…
…
"Li Chunchen... This is the second time I have heard his name in recent times!... Moreover, every time I hear this name, it means bad news...
I heard his name a few days ago, after Li Ruan snooped into the secret box of Emperor Deqing's imperial study, and discovered that this Li Chunchen had secretly impeached me for committing fraud and misappropriating special funds during the construction of the palace..."
While muttering to himself, Zhao Junchen's expression was a little sinister, and he secretly recalled Li Chunchen's past experiences in his heart.
The first time Zhao Junchen met Li Chunchen was after the general examination and before the palace examination last year. Li Chunchen ranked fourth in the general examination at that time, second only to Zhou Suwen, the grandson of Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Shancai, a talented man from Jiangnan, and Zhao Junchen's full support. These three people, Zeng Wei, the new generation of "Zhao Party", are enough to prove that this person has extraordinary talents. If he takes part in the examination in another session, he might still be ranked first.
Moreover, Li Chunchen, like Zhao Junchen at that time, was also keenly aware of Xiao Wenxuan's potential and possibilities. Taking advantage of Xiao Wenxuan's failure, he actually wanted to use him for his own purposes. If Zhao Junchen hadn't taken action first, Xiao Wenxuan would now be Maybe he will become Li Chunchen's staff.
From this alone, we can see that Li Chunchen has extraordinary vision and ambition - without vision, he would not be able to detect Xiao Wenxuan's potential; without ambition, he would not be able to succeed when he was only a prospective Jinshi. Just win people's hearts and accumulate strength in advance.
Later, during the palace examination, Li Chunchen published an article that attracted the attention of both the government and the public - "Theory of the Hanging Sword"!
In summary, "Hanging Sword Theory" mainly elaborates on the future reform direction of the imperial court's "esoteric system". There are three aspects in total: First, the court should lower the threshold for officials to submit secret reports to the emperor, and expand the number of officials who are qualified to submit secret reports to the emperor. The scope of officials who can submit secret reports; secondly, officials' secret reports are no longer forwarded through the General Affairs Department, but directly to the emperor, reducing the risk of leaks; thirdly, in the past, if court officials used secret reports to impeach their colleagues , it is necessary to find real evidence, but in the future we should adhere to the principle of "hearing and telling things". There is no need to insist on real evidence. You only need to hear some rumors to submit secrets.
According to Li Chunchen, if the court follows this policy, it will be equivalent to having a sharp sword hanging above the heads of all officials, which will make all officials feel in danger and no longer dare to disobey the court's laws!
As soon as this "Hanging Sword Theory" was published, it immediately caused an uproar in the whole court, and all the ministers strongly opposed it!
After all, if Emperor Deqing had followed the strategy of "The Theory of the Hanging Sword", there would have been a situation where "no one is involved behind the scenes, and no one is involved in the name", and the officials would no longer have any secrets in front of the emperor. It can be said that the ministerial power can no longer compete with the imperial power, and all ministers will become fish in the eyes of the emperor.
In the end, due to the strong opposition of the officials, Emperor Deqing treated both Li Chunchen and "The Theory of the Hanging Sword" coldly. Not only did he lower Li Chunchen's ranking in the imperial examination, but he also never discussed "The Theory of the Hanging Sword" again. the opinion of.
However, this "Hanging Sword Theory" is undoubtedly the best means for Emperor Deqing to further expand his imperial power. How could he give up so easily?
After the palace examination, Emperor Deqing appointed Li Chunchen as the General Affairs Secretary from the seventh rank. Apparently, he wanted to familiarize Li Chunchen with the process of submitting imperial memorials in advance and pave the way for his subsequent plans.
At the same time, because of this "Hanging Sword Theory", Li Chunchen has been ostracized and suppressed since he entered the officialdom. However, this man is very scheming and good at forbearing, and he has never shown any dissatisfaction. , he is also very low-key when doing things on weekdays, and never lets anyone catch his flaws. He is obviously waiting for his opportunity to rise!
In the past six months, Emperor Deqing saw that the limelight had passed, but he secretly summoned Li Chunchen for talks many times, which was obviously a big deal.
Regarding this situation, both Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing were extremely concerned and fearful!
However, Li Chunchen is too low-key. Although Zhao Junchen has always sent people to keep an eye on him, he has never received any useful information. The long-term lack of gains has also made Zhao Junchen's ears and eyes slack. In addition, Li Chunchen himself acted cautiously, and he almost missed an extremely critical piece of information!
