Cui Daoyuan carefully observed Wang Yuan's face as he spoke. He felt that Wang Yuan would be furious when he said this, however, Wang Yuan didn't even raise his eyebrows, and the expression on his face didn't change at all.

"It turned out that this was the case, so your two sons wanted to kill me and ask Your Majesty for merit to increase the weight of your Cui family's return to the court, right? I've become your vote for your majesty's credit. If you say that, I can understand their motive for killing me. Nothing was wrong. Wang Yuan smiled.

Cui Daoyuan was puzzled, how could Wang Yuan be so calm? Anyone who is told to his face that he has the intention of usurping rebellion, I am afraid that he will try his best to defend and even burst into a rage, does this person not know the weight of this crime and the great impact? Of course not.

"How can Xiangguo be so calm when he hears such slanderous words? The old man really admires the depth of Xiangguo's cultivation. Even if you are old and old, you will be old and old for several rounds, and I am afraid that it will be unbearable to hear such slanderous words. Cui Daoyuan said in a deep voice.

Wang Yuan laughed and said, "Cui Weng, how much do you know about the rumors about me?" ”

Cui Daoyuan shook his head and said: "Not much, the old man is not keen on this, I only knew about these things when others talked about them." ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Cui Weng, I don't know how many rumors there are about me. Since the day I walked out of the capital Yong'an Fang, I have been riddled with all kinds of rumors, if Cui Weng is interested, I can choose a few to share with Cui Weng. ”

Cui Daoyuan smacked his lips and said, "This ...... Not necessarily. ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Cui Weng doesn't want to listen to it, in short, I don't know how many rumors about me, and each one is more bizarre than the other." At first, I just criticized my poems for plagiarism and my character. Later, it was almost crazy and ridiculous. I can name a ridiculous thing lately, and Botrion laughed. More than half a month ago, I led the army to conquer Luoyang, and the generals who captured a group of rebels refused to believe me when they learned that I was Wang Yuan, because the image of myself circulating among the rebels was the image of a blue-faced fang-like ghost. Cui Weng, you give a comment, am I really born with a green face and fangs like a ghost? ”

Cui Daoyuan couldn't help laughing, stroked his beard and smiled: "Xiangguo is a talent, and his face is handsome." Although it can't be said that he looks like Pan An and his face is like Song Yu, he can also be called a beautiful man, how can he be a blue-faced fang? ”

Wang Yuan slapped his hands and said, "That's right, it's still Cui Weng." So, how ridiculous you say these rumors are. Do I care about these ridiculous rumors? Will you still be angry with these? Cui Weng asked me why I didn't thunder, and if I cared, I was afraid that I would have died of anger. ”

Cui Daoyuan pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "In this way, there is no suspicion between Xiangguo and His Majesty, and these rumors about Xiangguo are all ridiculous lies?" ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "That's not true. Some things are true, but there is something else to them. ”

Cui Daoyuan was stunned for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "The old man dared to ask, is there any suspicion between Xiangguo and His Majesty. ”

Wang Yuan restrained his smile, looked straight at Cui Daoyuan and said, "Cui Weng seems to want to know this matter, and I will do what you wish." There is indeed a rift between me and His Majesty, and although it cannot be said that it is as strong as the rumors say, it can also be said that it is difficult to reconcile for a while. ”

Cui Daoyuan didn't expect Wang Yuan to be so straightforward, and said in surprise: "Can you listen to the details?" Why did Xiangguo have a rift with the new emperor? ”

Wang Yuan said: "This matter is a long story. Let's start a few months ago. A few months ago, the courtiers proposed to implement the national capital, and I happened to return to Chengdu to arrange for the people to spend the winter because I could not enter the army in the harsh winter. Since I am residing in the position of ministering the country, and my colleagues have proposed to implement the country's foundation, I am naturally duty-bound. So I led my colleagues in the government hall to solicit the opinions of the ministers, and finally unanimously decided to elect King Feng as the crown prince and take over the throne of the Tang Emperor in the future. Cui Weng must also know about this. His Majesty has agreed to send the text of King Feng's candidacy for the crown prince to all the state capitals for advice. The southeastern state capitals must have also gotten the news. However, at this time, King Shou was ordered by His Majesty to leave Chengdu and go to Lingzhou to negotiate with the Hui people about borrowing troops to quell the rebellion. Not to mention whether it is appropriate to borrow troops from the Hui people, just King Shou announced his ascension to the throne as emperor soon after arriving in Lingzhou, which shocked everyone in the government and the opposition. Although His Majesty announced the abdication of King Shou, it is equivalent to affirming the legitimacy of King Shou's accession to the throne. However, King Shou's move is obviously against the norm, and to put it seriously, this is a blatant usurpation of the throne. Before that, all the officials in Chengdu, including me, did not know, and the absurdity of this matter can be seen. ”

