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In fact, after learning about Zhao Junchen's various plans, not only Gu Quan, Zhan Shanchang, and Liu Changan, but even Zuo Lanshan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, also felt awe of Zhao Junchen.
This can be seen through the changes in their attitudes.
When Zhan Shanchang, Gu Quan, and Liu Changan faced Zhao Junchen, their attitudes became more humble and cautious, and they no longer dared to take credit or ask for favors; Zuo Lanshan, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, also became much more cautious, feeling that he had lowered his posture. , no longer dare to rely on his official position to speak and act unscrupulously like Zhao Junchen.
After all, no matter how Zhao Junchen explains it, there is one fact that cannot be concealed.
That is - Zhao Junchen's methods are far superior to others, and in Zhao Junchen's various plans, they are just mere chess pieces, and once the chess pieces offend their master, they will become a chess piece at any time. Abandoned child!
Therefore, it is natural that they would be in awe.
However, "reverence" does not mean "loyalty", it often means alienation.
But Zhao Junchen didn't care about this.
If you want to win the allegiance of a gentleman, it is not enough to just rely on the word "reverence". But if you want to win the obedience of a villain, in addition to the relationship of interest, the word "reverence" is the most important thing.
People like Zhan Shanchang, Gu Quan, Liu Changan and others are not pure villains, but they are also not gentlemen. The fundamental reason why they took refuge in Zhao Junchen is just because of their interests. If one day there is a greater temptation of interests, they will He may not betray Zhao Junchen.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen's various statements today are precisely to establish prestige and make them feel awe of him. They will also obey themselves more and more, and will not dare to betray easily.
Actually, before that. The "Zhao Party" is essentially just a loose alliance of interests, not a powerful political group. Zhao Junchen can become the leader of the "Zhao Party" only because Zhao Junchen can seek the greatest benefits for everyone.
It is precisely for this reason that before this, Zhao Junchen did not have very strong control over the "Zhao Party". If he wanted to take any action, he often had to persuade other "Zhao Party" officials, and he did not stick to his word. Ability.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen has always wanted to establish prestige. Strengthen your control over "Zhao Party".
However, Zhao Junchen was lacking in both prestige and strength in the past. If he blindly established prestige, it would only be counterproductive and make the "Zhao Party" officials feel disgusted.
But now, the time is right - when Zhao Junchen is accompanying Zhao Junchen on his southern tour, after losing Zhao Junchen's protection, the "Zhao Party" officials are like a bereaved dog and are being bullied. Zhao Junchen's importance has been clearly demonstrated, which has increased Zhao Junchen's prestige in disguise.
In addition, Zhao Junchen is about to take over the business tax rectification matter. The power will inevitably increase greatly, so Zhao Junchen's strength gradually becomes sufficient.
Therefore, now is the best time for Zhao Junchen to establish his prestige!
At the same time, Huang Yourong is about to fall from power. Out of various considerations, Zhao Junchen will try his best to bring Zuo Lanshan into the cabinet and serve as cabinet minister. By that time, Zuo Lanshan's apparent status will be higher than Zhao Junchen may cause chaos in the leadership of the "Zhao Party". Zhao Junchen chose this time to establish his prestige to prevent such a situation from happening.
today. Zhao Junchen explained his various plans in detail, which actually hinted to everyone the fact that my means, intelligence, and abilities are far superior to yours. I can protect you without any risk, or I can let you die without a burial place, it all depends on my thoughts! Therefore, you should not have any petty thoughts in the future, just listen to my leadership!
Of course, Zuo Lanshan, Zhan Shanchang and others were still unaware of Zhao Junchen's thoughts. Only the bachelor Huo Zhengyuan was aware of it, but Huo Zhengyuan not only did not feel disgusted by it, but instead had a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes.
Due to personality reasons, Huo Zhengyuan does not want his future leader to be a weak person.
*****
Next, Zhao Junchen began to discuss with everyone the plan to annex the "Yellow Party". It was basically nothing more than instigating rebellion, buying off, and suppressing dissidents. There is no need to elaborate.
But he said that at this moment, in the capital less than thirty miles away, various forces were also brewing their own plans.
In the Prince's East Palace, Zhu Heyu learned that Emperor Deqing had arrived in Tongzhou and was about to return to the capital. He quickly summoned many members of the "Princeling Party" to discuss countermeasures.
Among them, in addition to the elder Cheng Yuandao, the young master Guo Tang, the imperial censor of Zuodu Lu Chunxiao and others, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian is also on the list!
I don't know since when, the seventh prince Zhu Heyu has gained the recognition and trust of all the "princelings", and he has begun to openly attend various gatherings of the "princelings", blatantly make suggestions for the "princelings", and All officials of the "princeling party" take this for granted, and already regard the seventh prince Zhu Hejian as the second-in-command of the "princeling party", second only to Prince Zhu Heyu.
