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In fact, the silence of these Nanjing officials was an attitude of opposition.
However, Zhu Hejian insists that the silence of Nanjing officials means "no objection". This is simply confusing black and white and calling a deer a horse. If he really takes the opportunity to take over power in Nanjing, it is not an exaggeration to call it a coup.
However, even if they knew that Zhu Hejian's approach was inappropriate, Nanjing officials still did not dare to directly object and could only continue to respond with silence.
After all, Zhu Hejian is a well-known quasi-prince, and the "New Crown Prince Party" is also one of the three most powerful factions in the central court. And because of the secret flattery of the "Zhou Party" during this period, Zhu Hejian is very popular among people from all walks of life in Nanjing. The reputation in China is at its peak. Under such circumstances, no one would dare to directly stand up and express their opposition to Zhu Hejian unless it was a matter of life and death.
So, just like that, in an awkward atmosphere of silence, Zhu Hejian took over the power of Nanjing with a dishonest name and unreasonable words.
Just like what Zhao Junchen did in Shaanxi and Gansu.
However, Zhu Hejian's ruthless determination was obviously stronger than that of Zhao Junchen. The Nanjing officials never expected that they would soon face a life-or-death situation.
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"Now, this prince declares three orders. No one can violate them. Otherwise, they will be punished as disobedient!"
As Zhu Hejian's words fell, and after a short period of silence, under the leadership of Shi Masen, the left deputy censor of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate of the "Zhou Party", and Cao Wenbin, the Nanjing Household Minister of the "Zhao Party" , one after another Nanjing officials stated that they would obey Zhu Hejian's orders.
But the vast majority of Nanjing officials remained silent at this time.
Seeing the performance of these Nanjing officials, Zhu Hejian flashed a sneer and sarcasm in his eyes, and then announced loudly: "First, in my name, I sent an order to the Nanjing garrison, asking them to immediately block the city gate and rush to the Nanjing city. All major intersections are blocked!
But one thing must be emphasized to them, that is, their task is only to blockade and limit the scope and scale of this civil unrest, but they must not conflict with the people!
If the people still want to attack their blockade, let them carry it with their bodies and tell all the Nanjing defenders that as long as they can do this, I will personally ask the court for credit afterwards!
Second, send people to try to contact leaders from all walks of life in Nanjing, and ask them to come forward to assist the government in quelling the civil unrest and restraining their disciples, tribesmen, and subordinates!
After this civil unrest subsides, no matter what dissatisfaction or resentment they have, as long as it is a reasonable request, I am willing to talk to them and resolve it for them!
Also, we must immediately investigate who is leading today's civil unrest, and also convey my prince's attitude to them, and make it clear to them that as long as they stop immediately and help the court to quell the chaos, this prince will Their culpability will be reduced depending on the circumstances afterwards! "
Upon hearing these two instructions from Zhu Hejian, most Nanjing officials were stunned. Unexpectedly, although Zhu Hejian quickly mobilized the Nanjing garrison, it was not to suppress the mob, but just to limit the scale and scale of the civil unrest. scope, and I didn't expect that Zhu Hejian actually wanted to negotiate with the rioters.
In the view of some Nanjing officials, this attitude seems too weak and too naive, and it may be difficult to see quick results.
However, since Zhu Hejian has taken the initiative to take over all the power and did not consult with anyone when making decisions, he will naturally bear full responsibility if the plan fails afterwards.
There are even many Nanjing officials who secretly hope that Zhu Hejian's plan will fail, because once Zhu Hejian's plan fails, he can no longer be as decisive as he is now, and must rely on the power of Nanjing's hundreds of officials. By controlling the situation, Zhu Hejian will ask for help from them, and many things will be easier to talk about.
What's more, there are several daring Nanjing officials who are still trying to secretly sabotage Zhu Hejian's plan at this time, forcing Zhu Hejian to rely on them.
In this way, out of various ideas, and because they really couldn't disobey Zhu Hejian at this time, the Nanjing officials did not remain silent for too long this time, and soon expressed their acceptance of the order one after another.
But no one expected that Zhu Hejian, who had a soft attitude towards the rioters, would hit Nanjing officials like them hard at the next moment.
Zhu Hejian glanced coldly at all the Nanjing officials present, and his tone became colder and harsher, and then said: "Thirdly, considering that the people have participated in this civil unrest today, mainly because of their grievances against the six yamen of Nanjing. For a long time, since I came to Nanjing, I have heard many times about the perverse and ignorant tyranny of the six yamen in Nanjing. In order to appease the people's grievances, to trace the source, and to maintain the discipline of the imperial court...
