…
…
Objectively speaking, Zhao Junchen has always treated his own people very well.
If something unexpected happens to his friends, Zhao Junchen will always do his best to protect him; if he sees a shortage of jobs, Zhao Junchen will always try his best to fight for his friends; if he discovers a way to make money, Zhao Junchen is also willing to share the benefits with his friends. Never eat alone.
Moreover, Zhao Junchen can be regarded as a broad-minded person. Even if his cronies raise objections to some of Zhao Junchen's practices, Zhao Junchen will never get angry. He will just patiently explain his ideas and discuss with each other.
What's more, before experiencing the Shaanxi-Gansu War, Zhao Junchen's behavior was not as decisive and ruthless as it is now.
Zhan Shanchang didn't know that Huo Zhengyuan had long been aware of his dissatisfaction and had been secretly paying attention to him, which made Zhao Junchen aware of his betrayal in time.
Therefore, after Zhan Shanchang heard Zhao Junchen's instructions, he did not have any doubts in his heart. He still believed that Zhao Junchen would protect him with all his strength as usual.
This is not because Zhao Junchen is good at pretending. Zhao Junchen's generosity towards loyal people and Zhao Junchen's ruthlessness towards betrayal people are not in conflict. They are both manifestations of Zhao Junchen's true character.
Zhan Shanchang had clearly betrayed Zhao Junchen, but he was not vigilant enough about the other side of Zhao Junchen's character, which doomed him to a tragic end.
*
But he said that under the leadership of the Zhao family's servants, Zhan Shanchang hurried to the Zhao family study, only to find that Zhao Junchen's confidant Niu Fude was already waiting for him here, and had prepared pen, ink, paper and inkstones in advance.
After seeing Zhan Shanchang appear, Niu Fude saluted with a smile and said, "I have met Mr. Zhan."
Zhan Shanchang knew very well that Niu Fude was Zhao Junchen's confidant. After following Zhao Junchen and experiencing the Shaanxi-Gansu War, Niu Fude had become one of Zhao Junchen's most trusted aides.
Therefore, Zhan Shanchang did not dare to be disrespectful and quickly returned the courtesy and said: "Mr. Niu, long time no see! We are all our own people, so there is no need to be polite! What's more, I have lost my official position now, and Mr. Niu will say 'Sir 'It's inappropriate to call me two words."
Niu Fude was still smiling and said: "Master Zhan, your dismissal from office this time is only temporary. My Master Zhao has now returned to the capital. I believe that Master Zhan, you will be reinstated soon."
Zhan Shanchang couldn't help but laugh and said: "I hope so, I hope so! But we have to get through this disaster first."
After Niu Fude nodded, he said: "I have also heard about Lord Zhan being impeached for colluding with the vassal king, but Lord Zhan does not need to worry at all. My Lord Zhao has already laid the groundwork for it with His Majesty. As long as it is taken advantage of Mr. Zhan was cleared of charges before this matter was exposed in public, and the storm soon passed...
Speaking of which, if my Lord Zhao's plan goes well, Lord Zhan, you will not only be innocent this time, but also collect the crimes of the vassal kings annexing land and oppressing the people with good intentions and courage, and you will be a meritorious person. right! Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mr. Zhan, you may be reinstated to your original position soon, and you may be promoted to another level. "
While speaking, Niu Fude took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it and handed it to Zhan Shanchang, and then said: "My Lord Zhao takes this matter very seriously and asked me to prepare an apology for Lord Zhan in advance. The memorial... Of course, it is just an apology in name. In fact, it is to tell the whole story of this matter in the name of apology, and it also has a vague intention of asking for credit. Mr. Zhan, please take a look at it personally and take a look at what I have drafted. Is it appropriate to use the memorial to plead guilty?"
Zhan Shanchang quickly took the letter and looked at it carefully, and soon showed his satisfaction.
Just like Niu Fude said, the confession he drafted was just to plead guilty on the surface, and his confession was quite sincere, but there was an implicit defense between the sentences, indicating that all these things were done by the Hubu Yamen. He deliberately collected evidence of the vassal kings' crimes, and also listed many officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs as witnesses, including Zhao Junchen's name.
