What happened next was just as Lu Chunxiao and Li Chengru had guessed. The troubles for the prince's party had just begun. 【Read the latest chapter】
After the refugees left the Yamen of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, they went to Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment, followed naturally by a large group of people from the capital watching the excitement.
However, both the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment, after receiving the petitions from these refugees, did not know whether it was because they were in awe of the prince's power or because they had received advice from someone with a caring heart, but their performance was actually worse than that of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and they all tried their best to shirk the blame. The matter has no intention of accepting it at all.
For a time, although the city of Beijing was large and there were countless yamen, these refugees really could not find a place to reason. So, out of disappointment and anger, among the refugees, some cried in the streets and some complained in public. , some criticized the unfairness of the world, and the matter became more and more troubled, causing great repercussions in the capital.
Then, with the help of some "careful people", the news spread extremely fast. In just half a day, the officialdom and the people in the capital were already in a fuss about it.
Rumors in the world always have one characteristic, that is, they become more exaggerated as they spread.
Therefore, it didn’t take long for such news to be spread beyond recognition. It said, “The Metropolitan Procuratorate actually beat refugees in the street to protect the prince.” "Accepting cases", "The prince took advantage of the preparations for the southern tour to embezzle dozens of people and two silver coins", etc.
There are countless rumors, but they are so convincing that people have no choice but to believe them.
It turned out that Prince Zhu Heyu had been vigorously promoted by the Qingliu people in the court in recent years. His reputation among the people was very good, and he thought, "After the crown prince succeeds to the throne, the Ming Dynasty will usher in a prosperous era, and the people can live a good life." It has become deeply rooted in people's hearts over the years.
However, as the spread of rumors becomes wider and wider, and their influence becomes greater and greater, many people who spread rumors swear by it as if they have witnessed it with their own eyes, and the common people are most easily swayed by "what others say", and the originally firm ideas , but he couldn't help but began to waver slowly. They all thought: "Is it possible that the prince is not as good as the legend says? Is he just good at pretending to deceive the people?"
Once such a thought arises, it is like a seed. It took root in the hearts of the people and then grew rapidly.
Later, many neutral people also joined the ranks of spreading rumors, just by talking. Promise. It's like seeing it with your own eyes.
And this is what Zhou Shangjing, Huang Yourong, Shen Changmao and Zhao Junchen want to achieve the most. Forgiveness?br />
You must know that the most important reason is that Prince Zhu Heyu is hostile to several major forces in the court. It is obviously difficult for him to move forward, but his position as crown prince has always been very stable. It was not the secret protection of Emperor Deqing, nor the strong support of the prince's party. It's about Prince Zhu Heyu's sage image among the government and the public!
It is precisely because of such a wise image that Prince Zhu Heyu has a very high reputation among the government and the public, and more and more people in the government and the public are willing to support him, so that even if Emperor Deqing really succeeds in the future, Is there a replacement for the prince?a href='/711/4849414/'>.Thoughts.Pai, the father of the craftsman, Lai scratching the back of the head, Huan Yi Mei, cone frame?br />
But the current situation and the current rumors are nothing more than draining the firepower from the bottom of the pot for Prince Zhu Heyu. After this incident, no matter what the final result is, the foundation of Prince Zhu Heyu will definitely be greatly affected!
Without Zhu Heyu's reputation as a wise man, it would undoubtedly be much easier to deal with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the other side, Zhao Junchen, as one of the "careful people", has been watching the development of the matter coldly, although he has not personally participated.
Under Zhao Junchen's order, the waiters in the West Factory kept a close eye on all the disturbances in the capital. If there were any changes, they would notify Zhao Junchen as soon as possible.
In the evening, another Xichang stall came to Zhao's house and reported the news to Zhao Junchen.
In Zhao's study, after reporting the situation discovered by the West Factory, the stall owner added: "Mr. Factory Supervisor, I'm afraid this wave of refugees is just the beginning. Our West Factory has also received news, and there are also Huguang, Jiangsu and Zhejiang , and even refugees from South Zhili, numbering no less than a hundred, are now rushing towards the capital, probably with the same purpose as this wave of refugees from Shandong, who are all coming to Beijing to complain."
