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

Chapter 122 Commander of the Palace Guard

Yan Donglou nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, saying, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. If the Gu family is not eliminated, His Highness Prince Qi will indeed have little chance of advancement."

"Sir, do you have a brilliant plan?"

Zhu Houcong said, "If we want to bring down the Gu family, we must first get Gu Siling back to the capital."

Yan Donglou shook his head after hearing this: "Impossible. His Majesty went to great lengths to drive him out of the capital and keep him away from the court. He certainly won't let him come back."

Zhu Houcong smiled calmly.

"What if he returns to the capital without permission?"

"Return to Beijing privately?"

Yan Donglou frowned: "Even if it's to avoid putting the Crown Prince in a difficult position, Gu Siling would never do such a thing."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong's lips curled slightly, but he did not respond. Instead, he asked a question in return.

"Lord Yan, I have a question. Since the late Empress's passing, the position of Empress of Southern Chu has remained vacant for many years. Why is that?"

"That goes without saying. His Majesty is wary of Gu Siling and dares not act rashly. After all, the late Empress was Gu Siling's own sister."

"That's exactly right."

Zhu Houcong nodded slightly.

"For a ruler of a nation to hesitate to appoint an empress out of consideration for his subjects' opinions is not only a slap in the face to His Majesty, but also a declaration to the world that even the mighty Emperor of Southern Chu must act according to the whims of the Gu family."

"But if one day the Imperial Guards were to return to His Majesty's control, with a Grandmaster like myself in command, do you think His Majesty would continue to endure this humiliation?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Donglou slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his face flushed with excitement.

"Of course not."

Zhu Houcong could tell from Yan Donglou's expression that he understood his plan.

He continued, "If we propose to Your Majesty in court that the country cannot be without an heir for even a day, Your Majesty will surely take this opportunity to reinstate the empress."

"According to the current ranks in the palace, Consort Zhao is the most honored! If she ascends to the position of Empress, Prince Qi, Consort Zhao's son, will naturally become the rightful eldest son."

"Establishing an empress is a slap in the face to Gu Siling, and if Prince Qi becomes the eldest son, it will affect the crown prince."

"With two major events occurring simultaneously, Gu Siling must be extremely uneasy!"

(Azure Dragon) Zhu Houcong slowly got up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the window.

"At that time, even if Gu Siling is far away in Yuezhou, she will definitely not be able to hold back and will be determined to come back to support the Crown Prince."

“Once he returns to the capital, it will be much easier to deal with him.”

The next day, Yan Donglou recommended Qinglong to Yuwen Jian.

Sure enough, Yuwen Jian's eyes practically lit up when he saw the Azure Dragon.

He immediately hinted to Yan Donglou to bring it up during the court discussion.

The following day, during the court meeting, Yan Donglou, following Yuwen Jian's instructions, stepped forward and petitioned to appoint Qinglong as the Commander of the Palace Guard.

The Imperial Guards had the important responsibility of protecting the palace; if the Imperial Guards were unstable, the safety of the palace would not be guaranteed.

Since Qinglong was a Grandmaster, no one could find a reason to refute him.

After all, the position of Commander of the Palace Guard is vacant. After you refute it, you need to recommend someone to fill the vacancy.

Can the person you recommend really defeat a Grandmaster?

The Imperial Guards were responsible for protecting the palace; if they weren't strong enough, how could they protect the emperor's safety?

Therefore, Qinglong naturally became the commander of the palace guard.

Time flies like an arrow, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past three months, undercurrents have been swirling within the Southern Chu Imperial Guard.

With Yuwen Jian's tacit approval, Zhu Houcong used the pretext of "rectifying military discipline" to transfer Gu family's former subordinates one by one from important positions.

They did it flawlessly, leaving these former subordinates of the Gu family with no way to complain.

The current commanders of the Imperial Guards are all his trusted confidants whom he personally promoted from the bottom ranks.

As for the Liang Dynasty, since the Crown Prince and Prince Yu's power was eliminated, those adopted sons can no longer cause any trouble.

Inside the Xiyuan Study.

Zhu Houcong sat cross-legged on the futon, seemingly focused on cultivating Taoism, but in reality, he was secretly pleased.

He now has a firm grip on the entire court; being an emperor is finally starting to get interesting.

Just as I was feeling smug, a familiar notification sound suddenly rang in my mind.

[After four months of cultivation in the hermitage, Emperor Jiajing's imitation level increased by 2, and he was rewarded with a Great Martial Arts Golden Elixir.]

Ok? ? ?

Zhu Houcong almost jumped off the prayer mat.

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

what the hell?

They tricked me into thinking I spent all my time cultivating Taoism in the hermitage, but the reward they gave me was like giving alms to a beggar.

Why don't you just spit in my face?

Last time, just two months later, they directly rewarded me with the Great Heavenly General Pill.

Zhu Houcong suddenly felt like he had been tricked, like the first recharge gift pack in a game in his previous life, which gave you a taste of the sweetness first.

The ones that came out after that were all trash.

