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

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the lively atmosphere, Cao Zhichun hurriedly entered the hall with a flustered expression and whispered a few words in Zhu Houcong's ear.

Zhu Houcong paused slightly in his golden goblet, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Even though Meng Zhi was dead, Xie Yu couldn't restrain himself and made a move against the eunuch who was hosting the banquet.

It seems that this Marquis of Ningguo is eager to take over the Imperial Guards!

Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish.

This will also teach you what it means to be greedy and end up losing everything!

"The eunuch I sent to host the banquet was intercepted and killed by assassins?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the hall.

Everyone held their breath and stared intently at Zhu Houcong, even the dancers wisely stopped their movements.

Zhu Houcong continued, "Since Meng Zhi's death in the line of duty, the Imperial Guards have become increasingly useless."

"Issue an imperial decree ordering Xie Yu to immediately take command of the Imperial Guards and thoroughly investigate who dares to embarrass the royal family at the end of the year."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince, who had been drinking dejectedly because of Chen Yuanzhi's dismissal, suddenly brightened up.

Prince Yu's face immediately turned ashen, while Prince Jing and Prince Yu also had different expressions, secretly plotting their next move.

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Cao Zhichun was about to leave when Zhu Houcong stopped him.

"Keep it a secret!"

Zhu Houcong casually swirled his wine glass.

"Have all the Eastern Depot personnel withdraw. It's the New Year; let's avoid conflict with the Imperial Guards. We'll leave tomorrow's ceremony to Xie Yu."

"Let all your men go home and have a good New Year."

"Your master is benevolent."

Cao Zhichun bowed with a fawning smile.

"This servant will go and tell those little brats right away."

Whoosh!

The next day, a whooshing sound suddenly shattered the silence of the Marquis Yan's residence.

Yan Yujin, who was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, flicked his wrist, and the sword tip deflected by three points.

A jet-black arrow was deeply embedded in the wooden stake beside him, its fletching still trembling.

Who is it?

He shouted loudly, looking around warily, but found no one.

So he cautiously approached the arrow and discovered that a piece of plain silk was tied to the shaft.

Yan Yujin tore off the white silk, unfolded it, and immediately gasped in shock.

The handwriting on the silk was messy:

"A large amount of black fire is buried at the intersection of Shenwu Street and Fengtai Street, indicating that someone intends to harm His Majesty."

He knew that his father had been ordered to investigate the whereabouts of the black gunpowder these past few days, but he never expected that these deadly gunpowders would be buried on the road that the emperor would have to take to offer sacrifices to heaven.

If it's fake, that's fine, but if it's real, then things could get really messed up.

Thinking of this, beads of sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.

I could almost see the horrific scene of the explosion happening right before my eyes.

Father, officials, and the entire royal family will perish in the flames.

Zheng!

All that could be heard was the crisp, piercing sound of a longsword being sheathed.

Without further hesitation, Yan Yujin leaped onto the courtyard wall.

His green robes fluttered as he sped off towards Shenwu Street.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: he had to intercept them before the imperial procession passed by!

When Yan Yujin arrived at the intersection of Shenwu Street and Fengtai Street, Zhu Houcong's imperial carriage had already safely passed the corner.

Following behind was Empress Yan and her entourage of concubines in their imperial carriage.

Coincidentally, Consort Jing suddenly felt unwell today and did not accompany them.

"Stop! There's an explosion..."

Yan Yujin shouted anxiously, but before he could finish speaking, a blinding flame suddenly burst forth from the ground.

Yan Yujin felt the ground beneath his feet tremble violently, and a scorching wave of air rushed towards him like a giant beast.

He instinctively raised his hand to shield himself, but was completely engulfed by the massive explosion the next second.

boom! ! !

In an instant, the color of heaven and earth changed.

A blinding pillar of fire shot up from the ground, carrying rubble and debris straight into the sky.

The scorching heatwave roared like a prehistoric beast, sweeping across the entire street.

The sixteen-bearer phoenix carriage that Empress Yan rode in was torn to pieces like paper.

The eunuchs carrying the sedan chair didn't even have time to scream before they were engulfed by the flames and reduced to charred skeletons.

Even more frightening is that this seems to be just the beginning.

The explosions spread along Shenwu Street one after another, as if a fire dragon dormant underground had finally awakened.

Each explosion point was precisely located beneath the imperial concubines' palanquins, the flames seemingly intent on devouring the magnificent canopies and phoenix palanquins.

"No!!!"

Prince Yu looked back, but his heart-wrenching screams were immediately drowned out by the continuous explosions.

He rushed forward desperately, but was violently overturned by the blast wave.

The others were also terrified by the sudden explosion.

