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

In the early morning of Youzhou City, the air was filled with a damp chill.

People had already gathered on both sides of the street, and the streets were crowded with people and whispers.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy iron chains dragging on the ground was heard in the distance, and the crowd suddenly became agitated.

"Here they come! The dog official is here!" someone shouted, immediately triggering a burst of curses.

Eighteen prisoners had their hands and feet chained and were escorted slowly forward by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

The leader was none other than Ma Qingsheng, the governor of Youzhou. His once majestic official robe had long been stripped off, and he was only wearing a tattered prisoner's uniform, with disheveled hair and bloodstains on his face.

His eyes were sinister, but there was a hint of sneer on the corner of his mouth, as if he didn't care about the impending death at all.

"You bastard official! You traitor!"

An old woman tremblingly grabbed a rotten vegetable and threw it hard at Ma Qingsheng.

The leaves exploded in his face, the juice running down his cheeks, but he didn't even blink.

"You beasts! You're secretly selling grain to foreigners, leaving our people starving!"

A strong man roared, grabbed a stone and threw it over.

The stone hit Ma Qingsheng's forehead hard, and blood immediately gushed out and dripped along his brow bone.

"Kill him! Kill these damn officials!"

The angry people grabbed whatever was at hand - rotten vegetables, stones, mud, and some even took off their shoes and threw them at the attackers.

The prisoners were beaten to a pulp, but no one dared to resist. They could only stagger forward under the escort of the Jinyiwei.

In the restaurants and teahouses on both sides of the street, many people watched coldly.

Some people dressed as businessmen were talking in low voices, their eyes flickering, as if they were both frightened and relieved by this scene.

And deep in the crowd, several figures wearing bamboo hats moved quietly, their eyes always fixed on the prisoners.

The prisoners were taken to the execution ground in the center of the city.

A high platform had already been built here, with eighteen wooden stakes lined up in a row. In front of each stake stood a burly executioner, the ghost-head sword in his hand shining coldly in the morning light.

Jia Yu, dressed in a crimson official uniform and with an embroidered spring sword on his waist, walked slowly up to the platform.

He glanced at the onlookers with a stern look, then raised his hand to signal the Jinyiwei to take the prisoner to the guillotine.

"Youzhou Governor Ma Qingsheng colluded with profiteers to smuggle military rations to foreign tribes. The evidence is irrefutable! According to the laws of Great Chu, he should be executed immediately! The other seventeen officials implicated in the case will also be punished for the same crime!"

Jia Yu's voice was cold and majestic, echoing over the execution ground.

The people cheered, some even kneeling down in excitement, shouting, "The court is wise! His Royal Highness is wise! Well done!"

Jia Yu raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to be quiet. He then turned to Ma Qingsheng and said coldly, "Ma Qingsheng, before you die, do you have anything else to say?"

Ma Qingsheng raised his head, a sarcastic smile on his lips: "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. I have nothing to say."

His gaze passed Jia Yu, as if he was looking somewhere farther away.

"But I believe that if Chu Ning loses one day, you, Jia Yu, will suffer the same fate as me."

A cold light flashed in Jia Yu's eyes, and he snorted coldly: "You are stubborn and refuse to change!"

He waved his hand suddenly: "Execution!"

The executioners raised their swords, and with a flash of light, eighteen heads fell to the ground almost at the same time.

Blood splattered, staining the scaffold red, and even a few drops splashed onto the faces of the onlookers in the front row. Some retreated in fear, while others cheered excitedly.

Jia Yu gave the order expressionlessly, "Hang the head at the city gate for three days!"

In the crowd, Helian Tie, the deputy envoy of the Scorpion Clan, stared closely at everything on the execution platform.

His gaze passed over the bloody scene and finally fell on Gongsun Yi behind Jia Yu.

Although Gongsun Yi was "accompanied" by two Jinyiwei, he looked calm and even nodded slightly to Helian Tie.

Helian Tie finally felt relieved.

Last night he received a personal letter from Gongsun Yi, in which he stated that he was fine and warned the delegation not to act rashly.

But he was always skeptical. Only when he saw Gongsun Yi with his own eyes did he become convinced that what was said in the letter was true.

He calmly raised his hand and made a secret gesture in front of his chest - "Action?"

