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The timing of Zhou Shangjing's appearance seemed to have been carefully planned, which made Zhu Hejian feel increasingly uncomfortable.
Because of the unlucky timing of Zhou Shangjing's appearance, Zhu Hejian is not only completely unable to figure out Zhou Shangjing's true intentions, but also has no chance to continue testing. However, his own follow-up plan is already on target and has to be launched.
This situation simply made Zhu Hejian feel like a thorn in his back.
But the situation has developed to such an extent that Zhu Hejian can only bite the bullet and continue to perform.
After hearing Zhou Shangjing and Wang Baoren's "firm attitude" objections, Zhu Hejian immediately looked serious and said righteously: "Zhou Shoufu and Wang Taishi, the two seniors, I am deeply grateful for their care and support, but I still think that they are What a senior said is inappropriate! Even though the hostages in the charity hall are all helpless orphans and widowed mothers, they are also people under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. How can they be so despised?
Mencius said, 'The people are more valuable than the king', but this junior is just an ordinary prince! Although he was born in the Heavenly Family, he would never dare to say that he is more valuable than ordinary people! What's more, it is precisely because the younger generation was born in the Heavenly Family and has been supported by the people of the world since he was a child. On the contrary, he needs to be grateful and do his best to repay the people! "
As he spoke, Zhu Hejian's expression became more and more righteous, shining brightly under the surrounding lights, as if a sage was alive. His voice became louder and louder, and his tone became more firm: "Since those gangsters have put forward conditions, If I want this junior to exchange for the many hostages in the charity hall, then I will agree to it! As long as I can successfully rescue those innocent people, even if I risk myself and step into the tiger's den, what do I have to fear?"
For Zhou Shangjing, Wang Baoren, and Lu De, Zhu Hejian's statement was no surprise at all, and even the details of the lines were exactly what they expected.
However, when the surrounding Jin Yiwei and the military attachés of the Nanjing garrison who did not know the inside story heard Zhu Hejian's words, they were all shocked and admired greatly, and they all looked at Zhu Hejian's wonderful performance in disbelief.
Zhu Hejian, as the prince of the Tian family and a future prince who is very likely to inherit the throne, is actually willing to go to the tiger's den and use himself as a hostage in exchange for the safety of more than a hundred orphans and widows... Is there really such a cruel thing in this world? people?
However, no matter whether the people around him were moved with admiration, disapproval, or ridicule at this time, they still had the same reaction on the surface and expressed their opposition again.
At this moment, even if they know that Zhu Hejian will not encounter any danger at all after becoming a hostage, they must not show any support. Otherwise, even if Zhu Hejian is safe in the end, they will definitely be pursued by the court in the future. responsibility.
However, just as everyone was giving words of advice, Zhu Hejian looked stern and shouted loudly: "I have made up my mind! You don't need to persuade me any more!"
Later, Zhu Hejian's expression softened slightly, and he looked at Zhou Shangjing and Wang Baoren again, and explained sincerely: "The two seniors don't need to try to dissuade you anymore. The junior has already thought clearly! If you reject the gangster, Their conditions will only make these gangsters despise the court and the royal family more and more, thinking that the people of our Tian family are a group of wastes who only know how to pamper themselves and have no responsibility, that is, a group of ruthless people who don't care about the people. Senior, and once this kind of thing spreads among the people, it will definitely chill the people of the world! Therefore, this junior must agree to their conditions, not only to rescue the many hostages in the charity hall, but also to maintain the prestige of the court and my royal family!
Moreover, the two seniors do not have to worry about the danger that the junior will encounter after becoming a hostage. The junior has carefully considered it. Although these gangsters are bold, they will not have the courage to hurt the junior. It only depends on their willingness to negotiate with the government and the conditions they propose. Although a bit harsh, he is not a pure lunatic! So they must be very clear about the consequences of hurting the juniors!
They want the junior to become the new hostage. The reason is actually very simple. Compared with holding hundreds of hostages in the charity hall, it is more convenient to just hold the junior hostage when escaping from the government roundup! If the junior's expectations are correct, after they successfully escape outside Nanjing, they will definitely abide by their promise and release the junior quickly!