To sum up briefly, the content of this confession is: "I, Zhan Shanchang, am certainly guilty, but my crime is not secretly colluding with the vassal kings, but failing to publish my thoughts to the public in time, but I deliberately concealed the information because I had no choice but to do so." , otherwise it will alert the vassals and make the princes wary! Therefore, I, Zhan Shanchang, am not only innocent, but I also have merit!"
After reading it carefully several times, Zhan Shanchang became more and more satisfied. He looked at Niu Fude with admiration in his eyes and said, "Mr. Niu's skill with swords and pens is really amazing! If His Majesty and I were to change places, I received such a memorandum of apology, but I can't find any way to punish me... Fortunately, Mr. Niu, you prepared this memorandum in advance. If I had prepared it in a hurry, I would never have written it so well. .”
Seeing that Zhan Shanchang was extremely satisfied, Niu Fude's eyes flickered slightly, but the smile on his face was even brighter and he said: "In this case, Mr. Zhan, please copy this confession as soon as possible. After you finish copying, Mr. Zhao We must take it to the palace to see His Majesty before the palace is closed, and explain this matter clearly to His Majesty."
Zhan Shanchang nodded repeatedly without any further delay. He quickly walked to the desk and copied the contents of the apology letter carefully. He also put down his name and stamped his private seal.
While Zhan Shanchang was copying, Niu Fude also brought a cup of tea to Zhan Shanchang. Zhan Shanchang drank most of it without thinking much.
After Zhan Shanchang finished copying, Niu Fude also read it carefully. After seeing Zhan Shanchang copying the text he had prepared for him in advance without changing a word, he nodded with satisfaction.
Then, while Niu Fude was carefully drying the ink, Zhan Shanchang asked: "Do you want me to hand this apology letter to Zhao Cabinet in person?"
Niu Fude shook his head and said: "My Lord Zhao's physical condition is very bad at the moment. He is recharging his energy and preparing to go to the palace for an audience. Lord Zhan does not need to disturb him anymore. I will hand over this memorial in person." Give it to Mr. Zhao. After Mr. Zhao gets this memorial, he will immediately rush to the palace to see His Majesty... Mr. Zhan, just go back to the mansion and wait for the news."
Zhan Shanchang thought of Zhao Junchen's weak appearance lying on the bed when he saw him just now, and felt that he should not disturb Zhao Junchen anymore.
Although he thought it would be better to stay in the Zhao Mansion and wait for news, since Niu Fude had already said goodbye, Zhan Shanchang couldn't stay longer.
So, after Zhan Shanchang hesitated for a moment, he finally nodded and said: "In that case, I will return to the mansion and wait for Zhao Gechen's good news."
Seeing that Zhan Shanchang was worried about gain and loss, Niu Fude said with relief: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhan. Now the court can't do without my Mr. Zhao. Even if there is no apology letter, as long as my Mr. Zhao is willing to intercede for you." , Your Majesty, he will also sell it to my Mr. Zhao to gain some face."
While talking, Niu Fude had already led Zhan Shanchang out of the study, and personally sent Zhan Shanchang outside the Zhao Mansion.
When the two of them walked outside the gate of Zhao Mansion, Niu Fude seemed to suddenly think of something and said: "I almost forgot, there is one more thing. After this storm is over, my Mr. Zhao will work secretly to help Mr. Zhan, you have been reinstated, but too many officials have impeached Mr. Zhan some time ago. Therefore, Mr. Zhan, after you return to the palace tonight, it is best to prepare another memorial to explain your impeachment by the censors a few days ago. We need to explain the matter, and then our Lord Zhao can find a reason and reinstate Lord Zhan... It would be best to send this memorial here tomorrow and give it to Lord Zhao for review."
Hearing what Niu Fude said, Zhan Shanchang did not dare to neglect and nodded in agreement.
Seeing that all plans were progressing smoothly, Niu Fude's eyes kept flashing, and he saluted Zhan Shanchang again and said goodbye, saying meaningfully: "In that case, Master Zhan, have a good trip!"
*
But he said that when Zhan Shanchang was returning to his mansion in a sedan, perhaps because it was getting late and the sedan was shaking, Zhan Shanchang also felt a little drowsy.
