There is a term in later generations called "path dependence".
In other words, once people become accustomed to using a certain method to solve problems, they will form a thinking inertia, as if they are on a path of no return, and their thinking patterns will continue to strengthen themselves, making it difficult to change.
Zhu Hejian has already experienced "path dependence".
He has been able to reach this point simply by relying on three advantages - one is disguise, the other is tolerance, and the third is ruthlessness.
Especially ruthless - he is not only ruthless to others, but also ruthless to himself, and he will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
Therefore, whenever he encounters a problem, Zhu Hejian's mind immediately pops up with options such as "kill and silence" or "eliminate the root cause".
If you can't solve the problem, then solve the person who caused the problem!
I have to say that although this kind of thinking mode is very dangerous and has great hidden dangers, it is very useful and efficient most of the time.
The next trip to Nanjing was an adventure in Zhu Hejian's eyes, so he arranged many backup plans for himself.
First, Zhu Hejian asked Wu Xinquan to secretly contact the Nanjing garrison eunuch Xi Cheng. In Nanjing official circles, the garrison eunuch was also a force that should not be underestimated. With Xi Cheng's help, Zhu Hejian had a
Developed a force of its own.
Then, Zhu Hejian sent a group of elite Jinyiwei who were good at intelligence work to Nanjing in advance through his relationship with Dongchang, so that he could keep abreast of all aspects of dynamic news while working in Nanjing.
In the end, Zhu Hejian, under the inertia of his thinking, still arranged a group of "Chaofeng" organization dead soldiers to follow him secretly. Once he encountered an unsolvable problem while working in Nanjing City, these dead soldiers would be responsible for handling it.
Get rid of those who cause problems and ask questions!
After everything was arranged, Zhu Hejian sent someone to summon Liu Ye.
After receiving the summons from the Seventh Prince Zhu Hejian, Liu Ye naturally did not dare to neglect, and immediately dropped everything at hand and rushed to the Seventh Prince's Mansion.
When he met Zhu Hejian, Liu Ye still looked humble. He knelt down and saluted, buried his head on the ground, and raised his buttocks high.
In recent times, Zhu Hejian has used Liu Ye's channels to take in several groups of Tianshui City mobsters, all of whom have become victims of the "Chaofeng" organization. Therefore, Zhu Hejian has often had contact with Liu Ye recently, but when he saw
Liu Ye was still a little uncomfortable after being humbled like this.
However, precisely because of Liu Ye's despicable behavior, although Zhu Hejian looked down on Liu Ye, he also subconsciously reduced his precautions. He always felt that Liu Ye had been completely controlled by him and did not have the courage to resist him at all.
Of course, on the surface, Zhu Hejian did not show his true thoughts. When he saw Liu Ye saluting, he personally stood up and reached out to help Liu Ye up, which made Liu Ye quite flattered.
*
"Mr. Liu Ye, I'm meeting with you because I have something to discuss. Let's sit down and talk."
Liu Ye shook his head repeatedly and said: "With His Highness the Seventh Prince in front of you, there is no place for a lower official to sit."
Zhu Hejian shook his head slightly, and then said again in an unquestionable tone: "We are already familiar with each other. There is no need to waste time on politeness. Let's sit down and talk."
"I obey my orders."
Then, Liu Ye carefully sat on the edge of the chair, his legs tense with muscles, as if he was ready to get up at any time.
A trace of disdain flashed in Zhu Hejian's eyes, but the smile on his face became gentler. He said slowly: "Mr. Liu Ye must have heard the news. This morning, the emperor sent me to Nanjing to offer sacrifices."
Ancestor, this is a big deal and must be treated with caution!"
Liu Ye nodded repeatedly, his face full of flattery, and said: "Of course this is a big event. After this decree was spread to the government and the public, the officials and the people were talking a lot, thinking that His Highness the Seventh Prince's ascension to the throne was imminent.
In front of me...
