"Second brother, what's the use of your afterthought? You can see why you don't say it? Cui Yuanrong said. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Cui Yuanping frowned and said: "It's just a suspicion, and there is no evidence, how can I say it?" ”

"What are you two fooling about?" Cui Yuanbo shouted. Cui Yuanrong and Cui Yuanping glared at each other and stopped bickering.

"If he is really Wang Yuan, doesn't Ruo Yu know his identity? Could it be that Ruo Yu is also covering up for him? Cui Yuanbo frowned.

"The eldest lady must not know his identity, only a few officials in Chuzhou know about this, and the rest don't know. Wang Yuan will not only hide his identity, but he will not tell the truth to the eldest lady. Kunihiko didn't dare to meet the eldest lady easily, lest the relationship between Kuniyan and the Cui family be known. Brother Yuanbo should not wronged the eldest lady at this point. She must have been kept in the dark, too. Chen Bangyan said.

"That is, if Ruo Yu knew his identity, how could he not tell us? Can't you, a father, trust your daughter? Cui Yuanping said with a smile.

Cui Yuanbo frowned and said: "It's not that I can't believe Ruoyi, it's just that I don't feel very down-to-earth in my heart." Looking at Ruoyu's appearance, it seems that she has a good impression of Wang Yuan, and I am a little worried. ”

"Old man, why didn't you say it, this Captain Wang is Wang Yuan, and he is now Wang Yuan. Wang Yuan, the commander of the Shence Army. Why don't you say a word? Cui Yuanrong said in a deep voice to Cui Daoyuan.

Only then did everyone realize that the old man didn't seem to have any evaluation of the news so far, and was still drinking tea slowly, and it stands to reason that this explosive news would shock the old man.

Cui Daoyuan slowly placed the teacup on the small table, took a cloth on the small table and wiped his mouth, raised his eyes and glanced at the frightened and excited eyes in front of him, and slowly said, "What is there to say?" Wang Xiaowei became Wang Xiangguo, is this so strange? ”

"No, old man, what do you mean by that?" Chen Bangyan, Cui Yuanbo and others couldn't cry or laugh.

Cui Daoyuan waved his hand to stop everyone's words, and said in a deep voice: "Lao Liu, tell them what you said to me last night." ”

Liu Tan behind him bowed down and said, "Obey." After that, he slowly walked to Cui Daoyuan's side, and said in a deep voice: "The three sons, Chen Taishou, the identity of this Wang Xiaowei, in fact, the head of the family already knew last night. ”

"Huh? The old man already knew? ”

"This ...... How is this possible? ”

"How do you know, old man?"

Several people were amazed.

Liu Tan smiled and said, "Let me finish speaking, when the eldest lady and that Captain Wang arrived in the mansion last night, the old man tested him a few words in the front hall. Although there was no flaw in his answer, the old man still found a lot of doubts from him. One of the suspicions was the sword he was wearing. Lao Yu is a person who loves swords, and he knows all about the world's famous swords. The old man could see at a glance that the sword hanging from Captain Wang's waist was a broken army sword. The broken sword is one of the top ten in the world. One of the weapons, as far as the old man knows, this sword is in the collection of the imperial palace in the capital. At that time, this sword was in the hands of a hermit, and after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, this hermit dedicated it to Emperor Taizong. Since then, the sword has been kept in the Chang'an Imperial Palace. ”

Cui Yuanbo frowned and said, "That's how you know that this Captain Wang is Wang Yuan?" ”

Liu Tan said: "I'm not sure if it's old, but this name. It's a little strange that the device is actually hanging on a small lieutenant. In addition, another suspicion is that this Captain Wang's mount is a snow-stepping black horse. It was also an extremely valuable horse. A small lieutenant, riding a noble horse, with a broken sword hanging from his waist, is obviously unreasonable. ”

Chen Bangyan said: "Yes, the horse he rode was black all over the body, and its four hooves were snow-white, which was very precious. I saw that horse in Qingjiang County, and it was a miracle horse. ”

"However, it can't be judged that Captain Wang is Wang Yuan from this distance, it can only mean that his identity is doubtful." Cui Yuanrong said.

