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Obviously, Li Chengru was deliberately waiting for Zhao Junchen.
But perhaps because of hesitation in his heart, Li Chengru looked at Zhao Junchen from a distance but didn't move.
Zhao Junchen has never cared about his own face. At this time, he naturally greeted Li Chengru with a smile on his face. As long as he can control Li Chengru this time, he will naturally have many opportunities to establish his prestige in the future. But at this time, It was necessary to deliberately lower one's body and reduce Li Chengru's inner resistance as much as possible.
Zhao Junchen quickly walked up to Li Chengru and said with a smile, "Why didn't the old boss get together with the Qingliu people or go to the Hubu Yamen to take up the post? Why did you stay here waiting for me? Oops, I kept the old boss waiting for a long time. Forgive me!"
Li Chengru's expression was stiff, and he asked instead: "I am indeed waiting for you, I just want to ask you something...I heard that you and His Highness the Crown Prince have turned enemies into friends? I was appointed by His Majesty as the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs , is this really your and His Royal Highness’s idea?”
Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "Indeed, His Highness the Crown Prince and I have joined forces. This matter is already known to everyone. The old boss was reinstated as Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs only because of His Highness the Crown Prince's recommendation. Otherwise, why would I deliberately put this matter into practice?" Give up a favor? These two things cannot be false!"
Li Chengru hesitated: "But...why didn't His Highness the Crown Prince mention this matter to me directly?"
Zhao Junchen sighed and said: "The old boss was born in Qingliu, so he naturally understands the changes in the position of Qingliu during this period! Ever since His Highness the Crown Prince was ignored and suppressed by His Majesty, the Qingliu people have gradually begun to favor His Highness the Seventh Prince. Well, after His Highness the Crown Prince and I turned enemies into friends, the Qingliu people completely abandoned His Highness the Crown Prince...
ha! In my opinion, the Qingliu people had long thought of completely abandoning His Highness the Crown Prince. After receiving the news that His Highness the Crown Prince had joined forces with me, they must have breathed a sigh of relief, right? Because they can finally change their families openly and openly! No matter whether there is this incident or not, the Qingliu people will eventually abandon His Highness the Crown Prince. This incident just gives them a grand reason to do so!
Hehe, as the saying goes, a good bird chooses a tree to roost in, but a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall! Qingliu people are obviously good birds and gentlemen, so naturally they disdain people like me for being complicit! "
Hearing Zhao Junchen's sarcasm, Li Chengru looked a little embarrassed.
On the other side, Zhao Junchen put on an expression full of emotion and sighed: "When His Royal Highness recommended you as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue this time, he did not have any personal thoughts or expectations in return. Everything was done. It is out of overall consideration that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince believes from the bottom of his heart that you are the best candidate to be the new Minister of Household Affairs!
As for why His Royal Highness the Prince did not directly inform you of this matter, he must be worried that you will be in a dilemma, right? If you still choose to continue to support His Highness the Crown Prince because of his recommendation, you will inevitably gradually become alienated from the Qingliu people. But if you get His Highness the Crown Prince's recommendation, but quickly abandon His Highness the Crown Prince like the Qingliu people, you You will also feel uneasy about yourself! Therefore, in order to prevent you from being in a dilemma, His Royal Highness simply did not inform you of this matter.
However, His Highness the Crown Prince is a true gentleman, and he does not ask for anything in return out of a public spirit, but I am not, so I will tell you this matter clearly, at least not to let His Highness the Crown Prince's thoughts go to waste! "
After hearing this, Li Chengru was moved and worried, and his expression was uncertain.
In fact, Li Chengru is indeed in a dilemma now!
In terms of inner thoughts, Li Chengru also wanted to be like the Qingliu people, "a gentleman does not stand behind dangerous walls." The reputation of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian is not inferior to that of the prince Zhu Heyu. It is also a good choice to seek refuge in the past, and he can also Maintain relationships with Qingliu people.
