Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1518 Daqian Huo Guang?

Yijing, Cui Mansion

In his own warm room, Cui Shao sat in a rocking chair and watched his little grandson Cui Wenzhe and several other children of the Cui family playing.

Looking at the carefree and innocent children, Cui Shao couldn't help but smile on his weathered face. For this Minister of Revenue of Daqian who was always busy with work and government affairs, this kind of thing which was common in ordinary families was very rare!

Because of work, Cui Shao often goes out early and comes back late. It is very rare for him to play with his grandson or even have a meal with little Wenzhe. Only during the Chinese New Year can Cui Shao sit quietly beside the child and accompany him.

Although Cui Shao, as the head of the family, possesses absolute authority and is the center of attention among his family members, he is well aware of the ulterior motives and deceit of his nephews and nieces beneath their submissive appearance.

Therefore, compared to his nephews and younger generations, Cui Shao prefers to be with these children of the Cui family. Looking at the innocence and simplicity of these children, Cui Shao feels that his body and mind are not so tired anymore, and he gets a rare relaxation.

Just as Cui Shao was quietly enjoying this rare warm time, the butler Cui Fu came over and handed a piece of paper to Cui Shao, saying:
"Master, His Majesty just issued a personnel order!"

Cui Shao glanced at the contents of the paper, and his eyes were fixed on Cui Hang's transfer order. Then the expression of the old man in his sixties became extremely complicated, while Cui Fu smiled and said to himself:

"My lord, His Majesty has allowed Master Hang to stay away from the political vortex of the Ministry of Personnel and serve as the prefect of Luzhou. This is a great thing..."

Listening to the old butler Cui Fu's words, Cui Shao couldn't help but shook his head. Seeing this, Cui Fu said with some doubt:

"Master, is there any mystery in this?"

Cui Shao was silent for a while, then said helplessly:
"Be courteous for nothing!"

Cui Fu was startled at first, then he seemed to realize something and started to speak:
"Master, what do you mean?"

Cui Shao did not give an answer but ordered:
"Cui Fu, you stay here and look after Wenzhe and the others. I'll go back and do some writing!"

"Yes! Master!"

Cui Shao stood up and returned to his antique study room, sitting in his chair. Cui Shao already had some ideas, but he didn't know what to write. After all, that was his good friend and brother for decades!
Therefore, this pillar of the Daqian Kingdom could only sit on the chair and look at the paper and pen quietly, and he fell into deep thought again!
Ever since Cui Hang reported the matter of Yide Trading Company to Cui Shao, Cui Shao immediately arranged for someone to find out the situation!
Although this matter was handled by the Coordination Office, and all the people involved in the Yide Company were taken away and detained by the Coordination Office, Cui Shao still relied on his own connections to learn the whole story. Cui Shao was helpless and angry!
Although many people in the court think that he is the pillar of the country, the de facto prime minister in the court, second only to the emperor and above everyone else, he is very glorious and even has power over the government and the country...

But Cui Shao knew very well how dangerous he was!
As the saying goes, "A tall tree attracts the wind," and "too much is as bad as too little." Although he has great power, he is by no means as stable and unshakable as he seems.

Although Ye Mingsheng seemed to trust me very much and endowed me with great power and high honor, this was only a superficial phenomenon. If Ye Mingsheng really trusted me that much, he would have directly let me be the Prime Minister of the Cabinet instead of letting me be the uncrowned Prime Minister now!

In fact, Ye Mingsheng never gave up being on guard against himself. The Coordination Office was always monitoring himself and the Cui faction, and would report any disturbance to Ye Mingsheng!
If Ye Mingsheng had not been determined to carry out reforms and solve some of the stubborn problems that have plagued the country over the past few decades, and had needed someone to help him stabilize the situation, he, an old man, would have retired from the court long ago!

Haven’t you seen Yuan Song and He Jingyun?
What is the current situation of these two generals who have made countless contributions to the Fengwu Army, Daqian, and Ye Mingsheng? He Jingyun is now paralyzed on one side of his body due to a stroke and cannot take care of himself. He needs someone to serve him twelve hours a day!