Liu Tan nodded and said, "Yes, these naturally can't prove his identity." Lao Yu also chatted with him for a few words, his accent was the accent of the capital, although he said that he was the Jiannan army that fled to Jiannan to participate in the fall of the capital, but this is obviously also a suspicious point. Last night, after my captain Wang came to the study to meet the head of the family, I told the master of the house all the doubts in my heart. Unexpectedly, the head of the family named this person in a word, and it is likely that he is the source of the current prime minister. Because the head of the house knew who the broken sword ended up in. A few years ago, His Majesty at that time, the current Emperor Taishang, gave this sword to a person, asking him to take this sword to teach the provocative behavior of the Tibetans. And this person was Wang Yuan, who was still the envoy of Jiannan Festival at that time. According to this, Wang Yuan's identity was basically determined. It was only after listening to the words of the head of the family that he knew that the broken army sword was now in Wang Yuan's hands. ”

Everyone suddenly realized that with the whereabouts of this sword, Wang Yuan's identity was known on the night he arrived in Yangzhou.

"To further confirm his identity, the old man tried to enter the guest room last night to check his waist card. But the man was very cautious, and he pressed his waist and sword under the pillow to sleep, and the old man did not want to alarm him, so he gave up the risk. But since this sword fell into his hands, then basically his identity was nowhere to hide, because it was a sword given by the Emperor Taishang, and it was impossible for Wang Yuan to transfer the sword to others. That's what it's all about. After Liu Tan finished speaking in a deep voice, he arched his hand and bowed back to Cui Daoyuan's side.

"Cui Weng is really old-eyed, it seems that my trip is too much, Cui Weng has already seen through Wang Yuan's details." Chen Bangyan picked his fingers and praised.

Cui Daoyuan said slowly: "It's Lao Liu's good eyesight, he sees the flaws, otherwise the old man is afraid that he will also be in the dark." But when I saw him last night, the old man felt that something was not right, is there a captain in the world today who still talks and laughs when he sees the old man? If you don't shiver when you see the old man, you can only say that if it weren't for the newborn calf who didn't know the world's affairs, it would be a big man who had seen the world. Although Wang Yuan hid it well, the momentum of his long-standing position could not be hidden. ”

"Yes, yes, the old man is clever, and the sons are all kept in the dark by this guy. Shame shame. Cui Yuanbo said.

Cui Yuanping said unconvinced: "I can see that something is wrong with him." ”

Cui Yuanbo frowned and said, "Second brother, you are here again." ”

Cui Yuanping rolled his eyes and closed his mouth.

Cui Daoyuan laughed and said, "You can recall the details of last party's meeting, he called himself Wang Fang." Square circle, square circle, hehe, let's play dumb riddles. Looking at my Cui family, no one can see through his identity? I can't help but underestimate us. ”

Everyone suddenly thought about it again, thinking that Captain Wang did claim to be named Wang Fang last night, and now that they are connected, isn't Wang Fang Wang Yuan? Didn't you just make a riddle in front of everyone and let everyone guess? This guy can jump out of it very much.

"Kunihiko, you've traveled hundreds of miles to tell us the secret. You're not doing this too much. Everything before was speculation, even if the old man was ninety percent sure that he was Wang Yuan, there was a little bit of a fallacy. When you come today, you will be able to confirm his identity. Wang Xiaowei is Wang Xiangguo, so there is no doubt about it. So you came at a good time. Since you have met with Wang Yuan, then it is not good for me to keep you here, I hope you had better go out of the city overnight and go back to take the people of Chuzhou across the river to settle down. There must be no confusion. If you have any needs, you can go to my second brother who is in Jiangning Mansion and ask for it, and he will help you. Cui Daoyuan smiled.

Chen Bangyan knew that it was time to leave, got up and bowed and saluted: "Bangyan knows, Cui Weng take care, Bangyan will leave." A few sons, Master Liu take care. ”

Cui Yuanbo and the others got up and gave them off, Chen Bangyan bowed and retreated, and when he arrived at the door, he turned around and hurried away.

After Chen Bangyan left, the study suddenly fell silent, and the Cui family's father and son were frowning and thinking about something. The candle flame on the desk flickered and crackled slightly. Liu Tan quickly stepped forward and stretched out his fingers to quickly twist the flowering wick in the fire, and after removing a small section of the wick, the candle flame quickly returned to a stable and bright state.

