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Next, Wang Baoren showed his trump card to Zhu Hejian.
Over the years, Wang Baoren has been obsessed with making a comeback, and after summing up his experience and lessons from his last defeat to Zhou Shangjing, he believed that one of the reasons for his defeat was that his foundation was not solid and his positioning was unclear.
The "Zhou Party" is essentially the spokesperson of the gentry class in the world, especially the Jiangnan gentry group. Therefore, as long as the gentry class in the Ming Dynasty does not die out, the "Zhou Party" will be as stable as Mount Tai. At most, it will exist in another form.
Zhou Shangjing himself was an example of civil servants and a symbol of ministerial power. Therefore, as long as the Ming emperor still needed hundreds of officials to assist him, Zhou Shangjing's power foundation was also unshakable.
At that time, Wang Baoren wanted to compete tit-for-tat with Zhou Shangjing for power just by relying on the group of disciples he had attracted. Naturally, he was defeated but not victorious.
Therefore, in the years since Wang Baoren was exiled to the Sixth Department of Nanjing, he has been actively making friends with the Jiangnan Jingentry family, hoping to replace Zhou Shangjing and become the new spokesperson of the Jiangnan Jingentry Group.
Unfortunately, because the existence of the Jiangnan Song family and Song Chengren always secretly thwarted Wang Baoren's wishful thinking and assisted Zhou Shangjing in consolidating his influence, Wang Baoren's efforts to pry corners naturally made little progress.
But after these years of hard work, Wang Baoren finally bribed a few Jiangnan Jin gentry and collected many secrets and tricks about Jiangnan Jin gentry.
Today, Wang Baoren no longer expects that he can replace Zhou Shangjing as the new spokesperson of Jiangnan Jinshen Group. Instead, he binds his hope of being a highly respected minister to Zhu Hejian, so he wants to use the money he bought to Several Jiangnan gentry acted as internal agents, and combined with the secrets they had, they coerced the Jiangnan gentry to make concessions and help Zhu Hejian overcome the current difficulties.
These secrets and tricks can be regarded as one of Wang Baoren's trump cards, which is of course very important.
When Wang Baoren revealed this trump card to Zhu Hejian, Zhu Hejian was also overjoyed!
Since this day, in order to deal with Zhou Shangjing's plan, Zhu Hejian has been unwilling to sit back and wait for death, and has independently formulated a series of plans as a countermeasure.
After Zhu Hejian and Lu De met, Lu De also came up with a set of solutions to help Zhu Hejian overcome the current difficulties when he joined Zhu Hejian again.
At this moment, Wang Baoren also provided a new plan, which was also of great help to Zhu Hejian.
Therefore, in just one day, Zhu Hejian had found three plans to counter Zhou Shangjing's layout.
Perhaps it is a coincidence, or perhaps it is inevitable. These three plans all have merits, and the plan directions are relatively consistent and can complement each other and advance simultaneously!
As the saying goes, "The three stooges are better than Zhuge Liang."
What's more, Zhou Shangjing is not the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang after all, and Zhu Hejian, Lu De, and Wang Baoren are not ordinary ignorant cobblers!
In this way, Zhu Hejian naturally became more confident. He believed that after integrating these three plans into one, even if he could not completely win the game, he could at least successfully solve the dilemma and tide over the difficulties!
Overjoyed, Zhu Hejian's attitude towards Wang Baoren became more and more respectful, and he continued to refer to him as "teacher", which greatly benefited Wang Baoren.
But it was just superficial respect. Zhu Hejian had no intention of revealing the other two plans he had with Lu De to Wang Baoren, which made Wang Baoren mistakenly think that Zhu Hejian was counting on him for help now.
*
Of course Zhou Shangjing is not Zhuge Liang. Although he is already at the pinnacle of the Ming Dynasty's civil servants, he does not have the ability to make plans and predict the future.
In fact, on the second day after all parties started taking action, two things happened in South Zhili.
Both of these things were unexpected by Zhou Shangjing.
