Upon hearing Xu Qingyan's report, Zhao Junchen suddenly raised his head and looked at Xu Qingyan, and frowned slightly.
Seeing Zhao Junchen like this, Xu Qingyan couldn't help but be surprised and asked: "Master, what's wrong?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head and said, "It's nothing. Go and invite Miss Chen in."
While speaking, Zhao Junchen's expression was calm, but in his heart he was secretly lamenting Xu Qingyan's domineering temper. He didn't pay attention to anyone except Zhao Junchen, and his relationship with Fang Ru was full of conflicts. However, Xu Qingyan was mentioning...
When talking to Chen Zhirong, she called her "Ms. Chen" and her tone was very polite.
Obviously, Chen Zhirong's plan to win people's hearts around Zhao Junchen has been very successful during this period of time, and even people like Xu Qingyan cannot hate her.
However, Zhao Junchen did not trust Chen Zhirong and wanted to remind Xu Qingyan to be wary. However, Chen Zhirong was outside the door at this time and it was not the right time, so Zhao Junchen did not say much and just asked Xu Qingyan to invite Chen Zhirong in.
*
Soon, Xu Qingyan led Chen Zhirong to the room, and then went out without disturbing the conversation between the two.
As a result, only Zhao Junchen and Chen Zhirong were left in the room.
Zhao Junchen stood up to greet him, raised his hand and said, "Miss Chen, please sit down. What's the matter with you coming to see me so late?"
In fact, Zhao Junchen can probably guess Chen Zhirong's purpose of coming. When he was in Xuzhou before, Zhao Junchen had hinted Chen Zhirong to test Zhang Jiamin's background and purpose, and Chen Zhirong now wants to prove his worth in front of Zhao Junchen. This
She must have been working hard for a few days. This time she suddenly asked to see Zhao Junchen. It was probably because of Li Jiamin's matter.
However, this was just a tacit understanding between the two of them. It was very vague and not convenient to explain clearly. So Zhao Junchen still asked.
Hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Chen Zhirong smiled sweetly and asked: "Is it possible that Zhirong can't come to Mr. Zhao if she has nothing to do? Zhirong likes chatting with Mr. Zhao very much... Or should I say that Mr. Zhao is at this moment?
There is official business to be done, has Zhirong disturbed Mr. Zhao?"
While talking, Chen Zhirong sat on the chair closest to Zhao Junchen, then turned his eyes and glanced at the pen and ink and secret letter in Zhao Junchen's hand. He seemed a little curious about what Zhao Junchen was doing.
Zhao Junchen smiled softly and said: "How could it be? I was very happy when chatting with Miss Chen. If Miss Chen wants to talk to me in the future, I will be waiting for you at any time."
However, although Zhao Junchen's words were very polite, at the same time, Zhao Junchen unobtrusively stuffed the secret letter at hand into a pile of memorials, obviously not intending to let Chen Zhirong know what he was going to do next.
Real plan.
In this regard, Chen Zhirong could not help but feel a little disappointed.
Because of his innate character and nurture, Chen Zhirong is always full of interest in things like fighting for power and conspiracy. These dangerous and strange things that ordinary people avoid will make Chen Zhirong feel extremely excited and excited.
indulge.
As for Zhao Junchen, this kind of thing seems to happen at any time. In Zhao Junchen's mind, it seems like he is planning something all the time. So Chen Zhirong really wants to participate, but Zhao Junchen still lacks trust in her.
However, Chen Zhirong also knew that if she wanted to win Zhao Junchen's trust, she still needed to take her time. Zhao Junchen had inevitably developed a habit of being suspicious during his career, so there was no need to rush into this kind of thing.
Now, Chen Zhirong's top priority is to handle the things assigned to her by Zhao Junchen.
Therefore, Chen Zhirong stopped being polite and said directly: "As long as Mr. Zhao doesn't mind Zhirong disturbing him... Speaking of which, Zhirong has admired Sister Li Jiamin's perseverance and filial piety very much since she met her in Xuzhou.
When Mr. Zhao was away, Zhi Rong was bored, so she took the time to visit Sister Li a few times and chatted a lot with her. Now our relationship is very close."
Zhao Junchen raised his eyebrows and said slowly: "Oh? I also admire that girl Li Jiamin very much. Unfortunately, she is soft on the outside and strong on the inside. Except for Your Majesty, she is a little cold to others and is not easy to communicate with. Although she
I am responsible for her food, clothing, housing, and transportation, but I can’t even exchange a few words with her. I didn’t expect Miss Li to be able to chat with you... Well, I wonder what you have been talking about these days?"
Chen Zhirong smiled and said: "What else can we talk about? Just tell each other some of our own things."
Then, as if chatting, Chen Zhirong recounted the exchanges between her and Li Jiamin in the past few days to Zhao Junchen in detail, and Zhao Junchen also listened carefully.
Chen Zhirong's explanation seemed casual and extremely casual, but in fact it was well organized and logical, and she focused on describing to Zhao Junchen some details that should be valued in her eyes.
For example, Li Jiamin's father Li Xin has been wronged and tortured in prison. It stands to reason that Li Jiamin should be mentally disturbed, but in fact Li Jiamin dresses up carefully every day. Although the pink and white are not obvious, she is still
Just right.
For another example, all the Li family's property has been confiscated, and most of the clan members have been placed under house arrest. It stands to reason that although Li Jiamin escaped, she should have little money in her hands. However, according to Chen Zhirong's inquiring, Li Jiamin did not have any money along the way.
There was no shortage of money, and this was Li Jiamin's first time going out alone, but she didn't encounter any trouble along the way. It seemed like someone was secretly helping her.
