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

Chu Ning stood in the courtyard of the villa. The night wind blew up his blood-stained robe, and there was a chill in his eyes.

He raised his hand and ordered, "Zhao Yu, lead your men to search the entire villa. Dig deep to find evidence!"

Being poisoned in Kyoto City was a matter of his reputation, and he had to make sure it was an ironclad case.

And after seeing Zhou Yan being arrested, he already knew who was the mastermind behind the scenes.

Zhou Yan, as the Minister of War, was recommended by the Grand Tutor Dugu Xin.

He believed that Zhou Yan did not have such courage, and also believed that Zhou Yan did not have the ability to contact the barbarians.

The only possibility is Taifu Dugu Xin!

This veteran minister who served three dynasties.

Although he didn't know why the other party wanted to harm him, since he knew it was the other party, he had to find evidence, otherwise he would not be able to convict the other party.

The white horse cavalry quickly dispersed and poured into various parts of the villa like snow waves.

The light and shadow of the torches swayed between the carved beams and painted buildings, reflecting a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

In just a moment, Zhao Yu brought out a rosewood box from the inner room. Inside the box was a bag of dark purple powder, which glowed with a strange luster under the firelight.

"Your Highness, I found it!"

Zhao Yu said in a deep voice, "This poison is exactly the same as the 'heart-eating poison' that the Imperial Hospital has tested. Once it touches the skin, it will seep into the bloodstream. Within three days, the heart meridians will be severed and the person will die!"

Chu Ning's eyes were cold, his fingers slowly stroked the hilt of the sword, and his gaze swept over Zhou Yan, the Minister of War who was pinned to the ground.

Zhou Yan was trembling all over, with cold sweat on his forehead and his lips quivering, but he didn't dare to look up at the prince.

"More than just poison."

Zhao Yu continued to report, "Three Southern Border Barbarians are hiding in the secret room in the backyard. They are all armed, and secret letters from Grand Tutor Dugu Xin were found on them."

Chu Ning sneered, his gaze piercing Zhou Yan like a knife: "Master Zhou, it seems that you are not only collaborating with the enemy and treasonous, but you also dared to poison me?"

Zhou Yan suddenly raised his head, his face pale, and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness! The poisoning was done by me alone, and has nothing to do with others! I beg Your Highness to understand!"

"One person did it?"

Chu Ning slowly walked up to him, looked down at him condescendingly, and his voice was bone-chillingly cold.

"You are a Minister of War who has not yet entered the cabinet. You are not even qualified to be close to me. How could you poison my tea?"

"This heart-eating poison requires close contact to be effective, and since returning to the palace, I have only been to three places—the Imperial Garden, the East Palace, and... the Grand Tutor's Mansion."

Zhou Yan trembled all over, and despair appeared in his eyes.

Chu Ning continued, "The Imperial Garden is guarded by imperial guards, and the people in the Eastern Palace are all my confidants, except for the Grand Tutor's Mansion..."

He paused, a hint of sarcasm appearing at the corner of his lips. "Only in the Taifu Mansion did I once stay alone with the Taifu, drink a cup of tea with him, and even have contact with him."

Zhou Yan's face turned pale as death, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to utter any words to defend himself.

Now that things have come to this, no amount of explanation will be of any use, because the current evidence alone is enough to prove that this was done by the Grand Tutor.

Chu Ning stopped looking at him and turned around to give a cold order: "Take the poison and escort the people from Southern Xinjiang back to the Imperial Prison for strict interrogation. As for Zhou Yan..."

His eyes were cold and icy: "Follow me to the Grand Tutor's Mansion."

This matter must be concluded as soon as possible and cannot be delayed any further.

The Taifu Mansion is located on the east side of the imperial city. It has red gates and high walls. Two stone lions stand majestically in front of the mansion, symbolizing the honor of the veterans of three dynasties.

