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

"I dare not be ignorant of matters of the family, the state, and the world!"

[Recite a classic quote from Emperor Jiajing, play Emperor Jiajing +2, and receive a Rejuvenating Pill as a reward]

It must be said that Yan Song, that old fox, was truly unparalleled in his flattery skills.

They had just returned from Yongshou Palace, so how could they not know that Consort Xi, Yuwen Nian, was about to give birth?

Zhu Houcong, the sixth son, had prepared dates and chestnuts in his sleeve long ago, just waiting to show off.

Yan Song was also aware of Zhu Houcong's idea of ​​showing off his divine power in public.

I deliberately played along and pretended to be something I shouldn't have.

His exaggerated expression and expressive tone made it seem as if Zhu Houcong truly possessed the ability to foresee the future.

"Your Majesty is wise."

Yan Song kowtowed again, his face full of fawning smiles.

Zhu Houcong continued, "Today is truly a day of double joy; my son is indeed a gift from heaven."

"Effective immediately, he is hereby given the name Jingke, granted the title of Prince of the Five Pearls, and granted the rank of Prince of Chu."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly fell silent.

Several high-ranking officials secretly gasped.

He was granted the title of Five-Bead Prince at birth.

Unheard of.

Moreover, as soon as the Southern Chu was pacified, a prince who possessed the blood of both countries was appointed King of Chu.

It was clearly an attempt to win over the former officials of Southern Chu.

The ministers all knelt down to offer their congratulations, but among their congratulations, some were happy while others were worried.

The people who were worried were naturally Xiao Jingting and a few others.

Chapter 159 Mei Changsu Becomes Suspicious

When the swift horse carrying the urgent message broke through the city gates of Chuzhou (the former capital of Southern Chu), Hu Ruzhen was suppressing a rebellion in Southern Chu.

The fall of Southern Chu was inevitable, but some stubborn remnants of the old regime still refused to submit.

Even though the Yuwen royal family had been wiped out, these stubborn individuals still stirred up rebellions in various places in an attempt to restore the dynasty.

Among them, Lu Shiyu, who had retired from office, was the most wicked.

This former Minister of Personnel of Southern Chu has now gathered a group of former nobles of Southern Chu to rebel in Jiangling and put up a stubborn resistance.

It has become the biggest scourge in the entire south.

Seeing this situation, Hu Ruzhen decisively led his troops to suppress the rebellion with iron fist.

However, he also knew.

Without the court's appeasement policies, relentless suppression would not be very effective.

He was also waiting for the imperial decree.

Fortunately, the imperial decree finally arrived.

In addition to the various policies of the imperial court in managing the southern Chu region, there were also arrangements for Hu Ruzhen and others.

Hu Ruzhen's achievements are immense, enough to warrant a title and a high-ranking position.

He was granted the title of Marquis of Jingnan, a hereditary title, with a fief of twelve counties in Jiangling Commandery.

He was appointed Grand General of Chuzhou, in charge of all military and political affairs in Chuzhou.

Gu Xichao, a general who surrendered from Southern Chu, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Guiyi and appointed as General Xuanwei of Yuezhou Protectorate.

Furthermore, Xiao Jinghuan, Yan Donglou, Mei Changsu, and others were ordered to return to the capital immediately and be further rewarded there.

Hu Ruzhen repeatedly studied the newly issued edicts and documents from the imperial court, and the tension in his brows, which had been taut for many days, finally eased.

The imperial court's measures were indeed to the point.

The interests of the old nobles of Southern Chu were preserved, and their sons were allowed to enter officialdom.

These appeasement strategies are more effective than an army of 100,000.

His two biggest concerns have now been resolved: he was not replaced in the midst of battle, and the court did not insist on ruthless suppression.

These decrees clearly demonstrate that although the emperor and key officials were far away in Jinling, they had an exceptionally accurate grasp of the situation in Southern Chu.

He immediately made arrangements to inform all prefectures and counties of the new policies of the imperial court.

In particular, they secretly sent people to contact the former Southern Chu clans who had participated in the rebellion.

With these chips in hand, Lu Shiyu will soon find out.

His dream of restoring his country was ultimately just wishful thinking.

As long as the interests of those old nobles are protected, no one will follow Lu Shiyu to their deaths.

Of course, everything in Southern Chu was no longer related to Mei Changsu, who was on his way back to the capital.

Five thousand elite soldiers escorted them slowly toward Jinling.

Mei Changsu leaned against the soft cushions in the carriage, his fingertips unconsciously stroking an arrowhead.

That was a gift Meng Zhi gave him when he was a boy.

Upon seeing this arrowhead, he was reminded of Meng Zhi's tragic death.

The reason he took out this arrow at this moment was because of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.

"Little Fei Liu."

He suddenly asked, "Do you really think those three people have the strength of Grandmasters?"

Fei Liu was fiddling with a wooden puppet nearby. Hearing this, he nodded casually, then focused on the puppet again.

Upon receiving Fei Liu's affirmative answer, Mei Changsu's expression instantly turned gloomy.

