……

……

After thinking seriously for a while, Zhu Heyu picked up the secret letter of the suicide note that Zhao Shancai had left to Zhao Junchen again, and quickly flipped through it, his expression was quite solemn.

The content of this suicide note is not much, only more than ten pages and hundreds of words, and it does not try to guide Zhao Junchen's thinking, analyze the future development of the temple situation, or try to instill any ideas and concepts in Zhao Junchen - because Zhao Shancai knows Zhao Junchen's character very well, and knows that Zhao Junchen seems to be easy-going on the surface, but in fact he is very assertive, has his own opinions and judgments, and will not be easily influenced by others.

In fact, in this suicide note, Zhao Shancai behaved as if he was a loyal staff member around Zhao Junchen, looking like he was wholeheartedly thinking about Zhao Junchen, but he only gave Zhao Junchen many suggestions that seemed to be quite useful, as well as some reminders to check and fill in the gaps.

However, it is said that Zhao Shancai's suggestions have a total of more than ten items, with different emphases and a wide range, but if it is simply summarized, it is only three aspects - that is, spending money, saving food, and raising hope.

In Zhao Shancai's view, Zhao Junchen's future crisis can be roughly divided into three aspects.

In recent years, not only has the treasury turned into a profit, but the annual surplus of silver is also increasing, seeing that the financial situation of the imperial court is getting better and better, and everyone thinks that the turnover of public funds is a short-term worry-free, Zhao Junchen is no longer an indispensable confidant minister in the eyes of Emperor Deqing, and sooner or later he will usher in the end of unloading and killing donkeys.

Therefore, Zhao Junchen had to find some righteous and bright reasons, and try his best to encourage the imperial court to spend more money, so that the imperial court's finances have been maintained in a state of barely balanced payments, so that Emperor Deqing would not dare to give up Zhao Junchen easily.

The second is the dilemma of a serious shortage of grain in the public funds of the imperial court, once the people have natural and man-made disasters, encounter a serious food shortage, and need the imperial court to provide a large amount of relief, but the household department is unable to get food, Zhao Junchen will easily become a candidate for the black pot - even if Zhao Junchen is now an assistant to the cabinet, but nominally still supervises the household department.

Therefore, Zhao Junchen must do his best to save food for the imperial court just in case, otherwise he will be hit sooner or later.

Third, Zhao Junchen's popularity is too poor, even those "Zhao Party" officials who seem to be the only ones who are Zhao Junchen's head and look forward to the horse, in essence, they are just using Zhao Junchen's power to collect money for themselves, that is to say, Zhao Junchen has no real popularity, and it is okay when the wind is smooth, once it encounters a slightly bigger setback, it may be the end of the tree falling and scattering, and not many people are sincere and unabandoning Zhao Junchen.

If this situation cannot be changed, the fault tolerance rate of Zhao Junchen's future development will be lower and lower, and as long as he falls once, it will be a catastrophe.

Of course, these views are just the words of Zhao Shancai's family, he doesn't know the arrangements that Zhao Junchen is hiding in the dark, and many situations have long since changed to this day.

But I have to say that these suggestions still have a lot of merit, and they did influence many of Zhao Junchen's decisions

At least, when Zhu Heyu first saw these suggestions, he felt that these suggestions would be of great benefit to Zhao Junchen.

However, Zhu Heyu was still shallow in his thoughts at the beginning, and he just admired the ingenuity of these suggestions, but now that he looks at the content inside, especially the last suggestion in this suicide note, he finally found something strange.

This piece of advice is both ingenious and bold!

It is said to be very ingenious because this advice perfectly combines the requirements of spending money, saving food, and raising hope;

It is said that it is extremely bold because this suggestion completely violates the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's Ming ancestor!

This suggestion is to let Zhao Junchen ask Emperor Deqing in public for an edict to raise the salary for hundreds of officials!

