After the dinner, Zhu Hejian originally wanted to send off all the guests as soon as possible so that he could focus on dealing with the exposure of the "Chaofeng" dead soldier.
However, after Zhu Hejian finally sent away most of the guests, he found that the Crown Prince and Grand Master Wang Baoren was still sitting in his original position, with no intention of getting up and leaving. He was leisurely drinking tea while looking at Zhu Hejian with a half-smile. Obviously,
I want to have a private conversation with Zhu Hejian.
Zhu Hejian couldn't help but frown, feeling secretly annoyed that this old guy was too much of a bother.
But the next moment, Zhu Hejian once again put on a mask of humility and elegance, walked quickly to Wang Baoren, and said with concern: "Teacher, it's getting late. Although it's summer, the night is still cold and the dew is heavy. You should also
Return to the mansion to rest."
Wang Baoren had a kind expression and said with a smile: "My body is much stronger than that old guy Zhou Shangjing, and I am not afraid of a little bit of wind and cold. Your Highness does not need to worry, on the contrary...
During tonight's banquet, many things happened one after another...such as the public debate held at the Confucius Temple five days later, or the sudden attack on the Song family with heavy casualties...These changes were all unexpected by me.
, without receiving any news beforehand, the situation in Nanjing will inevitably change dramatically...
Therefore, I now want to have a candlelit night talk with His Highness to discuss in detail the follow-up countermeasures for the situation in Nanjing... Under the many variables, we should make no reservations, work together, and adapt to changes, otherwise we will not be able to properly deal with the follow-up of Zhou and Zhao's evil party
A steady stream of schemes and calculations, are you right, Your Highness?"
When expressing his stance, Wang Baoren looked sincere and smiled broadly, and seemed to be considering Zhu Hejian wholeheartedly.
But when Wang Baoren's old eyes looked at Zhu Hejian, he was aggressive, obviously meaning something, and hiding a hint of treachery.
*
Zhu Hejian certainly understood the reason for Wang Baoren's dissatisfaction.
It was because Wang Baoren suddenly discovered that Zhu Hejian had many plans, arrangements, and trump cards that he had been hiding from him. It was obvious that he had no trust.
In fact, Zhu Hejian had long expected that his concealment would arouse Wang Baoren's strong dissatisfaction and create a rift between the two parties. He also guessed that Wang Baoren would definitely try to beat and warn him after he was dissatisfied.
But Zhu Hejian had no choice.
Under the current situation, it was simply impossible for him to trust Wang Baoren.
This is not only because of Zhu Hejian's suspicious nature, but also because - before the crown prince Zhu Heyu was officially deposed, before Zhu Hejian officially took over the throne, and before the turmoil of the reserve change was finalized, the status of Zhu Hejian and Wang Baoren was
Totally unequal.
In short, as long as the conditions are right, Wang Baoren can abandon Zhu Hejian and switch to Zhu Heyu at any time, but Zhu Hejian has no means to counter Wang Baoren.
For Wang Baoren, it doesn't matter who is the crown prince. There is not much difference between Zhu Hejian and Zhu Heyu. Neither of them will affect his position as crown prince and grand master in the short term. The key point is who can help him after becoming the crown prince.
Obtain more benefits and increase his chances of joining the cabinet to assist the government and rule the world.
Under such circumstances, Zhu Hejian naturally had to be reserved and did not dare to reveal more secrets to Wang Baoren.
Although Wang Baoren's vision and wisdom are not as good as Zhou Shangjing's, he is still outstanding. After he knows more of Zhu Hejian's plans, he can easily deduce Zhu Hejian's secrets and tricks.
Then, when Wang Baoren finds out Zhu Hejian's true background and obtains Zhu Hejian's secrets, he will most likely realize that his next best choice is to immediately abandon Zhu Hejian and support Zhu Heyu.
Report all the clues and secrets about Zhu Hejian to Emperor Deqing, so that Zhu Hejian can quickly lose the sacred scroll and help Zhu Heyu consolidate his position.
