Shen Changmao is the chief assistant of the cabinet, and Huang Yourong is the elder of the cabinet. Although Shen Changmao's position as chief assistant is somewhat unrealistic, and Huang Yourong's imminent downfall is already well known, on the surface, their status is still higher. Much taller than Zhao Junchen.
Therefore, when Shen and Huang came to the Zhao Mansion, Zhao Junchen entertained them very grandly. After welcoming them into the living room of the Zhao Mansion, Zhao Junchen even enthroned Shen and Huang as the chiefs, and himself He consciously sat at the front of the guest seat, showing due respect.
It can be seen that both Shen and Huang were satisfied with Zhao Junchen's respectful attitude, but also slightly surprised - they came to visit Zhao Junchen this time, originally they just wanted to make a gesture to counter "Shen Chang" "It's just a rumor that Zhao Junchen sent people to assassinate Zhao Junchen". We don't expect Zhao Junchen to actively cooperate with them, let alone Zhao Junchen to put on a good face for them. After all, Zhao Junchen has become more and more "rampant" in recent times, and he has never been He didn't take them both seriously.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen's performance exceeded their expectations, so at the beginning, the atmosphere between the three was quite harmonious.
"When I heard that Mr. Zhao was assassinated, I was very concerned. I didn't care to continue handling the court affairs in Wenyuan Pavilion, so I hurried over to visit you. Now that I see Mr. Zhao that you are safe and sound, I know that it was a false alarm. I will just I feel at ease."
In the living room of the Zhao Mansion, Shen Changmao sat at the head of the table. The expression of concern on his old face seemed a little stiff due to the occasion.
On the side, Huang Yourong knew very well the reason why Shen Changmao brought him to the Zhao Mansion, so he quickly spoke to help: "Yes, Shen Shoufu has always been the most protective of young talents, and has always been the most appreciative of Mr. Zhao. He has also It has been said many times that Mr. Zhao will have a place in the cabinet sooner or later. After learning about Mr. Zhao's assassination today, Chief Shen was furious and ordered the relevant yamen to arrest the culprit and solve the case as soon as possible. All of this is Shen's fault. Mr. Zhao, you must keep your concern for Mr. Zhao in your heart."
Obviously, Huang Yourong's acting skills are much better than Shen Changmao's. Although he is a little reluctant in his heart, he still has a serious expression and a sincere tone, and has a kind of appeal that makes people believe it.
Although Zhao Junchen's acting skills were slightly inferior to Huang Yourong's, he was still far better than Shen Changmao. After hearing the two singing and harmonizing, he immediately put on an expression of great emotion and said: "Shen Chief Fu, sir. I am deeply grateful to you for your care and concern, and I will never forget it!”
After saying that, Zhao Junchen stood up and bowed deeply to Shen Changmao.
After some exchanges, the two parties seemed to have a close relationship.
Although, all three people present knew that all this was just an illusion and an act.
However, seeing that things were progressing smoothly, Zhao Junchen was quite cooperative, and Shen Changmao's expression softened again, and he said: "Master Zhao, you have received the emperor's favor as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue at a young age. Over the years, you have also promoted the household affairs. The ministry is running well and has a bright future. Sooner or later, I will become a pillar of the country. As the chief minister of the cabinet, it is my duty to protect the underachievers of the imperial court."
On the side, Huang Yourong helped again: "Yes, Shen Shoufu's public spirit can be said to be a lesson to the world! Mr. Zhao, although you and Shen Shoufu have different political views, they are both for the overall interests of the imperial court. They just have different ideas. That’s all, so Shen Shoufu not only doesn’t feel dissatisfied, but actually appreciates Mr. Zhao even more..."
At this point, Huang Yourong suddenly shook his head and sighed, and changed the topic and said: "It's a pity that there are always many villains in the government and the public. They have ulterior motives. They are not like Shen Shoufu and Mr. Zhao who only serve the public good. He took advantage of the assassination of Mr. Zhao to stir up trouble, sow discord, and spread rumors everywhere in an attempt to provoke a conflict between Mr. Shen and Mr. Zhao. He just reaped the benefits by himself. It was really a vicious idea! However, with Mr. Zhao's behavior, If you are smart and discerning, you will never believe those rumors that are full of loopholes!"
After saying that, Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong both looked at Zhao Junchen, waiting for Zhao Junchen's reply, with a hint of nervousness on their expressions.
What Huang Yourong hinted at was naturally the rumor circulating in the market about "Shen Changmao sent someone to assassinate Zhao Junchen", but he wanted to take the opportunity to find out Zhao Junchen's attitude.
