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

When Chu Ning returned to the East Palace, it was already late. The flickering candlelight in the palace illuminated his stern face.

He stood before the desk with his hands behind his back, his eyes deep. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "Send Liu Shouren, Deng Hongwen, Lu Xiuwen, Jia Yu, Ling Haoran, and Zhao Yu to see you immediately."

Soon, six important ministers entered the hall one after another, bowed, and stood quietly on both sides.

Chu Ning looked around at everyone and spoke slowly, "I called you all here today to discuss a matter, regarding the poisoning of this palace."

Everyone's expression was startled and they all looked up.

There was a sharp glint in Jia Yu's eyes, while Zhao Yu tightened his grip on the sword at his waist, obviously extremely angry about the murderer's actions.

Liu Shouren frowned, a look of worry appearing on his face. Ling Haoran, Lu Xiuwen and Deng Hongwen also did not look very good.

After all, the prince was poisoned and almost died, and they were all responsible.

Chu Ning continued, "This poison is called the Heart-Eating Poison. It is a secret recipe of the Barbarian Royal Family. Ordinary people have no access to it."

"And the other party who dared to do this to me must hate me to the core."

He paused, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. "Anyone who can obtain such poison is definitely not an ordinary citizen. He is most likely a powerful official in the court, or someone who is in collusion with the barbarians."

Upon hearing this, Ling Haoran immediately stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "Your Highness, I request a thorough investigation of the high-ranking officials in the capital! Anyone who is suspicious will be strictly questioned!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Liu Shouren frowned and retorted: "No!"

He stepped forward and bowed, saying in a deep voice, "Your Highness, it is the autumn harvest season now, and taxes, conscription, and military deployments are all at a critical juncture."

"If we launch a large-scale investigation into the court officials at this time, people will panic and government affairs will come to a standstill, which will give the three dynasties an opportunity to exploit the situation!"

Jia Yu snorted coldly and said, "Master Liu, you are wrong! The murderer is so vicious. If we don't catch him soon, there is no guarantee he won't strike again!"

"Do we have to wait until Your Highness is murdered again before we regret it?"

Seeing this, Lu Xiuwen also stepped forward and said, "Master Jia, what Master Liu said is not without reason. Now the three dynasties are watching closely. If the investigation leads to unrest in the court and unstable morale on the front lines, wouldn't that just throw our forces off balance?"

For a while, there was endless debate in the hall, and the four people split into two factions.

Ling Haoran and Jia Yu advocated an immediate and thorough investigation, while Liu Shouren and Lu Xiuwen insisted on maintaining stability first.

Chu Ning turned his gaze slightly, looking at Deng Hongwen and Zhao Yu who had been silent the whole time, and asked, "Master Deng, what do you think?"

Deng Hongwen pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Highness, I believe the murderer is indeed vicious and must be investigated, but it is not advisable to make a big fuss so as not to alert the enemy."

"It's better to investigate secretly, identify the suspicious person first, and then slowly take action."

Zhao Yu also nodded in agreement. "I second the proposal. We can order the secret guards to conduct a secret investigation, especially those who have had contact with the barbarians recently or have behaved unusually. They can all be listed as key targets."

Chu Ning nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes.

He said in a deep voice, "Okay, let's do as Lord Deng said. We will conduct a secret investigation and not alert the government or the public."

He paused, then added, "Ling Haoran, you are responsible for checking for suspicious individuals in the capital."

"Jia Yu, you will be responsible for investigating the recent movements of the barbarian envoys. Zhao Yu, you will dispatch the Jinyiwei to keep a close eye on the officials in the imperial court."

Everyone accepted the order in unison.

Chu Ning's eyes were cold, and he said slowly, "I want to see who dares to cause trouble under my nose!"

Outside the hall, the wind began to blow and the candlelight flickered, reflecting the solemn expressions of the people.

The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated Chu Ning's stern face.

He slowly scanned the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Since the murderer hates me to the core, then everyone might as well think about it. Who in this capital city has such a deep hatred for me?"

When everyone heard this, their expressions were shocked.

Ling Haoran, the Minister of Justice, was the first to react. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he clasped his fists and said:

"Your Highness wants to start with hatred?"

Chu Ning nodded slightly: "Indeed, the person who was able to obtain the barbarian poison and dared to attack me is definitely not an ordinary person. This person must have an irreconcilable hatred with me."

Ling Haoran pondered for a moment and spoke slowly, "If we talk about hatred, perhaps...someone in the royal family harbors resentment towards Your Highness."

He paused, his tone solemn, "When Your Highness put down the civil strife, he executed several princes. However, the maternal families and in-laws of these princes are still in the court, and the relationship is complicated."

"It's not impossible that someone might secretly harbor a grudge and wait for an opportunity to seek revenge."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became gloomy.

Chu Ning's eyes turned slightly cold. The bloody battle for the throne back then had indeed involved many people. Many members of the royal family were liquidated, and some people were still dissatisfied.

Liu Shouren also stood up at this time, stroking his beard and said, "In addition to the royal family, I think we should also be wary of the aristocratic families."

He looked at Chu Ning and analyzed in a deep voice, "Since His Highness rose to power, he has implemented new policies, weakened the privileges of the aristocratic families, and even destroyed the four major families in one fell swoop."

"Although the other noble families appear to have submitted, they may not be willing to do so. With the new policies pressing in, their interests are being harmed. It is not impossible for someone to take the risk and use the barbarians to poison Your Highness."

Jia Yu nodded in agreement. "Lord Ling and Lord Liu are absolutely right. All the ministers in the court are now loyal to Your Highness. No one dares to take risks at this time."

"But the royal family is different from the aristocratic families. They already have old grudges against Your Highness and have suffered losses due to the new policies. They do have motives."

Deng Hongwen pondered for a moment and then spoke, "I also believe that if the ministers in the court want to harm Your Highness, the risk is too great and unnecessary."

"On the contrary, those forces suppressed by Your Highness are more likely to retaliate secretly."

Zhao Yu clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, I second your opinion. There must be those among the royal family and the noble families who bear grudges. Why not start with these two parties and investigate secretly?"

Chu Ning's eyes were deep, and his fingertips tapped the table lightly. After a moment, he said in a cold voice: "Okay, then let's do as you say and start investigating the royal family and the noble families first."

He looked at Ling Haoran, "Ling Qing, you are responsible for investigating the movements of the royal family, especially the relatives of the prince who was executed that year."

Ling Haoran accepted the order solemnly: "I will conduct a thorough investigation and will not let any clues go unnoticed!"

Chu Ning turned to Liu Shouren and said, "Master Liu, you will be responsible for sorting out the recent situation of the major families, especially those families that have suffered losses due to the new policies, to see if they have any unusual behavior recently."

Liu Shouren bowed and said, "I obey your command."

Jia Yu stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I suggest that we investigate the movements of the barbarian envoys at the same time. If someone is colluding with the barbarians to poison them, there must be traces of communication."

Chu Ning nodded: "I'll leave this matter to you."

Everyone accepted the order and the hall became solemn for a moment.

Chu Ning slowly stood up, hands behind his back, his eyes as sharp as a knife: "This matter must be resolved as soon as possible!"

The sound of wind gradually picked up outside the window, and the candlelight flickered, reflecting the solemn expressions of everyone.

An undercurrent has been quietly surging beneath the capital.