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Zhao Junchen always had a diligent attitude when facing Emperor Deqing.
Therefore, after receiving Emperor Deqing's oral edict, Zhao Junchen submitted a memorial to Emperor Deqing that afternoon.
But looking at the contents of this memorial, Emperor Deqing was so angry that he was shaking all over!
"...Thanks to your Majesty's trust, I asked you about the candidate for the new Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. I am naturally willing to recommend good talents to your Majesty! After thinking about it, I think that Li Chengru is a suitable candidate for the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs!
When I was still the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Mr. Li Chengru and Mr. Li were already the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. After Your Majesty promoted me to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, Mr. Li Chengru was transferred to the Duchayuan to serve as the Zuodu Censor. Xiao Cuo was dismissed from his official position, and he is still idle at home. Mr. Li is in his prime, has rich experience, and has an excellent official reputation. I also benefited a lot from working under him. Although he made small mistakes in the past, he has now It is a matter of deep self-reflection and punishment. He should not be allowed to continue to be idle. If the court finances are handed over to him, I can resign with peace of mind and stay away from the temple...
... Speaking of which, I would like to resign to Your Majesty again! I originally had no other intentions. I just wanted to serve the court and be loyal to His Majesty. Over the years, I have never betrayed His Majesty's trust. Fortunately, I have made great achievements in both civil and military fields. Your Majesty also treated me kindly and allowed me to be young. He was granted a title and joined the cabinet to assist the government. I was so grateful that I will never forget it!
... However, my moral character is insufficient and my reputation is too low. The more meritorious service I have and the higher my official position, the more jealous the villains will be in the government and the public. In the past six months, more than 100 memorials have been filed to impeach me on various groundless charges. ? After I returned to the capital this time, I was exposed to open fire and secret arrows every day... There are also people who are close to me, who have repeatedly hinted to me the terrible danger of having great achievements and no reward... Those who are secretly jealous will be more and more likely. There are more and more people coming, and people with kind words and advice are often seen. Even Mr. Zhou Ge gave me a copy of "The Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin" as a warning. The unanimous tone of the people made me feel awe...
...I also know very well that Your Majesty is an eternal sage. You have always been broad-minded and can naturally accommodate me. But how can you tolerate the villains in the government and the public? I am still young, and I am afraid that I will have to assist the new king in the future, but will the new king be able to tolerate me? Even the new king is broad-minded and can accommodate his ministers. Will the new batch of ministers after the change of dynasty be able to tolerate their ministers?
...Your Majesty also knows that I have always been as timid as a mouse. Every time I think about this, I feel as if I am walking on thin ice or facing an abyss. Since returning to the capital, I have been frightened and sleepless. I dare not act like before, for fear of making meritorious deeds. The more people there are, the more suspicions and jealousies will be... Furthermore, I think that my body is seriously ill and overwhelmed, and thinking about myself is also an opportunity to protect myself. In the past few days, I have repeatedly complained to His Majesty that I am ill and have resigned. So worried...
... I received an oral order today. Your Majesty asked me about the candidate for the new Minister of Household Affairs. This is enough to prove that your Majesty still trusts me. I am excited and grateful beyond words, but I have made up my mind and will never dare to return in the future. The temple did not dare to interfere in government affairs anymore, and once again reported illness to His Majesty and asked to resign. I hope that Your Majesty, considering the merits I have achieved over the years, would allow me to resign from officialdom and just become a wealthy man..."
After Emperor Deqing suppressed his anger and read the memorial, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer and threw the memorial to the ground, roaring angrily: "This Zhao Junchen, how dare he say such a thing! He is so domineering. ! Disobedient! Excessive!"
Seeing Emperor Deqing's outburst, everyone around him was frightened and quickly knelt down and begged Emperor Deqing to calm down.
But Emperor Deqing's anger was so great this time, how could he be restrained so easily?
Emperor Deqing threw another tea cup, smashed all the memorials on the imperial desk to the ground, and roared with anger enough to fill up half a stick of incense.
It’s no wonder that Emperor Deqing was angry. The content of Zhao Junchen’s memorial was extremely bad. It not only rejected Emperor Deqing’s goodwill, but also revealed Emperor Deqing’s intention to hide the bird in the bow. It was also criminal. He broke the taboo and mentioned the new emperor's succession... Isn't this a curse on Emperor Deqing's death?
No wonder Emperor Deqing was so furious.
After Emperor Deqing finally vented his anger, he finally regained his composure.
He glanced coldly at the many eunuchs kneeling on the ground, and said in a cold voice: "Bring Zhao Junchen's memorial back to me!"
After hearing Emperor Deqing's instructions, the eunuch Zhang De immediately took the lead and found Zhao Junchen's memorial among the memorials all over the floor. Then he knelt down at the feet of Emperor Deqing and presented the memorial to Emperor Deqing again with both hands. Emperor Deqing.
Then, Emperor Deqing gritted his teeth and read the memorial again, secretly thinking about the profound meaning of Zhao Junchen's memorial.
