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

The night was as dark as ink, and the glazed tiles of the East Palace glowed a cold green light in the moonlight.

The third watch gong had just sounded, and the guards on duty were still patrolling inside and outside the palace walls in high spirits.

At this moment of complete silence, a galloping horse shattered the tranquility in front of the East Palace.

Liu Shouren, on horseback, had a solemn expression on his face, holding high the token of the Prince's Mansion in his hand. Seeing this, the guard hurriedly opened the side door.

"Has Your Highness slept well?"

Liu Shouren dismounted and spoke in a very low voice, but his anxiety could not be concealed.

"Your Excellency, His Highness has just rested for less than an hour."

The guard leader clasped his fists and replied, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, "Should we..."

"The matter is of great importance, please inform me." Liu Shouren took out a jade token from his sleeve. This was the jade token of Crown Prince Chu Ning.

The commander of the guards was startled when he saw this and immediately turned around and ran towards the inner hall.

In the bedroom, Chu Ning was not actually in deep sleep.

After talking with Wu Zhao, he has been thinking about the next response strategy.

He had already opened his eyes when the footsteps of the guards sounded in the corridor.

"Your Highness, Lord Liu from the Ministry of Revenue requests an audience with the imperial jade token."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning immediately sat up, and her silk pajamas slipped off, revealing her slender shoulders.

He knew Liu Shouren too well - this old minister, who was always cautious, would never disturb the emperor in the middle of the night unless it was an emergency.

"Change clothes." Chu Ning ordered briefly.

The maids filed in, and in just a moment, the prince had changed into moon-white casual clothes, with only a silver ribbon tied around his waist, and his long black hair casually tied up with a jade hairpin.

Inside the main hall, the bronze crane lamp emitted a faint flame.

Liu Shouren was about to salute when Chu Ning raised his hand to stop him: "No thanks, but what about the Scorpion Clan?"

Beads of sweat formed on Liu Shouren's forehead. "Your Highness, half an hour ago, the Scorpion Clan's General Gongsun Yi paid a secret visit to my humble residence."

He pulled out a roll of parchment from his sleeve and said, "This is the grain purchase list they issued."

Chu Ning took the list, his eyes wandering over the words "100,000 dan of corn" and "50,000 dan of wheat", and a sneer gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth:

"What a huge appetite."

The parchment glowed with an eerie yellow light under the candlelight, and the wax mark of the Scorpion King's Court was faintly visible on the edge.

"I have already declined the offer as Your Highness instructed."

Liu Shouren secretly observed the Crown Prince's expression and added, "But Gongsun Yi's eyes were rather hostile when he left. I'm afraid he won't let this go."

"Of course he's not kind."

Chu Ning suddenly threw the parchment onto the table, startling the lamp flames. "The grasslands have suffered a century-long drought this year. The twelve tribes are fighting each other for pasture. The Scorpion Khan, the leader of the alliance, is probably sitting on a thorn in his side."

He paced to the center of the hall, and the moonlight through the carved window lattices cast mottled shadows on his face.

"If they can't buy food, their horses won't even have the strength to stand by next spring."

Liu Shouren felt relieved after hearing this, but then he seemed to remember something and said anxiously, "But the coronation ceremony is imminent. What if these barbarians want to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble..."

"They don't dare."

Chu Ning suddenly turned around, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Gongsun Yi may be a reckless man, but he's also courageous and careful. If he dares to cause trouble now, isn't he worried about completely offending our dynasty and making things worse for them?"

He suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Have the secret agents of the Jinyiwei caught up?"

"Your Highness, since Gongsun Yi entered the city, three groups of men have been following him. The latest intelligence indicates that after leaving my residence, he went straight to the dark alleys of the West Market."

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes when he heard that.

Those foreign merchants in the West Market were engaged in silk and porcelain business on the surface, but secretly they often smuggled ironware with various tribes on the grassland.

His slender fingers unconsciously stroked the jade pendant at his waist, and he suddenly asked, "Have any caravans seen any unusual customs clearance documents recently?"

"This……"

Liu Shouren was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Your Highness, please understand! Three days ago, several caravans reported an excess of twenty camels' cargo capacity!"