"What do you all think about this? Let's hear it. Cui Daoyuan leaned back in the chair, his eyes half-closed, and his fingers gently tapped on the armrests, making a monotonous snapping sound.

"Old man, isn't this easy? This Wang Yuan sent it to the door himself. This is called heaven has a way that he does not take, and hell has no door he breaks into. This is a good opportunity to get rid of him. While he was alone, we killed him unconsciously. Cui Yuanping said in a deep voice.

"The second brother is right, this is a good opportunity. We can take advantage of this excellent opportunity to remove this thorn in the flesh for Your Majesty. However, Your Majesty will be happy, and I will be grateful to my Cui family. Old man, this opportunity can't be missed. Cui Yuanrong also echoed in a low voice.

Cui Daoyuan's face sank like water, noncommittal. After a while, he looked at Cui Yuanbo and said, "Yuanbo, what do you think?" ”

Cui Yuanbo muttered: "Father, Yuanbo thinks that he should make a decision after deliberation. If you act rashly, it may not be good for my Cui family. ”

"Brother, I don't understand what you're saying. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he has made it clear that he wants my Cui family to go out of the mountain, and he relies on my Cui family very much. Don't you know the two secret decrees of the new emperor? His Majesty broke the taboo and appointed the old man as the inspector of Jiangnan Province and the assassin of Hangzhou, and wanted to marry my Cui family, which is the best opportunity for my Cui family to return to the court. At this time, if we can remove this thorn in the flesh for Your Majesty, wouldn't Your Majesty be grateful to my Cui family? In the future, if you enter the palace as a concubine again, my Cui family will be a relative of the emperor, and you will be the eldest brother. My Cui family has been infinitely honored since then, who can compare? Why do you still say that it is not good for my Cui family? Cui Yuanping immediately retorted.

Cui Yuanbo said: "Second brother, it's such a reason. My Cui family has always been forced to base itself in the southeast, return to the court, and become the first wealthy family in the Tang Dynasty again. Who wants to be a merchant in this southeastern land? Although money is like a mountain, what my Cui family values is not money, but status. This status of the merchant family is an insult to my Cui family. But is it as simple as we think? It may be feasible to kill Wang Yuan, but how to deal with the aftermath after this, and will the situation develop as we hope? Of course, this needs to be carefully considered. ”

"Brother, how can you be so gentle, how can you retreat from such a good opportunity? Old man, did you say? Brother, he thinks too much. You judge. Cui Yuanping shouted.

Cui Daoyuan said slowly: "Yuan Ping, in this matter, I'm afraid I have to stand on Yuan Bo's side." Things are not as simple as you and Yuan Rong think. We do need to weigh it up. ”

Cui Yuanping and Cui Yuanrong were both stunned: "Doesn't the old man approve of attacking Wang Yuan?" Seeing this opportunity for the new emperor to rely on my Cui family missed? ”

Cui Daoyuan sighed: "Whether it's an opportunity or not, I don't know if it's a fire pit." You keep saying that it is an opportunity to kill Wang Yuan, and the old man asks you, his 100,000 Shence army is about to go south, Wang Yuan is dead, what will happen to the Shence army? If you know that Wang Yuan died in the hands of my Cui family, and there are hundreds of people up and down my Cui family, can there still be one alive? ”

Cui Yuanping took a breath and was speechless, but Cui Yuanrong frowned and said, "Old man, Wang Yuan came here in disguise and did not show his true identity. This gives us the best excuse. If he dies, it's just the death of a small lieutenant, and my Cui family just pretends to be confused. Besides, we didn't kill him in the open, when the rebels attacked the city, they took advantage of the chaos to order someone to shoot him with cold arrows, and then pushed it on the rebels' heads. As long as there is no trace of it, what can the Shence Army do? They can't blame us for our lack of protection, because we don't know his true identity, is it possible that a little Shence military captain, we are also responsible for his personal safety? ”

"Yes, yes, yes, as soon as they push it clean, they can't get the handle. That's what I mean. Cui Yuanping said.

