Chapter 467: Lord Cui’s Illness

In Chang’an, a gentle drizzle had been falling for seven consecutive days, driving away all traces of heat. The entire city was enveloped in a slight chill typical of early autumn. At night, the streets were sparsely populated; those who were seen were hurrying along. On such cold nights, home was the warmest place.

In the northwest corner of Yongning Fang in Wannian County stood a large mansion covering dozens of acres—this was the residence of the deposed prime minister, Cui Huan. A carriage rushed over and stopped in front of Cui Huan’s mansion. A guard got off the carriage, quickly climbed the steps, and spoke a few words to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper immediately went inside to report. Wang Gong got off the carriage and stood at the bottom of the steps with his hands behind his back, while a guard held an umbrella over him.

After a while, the side door of Cui’s mansion opened. Cui Huan’s eldest son, Cui Jun, stepped out quickly. From afar, he bowed and said, “Prime Minister Wang, thank you for coming to my humble abode. I failed to greet you properly; please forgive me!”

Cui Jun was in his early thirties and currently served as the governor of Jinzhou in Hedong Province. He was shrewd and capable, managing Jinzhou well and enjoying high prestige among the people. Upon hearing that his father had fallen ill, he rushed back and arrived in Chang’an this morning.

Wang Gong returned the bow and smiled, saying, “It’s my fault for not notifying you in advance. Should I be the one to apologize?”

He stepped forward and asked in a low voice, “Young man, has your father’s condition improved at all?”

Through mutual agreement, Cui Huan had been released from the prison of the Dali Temple. Wei Jiansu had also returned home, but Cui Huan had fallen ill after becoming a monk, suffering from a severe illness. Wang Gong had been sent by Li Hen to check on his condition.

Cui Jun sighed and said, “The conditions in prison were harsh. Father was greatly shaken this time, and his old illness flared up, causing him to fall seriously ill. The doctors say it will take at least half a year to a year for his health to gradually improve.”

“Ah! This time it has affected your father as well. The Regent ordered me to come and see him. Let’s go check on his condition first!”

Cui Jun nodded and said, “Prime Minister Wang, please follow me.”

Cui Jun led Wang Gong to a small courtyard in the inner part of the mansion, where Wang Gong’s guest room was located. Even before seeing the room, Wang Gong smelled a strong scent of medicine. He frowned. Cui Huan had always been in good health—how could he become so seriously ill so quickly?

When they reached the door, Cui Jun whispered, “Father, Prime Minister Wang has come to see you.”

A loud coughing sound came from inside the room, so intense that it seemed to exhaust him. Cui Huan gasped for breath and said, “P-please… let Prime Minister Wang… come in!”

“Prime Minister Wang, my father asks you to come in.”

Wang Gong sighed and entered the ward. The smell of medicine there was even stronger, mixed with a foul stench that made one feel nauseous. Suppressing his disgust, he stepped forward and saw Cui Huan lying on the bed, his face pale as wax, his hair disheveled, coughing incessantly. The foul smell came from him, and it became even unbearable up close. The two concubines, perhaps accustomed to it, stood on either side, helping Cui Huan take his medicine.

Wang Gong couldn’t get any closer, so he bowed from afar and asked, “Has Brother Cui’s condition improved a bit?”

Cui Huan was just over fifty years old, at the peak of his career. During the Tianbao era, he had served as an official in Shu, rising to the position of governor of Zizhou. Last year, after Minister of Works Yang Shenjin resigned along with Zhang Yun, he was transferred back to Chang’an to serve as Minister of Works. As a key figure in the Cui family, Li Hen promoted him to the Political Council. Unfortunately, less than a month after becoming prime minister, he became a victim of power struggles.

He took a sip of the medicine and said with difficulty, “My chest feels tight, I can’t breathe…”

As he spoke, he had another severe coughing fit. After a while, he managed to say, “I can’t hold on anymore. I’ve disappointed the prime minister and the Regent.”