"Sure enough."

Chu Ning's sneer widened. "Issue this order to all places. From now on, strictly inspect the goods of the merchant caravans leaving the city. Draft another imperial edict..."

Chu Ning's voice suddenly became almost inaudible. "Orders have been passed down. Anyone who privately sells grain to the Scorpion Tribe—whether official or civilian—will be treated as collaborating with the enemy."

As he said this, he drew the word "砍" (chopping) on the table with his fingers, and the sound of his nails hitting the sandalwood made a harsh sound.

A chill suddenly rose on Liu Shouren's back.

He suddenly remembered the grain merchant who was beheaded half a month ago. It was said that he was killed just because he transported ten more carts of old grain to the northern border.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard the prince add, "Remember to tell Jia Yu to keep a close eye on Gongsun Yi for me!

Liu Shouren responded and couldn't help looking back as he walked out.

Under the moonlight, Chu Ning's lonely figure stood in front of a huge map of the territory, his finger pressing on the wolf head emblem marked "Scorpion Royal Court".

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he seemed to see the prince's nails digging deep into the wolf's eyes.

After Liu Shouren left, Chu Ning rubbed his brows. The cool night breeze blew away the gloomy candle smoke in the hall.

He walked out of the hall and looked up at the sky. The moon was setting in the west, and it was already late at night.

He was about to turn around and go back to his bedroom to rest when he suddenly saw a slender figure standing under a plum tree in the depths of the courtyard, her clothes fluttering, like an immortal in a painting.

"You're still outside in the wind so late, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Chu Ning raised the corners of his lips slightly, strode over, took off his black cloak, and gently put it on the other person's shoulders.

Wu Zhao did not refuse, but let him do what he wanted. She just glanced at him and said with a half-smile:

"I never thought that His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Chu, would actually care about others."

Chu Ning chuckled softly, and lightly hooked his fingertips on the straps of her cloak. He leaned close to her ear and spoke in a low voice:

"I'm concerned about more than just the cold."

Wu Zhao snorted softly, her eyes sweeping towards the still-lit hall behind him, and she said calmly, "You're still handling government affairs so late at night. It seems you've already adapted to the role of emperor."

She paused, the corners of her lips curled up slightly: "After ascending the throne during the Lantern Festival, I will surely be able to shake the world and unify the Central Plains."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning laughed out loud, and his laughter was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.

He leaned forward slightly, looked directly into her eyes, and jokingly said, "Are you so confident in me?"

Wu Zhao's eyes turned slightly, with a look of anger and laughter, and then she lowered her voice and said in a tone that only the two of them could hear:

"Can the man I like be bad?"

The smile in Chu Ning's eyes deepened. He suddenly raised his hand and waved, signaling all the guards around him to retreat.

After everyone had dispersed, he put his arm around Wu Zhao's shoulders, pulled her close, and chuckled softly, "You've finally admitted that you like me?"

Wu Zhao raised her eyebrows and feigned indifference: "You are usually decisive and ruthless, but why do you act like an ordinary person when it comes to feelings? You always want to hear me admit it myself?"

Chu Ning didn't take it seriously, instead she laughed even more wantonly: "If it were an ordinary woman, I wouldn't care about her approval."

He gently lifted her chin with his fingertips, his eyes deep, "But you are different. You are the Queen of the Great Zhou. You are the recognition that all men in the world dream of. Naturally, I must ask for it myself."

Wu Zhao's heart moved slightly, but she still maintained a calm expression on her face. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt her body lighten - Chu Ning actually picked her up sideways!

"You—" She was about to scold, but he interrupted her.

"Official affairs have been settled tonight, and no one will come to disturb us."

He chuckled softly and strode towards the side hall where she lived. "Since you admit that you like me, why don't we... have a good exchange of 'human creation' techniques?"

Wu Zhao's ears turned slightly red, but she did not struggle. She just hummed softly and let him hold her and walk into the depths of the night.

As the moonlight fell, the figures of the two gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor. Only the night wind blew through the plum branches, and the faint fragrance floated in the air.