Chapter 234: A big deal, the crown prince? What's wrong with giving it away! Trade!
Zhang Juzheng's expression turned solemn.
The prince Zhu Yijun in front of him was no longer the ignorant child in his impression. Calculating his age carefully, he was probably 28 years old now, almost thirty years old.
At the age of twenty-eight, let alone the current Immortal Cultivation Dynasty, even in the previous mortal dynasty, people of this age would have already matured and established their minds and could stand on their own.
Children of the royal family are more mature than their peers.
It can be seen that Crown Prince Zhu Yijun has been secretly planning over the years, which is why he took the initiative to come to his house after he returned to the capital.
Moreover, he even asked me to pledge my loyalty, which showed that he was confident. Could it be that he was also involved in all the actions of Prince Yu's Mansion against the army in recent years?
In an instant, Zhang Juzheng thought of many things, but his face remained solemn. Then, in a tone that was neither intimate nor unfamiliar, he bowed to Zhu Yijun and said:
"Sir, you are overstepping your authority."
Hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, Zhu Yijun raised his eyebrows slightly. He had imagined various reactions of this Lord Zhang when he heard that he was asked to swear allegiance, but he did not expect that he would say that he was overstepping his authority.
Looking at Zhang Taiyue, who was in his sixties but still looked like a middle-aged man, Zhu Yijun smiled slightly, walked forward, picked up the spiritual tea on the table, sipped it, and took a seat at the head of the table.
"Tell me, how did your Highness the Crown Prince overstep his authority?" Zhu Yijun was not someone who could be easily silenced by words. Not only did he not get scared by the word 'overstepping', but he looked very calm and asked in a testing tone.
Use your power to suppress others! Zhang Juzheng, who was standing in the hall, narrowed his eyes slightly, and there was curiosity in his eyes while looking at Zhu Yijun.
How could he not see that Zhu Yijun's behavior was to use his own "power" to suppress him and make him submit. Using power to suppress others is a common method used by those in power.
But not everyone can suppress themselves.
At this moment, Zhang Juzheng's first impression of Zhu Yijun was not good. Of course, the reason for this bad first impression was not because Zhu Yijun wanted him to submit and be loyal to him right from the start.
Well, to be exact, it's actually a disappointment.
Zhu Yijun acted a bit arrogant. In his opinion, the Prince of Yu knew him absolutely nothing.
If you want to conquer yourself, you should proceed step by step, and then make plans after you have a complete understanding of yourself.
Zhang Juzheng was disappointed that he came to visit. Maybe he had made a mistake? Was this Prince Yu actually ordinary?
"Zhang Juzheng is an official of the Ming Dynasty and a subject of the emperor. He is only loyal to the emperor. You'd better not talk about loyalty in the future." Zhang Juzheng gave the most standard answer while his mind raced.
He was no longer interested in wasting time with Zhu Yijun.
Having just returned to Beijing from Nanjing, he still had a lot of things to deal with and had no time to chat with the "madman".
"That's wrong, it's a bit narrow-minded." Zhu Yijun said softly, shook his head slightly, and said: "However, you are still a model of a minister of our Ming Dynasty. You can be loyal to Grandpa Emperor..."
At this point, Zhu Yijun glanced at him and then continued, "Although this loyalty is a bit pedantic."
When Zhu Yijun accused him of being narrow-minded and pedantic, Zhang Juzheng did not show any change of expression and his face remained solemn.
Is this a provocation? If he is at the top of the government, how can he have the courage to return to the cabinet if he can be swayed by emotions?
Moreover, even before he was demoted, he had not been influenced by emotions in his judgment.
Moreover, this is also the basic requirement of all the elders in the cabinet today. Otherwise, why would they follow the emperor's footsteps and achieve immortality together?
However, Zhu Yijun ignored Zhang Juzheng's calm expression at the moment and continued to speak slowly.
"Although Zhang Butang's words are reasonable, being loyal to the emperor is the foundation of being a minister. This principle will never change."
As Zhu Yijun spoke, his handsome and elegant face revealed a kind of confidence that looked down on everything, and he stared at Zhang Juzheng as if he were a prey.
"But, I am not unaware of this, but I actually have a deeper consideration."
Looking at Zhu Yijun's confident and determined expression, this time, Zhang Juzheng showed some interest in his eyes.
He saw that the Prince of Yu in front of him wanted to discuss the word "loyalty" with him.
"Please." Zhang Juzheng raised his hand and gestured.
