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On this day, Wang Baoren was very low-key when he visited. He deliberately wore casual clothes and was only accompanied by Lu De and Fu Pingsheng. He also gave up his official sedan and switched to an ordinary carriage.
After Zhu Hejian welcomed Wang Baoren into Zhanyuan, Wang Baoren explained with a smile: "My visit this time is not official, I hope the Seventh Prince will forgive me!
This is because, since His Highness the Seventh Prince came to Nanjing City, forces from all walks of life in Nanjing have been secretly watching Zhan Yuan’s every move, and I came here today to discuss the follow-up plan in detail with His Highness the Seventh Prince, and I don’t want to cause too much trouble. Many people were paying attention, so I deliberately concealed my whereabouts. "
Zhu Hejian expressed deep understanding and nodded: "Although this junior does not have any business in Nanjing, he can still feel the tension in Nanjing's officialdom. It can be said that the storm is about to come.
Yesterday, from morning to night, many forces from all walks of life in Nanjing asked to see the junior and have confidential talks with him. However, because the junior has not yet clarified the current situation and interests of Nanjing's officialdom, he did not dare to express his position or promise anything easily, so he You have been looking for reasons to avoid seeing me, and you, Grand Master Wang, bear the important responsibilities of the court. Now that a big change is coming, you really shouldn't let too many people notice your whereabouts. "
Wang Baoren smiled again and said: "His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince is right to be cautious. The situation in Nanjing's officialdom is indeed extremely complicated. The conflicts between the parties are getting deeper and deeper and can no longer be resolved. Like a powder keg, something will happen at any time. There was an explosion, and all parties involved were at war with each other...
I originally estimated that this situation would continue to brew for a while, and it would take about a month before it would completely explode. However, because of the appearance of His Highness the Seventh Prince, all walks of life in Nanjing were ready to take action, and many people wanted to take a risk. , so many situations are changing at an accelerated pace. It can be said that the arrow is on the string and about to explode...
Perhaps, in another three to five days, there will be a large-scale riot in Nanjing City, or even in the territory of Southern Zhili, and the plan of the imperial court will be in its final stage! "
While speaking, Wang Baoren's expression remained calm and smiling, but there was a hint of solemnity deep in his eyes.
Obviously, although Wang Baoren believed that the central government's plan for the Six Ministries of Nanjing was going smoothly, and the ministers of the Six Ministries of Nanjing were all incompetent, and he was fully prepared, but seeing that a riot would occur, Wang Baoren was naturally Feeling tense.
After all, this matter is related to Wang Baoren's future political career. If he can successfully complete the imperial center's plan to take over power and properly handle all the chaos in Nanjing's officialdom, then when all these matters are settled, Wang Baoren can smoothly Joined the cabinet to assist the government and once again became one of the powerful ministers in the temple;
On the other hand, if there is any oversight in the subsequent events, whether the imperial court's plan to take over power suffers a setback or the upcoming riot cannot be successfully controlled, it will mean the complete end of Wang Baoren's political career.
Therefore, although Wang Baoren was very confident, he still did not dare to neglect and must be prepared.
While they were talking, several people had already arrived at the main hall of Zhanyuan and were seated as guests and hosts.
Afterwards, Wang Baoren began to write questions to test Zhu Hejian and asked: "For the past two days, His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince has been staying in Zhanyuan, focusing on sorting out intelligence information and analyzing the interests, positions and future trends of various forces in Nanjing. It can be said that you have worked hard... but I don’t know what the harvest is now for His Highness the Seventh Prince. Has he sorted out the clues and understood the overall situation? "
Zhu Hejian knew that Wang Baoren was testing his vision, so he immediately nodded and replied: "Thanks to the large amount of information provided by Grand Master Wang, and the arrangement of two great talents, Mr. Lu and Mr. Fu, to assist the junior, so the junior is currently aware of the current situation of Nanjing's officialdom. Already have a rough understanding.”
"Oh? But I wonder what His Highness the Seventh Prince thinks of the current situation in Nanjing's officialdom?"