That is - under the instruction of Emperor Deqing, Li Chunchen has secretly rebuilt the Da Nai Hing Factory, which was once a powerful place, and he himself is the current factory director of Da Nai Hing Factory!
*
In the study room of the Zhao Mansion, the person who reported relevant information to Zhao Junchen was Zhang Yuer.
At this time, after hearing Zhao Junchen's muttering, Zhang Yu'er also frowned and said softly: "Yes, I feel that every time this Li Chunchen appears, he will more or less bring trouble to the master, no matter the article " "The Theory of the Hanging Sword", the last secret impeachment, or the secret reconstruction of the inner factory this time, are all quite threatening to the master. Could it be said that this person is deliberately making things difficult for the master? "
While speaking, Zhang Yu'er still spoke softly, but her eyes were flashing with murderous intent.
Unknowingly, the threat of Li Chunchen has become more and more serious and cannot be ignored. He seems to be low-key and silent, but every time he behaves, it is scary. No one knows what he will do in the future. .
In Zhang Yuer's view, it would be better to eradicate unstable factors like this as soon as possible!
Zhao Junchen slowly shook his head and said: "According to my observation, whether this person has lofty ambitions or is dedicated to working hard, I am afraid that he has determined to be a supreme minister a long time ago, and for himself. He has planned everything, and he is still very deliberate and unscrupulous... Therefore, he may not be deliberately targeting me, in his eyes I should be just an eyesore blocking the road!"
"Treat me as a roadblock? Is he worthy?"
As he spoke, the murderous look in Zhang Yuer's eyes became even stronger.
Zhao Junchen glanced sideways at Zhang Yu'er and warned: "This Li Chunchen seems to be just an insignificant seventh-grade official, but secretly he has been appointed by His Majesty as the Superintendent of the Internal Factory. He has a heavy weight in His Majesty's heart. You Don’t act rashly! This is a critical period for several of our plans, and it’s best not to arouse a violent reaction from His Majesty, otherwise a lot of variables will inevitably occur!”
During this period of time, Fang Ru has been focusing on the care of the fetus and nourishing the body, and has gradually transferred all the powers in her hands to Zhang Yu'er, so the power Zhang Yu'er controls now is quite strong.
At the same time, although Li Chunchen is now the factory supervisor, his public identity is still just an ordinary low-level official of the imperial court, and he has almost no bodyguards around him.
Therefore, if Zhang Yuer wanted to secretly get rid of Li Chunchen, it would not be a particularly difficult task.
After hearing Zhao Junchen's warning, Zhang Yu'er hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed: "Okay, Yu'er just listens to the master's orders."
Zhao Junchen shook his head slightly, but then showed admiration and continued: "What's more, don't underestimate this Li Chunchen. In my eyes, this person's scheming methods are the strongest among the younger generation in the court." This person is even better than Zhou Suwen, the direct grandson of Zhou Shangjing. Even if Zhao Shancai comes back from the dead, although he is good at maneuvering and resourceful, he is good at planning others but not good at planning himself. He is not as good at forbearance as Li Chunchen. , it may not be possible to be stronger than him... As for the young people under my sect, they are only just adequate at the moment, and they are even worse."
Zhang Yu'er asked unconvinced: "The younger generation is the strongest? How about compared to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head again: "The strengths of the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian are ruthlessness, caution, and forbearance. This is also the most difficult part of him to deal with... However, after he truly becomes the crown prince, will he be able to maintain these advantages? I deeply express my feelings. Doubtful! Of course, from the current point of view, Zhu Hejian is not weaker than Li Chunchen, but in the long run, unless Zhu Hejian successfully inherits the throne, he may not be stronger than Li Chunchen. "
Hearing Zhao Junchen's comments, Zhang Yu'er couldn't help but be stunned. She had been living in the shadow of Zhu Hejian for many years, and was almost killed by Zhu Hejian. She had always been afraid of Zhu Hejian. In her mind, Zhu Hejian was definitely the king of the imperial court. The top figures of the younger generation, even the old guys in the temple, may not be able to overwhelm him, but they did not expect that Zhao Junchen would have such a high opinion of Li Chunchen, and that he was even more powerful than Zhu Hejian.
As a result, Zhang Yu'er dared not ignore Li Chunchen's threat, and secretly made up her mind to send more force to keep an eye on this person.
