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

"Enough with the nonsense!"

Yan Que interrupted him sharply.

Yes or no?

Chapter 84 Mei Changsu Spits Blood Again

Mei Changsu had no choice but to slowly nod, meeting Yan Que's angry gaze.

"Yes."

"Okay, then let me ask you again, why was Zhen Ping at the scene of the bombing suspects?"

"And why did he kill all the suspects?"

Yan Que pressed on relentlessly.

"I have no idea!"

Mei Changsu's expression changed, and he uttered four words heavily.

When he heard the news that Zhen Ping had killed all the members of the Money Gang, he understood everything.

The gunpowder used in the Shenwu Street bombing must have been the black gunpowder that Yan Que secretly transported into Jinling.

Otherwise, Zhen Ping would never have committed this act of silencing witnesses.

"you do not know?"

Yan Que laughed in extreme anger, his eyes flashing with a cold light like a knife.

"What a convenient excuse! Does Sect Leader Mei think that Zhen Ping's death will absolve him of any involvement with the Jiangzuo Alliance?"

He took a sudden step closer, staring intently at Mei Changsu's increasingly pale face.

"I'm even starting to doubt whether you're really that person, and whether what you said to me that day had ulterior motives."

"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."

Upon hearing this, Mei Changsu could no longer hold back. His chest heaved violently, and he coughed so hard he could barely stand up straight.

He managed to steady himself, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

"Lord Yan...everything I said is true, absolutely not a single word is false."

Seeing this, Li Gang wanted to step forward to explain, but was stopped by a look from Mei Changsu.

As the night dew grew heavier, Mei Changsu pulled his fox fur coat tighter around himself, his voice weak yet firm.

"I know what you're thinking right now, Lord Marquis... but the Shenwu Street case was definitely not the work of the Jiangzuo Alliance."

"Whether it's true or not, let's settle this in jail!"

Yan Que gave Mei Changsu a deep look before turning and leaving.

Until his figure disappeared into the darkness outside the mansion gate.

Mei Changsu then coughed violently again, splattering a mouthful of blood on the ground.

"Sect Master!" Li Gang exclaimed in surprise.

Mei Changsu waved his hand weakly and said, "I'm fine!"

Li Gang couldn't help but slam his fist on a pillar in the corridor, and asked in confusion, "Sect Master, why didn't you tell Lord Yan the truth just now?"

"Should we just let him continue to misunderstand like this?"

Mei Changsu looked in the direction Yan Que had left and shook his head.

"No... he absolutely cannot know."

"If he had known that the gunpowder used in the bombing was from his own batch of black powder, given his personality, he would absolutely not have allowed himself to live."

His deep eyes seemed to see Yan Que's devastated state after learning the truth.

How could Marquis Yan, who had been proud all his life, bear the guilt of indirectly causing the deaths of his own sister and son?

Hearing this, Li Gang looked indignant and said with a hint of resentment, "It's a pity that Brother Zhen Ping was lost for nothing."

Upon hearing this, Mei Changsu swayed and had to lean on the railing to steady himself.

"Before Zhen Ping committed suicide, he must have already eliminated any chance for the imperial court to obtain a confession from any of the Jiangzuo Alliance disciples."

"Those brothers all died because of me; I have failed them!"

"metropolitan!"

Li Gang's eyes immediately reddened, and his resentment completely vanished.

He felt like he was under a spell.

She even regretted that she had just complained about Mei Changsu.

How can you blame yourself for this?

"No one could have predicted that things would develop to this point."

As he spoke, he suddenly became alert.

"Now that Zhen Ping's identity has been exposed, the imperial court could arrest him at any time. I will arrange for you to leave the capital immediately!"

Mei Changsu slowly shook his head, a profound light flashing in his eyes.

"Lord Yan came here hoping I would leave as soon as possible, but I cannot leave."

Li Gang was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Didn't he come to question the sect leader?"

"Li Gang!"

Mei Changsu sighed softly.

"You underestimate Lord Yan. He is one of the most intelligent men of our time. Even in a fit of rage, he will never lose his composure."

"He came here alone in the dead of night, for at least three reasons."

"First, inform us about Zhen Ping's matter, otherwise we would still be kept in the dark."