Zhu Hejian's expression became more solemn, and he frowned and said: "It can be said to be a complicated and messy mess! The younger generation has lived in the capital for a long time, but even when the factions in the temple center are at their most intense, there has never been such a complicated and chaotic situation. Not only are they fragmented and there are too many related forces, but these forces are all hostile to each other and are eager to eradicate each other immediately. There are also several forces that seem to be low-key, but are actually hidden. Behind the scenes, I have no good intentions!"
Wang Baoren nodded slightly and signaled Zhu Hejian to continue.
Zhu Hejian continued: "First of all, there are two distinct forces among the upper-level officials in Nanjing officialdom, such as Wu Xingren, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing, He Que, the Yushi of Zuodu of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Li Ziyong, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment in Nanjing. The three of them hugged each other and advanced and retreated together. They were the most active and influential among the Nanjing officialdom!
At the beginning, the reason why the imperial court appointed Wu Xingren as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Nanjing was because Wu Xingren had a perverse and unsociable personality and liked to exclude dissidents. This would inevitably completely disrupt the entire Nanjing officialdom. In fact, there was indeed a lot of chaos in the Nanjing officialdom. But Wu Xingren did not become a loner, because he always liked to impeach political opponents, and he actually had the same temperament with He Gue, the censor of Zuodu of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, and they hit it off!
After these two people joined forces, they made things difficult for everyone. Instead, they became the dominant officialdom in Nanjing, and no one dared to offend them. However, Li Ziyong, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment of Nanjing, was weak and dim, and he did not dare to offend them at all. , so I also look up to Wu Xingren and He Que!
In addition, there are many Nanjing officials who obey the orders of Wu Xingren and He Que. However, according to the younger generation's opinion, these followers may not really follow them, but are just afraid of Wu Xingren and He Que. To make things difficult, but in any case, this force is the most powerful in the current Nanjing officialdom...at least on the surface it is the most powerful. "
Hearing Zhu Hejian's evaluation, Wang Baoren also nodded and sighed: "Yes, I originally thought that Wu Xingren's character would inevitably be ostracized by all parties after he came to Nanjing's officialdom. Who would have thought that his perverse and domineering character would really He has frightened many people and attracted some supporters who like to cause trouble by impeachment.
If it weren't for Wu Xing who didn't have many strategies, and his ally He Gue was just a short-sighted person who just watched the excitement and didn't take it too seriously, this force would inevitably become the biggest obstacle to the imperial court's central plan to take over power! "
*
Just as Wang Baoren and Zhu Hejian were commenting on the alliance between Wu Xingren and He Que, at the same time in the Nanjing Libu Yamen, Wu Xingren and He Que were also discussing Zhu Hejian's coming to Nanjing to worship his ancestors!
"Wu Shangshu, this time His Highness the Seventh Prince comes to Nanjing to worship our ancestors, it is a great opportunity for us! As we all know, His Highness the Seventh Prince is about to become the next Crown Prince. He is deeply trusted by His Majesty in the center of the temple and is also deeply loved by all officials. We If we take this opportunity to expose the culpability of Wang Zheng, Shen Xinwen and others to His Highness the Seventh Prince, it will definitely attract the attention of the central government, and by that time, the entire Nanjing officialdom will no longer have the power to hinder us!"
The person who spoke was He Guan, the censor of Zuodu of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate. This man was handsome and elegant. Although he was at an age when he knew his destiny, he looked like he was in his early forties because he was well-maintained. When he spoke, There is quite a bit of rebuke to Fang Qiu, which can be said to be an excellent image.
But in fact, this He Guan is a carefree and petty person. He was once a famous figure in Qingliu. He once impeached three cabinet ministers and five ministers within a month, and he became famous for a while. Shocking the world, but also because he was too keen on impeaching others, even Qingliu couldn't stand his meddlesomeness, so he drove him to the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate. Who would have thought that He Guan would be impeached very soon after he came to Nanjing? I met a close friend - Wu Xing, the Minister of Civil Affairs in Nanjing.
