Seeing Xu Qingyan's excited look, Zhao Junchen knew that this gift was not light, and he couldn't help but feel a little helpless.
Li Xun is about to collapse. At that time, he will be deeply involved. This is the time when everyone is afraid to avoid him. Can such a person be seen? Can such a person's money be collected?
Li Xun left the jurisdiction without authorization and rushed to Huamachi Camp to meet Zhao Junchen privately. Once this incident was spread, it would inevitably arouse a lot of speculation and criticism, and considering that the blame placed on Li Xun was too big
The darkness is too heavy, and this situation will also affect Zhao Junchen's gradually changing reputation between the government and the public.
As for Li Xun's money, it cannot be collected. After Li Xun's downfall, his family property will be confiscated. Once the officials responsible for the inspection find that part of Li Xun's family property is missing, they will definitely question Li Xun about these properties.
If Li Xun confessed and showed leniency to Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen would also be embarrassed.
Thinking of this, Zhao Junchen secretly shook his head and felt that although Xu Qingyan had improved his knowledge during this period, he could not change his greedy temper no matter what.
Then, Zhao Junchen coughed lightly and planned to take this opportunity to teach Xu Qingyan a lesson.
But at this moment, Zhao Junchen subconsciously glanced at the gift list that Xu Qingyan handed to him.
The content of the gift list was very simple, so Zhao Junchen read the entire content of the gift list at just one glance.
On this gift list, there was only a simple line - "One hundred banknotes, five thousand taels each, totaling five hundred thousand taels."
Then, Zhao Junchen was silent for a moment.
Zhao Junchen suddenly felt that it was not completely unacceptable to get half a million taels of silver just for meeting Li Xun. If there were any criticisms in the future, he would just refuse to admit it.
With Zhao Junchen's current reputation and status, as long as there is no concrete evidence and he firmly refuses to admit it, there won't be much trouble.
This is not because Zhao Junchen is greedy for money. With Zhao Junchen's current net worth, money is just an insignificant string of numbers to him.
But silver is indeed a very important thing, because many of Zhao Junchen's plans require huge amounts of money to be invested. As Xu Qingyan said, all of Zhao Junchen's plans are gold-swallowing beasts, and the Zhao Mansion has been unable to enter for a long time.
Expenditures are all supported by some external funds.
During this period of time, governors and generals from all over the country came to see Zhao Junchen one after another, and they all sent congratulatory gifts, but the total amount was only seven or eight hundred thousand taels of silver. And now Li Xun just wanted to meet Zhao Junchen.
He threw out five hundred thousand taels of silver in one go!
Five hundred thousand taels of silver was enough for Zhao Junchen to expand the scope of activities of Jubao Trading Company to Liaodong.
Zhao Junchen thought that his worth was not that high. If he just met once, five hundred thousand taels would be enough. Although there were some hidden dangers, the price of five hundred thousand taels was worth the risk Zhao Junchen had to bear.
Of course, that's all. Five hundred thousand taels of silver is a lot less than a lot. Zhao Junchen will not bear the pressure from all aspects to rescue Li Xun just because of this money. At most, he will have to fight with Li Xun.
Li Xun met him and said a few nice words, so that Li Xun could feel at ease before he was accused by the court.
In the end, Zhao Junchen changed his mind. As soon as all the words he originally planned to teach Xu Qingyan came to his throat, he swallowed them all back. He just nodded and said: "Since Li Xun's sincerity is so great, I will not hesitate when I see him."
What can I do? You can bring him here to see me...be careful and don't let others discover Li Xun's identity."
"Great, this is a total of five hundred thousand taels of silver. I was worried that you would throw it away in vain... I will bring Li Xun over right now!"
Seeing that Zhao Junchen agreed, Xu Qingyan nodded excitedly, handed the gift list to Zhao Junchen, and left in a hurry.
Although Xu Qingyan is extremely greedy for money and has the kind of miserly temperament that can only see money coming in but not seeing money coming out, he also has two advantages. First, when he takes money from others, he always seeks Zhao Junchen's opinion in advance.
If Zhao Junchen disagrees, he will not be able to eat, sleep, and will be depressed for a month or two, but he will never disobey Zhao Junchen's will; secondly, there is no distinction between him and Zhao Junchen inside and outside, and his expenses
All the expenses were withdrawn from Zhao Junchen. He never kept much money, so his greedy temperament was devoted to collecting money for Zhao Junchen. As long as the number on Zhao's account book increased, he would get a sum more than himself.
A huge amount of money makes me even happier.
"This Xu Qingyan..."
