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

These five words suddenly popped into Zhu Houcong's mind, and he seemed to have already seen Yuwen Jian's fate.

He pressed on, "And what was the attitude of Yuwen Quan, the Crown Prince of Southern Chu, towards Yuwen Jian's suspicion?"

Qin Banruo was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked puzzled.

"manner?"

"cough!"

Zhu Houcong coughed lightly and changed his question.

"What I mean is, given that Yuwen Quan wields such immense power, and Yuwen Jian clearly favors his illegitimate son Yuwen Tang, even harboring suspicion towards him, doesn't he have any intention of directly seizing power?"

Qin Banruo blinked, then suddenly realized.

It turns out that what this person meant was that if he were in Yuwen Quan's position, he would have already started a rebellion against his father.

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but secretly grumble to herself.

That ruthless emperor is truly heartless.

They're utterly heartless!

She quickly lowered her head, afraid that her thoughts would be revealed.

But then I thought that Emperor Liang's temperament was in line with the way of an emperor.

Those who achieve great things are not careful about the little things.

Unlike that Crown Prince of Southern Chu, who, despite wielding such immense power, spends his days spouting nonsense about "the way of the gentleman" and "equality for all."

That's ridiculously outdated.

"how?"

Zhu Houcong suddenly spoke, startling Qin Banruo.

"Didn't find anything?"

Qin Banruo hurriedly shook her head and said, "Yuwen Quan does not possess such great talent and ambition as Your Majesty."

“Lu Shiyu was a renowned gentleman, and Yuwen Quan, whom he taught, naturally followed the way of a gentleman.”

"I've heard that this Crown Prince is a man of utmost integrity and loyalty, renowned for his 'gentlemanly character,' and he also adheres to Ye Qingmei's principle of 'equality for all'..."

"etc!"

Zhu Houcong suddenly raised his hand to interrupt, and asked somewhat blankly, "What did you say he believed in?"

"It's...it's Ye Qingmei's 'equality for all' philosophy!"

Qin Banruo was startled by the emperor's reaction.

Zhu Houcong touched his nose and remained silent for a long time.

An heir to the throne under feudal authoritarianism.

A crown prince born at the pinnacle of power.

They're actually pursuing the ideal of equality for all?

This is like a cotton ball that just popped out of a gutter!

The Prince of Qi was like that back then, and Yuwen Quan is like that now.

They say your perspective is determined by your position, and these two idiots are a perfect example.

They're holding the royal bowl while simultaneously trying to undermine it.

How dare they even talk about gentlemen and scoundrels!

Absolutely ridiculous.

The key point is that this guy had already won over the six ministries, and his family held a lot of military power, yet he could still swallow his anger and endure the emperor's suspicion.

Since that's the case, then let me help you!

A sly glint flashed in Zhu Houcong's eyes.

"What exactly is this 'King Qi' you just mentioned?"

"Prince Qi, Yuwen Tang?"

"Yes, yes, him? What kind of power does he have under his command?"

"His father-in-law is the Grand Secretary!" Qin Banruo uttered seven words, then fell silent.

Zhu Houcong waited for a long time, but Qin Banruo didn't continue. He widened his eyes and tentatively asked, "That's it?"

"Your Majesty, this is indeed all we have."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong scratched his head in bewilderment; the difference in strength was simply too vast.

A crown prince who commands six ministries and an army of 200,000, versus the King of Qi, who only has a maternal uncle who is the Grand Secretary?

What's the point of fighting?!

However, considering that Yuwen Quan is a saint, there might actually be some fun to be had.

If we could use Prince Qi, Yuwen Tang, to set up some obstacles and cause the emperor and crown prince of Southern Chu to fight each other.

When both sides are exhausted, then take Yuwen Xuan and head south under the pretext of helping the emperor purge the court of corrupt officials…

The entire Southern Chu would be his for the taking!

After pondering for a moment, Zhu Houcong felt that starting with Yuwen Tang, the eldest son of the Southern Chu prince, would be a good breakthrough.

After all, no prince in this world can resist the temptation of a white hat.

He immediately decided, "You should head back to Hongxiuzhao now; a Grandmaster named Qinglong is waiting for you there."

Qin Banruo's pupils contracted.

"Grandmaster?"

"good."

Zhu Houcong chuckled and said, "I will send him to Southern Chu. With him in charge, your Hua tribe will have more protection when you operate in Southern Chu."

