Happy Spring Every Year

Chapter 248: Picking up weak persimmons and pinching them

Without Emperor Sheng saying anything, Eunuch Fushun stepped forward, took the document from Zhang Xian's hand, and presented it to the emperor.

Emperor Sheng took it and checked it one by one. There was no doubt that the handwriting on it was Cui Daoyuan's.

Seeing this, Emperor Sheng couldn't help but feel surprised and suspicious. He had thought that it would take a lot of effort to get rid of Cui Daoyuan, but he didn't expect it to end so easily.

But, that's not right.

Emperor Sheng pinched the document in his hand and frowned slightly.

Ever since Cui Daoyuan came to him and recommended himself, he knew that this man was ambitious, bold and careful, and every step he took must have a deep meaning.

If you ask what Cui Daoyuan cares about most, it is nothing more than the huge Cui family behind him, and... the second brother.

Emperor Sheng's gaze then fell on Zhao Huailang, and combined with everything that happened in the palace today, he quickly pieced together Cui Daoyuan's "good intentions."

The second brother has always been close to the Cui family, so he must have not hidden the matter of the letter from Cui Daoyuan.

Cui Daoyuan must have been thinking about the situation a lot during the days he was imprisoned. He might have seen through the teacher's intentions before him, and guessed that the second brother might lose his patience and use the letter.

In order to test his second brother and to crush the Cui family in one fell swoop, he once instructed Zhang Xian not to let Cui Daoyuan spread any news.

There is no doubt that Zhang Xian is loyal and upright, and he must have surrounded the Ministry of Personnel tightly, so Cui Daoyuan tried every possible way but still could not get the message to the second brother.

In such a desperate situation, the only thing that could be presented to the emperor through Zhang Xianzhi was Cui Daoyuan's confession.

Forming a clique for personal gain, nepotism, and accepting bribes, if Cui Daoyuan confesses to all these crimes, he will be doomed, and even the entire Cui family will be implicated.

But even so, Cui Daoyuan still did this, intending to tell him that the Cui family was no longer a threat and he could rest assured to make the second son the crown prince...

After all, he is the resourceful and far-sighted Fox Cui.

Given the second brother's close relationship with the Cui family and Cui Daoyuan's risking his life to support them, the second brother will definitely pardon the Cui family after he ascends the throne, and may even promote them to higher positions and make use of the Cui family's children.

He is exchanging one person's life and temporary downfall for the Cui family's future glory for a hundred years!

The premise of this plan is that Cui Daoyuan has already guessed that he prefers the second one.

Such courage and determination, if only this confession had come earlier...

Perhaps he has already told the second brother what he is thinking.

However, the situation is changing rapidly, and even someone as cunning and intelligent as Cui Daoyuan cannot take every step appropriately.

The second brother had already used letters, and lost miserably!

Emperor Sheng slowly put the document in his hand on the desk, but his heart was still in turmoil because of Cui Daoyuan's actions.

Perhaps, he shouldn't have beaten the second brother to death with a stick based on what happened today.

Over the years, he has indeed been negligent in educating and accompanying the second child.

If the second son is taught the emperor's art of controlling his subordinates and the principles of political strategy and strategizing, he will surely understand them thoroughly.

But how will today's incident end? Obviously Shen Zhengsheng will not give up easily, and Xiu Zhi...

As Emperor Sheng's thoughts were flowing, he suddenly raised his eyes, and his gaze fell on Gu Xizhi, whose body was already shaking a little.

I almost forgot that the scapegoat...has always been there.

From the moment Zhang Xian stepped forward, Jiang Xun's eyes never left Prince Rui.

He thought he had some understanding of Emperor Sheng.

This king of the Great Sheng Dynasty was truly wise, but he was also too smart, to the point of being stubborn and self-righteous.

The more others dissuade him from doing something, the more stubbornly he will insist on it, until he proves and convinces everyone that he is right.

At this point, the emperor must have guessed the teacher's thoughts and would do the opposite of what the teacher was thinking.

Once Cui Daoyuan pleaded guilty, the emperor would be more inclined to favor Prince Rui. In this way, one side would gain strength while the other side would lose strength, and they would seem to be at a disadvantage again.

