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

"I too have sons, and I know the pain of losing one."

"Issue an imperial decree to have Yan Que lead the Suspended Mirror Bureau to investigate the case."

"When the truth comes out, his son can rest in peace."

Upon hearing this, Yan Song immediately put on a touched expression.

"Yes! Among all the fathers in the world, there is probably no one more loving than His Majesty."

As he spoke, he wiped away non-existent tears with the corner of his sleeve.

"This old servant will go and convey the imperial decree immediately. He will surely be moved to tears upon learning of His Majesty's compassionate gesture."

Zhu Houcong nodded slightly, but his gaze drifted towards the green smoke rising from the alchemy furnace.

If he finds out that the black fire was the batch he transported into the capital, I wonder if he'll go crazy on the spot.

Inside the Su residence.

Mei Changsu sat upright at the desk, his brows furrowed, his usually gentle and refined face now as solemn as frost.

"So, Xie Yu was immediately imprisoned by Prince Yu?"

Li Gang nodded excitedly, "That's right, Prince Yu really seized the opportunity this time. He brought people from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review and arrested Xie Yu in the imperial prison without saying a word."

He rubbed his hands together, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"His Majesty has appointed Prince Yu to preside over this case; Xie Yu is likely doomed this time!"

Mei Changsu showed no joy, but instead let out a long sigh.

"Given Prince Yu's temperament, even if he fabricated evidence, he would certainly not let go of this opportunity to put Xie Yu to death."

"Does the sect leader mean that this matter has nothing to do with Xie Yu?"

Li Gang looked puzzled.

Mei Changsu shook his head slightly.

"Xie Yu is a cunning and calculating man; how could he commit such an unwise act? Assassinating a member of the royal family during the sacrificial ceremony is definitely not Xie Yu's doing."

"Someone else must have planted the gunpowder."

"Can the Ministry of Justice investigate the origin of the black fire?"

Li Gang quickly reported, "According to our scouts, no gunpowder has been lost from the stockpiles of gunpowder at the cannon factories in the capital, so it shouldn't be official firearms."

"Blackfire?"

Upon hearing this, Mei Changsu's expression changed drastically, and his pupils contracted sharply.

He immediately thought of the batch of black fire in Yan Que's hands. Could it be that Marquis Yan finally couldn't hold back and broke the agreement?

No, that's not right.

Mei Changsu quickly rejected the idea.

Since Lord Yan promised not to use that batch of black fire, given his character, he would never go back on his word.

Could it be that someone else used that batch of black fire to carry out the assassination?

If that's the case, and it gets discovered, the Yan family will likely be...

I hope I'm wrong!

He abruptly stood up: "Is there any news of Marquis Yan?"

"His Majesty has ordered Marquis Yan to lead the Suspended Mirror Bureau in investigating this case."

Li Gang replied, "Lord Yan is also currently investigating the source of the gunpowder."

Mei Changsu frowned and paced back and forth in the room.

Suddenly, he stopped and ordered in a deep voice, "Tell Mr. Thirteen to have our men act immediately."

"We must find out the truth before Lord Yan does!"

Chapter 81 Tips for Yan Maoqing

"Master, Lord Ji Qing has sent someone to invite you again."

The Zheng family steward stood bowing outside the study to report.

This is the third time today.

Inside the study, Zheng Bichang was chatting idly with his friend Yan Maoqing. Upon hearing this, he didn't even look up, simply saying, "I won't see him. Just say that I've caught a cold and am unable to receive guests."

"Yes."

The butler acknowledged and withdrew.

Yan Maoqing, who was standing to the side, held his teacup, took a sip, and asked in confusion, "Brother Zheng, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Zhu Yue, has sent people to invite you three times. It must be because of the Shenwu Street bombing case."

"This case has shaken the court and the public. Getting involved would be a golden opportunity to gain merit. Why, Brother Zheng…?"

Zheng Bichang chuckled lightly, her smile ambiguous, and said, "I am not the only Zheng Bichang in the Great Liang Dynasty."

"Serving in the same court is like being on the same boat. When the storm comes, one of us will fall into the water first, and the other will fall into the water later. No one can escape it."

Yan Maoqing was taken aback upon hearing this, and quickly whispered, "Brother Zheng, do you mean... this job is a life-or-death job?"

"Of course, just look at Vice Minister Zhao Mengjing, he's brilliant!"

"As soon as he left court, he would claim to be ill and not go out. I used to think that he had become arrogant and conceited because of his high position, and that he was out of touch with reality."

Zheng Bichang paused, shook her head and sighed, "But when I think about it, I can't even catch a glimpse of Minister Zhao's back."

"I advise you, Brother Yan, not to get involved in this case."

Yan Maoqing paused in his teacup upon hearing this, and quickly leaned closer: "Brother Zheng, you must give me some pointers."

As he spoke, he quickly pulled out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and discreetly stuffed them into Zheng Bichang's sleeve.

He said with a forced smile, "It's just a small token of my appreciation, consider it an invitation for tea for Brother Zheng."