"Oh?" Zhao Junchen asked casually while sipping tea: "When will they come to Beijing?"
The stall owner of Xichang replied: "Based on the distance traveled by these refugees, it will be within three to five days at the latest."
Zhao Junchen put down the tea cup in his hand and said with a smile: "This is quite lively. If this happens, things will probably get bigger and bigger."
After pondering for a moment, Zhao Junchen asked the Xichang stall: "Is all the rumors spreading in Beijing already known to everyone?"
The stall owner of the West Factory nodded repeatedly and said: "Mr. Factory Supervisor, I feel that this matter is not that simple. Someone must be fishing in troubled waters, otherwise the rumors would not have spread throughout the capital in less than a day. Now about All the rumors about the prince are probably known to all, if not everyone in the capital."
Zhao Junchen sighed and said, "It's a pity. Once this rumor spreads, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to quell. The poor prince's good reputation, which he has worked so hard to accumulate, will be ruined."
The news that Prince Zhu Heyu was hostile to Zhao Junchen was known to everyone in the government and the public, and the stall owner of the West Factory was also aware of it. At this time, seeing Zhao Junchen feeling sorry for the prince, he couldn't help but express his feelings, but he did not dare to say anything more, but his attitude was respectful. Standing aside, waiting for Zhao Junchen's next order.
After Zhao Junchen sighed for a moment, he changed the topic and ordered to the stall owner of the West Factory: "Send the order to our factory supervisor. From now on, all the people in the West Factory will come out in force, join the Jin Yiwei and the Shuntian Mansion Yamen, and inspect the capital together. If they encounter We will not tolerate those who spread rumors, we will arrest them all and interrogate them strictly! We must do our best to limit the spread of rumors and calm down the impact!"
Upon hearing Zhao Junchen's order, the stall owner of the West Factory couldn't help but be startled. But he agreed quickly and then retreated at Zhao Junchen's signal.
When the Xichang stalls retreated, only Zhao Junchen and Xu Qingyan were left in the study.
Xu Qingyan was puzzled. He couldn't help but ask Zhao Junchen: "Why did the young master give such an order? Asking the West Factory to join forces with Jin Yiwei and Shuntian Mansion to limit the spread of rumors, isn't this just wiping the prince's butt? Let me tell you, even if we didn't add fuel to the flames, it would be Okay, now you can just watch the fun, why bother helping the prince?"
Zhao Junchen smiled leisurely and said: "You just haven't read enough. Haven't you ever heard of the saying 'it's better to guard against the people's mouth than against the river'? Rumors, the more you try to stop them, the more likely they will be." Violent, my actions. On the surface, I am helping the prince, but in fact, I am adding fuel to the fire. This is one of them. Besides, the prince's wise image has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. If it is just some rumors, I'm afraid I can't damage its roots, but if I order the factory guards to restrict the spread of rumors and arrest those who spread rumors, in the eyes of many people, it is a sign of guilty conscience. On the contrary, they will believe three points more. This is the second one; and now the rumors It is prosperous. I think there will be many people arrested for spreading rumors. The public resentment caused by this will eventually focus on the prince. This is the third one. "
After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, Xu Qingyan's eyes lit up, he gave Zhao Junchen a thumbs up and said, "Wonderful! So it turns out that on the surface, he is helping the prince, but in fact he is killing three birds with one stone. The prince is even more embarrassed! The young master is still smarter!"
After a pause, Zhao Junchen continued: "Actually, my purpose is not just that. Now I am in charge of Xichang. What is Xichang? After all, it is His Majesty's minion. Naturally, I have to do things according to His Majesty's wishes. , at this time, I must take action, so that I can show my loyalty to His Majesty. What's more, everyone's grudges between me and the Prince are well known. Doing something for the Prince at this time can also alleviate His Majesty's suspicion of me. "
Speaking of this, Zhao Junchen sighed lightly and added: "The He Ming family murder case has just ended, and now such a thing has happened again, Your Majesty will definitely suspect that someone is targeting the prince, and I still can't do without it. Your Majesty supports it, so naturally we have to take action and try to distance ourselves as much as possible."