At the same time, Zhang Yuer's bright eyes turned, but she suddenly smiled and said softly: "But Yuer still feels that this Li Chunchen cannot be regarded as the strongest person in the younger generation of the imperial court. Compared with He is far away from the truly strongest young generation. He is simply a world of difference and cannot be compared to the same person!"
Hearing what Zhang Yu'er said, Zhao Junchen was stunned at first, but when he noticed Zhang Yu'er's water-cut eyes staring closely at his face, he immediately understood what Zhang Yu'er meant, and couldn't help laughing, and said: " Oh, that’s right! Just looking at my age, I can be regarded as one of the younger generations of the imperial court... I fight with Emperor Deqing, Zhou Shangjing and others all day long, but I subconsciously attribute myself to the older generation!"
Just like that, the two of them laughed and joked with each other, but soon got back to the topic.
Zhang Yu'er still spoke softly, but her expression had returned to seriousness, and she continued to report news related to the inner factory to Zhao Junchen: "According to the current intelligence, the strength of the inner factory is quite weak, and the core members only have about More than ten people were all recruited by Li Chunchen personally, and they all had low status. Most of them were unsuccessful people in the outer court and the inner court. There were only a few hundred peripheral members, and most of them were people from the three religions and nine streams of the people...
It is worth noting that Li Chunchen completely bypassed the inner court when he rebuilt the inner factory, and never borrowed the power of the East-West Second Factory and Jinyiwei. Therefore, the East-West Second Factory and Jinyiwei were unaware of the reconstruction of the inner factory from beginning to end. From this aspect, the Inner Factory cannot even be regarded as an institution affiliated with the Inner Court. Because of this, the influence of the Inner Factory has been unable to expand...
But everything has advantages and disadvantages. When the inner factory is rebuilt, the power of the inner court is completely abandoned. This means that the existence and operation of the inner factory will not be penetrated and affected by the inner court at all. It can be said to be a completely independent and self-contained system! Moreover, every time the inner factory recruits new core members, they must pass Li Chunchen's personal assessment. Only those who are completely trustworthy can join the inner factory's core and know some of the inner factory's secrets. Therefore, the reconstruction of the inner factory is extremely hidden. It was also completely hidden from the eyes and ears of the major factions!
This time, if Xu Qingyan hadn't accidentally discovered the Jianzhou Jurchen spy who was connected to the inner factory, and if the inner factory hadn't wanted to take the opportunity to plant a double agent within the Jianzhou Jurchens, so Taking the risk of revealing the existence of the inner factory to this person, we may still have to keep the reconstruction of the inner factory in the dark!
But even so, even if the inner factory is not strong, we know the existence of the inner factory in advance. However, because the daily activities of the inner factory are too hidden, it is extremely difficult to penetrate. We can only collect some details at present. The intelligence on the surface still has no clue about the core secrets of the inner factory - especially the reasons for the reconstruction of the inner factory, the scope of powers and responsibilities, the targets, etc. "
After introducing the relevant information about the internal factory to Zhao Junchen, Zhang Yuer's eyebrows became more and more frowned. She just felt that this internal factory was like a shrinking bastard, giving people nowhere to start.
On the other side, Zhao Junchen also had a solemn expression and murmured: "The reasons for the reconstruction of the internal factory, the scope of powers and responsibilities, and the targets... Yes, if these things are not clear, it will really make people sleepless and sleepless!"
Zhang Yuer was worried in her heart and couldn't help but ask: "Master, do you think His Majesty is rebuilding the inner factory this time to target us? Could it be that His Majesty has noticed one of our plans?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head directly and said: "If His Majesty is aware of a certain plan of ours, he will not rebuild an internal factory that is temporarily too weak to be used against us, nor will he hold back at all, but directly call the Forbidden Army Just seal off the city and send out the imperial guards to capture him... With our current strength, it is simply not enough to resist His Majesty's table-turning tactics!"
During the question and answer period, Zhao Junchen's thinking became much clearer. He murmured and asked: "Yu'er, why did your Majesty appoint Li Chunchen to rebuild the inner factory and serve as factory supervisor? Why did he need to do this when he was rebuilding the inner factory? Deliberately bypassing all support from the outer court and the inner court, you would rather endure the temporary weakening of the inner factory's strength and be unable to be reused, or maintain the independence of the inner factory?"