However, Zhan Shanchang's charges have not yet been washed away, and he still needs to wait for news from the Zhao family. However, he does not dare to close his eyes and fall asleep. He just keeps his spirits up and secretly thinks about his future.
"The secret collusion with the feudal princes is certainly against His Majesty's taboo, but if Zhao Junchen is willing to personally testify for me, all these things will be attributed to the Hubu Yamen's deliberate efforts to collect evidence of the feudal princes' crimes. , Your Majesty considers that I will have to monitor Zhao Junchen for him in the future, and there are still many uses. This matter will most likely be over, and there should be no heavy punishment...
Also, when I met Zhao Junchen this time, I found that he was indeed seriously ill. This news is extremely important, and His Majesty should be informed as soon as possible so that His Majesty can make preparations! After Your Majesty saw that I was playing a role in spying on Zhao Junchen, he must have secretly protected me...
At that time, I may become a hero who exposes the crimes of the lords, and maybe I can take advantage of the opportunity to be reinstated! Your Majesty, in order for me to get closer to Zhao Junchen, he must be happy to see this happen!
Hehe, the two ministers of the Hubu Yamen are currently both in disrepute, and the position of the Hubu Shangshu has yet to be decided. I might be able to win over it, with the explicit and covert support of Zhao Junchen and His Majesty. , this thing may not be impossible! "
While he was thinking secretly, the wishful thinking in Zhan Shanchang's heart was crackling, and the sleepiness that was gradually getting stronger was dissipated by him.
Soon, Zhan Shanchang had returned to his mansion in a sedan chair.
After returning to the mansion, Zhan Shanchang immediately went to the study of the Zhan Mansion and summoned the spies arranged by Dongchang in the Zhan Mansion and Li Houde, the steward of the Zhan Mansion.
Before Zhan Shanchang was reinstated, he could only inform Emperor Deqing through this person.
After Li Houde came to the study, Zhan Shanchang's sleepiness became more and more intense, but he still managed to cheer up and said: "Manager Li, please report the news to His Majesty on my behalf, saying that I went to the Zhao Mansion today and met with Zhao Junchen, his physical condition is indeed extremely bad and he already looks like he is seriously ill. It seems that his sudden coma was not a disguise."
Seeing Zhan Shanchang's listless appearance, Li Houde was a little confused and felt that Zhan Shanchang's condition was a little abnormal.
However, Li Houde was just a Dongchang secret agent and his status was not high, so he was naturally not qualified to ask Zhan Shanchang about the situation.
Therefore, after hearing Zhan Shanchang's instructions, Li Houde just nodded solemnly and said: "Don't worry, sir, I will spread the news to Dongchang as soon as possible, and Your Majesty will receive the news soon."
After talking about the business, Li Houde asked again: "I wonder if you have any other instructions, sir?"
Zhan Shanchang hesitated for a moment, considering whether he should explain to Emperor Deqing in advance his suspected collusion with the vassal princes through Li Houde's channels.
But Zhan Shanchang also knew that Li Houde's status was not high, and he was only a Dongchang fan at most. This matter was of great importance and complicated. It would be difficult to explain it clearly to Emperor Deqing through Li Houde, and it might also affect Zhao Junchen. Protect your own plans.
Therefore, Zhan Shanchang finally shook his head and said: "There is nothing else to do. You can retreat and report the news to His Majesty as soon as possible."
Seeing Zhan Shanchang's fleeting hesitation and seeing Zhan Shanchang's low energy appearance, Li Houde felt more and more that Zhan Shanchang was a little preoccupied, but after all, it was inconvenient for Li Houde to ask more questions, so he just nodded and left.
After Li Houde left the study, Zhan Shanchang remembered Niu Fude's instructions before leaving.
So Zhan Shanchang ordered someone to bring him a cup of tea to refresh himself, and then came to the desk and began to prepare the next memorial to defend him for being impeached by the censor many times in the past few days.
At this time, the only person left to serve Zhan Shanchang was Zhan An, one of his long-term followers.
Seeing Zhan Shan often working hard to prepare for the memorial, but seeming to be unable to fall asleep at any time, Zhan An's expression kept changing.