At the same time, the dissatisfaction in his heart towards Zhu Yijun's "arrogance" was also dispelled a lot.
It turns out that he is not really "arrogant", but wants to attract my attention and convince me in this way. Since the person to be supported has not been decided yet, why not listen to his ideas.
"How can the emperor's legacy last for thousands of years?" When talking about time, Zhu Yijun's eyes showed confidence.
If he wants to make a career in the future, it is essential for him to form his own team and faction.
Gu Xiancheng from Dongling Academy, Shen Shixing who has now gone to Yingzhou Prefecture to serve as the prefect, and Zhang Juzheng in front of him are all indispensable talents, especially Zhang Juzheng, whom he must get!
"The foundation of the imperial family does not rely on the wisdom and courage of one person alone, but requires the inheritance of descendants and the assistance of ministers to build a solid country together."
"Hasn't the minister heard that Confucianism says: Only when the family is in order can the country be governed, and only when the country is governed can the world be at peace."
"As the crown prince, although I have not yet ascended the throne, I am of royal blood and the trust of the country in the future."
"Zhang Butang pledges allegiance to me, but in reality he is pledging allegiance to the future of the royal family and to this country that will never change."
"There are two kinds of loyal people!"
"One is private loyalty, the other is public loyalty."
"Private loyalty means loyalty to one person and one family. Public loyalty means loyalty to one family and one family, or loyalty to the world."
"I seek private loyalty, and I also seek public loyalty."
"Zhang Bu Tang, you should put the country first, think about the inheritance of the royal family, and think about what the country and the people think. This is private loyalty, but also public loyalty. Isn't it beautiful to be loyal to me?"
"Furthermore, Confucianism also says: The people are the foundation of the country, and if the foundation is solid, the country will be peaceful."
"The royal family and Zhangbudang are both the parents of the people. We should jointly protect this land and its people."
"I want to work with Zhang Butang on state affairs, not for personal gain, but to seek the welfare of the people of the world and to help the emperor solve his problems."
"Zhangbudang's loyalty to me means his loyalty to this common responsibility and mission."
"Besides, looking through the history books, there are many loyal ministers who assist the crown prince and work together for the great cause." At this point, Zhu Yijun added, "I am the prince of Yu, and I will be the king in the future."
Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng raised his eyebrows slightly, but did not say anything. Just listened quietly.
Judging from Zhu Yijun's performance, it is not surprising that he said that he would be the king in the future.
However, these words sounded a bit sophistry, but Zhang Juzheng did not interrupt. What he was thinking about in this discussion was not winning or losing, but testing whether this prince was worthy of his loyalty.
"The ancient sages knew that assisting the crown prince was assisting the future monarch. This was the right thing to do, not an act of usurpation."
First, he forced himself to be crowned the crown prince, and then everything would fall into place.
"As the saying goes, Zhi Bo treated his subjects as a great scholar, and the subjects repaid him as a great scholar. If Zhang Butang can treat me with this heart, I will definitely treat him as a great scholar, and together we will build the glory of the royal family and create a prosperous era for the country."
"Therefore, Zhang Butang's loyalty to me is not only not an act of usurpation, but also a manifestation of loyalty to the country and the royal family." After saying this, Zhu Yijun smiled slightly and said:
"What do you think, Zhang Butang?"
"What a sophistry," Zhang Juzheng's solemn face relaxed slightly, and he said gently: "Your Highness, you should know that Confucianism is no longer the way to rule the world." As he spoke, Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said:
"An old-fashioned scholar is not up to the task."
The meaning of this sentence was very clear. Zhang Juzheng wanted to continue testing the Prince of Yu.
If his next remarks are still those of the old-fashioned Confucian school, I'm afraid I'll have to order him to leave.
"Of course." Zhu Yijun also knew that Zhang Juzheng was different from Gu Xiancheng and Shen Shixing. It seemed that he was the one who came to him today and asked him to be loyal to him, but in fact, he was the one who was being examined. Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun spoke again.
"The Confucian school that was once so high and mighty is now just one of the hundreds of schools of thought. I will naturally not pick up what Grandpa Emperor has abandoned," Zhu Yijun continued.
"The minister just said that we are only loyal to the emperor. This is indeed stipulated by the law. However, beyond the law, there is the cycle of heaven and the law of nature. The legalists said: 'The law does not favor the rich, and the rope does not bend.' This is the fairness of the law, but we must also know that the fundamental purpose of the law is to maintain the stability of the country and the peace of the people."