When he was in Yuezhou, he saw Xuanwu display the strength of a Grandmaster, and he felt his scalp tingle.

Then, in Chuzhou City, Fei Liu suddenly mentioned to him that Qinglong and Baihu were also Grandmasters.

This made him even more terrified upon closer examination.

Firstly, the Langya Pavilion had spies all over the world, yet they had never heard of these three people.

Secondly, all three of them, Qinglong, were named after the Four Sacred Beasts, and since Xuanwu belonged to the Eastern Depot, it can be inferred from common sense that all three of them should have come from the Eastern Depot.

In other words, the dramatic changes in Southern Chu were entirely the result of the Eastern Depot's machinations.

He hadn't even noticed it.

This demonstrates the Eastern Depot's covert operations and formidable power.

At that moment, a flash of insight crossed his mind.

He suddenly remembered Meng Zhi's old case.

When the imperial court examined the body, it was clearly stated that Meng Zhi died from the combined attack of two Grandmasters.

After further investigation, it was confirmed that the Eastern Depot had received a secret report about the Duke of Qing's rebellion.

That's why they arranged for the four guards of Tengxiang to ambush them in advance.

Now, the Eastern Depot has actually managed to send three unknown Grandmasters to stir up trouble in Southern Chu and overthrow the Southern Chu court.

When these clues are pieced together, they often reveal a more terrifying truth.

Suddenly the carriage jolted, and the arrow in Mei Changsu's hand pierced deeply, leaving a bloody wound.

It was like the fatal sword wound on Meng Zhi's neck.

But Mei Changsu ignored it.

Still lost in their own speculations.

After Meng Zhi's death last year, the command of the Imperial Guards was transferred to the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the eunuchs' influence infiltrated the defense of the Nine Gates.

And because of the case of Duke Qingguo, the Eastern Depot completely silenced the officials in the court.

After all, ever since the land invasion case began, the Eastern Depot had been saying that the Duke of Qing was suspected of rebellion.

However, the Six Ministries accused the Eastern Depot of setting up a private torture chamber and forcing confessions through torture.

After the Qingguo case was resolved, the Eastern Depot grew stronger and more powerful, like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins.

The imperial prison was established with the power of investigation and the responsibility of supervising all officials.

No one dared to speak frankly about the dangers of eunuchs interfering in politics anymore.

The emperor also relied more heavily on the Eastern Depot.

As a result, several major cases later on were jointly tried by the Eastern Depot and the Three Departments.

In this light, it is clear who benefited from the Qingguo case and even Meng Zhi's death.

Mei Changsu immediately drew a conclusion.

Meng Zhi's death is most likely related to the Eastern Depot.

Mei Changsu lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, his gaze piercing through the layers of mountains, looking towards the distant Jinling.

"Was Brother Meng's death an act of the Eastern Depot acting on its own initiative, or was it ordered by the Emperor?"

he muttered.

The moment this dangerous suspicion popped into his mind, his expression grew increasingly serious.

After the fall of the capital of Southern Chu and the subsequent takeover of defense by Hu Ruzhen, Qinglong and his two companions vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated into thin air.

Even more strangely, these three grandmasters were nowhere to be seen in the triumphant return procession.

Why did the three of them need to conceal their whereabouts?

Did the emperor know that the Eastern Depot secretly housed three Grandmasters?

If you knew, why did you keep it a secret?

It's important to understand that the combat power of a Grandmaster is linked to national strength and can have a significant deterrent effect.

If they were unaware of it, then the Eastern Depot's act of secretly harboring a Grandmaster and concealing it would be a serious crime!

We need to test the waters first.

Amidst the biting cold wind, the group of people and horses trudged through the year-end snow and finally returned to Jinling City before the New Year.

Upon returning to the Su residence, Lin Chen, who had been waiting for a long time, gave Mei Changsu information about another enemy.

"Xiao Shu, Xia Jiang is already on his way back to Jinling."

"That old thief has successfully broken through in his seclusion and has become a Grandmaster."

Upon hearing this news, a look of seriousness flashed across Mei Changsu's eyes.

But then, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Great, you're back just in time."

"The rise of the Eastern Depot must be a thorn in his side as the head of the Suspended Mirror Bureau. Let them fight like dogs."

Chapter 160 Xia Jiang, Chief of the Suspended Mirror Bureau

Since the beginning of the year, when Yuwen Nian publicly exposed Xie Yu's crimes at the Ningguo Marquis's residence, Princess Liyang has moved back to her own Princess Residence.

This once powerful Marquis of Ningguo, who controlled the patrol battalion, was also imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail, spending his days with iron chains.

Zhu Houcong did indeed keep his word, promising Zhuo Dingfeng that he could dispose of Xie Yu at will.

However, because his daughter-in-law Xie Qi was Xie Yu's daughter, Zhuo Dingfeng ultimately could not bring himself to personally settle this feud.

He ultimately chose to expose all the shady dealings Xie Yu had orchestrated for them over the years, one by one.