"In this memorial by Zhao Junchen, many statements are taboo. Such crimes can be big or small. At the most serious, it is a crime of disobedience among the ten evils. At the most small, it is an insignificant momentary gaffe. , how to treat him depends entirely on my will! Does he really want me to punish him severely and take the opportunity to leave the temple?
However, he has just made a great contribution, and it is the time when the limelight is at its peak. The court is indeed inseparable from him at the moment. I really can't make a fuss and punish him severely at this time, otherwise he will really be a narrow-minded, jealous and ignorant king! Zhao Junchen must have seen this before he dared to speak boldly in this memorial!
Also, if Zhao Junchen really wanted to resign, there would be no need to talk so much about jealousy and jealousy of the new king. In the final analysis, he just wanted to force me to give him a long-term guarantee. , he may not really want to resign... Humph, he is already at the top of the hierarchy, has countless cronies, and has great power. Can he really let go of all this? I don’t believe it! "
Thinking of this, Emperor Deqing felt an unknown anger rising in his heart, but in the end he suppressed it and continued to think about Zhao Junchen's true thoughts.
"I asked him to recommend a candidate for the new Minister of Household Affairs. I originally thought he would recommend his cronies, but unexpectedly he recommended Li Chengru... This man was born in Qingliu, and he has always been a die-hard supporter of the prince. Not only did he have many conflicts with Zhao Junchen, he was completely ignored by Zhao Junchen when he was still the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. When he became the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he also lost his official position because of Zhao Junchen's conspiracy. After being dismissed, why did Zhao Junchen recommend him as the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs?
Yes! After all, Zhao Junchen's foundation is still shallow. Although he has many cronies, there are very few cronies who are worthy of being promoted to the position of Minister of Household Affairs in terms of reputation, qualifications, abilities, etc.! Chen Dongxiang still needs to be in charge of the Ministry of Industry for him. Zuo Lanshan's situation can no longer stay in the capital. The death of the former Minister of Household Affairs Zhan Shanchang is unknown. Si Tonghuan, the general affairs envoy, has a close relationship with Zhan Shanchang and must be on guard... ...after several times, there was no suitable candidate.
In comparison, Li Chengru is indeed a suitable candidate! After the prince chose to cooperate with Zhao Junchen, the Qingliu people also turned their backs on him. It was because Zhao Junchen had offended Qingliu too hard in the past. Li Chengru, Guo Tang and others were all the leaders of Qingliu, and it was only because of Zhao Junchen that he was dismissed from office. !
Therefore, Zhao Junchen chose to find Li Chengru as the Minister of Household Affairs at this time. Not only could it ease the relationship between him and Qingliu, but it could also relieve the pressure on the prince to a great extent. Maybe some Qingliu would change their minds and Willing to continue to support the prince... At least, after Li Chengru returns to the temple because of the prince, he will choose to continue to support the prince. Then the prince will not be too weak... In this regard, Zhao Junchen can also be regarded as I really thought about the prince...
The most important thing is that this Li Chengru has always lacked courage, is very obedient, and is easily manipulated. When he was still the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he was ignored by Zhao Junchen, who was still the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He could not get in at all. In other words, now that Zhao Junchen's power and prestige are much higher than before, it is naturally easier to control Li Chengru. If Li Chengru is appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu, the Ministry of Hubu will still be Zhao Junchen's forbidden wife!
Hey! This Zhao Junchen, on the one hand, is calling for illness and resigning, but on the other hand, he is unwilling to give up the authority of the Ministry of Household Affairs. He is indeed taking retreat as an opportunity to advance, and wants to get more benefits from me! "
Thinking of this, Emperor Deqing frowned slightly, thinking that he had understood Zhao Junchen's sincerity.
Then, Emperor Deqing's expression became solemn again, and his eyes stayed on a certain part of the memorial for a long time.
"However, Zhao Junchen also mentioned Zhou Shangjing intentionally or unintentionally... He said that Zhou Shangjing once gave him a copy of "The Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin"... Ha, this is using Han Xin to be executed by Han Gaozu to remind Zhao Junchen to You are wary of me, just to alienate the relationship between me and Zhao Junchen! Speaking of which, the reason why I am increasingly suspicious of Zhao Junchen is that there are many traces of Zhou Shangjing’s secret guidance. I have always regarded Zhou Shangjing as my primary target. , but unknowingly turned his attention to Zhao Junchen... Could it be that all this is the plan of Zhou Shangjing, an old dog? He wants to use Zhao Junchen to escape? Zhao Junchen mentioned this in his memorial In one sentence, just to make me shift my attention to Zhou Shangjing?"
Thinking of this, Emperor Deqing, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly cursed!
"One old and one young, two foxes, they are really cunning and vicious!"
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After Emperor Deqing thought he had thoroughly understood Zhao Junchen's intentions, he closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.
