…
…
Just as Zhao Junchen and Niu Fude ended their conversation and hurried to the palace to meet Emperor Deqing, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian was thoughtfully reading a secret letter.
After reading the contents of the secret message, a sneer flashed across Zhu Hejian's face.
On the other side, the eunuch Jia Lun showed great understanding. After seeing the change in Zhu Hejian's expression, he immediately lit a candle and held it in front of Zhu Hejian. Zhu Hejian put the secret message in his hand over the candle. Then he threw the burning secret letter to his feet and quietly watched the letter gradually burn to ashes.
After doing all this, Zhu Hejian nodded and said with a smile: "Not all the clan members are freeloaders. At least Zhu Hezeng's performance this time was very good! On one side, he secretly collected the evidence of the vassal kings and gave it to his third brother to confuse The third brother impeached all the vassal kings at the same time, and on the other hand, he tried his best to encourage King Fu to unite the clans from all over the country to fight against the third brother... Haha, he is just the eldest son of the king who has no right to inherit the throne, but he can take advantage of both sides. The water is completely disturbed."
After thinking for a moment, Jia Lun slowly commented: "This Zhu Hezeng, the eldest son of King Fu... I always feel that he is very similar to you, the Seventh Prince, in some aspects."
Zhu Hejian nodded calmly and said: "He and I are in a very similar situation. He has no right to inherit the position of Prince Fu, and I have no right to inherit the throne. His scheming methods are all good, and he has done a lot for Prince Fu's Mansion in these years." However, I can only make wedding clothes for Crown Prince Fu. The same goes for me. If I hadn’t secretly cooperated with my mother and concubine to do so many things, it would not be the third brother’s turn to take the position of prince, but I have done so many things. , in the end, I just made a wedding dress for the third brother! At the same time, the two of us were also despised. No matter how many things we did, King Fu would only value the legitimate son, and the mother-in-law would only favor the third brother. In addition, he and I are both unwilling and ambitious... There are too many similarities!
It is precisely because of this that when he came to Beijing on behalf of King Fu to meet with his father, I could tell at the first glance that he and I were on the same side. We have been secretly communicating and cooperating in secret over the years! About 30% of our secret expenses come from Prince Fu's Mansion. He has used so much money in private, but Prince Fu has never noticed any signs... and his performance during this period is even more unexpected. It was unexpectedly outstanding, everyone was played by him and applauded, it is really not to be underestimated, not to be underestimated..."
Zhu Hejian's evaluation of Zhu Hezeng was extremely high, and his face was full of admiration.
But Jia Lun has always understood Zhu Hejian's character best, but he immediately saw the murderous intention hidden under Zhu Hejian's praise.
There is no doubt that Zhu Hezeng's outstanding performance aroused Zhu Hejian's fear.
The more he discovered that Zhu Hezeng was similar to himself in all aspects, the more Zhu Hejian's murderous intention became uncontrollable.
After all, for Zhu Hezeng, things have developed to this point. He has obtained dual commitments from Crown Prince Zhu Heyu and Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian. In the future, whether Zhu Heyu consolidates his position as crown prince and successfully inherits the throne, or Zhu Hejian succeeds in overturning the throne, If Zhu Heyu is defeated and replaced, they will fully recommend him to inherit the position of King Fu.
In this way, Zhu Hezeng will have more room for choice. He no longer can only rely on Zhu Hejian. In the future, he can choose to betray Zhu Hejian and support Zhu Heyu; he can also choose to betray Zhu Heyu and support Zhu Hejian.
Under such circumstances, no one can guarantee which side Zhu Hezeng will choose to stand on - the most important thing is that Zhu Hezeng does have some evidence that is very unfavorable to Zhu Hejian in his hands, which is enough to reverse the current situation of seizing the heir.
It is precisely because Zhu Hezeng and Zhu Hejian are so similar that if they live in a different place, Zhu Hejian believes that he will definitely breed more ambitions and strive for more benefits for himself, and he will become increasingly unable to trust Zhu Hezeng.
What's more, as the situation in the court continues to change, Zhu Hejian no longer relies on Zhu Hezeng's financial assistance as before. In Zhu Hejian's mind, the eldest son of Prince Fu has overfulfilled his tasks and at the same time lost all use. Value, of course, can burn bridges and burn down bridges.
After figuring out what Zhu Hejian was thinking, Jia Lun went straight to the point and asked directly without any cover-up: "Do you want to get rid of him?"
Zhu Hejian did not hide his thoughts, and said slowly: "Zhu Hezeng is the most critical witness in the hands of the third brother. If Zhu Hezeng suddenly dies at this time, many of the evidence collected by the prince will be unfounded, and this pool of water will be disturbed. To make matters worse, Third Brother will definitely think that the sudden death of Zhu Hezeng is the work of the vassal princes, and the vassal princes will think that Zhu Hezeng's sudden death is inseparable from the prince, and the conflict between the two sides will become deeper... Moreover, After Zhu Hezeng dies, we can also reduce one variable... So, no matter what, Zhu Hezeng cannot be kept."