After hearing this, Zhang Juzheng understood that the Prince of Yu was trying to use the Legalist perspective to convince him.
In the present-day Ming Dynasty, the way of governing the country has long since changed from the original mixture of the kingly way and the hegemonic way to the current use of all schools of thought to inspire innovation.
These are all very large, numerous and complex things. They are also the new dynasty system that was formed in the 47th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty after several power reshuffles in the court and several reforms.
Zhang Juzheng did not expect Zhu Yijun to come up with something new now. As long as his ideas were not biased towards the current dynasty system, he would be satisfied with them.
He has now examined the Confucian philosophy.
Zhu Yijun now uses the ideas of the Legalists to discuss the Dao with himself... Well, the combination of Confucianism and Legalism, the mutual assistance of Confucianism and Legalism. Political achievements and ethical persuasion are the core of the kingly way to consolidate his rule.
It seems that this kid is quite something.
"As the crown prince, although I have not yet ascended the throne, I am also the future of the country and the hope of the people." Zhu Yijun continued to talk.
"Your loyalty to me is actually your loyalty to the future of the country and the well-being of the people. This is not an act of usurpation, but rather a compliance with the Way of Heaven and the laws of nature."
Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Juzheng's eyes. Is this the Taoist philosophy?
Sure enough, Zhu Yijun then said, "Taoism says: Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. The way to govern a country is to adapt to the times, and I am the representative of this future trend."
"Furthermore, the Legalists emphasize 'rule of law' rather than 'rule of man'."
"Your loyalty to me is not to me personally, but to the spirit of the rule of law that I represent and the philosophy of governing the country that I carry. If I ascend to the throne, I will uphold justice, promote the rule of law, make the country prosperous, and make the people happy."
"Your loyalty today actually lays a solid foundation for the rule of law in the country tomorrow."
Zhu Yijun used both Taoism and magic, and released his aura without reservation, and his cultivation in the initial stage of foundation building was also released unconsciously.
"And Taoism also has the idea of 'ruling by doing nothing', which means following nature and not doing anything reckless."
"What is nature?"
"In the Ming Dynasty, it is the way of heaven and the royal family!"
"Your loyalty to me does not mean you must go against your heart or force yourself to do it, but rather that you must follow the will of heaven and nature, and use your wisdom and talents to assist the royal family in governing the country together."
"In this way, you will not only maintain your loyalty, but also follow the will of heaven and realize your personal ideals and ambitions for governing the country."
"Therefore, your loyalty to me is not only not an act of usurpation, but rather a wise move in conforming to the will of heaven, following the rule of law, and realizing your ideals and ambitions." After saying this, Zhu Yijun took a deep breath, only then realizing that he had unconsciously released his aura.
"Pa pa pa." At this time, Zhang Juzheng suddenly clapped his hands and praised, saying: "What a wonderful argument of the three schools of Confucianism, Legalism, and Taoism."
"Taste a piece of meat and you will know the flavor of the whole wok." "Hang a feather over charcoal and you will know the dryness and wetness of the air, and use the small to understand the big."
"When you see a leaf fall, you know that the year is coming to an end. When you see a pot of ice, you know that the world is cold: use the near to predict the far."
After saying this, Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard with his hand, his deep eyes full of satisfaction with Zhu Yijun.
"Your Highness is smart. I admire you!" Zhu Yijun's eyes flickered as he looked at Zhang Juzheng, who bowed to him and called him his subject. He asked, "Did the minister agree?"
"If it were in the past, I would have assisted His Highness without hesitation, but..." As he spoke, Zhang Juzheng shook his head and sighed.
Eighteen years, he stayed in Nanjing for a full eighteen years.
Although immortal cultivators have long lives, he cannot afford to waste eighteen years of his life.
In his opinion, the ideas and ambitions for governing the country are even more important than cultivating immortals.
Few people in this world can understand this feeling.
Prince Yu has been abandoned by the Emperor, and it is impossible for him to support Prince Yu because there is no future for him.
He cherishes this opportunity more than anyone else to return to the cabinet this time. He will never allow it to be wasted!
"Sir, your concerns are not the same, but my father may be abandoned by my grandfather, and he will not be able to become the crown prince in the future. Therefore, I, the prince, will not be able to become the grandson of the emperor in the future."
"So, sir, you have no future if you stay in Prince Yu's Mansion. Am I right?" Zhu Yijun stared at Zhang Juzheng.