After all, compared to Zhu Hejian's radicalness and insidiousness, Zhu Heyu is obviously easier to manipulate and has a better bottom line in doing things. Wang Baoren's choice to support Zhu Heyu is also easier to achieve a good death;
The most important thing is that Zhu Heyu's position as crown prince is now in danger and may be deposed at any time, and Zhu Hejian is the first candidate to succeed him, so Wang Baoren's support of Zhu Hejian is just the icing on the cake, and
Supporting Zhu Heyu and assisting Zhu Heyu in reversing the situation is absolutely a timely help. The impact is completely different, and the ultimate benefit is also different.
Wang Baoren is a pure pragmatist and egoist. When he analyzes the pros and cons and thinks that he can gain more benefits by abandoning Zhu Hejian and supporting Zhu Heyu, then he will definitely betray him quickly and will never do so.
I miss the teacher-student friendship between the two of them in just a few days.
At this moment, Zhu Hejian had no way to prevent and avenge Wang Baoren's betrayal.
Under such circumstances, it was naturally impossible for Zhu Hejian to reveal all his plans to Wang Baoren, let alone allow Wang Baoren to detect any chance of betrayal.
Unless Wang Baoren, like Lu De, surrendered his wealth and life to Zhu Hejian so that Zhu Hejian could have countermeasures, Zhu Hejian would never be able to trust Wang Baoren easily.
But how could an old official fox like Wang Baoren give up his wealth and life to Zhu Hejian? He was also secretly wary of His Highness.
Therefore, the two teachers and students are seemingly inseparable and have their own agendas, which will inevitably continue for a long time. Only after the interests of both parties are completely bound, can they work together without any resentment.
Both Zhu Hejian and Wang Baoren knew this very well.
But at this moment, Wang Baoren had discovered that Zhu Hejian had many plans that he kept secret from him, such as the public debate at the Confucius Temple five days later, and the specific origins of the mysterious group of people who killed the Song family servants. Wang Baoren
He didn't know anything about it beforehand, which made him very angry.
On the surface, Zhu Hejian had just accepted Wang Baoren as his disciple. On the surface, he was a political ally. However, he had a large number of plans hidden from Wang Baoren. This was indeed unreasonable. Therefore, Zhu Hejian had to give Wang Baoren an explanation.
This level is not easy to pass, and if you are not careful, Zhu Hejian and Wang Baoren will be separated from each other.
Once he lost Wang Baoren's support and assistance, it would be even more difficult for Zhu Hejian to deal with the follow-up offensives of Zhou and Zhao, and he might lose everything.
But fortunately, Zhu Hejian had already prepared the means to deal with Wang Baoren.
*
At this time, after hearing what Wang Baoren meant, Zhu Hejian immediately showed hesitation, as if he was still unwilling to confess everything to Wang Baoren.
After Wang Baoren saw this, he did not show any more annoyance. He still smiled with goodwill and said: "If His Highness is unwilling to say it clearly, then that's it. I know that Your Highness must have his own difficulties and considerations, but
...The situation in Nanjing is extremely complicated now. If I don't know anything about His Highness's follow-up plan, I'm afraid I won't be able to cooperate tacitly. Maybe I will unintentionally be a disservice and hold back. In the end, I'm very likely to ruin His Highness's overall plan.
It would be bad if the two evil parties of Zhou and Zhao succeed in their treacherous plot..."
These words already contain an implicit threat.
But Zhu Hejian still showed hesitation and seemed unwilling to confess all his secrets.
Wang Baoren finally frowned and said slowly: "There is one more thing... I am valued by Your Majesty and appointed as the Crown Prince's Grand Master. Not only do I have the responsibility of teaching the Crown Prince, I also have the right to express my opinion on the Crown Prince's abolition...
In recent times, the government and the opposition have been turbulent. Not only is the situation in Nanjing strange, but the capital is also in chaos...
First, the Gonggun princes were arguing endlessly over the rewards and punishments of Zhao Junchen's trip to Liaodong; then, several of His Majesty's decrees were firmly opposed by Song Qiwen, the Minister of Personnel, and they were constantly arguing with each other; and the most important thing,
The prince was put under house arrest by His Majesty, and the matter of abolishing the crown prince was officially put on the agenda...