"His Majesty?"

Seeing his strange expression, Xiaomeng couldn't help but ask.

"But what went wrong?"

Zhu Houcong waved his hand and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

"It's alright."

He was secretly cursing the ridiculous system reward when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the study.

"Master, Master!"

Yan Song's old face beamed like a chrysanthemum as he knelt down in front of the prayer mat, panting heavily.

"This servant has come to report good news! The Wanshou Palace is completed!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong raised an eyebrow; he had almost forgotten about this matter.

Yan Song had previously reported that, according to the project schedule, the Wanshou Palace would be completed by the middle of the first year of the Jiajing reign.

Now we can grab another wave of rewards.

Moreover, and most importantly, it cost the Jiangzuo League's money.

Zhu Houcong asked excitedly, "How much silver did it cost this time?"

"Approximately two million three hundred thousand taels."

Yan Song told the truth.

Good guy!

The Jiangzuo Alliance is indeed wealthy.

This fat sheep must not be exploited any longer; it's time to build the Chaotian Temple.

Zhu Houcong stroked his chin.

Yan Song continued, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Observatory has chosen the eighth day of the month as an auspicious day for moving to the new palace. I will immediately order the Imperial Household Department to make preparations."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong suddenly recalled the plot of "Da Ming Dynasty 1566".

The scene of officials presenting congratulatory memorials to celebrate Emperor Jiajing's move to Wanshou Palace.

They even used flattery with phrases like "auspicious omens from heaven" and "the virtuous rule of a wise ruler."

Emperor Jiajing knew that the congratulatory messages from the officials were false, but he gladly accepted them, actually using them to consolidate his authority.

Moreover, he did something absurd.

It involved weaving fragrant leaf crowns for ministers to wear.

The breakdown of the relationship between Emperor Jiajing and his minister Xia Yan in history stemmed from this seemingly insignificant "fragrant leaf crown".

In the twenty-first year of the Jiajing Emperor's reign, the emperor, who was obsessed with Taoism, suddenly had a whimsical idea and ordered people to make five "fragrant leaf crowns".

This Taoist crown, carved from agarwood into the shape of branches and leaves, was actually a political prop used by Jiajing to deify himself.

He not only wore it himself, but also bestowed the remaining four upon his favorite ministers: Grand Secretary Xia Yan, Second Grand Secretary Yan Song, Minister of Rites Yan Ne, and Duke of Cheng Zhu Xizhong.

This seemingly ordinary act of bestowing a reward was in fact a carefully designed test of political loyalty.

Xia Yan's reaction was a "disastrous example" of the bureaucratic system—this Grand Secretary, known for his uprightness, simply put away the imperial-bestowed fragrant leaf crown.

Even more fatally, when the Jiajing Emperor asked him with great interest for his opinion on the Scented Leaf Crown, Xia Yan bluntly said: "This is not the proper attire for a subject, and I dare not overstep my bounds."

This series of actions thoroughly angered Jiajing. In the emperor's eyes, Xia Yan's refusal was not only of a Daoist crown, but also a blatant disregard for the sanctity of imperial power.

Chapter 123 The Congratulatory Message Arrives

Under Zhu Houcong's secret instructions, Yan Song had already reached a tacit understanding with the cabinet ministers.

The auspicious time chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for the Emperor's move to a new residence was midnight on the eighth day of the month.

At that time, all officials in the capital will be required to present congratulatory memorials to express their congratulations to the emperor.

Before we knew it, it was the eighth day of the month.

From Yan Song down, everyone in the Directorate of Ceremonial wore straw rings on their heads and joyfully prepared for the move.

The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and eunuchs and palace maids were bustling about.

We will wait for the clock to strike midnight to welcome the Emperor to move to the Longevity Palace.

At the same time, the six ministries were also working diligently to collect congratulatory messages from their officials.

Lou Zhijing, the Grand Secretary and Minister of Revenue, sat solemnly in the hall.

"Each department should carefully check again to ensure that all congratulatory messages from every official have been collected."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mengjing, the Minister of Justice, frowned slightly.

He hurriedly stepped forward and reported, "Your Excellency, the Ministry of Justice is still missing a congratulatory letter."

"Who is so disrespectful?"

Lou Zhijing's face darkened.

"It is Cai Quan, a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice."

Lou Zhijing immediately said sternly, "This matter is of utmost importance. Not a single official in the capital can be missing. Send someone to urge them immediately!"

Zhao Mengjing dared not delay and immediately sent someone to Cai Quan's residence to urge him on.

Watching the hurried departure of the constables, a strange unease welled up in his heart.

He knew Cai Quan very well.

He was an honest and upright official, meticulous in his work, and always strictly abided by the law.

What's even more remarkable is that this person never participated in the factional struggles within the government.

However, it was precisely this upright and unyielding nature that prevented him from being promoted despite years of ups and downs in officialdom.

"Hopefully, Cai Quan won't cause any trouble at this critical juncture."

Thinking of this, Zhao Mengjing couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment.