It doesn't matter whether you actually do something or not, the key is to convince others that you are doing something.
Regardless of whether it is ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, in officialdom or workplace, at the upper or lower levels, this rule is applicable.
For people at the lower level, this approach is mostly just to take advantage of the situation and be lazy.
But for people in the upper echelons, this practice is generally to maintain prestige.
Zhao Junchen is now the cabinet minister and is no longer responsible for the specific execution of any affairs. Instead, he takes strategic planning and policy formulation as his main responsibilities.
Under such circumstances, the extent of Zhao Junchen's power no longer depends on his own official position, but entirely depends on how many officials below him are willing to cooperate and support him.
If there are not enough officials to cooperate with him, then even if Zhao Junchen formulates a perfect policy, the policy will still not be implemented smoothly, or at least there will be many obstacles - the agricultural reform policy currently being implemented by Zhao Junchen is an obvious example.
If he has enough officials to cooperate with him, even if Zhao Junchen bypasses the cabinet and the court, the policies he formulates can still be promoted smoothly - before Zhao Junchen joined the cabinet to assist the government, he used the "United Shipping Company" to unify the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the
Taxation along the Yangtze River waterway is also an obvious example.
In this case, prestige is crucial.
What is prestige?
In this respect, there is no difference between court officials and underworld leaders.
In short, in addition to distributing benefits to his subordinates, he also protects his younger brother and takes revenge on his enemies!
But people have limited resources, some of their younger brothers have caused too much trouble, and some of their enemies are simply too difficult to defeat.
Under such circumstances, people at the top will also pretend, deceive, and find various excuses to maintain their prestige.
——It’s not that I don’t have the ability to protect my disciple, but that the disciple was disobedient, so I gave up on him voluntarily;
——I have tried my best to protect my disciple and seek the best result for him. Otherwise, he would not just confiscate his family but kill all the nine clans;
——It’s not that I haven’t retaliated against my political opponents. I have sternly warned them, and they have also apologized to me in private;
——A does not intend to be our enemy. The real enemy is B. Being an enemy of A will only allow B’s conspiracy to succeed;
Wait, wait, etc., to name a few.
All in all, for people at the top, false victory is also a kind of victory, false prosperity is also a kind of prosperity, and the focus is never on the true or false.
Nowadays, Zhao Junchen seems to have the same idea. He only needs to convince the outside world and his disciples that he has the ability to retaliate against his political opponents, and he does not care whether the political opponents he is taking revenge on are true or false.
*
Wang Baoren was once the leader of a temple force, so he certainly understood Zhao Junchen's approach.
But understanding does not mean accepting. He also hopes that Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing will fight and he will benefit.
Therefore, Wang Baoren immediately put forward a different opinion and said: "Of course what Zhao Gechen said has some truth. Since His Highness the Seventh Prince issued the order to punish profiteers, it is only reasonable and reasonable that Zhao Gechen should be the first to seek revenge on the Seventh Prince! But... this approach falls short.
In the eyes of those smart people who know the inside story, they may only think that Zhao Gechen bullies the weak and fears the strong, and fears Zhou's chief minister like a tiger. In this way, Zhao Gechen's prestige in the government and the public will still be damaged!"
Zhao Junchen shook his head and laughed, and said: "In this world, there are only a few people who are qualified to know the inside story, and the smart people who are qualified to understand the inside story are even more of the minority. They cannot affect the overall situation! I am not afraid of Zhou Shoufu, but
It’s just that I don’t want to be an enemy of Zhou Shoufu and the Seventh Prince at the same time! After the Seventh Prince stumbles in my hands, I will naturally go to Zhou Shoufu to seek justice...but the time is not now."
After seeing that Zhao Junchen was unwilling to become an enemy of Zhou Shangjing even after suffering such a big loss, Wang Baoren could not help but feel contempt, but he still tried his best to persuade: "In recent times, I and the Seventh Prince have been getting along well.
