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

Zhuo Qingyao looked embarrassed: "Qi'er is, after all, Xie Yu's biological daughter."

"What a tragedy!"

Zhuo Dingfeng let out a long sigh.

"From a father's perspective, I wish I could tear Xie Yu to pieces to avenge your poor, unfortunate brother!"

"But if we really kill him, I'm afraid it might cause a rift between you and Xie Qi in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Qingyao suddenly knelt on one knee and pleaded, "Father, why don't we report all the deeds Xie Yu has instigated over the years to His Majesty for His Majesty's judgment? That way, your son can give Qi'er an explanation."

"That's one way."

Zhuo Dingfeng agreed, pondered for a moment, and then continued.

"However, I must first go to the Eastern Palace to find out whether His Highness the Crown Prince is aware of these sordid matters."

Just as Zhuo Dingfeng was heading to the Eastern Palace, Qi Min, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, also sent someone to bring He Wenxin back to the Ministry of Justice prison.

His face was grim as he watched the bailiffs drag the struggling He Wenxin into the torture chamber.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is?"

He Wenxin's clothes were disheveled, but he continued to shout.

"You dare touch a single hair on my head!"

Snapped!

A loud slap landed hard on He Wenxin's face, making him stagger.

Qi Min shook her numb hand, her face ashen.

"You little beast, you still have the nerve to yell? You've made me suffer along with you."

He Wenxin covered his face, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You dare hit me? My dad is He Jingzhong."

"You actually know your father is He Jingzhong?!"

Qi Min, enraged, laughed and kicked He Wenxin in the stomach.

"Anyone who doesn't know better would think you're my son, and that I'm the one who has to clean up your mess when you get into trouble."

As he spoke, he grew angrier and angrier, and rolled up his sleeves, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks.

He Wenxin was able to scream a few times at first, but later he could only curl up on the ground and let out weak groans.

"Huff...huff..."

Qi Min, panting heavily, finally stopped and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Damn it, I'm exhausted."

He then glanced at He Wenxin, who was lying on the ground with a bruised and swollen face, looking like a mangled fly, and waved his hand dismissively.

"Lock this idiot up!"

The constables then hurriedly dragged He Wenxin away.

Qi Min watched his retreating figure and spat out another mouthful of blood.

"Pah, jinx!"

Whenever he thinks of that confession, his neck feels itchy, as if it's about to fall off.

Who would have thought, who would have thought, that this stupid pig would dare to say anything?

I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I'm about to be scammed.

...

Qi Min shook the demonic voice in her head, cursing through gritted teeth, "Yan Maoqing, you're really asking for trouble, daring to spill everything."

The emperor's edict still makes his legs feel weak.

It's clear he's very dissatisfied with his job at the Ministry of Justice.

The case has been reopened, but what's next?

Qi Min's eyes lit up, and she immediately sent someone to deliver the news that the confession had reached the Emperor's ears to the He family and the Prince Yu's residence.

"Your Highness, I am not capable enough. It is best if you, the other officials, make the decision regarding this case yourselves."

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the air, determined to be a hands-off manager.

What, a hint from Prince Yu?

Didn’t hear it!

What? A request from the Minister?

do not know!

Qi Min was determined not to take on this hot potato and decided to pretend to be deaf and dumb to the end.

Anyway, He Wenxin isn't my son, so let whoever wants to care about him do what he wants!

"Someone come here!"

Qi Min suddenly shouted.

"I have suddenly caught a cold and need to request three days' leave!"

After saying that, he quickly took off his official robes and slipped out the back door in a flash.

For the next few days, the atmosphere in Prince Yu's residence was heavy.

First, Zhuo Dingfeng made a grand visit to the Eastern Palace, not even bothering with formalities, and openly expressed his support for the Crown Prince.

This was already enough to give Prince Yu a headache, but He Jingzhong kept running to the mansion every few days, crying and begging him to save his son.

"Your Highness! You must save my son!"

He Jingzhong once again burst into tears.

"I only have one son, and I'm counting on him to carry on the family line!"

Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan, rubbed his throbbing temples, suppressing his irritation, and said with a troubled expression, "Lord He, it's not that I don't want to help you."

"This case has already alarmed His Majesty. What do you expect me to do?"

He Jingzhong quickly said, "Your Highness, why don't you just have Qi Min forge another piece of evidence? Wasn't that what happened last time..."

"Lord He, have you taken your medicine?"