The Jin Yiwei listened to the order and immediately detained all the officials of the Six Ministries of Nanjing except the Nanjing Ministry of War, waiting for the prince's personal interrogation!
In addition, many Nanjing officials from other yamen must have participated in various crimes of the Six Ministries of Nanjing. During the following period, they are also not allowed to act at will. Except for a few officials responsible for executing my first two orders, the rest of the officials Go to Fengxian Hall as soon as possible and wait for further investigation! "
As Zhu Hejian finished speaking, the surrounding Jinyi guards immediately took action without any hesitation. They broke into the ranks of Nanjing officials like tigers among sheep and began to arrest all Nanjing officials except the Nanjing Ministry of War. There was a sudden chaos at the scene among the six officials.
There were not many Jin Yiwei at the scene, only a few dozen, but no matter how small the Jin Yiwei were, they were still Jin Yiwei. When these Jin Yiwei came to arrest people, no one dared to resist. All the Nanjing officials could do was shout loudly. Call and express protest.
"Your Highness, Seventh Prince, you must not do this. We are officials appointed by the imperial court, and you are not the official Crown Prince. You have no right to treat us like this!"
"Your Highness, think again! Think again! If all the officials in Nanjing are imprisoned and imprisoned, who will you ask to assist you next? I hope Your Highness will put the overall situation first!"
After hearing the cries and protests from Nanjing officials, Zhu Hejian finally showed his decisive and tough side at this moment.
Zhu Hejian's expression became colder and colder, and he said in a serious voice: "I am naturally not qualified to detain and imprison you, so if you are dissatisfied, you can submit a memorial to the imperial court to impeach me, and I will never stop you!
Also, don’t think that the court can’t do anything without you! The foundation of the imperial court has never been officials like you, or even princes and grandsons like me, but the foundation of orthodoxy and the hearts of the people! "
After saying that, Zhu Hejian turned around and left, no longer paying attention to the protests and cries of Nanjing officials.
Next, Zhu Hejian had to deal with the civil unrest as soon as possible and had no time to entangle with them.
However, before Zhu Hejian turned around, he glanced vaguely at "Zhou Party" Ma Sen and "Zhao Party" Cao Wenbin.
At this time, Ma Sen and Cao Wenbin were both shocked and a little confused.
Prior to this, when all the officials in Nanjing were silent, only Ma Sen and Cao Wenbin took the initiative to express their support for Zhu Hejian in taking power. Although their support was only due to the instructions of their respective backers and was not sincere, they He never expected that Zhu Hejian would turn out to be ruthless so quickly, burn bridges across rivers, and arrest and imprison both of them.
As internal agents of the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party" in Nanjing's official circles, they were still gearing up and planning to take advantage of the opportunity to contribute to their respective factions. However, they did not expect that Zhu Hejian directly eliminated their opportunity to fish in troubled waters. .
After seeing the reactions of Ma Sen and Cao Wenbin, a hint of a calculating smile flashed in Zhu Hejian's eyes.
From a certain point of view, Zhu Hejian suddenly ordered the Jin Yiwei to detain and imprison hundreds of Nanjing officials, mainly to target the chess pieces planted by the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party" such as Yu Masen and Cao Wenbin and prevent them from trying to cause trouble. The rest of Nanjing Although officials have various crimes that need to be investigated, the fact that they are being held and imprisoned is largely just because they are implicated.
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But he said that when Jin Yiwei came out to arrest people, among the many officials present, there were still many people who were not affected.
For example, Bao Wenjie, the Minister of Rites, and Liu Ye, the Superintendent of Taipu Temple, were all central officials of the imperial court. They only followed Zhu Hejian to Nanjing to assist in ancestor worship. Zhu Hejian ordered the Jinyi Guards to detain and imprison Nanjing officials. Naturally, they were It has nothing to do with them.
At the same time, the Crown Prince and Grand Master Wang Baoren is now also a central official of the imperial court, but he has been stranded in Nanjing for various reasons, and he has also not been implicated.
Therefore, when Zhu Hejian turned to leave, Wang Baoren, Bao Wenjie, and Liu Ye also followed.
When Zhu Hejian faced these three people, he immediately stopped being tough and arbitrary and returned to his usual modesty and gentleness. However, Zhu Hejian's attitude and tone were still resolute and decisive.
