Chapter 228 Loyalty to Dasheng
The vermilion gate of the Ministry of Personnel has been closed for many days, and most of the officials from the Ministry of Personnel who used to shuttle through it have now been replaced by people from the Censorate.
Everyone was walking around with gloomy faces and low voices, and the entire Ministry of Personnel was filled with a suffocating dullness.
The duty room was specially separated, with people from the Censorate guarding on all sides. The person living inside was the leader of the Ministry of Personnel, Shangshu Cui Daoyuan.
In the past few days, the doors and windows of the duty room have been kept closed.
The light in the room was a little dim. Cui Daoyuan sat behind the desk with his eyes closed. His official uniform seemed to have lost its former brightness.
The documents and writing materials on the desk were neatly arranged, as if they had never been touched.
The room was dead silent until -
Squeak.
The door of the duty room was pushed open, and the August sun rushed in, but it could only illuminate a few tiles at the door.
The person who came was Censor Zhang Xian.
He lowered his eyes to look at the desk, and saw the documents on it that had not been turned over. There was no surprise on his face, but he just asked in a calm voice:
"Minister Cui, you still refuse to plead guilty?"
Cui Daoyuan slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw the light, he instinctively narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze fell on Zhang Xian and he saw another stack of documents in his hands.
Zhang Xiansan took two steps forward and put the document on the table. Cui Daoyuan finally spoke:
"I want to see His Majesty."
Zhang Xian didn't answer, so Cui Daoyuan pushed the document in front of him away and said, "Then I'll trouble Censor Zhang to convey this message to the emperor on my behalf."
Zhang Xian shook his head.
Cui Daoyuan frowned upon seeing this, "Zhang Xian, the emperor only ordered me to stay in the army, but he didn't say I was under house arrest."
Zhang Xian raised his eyes to glance at Cui Daoyuan and said in a deep voice: "Although there is no explicit decree, an oral order has been issued."
"The emperor has said: From now on, not a single word can escape from the minister's mouth."
Cui Daoyuan's expression changed slightly when he heard this.
In fact, that day in the palace, when the emperor ordered Zhang Xianche to investigate the Ministry of Personnel, he had already realized that his, Cui Daoyuan's, glorious half-life seemed to be coming to an end.
But what is His Majesty’s attitude towards Lang’er?
Just now, he asked Zhang Xian to report to the emperor on his behalf, but it was just a test.
If the emperor really intended to abolish Lang'er's title of Prince Rui and make way for the emperor's grandson, then he should take advantage of the Cui family's troubles to drag Lang'er into the water.
A prince actually formed a clique with his relatives for personal gain?
If the crime is serious, the person may even be sentenced to death.
But the emperor asked Zhang Xian to keep a close eye on him, as if he was afraid that he would leak some news and involve Lang'er.
Thinking about this, Cui Daoyuan was almost certain that he had been thinking wrong all along.
Lang'er missed the position of crown prince back then, and the struggle for it in recent years has been so difficult that he subconsciously believes that the emperor has another candidate in mind.
But now it seems that His Majesty is actually making preparations for Li Lang'er.
And Cui Daoyuan... has become the biggest obstacle to Lang'er's success.
I see.
Cui Daoyuan closed his eyes gently, but couldn't help but let a sarcastic smile appear on the corner of his mouth.
If His Majesty had known this would happen, why would he have betrayed his loyalty?
After going through so much trouble and killing so many people, he was forced to plan this far.
Lang'er...has the appearance of an emperor after all.
This was the only consolation for Cui Daoyuan after he figured everything out.
As long as Lang'er ascends the throne, even if Cui Daoyuan dies, the Cui family will become even more glorious than it is now under the protection and favor of the new emperor after a period of silence!
Zhang Xian took in Cui Daoyuan's expression, pushed the document on the table over, and said calmly:
"Now, is Minister Cui willing to plead guilty?"
Cui Daoyuan exhaled slowly, and for the first time in these days, he reached out to the document in front of him.
When I unfolded it, I found quite a few letters inside.
Zhang Xian was about to say something, but when he looked up, he saw Cui Daoyuan's expression suddenly changed.
Cui Daoyuan stared at the letter in front of him, his body suddenly stiffened and his eyes widened.
Because he suddenly remembered the letters in Zhao Huailang's hands!
