The messenger from the palace came to invite Zhao Junchen to the palace for an audience.
Obviously, because of the southern tour, Emperor Deqing and the Manchu officials were angry. These days, they are probably waiting for the news of Zhao Junchen's return to Beijing - Zhao Junchen always responds to his requests and manages finances well.
With his superb skills, he was now Emperor Deqing's only hope to break the deadlock.
Therefore, only half an hour after Zhao Junchen returned home, Emperor Deqing had already received the news and was eager to see Zhao Junchen.
Understanding the urgency in Emperor Deqing's heart, Zhao Junchen did not dare to delay. He took the fastest carriage in the palace and followed the palace envoy to the Forbidden City.
If we say who is the most important to Zhao Junchen after coming to this era, then there is no doubt that it is Emperor Deqing. It can be foreseen that Zhao Junchen will be unable to do without the support of Emperor Deqing for a long time in the future.
with help.
However, on the way to meet Emperor Deqing, what Zhao Junchen was thinking about was not how he should respond after meeting Emperor Deqing, but about Fang Ru.
To be precise, it is how to deal with the relationship with Fang Ru in the future.
Previously, Xu Qingyan had described to Zhao Junchen how shrewd, extreme, and unscrupulous Fang Ru was. Zhao Junchen thought it was just an exaggeration, but after having real contact with Fang Ru, Zhao Junchen found that Xu Qingyan's description was not at all true.
exaggerate.
As a mere concubine of the Zhao Mansion, Fang Ru actually took it upon herself to replace Zhao Junchen in handling the affairs of the Household Department and the Internal Treasury after Zhao Junchen left the capital.
The two high-ranking officials of the imperial court, Zhou Shangjing, the chief minister, suffered secret losses one after another. This shocking performance speaks for itself.
In particular, the restless ambition flashing in Fang Ru's eyes when talking about what she had done in the past two months made Zhao Junchen secretly vigilant.
It is a good thing to have people around you who are capable, and it is not a bad thing to have ambitions. Zhao Junchen asked himself that he still has this ambition, but the premise is that the people around him cannot pose a threat to himself.
However, now Zhao Junchen has been frozen by Li Daitao, and he doesn't know Fang Ru very well. Fang Ru can't even be considered his pillow, so it is difficult to trust him.
With Fang Ru's restlessness and ambition, coupled with the hidden dangers of the Baihua Building in the past, Zhao Junchen was not sure whether it was good or bad to continue to keep Fang Ru by his side and do things for him.
If Fang Ru continues to stay by his side to help him, let alone Fang Ru's temperament and experience, it will be a time bomb for Zhao Junchen, which will not make people feel at ease. He just leaves all kinds of important affairs of the government and the public to his concubines.
The treatment is not in line with Zhao Junchen’s inherent concepts.
However, if he alienates Fang Ru from now on, it will be a waste of Fang Ru's abilities. Zhao Junchen is now lacking such a helper. What's more, at least so far, everything Fang Ru has done is for the sake of Zhao Junchen, and also for Zhao Junchen.
Zhao Junchen has done a lot of things. If he rashly distances himself, downplays it, or even deliberately suppresses hatred, it will inevitably chill the hearts of those who know about it.
Zhao Junchen couldn't help but recall the conversation Fang Ru had with him before he left the house.
………
At that time, Zhao Junchen was about to enter the palace with the palace envoy, but Fang Ru secretly pulled Zhao Junchen aside and asked softly: "Sir, among the many crises you just mentioned, which one can't be solved at all?"
Is it the current Crown Prince Zhu Heyu’s hostility towards you, Master?”
Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "That's right. However, the prince is not the emperor after all. It's just a possibility. There may not be a solution. The days ahead are still long, so don't worry too much."
Fang Ru smiled, with a bright expression and an intriguing light in her eyes, and said: "What the master said is exactly the key point. The prince Zhu Heyu has repeatedly put you in trouble, and I have also paid attention to inquire about him.
However, they found that after Zhu Heyu was appointed as the crown prince, His Majesty was very kind to him at the beginning and cultivated him deliberately. However, in recent years, he has become more and more indifferent and even suppressed him repeatedly.
, Sir, have you ever thought about the reason for such a change?"
