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Subconsciously, everyone thinks that they are special.
This is especially true for careerists and conspirators, who regard themselves as fishermen competing with clams and cranes, or as oriole preying on mantises and cicadas.
In a way, this kind of self-positioning is also a necessary quality for a qualified careerist and conspirator.
It is precisely because of this that on this day, both Huo Zhengyuan and Jiang Zheng, as well as Lu De, the confidant of the Crown Prince Wang Baoren and the popular figure of the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, all chose the second floor of Guanjiang Tower with excellent location and good view. building.
Therefore, today's "accidental encounter" is not actually a coincidence, but an inevitable one.
At this time, seeing that Huo Zhengyuan was not afraid of Lu De's status at all, but instead calmly invited Lu De to come and talk to him in person, Chai Yuan became more and more convinced that Huo Zhengyuan's status was valuable, perhaps even higher than Lu De's, and he felt the same in his heart. I was secretly glad that I had the foresight just now and did not expel Huo Zhengyuan and Jiang Zheng just because of Lu De's words about booking the venue.
However, Chai Yuan was just a small restaurant owner after all. He also did not dare to offend Lu De. After hearing Huo Zhengyuan's instructions, he was also worried that the waiter in the store would not be able to convey the meaning clearly, so he quickly apologized and then hurried downstairs in person. Went to see Lude.
After Chai Yuan left, Jiang Zheng asked Huo Zhengyuan curiously: "Senior Huo, if you meet Lu De directly like this, wouldn't it make the Crown Prince, Grand Master Wang Baoren and the Seventh Prince discover that you came to Nanjing secretly?" matter?"
Huo Zhengyuan shook his head gently and said: "If the big show starts, many things will have to be discussed openly, and there will be no need for me to continue to hide... What's more, you must not underestimate the prince and grand master Wang Baoren. At that time, people's scheming methods were second only to Zhou Shoufu, and his influence in Nanjing was even more deeply rooted. Therefore, I had no hope of keeping my secret coming to Nanjing hidden from him... So, instead of being passive, In order for Grand Master Wang to discover my whereabouts, I might as well take the initiative to show up, and maybe I can take some initiative."
After a pause, Huo Zhengyuan added: "Moreover, whether it is us, the Zhou Party, or Wang Taishi and His Highness the Seventh Prince, the interests of the three parties are still the same at this stage. First of all, we must thoroughly Uprooting the power base of Nanjing's officialdom, then controlling the situation, cleaning up the mess, and finally seizing the benefits, so we might as well be more candid at this time... Of course, this is only at this stage."
"I see, this junior has learned a lesson!"
Jiang Zheng lowered his head slightly to show that he had been taught. He still followed the steps without any doubts and was humble. He seemed to have no thoughts of his own.
Seeing Jiang Zheng's behavior, Huo Zhengyuan couldn't help but feel a little confused - according to the content of the secret message sent by Zhao Junchen, Jiang Zheng was obviously a sharp-edged young man who never bothered to hide his thoughts.
So, Huo Zhengyuan said as if he was joking casually: "After I received Zhao Gechen's secret letter, I was originally a little worried about the problem of you and me getting along, because according to Zhao Gechen, Jiang Zheng, you are not only a sharp-edged character, And you are very opinionated in your heart. Even in front of Zhao Gechen, you will argue hard and refuse to give in. Unexpectedly... you are much more humble and easy-going than I thought, but you are not as willing to express your opinion as I expected. "
Jiang Zheng was slightly startled. He didn't expect Huo Zhengyuan to suddenly talk about his performance, but he quickly expressed his thoughts frankly and said: "Senior Huo, you also know that the mentor of this junior is Yang Daru, and his mentor is Masters of Legal Studies, the younger generation has studied with their teachers for many years, and their words, deeds, and thoughts all follow the principles of Legal Studies. The essence of Legal Studies is to use Confucian classics to explain court laws, and the core is nothing more than the word "rules."
