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Although Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen appeared in a grand ceremony, which made Zhao Junchen feel a little dissatisfied, as always, Zhao Junchen did not show it. Instead, he stepped forward and took the initiative to greet Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen.
Su Changzhen, on the other hand, still stood where he was, paying little attention to Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen.
Arriving in front of Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen, Zhao Junchen cupped his hands and said with a smile: "The two seniors are Mr. Wang Baoren and Mr. Tang Zhentang, right? The junior Zhao Junchen has met these two seniors."
Seeing Zhao Junchen taking the initiative to greet him with a humble attitude, Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen both had a look of surprise in their eyes.
Then, Tang Zhen glanced at Wang Baoren inconspicuously, indicating that Wang Baoren was the main priority.
Such a scene fell into Zhao Junchen's eyes, but a look of thought flashed in Zhao Junchen's eyes - it seemed that the relationship between Tang Zhen and Wang Baoren was closer than expected.
After looking at Zhao Junchen for a <no><wrong> moment, Wang Baoren's old and solemn face actually squeezed out a smile. He cupped his hands and returned the greeting: "It turns out to be Mr. Zhao. I have heard your name for a long time. It's a pity that I'm far away. I have been in the capital for many years and have never had the opportunity to return to the capital. It was the first time I met him today... Well, when I met him today, Mr. Zhao was much younger than I expected. He really has a bright future."
Tang Zhen also smiled and supported: "Yes, Mr. Zhao and I have been close friends for a long time, but we have never met. However, Mr. Zhao has been in charge of the household department in recent years and has made great achievements. As a The Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing knows best, and he feels inferior! Especially the Sichuan Salt Policy Reform a few days ago. It actually introduced Shanxi merchants to Sichuan, which is really a big deal. Although the results have not yet been seen, it will surely happen in a few years. Years. Huaiyan will have to give up half of the country to Sichuan Salt... What's more, Mr. Zhao is still so young. It is really the waves behind the Yangtze River that push the waves ahead... In comparison, idle old people like me and Wang Shangshu will be worse. Far."
"The two seniors are ridiculously complimentary. How can the junior's achievements be compared with those of the two seniors." Faced with the conflict between Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen, as well as the sharpness hidden in the dark, Zhao Junchen became more humble. But besides being humble, there was also a subtle counterattack: "This junior is accompanying me on our journey south this time. But I still want to learn from the two seniors."
Wang Baoren seemed to be unaccustomed to such hypocritical politeness, and quickly suppressed his smile, saying: "Ask for advice... There will be many opportunities in the future, so there is no need to be anxious. The most important thing now is His Majesty's visit. Mr. Zhao, I don't know what His Majesty is." When will you come to Xuzhou?"
Zhao Junchen replied: "Governor Su and I took the speedboat to Xuzhou first to inspect the preparations for the arrival. The dragon boat His Majesty is riding is larger and slower. But it must be arriving soon."
Having said this, Zhao Junchen narrowed his eyes slightly and added a special nonsense: "Well, Zhou Chief Assistant is now accompanying His Majesty. When I came to Xuzhou, he was playing Go with His Majesty. I watched it before leaving. One glance. It’s indistinguishable and quite wonderful.”
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen's expression seemed somewhat meaningful.
It has been said before. There are no more than two reasons why these high-ranking officials in Nanjing are officials in Nanjing. Either they are retiring in Nanjing when they are old, or they lose the party battle and are squeezed out of the temple center, and Nanjing is their place of denigration and exile!
Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen are only over fifty years old now, far from the age of retirement. The reason why they are officials in Nanjing and have been unable to return to the capital for so many years is naturally because of the second reason—— He lost the party struggle and was exiled here in disguise.
And the person who made them lose the party struggle was none other than Zhou Shangjing, the chief minister of the government!
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Zhou Shangjing, the chief minister of the current cabinet, the miracle of standing in the court for more than thirty years, and the most powerful official in the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years!
For all the ambitious officials in the court, Zhou Shangjing is their ultimate goal. Over the years, there are countless prominent and powerful officials who have attacked Zhou Shangjing's position. These powerful officials are either deep-minded or resourceful. , or decisive and perseverance, they were all heroes for a while, but they were all defeated miserably at the hands of Zhou Shangjing. As the situation changed, Zhou Shangjing's political opponents came to power one after another and stepped down. I don't know how many changes have occurred, but Zhou Shangjing's power has become increasingly stable. It's profound.
Now, Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen, who were standing in front of Zhao Junchen, were both one of Zhou Shangjing's former defeated generals.
Zhao Junchen suddenly mentioned Zhou Shangjing at this time, naturally he was uneasy and well-intentioned.
Sure enough, after hearing that Zhou Shangjing was about to appear, Wang Baoren's expression changed slightly, and then his expression became much gloomier. His eyes flashed, and he didn't know what he was thinking about.
On the other side, Tang Zhen also had a faint smile and a condensed gaze, but then he looked at Zhao Junchen, and his eyes were even more cautious. He seemed to have guessed Zhao Junchen's plan. However, although he guessed it, he still Unable to control changes in my mood.