After hearing He Que's suggestion, Wu Xingren nodded repeatedly and sneered: "That's right! We have long heard about the reputation of His Highness the Seventh Prince. He is a wise king who does good deeds and does things impartially. And Wang Zheng, Shen Xinwen and others have done too much corruption and bribery during this period. As long as we expose these things in public, with His Highness the Seventh Prince upholding justice, and with the strength of our numbers and the ability to respond to a hundred calls, we will definitely be able to get things done!"
Unlike He Que, Wu Xing's appearance comes from his heart, with a naturally acerbic look and a pair of eye-catching eyes that are impressive.
Speaking of this, Wu Xingren's eyebrows suddenly wrinkled, and he added: "However, the two of us jointly asked to see His Highness the Seventh Prince yesterday, but were declined by His Highness... I always felt that His Highness the Seventh Prince did not want to see him. we."
However, He Que waved his hand disapprovingly and said: "I heard that His Highness the Seventh Prince's health has not been very good. It is natural for him to want to take an extra day of rest after the fatigue of traveling and traveling! What's more, as far as I know, yesterday Wang Wang Zheng and Shen Xinwen also asked to see His Highness the Seventh Prince but were rejected, which shows that His Highness the Seventh Prince really wants to rest and has no prejudice against us!"
Wu Xingren felt relieved for a moment, then turned to Li Ziyong, the Minister of Punishment of Nanjing who was silent and asked: "Mr. Li, what do you think?"
Li Ziyong is now in his late teens, with sparse gray hair, an old face full of wrinkles, and a visible lack of energy. He doesn't have much talent, and he relies solely on his qualifications to reach his current position.
But at this time, compared to Wu Xingren and He Que, Li Ziyong was the calmest and most understanding person. He hesitated and said: "The old man heard the news that the central court wanted to use Nanjing to The Six Ministries took over power, but the Crown Prince and Grand Master Wang Baoren has not returned to the capital for a long time, and has stayed in Nanjing to take charge, just for this matter!
If we choose to cause trouble at this time, I am afraid that we will have to give the Nanjing officialdom to the central government, so that the central government can carry out the resumption of power in an honest and open manner..."
In the officialdom, any confidential plan, as long as it lasts a little longer and involves a lot of people, there is absolutely no possibility of it being kept secret!
Therefore, although only the central high-level core figures of the imperial court's plan to take over the power of the Six Ministries in Nanjing were initially aware of the situation, more than half a year later, the news was still leaked, and even Li Ziyong heard the rumor.
However, before Li Ziyong could finish speaking, He Que had already waved his hand to interrupt and said: "Mr. Li, there is no need to worry about it. The center of the imperial court has been trying to take over power from Nanjing officialdom for the past two or three hundred years, but which time has it succeeded?
The Nanjing officialdom is indeed in some chaos at the moment, but as long as we overthrow the political opponents and unify the government orders, we will naturally be able to bring order and calm down the chaos very quickly. By that time, there will be no reason for the central government to withdraw power! "
In fact, He Que has nothing to do with whether the Nanjing officialdom will be taken over by the imperial court. He just misses his feat of impeaching three cabinet elders and four ministers in succession. From that time on, he has been addicted to this kind of thing. .
Therefore, He Gu just wants to continuously impeach the court officials he dislikes - of course, he dislikes most of the court officials... and then attracts the attention of the world and the awe of all officials. This feeling always Make him want to stop.
Later, Wu Xingren also nodded again and said: "I have also heard the rumors, but I and He Yushi also have the same view. Only the rapid unification of Nanjing's officialdom and political orders is the top priority at present, and we can also fundamentally Stop the central government’s plan to take over power! In comparison, if we just want to calm down the incident, we will only treat the symptoms but not the root cause!”
Speaking of this, Wu Xing's face showed a look of resentment. He had a long-standing grudge against Nanjing's Minister of Civil Affairs, Wang Zhengnai. He himself was not an official from Jiangnan, so he didn't care about the survival of power in the Nanjing officialdom. He just wanted to remove Wang Zhengnai. Just step on it!
Li Ziyong, on the other hand, has a weak personality. Seeing that both Wu Xingren and He Que were firm in attitude, he naturally did not dare to persuade him any more. He just sighed secretly in his heart and felt that he could not retire and return to his hometown smoothly. .