In this way, the treasury expenditure will inevitably increase significantly, and Zhao Junchen will become indispensable again; After the hundred officials get the benefits, they will definitely be grateful for Zhao Junchen's proposal, and Zhao Junchen's court prestige will also be greatly improved; When the time comes, it will certainly lead to an increase in the price of grain among the people, but the public funds of the imperial court can increase a large amount of grain every year, and the emergency response capacity of the imperial court has also been improved.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, had long engraved the standard of court officials on the stone tablet, saying that future generations could never change it, and this practice would undoubtedly cause an uproar.

Zhu Heyu's eyes stayed on this suggestion a lot, but he remembered a certain suggestion in the suicide note that Zhao Shancai left him - once Zhao Junchen proposed to raise the salary for hundreds of officials in the future, Zhu Heyu must express his support as soon as possible!

*

Seeing where Zhu Heyu's gaze stayed, his expression changed, Zhao Junchen smiled and asked again, "Do you understand?" ”

Zhu Heyu looked up at Zhao Junchen, and said with a solemn expression: "Ask my father for his life and raise his salary for hundreds of officials?" Of course, this matter can increase his prestige, but once it is raised, his father will inevitably be furious, and he will clearly violate the ancestral system, but I am afraid that it will be difficult to operate, and the risk will be extremely ......"

Seeing that Zhu Heyu did not express his support or opposition at the first time, but seriously thought about the specific means of operation, Zhao Junchen nodded with satisfaction.

Then, Zhao Junchen once again put on the attitude of a master lecturing and asked: "Yes, it is very risky and difficult to operate, His Royal Highness the Prince, your hesitation is also a matter of course, but do you think that your current situation is less risky?" This kind of practice of ruining the boat and leaving it to death is your only choice in the future!

While speaking, Zhao Junchen stretched out his hand and pointed to the bookshelf in the study, Zhu Heyu turned his head to look, but saw all kinds of historical books on the bookshelf, from Sima Qian's "Historical Records" to Sima Guang's "Zizhi Tongjian".

Zhao Junchen's tone became cold, and he said slowly: "The position of the prince of the prince, half a monarch and half a minister, and a prince and a minister, must not only guard against the emperor's suspicion, but also prevent the conspiracy of hundreds of officials, under the attention of the world, every move will be magnified and used, it can be said that it is the most difficult position in the world to sit on, and it is also the most dangerous position in history!"

Your Royal Highness the Prince, when you read the history books, have you counted the princes of all dynasties, how many people have successfully ascended the throne, and how many have been abolished?

I have calculated it in detail once, and now I can tell you unmistakably - since the Han Dynasty, there have been a total of 213 princes and princes in all dynasties, of which 56 died in various accidents before ascending the throne, and 67 were deposed for various reasons, and soon died unexpectedly, only the remaining 90 people can successfully ascend the throne! …… In other words, only forty percent of the princes and princes of all dynasties can successfully ascend the throne, and the remaining sixty percent have a miserable ending!

And Your Royal Highness the Prince, your current situation is even more unpleasant, there are enemies everywhere in the court, and the Qingliu are about to abandon you, and Your Majesty is determined to set up another prince, and there is no one in your favor...... Since ancient times, there have been many princes and princes in a situation like yours, and none of them have been spared, and they have all been abolished! Therefore, it is inevitable that Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be deposed in the future! ”

The numbers Zhao Junchen said were too cold, which made Zhu Heyu's face change.

Zhu Heyu knew for a long time that the position of the crown prince was the most difficult to sit on, but it was not until today that he got tangible statistics from Zhao Junchen, and he became more and more deeply aware of how serious the crisis he was facing.

Seeing the solemn expression of the crown prince Zhu Heyu, Zhao Junchen smiled again, took the initiative to soften his tone, and said: "At the same time, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, your advantage is that you are very upright and have a good reputation, and you have not made any irreparable mistakes, which is your complete difference!"

After the other princes were deposed, they had no chance of making a comeback, because the moment they were deposed, their prestige was already lost...... However, on the other hand, if the prince was deposed, not only did he not lose his prestige, but won the recognition and support of hundreds of officials, he would have a great chance to make a comeback!

