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Not to mention Huang Yourong's continued persuasion to Zhang Cheng and Lin Wei, nor to the upcoming actions of Huo Zhengyuan and Chen Dongxiang.
But he said that after the great court meeting, besides Huang Yourong, there was another person who was also ignored by the officials intentionally or unintentionally.
It stands to reason that this person's attitude is of great importance. No matter how much officials attach importance to it, they should never ignore him.
However, during this major court meeting, this man's performance was even more low-key than Zhao Junchen, and he hid his true attitude very cleverly. In addition, Shen Changmao stole the limelight, so the officials All of them have somewhat overlooked the importance of this person.
This person is naturally the elder Zhou Shangjing!
After the court meeting, when officials gathered around Shen Changmao and showed their courtesy to Shen Changmao, Zhou Shangjing's performance was as low-key as ever, and he just led a few core members of the "Zhou Party" to slowly leave Huangji. temple.
When passing by Shen Changmao and others, Zhou Shangjing looked calm and did not look sideways at each other. He seemed not to care that Shen Changmao stole his limelight. However, Song Qiwen, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Li He, the Grand Scholar of the Baohe Palace, and the Minister of the Ministry of Justice Zhang Boxhong and others had different expressions, some were disdainful, some were sarcastic, or some were unhappy.
After everyone left the Huangji Hall, Zhang Bochong could no longer hold it in any longer and complained softly to Zhou Shangjing: "Master Chief Assistant, look at Shen Changmao's triumphant appearance. He is just taking advantage of your quarrel with His Majesty. It’s just a bargain, but I really think I’m so great!”
Zhou Shangjing has now lost his position as the chief minister of the cabinet and is just an ordinary cabinet elder. However, Zhang Bochong and others still call Zhou Shangjing "the chief minister" in private. In their eyes, Shen Changmao is not worthy at all. The position of chief minister of the cabinet will return to Zhou Shangjing sooner or later.
Li He sneered and said: "Shen Changmao has been suppressed by the chief minister for nearly twenty years. Now that he has finally gained some glory, he naturally got carried away... Look at his performance at the imperial meeting today. How arrogant and ignorant he is to think of himself as the representative of hundreds of officials! At a time when the situation is uncertain, Shen Changmao rashly stated his position just for the sake of immediate interests. He is really short-sighted and will regret it sooner or later! "
Song Qiwen's expression was full of disdain. He also said: "Shen Changmao's methods, scheming, and strength are not enough to hold the position of chief minister of the cabinet. On the premise that his foundation is unstable, he still takes such risks, hehe. I'm afraid the more he climbs up, the worse he will be. The more dangerous it is, the more miserable his end will be when he falls, we just have to wait and see what happens."
After hearing everyone's statements, Zhou Shangjing still had a calm expression and just said slowly: "Commercial tax matters are the most sensitive and complex, involving the interests of all aspects. His Majesty wants to change the current situation of commercial tax. But the attitudes of the officials are It is completely the opposite. Under the two-phase game, many opportunities have appeared, but also many risks have arisen. Even I am not sure what the final result will be. At this time, we only need to wait and see what happens. We need to be deeply involved. When the overall situation is decided, we will join in and take the lead. No one can avoid us, so we can’t make the mistake of being the one who takes the lead... Of course, I also know that you are used to the attention of hundreds of officials. Now. Naturally, you are not used to being upstaged by others, and you may even complain a little, but you must also remember that only by being able to endure loneliness can you maintain prosperity. If you can't bear even a moment of forbearance, what will happen in the future? Can we achieve great things?"
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's instructions, many "Zhou Party" officials naturally agreed one after another.
Waiting to see what happens and taking action later is Zhou Shangjing's response strategy to the current situation; not taking action easily, but making a move will definitely hit the target, this is also Zhou Shangjing's consistent style.
After a pause, Zhou Shangjing commented in a calm tone: "In addition, you should not underestimate Shen Changmao. He has been in officialdom for many years and knows the three tastes of being an official. He is not an ignorant person. However, Wen Guanliang The end with Huang Yourong made him feel quite pressured, so he had to take the initiative to seek change! In recent times, he seemed to be aggressive and expanding his power, but in fact he was just putting all his efforts into protecting himself...
Now, Shen Changmao's approach seems to be a bit risky, but for Shen Changmao, it is also a last resort. If he waits until the situation is determined before taking a stand, he will not gain any benefits... After all, , except for His Majesty and me, no one in the whole court has the capital to stop the situation quietly and strike later. Shen Changmao does not have this capital, and Zhao Junchen also does not have this capital, so they can only take risks. "
Having said this, Zhou Shangjing's deep eyes flashed with a trace of interesting expectation, and he continued: "It's just that although the two of them are taking risks, they choose completely opposite directions. Zhao Junchen He wants to change the status quo, fish in troubled waters, and win in chaos, while Shen Changmao wants to maintain the status quo and gain the support of all officials... In the end, I don’t know whose adventure will succeed and whose adventure will fail?"
