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

When the White Horse Cavalry rescued Prince Chu Ning and Zhao Yu from the secret room in the house, the entire Taifu Mansion was already heavily surrounded.

The light of the torches reflected on the cold armor, and a murderous atmosphere filled the air.

The python robe on Chu Ning's body had long been torn to pieces by the short arrows in the secret room. The golden silk threads were faintly visible in the firelight, revealing the golden silk soft armor inside that was shining with a cold light.

If it weren't for the armor Chu Ning had obtained before, he would have been shot into a hedgehog by the dense rain of short arrows.

But even so, his purple-gold crown was shot off, his hair was disheveled, and he looked a little disheveled.

Although Zhao Yu, who was standing aside, was an excellent martial artist, he was still frightened at this moment.

The moment the trap in the secret room was triggered, he almost instinctively stood in front of Chu Ning and swung his sword to block.

Fortunately, Chu Ning used his body to block most of the arrows for him. In addition, the armor made of fine steel on his body was extremely hard, so the short arrows only left scratches of varying depths on the armor and failed to penetrate.

Even so, Zhao Yu still felt a little scared - if he was not careful, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Your Highness, are you okay?"

Zhao Yu ignored the blood marks on his arm caused by the arrow, and knelt on one knee anxiously, staring at Chu Ning's injuries.

There was barely concealed worry in his voice, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the hilt of his sword.

Chu Ning shook his head and raised his hand to signal him to stand up: "It's okay, thanks to this golden soft armor."

His voice was terrifyingly calm, but his gaze was like ice, piercing towards the Grand Tutor Dugu Xin and his son Dugu Sheng who were being escorted nearby.

The firelight cast shadows on his angular face, adding a sense of solemnity.

"Dugu Xin!" Chu Ning spoke slowly, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"You and your son, for Dugu Yan, for a dead man, dared to murder me? You even went so far as to provoke a war between the barbarians and the State of Chu?"

His voice gradually rose, and he finally asked in a harsh voice, "Do you know how heinous this crime is?"

Dugu Xin, who was tied up, raised his head. His gray beard was covered with dust, but the hatred in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

He sneered, his voice hoarse: "The victor is the king and the loser is the bandit. Now that the matter has been exposed, I have already prepared to die."

He straightened his hunched back, a hint of madness flashing in his cloudy eyes: "It's a pity that I couldn't see you die with my own eyes! Yan'er's spirit in heaven will not rest in peace!"

"How dare you!" Zhao Yu shouted angrily, his sword already three inches out of its sheath.

Chu Ning raised her hand to stop him, a cold smile on her lips: "Okay, very good, since you have confessed your guilt, then I will grant your wish."

He turned and gave the order to the white horse cavalrymen behind him: "Pass this order: No one in the Grand Tutor's House shall be spared. Tomorrow at noon, Dugu Xin and his son will be taken to the execution ground and beheaded in public!"

"Chun Ning! You tyrant!"

Dugu Xin suddenly struggled, his eyes bloodshot: "Don't let the disaster reach my family! How can you be so cruel!"

Chu Ning walked forward without looking back, his voice as cold as iron: "When you designed the secret room trap, did you ever think about the harm to your family?"

"When you colluded with the barbarians and attempted to overthrow the State of Chu, did you ever imagine that this day would come?"

He stopped, his profile looking particularly grim in the firelight. "Today, I will let everyone in the world know that anyone who plots treason will be executed along with their entire clan!"

Following Chu Ning's order, cries and shouts suddenly rang out in the Taifu Mansion.

The guards rushed into the courtyards like wolves and tigers, capturing everyone, regardless of gender, age or status.

Dugu Xin was forced to the ground and watched helplessly as his wives, concubines, daughters-in-law, and servants were dragged out one by one.

Not only that, his servant's grandson, who was only ten years old, was crying out "Grandpa, save me", but was ruthlessly picked up by the guards.

"Beasts! You beasts!"

Dugu Xin finally collapsed. He struggled to stand up, but was kicked in the knee by the guard behind him, causing him to fall heavily to the ground.

Veins popped out of his forehead, and his voice was hoarse: "Chu Ning! Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go!"

Chu Ning stood on the steps, watching all this coldly.

Zhao Yu stood beside him and whispered, "Your Highness, those children are all servants of the Dugu family. These people..."

"General Zhao!"

Chu Ning interrupted him, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Do you know what will happen to the children of our Chu State if we die in this secret room today when the barbarian army approaches?"

Zhao Yu was silent for a moment, then finally lowered his head: "I understand."

In the flames, the massacre at the Taifu Mansion lasted for a full hour.

The cries, pleas, and curses gradually subsided.

In the end, all that was left was the steady footsteps of the guards and the crackling of burning torches.

Dugu Xin slumped on the ground, his eyes dull, as if he had aged twenty years in an instant.

His son Dugu Sheng had already fainted and was dragged away by the guards like a dead dog.

"Take him away and keep him under guard."

Chu Ning calmly ordered: "Tomorrow at noon, I will personally supervise the execution."

That night, after Chu Ning returned to the East Palace, he immediately summoned Jia Yu, Ling Haoran, Liu Shouren, Deng Hongwen, Lu Jianye and others.

The gold-wire soft armor in the secret room had been removed, and Sun Simiao was examining his body.

Zhao Yu was still standing aside fully armed, looking around vigilantly.

"Your Highness, Dugu Xin has many followers in the court. This incident might cause turmoil." The oldest Liu Shouren said worriedly.

He never dreamed that the person who poisoned the prince was actually the Grand Tutor Dugu Xin.

He is your Majesty's teacher, the person your Majesty respects the most, and has made contributions to the State of Chu.

Not only that, the Taifu has many students and former officials in the court. If the Taifu is captured, these people will definitely join forces to fight against the court and the prince.

Chu Ning sneered upon hearing this: "I wish they would jump out."

He took the teacup handed to him by Zhao Yu and took a sip. "Pass the order down. Three thousand elite soldiers will be ambushed around the execution ground at noon tomorrow. Anyone who dares to disrupt the execution ground will be killed without mercy."

"As for the barbarians..." Ling Haoran, the Minister of Justice, hesitated to speak.

"The secret letter between Dugu Xin and the barbarians has been intercepted."

Chu Ning put down the teacup, a sharp glint in his eyes: "This is just the right excuse to send envoys to the barbarians to question them. They are in the wrong, so I believe they won't attack us anytime soon!"

"This way, we can free up our hands to deal with the three great dynasties."

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites, Deng Hongwen, stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "As the Minister of Rites, I am willing to personally go on a diplomatic mission to the barbarians!"

This matter is of great importance and cannot tolerate any negligence. He is not confident in handing it over to others, so he is willing to make the trip himself.

Chu Ning looked at him and smiled. "I know Lord Deng's abilities. I'll leave this matter to you. However, for safety reasons, you will lead 3,000 white horse cavalrymen to the barbarian tribe this time!"

"Also, you must bring back Tuoba Lie, the barbarian envoy this time."

He wanted to let the other party see his strength so that they would not dare to act rashly against the delegation!

Sending Tuoba Lie back is also to tell the barbarians that he did not touch their envoys, and the other party cannot touch his envoys!

This is basic diplomatic etiquette!

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Deng Hongwen bowed respectfully and accepted the order.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of the Taifu Mansion in the distance, where the fire was still burning.

"After tomorrow, I will let everyone know the consequences of betraying the State of Chu and betraying me."

The night wind blew by, carrying a faint smell of blood.

That night, no one in Chu was destined to sleep.