Seeing Xu Qingyan's leaving figure, Zhao Junchen shook his head slightly.
*
Soon, under the leadership of Xu Qingyan, Li Xun came to Zhao Junchen's room.
Compared with the last time we met, Li Xun looked older and older, and his whole person exuded a sense of despair and anxiety. It was obvious that he had been suffering a lot during this time.
After seeing Zhao Junchen, Li Xun ignored his old arms and legs and knelt down in front of Zhao Junchen with a plop, crying: "Your Majesty, I have been following your instructions for this period of time.
, do your best to help refugees from all over the country, and do your best to supervise the border troops to fight, and don’t dare to neglect at all! You can’t go back on your word, and you have to step down from your position no matter what!"
Before meeting Zhao Junchen, Li Xun still had a trace of luck in his heart. He thought that although his performance during this period was not as dazzling as that of several governors in Shaanxi and Gansu, it was still worthy of praise. At least he had performed meritorious service, not to mention the original performance.
There were so many governors and generals involved in the appeasement, so it was unlikely that he would be blamed. He asked to see Zhao Junchen this time just to reduce the risk as much as possible.
But after learning that Zhao Junchen was unwilling to meet with him, Li Xun, who was familiar with the rules of officialdom, immediately understood what this situation meant.
As a result, Li Xun suddenly became panicked. The five hundred thousand taels of silver that he originally planned to use to bribe Zhao Junchen to protect him turned into a stepping stone just to meet Zhao Junchen.
After finally meeting Zhao Junchen, Li Xun didn't care about his reputation as a governor and immediately knelt down in front of Zhao Junchen and cried and howled.
"Governor Li, you are also a high-ranking official in the border area. You don't need to be so polite and disrespectful." Seeing Li Xun's behavior, Zhao Junchen looked helpless and ordered to Xu Qingyan: "Hurry up and help Governor Li up."
sit down."
However, before Xu Qingyan could make any move, Li Xun was already crying and said: "If Mr. Zhao does not agree to rescue Xianguan, he will die sooner or later. It is better to kneel and die in front of Mr. Zhao!"
Zhao Junchen's face darkened, he snorted softly, and then said slowly: "Oh? So, Governor Li is threatening me? Never mind!...Xu Qingyan, go and invite Mr. Liang Ge here and ask him to help me.
To bear witness, Governor Li's kneeling to death here today was entirely of his own free will and had nothing to do with me, to prevent anyone from saying in the future that I forced a border official to death!"
After hearing Zhao Junchen's instructions, Xu Qingyan couldn't help but sneer, agreed and left again.
Zhao Junchen is not the kind of tough guy who would rather die than be threatened. Emperor Deqing can threaten him, Zhou Shangjing can also threaten him, and even Liang Fuchen can have this qualification if he finds the right opportunity. Zhao Junchen will also do it when he encounters this situation.
Know how to compromise.
But Li Xun is not qualified, and his clumsy threats will only make Zhao Junchen feel disgusted.
On the other side, after hearing Zhao Junchen's expression, Li Xun's expression suddenly changed. Once Liang Fuchen came here, Li Xun would never have the chance to change his life and avoid guilt.
Therefore, Li Xun immediately stopped crying, stood up, and said quickly: "I will never threaten Mr. Zhao, but I can't help myself..."
Zhao Junchen sighed softly, pointed to the seat in front of him, and said, "Governor Li, it's better to sit down and talk."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's instructions, Li Xun carefully sat on the chair with half of his buttocks.
After Zhao Junchen glanced at Li Xun again, he sighed: "Governor Li, I won't hide it from you anymore. The governors in the northwest want to beg for peace and appeasement from the Mongols with relief grain and grass and people fleeing the famine without telling the court.
This matter is really too serious, and someone must come forward to take the blame. Originally, you were not considered the chief culprit, and you have performed meritorious service, so this blame cannot fall on your head in any case... But now, Shaanxi-Gansu
The three sides completely annihilated the Mongolian coalition forces, and their military and political achievements can be said to be shared by everyone who has seen them. Therefore, the meritorious service of the governors of Shaanxi and Gansu is far better than yours. In addition, the imperial court will make big moves soon, and
Taking advantage of these places as governors of Shaanxi and Gansu, so... judging from the current situation, the blame will most likely be placed on your head."
After hearing Zhao Junchen's explanation, Li Xun quickly said: "Master Zhao, please be clear. Xiaguan was only bewitched by Wang Zheng, the governor of the three sides. If it weren't for Wang Zheng's misdirection and persecution, Xiaguan would not have done anything.
He would do such a thing!"
