After returning home and changing into casual clothes, it was already approaching evening. */.//*
Zhao Junchen did not delay and took Xu Qingyan to Tianhai Tower, where he was waiting for Wen Guanliang's arrival.
For Tianhai Tower, Zhao Junchen is a big shot, so he naturally needs to do his best to please him. When he learned that Zhao Junchen was going to hold a banquet here, and the banquet was being hosted by Wen Guanliang, the Second Assistant to the Cabinet, he tried his best to prepare a table early. A fine banquet.
However, what is embarrassing is that although the banquet was set up early and Zhao Junchen came early, Wen Guanliang was still missing.
Sitting in the private room on the top floor of Tianhai Tower, looking at the darkening sky outside the window, Zhao Junchen finally became impatient after waiting for a long time and asked Xu Qingyan: "Mr. Wen Ge, did you really agree to come?"
Xu Qingyan was also impatient to wait. When Zhao Junchen asked, he frowned and replied: "Master, when the post was sent, Wen Guanliang agreed immediately."
Zhao Junchen nodded and asked again: "Is the time correct?"
Xu Qingyan shook his head and said: "How could this be wrong? The time on the post is clearly written, it is You hour this evening."
Zhao Junchen smiled slightly and said: "In that case, it must be this Second Assistant Master who already knows about my entry into the palace this afternoon. Now that the three-province Qiuwei fraud case was suddenly closed, Zhan Shanchang was also saved by me. He felt that he had lost face and was trying to show off to me."
After a pause, Zhao Junchen smiled again and said: "However, he is quite well informed."
Xu Qingyan said bitterly: "This is called ignorance of praise. Even Wen Guanliang dares to show off for the young master."
Zhao Junchen raised his head and interrupted Xu Qingyan's words, and said calmly: "You can't say that. No matter how you say it, Mr. Wen Ge is still the second minister of the cabinet. Now in the court, apart from His Majesty and the chief minister Zhou Shangjing, he is the biggest, regardless of reputation. The power is bigger and more powerful than ours. Now that we have made him lose face, why can't he show off to us? When dealings in official circles, we must retaliate, but it is commonplace and there is no need to get angry."
Xu Qingyan looked at the table of food and wine that was getting colder and asked: "Master, are we still waiting like this? Let me tell you, since Wen Guanliang is showing off to you, master, why should you give in to him? Anyway, we are Having protected Zhan Shanchang and kidnapped Tong Huan, it is no longer possible to turn his enemy into a friend. It would be better not to do this to save face."
Zhao Junchen shook his head and said softly: "He broke the rules, we can't break them. Wen Ge's senior official is higher than me, and he is older than me. He is a superior and a senior, so it is appropriate to wait. What's more, in the officialdom How can we distinguish friends from enemies? Today's enemies may be tomorrow's friends, and yesterday's allies may be today's opponents. There must be some room for everything. Today he has lost face and we have gained reputation. Since the benefits have been obtained, give it to him What’s the point of saving some face?”
While speaking, Zhao Junchen took another look at the sky outside the window and said slowly: "However, although he is showing off to me, it's already the time, so I guess it's time for him to come."
Xu Qingyan curled his lips, but said no more.
………
Zhao Junchen was quite indifferent at this time, but when faced with Wen Guanliang's lateness and failure to make an appointment, he was actually a little unhappy, but it just didn't show on his face like Xu Qingyan did.
Since Zhao Junchen came to this era, he has always adhered to the principle that one more enemy is worse than one more friend. When dealing with various forces, he always had the intention of making good friends.
The same is true for today's appointment with Wen Guanliang. Although he wants to have a showdown with Wen Guanliang, he also has the intention of turning enemies into friends.
"Yue Rong Fang" is not only making soap these days, but also working hard to develop perfume. The process of perfume is more complicated than that of soap, but it can't be said to be difficult. Now it is almost successful.
After all, Wen Guanliang was the second minister of the cabinet. Although Zhao Junchen retained Zhan Shanchang for various reasons, took away Tong Huan, the general envoy, and caused him to lose face, Zhao Junchen did not intend to completely offend Wen Guanliang. If he still turned into an enemy Zhao Junchen didn't mind giving up the perfume business to Wen Guanliang if they could become friends. Although perfume was not a daily necessities like soap, with low cost and large sales volume, if it was run well, it would still make a lot of money every day. business.
However, after such an incident, Zhao Junchen completely stopped thinking like this.
Without him, before and after the Qiu Wei fraud case in the three provinces, Wen Guanliang's mind was too narrow-minded, and the city government's methods were average. Such a person was not a good choice for alliance.
