Chapter 83. The King and His Ministers.
On the way back to Zhao Mansion, sitting in the carriage, Zhao Junchen was thoughtful.
During this gathering, many conclusions were drawn during the deliberations, which will more or less affect the general trend of the government and the opposition in the future.
But now that the plan has been decided, Zhao Junchen will not think too much and just follow the plan step by step.
What Zhao Junchen was thinking about at this time was what Zhou Shangjing said to him in private after the banquet.
In other words, that was a piece of advice.
………
At that time, outside Jude Restaurant, at Zhou Shangjing's signal, although Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao were confused, they still left first knowingly.
Zhou Shangjing sat in the sedan, opened the sedan curtain, and talked to Zhao Junchen who was waiting at the side.
"Today's banquet was originally to discuss who would stay in Beijing to assist the government during His Majesty's southern tour, but in the end we were unable to reach a conclusion." Zhou Shangjing sighed softly and said softly: "But, Junchen, you Although I have the intention of not helping each other, I am afraid that I have already made a decision in my heart, right?"
Zhao Junchen didn't seem to understand, and asked: "Junior is stupid, I don't know why you said this, Lord Chief Assistant?"
Zhou Shangjing smiled and said: "Since Junchen knows clearly in his heart, why should he pretend not to understand? The situation is clear now. I am more optimistic about Shen Changmao as the candidate to stay in Beijing to assist the government, while Junchen is more supportive of Huang Yourong, but is this true? Otherwise, we will gather today Yan, Junchen, why do you need to secretly help Huang Yourong?"
Hearing Zhou Shangjing's words, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but remain silent.
Indeed, Zhao Junchen's little moves at the banquet might be able to hide it from Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong for a while, but they definitely could not hide it from the cunning Zhou Shangjing.
As mentioned above, Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong each have their own advantages in choosing to stay in Beijing to assist the government. With Shen Changmao's temperament and style, it is easier to suppress the prince's party, while with Huang Yourong's style, he is better at stabilizing the government and the opposition. situation.
However, because of Zhao Junchen's proposal, most of the capable officials in the prince's party were selected to accompany the southern tour, and the power left behind in the capital was greatly weakened. As a result, even the gentle Huang Yourong had In order to suppress the prince's confidence and ability, this is equivalent to weakening Shen Changmao's advantage.
After doing this, although nothing can be decided, at least, Zhou Shangjing's support for Shen Changmao will no longer be as firm as before.
Naturally, this small trick could not escape Zhou Shangjing's eyes.
Therefore, after a moment of silence, Zhao Junchen sighed and said: "The chief minister's eyes are like a torch, and these little actions of this junior are really invisible in front of the chief minister. Indeed, for the junior, this person who stays in Beijing to assist in politics is There is not much difference between the candidate, whether it is Mr. Huang Ge or Mr. Shen Ge. But judging from the younger generation, His Majesty will definitely support Mr. Huang Ge. The younger generation cannot go against His Majesty's wishes now, so he can only support Huang Ge in the future. I always stay in Beijing to assist the government, but Shen Pavilion always has the secret support of the Chief Assistant. I am really unsure and unwilling to oppose the Chief Assistant, so I can only use some small tricks secretly to shake the Chief Assistant. Your support for Mr. Shen Ge."
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen bowed slightly and saluted Zhou Shangjing in the sedan, and said: "This junior has done something wrong in his class, please forgive me, Mr. Chief Assistant."
Zhou Shangjing waved his hand gently and said: "There is no need to forgive me. I have my own plan. In this plan, whether Shen Changmao or Huang Yourong stays in Beijing to assist the government has little influence. It's just that Shen Changmao stays in Beijing. It will be easier for me to implement my plan if I am the assistant to the government in Beijing, but if I am Huang Yourong, it will have no impact."
Zhao Junchen was quite interested in the "plan" mentioned by Zhou Shangjing, but he knew enough not to ask further questions and just continued to listen to Zhou Shangjing's words.
Zhou Shangjing was repeating what Zhao Junchen had said before, with a half-smile on his face: "Junchen, what you said before was quite interesting, 'You can't go against His Majesty's wishes now'... 'Now'?"
After a pause, Zhou Shangjing changed the topic and suddenly asked: "Junchen, do you know why I have the power I have today?"
Zhao Junchen's expression changed, as if he had thought of something, but he gave a high-sounding reason: "Of course, Mr. Chief Assistant, you are a wise and wise person, and His Majesty values you."