For another example, Li Jiamin looks weak, but is actually very independent and scheming. Although Li Jiamin tried his best to hide this, Chen Zhirong still discovered many clues from some details. In fact, in the past few days, Chen Zhirong has been
While testing Li Jiamin, Li Jiamin was also constantly testing Chen Zhirong. Chen Zhirong once accidentally exposed Zhao Junchen. In order to deal with Li Jiamin's temptation, even a savvy Chen Zhirong has spent a lot of thought these days.
.
*
In this way, Chen Zhirong kept telling Zhao Junchen about the "sisterhood" between her and Li Jiamin, but she did not add her own opinions. She just described everything in detail, and then Zhao Junchen did it himself.
make a judgment.
When Chen Zhirong finished speaking, Zhao Junchen pondered for a moment and suddenly asked: "Have you told her about your relationship with the Seventh Prince?"
Zhao Junchen has always suspected that Li Jiamin's appearance may be driven and planned by the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, but Zhao Junchen is not sure about this. In fact, Zhao Junchen asked Chen Zhirong to test Li Jiamin this time just to take advantage of Chen Zhirong and the seventh prince.
The relationship between Zhu Hejian and find out whether there is the shadow of the seventh prince Zhu Hejian behind Li Jiamin.
After hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Chen Zhirong nodded first, then shook his head and said: "Of course I have said it before, but Sister Li's expression did not change. According to my guess, His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince has always kept a low profile. Maybe Sister Li is not at all.
Maybe I don’t know the existence of His Highness the Seventh Prince.”
After a pause, Chen Zhirong added: "Of course, if Sister Li can finally follow His Majesty into the inner palace and become His Majesty's favorite concubine, then she will naturally know the existence of His Highness the Seventh Prince."
Saying that, Chen Zhirong and Zhao Junchen looked at each other, and their eyes were full of meaning.
Obviously, Chen Zhirong also believes that Li Jiamin's appearance may be due to the seventh prince Zhu Hejian, but Zhu Hejian has always been cautious in doing things. Even if Li Jiamin is used, I am afraid it will only be hidden behind the scenes and Li Jiamin will not be aware of his existence. Of course, if Li Jiamin finally
She became the favorite concubine of Emperor Deqing. Her use value increased greatly, so Zhu Hejian would naturally reveal his existence to Li Jiamin.
Understanding Chen Zhirong's hint, Zhao Junchen nodded lightly. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly smiled and said: "It seems that Li Jiamin's scheming methods are more powerful than I imagined. He actually makes you feel difficult.
...But she is different from you. She knows how to use a woman's weakness to hide her own edge, making it even harder for people to guard against her."
Chen Zhirong smiled slightly and said: "Master Zhao, are you saying that Zhirong is a bit too sharp and doesn't know how to restrain himself?"
Zhao Junchen glanced at Chen Zhirong and smiled: "This is your understanding, not what I said."
Chen Zhirong shook his head and said seriously: "In front of Mr. Zhao, Zhirong will certainly show off his sharpness and never hide his scheming, methods, and ambitions, but Zhirong will only be like this in front of Mr. Zhao, because Mr. Zhao, you
Smart, wise, and discerning, even if Zhi Rong hides her for a while, she cannot hide her life. Master Zhao will eventually discover the truth. At that time, Master Zhao will probably never trust Zhirong again, but Zhirong hopes to get Zhao.
Lord Zhao’s trust, so for the sake of long-term considerations, why should Zhirong pretend to be restrained in front of Lord Zhao?”
After a pause, Chen Zhirong's expression flashed with disdain and said: "In Zhirong's eyes, Sister Li is indeed very smart, but she is also a little too indulged in cleverness. Although her current disguise is very good, but
Your Majesty is by no means a fool, sooner or later he will discover her roots, and when that happens, not only will she not be able to save her father, but she will bring in all the Li family members."
Obviously, in Chen Zhirong's eyes, Li Jiamin's intelligence is just a "little cleverness" and is not worthy of comparison with himself.
Regarding Chen Zhirong's theories and hints, Zhao Junchen was noncommittal and just said: "Since you and Miss Li are talking about speculation, you might as well find an opportunity to mention her. After all, you two have a good relationship."
In fact, Zhao Junchen also agreed with Chen Zhirong's views on Li Jiamin. He also believed that Li Jiamin's disguise might not be able to hide it from Emperor Deqing for too long.
But for Zhao Junchen, Li Jiamin's existence still has many uses, so Zhao Junchen doesn't want Li Jiamin to "reveal" too early.
Chen Zhirong also understood Zhao Junchen's idea, so he simply agreed.
However, after agreeing, Chen Zhirong changed the topic and suddenly said something that seemed completely unrelated.
"In Yi Zhirong's opinion, this kind of conscious disguise is not difficult to break through, because there are always some clues to be found, which cannot be hidden from smart people. But the disguises that are really difficult to break through are those that have even been deceived by themselves.
, People's hearts are unpredictable. Sometimes one's true feelings are hidden so deeply that even oneself cannot discover them. There is hatred in one's heart, but one mistakenly regards one's resentment as love, and instead works wholeheartedly for the person one hates. There is no sense at all.
There are no clues, so this kind of disguise is the most perfect and cannot be noticed at all... However, because of this, if one day this person discovers her true intentions, the threat she poses will be far beyond the comparison of others.
...Master Zhao, do you think this is true?"
After saying that, without waiting for Zhao Junchen to answer, Chen Zhirong stood up and left.
Zhao Junchen did not get up to see him off, but sat quietly behind the desk with a deep expression on his face.
Obviously, Chen Zhirong's last words were not directed at Li Jiamin, but... Fang Ru!