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

The key point is that even their own son doesn't put in this much effort!

Although Zheng Bichang's exaggerated performance made the courtiers secretly nauseous, they had no choice but to kneel down and shout in unison, "Your humble servants are ashamed."

Even Zhu Houcong, who was sitting upright on the dragon throne, couldn't help but twitch his lips a few times, almost bursting out laughing.

After calming himself down, his gaze finally fell on Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan.

"Jinghuan, I love you the most. Can you understand my difficulties?"

Xiao Jinghuan pressed his forehead to the ground and said helplessly, "Father...son...son understands."

"It's good that you understand."

Zhu Houcong nodded with satisfaction.

"In that case, Prince Yu, you shall take full responsibility for the case of the Duke of Qing."

"Remember, never wrong an innocent person."

"Your subject will certainly handle this matter impartially to set the record straight," Xiao Jingting said solemnly.

"Very well, very well, they are all my good sons."

Zhu Houcong said with a face full of relief, "No matter how difficult things are for me, seeing you all makes them not so difficult anymore. You may all leave!"

After the emperor left, the court officials stood up one by one, their faces filled with disbelief.

They had never seen such a shameless performance, yet they couldn't retaliate.

The relationship between ruler and subject, father and son, has been a fundamental principle since ancient times.

Zhu Houcong's words were impeccable, raising the banner of filial piety high.

Despite their numerous grievances, the officials in the court were unable to refute the accusations.

Prince Yu stood there, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, the scepter in his hand almost crushed.

This seemingly heartwarming father-son drama actually put him in a dilemma.

Zhu Houcong's words neither explicitly stated whether Cao Zhichun's actions were right or wrong, nor did they directly instruct on how the Qingguo case should be handled next.

He simply asked Prince Yu to share his burdens.

This seemingly ambiguous statement actually reveals the emperor's true intentions.

Which of the senior officials in the palace isn't a shrewd and astute person?

They were well aware of the deeper meaning behind the emperor's words.

Chapter 46 Eight hundred people, that's all.

Not long after the court meeting ended, the conversation between the emperor and his ministers spread like wildfire throughout the entire city of Jinling.

Human-to-human transmission has already occurred.

In teahouses and taverns, people were constantly giving vivid performances of Zhu Houcong's "father-son discourse".

The common people were moved to tears, praising the emperor as wise and benevolent.

Soon, various embellished versions began to circulate among the common people.

Some say they saw Governor Cao pleading for the people in Binzhou, while others say they found evidence of treason in the Duke of Qing's mansion.

Even more outrageous, rumors began to circulate that the ministers who opposed the Eastern Depot had all accepted bribes from the Duke of Qing.

In a private room on the second floor of the teahouse, Mei Changsu listened to the commotion downstairs, his teacup remaining untouched for a long time.

He looked towards the palace, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

This media storm is clearly the result of careful manipulation.

Is it the emperor?

Or the Eastern Depot?

"Sect Master, should we send someone to calm public opinion?" Li Gang asked in a low voice.

"The Jiangzuo Alliance must not act rashly."

Mei Changsu took a sip of tea and shook his head.

"Getting involved now would only attract unwanted attention and cause a lot of trouble."

"But if we allow Prince Yu to handle this case, wouldn't the credit be..."

"Prince Yu?"

Mei Changsu chuckled lightly and said calmly.

"He can't get through the investigation. Emperor Liang was right about one thing: the affairs of the court are the business of all the ministers."

"His 'father-son theory' may temporarily silence public opinion, but it cannot change this fact."

"Even if the Emperor's will is hard to defy, the stubborn old men in the Ministry of Justice, the incorruptible officials in the Court of Judicial Review, and those upright censors will not sit idly by and wait for their doom."

A glint of light flashed in Mei Changsu's eyes.

"They would rather risk their lives to remonstrate than allow the Eastern Depot to trample on the imperial court like this."

Li Gang suddenly realized: "So this case will be dragged on and on?"

"That's right, and the longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for us."

"At that time, Prince Yu will be incompetent, and the court and the country will be in turmoil. This will be the perfect opportunity for Prince Jing to distinguish himself."

While Mei Changsu was talking with Li Gang, a gloomy atmosphere hung over the Duke of Qing's mansion.

The Duke of Qingguo slumped in his armchair, his face ashen, muttering to himself.

"It's over...it's all over..."

Unexpectedly, even with Prince Yu's efforts in court, there was no way to turn the situation around.

