About half an hour later, the Southern Patrol Fleet finally sailed into Suzhou Pier.
Then, surrounded by hundreds of accompanying officials, Emperor Deqing slowly stepped off the dragon boat. On the other side, Zhao Junchen and Su Changjin led the Suzhou officials to bow and greet him.
All the procedures for welcoming the holy driver are the same, and there is nothing special about them, so I won’t mention them.
However, after the welcome ceremony, Emperor Deqing did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he publicly welcomed Zhou Suhai, the prefect of Suzhou, and talked with Zhou Suhai for a long time. He gave many words of encouragement and praised Zhou Suhai for his outstanding ability and family background.
He has a bright future and even affectionately calls Zhou Suhai "nephew"...
If someone who didn't know the inside story saw this scene, they would probably think that the Zhou family was deeply favored by the Holy Family and was highly respected and trusted by Emperor Deqing. However, they would never have thought that Emperor Deqing had planned to bring down Zhou Shangjing.
It has been a long time, and Zhou Suhai is the breakthrough point in Emperor Deqing's plan!;;+ is also an inevitable victim in Emperor Deqing's plan!
However, as of today, most of the officials present have understood the situation clearly, and most of them have guessed Emperor Deqing's intentions. Under such circumstances, Emperor Deqing is still so coy, which is a bit hypocritical.
Too much is not enough.
Of course, Zhao Junchen also understood Emperor Deqing's thoughts. For Emperor Deqing, defeating Zhou Shangjing, suppressing ministerial authority, strengthening imperial power, etc. were of course extremely important matters, but his reputation for future generations could not be ignored either, so
Emperor Deqing also did not want to be blamed and let the world find out that he was deliberately scheming against important officials in the court, especially Zhou Shangjing, a veteran of three dynasties. This would damage Emperor Deqing's reputation as an emperor.
As a result, Emperor Deqing still needs to maintain some superficial hypocrisy for the time being! After all, now is not the time to reveal the truth. Emperor Deqing can only discover the various truths in Suzhou "by chance"!
However, such hypocrisy is too hypocritical and inevitably loses its magnanimity. Although it may be able to hide it from the history books, officials will inevitably have some thoughts in their hearts when they see it. Even if Emperor Deqing finally defeats Zhou Shangjing, there will be gains and losses.
, and may not be able to take advantage of all the benefits.
In fact, Emperor Deqing was not a wise sage. He did not have the magnanimity of a sage, nor the diligence and good governance of a sage, but he always hoped that his posthumous reputation would be comparable to that of the ancient sages. From this aspect,
In other words, it is not an exaggeration to say that Emperor Deqing was "high-minded but low-handed". Emperor Deqing's tendency to celebrate great achievements, whitewash the peace, put on pretense, etc. all originated from this. This can be regarded as the biggest shortcoming of Emperor Deqing.
Over the years, Emperor Deqing tried to overthrow Zhou Shangjing many times, but Zhou Shangjing was always able to save the day. It was because Zhou Shangjing saw through Emperor Deqing's shortcomings and was very good at taking advantage of them.
As for the outcome of the battle between Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing this time, Zhao Junchen is waiting to see.
After the performance, Emperor Deqing finally drove to the palace in Suzhou without further delay.
On the other side, Zhao Junchen also quickly followed him in a car.
The next few days will be a critical moment in the battle between Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing. The situation in the court will also change dramatically at any time. Zhao Junchen came first to witness and learn. Secondly, he came to find opportunities to help Zhou Shangjing secretly.
It was also to fish in troubled waters, but he planned to closely follow the footsteps of Emperor Deqing and never stay away.
However, Zhao Junchen was about to get on the carriage when he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.
I turned around and saw that it was Chen You, Duke of Jing.
Although Chen You has no real power and is very low-key and taciturn, after all, he is a noble prince, the father-in-law of the seventh prince Zhu Heyu, and the father of Chen Zhirong, but Zhao Junchen will never underestimate him.
So, after hearing Chen You's call, Zhao Junchen quickly turned around and saluted to greet him, saying politely: "I have met the Duke of Jing. I wonder what the Duke has ordered me to do?"
Chen You quickly came to Zhao Junchen, supported him with both hands, and said: "Master Zhao, there is no need to be polite. I am just an idle nobleman. Of course, there is nothing important. It is just that when His Majesty is here and the officials are greeting him, my little daughter
Zhirong didn't show up, so I just asked me to tell Mr. Zhao a few words."
Although Chen You's words were very polite, his tone was very gentle without any ups and downs, which made people listen to it very strange. However, Chen You has always been like this, and Zhao Junchen had no dissatisfaction.
Just after hearing Chen Zhirong's name, Zhao Junchen's expression changed slightly.
Chen Zhirong is a smart and knowledgeable woman. Now is the time when the situation in the court is the most complicated and changeable. Zhao Junchen's thoughts are all focused on the battle between Emperor Deqing and Zhou Shangjing. There is no way to distract Chen Zhirong, so Chen Zhirong during this period
So, Zhao Junchen asked: "I wonder what happened to Miss Chen?"
Chen You shook his head slowly and said: "It's not a big deal, it's just that my daughter heard that Suzhou has beautiful scenery and prosperous humanities, and she wants to invite Mr. Zhao to come and play with her."
Zhao Junchen frowned slightly, feeling that his previous judgment was wrong. He was not in the mood to hang out with others now. It would be a bit inappropriate for Chen Zhirong to send an invitation at this time.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen planned to refuse.
However, before Zhao Junchen could speak, Chen You had already added: "My daughter recently met a woman named Li Jiamin. This woman is going to visit Tiger Hill with someone tomorrow. My daughter is also interested and wants to go."
When we went to Huqiu to play, I insisted on inviting Master Zhao... Hey, my little girl has always been spoiled by me. She didn't know the importance and made unreasonable requests. Master Zhao was busy with court affairs. If he didn't have time, just reject her directly.
Don't delay business because of her."
After hearing Chen You's explanation, Zhao Junchen was slightly stunned again, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.
This Chen Zhirong is actually smarter than Zhao Junchen imagined!
Li Jiamin is at the height of her popularity recently, so the person who will travel to Tiger Hill with her tomorrow will naturally be Emperor Deqing.
Zhao Junchen originally only asked Chen Zhirong to inquire about Li Jiamin's background, but he did not expect that Chen Zhirong could go one step further and actually found out the news and whereabouts of Emperor Deqing through Li Jiamin, and reported it to Zhao Junchen.
Without Chen Zhirong's notification, Zhao Junchen would not have been able to control Emperor Deqing's whereabouts in such detail.
So, after Zhao Junchen pondered for a while, he nodded and said: "Mr. Jing is overly worried. I don't have anything to do tomorrow. Accompanying Ms. Chen to visit Suzhou is also my honor. I can only ask for it."
As mentioned before, after arriving in Suzhou, Zhao Junchen will follow Emperor Deqing closely and never stay away!
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ps: I have been discharged from the hospital. I have been frightened, in danger, tired and anxious these past few days, but everything has passed and the danger has been saved. Thank you everyone for your understanding and concern. We will resume normal updates from today.