Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 413 Sudden Conflict

The rain outside had stopped, but the dark clouds were still thick, and the water line under the eaves turned into drops of raindrops, which kept dripping on the bluestone slabs, making a crisp sound.

There was silence in the flower hall, and after a while, Chen Mao spoke.

"This is also a helpless move. It is better to sacrifice Xu Bin alone than to let the entire mission die together."

But Jiao Jing couldn't help frowning.

"That being said, since the opening of the seal this time, in just a few months, we have lost Xue Xuan, Yang Shan, Luo Tong and other ministers one after another. , then among the civil servants, there is only Xiao Weizhen left."

This is all euphemism.

The truth is, even Xiao Weizhen may not be able to keep it.

Even if Zhang Fu's plan can be successful, he will place all the blame on Xu Bin, and say that he and Xiao Weizhen are ignorant of the inside story.

But in the end, both of them are deputy envoys of the mission, and they always have to bear joint and several responsibilities. After striving hard, the best result is relegation.

Zhang Fu is not afraid, he is backed by the British government, even if he does not have the official title of governor and prefect, no one dares to despise him.

Even if he was relegated to a place, he could be promoted back quickly with the help of the British government, taking some credit and suppressing a few bandits.

But Xiao Weizhen is different, he is a civil servant.

If he was thrown into a corner and became a seventh-rank county magistrate, then for the British government, this person would be considered useless.

After all, the promotion of civil servants is far more difficult than that of military officials, and it is often ten or ten years wasted in one place.

Not to mention, the person holding the power of election in the Ministry of Officials is Wang Wen, the emperor's confidant. With him, even if Xiao Weizhen can survive by luck, he will never have a bright future.

Zhang Min may not care about these things, but Jiao Jing has to.

After all, he was relying on Queen Mother Sun.

For Empress Dowager Sun, no matter whether it is a civil servant or a noble, no one is more important than the other, and they are all equally powerful forces that can play a big role in the court.

Even in peacetime, civil servants' agitation played a greater role in government and public opinion than honors.

Zhang Min's face suddenly darkened, and he said coldly.

"Jiao Consort, the third brother is loyal to the Supreme Emperor. Since the civil engineering, he has been trying to find a way to welcome the Supreme Emperor back. Even if he is imprisoned, the first consideration is the reputation of the Supreme Emperor. Pushing everything on Xu Bin is a helpless move. , It’s chilling for you to speak like this.”

Jiao Jing sat aside and didn't speak, but he obviously didn't mean to apologize, and the atmosphere in the flower hall was a little tense.

At this time, Ren Li at the side saw that the situation was not good, and hurried out to smooth things over, said.

"Second Lord, don't be angry. Prince Jiao is just thinking about the overall situation. He made a slip of the tongue and didn't mean to blame the third master. After all, if Xu Bin and the others can't keep it, then the officials above the third rank in the court will basically not stand by us. It's gone."

"It's not easy for ministers of this rank to win them over. I've been planning for a long time for the return of the Supreme Emperor. I'm afraid I won't be able to catch up with the nobles alone in the court. Come to think of it, the third master has far-sighted plans. , will surely understand this truth.”

"So if you can do your best, it's better to try to protect the first one. If you have no choice, it's not too late to give up. Of course, the safety of the third master is the most important. After all, we can gather together, thanks to the efforts of the third master." .”

These words sounded pleasing to the ear, Zhang Wei took a look at Ren Li, and obviously felt that he was much more pleasing to the eye.

With these words, Zhang Min finally managed to suppress the irritability in his heart.

With a soft snort, and remembering the instructions Zhang Fu gave him in the imperial prison, Zhang Fu finally calmed down and spoke.

"The third younger brother also told me about welcoming the Supreme Emperor back. It needs a long-term plan. As for how to win over civil servants in the future, he also gave a way."

Jiao Jing's complexion also eased, remembering what Zhang Min said when he first came here, and pondered: "Chengguo Duke's Mansion?"

Zhang Min nodded, but his attitude was lukewarm, said.

"When I went to see the third brother this time, in addition to asking him about the arrest of the mission, the old man also explained to the third brother all the things that happened in Beijing in detail."

"The third brother said that it is not easy to win over ministers with higher ranks in the court directly, but you can start with the intricate relationships of civil servants."

"Zhu Yong used to pay respect to civil servants. There are many ministers in the court who have a very good relationship with Cheng Guo Gongfu. There are also many people in the Imperial Academy who have received Zhu Yong's favor. Zhu Yi's father-in-law is also a minister of the Ministry of Rites. "

"Now that Cheng Guogong's mansion is down and out, and it is even more neglected by the emperor, it is a good time to win over Zhu Yi. If he is allowed to join, in addition to being able to win a group of nobles, more importantly, borrow Cheng Guogong's mansion." The previous personal connections can also accumulate strength among civil servants again."

The tone of these words was flat, a tone of paraphrasing, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

However, Jiao Jing didn't care about Zhang Min's dissatisfaction, but frowned.

"However, we have already been to Duke Cheng's mansion before, Zhu Yi's attitude..."

Jiao Jing glanced at Ren Li and Chen Mao at the side, and said.

"Brother Shunqing and Marquis Ren were both there at the time. After successive blows, Zhu Yi was obviously disheartened. She didn't even listen to our conditions, so she directly refused."

Zhang Yu sneered, and said: "Cheng Guogong's new funeral, Zhu Yi can't protect himself, and he offended the emperor about the draft. At this time, when you go up to the door, the first thing you say is to ask him to stand up for the British government that has never dealt with it." , it's no wonder he didn't refuse."

Jiao Jing's face darkened, and he almost blurted out, why didn't you stop him at that time, but the words came to his lips, and he still didn't say them.

What Zhang Fu said just now was obviously not something that Zhang Fu could think of. There is a high probability that Zhang Fu said it to him in prison.

Suppressing the unhappiness in his heart, Jiao Jing asked: "Then according to the third master's wishes, what should I do?"

Zhang Min was sitting in front of him, but Jiao Jing said "Third Master", the meaning of which is self-evident.

Zhang Min's face darkened for a moment, but he didn't have an attack, but when the words came to his lips, they changed.

"Tomorrow, I will invite the son-in-law and the old man to go to Duke Cheng's mansion, and then everything will become clear."

Seeing that Zhang Xiang was deliberately trying to trick him, Jiao Jing's expression froze, and he said, "Okay, since that's the case, I'll just wait and see."

As a result, the atmosphere became so cold.

Seeing this situation, Chen Mao and Ren Li on the side looked at each other in dismay. After a while, Ren Li forced a smile and spoke.

"Since the third master has made arrangements, it is naturally the best, but the second master, apart from these, did the third master ever say, how can we cooperate with him outside?"

When this matter was mentioned, Zhang Min finally calmed down, thought for a while, and lowered his voice.

"After we go to Duke Cheng's mansion tomorrow, we will..."

After listening to Zhang Min's words, Jiao Jing also put away the anger just now, and looked a little surprised. After a while, Chen Mao asked.

"Second Master, can this be done?"

Zhang Yu asked with a serious face: "Why, are you still afraid that such a trivial matter will lose your title?"

Chen Mao was also choked for a moment, looking at Zhang Min's obviously irritable eyes, he wisely did not continue talking, and nodded slightly.

At this moment, Ren Li cupped his fists and said, "Second Master, don't worry, I will definitely cooperate when the time comes."

So, after everyone agreed, they dispersed separately.

However, after both Ren Li and Jiao Jing left, Chen Mao was left behind by Zhang Yu...

(End of this chapter)