bayedsolid Chapter 358 Hongmen Banquet
Chapter 358 Hongmen Banquet
Rest day.
Prime Minister Cui was originally very busy.
In reality, as the prime minister of a country, there are no days off.
There are endless political affairs to handle and countless court officials to meet; the emperor might even summon me later.
But he still had to attend King Jing's trap.
The snow that had been falling for several days has stopped.
The sky cleared, but it got even colder.
Even the coldest weather couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm for going out.
The closer it gets to the end of the year, the more bustling the capital city becomes.
There were ladies and young women enjoying the plum blossoms in the snow, ordinary people going out to buy New Year's goods, children building snow lions in front of their doors, and peddlers hawking their wares from street to street.
Kyoto's streets are bustling with traffic, a scene of lively prosperity.
As Cui Yan traveled, he observed the bustling streets and the well-being of the people.
I felt a little relieved.
The war in the north is not over, but it is clear that the people are doing much better this year than last year.
The number of displaced people in the city has decreased, and even the newly arrived displaced people have been properly resettled.
To be honest, this Prince Jing did impress him quite a bit.
Following last year's stampede, he personally oversaw the resettlement of displaced people and disaster relief efforts, acting swiftly and decisively to resolve the crisis.
They improved and built a clinic and shelter, and even secretly advanced money for it.
With him in charge, there were no more instances of the imperial court allocating grain and money only to have it plundered and exploited by its subordinates.
As for those who collude with businessmen to profit from disaster relief grain and make a fortune off the national crisis.
They either had their homes confiscated and were exiled, or they were sent to meet the King of Hell.
In this matter, King Jing showed no mercy whatsoever, and in doing so, he intimidated many people.
King Jing, who had been idle and dissolute at home for many years, suddenly became determined to govern the country.
Many people are getting restless.
Of course, some people were impressed.
This includes the emperor.
After all, no father doesn't hope his son will become a dragon, even though the emperor didn't expect him to become one either.
But the emperor was still very pleased.
In fact, Cui Yan herself was also very curious.
The current crown prince is chronically ill, and the imperial grandson is too young; it remains to be seen who will ultimately inherit the throne.
Who wouldn't want to be a loyal and upright official?
But as for the position of crown prince, who sits in that position is extremely important.
On a grander scale, it concerns the fate of the nation and the well-being of all people.
On a smaller scale, it concerns the fate of an entire clan, and even the life and death of an individual.
Who can truly remain uninvolved?
As Cui Yan stepped into the threshold of Prince Jing's mansion, he remembered what his father had said when he returned to his hometown.
Do not underestimate King Jing, and do not be deceived by his appearance.
Although this young prince frequented brothels and entertainment venues, he was the most open-minded and insightful among the princes.
Prince Jing's Mansion.
In the waterside pavilion.
The snow and ice on the roof glistened in the sun, and melted snow dripped down the eaves.
Like rain.
Under the eaves, Prince Jing was brewing tea by the stove, while mutton was roasting nearby.
The tea was bubbling and steaming.
The aroma of mutton wafted through the air, and the oil was sizzling and glistening.
Jiang Miaomiao and Princess Yuqing stood behind the screen, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the feast. The little one's mouth was practically watering from the aroma.
But in order to uncover the mystery of his origins, he endured it!
Then, a handsome and tall man, dressed in a black cloak, walked out of the pavilion in the distance.
Except for his face, he was completely black from head to toe.
It feels like a place where strangers are not allowed to approach.
The feeling was completely different from when I saw him at the Cui residence that day.
Jiang Miaomiao wanted to hide closer to listen, but it was too far away, and she couldn't hear what they were saying at all.
But the princess caught him and took him back.
There's nowhere to hide.
My uncle really knows how to choose a location; just outside the room where they hid, there's a waterside pavilion surrounded by water on three sides.
If someone wanted to eavesdrop, they'd probably have to hide under the ice.
