Not to mention that the seventh prince Zhu Hejian and the eunuch Jia Lun were caught off guard after receiving the news and looked at each other.
However, it was said that almost at the same time that the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian received the news, the story of Zhao Junchen fainting in the Hubu Yamen also reached Zhou Shangjing's ears.
When he received the news, Zhou Shangjing was sitting on a rocking chair in the back garden of the Zhou Mansion, basking in the sun. His eyes were slightly closed, his gray eyebrows drooped, his breathing was slow, and he seemed to be falling asleep at any moment.
Zhou Shangjing is getting older. Since Emperor Deqing's southern tour, he has become increasingly weak in energy in the past six months. After returning home from work every day, he is physically and mentally exhausted, so he has developed the habit of taking a nap in the sun after noon every day.
.
Zhou Quan, the steward of the Zhou Mansion, walked quietly to the rocking chair of Zhou Shangjing, bent down and said softly: "Sir, Zhang Deshun, Yin of Shuntian Mansion, just sent someone to deliver the news, saying that Zhao Junchen passed out in the Hubu Yamen."
After saying that, Zhou Quan maintained this posture, quietly waiting for Zhou Shangjing's response.
Although Shuntian Fuyin's position is a crater, there are a lot of troubles every day. He is most likely to be thankless and suffer from both sides, but he is also the most well-informed and has always been one of Zhou Shangjing's most important news channels.
When Zhou Shangjing gave up the position of Shuntian Prefecture Officer to Huo Zhengyuan of the "Zhao Party", it was only a temporary measure. After Huo Zhengyuan lost the position of Shuntian Prefecture Officer, the position returned to the hands of the "Zhou Party".
At this time, it was the newly appointed Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, Zhang Deshun, who took the lead in reporting to Zhou Shangjing the news that Zhao Junchen had fainted at the Ministry of Household Affairs.
After Zhou Quan waited patiently, Zhou Shangjing seemed to have fallen asleep, and after a long cup of tea, he opened his eyes again.
After slowly opening his eyes, Zhou Shangjing's expression still showed a trace of fatigue. After rubbing his forehead with his hand, he sighed: "I'm old, I really am old... I'm half asleep and half awake. I haven't looked back for a long time.
God comes."
After sighing for a few words, Zhou Shangjing turned to look at Zhou Quan. His old eyes had regained clarity and wisdom, and he said slowly: "What exactly is going on? Please tell me in detail."
Zhou Quan quickly told Zhou Shangjing the story of Zhao Junchen's coma in detail.
After listening, Zhou Shangjing showed no surprise at all. He seemed to have expected it. He just said with a half-smile: "It's a good show, but it's a pity that I didn't see it with my own eyes... In the past, the Qingliu people always used public opinion to criticize Zhao Junchen.
, Now Zhao Junchen actually knows how to use public opinion to push back His Majesty, he is really a smart man... If I were of a similar age to him and entered the officialdom at the same time, I'm afraid I would be no match for him!"
Zhou Quan asked: "Sir, because of Zhao Junchen's sudden coma, the household department has become more and more chaotic. Ma Sen and Hong Zhengshuo have also lost their prestige. Especially since Ma Sen is still an old man under your sect, sir, but he is also
We can't just watch his official reputation be completely ruined, what should we do?"
Zhou Shangjing shook his head slightly and said: "What to do? Of course, do nothing! Just watch the show like this! Zhao Junchen still knows how to measure, at least he came up with a feasible strategy before he fell into coma, and solved the logistics of the Hetao War.
The matter is no longer urgent, and there is no need for me to personally clean up the mess... Once the Hubu Yamen is in chaos, the government will also be in chaos, and then it will depend on the methods of our chief minister of the cabinet, Shen Changmao."
Hearing what Zhou Shangjing said, a hint of sarcasm flashed across Zhou Quan's expression.
His sarcasm was naturally directed at Shen Changmao.
Zhou Shangjing has many talented people under his command. Zhou Quan is just a steward of the Zhou Mansion, but he is also a smart and agile person, so he immediately understood the implication of Zhou Shangjing's words - after the chaos in the court, if Shen Changmao can't If he stabilizes the situation and turns things around, then he will no longer be able to sit in the position of chief minister of the cabinet. At that time, the position of chief minister of the cabinet will return to Zhou Shangjing's hands again.
