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

When Chu Ning rushed out of the prison, it was already dark outside and a cold wind carrying the smell of blood blew in his face.

In the open space outside the sky prison, dozens of white horse cavalrymen had surrounded a jailer. In the light of torches, their iron armor was eerie and murderous.

The man turned out to be a jailer. He was very agile and was able to dodge Zhao Yu's spear repeatedly, and even almost counterattacked several times.

Zhao Yu was a veteran of the battlefield and his spear skills were sharp. Every strike of his was accompanied by a sound of breaking through the air, but the jailer seemed to have anticipated it and always managed to avoid the vital points.

"Leave him alive!" Chu Ning shouted sternly.

However, just as he finished speaking, the jailer suddenly sneered, with a hint of determination in his eyes.

He suddenly pulled out a poisoned dagger from his sleeve and stabbed it into his heart without hesitation!

"Pfft-"

Blood spurted out, appearing particularly glaring in the light of the fire.

The jailer fell on his back, but there was still a strange smile on his lips, as if he was mocking their futility.

Chu Ning rushed forward and reached out to the man's neck, but only felt something cold, and his face suddenly became gloomy.

The other person's face quickly turned pale and his pupils dilated. It was obvious that he had died.

"Your Highness, it's all because of my incompetence!"

Zhao Yu put away his spear and knelt on one knee, his voice filled with self-blame: "I wanted to take this man down quickly, but I didn't expect him to be so determined and actually commit suicide."

Chu Ning slowly stood up and shook his head: "This is none of your business."

His eyes were cold as he stared at the corpse on the ground. He said slowly, "This man was originally the assassin that the masked man had planted in the Sky Prison."

"If Lu Mengran doesn't tell the truth, he won't do it. But if Lu Mengran wants to tell the truth, he will kill him even if his identity is exposed."

Having said this, he turned to look at the trembling jailers behind him and asked in a cold voice, "Who is the jail boss?"

A middle-aged man in his forties trembled as he stepped forward, fell to his knees with a plop, and rested his forehead on the ground.

"Your Highness, I am the jailer."

Chu Ning's eyes were like knives as he pointed at the corpse on the ground: "What is the origin of this person?"

The jailer was trembling all over, his voice almost tearful, "Your Highness, this man... this man was transferred here just last month. They said he performed excellent work in Jiangzhou, so he was promoted to the Heavenly Prison."

"I...I never thought he was a spy! I misjudged him. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Chu Ning sneered, "A fool like you is worthy of being the head of the prison?"

His voice was cold and unquestionable: "Go to Jiangzhou and be a yamen runner yourself!"

Upon hearing this, the jailer was stunned at first, then he kowtowed repeatedly as if he had been pardoned: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy! Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy!"

Compared with the death penalty, being demoted to Jiangzhou to serve as a yamen runner was already a great mercy.

Chu Ning said no more, turned around and strode away, followed closely by Zhao Yu and the white horse cavalry.

The night wind was howling, but his thoughts were colder than the wind.

Who is the last masked man?

When I returned to the East Palace, it was already midnight.

Chu Ning sat alone in the hall, the files spread out on the desk recorded all the clues related to the "masked man" in the past six months.

Although the suspicions of Lu Xiuwen, Liu Feng and Li Shaoyuan have been ruled out, the unfinished words that Lu Mengran said before his death made him feel uneasy.

Moreover, the other party can also arrange jailers in the sky prison, which is definitely not something ordinary people can do.

Chu Ning rubbed his eyebrows, and a trace of fatigue flashed in his eyes.

The coronation ceremony is imminent. If we cannot find this last masked man, there will be endless troubles.

At this moment, a faint fragrance drifted into the hall, and the sound of light footsteps came from afar.

"It's so late, Your Highness the Crown Prince is still working hard?"

A lazy and charming voice was heard. Chu Ning looked up and saw Wu Zhao, the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty, approaching him.

She was wearing a snow-white gauze dress, her long black hair fell like a waterfall, her skin was whiter than snow, and there was a lazy smile between her eyebrows.

Chu Ning frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, it's so late, why are you here?"