The first thing was that in the afternoon of that day, the first batch of messengers sent by Li He finally arrived in Nanjing by boat after several days of traveling under the stars and nights, and reported several things to Zhou Shangjing in succession.
For example, in exchange for the antidote and saving Zhou Shangjing's life, Song Qili had reached a deal with Zhao Junchen, promising that the "Zhou Party" would not intervene in changes in the situation in Xingzhou in the future.
Another example is that after the "Zhou Party" stopped interfering, Zhao Junchen seemed to have found a way to completely control the situation in Xingzhou, so Zhou Shangjing's painstaking layout in Xingzhou may soon come to nothing.
The most important news is that after Li He arrived in Xingzhou City, he had asked Zhao Junchen for a detoxification method in advance, which could completely solve the source of Zhou Shangjing's stomach disease. Moreover, this method was surprisingly simple. Just drink a lot of oil!
After receiving the news, Zhou Shangjing was overjoyed and regretful at the same time.
I was overjoyed because I finally found hope for a cure for my fatal stomach disease, but regretful because my hard work in Xingzhou had come to nothing, and my work was all in vain.
But overall, the feeling of overjoyment was stronger.
As long as there is still a choice, Zhou Shangjing also hopes that he can live a little longer.
*
Still in the secluded study in the East Garden, Zhou Shangjing was, after all, deep-tempered and good at controlling his emotions. After receiving the news, he quickly concealed the change in his expression. Instead, he shook his head and sighed: "You are really smart but you are misled by your cleverness. It is a good thing that I have obtained the antidote, and may be able to live for a while longer, but the price is that the Xingzhou layout will fall short...
From a certain point of view, I should also bear some responsibility for the complete failure of the Xingzhou layout, because out of caution, I not only deceived all walks of life in Nanjing, but also concealed the truth from the supporters of the capital center, so as to As for Li He, Song Qiwen, and Song Qili, they all mistakenly thought that I was in danger, so they lost their position and gave up control of the situation in Xingzhou in order to save my life...
Alas, the reason why I concealed the truth from them was not because I couldn't trust them, but because I was worried that the Seventh Prince had spies around them. After all, we didn't know how much strength and trump cards the Seventh Prince had hidden, but we didn't expect that the Seventh Prince would. It's because of my caution that I ruined my long-planned layout of Xingzhou..."
Speaking of this, Zhou Shangjing frowned: "The layout of Xingzhou is extremely critical. Not only does it allow us to seize the power of agricultural reform from Zhao Junchen, but it also allows Zhao Junchen to completely turn against the Jin gentry in the world, and Zhao Junchen After having a bad relationship with the gentry in the world, he will gradually lose popularity and find it difficult to move forward. It will be easier to deal with him in the future, but it turns out that everything is in vain because of me... As Zhao Junchen makes another miracle in Liaodong Gong, it will be even more difficult for us to suppress him in the future!"
At the same time, after Song Chengren received the relevant news, he did not hide his emotions at all and directly showed his surprise.
Song Chengren had a close friendship with Zhou Shangjing, so he naturally wanted Zhou Shangjing to save his life as much as possible.
What's more, although Song Chengren is Song Qiwen's father and has high hopes for Song Qiwen, he insists that now is not the best time for Song Qiwen to take over from Zhou Shangjing.
If you want Song Qiwen to successfully take over the "Zhou Party", you should at least put Song Qiwen into the cabinet first, right? And after Song Qiwen entered the cabinet, who should be in charge of the official office?
Before these problems can be solved smoothly, "Zhou Party" cannot do without Zhou Shangjing's presiding over the overall situation! Even if you want Song Qiwen to take over the "Zhou Party", you can't do without Zhou Shangjing's protection, otherwise the "Zhou Party" will only become a incomplete "Zhou Party" without Zhou Shangjing, instead of becoming a party led by Song Qiwen The new "Song Party".
At this time, seeing that Zhou Shangjing was not overjoyed after hearing that he had been saved, but instead began to review his mistakes of being too cautious. He was even more disappointed with the failure of Xingzhou's layout. Song Chengren couldn't help but be angry and laughing.