"Secondly, to test whether I was truly unaware."

"Thirdly, he was reminding me to leave Beijing as soon as possible."

Li Gang suddenly realized: "I see, so now we..."

"Just wait for the officials."

Mei Changsu calmly straightened his sleeves.

"It's just a trip to jail. They can't do anything to me without solid evidence."

Li Gang was still uneasy: "But what if someone frames me..."

"rest assured,"

A glint of light flashed in Mei Changsu's eyes.

"In this case, Prince Yu and I are of one mind; we share both glory and ruin."

"As long as he is safe and sound, I am at ease."

He looked up at the outline of the palace in the distance.

"The person killed in the bombing was Empress Yan, Prince Yu's greatest support in the harem. Logically and emotionally, why would he cut off his own arm?"

"Therefore, anyone with eyes to see knows that this was definitely not his doing."

"Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to smear him."

Li Gang breathed a sigh of relief: "I hope so."

Outside the courtyard, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar. Mei Changsu straightened his clothes and calmly said.

"Prepare tea, our guests have arrived."

As expected, Mei Changsu was taken directly to the Suspended Mirror Bureau by Xia Chun and Xia Dong.

Inside the Ministry of Justice's dungeon, several members of the Money Gang, chained up, were dressed in rags and covered in whip marks.

He had clearly suffered a great deal of torture.

Prince Yu sat in the grand chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, his voice icy.

"If you confess honestly, I might spare your lives."

A gang member, his face covered in blood, trembled as he raised his head: "Please spare our lives, sir! We really don't know anything about Xie Yu..."

"Snapped!"

The guard beside him raised his hand and lashed out with a whip, tearing the man's skin and causing him to scream in agony.

Prince Yu took out a pre-prepared confession directly from his sleeve.

"I'm giving you one chance. Sign a confession, accusing Xie Yu of instructing you to plant gunpowder in an attempt to harm the royal family, or else..."

He gave a wink, and the guard immediately picked up the red-hot branding iron next to him.

Several gang members turned pale with fright. One of them finally broke down, crying out, "I confess, I confess! It was Xie Yu... Xie Yu told us to do it!"

Prince Yu smiled with satisfaction: "Very good."

He turned to Qi Min, the Minister of Justice, and said, "Give them a good talking-to, making sure that the witnesses and physical evidence are consistent and that the details are flawless."

Qi Min bowed and accepted the order: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will take care of it immediately. This case will surely be airtight!"

Prince Yu nodded slightly, narrowed his eyes, and walked outside.

"Xie Yu, let's see how you turn things around this time!"

As soon as they stepped out of the dungeon, they saw Yan Song standing in the courtyard with a troop of imperial guards.

In the morning light, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial looked particularly solemn.

"Your Highness,"

Yan Song bowed slightly, but his voice left no room for doubt.

"His Majesty has decreed that you must enter the palace immediately for an audience."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu's heart skipped a beat.

Why did the Emperor suddenly summon me?

He glanced instinctively in the direction of the dungeon, forcing himself to remain calm, and asked, "Does Eunuch Yan know what this matter is about?"

Yan Song lowered his eyes and remained silent, simply stepping aside to make way.

"Please, Your Highness."

Seeing that he could not get any information out of Yan Song, Prince Yu had no choice but to obediently follow him into the palace.

As he passed the palace gate, he noticed that there were several times more guards under the palace walls than usual, and each of them was heavily armored.

Inside the study, Zhu Houcong leaned against a soft couch, glancing at Yan Que, whose face was gloomy, across from him.

A barely perceptible hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

This meticulously planned scheme to sow discord has succeeded!

Chapter 85 is all about Mei Changsu.

First, leak the information that the Money Gang was a suspect to the Suspended Mirror Division.

Then, the message was passed to Miaoyinfang, forcing the Jiangzuo Alliance members to also appear at the scene.

Zhu Houcong calculated the exact time; when the Suspended Mirror Division arrived, they were just in time to trap the Jiangzuo Alliance members inside the house.

In this way, the Jiangzuo Alliance is like mud falling into their crotch—even if it's not excrement, it's still excrement.

No matter how he tries to defend himself, he cannot escape the suspicion of colluding with the rebels.