"Oh? Zhou Shoufu has another report today, which is rare... If there is anything else, please tell me!"
After being tricked by Zhou Shangjing once, Emperor Deqing's tone was still calm at this time, but his face became increasingly gloomy, and his eyes were fierce and full of warning.
"I just thought about the overall situation and deliberately tolerated you once, but if you dare to push it further, don't blame me for turning against you!" - Although Emperor Deqing didn't say it clearly, the look in his eyes at this time meant this.
It was a pity that Zhou Shangjing kept his head down, observing the respectful attitude he should have as a minister, and did not see the warning in Emperor Deqing's eyes.
However, Zhou Shangjing had been fighting openly and secretly with Emperor Deqing for so many years. With his experience and wisdom, he naturally understood where Emperor Deqing's bottom line was, and he also understood the principle of giving up when things get good - as it should be.
Therefore, Zhou Shangjing was very sensible this time and finally talked about the topic of today's court meeting.
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came to the capital to investigate the chaos in various vassals, he has had repeated conflicts with clans in various places, and has continued to impeach each other. A few days ago, the Luoyang government was forced to put everyone in Prince Fu's house under house arrest. The Central Committee and the
People everywhere are panic-stricken. If things continue like this, there will probably be chaos in the imperial court. I hope Your Majesty will make a judgment as soon as possible to set the record straight and calm people's hearts!"
Emperor Deqing's expression softened slightly, and he nodded and asked: "What Zhou Shoufu said is reasonable, and this matter cannot be delayed any longer... However, after reading the memorials of mutual impeachment between the prince and the vassal princes, I think what they said
Each statement has its own truth, and it’s hard to make a decision at the moment! You are an old minister, Zhou Shoufu, but I don’t know whether you think this matter is right or wrong? And how should we deal with it?"
Zhou Shangjing's expression was very hesitant: "This...this matter involves the conflict between the crown prince and the clan. I dare not speak nonsense."
Emperor Deqing said slowly: "Since you say 'don't dare to lie', does it mean that you already have an idea in your mind? Let's talk about it. We have been getting along with each other for many years. With your qualifications and status today, there is no need to look forward or backward."
After hearing Emperor Deqing's urging, Zhou Shangjing finally showed a determined look: "Old minister, I believe that your Majesty's idea is absolutely right. The mutual impeachment between His Royal Highness and the vassals from various places during this period is justified! Prince
It is true that the princes were impeached for violating discipline and government and oppressing the people. It is also true that the princes impeached the prince for suppressing the clan and making false accusations. Therefore, both sides are at serious fault! They should also be severely punished to serve as a warning to others.
!”
As Zhou Shangjing finished speaking, all the officials in the court were in an uproar.
For the officials, the mutual impeachment between Prince Zhu Heyu and the vassal kings from various places during this period is undoubtedly a very serious issue of choosing sides, and they must be cautious and bet on the winning side.
But unlike Zhao Junchen, the officials did not know Emperor Deqing's true thoughts, nor could they guess Emperor Deqing's stance - Emperor Deqing's desire to change the crown prince was already known to everyone, but he had no regard for the vassal state.
The dissatisfaction of the kings was also an open secret.
Especially when Emperor Deqing summoned all the important ministers to discuss matters in the royal study a few days ago, his attitude was very contradictory. At one time, he scolded the prince Zhu Heyu for disrupting the political situation, and at the other time, he scolded the vassal princes for ignoring the imperial court. He could not tell at all.
true thoughts.
Under such circumstances, all the officials were cautious and did not dare to take sides easily - otherwise, if they made a wrong statement, they would not only make Emperor Deqing unhappy, but also completely offend the prince and the clan.
I'm afraid there will be endless troubles, and it will be considered a light thing to ruin my official career by then.
When we went to court today, many officials who considered themselves shrewd had secretly made up their minds and would only express some ambiguous opinions without offending either party.
Who would have thought that Zhou Shangjing once again went against the grain. Not only did he not seek to harmonize both parties, but he publicly stated that both the prince and the vassal king were at fault and both deserved punishment.
In the eyes of all the officials, Zhou Shangjing's actions undoubtedly offended both the prince and the vassal king. No matter which side wins the lawsuit in the end, they will all hate Zhou Shangjing. Although Zhou Shangjing is a powerful minister with great power, he is afraid that he will be disgraced afterwards.
There will be some troubles.
Even Zhou Shangjing's close friends did not expect Zhou Shangjing to express such a stance, and they were all at a loss for a moment.
But while the officials were shocked by Zhou Shangjing's "reckless" performance, Zhao Junchen felt some admiration in his heart.
Zhao Junchen knew very well that Zhou Shangjing's statement completely catered to Emperor Deqing's true thoughts at this time, which was to punish both the prince and the vassal king at the same time, and take the opportunity to achieve the dual goals of replacing the crown prince and suppressing the clan!
Therefore, when Emperor Deqing summoned all the important ministers to talk about this matter in the Imperial Study Room, his attitude was so ambivalent. He hoped that the elders and ministers would understand on their own and choose sides, so that some ministers would choose to support the clan.
Criticizing the prince, other ministers chose to support the prince in attacking the clan, and then Emperor Deqing could follow the trend and kill two birds with one stone.
As for Emperor Deqing's thoughts, only Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing could guess it.