Xu Qingyan nodded repeatedly and complained: "Yes, the He Ming family murder case came suddenly and disrupted all our plans."
Xu Qingyan knew most of Zhao Junchen's affairs, and he also understood that Zhao Junchen was one of the planners of the current plan against the prince, which made him even more worried that Emperor Deqing would suspect Zhao Junchen.
Suddenly, Xu Qingyan seemed to have thought of something, but his expression tightened and he asked: "Master, let me see, all the rumors against the prince have spread so violently, it must be Zhou Shangjing, Huang Yourong, and Shen Changmao who are secretly involved. Adding fuel to the flames, now you have Xichang Fanzi arresting people who spread rumors everywhere. Once Zhou Shangjing and his friends are caught, and Zhou Shangjing and the three of them are exposed, wouldn't it be possible that we would be implicated as well?"
Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "Don't think that we are the only smart people. Those three elders have been in officialdom for many years, but they are all old foxes. How can they be easily caught? If you want to create rumors, just take the lead at the beginning." Now there will be people to spread the word, so why do you need to be involved and do it yourself? Now that the rumors have spread throughout the capital, the people they arranged have already been removed, so where can they be caught? Don’t worry! "
While he was talking, Zhao Junchen looked up and glanced out the window, only to see that the sun was setting in the west, the sky was dim, and it was already evening.
"It seems that the Meridian Gate is not closed yet." Zhao Junchen stood up, stretched first, and then said: "Qingyan, come with me to the palace. When things have developed to the point where they are now, it is time to let go." Your Majesty knows the news."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just when Zhao Junchen was heading to the Forbidden City, chaos arose in the palace of Prince Xiao Wenruan.
It turned out that not long after the group of refugees left the Yamen of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Lu Chunxiao and Li Chengru realized that trouble was coming, but for a while they couldn't come up with a solution, so they thought of Xiao Wenruan, the prince's grand master.
In their opinion, Xiao Wenruan has rich experience and is the pillar of the prince's party, so he must be able to think of countermeasures.
So Lu Chunxiao and Li Chengru hurriedly went to Xiao Wenruan's house to pay a visit.
After meeting Xiao Wenruan, the two talked about what happened, even though Xiao Wenruan had gone through countless ups and downs. He was always mature and prudent, so he couldn't help but be shocked.
Xiao Wenruan immediately thought of the impact this incident would have on the prince!
Therefore, Xiao Wenruan did not dare to neglect. First, he asked Lu Chunxiao to send people to take the refugees to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, let the Metropolitan Procuratorate accept the cases filed by the refugees, and control the situation in his own hands. Then he sent people to pay attention to the situation in Beijing and try to calm down the impact as much as possible.
However, although Xiao Wenruan was well-equipped to deal with the situation, everything did not go smoothly. Although the people from the Metropolitan Procuratorate found the group of refugees, the refugees, under the encouragement of thoughtful people, were convinced that the Yamen of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Prince Zhu Heyu were "in collusion". In response to the invitation from the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he was extremely uncooperative.
The people in the Metropolitan Procuratorate had no choice but to "force their request", but the refugees resisted. Not to mention the failure. Instead, it added evidence to the rumor that the Metropolitan Procuratorate beat refugees in the street.
Although Xiao Wenruan sent people to pay attention to the situation in Beijing and try to calm down the influence as much as possible, the rumors were too violent, so how could they be easily calmed down? Instead, it became more violent as it calmed down.
When everything goes wrong like this, it's as if all his plans have been predicted by his opponents. Not only did he fail to improve the situation, but he was exploited instead. Even with Xiao Wenruan's ability, he couldn't help but be in a hurry.
only. Xiao Wenruan himself was old and his energy was already low. At such a critical moment, he was even more powerless. After a while, his head was dizzy and he could not think clearly. In desperation, he asked someone to take the golden elixir.
