"Zhou Shoufu, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in trouble again. This time...will you save him or not?"
Hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Zhou Shangjing's seemingly dim old eyes carefully observed Zhao Junchen for a moment, and then a smile flashed across his wrinkled old face.
But Zhao Junchen couldn't tell whether this smile was out of sarcasm or appreciation.
Then, Zhou Shangjing said slowly: "This matter involves the crown prince and the vassal, and it has such a great impact. Everything depends on your majesty's attitude. It is not convenient for us and other foreign ministers to express our opinions, and my thoughts are not important either."
...Junchen, you are probably asking the wrong person, right?"
Zhao Junchen's attitude was still respectful and he said: "If His Majesty has already made a plan in his mind, we foreign ministers will naturally be speechless. But I am thinking about your Majesty's current hesitation. What is your attitude under such circumstances?"
Naturally, it plays an important role... and naturally, this junior should also keep pace with you, Zhou Shoufu!"
Zhou Shangjing still smiled half-heartedly and said: "Junchen wants to keep pace with me? Junchen hopes that I can keep pace with you, right?"
If His Majesty is still hesitant, I may still believe it, but Junchen, you should have already made up your mind, so why bother to pretend to ask my opinion? I'm afraid... Junchen, you are pretending to ask my opinion, in fact
Just to test my true attitude towards the Seventh Prince, right?
After all, there are many people who are ready to take advantage of the opportunity to confirm the dethronement of the crown prince in one fell swoop, oust the crown prince, and help the seventh prince to ascend the throne... Therefore, if I don't want the seventh prince to ascend the throne, I will definitely choose to protect the crown prince, right?
?”
Hearing Zhou Shangjing's rhetorical question, Zhao Junchen felt a flash of embarrassment in his heart. He felt that it was really not easy for him to play tricks with this old fox, but his true thoughts were exposed so easily.
But on the surface, Zhao Junchen's expression remained unchanged and he continued shamelessly: "As for Zhou Shoufu, I just respect your opinion."
Zhou Shangjing shook his head gently, suddenly changed the topic, and said slowly: "I am getting older, my energy is not as good as before, and many times I no longer have the energy to be confrontational with others! In fact, if you didn't take the initiative to talk to me today,
I will also take the initiative to talk to you. Now that there is no one else around, the two of us should open the skylight and talk openly."
Zhou Shangjing's tone was calm, but it contained a hint of unprecedented solemnity and warning. Such an attitude was extremely rare for Zhou Shangjing.
After realizing this, Zhao Junchen's expression became more serious, and he lowered his head and said, "I'll just ask Zhou Shoufu to teach me."
Zhou Shangjing once again took a deep look at Zhao Junchen and said slowly: "In fact, I am indeed wary of the seventh prince's ascension to the throne. And the reason why I have such an attitude today is all because of you, Junchen."
Keep guiding me. If it hadn't been for your intentions, I wouldn't have doubted the seventh prince's character. During this time, I wouldn't have deliberately made things difficult for him to prevent him from ascending to the throne!
As for the troubles that the prince caused in Luoyang City, it was actually because you, Junchen, saw this clearly and understood that I would not just watch the prince step down and allow the seventh prince to ascend to power, so you deliberately allowed the prince to cause trouble.
thing, right?
Even if you have calculated correctly, even if the prince causes trouble, I will be forced to work with you to protect the prince out of consideration of the overall situation! Therefore, with me joining forces with you, no matter how big the trouble is, the prince can still survive.
Temporarily stabilize the position of the crown prince, right?
Ha! As long as you see through a person's thoughts and figure out what he needs to save, you can make that person work for you. Even I am no exception to this situation. It's really a good method!
And you yourself can not only take the opportunity to further undermine the prince's self-confidence, but also deepen the prince's dependence on you. From now on, you can make the prince obey your words, right?"
Zhou Shangjing's tone was still calm, but his series of questions left Zhao Junchen at a loss, and he didn't know how to respond for a while.
Before that, when Zhou Shangjing faced Zhao Junchen, no matter what thoughts he had in his heart, he would always appear to be tolerant of the elders, his attitude would always be gentle, and his tone would never be too harsh.
But today's Zhou Shangjing is completely different. Not only did he directly expose Zhao Junchen's Xiao Jiujiu, he was also full of warnings and beatings, and he was completely merciless.
Zhao Junchen was silent on the surface, but he was thinking rapidly in his heart, thinking to himself: "Why did Zhou Shangjing adopt such an attitude today? This is really unprecedented! Could it be that some of my actions have offended him?
Ni Lin? But I have done too many things, and what is it that makes him so dissatisfied?
