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The most likely plotter to try to undermine the reputations of Louis XIII and his queen would have been Monsieur (Gaston, 9th Duc d'Orleans). He was constantly trying to supplant Louis. I suppose that is why Dumas cast Richelieu as the plotter in the affair of the diamonds; he would not have wanted to offend his patron, Louis-Philippe. In the novel, Monsieur is only mentioned in the context of the siege of La Rochelle, where he is depicted somewhat sympathetically. Given Gaston was off-limits, that left Richelieu as a logical target.
Aside from Dumas' novel, Richelieu actually has a fairly good reputation in French history. He was the founder of the Academie francaise. The biggest French warships ever built were the Richelieu-class battleships Richelieu and Jean Bart, built prior to WW2. In Quebec, the biggest southern tributary of the St.Lawrence is named after him (Rivière Richelieu). It would not have been patriotic to slag him too much in the novel.
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