Although Yuan Song was better, he basically stayed indoors to avoid suspicion. He didn't even dare to contact his old friends and subordinates, for fear of offending Ye Mingsheng and causing Ye Mingsheng to have bad thoughts!
Thinking of this, Cui Shao felt a little sad. The ancient saying goes, "When the birds are all gone, the bows are put away; when the rabbit is dead, the dogs are cooked." This is really true!
Fortunately, Cui is a civil servant without any soldiers under his command, otherwise he would probably end up like Yuan Song and He Jingyun...

Even so, Cui Shao repeatedly ordered and strictly restrained his clansmen and disciples and old friends, asking them to abide by the law and not to do anything that they shouldn't do. These people made promises in front of Cui Shao one faster than the other, but now the facts have proved that these people were talking nonsense and deceiving themselves with lies!
Cui Shao was angry at these people for deceiving him, but also helpless at their stubbornness. He didn't understand what kind of crisis was hidden under the Cui faction, which seemed to be bustling with people and prosperous scene!
Cui Shao, who was well-versed in history books, felt that his current situation had many similarities with that of Huo Guang, the powerful official of the Western Han Dynasty!

Huo Guang was also a capable minister. He adopted a policy of light taxes and levies, which reduced the burden on the people, promoted the economic development and national strength recovery of the Han Dynasty, eased the relationship with the Xiongnu, and maintained the stability of the border of the Khan. Huo Guang also had high prestige and support in the court because of his calmness and fairness in dealing with state affairs. After thwarting Shangguan Jie's rebellion plan, he became even more powerful. As a minister, he could depose and enthrone emperors, which showed how powerful he was!
Although Cui Shao believed that his ability and moral character were above Huo Guang, not below him, but in terms of power, he could never compare to Huo Guang. Huo Guang could depose and enthrone emperors, but he, Cui Shao, could only be cautious and careful under Ye Mingsheng's gaze!

Huo Guang could be called a powerful minister, but Cui Shao was just a capable minister, and had nothing to do with the word powerful minister at all...
Even though Huo Guang was so powerful that he could depose and enthrone emperors, didn't he end up dead and his entire family was destroyed?
Compared with Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Bingji, Cui Shao felt that he was inferior to Ye Mingsheng in both civil and military affairs!
So facing Ye Mingsheng and the current Daqian government, Cui Shao really has a deep sense of crisis. Cui Shao is really worried that his Cui family will end up like the Huo family. If that happens, he, Cui Shao, will die with regrets!

Cui Shao himself was very anxious, but the Cui family members had no sense of crisis at all. They made all kinds of small moves, naively believing that the Cui family could prosper forever and enjoy the beauty of power forever.
Regarding this incident, Cui Shao believed that Ye Mingsheng would most likely be severely punished, and the Yun family would suffer a heavy blow as a result. Although Cui Shao was somewhat helpless about this, he knew that he could not do anything, otherwise the situation would become worse!
In addition, although the number of people involved in the case from the Cui family is not as many as that from the Yun family, Cui Shao is not going to protect them. Cui Shao will let them accept the original punishment. For this reason, he had already apologized to Ye Mingsheng for this matter after a cabinet meeting before the New Year.

Although Cui Shao asked for forgiveness, Ye Mingsheng did not punish him at all. Instead, he comforted Cui Shao by saying that every family has children who make mistakes.

At that time, Cui Shao thought that the matter was over. After all, he was still useful to Ye Mingsheng, and Ye Mingsheng would not delve into it further...
But now that Ye Mingsheng asked Cui Hang to serve as the prefect of Luzhou, Cui Shao became a little wary!
Cui Shao knew that with Ye Mingsheng's personality and style, he would not show goodwill for no reason. The reason why Ye Mingsheng let Cui Hang serve as the prefect of Luzhou was most likely because he wanted to do something, so he showed goodwill to appease himself!
This is Ye Mingsheng's usual tactic, giving you a big stick and then a sweet date!
So now that Ye Mingsheng has given the sweet dates, where is the big stick?

Although Ye Mingsheng has not taken any action yet, Cui Shao already has the answer to this question in his mind!