Then, Song Chengren didn't want to listen to Zhou Shangjing's summary of the gains and losses anymore. He stood up and stamped his feet: "You, yesterday, you lamented that you were too deep and had too many calculations, so few people have been willing to make friends with you, but I It seems that you are unwilling to correct this problem! Now is the time, shouldn't you be more happy? Compared to your life, what is the layout of Xingzhou? As long as you can continue to live, sooner or later it will be okay Find an opportunity to deal with Zhao Junchen again!"
After saying that, Song Chengren turned around and hurried out of the study, saying as he walked quickly: "I will summon Dr. Zhang now and ask him to develop a customized diagnosis and treatment plan for you based on Zhao Junchen's detoxification method. Li He and Qi Li finally found a way to detoxify, we can't waste time..."
Before he finished speaking, Song Chengren had already left the study and quickly disappeared into the distance of the corridor.
Seeing that Song Chengren's legs and feet were still flexible and strong, Zhou Shangjing couldn't help but feel a little envious, and a relaxed smile appeared on his old face.
But soon, Zhou Shangjing stopped smiling this time, and his expression became serious again, muttering to himself: "Perhaps, the failure of the Xingzhou layout was inevitable from the beginning...
Zhao Junchen and Zhu Hejian, these two young men are both difficult and hidden dangers. If I personally sit in Nanjing and focus on dealing with Zhu Hejian, I must not care about the changes in the situation in the direction of Xingzhou, and Zhao Junchen will naturally find him. Opportunity to reverse the situation. If I focus on the situation in Xingzhou and deal with Zhao Junchen with all my strength, Zhu Hejian may be waiting for an opportunity to make a comeback...
well! As my energy is getting weaker and weaker, I can no longer cover everything. I am really at a loss what to do about this kind of situation where the gourd floats up when the gourd is pressed down..."
While speaking, Zhou Shangjing fell into deep thought again.
Zhou Shangjing's layout and arrangements in Nanzhili were completely based on his physical condition. Naturally, he took into account the worst-case scenario that he would pass away at any time.
But now, as his stomach problem is expected to be cured and he may be able to live for a while longer, Zhou Shangjing believes that his follow-up plan should be slightly revised.
Song Chengren's legs and feet were indeed extremely flexible and powerful, and he did not look like an old man in his sixties. Before Zhou Shangjing could think about it carefully, Song Chengren had already pulled Zhang Decheng back to the study, and then told Zhao Junchen what he had learned. The detoxification method was relayed to Zhang Decheng in detail.
"Drink oil? Drink a lot of oil?"
After hearing this detoxification method, Zhang Decheng's expression changed, and he frowned and kept thinking.
After seeing such a change in Zhang Decheng's expression, Song Chengren quickly asked: "What? There is something wrong with this detoxification method? Did Zhao Junchen use a fake method to deceive us? Does he have the courage?"
Zhang Decheng was originally a low-income person. At this time, he was focusing on thinking about medical issues, and completely forgot about the virtue of being cautious in words and deeds. While thinking about it, he shook his head and said: "No, this method may be really effective... drink Oil can vomit and excrete small foreign matter attached to the intestines and stomach! If Zhao Gechen believes that this method can detoxify Zhou Shoufu, that means... The cause of Zhou Shoufu's stomach disease is not ordinary medicine and stone poisons, but stickiness in the intestines and stomach A large number of small foreign bodies that cannot be digested and excreted...
But what exactly this tiny foreign object is is still puzzling! Moreover, Zhao Gechen was thousands of miles away, so how could he discover the real cause of Zhou Shoufu's illness in advance? Speaking of which... when Zhou Shoufu first suffered from stomach ailments, Zhao Gechen mentioned this method of drinking oil to treat diseases as if it were a joke. However, I thought that Zhao Gechen did not understand medical skills. Zhao Gechen also said that he had only heard of this method accidentally. It’s a foreign method, so I didn’t take these words to heart, but I didn’t expect that Zhao Gechen actually believed that this method could detoxify Zhou Shoufu..."