Zheng Bichang glanced down at her cuff, a slight smile playing on her lips, but she didn't refuse; instead, she said something meaningful.

"Brother Yan, the case on Shenwu Street involves much more than just a simple matter."

"Tell me, who is this Xie Yu?"

"The Marquis of Ningguo!" Yan Maoqing answered without hesitation.

"Anything else?"

Zheng Bichang pressed on with a half-smile.

"this…"

Yan Maoqing hesitated for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "The Prince Consort?"

At that moment, he vaguely felt that he had touched on something crucial.

Zheng Bichang nodded slightly, lowering her voice slightly: "Not only that, he is also the Crown Prince's top general, deeply trusted by the Eastern Palace."

"Furthermore, I've also heard that Xie Yu has a close relationship with Xia Jiang, the head of the Suspended Mirror Bureau."

"Hiss~"

Yan Maoqing's eyes widened suddenly, and he gasped.

"Xia Jiang is a favorite of His Majesty!"

"good."

Zheng Bichang gave a cold laugh.

"So, do you think someone like that would be foolish enough to use a bombing as a way to help the crown prince ascend the throne?"

Yan Maoqing frowned in thought, then hesitated and said, "That makes sense... but what does this have to do with the investigation?"

"Since he didn't do it, wouldn't it be perfect for us to investigate thoroughly and clear his name?"

You're oversimplifying things.

Zheng Bichang shook her head.

"Now, Qi Min, the Minister of Justice, and Zhu Yue, our Lord Jiqing, are both people of Prince Yu."

"They finally got this opportunity, why would they let Xie Yu go so easily?"

"They will definitely seize this opportunity to frame him and destroy him."

"Tell me, should we help the Crown Prince clear Xie Yu's name, or help Prince Yu kill Xie Yu?"

"But Brother Zheng, forgive my bluntness, but in this imperial court, to think you can remain untainted and not side with either side is nothing but a pipe dream."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Bichang chuckled softly, slowly stood up, and walked to the window with her hands behind her back.

"It's impossible to simply remain aloof and unaffected."

"But the Crown Prince and Prince Yu are vying for power, and His Majesty has not yet shown any favoritism, only stripping Xie Yu of his military power."

"The will of Heaven is unpredictable; if one rashly chooses sides, the best outcome is losing one's position or being dismissed, and the worst outcome is..."

As he spoke, he lightly traced a line across his neck with his finger.

Yan Maoqing broke out in a cold sweat, instinctively touched his neck, and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

Brother Zheng's insight is brilliant!

"Therefore, I advise Brother Yan to focus on handling the aftermath of the Qingguo case and absolutely avoid getting involved in the bombing."

Upon hearing this, Yan Maoqing rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Zheng, could you please give me some more pointers?"

"I am also handling such a major case for the first time. The total value of the property confiscated from the mansion of the Duke of Qing and his cronies is more than three million taels of silver."

"How should we properly dispose of these valuables?"

Zheng Bichang smiled and said, "There's indeed a lot to consider here. Some of the funds must go into the national treasury, while a portion must be reserved for the imperial treasury."

"Just remember one thing: never skimp on His Majesty's expenses."

"No one should suffer, but the ruler and father must not suffer."

Yan Maoqing's eyes darted around, and he immediately understood: "I understand, I understand."

Just as Zheng Bichang was talking with Yan Maoqing, the entire city was engulfed in a storm.

Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan, personally led his troops through the streets and alleys to search for the private fireworks workshops, determined to firmly pin the blame for the Shenwu Street bombing on Xie Yu.

At the same time, Yan Que was also leading the Suspended Mirror Division to search everywhere.

Unlike Prince Yu, he wanted to find out the source of the gunpowder and avenge his son.

On the second floor of Miaoyin Pavilion, Zhu Houcong coldly observed everything from Zhuque's perspective.

It's time to give them a clue.

As the saying goes, snakes have their paths, and rats have their ways.

In the city of Jinling, the place with the best information is undoubtedly the Miaoyinfang, a place of pleasure and entertainment.

People from all walks of life gather here, and some remarkable news may inadvertently be revealed.

Soon, Mei Changsu, who controlled the Miaoyin Pavilion, received the firsthand information.

"You mean, some of the customers at Miaoyin Pavilion mentioned that the Money Gang recently acquired a large quantity of black fire?"

Mei Changsu's fingers gently caressed the wooden plaque engraved with the three characters "Marquis of Ningguo," the sandalwood grain clearly visible under his fingertips.

Since he threw the wooden plaque of the Ministry of Revenue into the furnace last time, he has carved a new one.

Of the wooden plaques neatly arranged on the table, only the one belonging to the Ministry of Rites had changed.

The ink marks that originally represented the Crown Prince have been repainted with cinnabar and now clearly bear the mark of Prince Yu.

"Not bad," Li Gang said, bowing.

"After receiving news of Mr. Thirteen, I immediately increased manpower to keep a close eye on the Money Gang."

"Sure enough, we discovered that their gang leader and several hall masters were secretly selling off their assets, even their ancestral home."

"It looks like they're going to flee with their whole family."