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

Yuwen Jian roared, "It was you who ordered the exam questions to be stolen, it was you who copied the fake exam paper, it was you who arranged for Gu Xichao to sneak into the exam, and it was you who forged the Prince of Qi's secret letter to frame the prince!"

"What do you think the world will see when all these things are put together?"

“My crown prince has framed my princes and prime minister. How can I protect you in front of the world?”

"Your Majesty, I..." Yuwen Quan finally broke down. He reached out, wanting to grab the emperor's robe, but froze in mid-air when he saw the disappointment in the emperor's eyes.

"You think you're so smart, and you're so smug about it, aren't you!"

"You think you have the government under your thumb, huh!"

Yuwen Jian said with great disappointment, "Even if Yan Donglou wanted to frame Lu Shiyu, it was something that could be investigated clearly. It was you who messed it up."

"When I saw these things at the Ministry of Justice today, I knew that you had lost, and lost miserably."

“Yan Donglou will definitely keep pressing this issue. This charge is enough to depose the heir apparent, so someone has to take responsibility.”

"However, I will not punish you, not because I want to forgive you, but because someone has already taken the blame for you."

Yuwen Jian slowly picked up the forged document from the dragon table and handed it to Yuwen Quan.

"Take a look for yourself."

"Your teacher has taken all the blame."

Yuwen Quan took the fake scroll with trembling hands, and as soon as he unfolded it, he was stunned.

Because this was not the forged copy he had made.

Although the handwriting is very similar to the original, the strokes and turns clearly show Lu Shiyu's style.

It turns out that after the exam leak that night, Lu Shiyu recognized Yuwen Quan's handwriting as soon as he saw the forged exam paper.

He immediately rewrote a copy and burned the forged copy written by Yuwen Quan.

The matter then escalated to the Ministry of Justice and even before the Emperor, and the forged document presented was, from beginning to end, the one written by Lu Shiyu.

The fact that there is no difference between the original and the forged scroll is enough to prove that Lu Shiyu himself instructed someone to steal the original, write a forged scroll, and put it back.

"I have ordered the Ministry of Justice to arrest the person; the case is closed."

Yuwen Jian suddenly turned to look at Yuwen Quan, his eyes filled with deep disappointment.

"Because of your cleverness, you've harmed your teacher."

This last sentence was like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Yuwen Quan's heart.

He slumped to his knees, the forged scroll slipping from his hand and falling to the ground.

Chapter 121 An unexpected surprise

Inside the Grand Chancellor's residence, Yan Donglou raised his cup and drank heartily, his face beaming with satisfaction.

"Hahaha, this time it's all thanks to your brilliant plan, sir, that I was able to bring down Lu Shiyu!"

He laughed heartily and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Qinglong (Zhu Houcong) took a sip from his cup and smiled faintly.

"This is but a trivial trick, merely using someone else's strength against them; it's nothing to mention, sir."

Then Yan Donglou personally filled his wine glass, his eyes full of admiration.

"Sir, you are too modest. If it weren't for your brilliant strategy, I would probably still be suffering in the Ministry of Justice's prison right now."

After several rounds of drinks, Yan Donglou suddenly said, "Sir, do you know that Yue Xiuzhe, the commander of the palace guards of Southern Chu, died in Daliang?"

Zhu Houcong paused slightly in the hand holding the cup.

"Could it be Master Yue, renowned throughout the world for his 'Cloud-Suppressing Sword Technique'?"

"Exactly."

Zhu Houcong certainly knew what was going on, but he still squinted and pretended to be puzzled.

"Master Yue is a grandmaster of our time. Unless a large army surrounds and annihilates him, who can take his life?"

"But what methods did the Great Liang secretly use?"

Yan Donglou shook his head and said, "Rumor has it that Zhuo Dingfeng, ranked fourth, killed Master Yue during a duel."

"However, the inside story is probably not that simple."

Zhu Houcong asked, puzzled, "Why did you suddenly bring this up today, sir?"

Yan Donglou smiled mysteriously and said, "I would like to present you with a very generous gift."

"A big gift?"

"Indeed, I would like to recommend you to His Majesty as the Commander of the Imperial Guards of Southern Chu."

Yan Donglou smiled meaningfully, "With Yue Xiuzhe dead, this position is undoubtedly yours, sir."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong's pupils suddenly contracted.

"How could His Majesty the Emperor so easily entrust such an important position as the Commander of the Palace Guard to a military man of unknown origin like myself?"

Yan Donglou stroked his beard and smiled.

"Hehe, sir, there's no need for such modesty. Your Grandmaster cultivation alone is enough to make His Majesty make an exception."

What do you mean?

Yan Donglou suddenly sighed and got up to walk to the window.

The moonlight outside the window was as clear as if it had been washed, casting half of his face in shadow.

"Sir, do you know how I obtained this position of Grand Secretary?"

Zhu Houcong quickly flattered him, saying, "Your Excellency possesses the talent to govern the world; you naturally earned this position of Chancellor through your own abilities."

Upon hearing this, Yan Donglou shook his head and said, "In terms of talent for governing the world, can he possibly be better than Lu Shiyu?"

"I was able to become the Grand Secretary because His Majesty wanted to use me to counterbalance the Gu family..."

