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

As the night deepened, candlelight flickered in the side hall of the East Palace.

Jia Yu pushed open the carved wooden door and led Gongsun Yi into this temporary residence.

The hall is elegantly furnished, with bronze candlesticks placed on the rosewood table. The candlelight illuminates the landscape paintings on the wall, making it seem particularly quiet.

"General Gongsun, this is the side hall of the East Palace."

Jia Yu said calmly, "The imperial palace is a very important place, and the rules are very strict. I hope the general will not wander around casually."

Gongsun Yi looked around, his gaze lingering on several secret doors and window frames.

He took off the sword from his waist and placed it on the table, making a soft clang sound.

"Don't worry, Lord Jia, I know the rules."

The sound of the night watchman's clappers came from outside the hall, it was already the second watch.

Gongsun Yi suddenly frowned: "I will not return tonight, and the soldiers outside the city will inevitably worry."

He took out a jade token from his bosom, on which was carved a lifelike scorpion.

"Master Jia, please take this item to the guards waiting at the palace gate and have them tell Helian Tie that I will be drinking and chatting with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince tonight and will assist in the interrogation of the assassin tomorrow. He will be in charge of all camp affairs for the time being."

Jia Yu took the jade pendant and rubbed the cold jade surface with his fingertips.

He suddenly chuckled, "General Gongsun, I'm afraid this jade pendant alone won't be enough to convince the crowd."

He looked up at Gongsun Yi, the candlelight flickering in his eyes.

"The Scorpion soldiers are known for their strong personalities. If they misunderstand that the General has met with misfortune and act rashly, it would be disastrous for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to suffer such a fate."

Gongsun Yi's pupils shrank slightly, and he immediately understood Jia Yu's hint.

He said in a deep voice, "Master Jia has considered everything."

Jia Yu clapped his hands, and two palace maids appeared silently, holding the four treasures of the study.

Gongsun Yi sat at the desk with a majestic posture, holding a pen and dipping it in ink.

The tip of the brush moved across the rice paper, making a slight rustling sound.

Jia Yu stood aside, his eyes following the tip of the pen to ensure that the content of the letter was correct.

"All right."

Gongsun Yi put down his pen and handed the letter to Jia Yu: "This should be enough."

Jia Yu took it and examined it carefully. Written on it in strong handwriting was this: "I will be staying in the East Palace tonight to discuss important matters with the Crown Prince of Chu. All matters in the camp will be handled by Helian Tie. You must not act rashly. I will return tomorrow."

Gongsun Yi's private seal is also stamped at the end of the signature.

"The general is indeed straightforward."

Jia Yu folded the letter and put it into his sleeve along with the jade pendant. "I'll do it right away."

Outside the palace gate, the moonlight is like water.

Several Scorpion guards were pacing anxiously beside the stone lion. The leader saw Jia Yu and immediately came forward.

"You guys have been waiting for a long time."

Jia Yu took out a token from his sleeve and said, "General Gongsun is staying at the East Palace tonight. This is the general's handwritten letter and the jade pendant he wears. Please quickly pass it on to Deputy Envoy Helian."

The chief of the guards took the token and examined it carefully by the light of the lantern.

When he saw the familiar jade pendant with scorpion pattern, his tense expression relaxed a little.

But when he unfolded the letter, his brows furrowed again.

"Why?" Jia Yu said, with a half-smile: "Do you doubt the authenticity of the letter?"

The guard leader quickly shook his head: "I dare not, but..."

He hesitated.

Jia Yu understood: "But are you worried about the general's safety?"

He pointed to the brightly lit halls within the palace walls and said, "General Gongsun is currently drinking with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He will also be joining me in the trial tomorrow. If you don't believe me, you can wait here and witness with your own eyes that the general leaves the palace safely."

Several guards exchanged glances, and finally the leader clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Lord Jia, for delivering the message. I will send someone back to the camp to report."

He turned and whispered a few words to a young guard, who took the token, jumped on his horse, and quickly disappeared into the night.

Jia Yu watched the horses go away, then turned to the remaining guards and said, "If you are worried, you can rest in the guard room at the palace gate. I have asked someone to prepare refreshments."

The guards looked at each other, and finally followed the eunuch to the duty room on the side.