There are only two words for 'rules', but in fact they are the most complicated. With different environments and situations, seemingly unchanging rules often undergo completely different changes! Therefore, whenever juniors enter a new environment, their first priority is to understand the situation and master the rules, rather than rushing to express themselves! Now, this junior has come to Nanjing for the first time, and the situation in Nanjing is so complicated. The junior is not familiar with the situation. If he rushes to express his dissent, he will only add chaos and make people laugh! "
At this point, Jiang Zheng suddenly changed the topic, but finally showed a little bit of his own edge, and added: "However, Zhao Gechen's opinion is not wrong. The junior is indeed not good at hiding his edge, whether in front of his mentor or in front of his mentor. In front of Zhao Gechen, he always says what he says directly, so when the junior gets familiar with the situation in Nanjing soon, if his thoughts are different from those of Senior Huo, I am afraid he will argue with Senior Huo. If the junior is rude then There is no need for you to worry, Senior Huo, you can also say what you have to say directly."
These words were quite rude, but Jiang Zheng still had a humble expression on his face, which made Huo Zhengyuan stunned.
Huo Zhengyuan has been in the officialdom for a long time and knows a lot of people, but this is the first time he has seen a character like Jiang Zheng.
In other words, with a personality like Jiang Zheng's, it is difficult to get ahead in the officialdom, so Huo Zhengyuan is naturally out of reach.
Thinking of this, Huo Zhengyuan was silent for a moment, his expression seemed to be sincere appreciation, but also seemed to be disapproving. He chuckled and said: "So that's it. I was a little surprised at first. With your inheritance and status, why didn't you directly enter the officialdom and run an official career? You continued to stay with your mentor Yang Daru to assist you, but instead took the initiative to join Zhao Gechen's house and become a staff member...
Now it seems that with your temperament, you are really not suitable to enter the officialdom. After Yang Daru returns to the officialdom to take charge of Dali Temple, it is no longer a good thing for you to stay with Yang Daru. It is only suitable to assist people like Zhao Gechen. characters. "
The implication of Huo Zhengyuan's words is obvious. Once a character like Jiang Zheng enters the officialdom, he will only be isolated and excluded, and will never become a big trend;
At the same time, because both Jiang Zheng and his mentor Yang Xun have characters that are unwilling to compromise, it would be fine if Yang Xun still just stayed among the people as a scholar. Even if the two had different opinions, it would only be an intellectual dispute. , you can still seek common ground while reserving differences, but when Yang Xun returns to officialdom and becomes the Minister of Dali Temple again, once the master and apprentice have different opinions again, they will inevitably fall into endless disputes, and may even hurt the relationship between master and apprentice. .
After all, in a way, the idealist's mortal enemy has never been the realist, but rather the idealist who thinks differently.
Therefore, if a character like Jiang Zheng wants to make a difference, he is actually only suitable to assist a character like Zhao Junchen, because a character like Zhao Junchen not only has an extremely flexible moral bottom line, but also has an extremely firm pursuit of interests.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen knew very well when he should reuse Jiang Zheng, and when he should deal with Jiang Zheng without breaking his skin.
Jiang Zheng sighed softly and said: "Senior Huo is really wise, and he can see through the foundation of this junior at a glance... The mentor and the junior have thought of this, so after the mentor returned to officialdom, he recommended the junior to Zhao Gechen's sect. , the junior also knows his shortcomings, so he is willing to assist Zhao Cabinet Minister."
Jiang Zheng obviously also understood that Zhao Junchen arranged for him to come to Nanjing this time to take the opportunity to test his position and loyalty, and Huo Zhengyuan was his examiner, so his words also meant to prove his position.
Huo Zhengyuan smiled and nodded lightly, seeming to be satisfied with Jiang Zheng's words, but he had a vague feeling in his heart that something unpleasant might happen between him and Jiang Zheng in the future.
This is because Huo Zhengyuan and Jiang Zheng's work styles are obviously different. Huo Zhengyuan lacks Jiang Zheng's edge and persistence. Harmony is Huo Zhengyuan's ultimate pursuit. This is Huo Zhengyuan's greatest advantage and also his greatest flaw.
And just as Huo Zhengyuan and Jiang Zheng were having a deep conversation and getting to know each other, they heard footsteps again on the other side of the stairs, and then they saw Chai Yuan, the shopkeeper of Guanjiang Tower, leading a young Confucian scholar to the second floor.
This young Confucian scholar is naturally Lu De, the legendary most talented person in Jiangnan.
Lu De's appearance and image are all extraordinary, but the most impressive thing about him is his unpredictable temperament. He seems to be indifferent and indifferent, and he seems to be good at calculation, which gives people a very Conflicting feelings.
