…
…
Use retreat to make a comeback, leave the position of prince while preserving his reputation, find ways to win sympathy and support from all walks of life in the government and the public before being officially deposed, and then quietly wait for the seventh prince Zhu Hejian to make mistakes in the future, and take advantage of the situation to pursue Make a comeback and return to the reserve position...
This was originally the future path designed by Zhao Junchen for Zhu Heyu, but now it was suddenly revealed by Li Chengru, who had always been mediocre!
After being caught off guard at the beginning, Zhao Junchen quickly calmed down his abnormal expression and regained his usual composure and calmness.
However, Zhao Junchen's inner emotions were still ups and downs, full of vigilance.
He has always been suspicious and thoughtful. He often fights with the air. He has to think carefully about any slight disturbance for a long time. He never dares to regard any situation as a simple coincidence or accident.
Moreover, Zhao Junchen is not as good at observing words and expressions as Huo Zhengyuan. He can infer a lot of things just by looking at the details of the other person's behavior and changes in expressions.
This kind of ability actually requires talent, and it is easy to be fooled, so Zhao Junchen rarely uses the method of "observing words and emotions" as a basis for judging something.
At this time, Zhao Junchen could not be as sure as Huo Zhengyuan that Li Chengru's statement was just a temporary excuse. Instead, he secretly wondered whether Li Chengru had noticed some clues and guessed his future plan, so he wanted to take advantage of it. Test yourself?
All in all, for the sake of caution, Zhao Junchen believed that it was necessary to find out the details of Li Chengru at this time.
Compared with Huo Zhengyuan's "observation of words and colors", Zhao Junchen also has his own judgment method, which can also detect a person's thoughts and details, that is, "listen to his words and observe his actions."
This method seems to be very similar to "observation of words and colors", but in fact it is a completely different method.
*
After making the decision, Zhao Junchen deliberately showed disapproval, as if he did not agree with Li Chengru's proposal, but was unwilling to refute it face to face.
On the other side, seeing Zhao Junchen's attitude, Li Chengru was deeply surprised and couldn't help but feel a little panicked.
He originally thought that Zhao Junchen would definitely agree to his proposal and give him a step down, and then he could completely surrender to Zhao Junchen!
But if Zhao Junchen rejected his proposal on the spot and made it clear that he was unwilling to have anything to do with Prince Zhu Heyu in the future, let alone help Zhu Heyu make a comeback, wouldn't he be in an embarrassing dilemma? There will also be twists and turns in changing the family...
Zhao Gechen, Zhao Gechen! I, Li Chengru, have made a great determination today and sincerely want to surrender to you! What I just said about asking you to "assist Prince Zhu Heyu to make a comeback in the future" was just a casual mention. You just have to agree casually. Even if you forget this agreement in the future, I will never mention the old thing again. ah!
While pouring out his heart loudly, Li Chengru was also filled with regret, thinking that he shouldn't be so pretentious as to set up a memorial arch, and must find a high-sounding excuse for himself before surrendering to Zhao Junchen! If I had known this, I should have directly agreed to Zhao Junchen's solicitation just now.
Under the fluctuating mood, Li Chengru could not maintain his calm expression, and stared at Zhao Junchen with nervous eyes.
After Zhao Junchen was silent for a long time, he finally spoke slowly: "The chance of Li Shangshu's idea is slim! The current situation in the temple is very clear. After His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is deposed, the person who will succeed him as Crown Prince will inevitably It's the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian!
This prince has always acted cautiously. Now he has not only won the support of the Qingliu people, but also won the favor of His Majesty. Some time ago, he also took advantage of the situation and annexed the original "Shen Dang" forces. He really took advantage of it and his methods were brilliant. It’s evident…
After he ascends to the position of Crown Prince, his position will be far more stable than that of His Highness the Crown Prince today. Even if he makes small mistakes occasionally, it will be difficult to shake the foundation!
Therefore, if we want to overthrow him in the future and let His Royal Highness make a comeback, how difficult will it be? Such an approach will not only make you an enemy of the new prince, but will also embarrass His Majesty!
Haha, this approach will undoubtedly offend the current emperor and the future emperor at the same time. It is simply a way to die. Once the plan fails, it will be a place of eternal disaster, and his wife and children will also be deeply implicated... Li Shangshu Have you already thought through the consequences? "
Eternal disaster, my wife, children and clan members...
After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Li Chengru couldn't help but look slightly pale.
He was just looking for a high-sounding excuse for himself, but he didn't consider the feasibility and serious consequences of this proposal at all.