Cui Daoyuan's heart was shocked, although he had heard a lot about the new emperor's accession to the throne, Cui Daoyuan himself also judged some of the tricks. Now hearing Wang Yuan tell the truth, Cui Daoyuan still feels extremely shocked.

"This ...... This is too unacceptable, no wonder the prime minister will be dissatisfied, this matter is indeed surprising. Cui Daoyuan said in a deep voice.

Wang Yuan smacked his lips and said: "I don't mean that King Shou is not qualified to inherit the throne, after all, he is also of royal blood, and he also has the qualifications to ascend the throne as the emperor." But he is called the emperor like this, although he has the approval of the emperor, but it is not compliant. The rest of the princes discussed and expressed extreme dissatisfaction. The way in which he seized the throne in this way will obviously lead to a lot of controversy in the future. Ignoring the overall situation for the sake of one's own selfish interests is extremely selfish. In my place, although I congratulate me, it is also for the sake of the overall situation, and the abdication of the Emperor Taishang to recognize his throne is also for the sake of the overall situation. Because we can't fight on our own while the rebels are still not extinguished. But that doesn't mean everyone agrees with his throne. I can make it clear to Cui Weng that I don't agree with his throne, and many princes and civil and military ministers also disagree. Therefore, if there is a disagreement between me and His Majesty, this is probably the biggest disagreement. ”

Cui Daoyuan nodded and said, "I see." So why didn't Xiangguo elect King Shou as the crown prince in the first place? It seems that it was precisely because Xiangguo recommended King Feng as the crown prince that King Shou was stimulated to go to Lingzhou to ascend the throne as emperor. And...... It seems that the Emperor Taishang does not care about King Feng. Otherwise, with Xiangguo leading hundreds of officials, how could the Emperor Taishang hesitate, which led to King Shou's ascension to the throne in Lingzhou. ”

Wang Yuan raised his big finger and said: "Cui Weng is really as wise as a torch, and he can see through the hidden truth at a glance. I don't want to say anything more about the Emperor's behavior. I can't comment on the purpose of the Emperor's actions. But on the question of why King Feng was elected as the crown prince instead of King Shou, I can explain to Cui Weng. The promotion of the crown prince is naturally the first priority. The princes are suitable and who are not suitable, and the political affairs hall and the civil and military officials have also been carefully considered. The first of the princes to be excluded was King Shou. The reason is simple. Since entering Chengdu, Shouwang has done a lot of things that should not be done. For example, he once colluded with Fang Xuan to embezzle the food and salary of our army, which almost led to the food supply of the counterinsurgency army, which caused serious consequences. Fang Xuan was ordered to be killed by His Majesty because of this matter, and King Shou was exempted from punishment because of His Majesty's protection. But it can be seen that King Shou does not know the importance of the overall situation, and his wanton behavior cannot become the future master of the Tang Dynasty at all. If you consider the candidate from these things, it is understandable that he was the first to be excluded. ”

Cui Daoyuan nodded slightly, how could he not know about the big event of Fang Xuan's killing, and he had also heard of some of the reasons. Of course, most of the remarks said that Wang Yuan was autocratic and domineering, forcing His Majesty to kill Fang Xuan and seize the position of Xiangguo himself. Before Fang Xuan's death, he commented that Wang Yuan coerced the Son of Heaven to order the princes, and his remarks were also widely circulated. Listening to Wang Yuan talk about this matter today, Cui Daoyuan is also the first time to officially hear a description of this matter from the person concerned. Although Cui Daoyuan didn't fully believe Wang Yuan's words, one thing was certain, Fang Xuan was indeed damned. Even if Wang Yuan killed Fang Xuan in order to seize the phase, it was Fang Xuan himself who gave Wang Yuan a taboo to kill him. As for Li Mao's involvement, Cui Daoyuan heard of it for the first time.