In fact, Prince Zhu Heyu has the utmost trust in the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, and he also obeys Zhu Hejian's suggestions. From this aspect, it is not wrong to say that Zhu Hejian has now become the real controller of the "Princeling Party" Too much.
At this time, Zhu Heyu and Zhu Hejian were sitting on the main seat, while Cheng Yuandao, Guo Tang, Lu Chunxiao and others were sitting on both sides.
I saw that Zhu Heyu's originally resolute face was filled with sadness at this time, and he said slowly: "Father has come to Tongzhou now and will return to Beijing tomorrow! Unfortunately, our plan to rectify business taxation has not only failed I have not achieved any results, but it has made the situation in the temple a lot of chaos. After I see my father tomorrow, I will definitely be blamed. I am not worried about my father’s reprimand. I am only worried that our happy achievements these days will be destroyed. Once the commercial and tax rectification comes to an end, what should we do?"
After saying that, Zhu Heyu couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
In recent days, Zhu Heyu finally took control of the temple as he wished, and began to handle government affairs according to his own ideas, but because of this, Zhu Heyu finally gradually realized his superficiality in the past. The current political situation of the imperial court cannot be settled by relying on righteousness.
Therefore, Zhu Heyu has gradually matured. Many ideas are no longer as naive as before.
In fact, after Zhu Heyu experienced this incident. Maybe he will gradually grow into a qualified heir to the emperor.
It's a pity that there is really not much time left for Zhu Heyu to continue to grow.
On the other side, after hearing Zhu Heyu's sigh, Lu Chunxiao said angrily: "It's just that the officials below dared to obstruct the imperial decree by deceiving the superiors and concealing the truth. Even if we repeatedly kill chickens to scare the monkeys, we still can't make them fearful. Our various policies to rectify commercial taxation are not only hindered at the central level, but also become a piece of paper at the local level! How can we achieve results in this way?"
The elder Cheng Yuandao also shook his head and said: "There are huge loopholes in the commercial taxation of our dynasty, so we must make drastic rectifications. However, if our rectifications do not achieve any results and only cause political chaos, we will not be able to win the favor of Your Majesty." I am afraid that all our efforts these days will be in vain! This situation is really annoying..."
After Guo Tang hesitated for a moment, he said: "We still don't know what His Majesty's thoughts are. Maybe His Majesty may not support us..."
On the other side, Zhu Heyu's brows gradually wrinkled after hearing everyone's busy discussion.
Without him, although everyone has many opinions, most of them are useless and are just complaints and speculations.
Today, Zhu Heyu has gradually become more practical. Rather than complaining and speculating, he would rather hear some effective suggestions!
then. Zhu Heyu turned his attention to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian beside him, hoping to get Zhu Hejian's advice.
After noticing Zhu Heyu's gaze. Zhu Hejian coughed twice first, and then asked: "These days, I have been recuperating in my house and have not paid much attention to the situation between North Korea and China. From what you adults have said, is it possible that our action to rectify business taxation is actually Not getting any results?”
After hearing Zhu Hejian's inquiry, everyone, including Zhu Heyu, felt a little embarrassed.
After all, under Zhu Hejian's plan, everyone first destroyed the Shen-Huang Alliance and broke through Huang Yourong's obstruction. Then they forcibly overcame the objections of the officials and successfully implemented the decision to rectify the business tax. Then with the help of Zhu Hejian , cleverly built momentum, united all the forces that could be united, and transformed the idea of rectifying commercial taxation into actual decrees...
It can be said that in the early days of rectifying commercial taxes, the "princelings", with the assistance of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, had a smooth sailing without encountering any obstacles.
It's a pity that Zhu Hejian's physical condition is not good. After doing all this, his body naturally "cannot hold on", so he no longer participates in the "princeling" actions and rests peacefully to recuperate.
At that time, the overall situation of the imperial court was completely in the hands of the "princelings", and the "princelings" were also full of confidence. They felt that under such circumstances, even without Zhu Hejian's help, it would be enough for them to make a big impact.
However, since then, everything has gone wrong for the "princelings". Not only has the commercial and tax rectification failed to achieve any results, but the situation in the temple has become increasingly chaotic. The good situation of the "princelings" has also been gradually lost. Today, the "princelings" seem to be in control, but in fact they are struggling.
In short, after leaving Zhu Hejian's assistance, the "princelings" not only accomplished nothing, but also gradually lost their original advantages, and could not even defend Chengdu.