Just look at the way Wen Guanliang and the other two pavilion elders get off the sedan chair at the clock every morning, and you can tell what kind of people they are.
In fact, this is a matter of course.
In the final analysis, the reason why the elders in the cabinet, including Wen Guanliang, have the prestige and power they have today is because the chief minister, Zhou Shangjing, did not want to create a situation where his family was the dominant one in the court, which caused Deqing's dissatisfaction. The emperor was jealous, so he deliberately had reservations about them.
Even so, with Zhou Shangjing's foresight, he would naturally not tolerate the rise of a figure who could truly threaten him. Therefore, whether it was Wen Guanliang, the second assistant, or the other two pavilion elders Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong, they were able to enter under Zhou Shangjing's nose. The success of the pavilion actually proves their mediocre abilities.
For such a person, although you can't offend him, you won't offend him, but if you really offend him, Zhao Junchen is really not afraid of him.
………
While Zhao Junchen was thinking secretly, there was a sudden noise outside the private room, and then he saw the shopkeeper of Tianhai Tower stumbled to the door of the private room, and said quickly: "Sir, Mr. Second Assistant is here. .”
Zhao Junchen nodded and took Xu Qingyan to greet him outside the private room.
Then, he saw Wen Guanliang, supported by a group of followers, walking slowly towards Zhao Junchen. Although he was nearly an hour late, he did not look anxious at all.
Wen Guanliang is now nearly sixty years old. As his name suggests, he has a kind face and a gentle temperament. He comes across as a talkative little old man.
Of course, this is just an appearance.
Seeing Zhao Junchen greeting him in person, a trace of resentment flashed in Wen Guanliang's eyes, but the next moment, a kind smile appeared on his face. As he walked towards Zhao Junchen, he cupped his hands and said, "Oh, please keep Zhao Junchen waiting." Sorry, something suddenly happened in my house, which delayed the time. I'm sorry."
Zhao Junchen smiled and returned the salute, saying: "Mr. Wen Ge is overly concerned. You are the senior and I am the junior. It is appropriate to wait."
While talking, Zhao Junchen had already led Wen Guanliang into the private room and sat down.
After sitting down, Wen Guanliang looked at Zhao Junchen and sighed: "Young Master Zhao doesn't know something. The reason why I came late is to appease my disciples. I am really troubled these days. The Minister of Rites Zhan Shanchang , was originally promoted by me, but the Qiuwei fraud case in the three provinces has come out these days, and all kinds of evidence prove that it is related to him. I am dedicated to serving the country, so I should naturally avoid suspicion at this time. Originally, although I have nothing to do with this matter, I won't help him, but I won't harm him, but I never thought that he would tell others everywhere that I was cold and hypocritical, and blamed him, which made people panic. The political envoy Tong Huan was also my master. Even though I was promoted, I was also bewitched by him, and I have become more and more distant from me these days."
Hearing Wen Guanliang's meaningful sigh, Zhao Junchen smiled slightly, poured wine for Wen Guanliang with his own hands, and said: "Mr. Wen Ge is kind and kind to others. All the officials in the court see it, so how can it be A cold and hypocritical person? Mr. Wen Ge is overly worried. However, I have also seen Zhan Shanchang, but he is not a person who repays evil with kindness. I have never heard that he has slandered Mr. Wen Ge. In the officialdom, there is nothing like trouble. There are too many, maybe there is some misunderstanding among them?"
When Wen Guanliang heard what Zhao Junchen said, his eyes narrowed, but he did not answer. He just said slowly: "According to the news I received, your Majesty, at the suggestion of Minister Zhao, announced today that the Qiuwei fraud case in the three provinces has been closed?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head and said: "Mr. Wen Ge looks down on me. How can I care about this kind of thing? Your Majesty is the one who decides everything. The reason why you made such a decree is that your Majesty must have considered it."
Wen Guanliang sighed: "I know Zhan Shanchang a little bit. Although he is not lacking in ability, he is a bit greedy for money. He is connected to various doubts about the Qiuwei fraud case in the three provinces. I am afraid he will be involved. Your Majesty is so early. As for closing the case, in my opinion, it was out of consideration. The imperial examination is of great importance, and fraud has occurred, so it is time to eliminate the evil. Although Zhan Shanchang was promoted by me, if he is really related to him, as the second minister of the cabinet, I , but I will never let him go!"