Just three days ago, I received a secret edict from His Majesty. Not only did I inquire about the details of the changes in the situation in Nanjing, but I also asked for my opinion on the abolition of the Crown Prince... For example, whether the current Crown Prince should be deposed.
, and for example, the character and abilities of the princes and vassal kings, and the specific performance of His Highness the Seventh Prince in Nanjing..."
Speaking of this, Wang Baoren's expression hesitated, as if he was deeply distressed: "After I received the secret order, I felt deeply that I had a heavy responsibility, and I was also worried that my opinions were wrong and biased, and misled His Majesty's judgment, so I delayed the decision."
I dare not report back to Your Majesty... but I don’t know, His Highness the Seventh Prince thinks, how should I report back to Your Majesty most appropriately?”
Wang Baoren's statement contained a more serious threat, meaning that if Zhu Hejian was unwilling to confess his cards and secrets to him, he would not only "inadvertently" destroy Zhu Hejian's Nanjing layout, but also change his position and not
Then support Zhu Hejian to take over the position of crown prince.
Zhu Hejian was not worried about these threats from Wang Baoren.
In Zhu Hejian's view, the dethronement of the crown prince has been completed, and Wang Baoren's opinion cannot affect the final result at all. Emperor Deqing asked Wang Baoren for his opinion just out of convention. With Emperor Deqing's character, he would not actually do it.
He cares about Wang Baoren’s opinion.
What's more, Wang Baoren was not the only one who maintained contact with Emperor Deqing. Zhu Hejian also often received secret orders from Emperor Deqing and submitted them to Emperor Deqing. He was not afraid of Wang Baoren speaking ill of himself to Emperor Deqing.
As for the situation in Nanjing, it is too complicated and treacherous. All parties have different calculations, and variables are endless. Therefore, let alone Wang Baoren, even Zhou Shangjing would have difficulty understanding the overall situation. Moreover, Zhu Hejian concealed his secrets from Wang Baoren.
Core plan, under such circumstances, even if Wang Baoren wants to hold back and do harm, there is a high probability that he will not be able to do it.
However, Zhu Hejian still regarded Wang Baoren as a helper that could be used. There will be many things in the future that require Wang Baoren's assistance. After the interests of both parties are bound, there will be a chance to become a real political alliance, so Zhu Hejian is not willing to antagonize Wang Baoren.
Of course, due to various considerations, Zhu Hejian still did not intend to reveal all his plans to Wang Baoren.
In this way, not only must he continue to conceal his true plan from Wang Baoren, but he must also properly deal with Wang Baoren's entanglement and questioning, and he must also quell Wang Baoren's dissatisfaction... What should be done?
The answer is very simple, that is, let Wang Baoren take the initiative to give up questioning and explore the truth.
In fact, it is not difficult to make Wang Baoren take the initiative to give up questioning and explore the truth.
Wang Baoren is a veteran in officialdom, and he must be aware of one thing - it is rare to be confused.
Sometimes, knowing the truth is not a good thing;
For some things, the less you know about the inside story, the better;
In some cases, ignorance is the best protection for yourself.
Therefore, under Wang Baoren's scrutiny, Zhu Hejian finally spoke again after hesitating for a long time, but changed the topic: "Teacher, what do you think of the four words 'at any cost'? If it is for the sake of the imperial court and the country, if you want to do good in the world, if you
If you have no choice, can you do whatever it takes?"
Wang Baoren narrowed his eyes: "There are rules and conventions for the operation of everything in the world, and the formation of these rules and conventions takes into account the interests of all parties... And the so-called 'uncompromising means' actually means doing things
If you break the rules and violate conventions, it will damage the long-term interests of all parties and all walks of life, and is not conducive to the stability of the overall situation. Therefore... once you are acting unscrupulously and are discovered by the outside world, you will inevitably be punished by all parties and all walks of life.
The fear and backlash.”
