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

Zheng!

The Vermilion Bird Sword flashed, its cold light reflecting the moon.

In an instant, time seemed to freeze.

Meng Zhi's head flew high into the air, tracing a poignant arc in the moonlight.

On that resolute face, his eyes remained wide open, as if filled with utter resentment.

boom!

The head hit the ground, rolled three zhang (approximately 10 meters) away, and finally came to rest in a pool of blood.

The night wind howled, stirring up the stench of blood on the ground.

Two dark figures gradually disappeared into the night, leaving behind only a battlefield littered with debris and a headless, imposing body that still stood like a javelin in the pool of blood.

A few breaths later, two dark figures moved through the snow without leaving a trace, and in a few leaps, they swept over several rooftops.

It was Li Gang and Zhen Ping from the Jiangzuo Alliance who came to gather information.

The two landed on the blood-stained roof at the same time, and the sight before them made them gasp for breath.

In the snow, a headless corpse stood upright like a javelin.

His body was covered in wounds, and the blood from his severed neck had long since frozen into ice.

Three zhang away, Meng Zhi's head was half-buried in the snow, his eyes wide open in anger, his hair and beard covered with icicles.

They exchanged a glance, and both saw a raging storm in each other's eyes.

Li Gang made a decisive decision.

"withdraw!"

The two figures didn't dare linger and hurriedly left.

Mei Changsu, dressed in white, stood under the eaves of the Su residence, his gaze fixed on the direction of the imperial city.

"metropolitan."

Li Gang and Zhen Ping hurriedly passed through the courtyard.

"What happened?"

Seeing their grave expressions, Mei Changsu's voice tightened: "What happened?"

"this…"

Li Gang's lips trembled, he hesitated, and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He didn't want to upset Mei Changsu, as his current health absolutely couldn't withstand the news.

Upon seeing this, Mei Changsu's heart sank. He turned to Zhen Ping and said, "Zhen Ping, you would never lie to me. You tell me."

Zhen Ping hesitated for a moment, then knelt on one knee and said hesitantly, "Sect Master...it's Commander Meng...he..."

"What happened to Brother Meng?"

Mei Changsu grabbed Zhen Ping's shoulder.

"Commander-in-Chief...has been murdered!"

Upon hearing this, Mei Changsu's pupils constricted sharply; these words struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

He staggered back two steps, and suddenly the world spun before his eyes.

Li Gang rushed forward to support him.

"impossible…"

Mei Changsu looked completely incredulous. He took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down a bit.

"Brother Meng is a grandmaster who has traversed the world! Could you be mistaken?"

Zhen Ping looked reluctant, but still said, "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"When we rushed to investigate the Xuanhua Gate rebellion, we found the Grand Commander's corpse on the way."

"puff!"

Before he could finish speaking, a mouthful of blood spurted from Mei Changsu's mouth, blooming into a glaring red plum blossom on his snow-white front.

He could no longer hold on and collapsed.

"Sect Master! Sect Master!"

Li Gang trembled as he wiped the blood from Mei Changsu's lips with his sleeve.

"Zhen Ping, quickly go and fetch Doctor Yan! Hurry!"

Zhen Ping's eyes were red-rimmed. Upon hearing this, he immediately leaped up and disappeared into the night in a few bounds.

"tell me…"

Mei Changsu was barely breathing, yet he stubbornly refused to faint, his fingers gripping Li Gang's sleeve tightly.

"Who...started...the rebellion?"

Li Gang's tears finally welled up and spilled out.

"Sect Master, please don't ask anymore. Taking care of your health is the most important thing!"

Mei Changsu suddenly unleashed astonishing strength and grabbed Li Gang by the collar.

He pleaded desperately, his eyes bloodshot.

"Please... Li Gang... tell me... tell me..."

Stung by that gaze, Li Gang finally broke down and whispered, "It's...it's the Duke of Qing."

Upon hearing this, Mei Changsu could no longer hold back.

His pupils contracted sharply; those three words were like poisoned arrows, piercing his heart.

"puff!"

Another mouthful of blood spurted out, this time the blood was faintly black.

Mei Changsu's body convulsed violently a few times before finally collapsing completely into Li Gang's arms.

"metropolitan."

Li Gang's heart-wrenching cries startled the crows on the eaves.

Just then, Zhen Ping arrived in a hurry with Doctor Yan.

