Cui Yuan is nearly 60 years old this year. He is fat and has deep nasolabial folds on his cheeks. A huge nose is particularly eye-catching. However, he treats people with gentleness and elegance. No one has ever seen him angry. He always has a gentle smile, especially loved by small officials of low-grade rank.

In the past few days, the war in Longyou has consumed a lot of effort, including allocating money and grain, requisition of civilians, manufacturing of military weapons, and even stabilizing the people in Guanzhong and suppressing rice prices. He has to do every little thing himself, but these are nothing compared to maintaining the status of the Cui family.

It has been more than ten years since the sixth year of Qingzhi that year. According to the agreement of the seven major families, Zhang Ruohao should have taken over the position of prime minister in the sixth year of Qingzhi. However, the dispute between the legitimate and illegitimate Zhang family split the family. Zhang Potian continued to be in the position of prime minister in less than a month, and the 80,000 Hedong Army became the object of the Cui family. Cui Yuan also drove Zhang Potian off the stage and stepped onto the peak of power.

Next year is the 16th year of Qingzhi. According to the agreement, Wei Yan will take over as prime minister. Cui Yuandeng will become the left prime minister, while the current left prime minister Pei Jun is only the Minister of Revenue. After the cycle, the seven major families will take turns to rule. As for the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he was just a nominal monarch and had no real power.

But power is also a sweet poison that makes him unable to stop. In any case, he cannot lose the position of right prime minister. Just when Cui Yuan was trying his best to deal with Wei, the Uighurs unexpectedly helped him. He seized the opportunity and used the sword of the Uighurs to destroy the Wei family's original sect overnight.

Things began to turn around, and whether Wei can take office next year has become vague. What needs to be done now is to weaken the Wei family again and completely cut off his hope of becoming the prime minister.

Cui Yuan sat cross-legged in front of the few and pondered. It was not so easy to weaken the Wei family again. The Uighurs had retreated, at least they retreated to the north of Helan Mountain. There was no external force to borrow, so they could only find a way from the inside, and it would be best to join a powerful alliance. The Jiannan Jiedushi Yang Qi was old and sick, and he was his relative, so there was no need to consider it. King Ang of Shannan recently relied on him secretly because of his evil deeds with Zhang Ruohao, and turned from relying on him in secret to his eyes and surrendering to him with pride. This would be unnecessary.

The power of Chuxingshui in Huainan is weak, and there is also the natural enemy of the Wang family. Moreover, his eldest son has been pursuing Ning'er, which is an opportunity, but this person is quite sleek and cannot be too optimistic.

The rest are Wei Er, Zhang Ruohao and Pei Jun. Wei Er will not mention it. He will be the vanguard against him. Zhang Ruohao and him, Cui Yuan, are enemies of the world, and he must stand with Wei Er, and this cannot be questioned.

Cui Yuan finally thought of the Pei family. If Wei Yan took over as prime minister, Pei Jun would also abandon the left prime minister. At this point, the interests of the Cui and Pei families are consistent and there is a possibility of alliance. However, alliance requires an opportunity that both parties can accept. While meditating, Cui Yuan's pen unknowingly wrote two words on the plain paper in front of him: Pei Ying.

At this time, the butler's footsteps came from outside the door, and Cui Yuan immediately tore the plain paper in front of him to pieces. Calculate the time, it must be his second brother Cui Qinggong who came to see him.

"Master! Jingzhao Yin Suzhen is looking for a meeting outside and said that there is an emergency and he needs to report it."

"Su Zhen?" Cui Yuan was slightly stunned. Today was the day of rest. What did he do? Could it be that Cui Xiong, who entered the city, had something wrong with it? He immediately said to the butler: "Take him to my study outside."

Cui Yuan quickly came to the outer study room and walked to the door. Su Zhen walked around the room, looking very anxious and uneasy. He smiled and said, "Let the envoy Su wait for a long time!"

When Su Zhen saw Cui Yuan coming in, he quickly stepped forward and gave a long salute, "We shouldn't have disturbed the Prime Minister's rest, but there are really important things to report!"

"No hurry! Sit down and say slowly."

The two sat cross-legged and the maid served two cups of tea. Cui Yuan picked up the tea cup and said slowly without rushing, "Tell me! What's the matter?"

