Tianliangyuan

Chapter 128 Cui Hu Has Gone Mad

After learning that Xie Zheng had become a Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guard, Xu Zhaozhao finally remembered Cui Hu.

Cui Hu came from a prominent family, but he was not a good person.

Cui Hu's evil lies in the fact that he is not, on the surface, the kind of person who forcibly abducts women or bullies others by abusing his power.

He secretly plotted against loyal ministers and generals!

It's true that Cui Hu was skilled in both literature and martial arts, but whether he could actually reach the level of being proficient in both is another matter.

Cui Hu was jealous of Xie Zheng and had often secretly compared himself to Xie Zheng since childhood.

However, Xie Zheng later went to Jizhou and made many meritorious contributions, so Cui Hu could not compare to him.

Cui Hu knew perfectly well how he got his position as a Lieutenant General. It wasn't based on merit or martial prowess, but simply on the recommendation of his elders in his family.

Xie Zheng, however, is different.

Xie Zheng earned his position step by step through his own military achievements.

Moreover, Xie Zheng is not just a fifth-rank general; he also currently commands a military command!

Therefore, Xie Zheng not only held an official position, but also wielded real power and commanded his own troops!

Cui Hu had previously framed two military officers, but fortunately, Cui Hu was not all-powerful, and Emperor Yong'an was not yet incompetent. Therefore, the two officers were only demoted after being injured, and did not have to leave officialdom completely.

Besides, Cui Hu was extremely petty and held grudges.

In the original book, Xie Zheng was later recalled by Emperor Yong'an, but by then, the Anxin Marquis's family had already ceased to exist.

Cui Hu had already been promoted by that time, so Xu Zhaozhao deduced that Cui Hu must have secretly joined the Prince Zhong's mansion.

In the original book, the downfall of the Marquis of Anxin's mansion was the result of a joint effort by the Prince of Zhong and Jiang Ning.

On the surface, it seems that the Sun family and Xu Lin are doing something foolish, but in reality, they are just pawns manipulated by the Prince of Zhong.

Xu Zhaozhao didn't want to see Cui Hu again, but she couldn't let him die now, so she had to find a way herself.

Xu Zhaozhao touched her chest, wondering if it was the original owner's obsession or something else, but just thinking about this person made her feel a tightness in her chest.

In the original story, Cui Hu ordered his men to ambush and kill the Xu clan members during their exile.

Ultimately, the Xu family was wiped out.

This overwhelming hatred cannot be explained in a few words, nor can it be erased by the death of Cui Hu alone.

Xu Zhaozhao finally managed to send some things into the Cui family by finding an opportunity.

If it weren't for so many concerns, she really wanted to see Cui Hu's fate for herself.

But she can only rely on others now, otherwise it will implicate her relatives.

Jiang Wenhe ordered someone to buy two jars of Zhuangyuan wine as soon as possible.

In Beijing today, who doesn't know that Zhuangyuan Wine sells well?

Moreover, this "Top Scholar Wine" is already the most expensive of all the wines costing ten thousand yuan.

Jiang Wenhe's servant failed to buy any wine and had to return dejectedly, wondering how he would explain it to his young master.

Unexpectedly, I met a middle-aged man on the way who was carrying two jars of Zhuangyuan wine. I was thinking of selling them quickly and paying the original price without raising the price.

"To be honest, young man, I had no choice but to take this wine out! My father acquired it by chance half a month ago. He originally intended to save it as part of my daughter's dowry, but my mother fell seriously ill, so I had no choice but to take it out and exchange it for money to buy medicine."

The servant was worried about not being able to complete his task, and seeing this situation, he immediately stepped forward and pushed the original buyer away.

"Uncle, we, the Jiang family, will take this wine!"

The servant was also a snob; he knew that bringing the Jiang family into the picture would make things much easier.

Sure enough, as soon as he opened his mouth, the young master who had been thinking of arguing with him immediately turned and left.

The middle-aged man was also full of gratitude: "Thank you so much, young man. Please pay the original price. We are in a hurry to get our medicine."

The servant didn't think about withholding money; after all, the important thing now was to have something to report to the young master.

These two jars of "Top Scholar Wine" were thus delivered to the young master.

Half an hour later, Jiang Wenhe, carrying the two jars of Zhuangyuan wine, knocked on the door of the Cui residence.

Cui Hu was not fond of drinking, but besides practicing martial arts every day, he also enjoyed composing poems and essays. Whenever he did so, he would think of drinking a couple of cups of wine, which could be considered a preference of a literary figure.

Jiang Wenhe and Cui Hu had a pleasant conversation, but it didn't last long.

When Jiang Wenhe left, he was quite satisfied because he could sense that Cui Hu had been persuaded.

Jiang Wenhe already had a plan in mind. In a few days, he would invite a few friends and then invite Cui Hu along. Their friendship would deepen then. Cui Hu was from a prominent family and was naturally proud, but he was no less impressive. His grandfather was the Grand Tutor!

Cui Hu was in a bad mood after being dismissed from his post, and he didn't want to go out for fear of being ridiculed.

The two jars of "Top Scholar Wine" that Jiang Wenhe sent naturally came in handy.

A few days later, Jiang Wenhe visited the Cui residence again, but he almost lost his life!

Xu Zhaozhao and Zhang Shi were doing needlework together, but Xu Zhaozhao threw it aside after finishing half of it and then focused on playing with her little nephew.

Zhang watched as she poked the baby's face with her finger, and could only smile helplessly.

"Reporting to the young mistress and young lady, the madam just sent someone to say that things are not peaceful outside and all the women in the mansion are not allowed to go out for the time being."

Xu Zhaozhao asked curiously, "What happened? Have bandits infiltrated the capital?"

Dingxiang shook her head: "Miss, I heard that Cui Hu, the young master of the Cui family, suddenly went mad. The day before yesterday, he almost killed Jiang Wenhe. Yesterday, someone saw him going out with a sword, his hair disheveled and his clothes in disarray. He was slashing at people in sight, scaring the people so much that they couldn't avoid him. I heard that he also injured two people."

Zhang immediately pressed, "Only injured? Are you sure your life isn't in danger?"

"No," Dingxiang shook her head and said, "Anyway, the rumor is that Cui Hu went mad because he couldn't bear the blow of being dismissed from his post. Although he was taken back by the Cui family yesterday, he is still the master after all. If the servants are even slightly lax, he might run away again."

People outside say that Cui Hu can no longer recognize people, otherwise he wouldn't have injured Young Master Jiang that day. I've also heard that he injured many servants in the Cui household, and now all the servants are trembling with fear, afraid of being assigned to serve this young master again.

Xu Zhaozhao tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Is he the only one like this, or are there other people in the Cui family like this as well?"

Dingxiang was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting her mistress to ask such a question.

"He must be the only one like this."

Xu Zhaozhao nodded, ignoring the others, and focused on playing with her little nephew.

Zhang put down what she was holding and lost the will to continue.

"This young master Cui isn't that old. He's only been married for three to five years. He was just dismissed from his post for making a mistake. It's not like the Cui family can't afford to support him. Why did it have to come to this?"

Xu Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Perhaps I was just momentarily confused by phlegm."

"I think it's because this young master Cui has had it too easy for the past twenty-odd years that he reacts so badly to the slightest setback. He should have had a chance to recover, but now that this madness has spread, which official would dare to recommend him again?"