Wang Baoren's answer is very interesting. He only said that if he was discovered, he would "be afraid of and get backlash from all walks of life," but he did not express any clear opposition.
Zhu Hejian naturally understood Wang Baoren's true attitude. After sighing and shaking his head, the topic became further and further away, and asked: "Students will ask the teacher again, do you think... how long can the Ming Dynasty last?"
Wang Baoren's expression changed and he felt that this issue was too sensitive.
Regarding this sensitive issue, the best answer is to talk high-sounding nonsense.
The reason why nonsense is nonsense is because it is absolutely correct, has no value, and cannot find any faults.
"As long as the king is wise, his ministers are loyal, and the people keep their duties, then of course..."
Zhu Hejian was not surprised that Wang Baoren said such nonsense in response to him, but he was eager to drive Wang Baoren away at the moment, but he had no patience to continue listening, so he directly waved his hand to interrupt Wang Baoren's statement, and sneered and said his conclusion: "
In the eyes of the students, if the corrupt status quo of our dynasty continues and we fail to make improvements, we will soon face the danger of ruin!"
Wang Baoren's expression changed slightly again, and he shook his head repeatedly: "Your Highness, I'm afraid that your thoughts are just worrying, right? As far as I know, the Ming Dynasty has been on the verge of revitalization in recent years. Not only has it won successive victories in foreign wars, but it has also begun to
The territory is expanding, the imperial finances are gradually improving, and His Majesty is even more wise and powerful. In recent years, he has continuously innovated government affairs, all of which are aimed at the key points. The only thing worth worrying about is that the central political situation changes frequently, but as long as His Majesty is still in office, it will be stable enough.
Live the situation..."
Zhu Hejian still kept sneering, and finally showed his sharpness and true thoughts: "Teacher, you are a wise man who has insight into the government and the public, so why do you pretend to be ignorant? For more than a thousand years, regardless of the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, the rise and fall of the past dynasties
, what’s the key? It’s just one word, grain! And the root of grain lies in the fields cultivated by the people! As long as the people still have fields to cultivate, the court can collect grain taxes. On the contrary, if the people no longer have fields to cultivate, then the court will
It would be impossible to collect grain taxes, and without grain taxes it would be impossible to maintain stability for all parties. At that time, not only the people will rebel, but the army will also rebel!"
"Grain, land, taxes..." Wang Baoren shook his head: "I heard that when Zhao Gechen was in charge of the central government's finances, he could not avoid these three words when he expressed his stance. It seems that His Highness and Zhao Gechen are quite like-minded!"
Zhu Hejian immediately shook his head and said: "The teacher is wrong! The students' views and that of Zhao Gechen are completely opposite! In the eyes of the students, Zhao Gechen seems to be a financial expert, but in fact he is just a charlatan, not only
He would treat a headache, treat a sore foot, and often use poison to quench his thirst. Just to tide over the current difficulties, he would not hesitate to drain the Ming Dynasty's family fortune and shake the foundation of the country! Therefore, if students have the opportunity to inherit the throne in the future,
He will definitely abolish all his reforms immediately!"
Wang Baoren found that he could not understand Zhu Hejian's true thoughts at all, and couldn't help asking: "Oh? Why do you say that?"
Zhu Hejian said coldly: "In the eyes of students, the matter of land and grain is not only related to the stability of the country, but also to the distribution of power. If we go back to the source, whoever controls the most land and grain will control the most.
Power! Even if it is the emperor, if he does not have food to support the army, the army will breed dissent. If the army has dissent, the loyalty of the officials will be out of the question... If this situation continues, the emperor will only be left alone.
It’s nothing more than a reputation! A stable country is nothing more than empty talk!
But teacher, if you think about it carefully, what are the essences of several policies of that cabinet minister Zhao... the commercial tax reform, Sichuan salt development, and the new agricultural policy? In fact, they are secretly assisting the Jin gentry to continuously expand their power. Commercial tax reform is actually
The above is to give the Jin gentry the privilege of being exempted from paying most taxes. The development of Sichuan salt actually handed over all the financial resources of Sichuan salt to Shanxi merchants. As for the new agricultural policy, we will not mention whether the final effect can meet the city's expectations, but according to Zhao Gechen
Under the New Agricultural Policy, after the common people planted corn, sweet potatoes and other new crops, they were all purchased by private commercial banks, and the common people's grain taxes were replaced by silver taxes...
