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

As Zhu Houcong recounted the entire messy affair involving Xie Yu, Tianquan Manor, and the Prince of Southern Chu.

Xiaomeng's curiosity grew stronger as she listened; she never imagined the royal family was in such a mess.

"Remember, your primary task is to ensure Consort Xi's safety."

"No matter what happens, as long as Consort Xi is unharmed, you need not interfere."

Upon hearing this, Xiaomeng smiled teasingly and said, "It seems His Majesty is particularly concerned about Consort Xi!"

"My women, of course I must protect them thoroughly."

Zhu Houcong said calmly.

Xiaomeng rolled her eyes, flicked her whisk, and turned to leave.

Just as she stepped out of the palace gate, a mechanical voice suddenly rang in Zhu Houcong's mind.

[After two months of cultivation in the hermitage, Emperor Jiajing's imitation level increased by 3, and he was rewarded with a Great Heavenly General Pill.]

"Um???"

Zhu Houcong's eyes widened suddenly, and he stood there dumbfounded.

The sudden system notification caught him off guard.

what's the situation?

A sudden giveaway?

He felt a surge of excitement.

For the past two months, he has been staying in the Xiyuan Hermitage every day practicing Taoism and striking the chime, but there has been no response.

Unexpectedly, just when he was about to give up imitating Jiajing by staying in the study and playing with the alchemical furnace and bronze chime,

What a wonderful surprise!

So this is a long-term task!

Zhu Houcong was so excited that his body trembled slightly. This meant that as long as he persisted, there would be a continuous stream of rewards.

Moreover, the first reward was a Great Heavenly General Pill, so can you even imagine the rewards that follow?

Thinking of this, a sentence suddenly popped into Zhu Houcong's mind.

If the 98 looks like this, then the 298 must be taking off!

However, he did not lose his mind because of the unexpected benefits. Instead, he immediately came up with a brilliant plan.

Now that Zhuque is also in the city, if the two Grandmasters make a move, they can take this opportunity to eliminate Yue Xiuzhe, the royal retainer of Southern Chu.

Just like how we dealt with Meng Zhi before.

However, someone still needs to take the blame.

Otherwise, if Mei Changsu were to recall Meng Zhi's death, he might suspect it was a scheme by the palace.

Thinking of this, Zhu Houcong immediately called out to Xiaomeng, who had already stepped halfway out the door.

"Wait a minute!"

Xiaomeng paused in her steps.

"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

Zhu Houcong stood with his hands behind his back, a sly smile on his face.

"Once you arrive at Yongshou Palace, you can 'casually' reveal that Yuwen Xuan has been placed under house arrest by me at the Honglu Temple."

Xiaomeng was taken aback upon hearing this: "Is Your Majesty sure you want to do this?"

"If Consort Xi were to find out about this, she would definitely insist on seeing Yuwen Xuan."

Zhu Houcong picked up the conversation, a sly glint in his eyes.

"This is exactly the reaction I wanted."

"Remember, do not stop her. Not only do you not stop her, but you should also secretly provide her with conveniences in your capacity as the Imperial Advisor."

Xiaomeng nodded slightly, then stepped forward and disappeared in front of the door.

"I see."

Chapter 109 Yue Xiuzhe, you've finally arrived.

After arriving at Yongshou Palace, Xiaomeng "accidentally" let slip the secret.

And he himself seemed unaware that he had already revealed the news of Yuwen Xuan's house arrest to Yuwen Nian.

As expected, Yuwen Nian's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

The princess of Southern Chu, who had been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood, immediately recalled Zhu Houcong's earlier words about destroying Southern Chu.

Combining the two, she immediately understood what Zhu Houcong was planning.

As a descendant of the Southern Chu royal family, Yuwen Nian's heart clenched immediately.

Although she is now a Noble Consort of Liang, the responsibility she feels in her blood makes it impossible for her to sit idly by.

They immediately decided to help Yuwen Xuan escape Daliang and bring the news back.

Xiaomeng stood aside, letting Yuwen Nian do whatever he wanted.

Anyway, the emperor said that as long as Yuwen Nian's safety is ensured, nothing else matters.

Seeing Yuwen Nian hurriedly change into casual clothes, Xiaomeng silently followed.

With the support of Consort Yuwen Nian's status and the presence of the Imperial Preceptor, the Court of State Ceremonies naturally dared not obstruct the matter.

Yuwen Nian met Yuwen Xuan without any obstacles along the way.

"Little sister, what brings you here?"

Yuwen Xuan was shocked to see Yuwen Nian suddenly appear.

Yuwen Nian stepped forward quickly, her voice urgent: "Brother, something terrible has happened."

"The Emperor of Liang wants to kidnap you and take you south, using your status as a prince of Southern Chu as a pretext to send troops to attack Southern Chu."

"what?"

Yuwen Xuan's eyes widened in surprise.

Is this really true?

"It's absolutely true!"