Everyone under Zhou Shangjing was unconvinced that Shen Changmao took the opportunity to take away Zhou Shangjing's position as the chief minister of the cabinet, because they believed that Shen Changmao was not worthy of being compared with Zhou Shangjing. Now seeing that Shen Changmao is about to be unlucky, Zhou Shangjing will also become the head of the officials again, Zhou Quan is naturally excited.
On the other side, Zhou Shangjing paused and then said: "As for Ma Sen... it is indeed a pity. Zhao Junchen mainly targeted Hong Zhengshuo this time, and Ma Sen was only implicated! After this matter is over, I will Find a way to send him to a local post so that he can avoid the limelight. After the limelight passes, let him return to the center of the temple. By the way, he can also mention his official rank... He took advantage of this opportunity to leave The Hubu is also a good thing. Zhao Junchen regards the Hubu as a taboo, and he has no chance to develop if he stays in the Hubu... Don’t worry, since Ma Sen is following me, I will naturally not let him suffer."
Speaking of the latter part, Zhou Shangjing's tone already contained a hint of warning.
After noticing the warning in Zhou Shangjing's tone, Zhou Quan immediately trembled and quickly lowered his head and said: "You are a villain who has overstepped your bounds. Please punish me!"
It turns out that Ma Sen and Zhou Quan are brothers-in-law, so Zhou Quan couldn't help but speak for Ma Sen.
Zhou Shangjing shook his head slightly, and did not respond to Zhou Quan's request for punishment - Zhou Quan's attitude was humane, Zhou Shangjing thought that he only needed to click until it was enough - he just changed the topic and asked: "Is there any news from the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal? ?”
Zhou Quan quickly replied: "Due to the blockage of mud and sand, large ships of more than 500 stone are unable to sail. Government offices in various places are doing their best to dredge it. I heard that it will take about half a month to restore smooth sailing."
Zhou Shangjing's gray brows frowned slightly and said: "Thirty percent of the imperial government's annual budget is used for water conservancy, but the canal is still congested every year, which is really embarrassing! But this time the canal is congested, it is just the right time... You Send people to notify the local officials along the canal and ask them to ask the Ministry of Revenue for more money. They say that the money for river repair given to them by the Ministry of Revenue some time ago has been used up. If the Ministry of Revenue cannot come up with the money, then the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal will have to wait until Traffic will be restored after a month."
What Zhou Shangjing did was to kill three birds with one stone.
Nowadays, the Hubu Yamen is in chaos and has no ability to check whether the local governments along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal have used up the money for river construction. Zhou Shangjing just took the opportunity to collect a lot of money for himself and his officials.
At the same time, the Hubu Department is also out of money. If the officials from various places along the canal ask for money from the Hubu Yamen, the chaos in the Hubu Department will become more serious, forcing Emperor Deqing to do something to Zhao Junchen. If you give in, Zhou Shangjing's final plan will move forward again.
Finally, the chaos between the court and the Ministry of Household Affairs is largely due to the congestion of the canal. Once the time to dredge the canal is extended to a month, the chaos between the court and the Ministry of Household Affairs will also be further prolonged. This gives
Zhou Shangjing calmly arranges the opportunities to take action, and the chance of regaining the position of chief minister of the cabinet will be greatly increased.
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's instructions, Zhou Quan quickly nodded in agreement, turned around and left, following Zhou Shangjing's instructions.
However, just after Zhou Quan turned around and took a few steps, he heard Zhou Shangjing say again: "By the way, send someone to tell Wang Youlun again and ask him to act quickly and gain the trust of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian as soon as possible... The seventh prince is about to
Now that he has become the new crown prince, I must find out his true identity as soon as possible!"
As he spoke, a trace of solemnity flashed across Zhou Shangjing's expression.
Wang Youlun was the right deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and on the surface he was also a close confidant of the Crown Prince and Grand Master Wang Baoren.
But in fact, Wang Youlun had secretly taken refuge with Zhou Shangjing a long time ago, and had always been one of Zhou Shangjing's back-up men in dealing with Wang Baoren.