This is the core of Zhao Shancai's plan! ”

Then, Zhao Junchen finally got back to the point and continued: "The officials of our dynasty are too low, and the hardships of hundreds of officials can be said to be the most in all dynasties, and they have long been miserable!" Now, you help me ask His Majesty in public for his life and raise the salary for the hundred officials, which is the best way to win the support of the hundred officials!

Of course, this matter is difficult to operate, after all, Taizu once had a clear ancestral system, and engraved the wealth of hundreds of officials on the stone tablet, saying that it can never be changed, and our majesty is ...... It's not particularly generous in that regard......"

Speaking of this, Zhao Junchen secretly shook his head and complained in his heart, only feeling that the stinginess of the old Zhu family was really an ancestral gene and a lineage.

After a slight pause, Zhao Junchen continued: "But it doesn't necessarily mean that there is no chance at all!" Because in essence, only His Majesty will oppose this matter! The low level of the imperial court has long made the officials full of resentment, but because of the ancestral system, they dare not take the initiative to mention it, and the powerful ministers and major factions in the court will never dare to clearly express their obstruction, and even secretly support this matter!

After all, this is related to the well-being of hundreds of officials, and although the princes of the central court are not short of a little silver, they must also take into account the thoughts of middle and lower-level officials, otherwise they will attract the hostility of most officials, and no one can afford such a price...... Even His Majesty can only use the word 'ancestral system' to oppose it! ”

Speaking of this, Zhao Junchen shook his head and sighed: "According to the rules locked by Taizu back then, a seven-grade county order has only seven stones and five buckets of rice every year, and after the rice is converted into silver, it is only three stones of rice and ten taels of silver...... But they also have to support their families, servants, and staff, and it is also a lot of expenses to socialize and welcome them in the officialdom on weekdays, how can such a little money be enough? In many cases, if the officials are not corrupt, they will not be able to live, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are forced to do so. ”

Seeing Zhao Junchen so blatantly defending corrupt officials, Zhu Heyu subconsciously wanted to refute.

But before Zhu Heyu could open his mouth to refute, Zhao Junchen continued: "Of course, there are certainly some people in the court who are still honest, and Qingliu is the representative...... But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, think about it carefully, who of those Qingliu officials is not from a wealthy family and a wealthy family? They don't care about the little bit of the court at all, using the name to ensure the survival of the family is their top priority, so they will become Qingliu, so they will stand and talk without backache! ”

Zhu Heyu was at a loss for words, and after hesitating for a moment, he did not continue to argue with Zhao Junchen about these crooked theories, but just frowned and said: "But as long as the word 'ancestral system' still exists, this matter is extremely tricky...... No one dares to go against the will of Taizu's stone carvings in a righteous and bright way, let alone that this matter will attract the hostility and dissatisfaction of his father, I am afraid that the gains will outweigh the losses. ”

Zhao Junchen still looked like he was patiently lecturing, and said leisurely: "The ancestral system, of course, cannot be violated, but Taizu only explicitly ordered that hundreds of officials should not be raised, and things other than Yulu were not within the scope, and there were many ways to exploit loopholes, just change the name......

Well, it is said that in order to cultivate and encourage the honest habits of officials, to avoid the phenomenon of corruption and bribery, after the annual assessment of the Ministry of Officials, all qualified officials can receive a sum of silver as a reward, the specific figure is about ten times the official silver, this silver is called 'raising honest silver', not in the Lu, so His Majesty he has nothing to say! ”

Seeing that Zhu Heyu was thoughtful, Zhao Junchen said again: "As for Your Majesty's hostility and dislike, don't worry about it!" You have to understand that this is not really for the sake of raising officials, but for the sake of rebirth! It's to help you win the sincere support of hundreds of officials! So that you can still return to the court after you are deposed!

Your Majesty is stubborn, and whether there is such a thing or not, he will find a way to depose you! As things stand, your dethronement is inevitable! But if you help me to promote the matter of 'raising honest silver', the officials will be grateful to you, and it will be difficult for Your Majesty to depose you again!"