But the reason why Zhao Junchen could guess Emperor Deqing's thoughts was entirely because Emperor Deqing wanted Zhao Junchen to cooperate, so he took the initiative to leak some of the details. But Zhou Shangjing was able to infer Emperor Deqing's true thoughts.
Relying entirely on his profound understanding of Emperor Deqing and the situation in the temple, I have to say that Jiang is still old and hot.
However, Zhao Junchen secretly admired Zhou Shangjing's sharp vision, but he also vaguely felt that there was something wrong with this matter. Combined with Zhou Shangjing's previous deliberate calculation and anger of Emperor Deqing, Zhao Junchen only felt that Zhou Shangjing was not just deliberately catering to Deqing.
The emperor is so simple.
*
On the other side, Emperor Deqing felt very complicated after hearing Zhou Shangjing's statement. While he was secretly satisfied, the secret anger in his heart also grew.
This is because Emperor Deqing discovered that Zhou Shangjing had once again guessed his true thoughts.
Moreover, Emperor Deqing also understood that the reason why Zhou Shangjing chose to cater to his own thoughts now was entirely because he had plotted against him just now, so he wanted to use this statement to mend the relationship between their monarch and his ministers.
In fact, this was also Zhou Shangjing's usual method of dealing with Emperor Deqing. Whenever he secretly plotted against Emperor Deqing, he would promptly show his indispensable and mature side in seeking the country and assist Emperor Deqing in accomplishing another task.
Something more important.
It is precisely because of this that Emperor Deqing had very complicated feelings about Zhou Shangjing. On the one hand, he believed that Zhou Shangjing was indispensable and that Zhou Shangjing had to be responsible for some things in order to feel at ease. On the other hand, he couldn't help feeling resentful in his heart.
, I don’t like Zhou Shangjing no matter what.
This method of "beating a stick to give a sweet date" should obviously be the emperor's method of beating his ministers, rather than the ministers' strategy to deal with the emperor. Zhou Shangjing used this method to deal with Emperor Deqing. To Emperor Deqing, it was simply a piece of cake.
A silent humiliation.
However, when Zhou Shangjing used such methods to deal with Emperor Deqing in the past, he was always very subtle and not as naked as he is today. The officials may not have noticed any signs, but with Emperor Deqing's imperial mentality,
At this time, it is natural to see through it at a glance.
Forcibly suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart, Emperor Deqing asked again: "Zhou Shoufu dared to speak out and actually believed that both the prince and the vassal king should be punished... So, how do you think they should be punished appropriately?
"
Emperor Deqing's tone was still calm, and Zhou Shangjing still bowed his head. But based on Zhou Shangjing's understanding of Emperor Deqing, he could roughly guess Emperor Deqing's mentality at this time - of course he knew that he chose to deliberately cater to Emperor Deqing at this time.
, it would only make Emperor Deqing feel that he had been humiliated, and his anger was reaching its limit.
Under normal circumstances, Emperor Deqing might have chosen to be patient and put the overall situation first. However, Emperor Deqing has been in a very bad mood these days due to the lawsuit between the prince and the vassal king. He was also taken advantage of by Zhou Shangjing just now.
, at this time, I became aware of Zhou Shangjing's scheming, and I was afraid that I would be unable to control myself and make some impulsive decisions.
Zhou Shangjing knew very well that what he was doing now was walking a tightrope. If he was not careful, Emperor Deqing would be completely embarrassed and flip the table. No one would be able to bear it at that time, but he had a reason to do this.
So, after hearing Emperor Deqing's inquiry, Zhou Shangjing expressed his opinion again.
"Your Majesty, after reading the impeachment memorials between the Crown Prince and the feudal lord, I discovered that in the impeachment of His Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Fu was charged with the most serious crime and the evidence of the crime was the most complete!
At the same time, most of the memorials issued by clans from various places to impeach His Royal Highness the Crown Prince followed King Fu. Obviously, King Fu has now become the leader of the feudal kings, and there are also signs of collusion with clans from various places. This is obviously a serious violation of the court regulations!
Therefore, no matter what, Your Majesty must severely punish King Fu's lineage and never give mercy lightly!
Then, when the clans that were connected to him were found out from King Fu, they were punished severely, killing chickens to scare other people!"
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's suggestion, Emperor Deqing nodded slightly, thinking that Zhou Shangjing's statement was generally consistent with his own thoughts.
Then, Zhou Shangjing continued to say: "But the clans in various places are the foundation of our country and cannot be shaken at will. If the involvement is too wide, the methods cannot be too tough! Moreover, now the clans in various places have rebounded. In addition to the reason why King Fu secretly connected,
It is also because His Highness the Crown Prince's methods are too drastic, and he has already had deep conflicts with the clans from various places. The clans from all over the world believe that the Crown Prince is deliberately bullying them, and they are all dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's investigation and judgment...
Therefore, if we want to continue to investigate King Fu and the clans in various places, we can no longer let His Highness the Crown Prince take the responsibility. I think that Your Majesty, you should send a decree to reprimand His Highness the Crown Prince, and recall His Highness the Crown Prince to the capital, so as to appease the clan's heart a little! But at the same time,
, we must choose another candidate that everyone can accept and continue to investigate the indiscipline in clans in various places!
The veteran believes that His Highness the Seventh Prince has a good reputation and is able to convince the public. In the past, he always stayed away from other things and had no interests. Now that he has recovered, he is the best candidate!"
As Zhou Shangjing finished speaking, Emperor Deqing's expression changed slightly, and all the officials were in an uproar again!