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Objectively speaking, once Shen Changmao makes up his mind, his work efficiency is still very high.

Under his secret operation, within just two hours, the news that Prince Zhu Heyu and Zhao Junchen had reached an alliance had already spread throughout the capital.

This news, like thunder on the ground, immediately caused an uproar in both the government and the public!

No one expected that Zhu Heyu and Zhao Junchen, who had always been at odds with each other, could so easily put aside their differences and work together!

Especially the Qingliu people were all in disbelief and could not accept it. For a moment, they felt as if their faith had collapsed.

Indeed, after the Shaanxi-Gansu War and the civil war, Zhao Junchen's reputation in the government and the public has changed a lot, but this change will still take a period of time, and the hostility towards Zhao Junchen among the Qingliu people is already deep-rooted, and their prejudices are deep-rooted. It still cannot be completely eliminated!

Especially not long ago, Zhao Junchen used despicable means to persecute Guo Tang, one of the Qingliu Qingliu young masters. During that time, the Qingliu people were all disgraced and in a state of embarrassment - for the big-minded Qingliu people, such an old grudge How can it be easily resolved?

Therefore, in the eyes of most Qingliu people, Zhao Junchen is still their enemy! And the sudden alliance between Prince Zhu Heyu and Zhao Junchen is nothing less than a complete betrayal for most Qingliu people!

On the other hand, as Emperor Deqing's idea of ​​establishing another prince became more and more explicit, the Qingliu people did waver in their stance. They did not firmly support Zhu Heyu. Instead, they gradually leaned towards Zhu Hejian, which could be regarded as actively betraying Zhu. He Yu, but Qingliu's active betrayal is justifiable. Didn't Mencius also say that "a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall"? But how can your prince Zhu Heyu betray Qingliu?

Therefore, on this night, there was a lot of traffic and people coming and going in front of the gate of the Prince's East Palace. People came to see Prince Zhu Heyu and wanted to confirm the authenticity of the news in person. This situation continued until the evening. There was no slowdown at Haishi.

In the Prince's East Palace, Zhu Heyu had long been aware of this situation. When faced with questions from the Qingliu people, he did not hide anything and frankly admitted that he had formed an alliance with Zhao Junchen.

After the Qingliu people got the affirmative answer, they all objected fiercely and were heartbroken, but Zhu Heyu still insisted on his opinion and had no intention of changing his mind.

In a certain respect, Prince Zhu Heyu still retains his original stubborn character of never looking back.

In the end, the prince Zhu Heyu and Qingliu had a very unpleasant quarrel, and Qingliu waved his sleeves coldly and walked away.

That is to say, starting from this night, the Qingliu people and the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu completely broke up.

*

"Your Highness the Crown Prince! Please think about it carefully again! Who is Zhao Junchen? Who are his cronies? They are all corrupt officials and traitorous officials despised by the world, and they are destined to be infamy for thousands of years! As the Crown Prince, you have always been He is upright and has a good reputation throughout the dynasty, how can he cooperate with such a person?"

When Wang Bo, a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, gave his speech, it could be described as impassioned and chest-beating!

"Yes, because of the slight success in the Shaanxi-Gansu War, Zhao Junchen's recent reputation has improved slightly, but his foundation is too poor, and all his disciples and minions are all greedy idiots, and there is absolutely no hope for him. It is possible to correct evil and return to righteousness! And sooner or later, Prince, you will be a noble person, how can you join them? If these corrupt officials and traitorous ministers are reused, won’t our Ming Dynasty lose the country without generals!? "

On the other side, Li Zhengchun, the director of the Imperial College, also looked distressed and tried his best to dissuade him.

Seeing the two men's blunt words of advice, the faces of Prince Zhu and Yu were filled with helplessness and exhaustion.

For more than an hour, similar scenes have been repeated many times in the Prince's East Palace.

Zhu Heyu was also very clear about the subsequent development of such a scene, but he still patiently explained: "Of course I understand the concerns of all the sages, but my top priority is to stabilize my position as crown prince! Judging from the current situation, my father

I am becoming more and more disgusted with me. If I don't do well, it will be impossible for me to securely succeed to the throne. I must make some achievements to change my father's mind! Looking at the government and the public, only Zhao Junchen can

Help me succeed! This is my only choice now!

Although Zhao Junchen was a corrupt official, his style has indeed changed a lot in recent times. He has even personally dealt with corrupt officials under him many times. This shows that he really wants to change his ways! And I and I

After he cooperates, he will also closely urge him to make further corrections, so that he will never delay state affairs or undermine the government's agenda!"