Xiao Wenruan actually asked for the golden elixir from "Laojun Temple" two months ago, but Xiao Wenruan knew very well that the golden elixir was harmful to the human body and was harmful to the human body. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a poison in nature. Although it has the effect of externally replenishing and refreshing the spirit, it is more likely to overdraw your energy and even your life!
Therefore, although Xiao Wenruan asked for the golden elixir just in case, he did not dare to eat it easily and just kept it.
But now that the situation is urgent and everything is passive, Xiao Wenruan only feels that he is powerless and energetic, but he can no longer care about anything else, so he has to borrow the power of the golden elixir, hoping to survive this difficulty.
However, Xiao Wenruan did not know that Zhou Shangjing had already expected the current situation, and that the golden elixir he had obtained from the "Laojun Temple" had been transferred by someone sent by Zhou Shangjing.
Therefore, the golden elixir Xiao Wenruan is taking now is the golden elixir that Zhou Shangjing has added, so naturally it will not have good results.
But it was said that after Xiao Wenruan took the golden elixir, he was energetic at first and his mind was as clear as ever. However, before half a cup of tea, his nose suddenly started to bleed, and then he fainted!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Prince Zhu Heyu arrived at Xiao's residence, the imperial doctors had already examined Xiao Wenruan's body and were discussing countermeasures with serious expressions.
"What's going on? How is Master Xiao's health?"
The prince came to the doctor, tried his best to calm down his emotions, and asked the doctor in a deep voice.
Previously, after He Ming was killed, although Zhu Heyu was angry, he was not very sad. After all, although he and He Ming were masters and disciples, and he himself was a respectful person, but he did not like He Ming after all. Ming style and approach, not deep feelings.
But Xiao Wenruan is different. It can be said that everything that Prince Zhu Heyu is today, including knowledge, character, and behavior, is all learned from Xiao Wenruan. Zhu Heyu's feelings for Xiao Wenruan are even more profound. When he saw Xiao Wenruan falling ill, although Prince Zhu Heyu tried to remain calm, his heart was filled with panic and nervousness that ordinary people could not understand.
Seeing the prince's inquiry, the doctors did not dare to neglect. One of the leading doctors quickly replied: "Returning to your highness, judging from the pulse, Mr. Xiao is suffering from anxiety and heart attack. In addition, he is old and frail, and he is taking drugs." The golden elixir overdraws my energy, so I fall ill."
Prince Zhu Heyu frowned and asked seriously: "Is the situation serious?"
The imperial doctors looked at each other, their expressions either nervous or sad, but no one answered Zhu Heyu's questions.
Seeing the reactions of the imperial doctors, the prince's heart sank. He had some bad thoughts, but he was unwilling to give in. Finally, he showed some anxiety and asked, "I am asking you a question! What happened now? Is there anything that this prince cannot bear! Answer me quickly, is Master Xiao seriously ill?"
After the imperial doctors looked at each other again, the chief physician finally answered: "Your Highness, I have tried my best, but Mr. Xiao's current situation is really troublesome, because he has just taken the golden elixir. Because of the overdraft of energy, even the use of medicine needs to be very cautious. However, Mr. Xiao is at a critical moment now, and it cannot be cured without strong medicine..."
At this point, the imperial doctor sighed, but didn't know how to continue.
Seeing that the prince's expression became more and more anxious, another imperial doctor finally came to his conclusion and whispered: "I hope that your highness, the prince, can be prepared, Mr. Xiao... Although I will try my best, there is a chance* *, I’m afraid it will be difficult to recover.”
Hearing this conclusion, the prince's body was shaken, and then with an angry look on his face, he shouted in a low voice: "How is that possible! Don't you usually claim to be unparalleled in the country? How come you can't even cure Master Xiao's disease! How do you become an imperial doctor? !”
The prince was usually kind to his subordinates, but he rarely became so angry.
When the imperial doctors saw that the prince was angry, they quickly knelt down to apologize.
Just when the prince was angry, a low cry suddenly came from Xiao Wenruan's room.
"Master Xiao, wake up!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ps: I'm not feeling well, I seem to be suffering from heatstroke, and my head is dizzy. The update is late, so please forgive me! Well, here is a five thousand word chapter. (To be continued...)