If everything is really as he guessed, then this time, Lang'er just needs to stay out of it and do nothing. Once the Cui family falls, he will be the crown prince.
But Lang'er had always been close to him, and had always resented the emperor's partiality and unfairness, so she might not be able to understand the same thing as him.
In this case, Lang'er might take the risk of using those letters to implicate Jiang Xun and the emperor's grandson, muddying the waters, just to give his grandfather a glimmer of hope!
Once again, Lang'er is only one step away from the position of crown prince, but the situation changes again. Is all this a coincidence?
At this time, Cui Daoyuan couldn't help but think of the first person who uncovered this storm - Lin Wanting.
He is the emperor's mentor and also Jiang Xun's mentor. In Lin Wanting's heart, who is more important, the emperor or Jiang Xun?
If Lin Wanting did this for the emperor, then Lang'er's plan was not a rebellion. The emperor might be angry, but he might not change his determination to make Lang'er the crown prince.
But what if... Lin Wanting did all this for Jiang Xun and the emperor's grandson?
Cui Daoyuan shuddered suddenly. As an old minister who had experienced many ups and downs, he couldn't help but feel frightened at this moment.
If so, then these steps and links would become - first induce the Saint to make up his mind to get rid of the Cui family, and then force Lang'er to take out the letter to frame the Shen family.
The Cui family was destroyed, Lang'er framed loyal ministers, and Prince Xiang had already been imprisoned for life for murdering the Crown Princess.
In this case, the only person who can succeed to the position of crown prince is the emperor's grandson, right?
Could it be that Lin Wanting and Jiang Xun had the same idea as him from the beginning?
“When there is only one choice left, all hesitation and weighing are unnecessary.”
They...when did they start setting up this plan?
Could it be that Jiang Xun and the others had arranged for Lang'er to get those letters of "collaboration with the enemy and treason"?
But after the deed is done, His Majesty will surely realize that he was played by Lin Wanting, and Lin Wanting won't be able to do anything about it.
When his thoughts turned to this, Cui Daoyuan took a breath, then slowly lowered his shoulders, and at this moment he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
He didn't want to live...
From the moment the old woman went to the Dali Temple to appeal for justice, Lin Wanting no longer wanted to live!
He used Jiang Xun to find out all this, just to get rid of his beloved disciple completely.
Cui Daoyuan was determined to plead guilty and die for Lang'er and the Cui family. So was Lin Wanting for Jiang Xun and the emperor's grandson.
So that’s it… So that’s it…
Cui Daoyuan was silent for a long time, then suddenly looked up at Zhang Xian in front of him.
There's still time.
As long as they can get the message to Lang'er and tell him the emperor's decision, Lang'er only needs to keep his troops in place, and all the plans of Lin Wanting and Jiang Xun will be in vain!
"Zhang Yushi, I want to send a message to Prince Rui. Just one sentence."
Seeing that Zhang Xian was unmoved, Cui Daoyuan gritted his teeth and said, "Then please convey a message to His Majesty on my behalf. It is urgent!"
As long as we expose Lin Wanting and Jiang Xun's plan to His Majesty, we can stop all this!
But Zhang Xian's expression was calm, and he continued to say the same thing as before: "Minister Cui, the emperor has ordered us not to let—"
Cui Daoyuan suddenly slammed the table and stood up, completely losing his usual calm and composed demeanor.
His eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and anger, and he said quickly:
"I am not begging for mercy for myself. I am willing to die, but I will never let Lin Wanting and Jiang Xun succeed in their evil plan and alienate His Majesty from Prince Rui!"
"Zhang Xian, aren't you well-known for your loyalty and integrity?"
"I will tell you right now, His Majesty intends for Prince Rui to be the crown prince, but Lin Wanting and Jiang Xun are interfering. They want to—"
The more Cui Daoyuan spoke, the quieter his voice became.
Because he found that Zhang Xian in front of him had a cold expression on his face. When he heard him talk about these inside stories, there was no surprise on his face, as if...
It was as if he had known about it for a long time!
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Cui Daoyuan's face suddenly showed disbelief. He pointed at Zhang Xian and said in a trembling voice:
"Zhang Xian, you...you always say you are loyal to the emperor, but you..."
Zhang Xian met Cui Daoyuan's wide eyes, but remained calm and said, "Minister Cui, I have always been... loyal to Dasheng."
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