In fact, the silence of these Nanjing officials at this time was itself an attitude of opposition.
However, Zhu Hejian insists on saying that the silence of Nanjing officials means "no objection". This is simply confusing black and white, and calling a deer a horse. If he really takes the opportunity to take over the power in Nanjing, it is not an exaggeration to call it a coup.
However, even though they knew that Zhu Hejian's approach was inappropriate, Nanjing officials still did not dare to directly object and could only continue to respond with silence.
After all, Zhu Hejian is a well-known quasi-prince, and the "New Crown Prince Party" is also one of the three most powerful factions in the central court. And because of the secret flattery of the "Zhou Party" during this period, Zhu Hejian is very popular among people from all walks of life in Nanjing.
The reputation in China is at its peak. Under such circumstances, no one dares to directly stand up and express opposition unless it is a matter of life and death.
So, just like that, in an embarrassing atmosphere of silence, Zhu Hejian took over the power of Nanjing with dishonest reputation and unreasonable words.
Just like what Zhao Junchen did in Shaanxi and Gansu.
However, Zhu Hejian's ruthless determination was obviously stronger than that of Zhao Junchen. Nanjing officials never expected that they would soon be in disaster.
*
"Now, this prince declares three orders. No one can violate them. Otherwise, they will be punished as disobedient!"
As Zhu Hejian's words fell, and after a short period of silence, Shi Masen, the left deputy censor of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate of the "Zhou Party", and Cao Wenbin, the Nanjing Household Minister of the "Zhao Party"
Taking the lead, Nanjing officials successively stated that they would obey Zhu Hejian's orders.
But the vast majority of Nanjing officials remained silent at this time.
Seeing the performance of these Nanjing officials, Zhu Hejian's eyes flashed with a sneer and sarcasm. He still didn't care and just announced loudly: "First, in my name, I sent an order to the Nanjing garrison to block the city gate immediately.
Send troops to block all major intersections in Nanjing!
But one thing must be emphasized to them, that is, their task is only to blockade and limit the scope and scale of this civil unrest, but they must not conflict with the people!
If the common people attack their blockade, let them carry it with their bodies and tell all the Nanjing defenders that as long as they can do this, I will personally ask the court for credit afterwards!
Secondly, send people to try to contact leaders from all walks of life in Nanjing and ask them to come forward to assist the government in quelling the civil unrest and restrain their disciples, tribesmen, and subordinates!
After this civil unrest subsides, no matter what dissatisfaction they have or what grievances they have, as long as they are reasonable demands, I am willing to talk to them and resolve them for them!
Also, immediately investigate who is leading today’s civil unrest, and also convey my prince’s attitude to them, and make it clear to them that as long as they stop immediately and help the court quell the chaos, my prince will
Their culpability will be reduced depending on the circumstances!”
Upon hearing Zhu Hejian's first two orders, most Nanjing officials were stunned. Unexpectedly, although Zhu Hejian quickly ordered the Nanjing garrison to send troops, it was not to suppress the mob, but just to limit the scale and scope of the civil unrest.
The scope of the operation was so large that Zhu Hejian actually wanted to negotiate with the rebels.
In the view of some Nanjing officials, this attitude is obviously too weak and too naive, and it may be difficult to achieve quick results.
However, since Zhu Hejian has taken the initiative to take over all power and did not consult with anyone when making decisions, he will naturally have to bear full responsibility if the plan fails afterwards.
Many Nanjing officials even secretly hope that Zhu Hejian's plan will fail, because once Zhu Hejian's plan fails, he can no longer be as decisive as he is now, and must rely on the power of Nanjing's hundreds of officials to control it. Regarding the situation in Nanjing, Zhu Hejian will ask for help from them when the time comes, and many things will be easy to talk about.
What's more, there were several daring Nanjing officials who were trying to sabotage Zhu Hejian's plan at this time, forcing Zhu Hejian to rely on them.
In this way, out of various ideas, and because they really couldn't disobey Zhu Hejian at this time, the Nanjing officials did not remain silent for too long this time, and soon expressed their acceptance of the order one after another.
But no one expected that Zhu Hejian, who had a soft attitude towards the rioters, would strike hard at Nanjing officials like them the next moment.
Zhu Hejian glanced coldly at all the Nanjing officials present, and his tone became colder and harsher, and then said: "Thirdly, considering that this civil unrest is mainly due to the people's long-standing grievances against the six yamen of Nanjing, this prince is here After arriving in Nanjing, I heard many times about the perverse and tyrannical practices of the six yamen in Nanjing. In order to appease the people's grievances, to trace the source, and to maintain the discipline of the imperial court...