However, in that case, they would probably freeze to death without hearing anything.
Forget it, they must be talking about boring national affairs. Just watch and leave the eavesdropping to Qiuqiu.
Cui Xiang approached without even raising his eyelids, and bowed respectfully, "Your Highness has quite the refined taste; you wouldn't happen to have invited me here just for barbecue, would you?"
"Why not? Doesn't Prime Minister Cui eat meat?" King Jing rose and greeted him with a smile.
The two sat facing each other, speechless.
It’s so cold!
I felt a cold wind blow by.
Cui Yan remained expressionless, lowering his eyes as he drank his tea.
They seemed oblivious to King Jing's embarrassment.
In situations like this, if the other party sees that Cui Yan has no intention of responding, they should take the initiative to speak.
Prince Jing smiled and handed him two skewers of roasted meat. “Since Prime Minister Cui is eating meat, then don’t be shy. This is a lamb sent by Lady Lu.”
"Is Your Highness acquainted with the Lu family?" Cui Yan suddenly looked up, then regained his composure.
He took the grilled meat and placed it on a plate to the side.
“Of course we are acquainted. When I was in Jiangzhou, I was neighbors with the Lu family, mother and son. My future princess’s sister was also a close friend of Lady Lu,” King Jing said, looking at Cui Yan.
After he finished speaking, he looked at the person again, who still had a blank expression, and his surprise only lasted for a moment.
Like most people, he invited Cui Yan over to sound him out.
Explore what the Emperor thinks of Prince Chen.
And the most important thing is that the person he sent to assassinate Prince Chen has disappeared.
He felt that the most likely person to be intercepted was Cui Xiang's man, and his father would definitely have him place someone by Prince Chen's side.
If it really is him, Father Emperor will probably find out soon.
Cui Yan has always been cold-blooded.
He wasn't worried that those people would betray him; they were all people who had entrusted their families and futures to him, and he could trust them.
I'm really reluctant to part with it.
It is extremely difficult to cultivate such a group of loyal people who have followed you for many years and are willing to go through fire and water for you.
He would not be willing to take this action now unless absolutely necessary.
Cui Yan looked at him without fear and asked directly, "The Crown Prince is still here, so why is Your Highness so eager to take that position?"
"It seems that Prime Minister Cui did indeed kidnap my men. Have you already reported this to the Emperor?"
“If His Majesty knew, the Prince would probably not be here by now.” Cui Yan looked at the young man opposite him.
Despite being incredibly nervous inside, he managed to remain calm and composed on the surface.
I can still eat barbecue right now.
It's also good at pretending.
However, this is a basic quality of a qualified monarch: not showing one's emotions and not letting one's ministers guess what one is thinking.
Even the emotions they express on their face can play their due role.
In this respect, no one was more capable than his father, the emperor.
King Jing then spoke slowly, “I killed him for the position, but also 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. The real poisoner is Prince Chen. If he returns victorious this time, it will be another bloody battle to the death. If Prime Minister Cui were me, what would I do?”
There is another reason that King Jing did not mention.
That was his fourth brother, Prince Chen, who had been plotting to seize the throne for seven years.
At that time, the king was only fifteen, and he was only thirteen.
He and Song Siyuan were abducted in such a premeditated manner.
His elder brother appeared virtuous and unassuming, but in reality, he was malicious.
If you want him to die, just kill him directly. Why torture and humiliate him like that, leaving him in a state of neither life nor death?
How much hatred must one have for him to be so vicious?
So how could he possibly allow Prince Chen to return to the capital alive?
Prince Jing personally poured a cup of tea and offered it to Cui Yan, looking at him expectantly. "Prime Minister Cui, could you lend me and my elder brother, the Crown Prince, a hand?"
Cui Yan stared blankly at the phoenix eyes that resembled those of Princess Yuqing.
Suddenly it occurred to her that this person was her own brother.
He spoke slowly, "I can't... but..."
……