They were defeated miserably by Zhou Shangjing in the party struggle and were exiled to Nanjing for many years. Naturally, they still have some psychological shadows. After hearing the news about Zhou Shangjing, they inevitably had some emotional fluctuations.
However, both of them were veterans of the officialdom for many years, and their many years of hiding in Nanjing had also honed their minds, so they quickly controlled their emotional fluctuations and their expressions returned to normal again.
Wang Baoren's expression was solemn and rigid, and he looked north along the Grand Canal and said slowly: "Really? I haven't seen Zhou Shoufu for ten years. At that time, I was only forty-three years old, and he was already a senior citizen. Ge, becoming the youngest Ge elder at that time, was at the most proud time in his life. However, he was too proud, so he lost his caution, and was caught by others. He was driven to Nanjing to serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs... Hehe, ten years. Well, for imperial officials, these ten years should have been the most glorious ten years, but I was trapped in Nanjing and wasted my time. Today, my energy and physical strength are not as good as before, and it may be difficult to make a difference. …”
Tang Zhen also smiled and said: "Yes, the same is true for me. Back then, His Majesty intended for me to join the cabinet and become the elder. However, before it became a reality, many charges suddenly appeared on me. I was accused by more than twenty people in the morning. The censor was impeached in public. Now that I think back to the scene back then, I still feel a little scared. If His Majesty hadn't been so merciful, I would have died of depression in the prison... But I don't know if Zhou Shoufu still remembers me. Speaking of which, I learned a lot from Zhou Shoufu, but I don’t know if I will still have the chance to put these things to use."
As the two spoke, they seemed to be confiding or mumbling to themselves. Their expressions seemed calm, but also seemed to contain a little perseverance.
Seeing the appearance of Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but secretly admire them.
Although Zhao Junchen does not know how much of Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen's performance at this time is sincere and how much is disguise, it is obvious that after many years of dormancy in Nanjing, Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen still have not lost their original ambitions and aspirations.
Based on this alone, they are much better than the two current pavilion elders Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao.
Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao had already lost their initial confidence under Zhou Shangjing's repeated suppression over the years. Although they would fight with Zhou Shangjing from time to time, it was just a routine matter. Most of the time, they were just played by Zhou Shangjing. They were in the palm of their hands, but they didn't dare to really resist. When Zhou Shangjing took a step forward, they took a step back. Self-preservation was the limit, but they never seriously resisted.
According to Zhao Junchen's conjecture, the reason why Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao were able to retain their positions as elders was not because of how powerful their methods were, but because Zhou Shangjing did not kill them all and kept them as "political enemies" to avoid In the DPRK, one family will be the dominant one, otherwise it will arouse further suspicion of Emperor Deqing!
Therefore, in a certain sense, the fact that Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao have the power they have today shows that they are "harmless", otherwise Zhou Shangjing would not keep them - and the political opponents who can really threaten Zhou Shangjing have already been eliminated. Zhou Shangjing was kicked out of the court or exiled to Nanjing.
For example, Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen are like this.
It can be said that compared to Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao, Wang Baoren, Tang Zhen and others are much more powerful in terms of resourcefulness, city government, methods, etc. Although Nanjing's power and status are not as good as Beijing, it is a place where dragons and tigers are hidden!
It was precisely because he understood this that Zhao Junchen suddenly mentioned the existence of Zhou Shangjing. This was to divert the attention of Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen and let them focus on Zhou Shangjing, while Zhao Junchen took the opportunity to hide. Plan in secret, observe the reality of both sides, and finally get the advantage!
Moreover, Zhao Junchen is not afraid that Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen will not take the bait - if Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen do not take the bait, it means that they have lost their original ambitions and are just mediocre people, which is a good thing for Zhao Junchen.
"It seems that there will be a good show during my stay in South Zhili this time, but I don't know if I will have any fish to catch after the water becomes muddy!"
To a certain extent, politicians are always afraid of chaos.
While thinking secretly, watching Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen express emotions that were both true and false, Zhao Junchen said with a smile: "Your Majesty will stay in South Zhili for a long time during this southern tour. I think the two seniors will have something to do with each other." Spend a lot of time catching up with Zhou Shoufu."
"Really? Then I'm relieved." After Wang Baoren glanced at Zhao Junchen, his expression became calmer and calmer, and he said slowly: "To be honest, I really miss Zhou Shoufu over the years."
"Yes, I haven't heard Zhou Shoufu's teachings for many days, but I don't know if Zhou Shoufu's realm has become higher." Tang Zhen smiled, but turned his attention to Zhao Junchen again, and said: "But , if I have time, I would also like to discuss the Sichuan Salt Reform with Lord Zhao. A few days ago, news of the Sichuan Salt Reform reached Southern Zhili, and the salt merchants here were in an uproar."
Zhao Junchen smiled and said nothing and did not answer. However, following Wang Baoren and Tang Zhen's responses, he had a brief understanding of their current mentality and style.
At this moment, a sharp-eyed official from Southern Zhili suddenly pointed to the north of the canal and shouted: "My lords, look, the Southern Patrol Fleet has arrived! The Southern Patrol Fleet has arrived!"
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…(To be continued…)
Chapter 310. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Southern Zhili:
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