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

"hehe…"

Cao Zhichun chuckled sinisterly: "The case of the Duke of Qing's land encroachment concerns the affairs of the state. Do you think Prince Yu can save him?"

"Even so, Commander Meng's strength alone is enough to make the Duke of Qing hesitate. Why would he risk his life?"

This statement startled Cao Zhichun, who then fell silent.

Indeed, with Meng Zhi, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, in charge, if the Duke of Qing dared to rebel, it would be tantamount to courting death.

Since it's a situation where there's no chance of survival, why bother with all this?

Just as Cao Zhichun was about to force Wen Feng to submit, a spy from the Eastern Depot rushed in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Cao Zhichun's expression changed drastically, and he quickly stood up.

"Lord Wen, please sit here for a moment. I will be right back."

He strode quickly through the deep corridors and into the backyard.

A tall, upright figure stood with his back to him, hands clasped behind his back.

Cao Zhichun quickly bowed and greeted, "This servant greets Your Excellency."

The man slowly turned around; it was Zhu Houcong's Vermilion Bird incarnation.

He smiled, his voice gentle and warm: "Chief Supervisor Cao, there's no need for such formalities. We both serve His Majesty, so let's not stand on ceremony."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"How's it going with Wen Feng?" Zhu Que asked bluntly.

Cao Zhichun looked troubled: "Reporting to Your Excellency, the biggest obstacle right now is Meng Zhi. If we could transfer him away for a few days, perhaps we could persuade Wen Feng."

Zhuque nodded, then smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll take care of this for you."

Cao Zhichun was momentarily stunned: "What does Your Excellency mean?"

Zhuque did not answer, but only released a slight aura.

In an instant, Cao Zhichun felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He staggered back several steps, his breath churning, and his face was filled with disbelief.

"You...you are a Grandmaster?"

The moment he asked the question, he already had the answer, and at the same time, a storm raged within him.

To everyone's surprise, the man who claimed to be a royal retainer was actually a peerless master at the Grandmaster level.

Emperor Liang had such a trump card hidden in his hands.

First he was a Golden Core cultivator, and now he's a Grandmaster. The figure sitting on the dragon throne is as unfathomable as a bottomless abyss.

too frightening.

Zhuque looked at Cao Zhichun's frightened expression with satisfaction and said gently, "With me here, Meng Zhi can be kept in check. In that case, wouldn't the Duke of Qing be able to go all out?"

Cao Zhichun then came to his senses and quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"Yes, yes, that's right, then we'll have to trouble you, sir."

As he spoke, he stepped aside to make way and respectfully gestured for the other person to proceed.

"My lord, please follow me."

The two arrived at the main hall, and Cao Zhichun went straight to the point: "Lord Wen, I have brought you an assistant."

He stepped aside, revealing the Vermilion Bird behind him.

"This is a master of the Grandmaster realm. With his assistance, Meng Zhi's problem is nothing to worry about."

"What? A Grandmaster?"

Wen Feng stared wide-eyed at Zhu Que in disbelief.

Zhuque had no choice but to release a trace of its oppressive aura once more.

In an instant, Wen Feng felt an overwhelming force rushing towards him, forcing him to retreat several steps until his back hit the cold wall before he could barely stand.

He had only ever felt this suffocating sense of oppression from Meng Zhi, the commander of the Imperial Guards.

The person before me was truly a Grandmaster!

Upon reaching this conclusion, large beads of sweat instantly appeared on Wen Feng's forehead.

He quickly replied, "My lord, with the assistance of this Grandmaster, I am certain I can persuade the Duke of Qing to make the decision to rebel."

Cao Zhichun nodded in satisfaction.

He turned around and picked up a stack of files from the table: "Lord Wen, you must know what crimes you are charged with in these files."

"If you handle this well, you can walk away unscathed; but if you botch it..."

Upon hearing this, Wen Feng immediately knelt down and said loudly, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will do my utmost to serve you. I am very confident in this matter."

"very good."

Cao Zhichun handed the case file to Wen Feng.

"Take all of these and give them to the Duke of Qing. I await good news."

Wen Feng took the files with both hands, feeling as if they were incredibly heavy.

He secretly glanced at Zhuque, only to see the other looking at him with a half-smile, those deep eyes seemingly able to see through people's hearts.

This made his heart tighten.

Chapter 45 What I least want to discuss is the state of the court.

Wen Feng was a carefully laid plan by Zhu Houcong, and also the key figure chosen by Cao Zhichun.

The imperial court has its own rules for operation; after all, the court is ultimately a system composed of people.

If someone breaks the rules and overturns the table, then no one will have anything to eat.

The actions of the Eastern Depot are precisely an attempt to overturn the table and undermine the basic rules that maintain the operation of the imperial court.

Arresting and interrogating people without going through the proper procedures of the Three Judicial Offices, and even more recklessly engaging in guilt by association, these practices have crossed the bottom line for the court officials.

It is foreseeable that Cao Zhichun will face a barrage of criticism and unanimous resistance from his ministers at the upcoming court meeting.