Then, a sneer flashed across the corner of Emperor Deqing's lips, he opened his eyes again, glanced down at the eunuch Zhang De who was still kneeling at his feet, and said: "It's up to you to go to Zhao Junchen's house again in person. To convey my oral instructions, I said that I understood his difficulties very much and was not willing to put him in danger. I just let him take care of himself and feel at ease. When the imperial court completely regains the Hetao and the world celebrates, I will discuss my merits again. As a reward, when the time comes, I will not raise his rank again, but will give him... a gold medal to avoid death!"
After Zhang De heard Emperor Deqing's statement, he couldn't help but look shocked!
Get out of jail free gold!
Does this mean that Zhao Junchen will have no long-term worries from now on?
Emperor Deqing's statement had a far-reaching impact even greater than his original decision to promote Zhao Junchen to cabinet minister!
Although Zhang De was extremely shocked, he did not dare to hesitate in his actions. He quickly agreed and left.
Looking at Zhang De's retreating figure, Emperor Deqing sneered and whispered to himself: "You want a guarantee, then I will give you a guarantee... But the death-free gold medal of my Ming Dynasty has always been hot. very!"
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But he said that after Zhang De received the order from Emperor Deqing, he did not dare to delay. After leaving the Forbidden City, he rushed all the way to the Zhao Mansion and asked to see Zhao Junchen.
After meeting Zhao Junchen, Zhang De immediately announced Emperor Deqing's oral edict.
When Zhao Junchen heard the content of the oral instruction, he knelt down with "full of ecstasy" to accept the order and thank him. Zhang De, with a far more enthusiastic attitude than before, quickly reached out and helped Zhao Junchen up.
"Zhao Gechen, this is a great thing! With this death-free gold medal, you will have no taboos in the temple from now on, and you will be able to stand tall. Depending on your age, it is expected that you will be in charge of the government and the public for forty or fifty years in the future. Among the things!"
While supporting him, Zhang De was smiling all over his face, and his words were full of flattery.
Previously, Zhang De, as the long-term eunuch of Emperor Deqing, had always been extremely arrogant. Whether it was the elders of the cabinet or the eunuchs of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, they were not looked down upon by him and had nothing to do with him. Zhao Junchen has always had an equal and cooperative relationship.
But now, seeing that Zhao Junchen was about to get a gold medal to avoid death, Zhang De believed that Zhao Junchen had the possibility of holding power for a long time, and his attitude was naturally much more enthusiastic. When Zhao Junchen took out a silver note from his sleeve and wanted to When it was secretly handed to him, Zhang De pushed it back uncharacteristically.
In Zhang De's view, he will continue to cooperate with Zhao Junchen for a long time in the future, and there is no need to care about the petty profit in front of him.
Seeing such an obvious change in Zhang De's attitude, Zhao Junchen still looked overjoyed and said repeatedly: "Thank you for your kind words, brother. If there are any benefits from me in the future, I will never forget you." Your friendship today!”
After a pause, Zhao Junchen looked serious and said: "I hope that when I return to the palace, I will inform your majesty on my behalf. I am so grateful that I can't express it in words. I will definitely attend the court meeting on time tomorrow at Mao Shi." , serve His Majesty and serve the court, and I will never dare to refuse!"
After Zhang De nodded to take note of it, he deliberately expressed his affection for Zhao Junchen, and then hurried back to the palace without daring to wait too long.
Seeing Zhang De's leaving figure, the joy on Zhao Junchen's face gradually faded away, replaced by a cold and solemn look.
"The gold medal for immunity from death... Ha! Emperor Deqing is finally willing to give me a long-term promise! It's not in vain for all my hard work during this period! However, I just don't know whether Emperor Deqing's promise is true or false. ! Since Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, many important ministers have received the gold medal for immunity from death, but the fate of these people... only makes people think that it is better to change the name of the gold medal for immunity from death and call it the gold medal for urging death!
However, with this death-free gold medal, the most important thing is not whether Emperor Deqing is willing to keep his promise, but its impact on people's hearts! This point is very clear just by looking at Zhang De’s attitude change!
In the past, there were many people with long-term vision who were not optimistic about my prospects. They believed that I was bound to die, and naturally they were not willing to take refuge in me. As a result, I have always lacked the effectiveness of real talents. , but regardless of whether this death-free gold medal is really useful, it finally gives me one more hope. When I recruit talents in the future, I will definitely reduce a lot of resistance, and maybe even some talents will take the initiative to join me! "
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen chuckled and shook his head, then turned back to the backyard of the Zhao Mansion to look for Fang Ru for questioning.
After submitting the memorial to Emperor Deqing, Zhao Junchen has been waiting for Emperor Deqing's response, but he has not forgotten the reminder from the miracle doctor Zhang Decheng.
Now that Zhao Junchen's negotiations with Emperor Deqing have come to an initial conclusion, his attention has turned to Fang Ru.
"Doctor Zhang asked me to keep an eye on Fang Ru. Could it be that Ru'er is hiding something from me?"
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen's expression moved slightly, as if he thought of something, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.
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