With tears in her eyes, Yuwen Nian said, "The Emperor of Liang has now agreed to let me go to the Ningguo Marquis's residence to expose Xie Yu's past misdeeds and to reunite with Brother Jingrui."

"I have already come up with a plan. I will take you with me later under the pretext of following the Emperor's orders."

"At that time, find an opportunity to send a message to Master Yue Xiuzhe, asking him to help you escape from Daliang!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Xuan paced back and forth in the room a few steps, his hands behind his back, pondering the case in his mind.

They also believe this is the best approach.

"Alright, once I leave the Court of State Ceremonial, I'll have a chance to send a message to Master Yue."

Before long, Yuwen Nian, under the pretext of "following an imperial decree," brazenly took Yuwen Xuan and left the Court of State Ceremonies.

Although the guards had their doubts, they had no choice but to let the imperial concubine pass when they saw that she was holding a token and accompanied by the imperial advisor Xiaomeng.

The carriage slowly drove through the bustling streets. Yuwen Xuan sat upright inside, talking to his sister with a normal expression, but his eyes kept glancing out the window.

As the carriage passed an inn called "Drunken Immortal Pavilion," Yuwen Xuan casually raised his hand to straighten his clothes.

In that split second, he tapped lightly on the edge of the car window with his finger, then made a very subtle flicking motion.

This is a unique hand gesture used by spies from the Southern Chu Kingdom to communicate.

Inside a private room on the second floor, a man in gray who was drinking saw this and his eyes suddenly narrowed.

He put down his wine glass and got up to leave without making a sound.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, without even Yuwen Nian, who was standing right next to him, not noticing.

At this moment, the Ningguo Marquis's mansion was brightly lit, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.

Today is Xiao Jingrui's birthday, and a grand banquet has been held in the mansion, with guests filling the house.

Xie Yu sat in the main seat, his face still pale and sickly, but he forced himself to be energetic and entertain the guests.

Zhuo Dingfeng and his wife, Mei Changsu, Xia Dong, and others from Tianquan Villa all gathered here.

Mei Changsu is not only a good friend of Xiao Jingrui, but now he can also be considered a friend in adversity with Xie Yu.

After all, the two had been to prison and been beaten together.

They still have whip marks on their faces.

At this moment, these two brothers in distress looked at the scars on each other's faces and almost wanted to hug each other and cry.

"Brother Su, Sister Dong, Jingrui is overjoyed that you could come."

Xiao Jingrui raised his glass in a toast, his eyes full of sincerity.

Xia Dong smiled faintly and took a sip of wine, but her gaze inadvertently swept over Zhuo Dingfeng at the table.

The owner of Tianquan Manor was enjoying drinks with Xie Yu.

The clues uncovered by the Suspended Mirror Division lingered in her mind.

The murder of the eunuch who served food on New Year's Eve was strikingly similar to the Tianquan Sword Technique.

If we can figure out the style of the Tianquan Sword Technique, we might be able to determine whether this was the work of Tianquan Manor.

In the midst of the banquet, Xia Dong took the opportunity to invite Zhuo Dingfeng's son, Zhuo Qingyao, to spar in martial arts.

The two exchanged several blows in the courtyard, but failed to force out the killing move of the Tianquan Sword Technique.

This attempt also ended in failure.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the mansion gate.

Xiaomeng entered first, followed by Yuwen Nian and Yuwen Xuan, whose faces were covered by light veils.

Upon seeing this, all the guests fell silent, and even the music stopped abruptly.

Xie Yu, as the host, hurriedly rose and bowed, saying, "Grand Preceptor, Consort Xi, what brings you two here...?"

Xiaomeng said calmly, "Lord Xie, there's no need for such formalities. I'm merely here on imperial orders to escort Consort Xi."

Just then, Yuwen Nian slowly walked towards Xiao Jingrui in the center of the arena.

She gently lifted her slender fingers and slowly removed her veil.

"elder brother."

This soft call resounded like a thunderclap in Xiao Jingrui's ears.

He froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

Staring wide-eyed, he looked incredulously at the face that bore a striking resemblance to his own.

"This...Your Majesty..."

“Brother Jingrui, you really are my brother!” Yuwen Nian said again.

At this moment, Xie Yu suddenly shouted sharply, "Your Highness, please watch your words! Jingrui is a son of the Xie family and has nothing to do with you!"

Yuwen Nian ignored Xie Yu's words and slowly walked towards Princess Liyang, whose face was already pale.

"Your Highness, more than twenty years ago, when my father was a hostage in Daliang, you took great care of him."

"When my father heard that you were pregnant, he wanted to risk his life to keep you, but in the end, he could not overcome the authority of the late Empress Dowager."

Upon hearing this, Princess Liyang staggered backward, clutching her chest, so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe. She managed to steady herself by holding onto the table.

Yuwen Nian continued, "Over the years, Father has missed you and your children every moment."

"Your Highness, you already have Xie Bi as a son. Please, would you return Jingrui to your father?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Liyang finally collapsed and slumped down on her seat.