"Xiangguo, I didn't expect that there were so many hidden secrets behind the new emperor's accession to the throne, Xiangguo thought that the new emperor's throne was not coming from the right way, so there was no harmony with the new emperor, right?"

"On the surface, the new emperor's accession to the throne was supported by the emperor, but there were discrepancies in the relationship between the front and back. Therefore, the new emperor's ascension to the throne is suspected of seizing power. This will lead to chaos in the aftermath. I had the audacity to predict that after the rebellion was quelled, a prince would come forward to challenge him for the throne. Datang's troubles are far from over. Moreover, it led the soldiers of foreign tigers and wolves into the Central Plains, which is also eye-catching. Obviously, my Shence army is in Chang'an, but he wants to borrow back 100,000 soldiers and horses to attack Chang'an, and he is attacking Chang'an without telling my Shence army, which shows how deep his prejudice against my Shence army is. I can say that the rumors say that there are many conflicts between me and the new emperor, and it can be said that they are all caused by the new emperor's improper behavior. As the prime minister of the country, I can't turn a blind eye and turn a deaf ear. As for my rebellious intentions, it is not so much that someone is deliberately slandering my reputation and creating a momentum to get rid of me in the future. Wang Yuan said in a deep voice.

Cui Daoyuan slowly leaned back and fell into deep thought. The more the conversation with Wang Yuan became more and more difficult, the more Cui Daoyuan felt frightened. The current situation in Datang is so confusing and chaotic that Cui Daoyuan can't see the direction at all, and he doesn't know where Datang will go in the future. He began to congratulate himself that he did not rashly recruit troops to the north, and in two months, if he had done his best, he would have raised at least fifty or sixty thousand soldiers and horses, and he would have been able to drive these soldiers and horses to Chang'an. However, if you do that, you will be completely cut off. In such a confusing situation, it is difficult to say who will be the master of the Tang Dynasty in the future. If he Cui clan easily got involved in it, he was afraid that he would also fall into a quagmire in the future.

"Xiangguo, the old man is now in a state of chaos in his mind, and he is deeply worried about the future of Datang. Can Xiangguo show a clear way for the old decay? Under such circumstances, where should my Cui family go, and should I recruit troops to the north according to the order. Cui Daoyuan asked slowly.

Wang Yuan smiled, this Cui Daoyuan is really an old fox, and he doesn't want to listen to his tone all the time.

"Cui Weng, why do you bother to ask me the answer, your Cui family has already made a choice with actions. With all due respect, does Cui Weng want to wait and see the situation before making a decision? Otherwise, how could Cui Weng accept the holy decree of the imperial court on the one hand, but not actively recruit troops. With the prestige and financial resources of the Cui family, it has been more than two months since the holy decree was issued to today, and the Cui family has at least 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers and horses in hand. However, this time the rebels came south, but Cui Weng only had a few thousand soldiers to support, which fully shows that Cui Weng did not follow the order at all. ”

Cui Daoyuan's face turned red, and he smacked his lips and argued: "How can it be so simple to recruit troops to the north, the south is rich, and no one is willing to join the army to fight, what is the use of having food and money?" The world has been peaceful for a long time, who among the people is willing to go to the battlefield to fight hard? Xiangguo, this is wronging the old man. ”

Wang Yuan waved his hand and smiled: "I won't argue with you about this matter, it has nothing to do with me whether you obey the order or not, and of course I won't point fingers at Cui Weng because of this matter." I'm in trouble myself, but I can't control others. ”

Cui Daoyuan pondered for a moment and said, "Xiangguo, can I ask you another question." ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Cui Weng asked, I am here to solve Cui Weng's doubts today, and I always want to satisfy Cui Weng." ”

Cui Daoyuan nodded and said, "Okay, then the old man will dare to ask again." Since Xiangguo admits that His Majesty is not on good terms and thinks that His Majesty's throne is not right now, if a struggle for the throne breaks out between princes in the future, which side will Xiangguo stand? ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "This is a good question, if the battle for the throne breaks out in the future, it stands to reason that I should help Your Majesty suppress the princes, so that the world will not fall into chaos again." But I've thought about it and think it's better not to help each other. ”

"Don't help each other? Wouldn't that allow civil strife among the princes? Cui Daoyuan frowned.