Zhao Junchen stared at Li Chengru's change of demeanor with a cold expression, and then said: "Even if we just mentioned it casually and did not take any actual actions, as long as your words are accidentally spread, we will still become His Majesty's partner. The Seventh Prince is a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh! Therefore, I still hope that Li Shangshu... must be careful in his words and deeds!"
Li Chengru's face became paler and paler, almost bloodless, and he finally understood that in his haste, he had said something he absolutely shouldn't have said out of consideration, and made a very stupid suggestion.
But Li Chengru didn't know that his seemingly stupid suggestion was actually very close to Zhao Junchen's real plan.
"It's all because of Xianguan's delusion, insanity and blunder. I hope Minister Zhao will never take it to heart. Those words just now are treated as if they were never said by Xianguan. I will never dare to mention them again in the future..."
Zhao Junchen smiled half-heartedly and asked: "So, Li Shangshu doesn't expect me to help His Royal Highness make a comeback in the future?"
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen's self-identification had quietly changed from "I" to "this pavilion", implying an aggressive tone.
Li Chengru's expression became increasingly uncertain, but he soon made a decision and sighed: "The overall situation has been decided and it is difficult to change. If the crown prince's dethronement cannot be reversed, we can only comply with the destiny."
What a "compliance with destiny"! Li Chengru can really build a memorial arch for himself anytime and anywhere. This has become his instinct!
However, after seeing Li Chengru's various reactions, Zhao Junchen was finally able to confirm that Li Chengru's suggestion just now was not that he had guessed his follow-up plan and wanted to test himself, but that it was just an impromptu idea and an accident.
Obviously, Li Chengru never seriously considered the probability of success and the consequences of failure of his proposal from beginning to end. When he discovered that his impromptu idea would have serious consequences, he immediately gave up his position without any in-depth discussion. Thoughts - If he deliberately wanted to test Zhao Junchen, he should never behave like this.
Compared to Huo Zhengyuan, Zhao Junchen undoubtedly saw through the truth of the matter a step later, but the conclusion he reached was more reliable than Huo Zhengyuan.
Although the method of "observing words and emotions" can quickly draw certain conclusions, there is also the possibility of misjudgment or being deceived. Zhao Junchen's method of "listening to his words and watching his actions" is to throw a question at the other party. It is undoubtedly much safer to system multiple-choice questions under different situations, force the other party to make a choice, and then judge the other party's true intentions based on the other party's different choices.
After confirming Li Chengru's true thoughts, Zhao Junchen knew that he was worrying too much, but he was not in a hurry to end the topic. Instead, he asked again: "Li Shangshu can clearly understand the general trend, which is naturally the best! It's not me. It is really irresistible to abandon His Highness the Crown Prince and betray the alliance... However, I would like to know, Li Shangshu, you have always been cautious about your duty, why do you suddenly think that I will support His Highness the Crown Prince's comeback in the future? "
Seeing that Zhao Junchen was no longer pursuing his nonsense, Li Chengru couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and secretly prayed that his remarks today would not be spread. When he heard Zhao Junchen's inquiry again, he couldn't help but sigh. Stunned, I didn’t know how to answer for a moment.
You can't say that all his suggestions are just improvised excuses, right?
But after all, Li Chengru was not a hopeless idiot. After thinking carefully for a moment, he gradually grasped the context of his thoughts when he just proposed.
After hesitating for a moment, Li Chengru replied: "The reason why the official had such an idea just now is because under the current situation, it is impossible to change the fact that His Highness the Crown Prince will be deposed. If Zhao Gechen still intends to continue to support His Highness the Crown Prince, If so, all we can do is seek a comeback and make a comeback!
We can only allow His Highness the Crown Prince to maintain his reputation even when he is deposed. The government and the opposition parties will still be grateful to His Highness the Crown Prince for his kindness and will not forget it under our campaign, and then wait until the new Crown Prince makes serious mistakes after he takes office and is punished by us. If you get the handle, His Royal Highness will have a chance to make a comeback! For His Royal Highness, this is the only feasible solution under the current circumstances! "
Hearing Li Chengru's explanation, Zhao Junchen was slightly startled, and then fell into deep thought.
*
Perhaps it was not just a coincidence that Li Chengru was able to accidentally guess the future path Zhao Junchen planned for Zhu Heyu.
As Li Chengru explained, if Zhao Junchen wants to continue to support Zhu Heyu and use Zhu Heyu to check and balance Zhu Hejian, this method is the only strategy available to him.
From this perspective, as long as Zhao Junchen's true views on Zhu Heyu and Zhu Hejian are seen, Zhao Junchen's thoughts and plans are actually not difficult to guess!