Hearing Zhang Decheng's subconscious murmur, Zhou Shangjing's eyes flashed and his expression became more serious.
According to Zhang Decheng, Zhao Junchen had already guessed that the cause of Zhou Shangjing's stomach ailment was secret poisoning as early as when Zhou Shangjing's stomach ailment first occurred, and Zhao Junchen in all likelihood had already known that the cause of the secret poisoning was The man is the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian!
At the same time, Zhao Junchen has already mastered the method of detoxification...
Does this mean... Zhao Junchen has been acquiescing and watching Zhu Hejian poison people everywhere?
Or maybe the reason why Zhu Hejian repeatedly poisoned people was because of Zhao Junchen's secret inducement? Then Zhao Junchen can kill people with a borrowed knife and use Zhu Hejian to remove certain obstacles for him?
If these speculations are true, does that mean that in terms of cruelty and ruthlessness, Zhao Junchen, who seems to have a bottom line of restraint, is actually not inferior to Zhu Hejian at all? And Zhao Junchen is far more sinister and despicable than Zhu Hejian?
Thinking of this, Zhou Shangjing narrowed his old eyes slightly, but the next moment he had restored the smile on his face, and said slowly: "Doctor Zhang, you are Zhao Gechen's disciple. There is no need to worry about these questions. When you and Zhao Gechen After we meet again, we can naturally ask him clearly in person! As for now, let’s focus on diagnosing my stomach disease... Hey, I now find that I still have a lot of things to do, so I am becoming more and more afraid. Died easily!"
One Zhu Hejian, one Zhao Junchen...
Thinking that these two young men might become representatives of imperial power and ministerial power in the future, Zhou Shangjing felt a sense of crisis.
Therefore, Zhou Shangjing cherished his life even more, thinking that he must live as long as possible.
Zhou Shangjing had a hunch that if he could not eliminate these two hidden dangers as soon as possible, the Ming Dynasty might soon be completely overturned after Emperor Deqing abdicated.
On the other side, after hearing Zhou Shangjing's reminder, Zhang Decheng finally came to his senses and finally stopped worrying about the doubts in his heart. He nodded and said: "Since Zhao Gechen is convinced that drinking oil is effective, let's try it... Zhou Shoufu has always been A poor diet may be one of the reasons for the accelerated worsening of gastric diseases, but drinking oil to expel foreign matter in the intestines and stomach will also damage the intestines and stomach, so it is necessary to cooperate with other medical methods..."
*
And just when Zhou Shangjing cherished his life more and more, he no longer dared to die easily.
At the same time, another thing happened in Suzhou city that Zhou Shangjing did not expect.
But he said that yesterday evening, because of Huo Zhengyuan's order, his follower Huo Yuanshou left Nanjing City overnight and hurried to Suzhou City where the governor's office of Nanzhili is located.
Then, Huo Yuanshou met with Huang Yourong, the governor of Southern Zhili and the former cabinet minister, and informed him of the news that Huo Zhengyuan was in danger yesterday evening. He also conveyed Huo Zhengyuan's tough request, hoping that Huang Yourong could fully cooperate with his plan in the future.
When Huang Yourong was still the cabinet minister and the leader of the "Yellow Party", Huo Zhengyuan was his confidant, so Huang Yourong was more familiar with Huo Zhengyuan's character traits than anyone else.
When Huang Yourong heard Huo Zhengyuan's forced demands and barely concealed threats, he immediately realized Huo Zhengyuan's change of heart and couldn't help being shocked.
The "Yellow Party" was a purely corrupt official group at the beginning. Huo Zhengyuan always had a guilty conscience when working under Huang Yourong. He was cautious at all times and did not dare to be caught. This is why Huo Zhengyuan has always been timid. one of the reasons.
After Huo Zhengyuan switched to Zhao Junchen, the "Zhao Party" was also a corrupt official group on the surface. However, under Zhao Junchen's skillful guidance, it actually became a radical reformist in the temple. Drastic reforms are all good governance strategies that are of great benefit to the country and the people. Although the members of the "Zhao Party" often take bribes, they are also confident and plausible, saying that they are the ones who truly serve the court and the people. People who do practical things for the people.
