Seeing that Zheng Yicheng finally surrendered, Li Chuanwen's eyes flashed with satisfaction.
As the saying goes, "the seventh rank official in front of the prime minister's door", although Zhao Junchen is not the chief assistant to the prime minister now, Li Chuanwen's status in Zhao Junchen's mansion is not comparable to that of an ordinary concierge. He is the head of Zhao Junchen's staff, no matter whether it is up or down the Zhao mansion.
, or the officials of the "Zhao Party", who would respectfully call him "Sir" when they see him.
In the past half year or so, among the many staff in Zhao Junchen's mansion, Niu Fude, who is capable, in his prime, and has military experience, has been increasingly favored by Zhao Junchen, and Niu Fude even went to Shaanxi with Zhao Junchen.
On the front lines of the battlefield on the Gansu border, he did many unspeakable confidential matters for Zhao Junchen, which can be said to have completely proved his loyalty and ability.
But even so, Li Chuanwen's position as the leader of the Zhao family's staff is still unshakable.
This is not only because Li Chuanwen has extremely high qualifications and many disciples, and is a patriarch-level figure among Shaoxing masters, but also because Li Chuanwen's contribution and hard work during this period are no less than Niu Fude.
Since Zhao Junchen founded the "United Shipping Company", the impact has been extremely far-reaching. Not only has the private income of local governments along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River dropped sharply, but Zhao Junchen also took the opportunity to obtain a large amount of evidence of collusion between officials and businessmen in the governments along the coast.
It was under such circumstances that Li Chuanwen began to travel around, traveling to all the prefectures and counties along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River. With money in one hand and evidence of crime in the other, he gradually took over the actual control of more than 30 prefectures and counties.
Quan, even if he could not conquer the prefects, county magistrates and other officials with backing and background, he could still successfully conquer the powerful officials in various prefectures and counties. The squire - Li Chuanwen, as an experienced master, had already seen through it.
The essence of the local government is that compared with those officials from the imperial court who often change their positions, these officials and squires are the actual controllers of the local government.
As a result, in less than a year, Zhao Junchen's power and influence in local government offices cannot be underestimated. On the surface, many local officials seem to have nothing to do with Zhao Junchen, but privately they have followed Zhao Junchen's orders.
Yes.
Li Chuanwen's contribution is naturally no less than that of Niu Fude, so he is still the undoubted leader among the many staff in the Zhao Mansion.
After having such experience and status, Li Chuanwen naturally would not take Zheng Yicheng seriously. In addition, Zheng Yicheng had deliberately ignored him these days and delayed many things. Li Chuanwen was quite dissatisfied, so he sang with Xiao Wenxuan.
Take the opportunity to beat Zheng Yicheng.
However, Zheng Yicheng is the prefect of Luoyang after all, a middle-level official in the imperial court, and he is still somewhat useful at the moment, so Li Chuanwen will not beat him too harshly. After seeing Zheng Yicheng showing a slight sign of submission, he immediately gave up.
At this time, after hearing Zheng Yicheng's request for advice, Li Chuanwen immediately showed a flattered look and said in surprise: "Oh? What on earth is going on? Magistrate Zheng is so wise that he would feel embarrassed? I don't dare to talk about it, but I still say it
I have some knowledge and experience, so I can be of some help to Magistrate Zheng."
Zheng Yicheng sighed, without hiding anything, and told Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan in detail about the death of Zhu Hezeng, the eldest son of Prince Fu, by poisoning.
After finishing speaking, Zheng Yicheng asked for advice again: "Mr. Li, in your opinion, was the eldest son Wang harmed by others? If so, who harmed him? The most important thing is that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been harmed by others.
He insisted that this was a poisoning and murder case, and also ordered the Luoyang government to cooperate with factory guards in investigating the real culprit. How should I investigate the case? What kind of investigation results can satisfy all parties?
Alas! Nowadays, although the Luoyang government cooperates with the factory guards to investigate the case, with the factory guards as the mainstay and the Luoyang government as the supplement, the factory guards are His Majesty's direct confidants. Once the investigation fails, or the results cannot be disclosed to all parties,
Satisfied, the factory guards will definitely not take the blame, and the prince will not take the blame. In the end, we, the Luoyang government, will still be the scapegoat. As the prefect of Luoyang at that time, I will definitely bear the brunt. Not only will my official career be over, but I may also be the scapegoat.
