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

Gu Siling's hair and beard stood on end, and his body was surging with true energy.

"Who gave you permission to torture the Crown Prince?"

His gaze swept over Yuwen Quan, who was lying on the rack on the verge of death, and his heart ached terribly.

Zhao Chuanqiang tried to remain calm.

"This humble general is only acting under orders; please do not make things difficult for us, Your Excellency."

"On whose orders?"

Gu Siling laughed in her anger.

"Summon Azure Dragon! I want to know who gave him the audacity."

Upon hearing this, the yamen fell into a deathly silence.

Zhu Houcong naturally wouldn't allow the Azure Dragon to show itself.

Because he couldn't say it was the emperor's order, especially since the emperor hadn't given such an instruction at all.

He was hiding in the shadows, coldly observing everything Gu Siling did.

The entire Imperial Guard headquarters is now completely ensnared, not even a fly can escape.

Forget about sending a message.

These people in the Imperial Guard's office today were deliberately left for Gu Siling to kill.

Upon seeing this scene, Gu Siling suddenly seemed to understand something, and burst into laughter, her laughter filled with determination.

"Great...very good!"

He slowly drew the sword from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly in the firelight.

"Since that's the case, I, this Marquis, will fight my way out today."

Before he finished speaking, he carried Yuwen Quan on his back and pounced into the crowd like a tiger.

Where the sword flashed, blood splattered everywhere.

Even though the imperial guards fought desperately, they could not hold out and were quickly forced into retreat.

This was a deadly trap meticulously designed by Zhu Houcong.

If Gu Siling wants to save Crown Prince Yuwen Quan, she must fight her way out of the Imperial Guard headquarters.

If Gu Siling breaks out of this Imperial Guard headquarters today, it will be an undeniable crime of treason.

Soon, the longsword in Gu Siling's hand was already chipped, as he had fought his way through the Imperial Guards' encirclement.

His entire body was soaked in blood, and every step he took left shocking bloody footprints on the ground.

"Uncle... please put me down."

Yuwen Quan spoke in a weak voice, blood continuously spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Shut up!"

Gu Siling shouted sharply, and with her broken sword, she beheaded another pursuer.

"Now that I've made my move, there's no turning back!"

Finally, he fought his way out of the Imperial Guard's office.

They rode their horses to the east gate of the capital.

When the soldiers guarding the city saw that it was Gu Siling, they all made way for her.

Gu Siling gritted her teeth and, taking advantage of the cover of night, leaped directly onto the city wall.

They escaped the capital despite being ignored by the defending troops.

At the same time, he also knew that from this moment on, he was no longer a loyal minister and general of Southern Chu, but a complete traitor.

"Walk!"

He gave a low shout and slid down the city wall using a rope.

The trusted confidant, who had been waiting outside, immediately brought over a fast horse.

Gu Siling carefully strapped the Crown Prince to her back, whipped her horse, and galloped towards Yuezhou.

Since Yuwen Jian is unrighteous, don't blame him for being unjust.

Yuezhou had his border troops, which he had managed for many years, and had ample supplies of food and weapons.

This time, he would show that tyrannical emperor what true wrath was.

Behind them, Zhu Houcong stood on the city wall, watching Gu Siling ride away in a cloud of dust, a smug smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

The game has finally come to an end.

Chapter 139: No More Pretense, I'm Showing My Cards

Only after Gu Siling disappeared into the night did Zhu Houcong control the Azure Dragon and head towards the palace.

Passing through numerous palace gates, we headed straight for the Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Qinglong's voice carried a hint of deliberate anxiety.

"Gu Siling stormed the prison and rescued the Crown Prince; not a single member of the Imperial Guard survived."

"what?"

Yuwen Jian suddenly stood up. He couldn't believe that such a huge change had occurred in less than a night.

Why is Gu Siling acting so recklessly and without regard for anything?

Yuwen Jian knew that he was determined to support Yuwen Quan to ascend the throne. With his military power and the legacy of Lu Shiyu, the Crown Prince's faction was undeniably strong.

But he slaughtered all the guards at the Imperial Guard's office and secretly rescued the Crown Prince. He was clearly cutting himself off from the court!

Those princeling civil servants will never stand with them again.

Their only option left was to rebel.

"How is this possible? The Gu family values ​​its reputation above all else. Why would they suddenly do something so outrageous?"

Yuwen Jian was completely baffled and kept muttering to himself.