After thinking about it, I think that agreeing to their conditions is the best way to solve the current dilemma. As long as we can successfully rescue the many hostages in the charity hall and wait until they release the junior, we will have no worries. If we continue to hunt them down, even if these gangsters are lucky enough to escape from Nanjing City, can they still escape from Nanzhili? "
Under normal circumstances, Zhu Hejian's reasons may seem high-sounding, but in fact they cannot stand up to scrutiny and are not enough to convince anyone. As a descendant of Zhu Yuanzhang, he actually talked about Mencius's words. This matter itself is extremely absurd.
If Zhou Shangjing and Wang Baoren were not here, the Jinyi Guards and the military attaches of the Nanjing garrison would definitely forcibly prevent Zhu Hejian from personally involved in the danger, even if they were the following offenders.
But at this moment, Zhou Shangjing and Wang Baoren were here. The military attachés of Jin Yiwei and the Nanjing garrison were not qualified to intervene and express their opinions. They could only look at Zhou and Wang helplessly, hoping that Zhou and Wang could stop Zhu Hejian. An unwise and risky decision.
Unfortunately, Zhou Shangjing and Wang Baoren had different considerations, but they both wanted to push the boat along and secretly promote Zhu Hejian's follow-up plan.
Therefore, under the expectant eyes of all the military attaches, Zhou Shangjing and Wang Baoren seemed to be persuaded by Zhu Hejian's reasons. They were both silent and hesitant, and they did not express their "firm attitude" directly like they did just now. be opposed to.
After seeing Zhou and Wang's behavior, Zhu Hejian first took a closer look at Zhou Shangjing - he was still not sure what Zhou Shangjing was planning, but when the situation developed to this point, he could only forcefully He kept his scalp and continued to act - then he looked solemn again and asked without any doubt: "What? Do the two seniors still want to prevent the junior from taking responsibility? Let the prestige of the Tianjia be damaged and the people be disappointed?"
Zhou Shangjing sighed, with an expression of embarrassment and admiration at the same time, shaking his head and saying: "Since His Highness has made up his mind, I deeply admire him, so I will naturally not stop His Highness's benevolent actions! I only hope that after Your Highness personally takes part in the danger, he will definitely You must put your own safety first, if anything happens to His Highness next, I will die without mercy!"
Wang Baoren turned his head and glanced at Zhou Shangjing. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said: "In order to save the many hostages in the charity hall, His Highness would rather risk his own life. Such a righteous act is enough to move the world and will be remembered forever." The name will last forever! Since His Highness is so determined, why should I worry about the criticism from the government and the public? I will accompany His Highness on the adventure!"
Lu De even saluted Zhu Hejian on the spot, bowed to the ground, and said in an excited tone: "There is such a great person like His Highness in the Tian family. It is a blessing for the country! A blessing for the court! A blessing for the people! I believe what happened today will be spread. After that, everyone in the world will praise His Highness for loving the people like a son! I also hope that His Highness will grant permission to let the students go with His Highness!"
In this way, as Zhou and Wang expressed their approval, and Lu De spared no effort to add fuel to the fire, the surrounding Jin Yiwei and the military attachés of the Nanjing garrison who did not know the inside story had no chance to stop the opposition. They just looked on dumbfounded. The four people, Zhu Hejian, Zhou Shangjing, Wang Baoren and Lu De, acted in perfect harmony.
The exchange between Zhu Hejian and many hostages in the charity hall was quickly determined as if it was child's play.
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Then, Zhu Hejian flatly rejected Lu De's proposal to go with him, and just arranged for Lu De to enter the charity hall, negotiate with the gangsters again, and inform the gangsters of Zhu Hejian's decision.
And just when Lu De entered the charity hall again to negotiate with the gangsters, Zhu Hejian seized the last opportunity and used various words to continuously test Zhou Shangjing's true intentions.
Seeing that his plan was about to come to fruition, Zhou Shangjing's unclear intentions and suspicious behavior made Zhu Hejian increasingly uneasy. He always felt that Zhou Shangjing had dug a trap ahead and was waiting for him to jump into it.
It's a pity that Zhou Shangjing is always leak-proof and has no flaws to find. He can often deftly resolve Zhu Hejian's probing words in just a few words. He even refuses to reveal Huo Zhengyuan's current whereabouts to Zhu Hejian, only saying that Huo Zhengyuan has something else. Thoughts and actions had long been separated from him, leaving Zhu Hejian with nothing.
Next comes the tense and cumbersome exchange.
According to Lu De's negotiation results, the gangsters in the charity hall need to first release half of the hostages. After Zhu Hejian enters the charity hall alone and becomes a new hostage, the gangsters will release the other half of the hostages again.