As a result, everyone was naturally a little embarrassed after hearing Zhu Hejian's inquiry.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhu Hejian's eyes flashed with disdain, but on the surface he remained calm. He just sighed softly and said slowly: "Well, commercial tax is the most sensitive place in our court. It is true that rectification is not something that happens overnight, and it is inevitable to encounter some setbacks. Therefore, although the current situation is not good, it is no wonder, sir. However, in the eyes of my father, this situation can only be avoided. It will result in an evaluation of incompetence, so our top priority is to try to obtain the emperor's understanding and let us continue to preside over the business and tax rectification. When that time comes, we will find another way to reverse the situation..."
Zhu Heyu's eyes lit up, and he felt that Zhu Hejian's analysis was to the point, and he finally heard some useful suggestions. So he quickly asked: "Oh? Obtain father's understanding? Seventh brother, do you have any specific solutions?"
Zhu Hejian lowered his head slightly, as if he was deep in thought. In fact, he used the lowering of his head to hide the faint excitement in his eyes.
Zhu Hejian has been coveting the throne for a long time. Naturally, he would not sincerely help Zhu Heyu reverse the situation.
In fact, Zhu Hejian will only propose a plan that looks good. But if Prince Zhu Heyu really follows the plan, then Zhu Heyu's end will only become more embarrassing.
Zhu Hejian has been preparing for this "looking good plan" for a long time!
However, just when Zhu Hejian was about to speak, an eunuch from the East Palace hurriedly came to Prince Zhu Heyu and reported to Zhu Heyu: "Your Highness, someone claims to be the student of the former crown prince He Ming, Jin Ke The second place winner in the palace examination is named Zhao Shancai. I would like to ask to see you."
After hearing the report, Prince Zhu Heyu was slightly startled and said, "Zhao Shancai? Didn't he go on a southern tour with his father? He should be accompanying him in Tongzhou now. How could he come to the capital?"
On the other side, Lu Chunxiao, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, was overjoyed and said: "Your Highness, that Zhao Shancai is a close disciple of senior He Ming. He has inherited the knowledge of emperor's mind from senior He Ming. Although he is not very old, he is also He is a man of extraordinary intelligence. And he is one of our own. He has come to the capital now to help His Highness solve problems. Why don’t we recruit him? Maybe he will have a way to solve the current problem!"
Prince Zhu Heyu had also met Zhao Shancai several times and had a good impression of Zhao Shancai, so after hearing Lu Chunxiao's suggestion, he immediately nodded in agreement and said, "In that case, let's invite Zhao Shancai to come in and talk."
On the other side, after hearing Lu Chunxiao's proposal, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian's eyes flashed and he fell silent.
Zhu Hejian was also a student of the former prince and grand master He Ming. He knew that He Ming's tactics were profound and unpredictable, but it was a pity that Zhu Hejian was not the prince. Therefore, He Ming never wanted to see Zhu Hejian and never imparted his true talents and knowledge to Zhu Hejian. But Zhu Hejian is extremely talented in the art of intrigue, and he has managed to reach this stage with the help of some superficial skills taught by He Ming!
However, it was precisely because Zhu Hejian knew how terrifying He Ming was that when Emperor Deqing recalled He Ming to serve as the crown prince again, Zhu Hejian did not stop and sent people disguised as bandits to intercept and kill He Ming on the way. The Ming family, because Zhu Hejian knew very well that once the prince Zhu Heyu received the assistance of He Ming, his ambitions would never be realized.
Because of this, although Zhao Shancai is not well-known now, as a close disciple of He Ming, Zhu Hejian does not dare to underestimate him at all.
Therefore, Zhu Hejian suddenly fell silent - the "seemingly beautiful plan" he conceived was not difficult to hide from the "princeling" officials, but it may not be possible to hide it from Zhao Shancai. If he rashly mentioned it at this time, If he comes out, he might be exposed by Zhao Shancai!
On the other side, while waiting for Zhao Shancai, Zhu Heyu also asked Zhu Hejian for his idea again, but Zhu Hejian just said that he had not thought it through yet and wanted to think about it for a while, but Zhu Hejian planned to do it after seeing Zhao Shancai's true ability with his own eyes. Decide.
Then, Zhao Shancai appeared quickly.
With the aura of being one of He Ming's disciples, although Zhao Shancai has little qualifications and is young, everyone in the "princeling party" looked up to him. When Zhao Shancai appeared, everyone's eyes were also focused on him. .
Under the attention of everyone, Zhao Shancai looked calm and calm. He just walked quickly to the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, bowed and saluted: "Student Zhao Shancai, this is so polite! I have met His Highness the Crown Prince, and I have also met all of you sirs!"