He must take all responsibility and go to jail...
Furthermore, although this case is said to have nothing to do with the Luoyang government, it was found in Luoyang City after all. Once the court holds the Luoyang government responsible, how will it protect itself?
Alas, since the eldest son Wang died of poisoning, I have been thinking about these things. I just feel confused, my future is bleak, and I have no clue at all, so I have no choice but to shamelessly ask Mr. Li for advice. If Mr. Li is like this,
If you can save me this time, I will try my best to repay you in the future!"
After listening to Zheng Yicheng's story, both Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan looked shocked. They did not expect that the situation in Luoyang City had become so complicated. At the critical moment when Prince Zhu Heyu was competing with the feudal forces, the most critical moment was
Witness Zhu Hezeng was actually poisoned to death, and then Crown Prince Zhu Heyu and Prince Fu Zhu Citong began to bite each other again, all implying that Zhu Hezeng's death was inseparable from each other... It is not an exaggeration to say that it was a mess.
As outsiders, Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan naturally did not know the most confidential information at present, and they were unable to judge the future direction of the situation. They just had similar ideas to Henan Governor Zhang Bozhen, believing that Zhu He was more likely to have been poisoned, but they were unable to determine the real culprit.
Who exactly is it?
Li Chuanwen also understood that Zheng Yicheng was asking for advice from him on the surface, but in fact he was asking Zhao Junchen behind him for help.
However, under normal circumstances, Li Chuanwen would have readily agreed to this kind of thing. However, the current situation is too complicated and strange, with too many unknown factors. Li Chuanwen does not dare to guarantee anything to Zheng Yicheng, and can only take it one step at a time.
After lowering his head and thinking for a moment, Li Chuanwen looked up at Zheng Yicheng and said with a serious expression: "Now that things have happened, the situation can be said to be strange. I am on the outside, but I can't see much clearly. In this way, I can't make any promises to Magistrate Zheng."
What, but... According to Governor Zheng, who is currently in control of the situation in Luoyang City?"
Zheng Yicheng replied without hesitation: "Of course it is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He is not only the crown prince, but also the imperial envoy appointed by His Majesty. He has the power to make decisions on an ad hoc basis. Although there are rumors from the central court that there will be a new imperial envoy soon."
The ministers rushed to Luoyang to replace His Highness the Crown Prince, but before the arrival of the new imperial envoy, His Highness the Crown Prince had the final say in everything in Luoyang City... In comparison, Prince Fu was already under house arrest by His Highness the Crown Prince, while the governor Zhang wanted to get out of the way.
The lower officials are even more soft-spoken, so although His Highness the Crown Prince is criticized now, he still controls the situation in Luoyang City!"
Li Chuanwen nodded and said: "That's right. Moreover, His Royal Highness is now presiding over the investigation into the murder case of Prince Fu's eldest son. Who has the most comprehensive information and can best determine the future development of the situation, and even has the ability to investigate this case?"
It is undoubtedly His Highness the Crown Prince who is protecting Magistrate Zheng in this chaotic situation... Therefore, if Magistrate Zheng wants to be safe and sound, he should not come to me, but should go to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Although Li Chuanwen's words made sense, Zheng Yicheng showed hesitation.
As a middle-level official of the imperial court, although Zheng Yicheng did not know the core secrets of the imperial court, he also understood that the position of crown prince Zhu Heyu was now in jeopardy. He was also involved in a life-and-death struggle with the vassal forces, and he was increasingly besieged on all sides.
The future is not good. Under such circumstances, Prince Zhu Heyu cannot protect himself. Now he only controls the situation in Luoyang because of his status as an imperial envoy. He may not be able to protect Zheng Yicheng. Moreover, once Zheng Yicheng gets too close to Prince Zhu Heyu, it will inevitably lead to chaos.
This will bring more people's hostility, and Zhu Heyu will be implicated after his downfall in the future.
What's more, Prince Zhu Heyu himself is not that kind of approachable person. He has always been selfless and may not fully protect Zheng Yicheng.
Seeing the hesitation on Zheng Yicheng's face, Li Chuanwen immediately understood Zheng Yicheng's concerns and sighed secretly in his heart. He felt that even middle and lower-level officials in the court like Zheng Yicheng were not optimistic about the prince Zhu Heyu. Zhu Heyu's future was uncertain.
