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

"OK!"

Zhu Houcong's voice echoed in the hall.

"Such a big surprise for me on the very first day of the new year."

Upon seeing this, the Vice Censor-in-Chief immediately stepped forward to offer words of comfort.

"Your Majesty, please accept my deepest condolences and take care of yourself! Your health is of utmost importance."

Zhu Houcong scoffed, "You make it sound so easy! You haven't lost any of your wives or concubines!"

Upon hearing this, the Vice Censor-in-Chief turned ashen-faced and knelt down with a thud, his forehead slamming heavily against the gold brick.

He immediately began to secretly lament his misfortune.

This attempt to flatter has backfired spectacularly; he's likely in deep trouble.

The atmosphere inside the hall grew even more somber, and several officials who were on good terms with him unconsciously shrank back.

"Guards, convey my decree: order the death of the wife of the Vice Censor-in-Chief, posthumously grant her the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady, and then bury her with the Empress."

"The Empress is in dire need of a capable servant."

Upon hearing that the emperor wanted his wife to be buried with him, the Vice Censor-in-Chief turned ashen-faced.

His legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, his official hat askew, and he didn't even bother to straighten it.

"At this moment, I suddenly feel much better!" Zhu Houcong let out a long sigh.

At this critical moment, Prince Jing, who was standing at the forefront of the officials, suddenly stepped forward.

He cupped his hands and said loudly, "Father, officials of the Censorate should not be punished for their words, much less implicate innocent wives and concubines. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your order!"

Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on Prince Jing's resolute face for a moment before waving his hand.

"Alright, alright, go back."

The Vice Censor-in-Chief was immediately relieved as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled back to the court, not forgetting to cast a grateful glance at Prince Jing before leaving.

Many officials in the hall looked at Prince Jing with approval upon seeing this.

Of the four princes, only Prince Jing dared to speak frankly, which is truly admirable.

Zhu Houcong saw all of this, and he wanted Prince Jing to be the good guy.

Prince Jing, Xiao Jingyan, has been a prince for so long, yet his power has not increased at all, and Mei Changsu's efforts have all come to naught.

So much so that he now has to personally step forward to help.

The key to governing a country lies in maintaining balance. The political situation can be manipulated, but one must never let personal interests interfere with public duty.

He would be in charge of the Liang Dynasty for many more years. If he allowed the Crown Prince and Prince Yu to corrupt the court, he would sooner or later burn himself.

Gathering these loyal and devoted men under Prince Jing's command is actually a brilliant move.

By having them openly compete with the Crown Prince and Prince Yu, creating a balance of power, the court can remain as stable as Mount Tai.

More importantly, if these people dare to make any unusual moves in the future, they can be easily labeled as "forming cliques for personal gain".

By then, even if these people have no intention of getting involved in factional struggles, they will be unable to clear their names no matter what.

Zhu Houcong ignored Prince Jing and coldly scanned the assembled officials, finally fixing his gaze on Xie Yu.

"Xie Yu, you've just taken command of the Imperial Guards, and you've handled things so brilliantly. How should I reward you?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

He was about to speak in defense when he saw Zhu Houcong turn around indifferently, step onto the steps of the palace with his dragon robe fluttering, and sit steadily on the dragon throne.

"Xie Yu is hereby dismissed from his posts as Commander of the Imperial Guards and Commander of the Patrol Battalion."

"The Imperial Guards and the Patrol Battalions will be temporarily placed under the control of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

Xie Yu's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down.

With just a few casual words, he was stripped of the military power he had painstakingly built up.

But what's even more terrifying is yet to come.

Zhu Houcong continued, "I hereby order Prince Yu, Minister of Justice Qi Min, and Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review Zhu Yue to join forces with the Eastern Depot to investigate this case."

He pointed directly at Xie Yu, whose face was ashen: "Let's start the investigation with this Marquis of Ningguo."

The last few words were spoken very softly, yet they struck Xie Yu's heart like a heavy hammer.

His vision blurred, and he finally couldn't hold on any longer, collapsing to his knees with a thud.

He originally thought it was just a crime of dereliction of duty, but unexpectedly, the emperor suspected him of being involved in planning the bombing.

Qi Min and Zhu Yue are both Prince Yu's confidants!

If Prince Yu brings these two to investigate the case, wouldn't that mean he can pin whatever charges on himself?

Given Prince Yu's methods, he could probably even fabricate a crime as heinous as "treason," which would punish nine generations of one's family.

At that point, even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I wouldn't be able to clear my name; I'd only face death!

"I...I am innocent!"

Xie Yu suddenly kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the gold bricks with a loud thud.

Upon hearing Zhu Houcong's decision, the Crown Prince turned pale with anxiety and hurriedly stepped forward.

"Father, Xie Yu only took over the Imperial Guards yesterday and knows absolutely nothing about this!"

"Oh?"

Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes, his voice suddenly turning cold.

How can you be so sure he didn't know? Could it be that you did it?

"Your subject wouldn't dare!"

