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

"Your Majesty is wise; in my heart, there is only Your Majesty!"

"Alright, alright, get to the point. I'm not one of your concubines; I can't listen to this nonsense."

That was disgusting, Zhu Houcong quickly stopped himself.

Qi Min was also somewhat embarrassed. As the Minister of Justice, he had subconsciously uttered such words to coax a young girl when facing the emperor.

So he quickly adjusted his mindset and spoke righteously and firmly.

"As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, I am in charge of all criminal cases in the country, and I cannot tolerate any wrongdoing."

"Upon learning today that someone dared to interfere with the judiciary, how could I dare to conceal it? Of course, I must report the truth to Your Majesty!"

Looking at Qi Min's righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, Zhu Houcong couldn't help but smile slightly.

"You are my loyal subject! I love you, my loyal subject!"

However, the great principles cannot be revealed to others, and techniques cannot be predicted.

When punishments are unpredictable and authority is immeasurable, the people will fear their superiors.

Zhu Houcong was certainly aware of the truth, but he was now setting a trap, watching as He Jingzhong, the Minister of Personnel, made a mistake.

After all, the imperial examinations are just around the corner, and Prince Yu's power is too great now.

It would be inappropriate to have He Jingzhong preside over the imperial examinations again.

However, he couldn't say these things outright.

Qi Min had to figure it out herself.

Zhu Houcong slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked over to Qi Min.

"I am very pleased that Qi Qing has been able to uphold justice, but one has no right to speak without investigation."

"This criminal hasn't even been handed over to the Ministry of Justice yet, and you're already making wild guesses? That's utterly absurd!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Min's forehead immediately broke out in a fine sweat.

"Your Majesty's reprimand is correct. It was your humble servant who was foolish and lacked foresight."

"Fine, I don't blame you, but Prince Yu is, after all, my son, and a universally acknowledged wise prince. Do you think it's possible that he has already conducted a private investigation?"

Zhu Houcong didn't wait for Qi Min's reply and said to himself, "In my opinion, you should first go to Prince Yu's residence to consult with him, understand the facts clearly, and then make a decision."

Prince Yu...the truth?

Qi Min was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was going on.

The Emperor wants him to handle the case according to Prince Yu's instructions!

He immediately understood.

"It is I who am blinded by a single leaf; I will go to Prince Yu's residence immediately to seek his advice."

Qi Min pondered Zhu Houcong's intentions repeatedly, and even after stepping out of the palace gates, she still couldn't figure it out.

"That's enough!"

He flicked his official sleeves and strode toward the sedan chair.

If you can't figure it out, then stop thinking about it. You can't go wrong by following the emperor anyway.

Trying to guess what your superiors want is not as good as simply obeying orders; the more presumptuous you are, the faster you'll die.

"To Prince Yu's residence!"

Qi Min climbed into the sedan chair and gave the instructions in a deep voice.

As soon as I arrived at the study with the servants, I heard the old man He Jingzhong crying and sobbing inside.

He straightened his clothes and, upon entering the study, immediately adopted a courteous demeanor, bowing respectfully.

"Your humble servant Qi Min greets Your Highness."

Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan, was surprised to see Qi Min personally come to his door.

"Why did Vice Minister Qi have to make this trip in person?"

"How could I dare to neglect Your Highness's affairs?"

Qi Min's face was sincere, and her acting skills were superb.

"Upon receiving Your Highness's decree, I was so preoccupied that I couldn't eat or drink, fearing that I might delay Your Highness's important business with Lord He. That's why I rushed here to discuss it without stopping."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu was even more pleased and personally rose to help Qi Min up.

"I appreciate Lord Qi's kind intentions."

Seeing this, He Jingzhong, who was standing nearby, quickly came over, his old face still streaked with tears.

"This matter entirely depends on Lord Qi!"

Qi Min sat opposite He Jingzhong, patted his chest, and said, "So, Minister He, you tell me how to conduct the trial, and I'll do it that way, okay?"

Prince Yu, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "That's right, that's what a good official should be like to serve the people."

The three of them looked at each other and smiled.

At this point, Prince Yu was still worried and repeatedly instructed him:

"Furthermore, let me tell you, Lord Qi, whatever you do in this matter, you must have a legal basis."

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will find the legal basis."

Qi Min said confidently, "If you want Lord He to win, I can find a way to make him win."

"The power to interpret the legal provisions rests with me."

"Great!"