The old doctor's expression changed drastically when he saw Mei Changsu's condition: "Quickly, carry him into the inner room, or it will be too late."

Not only Mei Changsu received the news, but the Crown Prince and Prince Yu also soon found out.

After hearing the secret report from his confidant, Crown Prince Xiao Jingxuan's eyes blazed with ecstatic joy.

"Good, good, rebellion is good!" He slammed his hand on the table and laughed, causing the pearls on his golden crown to tremble.

The confidant, kneeling on the ground, wiped away cold sweat and suddenly uttered a sentence.

"Your Highness, this is a golden opportunity to shine before His Majesty! We must hurry to the rescue; going at night might endanger His Majesty..."

"Screw your mother!"

Upon hearing his confidant's words, Xiao Jingxuan suddenly flew into a rage, jumped up in anger, grabbed the Duan inkstone from the table, and smashed it down hard.

boom!

With a muffled thud, blood gushed from the forehead of his trusted aide, but he dared not wipe it away.

"idiot!"

The prince kicked over the table, scattering ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones all over the floor.

"Go tell Xie Yu that Prince Yu's henchman, the Duke of Qing, is plotting a rebellion, or... just say that Prince Yu is rebelling."

"Order him to immediately mobilize the patrol battalion and, under the pretext of protecting the emperor, surround the imperial city!"

The confidant, clutching his bleeding forehead, stumbled back.

Xiao Jingxuan turned to another trusted confidant and said, "Go and keep an eye on things, see if Father Emperor dies... see if Father Emperor's health is good!"

"Yes!"

At the same time, a crisp "clang" sound came from the study of Prince Yu's mansion.

Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan, smashed his most beloved celadon teacup.

"That treacherous Duke Qing has caused me so much suffering!"

His face turned ashen. "Immediately gather all the executioners in the manor and send someone to tell Qin Banruo to prepare her hidden forces within the city."

"Success or failure depends on this one move."

Chapter 51 Wen Feng, I don't know him.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. A blood-soaked Imperial Guard captain ran over, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and urgently reported.

"Your Majesty, the Wuying Hall cannot hold them off any longer. Please move to another location immediately."

Zhu Houcong stood on the high platform, sword in hand. Upon hearing this, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Someone, summon Yan Song."

[Recite a quote from Emperor Jiajing, imitate Emperor Jiajing +1, reward: Martial Arts Golden Elixir]

Soon, Yan Song's hurried footsteps could be heard. He held a long sword and walked briskly to Zhu Houcong, where he knelt down.

"Master!"

"Is everyone in ambush?" Zhu Houcong's voice was eerily calm.

Yan Song bowed his head to the ground and respectfully reported, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Tengxiang Four Guards have already laid an ambush around the area, with archers occupying high ground, just waiting for these traitors to enter the encirclement."

"very good."

Zhu Houcong suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Remember, spare Duke Suqing's life."

"I want to ask him in front of all the civil and military officials how he could have the audacity to go this far."

Yan Song immediately kowtowed.

"This servant understands and will certainly not disappoint my master."

"Go ahead, I'll be waiting here."

Zhu Houcong waved his hand.

Yan Song bowed and retreated, quickly passing through the corridor to meet up with Cao Zhichun, Chen Chun, and others who were already waiting in the shadows.

Yan Song lowered his voice, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes, and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"The Duke of Suqing's life, the rest..."

At this moment, a spy from the Eastern Depot approached: "Chief Supervisor, that Wen Feng..."

Snapped!

A resounding slap echoed in the night.

Cao Zhichun withdrew his hand, and the foreigner was slapped so hard that he staggered backward, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Chen Chun toyed with the riding crop in his hand and sneered, "Eunuch Cao, are all the people in your Eastern Depot such inhumanly stupid pigs?"

Cao Zhichun's face instantly turned ashen, and he gripped the sword sheath so tightly in his hand that it creaked.

"How the Eastern Depot operates is none of your business, the Imperial Horse Administration's business."

Chen Chun snorted coldly, about to retort, when suddenly a deafening battle cry came from afar.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw flames shooting into the sky in the direction of Yingwu Hall. The rebel army of the Duke of Qing had broken through the last line of defense.

From afar, one could see Zhu Houcong standing with his sword on the white marble steps in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, his bright yellow dragon robe particularly striking.

Seeing that the situation was settled, he was so excited that his hair and beard stood on end.