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

Under the cover of night, Los Angeles should have been a place of bright lights, singing and laughter during the Lantern Festival, but now it was shrouded in a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

On the long street, colorful lanterns swayed in the cold wind, casting mottled and eerie light and shadows.

The once bustling market was now deserted, with only a few pieces of crushed colored paper swirling on the cobblestone pavement.

"Go! It's curfew!"

A team of armored and armed imperial guards galloped past, the sound of their horses' hooves was like thunder, making the doors of shops along the street buzz.

The people who were hiding behind the window cracks and peeking were pale. They witnessed with their own eyes the horrific scene of the Chu Emperor Chu Ning being attacked half an hour ago - the cold arrow shot from the dark almost took the life of the Chu Emperor.

"I heard it was done by someone from the eight great families."

An old man selling lanterns whispered to his wife tremblingly: "This has really stirred up a hornet's nest."

At this moment, the four gates of Luo City have been completely blocked by the elite troops led by Li Junxian. The dull sound of the heavy bolts falling is like a death knell striking everyone's heart.

The torches on the city walls were like dragons, illuminating the stern faces of the archers. Anyone who tried to approach the city gate would be shot mercilessly.

The security around the residences of the eight great families is extremely tight.

In front of the Xie Mansion, two teams of fully armed imperial guards had broken in. The sound of their heavy boots was so loud that even the rockery in the courtyard seemed to tremble.

"What are you doing!"

Xie An's son Xie Qing stood in front of the main hall with a sullen face. He was wearing a luxurious brocade robe, and the jade pendant on his waist jingled with anger.

"My Xie family is one of the eight great families. How can we allow you to be so presumptuous!"

The leading captain sneered and flashed a search warrant stamped with the imperial seal: "Your Majesty orders a city-wide search for the assassin's accomplices! Master Xie, are you going to disobey?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "Your Majesty", with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Beads of sweat oozed from Xie Qing's forehead. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "My Xie family has been loyal for generations. How could we be related to assassins? You..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden sound of fighting and screams from the backyard.

The captain's face changed and he immediately led his men to rush over.

Passing through the winding corridors, the sight before them made everyone gasp – more than a hundred strong men in black were hurriedly hiding their weapons. Their well-trained movements and the uniform swords on their waists clearly showed that they were an elite private army!

"Great! The Xie family actually dared to privately stockpile armor and weapons!"

The captain shouted sternly, "According to the laws of the Great Zhou, anyone who privately possesses more than thirty soldiers will be charged with treason! Come, report to the palace immediately!"

The same scene is happening in the mansions of the other seven great families.

The Cui family's private soldiers were hiding in the cellar and were still wiping their blades when they were discovered.

The king's warriors disguised themselves as servants, but the soldiers who were searching discovered the calluses on their knuckles.

The elite troops of the Li family hid in a secret room under the water pavilion, but were exposed because a young soldier kicked over a flowerpot due to negligence.

The Lu family's assassins were even more secretive. They were scattered across shops in the city, but were identified by the patrol battalion because of their uniform boots.

The Xiao family's experience was the most dramatic - when the imperial guards broke in, the head of the Xiao family was personally training his private soldiers in the backyard, and the two sides faced each other directly.

The private soldiers of the Zheng and Yang families tried to evacuate through the back door, but were caught by the imperial guards who had been lying in ambush for a long time.

Inside the palace, Wu Zhao sat on the dragon throne, her delicate face looking particularly stern in the candlelight.

Her slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, each tap seeming to measure the passage of time.

Outside the palace, the commanders of the imperial guards came in one after another to report.

"Your Majesty, private soldiers have been discovered in the Xie family's backyard! There are over a hundred of them!"

"There are over eighty armed assassins hiding in the Cui family's cellar!"

"The Wang family..."

"Li family..."

Every report was like a heavy hammer hitting Wu Zhao's heart.

Her nails had unknowingly dug into her palms, leaving a row of crescent-shaped red marks.

When the news came that the private soldiers of the last aristocratic family, the Yang family, had been discovered, Wu Zhao stood up suddenly, and her gorgeous phoenix robe glowed with a cold golden light under the candlelight.

"They are so brave!"

Wu Zhao's voice was like an icy blade. She turned to Chu Ning, who had been standing quietly beside her. "What do you think?"

Chu Ning's eyes narrowed into a line in the shadows. He walked slowly to the center of the hall. The dark patterns on his black brocade robe appeared and disappeared with his movements, like a poisonous snake ready to strike.

"The Empress is wise."

His voice was low and dangerous. "It's no coincidence that the eight great families are gathering their own forces simultaneously. In my opinion, they are colluding with the Han Dynasty, intending to create chaos during the Lantern Festival."

Wu Zhao frowned and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

Chu Ning pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it over. "This is a secret letter that my Jinyiwei intercepted before the attack. It clearly states the time and place for the meeting between the eight great families and the Han envoys."

"They planned to spread rumors after my death, claiming that Your Majesty had sent someone to assassinate me, in order to sabotage the merger of the Great Zhou and the Chu Kingdom."

Wu Zhao unfolded the letter and found that the handwriting and seal on it were indeed correct.

Her expression grew darker. "How dare they be so two-faced? Damn it!"

Chu Ning took a step forward and lowered his voice, "If you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. Now that the evidence is solid, it's the perfect time to eradicate these malignant tumors."

Wu Zhao raised her head suddenly, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You mean..."

"Catch them all in one swoop."

Chu Ning's lips curled up in a cold arc: "Whether they knew about it but kept it secret or deliberately plotted rebellion, the fact that they secretly stockpiled armor and weapons is enough to sentence them to death."

These words were like a sharp sword, piercing the most painful scar in Wu Zhao's heart. A raging rage instantly ignited in her eyes, but was quickly suppressed by reason.

"But the eight great families are deeply entrenched, and their disciples and former officials are spread throughout the government and the country. If we act rashly, I'm afraid it will cause unrest in the court."

Wu Zetian said worriedly, "Besides, our dynasty is about to be annexed by the Chu State. If we start a massacre at this time, the people will surely panic."

Chu Ning chuckled, his voice filled with chilling confidence: "Precisely because we want to be incorporated into the Great Chu, we need to establish our authority."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Killing one person as a warning to the rest will naturally make the rest of the noble families obey. As for the political situation..." He

A cold light flashed in his eyes: "The dead will not rebel."

The candlelight in the hall suddenly shook violently, as if it was also frightened by the murderous aura.

Wu Zhao stared at Chu Ning's stern profile, and for the first time she truly felt the terrifying nature of the Chu emperor.

"What are you going to do?" she asked softly.

Chu Ning turned and walked towards the palace gate, his robes drawing a sharp arc behind him. "Your Majesty, please wait here for good news. General Li Junxian has made all the arrangements. At three quarters past midnight, the night sky of Luo City will be illuminated red by the flames of the eight great families."

Just as he was about to step out of the palace, Wu Zhao suddenly called him: "Chu Ning!

Chu Ning stopped but did not look back.

Wu Zhao's lips trembled, and she finally uttered only three words: "Be careful."