Azure Dragon lowered his head, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

But the tone of his voice grew increasingly heavy.

"I just went to the city gate to check. Gu Siling was prepared and secretly climbed over the city wall and fled north."

"I surmise that they must be fleeing towards Yuezhou."

"Yuezhou?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Jian's face turned deathly pale, and he staggered back two steps.

Yuezhou is the foundation that the Gu family has built up over many years, and hundreds of thousands of border troops obey only the orders of the Gu family.

He knew all too well what this meant.

Once the Crown Prince arrives in Yuezhou, the Gu family can easily raise an army and rebel under his banner.

The kingdom of Southern Chu will be overthrown in an instant.

He had indeed always wanted to suppress the Gu family and the princelings, but he never imagined it would escalate to this extent!

Thinking of this, Yuwen Jian's voice changed tone.

"Quickly, send an urgent message: immediately block all major roads from the capital to Yuezhou."

"You personally lead the Imperial Guards to pursue them; they must not be allowed to escape to Yuezhou."

"Yes!"

Qinglong strode away, leading the Imperial Guards northward from the capital, pursuing and intercepting them.

It may seem like a grand display, but in reality, it's all just going through the motions without putting in any real effort.

Two days passed, and there wasn't even a glimpse of Gu Silu.

Meanwhile, Baihu, dressed in black robes, arrived in front of the Grand Secretary's residence.

"Please inform them."

"I am Qinglong, the junior brother of the Imperial Guard Commander, and I have come to pay my respects to Lord Yan."

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper dared not delay and hurriedly went in to report.

Moments later, the gates of the Grand Chancellor's residence were opened wide.

Yan Donglou, dressed in casual clothes, strode out to greet him, appearing to be in a rather good mood.

"Are you truly Lord Qinglong's junior brother?"

Baihu cupped his hands and smiled, "I am Baihu. I have long heard my senior brother mention Lord Yan."

"Especially the time when I was staying at your residence, planning the examination venue arrangements."

Yan Donglou nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

The plan was extremely secretive, yet this person could reveal it in a single sentence; he must be someone Qinglong trusts.

He laughed loudly and personally led the way for the white tiger.

"Haha, alright, Brother White Tiger, please come in."

The two passed through three courtyards and entered the study.

Yan Donglou gestured for the servants to leave, then personally closed the carved wooden door before turning around and asking.

"Brother Baihu, what brings you here so suddenly?"

"The matter of Gu Siling has caused quite a stir in the city these past two days, but I didn't expect that the Grand Secretary would remain so calm and composed," Baihu laughed.

Yan Donglou stroked his beard and smiled, his face full of smugness.

"To force Gu Siling to rebel and then eliminate him was a plan that I and Lord Qinglong had agreed upon."

"Given Lord Qinglong's meticulousness, he will surely be able to kill Gu Siling by leading the Imperial Guards out of the city to pursue him. I have no need to rush."

At this moment, Baihu suddenly raised his eyes, looked at Yan Donglou, and said calmly, "Lord Yan, what if I told you that my senior brother never intended to capture Gu Siling at all?"

"what?"

Yan Donglou was struck dumb, as if by a bolt from the blue. He stood up abruptly, braced his hands on the table, and stared intently at Baihu.

"What do you mean by that, Brother Baihu?"

Baihu took a leisurely sip of tea and continued, "Lord Yan, have you ever heard the saying, 'When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked'?"

"If Gu Siling dies today, you, the Grand Secretary, will be the second Gu Siling tomorrow."

"If we let Gu Siling go and allow her to lead the border troops south, will we survive?"

"Aren't there still the Imperial Guards and the Three Crane Control Guards?"

The white tiger said nonchalantly, "We'll just deal with whatever comes our way."

"The important thing is that His Majesty needs us most, especially during times like these."

"As long as we keep military power in our hands, we may not be without the ability to fight."

"If we wipe out all of the Gu family's power, won't Southern Chu still be under your control, Grand Secretary?"

"At that time, Lord Yan will be the butcher, and even His Majesty will only become fish on the chopping board."

The white tiger continued to tempt him.

After hearing this, Yan Donglou was also somewhat tempted.

But then he shook his head and said, "Let alone whether these people can defeat hundreds of thousands of border troops, even if they can, Southern Chu will suffer heavy losses and its borders will be wide open."

"At that time, if the 100,000 iron cavalry of the Great Liang in Yunnan seize the opportunity to march south..."

As he was speaking, his pupils suddenly contracted sharply.