After a pause, Wen Guanliang continued: "As an assistant minister of the cabinet, I should check and fill the vacancies for Your Majesty. Although the three-province Qiuwei fraud case has been closed, I plan to continue to investigate Zhan Shanchang! And that Tong Huan, the general affairs envoy, has always advanced and retreated together with Zhan Shanchang. It is strange that he, as the chief of the general affairs envoys department and in charge of people's complaints from all over the world, has not received any news about such a big thing as the Qiu Wei fraud in the three provinces. I'm afraid it is also strange. It cannot be separated."
At this point, Wen Guanliang's words and demeanor became meaningful: "I know that these two people have been very close to you, Minister Zhao, in recent days. I believe that the fraud in Qiuwei in the three provinces is absolutely It has nothing to do with Minister Zhao, but we must disassociate ourselves from the two of them in time and don’t let them deceive us.”
Hearing what Wen Guanliang said, Zhao Junchen frowned slightly and felt enlightened.
Although Wen Guanliang's words were high-sounding, his meaning was very clear: Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan switched to Zhao Junchen's sect. No matter what the reason was, it was a betrayal for Wen Guanliang. In addition, because of the Qiuwei fraud case in the three provinces, Wen Guanliang Now that his reputation has been greatly damaged, he plans to deal with Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan, kill them as a warning to others, and stabilize the internal factions.
And if Zhao Junchen does not object to this, then Wen Guanliang can forget about the past events, and there is even the possibility of an alliance between the two parties. But if Zhao Junchen objects, then the two sides will be enemies rather than friends, and it will be life and death.
Naturally, Zhao Junchen had no chance of agreeing to this. After saving Zhan Shanchang, Zhao Junchen finally made a name for himself. Now everyone knows that Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan are Zhao Junchen's people. If Wen Guanliang deals with them helplessly, then Zhao Junchen Not only did everything Junchen did before be in vain, but no one would dare to take refuge in Zhao Junchen in the future.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen smiled slightly and said leisurely: "Since His Majesty has decreed the closure of the Qiuwei fraud case in the three provinces, it is closed. Why do you, Mr. Wen Ge, pursue it so hard? If it is just because of suspicion, then strictly Wouldn't the investigation of Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan chill the hearts of all officials? Mr. Wen Ge is dedicated to serving the country, and the lower officials have always admired him, but some things should be tolerated. "
When Wen Guanliang heard what Zhao Junchen said, he seemed to snort slightly and said in a solemn voice: "Shilang Zhao is now deeply loved by the saints, but he is so polite to an old minister like me. It is really rare, but it reminds me of my work back then. Minister Guo Cheng."
Zhao Junchen was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Oh? Guo Cheng, the former minister of the Ministry of Industry? I don't know this person well, so I have to ask Mr. Wen Ge to tell me about it."
Wen Guanliang said slowly: "Shilang Zhao is young after all, so it's normal not to know what happened in the past. When Guo Cheng was the minister of the Ministry of Industry, Shilang Zhao was probably still studying behind closed doors. However, Guo Cheng was not a simple person. , his sister was the concubine Shun at that time, and was deeply loved by His Majesty. Even Guo Cheng was also a holy family member, and for a time he was the same as the government and the public. However, unlike Zhao Shilang, Guo Cheng relied on the holy family members. But he has always been unscrupulous, even against the chief minister Zhou, he always opposes him. But he doesn't know that the holy family is just a holy family. After the chief minister couldn't stand him anymore, in just three or five days, everyone in the court was actually To impeach Guo Cheng, although His Majesty's love for Guo Chengsheng remained unchanged, he could not go against the will of the public. In the end, he could only bear the pain and jail him. However, he did not expect that Guo Cheng died of the epidemic within two days after he was imprisoned. The end is really pitiful."
As he spoke, Wen Guanliang looked at Zhao Junchen and smiled softly: "It can be seen from this that the Holy Family is just the Holy Family. Although they can be famous for a while, the battles in the temple still depend on power and means, because even His Majesty has to worry about it. From what Bai Guan thought, it was regrettable that Guo Cheng couldn't see this clearly, he didn't know the seriousness, he offended someone who shouldn't be offended, but he didn't even have a chance to stand up."
Wen Guanliang's words were threatening Zhao Junchen.
Zhao Junchen's expression did not change, he smiled slightly, and said leisurely: "Then Guo Cheng really can't see the situation clearly, and he can't tell who can be offended and who cannot be offended. Lord Zhou, the chief assistant, has been running the officialdom for decades, and his methods are sophisticated, especially those who can Offended casually?"