In short, it will greatly increase the financial resources of the Jin gentry in various places. It seems that the national treasury has increased a lot of tax money, but the grain collected is getting less and less. After the financial resources of the Jin gentry have greatly increased, they will swarm over each other for mergers and acquisitions.
Land, then the court’s food tax revenue will be further reduced... And the less and less food the court controls, it means that its power is getting smaller and smaller... What will happen in the long run? "
Hearing Zhu Hejian's remarks, Wang Baoren was really shocked.
It's not because of Zhu Hejian's "alarmism", but because of Zhu Hejian's deep understanding of power.
Whoever controls the food controls power - in Wang Baoren's view, this view is a bit extreme and does not apply to all situations, but it does make sense.
But Wang Baoren still couldn't figure out what Zhu Hejian wanted to express.
Under Wang Baoren's doubtful gaze, Zhu Hejian looked firm and said: "However, Zhao Junchen is indeed very discerning. He finally understood the court's food shortage dilemma, unlike most officials who were unwary! What a pity.
, the student has just said that his solution is just to treat the headache and the foot, or even drink poison to quench the thirst and kill the goose to get the eggs. If it is not short-sighted, it is harboring evil intentions!
In the eyes of the students, if we want to completely solve the food shortage dilemma in our dynasty, we must start from the fundamentals. The territory of the Ming Dynasty seems vast, but after all, it has its limits, and the number of arable fields within the territory is also limited! The pie is so big, but it requires
First, a large part was allocated to the lords, then a large part was allocated to the gentry, and then a part was allocated to the major military towns. However, regardless of the lords, gentry, or military towns, they all had tax reduction privileges, and
The ability to conceal the true amount of land, so after these fields are allocated, not much grain tax can be levied. Ordinary people can collect grain tax, but their fields are getting less and less!
Under such circumstances, if you want to solve the dilemma from the root, there is only one way, which is to directly change the distribution of interests between the government and the opposition, reduce the farmland controlled by lords, gentry, and military towns, so that ordinary people can get
With more fields, the court can have more grain taxes. With more grain taxes, it will be easier to stabilize the government and the opposition, and only then can the long-term inheritance of the country be ensured!"
After hearing this, Wang Baoren was even more shocked.
After previous contact with Zhou Shangjing, Zhou Shangjing had carefully told Wang Baoren about the terrible things about Zhu Hejian.
According to Zhou Shangjing, Zhu Hejian was extremely talented. When the former crown prince He Ming taught the crown prince Zhu Heyu the art of imperial thinking, he only listened to a very small part and was able to draw inferences from one instance and understand on his own, even if he had incomplete knowledge.
, and still cannot be underestimated.
But Wang Baoren still never expected that Zhu Hejian could actually deduce the principle of "land to the tiller" through the perspective of the emperor's mind and the operation of power.
In fact, everyone knows the truth of "land to the tiller", and Confucian scholars would shout this slogan from time to time. However, in the eyes of most people, it is just a truth and a slogan. People only follow morality.
Analyze the issues of compassion for farmers, preventing refugees from causing chaos, etc.
At this time, Zhu Hejian also stated the principle of "land to the tiller", but his analytical perspective was completely different. On the surface, the conclusions seemed to be the same, but the core of his thinking was completely opposite.
Zhu Hejian's idea was that by giving more farmland to ordinary people, the court could collect more grain taxes. After the court had more grain taxes, it could ensure the loyalty of the army, and after ensuring the full support of the army,
This can ensure that officials do not dare to defy the emperor, and then allow the emperor to have more power!
Therefore, Zhu Hejian wanted to hand over more farmland to ordinary people, not because he sympathized with farmers and cherished the people, but because he wanted to further centralize power for the emperor!