Upon hearing the order, the Jin Yiwei immediately imprisoned all officials from the Six Ministries of Nanjing except the Nanjing Ministry of War, awaiting personal interrogation by this prince!
In addition, there must be many Nanjing officials in other yamen who are working as evildoers. They are also not allowed to act at will during this period. Except for a few officials who are responsible for executing my first two orders, the rest of the officials went to Fengxian Hall as soon as possible to wait. Further investigation!"
As Zhu Hejian finished speaking, the surrounding Jinyi guards did not hesitate at all and immediately took action. They broke into the ranks of Nanjing officials like tigers among sheep and began to arrest all Nanjing officials except the Nanjing Ministry of War. Officials from the six departments, there was a sudden chaos at the scene.
There were not many Jin Yiwei at the scene, only a few dozen, but no matter how small the Jin Yiwei were, they were still Jin Yiwei. When these Jin Yiwei came to arrest people, no one dared to resist. Apart from shouting and expressing protest, Nanjing officials could do nothing at all.
"Your Highness, Seventh Prince, you must not do this. We are all officials appointed by the imperial court, and you are not the official Crown Prince. You have no right to treat us like this!"
"Your Highness, think again! Think again! If all the officials in Nanjing are imprisoned and imprisoned, who will assist you in quelling the civil unrest? I hope Your Highness will put the overall situation first!"
After hearing the cries and protests from Nanjing officials, Zhu Hejian finally showed his decisive and tough side at this moment.
Zhu Hejian's expression became colder and colder, and he said in a serious voice: "I am naturally not qualified to detain and imprison you, so if you are dissatisfied, you can submit a memorial to the imperial court to impeach me, and I will never stop you!
Also, don’t ever think that the imperial court can’t do anything without you! The foundation of the imperial court has never been you officials, or even princes and grandsons like me, but the orthodoxy and the people’s hearts!”
After saying that, Zhu Hejian turned around and left, no longer paying attention to the protests and cries of Nanjing officials.
Next, Zhu Hejian had to deal with the civil unrest as soon as possible and had no time to entangle with them.
However, before Zhu Hejian turned around, he glanced vaguely at "Zhou Party" Ma Sen and "Zhao Party" Cao Wenbin.
At this time, Ma Sen and Cao Wenbin were both shocked and a little confused.
Prior to this, when all the officials in Nanjing were silent, only Ma Sen and Cao Wenbin took the initiative to express their support for Zhu Hejian in assuming power. Although their support was only based on the instructions of their respective backers and was not sincere, but
They never expected that Zhu Hejian would turn against him so quickly and ruthlessly, crossing the river and destroying the bridge, and arresting and imprisoning both of them.
As internal agents of the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party" placed in Nanjing's officialdom, they were still gearing up and planning to take the opportunity to make contributions to their respective factions. However, they did not expect that Zhu Hejian directly eliminated their opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
After seeing the reactions of Ma Sen and Cao Wenbin, Zhu Hejian's eyes flashed with a hint of sarcasm.
From a certain point of view, Zhu Hejian suddenly ordered the Jinyi Guards to detain and imprison hundreds of Nanjing officials, mainly to target Yu Masen and Cao Wenbin, the chess pieces arranged by the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party", and prevent them from taking the opportunity to cause trouble in secret.
Although the Nanjing officials have various crimes that need to be investigated, they are now being detained and imprisoned. To a large extent, they are just implicated.
*
But he said that when Jin Yiwei came out to arrest people, among the many officials present, there were still many people who were not affected.
For example, Bao Wenjie, the Minister of Rites, Liu Ye, the Superintendent of Taipu Temple, and others were all central officials of the imperial court. They only followed Zhu Hejian to Nanjing to assist in ancestor worship. The imprisonment and detention of Nanjing officials was naturally related to
They have nothing to do with each other.
At the same time, the Crown Prince and Grand Master Wang Baoren is now also a central official of the imperial court, but has been stranded in Nanjing for various reasons, and has also not been implicated.
Therefore, when Zhu Hejian turned to leave, Wang Baoren, Bao Wenjie, and Liu Ye also followed.
When Zhu Hejian faced these three people, he immediately stopped being tough and arbitrary and returned to his usual humility and gentleness. However, Zhu Hejian's attitude and tone were still resolute and decisive.
