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"Master Zuo, Huang Yourong is about to fall. At that time, a position will be vacant in the cabinet... What are your thoughts on this position?"
After hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Zuo Lanshan couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
In Zuo Lanshan's view, although the vacancy in the cabinet is eye-catching, this matter has nothing to do with the "Zhao Party".
The cabinet minister has the most distinguished status. He is the framer and decision-maker of the court's policies. Such a position is naturally envied by people, even the "Zhao Party" is no exception.
In fact, from a certain perspective, having no one in the cabinet has always been the biggest shortcoming of the "Zhao Party". Not only has the momentum of the "Zhao Party" been reduced a lot, it will always encounter many bottlenecks during its development, but the "Zhao Party" has also It has been unable to create benefits for itself from the policy level.
The bustle of the world is all for profit; the bustle of the world is all for gain. This is most obvious in temples, such as Shen Changmao, Huang Yourong, Wen Guanliang and others. Their means, minds, and abilities may not be all that great. They are smart and don't have much charisma, but they can still form gangs and get countless officials to serve them loyally. Why? Just because they are cabinet ministers and the makers of court policies, as long as they make a slight tilt when formulating policies, they can create a lot of benefits for their cronies, so naturally many officials will rush to join their ranks. Under the door.
In the final analysis, the major factions in the DPRK, whether they are the "Zhou Party", the "Shen Party", or the "Yellow Party", are mostly united because of their interests. The reason why Zhou Shangjing, Shen Changmao, and Huang Yourong are able to They become party leaders only because they can create the most benefits.
The same goes for "prince and party". After all, reputation is also a benefit that the world pursues.
at the same time. The "Zhao Party" is naturally no exception - in fact, if Zhao Junchen had not controlled the two oil-rich bureaucracies of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works, the "Zhao Party" would not have been able to compete with the other major parties in the DPRK.
only. Compared with the methods used by several cabinet elders to seek benefits through policy inclination, the methods used by "Zhao Party" officials to seek benefits are relatively low-level. Most of them are just simple corruption and bribery, which is why the "Zhao Party" has a worse reputation than the other factions.
Therefore, the "Zhao Party" is especially jealous of the vacant positions in the cabinet.
Unfortunately, among the "Zhao Party", only Zhao Junchen and Zuo Lanshan are qualified to compete for the position of Pavilion Elder. However, both of them have shortcomings. Zhao Junchen is too young, has too little qualifications, and has too poor reputation. Zuo Lanshan, on the other hand, lacks prestige and strength, and is only the second-in-command of the "Zhao Party". His sense of existence is completely overshadowed by Zhao Junchen.
Unless Zhao Junchen is willing to completely give up his opportunity, fully support Zuo Lanshan's entry into the cabinet, and superimpose all his prestige and strength on Zuo Lanshan, only in this way can he make up for Zuo Lanshan's shortcomings and increase Zuo Lanshan's chances of winning.
However, will Zhao Junchen do this?
Although Zhao Junchen had hinted a little before, Zuo Lanshan still didn't think Zhao Junchen would do this. Because if Zuo Lanshan enters the cabinet, his status will be higher than that of Zhao Junchen. By that time. The "Zhao Party" might become the "Left Party", but Zhao Junchen has a strong desire for control and will never allow this to happen.
Because of this, the vacancies in the cabinet have little to do with the "Zhao Party".
Therefore, after hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Zuo Lanshan couldn't help but feel a little confused and asked: "I wonder why Mr. Zhao asked about this? But what are you thinking?"
Zhao Junchen smiled softly and said, "After Huang Yourong falls, I want to help you fight for this cabinet vacancy. What do you think?"
Zhao Junchen's tone was very solemn and he was not joking at all.
so. Zuo Lanshan couldn't help but feel startled, feeling secretly surprised and faintly panicked.
If you can become a pavilion elder. It was naturally a great thing for Zuo Lanshan, but Zuo Lanshan didn't know whether Zhao Junchen's statement was just to test himself.
In particular, Zuo Lanshan was beaten by Zhao Junchen intentionally or unintentionally just yesterday, and now he is in awe of Zhao Junchen.
So, after Zuo Lanshan hesitated for a moment, he said: "Mr. Zhao is joking, the position of the cabinet minister is the most noble and noble. Mr. Zuo doesn't dare to think so."
Seeing Zuo Lanshan's cautious look, Zhao Junchen smiled again and said, "How could it be a delusion? Mr. Zuo is a second-rank official of the imperial court and has been in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry for many years. He has full qualifications." Enough. As long as you take another step forward, it will be a matter of course for you to become the cabinet minister. If Mr. Zuo is willing, I will fully support you in this matter. With your seniority and status, coupled with my full support, this matter There’s a lot to be done.”
Zuo Lanshan confirmed again: "Master Zhao, do you really want me to join the cabinet?"
"Why should I lie to you?" Zhao Junchen asked back, then slowly said: "We have no one in the cabinet, so we always suffer losses from time to time. Now that we have the opportunity, we naturally have to fight for it. I would like to fight for myself, but unfortunately I am too young and have insufficient qualifications, so my hope is very slim. In this case, it is better to fully support Mr. Zuo in joining the cabinet. On the contrary, I hope to be more hopeful. After you join the cabinet in the future, we can also gain a lot of benefits for ourselves."
