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Seeing Zhu Hejian come to greet him in person, Huo Zhengyuan and Song Chengren were both flattered.
Although they were hostile to Zhu Hejian, after all, Zhu Hejian was a prince who had a high chance of succeeding as crown prince. This attitude could be said to give them enough face.
Therefore, Huo Zhengyuan and Song Chengren hurriedly saluted and said hello. Song Chengren was the first to say: "His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince was actually alerted to greet him personally, and so many Nanjing sages appeared together. It is too grand, too grand!"
Huo Zhengyuan also nodded repeatedly: "I can't afford it! I really can't afford it!"
Zhu Hejian smiled and said: "What nonsense! Senior Song is the head of the Jin gentry in Jiangnan. He was also an important minister in the court at that time. He is highly respected and respected. As a junior, I should take the initiative to greet you..."
As he spoke, Zhu Hejian turned to look at Huo Zhengyuan: "There is also Academician Huo, who is a rare wise man in the temple. I also have the same respect, especially since Academician Huo almost encountered an accident the evening before yesterday. It is even more shocking. It’s my concern, so I should express my concern.”?
When it was mentioned that Huo Zhengyuan almost encountered an accident, Zhu Hejian's expression was full of concern, but there was an implicit scrutiny in his eyes.
Zhu Hejian also received news not long ago that Huo Zhengyuan wanted to drive the "United Shipping Company" to cause trouble, make the conflict between the wealthy Jin gentry and the eunuchs of Huangzhuang public, and further intensify the conflict between the two parties.
After receiving this news, Zhu Hejian was naturally surprised.
The accident that Huo Zhengyuan encountered was due to Zhu Hejian's behind-the-scenes plan. He originally wanted to intimidate Huo Zhengyuan so that Huo Zhengyuan would never dare to act rashly again, and then completely eliminate the variables of the "Zhao Party" power.
Unexpectedly, after Huo Zhengyuan encountered this accident, not only was he not scared out of his wits, but his life changed drastically and his courage greatly increased. He changed from his previous cautious and cautious style to a resolute and resolute person.
In this way, Zhu Hejian not only failed to eliminate the variable of the "Zhao Party" force, but made the variable of the "Zhao Party" even more uncontrollable.
Zhu Hejian hates this unexpected situation - if the world cannot run according to his own ideas, it means that his methods are not strong enough and his intervention in the world is not powerful enough! Only a world that operates completely according to your own ideas can be a world that satisfies you. ?
Therefore, one of the intentions of Zhu Hejian's banquet tonight was to test Huo Zhengyuan's temperament changes, and at the same time, he also wanted to prevent Huo Zhengyuan's plan to use the "United Shipping Company" to make things worse.
On the other side, feeling Zhu Hejian's eyes scrutinizing, Huo Zhengyuan couldn't help but tremble in his heart, but on the surface he had no fear. He just shook his head and sighed: "Alas! Xiaguan has indeed been in bad luck recently. Not only did he encounter an incident the evening before yesterday, In an accident, five of Xiaguan's followers who had been following him for many years were killed in a trample accident. They were either tragically killed on the spot or seriously injured. Furthermore, Xiaguan had three other followers who were hit by floods on their way to Nanjing last night. Either drowned on the spot, or disappeared...
Hey! When Xiaguan left the capital to serve as the envoy to the southeast, he only had ten followers with him, and now only two of them were lucky enough to be safe... If these two accidents were not accidental, Xiaguan might have I mistakenly thought that someone was deliberately targeting and intimidating the official!
well! Although Xiaguan's close followers suffered heavy casualties, it was not a big deal after all. However, there was a young scholar named Jiang Zheng who had been traveling with Xiaguan in Nanjing during this period. He was not only an aide to Zhao Cabinet, but also Yang Zheng. Xun Yang Daru's disciple was also seriously injured due to the trampling accident the night before yesterday. He is still unconscious and his life or death is uncertain. Therefore, the subordinate must do something, otherwise he will not be able to explain to Zhao Gechen and Yang Daru! "
Huo Zhengyuan believed that whether it was the trampling accident he personally experienced or the flood that broke out outside Nanjing last night, Zhou Shangjing and Zhu Hejian both had suspicions and motives, but in comparison, he still suspected Zhu Hejian more. , so Huo Zhengyuan also had a hidden agenda when he expressed his stance at this time.
