"Zhang Dejun has always been loyal and respectful to me. Although he sometimes plays tricks and shows off his cleverness in front of me, he has always been very measured when it comes to major matters. He is loyal to me, and his words of advice can be regarded as unreserved! "After calming down for a while, Emperor Liu raised his eyes, squinted at Yantuo, and said meaningfully:
"Tell me, when I came here in such a hurry, I not only refuted his report, but also sternly reprimanded and criticized him. How would he feel? Will he hold a grudge?"
This question really surprised and delighted Yan Tuo. With his tact developed over decades of being with Emperor Liu, he almost instantly glimpsed an opportunity, a possibility of overthrowing his old rival.
Yantuo was also an old man who had served Emperor Liu personally for more than thirty years. He was extremely familiar with Emperor Liu. Even a fart could smell something different, let alone such an explicit question.
In the past, Emperor Liu scolded and punished Wang Jien. Although Yantuo felt happy, he basically only watched and would not say or do anything. That would only bring trouble to himself, and it would take time to apply eye drops.
But at this time, when Emperor Liu asked this question, Yantuo reacted: The officials were suspicious of Wang Jien's old dog! For Yantuo, this is really good news.
For a moment, he even put away his panic, thought about it for a while, and replied: "Wang Jien always prides himself on gaining the trust of officials, and will respond to every suggestion. Today he refutes it and uses this person to treat officials. I don’t dare to think of resentment and reverence at home, but people’s hearts are unpredictable, and you can’t tell whether you will feel disappointed when you are frustrated..."
Yantuo's answer was full of hypocrisy and insidiousness, but Emperor Liu was a little silent after hearing this. He thought for a long time and murmured: "People's hearts are unpredictable? Disappointed?"
Suddenly, Emperor Liu looked directly at Yantuo: "What will you do when you are disappointed?"
"I'm sorry that I don't know this, but the officials might as well watch it patiently." Yan Tuo said this, which meant that he would stop there. He was somewhat measured and knew that going too far would be unjust.
Although Emperor Liu didn't say anything more on this topic, his eyes like a deep pool became more and more gloomy.
…
On the other side, Wang Jien did not choose to go to the Imperial Hospital for bandaging and treatment, but hurried back to the Imperial City Division. As soon as he returned to his lair, seeing his embarrassed appearance, all his disciples and disciples lost their countenance and looked at each other.
In the hall, Wang Jien sat with a gloomy old face, and the medical officer of the department timidly helped him tend to his wounds. His usually deft hands were trembling a little more. He didn't leave until the bandage was done, as if he was running away.
As soon as they left, Wang Shouzhong, who was waiting at the side, said urgently: "Father, it's okay with you."
Wang Jien glanced at him, raised his hand and stroked his neck, and said calmly: "It's nothing serious! At least, the head hasn't moved yet!"
"What's going on?" Wang Shouzhong asked with concern.
Upon hearing the question, Wang Jien looked depressed. He frowned and thought for a while, and then said with some annoyance: "Wrong decision! Bad decision!"
After such a period of buffering, Wang Jien had calmed down, thought about it, and finally realized that his actions today were inappropriate. Of course, Wang Jien knew that the reason why the officials were angry was not because they buried their informants in the political hall and did not use all possible means. How could they monitor the noble officials and the public opinion in the capital? Officials should be able to understand some of the deviations.
What was really wrong, and what caused the officialdom to be so intense, was probably the reporting issue itself. Wang Jien prided himself on being loyal, and did not avoid the powerful, and did not even worry about the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince, but he underestimated the importance Emperor Liu attached to these two people. degree……
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed, regretful, and scared Wang Jien became. For decades, Wang Jien had never been as uneasy as at this time. Emperor Liu's reaction today was actually very familiar to Wang Jien. It was almost like a murderous rhythm. …
After Wang Jien briefly described the situation that happened in Chui Gong Hall, Wang Shouzhong's expression also changed, and he looked even more nervous than Wang Jien. This is conceivable. The power and wealth they have today all come from Wang Jien, their adoptive father. If Wang Jien fell out of favor, how could they end well?
Wang Shouzhong was the most respected among Wang Jien's adopted sons. After a brief panic, he quickly calmed down. Seeing Wang Jien's serious expression, he couldn't help but comfort him: "Father, don't worry too much. After all, you are an old man close to His Majesty. This time Although the scolding was harsher, it might just pass..."
"I hope so!" Wang Jien thought for a moment and sighed softly.
However, Wang Jien always felt uneasy in his heart, as if he had overlooked something important, but after thinking about it several times, he still couldn't figure it out.
In fact, Wang Jien's move was caused by some mistakes in his haste. As for this eagerness, it comes from the uneasiness in his heart. In the past two years, Wang Jien has a feeling that everything is not going well. The most important thing is that the close master-servant relationship with Emperor Liu has undergone some subtle changes. Wang Jien is a sensitive person. Man, he could also feel that Emperor Liu no longer trusted him as much as before.
This was something Wang Jien could never bear. He had served Emperor Liu all his life. Although he had some selfish motives, in general, he was loyal to the king and considered the Lord. He also knew very well that his current position of power also came from Emperor Liu's trust. Once this trust was flawed, it would be difficult for him to stand firm inside and outside the palace, which meant that his foothold was unstable. .
It is precisely because he is aware of this that Wang Jien has been trying every means and working hard in the past two years to make contributions and regain Emperor Liu's favor, including the Kangning case last year. This is one of the reasons why he was so active.
However, in a hurry, it is often easy to make mistakes. This "Memorial Case" was another opportunity that Wang Jien found. When he thought about it, he didn't even bother to avoid the prince and Zhao Pu. It can be seen that he was completely devoted to the official family, and the official family also took his loyalty for granted... …
However, the result was contrary to expectations. Emperor Liu's reaction could even be said to have gone in the opposite direction than he expected, which was a real blow to his head.
It is precisely because of this that Wang Jien found it difficult and realized that he could no longer keep up with Emperor Liu's thinking, and it became more difficult to guess the Sacred Heart. Wang Jien had many means to deal with others, but against Emperor Liu, he had no means at all. Even if he had any means, it would be difficult to use them...
These are difficult for younger generations like Wang Shouzhong to understand. They cannot elaborate on them and can only digest them silently.
After thinking and thinking at a loss, Wang Jien could only explain to Wang Shouzhong: "Go ahead and ask the officials and detectives in the Yamen to restrain themselves and not act recklessly. Also, keep an eye on the palace." , but if there is any trouble, report it immediately..."
"yes!"
In the evening of that day, Chen Xiangyu, a member of Zhongshushe, was imprisoned, and the ordered guards were taken away directly from the political hall.
