity, which is why he was somewhat unsure how to face Cui Yuanzhao.
"Old Tang!"
Cui Yuanzhao spotted Tang Huan ahead and walked over while waving.
Behind Cui Yuanzhao followed his subordinate Zhang Da.
"You went to Chunfeng Tower again?" Tang Huan asked.
"No, it's not Chunfeng Tower." Cui Yuanzhao smiled awkwardly.
"What else can you do after coming home so early in the morning?" Tang Huan sighed, looking at Cui Yuanzhao, and then hesitated before saying, "Why don't you go back to Qihuai County soon?"
"What's the point of going back? You're not even in Qihuai County. It would be so boring for me to go back alone."
"Anyway, you're just eating, drinking, and having fun every day in the capital. There are more options in Qihuai County, aren't there? Besides, you won't have to worry about your father's opinion there, isn't that better?"
These words somewhat convinced Cui Yuanzhao, and he was moved.
"Old Tang, you're right, I'll have to think about it."
After a brief chat, Cui Yuanzhao forcibly dragged Tang Huan to the Prime Minister's residence as a guest, refusing to let him leave no matter what.
Left with no other choice, Tang Huan stopped refusing.
Inside Cui Yuanzhao's study, Tang Huan borrowed paper and pen and wrote a simple letter, which she then handed to Cui Yuanzhao.
"What are you doing?" Cui Yuanzhao asked, puzzled.
"When you get back, give this letter to Xue'e, and she will know what to do."
Cui Yuanzhao couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. "There's no need for that. You even had Xue'e take care of me. It's not like I'm short of money. I can't be your sworn brother and just eat and drink for free when I go to Qihuai County, can I? If others see this, they'll talk badly about you behind your back."
Tang Huan smiled at Cui Yuanzhao.
Cui Yuanzhao's enthusiasm remained undiminished, and he began to lead Tang Huan on a leisurely stroll around the Prime Minister's residence, almost without any precautions.
However, Tang Huan could sense that, apart from Cui Yuanzhao and Zhang Da, everyone in the mansion harbored a hint of hostility towards him.
He also discovered several skilled individuals disguised as servants.
The Prime Minister's residence is not as simple as it appears on the surface; it is fraught with danger.
If you don't understand this, you might end up walking out sideways if you barge in.
As morning approached, a commotion was heard outside the mansion.
Tang Huan recognized Cui Renshi's gloomy voice from inside, greeted Cui Yuanzhao, and then left through the back door.
This made Cui Yuanzhao somewhat reluctant, but Tang Huan insisted on leaving, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Turning around, Cui Yuanzhao returned to his residence, intending to go back to his room for a nap, since he hadn't slept well the night before and needed to catch up on his sleep.
On the way, however, they saw Cui Renshi leading several ministers toward the study. They looked serious and not in a good mood.
Cui Yuanzhao couldn't help but prick up his ears to listen.
He then mustered his courage and secretly followed them, hiding outside the study to listen to their discussions.
With no outsiders around, everyone acted without restraint. Reading, with his fiery temper, would fly into a rage without saying a word, spewing profanities at every turn.
Cui Yuanzhao became increasingly alarmed as he listened.
This morning at court, Minister of Revenue Wang Tianze, without any explanation, accused Cui Renshi of multiple crimes, including forming cliques, engaging in corrupt practices, and accepting bribes, completely shattering the long-standing peace between the two sides.
Choi In-seok himself and a few of his confidants are fine, but some of his subordinates have been caught red-handed, and many have been dealt with in light of the solid evidence.
Furthermore, the Empress was furious about the incident at the morning court session and immediately ordered a thorough investigation.
The next period of time would be very turbulent, something everyone could sense, even Cui Yuanzhao, who was eavesdropping outside the door, realized this.
He couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that Old Tang already guessed this, which is why he sent me back to Qihuai County to lay low for a while?"
At this moment, Cui Yuanzhao no longer hesitated. Every time the court was in turmoil, his father, the prime minister, would feel very bad.
Some trivial matters that he wouldn't even bother to look at normally could become reasons to ignite his anger, and Cui Yuanzhao was punished for them many times.
He decided to return to Qihuai County as soon as possible and simply avoid this incident.
At the same time, Tang Huan went to the Dali Temple. Instead of seeing the Dali Temple Minister, he went to Cheng Yuan, the Dali Temple Vice Minister who had previously shown him goodwill.
As soon as the two met, Cheng Yuan mysteriously led Tang Huan to a secluded place.
"Lord Tang, there's been some news about that man named Qian Dafu. I've found out he's still in the capital..."
Tang Huan waved his hand and said, "Let's not worry about Qian Dafu's matter for now."
"Huh?" Cheng Yuan was a little puzzled. He had specifically instructed them to do this beforehand, but they stopped doing it not long afterward?
Tang Huan asked, "Did you attend the morning court session today?"
"I've participated. It seems His Majesty intends to target Prime Minister Cui's faction. Many people have been punished for various reasons, and many more will suffer the same fate. I wonder how Prime Minister Cui will respond."
What's your opinion on this?
Cheng Yuan chuckled a few times, "What else can I say about this? I'm just a junior official, I can't get involved. I'll just do whatever you tell me to do."
Tang Huan couldn't trust Cheng Yuan, so she didn't confess that she was also involved in the matter.
However, he still issued a new task: to closely monitor what Cui Renshi would do in the near future, and what actions the people around him would take.
Cheng Yuan agreed, and looked at Tang Huan with a complicated expression. "My lord, Prime Minister Cui and you didn't have a good relationship before. Will you participate this time?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Yuan lightly patted his face. "I've said too much. You don't need to answer, sir. Just pretend I farted."
"Just remember, don't do what I told your boss to do, and you'll be fine."
Cheng Yuan nodded, then hesitated before saying, "Well, Lord Tang, I've found some other clues. It seems that Qian Dafu has some connections with several princes."
"Which prince?"
"King Taiping".
Tang Huan nodded to indicate that she understood, and this news undoubtedly stirred up another wave of discussion.
But Tang Huan couldn't think about that for the time being; he had to focus all his energy on Cui Renshi.
Tang Huan entrusted the surveillance task not only to Cheng Yuan, but also because he didn't quite trust Cheng Yuan enough to rely on him alone.
After leaving Dali Temple, Tang Huan went straight to the Southern District. He secretly found several mercenaries and asked them to take charge of the matter together.
In addition, Tang Huan also had Xiao Qi take a few inconspicuous teenagers to gather information in the capital.
We will employ a three-pronged approach to ensure that no information is missed.
While Tang Huan was doing all this, Cui Yuanzhao was also ready and led Zhang Da on the road out of the city.
Inside the carriage, Cui Yuanzhao leaned back against the seat, gently stroking his chest with one hand.
There, lies the letter Tang Huan gave to Xue'e.
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