However, if Li Chengru became the Minister of Household Affairs because of Prince Zhu Heyu, and then changed his family and abandoned Prince Zhu Heyu in the blink of an eye, his official reputation would be completely ruined. Who would dare to reuse Li Chengru again in the future? Even if Li Chengru defected to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, Zhu Hejian would look down on Li Chengru and secretly be on guard.
In comparison, a little inner guilt is nothing.
Just like what Zhao Junchen said, the Qingliu people could simply abandon the crown prince Zhu Heyu because they found an honorable reason, but Li Chengru only became the Ministry of Household Affairs because of the recommendation of Zhu Heyu and Zhao Junchen. Minister, it is not suitable to use this reason.
Feeling conflicted, Li Chengru thought to himself: "If Crown Prince Zhu Heyu's status as prince is still stable, I will naturally not be willing to abandon him... But sooner or later he will be deposed, and my career will be ruined. There are twists and turns... But if I just abandon the prince like this, I'm afraid no one will dare to use me in the future. It's really a dilemma..."
Seeing Li Chengru's expression change, Zhao Junchen naturally understood Li Chengru's hesitation.
So, Zhao Junchen said again: "The world is always unpredictable. His Highness the Crown Prince's current situation is indeed not good, but who dares to guarantee that he will be deposed in the future? You know, just half a year ago, His Highness the Crown Prince's crown prince The position is still extremely stable!
The Sacred Heart is unpredictable. Who knows if His Majesty will change his mind again? Now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been entrusted with the important task of investigating the violations of discipline and government by vassal kings in various places. This matter is certainly extremely difficult, but if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince handles it properly, the situation will naturally be reversed...
I also understand the contradiction in the old boss's heart, but if you are really undecided, why not wait for a while and see how the wind direction changes? In my opinion, old boss, your best choice at the moment is to continue to support His Highness the Crown Prince! If His Majesty changes his mind in the future and His Highness the Crown Prince's throne is once again stable, then you, old boss, will have the ability to provide help in times of need, and His Highness the Crown Prince will naturally appreciate your friendship! If His Highness the Crown Prince is really deposed, no one will say anything if you change the court. You will just join the Seventh Prince later than other Qingliu people. As long as you are still the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who would dare? Despise you?
Of course, the old boss is probably also worried about the cooperation between His Highness the Crown Prince and me, thinking that my old boss and I are not the same person, which will affect his evaluation of the government and the public... But to be honest, these situations are all experienced by the old man. After the army completely annihilated the Mongolian coalition and assisted the imperial court in sending troops to regain the Hetao area, my evaluation of the government and the public has changed. In the future history books, who dares to say that it is a shame for my old boss to cooperate with me? "
While speaking, Zhao Junchen spoke at a leisurely pace, but also in a long and eloquent manner. He obviously wanted to take advantage of Li Chengru's hesitation and persuade him in one fell swoop.
In the end, the results were indeed remarkable.
After listening to Zhao Junchen's persuasion, Li Chengru's expression finally became a little firmer, and he obviously made up his mind.
Li Chengru looked up at Zhao Junchen and said slowly: "After the morning court just now, Mr. Cheng Ge and others invited me to get together and wanted me to join them in joining His Highness the Seventh Prince. However, I had not made up my mind at that time, so I refused. Mr. Cheng Ge and the others were very unhappy and waved their sleeves and left on the spot... Well, thinking about it this way, I didn't have much choice from the beginning!
Now that things have happened, I have been recommended by His Royal Highness as the Minister of Household Affairs. From now on, I will naturally serve His Highness the Prince! Since His Highness the Crown Prince has chosen to cooperate with Zhao Gechen, in the future, as long as Zhao Gechen does not violate my bottom line of principles, I am willing to cooperate with Zhao Gechen in handling the government affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs to a certain extent, but I want to make it clear in advance that the person I am loyal to is His Royal Highness, not you, Minister Zhao! "
Hearing what Li Chengru said, Zhao Junchen felt dumbfounded.