At least the seventh prince Zhu Hejian was very aware of Zhao Junchen's vigilance and hostility towards him, and he could probably guess that Zhao Junchen wanted to use Zhu Heyu to check and balance himself. Zhou Shangjing was naturally aware of this, and Emperor Deqing would also see it sooner or later. Understand... So they are all likely to guess Zhao Junchen's specific plan in the future... maybe they have already guessed it now.
Zhao Junchen found that he was too secretive. He had never considered the problem from this perspective, but he thought that his plan had no flaws and could be hidden from most people, and that he could hide behind the scenes and manipulate the reserve. The positions have changed, but now it seems that my own thoughts are too taken for granted.
As long as Zhao Junchen still wants to support Zhu Heyu to regain the position of crown prince, he will have to stand in front of the stage sooner or later, and he will never be able to hide behind the scenes and manipulate everything!
Moreover, sooner or later, his plan will be guessed by discerning people from all walks of life in the government and the public, and it will not be implemented smoothly.
Although Zhao Junchen's plan is largely a conspiracy, he is not worried about being blocked and sabotaged. Moreover, as long as Zhao Junchen does not express his support for the former deposed prince in a clear-cut manner when implementing the plan, no one can challenge him. Something goes wrong, but after someone sees through the arrangement, there will definitely be many twists and turns, and the pressure on all parties will be extremely high.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but start thinking about another question - although his support for Zhu Heyu was largely just to check and balance Zhu Hejian, if the cost was too great and the risk was too high, was it all worth it?
In fact, when talking with Emperor Deqing in the Imperial Study Room, Zhao Junchen had already begun to consider this issue after discovering that Zhu Heyu's growth rate had far exceeded expectations and that he had other plans without telling him.
This issue is related to Zhao Junchen's future strategic direction. It cannot be considered clearly in a short time, and now is obviously not a good opportunity to take a closer look.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen calmed down his thoughts in the next moment and turned his attention to Li Chengru again, saying: "That's it! It's a pity that Li Shangshu's idea is too risky and has a small chance of success. Otherwise, I really could have tried it. ! But since Li Shangshu also understands that the general trend is irreversible, we can only be forced to give up His Highness the Crown Prince! As ministers, it is best for us as ministers to participate as little as possible in the abolition of the crown prince, or to think more about our own affairs. Well...for example, just like the matter I mentioned just now, can the cooperation between Li Shangshu and this pavilion be longer and closer!"
After seeing Zhao Junchen express his position to recruit him again, Li Chengru naturally did not dare to be hypocritical again, and his gaffe just now was to a large extent equivalent to being caught by Zhao Junchen. Once Zhao Junchen put him If the proposal spreads, Li Chengru will arouse the hostility of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, so Li Chengru will become less and less afraid to resist Zhao Junchen.
As Zhao Junchen's words fell, Li Chengru quickly expressed his position: "I feel deeply honored and comfortable to cooperate with Zhao Gechen during this period of time. I am naturally willing to continue to cooperate with Zhao Gechen in the future. I will follow Zhao Gechen's lead and work hard for the court together!" "
Such a statement is no longer an ordinary cooperation, but a clear intention to join Zhao Junchen's disciples.
Zhao Junchen was not surprised by this, nodded and said with a smile: "It is best for Li Shangshu to have such an awakening! When all the officials gather at the next court meeting, I will put those who are closely related to me Colleagues are officially introduced to Li Shangshu, from now on everyone is one of our own, and we can cooperate more with each other!"
Thinking that he would soon join the ranks of the corrupt officials and traitorous officials of the "Zhao Party", Li Chengru felt complicated for a while, but thinking of the many benefits of joining the "Zhao Party", he vaguely looked forward to it and said: " It is of course a good thing to cooperate more with my colleagues. If Zhao Gechen needs the cooperation of the subordinates in the future, the subordinates will do their best."
*
Next, Zhao Junchen exchanged some views on the situation in the temple with Li Chengru and Huo Zhengyuan, but there was no need to mention more.
But when the three of them were talking, Huo Zhengyuan was always a little absent-minded, and from time to time he would lead the topic to the matter of the crown prince's abolition, apparently guessing something.
Zhao Junchen likes smart people like Huo Zhengyuan very much, but smart people also have their disadvantages. As long as they are a little careless, they will see through the root cause. Just like now, Li Chengru has never been aware of what happened just now. Something happened, but Huo Zhengyuan just saw a slight change in Zhao Junchen's expression and already thought about too many things.
However, the reason why Zhao Junchen valued Huo Zhengyuan was that Huo Zhengyuan was not only very smart, but also very low-key and cautious, and understood his responsibilities. Zhao Junchen did not intend to let Huo Zhengyuan be deeply involved in the abolition of the crown prince. He believed that Huo Zhengyuan would only be responsible for shipping in the future. Things were fine, so he avoided talking about Huo Zhengyuan's repeated temptations.
