Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

That night, the East Palace.

After dinner, Chu Ning was reviewing memorials in the hall. Under the candlelight, his face was illuminated with a frown.

Although there are no major events in the State of Chu at present, money needs to be allocated for the upcoming imperial examination.

Because the Minister of Revenue Liu Shouren had not returned yet, the Ministry of Revenue did not dare to transfer money without authorization, so it submitted a memorial to Chu Ning requesting his review.

Today, the State of Chu occupies both the States of Zhao and Yan. Its territory is expanding too fast, and many local officials have not yet accepted their fate.

This imperial examination is of great importance, so the Ministry of Revenue is so cautious.

Looking at the memorial in his hand, Chu Ning waved his pen and directly allocated an additional 300,000 taels of silver on the original basis!

At this time, a sound of footsteps came from outside the hall, and then Zhao Yu came into the hall and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, the Fifteenth Prince requests to see you."

Chu Ning put down his hand, with a flash of surprise in his eyes: "Why did Brother Fifteen come to see me so late at night? Forget it, let him in."

Originally, he wanted to go and accompany Shen Wanying after reviewing the memorials, but since the fifteenth prince had come, it would be difficult for him to refuse.

A moment later, the fifteenth prince Chu Xuan came into the hall with a solemn face and bowed, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Chu Ning nodded slightly and asked with a smile: "Brother Wang, what is the important matter that you want to see me for?"

If a prince could come in person at night, there must be something important.

Chu Xuan's face was full of solemnity, and he said in a serious tone: "Prince, my people sent me news that they found some clues in the three states of Jiangnan."

He knew very well that the only person who could arouse Chu Ning's interest now was the person who spread the rumors.

Sure enough, Chu Ning's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he couldn't help but stand up and ask, "Any clues?"

"Please ask the prince to dismiss the attendants."

"Zhao Yu, you will not see anyone tonight without my order." Chu Ning gave the order very straightforwardly.

Then, Chu Xuan began his performance.

He started by talking about how he arranged his staff, with the aim of delaying time.

At the same time, King Wu came to the Ministry of Justice with his palace guards.

Under the cover of night, lanterns were hung at the Ministry of Justice’s yamen, and two yamen runners were guarding the door.

The murder of Prince Yan was such a major event that the officials of the Ministry of Justice did not dare to be negligent. They were still working in the government office even at this late hour.

King Wu rode his horse and led his men to the gate of the mansion, then mounted his horse and headed into the government office.

The guard at the door quickly stretched out his hand to stop them: "No one is allowed to enter without Lord Ling's order."

King Wu glared and said, "Open your dog eyes and see clearly, who am I?"

The guard at the side introduced coldly: "You are blind, how dare you stand in the way of King Wu?"

The bailiff's face changed drastically, and he was about to open his mouth to explain, but King Wu didn't even give them a chance to speak. He grabbed them with both hands and threw them aside!

The two yamen runners, who had not yet reacted, were thrown to the ground.

"Hmph!" King Wu snorted coldly and went straight to the lobby.

Inside the hall, Ling Haoran was discussing with several officials from the Ministry of Justice how to conduct the investigation next.

Suddenly, a rough voice was heard: "Lord Ling, the king is here!"

Ling Haoran's face changed slightly. He recognized the voice as King Wu's and did not dare to be negligent. He personally took the lead in standing up to greet him.

At the same time, he secretly ordered a yamen runner to go out from the back and report to the prince.

King Wu came in person, it must be about the matter of King Yan. He could not make the decision on this matter, but he could not stop King Wu's power, so he could only ask the prince for help.

At this time, King Wu did not wait for him to go out to greet him, but came into the lobby with several guards.

"Greetings to His Majesty King Wu!"

"No need to be polite!"

King Wu walked straight to the lobby and sat in the seat that belonged to Ling Haoran. He flipped through the documents on the table and asked:

"I came here for only one thing, the clue to King Yan's death!"

"If Lord Ling is sensible, please tell me the news. Otherwise, I will stay in your Ministry of Justice tonight."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Ling Haoran's face change drastically, but even the faces of a group of officials from the Ministry of Justice also changed.

Judging from King Wu's attitude, he clearly wants to intervene in this matter.

But the prince has already handed the matter over to them!

If King Wu intervenes, this matter will become difficult to handle.

Not to mention whether King Wu would steal their credit, if a conflict came to the fore between the two sides during the investigation, how could the Ministry of Justice possibly be a match for King Wu?

King Wu's intervention will only make the case more complicated.

For a moment, the scene was completely silent.

King Wu glanced at everyone and said calmly, "Why are you all silent?"

Ling Haoran sighed, took the initiative to step forward, and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness King Wu, the Crown Prince has handed over the case of King Yan to the Ministry of Justice. If you intervene now..."

"boom!"

King Wu didn't wait for Ling Haoran to finish his words. He slammed the table with his right hand and shouted angrily, "Don't use the prince to pressure me!"

"Humph, the King of Yan is a member of the royal family. How can I sit back and watch him being poisoned?"

"Looking at how slow your Ministry of Justice is, I don't know when you can find out the truth. Why don't I come in person?"

"Lord Ling, I respect you as an old minister and don't want to make things difficult for you. If you take the initiative to hand over the clues, I will turn around and leave!"

Facing King Wu's intimidation, Ling Haoran showed an embarrassment on his face.

Hand it over, for we are worried that King Wu will intervene and incite the murderer.

If you don't hand it over, judging from King Wu's attitude, he will probably resort to violence.

Although this is the Ministry of Justice, there is no way the yamen runners could possibly be a match for the palace guards.

Thinking of this, Ling Haoran smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness King Wu, please calm down. I dare not make the decision on this matter. I have just sent someone to inform His Highness the Crown Prince."

King Wu narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Okay, then I will wait for you for half an hour. If the prince does not reply after half an hour, you will hand over the clue to me, how about that?"

"This……"

Ling Haoran was helpless. He knew he couldn't refuse. Moreover, if the prince knew the news, he would definitely not stand idly by. He could only nod and agree:

"Okay, I'll do as Your Majesty King Wu said!"

King Wu then sat down again with satisfaction and said loudly, "Why don't you serve tea?"

Ling Haoran gave a bitter smile and immediately ordered someone to serve tea.

As time passed, Ling Haoran's heart slowly sank.

The people he sent out haven't come back yet. Could it be that they weren't notified?

Moreover, the prince did not send anyone to deliver the message. Perhaps something unexpected happened along the way and the prince did not receive the news.

Otherwise, given the prince's character, he would never allow King Wu to intervene in the case.

Half an hour passed quickly, and King Wu had even drunk three cups of tea.

Seeing that the time was almost up, King Wu put down his teacup, stood up slowly, and asked with a smile:

"Lord Ling, the agreed time has come, but the prince has not sent anyone to summon you. Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise!"

Ling Haoran looked a little ugly.

He knew that he had been fooled!

King Wu agreed to his request so easily, and even though he knew that he had sent someone to inform the prince, it was clear that he had made preparations in advance.

He was tricked by King Wu!

Now, the pressure is on him, should he hand over the clues?