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

"Sect Master, please don't be agitated. The news is absolutely true."

"Where did this news come from?" Mei Changsu asked, his voice slightly hoarse as he suppressed a cough.

"The whole city is in an uproar; everyone's talking about it on the streets."

Upon hearing this, Mei Changsu's pupils constricted sharply, and he abruptly stood up: "Not good! Shi Jun is in danger!"

Before he could finish speaking, another heart-wrenching cough erupted.

He had no choice but to hold onto the table, his vision blurred, and he was immediately drenched in cold sweat.

Li Gang rushed over to help him up, but was pushed away.

"Quickly, immediately notify Prince Yu, cough cough cough... ask him to rush to the Ministry of Justice immediately, cough cough cough... force Qi Min, Zhao Mengjing and others to close the case!"

"Otherwise, cough cough cough... things might change if we delay!"

Seeing Mei Changsu's unprecedentedly solemn expression, Li Gang immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subordinate will take care of it immediately!"

At the same time, he shouted to Feiliu, "Feiliu, quickly go find Doctor Yan."

Mei Changsu coughed violently as he looked at the charcoal stove.

To be precise, I looked at the "Ministry of Revenue" wooden plaque that had been burned to ashes.

He murmured under his breath, "How could this be!"

Why has His Majesty suddenly fallen ill?

Who else is pulling the strings behind the scenes?

Could it be that the Grandmaster's forces have also intervened?

Chapter 36 It’s too late

When the messenger from the Jiangzuo Alliance delivered the message to Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan, even this usually composed prince couldn't help but frown.

He paced back and forth in his study, caught in a dilemma.

Seeing this, Qin Banruo stepped forward gracefully and asked softly, "Is Your Highness worried about His Majesty's attitude?"

Prince Yu stopped and sighed heavily.

"Exactly."

"This case is to be tried jointly by the three judicial departments. Father has not yet reviewed the case files. If I were to rashly intervene and force Zhao Mengjing and others to make a decision, I fear I would anger the Emperor."

He slammed his hand on the table in frustration.

"But with Mr. Su's intervention, I have seized control of the Crown Prince's fate. It would be a real shame to let this golden opportunity slip by."

Qin Banruo's eyes flickered as she comforted him, "Your Highness, we really had no other choice."

What do you mean?

"Your Highness, please consider this carefully."

Qin Banruo analyzed calmly.

"The roster was found by Qi Min on His Highness's orders, and among the three departments, only Qi Min has seen the entire contents."

"And Lou Zhijing is someone Your Highness wants to eliminate."

"With these three things combined, Your Highness has already offended all the powerful figures on the list to the bitter end."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu's face gradually turned pale.

Qin Banruo continued, "If we cannot achieve a swift victory and firmly grasp their weaknesses, I fear they will soon side with the Crown Prince or Prince Jing."

"Hiss~"

Prince Yu gasped, and beads of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.

He then realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly said to Li Gang, who was standing beside him.

"Please inform Mr. Su that I will personally go to the Ministry of Justice immediately!"

After saying this, Prince Yu hurriedly put on his outer robe, and without even having time to prepare any ceremonial guards, he rushed to the Ministry of Justice with only a few trusted guards.

Meanwhile, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhu Houcong closed his eyes and concentrated. He had already taken in Li Gang's figure rushing to the Prince Yu's residence through Zhu Qi's perspective.

A slight smile played on his lips, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Now that things have come to this, Shi Jun's life cannot be spared.

They intended to let those powerful and influential people take matters into their own hands, but they never expected Mei Changsu to become desperate and resort to such tactics.

Then let me clean it up for you!

Outside the Ministry of Justice prison, a dark shadow swept past like a ghost.

Zhu Qi's figure was elusive, and those seemingly strict guards were as good as nothing in his eyes.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes, and in a few leaps, he disappeared into the depths of the prison without even making a sound.

When Zhu Qi arrived at the cell where Shi Jun was being held, his gaze was exceptionally cold.

He raised his hand and struck Shi Jun with a palm strike, the force of which immediately hit him.

He hadn't even had a chance to cry out before he fainted.

Zhu Qi's five fingers, like hooks, snapped the iron chains and slowly stepped into the cell.

"If you have someone to blame, blame yourself for knowing too much."

Zhu Qi grabbed Shi Jun by the throat and forced the broken iron chain into Shi Jun's stomach.

Shi Jun, who was in a coma, was convulsing all over, but could not make a sound.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Qi grabbed his body and slammed it against the stone wall.

boom!