Seeing that Zhao Junchen's attitude was sincere and his expression was serious, and that he was not testing himself, Zuo Lanshan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was naturally extremely happy.
Among all the officials in the DPRK, who wouldn’t want to join the cabinet and become prime minister? Zuo Lanshan has been in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry for more than nine years, and naturally he wants to make further progress.
However, despite being happy, Zuo Lanshan couldn't help but worry a little about gain and loss, so he asked Zhao Junchen: "Since this is Mr. Zhao's idea, Zuo is naturally willing to try it, but Zuo's prestige is not enough, and he does not have the saints." I am afraid that I will not get the support of His Majesty and the officials of the imperial court, and even if I try my best to fight for it, it may not be possible."
Zhao Junchen smiled lightly and said: "I will naturally help you deal with these concerns of yours, but you don't have to worry too much. In fact, I have reached a tacit understanding with Zhou Shangjing on your joining the cabinet. He will not stand in the way. ...His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Chief Minister Shen will certainly object strongly when the time comes, but they may not have better candidates, but they can't compete with us. As for His Majesty's wishes..."
At this point, Zhao Junchen suddenly stopped. He just picked up the tea cup with a smile and took a slow sip.
Zuo Lanshan couldn't help but ask: "Is there any way, Master Zhao, to change His Majesty's mind?"
Zhao Junchen put down the tea cup and said slowly: "Soon, I will make a big fuss about business tax matters. At that time, Your Majesty, seeing that my power is growing too fast, will definitely try to limit it. In addition to In addition to taking back the authority of the West Factory and the inner transport warehouse, I will also find people to restrain me... So, in the next period of time, you can submit several memorials to His Majesty from time to time and take the opportunity to express your political opinions. , but these political opinions must be somewhat different from my position and must not be completely consistent. You can even express your dissatisfaction with me implicitly in the memorial to His Majesty..."
At this point, Zhao Junchen's expression was half-smiling, but after carefully observing Zuo Lanshan for a few times, he continued: "When that time comes, Your Majesty will definitely support you in joining the cabinet."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's words. Zuo Lanshan was slightly stunned at first, but soon realized it.
If Zhao Junchen's power develops too fast, Emperor Deqing wants to find someone to restrain him. Then this person must be Zuo Lanshan!
Therefore, as long as Zuo Lanshan shows some signs, Emperor Deqing is likely to support Zuo Lanshan's entry into the cabinet. By that time, although Zhao Junchen will be more powerful, Zuo Lanshan's status will be even higher. " "Zhao Party" is likely to fall into internal strife, and Zhao Junchen's power will naturally be restricted.
After understanding this, Zuo Lanshan's confidence suddenly increased. He quickly complimented Zhao Junchen: "Master Zhao, what a good plan! Please rest assured, Master Zhao, even if Zuo succeeds in joining the cabinet, he will definitely still follow your leadership, Master Zhao!"
After hearing Zuo Lanshan's assurance, Zhao Junchen nodded with satisfaction - actually. Zhao Junchen did not believe Zuo Lanshan's guarantee. Even if this was Zuo Lanshan's true idea, people's ideas always change with their status - but Zhao Junchen did not show his distrust.
After Zhao Junchen just pondered for a moment, he suddenly asked Zuo Lanshan: "Have you thought about how to write the memorials submitted to His Majesty?"
How could Zuo Lanshan think properly in such a short period of time?
Therefore, Zuo Lanshan shook his head and replied: "I haven't thought about it yet."
Zhao Junchen frowned slightly and said: "The contents of these memorials are directly related to your chances of joining the cabinet, but they are very critical. You must not neglect them. The contents cannot be too explicit, otherwise Your Majesty will become suspicious; but you cannot Too subtle, otherwise His Majesty will not be able to discover your value... Speaking of which, do you have staff in your house who are good at writing and writing?"
Nowadays, Zuo Lanshan does not have much ambition, so he will naturally not form a staff team like Zhao Junchen.
So, after hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Zuo Lanshan shook his head again and said: "Although there are several staff in my house, they are only responsible for handling some chores on weekdays and are not good at writing."
Zhao Junchen shook his head slightly and said: "If you become a cabinet minister, how can you lack a staff? Well, when I was in Yangzhou, I recruited many talented staff, and I will give some to you. , let them do things for you in the future. With the help of these staff, you can feel a lot more relaxed... By the way, one of the staff named Cheng Songxue is the best at writing. These memorials of yours can be handed in. He will be responsible for the writing and polishing."
Zhao Junchen gave his staff to Zuo Lanshan, obviously with bad intentions. With these staff lurking around Zuo Lanshan, Zuo Lanshan's every move in the future will no longer be able to escape Zhao Junchen's control.
However, Zuo Lanshan has not yet joined the cabinet, and has no idea of confronting Zhao Junchen. After hearing Zhao Junchen's proposal, he just hesitated for a moment and nodded: "In this case, I have more kindness from Mr. Zhao."
Seeing that Zuo Lanshan agreed to his proposal, the smile on Zhao Junchen's face became thicker.
Zhao Junchen has been planning for Zuo Lanshan to join the cabinet for a long time, and today's method is just one part of it.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen is not worried that Zuo Lanshan will be out of his control after joining the cabinet.
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ps: Well, the first update today.
…(To be continued.)