I can speak to the seventh prince. If I find a way to persuade His Highness the seventh prince to take the initiative to admit his mistake to Zhao Gechen and try to make up for the losses of Zhao Gechen and the "United Shipping Company", then can Zhao Gechen directly approach Zhou Shangjing for discussion?
Justice returned?"
Upon hearing Wang Baoren's proposal, Zhao Junchen was slightly startled at first, and then looked at Wang Baoren with a meaningful look.
After a while, Zhao Junchen shook his head and sighed: "Actually... I was always wondering just now. I didn't understand why Zhou Shoufu had to ask Grand Master Wang to greet me on his behalf. This approach clearly gave the two of us an opportunity to connect in private! But
Now...I can roughly guess what Zhou Shouxuo is thinking."
Wang Baoren was also stunned after hearing this.
But after all, he was also a smart man with rich experience in officialdom, and he understood what Zhao Junchen meant after a moment.
"What Zhao Gechen means...Zhou Shangjing deliberately created opportunities to encourage you and me to cooperate, so that he can take advantage of our cooperative relationship to drive a wedge between me and the seventh prince?"
After talking about it, Wang Baoren's expression gradually became gloomy.
Zhou Shangjing's behavior clearly showed contempt for him. He did not regard him as a chess player on the opposite side of the chessboard, but as a chess piece on the chessboard.
Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "That's right! You are the Crown Prince and Grand Master, and you have His Majesty's promise to join the cabinet. You only need to wait until the Nanjing matter is settled and you can promote the cabinet minister after returning to the capital! In addition, you are
Senior, you have far more seniority than me, and you have your own aspirations and ambitions, so even if you and I form an alliance to cooperate, this cooperation is destined to be temporary and will never last long. Sooner or later we will part ways!
But your relationship with His Highness the Seventh Prince is completely different. The Seventh Prince has openly worshiped you as his disciple, and His Majesty also intends to let you assist the Crown Prince. Therefore, it is very likely that your interests will be bound to those of the Seventh Prince in the future.
!Under such circumstances, even Zhou Shoufu will feel deeply troubled.
Therefore, Zhou Shoufu secretly facilitated the temporary cooperation between you and me! At the same time, Zhou Shangjing also predicted that I would definitely cause trouble for the seventh prince. When the time comes, you, Grand Master Wang, will be caught in the middle.
The relationship between the princes will also gradually grow apart!"
After a pause, Zhao Junchen continued to point out: "Master Wang, with your wisdom and vision, you should have roughly figured out the true character of His Highness the Seventh Prince! If I hadn't guessed Zhou Shoufu's real plan just now, let me
You persuaded the Seventh Prince to surrender to me and admit his mistake. Even if His Highness the Seventh Prince is a good-hearted person and reluctantly agrees to your persuasion, he will definitely hold a secret hatred in his heart, believing that you have cheated on him and made himself lose face, and he will never truly trust you again.
!Under such circumstances, all it takes is a little provocation from Chief Zhou, and the rift between you and the Seventh Prince will become wider and wider, and it will no longer be possible to truly form an alliance in the future!"
After hearing this, Wang Baoren's expression was gloomy and uncertain.
After a long time, Wang Baoren shook his head and sighed: "I am the one who got into the game and got confused! Over the years, I have been repeatedly frustrated in front of Zhou Shangjing. This matter has become my inner demon, and I always ignore the overall situation in order to defeat Zhou Shangjing! Zhou Shangjing
He is good at controlling people's hearts, but he even took advantage of this! If Zhao Gechen hadn't reminded me, I might have been used by Zhou Shangjing again without knowing it!"
After Zhao Junchen nodded, he kindly advised: "His Majesty promised you that as long as you can help the court complete the plan to take over the six ministries in Nanjing, he will fully support you in joining the cabinet to assist the government! Now I have brought you
Regarding the decree to abolish the six ministries in Nanjing, you only need to wait patiently for everything to settle. After you join the cabinet to assist the government, there will be many opportunities to compete with Zhou Shangjing! Therefore, the muddy waters of Nanjing have nothing to do with Taishi Wang.