Wang Baoren went to Beijing to assume the position of Crown Prince and Grand Master in order to assist the Crown Prince and Crown Prince, while the seventh prince Zhu Hejian is about to become the new Crown Prince. The interests of these two people are consistent, and their forces will soon be merged together.
Therefore, Wang Youlun could easily get close to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian and gain his trust.
Ever since Zhao Junchen hinted to Zhou Shangjing that the former crown prince He Ming died at the hands of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, Zhou Shangjing has been trying to find out the details of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian. Now that he is about to come to the stage, Zhou Shangjing thinks that his
The plan must be accelerated.
If the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian is really a man with deep scheming and cruel methods, and is also a hidden danger to the future of the Zhou family, Zhou Shangjing must make preparations early.
After Zhou Quan agreed again and turned around to leave, Zhou Shangjing once again lay on the rocking chair, closed his eyes and rested, and his demeanor returned to calmness.
While closing his eyes to rest, Zhou Shangjing murmured to himself: "Being too greedy and unwilling to make choices has always been your Majesty's biggest weakness. If not for this, Zhao Junchen would have no chance to fight back today... Just look at Zhao Junchen
When will His Majesty be forced to give up something on his own initiative? At that time, my final plan will be considered successful!"
Zhou Shangjing and Emperor Deqing have been old rivals for decades, and he also knows Emperor Deqing's character best.
As Zhou Shangjing said at this time, Emperor Deqing's biggest weakness was that he was too greedy.
He not only wants to enjoy pleasure, but also wants to hold on to power; he not only wants fame in future generations, but also wants immediate benefits; he not only wants great achievements, but also wants to keep the money in his private money...
The word "willingness" or "willingness" itself contains a truth, that is, only with "giving up" can there be "gain"!
Where in the world are there so many things that have the best of both worlds?
It’s not that Emperor Deqing didn’t understand this truth, it’s just that in Emperor Deqing’s view, he was the most respected person in the world and was rich all over the world. He should have everything and was unwilling to give up any benefits!
"The so-called 'you will gain only if you give up', that is something that only you subjects need to consider. I am the emperor! I want them all!" - This is probably what Emperor Deqing was thinking.
Therefore, the consequences of Emperor Deqing's actions were often
The same is true today. Emperor Deqing was too greedy. He not only wanted to take back the power of the Ministry of Revenue from Zhao Junchen, but also wanted Zhao Junchen to help the Ministry of Revenue tide over the difficulties, so he allowed Zhao Junchen to create public opinion and pretend to be ill.
An opportunity for blackmail.
Zhou Shangjing is currently waiting, waiting for Zhao Junchen to become more and more threatening to Emperor Deqing, allowing Emperor Deqing to recall the choice. Then Emperor Deqing will abandon Zhou Shangjing, his old enemy, and join hands with Zhou Shangjing to deal with Zhao Junchen
This is a big problem for the future!
"Soon... soon!"
While the rocking chair was shaking, after Zhou Shangjing said this in an inaudible voice, his breathing became gentle again, as if he was gradually falling asleep.
*
Just when Zhao Junchen entered the Hubu Yamen, Emperor Deqing also came to the palace of Hui Concubine Zhao Ying'er.
Then, Emperor Deqing was surprised to find that Concubine Shu Li Jiamin was also here.
However, this is not a too surprising thing. Since Zhao Ying'er entered the palace, concubine Li Jiamin quickly got along with her happily, becoming as close as sisters, and often walked around each other.
Concubine Shu Li Jiamin is currently the most favored concubine in the harem by Emperor Deqing, and Zhao Ying'er is also favored by Emperor Deqing because of Zhao Junchen. Therefore, after Li Jiamin and Zhao Ying'er became good friends, they helped and supported each other.
Afterwards, they have become the most watched force in the harem, and their popularity has even surpassed that of Zhu Heyu and Zhu Hejian's biological mother Xiao Guifei.
At this time, after seeing Emperor Deqing appear, Zhao Yinger glanced at Li Jiamin with a proud expression, obviously showing off that Emperor Deqing had come to her.
Concubine Shu Li Jiamin maintained a gentle smile and seemed not to care about Zhao Ying'er's showing off at all.