On the one hand, he stated that he would cooperate with Zhao Junchen in doing things, and on the other hand, he emphasized that the person he was working for was Zhu Heyu, not Zhao Junchen. What was this? The Ming Dynasty version of "surrender the Han but not the Cao"?
After all, I just want a memorial arch!
It was just an archway, so Zhao Junchen was naturally willing to give it to him!
Zhao Junchen has never lacked the means to "boil a frog in warm water". As long as Li Chengru expresses his willingness to cooperate with Zhao Junchen, sooner or later he will completely lose his autonomy and can only obey Zhao Junchen's orders.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen suppressed the sarcasm in his heart and still expressed his welcome with a smile, saying: "This is natural. His Royal Highness and I have a cooperative relationship. If anything happens in the future, I will naturally discuss it with my old boss. I will never force you to do it, and I will never treat my old boss as a subordinate. When His Highness the Crown Prince returns to the capital, the old boss will no longer have to take care of me and just take orders from His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Li Chengru's expression softened slightly, and he nodded and said, "That's good!"
Zhao Junchen invited again: "According to His Majesty's decree, the two of us need to go to the Hubu Yamen as soon as possible to handle water transportation matters. How about my old boss accompanying me?"
Li Chengru hesitated for a moment, then nodded again: "That's fine!"
In this way, Zhao Junchen and Li Chengru rode in a sedan towards the Hubu Yamen.
As Li Chengru expressed his support, Zhao Junchen became more and more confident that he was about to launch a purge campaign in the Hubu Yamen!
The Ministry of Household Affairs is Zhao Junchen's forbidden area and does not allow others to interfere. This has been the case in the past and will be the case in the future!
*
While Zhao Junchen was convincing Li Chengru, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian was furious in the study!
"What? After Li Chengru was appointed by his father as the Minister of Household Affairs, Cheng Yuandao and the others wanted to force Li Chengru to immediately express his support for me? Just because Li Chengru did not express his attitude immediately, Cheng Yuandao and the others just waved their sleeves and left? Bastard! These Qingliu, you really succeed more than you fail!
Cheng Yuandao and the others were also born in Qingliu. Don't they know what kind of temperament they have? Qingliu is a donkey! You can only touch it along the hair! As long as you deliberately pay a few compliments and say some nice-sounding words, you can easily manipulate their minds! But if you force them to make a choice without giving them any face or room at all, it will only arouse their stubbornness, and in the end it will be counterproductive! Cheng Yuandao and the others were simply forcing Li Chengru to surrender to the prince and Zhao Junchen!
With Zhao Junchen's methods, he may have conquered Li Chengru now! What a pity! What a pity! If I can receive the news in time and recruit Li Chengru as my disciple, I will have one more minister to support me in the future, and I can also insert a nail in the Ministry of Household Affairs to check and balance Zhao Junchen's financial power... Now, just because of Cheng Yuandao and the others You're fooling around and you missed a great opportunity! "
Seeing Zhu Hejian's outburst, Jia Lun advised him coldly: "What Zhao Junchen did was too unexpected. We didn't expect that he would recommend Li Chengru to be the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. When we received the news, it was already too late. Yes! However, there may be a turning point in this matter. As long as His Highness the Seventh Prince personally comes forward to recruit Li Chengru, Li Chengru may not change his mind."
After Zhu Hejian calmed down and thought for a moment, he hummed softly: "It's too late! I'm not the official crown prince yet. At this time, I can only let people take the initiative to join me, but I can't recruit cronies myself, otherwise it will affect the evaluation! This time , not only could I not directly recruit Li Chengru, but after Li Chengru expressed his support for the prince, I would also send a letter to praise him, saying that I had no intention of fighting with the prince, and that I also admired his loyalty! In short, we must not mess up the relationship. Zheng, I have to leave some room for hope for Li Chengru, and it will be easy to take him for my own use when I find a suitable opportunity in the future, or when I officially become the crown prince!"