In some respects, this way of thinking is extremely dangerous and extreme.
What's more, Zhu Hejian also concealed a key point, which is what exactly he wanted to use these powers to do after he ascended the throne and centralized power.
After Wang Baoren pondered for a moment, he finally began to look at the prince in front of him who had just walked to the stage from the depths of his heart, and asked again: "In my opinion, there are a lot of biases in His Highness's remarks, but I don't think so."
I don’t want to argue with His Highness, I just want to know why His Highness suddenly made these remarks?”
The reason why Zhu Hejian said these remarks is very simple. In fact, he wanted to stand on a high moral position and make his subsequent statements more convincing.
It would be even better if Wang Baoren wrote Zhu Hejian's remarks in a secret and presented them to Emperor Deqing - Emperor Deqing must have deeply agreed with Zhu Hejian's remarks and would value them more.
Zhu Hejian was more tolerant of some of Zhu Hejian's practices and certain "mistakes" during his stay in Nanjing.
Of course, Zhu Hejian was still full of determination on the surface, and seemed to firmly believe that he was right. He said slowly: "The current situation in Nanjing is not only complex and treacherous, but also the enemy is strong and we are weak! Although the students are helped by teachers, they are also
The Nanjing garrison eunuch had the support, but compared to Zhou, Zhao and his party were still at a disadvantage!
With the teacher's sharp gaze, he naturally understands the final intentions of Zhou and Zhao! They just don't want the students to successfully take over the reserve position. Even if the students finally take over the reserve position, they will use this situation in Nanjing to discredit the students and discredit them.
The evaluation was damaged and questioned by all parties! In this way, they could weaken the imperial power and encourage the influence of ministerial power and the gentry!
The students’ real thoughts, which they have just told the teacher frankly, are to fundamentally solve the predicament of our dynasty and redistribute the farmland in the Ming Dynasty! In order to realize such an intention, students must not lose their reputation and prestige.
If not enough, he will become the crown prince! In the future, if you want to redistribute the farmland in the Ming Dynasty, you will need to suppress the vassal kings, gentry, and military towns in various places at the same time. Therefore, students must ensure that their reputation and prestige are not affected at all!
But under the layout and calculations of Zhou and Zhao, such a goal is extremely difficult to achieve, and the chance of winning is extremely low... Therefore, to do extraordinary things, extraordinary means must be used. For the stability and longevity of the country, students can only be
Be willing to take risks and do whatever it takes!”
At this point, Zhu Hejian looked at Wang Baoren with piercing eyes and asked: "Student understand, teacher, during tonight's banquet, you found that the students have hidden many things from you. Of course, you are dissatisfied. In fact, the students
I also feel guilty... But if you, teacher, are willing to agree with your students’ ambitions, then the students will also be willing to tell you all their plans, so that you, teacher, can share all risks with your students!”
After going in a big circle, Zhu Hejian finally came up with the idea and turned against the guest.
Wang Baoren also completely understood what Zhu Hejian meant.
In short, Zhu Hejian frankly admitted that he had done many unscrupulous things during this period, but he found a high-sounding excuse for his unscrupulous actions, allowing himself to stand on the moral high ground, as if he
Everything he does is for the country and the people.
At the same time, Zhu Hejian also hinted that all the hidden things he had done were of great importance and had serious consequences. If he told Wang Baoren everything, it would be equivalent to letting Wang Baoren bear the responsibility.
Under such circumstances, Wang Baoren only had three choices left, either to know the truth and not report it, to provide assistance, or to expose the truth.
These three options are all harmful to Wang Baoren and have no benefit at all, and there are countless hidden dangers in the future.
According to Zhu Hejian, it is necessary to "share risks."
Therefore, Wang Baoren's best choice was to stop asking about Zhu Hejian's secret plan and pretend that he was completely unaware of Zhu Hejian's private plans.
In this way, when Zhu Hejian's future plans succeed, he will still have the opportunity to reap the benefits. If Zhu Hejian's subsequent plans fail, he can also completely distance himself from the relationship.