Wu Xingren and He Que didn't pay much attention to Li Ziyong's reaction, and just continued to discuss the follow-up plan.
"Immediately ask all our men to prepare the impeachment memorial, and then the two of us will wait until His Highness the Seventh Prince has had a good rest, and then go to Zhanyuan again to ask for an audience!"
"Yes, the louder the sound, the better!"
*
While visiting the garden, Zhu Hejian continued to tell Wang Baoren his views on Nanjing's officialdom.
I saw Zhu Hejian talking eloquently, and continued: "In addition to the forces headed by Wu Xingren, He Que, and Li Ziyong, there are also Wang Zheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Official Affairs of Nanjing, Shen Xinwen, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites of Nanjing, and Song Dacheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry of Nanjing. These three people form another faction!
However, the reason why these three people joined forces to form an alliance was because Wu Xingren and He Que were too domineering, so the three of them had to work together to stop them. However, in fact, these three people did not have common interests; There are also many conflicts between them, and it is difficult to work together, so they are suppressed by the Wu Xing people... In fact, according to this junior's opinion, if you hadn't been secretly supporting them, Wang Taishi, they would have been suppressed by the Wu Xing people. , He Guan, they were completely defeated! "
Wang Baoren showed admiration and nodded: "His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince is really very discerning. The information I provided did not indicate this, but His Highness the Seventh Prince still saw that I secretly supported Wang Zheng, Shen Xinwen and others. practice!
His Highness the Seventh Prince is right. I have indeed been secretly supporting Wang Zheng, Shen Xinwen and others, just to keep the two factions in conflict, to plunge Nanjing's officialdom into chaos, and to prevent the six departments of Nanjing from unifying government orders and working together. Otherwise, the plan of the imperial court center will not be able to proceed smoothly!
It is precisely because of my secret support during this period that Wang Zheng, Shen Xinwen, and Song Dacheng have more trust in me. This is what we can take advantage of when we implement the imperial court's plan to regain power! "
Zhu Hejian smiled and praised: "Master Wang is indeed very capable and has the entire situation under control. Wang Zheng and others regard Master Wang as their backer, but in fact they are just pawns in the hands of Master Wang!"
Wang Baoren corrected him: "They are abandoned! These people are not useful and are not qualified to be chess pieces!"
Zhu Hejian nodded again and said: "Yes, they are abandoned sons. Wang Zheng is greedy, stingy and domineering, while Shen Xinwen is envious and smart. The current bad reputation in Nanjing officialdom is mostly due to the two of them. If they are allowed to become pawns, it will only be bad." Wang Taishi, you have only secretly supported them, but you have never had much contact with them publicly... Although these people are not qualified as chess pieces, they are most suitable as abandoned pieces! "
*
As Wang Baoren said, since the seventh prince Zhu Hejian came to Nanjing, forces from all walks of life in Nanjing have been closely watching Zhu Hejian's every move. Many people also regard Zhu Hejian's appearance as their hope to reverse the situation. .
Therefore, in the Wangjiang Tower in Nanjing at this time, Wang Zheng, the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, Shen Xinwen, the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, and others were also talking about Zhu Hejian.
Since taking office as the Six Ministers of Nanjing, Wang Zheng, Shen Xinwen, Song Dacheng and others have used their respective powers to make a lot of money. In just over half a year, they all have a net worth of hundreds of thousands of silver. Among them, the most ruthless fishermen Wang Zheng, his net worth is as high as one million!
You know, even when Zhao Junchen's predecessor was making the most money, he was not so efficient.
At this time, although it was only three o'clock in the morning, Wang Zheng, Shen Xinwen, and Song Dacheng deliberately came to the most luxurious Wangjiang Tower in Nanjing to have breakfast. Every meal in front of them was extremely exquisite. Breakfast is equivalent to several months of expenses for ordinary people.
And they decided to get together at Wangjiang Tower, partly to discuss the future situation, and partly because they had too much money and didn't care about this expense at all.
