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After Ximen Sheng and other civil and military officials arrived at the Fushun Pass garrison mansion, they immediately asked about Zhao Junchen's location and learned that Zhao Junchen was currently in the large study room of the Fushun garrison mansion.
After Ximen Sheng expressed his desire to see Zhao Junchen, all the civil and military officials couldn't help but be curious. They wanted to watch the meeting between Ximen Sheng and Zhao Junchen with their own eyes, so that they could find out clearly about this meeting at the first time. Whether certain deals will be struck and what those deals will be.
As a result, many civil and military officials quickly expressed their desire to accompany Ximen Sheng to meet Zhao Junchen.
Of course, the explicit reason is that they want to be the peacemaker between Ximen Sheng and Zhao Junchen, help resolve the hostility and conflicts between the two, intercede with Zhao Junchen, and support Ximen Sheng.
Faced with the "goodwill" of various civil and military officials, Ximen Sheng did not refuse directly, but said such words with a lukewarm expression.
"I have already said that the main reason for asking to see Cabinet Minister Zhao this time is to bow my head to apologize and beg for forgiveness. If all my colleagues really want to watch this scene and witness with your own eyes the embarrassing appearance of this general, I will Of course the general will not refuse... I am my own friend and everyone, and I will not deliberately hide anything from you, even my humble embarrassment."
When it came to the latter part, Ximen Sheng's usually stern face managed to squeeze out a sincere smile.
But seeing Ximen Sheng's "sincere" smile, all the civil and military officials, including Wu Yingxiong, felt that they were asking for trouble, and they all felt a little resentful. Then they changed their attitudes and said that they would not accompany Ximen Sheng to visit Zhao. Junchen, I believe Ximen Sheng can handle the conflict between him and Zhao Junchen alone.
In this way, under the attention of everyone, Ximen Sheng walked towards the large study room of the garrison mansion.
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"Ximen Sheng, who holds a humble position, asks to see the cabinet minister Zhao, and I hope the cabinet minister will receive him!"
In the past few days, as the situation in Liaodong has come to a close, Zhao Junchen has become much more relaxed.
When Ximen Sheng asked to see him, Zhao Junchen also looked leisurely and contented. He was sitting alone at the tea table in the corner of the study, making tea with his own hands and reading "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" at the same time.
Hearing the voice coming from outside the study door, Zhao Junchen smiled slightly, raised his head and said loudly: "General Ximen Ginseng, please come in."
When Ximen Sheng pushed the door open and looked up, he happened to see Zhao Junchen pick up a purple sand tea cup that had been prepared, fill it with fragrant tea, then push it to the opposite side of the tea table, and said with a smile: "You don't have to be polite with Ximen Ginseng. Let's have a heart-to-heart talk while drinking tea."
Obviously, Zhao Junchen had expected that Ximen Grand Meeting would pay him a visit as soon as possible, so he had been waiting here for a long time.
After Ximen Sheng heard this, he still did not break the rules. He first bowed respectfully to Zhao Junchen, and then slowly sat down in front of Zhao Junchen. His attitude seemed to be respectful and distant.
After sitting down, Ximen Sheng did not drink the cup of tea brewed by Zhao Junchen himself. Instead, he deliberately pushed the tea cup aside.
"Will Ximen Ginseng not like this cup of tea brewed by me?"
"This cup of tea smells delicious, but it is too hot. I dare not drink it easily."
Zhao Junchen didn't mind Ximen Sheng's attitude. Instead, he took the first step to take a sip of tea and then raised his head to observe the change in Ximen Sheng's expression.
Seeing that Ximen Sheng was still hesitant and had a complicated expression, as if he didn't know how to speak next, Zhao Junchen's smile became a little brighter and he praised: "Actually, I have prepared various countermeasures in private. , I want to wait until General Ximen Shen returns in triumph, and secretly assist General Ximen Shen to win over all forces in Liaodong and gain their support, so that General Ximen Shen will have a greater chance of seizing the position of commander-in-chief...
After all, after Mr. He was kidnapped, General Ximen's actions in Hujiazhuang, although they can be said to be resolute and decisive, are not very clever in terms of political skills, which makes this cabinet look down upon Ximen. General, I thought that General Ximen was just an ordinary frontier general who was not good at dealing with worldly affairs and official relations...
