Hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, everyone in the "Zhao Party" didn't think much about it. They just thought that Wang Youlun's unexpected performance in court this morning aroused Zhao Junchen's interest.
However, Wang Youlun is indeed a very low-key person. He only has some contact with his colleagues in the Metropolitan Procuratorate on weekdays. Most of the "Zhao Party" officials also have limited understanding of Wang Youlun's situation and cannot answer Zhao Junchen's inquiries.
After all, the influence of the "Zhao Party" in the Three Law Departments has always been very low, and there are even fewer people in the Metropolitan Procuratorate - these yamen are the spheres of influence of the "New ***" and the "Zhou Party".
The "Zhao Party" has always been unable to intervene. Only Gu Quan, the censor of Zuoqiandu, has some status. Now they can only count on Gu Quan to provide some information.
As a result, everyone in the "Zhao Party" turned their attention to Gu Quan.
Gu Quan had some understanding of Wang Youlun's situation, and quickly told Zhao Junchen what he knew.
"In other words, this Wang Youlun has been repeatedly suppressed by Zhou Shoufu for many years, but he is still standing strong, and can even rise to the top, and his career is smooth? I have actually paid attention to such a character in the past. Really?
How strange!”
After listening to Gu Quan's story, Zhao Junchen thought thoughtfully and whispered to himself.
Gu Quan added: "In fact, it's not surprising. This Wang Youlun is not only low-key, but also extremely cautious. Unless he is absolutely sure, he will never take a stand, and once he makes a decision, he is always sure of it.
, the overall situation has been decided! Therefore, although this person has made few achievements during his tenure in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he has never failed. In addition, he is the only crony left by Wang Baoren* in the center of the capital. His Majesty has always been
I protected him intentionally or unintentionally, and that’s why he got where he is today.”
After a pause, Gu Quan also looked strange and said: "It is precisely because of this that I was particularly surprised when I saw him recommending himself today! The affairs of the clan are a pool of muddy water, and everyone avoids it.
Judging from his past performance, he has always been more cautious than courageous. It is hard to imagine that he would take the initiative to ask for help!"
Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "You are wrong! Under normal circumstances, this job will indeed make enemies on all sides. If you do more, you will make more mistakes. Afterwards, you may become His Majesty's trick to calm down the public anger...
.But the current situation is completely different. With today's performance, Wang Youlun will soon become a very important figure in the temple!"
Seeing that most of the "Zhao Party" officers still looked puzzled, Huo Zhengyuan next to him further explained: "Zhou Shoufu pushed His Majesty and the Seventh Prince too hard this time. Wang Youlun's self-recommendation helped them get out of the siege. It can be said that it was
Help in times of need!
Now not only has His Majesty established Wang Youlun as a role model for all officials, but the Seventh Prince will also be grateful for his intervention, so he only needs to follow His Majesty's wishes to complete the task. Your Majesty and the Seventh Prince will not let him down, and they must
Take action to protect him and help him block counterattacks from all sides!
What's more, in His Majesty's eyes, the backlash among clans in various places was all the fault of the prince, and it was not Wang Youlun's turn to take the blame afterwards!
For Wang Youlun, now he not only has the opportunity to establish merit and reputation, but also gain the favor of His Majesty and the seventh prince at the same time. This is a business that is sure to make money without losing money, and the future will definitely be bright!
Hehe, this person's calculations and timing are really amazing. I only realized it when I saw His Majesty commending him. Moreover, his courage to act against Zhou Shoufu in person is extremely rare!"
After saying that, Huo Zhengyuan showed a look of admiration on his face. What he lacked most in his personality was courage.
After hearing the reminders from Zhao Junchen and Huo Zhengyuan, everyone in the "Zhao Party" also suddenly realized. They couldn't help but pay more attention to Wang Youlun, thinking that this person should not be underestimated.
On the other side, after hearing Huo Zhengyuan's further explanation, Zhao Junchen also nodded in agreement.
However, compared to Huo Zhengyuan's understanding, Zhao Junchen's idea goes further.
In Zhao Junchen's opinion, Huo Zhengyuan should have a high opinion of Wang Youlun.
