In front of everyone, Lu De appeared openly, directly interrupted Zhu Hejian's public speech, and even pulled Zhu Hejian to whisper in his ear. This was unseemly and sneaky, and it also damaged Zhu Hejian's image.
But Zhu Hejian couldn't blame Lu De at all.
Because, in just a few days, Lu De had completely won Zhu Hejian's trust.
Previously, during the debate between the Huangzhuang forces and the Jin gentry forces, the reason why they had mastered the real property data of the major Jin gentry families in the south of the Yangtze River, and thus took a great initiative during the debate, was because of the intelligence information provided by Lu De.
The Lu family from which Lu De was born was also a member of the Jiangnan Jingentry Group. He himself was the leader of Jiangnan students after Zhao Shancai. His grandfather, Mr. Lu Sirui Mingde, was the mentor of many key figures in the Jiangnan Jingentry Group.
With the help of these relationships, Lu De naturally knew the true situation of the other major gentry families.
It is also because of these relationships that the Jiangnan Jinshen Group is extremely tolerant and at ease with Lu De, even if Lu De openly seeks refuge with the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, providing various suggestions for the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, and assisting the Huangzhuang forces and Jiangnan Jinshen.
The Jiangnan gentry would basically not blame Lu De if the group was their enemy.
After all, Zhuge Liang devoted all his efforts to being loyal to Shu, but it did not affect his brother Zhuge Jin's loyalty to Sun Wu, nor did it affect his brother Zhuge Dan's loyalty to Cao Wei.
For the Jinshen clan, eggs should not be put in the same basket. The seventh prince Zhu Hejian is likely to be the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty. There should be a spokesperson for the Jiangnan Jinshen group among his confidants.
Therefore, most of the Jiangnan Jin Gentry Group turned a blind eye to the matter of Lu De joining the Seventh Prince. If Lu De had not taken the initiative to join the Seventh Prince, then the Jiangnan Jin Gentry Group would have tacitly arranged for another suitable candidate to join the Seventh Prince.
Under the door.
This is the political wisdom passed down by the nobles for thousands of years, and it is also the real reason why Zhou Shangjing is unwilling to completely trust them.
However, in the tacit understanding of the Jiangnan Jingentry, Lu De should have some reservations about his support for the Seventh Prince after he took refuge with the Seventh Prince - you can spare no effort to be loyal to the Seventh Prince, and you can even assist the Huangzhuang forces and the Jiangnan Jingentry Group.
It is understandable that you will fight against each other even if it causes certain losses to the existing interests of Jiangnan Jinshen Group, but the premise is that you should not cut off the foundation of Jiangnan Jinshen Group's interests!
The foundation of Jiangnan Jinshen Group’s interests is the property in their name!
Under such circumstances, Lu De unreservedly informed the seventh prince Zhu Hejian of the real estate status of the major Jin gentry families in the south of the Yangtze River. This was undoubtedly a serious act that crossed the line, and could be said to be a way to renounce the Jin gentry in the world.
As long as Zhu Hejian reveals Lu De's behavior afterwards, let alone Lu De himself, even the entire Lu family will be besieged on all sides and unable to gain a foothold. Soon, they will face the full revenge of the Jiangnan Jingentry Group.
If it declines rapidly, it is very possible to even annihilate its descendants.
After Zhu Hejian smiled and accepted Lu De's surrender, he was not only satisfied with Lu De's unreserved loyalty, but also believed that he had control of Lu De's life and death, and naturally regarded Lu De as a confidant.
Zhu Hejian is relatively tolerant of his confidants, especially those who are astute, intelligent and talented as Lu De, so Zhu Hejian will not blame Lu De for his rude behavior at this time.
What's more, Zhu Hejian knew very well that Lu De was a smart man who knew how to advance and retreat. If he hadn't received extremely critical information, Lu De would never have acted so abruptly in public.
Therefore, after seeing Lu De running quickly in front of him and trying to whisper to him, Zhu Hejian immediately stopped his public speech and listened carefully to Lu De's secret report.
After that, Zhu Hejian no longer bothered to blame Lu De for his impoliteness and abruptness.
Because the news Lu De reported next was far more serious than he expected!
*
"Your Highness, Seventh Prince, something bad has happened! There is a fire in Zhanyuan, and someone wants to burn to death those 'Chaofeng' dead soldiers who are imprisoned in the cellar of Zhanyuan!"
After hearing Lu De's report, Zhu Hejian's expression changed drastically. He couldn't help but swayed slightly and almost fell down in front of everyone!
There are two major events happening simultaneously in Nanjing today.
The first major event was naturally the public debate in the Confucius Temple, the public confrontation between the Jin gentry forces and the Huangzhuang forces.
As for the second major event, it happened in Zhanyuan. After the "Chaofeng" dead soldiers were captured alive by the cheap people, these captured "Chaofeng" dead soldiers have been imprisoned in the Zhanyuan cellar.
