…
…
"Shoufu Zhou, His Highness the Crown Prince is in trouble again. This time...will you save him or not?"
Upon hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Zhou Shangjing's seemingly dim old eyes carefully observed Zhao Junchen for a moment, and then a smile flashed across his wrinkled old face.
But Zhao Junchen couldn't tell whether this smile was out of sarcasm or appreciation.
Then, Zhou Shangjing said slowly: "This matter involves the prince and the vassal, and it has such a great impact. Everything depends on your majesty's attitude. It is not convenient for us and other foreign ministers to express our opinions, and my thoughts are not important." ...Junchen, I’m afraid you asked the wrong person, right?”
Zhao Junchen's attitude was still respectful, and he said: "If His Majesty has already made a plan in his mind, we foreign ministers will naturally be speechless. But I am thinking that Your Majesty may still be hesitant now. What is your attitude under such circumstances?" Naturally, it plays a very important role... and naturally, this junior should also keep pace with you, Zhou Shoufu!"
Zhou Shangjing still smiled half-heartedly and said: "Junchen wants to keep pace with me? Junchen hopes that I can keep pace with you, right?
If His Majesty is still hesitant, I may still believe it, but Junchen, you should have already made up your mind, so why bother to pretend to ask for my opinion? I'm afraid... Junchen, it's a lie that you asked me for my opinion. In fact, you just wanted to test my true attitude towards the seventh prince, right?
After all, there are many people who are ready to take advantage of the opportunity to confirm the dethronement of the crown prince in one fell swoop, oust the crown prince and help the seventh prince to ascend the throne... Therefore, if I don't want the seventh prince to ascend the throne, I will definitely choose to protect the crown prince, right? ? "
Hearing Zhou Shangjing's rhetorical question, Zhao Junchen felt a flash of embarrassment in his heart. He felt that it was really not easy for him to play tricks with this old fox, but his true thoughts were revealed so easily.
But on the surface, Zhao Junchen's expression remained unchanged and he continued shamelessly: "As for Zhou Shoufu, I just respect your opinion."
Zhou Shangjing shook his head gently, suddenly changed the topic, and said slowly: "I am getting older, my energy is not as good as before, and many times I no longer have the energy to be confrontational with others! In fact, if you didn't take the initiative to talk to me today, I will also take the initiative to talk to you. Now that there is no one else around, the two of us should open the skylight and talk openly."
Zhou Shangjing's tone was calm, but it contained a hint of unprecedented solemnity and warning. Such an attitude was extremely rare for Zhou Shangjing.
After realizing this, Zhao Junchen's expression became more serious, and he lowered his head and said, "I'll just ask Zhou Shoufu to teach me."
Zhou Shangjing took a deep look at Zhao Junchen again and said slowly: "In fact, I am indeed wary of the seventh prince's ascension to the throne. And the reason why I have such an attitude today is all because of you, Junchen." Keep guiding me. If it hadn't been for your intentions, I wouldn't have doubted the seventh prince's character, and I wouldn't have deliberately made things difficult for him or prevented him from ascending to the throne during this time!
As for the troubles that the prince caused in Luoyang City, it was actually because you, Junchen, saw this clearly and understood that I would not just watch the prince step down and allow the seventh prince to ascend to the throne, so you deliberately allowed the prince to make mischief. thing, right?
Even if you calculate correctly, even if the prince causes trouble, I will be forced to work with you to protect the prince out of consideration of the overall situation! Therefore, with me joining forces with you, no matter how big the trouble is, the prince can temporarily stabilize his position as the heir apparent, right?
Ah! As long as you can see through a person's thoughts and figure out what he needs to save, you can make that person work for you. Even I am no exception to this situation. It is really a good method!
And you yourself can not only take the opportunity to further undermine the prince's self-confidence, but also deepen the prince's dependence on you. From now on, you can make the prince obey your words, right? "
Zhou Shangjing's tone was still calm, but his series of questions made Zhao Junchen a little confused, and he didn't know how to respond for a while.
Before that, when Zhou Shangjing faced Zhao Junchen, no matter what thoughts he had in his heart, he always acted like a tolerant elder. He always had a gentle attitude and his tone was never too harsh. But today's Zhou Shangjing is completely different. Not only did he directly expose Zhao Junchen's Xiao Jiujiu, he was also full of warnings and beatings, and he was completely merciless.
Zhao Junchen was silent on the surface, but he was thinking rapidly in his heart, thinking to himself: "Why did Zhou Shangjing have such an attitude today? This is really unprecedented! Could it be that some of my actions have offended him? Ni Lin? But I have done too many things, and what is it that makes him so dissatisfied?