Su Zhen immediately handed Zheng Qingming's confession, and he knew in his heart that Cui Xiong was probably really a fuss. Seeing Cui Yuan looking carefully, he added uneasy: "Although these two scholars have no background, my subordinates are worried that once the news spreads, it is very likely that a hundred thousand scholars in Chang'an will cause trouble, so my subordinates suggest that the news be blocked immediately and move the two people to Dali Temple."

Cui Yuan looked at the confession without saying a word, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared, his face became more and more gloomy. He didn't know the inside story. He always thought that his second brother was just holding the credit of other officers on his son, which was fine. Unexpectedly, he took away the credit of a group of scholars. Zhang Huan of Taiyuan and Xin Lang of Jincheng, with so many sensitive names, was he indifferent?

Cui Yuan was extremely angry. Now it was the most critical time to overthrow Wei Er. My second brother caused such a problem. If Wei Er caught this handle, wouldn’t his previous efforts be wasted?

Although Cui Yuan was angry, his face did not show any of it. He pondered for a moment and smiled at Su Zhen: "This is not a big deal. There is no need to mobilize others. Then the two of them will stay in Wannian County for the time being. When I find out the situation, if Cui Xiong is really trying to make a contribution, I will apologize to them in person!"

Seeing that the Prime Minister didn't care, Su Zhen had to stand up and say goodbye in embarrassment, "It's because my subordinates have made a big deal and disturbed the Prime Minister's rest. I'll say goodbye now!"

"Go! Don't ask about this."

Cui Yuan kept witnessing Su Zhen’s back disappearing. His face suddenly changed and he immediately shouted in a low voice: “Come here!”

Several generals appeared in front of the door immediately, "I am humble!"

"Go! Call the second master immediately!"

A general took the order and Cui Yuan walked two steps behind his back. He thought for a while and then turned around: "Send someone to the Sixth Inn of Gaosheng in Pingkangfang and monitor every scholar living there for me, especially to keep an eye on the person named Zhang Huan. Remember! Without my order, no one can alarm the snake!"

About half an hour later, Cui Qinggong rushed over. He returned to Chang'an this morning. Unlike Cui Yuan, he didn't take Zhang Huan and others seriously at all. So Liu Yuanqing said that when Xin Yunjing sent someone to pick up his son on the way, he could not do it. He just blamed him for a few words and let it go. No wonder he controlled the entire battle situation. More than a dozen scholars had no evidence, and could they still take away the credit?

"Depending on what you do!"

When Cui Yuan saw him, he scolded him, "It would be fine if you want Xiong'er to ask for that credit, why do you still leave any troubles and let them go to Beijing!"

Cui Qinggong was very afraid of Cui Yuan since he was a child. Seeing that his brother was angry, he quickly explained: "I also wanted to kill them to silence him, but there was a son of Xin Yunjing. I was afraid that killing him would cause trouble. As for the matter of the hero, my military merit book was clearly written. There were swords left by him on the scene, and many Uighur prisoners of war could prove it. Since more than a dozen scholars did not have any evidence, they were not afraid of them going to make a fuss!"

Cui Qinggong's explanation calmed down Cui Yuan's anger a little. He sat down and looked at his brother and said earnestly: "You have been leading troops abroad for a long time. You are still not clear about many things in the court. For example, why did I order you to delay saving Kaiyang County and kill people with a knife, but what is my purpose? Next year, my right prime minister's term will expire. How can I be re-elected? This is the most urgent thing facing our Cui family. If you can discuss this matter with me first, I will ask you to give this credit to Pei Yong, so that I can take this opportunity to dissolve the deadlock between me and Pei Jun, and at the same time it also causes the disagreement between Pei Jun and Zhang Ruohao. It can be said that you kill two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, you gave this credit to your son, alas!"

Cui Qinggong lowered his head in shame. He really couldn't imagine what his elder brother said. Not only that, he also didn't give him the chance to make meritorious service because Pei Yong was Pei Jun's nephew.

"What should I do about this?"

Cui Qinggong gritted his teeth and said, "It's better to send troops to arrest them earlier while the situation has not expanded!"

Cui Yuan shook her head gently, "No, the matter can't be hidden from those old foxes. Now I'm sending soldiers to cover up the truth, but it makes people suspicious."

He stood up, walked a few steps behind his back, and a gloomy smile slowly flashed in his eyes, "Since Zhang Huan dared to burn the military rations of the Uighurs, then I might as well bet with him!"

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Chapter completed!