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

This is a bit too fast...

How could this be?

Mei Changsu muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tightening, crumpling the letter into wrinkles.

A sudden, inexplicable throbbing in his chest made it hard for him to breathe.

Li Gang walked in carrying a medicine cup and saw this scene. He quickly helped Mei Changsu sit down.

"Sect Master, are you alright?"

Mei Changsu gently shook his head, then suddenly asked, "Li Gang, why do you think His Majesty chose this particular time to revoke Jingyan's military power?"

Li Gang was taken aback.

"Well... given Prince Jing's current status and position, it's quite normal for him to have his military power revoked!"

Mei Changsu nodded.

Li Gang is right.

It was unreasonable for Prince Jing to hold such a large military command for so long.

Moreover, Emperor Liang was a suspicious emperor, so this was perfectly normal.

Can,

This is a female-oriented channel!

This most normal thing is actually the most abnormal.

Because female-oriented content doesn't follow logic.

Mei Changsu, the brilliant strategist and female protagonist of the online novel, felt that Emperor Liang's move was inexplicably strange.

But I can't quite put my finger on what's strange about it.

"Cough cough cough!"

Thinking of this, Mei Changsu's slender figure swayed suddenly, causing him to cough violently.

Upon seeing this, Li Gang hurriedly stepped forward to help him sit down.

"Sect Master, please don't worry. I don't see anything wrong with this. The Fire and Cold Poison is most aggravated by mental disturbances. Please drink the medicine quickly."

He handed over the warm medicine cup, his eyes filled with worry.

"His Highness Prince Jing has now been granted the title of Five-Bead Prince, which shows the Emperor Liang's great favor towards him. Perhaps the Emperor was worried that Prince Jing would be unable to manage military affairs while participating in court politics, so he entrusted military power to Prince Yu, who had just been granted the title."

"It's not as complicated as you think."

Mei Changsu took the medicine bowl, the dark liquid reflecting his haggard image.

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, the bitter taste of the medicine spreading on his tongue.

He then nodded, actually agreeing with Li Gang's conjecture.

Mei Changsu gently wiped the medicine stains from his lips, a complex light flashing in his eyes. "The more His Majesty favors Jingyan, the greater our hopes become."

After the preliminary examination at Yingfeng Tower ended, these characters, each with their own ulterior motives, went home.

Zhu Houcong also arrived at Zhaoren Palace.

Lady Yue looked down at Zhu Houcong and said haltingly, "I've heard... that Sima Lei of the Grand Commandant's mansion... has a good background... good character... and good looks..."

Zhu Houcong frowned and grabbed him.

Yue gasped and shivered involuntarily.

"I understand what you mean. It's rare that the Empress shares the same idea as you, but the person she has her eye on is Liao Tingjie."

One sentence immediately brought Yue to her senses.

She said haltingly, "The person Her Majesty the Empress has chosen will naturally be quite good, but..."

"Hehehe..." Zhu Houcong chuckled meaningfully.

"It's just that it can't compete with the Love Silk Entanglement in your hands, Consort Yue, right?"

Chapter 16 You are the Kirin Talent?

Upon hearing this, Consort Yue's expression changed drastically, but she still forced a charming smile and pretended to be calm.

"Your Majesty, what are you saying?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty doesn't understand..."

Zhu Houcong sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Still pretending to be confused?"

"You sent your trusted palace maid to the West Garden to ask that old nanny who once served the late Empress Dowager for the Love Silk Entanglement? Do you really think I didn't know?"

Consort Yue was shocked to hear this, never expecting that her every move was under the emperor's surveillance.

She hurriedly got up, but her legs went weak, and she collapsed into Zhu Houcong's arms.

The gold phoenix hairpin was askew, making her face appear even paler.

Zhu Houcong leisurely enjoyed her disheveled appearance, but did not say anything.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

When Consort Yue saw that her legs were weak and she could not walk, she hurriedly knelt on the brocade quilt.

Her voice trembled as she said, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. I did indeed take the Love Silk Entanglement. Please forgive me."

"Finally admitting it?"

Zhu Houcong sat up, stared at Consort Yue, and laughed, "You, you just won't give up until you're completely cornered."

As he spoke, he gently pinched Consort Yue's chin.