“You shouldn’t say that. Brother Cui is still in his prime. You’ll have another chance to serve after recovering. The Regent has asked you to rest well. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. I… I don’t… need anything.”

Seeing that Cui Huan had difficulty speaking and that the stench around him was unbearable, Wang Gong nodded, placed a high-quality hundred-year-old ginseng on the table, and bowed, saying, “Then I won’t disturb Brother Cui’s rest. I’ll come visit again next time.”

“Jun Er, take this to the prime minister for me.”

After Wang Gong left, Cui Huan listened to his footsteps fading away. Suddenly, his eyes opened wide—the dullness in them vanished, replaced by sharp focus. He sat up quickly and said to the two concubines, “Get me some water!”

One of the concubines hurried out to fetch water, while Cui Huan told the other, “When Jun Er returns, have him come to my study.”

He pinched his nose, seemingly also struggling to tolerate the stench in the room…

In the rain and mist, Cui Jun saw Wang Gong off. “Thank you, Prime Minister Wang, for visiting our father. Please go slowly.”

“Take good care of your father. I’m granting you a month’s leave. I’ll talk to the Ministry of Personnel. If you encounter any difficulties, come to see me!”

After giving a few instructions, Wang Gong got into his carriage and left. Cui Jun watched him go until he was out of sight before turning to his subordinates and ordering, “Close the main gate. If anyone else comes to visit, tell them the master is resting. Report to me.”

He entered the mansion, and a family member stepped forward and whispered something to him. Cui Jun nodded and then hurriedly headed to the study in the inner courtyard. At that moment, Cui Huan’s study was brightly lit, with a faint sandalwood scent in the air. Cui Huan had washed off the waxy yellow color from his face and put on loose Zen robes. He was sitting in the study, writing something, when his son Cui Jun’s voice came from outside. “Father, I’m here.” “Come in!” The door opened, and Cui Jun entered. Cui Huan put down his pen and pointed to a cushion beside him, saying, “Sit down.” After sitting down, Cui Jun said, “Father, Prime Minister Wang has left.” “I know he’s gone. If he hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have come here. Sigh! It’s not easy to pretend to be sick.” After a brief silence, Cui Jun asked, “I don’t understand why Father had to pretend to be sick in front of Prime Minister Wang and the Regent.” Cui Huan didn’t answer directly but smiled slightly and said, “You’ve been back for a day now. You must know why I was removed from my position. Share your thoughts. Your father really wants to hear them.” Cui Jun pondered for a while before saying, “Father, the more I think about this, the more suspicious it seems. Father clearly didn’t write any letter to Li Longji, so how could he get such a reply? And it even fell into Li Qingan’s hands. There must be something wrong here!” Cui Jun already knew the whole story. Intuitively, he believed his father had been framed. Frustrated, he said, “Father, I think this is a conspiracy orchestrated by Li Qingan. It can’t be that coincidental. Just when he needed evidence, it appeared—how is that possible?” Cui Huan gave his son an approving look. It was already quite good that his son could see this, which truly pleased Cui Huan. He nodded and smiled, saying, “Everyone thinks I’m having an affair with Chengdu, but only I know the truth. Of course, this is Li Qingan’s doing. As for how he did it, I think it’s not important. What’s important now is to understand one thing: why did he choose our Cui family as his target?” Cui Jun didn’t understand his father’s words. Anxiously, he said, “How can we just let this go? Letting Father bear an unjust accusation—why not write to Chengdu and ask my second uncle to investigate? The truth will surely come to light.” The second uncle Cui Jun referred to was Cui Yuan, the prime minister of Southern Tang. Seeing that his son was still confused about the most crucial issue, Cui Huan shook his head and said, “You don’t understand what I mean. My crime isn’t important. I’ve always been loyal to the old emperor. Even if I remain loyal to him now, what crime is that? The issue isn’t that. The question is why Li Qingan chose our Cui family. Don’t you understand yet?”