Jia Yu stood in front of the palace gate, looking at the faint lights of the Scorpion Clan camp in the distance, a meaningful smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

The night wind blew his robe, and the gold thread on the embroidered spring sword at his waist shone coldly in the moonlight.

He whispered to himself: "The good show has just begun!"

At the same time, in the side hall of the East Palace, Gongsun Yi stood in front of the window, looking towards the palace gate.

He was playing with a copper coin in his hand, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

The copper coins flew between his fingers, making a subtle metallic collision sound, which was particularly clear in the silent hall.

"Chun Ning!"

He whispered the name, and the copper coin was suddenly tightly grasped in his palm: "What on earth are you planning?"

The sound of the bells rings as the night deepens.

Inside and outside the palace walls, various forces were watching secretly.

No one is destined to sleep well this night.

The next day, the midday sun slanted in through the narrow air vents on the high walls of the prison, casting a few pale streaks of light on the damp stone floor.

Jia Yu walked in front with a torch in his hand, his iron boots making crisp echoes on the stone steps.

Gongsun Yi followed closely behind, the scorpion clan's unique iron armor glowing coldly in the dim dungeon.

"Master Ma, how are you?"

Jia Yu stopped in front of the outermost cell, and the light of the torch illuminated the curled up figure inside.

The originally luxurious official robe of Youzhou Governor Ma Qingsheng had long been tattered, and his gray hair was scattered and stuck to his face.

Hearing the voice, he slowly raised his head, and a trace of resentment flashed in his turbid eyes.

"This is the Scorpion Clan's Great General Gongsun Yi."

Jia Yu stepped aside to make room: "Do you recognize Master Ma?"

Ma Qingsheng scoffed, the chains rattling as he moved. "I'm almost dead, why are you still asking these questions?"

He spat out a mouthful of blood foam: "Who is he, and what does it have to do with me?"

Jia Yu and Gongsun Yi exchanged a glance. Judging from Ma Qingsheng's subconscious reaction, he certainly didn't recognize this Scorpion general.

Jia Yu raised the corner of his mouth slightly and continued to walk forward.

The Youzhou officials imprisoned in the cells along the way rushed to the fences, and their wailing and begging for mercy were endless.

"Master Jia! I am wronged!"

"Please have mercy, I am willing to confess!"

Jia Yu turned a deaf ear, the light of the torch dancing on his stern face.

Gongsun Yi followed behind, his eyes sweeping over these disheveled prisoners, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The innermost cell was extremely cold, with twelve men in black chained to the wall.

When they saw the person coming, they all looked up, but there was no fear in their eyes.

"really!"

Gongsun Yi suddenly sneered, "Look at these people's brow bones and nose bridges, they are clearly from the Central Plains!"

Jia Yu raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "General Gongsun has good eyesight."

He suddenly handed a scimitar to Gongsun Yi and said, "Since the General has confirmed that they are impersonating the Scorpion Tribe, why not interrogate them yourself? This will help clear their suspicion."

The dungeon suddenly became eerily quiet.

Gongsun Yi stared at the gleaming scimitar in front of him, his expression changing from gloomy to bright.

He knew it was a trap!

If you refuse, you will feel guilty.

If he agreed, it would be equivalent to becoming an executioner for the State of Chu and being completely involved in this conspiracy.

The flame of the torch suddenly shook violently, casting the shadows of the two people on the mottled wall, like two beasts facing each other.

Gongsun Yi slowly stretched out his hand, but when he was about to touch the hilt of the knife, he suddenly turned around and grabbed the nearest man in black!

"Say!"

He roared, the brute force unique to the Scorpion Clan lifting the man in black off the ground. "Who ordered you to impersonate me?"

The man in black was pinched until his face turned purple, but he suddenly grinned, revealing his bloody teeth: "General... why bother... putting on a show..."

Gongsun Yi's pupils suddenly shrank, and before he could react, the man in black suddenly bit his tongue and committed suicide!

The other men in black followed suit, and in a blink of an eye, the dungeon was littered with corpses!

"Damn it!" Jia Yu was furious and kicked open the prison door, but it was too late.

Gongsun Yi let go of the corpse in his hand and looked at the blood on his palm, his face extremely ugly.

Now, even if he jumps into the Yellow River, he can't wash himself clean.