"What? Are you trying to imitate the methods the late Empress Dowager used on Princess Liyang?"

"Let Princess Nihuang drink the Love Silk Entanglement, then secretly arrange for Sima Lei to enter the palace, and force the issue?"

"I'm innocent!"

Consort Yue's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat instantly broke out on her back, sending a chill down her spine.

She never imagined that the emperor would guess her plot in such detail.

But at this point, they can only stubbornly deny it.

Who would willingly admit their motives when something hasn't happened?

"I'm innocent!"

She cried out, her voice trembling with sobs, "Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare to be so rebellious!"

"Oh?"

Zhu Houcong gradually increased the pressure on his fingertips.

"Then what do you need the Love Silk Entanglement for?"

Consort Yue's lips trembled slightly, her eyes darting around: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Still trying to argue!"

Seeing that she was still scheming, Zhu Houcong could no longer suppress his anger.

He grabbed Consort Yue's slender neck.

Consort Yue made a gurgling sound in her throat, and her phoenix eyes finally revealed endless fear.

"Uh...Your Majesty..."

Consort Yue's throat was tightly gripped, and her meticulously manicured nails scratched several red marks on Zhu Houcong's arm, but she dared not struggle forcefully.

Her face turned purplish-red, and her makeup was already smudged with tears.

"Your Majesty...I know I was wrong...Please don't kill me...Your Majesty..."

Zhu Houcong squinted, admiring her agonizing expression as she suffocated.

The voice carried a hint of cruel pleasure.

"If you're begging for mercy, you should adopt a begging posture and sit down."

Consort Yue trembled as she struggled to move, barely able to breathe.

Three hours later, Consort Yue lay limp on the dragon bed like a lump of mud.

Five purplish-blue finger marks were clearly visible on her neck, particularly striking.

Zhu Houcong's fingers stroked her cheek, the movement as gentle as if he were petting a frightened kitten.

"I'll spare your life this time, but if you dare to do anything under my guise again, the punishment won't be so simple."

"Your Majesty...I will never dare to do it again..."

Consort Yue's voice was so hoarse it was unrecognizable.

"Give me the love-bound tangle."

Consort Yue forced herself to sit up and took out an exquisite glass bottle from a hidden compartment beside her pillow.

The transparent liquid gleamed eerily in the candlelight, and a faded red rope was wrapped around the bottle.

Zhu Houcong chuckled as he played with the dangerous little gadget.

"Hehe, okay."

"My dear, help me change my clothes."

Consort Yue felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She didn't bother to tidy herself up and stepped barefoot onto the cold gold bricks.

She brought out a court robe scented with ambergris and skillfully helped Zhu Houcong change.

Zhu Houcong stepped out of the vermilion gate of Zhaoren Palace, a cold glint flashing in his deep eyes.

"Yan Song."

Yan Song, who had been waiting respectfully under the eaves, immediately stepped forward.

"This old servant is here."

"Arrange for someone to get rid of all the old women living in the Xiyuan retirement community."

"This old servant will take care of it immediately."

As dawn broke, the thin mist over Nanjing had not yet dissipated.

At this time, the results of the martial arts test for the marriage contest had been announced, and the ten winners had been selected.

Today is the day of the written examination.

Just like in the drama, Princess Nihuang still recommends Mei Changsu to take charge of the civil service examination.

Zhu Houcong did not refuse.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Houcong sat upright on the dragon throne, his fingertips lightly tapping the gilded armrests.

His gaze swept over everyone in the hall.

On the left, the Crown Prince, Prince Yu, and Prince Jing were already in attendance.

Prince Yu was not yet granted the title of a Five-Bead Prince, and therefore could not participate in the administration of state affairs.

On the right are Nihuang, Mu Qing, and others.

The people in this hall were either trying to win over Mei Changsu or secretly having an affair with him.

Zhu Houcong glanced at Yan Song, and Yan Song immediately understood.

A shrill voice proclaimed: "Summon Su Zhe to the palace!!"

The announcement stirred a subtle shift in the atmosphere within the hall.

Suddenly, everyone noticed a detail.

The old eunuch Gao Zhan, who used to be inseparable from her, was nowhere to be seen today.

Instead, a completely unfamiliar eunuch took his place.