You must know that in the past, only the emperor and the crown prince were qualified to preside over this matter of ancestor worship in Nanjing, but now His Majesty has asked His Highness the Seventh Prince to preside over the matter in person. His attitude is already very obvious... According to the official's opinion, wait
The day you return to the center of the capital from Nanjing should be the time when you officially take office!"
Zhu Hejian's attitude was non-committal and he just continued: "After I met Mr. Liu Ye, I promised you a great future! Today's ancestor worship in Nanjing is also a good opportunity...
You are now the Ninth Grade Supervisor of Yuanma Temple, and the carriage and horse matters on my way to Nanjing are all handled by the officials of Yuanma Temple, so I have specifically requested your appointment from the Yuanma Temple Yamen.
Name, let you follow me to Nanjing."
At this point, seeing the surprise on Liu Ye's expression, Zhu Hejian's expression became more and more full of goodwill, and he continued to promise: "I just said that ancestor worship in Nanjing is a major event, because once any court official participates in this
If you do anything, you can increase your political achievements and qualifications, and after you go with me to Nanjing to worship your ancestors, Mr. Qu of Yuanma Temple will have reason to recommend you to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and you will be promoted soon!"
Hearing Zhu Hejian's promise, Liu Ye was immediately overjoyed. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed again, thanking Zhu Hejian again and again. He felt that he had really found a noble person, and then he kept expressing his loyalty, saying that he was willing to go through fire and water for Zhu Hejian.
So much.
Zhu Hejian continued to smile and said: "I am very optimistic about Mr. Liu Ye's talent and future. When I see the opportunity, I will naturally help him...Mr. Liu, don't just focus on gratitude and joy. I will leave the capital and go south tomorrow morning.
You should also quickly return to the Yamen and home to make preparations, and you must not make any omissions along the way!"
Liu Ye couldn't wait to see the bright future. After thanking him profusely again, he quickly said goodbye to Zhu Hejian and left happily.
Looking at Liu Ye's retreating back, Zhu Hejian gradually stopped smiling, and with cold eyes, he sarcastically said: "What a fool!"
Since Zhu Hejian accepted a large number of Tianshui City mobsters as dead soldiers through Liu Ye's channels and rebuilt the "Chaofeng" organization, the next trip to Nanjing was the first operation after the reconstruction of the "Chaofeng" organization. Naturally, due to lack of experience,
Maybe there will be mistakes and someone will catch you.
It was precisely with this situation in mind that Zhu Hejian deliberately arranged for Liu Ye to follow him to Nanjing. Once the actions of the "Chaofeng" dead soldier were accidentally exposed, then Liu Ye would be Zhu Hejian's scapegoat!
After all, these dead soldiers were all born in Tianshui City, and they were all Liu Ye's old rebels during the civil unrest in Tianshui City. This alone is enough to put all the blame on Liu Ye.
In order to make this trip to Nanjing foolproof, Zhu Hejian thought everything through and imagined all the situations.
After all, the enemies Zhu Hejian will face next are not just the Six Ministries of Nanjing, but may also include the wily Zhou Shangjing. Naturally, he does not dare to neglect them.
After Liu Ye left, Zhu Hejian once again carefully thought about all the circumstances of the trip to Nanjing. He thought he was fully prepared and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Zhu Hejian murmured to himself: "I just hope... Zhou Shangjing's real goal of forcing me to go to Nanjing this time is just to test my courage and means, rather than deliberately setting a trap to harm me...
If it's the former, I can tolerate him for the time being and just wait quietly for the arrangements in the imperial dining room to work... But if it's the latter, the relationship between me and Zhou Shangjing will definitely be irreversible from now on.
If there is no room left, we really have to fight to the death..."
When it came to the latter part, Zhu Hejian's expression became extremely sinister.
*
While Zhu Hejian was preparing his backup plan, Zhou Shangjing also began to lay out his next plan.
At this time, in the study room of the Zhou Mansion, Zhou Shangjing and Song Qiwen, the Minister of Civil Affairs, were having a secret conversation.
