Chapter 358: The Hongmen Banquet
Bathing day.
Originally, Prime Minister Cui was very busy.
In fact, as the prime minister of a country, there is no such thing as a day off.
There are endless political affairs to deal with and endless court officials to meet. The emperor might even summon me later.
But he still had to go to King Jing's Hongmen Banquet.
The snow stopped after several days.
The sky is clear, but it's getting colder.
No matter how cold the weather is, it cannot stop people from going out.
The closer it gets to the end of the year, the more lively the capital becomes.
There are ladies walking in the snow to appreciate the plum blossoms, people going out to buy New Year's goods, children making snow lions in front of their doors, and peddlers shouting from door to door.
The streets of Kyoto are bustling with traffic, creating a bustling and prosperous scene.
Cui Yan walked along the way, seeing the prosperous streets and the well-being of the people.
I feel a little relieved.
The war in the north is not over yet, but it is obvious that the people are living much better this year than last year.
There are fewer refugees in the city, and even the new refugees who have poured in have been properly accommodated.
It has to be said that King Jing made him look at him with new eyes.
After last year's stampede, he personally took charge of the resettlement of refugees and disaster relief, acting decisively and cutting the Gordian knot.
He built a complete clinic and shelter, and even secretly provided money.
With him keeping an eye on things, there was no longer a situation where the court allocated grain and money but then exploited it by the people below.
As for those who collude with officials and businessmen to profit from the disaster relief grain and make money from the national disaster.
Either their property will be confiscated and they will be exiled, or they will go to see the King of Hell.
In this matter, King Jing showed no mercy at all and intimidated many people.
King Jing, who had been idle at home for many years, suddenly began to work hard to govern the country.
Many people couldn't sit still.
Of course, some people are impressed.
This includes the emperor.
After all, there is no father who doesn't want his son to become successful, even though the emperor didn't expect him to become successful.
But the emperor was still very pleased.
In fact, Cui Yan himself was also very curious.
The current crown prince has been ill for a long time and the emperor's grandson is too young. It is still unknown who will be the heir in the end.
Who doesn't want to be a loyal minister?
But as far as the position of crown prince is concerned, who sits in that position is extremely important.
To put it in a broader sense, it concerns the destiny of the country and the lives of the people.
To put it simply, it concerns the fate of a clan, or even the life and death of an individual.
Who can really stay out of it?
When Cui Yan stepped into Prince Jing's mansion, he remembered what his father had said when he returned home.
Don't underestimate King Jing and don't be fooled by his appearance.
Although this young prince frequented the brothels of the city, he was the most open-minded and insightful among the princes.
Prince Jing's Mansion.
In the water pavilion.
The ice and snow on the roof sparkled in the sun, and the snow water dripped down the eaves.
Like rain.
Under the eaves, King Jing was brewing tea by the stove and roasting mutton on the side.
The tea was bubbling and steaming.
The mutton smells delicious and the oil is sizzling.
Jiang Miaomiao and Princess Yuqing stood behind the screen, looking forward to it. The little guy was drooling at the aroma.
But in order to uncover the mystery of my life, I endured it!
Then a handsome and tall man in a black cloak walked out of the corridor in the distance.
Except for the face, everything from head to toe was black.
It feels like a place where strangers are kept away.
The feeling was completely different from seeing him at Cui's house that day.
Jiang Miaomiao wanted to get closer and listen, but it was too far away and she couldn't hear what they were saying at all.
But he was caught by the princess.
There's nowhere to hide.
My uncle really knows how to choose a place. From the room where they are hiding, there is a pavilion surrounded by water on three sides.
If anyone wanted to eavesdrop, they would probably have to hide under the ice.
But if that happens, I'm afraid I'll be frozen to death without hearing anything.
Forget it, they must be talking about boring national affairs. Just watch and leave the eavesdropping to Jiujiu.
Prime Minister Cui approached, not even raising his eyelids, and bowed, "King Jing is in a very refined mood. Are you inviting me to eat barbecue?"
"Why not? Doesn't Prime Minister Cui eat meat?" King Jing stood up and greeted him with a smile.
The two sat opposite each other, looking at each other in silence.
So cold!
I felt a cold wind blowing.
Cui Yan still had no expression on his face, and he lowered his eyes to drink his tea.
It was as if he couldn't see King Jing's embarrassment.
Generally at times like this, when the other party sees that Cui Yan has no intention of responding, he should take the initiative to speak.
King Jing smiled and handed two skewers of barbecued meat to him. "Since Prime Minister Cui eats meat, don't be polite. This is the sheep sent by Madam Lu."
"The prince is familiar with the Lu family?" Cui Yan looked up suddenly, then regained his composure.
Take the barbecue and put it on a plate aside.
"Of course we are familiar with each other. When I was in Jiangzhou, I was a neighbor of the Lu family mother and son. My future princess's sister is also a close friend of Madam Lu." King Jing looked at Cui Yan and said.
After saying that, I looked at the man again, and he still had a blank expression on his face, and his surprise was only for a moment.
He invited Cui Yan, like most people, just to test the waters.
Find out what my father thinks of Prince Chen.
And the most important thing is that the person he sent to assassinate King Chen disappeared.
He felt that the most likely people to be intercepted were Prime Minister Cui's men, and his father would definitely ask him to place people around Prince Chen.
If it really is him, it won’t be long before my father finds out.
Cui Yan has always been cold and cruel.
He was not worried that those people would betray him. They were people who had entrusted their families and their backs to him, so he could trust them.
I just feel reluctant to leave.
It is not easy to cultivate such a group of loyal people who will follow you for many years and are willing to go through fire and water for you.
He would not want to do this now unless it was necessary.
Cui Yan looked at him fearlessly and asked directly, "The Crown Prince is still here, so Your Highness is so eager to take that seat?"
"It seems that Prime Minister Cui is indeed the one who kidnapped my people. Have you reported this to my father?"
"If the emperor knew, I'm afraid the prince would not be here now." Cui Yan looked at the young man opposite.
Although he was obviously very nervous, he managed to remain calm on the surface.
I can still eat barbecue now.
It's also a good thing.
However, this is the basic quality of a qualified king. He should not show his emotions on his face, so that his subjects cannot guess what he is thinking.
Even the joy and anger expressed on one's face will be given due value.
In this regard, no one is more powerful than his father.
King Jing then spoke quietly, "I killed him for the sake of that position and to save my own life. Prime Minister Cui only knows that my brother was poisoned by Prince Su, but he doesn't know that Prince Su was also framed by Prince Chen. It was Prince Chen who actually poisoned him. If he returns triumphantly after this achievement, it will be another bloody battle. What would I do if Prime Minister Cui were me?"
There is another reason that King Jing did not mention.
That was his fourth elder brother, Prince Chen, who had been planning to seize the throne seven years ago.
At that time, the King was only fifteen, and he was only thirteen.
He and Song Siyuan were kidnapped in such a premeditated manner.
His royal brother appears to be virtuous and non-competitive, but he is actually vicious.
If you wanted him dead, you could just kill him directly, but you had to torture and humiliate him like that.
This shows how much she hates him to be so vicious.
So how could he possibly let Prince Chen return to Beijing alive?
King Jing personally poured a cup of tea and offered it to Cui Yan, looking eagerly at him. "Prime Minister Cui, can you lend a hand to me and my brother, the Crown Prince?"
Cui Yan looked at the pair of phoenix eyes that were the same as Princess Yuqing's, and felt a little dazed.
Suddenly she thought that this man was her brother from the same mother.
He spoke slowly, "I can't...but..."
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