Wu Zhao chuckled and sat down opposite him, her chin supported by her delicate hand: "Xiuning has already gone to bed. I saw that you didn't come back late at night, so I came to check on you."

Her eyes drifted to the files on his desk, and she raised her red lips slightly: "Why, you're about to ascend the throne and become emperor, but you're still so busy?"

Chu Ning was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "There's still one last masked man that hasn't been caught."

Wu Zhao raised her eyebrows: "Oh? Lu Mengran has no idea?"

"Dead." Chu Ning's voice was icy. "He was silenced by the assassins stationed in the Sky Prison."

A hint of surprise flashed across Wu Zhao's eyes, and then she chuckled, "It seems the person behind this is quite ruthless."

Chu Ning's eyes were gloomy. "I'm worried that this person will take action during the coronation ceremony."

Wu Zhao shook her head upon hearing this, and said with a smile, "Everything in the world is just about profit."

She tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her voice somewhat playful: "Think about it, if this thing succeeds, who will benefit the most?"

Chu Ning's pupils suddenly shrank.

If his accession to the throne is blocked, who will benefit the most?

His father, the current emperor!

Although my father has decided to abdicate, he is still dissatisfied with me because of the murder of Dugu Xin. I am afraid he is not sincere in abdicating at this moment.

If something goes wrong during the coronation ceremony, or even if he is assassinated... wouldn't the throne return to my father's hands?

A cold light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes, and his fingers clenched unconsciously.

Could it be... that all of this is controlled by my father behind the scenes?

Chu Ning frowned, his fingers unconsciously stroking the carved patterns on the edge of the table.

The candlelight flickered in his deep eyes, reflecting an uncertain expression.

"It can't be Father."

He shook his head slowly, his voice low and firm: "He has moved to the Western Garden to spend his remaining years in retirement, and he has repeatedly stated at court meetings that he will no longer be involved in government affairs. Moreover..."

His fingertips suddenly tightened, leaving a shallow mark on the mahogany table.

"All the troops have been replaced by people from this palace, and he has control over all the important positions in the six ministries. He has neither troops nor officials with real power at his disposal."

Wu Zhao chuckled when she heard this, and her slender fingers played with a strand of black hair that fell on her shoulder.

She leaned against the soft couch, her curves faintly visible under her gauze dress rising and falling slightly with her breathing.

"My Prince..."

She parted her red lips slightly, and her voice was filled with a hint of lazy teasing.

"Do you really think that an emperor who has ruled the world for over twenty years would reveal all his cards to you so easily?"

She suddenly straightened up, and the thin gauze dress slipped off her shoulders, revealing her creamy skin.

Her jade feet tapped the ground lightly, and she came to Chu Ning as gracefully as a cat, and gently lifted his chin with her fingertips, which were scented with orchids.

"maybe……"

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, her warm breath brushing his earlobe: "The idle clouds and wild cranes in the Western Garden, the concessions and forbearance in the court meetings, are all just..."

Her red lips were almost touching his earlobe: "Where's the trick to confuse you?"

Chu Ning's pupils shrank slightly. Wu Zhao's words were like a drop of ink falling into clear water, spreading layers of doubts in his heart.

"you……"

Just as he was about to speak, a faint fragrance suddenly hit him in the face.

Wu Zhao leaned softly into his arms, her long black hair cascading down on his chest.

Through the thin fabric, he could clearly feel her exquisite curves.

"You've been busy with this for a long time, it's time to take a good rest."

She raised her pretty face, her eyes flickering with charm.

Chu Ning's Adam's apple rolled, and his previous doubts were instantly dispelled by the burning desire.

He suddenly grabbed the beauty's slender waist, and his other hand had passed through her knees.

"Since the Empress is so kind..."

He laughed deeply and suddenly picked the person up and said, "Then I will fight you for three hundred rounds tonight! Tomorrow..."

He strode towards the inner hall, his brocade boots stepping over the scattered memorials: "I will go and meet my 'idle' father again!"

Wu Zhao giggled in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck.

The gauze dress fluttered to the ground, like a light cloud falling into the mortal world.

As the candlelight flickered, the figures of the two people intertwined on the screen to form a beautiful picture.