It shouldn't be a matter of me using him to protect the crown prince's status. Zhou Shangjing has been in high and low officialdom for decades. Whether he actively uses others or is forced to be used by others, it is common for him! With Zhou Shangjing's mind, such a situation
All you need to do next is to show off your tricks. Even if you suffer a loss for a while, you can always get it back later. There is no need to worry about it... But other than that, I probably haven't offended him in recent times. It's really strange...
…”
And just when Zhao Junchen was thinking seriously, Zhou Shangjing saw Zhao Junchen was silent, but he suddenly sighed, as if he saw a rebellious junior in the family. The edge in his tone was slightly restrained, but he also became more serious and thoughtful.
Said: "Junchen, you are the younger generation that I am very optimistic about. Your scheming and talents are one of a kind. I have always admired you very much!
It stands to reason that for a young man with a bright future like you, I should have bet on you for long-term reasons. Considering that I will soon retire and return to my hometown and stay away from the temple, I should even join forces with you.
Cooperation and fusion of forces make you my successor...but in fact, I have always kept a distance from you, what do you think is the reason?"
Hearing this, Zhao Junchen was stunned again, but he never thought that Zhou Shangjing would even consider merging the two forces and making himself the successor!
It was precisely because of the shock in his heart that Zhao Junchen forgot to answer for a while.
Seeing that Zhao Junchen did not answer his question, Zhou Shangjing did not take it seriously. Instead, he raised his finger and pointed at Zhao Junchen's chest and said in a serious voice: "This is because your ambition is too great. If you think about it, you will achieve it, even more."
There is no sense of proportion yet! The point is that there is no sense of proportion!
There is no problem with being too ambitious. There are too many ambitious people in the world, but they all lack the ability to realize their ambitions! But you are different, because you are so capable, you always think about it and you have to do it, as long as you find a goal
, you will definitely make plans to gradually achieve your goals, and you will always be able to find a breakthrough and use all available resources to make the impossible possible!
If that's the case, it can be regarded as your advantage, but you don't know restraint and have no sense of proportion! There are too many things you want to grab in your hands, but how many hands do you have? What's more, some things are not originally
It should be something you are entitled to have, but you still want to grab it, but you never consider the serious consequences of doing so!
In this world, no one has ever been able to control everything and take advantage! Those who have exhausted all the institutions often end up badly! How powerful and talented was Lu Buwei back then? He thought he controlled the First Emperor, but what was the outcome? The former dynasty Zhang Juzheng could be described as
He was both tough and soft, with superb methods. He also thought he controlled Emperor Shenzong, but what was the result?
Junchen, you should be aware of the lessons learned from past mistakes! For me and other ministers, the only way to achieve long-term success is to control things with care and adapt to the changing circumstances!"
Zhou Shangjing's words were quite heartfelt. Zhao Junchen fell silent again after listening to them.
At the same time, Zhao Junchen finally understood why Zhou Shangjing was dissatisfied.
On the surface, all the things that happened in Luoyang City during this period were just conflicts between the prince Zhu Heyu and King Fu. But in fact, Zhao Junchen, Zhou Shangjing, and Zhu Hejian were all secretly promoting it. Henan Governor Zhang Bozhen was Zhou Shangjing's confidant.
, without his full support, Prince Zhu Heyu would not have been able to quickly put down the bloody conflict in Prince Fu's Mansion, and then imprisoned the vassal king and tortured the clan members.
Therefore, regarding what happened in Luoyang City, not only Zhao Junchen and Zhu Hejian received detailed information yesterday, but Zhou Shangjing also received the most detailed information - the information received by the three of them was more detailed than that by Deqing
The secret message received by the emperor was even more accurate and detailed.
It is precisely for this reason that Zhou Shangjing was keenly aware of one thing from the intelligence he received, that is - Zhao Junchen seemed to be sending staff to assist Prince Zhu Heyu in doing things, but in fact he was secretly instigating
Prince Zhu Heyu broke into trouble, and Zhao Junchen himself took action to clean up the mess, which in turn undermined Zhu Heyu's confidence and enhanced his influence over Zhu Heyu!
In short, they want to tame Prince Zhu Heyu!
Zhao Junchen wanted to tame a prince and future emperor. This approach obviously aroused Zhou Shangjing's strong uneasiness!
What Zhao Junchen did in the past can also be explained as an act of self-preservation. In order to avoid his own fate, whether he formed a party for personal gain or infiltrated the government and the public, they were all within Zhou Shangjing's tolerance.
However, if Zhao Junchen wants to control the crown prince and future emperor, the nature of the matter will be completely different!
According to Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Junchen was too ambitious, did not know how to exercise restraint, and had no sense of proportion.