Unexpectedly, after going through all kinds of twists and turns, Ximen Ginseng has matured a lot. When he met many civil and military officials outside Fushun Pass, just a few words brought them closer and united them. Fang, solved the doubts... Hey, it seems that this pavilion has done something unnecessary, and all the preparations in advance have become useless. "
After hearing this, Ximen Sheng couldn't help but change his expression slightly.
After meeting with the civil and military officials outside Fushun Pass, Ximen Sheng almost didn't waste any time and immediately rushed to Fushun Pass to see Zhao Junchen. It stands to reason that Zhao Junchen could not make it in time to learn the content of Ximen Sheng's recent speech.
But Zhao Junchen still knew the detailed content of Ximen Sheng's speech in advance.
This means that after various arrangements during this period, Zhao Junchen's penetration of Liaodong Town has far exceeded Ximen Sheng's expectations, and he has even established a very efficient intelligence system.
After Ximen Sheng was silent for a moment, he finally bowed his head and thanked him, saying: "Thank you, Minister Zhao, for elevating and valuing the humble position, and for working so hard to fully prepare for the humble job! The humble job now seems to be unparalleled and has made great military exploits, but also It is very clear that all this is due to Zhao Gechen's arrangement. Without Zhao Gechen's overall leadership and a tacit understanding with the Jianzhou Jurchens, it would be impossible for Beizhi to 'defeat' the main force of the Jianzhou Jurchens head-on, so... Beizhi's great contribution to the sky , all thanks to Zhao Gechen!"
As the conversation started, Ximen Sheng's chaotic thoughts gradually became clearer. He was not as reticent and passive as before, and he spoke more.
"Beizi is not a pedantic person. Your minister, you have taken the initiative to give me such a great benefit. Beizi naturally wants to accept it fully and take the opportunity to seek the best interests for himself. He will never refuse because of past conflicts and self-esteem. your kindness;
At the same time, Ji Ji is also a person who knows how to repay his kindness. Since he knows that all his opportunities today are given by Zhao Gechen, he will definitely repay him in the future. Even if he cannot go through fire and water for Zhao Gechen, he will definitely do it within his own ability. He tried his best to cooperate with Zhao Gechen in doing things. "
At this point, Ximen Sheng's eyes were already burning: "But...just because Beizhi is not a pedantic person, Beizhi will not completely abandon the past grudges because of Zhao Gechen's kindness, and completely regard himself as a Of course, ministers must repay kindness if they have a favor, but they must continue to take revenge if they have a grudge; and Beizhi has also received many kindnesses from his sworn brother He Yu. Precisely because Beizhi is a person who knows how to repay kindness, Beizhi will not If you give up your hatred for the death of your sworn brother He Yu easily, you will definitely try your best to avenge him in the future!"
A hint of sarcasm flashed through Zhao Junchen's eyes, and he said with a half-smile, "...so what?"
Ximen Sheng's eyes were fixed on the change in Zhao Junchen's expression, and his tone became more and more serious: "So, I hope that Zhao Gechen can give me an accurate answer. Does the death of He Yu, the former commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town, have anything to do with you?" ?”
"If there is a relationship, what should you do? If there is no relationship, what should you do?"
When asking, Zhao Junchen felt more sarcastic deep in his heart, but on the surface he remained calm.
Ximen Sheng's expression was firm and he said slowly: "If He Yu's death is really related to Zhao Gechen, I will first find a way to repay Zhao Gechen's kindness, and then I will try my best to become an enemy of Zhao Gechen and avenge my sworn brother, even if it means fighting to the death. , no matter what! But if He Yu’s death has nothing to do with Cabinet Minister Zhao, I have just said that I will try my best to repay the cabinet minister within my ability, and I will not continue to be an enemy of Cabinet Minister Zhao! "
After hearing this, Zhao Junchen finally suppressed the change in his expression and did not reveal his sneer.
Ximen Sheng's words seemed to be clear in grudges, sentimental, and firm in principle, but in fact they were just self-comfort, and he just wanted to find a way out for himself.
It is said that "Hibiscus will not easily give up the hatred for the death of his sworn brother He Yu", but another way of saying this is actually - "As long as all the conditions are met, Hsinchu will have no choice but to give up his sworn brother He Yu" The hatred of death."