In a daze, he seemed to see his head rolling all over the ground.

"What should we do!"

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind.

The Duke of Qing was so frightened that he trembled and turned around abruptly, only to see two dark figures standing in the shadows of the study.

"Duke of Qingguo...Duke of Qingguo..."

The person who came called out in a low voice; it was Wen Feng, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

"Wen Shaoqing?"

The Duke of Qing was still in shock, looking at Wen Feng with a face full of fear.

"There were agents from the Eastern Depot guarding both the front and back; how did you get in?"

Wen Feng strode forward and, with a solemn expression, pulled out a stack of files from his pocket.

“I climbed over the wall to come and find you to help me. Look, this is a secret document I stole from the Dali Temple. These crimes are enough to warrant the execution of our entire family.”

"Given His Majesty's attitude in court today, how can we possibly survive!"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qing slumped back down, forcing a bitter smile. "Brother Wen! I'm like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river; I can barely save myself. What can I possibly do?"

At this moment, Wen Feng suddenly leaned closer, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Lord Duke, are we really going to sit here and wait to die?"

"Instead of waiting to be executed along with our entire family, let's rebel!"

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qing's pupils contracted sharply, and he stammered, "What? What did you just say?"

Suddenly, Wen Feng grabbed the sleeve of the Duke of Qing, his eyes flashing with a crazed light.

"My lord, let's rebel! We'll storm the palace, kill that damned emperor, and then you'll be the new ruler."

"You're crazy!"

The Duke of Qing was so shocked that he trembled all over.

"With just the two of us, aren't we just courting death?"

"Either way, it's death!"

Wen Feng gritted his teeth, his face contorted with rage, and said, "Rather than wait to have our entire family executed, we'd rather fight to the death!"

Then he abruptly flipped open the file.

"Look, aren't all of these people your former subordinates involved?"

"Wu Kai, the military commander of the Northern Camp, was promoted by you; Wang Hong, the military commander of the Imperial Guard, is your protégé; and so on..."

Duke Qing stared at those familiar names, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"But... even if you include all their servants and guards, there are at most eight hundred people..."

"Eight hundred people it is!"

"Eight hundred men are enough."

Wen Feng said decisively, "How many people can guard Xuanhua Gate? We all have martial arts masters in our mansions. Breaking through the gate will be a piece of cake. As long as we rush into the inner palace, that dog emperor will surely die."

A flicker of hesitation crossed the Duke of Qing's eyes, but he immediately shook his head vigorously.

"No, no."

"With Grandmaster Meng Zhi overseeing the forbidden area, eight hundred men wouldn't be enough for him to kill alone."

Wen Feng suddenly smiled mysteriously: "Don't worry, Your Excellency, the Grandmaster beside me will hold off Meng Zhi."

"What? A Grandmaster?"

The Duke of Qing was so startled that he jumped up from his chair and looked at Zhuque with a horrified expression.

"Indeed, this senior owes me a favor from years ago, and has come specifically to help me deal with that scoundrel Meng Zhi."

Upon hearing this, Zhuque released a wisp of oppressive power, instantly plunging the entire study into an icy abyss.

Duke Qingguo felt short of breath, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

"hiss!"

He gasped, his eyes filled with horror.

"Truly... he is a Grandmaster..."

Wen Feng pressed his advantage, saying, "Lord Duke, you're going to die either way, so why not fight to the death?"

"With your prestige, once these letters and files are delivered, those people will surely respond!"

His voice grew increasingly fervent: "If it succeeds, the entire Liang dynasty will be yours."

As the Duke of Qing listened to Wen Feng's devilishly seductive voice, his breathing suddenly became heavy, and the fear in his eyes was gradually replaced by greed.

Yes, with eight hundred elite warriors and a grandmaster, they might not be without a chance of victory...

Brother Wen!

He suddenly grabbed Wen Feng's hand, his eyes blazing with fury.

"If we succeed in this great undertaking, I am willing to share the world with you!"

"good."

Wen Feng's voice trembled with excitement.

"Then let's rebel against them!"

Their hands were clasped tightly together, yet each harbored their own secrets.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, so the Duke of Qing immediately sat down at his desk and wrote furiously. At Wen Feng's urging, he directly issued a secret order to "launch a major operation at midnight tonight."

Zhu Que watched coldly from the side, while Zhu Houcong's lips curled into a cold smile.

A major undertaking?

Want to eat fart!

You've been tricked by capital, you idiot!