"Is this an attempt to drive a wedge between me and Emperor Deqing?"
Thinking about what Zhou Shangjing did, Zhao Junchen frowned slightly and thought to himself. //.//
There were already signs of Zhou Shangjing's approach before. When Zhao Junchen had just returned to Beijing, Zhou Shangjing used "entering the cabinet" as bait, hoping that Zhao Junchen would join him in stopping Emperor Deqing's southern tour.
But at that time, Zhou Shangjing wanted to prevent Emperor Deqing from going on a southern tour. But now that Emperor Deqing's southern tour has been scheduled, why did he do what he did?
Could it be that he still wanted to form an alliance with Zhao Junchen?
For Zhao Junchen, this is simply impossible.
Zhao Junchen didn't know how wide and long Emperor Deqing's tolerance limit was for him, but Zhao Junchen knew very well that having a good relationship with Zhou Shangjing was definitely not within Emperor Deqing's tolerance. Sha Sha's actions have made Zhao Junchen understand Emperor Deqing's expectations of him. What Zhao Junchen has to do now is to follow Emperor Deqing's expectations, show his own use value, and take the opportunity to achieve his various goals. Purpose!
If he disobeys Emperor Deqing, Zhao Junchen is not like Zhou Shangjing, who has disciples all over the world, and his influence is deep-rooted. Even if Emperor Deqing wants to deal with Zhou Shangjing, he can only check and balance first, and then take action slowly. Nowadays, Zhao Junchen's foundation is still shallow. The most important thing is to rely on the support of Emperor Deqing. Once he disobeys Emperor Deqing, the end will definitely be disastrous. Therefore, at least in a short period of time, no matter what Zhao Junchen thinks of Emperor Deqing , and can only obey everything.
"Zhou Shangjing should be able to think of this, so what is his purpose for doing this?" Zhao Junchen frowned and murmured to himself: "But no matter what, it is imperative to repair the relationship with the eunuchs in the inner court. .”
Yes, at this time, Zhao Junchen thought about repairing relations with the eunuchs in the inner court.
Because Zhou Shangjing seemed to have the idea of driving a wedge between Zhao Junchen and Emperor Deqing. Zhao Junchen was not worried that he would be affected, but Zhao Junchen was very worried that Emperor Deqing would be affected! Therefore, it is inevitable to repair the relationship with the eunuchs in the inner court.
Of course, Zhao Junchen will not go too far, as long as the eunuchs in the inner court are no longer hostile to him, can occasionally reveal some information to Zhao Junchen, and even say some good things for Zhao Junchen in front of Emperor Deqing at certain times. , Zhao Junchen was very satisfied.
Zhao Junchen once wanted to make friends with Liu Qing, the eunuch in charge of the inner library of the inner court, and also expressed his intention to make friends with Liu Qing through Zhang De, who was too close to Emperor Deqing. However, perhaps because Zhao Junchen and Prince Zhu Heyuzhi The outcome of the bet has not yet been decided, so Zhao Junchen has not been able to get a response for a long time.
However, now that everything has been decided, there will be news from Liu Qing soon.
………
In the evening, Zhao Junchen came to Tianhai Tower again. This restaurant was of high quality and very close to Zhao's mansion. The dishes were also in line with Zhao Junchen's taste, so Zhao Junchen always arranged all kinds of banquets here.
When Zhao Junchen appeared, all the officials who came to the Tianhai Tower for the banquet greeted him one after another.
There were many visitors, including officials from the DPRK and Central Government who had taken refuge with Zhao Junchen, such as Zuo Lanshan, Minister of Industry, Tong Huan, Minister of General Affairs, Zhan Shanchang, the newly appointed Minister of Household Affairs, Li Lide, Minister of Punishment, Chen Dongxiang, Minister of Works, and Du Yu, the right deputy of the Inspectorate. Shi Guquan, as well as some officials in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Rites, are also Zhao Junchen's current main disciples.