He also said, "If He Yu's death has something to do with Zhao Junchen, what will happen to him, but if He Yu's death has nothing to do with Zhao Junchen, what will happen to him?", like this kind of twist and turn sentence, that " The sentence after the word "but" is often the true thought of the speaker.
All in all, Ximen Sheng's statement seems to be righteous, but in fact it gives the initiative to Zhao Junchen. As long as Zhao Junchen declares that he has nothing to do with He Yu's death, he will go down the slope. The donkey indicates that he is willing to turn enemies into friends with Zhao Junchen and repay his kindness.
Then, Ximen Sheng can get more support from Zhao Junchen, and he will have a greater chance of securing his position as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town.
Zhao Junchen naturally understands this kind of talk.
Of course, it is also possible that Ximen Sheng deliberately used this kind of rhetoric to mislead and paralyze Zhao Junchen, but Zhao Junchen was not worried at all. As long as Ximen Sheng showed such a gesture, he would be willing to cooperate to a certain extent in the next three to five years. Doing things by yourself is enough.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen naturally would not expose Ximen Sheng's true thoughts directly. After a moment of silence, he solemnly said: "In recent years, I have been criticized and suspected by all parties in the government and the public, so I hate this kind of self-proven innocence." But since General Ximen Shen is so clear-cut and affectionate, I am also deeply moved, so I will make an exception for General Ximen Shen to prove it for myself!"
At this point, Zhao Junchen clasped his fists to the sky and said slowly with a slightly louder voice: "I swear to God now that since I entered the territory of Liaodong, although I have repeatedly plotted against each other with Mr. He, I have always wanted to suppress him. Although Mr. He is so powerful, he has never had any thoughts of murdering Mr. He! As for Mr. He’s untimely death, it has no direct relationship with this pavilion! "
There is nothing false about Zhao Junchen's oath. He indeed never thought about killing He Yu from beginning to end. He Yu's death was just an accident for Zhao Junchen. Zhao Junchen only found out about He Yu after the fact. He neither personally killed He Yu nor personally conveyed the order to kill He Yu, so He Yu's death is indeed not directly related to Zhao Junchen.
There was no surprise. After hearing this oath, Ximen Sheng seemed to stare at Zhao Junchen's expression changes with bright eyes, as if he wanted to find out whether Zhao Junchen's oath was sincere, but he quickly averted his eyes. , bowed his head again and said: "There is a god in your head. I am willing to believe Zhao Gechen's oath, and I will try my best to repay Zhao Gechen's kindness in the future! As long as I am within the scope of my ability, I am willing to serve Zhao Gechen fully."
Zhao Junchen noticed that during the conversation between the two, Ximen Sheng had mentioned the phrase "as long as it is within the scope of ability" many times.
Obviously, Ximen Sheng's attitude of "doing your best to repay kindness" has always been reserved.
This is also a matter of course. Judging from Zhao Junchen's age, power, and achievements, no one can predict what big things he will do in the future. Naturally, Ximen Sheng does not dare to have any reservations.
But Zhao Junchen still didn't care. After all, he was just a transitional candidate, as long as he didn't cause any trouble to himself.
So, after Zhao Junchen smiled softly, he raised his finger to the teacup in Ximen Sheng's hand, and pointedly said: "In this case, General Ximen Sheng can drink this cup of fragrant tea with peace of mind? I personally made it If you don't drink this cup of tea, it will get cold."
Ximen Sheng immediately raised the teacup, drank all the tea in the cup, then nodded and said: "The tea is still warm, it's the right time to drink it now...good tea!"
Later, Ximen Sheng got straight to the point and asked: "I hope Zhao Gechen will make it clear what your thoughts are about Liaodong Town and what you need me to do with you, so that I can know what I want."
Zhao Junchen personally took action again and refilled a cup of tea for Ximen Sheng, and his attitude seemed to be getting closer to him.
When Ximen Sheng picked up the tea cup again and was about to drink it, Zhao Junchen slowly spoke his thoughts.
After hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Ximen Sheng, who had always been calm and capable, couldn't help but be shocked in his heart and his body. He immediately spilled a lot of tea in the cup and spilled it on his hands.
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