In the past two years, the situation in the temple has changed many times. Only the cabinet ministers and the six ministers have changed several times. If Wang Youlun's vision is calculated, his timing is even better than that of Huo Zhengyuan, and he has the courage that Huo Zhengyuan lacks.
He should have taken the lead a long time ago and wouldn't have held back until today.
Zhao Junchen believed that Wang Youlun's various performances in court this morning might be due to the guidance of someone else behind the scenes, so he was well prepared and had nothing to fear!
In the current temple, there are only a few experts with such long-term vision and layout ability, namely Emperor Deqing, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, the chief minister of the cabinet Zhou Shangjing, the prince's grand master Wang Baoren, and Zhao Junchen himself.
First of all, it can be ruled out that it is Emperor Deqing and the seventh prince Zhu Hejian. They were obviously caught off guard by Zhou Shangjing today; secondly, it cannot be the prince and grand master Wang Baoren, because Wang Baoren is still in Nanjing and cannot receive the news in time.
It is beyond the reach of the whip; of course, it is even less likely to be Zhao Junchen himself, who has nothing to do with Wang Youlun.
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen had some vague guesses in his mind, but they were just speculations and were not completely certain.
And just when Zhao Junchen was thinking deeply, he had already left the scope of the Hall of Supreme Harmony surrounded by everyone from the "Zhao Party".
After Zhao Junchen said goodbye to all the "Zhao Party" officials, he left Huo Zhengyuan alone and said: "Zhou Shoufu has not made a move for a long time, but once he did, it was really extraordinary! Because of him today, not only His Majesty's arrangements
It was completely messed up and ruined my original plan!
I originally wanted to take advantage of today's morning meeting to finalize the decision for you to take charge of the southeastern provinces and take full responsibility for shipping. Now it seems that we still need to wait a few more days, but you can't slack off and do more in these few days.
Some preparations... By the way, how are your negotiations with the Zheng family envoy going?"
Huo Zhengyuan said in a low voice: "The progress of the negotiations is relatively smooth. The Zheng family is very sincere about this cooperation and said that they will fully assist our shipping plan, not only providing excellent charts, helping to train sailors, reselling some large ships, etc."
, and are even willing to share their contacts and information about Southeast Asian countries with us! In this way, our shipping plan will definitely be able to greatly improve the progress at the beginning of its implementation...
However, they also have many demands. Not only do they want to share 40% of the profits, but they also have many piecemeal conditions. The first is that they want us to fully support their agreement with the mainland; the second is that they hope that
We can clear up political relations for them, let them build several new shipyards along the coast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and provide them with a large amount of wood and various equipment for shipbuilding at low prices; finally, we hope that we can help them recruit a large number of people from the interior.
Immigration enriches Taiwan... Also, the Zheng family envoy has made repeated requests to meet and talk with you in person."
After Zhao Junchen pondered for a moment, he replied: "We can agree to their request to build a shipyard, or we can provide them with wood and various tools at low prices, but their shipbuilding craftsmen must be recruited from the mainland. We can also take the opportunity to train ourselves a team of craftsmen."
Appoint shipwrights; help them recruit immigrants, you can also agree, but the proportion of craftsmen must be limited;
But they want to share 40% of the profit, which is too high. My bottom line is that it is only 25% at most, and it is limited to gold and silver property. All food must be transported to the inland provinces;
In addition, we have to make a decision now, and we cannot fully support their decision. Please tell the Zheng family that we can fully act as agent for the goods they transport to the inland, leaving them with 70% of the goods.
The profits can also help them purchase various materials at low prices from the inland, but there is no need for them to handle it themselves... As for the Zheng family's desire to see me, let's wait until these things are discussed!"
After a pause, Zhao Junchen thought of something, and then said: "Also, the Zheng family's shipbuilding technology is actually only average. I have asked the Ministry of Industry to find the shipbuilding blueprints of Zheng He's fleet at that time. You can
** Give one copy to the Zheng family, but we must also put forward another condition to the Zheng family, that is, let them try to recruit some Western shipbuilding, navigation, and cannon casting talents for us."
Huo Zhengyuan hesitated for a moment and asked: "I think the conditions proposed by the Zheng family are sincere and will be more helpful to us. Are we going to lower the price too hard?"