I saw Zhu Hejian walking quickly outside the Xiaoling Mausoleum, while quickly giving instructions to Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye: "Actually, what those Nanjing officials just said is not wrong. After imprisoning them all, I
There is indeed a lack of manpower around me, and it can be said that I am unable to support myself... Therefore, Mr. Bao, Mr. Liu, whether you two agree with what I am doing today or not, I must rely on your efforts in the future."
Upon hearing Zhu Hejian's words, both Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye quickly said that they would obey Zhu Hejian's instructions at any time.
Among them, Bao Wenjie's expression was a bit complicated. He had followed Zhao Junchen to the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu and witnessed Zhao Junchen's vigorous and resolute actions. Zhu Hejian's performance at this time was quite similar to that of Zhao Junchen. Bao Wenjie only felt that
Zhu Hejian and Zhao Junchen are very similar in nature in many places, but they are completely opposite in some places.
But what exactly are the similarities and what are the opposites? Bao Wenjie couldn't figure it out for a while.
At the same time, Liu Ye looked extremely excited, feeling that today's situation was a great opportunity for him. As long as he could try his best to assist Zhu Hejian and complete the tasks assigned by Zhu Hejian, he would have a bright future.
Zhu Hejian didn't seem to notice the change in Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye's expressions at all, and just said quickly: "As for the three orders I just gave, the two adults also heard it. Nanjing's officialdom has long been ruined, and I don't feel confident about it."
All these matters are left to Nanjing officials, so Mr. Bao is solely responsible for contacting leaders from all walks of life in Nanjing. As for coordinating the actions of the Nanjing garrison, Mr. Liu is responsible for it... The situation is urgent now.
I hope the two adults can seize the time and do their best."
After hearing Zhu Hejian's instructions, both Bao Wenjie and Liu Ye gave their orders with serious expressions, and then left quickly.
As a result, Zhu Hejian was left with only the Crown Prince and Grand Master Wang Baoren.
In front of Wang Baoren, Zhu Hejian's attitude became more humble, his sharpness became more restrained, and his previous eagerness was lost.
After all, this civil unrest was secretly promoted by Wang Baoren and Zhu Hejian, and they had already prepared various backup plans to clean up the mess.
Zhu Hejian was seen slowing down, with a smile on his expression, and asked Wang Baoren: "Master Wang, what do you think of the junior's performance today?"
Wang Baoren nodded in approval and said: "It's remarkable. Even if I personally take charge of the situation, I can't do better than His Highness the Seventh Prince. Because of His Highness the Seventh Prince's methods, now we are not only without Nanjing officials."
You don’t have to worry about the chess pieces of the ‘Zhou Party’ and the ‘Zhao Party’ causing trouble. Without these worries, you can just let go and do whatever you want.”
While approving, Wang Baoren also took a deep look at Zhu Hejian.
Among the older generation of powerful officials, Wang Baoren's vision and skills were second only to Zhou Shangjing's, and he naturally had the ability to see the subtle things.
Since Zhu Hejian came to Nanjing, Wang Baoren has positioned himself as a decisive figure who will come forward to turn the tide at critical moments. In order to test Zhu Hejian's temperament and ability, Wang Baoren still did not give much guidance on today's various things, and just let Zhu Hejian do it on his own
play.
Zhu Hejian's performance far exceeded Wang Baoren's expectations. Not only did he quickly control Nanjing's officialdom, he also took the opportunity to show his tough side, and also sabotaged the follow-up actions of the "Zhou Party" and "Zhao Party".
But it was through Zhu Hejian's performance that Wang Baoren got a glimpse of part of Zhu Hejian's true character.
A person's true character, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, can still be seen from his various choices after encountering trouble.
Zhu Hejian's action today of detaining and imprisoning all Nanjing officials, especially his style of eliminating future troubles regardless of the consequences, made Wang Baoren vaguely aware of Zhu Hejian's true side.
However, Wang Baoren did not think that Zhu Hejian's temperament was a bad thing at this time. After all, it was always an advantage for people in the officialdom to have a decisive character and not leave any trouble behind. He just thought that he should look at Zhu Hejian again and reconsider his relationship with Zhu Hejian.
It’s just a way of getting along.
Hearing such praise from Wang Baoren, Zhu Hejian naturally became humble.
However, before Zhu Hejian could speak, he saw one of Wang Baoren's staff hurried to the two of them and reported in a low voice: "Your Highness, Master Wang, has just received a summons from Mr. Lu, saying that he was observing the civil unrest.
On this occasion, I accidentally met the great scholar Huo Zhengyuan, and he has already exceeded his authority to represent His Highness and Grand Master Wang, and invited Huo Zhengyuan to visit Zhanyuan in the next few days!"