The more visitors were court officials who wanted to join Zhao Junchen or move closer to him after seeing Zhao Junchen gain power. Compared with the former, they had lower positions but more people.
Zhao Junchen hosted a banquet this time as a reward for being promoted, but in fact, it was firstly to get closer to Zuo Lanshan, Gu Quan and other recent defectors, and secondly to see which officials in the DPRK wanted to join him. yourself and take the opportunity to choose among them.
Amidst the greetings of "Congratulations to Mr. Zhao on his promotion" and "Meet Mr. Shangshu", Zhao Junchen was as polite and easy-going as ever. With the support of all the officials, he came to the second floor of Tianhai Building and sat down respectively while being polite to each other.
There, there were six banquet tables. After the officials took their seats, they were all packed, which fully demonstrated Zhao Junchen's current status and influence.
However, after sitting down, Zhao Junchen did not speak or announce the opening of the banquet. Instead, he glanced back and forth among the officials, as if he was looking for something. Seeing Zhao Junchen's appearance, although the officials were confused, they did not dare to act casually. Speak, just wait quietly.
After a while, Zhao Junchen finally found his target on the table in the corner, but it was Jiang Qian, a member of the household department.
"Jiang Qian, why are you sitting there? Come here with me. I can also introduce a few adults to you."
Zhao Junchen waved to Jiang Qian.
After hearing Zhao Junchen's words, all the officials focused their attention on Jiang Qian, either with envy, jealousy or doubt. Zhao Junchen's statement clearly showed that he not only regarded Jiang Qian as a confidant, but also deliberately promoted him. .
When Jiang Qian heard what Zhao Junchen said, a hint of flattered excitement flashed across his face. You must know that the officials sitting at the table with Zhao Junchen at this time were all court officials of third rank or above who held real power. This was what Zhao Junchen wanted. Zhao Junchen asked him to sit down there when he wanted to win over the person he wanted to focus on, which showed how much Zhao Junchen valued him.
Although he was a little worried about making everyone jealous, Jiang Qian did not dare to be disrespectful, so he quickly came to Zhao Junchen's table, bowed and said: "Jiang Qian, a foreign minister who is a low-ranking official and household minister, has met Mr. Shangshu. My Lords.”
Jiang Qian's expression and attitude were full of humility. After seeing Zhao Junchen's attention to him, all the officials also behaved more politely and nodded.
As Zhao Junchen waved his hand, Jiang Qian also carefully sat down.
After Jiang Qian sat down, Zhao Junchen smiled at Zuo Lanshan, Zhan Shanchang and others: "Although this Jiang Qian is not old and is only a member of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he has always been efficient and talented. His official position is at home. The department has relied heavily on him over the years, and he has a promising future. I also ask all colleagues to take good care of him in the future."
Although Zhao Junchen was speaking to the people around him, his voice was not quiet, and the officials listened carefully, so most of them could hear him clearly.
In this way, Zhao Junchen used Jiang Qian to express his attitude - after taking refuge in Zhao Junchen, as long as he works with heart and loyalty, Zhao Junchen will never treat him badly.
Zhao Junchen's meaning could be seen by most of the officials present, either with relief or enthusiasm on their faces.
However, perhaps Zhao Junchen's statement stimulated some people's nerves. Before Zhao Junchen could stand up to speak and announce the opening of the banquet, an official whom Zhao Junchen did not know suddenly stood up and raised his glass to Zhao Junchen. Junchen said: "Sir Zhao is really generous and cherishes talents. I admire him very much. I would like to congratulate you on your promotion to the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs today."
However, although this person's voice was loud, there were very few people who responded. In fact, many officials couldn't help but frowned and showed dissatisfaction.
There are official rules in officialdom, and there are rules in wine shops. Before Zhao Junchen announced the banquet, although this person acted like this to please Zhao Junchen, it was obvious whether he was in officialdom or in the wine shop. It's against the rules.
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ps: The second update today, there are three more to come!
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