The once orderly procession instantly descended into chaos, with palace maids and eunuchs screaming and scattering in all directions, leaving their magnificent palace attire and ceremonial regalia strewn across the ground.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"

Xie Yu shouted hoarsely, and a group of imperial guards rushed toward the emperor's carriage, which had already retreated to a safe distance.

As Zhu Houcong was surrounded by women on both sides, the mechanical voice rang in his mind again.

[Imitate Emperor Jiajing's murder of the Empress, play Emperor Jiajing +3, reward: Great Martial Arts Golden Elixir]

???

You can get a reward for this?

Zhu Houcong then remembered that in history, Jiajing had indeed indirectly caused the death of his first empress, Empress Chen.

On one occasion in history, the Jiajing Emperor held a banquet and glanced at Consort Zhang and Consort Wen several times.

Empress Chen was immediately consumed by jealousy. She threw down her cup and stormed out of the banquet.

Such behavior by the young lady undoubtedly caused Emperor Jiajing to lose face.

If this were an ordinary family, the husband would inevitably be very angry, let alone the fact that her husband was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Unfortunately, the Jiajing Emperor was also the kind of person whose personality was extremely unpredictable and whose temper could become very severe when it flared up.

The Jiajing Emperor immediately became furious and summoned the Empress for questioning.

Empress Chen then realized her mistake and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

However, the Jiajing Emperor, who was already furious, would not easily forgive her rash behavior at the banquet.

In a fit of anger, the Jiajing Emperor kicked her, even though Empress Chen was pregnant at the time.

This kick caused Empress Chen to miscarry, and she soon died from excessive fear and anxiety.

Even after Empress Chen's death, Emperor Jiajing was still furious and gave her a derogatory posthumous title: Empress Daoling.

It wasn't until the fifteenth year of the Jiajing reign that Xia Yan, the Minister of Rites, submitted a memorial suggesting a change in her posthumous title. Only then was the derogatory title changed to a positive one, and she was given the title of Empress Xiaojie.

Chapter 79 You're Not Dead, Wife

Amidst the billowing smoke, the faces of the civil and military officials were ashen, and several elderly ministers with white hair and beards were so weak in the knees that they could barely stand by supporting each other.

Zhu Houcong slowly stepped down from the imperial carriage, his bright yellow dragon robe standing out starkly against the smoke of battle.

He stood with his hands behind his back and walked straight toward the fire where sporadic explosions were still occurring.

"Your Majesty! Danger lies ahead!"

Xie Yu hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He felt like jumping up and slapping himself a few times.

Why did they have to take over the Imperial Guards at this crucial juncture?

Now that the empress and concubines have died tragically, the blame for failing to protect them will likely fall entirely on his head.

Zhu Houcong didn't stop walking, and didn't even glance at Xie Yu.

"I am not like you; I am not so delicate."

The calm tone sent a jolt through Xie Yu's heart.

Having served the emperor for many years, he knew all too well that the calmer the emperor appeared, the more furious he was.

Xie Yu's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

At this moment, he desperately wanted to take the risk of kidnapping the emperor in exchange for his own life.

But after stealing a glance at Xiaomeng, who was eyeing him menacingly, he deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Your Highness, you must protect this humble servant!"

Xie Yu cried out in despair, now he could only place all his hopes on Crown Prince Xiao Jingxuan.

Zhu Houcong slowly stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the street that had been bombed beyond recognition.

On the scorched earth, Empress Yan and the others had died without leaving even a trace.

"Father..."

When Prince Yu saw Zhu Houcong approaching, he could no longer hold back and knelt down, tears streaming down his face.

"My mother...she..."

Zhu Houcong ignored Prince Yu and instead coldly surveyed the assembled officials, his gaze finally settling on Yan Que, who stood motionless in place.

The usually composed Lord Yan was now ashen-faced, his eyes staring blankly at the epicenter of the explosion.

He had just witnessed his son, Yan Yujin, rush into the fire and be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

His younger sister, Empress Yan, perished in a fire, and his only son's body was never found. These successive blows completely shattered his spirit.

Seeing this, Zhu Houcong felt extremely pleased.

Old man, I ordered you to transport black fire into the capital to bomb me.

Now we have lost both the wife and the army.

Live it!

"Don't cry, lift the sedan chair and return to the palace."

He looked at Prince Yu and said something indifferently. After saying that, he turned around and, under the trembling gazes of the ministers, boarded the imperial carriage.

As a result, the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven was forced to be canceled, and the entire city of Jinling was shrouded in gloom.

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Houcong stood with his hands behind his back on the steps, his face ashen.

The officials in the hall were silent as cicadas in winter, even their breathing was deliberately slowed down, for fear of angering the emperor.