After the two women saluted Emperor Deqing and said hello, Emperor Deqing also looked easy-going and cordial. After helping the two women up with his own hands, he sat down with them.
Then, Zhang Zhaodi, the accompanying maid who entered the palace with Zhao Ying'er, brought tea and snacks to Emperor Deqing.
When Zhang Zhaodi placed tea and snacks on the table, Emperor Deqing suddenly discovered that there were some bruises on Zhang Zhaodi's arm hidden in her sleeve.
After seeing these bruises, Emperor Deqing frowned slightly.
But Emperor Deqing suddenly thought of something - the last time he came to Zhao Ying'er's palace, he tasted a delicious peach cake that he had never seen before, and learned that these peach cakes were made by Zhang Zhaodi himself.
Afterwards, Emperor Deqing praised Zhang Zhaodi a few words.
Then, Emperor Deqing came to Zhao Ying'er again today and discovered the bruises on Zhang Zhaodi's body. There might be some connection between the two.
In fact, this is not the first time this has happened.
Zhang Zhaodi has a gentle and kind personality, neither fighting nor fighting. Although she never wears makeup, she still can't hide her beauty. Compared with the concubines in the palace who always wear makeup to show off, Zhang Zhaodi is as unadorned as a lotus.
His delicate appearance made Emperor Deqing find everything new and refreshing.
Especially Zhang Zhaodi's simple temperament. Because of Emperor Deqing's imperial status, her eyes were always full of admiration when she looked at Emperor Deqing. Such admiring eyes directly scratched Emperor Deqing's itch, making Emperor Deqing admire him.
She was full of good feelings.
Therefore, every time Emperor Deqing came to Zhao Ying'er, he would always pay more attention to Zhang Zhaodi and couldn't help but praise her a few times.
Then, Emperor Deqing discovered that whenever he looked at Zhang Zhaodi a few more times, or praised Zhang Zhaodi a few words, the next time he saw Zhang Zhaodi, he would notice some scars on her body.
This is obviously due to Zhao Ying'er's jealousy and abuse!
Zhao Ying'er's behavior made Emperor Deqing extremely unhappy. However, Zhao Ying'er was one of Emperor Deqing's methods to appease Zhao Junchen, so Emperor Deqing would not lose his temper with her easily and would just pretend not to know anything about it.
But last time, after Emperor Deqing tasted the peach cakes made by Zhang Zhaodi himself, he couldn't help but praise Zhang Zhaodi a few words, and then today he discovered the scars on Zhang Zhaodi again.
This made Emperor Deqing a little angry, and he felt a little guilty, feeling that he had inadvertently hurt Zhang Zhaodi.
Generally speaking, the emotion of guilt would never appear in the heart of Emperor Deqing, but he had a good impression of Zhang Zhaodi and repeatedly implicated Zhang Zhaodi. This emotion finally appeared, and this feeling became even more intense.
It was a novelty for Emperor Deqing.
However, Emperor Deqing still remembered the purpose of coming to Zhao Ying'er after all. Although he disliked Zhao Ying'er's character more and more in his heart, he still looked doting on her on the surface.
Pretending to be indifferent, Emperor Deqing waved Zhang Zhaodi away, then smiled at Zhao Ying'er and said: "This morning, your cousin Zhao Junchen returned to the capital and proposed three countermeasures to me.
This is another great achievement! I was very happy, and immediately rewarded him with many things, and also conferred the title of first-grade imperial concubine Cui Qianxue on his wife, making him proud in front of all the officials."
Hearing Emperor Deqing's praise of Zhao Junchen, Zhao Yinger was immediately overjoyed.
She has a bad personality, but she is not stupid. It is clear that she was able to gain the favor of Emperor Deqing entirely because of Zhao Junchen. The higher Zhao Junchen's status in the previous dynasty, the more stable her status in the harem.
The two sides have a relationship where we share weal and woe.
Therefore, Zhao Ying'er immediately said: "Your Majesty is wise! If this cousin of my concubine can take care of your majesty's worries, your majesty will be happy, and I will also be happy in my heart!"
After a pause, Zhao Ying'er rolled her eyes and asked again: "I heard that my cousin came up with all the imperial court's complex plans. If the imperial court finally regains the Hetao, how will your majesty reward me?"