Zhu Heyu's earnest words obviously could not convince Wang Bo and Li Zhengchun.

Wang Bo was still unwilling to give in and asked again: "Your Highness, have you forgotten that the young master Guo Tang was framed by Zhao Junchen and his family was ruined? Over the years, Qingliu and I have been humiliated by Zhao Junchen many times.

Don’t His Highness the Crown Prince not care at all?”

Zhu Heyu sighed and said: "These are all things in the past, and we have to look forward after all! Moreover, Zhao Junchen also promised me that he will not embarrass Guo Tang's family again in the future."

Seeing Zhu Heyu's reaction, Wang Bo couldn't help but look disappointed, and Li Zhengchun had a cold expression. He stood up directly, cupped his hands to Zhu Heyu and said: "Since His Highness the Crown Prince refuses to listen to good advice, we will do the same."

I have nothing to say! Farewell!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhengchun turned around and left without waiting for Zhu Heyu to persuade him to stay.

On the other side, seeing Li Zhengchun resolutely leaving, Wang Bo hesitated a little, but also stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Prince, you... just take care of yourself!"

After saying that, Wang Bo also followed Li Zhengchun.

Seeing Li Zhengchun and Wang Bo leaving one after another, Zhu Heyu's expressions became increasingly tired and helpless.

Zhu Heyu had seen this kind of scene several times today. The Qingliu people waved their sleeves and walked away, which meant that Zhu Heyu gradually lost the support of the Qingliu people.

After sighing again, Zhu Heyu turned to look at the last two guests in the main hall of the East Palace.

These two guests are also the two most important supporters in the hearts of Prince Zhu Heyu - Lv Chunxiao, the censor of Youdu of the Duchayuan, and Bao Wenjie, the minister of rites!

Seeing Lu Chunxiao and Bao Wenjie just sitting aside with expressionless expressions, with no intention of speaking out at all, Zhu Heyu asked in a bitter voice: "But the two of them also disagree with Heyu's behavior and plan to abandon Heyu.

But you can’t leave?”

Lu Chunxiao and Prince Zhu Heyu were both direct disciples of the former crown prince Xiao Wenruan, and they had the closest relationship. Naturally, he couldn't bear to abandon Zhu Heyu like this.

However, Lu Chunxiao also has his own difficulties. He is the censor of the right capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The Metropolitan Procuratorate has always been the stronghold of Qingliu people. If Lu Chunxiao firmly supports Zhu Heyu, he may not be able to secure his official position.

Already.

Therefore, Lu Chunxiao also smiled bitterly and replied: "I actually agree with some of His Highness the Crown Prince's views, but I will still be in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate in the future. More than half of the officials in the Metropolitan Procuratorate are from Qingliu. If I make it clear

If I express my position, I am afraid that the censors will rebel, so I am afraid that I cannot express my position clearly. This can also help His Highness the Crown Prince to ease the excitement of the Qingliu people."

Zhu Heyu also understood Lu Chunxiao's difficulties. After nodding helplessly, he turned to look at Bao Wenjie, the Minister of Rites.

Seeing Zhu Heyu's faintly pleading eyes, Bao Wenjie's expression was full of contradictions.

In fact, ever since Bao Wenjie accompanied Zhao Junchen on a trip to Shaanxi and Gansu, some of his ideas had gradually been shaken, and he began to doubt whether some of his past persistence was correct and necessary. During this time, he

I have been thinking about this matter all the time, so I have no time to think about other things, and my performance is quite low-key.

After learning about the cooperation between Prince Zhu Heyu and Zhao Junchen, Bao Wenjie also had extremely contradictory thoughts. On the one hand, he believed that Prince Zhu Heyu's behavior was abandoning the bottom line and principles, but on the other hand, he felt that this was Zhu Heyu's behavior.

The best way forward for He Yu.

Under such contradictory thoughts, Bao Wenjie finally chose to wait and see for the time being after hesitating for a long time.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty the Crown Prince! This evening, I just received your Majesty's edict. I will leave the capital for a while and visit Shaanxi and Gansu. Your Majesty thinks that I have a better understanding of the current situation in Shaanxi and Gansu, and asked me to cooperate with the factory guards to further investigate.

The merits, demerits, rewards and punishments of all parties in Shaanxi and Gansu during this period of time... Therefore, I am not able to reply to His Highness the Crown Prince yet, nor can I support His Highness the Crown Prince. Everything can only be done after I complete my sacred mission and return to the capital."