Zhang Yu'er thought for a moment and then replied: "Although the inner factory was affiliated to the inner court after Liu Jin established it, now it does not have much to do with the inner court. In addition, your majesty also ordered me to rebuild the west factory. Now it is not a particularly unexpected thing to arrange for a minister from outside the court to rebuild the inner factory. After all, His Majesty has always been worried about the abilities of the eunuchs in the inner court...
However, His Majesty originally gave the order to me to rebuild the West Factory. On the one hand, I was an important minister of the imperial court and had sufficient reputation and ability. On the other hand, I was also uneasy and wanted to get the me involved with the factory guards and further corrupt my business. Reputation... But today's Li Chunchen is in a different situation from the old master. His official position is extremely low and he does not have enough prestige. Your Majesty has no need to ruin his reputation, so... it is because he does not have any factional background, no Will he be influenced by several powerful ministers in the DPRK, and why did he publish an article "On the Hanging Sword"?
Could it be that His Majesty finally lost his patience and planned to reform the imperial court's secret system based on the "Hanging Sword Theory"? And the inner factory will be the organization responsible for receiving and forwarding secrets to the imperial court in the future? Is this why the inner factory was established? "
Zhao Junchen nodded first, then shook his head and said: "It's very possible what you think, but the reason for the reconstruction of the internal factory is definitely not that simple!
Just looking at how after the inner factory was rebuilt, it quickly recruited people from all walks of life to serve as informants, and even tried to plant a double agent within Jianzhou Jurchen. We knew that it would be an intelligence agency just like the East and West Second Factory. !
What's more, if it was just a purely agency to handle the secrets of the imperial court, there would be no need to be so secretive and strive for independence like it is now!
In my opinion, the inner factory must be responsible for supervising the inner court, otherwise it would not deliberately bypass the inner court's help when it was first established. This is obviously aimed at the inner court! Therefore, the reason for the reconstruction of the inner factory, the scope of powers and responsibilities, and the targets are most likely not us, but the inner court! "
"Inner court? How is it possible?" Zhang Yu'er whispered softly, eyes widening, feeling incredible.
Zhao Junchen asked again: "How is it impossible? Yu'er, do you think His Majesty trusts the East and West Second Factory?"
Zhang Yu'er immediately shook his head and said: "Dongchang has been established for too long. It can be said that it is sluggish and has accumulated countless abuses. In recent years, it has messed up too many things and has been rectified by His Majesty several times. It is obviously not trusted by Your Majesty, so he The West Factory was rebuilt only last year, but I didn’t expect that the master’s ability and means were too strong. After the reconstruction of the West Factory, he quickly made many achievements, and the momentum quickly approached the East Factory. His Majesty was afraid that the master would have too much control over the west factory, so he let the master soon I have resigned from the position of director of Xichang, but Xichang still retains my influence after all. In addition, Xichang’s performance after the master left was only ordinary, so Your Majesty also no longer trusts Xichang!”
Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "This is probably one of the first reasons why Your Majesty rebuilt the inner factory... Let me ask you again, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian has been secretly infiltrating various yamen in the inner court for many years. Do you think that with His Majesty's acumen? Are you really unaware of it?"
Zhang Yu'er was startled, but soon showed a happy smile, shook her head and said: "Our Majesty is not easy to fool, although he is occasionally tricked a few times, but that is only because he is arrogant and underestimates the enemy, and he can afford to lose. , with his political sensitivity and suspicion, the deeper the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian penetrates into the inner court, the greater the possibility that he will notice such a situation, and there is absolutely no way he will be unwary!"
Zhao Junchen nodded again and said leisurely: "If your Majesty has vaguely noticed that the inner court forces have been infiltrated, and coupled with the East and West Second Factory being unable to reuse, then why did your Majesty secretly rebuild the inner factory, and then During the reconstruction of the inner factory, they deliberately bypassed the influence of the inner court, tried their best to seek the independence of the inner factory, and even chose a man like Li Chunchen, who had nothing to do with the various factions in the imperial court, as the factory director. All this makes sense. !
Perhaps, the inner factory will be responsible for handling the secrets of the imperial court in the future, but the resistance to this matter is huge and must be a matter in the future, and the current goal of the inner factory is most likely to investigate the infiltration of the inner court!
Therefore, we don’t need to be too nervous about the reconstruction of the internal factory yet... The person who should really be nervous at this time should be the seventh prince Zhu Hejian! "
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Zhang Yuer became more and more excited.