A cousin? It’s not that I’m greedy for reward. It’s just that if I didn’t have this cousin, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to enter the palace to serve His Majesty. This is considered a kindness to my cousin. I have always wanted to find an opportunity to repay.
If your majesty can reward him generously, I will not only repay my cousin's kindness, but I will also have a bright face in my mother's family from now on."
How could Emperor Deqing not understand Zhao Ying'er's little thoughts?
But Emperor Deqing still looked oblivious and laughed and said: "Don't worry, if the imperial court recovers the Hetao, Zhao Junchen will be the one who deserves the most credit. I have already promised him that I will remove him when the time comes."
With the word 'immortal' in front of the title, your Zhao family will soon become a hereditary and irreplaceable honorary!"
After a pause, Emperor Deqing continued: "Actually, I originally planned to grant him a title directly, but considering Zhao Junchen's current age, he can still serve the court for many years, and there are still a lot of opportunities for meritorious service.
If we grant him the title of a marquis now, he will soon have no reward and no title... However, as long as Zhao Junchen serves the court loyally, it will be a matter of time before he is granted the title of a marquis or a duke. Your Zhao family will also do the same.
They will become a noble and powerful family that attracts worldwide attention!"
Zhao Yinger was overjoyed again and quickly thanked Emperor Deqing.
Emperor Deqing helped Zhao Ying'er up again, but shook his head and sighed: "However, when Zhao Aiqing came to see me today, I saw that he was not in good health. It should be that he overworked when doing things for the court some time ago, which made me feel quite uncomfortable.
Concerned... Speaking of which, it has been more than four months since you entered the palace. In the future, you can look for opportunities to visit relatives in the Zhao Mansion and express my condolences on Zhao Junchen's condition."
In fact, Emperor Deqing asked Zhao Ying'er to visit relatives in the Zhao Mansion and express condolences about Zhao Junchen's illness. It was a lie. The main reason was to convey his just statement through Zhao Ying'er, so that Zhao Junchen could work for him with peace of mind.
Zhao Ying'er was completely unaware of Emperor Deqing's intentions. She just felt that she finally had a chance to leave the palace and quickly thanked Emperor Deqing again.
After talking to Zhao Ying'er for a few words, Emperor Deqing turned his eyes to Zhang Jiamin and asked, "Why did Concubine Shu come to Concubine Hui today?"
Zhang Jiamin smiled slightly and said: "I am very close to sister Ying'er, and it is normal for me to move around each other. Why should you be surprised, Your Majesty? However, the reason why I met with sister Ying'er today is a bit difficult to explain."
Emperor Deqing asked curiously: "Oh? What's the reason? It's so hard for you to talk about it?"
Zhang Jiamin looked shy and said: "Sister Ying'er has given me many valuable gifts since she entered the palace. However, my family is not as wealthy as sister Ying'er, but I have never been able to come up with suitable gifts."
Give it to her... Two days ago, sister Ying'er came to Chen Concubine's palace and accidentally saw a sea pearl hairpin of Chen Concubine. She liked it very much. Logically speaking, Chen Concubine should give it to sister Ying'er immediately.
But I was a little reluctant for a moment, so I pretended not to think about it."
Emperor Deqing just liked Zhang Jiamin's true temperament. He laughed again and said: "Hui Fei's cousin is Zhao Junchen. It is not an exaggeration to say that she is the god of wealth in the court. She is also a generous person. You give it to her today."
For a hairpin, you may receive a better one in a few days, but in this case you will lose money."
Zhang Jiamin glanced at Zhao Ying'er with a smile and said: "I have been thinking about this matter repeatedly in the past two days. I feel more and more that I am too selfish and I really owe sister Ying'er. Moreover, although the Haizhu hairpin is good, I
But I never wear it, and I have nothing to do with it, so I might as well give it to sister Ying'er, so I hurriedly sent it to her today!"
On the other side, Zhao Ying'er was very happy when she saw Zhang Jiamin confessing that she was selfish and Emperor Deqing praised her for her generosity. She quickly turned to show Emperor Deqing the new hairpin on her head and asked: "Your Majesty, this is Jiamin's generosity."