Jialun nodded and said: "In the past two years, we have also secretly bribed several people around Zhu Hezeng. One of them is still Zhu Hezeng's confidant. It is not difficult to get rid of him... Do you want to use diamond powder? "
Diamond powder, a poisonous substance that kills invisible people and makes people suffer from illness before death, has long become the favorite method of harming people, the master and servant of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian and Jia Lun.
In the past six months, various figures in the government and the public have died of gastric hemorrhage, all of which were the work of Zhu Hejian and Jia Lun. After all, as the seventh prince Zhu Hejian gradually came to the forefront, many things in the past had to be washed away. Bai must not leave any loopholes. "Kill and silence" is undoubtedly the most effective method in this case.
On the other side, Zhu Hejian pondered for a moment, but then shook his head and said: "Don't use diamond powder this time. Although this kind of thing is easy to use, people will notice the signs if it is used too many times, and it takes effect too slowly. I don’t want to keep Zhu Hezeng for too long...it’s better to find a way to let him die in an accident.”
There were too many ways to harm people in Jalen's mind, and he didn't feel embarrassed at all at this time. He immediately replied: "I will arrange it immediately, and I will see the results within half a month."
Zhu Hejian nodded with satisfaction, and then asked: "By the way, have you received any news from the emperor during this period? Since the prince's memorial to impeach the vassals was sent to the capital, the emperor not only stopped the court meeting, but also I don’t want to see anyone at all, even if I want to see him these days, he has rejected me... I don’t know what my father is thinking about these days, I always feel that it is a variable!"
At this point, Zhu Hejian couldn't help but frown.
Jia Lun shook his head and said: "I don't know, we haven't received too detailed information during this period! These days, Your Majesty, he has not even seen the concubines in the harem, and has been staying in the imperial study for the night... Ever since Li Ruan entered the imperial study to run errands After that, it will not be easy for us to collect information from the imperial study. This person is very sophisticated and scheming. Everyone in the imperial study is closely watched by him, whether it is collecting intelligence or delivering news. It has become very difficult... He is only in charge of the Imperial Study Room temporarily, and when he officially becomes the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Study Room, it will be even more difficult for us to collect information from the Imperial Study Room."
Zhu Hejian was thoughtful and said: "Looking at it this way, this person can be considered a talent. His attitude and position must be confirmed as soon as possible. You send a message to the inner court. I will look for opportunities to meet with Li Ruan in the next few days." , if you can’t use it for your own use, it’s better to get rid of this kind of person immediately.”
The danger of Zhu Hejian lies here. His thinking and methods are too cruel and decisive - if someone may threaten him, then get rid of him secretly; if someone cannot be used for his own purposes, then kill him directly; People may reveal their secrets, but they still have to be silenced in secret - in short, he will not hesitate to use the most drastic means to anyone who might stand in the way.
In Zhu Hejian's eyes, this is the most effective and direct method.
But Jia Lun was very adaptable to Zhu Hejian's style of doing things, and still nodded in agreement with an expressionless face.
After talking about Li Ru'an, Zhu Hejian fell into deep thought again.
In Zhu Hejian's eyes, Li Ru'an is just an insignificant person, and Li Ru'an's matter is just a trivial matter, and a little attention is enough.
The focus now is Emperor Deqing's attitude. This is the most important thing!
In Zhu Hejian's expectation, after Prince Zhu Heyu impeached various vassal kings at the same time, Emperor Deqing's attitude must be to fight each other fifty times. On the one hand, based on the evidence found by Prince Zhu Heyu, Severely punishing the princes, the other side will also take advantage of the opportunity of the princes to fight back against the crown prince Zhu Heyu to formally depose the prince and change the crown prince, and Zhu Hejian can replace him and become the real crown prince.
However, Emperor Deqing's behavior these days has been too strange, as if he was caught in a huge entanglement and contradiction. He has not expressed his attitude for a long time, which has added some variables to this matter.
"What on earth is my father thinking... and why is he behaving in such a strange way... I always feel that there is something that I have overlooked..."
Zhu Hejian murmured to himself.
*
The Sacred Heart is unpredictable.
Since Emperor Deqing received the impeachment memorial from Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, he has not held a morning court meeting for four consecutive days, nor has he summoned all the important officials of the imperial court to discuss matters. He has also refused everyone's audience, and has been hiding in In the royal study, no one could speculate on his thoughts and thoughts during this period.
Emperor Deqing, who could not guess his thoughts, was obviously the most difficult to deal with.
When Zhao Junchen rushed outside the imperial study, he found that most of the cabinet ministers and the six ministers had already arrived. Everyone had serious expressions and gathered together to discuss in low voices.