"That's right!" Zhang Juzheng didn't beat around the bush and directly expressed his concerns.
If Prince Yu had not been abandoned, judging by Zhu Yijun's performance, he would have had a bright future, but... what a pity!
"Hahaha." However, what Zhang Juzheng didn't expect was that just after he expressed his concerns, he heard Zhu Yijun suddenly laugh and say:
"It seems there is some truth to this, but the minister hasn't figured it out yet."
"Hmm?" Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng looked puzzled, cupped his hands, and said, "What do you mean, my Lord?"
"Before answering your question, I have a question for Zhang Butang." Zhu Yijun did not answer directly, but asked in return, "Sir, do you want your own ideas and ambitions for governing the country to be realized, or do you want a crown prince or a grandson?"
"What's the difference?" Zhang Juzheng shook his head slightly and said, "The Crown Prince is the first person under the Emperor."
"The power of the crown prince allows any official to realize his own ideas and ambitions for governing the country..." However, before Zhang Juzheng could finish his words, he was interrupted by Zhu Yijun.
"Then what is the meaning of your loyalty to the prince?"
"If you have a better strategy for governing the country at this time, I think Grandfather Emperor will not refuse it."
"Why do you have to keep eyeing on the position of Crown Prince?"
"Your Highness is right, but I also have concerns..." Zhang Juzheng simply spoke out and expressed his concerns.
What Zhu Yijun said is indeed the truth.
But now the Ming Dynasty has embarked on a new path and does not need to reform in the short term.
But he wanted to reform the law, which was impossible to achieve in a short period of time.
His reforms were still being perfected. According to his estimation, it was very likely that by that time, the emperor would have already become an immortal and retired.
Therefore, he needed the support of the new emperor. During this period, he didn't want anything else but to expand the power of the prince he supported, strive to become the crown prince in the future, and then ascend to the throne smoothly.
After listening to Zhang Juzheng's concerns, Zhu Yijun realized that it was impossible to get him to pledge allegiance directly.
The theory he used to convince his father that the crown prince and the crown prince were not of the same bloodline did not apply to him.
The Prince Yu's Mansion can ignore the throne and only care about its own development, but as a minister, Zhang Juzheng cannot do that.
This person has his own ideas and ambitions for governing the country.
Therefore, the person he supports must be the crown prince. As for who the crown prince is, he doesn't care.
However, Zhu Yijun was not unprepared for these things. He would not easily give up on someone he had set his eyes on.
"I had a great time chatting with the minister today," Zhu Yijun said, then he slowly stood up from his chair and said:
"Although it is a pity that I cannot get the direct support of the Ministry, I would like to make a deal with the Ministry."
As Zhu Yijun spoke, the look in his eyes seemed to tell Zhang Juzheng that he must get the person he valued.
"Deal?" Zhang Juzheng raised his eyebrows and looked at Zhu Yijun.
Through the conversation just now, he knew that the Prince of Yu in front of him was definitely a man with deep scheming and scheming. In fact, he saw a kind of tyranny that only belonged to the emperor in him.
"Yes, in today's Ming Dynasty, there can be a crown prince, but there can also be a crown prince grandson. As for whether they are of the same bloodline or not, what does it matter?" Under Zhang Juzheng's wide-eyed gaze, Zhu Yijun said what he had said to Prince Yu before.
(Note: See Chapter 230 for details.)
"The content of the deal that this prince wants to make with Zhang Butang is also very simple." Zhu Yijun said in a deep voice: "Zhang Butang can choose any prince from the Ninth Prince, or even from the many princes of the future emperor, and support him to become the crown prince."
"And Zhang Butang, you will get the support of the entire Prince Yu's Mansion. What's wrong with my Prince Yu's Mansion giving him the position of Crown Prince?"
"But the position of the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty must belong to His Royal Highness the Prince!"
"What do you think of this deal, Zhang Butang?"
Looking at the confident and determined Zhu Yijun, Zhang Juzheng had only one feeling in his heart at this moment, that is absurd!
It has always been the case that the son of the crown prince is the crown prince's grandson.
But have you ever heard that the prince is the prince and the grandson is the grandson? Isn't that nonsense?
I just wonder if the Prince Yu in front of me is crazy to say such crazy words?
If this is the case, then doesn't it mean that none of the future crown prince's sons will be able to inherit the throne?