It's as if they can do whatever they want as long as they do a few practical things.
In this way, Huo Zhengyuan's character gradually changed under the influence of his ears and eyes.
Ever since Huo Zhengyuan was appointed as the patrol envoy to the southeast and went south to meet Huang Yourong again, Huang Yourong had already felt such a change.
Huang Yourong originally thought that Huo Zhengyuan was currently in the stage of quantitative change, and it would take a long time to accumulate before there would be a qualitative change.
But he never expected that just because of an accident, Huo Zhengyuan would undergo a qualitative change in his personality!
After discovering this, Huang Yourong couldn't help but feel complicated. Through Huo Zhengyuan's changes, he increasingly felt the completely different relationship between himself and Zhao Junchen.
If the orange grows in Huainan, it becomes orange, if it grows in the north of Huaibei, it becomes orange, it’s nothing more than that.
In the end, after careful consideration, Huang Yourong readily agreed to Huo Zhengyuan's proposal, saying that the Southern Zhili Governor's Yamen would fully cooperate with Huo Zhengyuan's follow-up plans.
】
Huang Yourong had already completely collapsed and lost power, and then he was reinstated by the imperial court because of Zhao Junchen's recommendation and served as the governor of Southern Zhili. Now he can only secure his position with the support of the "Zhao Party", so when Huo Zhengyuan used the "Zhao Party" After threatening his follow-up support, Huang Yourong knew that he had no other choice but to fully cooperate with Huo Zhengyuan.
After Huo Yuanshou received an accurate answer from Huang Yourong, he still did not dare to waste time and hurriedly found several aides Huo Zhengyuan had left in Suzhou City.
While Huo Zhengyuan was secretly lurking in Nanjing, these aides were left by him in Suzhou to focus on the establishment of the ocean-going fleet.
These staff members are Ouyang Bo, Qian Bodao, and Guo Min. They were all originally from Zhao Junchen's sect, but because Zhao Junchen attached great importance to ocean affairs, he lent these people to Huo Zhengyuan, on the one hand, to assist When Huo Zhengyuan does things, he keeps an eye on Huo Zhengyuan to prevent Huo Zhengyuan from losing his tail.
Among them, Ouyang Bo ranks second only to Li Chuanwen and Niu Fude among the staff in Zhao Mansion. He has always been experienced, capable, and resourceful, and is now regarded as a powerful assistant by Huo Zhengyuan.
Qian Bodao is an old man in the Zhao family. He has always been deeply trusted and is good at accounting. He used to be in charge of the 'Yerongfang' business in Beizhili. Now he is assisting Huo Zhengyuan in managing the astonishing matters related to the ocean-going project. supplies; supplies
As for the last staff member, he has the most special origin. He is Guo Min, the brother of former young master Guo Tang and the former boss of "Sitong Trading Company"!
After Zhao Junchen took action to rectify Guo Tang, he originally wanted to wipe out the Guo family, but when Guo Min was desperate, he surrendered to Zhao Junchen at the expense of his business secrets, and even gave away his only legitimate son. Gave Zhao Junchen as a hostage in exchange for Zhao Junchen's favor.
After Guo Tang went south with Huo Zhengyuan, he took on a secret mission that even Huo Zhengyuan didn't know about, which was to contact the Nanyang pirates and the Dutch East India Company on behalf of Zhao Junchen.
However, when Huo Yuanshou found Ouyang Bo and Qian Bodao and informed them of Huo Zhengyuan's near-danger and Huo Zhengyuan's urging them to rush to Nanjing to join them as soon as possible, Ouyang Bo and Qian Bodao were naturally very angry. Shocked, they all did not dare to neglect. They quickly packed their bags and prepared to rush to Nanjing City to meet Huo Zhengyuan immediately.
However, at this moment, Ouyang Bo and Qian Bodao suddenly discovered that they could not find Guo Min!
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