However, Huo Zhengyuan also did not expect that after hearing his words, Zhu Hejian did not show any abnormality. He just shook his head and sighed along with Huo Zhengyuan, feeling sorry for the heavy losses of those around Huo Zhengyuan, but everyone behind Zhu Hejian The guests suddenly became restless.
I saw an imperial eunuch wearing the attire of a seventh-grade eunuch. He immediately took a step forward and said with a sneer: "The two accidents that the great scholar Huo and his entourage encountered, and the trampling accident the night before yesterday, maybe It was indeed just an accident, but the flood outside Nanjing last night may not have been just an accident!"?
As the eunuch showed up to express his position, several other eunuchs from the imperial village around him also started to make noises, either in a strange way or with a hint, all of which suggested that the flood outside Nanjing last night was intentional. for it.
Moreover, when these Huangzhuang eunuchs expressed their opinions and hints, they all deliberately stared at Song Chengren beside Huo Zhengyuan. They seemed to think that Song Chengren was the mastermind behind the deliberate destruction of the dam and causing floods to submerge the Huangzhuang!
At the same time, among the guests at tonight's banquet, there were also many wealthy noble families in Southern Zhili. After seeing this, they all expressed their opinions and sternly refuted the intentions of the eunuchs of Huangzhuang.
As the conflict between the eunuchs of Huangzhuang and the noble gentry broke out again, the situation quickly became chaotic.
Seeing this situation, Song Chengren suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart. He first raised his hand to stop the noise of the noble gentry, and finally turned to stare at the eunuch of Huangzhuang who was the first to speak up, and asked: " Jiang Dawei, what exactly do you want to say?"
It turned out that the seventh-grade eunuch who was the first to speak out was Jiang Dawei, the eunuch in charge of the largest imperial village in Nanjing.
The flood that broke out outside Nanjing last night also made the imperial village under Jiang Dawei's rule bear the brunt. Thousands of hectares of fertile farmland were flooded. There will be no harvest this year, and several people were drowned. With a co-organizing eunuch and a tenant farmer in Huangzhuang, it is no wonder that Jiang Dawei became angry at this time. ?
After hearing Song Chengren's question, Jiang Dawei became even more emotional. He raised his finger and pointed at Song Chengren and cursed loudly: "You old dog, you still have the nerve to ask what our family wants to say? The flood last night was because of you, this old dog." It was caused by the dogs sending people to dig up the dikes!”
After hearing this, Song Chengren's expression changed slightly and turned cold.
After receiving the news of the flood outside the city, Zhou Shangjing and Song Chengren both had a premonition and believed that the flood was most likely the deliberate act of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian. The reason why Zhu Hejian deliberately caused the flood was not just He wanted to stir up the situation and create an image of the eunuchs of Huangzhuang as victims, and he must also want to take the opportunity to blame the wealthy gentry families in southern Zhili.
As the head of the Jiangnan Jin gentry, the Song family was naturally the most likely target of the blame.
Song Chengren had been mentally prepared for this situation in advance, so it was not particularly unexpected.
But what Song Chengren couldn't accept was that Jiang Dawei had no respect for him and directly referred to him as "old dog". Naturally, he was very angry.
On the other side, Zhu Hejian also looked dissatisfied. ?
But Zhu Hejian was dissatisfied not because of Jiang Dawei's rude words, but because Zhu Hejian was testing Huo Zhengyuan at this time, but Jiang Dawei interrupted the topic and diverted his attention.
Of course, there was still a matter of superficiality, so Zhu Hejian immediately turned around and walked quickly to Jiang Dawei. First he raised his hand and slapped Jiang Dawei hard twice, and then kicked Jiang Dawei to the ground.
Then, Zhu Hejian showed anger and scolded him sternly: "Senior Song, was he a former important minister of the imperial court, or the head of the Jin gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, and someone like you, a humble domestic slave, could offend him? Now, kneel down to Senior Song immediately. Apologize, otherwise I will never forgive you!"