I saw Zhu Hejian walking quickly outside the Xiaoling Mausoleum and giving instructions to Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye: "Actually, what those Nanjing officials just said is right. After imprisoning them all, I lack manpower to assist me." , it is indeed a bit difficult to support alone... Therefore, Mr. Bao and Mr. Liu, whether you two agree with what I did today or not, I must rely on your efforts in the future. "
Upon hearing Zhu Hejian's words, both Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye quickly expressed their readiness to listen to Zhu Hejian's orders at any time.
Among them, Bao Wenjie's expression was a bit complicated. He had followed Zhao Junchen to the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu and witnessed Zhao Junchen's vigorous and resolute actions. Zhu Hejian's behavior at this time was quite similar to that of Zhao Junchen. Bao Wenjie only felt that Zhu Hejian was different from Zhao Junchen. Zhao Junchen and Zhao Junchen are very similar in many aspects, but also completely opposite in some aspects.
But what exactly are the similarities and differences, Bao Wenjie couldn't tell for a while.
At the same time, Liu Ye looked extremely excited. He only felt that today's situation was an opportunity for him. As long as he could try his best to assist Zhu Hejian and complete the tasks assigned by Zhu Hejian, he would have a bright future in the future.
Zhu Hejian didn't seem to notice the change in Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye's expressions at all, and just said quickly: "The three orders I just gave have been heard by the two adults, but I don't feel comfortable leaving all these matters to the Nanjing officials. Therefore, Mr. Bao is solely responsible for contacting leaders from all walks of life in Nanjing, and Mr. Liu is responsible for coordinating the actions of the Nanjing garrison... The situation is urgent now, and I hope the two adults can seize the time. , try your best.”
After hearing Zhu Hejian's instructions, both Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye gave their orders with serious expressions, and then left quickly.
As a result, Zhu Hejian was left with only the Crown Prince and Grand Master Wang Baoren.
In front of Wang Baoren, Zhu Hejian's sharp edge became more and more restrained, his attitude became more humble, and he lost his previous eagerness.
After all, this civil unrest was secretly promoted by Wang Baoren and Zhu Hejian, and they had already had various backup plans to clean up the mess.
I saw Zhu Hejian slowing down, with a smile on his expression, and asked Wang Baoren: "Master Wang, what do you think of the junior's performance today?"
Wang Baoren nodded in approval and said: "It's remarkable. Even if I personally take charge of the situation, I can't do better than His Highness the Seventh Prince. Because of His Highness the Seventh Prince's methods, now we are not only without Nanjing officials." If you are holding back, you don't have to worry about the chess pieces placed by the 'Zhou Party' and the 'Zhao Party' in Nanjing's officialdom causing trouble. Without these worries, you can just let go."
While approving, Wang Baoren also took a deep look at Zhu Hejian.
Among the older generation of powerful officials in the imperial court, Wang Baoren was second only to Zhou Shangjing in terms of vision and skills, so he was naturally capable of making subtle decisions.
Since Zhu Hejian came to Nanjing, Wang Baoren has positioned himself as a decisive figure who will come forward to turn the tide at critical moments. In order to test Zhu Hejian's temperament and ability, Wang Baoren still did not give Zhu Hejian too much guidance for today's various events, and just let it go. Zhu Hejian played on his own.
Zhu Hejian's performance far exceeded Wang Baoren's expectations. Not only did he quickly control Nanjing's officialdom, he also took the opportunity to show his tough side, and also sabotaged the follow-up actions of the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party".
But it was through Zhu Hejian's performance that Wang Baoren also got a glimpse of Zhu Hejian's true character.
A person's true character, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, can still be seen from his various choices after encountering trouble.
Zhu Hejian's action of detaining and imprisoning all Nanjing officials today, especially his style of eliminating future troubles regardless of the consequences, made Wang Baoren vaguely aware of Zhu Hejian's true side.
However, at this time, Wang Baoren did not think that Zhu Hejian's temperament was a bad thing. After all, it was always an advantage for people in the officialdom to be decisive and leave no consequences. He just thought that he should look at Zhu Hejian again and reconsider his relationship with Zhu Hejian. It’s just a way of getting along.
Hearing Wang Baoren's praise, Zhu Hejian naturally became humble.
However, before Zhu Hejian could speak, he saw one of Wang Baoren's staff hurried to the two of them and reported: "Your Highness, Master Wang, has just received a summons from Mr. Lu, saying that he was observing the civil unrest. , I met the great scholar Huo Zhengyuan by chance, and he has exceeded his authority to represent His Highness and Grand Master Wang, and invited Huo Zhengyuan to visit Zhanyuan in the next few days!"
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