But Zhou Shangjing shook his head and laughed, and said: "Junchen, I have never heard a single true word from your mouth, but I can tell you the truth. The reason why I am able to reach this point is because of what I represent. It’s not just me, but also the ministers and officials of my Ming Dynasty.”
Zhao Junchen was silent, thoughtful, but did not speak, and just continued to listen.
Zhou Shangjing didn't care about Zhao Junchen's silence. He just said in a daze, as if he was recalling: "I supported His Majesty's ascension to the throne back then, and His Majesty reciprocated the favor, so I was able to join the cabinet. Long, no less than Junchen today. However, after joining the cabinet, I found that I was repeatedly alienated and controlled by the officials in the court, intentionally or unintentionally. Why do you think this is, Junchen? "
Zhao Junchen remained silent.
Zhou Shangjing asked and answered his own questions, and then said: "This is because at that time, I was still His Majesty's man, and everything I did represented His Majesty's wishes. Therefore, it is inevitable to be resisted by hundreds of officials. "
Seeing Zhao Junchen's expression slightly moved, Zhou Shangjing smiled slightly and said: "The power of the king and the power of ministers have been fighting each other since they appeared. There are only so many rights in the world. The king has more rights and the ministers have less. The king is responsible for his ministers, and the ministers are loyal to the emperor. Such propaganda is just a glamorous appearance. For hundreds of years in the Ming Dynasty, the battles between emperors and ministers have never stopped from beginning to end. At that time, Mrs. Taizu abandoned the post of prime minister because Taizu wanted to weaken the power of his ministers. The subsequent rise of the cabinet was a countermeasure by the ministers. After that, the twenty-four yamen in the inner court became powerful and the eunuchs showed off their power. This was the emperor's decision to check and balance the cabinet. response; now the twenty-four yamen in the inner court are weak and the cabinet has great power, which is a manifestation of the resurgence of ministerial power."
After Zhao Junchen thought for a moment, he showed admiration, nodded and said: "Master Chief Assistant can understand."
Zhou Shang nodded and said leisurely: "After I saw this clearly, I searched the history books and found that since ancient times, throughout the dynasties, all the ministers who can leave their names in the history books, whether they are virtuous ministers or treacherous ministers, have gained power. There are only two methods, either to represent the monarch's power, do things for the king, and gain power with the support of the emperor; or to represent the power of ministers, command hundreds of officials, compete with the emperor for power, and gain power under the support of the officials. Support the subordinate ministers. However, most of the former ended badly. Eunuchs such as Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian, and traitors such as Yan Song and Wen Tiren were not representatives of monarchy. What they did were not the emperor's intentions? But their fate was How unbearable it is? You must also know the reason, Junchen."
Zhao Junchen asked: "So, Mr. Chief Assistant, you chose the second path?"
Zhou Shangjing still nodded, looking at Zhao Junchen quietly with his seemingly dim eyes, and said: "If the late emperor was still here, I would have chosen the first path, but since His Majesty is now in office, I can only choose the second way. road, because I don’t want to be another Qin Hui Yansong, and I always have to consider my descendants and my reputation. Although the second road is more difficult and more dangerous, it is still a choice."
Speaking of this, Zhou Shangjing suddenly smiled and said: "Now, I have been rewarded. Your Majesty does not like me. You even have some resentment in your heart because of my change of stance. Maybe I have become stronger over the years." Da, in order to deal with me, I have used countless methods overtly and covertly, but I have never succeeded. Why? Without him, I represent the rights and interests of all officials, and I can get their protection. Even my political opponents. I don’t want me to fall. Without this towering tree, your majesty’s next target is them. In this case, even your majesty cannot go against the wishes of the officials at will, otherwise the world will be in chaos.”
Hearing what Zhou Shangjing said, Zhao Junchen sighed: "The chief assistant is as wise as the sea and has great foresight. The younger generation admires him."
Zhou Shangjing slowly shook his head, raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Junchen, and said slowly: "After all, my choice is just my choice. The reason why I said this today is for you, Junchen."
Zhao Junchen's expression condensed, as if he thought of something, he sighed softly.
Seeing Zhao Junchen like this, Zhou Shangjing also sighed: "Actually, I did not approve of your participation in today's banquet, Junchen. Junchen, you have gained power because of His Majesty's favor. In any case, you can only follow His Majesty's wishes." In terms of actions, I, Mr. Shen Ge, and Mr. Huang Ge are representatives of ministerial power. What they have done over the years, intentionally or unintentionally, is for the benefit of all the officials in the court. What you, Junchen, have done But it’s the exact opposite.”