However, tonight, the prince's white horse cavalry rushed to the front of the mansion like an avalanche, their iron hooves shattered the silence, and torches illuminated the night sky.

The guards in the mansion were shocked and reported it immediately.

Not long after, Dugu Sheng, the son of the Grand Tutor and the Minister of Personnel, came out hurriedly. He was wearing a brocade robe over his plain pajamas and was obviously awakened.

Seeing the Crown Prince in person, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly suppressed his surprise and doubts, stepped forward and saluted respectfully:

"Your Highness, Dugu Sheng, pays respect to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! I wonder what important matter has brought you here so late at night?"

He was very surprised. What was the prince doing here with the white horse cavalry so late at night?

Chu Ning's eyes were stern, and he said calmly, "I want to see the Grand Tutor."

Dugu Sheng frowned slightly, his face showing embarrassment: "Your Highness, my father is old and has recently fallen seriously ill. He just took medicine and rested. I'm afraid it's inconvenient for him to see guests."

"If Your Highness has something important to do, why not come back tomorrow?"

"I can't wait until tomorrow."

Chu Ning interrupted him, his tone unquestionable: "This is a serious case of treason. The Grand Tutor must see me immediately!"

Dugu Sheng caught a glimpse of Zhou Yan being held at the back, and his expression suddenly changed, but he quickly composed himself and forced a smile:

"Your Highness, my father is nearly eighty years old and already in his twilight years. The imperial physician has declared that he will not live more than six months."

"If Your Highness disturbs me tonight, I'm afraid..."

At this point, he suddenly knelt on his knees and kowtowed heavily, his voice choking with sobs: "Your Highness! My father was a veteran of three dynasties. He dedicated his entire life to the country and never had two hearts!"

"If Your Highness insists on investigating, I am willing to guarantee with my life that my father has no intention of treason!"

"Your Highness, I beg you to return to the Eastern Palace first. When my father wakes up tomorrow, I will personally bring him to the palace to apologize!"

His words were sincere and his voice was tearful. If someone else were to hear him, they might be moved.

Chu Ning stared at him, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Taifu Dugu Hong is indeed highly respected, and his students and former officials are everywhere in the court. If he is arrested rashly, it will definitely cause an uproar.

What's more, the Grand Tutor is old. If it is true as Dugu Sheng said that he only has half a year to live, why should they fall out now?

But the next moment, the severe pain he felt when he vomited blood due to the poison emerged in his mind, as well as Sun Simiao's words "If it was half a minute later, Your Highness would have died without a doubt."

He didn't understand why Dugu Xin poisoned him when he was so good to him.

And it is such a strong poison!

If he doesn't figure this out, how can he sleep peacefully tonight?

He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, there was no trace of hesitation in them.

"Dugu Sheng."

His voice was low, but every word was as firm as iron: "Since I have come here tonight, I will definitely not return empty-handed."

"Either you step aside and I'll go see the Grand Tutor myself, or..."

His eyes turned cold: "I will charge you with treason and destroy the Taifu Mansion!"

Dugu Sheng's whole body trembled, and his face turned pale instantly.

The night wind suddenly arose, and the torches swayed, reflecting the prince's stern face and the tightly closed vermilion door of the Taifu Mansion.

It’s over, it’s over, the prince must have known about it and found the manor!

It's all over.

After planning for a long time, I didn't expect that Chu Ning would find out in the end.

If Chu Ning is persuaded to leave now, he still has a way to leave Kyoto City and find a way to take revenge in the future.

But looking at Chu Ning's current appearance, he was unable to persuade the other party to leave.

As he hesitated, Zhao Yu's voice came: "Your Highness, the Grand Tutor's Mansion has been surrounded, and no one can escape!"

Dugu Sheng's face changed drastically and his body trembled violently.

Zhao Yu personally led the white horse cavalry to surround the Taifu Mansion, making it impossible for him to escape.

With a long sigh, he gestured with his hand, "Your Highness, please come in!"