This series of events were all part of Zhu Hejian's plan. Jiang Xiao and the "Chaofeng" dead man in the charity hall also actively cooperated, so naturally no accidents would happen.
After seeing the gangsters in the charity hall releasing half of the hostages as agreed, Zhu Hejian turned to Zhou Shangjing and Wang Baoren, nodded and smiled: "It seems that these gangsters are indeed willing to abide by their promise, so the two seniors There is no need to worry about the safety of this junior, if nothing unexpected happens, this junior will be able to meet the two seniors again soon!"
After saying that, Zhu Hejian strode resolutely towards the shantang.
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As Zhu Hejian strode into the Nanjing Shantang, the gangsters kept their promise and quickly released the other half of the hostages.
Among the many hostages, the vast majority are safe and sound. Only the largest sponsor of Nanjing Shantang, the imperial businessman Ge Zhenye, was tortured for some reason and fell into a coma. His life was even in danger because of his serious injuries. He could die at any time.
But at this time, because Zhu Hejian personally went to a dangerous place and became a hostage, no one cared about the life or death of this "Ge Buddha". Everyone was paying close attention to the changes in the situation in the charity hall, worrying that the gangsters would Take action to hurt Zhu Hejian.
According to the requirements of the gangsters in the charity hall, the government still needs to prepare a hundred fast horses and various supplies for them. They also need to open the East Gate of Nanjing and clear the road leading to the east city gate from the charity hall so that they can He quickly escaped from Nanjing City.
While the Jin Yiwei and the Nanjing garrison were rushing to meet the various demands of the robbers, Zhou Shangjing was taking his time, taking his time, as if the situation at hand did not matter at all, and even sent people near Nanjing Shantang. I found a room not far away to take shelter from the wind and rest. Occasionally, a smile of unknown meaning flashed across the old face.
After Wang Baoren noticed Zhou Shangjing's behavior, and then thought of Zhou Shangjing's various strange remarks tonight, he also thought that Zhou Shangjing had other agendas, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
After thinking for a moment, Wang Baoren suddenly sneered, waved to summon several close aides, and explained certain tasks to them in detail.
Obviously, Wang Baoren also had other plans.
During this period of time, Wang Baoren, like Zhou Shangjing, had been watching with cold eyes the constant conflicts between Zhu Hejian and the gentry forces in Nanjing. Although he also secretly supported Zhu Hejian, he never personally took action from beginning to end, nor did he directly use his own power. Intervene in the situation.
At this moment, seeing that the situation in Nanjing was about to change drastically, and it was very likely that Zhu Hejian and Zhou Shangjing would soon decide the outcome, Wang Baoren finally decided to take action.
After giving instructions to several close aides about their tasks, Wang Baoren turned and walked to the room where Zhou Shangjing was resting from the wind.
The room Zhou Shangjing was looking for was only about ten meters away from the Nanjing Shantang. It faced the gate of the Nanjing Shantang. Sitting in the room, he could directly observe the changes in the situation of the Nanjing Shantang at close range.
When Wang Baoren stepped into the room, he saw Zhou Shangjing sitting at a round table. He had already sent someone to get a tea cup and ginseng slices, and he was drinking ginseng tea to refresh himself.
Wang Baoren sat directly next to Zhou Shangjing and took the initiative to say: "Zhou Shoufu, you and I are just waiting for the situation to change. We have nothing to do anyway, how about making a bet?"
Zhou Shangjing turned to glance at Wang Baoren and asked, "Oh? Is Master Wang so interested? But I don't know what kind of bet you want to make?"
Wang Baoren said slowly: "Just bet on one thing...I predict that by tomorrow evening, your close friend Song Chengren, the head of the Song family, will definitely plead guilty and become a prisoner of the government, and Zhou Shou will assist you... By then we will no longer be able to protect him!"
Zhou Shangjing's eyes flashed, then he nodded with a smile and said: "Okay! Let's make this bet! I will also imitate Master Wang and predict that by tomorrow evening, Song Chengren will not only not become a prisoner, but will become the seat of His Highness the Seventh Prince. Honorable guest, and His Highness the Seventh Prince will take the initiative to bow his head to Song Chengren and admit his mistake, how about that?"
During the tit-for-tat confrontation, the two looked at each other and smiled, both confident and calm.
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