And the next heir to the throne will be the son of another king. In this case, what will happen to the Ming Dynasty in the future?
In other words, there are two princes in one day!
If the Hongwu Dynasty had carried out such "avant-garde" operations, then if Taizu had directly appointed Emperor Renzong as the crown prince when Zhu Xiongying died, how could the Jingnan Campaign have happened in the future?
Although Zhu Yijun said that in order to keep the country stable, he only wanted the rights and interests of Prince Yu's Mansion and would resign the position of Crown Prince at that time.
But once this gap is opened, it cannot be easily closed. The impact of such a profound abyss will affect the Ming royal family for thousands of years.
Well, if I can’t get the position of Crown Prince, then I’ll fight for the position of Crown Grandson… What kind of chaos will the Ming Dynasty be in?
In an instant, Zhang Juzheng thought of a lot and thought far ahead, but if he returned to the transaction itself, it would be equivalent to that the prince he chose got the support of Prince Yu.
Just as Prince Yu said before, the kings are like rootless duckweed, which means the current nine kings have no foundation at all.
They would even have to face brutal battles among the kings, as well as attacks from Prince Yu's and Prince Jing's palaces. On the contrary, with Prince Yu's support, the possibility of victory would be greater.
For a time, Zhang Juzheng was in a dilemma.
On the one hand, in the near term, he could choose a prince and most likely help him become the crown prince. Then he could realize his own ideas of governing the country in the future.
On the other hand, he was worried that the future struggle for the foundation of the Ming Dynasty would become more complicated and changeable. If it was not handled properly, it might lead to greater hidden dangers.
If a dynasty of cultivating immortals were to harbor a monstrous hidden danger, then all lives would be destroyed and all races would grieve.
"What if the prince does not resign the position of Crown Prince by then?"
A voice deep in his heart told him that it was wrong to do so, but Zhang Juzheng still asked the question for some unknown reason.
What kind of person is Zhang Juzheng?
He has never been an honest man, he is a tough guy.
In fact, if he were given power, he would become a more powerful official than Yan Song.
They are good at governing the country but bad at governing themselves. To put it bluntly, this kind of people can use any means to achieve and implement their own ideas of governing the country, and they can even completely ignore the opinions of others.
Especially the ups and downs of these years, the accumulation of eighteen years, let him know more clearly what he wants. In order to achieve his goal, he can not care about the means.
Hearing Zhang Juzheng's question, Zhu Yijun smiled and said in a gentle tone: "I will swear to the heaven and sign a blood contract. The imperial seal can testify to it."
"Do you think, Zhang Butang, that in the future, the creatures of the Ming Dynasty can disobey the imperial seal?"
Blood pact, oath by heaven, these basic common sense for those who practice Taoism have now been popularized in every citizen's mind.
Especially for those who practice Taoism, it is taboo to swear to heaven.
Of course, no one knows that there may be a way of heaven in this world, but the Ming Dynasty is the Ming Dynasty and the world is the world.
The Heavenly Dao consciousness of the Ming Dynasty is the consciousness of Jiajing's destiny. Unfortunately, the consciousness of the Ming Dynasty has not yet been formed.
When the monks in the Ming Dynasty swore an oath, they were swearing to the emperor, and the emperor was the master of heaven.
Zhu Yijun's words seemed to give Zhang Juzheng a sense of security, but in fact, Zhang Juzheng just wanted someone to give him a push.
"Your Highness, no matter what, I hope you will remember," Zhang Juzheng said after taking a deep breath, "I am loyal to one person, one family, one surname, and one world."
When Zhu Yijun heard Zhang Juzhong use his previous theory of "public loyalty" and "private loyalty" and combine the two to answer him, while repeatedly saying "minister", he laughed.
One person, one family, one surname, one world? Why?
What it means is that the world under the surname Zhu is loyal to a certain person in a certain Zhu family!
Naturally, he can be loyal to Zhu Yijun now, and in the future he will be loyal to the prince he will support.
In other words, this is the condition for him to agree to the deal!
"Zhang Bu Tang, this is a wise choice," Zhu Yijun bowed to Zhang Juzheng and said, "Prince Yu's Mansion will not let you down."
This means Zhu Yijun agreed!
The goal has been achieved, Zhang Juzheng is now within my reach... Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun chuckled and strode past Zhang Juzheng.
Hearing the laughter behind him, Zhang Juzheng stood there in a daze, silent for a long time.
"..."
(End of this chapter)