"Everyone, I have good news here! Although we were rejected when we went to Zhanyuan to visit His Highness the Seventh Prince yesterday, Wu Xingren and He Gue were also rejected! This situation is enough to prove that His Highness the Seventh Prince It is true that they just want to rest, and they are not deliberately rejecting us or being prejudiced against us!
Moreover, I went to see Grand Master Wang last night and gave Grand Master Wang a lot of benefits. Finally, Grand Master Wang agreed to introduce His Highness the Seventh Prince to us! Hey, as long as we build a relationship with His Highness the Seventh Prince, we won't have to worry about criticism from Wu Xingren and others in the future! "
As he spoke, Wang Zheng looked proud, thinking he had a chance to win.
Wang Zheng has just reached adulthood, at the peak of his life's energy. However, he has been addicted to alcohol and sex for a long time, his face is a little pale, and the bags under his eyes are also very conspicuous.
Song Dacheng asked curiously: "But I don't know, Wang Shangshu, how much benefit did you give Wang Taishi this time?"
Wang Zheng said with both heartache and pride: "A full five hundred taels of silver!"
"laugh!"
As soon as Wang Zheng finished speaking, Shen Xinwen sneered and said: "Master Wang is really good-tempered, and he is willing to come forward for a mere five hundred taels of silver! Wang Shangshu is really generous!"
Shen Xinwen is about the same age as Wang Zheng, equally greedy for money, and equally lustful. Even his pale face and dark circles under his eyes are quite similar. However, these two people are not like-minded like Wu Xingren and He Que. Instead, they often conflict.
Just like three days ago, they were jealous of one of the top brothels, and they were very unhappy.
"I paid the five hundred taels of silver for the three of us! If you think it's too little, how much more did you pay?"
"I'm not going to hide it from you. Yesterday I went to see Grand Master Wang and gave him a benefit of five thousand taels of silver! Do you really think that your little money can persuade Grand Master Wang to come forward?"
"You actually went to see Master Wang in private without telling me?"
"Aren't you?"
Seeing that Wang Zheng and Shen Xinwen were about to quarrel again, Song Dacheng finally became more sensible and immediately advised: "You two, now is not the time for us to quarrel. At present, great changes are coming in Nanjing's officialdom, especially after the arrival of His Highness the Seventh Prince. Things are changing and people's thoughts are changing. It's best for us to be more prepared!
The top priority is to find a strong backer. Once we have a backer, we no longer have to worry about criticism from Wu Xingren and others. Although Taishi Wang is willing to support us, his power is weaker after all... In my opinion, it is still Zhao Junchen, the pavilion boss at the center of the capital, is the most reliable! As long as we are given enough benefits, Zhao Gechen should be willing to accept us!
It just so happens that Cao Wenbin, the Minister of Civil Affairs in Nanjing, is Zhao Gechen's disciple. We can gain access to Zhao Gechen through him... Wang Shangshu, I don't know how you have handled this matter? "
Hearing Song Dacheng's inquiry, Wang Zheng suddenly looked embarrassed and said: "That Cao Wenbin has always kept a distance from me and ignored all my hints! Let me see, we should bypass Cao Wenbin and send someone there It would be better for the capital to have direct contact with Zhao Gechen!"
Next to him, Shen Xinwen sneered again and said, "Cao Wenbin doesn't want to pay attention to you, isn't it because you are too stingy and don't even leave the soup for others when eating meat? If I were Cao Wenbin, I wouldn't pay attention to you!"
Then, there was another fierce quarrel!
*
In the garden, after Zhu Hejian praised Wang Baoren's methods, his brows became more and more frowned, his expression became more serious, and he said: "But the two factions that deserve the most attention are not the two factions on the surface! In today's Nanjing officialdom, there are not only divisions within the top officials, but also disconnections and tears between high-level officials and middle- and lower-level officials. There are also conflicts between Nanjing officials and ordinary gentry and business people. Heavy... Such a situation has allowed two forces with ulterior motives to find an opportunity to take advantage of it!"
When Wang Baoren heard this, his expression also became solemn, and he nodded and said: "Yes, Zhou Party, Zhao Party... these two forces are naturally unwilling to be left alone, and they will definitely get involved in this kind of thing!"
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