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

Ling Haoran and Jia Yu walked quickly into the East Palace Hall. Seeing that Chu Ning was able to stand up and walk, they felt relieved and hurried forward to salute.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince!" they said in unison.

Chu Ning raised his hand to indicate that he didn't need to be polite, and looked at them calmly: "How is the investigation going?"

Ling Haoran stepped forward and reported in a deep voice, "Your Highness, we have already found out that the person who poisoned the people this time is Tuoba Lie, the leader of the barbarian delegation."

"The red gold box he carried contained a heart-eating poison, and the poison was also found in his deputy's room."

"We have already apprehended him and imprisoned him in the Ministry of Justice's prison."

Jia Yu added, "Tuoba Lie, a barbarian general, came to the capital under the pretext of discussing border trade, but in reality, he was secretly plotting to poison Your Highness."

"If the Jinyiwei hadn't found the clues in time, the consequences would have been disastrous."

After hearing this, Chu Ning's brows gradually furrowed. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke:

"Tuoba Lie is the leader of the delegation. If he really wanted to poison me, how could he be so brazen? The barbarian delegation arrived in Kyoto only three days ago and has no intelligence network within the city. How did they know that I returned to the court yesterday?"

"Furthermore, the Barbarians have limited influence in Chu. How could they arrange for someone to poison me in such a short time?"

Ling Haoran was stunned, and Jia Yu also looked thoughtful.

Chu Ning continued, "Also, from the time I was poisoned to the time you solved the case, it took less than two days. Isn't that too smooth?"

"Not only did you quickly identify Tuoba Lie, you even found the poison and antidote on him. If you were the murderer, would you still carry the poison with you after successfully poisoning him?"

Ling Haoran frowned, and Jia Yu suddenly realized: "Your Highness means... Tuoba Lie may not be the real murderer?"

Chu Ning nodded. "You searched the entire city with such fanfare. It's impossible that Tuoba Lie didn't know about it. If he really was the one who poisoned the drug, he would have destroyed the evidence. Why would he let you find the poison?"

Ling Haoran's expression changed slightly: "Could it be... that he was framed?"

Jia Yu's face suddenly became a little ugly.

I've been hunting geese all day, is it possible that today I'll get my eyes pecked by a goose?

If this is true, then the person behind this is too powerful to even deceive him.

At this moment, Chu Ning's eyes turned cold and he said, "Come with me to the Ministry of Justice's prison. I want to interrogate Tuoba Lie in person."

Shen Wanying's expression changed slightly. She pulled Chu Ning's sleeve and whispered, "Your Highness has just woken up. You should rest for a while. Let Master Ling and Master Jia handle this matter."

But Chu Ning reached out and pulled her, saying in a deep voice: "This matter is of great importance, I must handle it personally!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine now. The poison has been completely eliminated. I even feel my strength has improved."

He patted Shen Wanying's hand and comforted her before turning and leaving.

The three of them set off immediately and soon arrived at the Ministry of Justice prison.

In the dark and damp cell, Tuoba Lie had his hands and feet chained, and he looked haggard, having obviously been interrogated many times.

Seeing someone coming in, he looked up and saw Chu Ning wearing the prince's regular clothes, with an extraordinary demeanor. He immediately guessed his identity, and hurriedly struggled to kneel down, shouting:

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince of Chu! This is unjust! I never did this!"

Chu Ning stared at him coldly: "Tuoba Lie, you are an envoy of the barbarian delegation, but you brought the heart-eating poison into the capital, and you dare to cry out for justice?"

Tuoba Lie said anxiously, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince of Chu, please understand. The Heart-Eating Poison is a secret medicine of the royal family. I'm just a general. How could I possibly have such a thing?"

Ling Haoran demanded sharply, "Then why was there a heart-eating poison in the golden box on you? And why was the heart-eating poison found in your deputy's room?"

Tuoba Lie's forehead was sweating, and he quickly explained: "The golden box was given to me by several barbarian merchants who were doing business in Kyoto when I first arrived there the other day!"

"They say this thing can strengthen the body, especially... it's good for men..."

"As for why the deputy envoy has the heart-eating poison, I don't know either, but I think he might have been framed, just like me."

Jia Yu sneered: "If that's the case, why are you useless?"

Tuoba Lie said with a bitter face: "I originally planned to take it after meeting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but I didn't expect you to capture me soon after I checked into the inn!"

Chu Ning's eyes flickered slightly, and he continued to ask, "Do you know the merchant who gave you the gold box?"

Tuoba Lie shook his head. "They claim to be fur traders from my northern border. They have some connections with my barbarian royal family. When they heard that I was coming to the capital, they specially hosted a banquet for me."

"I saw that they were sincere in their words, so I didn't suspect anything."

Chu Ning pondered for a moment and asked again: "Where are they now?"

Tuoba Lie said bewilderedly, "I don't know either. They left after the banquet that night."

Chu Ning turned and walked out of the cell, followed closely by Ling Haoran and Jia Yu.

"Your Highness, it seems that Tuoba Lie has indeed been used by someone." Ling Haoran whispered.

Jia Yu frowned and thought: "Those merchants are obviously suspicious. They deliberately gave the poison to Tuoba Lie in order to frame him."

"If His Highness dies of the poison, the Chu State will be furious and will directly declare war on the barbarians!"

Chu Ning sneered: "What a trick to kill with a borrowed knife."

Ling Haoran said in a deep voice, "But who is the person behind this? How could they have such precise knowledge of His Highness's whereabouts and even set up a frame-up in just two days?"

Chu Ning's eyes were deep: "To be able to act like this in Kyoto, he must be someone in the court."

Jia Yu's heart was shocked: "Your Highness means... a traitor?"

Chu Ning didn't answer directly, but said calmly: "Investigate, starting with the merchants that Tuoba Lie contacted, and then find out who in the court has had contact with the barbarians recently."

Ling Haoran accepted the order solemnly: "I will do it right away!"

Jia Yu asked in a low voice: "What about Tuoba Lie...?"

Chu Ning said calmly, "Keep him locked up for now. Don't let the news leak out for now. If the real murderer finds out that he hasn't been convicted, he will definitely take further action."

Jia Yu understood and nodded, "I understand."

After leaving the Ministry of Justice prison, Chu Ning stood in the night, his eyes as cold as a knife.

This poisoning seemed to be caused by the barbarians, but in fact there was another dark force behind it.

The other party not only wants to kill him, but also wants to provoke a war between the Chu State and the barbarians!

"It seems that someone in the court is more impatient than I imagined!"

After a pause, Chu Ning narrowed his eyes, a ruthless look flashing across his face. "However, we cannot rule out the possibility that this was done by other dynasties."

"Provoking a war between our dynasty and the barbarians will only deplete our dynasty's strength and benefit the other three dynasties."

Jia Yu's expression changed. "Your Highness, are you saying that this matter could have been arranged by someone in one of the three great dynasties?"

"But last year, the Imperial Guards wiped out their strongholds in Kyoto. In just one year, it's impossible for them to establish a new presence in the city."

Chu Ning sneered: "It is also possible that there is collusion between insiders and outsiders, and someone in the city is deliberately paving the way for the three dynasties!"

"Investigate. Have the Imperial Guard immediately investigate the recent movements of the three great dynasties."

"Also, see if anyone from the court has contacted them."

"Yes!"

Jia Yu responded and immediately went down to make arrangements. This was a serious matter and he did not dare to be careless.