Zhao Junchen smiled and said: "As far as I know, although the Zheng family claims to be the maritime overlord of Nanyang and the East, they have also been facing challenges from the Western fleet recently. It is difficult to persist with the power of just one island. You see
The things the Zheng family is asking for from us, including people, land, money, food, and materials, all show that they are unable to survive! At this time, it is not just us who are begging for them, they are also begging for us.
, you can rest assured to lower the price!”
Huo Zhengyuan did not understand the situation in Nanyang. After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, he suddenly understood and nodded in agreement.
*
After bidding farewell to Huo Zhengyuan, Zhao Junchen rushed to Wenhua Pavilion, the office of the cabinet.
Zhao Junchen came to Wenhua Pavilion mainly because he wanted to meet and talk with Zhou Shangjing and test his follow-up plan.
However, after Zhao Junchen arrived at Wenhua Pavilion, he found that Zhou Shangjing did not appear here to handle court affairs, but he returned directly to Zhou Mansion to rest after the morning court.
After hearing the news, Zhao Junchen shook his head helplessly, but he was not surprised. Zhou Shangjing has become increasingly weak in energy recently. As long as the morning session lasts a little longer every day, his body will not be able to hold on, and it will inevitably happen.
Will return to the mansion early to rest.
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen can roughly understand the real reason why Zhou Shangjing has been eager to take action many times in recent times - there are many things that Zhou Shangjing must want to finalize before he officially withdraws. These matters are public and private, both public and private.
There is the future continuation of the Ming Dynasty, the centuries-old inheritance of the Zhou family's wealth, and the mutual checks and balances between ministerial power and imperial power.
"Probably my initial hint played a role. No matter in public or private affairs, Zhou Shangjing will not tolerate a vicious and unkind prince inheriting the throne, so he has repeatedly tried to disrupt the situation during this period. He obviously has other plans.
!
This is a good thing. With Zhou Shangjing standing in the front to steal the limelight, Emperor Deqing will shift his attention slightly in the future. The pressure I face will be slightly relieved, and many layout plans can be more bold.
.....”
Looking at the empty seat where Zhou Shangjing usually sat in the Wenhua Pavilion, Zhao Junchen thought to himself.
Then, after Zhao Junchen and several other pavilion elders handled some official duties, they also excused themselves from poor health and left Wenhua Pavilion early.
Everyone in the cabinet was a little dissatisfied with Zhao Junchen's early departure, but they were not surprised. Since Zhao Junchen returned to the capital, he has been hinting at his poor health in various ways, as if he had become a tuberculosis patient.
Damn it, arriving late and leaving early is the norm.
After leaving Wenhua Pavilion, Zhao Junchen returned directly to Zhao Mansion.
Along the way, Zhao Junchen was still thinking about what happened in the morning.
Zhao Junchen had already prepared many countermeasures for today's morning court. He had exhausted his efforts and was tossing and turning for several nights in a row, unable to sleep. But now, because of Zhou Shangjing's interference, all these plans and methods came to nothing.
, a lot of hard work has been wasted, and many things must be reconsidered.
Regarding this situation, Zhao Junchen will not complain. He is never the only smart person in the world, and he is never the only one qualified to make moves in this game of chess. Unexpected situations are always inevitable, so do more
It is better to be prepared and waste your efforts than to be caught off guard and be plotted against.
After Zhao Junchen returned to the Zhao Mansion, he immediately went to the small study. He was about to call Zhang Yu'er to arrange some things, but Zhang Yu'er had already appeared in the study. Apparently she had received the news that Zhao Junchen had returned home early.
There is also something to report to Zhao Junchen.
Zhao Junchen also noticed this and refused to waste any time. First of all, he quickly stated his arrangements and said: "Yu'er, please make arrangements and inform our various intelligence organizations to focus on the new leftist in the future.
Supervise the relevant information of Yushi Wang Youlun, especially pay attention to the private contact between him and Zhou Shoufu..."
After Zhang Yu'er nodded in agreement, Zhao Junchen asked again: "You came to see me in a hurry, but what's the matter?"
Zhang Yu'er nodded again and said: "There are several things. The first thing is the matter in the palace. Li Ru'an sent a secret letter!"