The answer is Gongsun Hao!
Cui Shao understood that in this incident, although Gongsun Hao did not participate in the daily management of Yide Company, nor did he participate in the profit distribution of Yide Company, but Gongsun Hao had given a heads-up so that the D-fang and brothels under Yide Company were able to obtain the licenses!
So even though Gongsun Hao did not take the money, he was also implicated. For this reason, Cui Shao also advised his old friend to retire on the grounds of illness. In this way, considering his past contributions to Daqian, Ye Mingsheng would not make things too difficult for him!
But Gongsun Hao thought that he was just saying hello regarding the matter of obtaining a license. Although this was wrong, it was harmless. He was not the only one in the court who said hello to his nephews and grandchildren, so this matter was nothing at all!
Now that Li Jian has been demoted, the position of Minister of Justice has become vacant. Gongsun Hao has both the ability and qualifications, so why can't he be appointed Minister of Justice?
Therefore, Gongsun Hao not only did not accept Cui Shao's suggestion to retire due to illness, but on the contrary, he very much hoped that Cui Shao would stand up and recommend him to take over as the Minister of Justice...

When Cui Shao heard his old friend's idea of ​​​​taking the position of Minister of Justice, he was completely speechless. He knew that Gongsun Hao had always been dissatisfied with Li Jian, a young junior, serving as the Minister of Justice. Gongsun Hao felt that he was superior to Li Jian in both ability and qualifications, so he should be the Minister of Justice and Li Jian should be the Vice Minister of Justice!

But he didn't expect that Gongsun Hao was blinded by power. Now at this time, instead of seeking to protect himself, he wanted to be the Minister of Justice. Isn't this simply crazy?

Therefore, Cui Shao naturally rejected Gongsun Hao's proposal, and once again earnestly persuaded Gongsun Hao to retire on the grounds of illness!

But Gongsun Hao still insisted on his own idea, and when the two brothers were arguing, Gongsun Hao also expressed his true thoughts.

Gongsun Hao believed that he had more qualifications and abilities than Li Jian, but he could only be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. However, Li Jian, who was inferior to him in every aspect, was able to become the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. This was entirely because he and Cui Shao were close friends and were regarded as a member of Cui's faction by the outside world!
In the court, Cui Shao was already in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, the court's purse, so Ye Mingsheng did not want to see that the Ministry of Justice, the sword of the court, was also controlled by Cui's people!

That's why Gongsun Hao had no choice but to submit to the people's wishes and serve as the minister to his juniors!
Cui Shao was also very surprised that his old friend had such an idea. In the end, neither of them could convince the other, and they parted unhappily.

Although he failed to persuade Gongsun Hao to retire due to illness, Cui Shao still hoped that his old friend could get through this difficult time safely...
But now it is developing in a direction that Cui Shao doesn't want to see!

In Cui Shao's opinion, Ye Mingsheng's appointment of Cui Hang as the prefect of Luzhou out of goodwill was most likely intended to prevent him from interfering in Gongsun Hao's affairs!

Cui Shao was very conflicted when he thought of this. He had always admired Cui Hang and felt that he was a rising star among the younger generation of the family. For this reason, Cui Shao had planned a smooth path for him, hoping that Cui Hang could make great progress in his official career.

Therefore, after realizing that Ye Mingsheng was trying to force Cui Hang to grow, Cui Shao was very worried. He thought of various ways to see if he could make Ye Mingsheng change his opinion of Cui Hang. Therefore, if Cui Hang could get back on the right track now, Cui Shao would be very happy!

However, when Cui Shao thought that the price for Cui Hang to return to the right path would be that his old friend would go to jail or even die, he found it a little hard to accept!
Back then in Liaoyang, the Cui family, the Gongsun family, and the Yun family were known as the Three Clan of Liaoyang, and they could be said to be old friends with each other. Cui Shao and Gongsun Hao had known each other when they were seven or eight years old. They grew up together, passed the imperial examinations together, and entered official careers together!
More than fifty years have passed in a flash, and the two men have grown from children to two old men. Although there have been some dirty dealings between the Cui family and the Gongsun family during this period, the friendship between the two men has never changed, and they have helped and supported each other!

But now Cui Shao had to watch his good friend being imprisoned, he really couldn't do it!

Thinking of this, Cui Shao also made up his mind and called a trusted family member to tell him:

“Send some New Year goods to the Gongsun family. Gongsun Hao likes to eat canned yellow peaches and frozen pears. Pick out some good ones for him and tell him that I picked them for him personally. Let him taste them carefully. If he likes them, I will send him more…”