Originally, according to Emperor Deqing's plan, Zhou Shangjing's crime could be confirmed after he had a thorough discussion with all the important ministers today.
Then, Emperor Deqing would return to the capital and hold a court meeting to announce Zhou Shangjing's crime and punishment decision to the officials. This not only overthrew Zhou Shangjing, but also strengthened the authority of the emperor. At this point, everything was settled.
However, Emperor Deqing never expected that just when the victory was about to be announced, Shen Changmao was bribed by Zhou Shangjing, and revealed the huge hidden secret of "Eight Kings Shipping Company", which suddenly changed the situation. It was reversed, but Emperor Deqing's plan had come to an end before it was implemented!
Therefore, after listening to Shen Changmao's statement, Emperor Deqing had no expression on his face and said nothing. No one knew what Emperor Deqing was thinking at this time, but the anger in his eyes was consistent with that. The murderous intent is as vicious as a wolf and as sharp as a knife, but anyone can see it.
Even Zhao Junchen's heart trembled subconsciously after seeing Emperor Deqing's eyes. He felt like he was seeing a volcano that was about to erupt. It was depressing and dangerous!
For the first time, Zhao Junchen saw Emperor Deqing really angry, and it was so terrifying!
When the emperor was angry, blood flowed everywhere. The emperor's intimidating power was indeed extraordinary.
However, Emperor Deqing's anger was justifiable.
For hundreds of years in the Ming Dynasty, the vassal kings had been strictly guarded against, and anyone who exceeded the rules would be severely punished.
In the Zongren Mansion Prison in Fengyang, the central capital, a large number of royal relatives were imprisoned every year, no less than a hundred of them. This shows the Ming Dynasty's strict precautionary attitude towards the royal relatives.
Now, eight feudal princes secretly united to form the "Eight Kings Shipping Company", violating court laws and using smuggling to make profits. This situation naturally made Emperor Deqing very dissatisfied.
Of course, if smuggling is just used to make profits, Emperor Deqing's feeling is just "dissatisfaction", and it is still within the bottom line. The most he can do is to secretly warn and punish him. For Emperor Deqing, as long as the princes do not interfere in government affairs , lived peacefully and peacefully, even if he occasionally did some illegal things but it was just innocuous, he was still a "virtuous king" in the eyes of Emperor Deqing.
However, the "Eight Kings Ship Company" was not just a trivial matter like smuggling. It also violated the three taboos of Emperor Deqing one after another!
First of all, in order to facilitate smuggling, the "Eight Kings Shipping Company" actually bought the Jiangyin military town and intervened in military affairs! This means that the princes behind the "Eight Kings Shipping Company" already had the capital to resist Emperor Deqing. It is difficult to say Will they have any covetous feelings due to this?
Secondly, the "Eight Kings Ship Company" was just for personal anger, and actually colluded with Japanese pirates to harm the people. Of course, the casualties of the people were not a big deal in the eyes of Emperor Deqing, but once this incident was exposed, it would have a profound impact on the prestige of the Ming Dynasty royal family. Damage is something Emperor Deqing absolutely does not want to see!
Finally, due to the emergence of the "Eight Kings Ship Company", Emperor Deqing's plan to overthrow Zhou Shangjing failed for the most part, and when he was about to succeed, Zhou Shangjing instantly overturned it. Emperor Deqing was defeated again. Zhou Shangjing was caught in a dilemma, which made Emperor Deqing feel great shame.
It is difficult to say which of these three taboos made Emperor Deqing more angry.
But what is certain is that Emperor Deqing was extremely angry because of these things!
However, Emperor Deqing was proficient in imperial thinking and was best at weighing pros and cons and controlling his emotions.
Therefore, although Emperor Deqing was extremely angry at this time, he still retained a certain calmness after all. He did not get carried away and did anything blindly. Instead, he carefully and rationally analyzed the pros and cons and the current situation, and looked for The direction to break through the dilemma.
…
As Zhou Shangjing, Shen Changmao, and Zhao Junchen waited carefully, Emperor Deqing finally spoke slowly after being silent for a long time.
Emperor Deqing ignored Shen Changmao, stared at Zhou Shangjing coldly, and asked: "Zhou Shangjing, are you the one who found out these things?"
Zhou Shangjing replied: "Your Majesty, these secrets were discovered by Zhou Suhai, the prefect of Suzhou. After the Japanese pirates left Suzhou, Zhou Suhai discovered the truth of the matter through clues and captured Qian Xianru, the boss of the Eight Kings Shipping Company. But because of the incident It was so important that Zhou Suhai did not dare to publicize it, but secretly informed the old minister. After the old minister learned the news, he was worried that the matter would endanger the reputation of the royal family, so he simply suppressed the whole matter... I didn't expect that your majesty knew everything and finally discovered it. .”
Emperor Deqing remained expressionless, but with a faint flash of sharp light in his eyes, he continued to ask: "Oh? Qian Xianru was caught? Where is he now?"