While this public debate was being held in the Confucius Temple, a tripartite joint interrogation was also taking place in Zhanyuan. The three parties, University scholar Huo Zhengyuan, Nanjing garrison eunuch Xi Cheng, and Nanjing garrison Xu Shengying, were jointly interrogating those who
The dead soldier "Chaofeng" was captured alive.
This matter is also of great importance to Zhu Hejian. Once the captured "Chaofeng" is allowed to confess their true relationship with Zhu Hejian, Zhu Hejian will inevitably die without a burial place.
Therefore, Zhu Hejian also left a back-up in Zhanyuan, that is, his accompanying eunuch Jia Lun, who was proficient in Ming Dynasty laws and regulations, and asked Jia Lun to observe the tripartite joint trial on his behalf.
Jia Lun's proficiency in the laws of the Ming Dynasty is rare even among officials in the Six Gates. Coupled with the full assistance of Nanjing's eunuch Xi Cheng, he can easily delay the progress of this tripartite joint trial and allow Zhu Hejian to calm down.
After finishing the public debate at Confucius Temple, he rushed to Zhanyuan to intervene in the tripartite joint trial.
At the beginning, Zhu Hejian's plan was considered smooth. Although Huo Zhengyuan brought a young hero Jiang Zheng who was also proficient in Ming Dynasty laws, Jia Lun's familiarity with Ming Dynasty laws was not much weaker than Jiang Zheng.
Neither of them could suppress the other, but instead realized Zhu Hejian's delaying plan more smoothly.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! But now, someone suddenly wants to set fire to the captured "Chaofeng" dead soldiers who were imprisoned in the Zhanyuan cellar. This is undoubtedly a complete disruption.
Zhu Hejian's wishful thinking.
So, Zhu Hejian quickly asked: "Who set fire to Zhanyuan? What is the current situation in Zhanyuan?"
Zhu Hejian naturally wanted to kill those captured "Chaofeng" dead soldiers and made a detailed plan at one time. However, the cunning and cunning Zhou Shangjing took the lead in promoting the situation and imprisoned all the captured "Chaofeng" dead soldiers.
In Zhanyuan, where Zhu Hejian lives.
In this way, in order to avoid suspicion, Zhu Hejian did not dare to silence the captured "Chaofeng" and destroy the evidence under his nose, because Zhu Hejian was very aware of Emperor Deqing's methods, and more than a hundred forbidden troops who followed him to Nanjing City
Among them, Emperor Deqing's spy was definitely embedded. If Zhu Hejian's killing was detected by Emperor Deqing's eyes and ears, Zhu Hejian would definitely not end well afterwards.
Therefore, Zhu Hejian knew very well that the fire in the Zhanyuan cellar had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Zhu Hejian's first target of suspicion was naturally Zhou Shangjing.
At the same time, Zhu Hejian was more concerned about the current situation in Zhanyuan.
Lu De shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The current intelligence is still unable to determine which force set the fire, but during the joint trial of the three parties, someone wanted to set fire to kill the captured 'Shao Feng' dead soldiers. This kind of thing naturally caused a huge stir.
The backlash also caused great chaos!
First of all, Nanjing garrison Xu Shengying was furious and immediately ordered the blockade of Zhanyuan and sent people everywhere to search for those who set the fire! However, the guarding eunuch Xi Cheng was unwilling to allow Xu Shengying to fully control Zhanyuan and had summoned the Jinyi Guards to confront the Nanjing defenders.
Yes! There is also a great scholar, Huo Zhengyuan, who has summoned many people to take advantage of the chaos to recapture the ruthless bandit Hu Xiao, who is under your control, and also occupies a corner of Zhanyuan!
And just when the three parties were in a stalemate, Li Yong, a member of the imperial army who escorted you to Nanjing to worship your ancestors, without any warning, produced a copy of His Majesty's secret decree, claiming that His Majesty had given him the power to make emergency decisions, and asked for a suspension.
It is a matter of joint trial between the three parties, and the captured dead soldiers of 'Chaofeng' must be immediately escorted back to the capital by their imperial army, and handed over to His Majesty for personal trial of the case!"
After a pause, Lu De looked thoughtful, his expression became more solemn, and he said coldly: "However, the fire in the Zhanyuan cellar that caused all this chaos did not burn or burn any of the prisoners.
'Shao Feng' Dead Soldier, the fire was not that big from beginning to end. Obviously the people behind the scenes did not intend to burn these witnesses in the first place. Instead, they wanted to use the fire to cause chaos and attract His Majesty to place a position next to you.
His eyes and ears also guided the situation and sent these witnesses to the capital center as soon as possible for His Majesty's personal trial...
From this point of view, Zhou Shangjing is the most suspected instigator behind this matter, but Huo Zhengyuan is also possible, because he wants to take advantage of the chaos to take back Hu Xiao, who fell into your hands before! After all, the situation that Hu Xiao knows is very important to Zhao
It is extremely fatal to the Party, so it is only natural that he chooses to take desperate risks and seize chestnuts from the fire!"
After listening to Lu De's report and analysis, Zhu Hejian was naturally very anxious. He wished he could immediately fly to Zhanyuan to control the situation.
