That evening, news spread like wildfire that the newly appointed chief minister of the cabinet, Shen Changmao, and the new cabinet minister, Zuo Lanshan, had met and had a secret discussion, attracting secret attention from both the government and the opposition.
When the time comes at night, in the living room of Zhou Mansion.
On the main seat, Zhou Shangjing, the elder of the pavilion, was holding a tea cup and slowly sipping the fragrant tea. He still looked leisurely and contented, as if he didn't care about the changes in the capital.
In the guest seats on both sides of the lower head, the core officials of the "Zhou Party" were sitting quietly on both sides, waiting for Zhou Shangjing's instructions. However, whether it was the new cabinet boss Li He or the official minister Song Qiwen, their expressions were vaguely anxious.
After drinking most of the cup of fragrant tea, Zhou Shangjing slowly put the teacup in his hand. When he looked up, he seemed to have finally noticed the change in the mood of everyone in the "Zhou Party".
Zhou Shangjing shook his head gently, a trace of helplessness flashed through his seemingly dim eyes, and he slowly said: "You came to the house to find me in a hurry, but because of the secret meeting between Shen Changmao and Zuo Lanshan?"
Seeing Zhou Shangjing finally talking about business, Song Qiwen quickly stood up and said: "Mr. Ge, this is exactly what happened! As far as the students know, Shen Changmao left a message to Zuo Lanshan after he went to court. The two of them were in Guanyun Pavilion this evening. They met in secret. According to the news from the informants, the two had a very happy conversation and seemed to have reached some kind of deal... According to the students, this matter should not be taken lightly. Regarding the dynamics of the two parties "Zhao" and "Shen" , you also need to be on guard.”
Zhou Shangjing nodded lightly, and then asked: "So in your opinion, what kind of deal was reached in this meeting between Shen Changmao and Zuo Lanshan?"
This time, it was Li He who stood up and replied: "According to the students, His Majesty took advantage of Shen Changmao's mistake this time to insert the imperialist general Liang Fuchen into the cabinet, which caused an uproar among the officials. In addition, Shen Changmao has been His position as chief minister of the cabinet has become unstable due to his previous lapses in advance and retreat, and his repeated miscalculations. His meeting with Zuo Lanshan this time is nothing more than an attempt to win the support of the new cabinet minister and stabilize his position as prime minister. At the same time, after Zuo Lanshan entered the cabinet, the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry also became vacant. Zhao Junchen had always regarded the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Industry as forbidden favors, so it was impossible to hand over the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry, but If you want to let your own people take over the manual work department, you also need the full support of foreign aid..."
Having said this, Li He looked solemn and said slowly: "So, the meeting between Zuo Lanshan and Shen Changmao was probably about each getting what they needed and colluding with each other. Zuo Lanshan and the 'Zhao Party' helped Shen Changmao stabilize his life." He holds the position of chief minister, while Shen Changmao helps 'Zhao Dang' retain his position as minister of the Ministry of Industry!"
After hearing Li He's explanation, Zhou Shangjing nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's commendable that you can think of this. It shows that your vision is pretty good, but why are you so anxious?"
Seeing that Zhou Shangjing still looked unconcerned, Song Qiwen couldn't help but said anxiously: "Mr. Ge, of all the people in the government, you are the only one qualified to be the chief minister of the cabinet! What's the point of Shen Changmao's harsh appearance and short-sightedness? Are you qualified to hold such a high position? Seeing that his reputation has been completely lost, he is about to collapse. If he gets the support of the "Zhao Party", I am afraid that his already shaky position will be stabilized again! I don't know how long it will take to occupy the high position. I How can I be convinced? Naturally, I am a little anxious!"
On the other side, Li He also said: "In addition, the Ministry of Industry is a recognized oil and water yamen, how can it always be controlled by the 'Zhao Party'? Now that the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry is vacant, it is a great opportunity for us! If we If we can win this position, and because Ye Shanghong, the right minister of the Ministry of Works, is originally one of ours, we might be able to take over the Ministry of Works! Now that the 'Zhao Party' wants to continue to control the Ministry of Works, how can we let it go? Did they succeed? In this situation, we must take action and we cannot let them do anything! Please give me the signal, Mr. Chief Assistant!"
As Li He finished speaking, Song Qiwen and a group of "Zhou Party" officials stood up one after another, bowed to Zhou Shangjing and asked for orders, saying: "Please give me your signal, Mr. Chief Assistant!"
Seeing that everyone in the "Zhou Party" looked like they wanted to fight, Zhou Shangjing slowly shook his head and said: "You guys are still too impatient! This time, we are still waiting to see what happens, and don't worry about Zhao Junchen , let’s just watch the show to see what Shen Changmao and the others do.”
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's answer, Song Qiwen raised his head and said in surprise: "Should we just wait and see what happens? Are we just going to let Zhao and Shen succeed?"
Song Qiwen's rhetorical question seemed unintentional, but Zhou Shangjing was still keenly aware of the dissatisfaction implicit in Song Qiwen's tone.
Indeed, in recent years, under the control of Zhou Shangjing, the "Zhou Party" has played the role of a bystander most of the time. It rarely takes the initiative to participate in temple battles, and rarely actively expands its power and strives for interests. Such It is okay to decide once in a while, but if it happens repeatedly, the officials of the "Zhou Party" will feel that they have lost the benefits, and they will naturally feel dissatisfied.