While Huo Zhengyuan and Jiang Zheng were sizing up Lu De, Lu De was also sizing up Huo Zhengyuan and Jiang Zheng seriously after he appeared.
After observing this for a while, Lu De suddenly put on a humble expression, then walked quickly to Huo Zhengyuan, bowed and said: "Student Lu De, I have met the great bachelor Huo!
In fact, the students have long thought that you, Academician Huo, should be in Nanjing these days, and have always wanted to meet you. However, your whereabouts, Academician Huo, are hard to find. The students originally thought that they had no chance, but they did not expect to see you here. Bachelor Huo, this is such an honor! "
Huo Zhengyuan was not surprised that Lu De could guess his identity. After all, Chai Yuan, the shopkeeper of Guanjiang Tower, must have revealed a lot of information to Lu De just now. If Lu De was really knowledgeable, it would not be difficult to guess Huo Zhengyuan's identity through clues.
But Huo Zhengyuan didn't expect that Lu De said that he had already guessed that he was hiding in Nanjing these days. He couldn't help but frowned and asked: "Oh? Do you think I have been in Nanjing these days? Why is this happening? Guess?"
Lu De was still humble and replied: "Sister Huo Da, you are the imperial court's first southeast patrol envoy. Since you came to Jiangnan, you have naturally attracted the attention of all parties, including students! Some time ago, you were originally He has been staying in Suzhou, discussing with Mr. Huang Ge the establishment of the southeast patrol envoy office, and often meeting people from all walks of life in South Zhili. However, just six days ago, there was no more inquiry about Scholar Huo in Suzhou. Your relevant information, so students have such speculation;
After all, Suzhou and Nanjing are not far apart, and it only takes half a day to travel quickly. You are also a close friend of Zhao Gechen, the center of the imperial court. Now that Nanjing's officialdom is about to undergo major changes, you should never miss this good show. "
Behind Lu De were the Crown Prince Wang Baoren and the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, and behind Huo Zhengyuan was Zhao Junchen. Therefore, although Lu De's meeting with Huo Zhengyuan was just an accidental event, it also represented a formal contact between the two forces.
Under such circumstances, although Lu De's identity cannot be compared with Huo Zhengyuan's, these words are a hidden secret, implying that the Crown Prince, Grand Master Wang Baoren and the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian have long been aware of the behavior of the "Zhao Party" forces who want to pick peaches in Nanjing's officialdom. Prepare.
Huo Zhengyuan was a little dissatisfied with Lu De's performance, but he did not show it directly.
After all, although Lu De was an unattainable big shot in the eyes of people like Chai Yuan, in the eyes of Huo Zhengyuan, he was just a promising young man. Being fussy with Lu De would only make him lose his identity.
There are too many promising young people in this world, but more than 90% of them will die halfway.
So, Huo Zhengyuan just took a deep look at Lu De, nodded slightly and said: "Lu De, I have heard about you too. When I was chatting with the shopkeeper Chai of Guanjiang House just now, I also talked about you during this period. All the performances in the past... Now that I see it, you are indeed worthy of your reputation, and you are indeed a bit smart! But as far as I know, you are now assisting His Highness the Seventh Prince and the Grand Master Wang. Now, His Highness the Seventh Prince and the Grand Master Wang are both at Xiaoling. Participating in the ancestor worship ceremony, why are you here?"
In Huo Zhengyuan's view, the reason why Lu De came to Guanjiang Tower at this time must be the same as his own, which was to observe the details of the upcoming Nanjing civil uprising up close.
However, Lu De sighed softly, and his answer once again exceeded Huo Zhengyuan's expectations.
"This junior is here to pay homage to a friend!"
"In remembrance?" Huo Zhengyuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly thought thoughtfully and asked, "When did your friend pass away?"
Lu De replied softly: "Today, if nothing else happens, it will be about half an hour later."
Huo Zhengyuan nodded again and said softly: "That's it!"
Just as Lu De and Huo Zhengyuan were fighting, several people on the second floor suddenly heard a panic call coming from the first floor of Guanjiang Tower.
"Something bad has happened! There's a riot! The students are making a riot! Close the store quickly! Close the store quickly!"
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