Although Zhu Heyu was a little disappointed with Bao Wenjie's temporary non-commitment, he was not surprised. However, after hearing Bao Wenjie's explanation, he couldn't help but curiously asked: "This is your third trip to Shaanxi and Gansu in the past six months, right?

The Hetao war is currently at its most intense, and the merits, demerits, rewards and punishments of all parties in Shaanxi and Gansu are still uncertain. Why is my father so eager to confirm? Isn't it enough that Mr. Liang Ge is in charge of the overall situation in Shaanxi and Gansu?"

Bao Wenjie shook his head and said: "The Sacred Heart is unpredictable, and I don't know what His Majesty is thinking. The imperial edict I received was a bit vague. It just asked me to cooperate with the factory guards in doing things, but it's not clear how to do it specifically.

However, it has been many days since the beginning of winter, and the climate in northern Xinjiang is getting colder and colder. I guess that by the time I reach the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu, the war in Hetao will be over, right?"

Zhu Heyu vaguely felt that this matter was not simple, but he couldn't think it through clearly for a while, so he didn't study it in detail. He just nodded and said: "Since Lord Bao hasn't thought it through clearly, I won't force you... But as long as Lord Bao

If you are still willing to support me in the future, I will still regard Mr. Bao as a bastard!"

*

Next, Zhu Heyu, Lu Chunxiao, and Bao Wenjie spoke a few more words from their hearts. Seeing that these two people were not willing to talk more, they did not force them to stay, but personally sent them out of the Prince's East Palace.

When Zhu Heyu returned to the main hall of the East Palace, he found that the seventh prince Zhu Hejian had already greeted him with a worried face.

It turned out that long before the Qingliu people visited the East Palace to question Zhu Heyu, Zhu Hejian had already arrived at the East Palace first, wanting to find out the change in Zhu Heyu's attitude.

However, before the brothers could exchange a few words, the Qingliu people came to visit one after another, interrupting their conversation. In order to avoid embarrassment, Zhu Hejian hid in the side hall.

Because the Qingliu people came and left one after another, Zhu Hejian had no chance to come out until this time.

Seeing Zhu Hejian's worried face, as if he was extremely worried about his situation, Zhu Heyu's thoughts were full of complicated thoughts, but he still forced a smile and said: "I've kept seventh brother waiting for a long time. I heard that you have been in poor health recently. Wait.

Do you feel uncomfortable after being here for such a long time?"

Zhu Hejian shook his head and said: "My physical condition is very good and I don't feel unwell. It's just that I hid in the side hall and listened to the Qingliu people arguing with the third brother, and I was a little worried about the future situation of the third brother."

After a pause, Zhu Hejian asked: "Third brother, are you determined to unite with Zhao Junchen? I'm not against third brother's decision, but Zhao Junchen is by no means an easy person to get along with, and he can never be trusted. I

I'm worried that sooner or later he will betray Third Brother and you will suffer a big loss."

On the other side, after today's conversation with Zhao Junchen, Zhu Heyu has made up his mind to stabilize his position at all costs, which means that Zhu Hejian will become Zhu Heyu's political opponent in the future and will be attacked by Zhu Heyu.

Yu's vigorous suppression and deliberate targeting.

Now, seeing Zhu Hejian so worried about his situation, Zhu Heyu felt that he could not face Zhu Hejian's "deep brotherhood" directly, so he avoided Zhu Hejian's "worrying eyes" and shook his head: "Don't worry, I

There is also a back-up plan, and Zhao Junchen will never be betrayed at will... These things all involve temple and party struggles, and are extremely dirty. Seventh brother, please don't worry about it. You should pay more attention to your body.

."

These words seem to have some hints.

Hearing this, Zhu Hejian was full of panic and grievance, and said repeatedly: "Third brother, do you still blame me for being too pushy during this period and threatening your position?... Third brother, you know what I am thinking.

I have never thought about arguing with you, all because my father’s holy orders cannot be violated. I have argued with him repeatedly, but my father..."

"I understand! Of course I understand!" Zhu Heyu waved his hands and said: "I believe in you from the beginning to the end! It's just... I'm afraid that you and I will be involuntarily in the future..."

Having said this, Zhu Heyu suddenly looked up at Zhu Hejian and said: "Seventh brother, don't worry. No matter what, we are brothers whose blood is thicker than water. No matter what third brother does in the future, we will never let him go."

You are wronged!"

Hearing Zhu Heyu's statement, Zhu Hejian's eyes flashed with a hint of understanding and relaxation.

Zhu Hejian could feel that Zhu Heyu had an escape mentality when facing him, but there was not much hostility or disgust.
To be continued...