Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 228 Loyalty to Dasheng

The vermilion gate of the Ministry of Personnel has been closed for many days, and most of the officials who used to go through it have now been replaced by people from the Censorate.

Everyone was walking around with gloomy expressions and keeping quiet, leaving the entire Ministry of Personnel filled with a suffocating atmosphere.

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 sunshine rushed in, but it could only barely illuminate a few tiles at the door.

The person who came was Zhang Xian, the censor.

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, and he just asked in a calm voice:

"Minister Cui, are you still unwilling 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 hand.

Zhang Xiansan took two steps forward and placed 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 at the headquarters, but he didn't say I'm under house arrest."

Zhang Xian looked up at Cui Daoyuan and said in a deep voice, "Although there has been no explicit decree, an oral order has been issued."

"The emperor has ordered that from now on, not a single word can escape the minister's lips."

Cui Daoyuan's expression changed slightly when he heard this.

In fact, that day in the palace, when the emperor ordered Zhang Xian 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 the emperor's attitude towards Lang'er?

Asking Zhang Xian to report to the emperor on his behalf 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 dignified prince actually formed a clique with his in-laws for personal gain?

If the crime is serious, the person could 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 spread 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 he, Cui Daoyuan... has become the biggest obstacle for Lang'er to rise to fame.

It turned out to be the case.

Cui Daoyuan gently closed his eyes, 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, killing so many people, he was forced to plan and plot to this point.

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 prosperous 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 a lot of 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, 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 throne 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.”

When did 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 definitely realize that he has been fooled by Lin Wanting, and Lin Wanting can forget about it.

When his thoughts turned to this, Cui Daoyuan took a breath, then slowly slumped 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 never thought about living!

He used Jiang Xun to find out all this just to get rid of his beloved disciple.

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?

I see…I see…

Cui Daoyuan was silent for a long time, then suddenly looked up at Zhang Xian in front of him.

You still have time.

As long as they could get a message to Lang'er and tell him the emperor's decision, Lang'er would just have to hold his troops in place, and all the plans of Lin Wanting and Jiang Xun would be in vain!

"Zhang Yushi, I want to pass on a message to Prince Rui. Just one sentence."

Seeing that Zhang Xian was unmoved, Cui Daoyuan gritted his teeth and said, "Then please convey this 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 with the same words as before: "Minister Cui, the emperor has given an order, don't let—"

Cui Daoyuan suddenly slammed the table and stood up, completely losing his usual calmness and composure.

His eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and anger, and he said quickly:

"I'm not trying to plead for myself. I can die, but I won't let Lin Wanting and Jiang Xun succeed in their evil scheme and alienate His Majesty from Prince Rui!"

"Zhang Xian, aren't you renowned for your loyalty, righteousness, and integrity?"

"I'm telling you right now. The Emperor wants 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 noticed that Zhang Xian's face was cold and there was no surprise on his face when he talked about these inside stories, as if...

It's as if he knew it all along!

As soon as this thought came to mind, Cui Daoyuan's face flashed with disbelief. He pointed at Zhang Xian and said in a faintly trembling voice:

"Zhang Xian, you...you always claim to be loyal to the emperor, but you..."

Zhang Xian met Cui Daoyuan's wide-open eyes, but remained calm and said, "Minister Cui, I have always been... loyal to Dasheng."