"Once he arrives, he will be given full command of the Southern Chu intelligence network, and from then on, all affairs of the Southern Chu will be decided by him."

Qin Banruo had no room for resistance and could only submit to orders.

"By the way, don't let your Hua tribe's 'old tricks' go to waste. Keep trying to infiltrate the Southern Chu court; they'll come in handy when it matters."

"This servant understands."

"Go ahead!"

Zhu Houcong had already activated the third Great Heavenly General Pill and specially named it "Azure Dragon".

Upon learning of the fascinating situation in the Southern Chu court, he immediately decided to send Qinglong to Southern Chu to stir up trouble.

This was to lay the groundwork for Daliang's future southward expansion.

When Qin Banruo hurriedly returned to Hongxiuzhao, as soon as she stepped through the vermilion gate, a maidservant quickly came forward to greet her.

"Sister, a gentleman who calls himself Qinglong has been waiting in the private room on the second floor for quite some time."

Upon hearing this, Qin Banruo felt a chill and quickly went upstairs.

She dared not be negligent towards a Grandmaster!

The moment the carved wooden door was pushed open, a man dressed in a light blue outfit was seen standing by the window.

The man turned around at the sound, revealing an ordinary-looking face.

It was the kind of ordinary face that wouldn't elicit a second glance even if you passed by face to face.

But when Qin Banruo met those calm, expressionless eyes, she couldn't help but shiver.

This person's eyes are exactly the same as the one in the study!

"Miss Qin has arrived."

Qinglong nodded slightly and said calmly, "I am on His Majesty's orders to go to Southern Chu to handle affairs. I hope you will provide me with the contact information for the Southern Chu forces."

Qin Banruo nodded in agreement and moved gracefully to the blue and white vase with lotus scroll pattern in the corner of the hall.

Her delicate hands grasped the bottle, then she gently turned it.

There was a "click" sound.

With a soft click of the mechanism, a painting or calligraphy framed on the wall slowly slid away, revealing a hidden compartment behind it.

A secret ebony box lay quietly in the hidden compartment. Qin Banruo carefully took out the box, and gently pressed a spot on the bottom of the box with her fingertip. The mechanism opened immediately.

"This is a list of all the hidden agents within the Southern Chu territory,"

She presented the secret box to Qinglong with both hands.

"It contains detailed records of each person's identity, contact information, and backup contact codes for emergencies."

"Very well, thank you very much, young lady."

Qinglong took the secret box and turned to leave.

The figure in the green robe flashed past the beaded curtain without making a sound.

It disappeared at the end of the stairs like a ghost.

Qin Banruo stared blankly at the empty doorway, feeling a chill creep up from the soles of her feet.

This suddenly appearing grandmaster was so subservient to Emperor Liang.

Just how many unknown and terrifying forces are hidden behind that Emperor Liang?

Zhu Houcong slowly opened his eyes in the study.

The reason I controlled the Azure Dragon to display the power of a Grandmaster was precisely to intimidate Qin Banruo.

This piece must be held firmly in my hand.

He glanced at the secret letter beside him and immediately thought of Yan Que.

To be honest, he wasn't entirely confident that he could stir up trouble in Southern Chu on his own.

If we could bring along this successor of the School of Diplomacy, it would surely be of great help.

One person is short-term, two people are long-term.

If we can join forces with Yan Que to plan for the Southern Chu, our chances of victory will greatly increase.

"Yan Song, summon Yan Que to an audience!"

Chapter 94 Forcing Yan Que to His Death

Yan Que was unaware that Zhu Houcong intended to send him to Southern Chu.

At this moment, he was deep inside the Ministry of Justice's dungeon, personally interrogating the suspect Mei Changsu.

In the dark and damp torture chamber, Mei Changsu was bound to a cross.

His once handsome face is now unrecognizable.

His body was covered with crisscrossing whip marks, and there were five or six branding marks on his chest.

It emitted a nauseating, burnt smell.

However, the most amazing thing is that Mei Changsu, who was originally half-dead, actually developed an astonishing vitality after suffering so much torment.

Despite being covered in injuries, he's still alive.

All I can say is that the protagonist's halo is truly amazing.

"Mei Changsu, you've managed to hold on until now; you're truly a tough nut to crack."

Yan Que looked down at Mei Changsu from his high vantage point and sneered, "But I have no patience left to waste with you."

The next second, he suddenly grabbed Mei Changsu's chin, forcing that bloodstained face to lift up.

"I'll ask you one last time, did you send Zhen Ping to kill him and cover it up?"