Seeing the seventh prince Zhu Hejian in bad luck is undoubtedly a delicious feast for Zhang Yuer!
"Sir, tell me, does Zhu Hejian know about the reconstruction of the inner factory?"
Zhao Junchen thought about it for a moment, shook his head and said: "Most likely I don't know that your Majesty deliberately bypassed all the forces inside and outside the imperial court when rebuilding the West Factory this time. Zhu Hejian's forces are currently forming a tripartite confrontation with me and Zhou Shoufu. , coupled with His Majesty’s suspicion and caution, I’m afraid he will also hide it from Zhu Hejian!”
Zhang Yuer's eyes flashed brightly, and she asked again: "So, Zhu Hejian is going to be unlucky?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head again and said with a smile: "The strength of the inner factory is too weak, and it is still in its infancy. How can it be so easy to investigate Zhu Hejian?... What's more, for Zhu Hejian's wolf ambition, sooner or later, Germany will have to give way. Emperor Qing knows, but this opportunity should be grasped by us personally, and we cannot let the internal factories disrupt our steps!"
Having said this, Zhao Junchen looked up at Zhang Yu'er again and asked: "You defected to me from the seventh prince Zhu Hejian. Then before you defected, otherwise would you leave some arrangements with him?"
Zhang Yuer nodded and said: "There are a few people who are still under my control, but they are on the fringes of the Seventh Prince's influence and cannot do much."
Zhao Junchen suddenly smiled and said: "There is no need for them to do too much... Weren't you just curious about who is stronger and who is weaker in scheming methods between Li Chunchen and Zhu Hejian? This is an opportunity! You can arrange it and let the seventh prince him 'Unintentionally' knowing the reconstruction of the inner factory and the reasons for its reconstruction, let's just watch the show next!
The reason for the reconstruction of the inner factory is most likely not against us, but considering that this yamen may be responsible for implementing the reform of the imperial court's close policy in the future, it is a hidden danger after all. It is also a good thing to let Zhu Hejian and Li Chunchen fight against each other, no matter who wins. Whoever loses, we can all reap the benefits. "
Hearing Zhao Junchen's plan, Zhang Yu'er smiled even more and joked: "Yu'er just said it, this young generation in the whole dynasty is completely different from the master! Although Li Chunchen and Zhu Hejian It should not be underestimated, but it can only be played by the master without knowing it!"
Zhao Junchen smiled and did not respond to Zhang Yuer's compliment. He just continued: "However, this Li Chunchen does need further attention! It has only been a year since he entered the official career, but he has secretly become an internal factory. Supervisor, this promotion speed is even faster than mine back then, and it may go even further in the future. We must test out his true nature and way of thinking before he rises completely... Speaking of which, I remember Li Chunchen's My father is a wealthy businessman in Huizhou and Zhejiang, right?"
Before reporting the news to Zhao Junchen, Zhang Yu'er had already found out the specific situation of Li Chunchen, and immediately nodded and said: "His father's name is Li Zeguang. He is quite powerful among Hui and Zhejiang merchants, and this person is very cautious in doing things. At the beginning, Sir, when you took action to crack down on those Hui-Zhejiang merchants who were illegally smuggling and unwilling to join the "United Shipping Company", you collected a total of eighty-two smuggling merchants, but in the end only eighty-one of them were arrested. The smuggler, the remaining person is Li Zeguang, because all the evidence related to him is not conclusive enough, and it is a bit troublesome to convict him, so we let him escape!"
"In other words, although this Li Zeguang is a Hui-Zhejiang businessman, he has never joined the United Shipping Company?"
"That's it. It should be because he wanted to deliberately distance himself from the master. Now Li Zeguang's business is weakening under the squeeze of the 'United Shipping Company', and it has gradually given up the shipping and smuggling business."
After Zhao Junchen pondered for a moment, he ordered: "Send someone to inform the United Shipping Company that they will further target Li Zeguang's business in the future. I will give them three months. After three months, all Li Zeguang's businesses must be bankrupt. It's good that the Li family owes a huge debt! After all, Li Chunchen is the factory supervisor, and he has the ability to help the Li family, so I want to see what his choice will be when the time comes, whether to let the family fall into disrepair, or to Use the power of the inner factory to protect it? Or... he will ask me for help? "
…
…