Yes, you can completely withdraw from the incident and watch the fire from the other side."
At this point, it was Zhao Junchen's turn to stare closely at Wang Baoren and his expression changed.
Zhao Junchen's various previous statements seemed to be for Wang Baoren's sake wholeheartedly, but in fact, he was trying to seize the initiative in the subsequent cooperation between the two parties, and by the way, he was testing how determined Wang Baoren and Zhou Shangjing were to be enemies.
Today's Nanjing city is home to many important figures from both the government and the public - Zhao Junchen, Zhou Shangjing, Wang Baoren, Zhu Hejian, Song Chengren, etc.
Among these big shots, Wang Baoren is undoubtedly the easiest to deal with.
To say that Wang Baoren is easy to deal with does not mean that Wang Baoren has the worst mind and means, but that Wang Baoren has the weakest power.
In terms of mental means, Wang Baoren was at least not weaker than Song Chengren, but if the influence of both sides' forces were added, Wang Baoren was obviously inferior to Song Chengren.
Song Chengren was the leader of the Jiangnan Jingentry Group, and the power and wealth that Wang Baoren had managed to accumulate had been destroyed along with the Nanjing Six Ministries.
Most of the time, the importance of power and connections must be far greater than mental means.
For example, was it because Zhou Shangjing was able to control Zhao Junchen's travel speed at will a few days ago because of his clever calculation? It was just because the "Zhou Party" controlled the post transportation system in most areas of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, if there is still a choice, Zhao Junchen must choose a more powerful figure as his ally.
But unfortunately, Zhao Junchen had no choice.
Zhou Shangjing wants to embezzle "United Shipping Company", and the conflict with Zhao Junchen can no longer be resolved. The next step must be a head-on confrontation. Song Chengren is Zhou Shangjing's best confidant and will never betray him. As for the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, he is not a trustworthy collaborator.
Target……
After much selection, only Wang Baoren had the chance to cooperate.
But since he can only temporarily cooperate with Wang Baoren, Zhao Junchen must strive for the initiative to the greatest extent. Next, he must drive Wang Baoren instead of letting Wang Baoren take advantage of him.
His reminder, his kindness, and his honesty are all for this goal.
On the other side, Wang Baoren's expression became more and more uncertain. After a long time, he finally looked up at Zhao Junchen and said slowly: "I just praised Zhou Shangjing for being good at controlling people's hearts, but now it seems... Zhao Junchen's related methods are not bad at all.
!
Zhao Gechen persuaded me to leave the power struggle in Nanjing City. On the surface, it was for my sake, but in fact, it was to guide me to think about a question, that is... I chose this opportunity to confront Zhou Shangjing. Is it worth it?
But as long as I haven't lost my mind, I will definitely come to the conclusion quickly, that is - as long as I am still unwilling to surrender to Zhou Shangjing, I must now confront Zhou Shangjing, never give in, and must destroy Zhou Shangjing's embezzlement of United Shipping Company
'Plot!
Otherwise, once Zhou Shangjing is allowed to control the financial resources of the 'United Shipping Company', his power foundation will be more stable than ever before, and the power bottleneck of the 'Zhou Party' will be broken through, and its influence will inevitably expand rapidly again! By that time,
, not to mention that I will never have any chance to defeat him, even your majesty can no longer suppress him!
Therefore, not only can I not get out of the muddy waters of Nanjing City, but I must use any means to make Zhou Shangjing an enemy at any cost! At the same time, because the seventh prince has proven that he is far from Zhou Shangjing's opponent, I must
If you want to defeat Zhou Shangjing, you can only hope that Zhao Gechen will take full action! In this way, when I and Zhao Gechen cooperate in the future, naturally Zhao Gechen must take the lead. During the stay in Nanjing, I can only rely on Zhao Gechen to follow the lead, right?
?”