Cui Daoyuan sighed and said, "You guys, you take it for granted. Let me ask you, why did this Wang Yuan come to Yangzhou in disguise? Have you thought about it? He can come as Xiangguo in a bright and bright way, but why should he disguise himself as a small captain? ”

"This ...... We didn't think about it, or maybe he just thought about the addiction of being an ordinary lieutenant on a whim, just like the old man likes to wear the clothes of an ordinary old man to wander the streets of Hangzhou, maybe it's just a kind of fun. Cui Yuanping said.

"Nonsense. Your reason is too far-fetched. Who is Wang Yuan? How many trials and tribulations he has experienced all the way from an ordinary man to his current position, how could he be so casual? You don't want to think about it, that Wang Yuan was first friendly with Li Shizhi, and then attached to Yang Guozhong. Li Linfu, Wang Heng, Yang Shenjin, who of them doesn't want to put him to death? But how in the end? Li Shizhi died unexpectedly, Yang Guozhong died unexpectedly, Li Linfu, Wang Heng, Yang Shenjin, who of them has a good end? Only this Wang Yuan is at ease among several major forces, and he soars into the sky. If you underestimate this Wang Yuan, you are blind. This person is by no means something we can take lightly. Cui Daoyuan reprimanded.

Cui Yuanping's face was gloomy when he was reprimanded, but he couldn't help but reply: "The old man blew this Wang Yuan into the sky, so what do you say is the purpose of his disguise?" The son also followed the long insight. ”

Cui Daoyuan snorted coldly and said, "According to my speculation, Wang Yuan's move must be wary of my Cui family." The new emperor ordered to win over my Cui family and asked us to recruit soldiers and horses for him to go north, perhaps Wang Yuan already knew about it. Wang Yuan has a festival with the new emperor, and my Cui family is now helping the new emperor, in his opinion, my Cui family is his enemy. Therefore, he must have been on guard for a long time, so he hid his identity in order to prevent my Cui family from attacking him. ”

Cui Yuanbo and the others nodded slightly, Cui Daoyuan's assumption is completely reasonable, although no one knows the two secret decrees sent by the new emperor to the Cui family, but Cui Daoyuan's sudden appointment as the chief official of Jiangnan Province cannot be kept secret. This matter has actually caused a lot of speculation in the southeastern state capitals, and several big families have also sent people to inquire several times.

"But old man, did we miss this opportunity in vain because he was on guard? If this matter is done, wouldn't it be the greatest threat to His Majesty, and it would be a great achievement. Cui Yuanping said without giving up.

Cui Daoyuan said in a deep voice: "You guys listen to me, there are some truths that you haven't figured out yet, today I will take this opportunity to give the three of you a good talk." In the future, when I die, the door of the Cui family will be supported by you, and then you won't be like headless flies. You have caused trouble yourselves, and you are dead. If hundreds of people from the whole clan are involved, and the Cui family and children who are directly related to them are unlucky, then you are sinners through the ages. There is no shame under the nine springs to see me and the ancestors of the Cui family. ”

"Father, why did you suddenly talk about this? What is not dead, what is not a disaster. Cui Yuanbo hurriedly smacked his lips.

"Listen well. What I say today, you have all kept in mind for me. Cui Daoyuan reprimanded.

"Yes, yes, don't be angry, we'll all listen." The three Cui Yuanbo brothers were busy bowing their heads, fearing that the old man would be powerful. The old man started a fire, don't look at the fact that the three brothers are already in their forties, they will still be beaten by the old man with a cane to cover his head and face like when he was a child, but he will not give face at all.

Cui Daoyuan's face turned a little pale, and he slowly spoke: "I'm afraid the three of you brothers think that it is a great thing that Li Mao suddenly showed favor to my Cui family this time." Let me tell you, don't think too simply. How much do you know about this? How did Li Mao ascend the throne as emperor? Why didn't the imperial court have any decree beforehand? According to the normal procedure, Li Mao should be made the crown prince before he can ascend the throne. But what are the facts? Li Mao ran directly to Lingzhou, and then suddenly announced his ascension to the throne. And His Majesty in Chengdu announced his abdication after his accession to the throne, what happened in the process? ”

"Father, is it true that the new emperor's name on the throne is not right? But if this is the case, why did the Emperor Taishang announce his abdication, shouldn't he issue an edict to reprimand and crusade against his betrayal of his father and self-reliance? Cui Yuanbo frowned.