But maybe it was because of the heavy losses suffered by Huangzhuang under his rule that Jiang Dawei was angry and lost his mind at this time. Or maybe it was because Jiang Dawei had already received certain promises, so he was emboldened and acted deliberately...
All in all, after hearing Zhu Hejian's stern reprimand, Jiang Dawei not only did not give in, but stiffened his neck and retorted directly: "Your Highness, our family is not convinced! Our family is not convinced! It was obviously the Song family who dug up the embankment, so The Imperial Manor was just flooded. This matter is already a proven crime. Why can't our family speak out? No matter how high Song Chengren's status is, his deliberate destruction of royal property should be an unforgivable crime. How can you protect him! ?”
Then, another elderly eunuch standing not far from Zhu Hejian also stood up and spoke.
This man is wearing the attire of a fourth-grade eunuch. He is tall and thin, with a gloomy temperament. Although he is nearly sixty years old and has gray hair, he still has a straight back, bright eyes, and a strong aura when he raises his hands and feet. ?
In the entire southern Zhili territory, there was only one fourth-grade eunuch, and that was Xicheng, the eunuch guarding Nanjing.
"Your Highness, please calm down! Although Jiang Dawei's statement is somewhat inappropriate, it is also excusable. He is the eunuch of Guanzhuang, responsible for managing the royal farmland for Your Majesty. He has made outstanding achievements over the years, and he is regarded as the most respected person in Southern Zhili. The emperor's estate pays the largest amount of money and grain to the internal funds every year, which can be said to be diligent and loyal. Now that he sees serious losses in the royal estate he manages, he is naturally furious..."
In a few words, Xi Chengcheng described Jiang Dawei's vicious offense against Song Chengren as an impulsive expression of loyalty.
Then, Xi Cheng turned to stare at Song Chengren and said coldly: "Master Song, there is something I need to let you know. Not long ago, the Jin Yiwei who went to the flood site to investigate the situation had sent news, saying that they had been able to confirm The flood last night was caused by someone deliberately destroying the embankment, and a body was found nearby. This body was also drowned in the flood, but he was still holding a hand tightly when he drowned. The shovel was most likely involved in digging the dam. The most important thing is...
It was found out that the body was not that of the people nearby, but that of a tenant farmer of your Song family. That's why Jiang Dawei suspected that it was your Song family who deliberately dug up the dike and flooded the imperial village at night! But I don’t know, what explanation does the head of the Song family have for this matter? "
After seeing Xi Cheng's appearance, Zhu Hejian shook his head and sighed, as if he didn't want to see such a situation happen, but he also took the opportunity to turn around and look at Song Chengren, no longer forcing Jiang Dawei to kneel down and apologize to Song Chengren, and slowly Said: "I believe that the excavation of the dam and the submergence of the imperial village had absolutely nothing to do with the Song family leader. There must be some misunderstanding here. I also believe that the Song family leader will be able to prove his innocence and explain the matter clearly... But everyone just Instead of sitting in the front yard blowing the cold wind, let’s go back to the hall and sit down to talk!”
After speaking, Zhu Hejian began to greet the guests back to the front hall of Zhanyuan. ?
Seeing this situation, Song Chengren didn't panic much. He just turned to look at Huo Zhengyuan and murmured softly: "Sure enough, there is no good banquet... This banquet is clearly a Hongmen banquet for my Song family!"
Huo Zhengyuan also turned to look at Song Chengren and promised in a low voice: "Senior Song, don't worry, I will advance and retreat together with you on this matter!"
In Huo Zhengyuan's plan, it is best for the fight between Zhou Shangjing and Zhu Hejian to be evenly matched and both sides lose, so naturally he will not let Zhu Hejian easily overthrow the Song family.
Song Chengren smiled and nodded slightly, then followed Zhu Hejian and walked side by side towards the front hall of Zhanyuan.
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PS: In recent days, Chongzi’s family members have been infected with influenza A continuously. All of them are suffering from lethargy, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Please pay attention to your health. Also, because I have to take care of my family, I only have a small chapter today.
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