After Huo Zhengyuan tried it several times, he quickly understood Zhao Junchen's thoughts and didn't mention it any more. He just secretly made a decision in his heart that he would never get too close to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian in the future. Huo Zhengyuan knew about Zhao Junchen, and he believed that even if Zhu Hejian succeeded in taking the position of crown prince, this position would not be stable.
After talking for about half an hour, seeing that Zhao Junchen looked tired, they left together, and Zhao Junchen naturally did not force him to stay.
After Li Chengru and Huo Zhengyuan left, Zhao Junchen turned to look at Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin, who had been standing next to them, and said: "Qingyan, Xiaolin, you two have been traveling thousands of miles between the north and the south these days. Now... It must be a blessing. Go and rest now. Dinner will be served in an hour or two. I will order the kitchen to prepare a rich meal to celebrate the two of you, and also plan your future future. "
After a pause, Zhao Junchen thought of something else and added to Xu Qingyan: "By the way, you said that the Zheng family has arrived in the capital with you and is waiting to see me at any time... A lot of things will happen in the next few days. , I'm afraid I don't have the time to see him. You should ask him to meet with Academician Huo first. The two of them will be responsible for discussing the specific details of the cooperation. If something happens that Academician Huo cannot decide, let me know! Wait until all the details of the cooperation are discussed before letting him come to see me. I am afraid that I have no intention of taking care of these details now."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Mo Xiaolin couldn't help but feel happy. Zhao Junchen once promised to give him a future in the military, and now he is obviously going to fulfill his promise.
On the other side, Xu Qingyan had a worried look on his face. He had always understood Zhao Junchen’s style best and understood that Zhao Junchen had never been one to delegate power and worry less. The shipping plan in cooperation with the Zheng family was even more important in Zhao Junchen’s future plan. The most important thing is that it stands to reason that even if Zhao Junchen does not personally come forward to negotiate the details of cooperation with the Zheng family, he should still control the overall situation from beginning to end, but he should never leave everything directly to Huo Zhengyuan!
Being able to let Zhao Junchen say that he "doesn't care about these trivial matters" means that Zhao Junchen has more and more important things that need to be seriously considered, and he is gradually becoming unable to do what he wants.
Thinking of this, although Xu Qingyan didn't say much - he knew what he said was useless - his desire to take charge of his own affairs and share Zhao Junchen's worries became stronger.
*
When Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin also left the room, Zhao Junchen was the only one left in the main hall of Zhao Mansion.
Zhao Junchen finally had the opportunity to start thinking about the upcoming dethronement of Prince Zhu Heyu.
There is no doubt that this matter is the top priority now, and its impact is extremely far-reaching. The temple structure will also change accordingly. Zhao Junchen is also at the center of the whirlpool and cannot escape. What he does next will also have a profound impact on himself and many others. man's destiny.
Especially because of Li Chengru's unintentional suggestion, Zhao Junchen found that the situation he faced became more and more complicated.
Should I maintain my stance of supporting Zhu Heyu?
Zhu Heyu's rapid growth has exceeded expectations. Will there be a risk of losing control in the future?
Emperor Deqing forced himself to take the lead in impeaching Zhu Heyu. How should this matter be implemented in detail?
If after Prince Zhu Heyu was deposed, he still planned to support him to return to the throne, how should he deal with the pressure from all sides during the period?
Every issue and every possibility requires Zhao Junchen to think carefully and cannot be ignored.
*
And while Zhao Junchen was thinking about these things seriously, he didn't know that two ambitious careerists were meeting secretly.
In recent days, Emperor Deqing has not left the Imperial Study Room due to the lawsuit between Prince Zhu Heyu and various vassal kings. Li Ruan, who has now been promoted to the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Study Room, is also forced to stay on duty in the Imperial Study Room for three consecutive days. after.
Today, after Emperor Deqing summoned the ministers in the imperial study, he finally returned to the harem to rest, and Li Ruan also got a chance to rest.
As soon as Li Ruan returned to his room, he suddenly received news that Wu Xinquan, the chief minister of the Bureau of Ceremonies, had set up a banquet at Hexin Tower west of the Forbidden City and invited him to have a drink.
Wu Xinquan was the head of the inner court, so Li Ruan certainly didn't dare to neglect him, and he didn't bother to rest, so he hurried to the banquet.
But when he arrived at Hexin Tower, he met an unexpected person.
This figure is clearly the seventh prince Zhu Hejian who is about to become the new crown prince!
…
…