Zhu Houcong helped Yan Donglou bring down Lu Shiyu, the Minister of Personnel, and successfully gained his trust.

Therefore, Yan Donglou confided in him and slowly recounted the palace secrets of that year.

The Gu family has been extremely powerful since the time of the patriarch, Gu Yuhong.

Gu Yuhong once held the official position of Grand Secretary.

Back then, Yuwen Jian was still Prince Su, and he and Gu Siling, the eldest son of the Gu family, were close friends.

In order to seize the throne, he married Gu Siling's younger sister as his princess.

Later, it was with the strong support of the Gu family that Yuwen Jian, who had no power base, was able to seize the throne from the former Crown Prince Min.

In this power struggle, Gu Siling successfully seized control of the military power in Southern Chu.

Of the twelve guards of Southern Chu, the Gu family alone controlled nine of them.

What's even more terrifying is that Gu Siling not only commands a large army, but Yue Xiuzhe, the commander of the Imperial Guards, is also his fellow disciple.

It can be said that Yuwen Jian's every move was under the control of the Gu family.

It was common knowledge in both the court and among the people that the emperor's throne was tied to the Gu family's influence.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong nearly spat out the wine in his mouth.

He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, feeling utterly speechless.

Is Gu Siling an idiot?

They all command hundreds of thousands of troops and have won over most of the Southern Chu army to the Gu family.

Even Yue Xiuzhe, the commander of the Imperial Guards and a Grandmaster, was his own senior brother.

Why not don the imperial robe?

This situation is so stable that even Zhao Kuangyin's Chenqiao Mutiny wasn't this secure!

Zhu Houcong also found it funny.

This general of Southern Chu was quite an oddball. Despite being a powerful minister who was too influential to be controlled, he still wanted to act like a loyal minister.

Holding a winning hand but not knowing how to play it, you can ruin a great hand.

He deserved to be killed by Yuwen Jian after his usefulness was over!

Zhu Houcong finally understood why Yuwen Jian disliked Crown Prince Yuwen Quan.

With such an uncle around, the crown prince's power is greater than that of the emperor.

Back then, after Yuwen Jian had secured his throne, he naturally could not tolerate being controlled by others as the emperor of a nation.

At that moment, Yan Donglou keenly discerned Yuwen Jian's thoughts.

Instead of avoiding the Gu family's sharp edge, he confronted Gu Siling head-on at every turn.

This risky move played right into Yuwen Jian's hands.

"Of all the officials at the time, only I understood His Majesty's thoughts."

Yan Donglou stroked his beard as he recalled the past, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

"When Gu Siling proposed increasing troops in the northern border during court proceedings, I refuted him on the spot. When he recommended generals, I impeached him for nepotism."

"His Majesty needs someone to keep the Gu family in check, so I'll be the one to step forward."

"As expected, in just three years, I rose from a minor censor to the Minister of War."

"His Majesty appointed me as Minister of War to use me to restrain Gu Siling and to build a new army for His Majesty."

"His Majesty originally intended to gradually replace the Imperial Guards with this new army and completely break free from the control of the Gu family. Unfortunately, although the new army was well-equipped, it was ultimately no match for the Imperial Guards, which had a Grandmaster like Yue Xiuzhe in charge."

"As long as Yue Xiuzhe lives, the New Army will never be able to rise to prominence."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong finally understood Yan Donglou's meaning, and a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

"So that's how it is. With Yue Xiuzhe dead, the Imperial Guards are like a headless chicken."

"And I happen to be at the Grandmaster level, so Your Majesty can rightfully appoint me to take command of the Imperial Guard, thereby undermining the Gu family's foundation within the Imperial Guard."

That's exactly right.

Yan Donglou clapped his hands and chuckled, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"Most importantly, you were recommended by me, and His Majesty naturally understands that you and Gu Siling are by no means on the same side."

Zhu Houcong laughed and said, "Therefore, I am also qualified to be a knife in Your Majesty's hand to deal with the Gu family."

"Hahaha!!!"

Yan Donglou laughed loudly, raising his wine glass.

"Sir, you are indeed insightful. Come, let me congratulate you in advance on taking command of the Imperial Guards. Cheers!"

Zhu Houcong slowly raised his wine glass and clinked it with Yan Donglou's.

The sharp glint in his eyes flashed and disappeared in an instant.

"Lord Yan, please."

If he could truly control the Southern Chu Imperial Guard and change the name of this elite force to "Zhu," then the lives of the entire Southern Chu royal family would be in his hands.

At that time, he only needs to use a little trick to incite the Gu family and the Crown Prince to turn against Yuwen Jian. Then he can use the troops of Southern Chu to attack the ministers of Southern Chu.

one stone two bird.

This would allow them to eliminate the Gu family, the pillar of Southern Chu, through Yuwen Jian, and also weaken the overall strength of Southern Chu under the guise of suppressing the rebellion.

Without losing a single soldier in the north, Southern Chu could be plunged into internal strife and destroy its own foundation.

"What are you thinking about, sir?"

Yan Donglou's voice brought Zhu Houcong back to reality.

Zhu Houcong, controlling the Azure Dragon, suddenly smiled.

"I'm thinking about how to help His Highness Prince Qi uproot the Gu family completely."

"As long as the Gu family doesn't fall, His Highness Prince Qi's chances are slim."