After all, Zhao Junchen is the party involved and the victim. If he can stand up and clearly state that he does not believe the rumor, then the rumor will naturally be self-defeating. On the contrary, if Zhao Junchen mistakenly believes the rumor and gets into trouble because of it. If you don't let go of Shen Changmao, the suspicion on Shen Changmao will become even more difficult to clear.
In fact, as mentioned above, Shen Changmao came to visit Zhao Junchen this time just to show concern for Zhao Junchen's safety and to counter the rumors. They didn't expect much at first, but when they saw Zhao Junchen After Junchen was very cooperative, he started to look forward to Shu. He wanted to get Zhao Junchen's clear statement again. In this way, the effect would be much stronger than simple gestures.
However, under the gazes of Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong, Zhao Junchen remained silent.
After a long time, Zhao Junchen looked up at Shen and Huang and said, "The rumor mentioned by Mr. Huang Ge refers to the rumor that Shen Shoufu sent someone to assassinate Xiaguan? Xiaguan has also heard someone mention it."
Upon hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, both Shen and Huang frowned.
In official circles, the choice of words is very particular, and there are rules for what words and sentences should be used in any situation. Officials are also very cautious in this regard, for fear of causing misunderstandings.
For example, now, regarding the rumor that "Shen Changmao sent someone to assassinate Zhao Junchen", Huang Yourong calls it a "rumor", which means that it is completely untrustworthy and is a rumor spread by someone with ulterior motives to stir up trouble. Zhao Junchen calls it a "rumor". It is called "rumor", and the hidden meaning is that Zhao Junchen does not deny the possibility of this rumor.
Therefore, after hearing Zhao Junchen's words, both Shen and Huang became wary, and the originally harmonious atmosphere between the three suddenly became cold.
Shen Changmao, in particular, had a cold look in his eyes, feeling that Zhao Junchen wanted to take the opportunity to criticize him, and secretly considered a countermeasure in his heart.
Under the vigilant gazes of Shen and Huang, Zhao Junchen sighed softly and once again recounted the evidence he had fabricated: "To be fair to Chief Shen and Mr. Huang Ge, in fact, when the official was assassinated, The murderer who assassinated the lower official once said, 'If you want to please the emperor, you can't block everyone's way of making money'..."
At this point, Zhao Junchen suddenly became silent.
On the other side, when they heard Zhao Junchen's words, Shen and Huang's expressions changed even more.
They are all smart people, and they all inferred many conclusions from this sentence.
Could it be that someone really assassinated Zhao Junchen because of the commercial tax rectification? In that case, if this matter spreads out, before the real murderer is arrested, wouldn't Shen Changmao, as the leader of the court officials who oppose the commercial tax rectification, be even more suspicious? Already?
Although Shen and Huang did not believe the testimony provided by Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen was the only party involved and the victim. Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong could not accuse Zhao Junchen of making up nonsense.
Therefore, Huang Yourong was surprised and asked quickly: "Did Mr. Zhao reveal this matter to others?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head first, then nodded, and said: "This matter is quite sensitive, so I did not disclose it to the various yamen, for fear of causing chaos in the temple, but when His Majesty asked, I did not dare to deceive you. , I told His Majesty in detail once, other than that, no one else should know."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's answer, Shen Changmao's expression became more gloomy.
As long as Emperor Deqing knows about this, given Emperor Deqing's character, there will definitely be a violent reaction, and he will definitely be in big trouble. So what difference does it make if other people know or not?
After a long time, Shen Changmao said slowly: "Although I have different political views with Mr. Zhao, and our relationship is not harmonious, as the chief minister of the cabinet, I have been in office for more than thirty years, and I have my own bottom line in doing things. , it’s not a life-and-death conflict now, so the assassination of Mr. Zhao has absolutely nothing to do with me... That’s all I said, if Mr. Zhao doesn’t believe it, I can’t force it!”
After saying that, Shen Changmao returned to his usual cold and stern expression.
I am afraid that if Zhao Junchen reveals any suspicion of Shen Changmao, Shen Changmao will immediately get up and leave, and the two parties will have to meet Zhenzhang again.
If other officials encountered such a situation, they would probably continue to test a few words, and even try to recruit Zhao Junchen to speak for themselves. But Shen Changmao is different. His character has always been decisive and his work style has always been fierce. Although he He will try his best to avoid trouble, but he is not afraid of trouble. If he is forced too much, he will often create more trouble.