Especially this time, the "Zhou Party" and the "Zhao Party" have just had a conflict over the cabinet seats. The Ministry of Industry is a well-oiled yamen. Whether it is public or private, the "Zhou Party" should try its best to fight for talents. Yes! And the position of chief minister of the cabinet is less than one person and more than ten thousand people. Naturally, everyone in the "Zhou Party" is eager to take it back.
Although Zhou Shangjing is the absolute leader of the "Zhou Party", he is also the spokesman for the interests of the officials of the "Zhou Party". It is Zhou Shangjing's natural obligation to fight for the interests of his party members. If Zhou Shangjing cannot fulfill such an obligation for a long time, then " The "Zhou Party" will independently look for a new leader. Even Zhou Shangjing will be abandoned by them without hesitation!
Driven by interests, everyone can't help themselves, even Zhou Shangjing is no exception!
Nowadays, Song Qiwen's dissatisfaction is just a sign. I am afraid that even he himself has not noticed it, but Zhou Shangjing is keenly aware of it.
This trend must be stopped!
Therefore, after Zhou Shangjing sighed, he finally told his true thoughts to everyone in the "Zhou Party": "You guys are just too impatient. You only see the small profits in front of you, but you ignore our long-term development... Shen Chang Mao, as you just said, is fierce and short-sighted, and now his reputation has been completely ruined. How can a person like this secure his position as the chief minister of the cabinet? Even with the help of the "Zhao Party", it is not enough If you linger for a while, you will fall down sooner or later, and the position of chief minister of the cabinet will return to my hands sooner or later. In this case, why should you be impatient?"
After a pause, a sneer flashed across Zhou Shangjing's old face, and he continued: "What's more, your Majesty has just dismissed me from the position of chief minister, and it has not been half a month. If I am impatient to sink him, Chang Mao stepped down and regained the position of chief minister, so where is His Majesty's face? Now that our relationship with His Majesty has finally eased slightly, why should we be the leader?...The most important thing is that the next temple, The situation is still turbulent and unpredictable. The chief minister of the cabinet may seem like a beautiful person, but it is also a crater. It is not that easy to sit in. It is better to wait until the situation in the temple is stabilized before taking it back!"
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's analysis, everyone in the "Zhou Party" was silent and thinking secretly.
In the end, they had to admit that Zhou Shangjing's consideration was more reasonable!
Seeing that the attitudes of the "Zhou Party" people had softened, Zhou Shangjing picked up the tea cup again, took a sip of tea, and continued: "As for the Ministry of Industry, although it is a well-oiled yamen, it is not the final goal we strive for. Even if we fight for the best opportunity, we may not be able to defeat the 'Zhao Party', so why bother to go to war?... In fact, in the near future, it will be the best time for us to fight for the Ministry of Industry!"
Seeing Zhou Shangjing say this, everyone in the "Zhou Party" was puzzled.
Then, Li He asked on behalf of everyone: "I wonder what Mr. Ge means by this? We are a little confused."
Zhou Shangjing smiled softly and asked: "What do you think Zhao Junchen looks like in His Majesty's eyes?"
"Short-sighted traitor!"
"The jester who pretends to be a fox but a tiger is too powerful!"
"An ignorant and corrupt official!"
"Zhou Dang" everyone replied one after another.
Zhou Shangjing nodded and said: "Yes, in His Majesty's heart, he actually looks down upon Zhao Junchen. It is precisely because of this wrong contempt that he allowed Zhao Junchen to make trouble and continue to expand his power, and Zhao Junchen also It is only with the support of His Majesty that we have been able to develop to this stage! Unfortunately, Zhao Junchen, like you, is too impatient. He just blindly expands his power and forgets about priorities. As long as he pays a little attention, he will eventually find out flaw!"
Speaking of this, a coldness flashed in Zhou Shangjing's eyes: "Your Majesty, he is not stupid. Sooner or later, he will understand that the turmoil in the temple has been turbulent during this period. Wen Guanliang and Huang Yourong have fallen successively. Shen Changmao is in danger, too. The sub-party has been weakened, and even our momentum has been slightly lost... Only Zhao Junchen has continued to use the temple affairs time and time again to expand his power and build reputation. Now, he has become the second largest For the second largest party in our court! Then, Your Majesty will reflect and think about everything that has happened during this period. In the end, Your Majesty will discover that Zhao Junchen’s image of a jester is just a disguise. He has always been Fooled by Zhao Junchen!"
Zhou Shangjing's voice became colder and he continued: "At that time, with His Majesty's character, he will definitely become angry and use all his strength to suppress Zhao Junchen... During His Majesty's southern tour, I made a deal with Zhao Junchen, and he will Secretly helping the Japanese pirates, and I will repay the favor with the Jingcha... Soon it will be the Jingcha. At that time, as long as we go with the flow and build a little momentum, Your Majesty will easily wake up! Here we are. That time is our best opportunity! If everything goes well, not only the Ministry of Industry, but maybe even the Ministry of Household Affairs can get involved!"
After hearing Zhou Shangjing's plan and analysis, everyone in the "Zhou Party" was finally convinced and stood up again, saying that Zhou Shangjing was the only one who would follow his lead.
Zhou Shangjing responded mildly to the expressions of the "Zhou Party" people.
However, Zhou Shangjing's old eyes were shining with light. Obviously, the previous explanations were not all of Zhou Shangjing's plan, and Zhou Shangjing still concealed some crucial parts.