Zhou Shangjing is best at serial schemes. Although Zhu Hejian thought that his plans and preparations were foolproof, in fact from the moment Zhu Hejian was forced to go to Nanjing, the subsequent development of events was no longer up to him.
"Your Majesty is still the same as before. He is very familiar with this kind of method of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, grabbing credit and passing the blame. I forced the seventh prince to go to Nanjing to assist Wang Baoren in handling the affairs of the Six Ministries in Nanjing. Your Majesty made arrangements for the seventh prince.
An errand to worship ancestors in Nanjing...
Hey, it's really a good plan. Once the imperial center successfully takes over power from the Six Ministries in Nanjing, it will be the credit of the seventh prince secretly assisting when he went to Nanjing to worship his ancestors. But if the imperial court's plan to take over power fails, then he will be responsible for everything openly.
Wang Baoren takes the responsibility and has nothing to do with the Seventh Prince who worships his ancestors in Nanjing...Such a method seems to have been thought up by His Majesty."
As he sighed, Zhou Shangjing's expression was a little helpless.
In a certain respect, Emperor Deqing also had the problem of path dependence. Factional checks and balances, grabbing credit and passing the blame, etc. were always the first reaction of Emperor Deqing when he considered the problem.
The helplessness Zhou Shangjing showed at this time was not because he was unable to deal with Emperor Deqing's methods, but because he believed that Emperor Deqing, as a great leader and a model for the world, was always accustomed to using these methods to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.
The method is really cheap.
On the other side, Song Qiwen responded with a smile: "Your Majesty's methods of grabbing credit and passing the blame are naturally helpless for ordinary officials. They can only watch the seventh prince take all the credit without risk... But first
Sir, your next plan cannot be stopped by such simple means."
Zhou Shangjing nodded lightly, his expression full of calmness and calmness, as if he had foreseen all the subsequent developments, and just asked: "The seventh prince has jumped into the urn now, have the arrangements been made in Nanjing?"
Song Qiwen immediately replied: "According to the instructions of the Chief Minister, everything has been arranged! Once the central government's plan to take over power officially begins, your next plan can be launched quickly... At that time, the Seventh Prince will also
There is no choice."
"That's good……"
Having said this, Zhou Shangjing couldn't help but frown, feeling a little uncomfortable in his stomach, and stomach acid suddenly surged into his chest.
However, such physical abnormalities were not obvious and returned to normal quickly.
Zhou Shangjing didn't take this situation seriously. As he got older, all his body organs became unable to be used effectively, and some uncomfortable symptoms would appear from time to time. Zhou Shangjing had long been used to it.
So, Zhou Shangjing just paused for a moment before continuing: "The plan I have laid out this time is not only to plot against the Seventh Prince, but also to test his true character for the last time...
If the seventh prince does not have any disguise or concealment, and is a true gentleman as he shows, the plan laid out by me will not be harmful to him... But if everything he shows is just
Pretending to be someone who is actually a ruthless person with an extreme personality, he will have to reap the consequences!
Qiwen, you already know the follow-up plans and arrangements, and it is up to you to arrange the specific operations... I am a little tired and want to take a rest in advance."
Hearing what Zhou Shangjing said, Song Qiwen did not dare to be negligent, and quickly stood up to leave, and told Zhou Shangjing to take care of himself.
After Song Qiwen left, Zhou Shangjing slowly closed his eyes and murmured softly: "If I could be twenty years younger... No, just ten years younger... I can definitely figure it out slowly, there is no need to look like
I am so eager to do things now... Alas, age is not forgiving... I am not a good person, and I dare not ask too much from God. As long as I have three to five years to live, I can make plans for the family and the court.
Many things, and then I can leave with peace of mind..."
As he spoke, Zhou Shangjing's voice became lower and lower, as if he had fallen asleep.
*
On the morning of the next day, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian bid farewell to Emperor Deqing and all officials.
It is worth mentioning that since ancestor worship in Nanjing is within the scope of the Ministry of Rites, Bao Wenjie, the Minister of Rites, also has to follow the seventh prince Zhu Hejian.