This is a risky move, but it can determine the outcome!

He always picks on the weak and vulnerable. He was indeed plotting against the emperor, but all his actions were always aimed at Prince Rui.

Today, only when His Majesty himself realizes that Prince Rui cannot be the crown prince, can this battle for the throne that has lasted for many years come to an end.

And now, we have to add fuel to the fire for Prince Rui!

Thinking of this, Jiang Xun clenched his hands hanging at his sides repeatedly.

Censor Zhang, who was presenting the documents, slowly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, since Cui Daoyuan has confessed his guilt, should he be taken to the Ministry of Justice for trial?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huailang could no longer hold back and raised his head, saying quickly, "Father, I think it's best to order the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple to jointly try this case first!"

"When Censor Zhang offended my father in front of the Emperor, Minister Cui intervened several times, leading to Censor Zhang being punished and confined to his room."

"Now that Minister Cui has been detained in the Ministry of Personnel, and there has been no news from him for a long time, who knows if Censor Zhang has resorted to private torture and forced a confession?"

"Besides, the Ministry of Personnel is now completely under the control of Censor Zhang. Who knows whether this confession... was written by Minister Cui?"

"Please investigate clearly, Father!"

Zhao Huailang really couldn't understand it.

It has only been a few days, and based on his understanding of his grandfather, he will definitely grit his teeth and persevere, whether for him or the Cui family.

As long as my grandfather kept silent, Zhang Xian would have to find solid evidence to convict him, and this would take quite some time.

This way, he would have more room to maneuver.

But this confession came so suddenly and coincidentally, and it was another blow to him who was already in a slump!

My father was wondering how to convict him, but now there is no need to hesitate.

When Zhao Huailang said this, it was obvious that he was completely unaware of Cui Daoyuan's painstaking efforts.

Emperor Sheng was slightly stunned, and at this moment he vaguely realized that this "test" of his was too harsh.

Cui Daoyuan and Shufei had accidents one after another, which made the second brother believe that he favored Ye'er.

That’s all.

Since the Cui family has already pleaded guilty, let the second brother take a breather. Wait for him to——

"Prince Rui, I have been entrusted by Your Majesty with full authority to handle this case. Your words are not merely insulting to me, but are actually questioning Your Majesty's will!"

Zhang Xian was a straightforward person and could not tolerate Prince Rui's suspicion. He immediately widened his eyes and refuted.

He had even satirized and remonstrated with Emperor Sheng in front of the court officials before, so why would he be afraid now?

He glanced at Prince Rui with an angry look, then bowed to Emperor Sheng and said loudly:

"Since I received your command, I have been busy day and night, running around non-stop, and have not had a good night's rest for several days."

"This is all within my humble duty. I'm not asking for credit or reward. I simply cannot tolerate Prince Rui's wanton slander and defamation of me!"

"I have a question for you, Your Majesty."

"If the person involved in today's case wasn't Cui Daoyuan, would Your Highness still say such words?"

"The innocent are innocent. If Your Majesty has any doubts, please ask Your Majesty to summon Cui Daoyuan to appear before you immediately. I will personally debate with him before you!"

Zhang Xian spoke with great righteousness, and as he expected, Emperor Sheng immediately shook his head and said, "That's not necessary."

As he spoke, Emperor Sheng glanced at Fushun.

Fu Shun understood what he meant and immediately brought the documents on the table to King Rui.

Everyone in the court knew Zhang Xian's character, and Emperor Sheng was happy to see Cui Daoyuan plead guilty.

Zhao Huailang was extremely anxious. He eagerly snatched the document from Fushun's hand and opened it hastily.

But as soon as his eyes touched the words on the document, his body suddenly froze, and he hurried to look at the second and third books...

There was a sound of "rustling", and the turned documents were thrown aside and piled up in a mess, just like Zhao Huailang's complicated and messy thoughts at the moment.

He examined it carefully and found that the handwriting was undoubtedly that of his grandfather. He tried his best to distinguish it but still could not find any trace of imitation.