In fact, Cui Huan could explain the issue in just one sentence, but that would be detrimental to his son. He wanted his son to understand the key points on his own, so that he could gradually mature, truly comprehend the intricacies of power struggles, and eventually take over his position.

After all, Cui Jun had many years of experience in governance and some knowledge of political struggles. With his father’s guidance, he immediately understood and said, “Father means that Li Qing’an wants to use our Cui family as a stepping stone to win over other prominent families by bringing down our family, is that right?”

Seeing that his son finally understood, Cui Huan smiled and said, “Since you can see that, it shows great progress. Let me ask you again—whose interests will be best served if our Cui family suffers a setback?”

“Whose interests?” If his father hadn’t asked explicitly, Cui Jun would have naturally thought of Li Qing’an—this situation would clearly benefit him the most, as all the major families would regard him with new respect. Next would be the Wei family; Wei Tao even became a minister, indicating that the Wei family would soon regain prominence.

But with his father’s direct question, Cui Jun realized the answer might not be so simple. After pondering for a moment, he hesitantly said, “Father, do you mean the Pei family?”

Cui Huan laughed heartily. “Exactly! My son can see that—truly my son. I now have a successor.”

Cui Jun, his face red, quickly said, “Father, it’s just a feeling. If you ask me for specific reasons, I can’t give them.”

“Then let me tell you.”

Cui Huan looked his son in the eyes and said slowly, “Because Li Qing’an has a chance of ascending to the throne!”

“Father, is that really possible?” Cui Jun asked in disbelief.

“Don’t you know about this?”

“I know a little. People often talk about it, but I’ve been in Hedong and don’t know much. I can’t believe it’s true.”

“It’s true, and the possibility is growing.”

A hint of concern appeared in Cui Huan’s eyes. “By suppressing our Cui family this time, he’s actually trying to fully win over the Pei and Wei families. He’s showing the Pei family his strength to make them completely loyal to him, and at the same time making the Wei family grateful enough to become his pawns. In fact, he’s succeeded. I heard that the Pei family has decided to marry Pei Zunqing’s granddaughter, Wan’er, to him as a symbol of their formal alliance. Wei Tao has also sent his son Wei Jingyuan and nephew Wei Yingwu to serve in the army in Anxi, which is also a sign of the Wei family’s loyalty to him. I’ve heard that Wang Wei, as the Right Minister, is also a courtesy to the Lu family. Now, among the major families in Chang’an—Dugu, Changsun, Pei, Wei, Lu, Zhang, and others—are all supporting him. His situation is getting better and better.”

After hearing his father’s analysis, Cui Jun finally understood. It turned out his father had pretended to be ill to keep a distance from the Regent Party and distance the Cui family from them. So that’s how it was! Realizing this, he became inspired and said, “Father, then according to you, is there still a chance for reconciliation between our Cui family and Li Qing’an?” Cui Huan smiled with narrowed eyes. “Our Cui family is the foremost family in the land. If we also support him, do you think he would be willing to reconcile with us?” “Father, I think he surely would. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to win over the Pei family. He knows he can’t rely solely on the Du Gu family. Pei Wan’er is the legitimate daughter of the Pei family. If he wants to marry her, it’s because he doesn’t want the Du Gu family to become too powerful. Since he has ambitions to ascend the throne, I believe he must also be willing to include our Cui family.” “Your son is absolutely right, but we can’t rush. We need to take things slowly. If we’re too hasty, we might offend Li Heng, which would be even more detrimental to our Cui family. I plan to pretend to be ill for another half year and stay out of politics for now. Once the time is right, our Cui family can change its allegiance.” Cui Jun grew worried again. “But if it drags on too long, might Li Qing’an continue to purge other members of our Cui family?” “That will never happen!” Cui Huan smiled faintly. “In fact, Li Qing’an has already left a backdoor for our Cui family. Otherwise, how could Cui Ping and Cui Guangyuan be transferred away from Chang’an?”