Prince Zhu Heyu asked: "Shan Cai, aren't you accompanying the driver? His Majesty is still in Tongzhou and will not return to Beijing until tomorrow. Why did you come back early? If others find out, I'm afraid you will be punished by the officials. ”
Zhao Shancai shook his head and sighed: "How could Shancai still sit still after hearing His Highness the Crown Prince's move to rectify business taxes? After arriving in Tongzhou, he left the southern patrol team privately and hurried back to the capital! However, Shancai's status was low. , the southern patrol team has a huge number of people, and although Shancai is absent, he may not be found. What's more, if the crisis of His Royal Highness can be relieved, even if Shancai is punished by the officials, everything will be worth it. "
"Crisis? How to talk about it?"
Prince Zhu Heyu had indeed grown a lot, and he was sensitive to the seriousness of Zhao Shancai's words and asked quickly.
Zhao Shancai sighed again and asked: "In recent days, His Royal Highness has been busy with business and tax rectification. I'm afraid he hasn't paid much attention to His Majesty's southern tour, right?"
Prince Zhu Heyu was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's true. During this period, I was focused on business and tax rectification and did not pay attention to the details of my father's southern tour. What's wrong? Could it be that during my father's southern tour? What happened?"
Zhao Shancai saw that Prince Zhu Heyu was so dull, and subconsciously sighed again, and then said: "Prince, do you really think that His Majesty's southern tour is just for fun? In fact, His Majesty's southern tour is for fun." There is another profound meaning, and the situation in the imperial court almost changed dramatically because of this."
After hearing Zhao Shancai's explanation, Prince Zhu Heyu was stunned again and asked: "What do you mean? Tell me in detail!"
Then, Zhao Shancai explained in detail to Prince Zhu Heyu and the "princelings" the fighting game between Emperor Deqing and his assistant Zhou Shangjing during the southern tour, and the profound meaning of Emperor Deqing's intention to take the opportunity to overthrow Zhou Shangjing.
All the "princeling" officials were shocked when they heard about the overt and covert fights between Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing. They did not expect that Emperor Deqing's southern tour plan had such profound meaning!
At the same time, the battle between Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing was extremely exciting. Even though everyone only inquired about it afterwards, they felt equally thrilling.
Therefore, when Zhao Shancai finished speaking, everyone was shocked, and there were actually many people who showed a hint of unfinished expression.
Seeing that everyone was only listening to the story and did not realize the seriousness of the matter, Zhao Shancai felt angry and said: "Your Majesty and Zhou Shangjing have been fighting openly and secretly for many years. It has always been your Majesty's long-cherished wish to overthrow Zhou Shangjing. When he was in Suzhou, your Majesty was far away from him. Success was only one step away, but at this moment, His Majesty received the news that the Crown Prince was rectifying the business tax. In order to stabilize the situation between the government and the opposition, he had no choice but to give up the attack on Zhou Shangjing. Countless efforts and preparations were also made. It was ruined because of this... As a result, the annoyance in His Majesty's heart can be imagined. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you ruined His Majesty's plan to bring down Zhou Shangjing. His Majesty is extremely dissatisfied with you now, and it is definitely not just a few words of reprimand. It can pass..."
Having said this, Zhao Shancai's expression became more solemn, and he said word by word: "In the eyes of His Majesty, His Majesty the Crown Prince, you are now more successful than successful. To be more serious, Your Majesty may have had the idea of replacing reserves. Maybe..."
After hearing what Zhao Shancai said, all the "princeling" officials, including Prince Zhu Heyu, realized the seriousness of the matter.
Especially after they heard the word "exchange reserves", they all looked flustered and pale!
The position of prince is the most fundamental interest of the "princeling party". If Zhu Heyu loses the position of prince, it means that the entire "princeling party" will disappear!
Before that, they always felt that no matter how serious the business tax rectification was, the most they would get was a few words of reprimand from Emperor Deqing.
And just when the "princelings" were panicking, Zhao Shancai said again: "As of now, although the situation is serious, it may not be impossible to recover!"
As Zhao Shancai finished speaking, a trace of murderous intent suddenly flashed in the eyes of the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian!
In Zhu Hejian's view, the Zhao Shancai in front of him must not be kept!
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ps: Due to certain circumstances, Chongzi doesn’t usually have much free time. He often can’t find time to code until after nine o’clock in the evening, so even if he tries his best, there will only be one chapter a day. Depending on the status, the number of words will be around 2,000. It ranges from more than four thousand.
In fact, because of the lack of updates, this book's performance is very poor. Chongzi codes every day, largely just to escape reality and change his mood.
But I never expected that after the update became stable, everyone would be very supportive, which moved Chongzi very much!
There is no official work today, and I have relatives helping me with family matters. After resting, I will also write more to express my gratitude to everyone for their love.
Well, here is a big chapter of 6,000 words! Will update more tomorrow!
...To be continued.
