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

The imperial city in the cold winter was shrouded in a solemn atmosphere.

Although the heavy rain that had lasted for three consecutive days had stopped, water was still dripping from the eaves from time to time, making crisp sounds on the bluestone slabs.

In the courtyard outside the main hall of the East Palace, several old plum trees were beaten to pieces by the rain, and the remaining red petals scattered on the wet ground, like bloodstains.

The charcoal fire in the hall was blazing, but it couldn't dispel the chill that seeped into the bone marrow.

Lu Xiuwen knelt on the ground, the hem of his official robe was soaked with water, and the cold touch spread from his knees to his whole body.

He quietly raised his eyes and caught a glimpse of Crown Prince Chu Ning sitting upright on the gilded coiled dragon chair, his slender fingers tapping the armrests intermittently. His eyes, which used to be as gentle as jade, were now colder than the ice spikes under the eaves.

"Boom, boom, boom"

The sound of knuckles tapping on sandalwood was particularly harsh in the silent hall.

Fine beads of sweat oozed out of Liu Feng's forehead, and the hair under his official hat was already soaked.

He remembered that when he entered the palace this morning, he saw the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard leading a team of imperial guards galloping towards the south of the city. At that time, he thought it was just ordinary official business, but now he was shocked to find that there was murderous intent hidden in the sound of horse hooves.

The copper clock in the corner of the hall was ticking. Li Shaoyuan lowered his head and pondered, and suddenly found that the prince was not wearing his usual clothes today, but a black military uniform with arrow sleeves.

The dragon-patterned jade belt around his waist was replaced with a black gold and iron-inlaid belt, and hanging on the left was not the coiled dragon pendant that symbolized the crown prince's status, but a short blade that was completely black.

This discovery made his throat tighten - he had never seen the prince dressed like this in six years.

"Three adults."

Chu Ning finally spoke, his voice like a blade tempered with ice: "Do you know why I summoned you?"

Lu Xiuwen was about to respond when he heard a crisp "crack" from outside the hall. Everyone turned to look and saw a plum branch, broken by the wind, smashing against the window frame.

The sudden sound made Liu Feng tremble all over, and the account book hidden in his sleeve almost slipped out - it was the record of the abnormal grain transportation in Youzhou that he had received last night.

Chu Ning's eyes slowly swept across the faces of the three people, and he slowly said: "This palace and General Gongsun set up a trap."

Chu Ning suddenly stood up, and the gilded candlestick stretched his shadow very long, covering the three people's heads like a black eagle spreading its wings.

"We captured the grain merchant who was colluding with the Scorpion Tribe, as well as two traitors wearing bronze masks."

Li Shaoyuan's pupils suddenly shrank. He saw that the tip of the short blade at the prince's waist was stained dark red, as if it were blood that had not been wiped clean.

A cold wind blew outside the window again, making the temple door creak. A gust of biting wind came in, making people shudder.

"One is the former Youzhou Sima Zhou Huan."

Chu Ning walked up to Lu Xiuwen, his official boots rolling over the plum petals on the ground, the juice staining the soles of his boots red.

"The other one is Lu Mengran, Marquis of Pingyuan."

Liu Feng suddenly looked up and met Chu Ning's half-smile.

He suddenly understood why there were twice as many guards at the gate as usual when he entered the palace today.

The sunlight after the rain shone through the clouds, casting mottled light and shadows on Chu Ning's face, making it difficult to look directly at him.

"The third person..."

Chu Ning suddenly leaned over, and Lu Xiuwen smelled a faint smell of blood from the other's sleeves.

"Gone."

As soon as these words were spoken, the three people's faces suddenly changed, and they finally understood why the prince summoned them.

The children of the three of them, Dugu Xin's grandson, and Lu Mengran's son were killed by Shen Zhengqing. Now Dugu Xin and Lu Mengran have betrayed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince one after another, which has aroused the Crown Prince's vigilance against them.

If this matter cannot be explained clearly, they are the third masked man!

This is a serious crime that involves confiscating the family and exterminating the clan!

Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has always been magnanimous to them, they have seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's methods. As long as they are opponents, he will never show mercy.

"Your Highness Ming Jian!"

Lu Xiuwen suddenly kowtowed heavily, and the jade hairpin made a crisp sound when it hit the gold brick.

"I have been following you since Bingzhou. Over the past six years, I wouldn't dare say I have made any contributions, but I have certainly worked hard."

"Furthermore, ever since Your Highness decided to recruit soldiers and form the Eight Legions, I, as the Minister of Personnel, have been busy with this matter and have no time to spare."

"The sun and the moon can bear witness to my humble devotion to Your Highness, and the heavens can reveal it!"

Chu Ning raised his eyebrows after hearing this, thinking back to what the Ministry of Personnel had done over the past year or so, which was indeed quite a lot.

Especially since Lu Xiuwen was a cabinet minister and had to deal with memorials on a daily basis, it would be a bit far-fetched to say that he colluded with the Scorpion Clan.

Then, he looked at the Minister of Revenue Liu Feng.

"Minister Liu."

Chu Ning suddenly called out his name and asked in a deep voice, "What do you think about this matter?"

Liu Feng's face was filled with solemnity as he replied sternly, "Your Highness, for the past year or so, you have been personally leading the troops to attack the State of Jin, and you have also been recruiting troops at home, which requires a lot of food to be mobilized."

"As the Minister of Revenue, I am specifically responsible for handling this matter. It is impossible for me to collude with the Scorpion Clan."

"And if I really had colluded with the Scorpion Tribe, then Gongsun Yi wouldn't have needed to go looking for those grain merchants."

Chu Ning nodded slightly at this, and finally turned his attention to Li Shaoyuan.

"Master Li, what's your explanation?"

Li Shaoyuan was sweating profusely as he quickly replied, "After Your Highness conquered the State of Jin, he dispatched a group of officials from the country to govern the country. As the Chief Censor, I also went there to supervise for a period of time."

"I have been in Jin for most of the year and cannot possibly collude with the Scorpion Tribe."

After Chu Ning listened to the three people's explanation, he looked towards the side hall and said indifferently: "General Gongsun, you have listened to what the three people said, and you have also seen their appearance."

"Now, you can tell me whether these three are the last masked man!"

The three of them were stunned, and the hall suddenly became extremely quiet.

Just when the air was so stagnant that it was suffocating, the bead curtain in the side hall suddenly shook.

Gongsun Yi walked out in a sinister iron armor, with the scorpion tail whip hanging from his waist stained with dark brown stains.

"Not them."

Gongsun Yi's official language was blunt, like a blunt knife scraping bone: "That man's voice... was like a snake in a cellar, with a hint of hoarseness."

Chu Ning said "Oh" softly.

"I have wronged you three."

Then he suddenly smiled, and the temperature in the hall became even colder. "The three of you should stay for dinner today. We have a new tribute of snow bass from Jiangnan."

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this. At least their suspicion was cleared.

Soon, palace maids entered the hall carrying gilded food boxes, and eunuchs also set up four long tables in the hall.

Afterwards, fine wine and delicious food began to arrive.

But Chu Ning's eyes looked outside the hall from time to time.

He had a purpose in keeping the three of them for lunch.

Jia Yu is now directing the Jinyiwei to search the residences of the three people. It is impossible for him to let the three people return home at this time.

He wanted to buy time for the Jinyiwei.

Although he believed in not employing people he doubted and trusting people he employed, he had to be cautious now that Grand Tutor Dugu Xin and Marquis of Pingyuan Lu Mengran had betrayed him.

He would be completely relieved only if the Embroidered Uniform Guards didn't find any clues in the three people's residences!