Those captured "Chaofeng" dead soldiers determine the fate of Zhu Hejian's life and death. If these witnesses are left in Nanjing for interrogation, there is still room for remedy. But if these captured "Chaofeng" dead soldiers are used by Emperor Deqing's confidants
The imperial army was immediately escorted to the center of the capital and handed over to Emperor Deqing for personal review. This matter would be completely beyond Zhu Hejian's control.
Therefore, Zhu Hejian must immediately interrupt his debate with Song Jicheng!
Thinking of this, Zhu Hejian turned to look at Song Jicheng again and said loudly: "Song Gong, I just received the news that there was a sudden fire in Zhanyuan, causing a series of chaos, so the debate between you and me ends here.
Let's stop there! Things have priorities, and I must rush back to Zhanyuan immediately to take charge of the overall situation. As for whether the Nanjing Sixth Department should be restarted, or should it be discussed later? "
As he spoke, Zhu Hejian's attitude softened as never before.
But Song Jicheng was unwilling to give in, and his attitude became more and more tough: "Your Highness, the Seventh Prince, are there any casualties in the fire in Zhanyuan? Is there anyone in charge of the overall situation in Zhanyuan?"
Upon hearing Song Jicheng's inquiry, Zhu Hejian couldn't help but his expression froze. After a moment of silence, he replied: "There were no casualties. There are also people in Zhanyuan who are in charge of the overall situation."
The changes in the situation in Zhanyuan are related to Emperor Deqing's secret envoy, and this series of things is very likely to be part of Zhou Shangjing's serial plan. Therefore, Zhu Hejian did not dare to lie in public at this time, otherwise his lies would be extremely dangerous.
It may be exposed by Song Jicheng on the spot, and it will be more difficult to end it then.
After hearing this, Song Jicheng immediately smiled and said: "What Your Highness just said makes sense, and things have priorities. Since the fire in Zhanyuan did not cause any casualties, and there are people sitting in Zhanyuan to take charge of the overall situation, so this kind of thing is not urgent, and Confucius
The matter at the temple is attracting much attention, and the students think it should not be settled hastily..."
Before Song Jicheng finished speaking, another sudden change occurred in the Confucius Temple.
A person who seemed to be an official from the Nanjing Prefecture hurried into the venue and shouted: "Everyone, something bad has happened! There is a civil uprising in Nanjing City..."
As soon as he said this, the whole room was shocked!
Civil uprisings have been a major and urgent event since ancient times!
What's more, this civil uprising also took place in Nanjing, the golden land of the Six Dynasties, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and a city with a population of one million.
Zhu Hejian was startled again and asked loudly: "Civil uprising? What happened? How many people participated in the civil uprising?"
The person who reported the news hurriedly explained: "The common people were dissatisfied with the lack of daily necessities, and the merchants were hoarding goods to drive up prices, so some people began to gather in crowds to attack the major grain stores and pharmacies in Nanjing, and seize grain and medicinal materials. At present,
Not many people are involved in this matter, but this kind of thing can easily attract more people to follow suit. When more and more people rush to rob the grain store, the situation will get completely out of control!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After hearing the detailed news, even those as smart and calm as Zhu Hejian will panic for a moment.
But on the other hand, Song Jicheng reacted quickly, as if he had guessed that this would happen, and immediately loudly suggested: "Your Highness, as the student said before, the people's mentality in Nanjing has changed, and the major yamen are restricting each other.
, a decisive decision must be made at this time! Even if the Nanjing Six Ministries cannot be restarted as soon as possible to assist the major yamen in Nanjing to maintain public sentiment, we should cut the knot quickly and come up with a way to completely quell the public dissatisfaction, otherwise it will be too late when the situation worsens!"
Obviously, Song Jicheng gave Zhu Hejian two choices at this time.
Or, you need to restart the Six Ministries of Nanjing, which puts the central government's plan to take over power at risk of failure. Moreover, restarting the Six Ministries of Nanjing is extremely complicated and will definitely consume a lot of time and energy, so don't even think about dealing with the matters in Zhanyuan.
.
Or, you have to cut the knot quickly and issue an order immediately to punish those profiteers who hoard and drive up prices. Otherwise, you will not be able to stabilize the people!
Of course, most of these profiteers are franchise merchants of "United Shipping Company", so "United Shipping Company" will definitely suffer heavy losses under your order.
At the same time, because Zhu Hejian needs to return to Zhanyuan as soon as possible to control the situation and cannot personally intervene in the punishment of profiteers, the specific details of punishing profiteers can only be left to others, and Zhu Hejian will nominally be the one who issues the order.
, but the advantage of "United Shipping" is that it is impossible to touch, and there is no chance to leave a little leeway during the actual operation. There is no chance to ease the relationship with Zhao Junchen afterwards, and he can only become Zhao Junchen's mortal enemy!
In fact, Zhu Hejian had no choice at this time.
Just like the initial prediction, Zhu Hejian's death struggle was just humiliating himself.
"Send me an order to immediately seal down all types of shops in Nanjing that are driving up prices..."
Finally, Zhu Hejian gritted his teeth with a cold face and announced loudly.