After Jialun agreed, Zhu Hejian said: "Also, you should personally warn the eunuchs in the imperial study and tell them that no matter what news they receive in the future, they must inform me as soon as possible. Some news they think is useless , but in fact it is crucial! A situation like Li Chengru’s this time must not happen again!”
"Yes!" After accepting the order, Jia Lun seemed to have thought of something, and said: "By the way, speaking of the Imperial Study Room, there are rumors in the inner court that His Majesty admires Li Ru'an, the supervisor of the Shaanxi-Gansu Army, and the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Study Room. The position has always been vacant. It was deliberately reserved for him. He will take office after Li Ruan returns to Beijing! This Li Ruan is not from us. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere. We don’t know the details of his origin. If he becomes the chief of the imperial study room, Eunuch, it will be difficult for us to find out about His Majesty from the royal study in the future, so we must take precautions."
Zhu Hejian pondered for a moment and then ordered: "Find out the details of this Li Ru'an as soon as possible. If his origin is innocent, find a way to use it for your own use! ... In this matter, I am suitable to personally come forward."
"I understand, I'll do it right now!"
*
At the same time, Zhao Junchen and Li Chengru arrived at the Hubu Yamen together.
Led by the two ministers, Hong Zhengshuo and Ma Sen, all the officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs came out of the gate of the Ministry of Household Affairs Office to greet them. Their attitude could be described as trepidation and full of awe.
There is a saying in the officialdom that "the current official is not as good as the current manager." Nowadays, Li Chengru is the current Minister of Household Affairs, and Zhao Junchen is only a temporary cabinet minister. However, the awe in the hearts of the Ministry of Household officials is entirely because of Zhao Junchen. reason!
Li Chengru can be said to be an old puppet. When Zhao Junchen was still the minister of the Ministry of household affairs, he could be completely ignored. Now Zhao Junchen is the elder of the cabinet. Li Chengru can become the minister of the Ministry of household affairs all because of Zhao Junchen. This I'm afraid Zhao Junchen still has the final say in the Hubu Yamen!
Of course, officials from the Ministry of Revenue understand all the details here.
What's more, everyone still remembers the scene when Zhao Junchen fell ill and passed out on the spot the last time he was in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs. In the end, all the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs took the responsibility, and they were all involved because of the three grain-raising strategies. It can be said that it is miserable to have all the officials hostile.
In fact, the trepidation of the officials of the Ministry of Revenue is not wrong. Zhao Junchen came to the Yamen of the Ministry of Revenue this time just to find trouble!
Under the grand welcome of everyone in the household department, Zhao Junchen had a cold face, completely unlike the cheerful and friendly look he had when he persuaded Li Chengru just now. He actually completely ignored the respectful greetings of the people in the household department and walked away directly. Entered the Hubu Yamen.
Seeing Zhao Junchen's sudden change of expression, Li Chengru felt uncomfortable.
What made Li Chengru feel even more embarrassed was that when he saw Zhao Junchen's cold face, he couldn't help but feel awe in his heart - this was a matter of course. After Zhao Junchen experienced the battlefield killings, he could no longer He is considered an ordinary civil servant. When he deliberately shows his power, it is completely different from the deliberate display of airs by the court ministers on weekdays.
However, Li Chengru had already promised to cooperate with Zhao Junchen. At this time, he had to endure his discomfort and entered the Hubu Yamen with Zhao Junchen with a cold face.
Seeing such a scene, all the Ministry of Household Affairs officials looked at each other and became increasingly uneasy, and quickly followed the two of them.
Entering the lobby of the Household Department, Zhao Junchen sat directly in the main seat, waved his hand to stop the people in the Household Department from saluting and saying hello, and directly reprimanded: "You people in the Household Department, you are really unlucky! I have just found the frontline war logistics supplies for you. In the blink of an eye, you are once again at your wits' end because of water transportation! The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the court's money and food, which is the most important part. If you are at your wits' end every time and only know how to ask the cabinet for help and your Majesty to borrow money, the court will Why do I need to support you?"
