I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

After being nourished by the dual cultivation method, Yue's appearance was even better than yesterday.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

When Yue saw this, she was so frightened that her face turned pale.

"Your Majesty, you must not harm your health!"

Zhu Houcong frowned and angrily rebuked, "Insolence! My second brother is invincible!"

...

While Zhu Houcong was exploring the mysteries of dual cultivation in Zhaoren Palace, the palace was in an uproar.

Inside the warm pavilion of the Eastern Palace, Crown Prince Xiao Jingxuan was playing with a jade teacup in his hand when he suddenly heard a report from his trusted aide.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has stayed at Zhaoren Palace for a day and a night and has not yet left."

Xiao Jingxuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and the jade teacup in his hand fell onto the blanket with a "thud".

"real?"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and the muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably.

After confirming it several times, Xiao Jingxuan could no longer hold back and lost his composure, bursting into a maniacal laugh.

A mother is still a mother.

What a Seven-Bead Prince, he's nothing but a clown.

As long as his father's favor towards his mother remains unchanged, his position as crown prince will be as secure as Mount Tai.

Thinking of this, he threw off the golden crown that bound his hair, letting his long hair fall loose, and then he started dancing wildly in the hall.

The pent-up frustration from yesterday's conferment of Xiao Jinghuan's title of Seven-Bead Prince dissipated completely at this moment.

He only became crown prince because of his mother, Consort Yue's, favor with the emperor.

Upon hearing that Emperor Liang still favored Zhaoren Palace, he was naturally overjoyed.

Meanwhile, inside the Prince Yu's residence, a completely different scene unfolded.

The celadon teacup in Xiao Jinghuan's hand shattered with a "crack".

His face was so gloomy it could drip water; the joy he felt yesterday at being granted the title of Seven-Bead Prince had long since vanished.

"A day and a night?"

He repeated the word through gritted teeth.

He was riding high in the imperial court yesterday, but today he heard such terrible news. The contrast made his chest feel heavy.

"What a fine Consort Yue..."

Xiao Jinghuan suddenly sneered and swept the writing implements off the table.

"I'd like to see how long you and your son can remain so smug!"

Two hours later, Zhu Houcong pulled up his trousers and stepped out of Zhaoren Palace, looking refreshed.

He looked radiant, and even his steps were lighter than usual.

Upon seeing this, Gao Zhan, who was waiting outside the palace, quickly stepped forward.

He bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, Princess Nihuang has arrived in the capital. Would you like to summon her?"

Nihuang?

Zhu Houcong's brows furrowed suddenly, and all his joy vanished instantly.

This is a big problem.

In the original novel, she was the commander of the Mu family in Yunnan, in charge of 100,000 iron cavalry in Yunnan. She held military power and was a living example of someone whose achievements overshadowed the emperor.

Zhu Houcong grew angrier the more he thought about it, wishing he could drag that stupid pig from his coffin and slap him twice.

The 70,000 elite troops of the Crimson Flame Army were slaughtered without hesitation.

The Mu family's power was deeply entrenched, yet they allowed it to grow unchecked!

They actually raised 100,000 iron cavalry. If this happened in any other dynasty, the emperor probably wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

Moreover, this person is Mei Changsu's childhood sweetheart, and is not on the same page as the imperial court at all.

Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes, recalling his predecessor's terrible idea of ​​"contesting a bride through martial arts".

They actually dared to try to keep a tiger in the capital with such childish tricks.

Now, this hot potato has been thrown directly into my hands.

"His Majesty?"

Seeing that Zhu Houcong remained silent for a long time, Gao Zhan tentatively called out again, bending down even lower.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong's face suddenly broke into a kind smile, as if the gloom from before had never existed.

"Princess Nihuang is back!"

His tone was so gentle it was almost dripping with warmth.

"Go and deliver the imperial decree, telling her to rest well in Jinling for the time being. She hasn't been back for many years, so she can take a stroll around."

"I will summon her again in a few days."

"Yes!"

Gao Zhan smiled obsequiously and said, "Your Majesty is truly kind-hearted and shows exceptional affection for these children."

"Hehe, that's natural."

Zhu Houcong laughed loudly, and a few loving wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

"I watched Princess Nihuang grow up; she's no different from my own daughter. Of course, I have to treat her well!"

His smile grew even more amiable, but the veins on his hands clenched tightly beneath his dragon robe.

If it weren't for my fear of the 100,000 iron cavalry in Yunnan, I would have turned against them long ago!

The thought that twelve years had passed since the Chiyan case, yet Princess Nihuang still harbored feelings for that dead Lin Shu, stirred up Zhu Houcong's murderous intent.

I hereby bestow upon you the title of Princess and the rank of First-Class Military Marquis, which is an extreme honor.

But you are ungrateful and do not care about your sovereign and father. Instead, you spend all your time hanging around that traitor Mei Changsu.

You treat Mei Changsu's farts as imperial edicts, but you completely ignore what I say.

Zhu Houcong's smile remained unchanged, but in his heart he had cursed this "traitor" a thousand times over.