Speaking of the latter part, Wang Baoren suddenly laughed: "I almost fell into Zhao Gechen's trap! But now, after seeing through Zhao Gechen's plan, I also guessed Zhao Gechen's true thoughts! Obviously, Zhao Gechen does not intend to avoid it next.
Instead of opening up Zhou Shangjing's edge, you have already made up your mind to confront Zhou Shangjing head-on! If not, you wouldn't have exhausted your efforts to control me as much as possible, right?"
Seeing that Wang Baoren guessed his plan so quickly, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, and had to admit that he had underestimated Wang Baoren before.
This old guy can be regarded as a powerful rival by Zhou Shangjing, and his advantage is not only that he becomes more courageous with every setback.
But before Zhao Junchen could speak out his defense, Wang Baoren waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter! I don't blame Zhao Gechen for his calculations! Now that I have made it clear, I won't hide it. When I met Zhao Gechen just now, I
I also wanted to plot against Zhao Gechen and induce Zhao Gechen to fight with Zhou Shangjing, so that I could benefit from it! In officialdom, it is common to plot against each other, and there is no need for Zhao Gechen to be embarrassed! On the contrary, I would also like to thank Zhao Gechen for his calculation, so that I can benefit from it!
I have figured out many things and have strengthened my determination to become Zhou Shangjing’s enemy!”
After a pause, Wang Baoren stared closely at Zhao Junchen's eyes and said slowly: "So, as long as Zhao Gechen is willing to temporarily cooperate with me and jointly deal with Zhou Shangjing while in Nanjing, then I am also willing to use Zhao Gechen as the main force during the cooperation.
! As long as Zhao Gechen has nothing to hide from me, and as long as his goal is to destroy Zhou Shangjing’s plan, then I won’t hesitate to stand in front and charge for Zhao Gechen!”
Wang Baoren's sudden candid statement caught Zhao Junchen off guard again.
There is a saying in later generations - honesty is the greatest nirvana!
The real meaning of this sentence is that people always have no choice but to respond positively when faced with a candid attitude.
Now, faced with Wang Baoren's candid attitude, Zhao Junchen must respond head-on.
After the same silence for a long time, Zhao Junchen nodded with a wry smile: "Okay! While in Nanjing, the junior will definitely cooperate closely with Grand Master Wang to deal with Zhou Shangjing! As long as there are plans related to Zhou Shangjing, the junior will definitely have no reservations about Grand Master Wang!"
Wang Baoren smiled again: "It's a deal!"
“It’s a deal!”
*
Subsequently, Zhao Junchen and Wang Baoren mutually agreed on some general details of the cooperation period.
During the mutual discussion, Zhao Junchen took the opportunity to talk about Liu Huaiyuan's defection to his sect, but Wang Baoren did not care as expected.
Then, Zhao Junchen asked Wang Baoren to leave the cabin temporarily on the grounds that he needed to change his official robe before entering Nanjing City.
Wang Baoren naturally would not refuse and immediately stood up and left.
However, after Wang Baoren left the room, he did not go far. Instead, he stopped outside the door and listened to Zhao Junchen's movements in the room.
Not long after, Wang Baoren heard the shattering sound of porcelain hitting the ground.
Obviously, after Wang Baoren left the room, Zhao Junchen could no longer control his emotions and smashed the cup in his hand.
Obviously, after Zhao Junchen discovered that Zhou Shangjing wanted to occupy the "United Shipping Company", his true emotions were not as calm as they appeared on the surface.
After hearing the sound of the porcelain breaking, Wang Baoren looked satisfied, nodded slightly and finally left.
In the cabin room, just as Wang Baoren had guessed, Zhao Junchen could no longer control his emotions after seeing that there was no one around him. He couldn't help but smashed the tea cup in his hand, and his expression was even more sinister and scary.
.
However, the reason why Zhao Junchen was so angry was completely different from Wang Baoren's suspicion.
His anger and his gaffe were definitely not just because Zhou Shangjing wanted to embezzle "United Shipping Lines".