Cui Daoyuan waved his hand and said: "I don't want to bother thinking about the catty in this, but one thing is for sure, Li Mao's throne is a little unclear." Although for my Cui family and the major families in Jiangnan, no matter who the Li family ascends to the throne, as long as there is no great harm to our interests, we will not interfere in the affairs of their Li family. But you must understand that if Li Mao's throne is not clear, if my major families support Li Mao indiscriminately, I am afraid that it will invite unwarranted disasters. ”

After a pause, Cui Daoyuan continued: "The current situation is that all the princes are silent. Although Li Mao ascended the throne as emperor, he was the only one in Chang'an City. Including the Emperor Taishang and all the princes, they all stayed in Chengdu, and the situation was a little strange. The calmer it was, the more it gave me a sense of foreboding. I have never had such a hasty but peaceful thing when a new emperor ascended the throne. So it's still the same sentence, we can't easily express our support for and against whom, otherwise my Cui family will be in a disadvantageous position, and we must judge the situation and act at the opportunity. ”

"But...... Didn't the old man accept the two secret decrees of the new emperor? Didn't you also go to the post of Jiangnan Provincial Inspector and Hangzhou Assassin? Didn't you also actively start to recruit soldiers and horses, and act according to the holy decree? Also, aren't you going to find an opportunity to talk to Ruo Yu about the new emperor's intention to marry my Cui family? Cui Yuanping asked in a low voice.

"Yes, I did accept the order, and I also went to the official position appointed by Li Mao. But so what? This does not mean that I have to do exactly what Li Mao did. Do you want me to refuse the appointment of the Holy Decree and resist the Decree? As for recruiting troops and horses, I don't want to go north with the soldiers and horses I have raised, I just want to prevent the rebels from encroaching on the southeast. I didn't have a reason before, but now that the Divine Decree has come, I can do it in the open. Besides, if my Cui family wants to recruit troops, I am afraid that I can raise 100,000 troops in a few months, but I have only raised 10,000 people in more than two months, can't you see that I am deliberately delaying time? As for the matter of marriage, it also depends on the development of the situation. The reason why the old man asked you not to mention this matter and not let Ruo Yu know about this matter is to let this matter have room for maneuver. ”

"But old man, if you delay so much, the new emperor will understand sooner or later, won't he be annoyed by then? This will be detrimental to my Cui family. Cui Yuanping said.

"It's not good for my Cui family? That also depends on whether he has the ability to sit on the throne. Let me tell you plainly, the reason why Li Mao remembered our Cui family was because he sensed that his throne was not stable, and he intended to use our strength to secure the throne for him. He wants to marry my Cui family, which is nothing more than to give us a reassurance, like us to convey his intention to show favor to my Cui family. A few of you immediately thought that you had picked up the golden pimple, and you were very happy, but you didn't know that he Li Mao just needed to use my Cui clan at this moment. Cui Daoyuan said coldly.

"But this is also an opportunity for our Cui family to rejuvenate, he uses us, and we just take this opportunity to return to the court. Isn't this also the opportunity that our ancestors have been thinking about to revitalize the family? Cui Yuanping said again.

"The revival of the family is of course the expectation of the ancestors of my Cui family, but it also depends on how it is revived and whether the opportunity is an opportunity. You don't know what his Li family did to our five surnames and seven clans, but I have experienced it myself. When Emperor Wu was in power, I was still very young, and my father, your grandfather, had not yet returned to the west. Emperor Wu ordered that all of my five surnames and seven clans must leave Chang'an, and all of them were stripped of their official positions and driven us to the south. Although it gave us the right to operate salt, iron, grain and rice, it was a great insult to my Cui clan and several other big clans. My Cui family originated in the Spring and Autumn Period, the ancestors of the generation of capable people and sages are innumerable, which generation does not emerge countless sages and capable ministers who are respected by the people of the world based on the temple? In the Dynasty of Emperor Wu, all of them were dismissed and rushed to the southeast, and they had to become the home of merchants. What a humiliation is this? ”

Cui Daoyuan recalled the past, his heart was indignant, his thin fingers tightly grasped the armrest, and his nails scraped white marks on the mahogany armrest.