Song Qiwen keenly noticed the change in Zhou Shangjing's expression and immediately asked: "So, according to Mr. Yi Ge, who of the two has a greater chance of winning?"
Zhou Shangjing shook his head and said: "The path chosen by Shen Changmao seems smooth and can reap many benefits in the early stage, but in fact it is just a dead end because he wants to maintain the existing structure of the court, but in the existing structure Under this situation, he will never be a match for His Majesty and me. His embarrassing situation still cannot be reversed, he is just struggling hard. As for the path Zhao Junchen has chosen, it seems rugged and he will encounter many obstacles in the early stage, but this is It is the right direction. After all, only by breaking the current structure of the court can he truly enter the inner circle of decision-making and get rid of His Majesty's control to the greatest extent... However, Shen Changmao's direction is certainly wrong, Zhao Junchen The direction is certainly right, but how far they can go is still unknown. Those who are wrong may not necessarily fail, and those who are right may not succeed."
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's explanation, a trace of doubt flashed in Song Qiwen's eyes.
According to Zhou Shangjing's description, even if Shen Changmao can be famous for a while, it is still nothing to worry about. Among the officials, the person who can really threaten Zhou Shangjing's status is actually Zhao Junchen - although the current Zhao Junchen is far from enough. , but there are already faint signs.
However, judging from Zhou Shangjing's attitude, he not only did not regard Zhao Junchen as a threat, but rather admired him, and even had some vague expectations. He seemed not to worry at all about the changes in the court's structure and his status being shaken.
However, Song Qiwen quickly thought of Zhou Shangjing's reasons - Zhou Shangjing's methods, mentality and strength were far superior to his peers. Naturally, he had strong self-confidence and could cope with any situation, even if it was in the DPRK. If the situation changes, Zhou Shangjing will only become a beneficiary, not a victim.
In fact, Song Qiwen's guess was not wrong. Zhou Shangjing was not worried about changes in the imperial court's structure - "stopping with silence", "preempting others later", etc. are certainly Zhou Shangjing's strengths, but Zhou Shangjing also did not lack the means to fish in troubled waters and win in chaos. .
But Song Qiwen's guess was only one of Zhou Shangjing's many reasons, and it was the most insignificant one.
In fact, Zhou Shangjing had many more in-depth considerations regarding commercial tax matters, the imperial structure, and even the gradual rise of Zhao Junchen. However, the time was not yet ripe and it was not the time to explain it in detail to Song Qiwen, Li He, and Zhang Bochong. .
Therefore, Zhou Shangjing did not continue to explain, but suddenly ordered: "Next, you must pay close attention to the actions of Shen Changmao and Zhao Junchen. Shen Changmao is currently working hard to expand his power, so we can also take advantage of this opportunity to send people Join them and take the opportunity to spy on Shen Changmao's next plan... In addition, let the officials in South Zhili pay close attention to the developments in South Zhili. Zhao Junchen's performance today seems to be low-key, but he has always made decisions before taking action. The pilot program may not be that simple."
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's instructions, all the "Zhou Party" officials naturally responded.
For the "Zhou Party", all low-profiles are temporary. When they are fully prepared and the time is right, they will naturally stand up again and fight.
At that time, none of the officials or factions in the DPRK can stop them from achieving their goals.
In this regard, whether it is Song Qiwen, Li He, Zhang Bochong, or other "Zhou Party" officials, they are all confident and full of expectations.
Because, for more than ten years, they have rarely failed!
*****
However, it was said that while Zhou Shangjing was discussing the next plan with the members of the "Zhou Party", Zhao Junchen had already led Zuo Lanshan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, Tong Huan, the minister of general affairs, Qin Huaiyuan, the minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and others to leave the Forbidden City. The sedan chair went to Zhao Mansion.
There, Gu Quan, Zhan Shanchang, Liu Changan and others had been waiting for a long time.
After getting the power to pilot, Zhao Junchen naturally wanted to do something big, so he also had many things to tell the "Zhao Party" officials.
Speaking of which, Zhao Junchen has not returned to his home for more than four months. In the Zhao Mansion, Fang Ru has also been waiting for Zhao Junchen for a long time, and there are many things that need to be reported to Zhao Junchen.
However, when Zhao Junchen returned to the Zhao Mansion, Fang Ru did not show up immediately, but hid aside, waiting for the discussion between Zhao Junchen and the "Zhao Party" officials to end - after all, Fang Ru's apparent identity She was just a concubine, and Fang Ru herself was very measured and knew where she could show up and where she should stay away.
After returning to the Zhao Mansion, Zhao Junchen led the "Zhao Party" people to the living room of the Zhao Mansion, where everyone sat down separately.
Then, without waiting for others to speak, Zhao Junchen announced: "Everyone, our opportunity has come!"
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ps: Well, the first update today!
…(To be continued.)