It shouldn't be a matter of me using him to protect the crown prince's status. Zhou Shangjing has been in high and low officialdom for decades. Whether he actively uses others or is forced to be used by others, it is commonplace for him! With Zhou Shangjing's big heart, in this case, all he needs to do is to show off his tactics. Even if he suffers a temporary loss, he can always recover it in the future. There is no need to worry about it... But other than that, I should not have offended him in recent times. It’s such a strange place…”
And just when Zhao Junchen was thinking seriously, Zhou Shangjing saw Zhao Junchen was silent, but suddenly sighed, as if he had seen a rebellious junior in the family. The edge in his tone was slightly softened, but he also became more serious and thoughtful. He said: "Junchen, you are the younger generation that I am very optimistic about. Your scheming and talents are one of a kind. I have always admired you very much!
It stands to reason that for a young man with a bright future like you, I should have bet on you for long-term reasons. Considering that I will soon retire and return to my hometown and stay away from the temple, I should even join forces with you. Cooperation and fusion of forces make you my successor...but in fact, I have always kept a distance from you. What do you think is the reason? "
Hearing this, Zhao Junchen was stunned again, but he never expected that Zhou Shangjing would even consider merging the two forces and making himself the successor!
It was precisely because of the shock in his heart that Zhao Junchen forgot to answer for a while.
Seeing that Zhao Junchen did not answer his question, Zhou Shangjing did not take it seriously. Instead, he raised his finger and pointed at Zhao Junchen's chest and said in a serious voice: "This is because you are too ambitious and you will achieve it even if you think about it. There is no sense of proportion yet! The point is that there is no sense of proportion!
There is no problem with being too ambitious. There are too many ambitious people in the world, but they all lack the ability to realize their ambitions! But you are different, because your ability is too strong, you always think about it and you must achieve it. As long as you find a goal, you will definitely make a plan and gradually achieve the goal. You can also always find a breakthrough, use all available resources, and achieve the goal. The impossible is possible!
If that's the case, it can still be regarded as your advantage, but you don't know how to exercise restraint and have no sense of proportion! There are so many things you want to hold in your hands, but how many hands do you have? What's more, there are some things that you shouldn't be qualified to have in the first place, but you still want to grab them, but you never consider the serious consequences of doing so!
In this world, no one can control everything and take advantage! Those who have exhausted all their agencies often end up in a bad way! How powerful and talented was Lu Buwei back then? He thought he controlled the First Emperor, but what happened? Zhang Juzheng in the previous dynasty could be said to be both strong and soft, with superb methods. He also thought he controlled Emperor Shenzong, but what was the result?
A lesson learned from the past, Junchen, you should be aware of it! For me and other ministers, the only way to achieve long-term success is by controlling Zhang Chi and adapting to the situation! "
Zhou Shangjing's words were quite heartfelt. Zhao Junchen fell silent again after listening to them.
At the same time, Zhao Junchen finally understood why Zhou Shangjing was dissatisfied.
On the surface, all the things that happened in Luoyang City during this period were just conflicts between the prince Zhu Heyu and King Fu. But in fact, Zhao Junchen, Zhou Shangjing, and Zhu Hejian all secretly promoted it. Henan Governor Zhang Bozhen was Zhou Shangjing's confidant. , without his full support, Prince Zhu Heyu would not have been able to quickly put down the bloody conflict in Prince Fu's Mansion, and then imprisoned the vassal king and tortured the clan members.
Therefore, regarding what happened in Luoyang City, not only Zhao Junchen and Zhu Hejian received detailed information yesterday, but Zhou Shangjing also received the most detailed information - the information received by the three of them was more detailed than that by Deqing The secret message received by the emperor was even more accurate and detailed.
It is precisely for this reason that Zhou Shangjing was keenly aware of one thing from the intelligence he received, that is - Zhao Junchen seemed to be sending staff to assist Prince Zhu Heyu in doing things, but in fact he was secretly instigating Prince Zhu Heyu broke into trouble, and Zhao Junchen himself took action to clean up the mess, which in turn undermined Zhu Heyu's confidence and enhanced his influence over Zhu Heyu!
In short, they want to tame Prince Zhu Heyu!
Zhao Junchen wanted to tame a prince and future emperor. This approach obviously caused Zhou Shangjing to be strongly uneasy!
What Zhao Junchen did in the past can also be explained as an act of self-preservation. In order to avoid his own fate, whether he formed a party for personal gain or infiltrated the government and the public, they were still within Zhou Shangjing's tolerance.
However, if Zhao Junchen wants to control the crown prince and future emperor, the nature of the matter will be completely different!
According to Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Junchen was too ambitious and did not know how to exercise restraint and propriety.