Do you like the hairpin Sister Min gave me?"
Emperor Deqing complimented him casually, but his eyes turned to Zhang Jiamin's hair accessories.
The hairpin that Zhang Jiamin gave to Zhao Ying'er was made of pure jade, with a pearl the size of a baby's fist on it. It was definitely a priceless treasure, but Zhao Ying'er said that she never wore it, which made Emperor Deqing feel sad.
I couldn't help but be a little curious and wanted to see if the hairpins Zhang Jiamin used in daily life were better.
However, Emperor Deqing discovered that the hairpin on Zhang Jiamin's head was just an ordinary gold and jade hairpin. This kind of hairpin was considered a good thing among the people, but it was inferior in the palace.
After seeing the hairpin on Zhang Jiamin's hair, Emperor Deqing looked pleased.
After Emperor Deqing and Zhang Jiamin met among the people, Emperor Deqing was also an old man who had a lot of fun with his youth. He took Zhang Jiamin incognito for private visits and walked around the market. The hairpin on Zhang Jiamin's hair was bought by Emperor Deqing as a gift at that time.
Zhang Jiamin's hairpin, but Emperor Deqing didn't expect that Zhang Jiamin attached so much importance to this hairpin that he would wear it all the time. If it weren't for today's incident, Emperor Deqing would not have noticed it at all.
So, when Zhao Ying'er was showing off her new hairpin, Emperor Deqing and Zhang Jiamin looked at each other and expressed affection.
After Emperor Deqing changed his gaze again, a hint of trickery flashed in Zhang Jiamin's eyes.
In fact, after Zhang Jiamin received the news that Zhao Junchen had returned to the capital, she knew that Emperor Deqing would definitely go to Zhao Ying'er's palace to sleep today, so she rushed to Zhao Ying'er specifically to take the opportunity to make Emperor Deqing notice her.
The importance attached to this hairpin further recalled the time when the two met among the people.
Zhang Jiamin knew very well that Emperor Deqing's love for her was largely due to the fact that the two met in private. At that time, Zhang Jiamin pretended not to know the identity of Emperor Deqing, which made Emperor Deqing very fresh, so she
I am very kind to Zhang Jiamin.
But the novelty will always pass, and today's favor will soon disappear, so Zhang Jiamin always takes advantage of various opportunities to remind Emperor Deqing of the original events, in order to maintain the freshness and favor of Emperor Deqing.
.
In this way, Emperor Deqing, Zhang Jiamin, and Zhao Ying'er chatted with each other. All three of them believed that they had achieved their plan, and the atmosphere was full of relaxation and harmony.
Zhao Ying'er has a bad personality, but she is indeed a rare beauty. Zhang Jiamin's appearance is not inferior to her either. It is a kind of enjoyment to see the two women talking and smiling, and Emperor Deqing can't help but feel moved in his heart.
Then, Emperor Deqing seriously considered whether to leave Zhang Jiamin with Zhao Ying'er tonight.
Emperor Deqing is not young anymore, and it is inevitable that he often has more ambition than strength. If he wants to realize certain ideas, he must make up his mind.
But at this moment, the eunuch Zhang De hurriedly entered the room and reported to Emperor Deqing: "Your Majesty, people from the Hubu Yamen just rushed to the palace and took away several imperial doctors to the Hubu Yamen...
...It is said that Zhao Junchen suddenly passed out in the Hubu Yamen!"
"What? Zhao Junchen fainted?"
Emperor Deqing stood up suddenly, and those charming thoughts just now were immediately forgotten by him.
…
It’s still a big chapter of 7,000 words.
Also, let me tell you in advance that the subscription results after the limited exemption are very important. The editor specifically reminded us to update more... But this book is really difficult to write. Writing seven or eight thousand words a day is already the limit of the insect's ability. In order to
Let everyone read more free words, and I will post as many as I can write, but I still haven’t saved the manuscript.
But since Qidian has given a recommendation, Chongzi must show some results. If the subscription data is still half-dead, Qidian will probably no longer pay attention to this book.
Therefore, in the next two days tomorrow, Chongzong will still try its best to update, but it will split a large chapter every day into two or three small chapters. Please forgive me.