After being scolded, all the household officials were disgraced, bowed their heads and dared not speak out.
Of course, those officials who came from the "Zhao Party" all had the same attitude on the surface at this moment, but in their hearts they were full of gloating.
They dared not speak out, but Zhao Junchen would not let them go.
Zhao Junchen directly called the name of Hong Zhengshuo, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and asked in a cold voice: "Shilang Hong, the Ministry of Revenue is now headed by you, so let me ask you! The Ministry of Works needs to urgently dredge the Canal Canal. How much money is needed in total? And how much money is needed? How to distribute it? How much money can the Ministry of Accounts take out at present? How much money does it need to invest in the first batch? How much money is left in the gap? "
Regardless of the officialdom or the workplace, there is a law.
That is, when a boss inspects a certain department, if he has good intentions, he will ask some general questions, such as "What difficulties have you encountered", "What achievements have you made", "What are your plans and goals for the future?" etc. This kind of question is easy to answer and not easy to make mistakes.
But if he deliberately finds fault, he will ask for some specific figures, just like Zhao Junchen is doing now!
After all, no one can remember all the statistics, not to mention that they change frequently, making it easy to find faults! If you answer ten, your boss who is deliberately criticizing will say that the number "ten" is too much or too little. In short, it means that you are incompetent and incompetent, and you deserve to be scolded and disciplined.
Hong Zhengshuo is also a veteran in officialdom, so he naturally understands Zhao Junchen's thoughts, but the official rank is overwhelming, so Zhao Junchen's official position is not just one rank higher than him? Therefore, Hong Zhengshuo could only bite the bullet and answer at this time: "Returning to Zhao Gechen, the Ministry of Household Affairs currently has about 200,000 taels of silver in the treasury, but the banknotes have bottomed out, so they cannot all be used for river engineering. The most they can do is use One hundred thousand taels of silver! The Ministry of Industry needs about 800,000 taels of silver to clear water transportation, of which about 60% will be distributed to the yamen along the waterway, and 20% will be divided between the Ministry of Industry and the water transport yamen. Currently, there are still about 60 For a gap of 10,000 taels of silver, the first batch of silver needs to be invested at least 200,000 taels, but the subsequent silver must also be taken out within twenty days.”
Zhao Junchen's expression became more and more dissatisfied, and he sneered: "I asked you for a specific figure, and what was your answer? About? About? About? At most? About? About tens of thousands of taels of silver can be transferred from here to outside! The Ministry of Household Affairs The situation is so difficult, so we should plan carefully, how can we do things stupidly?
Also, you said that the Ministry of Industry needs 700,000 taels of silver to unblock water transportation. Who set this figure? Is this what the Ministry of Industry says? Or is it the Caoyun Yamen’s statement? They open their mouths and ask for money at will, but as the head of the Ministry of Household Affairs, you actually completely believe them? If they ask for eight million taels of silver from you, will you also give it? Didn't you do the math yourself? "
Hong Zhengshuo knew that no matter how he expressed his position at this time, he would only face more intense suppression from Zhao Junchen, so he kept silent and just listened to the instructions.
Seeing Hong Zhengshuo's appearance, Zhao Junchen sneered, then turned to Ma Sen, the right servant of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and asked: "Shilang Ma, let me ask you, you have been serving in the Ministry of Household Affairs for a long time. In previous years, The ministry has also encountered temporary blockages in water transportation, how are they usually solved?"
Ma Sen only felt that he was wronged. He was a disciple of Zhou Shangjing. He served in the Ministry of Household Affairs because Emperor Deqing deliberately mixed the spheres of influence of Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing. Therefore, he rarely participated in the specific affairs of the Ministry of Household Affairs in the past. affairs, how do you know how the Ministry of Revenue solved water transportation issues in the past?
So, Ma Sen also said bravely: "I don't know, my official!"