It's really not good. It's no wonder that Prince Zhu Heyu chose to burn the boat when investigating the feudal sect.
While thinking deeply, Li Chuanwen added: "If Magistrate Zheng thinks that he is not suitable to seek asylum from His Highness, he cannot deliberately avoid His Highness. After all, as I just said, we currently have insufficient information to judge the future situation.
The latest and most complete news can only be obtained from His Highness the Crown Prince... Well, as an aide to the cabinet minister Zhao, I should have some weight in the eyes of His Highness the Crown Prince. If Magistrate Zheng wants to understand the future situation, but is unwilling
If you are too close to His Highness the Crown Prince, how about you introduce me to His Highness the Crown Prince and let me inquire about the information from His Highness the Crown Prince?"
After a pause, Li Chuanwen emphasized his tone and said: "However, my identity is sensitive. Although I am inquiring about information for Zheng Zhifu, in the eyes of others, every move I make represents Zhao Gechen's attitude. At present, Luoyang
The situation is also extremely sensitive. If I contact His Highness the Crown Prince openly, some people will think that it is Zhao Gechen who is in contact with His Highness the Crown Prince. They may even think that Zhao Gechen intends to interfere in the affairs of the vassal, which will inevitably cause an uproar...
Therefore, when Magistrate Zheng introduces me to His Highness the Crown Prince, he must try his best to avoid attracting the attention of others. Just in case, I can disguise myself as a servant of Magistrate Zheng when meeting His Highness the Crown Prince."
Hearing what Li Chuanwen said, Zheng Yicheng couldn't help but suddenly realized - no wonder Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan chose this sensitive time to have secret contact with him, and wanted to recruit him into the "Zhao Party". It turned out that they didn't value him.
With his abilities and official position, he just wanted to use himself to have secret contact with Prince Zhu Heyu.
"It's no wonder that I just ignored them for two or three days and aroused their great resentment. They even sang and beat me secretly. It turned out that they wanted to use me as an intermediary to secretly meet His Highness the Crown Prince. I have been secretly meeting with him these days.
Leaving them alone will naturally delay a lot of their things..."
After thinking about this, Zheng Yicheng thought that he was being used, and the use value was not high, so he couldn't help but feel complicated. However, he hesitated for a moment, and quickly nodded and agreed: "In this case, I will cooperate with the investigation.
In the name of the Crown Prince, I once again asked to see His Highness the Crown Prince, and then I found an excuse to have His Highness the Crown Prince drive away the factory guards around him, and then introduced Mr. Li and Mr. Xiao to His Highness the Crown Prince, but I had to force them to pretend to be my followers...
...Well, in order to facilitate contact and work, the two of you will move to Luoyang Mansion Yamen starting from today."
Seeing that Zheng Yicheng was so knowledgeable, Li Chuanwen also gave him a high look. In addition, since his goal had been achieved, his resentment towards Zheng Yicheng was slightly reduced. He thought that Zheng Yicheng was still a talent and introduced him to the "Zhao Party".
It may not be a good thing. He smiled and nodded: "In that case, I'll ask Magistrate Zheng to arrange everything!"
*
In fact, Li Chuanwen's secret contact with Prince Zhu Hejian was a temporary task assigned by Zhao Junchen, and he was not fully prepared in advance.
As the "United Shipping Company" gradually gets on the right track, Zhao Junchen's influence on the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and along the Yangtze River has been roughly formed. Therefore, Zhao Junchen has focused on integrating Shanxi and Shaanxi merchants and is preparing to imitate the "United Shipping Company"
The successful case of "Shipping" brought the trade along the Yellow River and the northern frontier under its control.
In the past six months, Li Chuanwen has been busy with this matter. He is still running around, investigating the situation on the ground, and trying to conquer the officials and gentry in various places. However, the scope of his activities has changed from the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River coast to the Yellow River coast and the northern border.
.
A few days ago, Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan were on-site inspection of the business situation and local power in Kaifeng Prefecture. Suddenly, they received a secret letter from Zhao Junchen, asking Li Chuanwen to rush to Luoyang immediately. On the one hand, he wanted to collect as much information as possible from Prince Zhu Heyu and the feudal clan
On the other hand, Li Chuanwen was asked to assist Prince Zhu Heyu in order to prevent Prince Zhu Heyu from messing up too many things.