At this point in the case, it's simply impossible to reach a verdict through normal legal procedures.

However, on the other hand, the Great Liang was ultimately a country where imperial power was supreme.

Since Zhu Houcong was determined to kill the Duke of Qing, then he was bound to die, and so was Wen Feng.

Therefore, he never intended to achieve his goal through formal legal procedures; he only needed to make his attitude toward the Qingguo case clear to both the court and the public.

When faced with certain death, the Duke of Qing will have no choice but to take a desperate gamble.

If the Duke of Qingguo gathers the people listed in the case file to start a rebellion, it will prove that the Eastern Depot has neither arrested the wrong people nor misjudged them.

This was Zhu Houcong's true purpose.

In this way, the goal of eliminating dissidents could be achieved, while maintaining the authority of the Eastern Depot and the imperial power, thus ensuring the complete establishment of the Eastern Depot—a double win.

It must be said that Cao Zhichun's grasp of human nature has reached a level of consummate skill.

Among the officials implicated, he accurately identified Wen Feng as the key figure.

Not only because he had a close personal relationship with the Qing Kingdom, but also because he was a high-ranking official in the Court of Judicial Review, and because he had a fatal weakness.

That was his son.

Wen Feng was fifty years old when he had a son, and he naturally cherished him like a precious treasure.

Cao Zhichun used this to threaten him.

As expected, Wen Feng knelt down.

As expected, the next day at court, the officials were outraged and submitted a series of impeachments.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and other departments took turns appearing on duty.

Cao Zhichun was directly described as a treacherous villain who "disregarded the law and persecuted loyal officials".

He bluntly stated that Cao Zhichun's use of torture to extract confessions was an act that brought disaster to the country.

If the Crown Prince had not been confined to his quarters, he would surely have jumped out to oppose Prince Yu at this moment.

However, the Crown Prince's faction is now tacitly remaining silent.

Although they disliked Cao Zhichun for breaking the rules, they were unwilling to benefit Prince Yu, so they chose to remain neutral.

Seeing that the time was right, Prince Yu straightened his court robes and stepped forward steadily.

He first bowed deeply to the throne, and then respectfully said, "Father, I believe that every word spoken by the officials is from the bottom of their hearts."

"The actions of the Eastern Depot have shaken the foundations of the nation. If Cao Zhichun is not severely punished, it may jeopardize the court and destabilize the country!"

These words were spoken with great force and resounding effect, echoing throughout the hall.

The courtiers echoed their sentiments, their voices rising in waves.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Houcong, who was sitting upright on the dragon throne, frowned and said in a deep voice.

"You always talk about the political situation, but that's precisely what I least want to discuss. The political situation is all your business."

"Take the case of the Duke of Qingguo for example, the people who were jointly tried by the three judicial departments were chosen by you, Jingting."

"The Crown Prince was confined to the Eastern Palace, and almost half of the court officials were unwilling to discuss matters in the court."

"The Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review are both close friends of yours, Jing Huan; the governor of Binzhou and the governor-general were also recommended by you."

"What are you talking to me about court affairs now?!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhu Houcong suddenly changed the subject, his voice instantly softening.

"Today I do not wish to discuss the affairs of the court, but only the relationship between father and son."

"Throughout history, the most difficult thing is not being an emperor, not being a minister, and not even being a prince like you."

"The hardest part is being a father."

He let out a long sigh as he spoke.

"My life is so miserable!"

"Ordinary families usually have only one or two sons, and even the most powerful families have only ten or so wives and concubines."

"But as the emperor and father, all the millions of people of the Great Liang Dynasty are my sons!"

"How did I end up becoming such a father?"

[Recite a quote from Emperor Jiajing, play Emperor Jiajing +1, reward: 2 Medicine King Elixirs]

Upon seeing this, Zhao Mengjing immediately stepped forward and knelt down, respectfully saying, "Your Majesty is concerned for the people, yet we, your subjects, have failed to share your burdens. We are truly ashamed of our failure to repay Your Majesty's kindness, and beg Your Majesty's punishment!"

"Get up."

Zhu Houcong waved his hand and said to Zhao Mengjing, "If the Three Judicial Offices can handle the case of the Duke of Qing well, it will be a relief for me."

He then continued, "The people of Binzhou are my sons, and the Duke of Qing involved in the case is also my son. They are both my flesh and blood."

"I sent Cao Zhichun there precisely to help my sons. Why can't you all understand my feelings as their father?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Bichang suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Originally, given his rank and position, he was not qualified to stand in the imperial court, but because he was one of the deputy judges in the Qingguo case, he stood behind Xiao Jingting.

When he looked up, tears were streaming down his face, and he was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty, as your subject, I have failed to understand the difficulties faced by my sovereign and father. I am ashamed!"

The courtiers stared in disbelief at Zheng Bichang's exaggerated performance, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

He immediately started cursing in his mind.

That scoundrel, he's such a good actor.

Are you even human?

Crying so hard, anyone who didn't know better would think you were the emperor's son!