Having said that, he was about to turn and leave when his peripheral vision inadvertently swept over Gao Zhan's old face, which was plastered with a fawning smile.

At that glance, Zhu Houcong felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

Even I have bad people around me!

Chapter 4 Inviting Xiaomeng, the leader of the Taoist Heavenly Sect, to Liang

That old eunuch...

Seeing Gao Zhan bowing with every wrinkle on his face radiating obedience, Zhu Houcong's eyes narrowed instantly.

He suddenly remembered that in the original novel, Gao Zhan seemed to be very respectful to him, but in reality, he had always been helping Mei Changsu.

He's a truly cunning old fox.

This person can't stay by my side anymore; I need to find a reason to get rid of him.

Zhu Houcong was going through fragments of Emperor Liang's memories when suddenly a secret report from the Suspended Mirror Bureau surfaced in his mind.

He recalled the secret memorial Xia Jiang had presented last month.

In the present world, the three kingdoms are the most respected: Liang, Qing, and Qin.

However, these three countries do not share a border, and there are a number of smaller countries outside of them.

The Qing Kingdom is located northeast of Daliang, but it is separated from the Northern Yan Kingdom by the border.

The Qin state was located northwest of Daliang, separated by the Daxi and Dayu rivers. The Daxi River was the dynasty in which the story of "Lotus Tower" takes place.

In Xia Jiang's secret report, only Qing Kingdom had recently experienced a major event.

Ye Qingmei, the extraordinary woman who helped Emperor Qing ascend the throne, died of weakness after childbirth.

In his secret report, Xia Jiang bluntly expressed his doubts, believing that Ye Qingmei's death was suspicious and that there must be a hidden story.

After all, Ye Qingmei's thoughts were simply too dazzling in this world.

How could she have died of illness so easily?

Indeed, deep in his memory, Emperor Liang had met Ye Qingmei once.

The woman was dressed in white, with exquisite features, yet she possessed an aura that seemed out of place in this era.

On her first visit to the palace, she spoke eloquently about "equality for all" and "constitutional monarchy."

His shocking remarks drew applause from a large number of officials, led by Lin Xie, the commander of the Chiyan Army.

Prince Qi, Xiao Jingyu, was so impressed that he wished he could become his disciple.

For more than a decade afterward, the thought of Ye Qingmei still sent chills down Emperor Liang's spine.

Emperor Liang, as the emperor and a beneficiary of the feudal society, naturally ignored Ye Qingmei's remarks.

And they kicked her out of the capital.

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingmei turned around and went to the Qing Kingdom, where she helped the current Emperor Qing to the throne.

Recalling this memory, a cold smile crept onto Zhu Houcong's lips.

Having read the original novel, he naturally knew how Ye Qingmei died.

She was ultimately too naive, failing to understand that her beliefs were incompatible with the ways of the world.

No matter how much Emperor Qing admired her before ascending the throne, once he sat on that throne, how could he tolerate a potential threat that could shake the foundation of imperial power?

Ye Qingmei's death was destined from the moment she began to travel to various countries to promote the idea of ​​equality for all.

The Qin state in the northwest remained relatively quiet, ceasing its conquests after Ying Zheng destroyed the six states east of the mountains.

They then began to rest and recuperate.

However, according to intelligence, Chisongzi, the leader of the Qin State Taoist Tianzong sect, abdicated last month and passed the leadership to a disciple named Xiaomeng.

Upon thinking of this, Zhu Houcong's eyes suddenly flashed with two sharp glints, as if an owl had spotted its prey.

Xiaomeng!

The name rolled through his mind.

He knew exactly who this woman was.

Having cultivated for only ten years, he was able to defeat Chisongzi, the leader of the Heavenly Sect, and take over the sect, making him a rare genius, one in a hundred years.

The core of the Tianzong philosophy is "the way of Heaven is non-action," which emphasizes forgetting worldly affairs, conforming to the way of Heaven, and transcending worldly concerns.

But Xiaomeng was not detached enough; her ambitions were too high, and she was unwilling to be lonely. She insisted on emulating the Human Sect and engaging in worldly competition.

He may say "the highest good is like water," but his eyes burn with the fire of ambition.

The ancient teachings of the Heavenly Sect, which emphasized transcendence for a thousand years, could not suppress a burning ambition to become the foremost school of thought.

However, the Qin court was already dominated by Confucianism, Legalism, and Yin-Yang School, leaving no room for Taoism.

Even the Human Sect, which has always advocated engaging with the world, could only join the main characters in rebellion!

but,

Since you, Xiaomeng, want to enter the world, then I will provide you with this platform!

Zhu Houcong suddenly patted Gao Zhan heavily on the shoulder, startling the old eunuch.

"Gao Zhan, I have another important matter to entrust to you."

Gao Zhan quickly forced a fawning smile: "This old servant would gladly die for you, Your Majesty, please enlighten me."

Zhu Houcong stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky, his expression suddenly becoming extremely solemn.