After seeing Zhao Junchen appear, Chen Dongxiang, the Minister of Industry, and Li Chengru, the Minister of Household Affairs, hurried to Zhao Junchen's side.
During this period of time, the relationship between Li Chengru and Zhao Junchen has become closer and closer, and he has quietly and actively cooperated with Zhao Junchen's various instructions. However, on the surface, he is not Zhao Junchen's friend. He is still the prince Zhu Heyu. The crowd was extremely nervous at this time.
Therefore, after quickly arriving in front of Zhao Junchen, Li Chengru asked first: "Mr. Zhao Ge, you said that Your Majesty summoned us this time, but for the purpose of impeaching the princes? His Majesty... he should stand up On the prince's side, right? After all, Your Majesty has been dissatisfied with the vassal kings for a long time. Although the prince has made a bigger fuss this time, he is still sharing your worries after all..."
Chen Dongxiang whispered: "If nothing else, it should be for the lawsuit between the prince and the princes! I received some news that the memorials from the princes have arrived in the capital today, but except for His Majesty himself Besides, no one has read the contents of these memorials so far. His Majesty summoned us this time probably for this matter."
Hearing what Chen Dongxiang said, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but be a little surprised. He didn't expect that Chen Dongxiang had also bribed an informant in the inner court, and it seemed that the level of this informant was not low enough and he had access to certain inside information.
Since Zuo Lanshan was sent to Shanxi as governor, Chen Dongxiang has become the second-largest figure in the "Zhao Party" in the capital regardless of seniority or official position. Unlike Zuo Lanshan, who keeps a low profile and is good at cooperating, his ambitions It's bigger and more proactive in its methods, but I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
While his thoughts were spinning, Zhao Junchen said to Li Chengru: "What Chen Shangshu said is right. Your Majesty summoned us this time, most likely because of the matter between the prince and the vassal king! As for whether your majesty will support the prince this time? It’s hard to say…
If it were before today, I would be inclined to think that your majesty would take fifty measures each. On the one hand, he would use the evidence he found to depose the vassal kings who had committed the most serious crimes and take the opportunity to weaken the power of the clan. On the other hand, he would also I will take advantage of the prince's unfavorable reasons to further damage the prince's prestige, or even directly replace the crown prince... But His Majesty's behavior during this period is too strange, and I dare not make a conclusion easily now...
However, the memorials of the vassal princes were presented to His Majesty at the same time, which meant that the clans had secretly cooperated and wanted to jointly put pressure on His Majesty. This method was too much, and undoubtedly offended His Majesty's divine power. Your Majesty's temperament will arouse arrogance in your heart, and you will never compromise easily with the clan, and you may choose to protect the prince..."
Having said this, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but shook his head slightly, saying that these opinions of his were just speculations and could not be guaranteed to come true.
Emperor Deqing was undoubtedly arrogant and always believed that he could easily control everything. This also made it rare for him to be truly serious. People like Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Junchen and others often took advantage of Emperor Deqing's behavior. An arrogant attitude seeks benefits for himself, but now that the matter involves the prince and the clan, Emperor Deqing has undoubtedly become completely serious. He has begun to think about some deeper things, and his thoughts are not as easy to guess as before. .
Therefore, Zhao Junchen's mood at this time was unprecedentedly serious and dignified.
Zhao Junchen looked up and found that he was not alone. Now, both Zhou Shangjing, the always scheming chief minister of the cabinet, and Wang Shou, the core member of the "Emperor Party", had as solemn expressions as himself. Obviously, they could not guess. Emperor Tu Deqing was not prepared for a countermeasure.
Next, Zhao Junchen discussed with Chen Dongxiang and Li Chengru for a few more words, but before they could come to a specific conclusion, they saw the elder Cheng Yuandao hurried outside the imperial study.
After Cheng Yuandao arrived here, all the ministers of the cabinet and the ministers of the six ministries also arrived.
Soon, a young eunuch gently opened the door and walked out of the imperial study. He whispered softly: "Our name is Li Ru'an. From now on, we will stay in the imperial study to run errands! Your Excellencies often As important officials of the imperial court who come in and out of the imperial study, our family will inevitably meet with you all from time to time. If our family accidentally offends you in any way in the future, I hope you can understand...
Now, would you please follow me into the Imperial Study Room to meet the Holy Spirit... By the way, please allow me to say a few words, Your Majesty is in a very bad mood these days, and I hope you will be more careful when you come to see me. "
After hearing what Li Ru'an said, all the ministers couldn't help but look at him deeply, feeling that this young eunuch was not simple.
Especially the sentence "If there is anything in our family that accidentally offends you in the future, I hope you will understand." It is quite meaningful and seems to imply that the ministers will no longer be able to easily pry inside the imperial study. News.
On the other side, Li Ruan ignored the reactions of the ministers and just turned around and returned to the imperial study, without even looking at Zhao Junchen.
…
Because of the two sessions, there were a lot of things going on in the past few days, so I will resume updating today.
…