After all, the emperor is the supreme one in the world. No matter how sophisticated the manipulation techniques are, they can only control them for a while, but they can never control them for a lifetime. When the manipulated emperor comes to his senses, he will definitely rebound violently, and then there will be a catastrophe.
!
If this disaster was only aimed at Zhao Junchen, Zhou Shangjing would most likely not pay attention to it. However, after reading history books, Zhou Shangjing knew the principles of ups and downs and rise and fall, and he was also very clear about the consequences of Zhao Junchen's ambition.
serious consequences!
Whether it was Lu Buwei or Zhang Juzheng, they all tried to control an emperor. In the end, not only did they fail and die badly, they also implicated countless officials, and the entire vassal power suffered heavy losses because of their ambitions!
What's more, the failure of Lu Buwei, Zhang Juzheng and others is considered a good thing. In fact, some people have succeeded in history, such as Wang Mang and Dong Zhuo, but the results are often more serious. If you are not careful, the world will be in chaos!
In Zhou Shangjing's opinion, the nature of this matter was too serious, so he changed his mind and directly issued a warning.
After understanding Zhou Shangjing's deep meaning, Zhao Junchen was silent for a long time again, and then bowed to Zhou Shangjing and said in a sincere tone: "Actually, this junior has often reflected on himself during this time, and thinks that his previous actions are indeed some tricks.
After all the calculations, I also think that I should learn more from Zhou Shoufu's great wisdom, but my own reflection is too shallow after all, and is not as profound as Zhou Shoufu's wake-up call! I hope Zhou Shoufu can rest assured that the younger generation will not dare to overstep again in the future.
Remember the four words 'measurement' and 'restraint'."
Zhao Junchen's attitude was sincere, as if he was seriously introspecting, but he was too deep in the city, and no one could tell what his true thoughts were.
Zhou Shangjing took a deep look at Zhao Junchen, decided to listen to his words and watch his actions first, nodded and said: "I hope you really understand, and I hope you can take care of yourself...
Also, your previous guess is correct. After today's morning court, once His Majesty mentions the matter of Luoyang, I will do my best to protect the crown prince and try to delay the abolition of the crown prince. When the time comes, you will cooperate with me, you and me.
If people join forces, we should be able to delay it for a while. In my opinion, it is not a good time for the Seventh Prince to ascend to the throne."
"The younger generation should follow the lead of the Zhou Dynasty and the support of the horse!"
After hearing that Zhou Shangjing finally responded to his initial temptation, Zhao Junchen quickly agreed.
Then, seeing that the time for the court meeting was approaching, Zhao Junchen said goodbye to Zhou Shangjing and left.
Looking at Zhao Junchen's leaving figure, Zhou Shangjing shook his head slightly and murmured to himself: "Young people nowadays are as bold as one after another! Zhao Junchen is like this, the seventh prince is like this, and the prince is like this too! And that Li Chunchen
…
But the Mesozoic generation is limited by their lack of ability, unable to compete with these young people, nor can they suppress their chaos! But many times, the more capable people bring, the greater the disaster, and mediocre people are the worst.
Harmless...
It is really worrying that the Ming Dynasty is handed over directly to the younger generation! There are some plans, I must seize the time..."
As he spoke, Zhou Shangjing shook his head slightly with a complicated expression.
On the other side, after Zhao Junchen turned and left, his expression was also a little complicated, and he thought to himself: "Zhou Shangjing is really discerning. My plan to tame Prince Zhu Heyu has just begun. He saw through it with just a few hints."
I was given a basic foundation and even received a warning, which made me really embarrassed. It had been a long time since I had been beaten so harshly...
However, Zhou Shangjing is indeed worthy of the words "old man to seek the country". Judging from the standards of ministers in the feudal period, he is undoubtedly worthy of admiration, but that's all...
Taming Zhu Heyu has never been the ultimate goal for me, and I have never thought of manipulating Zhu Heyu for a lifetime, or using such means to gain power. This is just a part of the whole plan!
But now that Zhou Shangjing has found out, I have to be more secretive in doing things in the future. I can’t afford the price of Zhou Shangjing’s betrayal yet..."
While thinking deeply, Zhao Junchen had returned to the officials of the "Zhao Party".
Under the questioning gaze of everyone in the "Zhao Party", Zhao Junchen said nothing about Zhou Shangjing's warning just now. He just said: "Zhou Shoufu has decided to take action to protect His Highness the Crown Prince. This attitude is exactly what I want. What we will do next is
Acting in conjunction with the 'Zhou Party'."
As soon as Zhao Junchen finished speaking, he heard the bell ringing above the Meridian Gate, and today's court meeting finally came to an end.