Wang Yuan shook his head and said: "You can't say that, this is called fair competition." The princes all have the right to succeed to the throne, and if the new emperor obtains the throne through proper means, it is both reasonable and legitimate. In that case, if anyone rises up and fights, it will be a rebellion. But in the current situation, I will not help each other and give them a fair chance to fight. ”

Cui Daoyuan's back was sweating, he was faintly aware of Wang Yuan's intentions, and felt the great evil in Wang Yuan's heart.

"I don't understand what Xiangguo means, do you really want to sit back and watch the royal family kill each other? What's in it for Datang? Can Datang still withstand this toss? Cui Daoyuan asked in a deep voice.

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Cui Weng, the legitimacy of the throne is a fundamental matter related to the stability of the Tang Dynasty, and if this matter is not resolved, the imperial court will inevitably be in turmoil." There's always going to be a closure. As courtiers, we can't make decisions for them, so we follow the principle that the winner is the king and the loser is the thief, and let them compete by themselves. ”

Cui Daoyuan's heart was pounding, although Wang Yuan said it soundingly, but in fact, he was indulging in cannibalism among the princes. This is not the idea that a courtier should have.

"Since Xiangguo thinks that His Majesty's throne is not right, why not simply support King Feng to regain the throne, wouldn't there be a lot of disputes?" Cui Daoyuan asked in a deep voice.

Wang Yuan waved his hand and said, "How can I get involved in this matter?" That's their Li family's business, and I won't interfere. It's all royal blood, can I say who is orthodox and who isn't? It is true that His Majesty's throne is not right now, but that is for the rest of the princes. For our courtiers, who in the Li family is not the emperor? What's the difference for us? ”

Cui Daoyuan was speechless, and suddenly, he felt that the handsome face of Wang Yuan in front of him looked so uncomfortable, or that there was a vicious face hidden under this handsome face. Perhaps the rebels' rumors were right, and this man was a ghost-like figure with a blue face and fangs. His words just now have actually exposed his heart. He will definitely usurp the throne and seize power, which has been clearly understood by Cui Daoyuan. Royal cannibalism, who will benefit? The careerist in front of him, of course.

Cui Daoyuan took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. His mind quickly thought about how to deal with the ambitious man in front of him. Should he immediately kill Wang Yuan to get rid of future troubles for Datang, or calmly think about the gains and losses, and find out where the Cui family should be?

"Cui Weng, it seems that you don't have a good face, are you not feeling well?" Of course, Wang Yuan knew that Cui Daoyuan was suffering in his heart, in fact, Wang Yuan was going to have a showdown with Cui Daoyuan tonight. He wants to know Cui Daoyuan's true attitude, and it is best to reach a deal with Cui Daoyuan, so that his Cui family can support him or at least not help each other. Once the Cui clan and the Jiangnan Hao clan support Li Mao, things will get tricky. He wants to completely dismantle this possible alliance.

"It's okay, it's okay, there's no discomfort in aging, you can recover with a few sips of hot tea." Cui Daoyuan waved his hand and reached out to hold the teacup to drink tea.

"Xiangguo, the old man doesn't know what to say, the old man didn't expect Xiangguo to have such an idea. In this way, wouldn't my Datang suffer even greater turmoil after the rebellion was quelled? Will not the people still suffer? This seems to be contrary to what Xiang Guo just said about the people of the world. Cui Daoyuan said in a dumb voice.

"I know, but poisonous sores always come out, and after the chaos comes the cure. Without this tribulation, the world would not be at peace. Barely whitewashing the peace is actually covering up the contradictions. Is it a good situation when the surface is calm and the undercurrent is surging inside? Wang Yuan said with a smile.

"Please forgive the old man for still not being able to accept Xiangguo's remarks, the old man thinks that Xiangguo's move is ...... This is very inappropriate, very inappropriate. Xiangguo makes the old man think you...... Seem...... Seem...... Have an axe to grind. Cui Daoyuan gritted his teeth and finally said