Gongsun Yi's eyes flashed, and he gently pressed his right hand on his left shoulder, returning a scorpion clan's unique code - "Hold still."

Helian Tie nodded slightly, then winked at several Scorpion warriors disguised as merchants beside him.

Several people retreated quietly and disappeared into the crowd.

Gongsun Yi looked at the blood on the execution platform, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Although he was indignant about being plotted against by Chu Ning, what made him even more angry was that the person behind the scenes dared to use him to sow discord between the Chu and Xie tribes.

Although Chu Ning's plan was cruel, it was indeed brilliant - to kill someone with a borrowed knife and then track down the mastermind behind it.

He decided to cooperate and find out who was behind all this.

After the execution, the people gradually dispersed, but the discussions continued.

Some people applauded, while others were secretly shocked - the court's methods this time were too cruel. Eighteen officials were killed without even a trial.

Jia Yu walked down from the execution platform, whispered a few words to the Jinyiwei beside him, and then left with Gongsun Yi.

Gongsun Yi looked back at the head hanging on the city gate, his mouth twitching slightly, but in the end he said nothing.

In the shadow of the city gate, a man wearing a conical hat quietly looked up, glanced at Ma Qingsheng's head, then turned around and disappeared into the alley.

At this time, Jia Yu brought Gongsun Yi to the East Palace.

Jia Yu led Gongsun Yi through the numerous palaces of the Eastern Palace. The guards on both sides stood solemnly, their iron armor glowing coldly in the setting sun.

The two of them walked in silence, with only the dull sound of their boots stepping on the bluestone slabs.

Gongsun Yi glanced at the shadows in the corridor - there seemed to be no one there, but he could vaguely feel a few sharp gazes.

He sneered in his heart. Chu Ning's East Palace was indeed heavily guarded, and not even a fly could fly in.

When he entered the main hall, Chu Ning was leaning against a rosewood desk reviewing memorials. He looked up when he heard footsteps.

The candlelight in the hall was bright, illuminating his handsome face, with a faint smile on the corner of his lips.

"Is it done?" Chu Ning put down the red pen and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.

Jia Yu bowed and said, "Reporting to His Royal Highness, Ma Qingsheng and his accomplices have been executed, and their heads have been hung on the city gate for public display."

He paused, glancing at Gongsun Yi from the corner of his eye: "The people reacted strongly and are quite supportive of the court's move."

Chu Ning nodded slightly and turned his gaze to Gongsun Yi: "Next, it's General Gongsun's turn to perform."

Gongsun Yi stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said solemnly, "I have already sent a message to the grain merchants using the Scorpion Tribe's secret code, inviting them to meet in a dark alley west of the city at midnight tonight."

A sneer curled up the corner of his mouth. "Those people are guilty and will definitely send people to investigate. As long as they show up, Your Highness will be able to catch them all in one fell swoop."

"it is good!"

Chu Ning clapped his hands and laughed, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: "If this is accomplished, I will definitely not treat the Scorpion Clan unfairly."

He stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the deepening dusk. "The Youzhou grain case and the assassination case are deeply intertwined. If we can use this to uncover the mastermind behind this, it will be a great achievement for your Scorpion Clan."

Gongsun Yi's eyes moved slightly.

Chu Ning said this beautifully. He made a promise and hinted that the Scorpion Tribe was not completely innocent in this matter.

He gritted his teeth secretly, but did not show any expression on his face: "Your Highness the Crown Prince will understand."

Chu Ning turned to look at Jia Yu, his tone suddenly cold: "Master Jia, tonight General Zhao Yu will lead the White Horse Cavalry to block the main roads west of the city, and the Jinyiwei will be responsible for the roundup."

"Remember—you have to be alive. I want to see who dares to stir up trouble under my nose!"

Jia Yu bowed deeply, the golden threads on his crimson official uniform shimmering in the candlelight. "I will certainly live up to your trust."

When he raised his head, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"Those dark alleys are crisscrossed. I have ordered a detailed map to be drawn. By then, crossbowmen will be ambushed on rooftops, and iron chains will be strung across the streets, making it impossible for them to escape."

Chu Ning's smile deepened: "Very good, then I will wait here for your good news!"