Zhou Shangjing also had an expressionless face and replied slowly: "Qian Xianru colluded with Japanese pirates and harmed the people. It is a heinous crime. It also involves the reputation of the royal family, so this person must not be retained! The old minister has made his own personal opinions and sent Qian Xianru to him. , as well as some insiders within the 'Eight Kings Shipping Company', were all executed, not only to conceal the information, but also to warn the feudal princes behind the 'Eight Kings Shipping Company' and make them restrain themselves."
At the same time, Zhao Junchen seemed to have thought of something and interjected: "Your Majesty, a few days ago you asked Zhou Shangjing to investigate the truth of the Japanese pirate rebellion. The explanation given by Zhou Shangjing at that time was that there were no Japanese pirates in Suzhou, but just some rogues pretending to be They became Japanese pirates who caused trouble to the people, and were suppressed and executed by the Suzhou government. Among the names of these people, Qian Xianru's name was among them."
On the other side, Zhou Shangjing also nodded and said: "The old minister did use this method to execute Qian Xianru and others, and put all the charges on their heads. After all, it was indeed Qian Xianru and others They triggered the Japanese pirate rebellion, and they deserve to be executed."
However, Emperor Deqing quickly grasped the crux of the matter and asked: "Oh? So, all the insiders, including Qian Xianru, were executed. In other words, Shen Changmao just There is no conclusive evidence for the secrets you told?"
After Zhou Shangjing was silent for a moment, he admitted: "Your Majesty, although these secrets are true, as of now, I really don't have any evidence to prove it!"
Unexpectedly, after Zhou Shangjing admitted, Emperor Deqing did not pursue him fiercely, but said: "In that case... Regarding the matter of 'Eight Kings Ship Company', I will send people to further investigate. Before I can investigate clearly, , Zhou Shangjing, please don’t move around at will. I will ask someone to prepare a room for you in the Humble Administrator’s Garden. You can stay in the Humble Administrator’s Garden for a while. During this period, you are not allowed to contact anyone! As for what you have in your hands All government affairs will be temporarily handed over to other ministers."
Emperor Deqing's decision actually took the initiative to take a step back. He only took away Zhou Shangjing's power and temporarily placed Zhou Shangjing under house arrest, but he did not decide Zhou Shangjing's crime and punishment!
This also means that Zhou Shangjing may come back at any time!
Regarding Emperor Deqing's decision, Zhou Shangjing seemed to have expected it and did not have any doubts. He simply accepted the order and thanked him.
Then, Emperor Deqing said: "Next, except for Zhao Junchen, you can all leave. As for the ministers who are waiting outside the study, let them leave for now. After the matter is found out, I will Summon them again."
After hearing Emperor Deqing's instructions, Zhou Shangjing and Shen Changmao had different expressions, but they both said nothing and quickly left the study.
For a time, only Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen were left in the study.
…
"What do you think about the Eight Kings Boat Company?"
After Zhou Shangjing and Shen Changmao left the room, Emperor Deqing asked Zhao Junchen.
Zhao Junchen did not hold back at all, and expressed his opinion simply: "Your Majesty, I think Mr. Shen Ge's behavior today is very abnormal, and I am afraid that he has been bribed by Zhou Shangjing! It is precisely because of his singing and singing with Zhou Shangjing. , Zhou Shangjing was able to escape the blame for the time being... However, there is no evidence for the various secrets about the "Eight Kings Ship Company" stated by Shen Changmao. It is just a family statement, which may not be true! Maybe it is just a lie by Zhou Shangjing to escape the blame. I just want your majesty to throw a tantrum at you."
Emperor Deqing nodded and asked: "So, in your opinion, what percentage of the secrets about the 'Eight Kings Ship Company' are true? How many percentages are they false?"
After Zhao Junchen pondered for a moment, he replied: "In Yichen's opinion, 50% of it may be false. After all, Zhou Shangjing can't provide any evidence, but 50% of it may be true. After all, Shen Changmao's various statements, It is consistent with the investigation of the West Factory."
After a pause, Zhao Junchen continued: "However, regardless of whether this matter is true or false, Zhou Shangjing's methods have always been clever and he will never fabricate scams that cannot withstand scrutiny and investigation. Therefore, the smuggling of 'Eight Kings Ship Company' There should be no fake activities. In order to smuggle smoothly, Jiangyin Military Town must have been bribed! In addition, it is normal for the smuggling shipyard to have some contact with the Japanese pirates. Therefore, the 'Eight Kings Shipyard' was used by Zhou Shangjing to cooperate with the Japanese pirates. The Japanese pirate rebellion is connected!
I believe that whether this matter is true or not, it can only be investigated and dealt with secretly! It must not be made public, otherwise it will cause a huge disturbance, the reputation of the royal family will be damaged, and it will not be conducive to the overall situation of the court... It’s just that , In this way, Your Majesty is equivalent to acquiescing to Zhou Shangjing's explanation, and I am afraid that you can only let Zhou Shangjing go for the time being."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's answer, Emperor Deqing fell silent again.