He Jingzhong was both surprised and delighted; he hadn't expected Qi Min to be so dedicated.

Chapter 107 Utter Foolishness and Idiot

As soon as Qi Min returned to the Ministry of Justice, he summoned Yan Maoqing and put him in charge of Yang Liuxin's murder case.

Since Yan Maoqing is already a dying man, we might as well make use of him and use him as a scapegoat for now.

Poor Yan Maoqing had no idea he had been sold.

I heard it was specially instructed by Prince Yu, and I thought I could simultaneously climb up to three important figures: Prince Yu, Qi Min, and He Jingzhong.

The Prefect of Jingzhao had just transferred He Wenxin to the Ministry of Justice when he eagerly began fabricating evidence for him.

It's a coincidence.

Yan Maoqing had just changed the case of He Wenxin killing Qiu Ze by smashing him with a jar to "Qiu Ze accidentally fell into a jar and committed suicide after drinking."

He was pleased with his masterpiece and fantasized about currying favor with Prince Yu and rising to the top in one step.

Immediately afterwards, agents from the Eastern Depot barged in.

Yan Maoqing looked up and saw a group of Eastern Depot agents filing in, the leader holding an iron chain and sneering repeatedly.

"Yan Maoqing has been arrested for suspected embezzlement during the investigation of the case involving the Duke of Qing."

At the foreman's command, several guards pounced on them like wolves and tigers.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Yan Maoqing was pinned to the ground, still struggling desperately.

"Why are you arresting me? I didn't embezzle any money! I didn't embezzle any money!"

The foreman sneered and stepped on his back.

"Whether or not there was embezzlement is not for you to decide. Take him away!"

"etc!"

Yan Maoqing suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I have connections! I have connections!"

Upon hearing this, the group of Eastern Depot agents suddenly drew their swords with a series of "whoosh" sounds.

They scrambled onto the roof like monkeys.

Boom!

The roof, which had been in disrepair for years, could not withstand such damage.

The entire roof collapsed with a roar, and tiles and wooden beams rained down on it.

They smashed Yan Maoqing's head until it bled profusely.

"You bastard..."

The foreman crawled out of the ruins, dusted himself off, and stormed up to Yan Maoqing.

"Who has connections up there?"

"You dare to deceive the Eastern Depot? You're as good as dead!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and delivered two resounding slaps, making Yan Maoqing see stars.

"take away!"

With a wave of his hand, several disheveled foreigners crawled out of the ruins.

They dragged the completely bewildered Yan Maoqing outside.

Qi Min was crouching down in the duty room, one eye pressed against the window crack as she looked outside.

Watching Yan Maoqing being dragged away by the Eastern Depot like a dead dog, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, and the wrinkles on his face spread out in a wide smile.

I was as happy as if I had eaten bee droppings.

Now, He Wenxin was released as Prince Yu had instructed.

He himself hadn't been involved in the case at all, yet Prince Yu and He Jingzhi still had to plead his case.

Finally, he successfully made that idiot Yan Maoqing take the blame completely.

Even if someone wants to dig up old dirt in the future, they can only trace it back to the dead.

He didn't believe that Yan Maoqing, once imprisoned, would have any chance of surviving.

"I'm such a little genius."

He lay comfortably on the armchair and began to sing a little tune with a contented smile.

Yan Maoqing was dragged by the agents of the Eastern Depot into the dark corridor of the Imperial Prison.

Just when he was feeling utterly hopeless, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

Zheng Bichang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was talking with Cao Zhichun, the Director of the Eastern Depot, under the corridor.

"Brother Zheng! Brother Zheng, save me!"

Yan Maoqing suddenly struggled and shouted.

"Please pass a message to Prince Yu for me, and ask him to rescue me!"

Zheng Bichang turned her head upon hearing the voice, and her expression changed drastically when she saw that it was Yan Maoqing.

He then quickly turned his face away, pretending not to hear.

Cao Zhichun, who was standing to the side, asked with a smile, "Lord Zheng, is this your friend?"

"We're not familiar with each other!"

Zheng Bichang shook her head sincerely, her eyes as clear as a child's.

"This person has probably mistaken you for someone else."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhichun smiled knowingly and bowed, saying, "This servant will see you out, sir."

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Cao." Zheng Bichang returned the greeting with a cupped hand and followed Cao Zhichun out with unhurried steps.

As he passed by Yan Maoqing, he kept his eyes straight ahead, as if the other person were just an unrelated prisoner.

Zheng Bichang finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the prison.