Because of this, few people dare to provoke Shen Changmao. Even Zhao Junchen would never provoke Shen Changmao easily if he had not encountered the current special situation.
At this time, Shen Changmao saw that Zhao Junchen did not trust him at all and had a vague intention of pouring dirty water on himself, but he lost his temper again and had no intention of continuing to test.
Seeing Shen Changmao like this, Zhao Junchen sighed secretly in his heart, but took the initiative to take a step back and said: "Actually, I also believe that you, Shen Changmao, will never do such a thing. You are The chief minister of the cabinet has always been of noble character, how could he do such a despicable thing? As Mr. Huang Ge said, those rumors in the market must be caused by villains who want to sow discord, and lower officials will never You will believe it. For the sake of Mr. Shen Ge’s reputation, I will be willing to express my position personally at tomorrow’s morning meeting.”
Seeing Zhao Junchen take a step back, Shen Changmao was stunned for a moment, then frowned, waiting for Zhao Junchen to continue.
Based on Shen Changmao's understanding of Zhao Junchen, he knows that Zhao Junchen has always been a person who refuses to let go of rabbits. If there are no certain benefits, he will never help Shen Changmao get out of this trouble, so Zhao Junchen will definitely do it again in the future. Put forward trading conditions!
In fact, Shen Changmao guessed it right.
Zhao Junchen knew very well that without concrete evidence, it would be difficult for him to use this incident to cause a real blow to Shen Changmao. At most, he would only create some trouble for Shen Changmao, but sooner or later, Shen Changmao would always be able to solve it. Get rid of these troubles.
Moreover, Zhao Junchen's goal from the beginning was just to attack those ministers of the DPRK and China who opposed the rectification of commercial tax, so that his commercial tax plan could be implemented smoothly, and not to target Shen Changmao alone. As long as this goal can be achieved, then So what if I help Shen Changmao once along the way? You can also take the opportunity to blackmail Shen Changmao for some benefits!
So, Zhao Junchen smiled again and said: "Just now, Mr. Huang Ge said that Shen Shoufu is a man who loves talents. I deeply agree. I heard that Zhang Jizhi, the prefect of Linqing, has always been very capable and has a good reputation. He can take on the responsibilities In Da Ren, Shandong Chief Minister Li Lide had already strongly recommended him to the imperial court. He wanted to recommend this person to serve as the magistrate of Yanzhou to help the imperial court control the situation in the shipping town of Taierzhuang. The lower official also thought it was very suitable. However, Li Lide's recommendation memorial was sent to the cabinet. , there is no more follow-up, but it makes me feel strange. With Shen Chief Fu’s love for talents, he should have supported this matter and would not have suppressed it. Could it be that some link went wrong? "
Obviously, this was Zhao Junchen's condition, that if Shen Changmao did not object to Zhang Jizhi, Zhao Junchen's disciple, being the prefect of Yanzhou, Zhao Junchen would help Shen Changmao get rid of suspicion.
After hearing Zhao Junchen's conditions, Shen Changmao hesitated slightly.
After all, Taierzhuang is the throat of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Today, its prosperity is no less than that of Suzhou and Hangzhou. It is not only the key to the success or failure of commercial and tax rectification, but it is also a lucrative position. The most important thing is that Shen Chang Maocai suppressed Li Lide's memorial recommending Zhang Jizhi because he wanted to send his own people to control this position, not only to amass money, but also to prepare for future business and tax matters.
Now, is it worth giving up the fight for this important position just to get rid of the suspicion on oneself?
What's more, the suspicion is only temporary. As long as the various yamen can catch the murderer who assassinated Zhao Junchen and find out the real mastermind behind it, then the suspicion on himself will naturally be cleared. Why bother to give it to Zhao just for the sake of a temporary hurry? Junchen’s great benefit?
Therefore, Shen Changmao felt that Zhao Junchen's asking price was too high, and after hesitating for a moment, he planned to reject Zhao Junchen's proposal and conditions.
However, at this moment, something happened suddenly and Shen Changmao immediately changed his mind!
In fact, just when Zhao Junchen returned home, the West Factory had obtained the information about Zhao Junchen in advance and took the lead among the major yamen. After a half-day search, they finally discovered the assassination of Zhao Junchen. The whereabouts of the murderer Zhang Wei!
Thus, a roundup containing conspiracy began quietly!
…
ps: I am speechless! Accidents in life always happen one after another. I can no longer guarantee anything in the future. I can only speak with actions! I am so sorry!