It is said that Bao Wenjie accompanied him on the trip because Zhu Hejian personally asked for someone from the Rites Yamen.
Obviously, Bao Wenjie, as an extremely rare hard-working official among the elite, was highly valued by Zhu Hejian, and Zhu Hejian specifically named Bao Wenjie to accompany him, which must be to bring closer the relationship between the two parties.
After the morning dynasty ended, the seventh prince Zhu Hejian led Bao Wenjie, Liu Ye and others out of the capital and rushed west to Tongzhou. Then they took a boat south along the canal. It only took about ten days to reach Nanjing.
.
After Zhu Hejian arrives in Nanjing, the central government's plan to take over the power of the six ministries in Nanjing will officially begin.
On this day, after Zhao Junchen finished his official duties in Wenhua Pavilion, he returned to Zhao Mansion to rest.
And as soon as he entered the gate of Zhao Mansion, he received two pieces of news.
First, Li Chunchen wanted to see Zhao Junchen, and he was waiting for news in the concierge at this time.
Secondly, Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan have returned to the capital from Huguang, and are now also waiting for Zhao Junchen's summons.
After hearing these two pieces of news, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but smile.
Li Chunchen asked to see Zhao Junchen at this time. He obviously received the news that his family was in a desperate situation, and all this was because of Zhao Junchen's behind-the-scenes instructions, so he couldn't help but ask to see Zhao Junchen.
The return of Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan to the capital means that Prince Zhu Heyu's affairs in Huguang have come to an end for the time being.
These two pieces of news are of great benefit to Zhao Junchen's future plans.
Then, Zhao Junchen hesitated for a moment and decided to meet with Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan first to learn more about everything that had happened in Huguang during this period, as well as the recent changes in Prince Zhu Heyu.
As for Li Chunchen, he wants to continue to show off.
So, Zhao Junchen ordered: "Inform Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan and ask them to go to the big study to meet me... As for Li Chunchen, tell him to come see me another day. I am not free today."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen walked towards the big study room.
*
When Zhao Junchen came to the big study room, he quickly met Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan.
After seeing these two people, Zhao Junchen stood up in person, raised his hands and saluted, saying: "Two gentlemen, I have been very fortunate to you for more than half a year!"
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen's expression was sincere, because Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan had indeed worked extremely hard for more than half a year.
They first assisted Huang Yourong and others in establishing the "United Shipping Company" in South Zhili, and helped Zhao Junchen reorganize the officialdom and business circles in South Zhili;
Then, taking advantage of the changes in the shipping and trade pattern after the establishment of the "United Shipping Company", he traveled to various places along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the Yangtze River, and also spread Zhao Junchen's influence from the capital to the local areas;
Later, under Zhao Junchen's orders, he rushed to Luoyang to assist Prince Zhu Heyu in handling vassal affairs, and also followed Prince Zhu Heyu to "travel" around Huguang, constantly causing trouble...
While running around like this, even during the Chinese New Year, they didn't have time to return to the capital to reunite with their families.
The combination of these things can definitely be regarded as a great reward for hard work.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen's concern and greetings are definitely sincere.
Hearing Zhao Junchen's greetings and seeing the concern on Zhao Junchen's expression, Li Chuanwen and Xiao Wenxuan felt warm in their hearts. They felt that their hard work over the past few months had not been in vain, and they quickly congratulated Zhao Junchen for his success in the past six months.
Various achievements, such as the illustrious military exploits of the great victory over Shaanxi and Gansu, or the appointment of a high-ranking minister to assist the government.
The last time they met Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen had not yet made up his mind to take risks on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu.
Next, after the exchange of greetings, Zhao Junchen asked the two about what happened in Huguang during this period.
After hearing the two people's detailed explanations, Zhao Junchen was thoughtful, and then asked the question he was most concerned about.
"Do you think our Prince's temperament and thoughts have changed after so many things?"
…
I was in a bad mood today. No matter how I changed the second half of the chapter, I was not satisfied with it, so I simply deleted it all.