Hearing what Fang Ru said, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but be stunned. He had never noticed such a change.
It stands to reason that although Zhu Heyu was hostile to Zhao Junchen, he was definitely a good prince. He was even regarded by many as the leader of the Ming Dynasty's resurgence. In recent years, he has become famous all over the world...
Suddenly, Zhao Junchen thought of Emperor Deqing's overjoyed and self-centered character, and a glimmer of enlightenment emerged in his heart.
"You mean..." Zhao Junchen looked incredulous: "Your Majesty, are you jealous of Zhu Heyu?"
It seems incomprehensible that the father is jealous of his son and the emperor is jealous of the prince, but when he thinks of Emperor Deqing's temperament, Zhao Junchen feels it is normal.
Emperor Deqing prided himself on being a wise emperor and a holy lord. He thought highly of himself and was very happy with his achievements. However, after Zhu Heyu became the crown prince, in just a few years, his praise and reputation far exceeded that of Emperor Deqing.
, many Qingliu even couldn't wait for Zhu Heyu to succeed to the throne. How could Emperor Deqing be happy about all this? Even if he was not jealous, he probably felt threatened in his heart. After all, the struggle for the throne was ruthless in history.
Wuyi, after his son gradually became more powerful, he forced me to abdicate and proclaim himself emperor. It has not happened before.
What's more, the world's most praised Zhu Heyu today is that "he will be the master of the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty in the future." The Ming Dynasty had already been rejuvenated once when Emperor Chongzhen was in power, and now after Emperor Deqing succeeded to the throne,
, actually needs to be revived again, doesn’t that mean that Emperor Deqing has been wasting his fortune over the years? Doesn’t that mean that Emperor Deqing is stupid and incompetent?
With all these factors, no matter how wise and capable Zhu Heyu was, how could he like Emperor Deqing with his temperament?
On the other side, hearing Zhao Junchen's guess, Fang Ru chuckled and said: "What the master thinks is also my guess, but for the specifics, I need you to go to His Majesty to find out for yourself."
………
Fang Ru's shrewdness was undoubtedly evident in this conversation. Although Zhao Junchen was good at planning, he was far inferior to Fang Ru in terms of understanding people's hearts.
Ever since time travel, Prince Zhu Heyu's hostility has been a huge weight on Zhao Junchen's heart, but Fang Ru's speculation made Zhao Junchen think of the key to dealing with Zhu Heyu. If the guess comes true
, then it is not impossible to pull Zhu Heyu from the throne of the prince.
Thinking again that everything Fang Ru had done before was all for his own sake and that he had never been sorry to himself, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart. After all, he still couldn't make up his mind to deal with Fang Ru.
"It's better to keep her by your side and observe her for a while. After all, although she is a hidden danger, she can also help me a lot."
With this in mind, Zhao Junchen raised his voice toward the outside of the carriage: "Qingyan, come here, I have something to tell you."
After a while, Xu Qingyan jumped on the carriage and asked Zhao Junchen: "Master, what do you want?"
After Zhao Junchen pondered for a moment, he ordered: "I know that you have been secretly monitoring Fang Ru before, but you just didn't dare to tell me openly. From today on, you can increase the intensity of monitoring. If there is any abnormality, you should also report it to me."
Report it to me in time, but do it in a concealed manner so that Fang Ru doesn't notice anything unusual."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Xu Qingyan knew that Zhao Junchen was finally worried about Fang Ru. A trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes and said softly: "Master, since you are worried about Fang Ru, why continue to monitor her? Keep her, after all, she is a
There are hidden dangers, it’s better to just…”
Speaking of this, Xu Qingyan actually made a gesture of wiping his neck.
Zhao Junchen frowned slightly, sighed, and said: "Hidden dangers are only hidden dangers after all. It is Cao Cao's method to kill a thousand people by mistake. This Fang Ru has never done anything wrong to me, but has helped me a lot. If I just
If you deal with her because of suspicion, then who can trust me in the future? Just in case, just keep a little surveillance."
At this moment, the carriage stopped, and the voice of the palace messenger sounded outside the carriage.
"Master Zhao, we have arrived at the palace, please get off the car and walk."
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PS: There will be one more update before midnight!