Prince Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Let alone whether anyone would believe the fabricated evidence, even if they did, would Qi Min still dare to commit crimes against the wind?"

"That old fox was so frightened he feigned illness and refused to leave the house, not even daring to go to the Ministry of Justice!"

He Jingzhong collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

"This...my son!"

Chapter 114 Prince Yu's Backstabbing of Qi Min

Seeing that Prince Yu was about to abandon his post, a ruthless glint flashed in He Jingzhong's eyes. He suddenly knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

"Your Highness, with the imperial examinations just around the corner, I am deeply troubled by my son's situation and cannot eat or sleep. I fear I will be unable to preside over the examinations!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu's expression changed drastically.

What a cunning old fox! He dares to use the imperial examination as leverage.

However, he actually fell for it.

The imperial examinations in spring are a golden opportunity to buy official positions, and he has already made some promises.

If He Jingzhong were no longer the chief examiner, things would become even more difficult.

Therefore, even though he was extremely angry, he still had to weigh the pros and cons in his heart.

"Lord He, please calm down!"

Prince Yu quickly changed his expression to appease him, then turned to look at Master Ji beside him.

"Master, is there any other way?"

Master Ji stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before saying, "It's not entirely hopeless. All the Ministry of Justice wants is a prisoner, so let's give them a prisoner."

"Oh?"

"Find a death row inmate who looks similar to Young Master He, and secretly switch them out without anyone noticing."

"As for Young Master He, we can let him go to Jiangnan and come back when things have calmed down."

Prince Yu frowned upon hearing this.

This plan is a very bad one.

Unlike a retrial, which is still within the legal framework and involves exploiting loopholes, this substitution of prisoners is, strictly speaking, a prison break.

Once this happens, not only He Jingzhong, but even Qi Min will be in deep trouble.

He glanced at He Jingzhong, who was anxiously awaiting his decision, and hesitated, "Even if I agree, Lord Qi might not dare!"

Master Ji smiled slightly: "If we really intend to do this, there's no need to inform Lord Qi. He's 'recuperating' at home, which makes it convenient for us to carry out our plans."

"Your confidant, Lord Qi, has often been in contact with Prince Yu. All you need to do is have him use Lord Qi's name to secretly bribe a few minor officials on duty in the prison, and it will be done without anyone noticing."

"These subordinates are extremely cunning; it would be inappropriate for Your Highness to personally intervene."

"As long as they believe that this is Lord Qi's will, how dare these people disobey?"

"After all, in their eyes, the Prince Yu's Mansion, though prestigious, was far beyond their reach, while Qi Min was the living devil who held their future and lives in her hands."

Master Ji had one more thing he hadn't said.

That is, if the truth comes out, these prison guards will only say that they were acting on Lord Qi's orders.

It has absolutely nothing to do with Prince Yu.

Although it was not explicitly stated, how could Prince Yu not know?

In this way, he no longer had any worries.

"Alright, it's settled then. Master Ji, you will accompany Lord He on this trip."

"Yes!"

Unfortunately, their seemingly foolproof plan was nothing more than child's play in Zhu Houcong's eyes.

They thought they could get away with it unnoticed, but little did they know that Zhu Houcong had the advantage of knowing the plot firsthand.

As He Jingzhong and Master Ji sneaked out of the Prince Yu's mansion, Xuanwu followed them closely.

Sure enough, not long after, at the back door of the Ministry of Justice prison, I witnessed He Wenxin being replaced.

The spoiled young man, still in prison clothes, couldn't wait to climb into an inconspicuous carriage.

At the same time, Zhuque's figure descended upon the Eastern Depot like a ghost.

"To the esteemed master?"

Cao Zhichun was startled when he stepped into the hall by the sudden appearance of a figure.

He recognized it.

The man before him was none other than the royal retainer who had helped him to turn Wen Feng against his cause during the last Qingguo case.

"He Jingzhong knowingly broke the law by colluding with a prison guard to replace his son, He Wenxin. The prisoner has just been released from jail. Please, Your Excellency, arrest him immediately."

Cao Zhichun's pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly bowed, saying, "This humble official will take care of it immediately!"

The agents of the Eastern Depot quickly surrounded the carriage.

"Listen up, you inside! Put your hands on your heads and get out of the car!"

"presumptuous!"

The carriage curtain was suddenly flung open, and He Jingzhong poked his head out with an angry expression.

"Which blind fool...Eunuch Cao?"