However, thinking about his sweetheart, Xiaocui, the maid of the Zhan family, who was violated by Zhan Shanchang half a year ago, and then thinking about the thousand taels of silver notes in his arms, a trace of cruelty flashed across Zhan An's expression, and then he I kept thinking in my heart: "The Taoist Lord is compassionate and helps the world! The Taoist Lord is compassionate and helps the world!"
*
However, at the same time that Zhan Shanchang returned to the mansion, Zhao Junchen also came to the study of the Zhao mansion.
At this time, Zhao Junchen had completely lost his weak look just now, and returned to his usual calmness and calmness.
When Zhao Junchen opened the door and entered the study, he saw Niu Fude and an old man writing something seriously on the desk.
This old man's name was Luo Siquan, and he was one of the staff Zhao Junchen recruited from Jiangnan.
Luo Siquan's knowledge, vision, and agility are all ordinary, but he has one specialty that Zhao Junchen attaches great importance to, that is, he is extremely good at all kinds of calligraphy fonts, whether it is regular script, running script, cursive script, etc., he has a very high Basic skills.
It is precisely because of this that Luo Siquan is best at imitating other people's handwriting.
After entering the study, Zhao Junchen did not disturb Niu Fude and Luo Siquan, but quietly walked to them and watched their actions.
On the desk, the apology note copied by Zhan Shanchang was unfolded and put aside, while Luo Siquan was copying it with a focused expression.
Luo Siquan was already very good at imitating other people's handwriting, and now that he had the original version to copy, it became even more lifelike. Even Zhan Shanchang himself couldn't tell the difference after seeing Luo Siquan's copy.
However, Luo Siquan also made choices when copying handwriting.
Zhan Shanchang's apology memorial originally contained both sincere confessions and secret excuses. However, Luo Siquan put aside all the excuses and only copied the sentences sincerely confessing and changed some sentences. order.
In this way, the content of Zhan Shanchang's confession of guilt suddenly changed completely and became a thorough confession of guilt. Not only did he frankly admit all the crimes, he also had no intention of defending himself, and even had extremely obvious It means to die to apologize.
After Luo Siquan's copying was completed, a brand new apology memorial was completed.
After Zhao Junchen received the apology memorandum, he carefully checked it several times, but could not find any faults at all. He couldn't help but nodded and said with a smile: "Mr. Luo's method is really brilliant! Even if this memorandum is given to Zhan Shanchang to read, , I’m afraid he can’t tell the difference at all.”
Luo Siquan quickly laughed and said: "Master Zhao is overly praised. I have no other skills. I will only be able to do this kind of craft in my life. I can only strive for excellence. As long as it is useful to Master Zhao!"
Zhao Junchen praised Luo Siquan a few more words, and then asked Luo Siquan to go to the Zhao Mansion's warehouse to receive the reward.
After Luo Siquan left, he handed this brand new apology memorandum to Niu Fude, and said: "Send someone to deliver this memorandum to Zhan Shanchang's residence. A person named Li Jue will be responsible for taking care of it. Then, Tell Li Jue again that if you don’t find an opportunity tonight, don’t take the risk and just wait and see what happens… But if you find an opportunity, don’t hesitate and send Zhan Shanchang on his way.”
Niu Fude quickly agreed with a serious expression: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, I will definitely warn them, but Zhan Shanchang has just drank the cup of tea, and will fall asleep without resistance within an hour! By that time , no matter how we operate, he won’t be able to wake up! Tonight, there is a 90% chance that it will happen!”
After saying that, Niu Fude turned around and left in a hurry.
Looking at Niu Fude's back, Zhao Junchen nodded with satisfaction.
After the Shaanxi-Gansu War, Niu Fude had completely become Zhao Junchen's confidant, and many confidential matters could be left to him to handle.
Otherwise, many of Zhao Junchen's plans can often only be discussed with the two concubines, Fang Ru and Zhang Yu'er. Although these two women are both shrewd and not inferior to women, it is not a long-term feasible approach.
"The affairs of Tongji Temple are too sensitive, but the intelligence channels of major commercial firms and storytelling guilds should be left to these staff."
Zhao Junchen thought secretly.
…
A big chapter of 5,000 words!
…