When Zhao Junchen nodded in recognition, Zhou Shangjing added: "Junchen, what you are thinking about now is actually not much different from that of me and others. While you are seeking your own benefit, you are also seeking the benefit of all the officials in the court. But at the end of the day, Junchen, you are His Majesty’s servant, and you are always in control of what you do. This kind of contradiction is your biggest hidden danger now, Junchen.”
Zhao Junchen's expression straightened, his face showed humility, and he bowed and said: "Please give me some advice, Mr. Chief Assistant."
"Guidance is out of the question." Zhou Shangjing seemed a little tired after talking to Zhao Junchen for so many words, and there was also a sense of ending in his words: "Junchen, you are actually just like me back then, following the power. As time goes by, it is almost time to make a decision. If some future decisions are biased towards His Majesty, the interests of the ministers in the DPRK will be harmed, and they will be hostile to the officials, but His Majesty will suppress them; if they are biased towards the officials, the interests of His Majesty will be harmed. The damage caused His Majesty's dissatisfaction, but hundreds of officials responded to protect me. However, it is no longer possible to swing from side to side like now, with one foot in two boats, and I will only be abandoned by both sides, and eventually everyone will betray their relatives. "
At this point, Zhou Shangjing's expression became more and more tired. He raised his head and smiled at Zhao Junchen, and said, "I'm tired, so I won't talk to you today Junchen, but Junchen, you should also think carefully about these things."
As he spoke, Zhou Shangjing closed the sedan curtain, and with Zhao Junchen's courtesy, he left Jude Restaurant in the sedan, leaving only Zhao Junchen standing there thoughtfully.
………
"Kingdom's power? Subject's power?"
Sitting in the carriage, Zhao Junchen frowned and muttered to himself as he recalled the previous conversation.
As Zhou Shangjing said, Zhao Junchen is now vacillating on this issue. On the surface, he has always been a confidant of Emperor Deqing. He seems to follow Emperor Deqing's attitude in everything, but secretly he has been learning from Zhou Shangjing. He deliberately wanted to become a powerful minister like Zhou Shangjing who was not subject to the emperor's will.
But as Zhao Junchen's power grew, he gradually gained the ability to influence the court's policies. Every move he made would affect the interests of countless people. It was no longer appropriate to sway back and forth like this.
To give a simple example, Emperor Deqing has been thinking of ways to weaken the influence of the cabinet. At that time, would Zhao Junchen agree or oppose it?
If he agrees, all officials will be hostile, and even those officials under Zhao Junchen will be dissatisfied; if he opposes it, Emperor Deqing will feel that Zhao Junchen has betrayed him and regard Zhao Junchen as an enemy.
"It's a dilemma."
Zhao Junchen shook his head and smiled bitterly.
At the beginning, because Emperor Deqing was in power, Zhou Shangjing saw through the nature of Emperor Deqing and chose to use ministerial power as his foundation because he did not want to become the next Qin Hui Yansong. Now Zhao Junchen relied on Emperor Deqing to gain power, but he also began to take the blame for Emperor Deqing, and gradually became the next Qin Hui Yansong.
Considering the position of Crown Prince Zhu Heyu and the style of Emperor Deqing, is Zhao Junchen today more like He Shen in later generations?
In short, in Zhao Junchen's view, with monarchy as his foundation, it can be said that although he can be arrogant for a while, he is destined to not have a good end.
However, with ministerial power as his foundation, Zhao Junchen also has various inherent shortcomings.
Not to mention that the current representative of ministerial power is Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Junchen has no ability to replace him, nor does Zhao Junchen rely on Emperor Deqing to obtain his current power. Once he leaves Emperor Deqing, Zhao Junchen can say that he is nothing. , based on Emperor Deqing's imperial mentality, how could Zhao Junchen change his stance under his nose?
"Zhou Shangjing must have had the same troubles back then, right? It's just that Emperor Deqing had just ascended the throne, and the emperor's mind and the city's methods were not as mature as they are now. Zhou Shangjing dealt with it carefully and was able to manage everything. When Emperor Deqing By the time I discovered it, it was already too late. With the methods and abilities of Emperor Deqing, how could he tolerate me becoming the second Zhou Shangjing?"
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen became more and more conflicted.
"If Emperor Deqing is no longer here, and Zhu Heyu is not the one who succeeds to the throne, then it would be easier to say... If Emperor Deqing is no longer here... If Emperor Deqing is no longer here..."
The thought that suddenly popped up in his mind shocked Zhao Junchen himself.
Shaking his head, Zhao Junchen murmured to himself: "We can't live without him now, and we have no preparations. Emperor Deqing still has to be here, but..."
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