Zhao Junchen laughed angrily, turned his eyes to the officials from the Ministry of Finance behind the two people, and asked: "Can any official from the Ministry of household affairs give a definite answer to these questions of this pavilion? Is it possible that everyone in the Ministry of household affairs is a loser? "
As Zhao Junchen finished speaking, a doctor from the Ministry of Household Affairs came out.
This man's face can be described as having the head of a deer and the eyes of a rat, and his complexion is also a bit sickly pale after a long period of alcoholism. He is one of Zhao Junchen's most trusted officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs, Jiang Qian.
This person has a frivolous personality and loves romance. He is by no means a gentleman, but he is the most proficient in numbers and calculations. He knows all the numbers in the accounts of the household department.
What's more, he got a message from Zhao Junchen last night and had already done his homework in advance.
After standing up, Jiang Qian said loudly: "I would like to inform Mr. Zhao Ge that I can answer these questions."
"Oh? Tell me!"
"The Household Department currently has a total of 196,400 taels of silver! Putting aside various daily expenses, a total of 83,000 taels of silver can be taken out! However, this time the Ministry of Works Yamen and the Water Transport Yamen are asking the Lions of the Household Department. He asked for 800,000 taels of silver, which was far more than in previous years. It was probably because he deliberately bullied the chief officials of the Household Department who were not familiar with the affairs of the Household Department!
According to the situation in previous years, when encountering such a situation, the Ministry of Revenue only needs to spend 500,000 taels of silver, and the shortfall of the Ministry of Revenue is only 420,000 taels! After all, it's just a sudden blockage in the river, which is usually not serious! In the early days of dredging water transportation, the Ministry of Finance only needed to come up with 80,000 taels of silver. This amount of money could be used by the Ministry of Finance, but as Hong Shilang said, the subsequent silver must be paid within twenty days. Make up for it internally, otherwise all your previous efforts will be wasted!
In addition, this year's water transportation has been delayed. In order to allow the autumn tax collection from various places to enter the national treasury on time, after the water transportation is smooth, it is necessary to spend 50,000 to 70,000 taels of silver to win the support of the water transportation yamen and to encourage the water workers to work hard. Do something, otherwise, the autumn tax money and food will not enter the treasury until after the new year! "
Zhao Junchen's expression softened slightly, and he nodded and said: "It seems that there are some understanding people in the Ministry of Household Affairs! However... of the two ministers of the Ministry of Household Affairs, one only knows how to speak vaguely, and the other pretends to be stupid and has no idea. Love! The Ministry of Finance has always been a role model for all major yamen in the past, but it has fallen into such a situation in a short period of time, which makes me find the reason!"
After saying that, Zhao Junchen turned his eyes to Hong Zhengshuo and Ma Sen again, and said coldly: "Shilang Hong, Shilang Ma, according to my opinion, you two should not stay in the household department to cause trouble now, and go back to your respective homes. Close the door and think about your faults, and seriously reflect on your own mistakes! Are you two convinced by this decision of this pavilion? "
Hong Zhengshuo and Ma Sen looked at each other, and they could see the frustration and pain on each other's faces, but they did not dare to refute. They just said in unison: "I am convinced! I will go back home and think about my mistakes behind closed doors. I dare not Add more trouble to Minister Zhao!"
When expressing their stance, Hong Zhengshuo and Ma Sen were already seriously considering their own options!
Because of Zhao Junchen's various methods, the two of them not only attracted the hostility of hundreds of officials during their tenure in the Department of Hubu, but also lost their prestige within the Yamen of the Department of Hubu. Naturally, they will not be able to stay in the future.
Fortunately, the backers of these two people were Emperor Deqing and the elder Zhou Shangjing respectively, so their official careers would not be completely ruined. It might be a good thing to take the opportunity to change their posts in another yamen.
Thinking of this, Hong Zhengshuo and Ma Sen felt a little relaxed.
…
Chongzi had a cold and cough a few days ago and was extremely flustered. He never dared to tell everyone that after self-isolation for a period of time, he finally recovered today.
I wish you all good health.
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