At this point, Zhao Junchen changed the topic and said: "However, in the opinion of the lower official, only the chief assistant has such ability. If it had been anyone else, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to bring down Guo Cheng so easily." ? Maybe, not only will he fail to bring down Guo Cheng, but he will be bitten by Guo Cheng."
After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Wen Guanliang finally stopped smiling and his eyes became cold.
Zhao Junchen's meaning is obvious. He can distinguish who can be offended and who cannot be offended. In Zhao Junchen's eyes, Wen Guanliang is far inferior to Zhou Shangjing, the chief minister of the cabinet, and belongs to the category of "it doesn't matter even if he offends".
In fact, Wen Guanliang also knew that he was inferior to Zhou Shangjing in terms of power and means. Over the years, he had never gotten any advantage from fighting with Zhou Shangjing. He even knew that Zhou Shangjing could deal with him at any time, but he kept him until now. Let him sit safely in the position of the second assistant.
However, officialdom is a fair of fame and fortune. He didn't want to fight with Zhou Shangjing, but he had to fight.
Nowadays, Wen Guanliang actually doesn't want to fight Zhao Junchen. He is not the Zhou Shangjing he was back then, and Zhao Junchen is not the Guo Cheng he was back then. He has no chance of winning.
However, in officialdom, one cannot help oneself.
Thinking like this, Wen Guanliang was not only helpless, but his eyes became even colder.
There is no room for helplessness in officialdom.
I saw Wen Guanliang reaching out and touching the dishes on the table, and then said slowly: "It's my fault that I'm late. This dish is actually cold."
Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "When the food is cold, just let the restaurant waiter review it."
Wen Guanliang shook his head and said: "Although the dishes can be relived when they are cold, they have lost their original taste. However, this is still good. Compared with this, if a person makes a wrong decision, it is difficult to have it again. Opportunity.”
As he spoke, Wen Guanliang slowly stood up, cupped his hands to Zhao Junchen and said, "I'm old and can't eat cold food, so I'll take my leave."
Zhao Junchen also sighed, stood up and said, "It's my fault that I didn't entertain you well."
Wen Guanliang shook his head, said nothing more, and just led his entourage away.
"Bah! What the hell!"
Wen Guanliang had just left, and Xu Qingyan, who had been silent for a long time, was already spitting.
Zhao Junchen frowned and said, "Qingyan, we are eating. Are you disgusted by this?"
Xu Qingyan frowned and said, "Master, are you still eating? I'm so angry. This old guy is so arrogant that he dares to threaten the master!"
Zhao Junchen smiled slightly and said nothing more.
The bottom lines of the two sides are far apart, and their sincerity is lacking. From now on, they are finally enemies rather than friends.
Zhao Junchen had been mentally prepared for this. He had neither fear nor helplessness, just calmness.
Seeing Xu Qingyan still upset and muttering something, Zhao Junchen shook his head helplessly and deliberately took down his chopsticks to eat. However, he found that the food was really unpalatable when it was cold. He finally stood up and said, "Then what Mr. Wen Ge said makes sense. The food is cold." It doesn’t taste good anymore, and it will lose its taste if you relive it again, that’s all, let’s go back home and eat.”
While talking, Zhao Junchen led Xu Qingyan towards the outside of Tianhai Tower.
While walking, Zhao Junchen said to Xu Qingyan: "Send someone to find Zhan Shanchang and Tong Huan. I have something to explain to them."
Xu Qingyan nodded, already understanding Zhao Junchen's thoughts, and asked: "Master, are you planning to strike first?"
Zhao Junchen smiled softly and said: "It's not that we want to strike first. I think Mr. Wen Ge has already begun preparations. However, since the war has begun, there must be some preparations."
While talking, Zhao Junchen came to the outside of Tianhai Tower and sat in the sedan chair under the respectful escort of all the shopkeepers in Tianhai Tower.
Faintly, some sighs came from the sedan.
On the other side, the shopkeepers of Tianhai Tower, who only heard a few words, looked at each other in confusion after watching Zhao Junchen's sedan leave.
War started? What started a war?
They don't understand.
Some wars are so huge that they will be frightened.
Some wars have turned everything upside down after the war, but they still don't realize it.
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ps: There are a few recommendation votes recently, please recommend! ! In addition, if you want to push for a vote, I can still try my best to satisfy the 90-word one, but don't vote for the 120-word one. I still have some things to do at work. I have been getting up early and in the dark during this period. I am really powerless. I apologize. When the bugs calm down for a while, they will naturally break out without anyone urging them to update. #^_^#
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