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

In the early morning light, the East Palace was shrouded in a hazy mist after the rain.

Jia Yu walked on the wet bluestone road, followed by Gongsun Yi, whose expression was gloomy and uncertain.

The Embroidered Spring Sword of the Embroidered Uniform Guard gleamed coldly in the morning light. The water droplets condensed on the scabbard dripped from time to time, blooming into fleeting flowers on the stone slabs.

Gongsun Yi's boots stepped into a puddle, and the splashed mud stained his expensive deerskin boots.

The Scorpion general's face was as gloomy as iron, and his hawk-like eyes kept scanning the towering palace walls around him.

The veins on his neck bulged, but he suppressed his anger - after all, this was the power center of the Chu State, not a grassland where he could do whatever he wanted.

"Master Jia, is this how you treat guests?" Gongsun Yi glanced at the Jinyiwei guards who were guarding him and couldn't help but question in a low voice.

Without even turning his head, Jia Yu's voice was as cold as ice: "If General Gongsun were a guest, he would naturally be treated with courtesy. But the general colluded with our officials to smuggle military rations. How can he be considered a guest?"

Gongsun Yi paused when he heard this, his Adam's apple rolled a few times, but he didn't say anything in the end.

He looked up at the towering palace in the distance. The glazed tiles shone golden in the morning light, and the wind chimes on the eaves jingled in the breeze.

Such a grand scene reminded him of the shabby tent of the Scorpion King, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

"Wait here."

Jia Yu stopped at the steps in front of the palace and ordered the Jinyiwei: "Keep a good watch on them. If anyone makes any unusual move, kill them without mercy."

Gongsun Yi could understand the official language of Chu State, and his pupils shrank when he heard this.

He saw Jia Yu take off his sword and hand it to the guard, then straighten his rain-soaked clothes before stepping onto the white marble steps.

The accumulated water on the steps reflected Jia Yu's slender figure, which was constantly broken and reassembled with his footsteps.

Inside the hall, the scent of incense dispelled the dampness after the rain.

Chu Ning stood in front of the window with his back to the palace door. The bright yellow prince's uniform was particularly eye-catching in the morning light.

Zhao Yu was standing by and when he saw Jia Yu come in, he nodded slightly.

"Your servant Jia Yu pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Jia Yu bowed and his voice echoed in the empty hall.

Chu Ning turned around slowly, with obvious dark circles under his eyes, obviously he hadn't slept all night.

He raised his hand to signal Jia Yu to stand up, and said in a hoarse voice: "I have heard about the matter from Zhao Yu."

Jia Yu noticed that the prince was holding a crumpled memorial in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He took a deep breath and recounted the details of Lu Mengran's interrogation, including Lu Mengran's accusations of the pain of losing his son and his resentment towards the prince.

When talking about Lu Mengran's willingness to die rather than confess his accomplices, Jia Yu clearly saw the corner of the prince's mouth twitch.

"Lu Mengran has always said that it was His Highness's favoritism towards Shen Zhengqing that led to his son's tragic death."

After Jia Yu finished speaking, the hall fell into a dead silence, with only the sound of dripping water from the night watchman being clearly audible.

Chu Ning walked to the table and gently stroked the white jade paperweight on the table with his fingers.

That was the birthday gift Shen Wanying gave him last year, with a pair of lotus flowers carved on it.

His gaze became deep, as if he could see farther through the jade.

"I have indeed... failed them."

Chu Ning's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"Shen Zhengqing is one of Wanying's few relatives. Because of this relationship, I have been quite indulgent towards him."

He suddenly clenched the paperweight, his knuckles turning white. "But I never imagined that he would collude with the remnants of the Zhao Kingdom!"

Jia Yu saw a drop of sweat trickling down the prince's forehead, gleaming faintly in the morning light. He knew the prince must be feeling a surge of turmoil.

The case of Shen Zhengqing had far-reaching consequences, not only causing the destruction of the families of five important officials, but also severely damaging the prestige of the crown prince.

Now, Grand Tutor Dugu Xin was executed for his failed attempt to poison the Crown Prince, and Marquis of Pingyuan Lu Mengran has colluded with foreign enemies. The political situation is already precarious.

"Your Highness, the most urgent task is to identify the last person wearing the mask."

Jia Yu cautiously reminded: "I speculate that it is very likely one of the other three victimized ministers."

Chu Ning suddenly looked up, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: "Are you talking about Lu Xiuwen, Liu Feng, and Li Shaoyuan?"

Jia Yu noticed that the prince's hands were trembling slightly, and he didn't know whether it was out of anger or fear.

He recalled Lu Mengran's crazy laughter when he was tortured, and said that there were many more people in the court who hated the prince than he had imagined.

But even though he knew that the prince was in a state of shock, he still nodded and replied, "It is indeed possible!"

"Call Gongsun Yi in."

Chu Ning suddenly gave an order, his voice regaining its former majesty: "Since he has had contact with that person, he may be able to provide clues."

When Gongsun Yi was brought into the hall, the morning light had already climbed up the carved window frames, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

This fierce grassland general seemed extremely reserved at this moment, his eyes flickering, completely devoid of his former arrogance.

"General Gongsun!"

Jia Yu asked coldly, "How tall is the masked man in the crime? What's his build?"

Gongsun Yi licked his cracked lips and recalled, "He was half a head shorter than me, with broad shoulders, and a somewhat hoarse voice."

Chu Ning and Jia Yu exchanged glances - this did not match the characteristics of Lu Xiuwen, Liu Feng, and Li Shaoyuan.

Lu Xiuwen is tall and thin like a bamboo, Liu Feng has a slight limp in his left leg due to falling off a horse when he was young, and Li Shaoyuan is a short and fat man.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became solemn.

Jia Yu saw that the prince's brows were tightly furrowed, with a deep "chuan" character formed between his eyebrows.

It is a bit strange that none of the three ministers fits what Gongsun Yi said.

"Your Highness!"

Jia Yu stepped forward and lowered his voice, "Although the characteristics don't match, we can't rule out the possibility that these three people instructed others to participate. I suggest..."

He leaned close to the prince and whispered something in his ear.

Chu Ning's expression changed several times, and finally he nodded: "As you say, but we must act in secret and not alert the enemy."

Jia Yu bowed and accepted the order. When he walked out of the hall, the morning sun had risen completely, illuminating the glazed tiles of the East Palace with golden light.

But Jia Yu felt an inexplicable chill - this conspiracy was probably much deeper than they had imagined.

"Somebody come!"

Jia Yu whispered instructions to the captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who was waiting outside.

"Go and invite Lord Lu, Lord Liu, and Lord Li into the palace to discuss matters. Remember, be polite and say that the Crown Prince has important matters to discuss."

He summoned another confidant and whispered, "Send someone to the three masters' residences at the same time to search for masks or other suspicious items!"

"Remember, the search must be conducted secretly and no one in the mansion should be alerted."

The three ministers are all important officials in the court, especially Lu Xiuwen, who is a cabinet minister. If their secret investigation into this matter is discovered, it will probably cause unnecessary trouble.

The confidant responded and then left quickly.

The water vapor after the rain evaporated in the sunlight, covering the entire palace with a hazy veil, as if covering up some unspeakable secret.