The implication of Li Xun's words is very clear. Compared with himself, Wang Zheng, the governor of the three sides, is the best candidate to take the blame.
Zhao Junchen shook his head slightly and said: "I understand what you mean. Although Wang Zheng is the chief culprit and has not shown any meritorious service, he will eventually be severely punished by the court, and his end will be even more miserable than yours... However,
He is a member of the "Imperial Party" and a confidant of His Majesty, so even if he is imprisoned, the crime will never be that he colluded with the governor of the northwest and begged for peace with the Mongols without telling the court. His Majesty, he cannot afford to lose face like this, nor can he.
We will never let the 'Imperial Party' suffer such a blow, do you understand?"
Li Xun's expression became more desperate, and he couldn't help but say: "But Mr. Zhao, you promised me that as long as the official follows your instructions, you will try your best to help the official pardon his crime..."
Before Li Xun finished speaking, he was interrupted by Zhao Junchen with a wave of his hand: "I just said that I would try my best, but I didn't say that it would definitely be possible! What's more, I didn't expect that the situation would develop to this point! Now that things have happened, even if
I tried my best to rescue you, but I'm afraid I can't save you... You have to understand that you came out to take the blame this time in order to maintain the face of the court and your majesty, and no matter how great my face is, it is not as big as the court and your majesty.
face!"
Li Xun looked miserable, as if he was innocently implicated, and murmured: "Do I really think that I am going to die? At my age, death is inevitable, but this crime is really too big.
All nine tribes must be implicated, so what should we do..."
Zhao Junchen showed a look of reluctance and said: "It's also time and luck... Speaking of which, Governor Li, don't you have any other options? If there are more important officials in the imperial court to intercede for you with me, this will
Maybe there will be some improvement in this matter.”
Zhao Junchen just mentioned these words casually, saying that he had tried his best.
According to Zhao Junchen's guess, Li Xun must have no backer in the court, otherwise he would not put all his hopes on himself.
After hearing Zhao Junchen's inquiry, Li Xun looked at Zhao Junchen with a strange expression, and there seemed to be some resentment in his eyes.
Then, Li Xun replied in a solemn voice: "Xiaguan originally got to where he is today through the connections of the former cabinet minister Wen Guanliang..."
Wen Guanliang, the former cabinet minister, has now been overthrown by Zhao Junchen.
Li Xun continued: "After the downfall of Mr. Wen Ge, the lower official finally found his way into the relationship of the former Mr. Huang Yourong..."
Huang Yourong, also a former cabinet minister, was also overthrown by Zhao Junchen, but he also had some luck. By chance, he and Zhao Junchen turned enemies into friends and reached a cooperation. Now he holds the position of governor of Southern Zhili.
Although this position is a good one, the influence of the temple is vastly different, so naturally it cannot help Li Xun.
Speaking of this, the resentment in Li Xun's eyes became heavier, and he said: "Who would have thought that not long after Xiaguan got involved with Huang Gelao, Huangge Lao also collapsed... so Xiaguan hadn't had time to find him.
A new door, this way, no one in the center of the capital can intercede for me!"
After listening to Li Xun's explanation, Zhao Junchen's expression was a little strange, and he suddenly felt that he was Li Xun's nemesis.
Not only did Li Xun's two consecutive backers collapse because of Zhao Junchen, but also if it weren't for Zhao Junchen's illustrious military exploits in annihilating the Mongolian coalition forces, and Zhao Junchen's single-handed promotion of the imperial court's plan to send troops to regain the Hetao,
Several governors of Shaanxi and Gansu have all received a gold medal for immunity, and Li Xun will not be the only candidate to take the blame.
Just when Zhao Junchen was in a strange mood, Li Xun continued with a wry smile: "Xiaguan is from Fujian. Mr. Zhao, you also know the situation in Fujian. The literary style there is not strong, and it has always been a barren place for imperial examinations. The people of Fujian
Most of them rely on maritime affairs as a means of livelihood. In so many years, they have only had such a lowly position as a high-ranking official in the court, so they don’t have any comrades or fellow villagers to count on... There is some relationship with Nan'an Bo Zheng Zhilong, but Mr. Zhao, you also know that the court has
Nan Anbo's attitude has always been that prevention is better than usefulness, and words may not be effective, not to mention that Nan Anbo is thousands of miles away and has no time to rescue me..."
Zhao Junchen originally looked like he was listening carefully, but in fact he was absent-minded and just trying to deal with it.
But then, after hearing a name mentioned by Li Xun, Zhao Junchen seemed to be unable to help raising his voice and asked: "Wait! Who did you just say?"