A muffled thud, and blood splattered everywhere.

Shi Jun's head exploded like a ripe watermelon, splattering red and white matter all over the wall.

Finally, he dipped his brush in blood and wrote a few lines on the wall.

The scene was staged to create the illusion of a suicide out of fear of punishment.

After doing all this, Zhu Qi's figure flickered and disappeared into the shadows of the prison cell like smoke.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhu Houcong slowly opened his eyes, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

The game is over.

A moment later, the jailer's terrified shouts came from afar.

"Guards! The prisoner has committed suicide!"

When Prince Yu arrived at the Ministry of Justice, Zhao Mengjing was discussing the case with several presiding officials.

Upon hearing that Prince Yu intended to force the case to be closed, a glint of light flashed in Zhao Mengjing's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel secretly delighted.

The sucker actually delivered himself to our doorstep!

"Since His Highness Prince Yu has spoken, this humble official will obey His Highness."

He immediately stood up, cupped his hands in agreement, and plastered a fawning smile on his face.

Then he urged Qi Min repeatedly, "Your Excellency, please quickly order Shi Jun to be brought to court!"

Prince Yu was completely bewildered by this sudden change.

He looked at Zhao Mengjing suspiciously.

This person was making excuses just a few days ago, so why is he being so agreeable now?

Could there be some kind of conspiracy?

Little did they know, Zhao Mengjing's non-stick pan was simply a way to avoid taking responsibility.

He knew the case was complicated and had been dragging it out indefinitely, just waiting for someone to take the blame.

Now that Prince Yu has taken the initiative to step forward, he is naturally happy to go with the flow.

Once His Majesty investigates, he can easily shift all the blame onto Prince Yu.

Then I can get out unscathed.

Just then, a constable stumbled into the hall, fell to his knees with a thud, and his voice trembled.

"Reporting to you gentlemen, something terrible has happened."

"Shi Jun left a letter written in blood in prison and committed suicide by banging his head against the wall!"

"what?"

Prince Yu, Qi Min, Zhao Mengjing, and others exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Prince Yu's face turned deathly pale instantly. He staggered back two steps, only managing to steady himself by grabbing the table. He felt dizzy and disoriented.

He had already offended so many people, and now that the key witness was dead, all his plans would be in vain.

Zhao Mengjing was the first to regain her composure, and shouted sharply, "Quickly, lead the way!"

The group hurriedly headed to the prison.

As soon as you step into the dark and damp prison passage, a strong stench of blood hits you.

When the jailer cautiously pushed open the cell door, the horrific scene before them made everyone gasp in horror.

Shi Jun's body was kneeling in a bizarre position in the corner, his head smashed to pieces, his brains and blood splattered all over the stone wall.

A line of words was written crookedly in blood on the wall.

Upon seeing this, Prince Yu clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"Where are the chains? Where are the chains that lock the door?"

Qi Min suddenly shouted a question, her eyes scanning the cell like lightning.

He astutely grasped the key point: the chains had vanished, clearly indicating that someone had broken in.

"Go back, sir,"

The jailer knelt on the ground, trembling, his voice shaking.

"The chains... Shi Jun swallowed the chains himself."

Qi Min went up to take a look and it was indeed true.

His expression immediately turned increasingly grim.

Zhao Mengjing stepped forward slowly, her gaze falling on the blood-written letter on the wall.

He read the blood-written letter aloud in a low voice.

"Zhang Jin and I are sworn enemies with Lou Zhijing, the Minister of Revenue. Five years ago, we began plotting to frame Lou Zhijing. The case of the corpse hidden in Lanyuan and the list were both forged. After this incident, I suddenly realized my mistake and offered my life to atone for my sins."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Mengjing turned around and righteously and sternly defined the nature of the case.

"So that's how it is. People say good things when they are about to die."

"Shi Jun finally repented and committed suicide to atone for his sins."

He looked around at everyone and said decisively.

"This case was indeed a well-orchestrated scheme by him and Zhang Jin; even the roster was a fake one they had prepared years ago."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu's expression shifted between light and dark as he stared intently at the blood-written words on the wall.

Qi Min's eyes widened in anger as she turned and shouted sternly, "Imperial Censor Zhao, whether the prisoner committed suicide or was murdered has not yet been determined, so why are you in such a hurry to draw conclusions?"

Chapter 37 His Majesty is Benevolent

Zhao Mengjing spoke calmly and deliberately.

"The Ministry of Justice's prison is heavily guarded; how could an ordinary person possibly sneak in unnoticed? Unless…"