After all, the emperor is the supreme king in the world. No matter how sophisticated the manipulation technique is, it can only be controlled for a moment, and it is impossible to control it for a lifetime. When the manipulated emperor comes back to his senses, he will definitely rebound violently, and then there will be a catastrophe. !
If this disaster was only aimed at Zhao Junchen, Zhou Shangjing would most likely not pay attention to it. However, after reading history books, Zhou Shangjing knew the principles of ups and downs and rise and fall, and he was also very clear about the consequences of Zhao Junchen's ambition. serious consequences!
Whether it was Lu Buwei or Zhang Juzheng, they all tried to control an emperor. In the end, not only did they fail and die badly, but they also implicated countless officials, and the entire vassal power suffered heavy losses because of their ambitions!
What's more, the failure of Lu Buwei, Zhang Juzheng and others is considered a good thing. In fact, some people have succeeded in history, such as Wang Mang and Dong Zhuo, but the results are often more serious. If you are not careful, the world will be in chaos!
In Zhou Shangjing's opinion, the nature of this matter was too serious, so he changed his normal attitude and directly issued a warning.
After understanding Zhou Shangjing's deep meaning, Zhao Junchen was silent for a long time again, and then bowed to Zhou Shangjing and said in a sincere tone: "Actually, this junior has often reflected on himself during this period, and thinks that his previous actions are indeed some tricks. After all the calculations, I also think that I should learn more from Zhou Shoufu's great wisdom, but my own reflection is too shallow after all, and is not as profound as Zhou Shoufu's wake-up call! I hope Zhou Shoufu can rest assured that the younger generation will not dare to overstep again in the future. Remember the four words 'measurement' and 'restraint'."
Zhao Junchen's attitude was sincere, as if he was seriously introspecting, but he was too deep in the city, and no one could tell what his true thoughts were.
Zhou Shangjing took a deep look at Zhao Junchen, decided to listen to his words and watch his actions first, nodded and said: "I hope you really understand, and I hope you can take care of yourself...
Also, your previous guess is correct. After today's morning court, once His Majesty mentions the matter of Luoyang, I will do my best to protect the crown prince and try to delay the abolition of the crown prince. When the time comes, you will cooperate with me, you and me. If people join forces, they should be able to delay it for a while. In my opinion, it is not a good time for the Seventh Prince to ascend to the throne. "
"Juniors should follow the lead of the Zhou Dynasty and the Maids!"
After hearing that Zhou Shangjing finally responded to his initial temptation, Zhao Junchen quickly agreed.
Then, seeing that the time for the court meeting was approaching, Zhao Junchen said goodbye to Zhou Shangjing and left.
Looking at Zhao Junchen's leaving figure, Zhou Shangjing shook his head slightly and murmured to himself: "Young people nowadays are as bold as one after another! Zhao Junchen is like this, the seventh prince is like this, and the prince is like this too! And that Li Chunchen …
But the Mesozoic generation is limited by their lack of ability and cannot compete with these young people, nor can they suppress their chaos! But many times, the more capable people are, the greater the disasters they bring, while mediocre people are harmless...
It is really worrying that the Ming Dynasty is handed over directly to the younger generation! There are some plans, I must hurry up..."
As he spoke, Zhou Shangjing shook his head slightly with a complicated expression.
On the other side, after Zhao Junchen turned and left, his expression was also a little complicated, and he thought to himself: "Zhou Shangjing is really discerning. My plan to domesticate Prince Zhu Heyu has just begun, and he saw through it with just a few signs." I learned the basics and received a warning, which made me really embarrassed. It had been a long time since I had been hit so hard...
However, Zhou Shangjing is indeed worthy of the words "old man to seek the country". Judging from the standards of ministers in the feudal period, he is undoubtedly worthy of admiration, but that's all...
Taming Zhu Heyu has never been the ultimate goal for me, and I have never thought of manipulating Zhu Heyu for a lifetime, or using such means to gain power. This is just a part of the whole plan!
But now that Zhou Shangjing has found out, I have to be more secretive in doing things in the future. I can’t afford the price of Zhou Shangjing’s betrayal yet..."
While thinking deeply, Zhao Junchen had returned to the officials of the "Zhao Party".
Under the questioning gaze of everyone in the "Zhao Party", Zhao Junchen said nothing about Zhou Shangjing's warning just now. He just said: "Zhou Shoufu has decided to take action to protect His Highness the Crown Prince. This attitude is exactly what I want. What we will do next is Acting in conjunction with the 'Zhou Party'."
As soon as Zhao Junchen finished speaking, he heard the bell ringing above the Meridian Gate, and today's court meeting finally kicked off.
…
…