The Crown Prince trembled: "Your subject is utterly loyal to Your Majesty, and has no other intentions whatsoever!"

Chapter 80 His Majesty is so kind!

Zhu Houcong sneered, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the Crown Prince, Prince Yu, and the other three.

"I think it's because we older folks have been sitting in our positions for too long, and the younger ones are getting impatient."

"They are energetic and think about climbing the ladder all day long."

“We old folks naturally become their thorn in the side. There’s a saying, doesn’t there?”

"To be old and not die is to be a thief!"

"Humph!"

Zhu Houcong sneered and said sarcastically, "In the eyes of the young, we old folks all become thieves."

"I have no idea what we thieves stole from them!"

[Imitate Jiajing +1, reward: Martial Arts Golden Elixir]

The Crown Prince, Prince Jing, and the other three were shocked upon hearing this.

The entire Fengtian Hall was completely silent; even breathing could be heard clearly.

All the civil and military officials lowered their heads, wishing they could shrink into their court robes.

Zhu Houcong's words were practically telling everyone in a blatant way.

I suspect that one of your four rebellious sons is a traitor.

Some people couldn't contain themselves and wanted to assassinate the king and usurp the throne.

Zhu Houcong slowly rose, walked to the palace gate with his hands behind his back, suddenly stopped and turned around, saying something meaningful.

There's a saying: "If you're not deaf and dumb, you can't be a good head of the household."

He turned and stepped out of the palace gate, his dragon boots making a crisp sound on the white marble steps, leaving only a single sentence drifting in the wind:

"We old folks should also be sensible."

As the emperor's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, the officials in the hall finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Hanlin Academy, and the Grand Secretaries would draft candidate posthumous titles based on the "Explanation of Posthumous Titles," and then send the selected titles to the Western Garden.

Zhu Houcong directly wrote the imperial edict, deciding on the two characters "filial piety and purity".

The emperor was sent to heaven to carry the order, and the edict said:

Empress Yan was gentle, respectful, virtuous, and kind, a perfect match for the Empress.

She served her superiors with filial piety, cared for her inferiors with benevolence, and maintained her personal integrity, serving as a model for the entire palace.

Now that he has suddenly passed away, my heart is truly filled with deep sorrow.

She is hereby posthumously honored as Empress Xiaojie to commemorate her virtuous character and to serve as a lasting example.

The Ministry of Rites was instructed to select an auspicious day and prepare the necessary ceremonies for a grand funeral be conducted in accordance with the rites for an empress.

This is it.

[Imitate Jiajing +1, reward: Martial Arts Golden Elixir]

Inside the hermitage, Zhu Houcong gently stroked the Great Martial Arts Golden Core in his hand, its surface shimmering with tri-colored light.

This golden pill can instantly grant an ordinary person the power of ninth-grade true qi.

"Yan Song," he called out softly.

"This servant is here." Yan Song hurriedly stepped forward.

With his back to Yan Song, Zhu Houcong threw the golden pill over his shoulder.

The golden elixir drew an arc in mid-air and landed in Yan Song's arms.

"This three-colored golden pill is yours; it will grant you ninth-grade true qi."

Yan Song trembled, his old eyes widening in shock.

He accepted it with trembling hands, his forehead slamming heavily against the gold brick.

"Eat it!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Song did not hesitate to stuff the Great Martial Golden Pill into his mouth and swallow it in front of Zhu Houcong.

boom!

A surge of powerful true energy erupted from Yan Song's body, instantly straightening his hunched posture and making his cloudy old eyes shine brightly.

His robes fluttered even without wind, and the aura of a ninth-rank martial artist swept across the entire residence.

"This servant thanks Your Highness for the reward!"

Yan Song felt the surging true energy within his body and trembled with excitement.

"Yes, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs should keep a close eye on those arrogant and fierce soldiers of the Imperial Guards and the Patrol Battalions."

"This servant understands."

Now that the Imperial Guards and the Patrol Battalion are under the supervision of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the influence left by Xie Yu and Meng Zhi must naturally be completely eliminated.

Such vital places as the Imperial Guard and the Patrol Battalion ultimately need to be managed by someone.

The civil and military officials in the outer court all harbored ulterior motives, either forming cliques for personal gain or engaging in clandestine collusion.

In contrast, although the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs also had their own ulterior motives, at least their lives and fortunes were tied to the imperial power, making them more trustworthy to use.

Yan Song was extremely clever. It was better to let the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs reorganize military affairs than to hand them over to those foreign officials.

With checks and balances between the internal and external forces, imperial power was naturally consolidated.

"How is Yan Que?" Zhu Houcong suddenly asked.

Yan Song quickly bowed and reported, "Your Highness, after returning to the manor, Lord Yan locked himself in his study and refused to see anyone."

"This old servant sent someone to inquire, but they weren't even allowed to enter the mansion."

Zhu Houcong sighed softly, "He's really suffered; his only son is gone just like that."

His tone carried a genuine sigh.