According to the original words in Zhao Junchen's letter - "Even if the prince is to be deposed in the future, he must leave a glimmer of hope for a comeback. If the prince cannot understand the situation and insists on demolishing the house, then at least he cannot be allowed to tear down the beams.
It was smashed.”
As Zhao Junchen's core staff, Li Chuanwen also knew a little bit about Zhao Junchen's future plans. He understood that Prince Zhu Heyu was a key part of Zhao Junchen's future plans. Prince Zhu Heyu's wanton impeachment of the feudal clan was undoubtedly
It was completely different from Zhao Junchen's future plan, so he couldn't help but be shocked and quickly rushed to Luoyang City.
However, after arriving in Luoyang City, Li Chuanwen quickly fell into a dilemma.
According to Zhao Junchen's instructions, after Li Chuanwen arrived in Luoyang, he should contact the prince Zhu Heyu as soon as possible. On the one hand, he would assist the prince Zhu Heyu in making plans to win the battle with the vassal forces. On the other hand, he would also advise the prince Zhu Heyu.
Don't mess around to avoid expanding the chaos.
However, as Zhao Junchen's staff, Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan naturally could not ask for an audience with the crown prince Zhu Heyu in an honest and fair manner. Because Zhu Heyu was surrounded by factory guards, and these people were all the eyes and ears of Emperor Deqing, so they could only
Arrangements were made through an influential official in Luoyang City, and Zheng Yicheng, as the prefect of Luoyang, was the best candidate.
At the same time, in the next period of time, in order to assist Prince Zhu Heyu, Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan must have frequent contact with Prince Zhu Heyu. As the most important intermediary, Zheng Yicheng must be reliable, so Li Chuanwen will
Want to recruit Zheng Yicheng into the "Zhao Party".
It's a pity that Zheng Yicheng, out of various considerations, actually ignored Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan for several days, and it was not until today that Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan were able to achieve their goals.
But at this time, the contest between Prince Zhu Heyu and the feudal clan forces had undergone great changes, and the situation had become increasingly complicated. Whether Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan could still play a role, they themselves lacked confidence.
However, Li Chuanwen still felt that he should try his best. After getting Zheng Yicheng's promise, he immediately urged Zheng Yicheng to take action.
Zheng Yicheng was determined to join the "Zhao Party" to protect himself. At this time, he was also active and quickly arranged a carriage to lead Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan towards Prince Fu's Mansion.
After Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan entered the carriage, Zheng Yicheng still acted very sensible. He knew that Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan must have confidential matters to discuss, and in order to prevent more people from noticing the existence of Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan, he did not sit together.
Instead of entering the carriage, he walked in front alone in a sedan chair.
Sitting in the carriage, Li Chuanwen opened the curtain and looked outside, only to see that the city of Luoyang was still under martial law. The government officials were still searching for suspicious persons from house to house. The people were all panicked and the officials were all headless.
, obviously no one has any clue about Zhu Hezeng’s poisoning and murder case.
Seeing this scene, Li Chuanwen's expression became more and more serious. He felt that even if he could meet Prince Zhu Heyu, and Prince Zhu Heyu was willing to accept his assistance and advice, he might not be able to handle today's complex situation. He couldn't help but
Worried.
On the other side, Xiao Wenxuan was also feeling uneasy and couldn't help but ask: "Master, do you think that after we see His Highness the Crown Prince, will He accept our assistance and advice? I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince has always been
He doesn’t listen to advice.”
Li Chuanwen didn't have much confidence and said hesitantly: "It should be possible. After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Zhao Gechen have joined forces, and we can be regarded as his own, not to mention... Ever since Zhao Shancai passed away, the Crown Prince has not had many qualified staff around him. Back then,
At least there are still some Qingliu who advise him, but now they have drawn a clear line with him. There is no one around the prince who can discuss countermeasures with him anymore. He can only make decisions alone. In this case, at least he will not rush away coldly.
Let’s go.”
Xiao Wenxuan sighed: "However, with the current complicated situation, even if the prince can listen to our suggestions, the current situation is too complicated, like a mess... We may not be able to play our role!"
After Li Chuanwen was silent for a moment, he suddenly asked: "You have also read the secret letter that Zhao Gechen sent us with your own eyes. According to Zhao Gechen, the prince can demolish the house, but he must not smash the beams... In your opinion,
, what is demolishing a house? What is breaking beams? What does the house represent? What do the beams represent?"