Take 10,000 steps back, even if Your Majesty still insists on deposing you at that time, you can still secretly build momentum and link Your Majesty's deposition of you with your fight for honest money for the officials, so that the officials mistakenly think that this is the direct reason for your deposition. How prestigious will you be?

Then, once the new crown prince makes a slight mistake, and you don't need to push it personally, there will naturally be hundreds of officials who propose to let you return to the court, and it is a matter of course for you to regain the throne and ascend the throne smoothly, this is the whole picture of Zhao Shancai's plan! ”

After listening to Zhao Junchen's explanation, Zhu Heyu was silent again, and his expression was always changing.

Zhu Heyu has always believed in Zhao Shancai, but this plan is too unbelievable, which makes Zhu Heyu undecided.

Especially after this plan is now fully grasped by Zhao Junchen, there are many variables.

After being silent for a long time, Zhu Heyu said slowly: "Thank you Zhao Gechen for your advice, otherwise I am afraid that I will not be able to sort out Zhao Shancai's true thoughts at all in a short time...... It's just that Zhao Gechen's explanation seems to be secretly mixed with a lot of private goods, and it is also a bit evasive, right? ”

Zhao Junchen's expression was a little surprised, and he asked rhetorically, "Oh? Where did I get my bootlegged goods? Where to avoid the important and light? ”

Zhu Heyu's face was calm and his tone was calm, and he still said slowly: "In Zhao Shancai's plan, the idea of 'raising incorruptible silver' has never been mentioned from beginning to end!" He just wants to encourage you and me to work together to promote the rise of hundreds of officials, advance and retreat together, and work together to help each other, which is not only to jointly disobey the ancestral system, but also to bear the consequences together, and is regarded as one by all parties in the government and the opposition, and it is completely tied to the same boat, from now on, Zhao Gechen, you must assist me wholeheartedly!

But Zhao Gechen's proposal of 'raising incorruptible silver' seems to be a trick to bypass the ancestral system of our court's officials, and it will not be too hindered and suppressed, but you and I don't have to be forcibly tied together, after Zhao Gechen achieves his goal, he can abandon me without any scruples, but so?

Also, according to Zhao Gechen's proposal, the hundred officials must go through the review of the Ministry of Officials before obtaining the 'Honest Silver' every year, which undoubtedly greatly strengthens the power of the Ministry of Households, and the Ministry of Officials has always been the forbidden side of Zhou Shangjing, so this is a disguised weakening of the imperial power and enhancing the power of the Prime Minister......

In the short term, after Zhou Shangjing's power is further enhanced, he can help you share the suppression of your father; In the long run, Zhou Shangjing is dying after all, and after he leaves the temple, there will be no one in the central court to compete with you, so the power that Zhou Shangjing has now will sooner or later fall into your hands in the future, but so?

Moreover, Zhao Shancai's plan is of course possible for me to put myself to death, but it also has a premise, that is, after I am deposed, the new crown prince will not be able to sit firmly in the position of prince, or make irreparable mistakes...... If this link is missing, even if I have a high reputation as a hundred officials when I am deposed, it will be impossible for me to make a comeback! But on the contrary, Zhao Gechen, you have always avoided talking about this link, this should be Zhao Gechen, you still have your own plan, but is so? ”

Zhu Heyu's three consecutive "but so" inquiries made Zhao Junchen's expression more and more surprised.

Zhao Junchen originally thought that he only needed to use the seven-distraction machine to manipulate Zhu Heyu, but now it seems that he still underestimates Zhu Heyu.

Zhu Heyu's growth was higher than Zhao Junchen's estimate, and he actually found all the traps in Zhao Junchen's words.

However, Zhao Junchen was surprised, but he was not flustered, he still looked like he was taking the school exam, and nodded: "It seems that you have really grown a lot during this time, and Zhao Shan will be extremely relieved to see this scene in the Spirit of Heaven...... However, all of your worries are unnecessary! As for the reason, you can think about it! ”

……

During this time, because of the prevention and control of the epidemic, the insects basically did not go home, and it was not until today that they had the opportunity to rest and resume the update, forgive me.

……