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

For some reason, Kyoto City is exceptionally cold today.

Although it rained, it was still as cold as winter in March, which was puzzling.

The gray sky was hanging very low, as if a heavy lead plate was hanging over the city wall. Even the bustling streets in the past seemed a little depressed.

The remaining rainwater on the eaves dripped onto the bluestone slabs, making a monotonous "tick-tick" sound, adding a bit of desolation.

As usual, many people stayed in restaurants or teahouses to avoid the cold and keep warm.

Inside Zuixianlou, the charcoal fire was burning brightly, and drinkers were sitting around in groups of three or four, with steaming hot tea and mellow wine driving away the coldness in their bodies.

Suddenly, a low voice sounded in the corner: "Have you heard that the emperor was killed in Qingshan Forest last night?"

"What? The emperor is dead? That's impossible?"

The guests at the next table were so startled that they knocked over their teacups, and the brown tea spread all over the table, just like the uneasiness spreading in everyone's hearts at the moment.

"Absolutely true!"

The man looked around mysteriously and said, "Your Majesty didn't even attend the morning court this morning. He went straight out of the palace to check it out in person."

At this time, a man in coarse clothes came over and said, "My third aunt's brother's neighbor, Old Wang's aunt's son, is a member of the Imperial Guard. He did say that Your Majesty left the palace before dawn."

"Who on earth is so audacious as to actually attack the Emperor?"

A young man who looked like a scholar took a deep breath and snapped the folding fan in his hand shut.

These discussions spread like a plague throughout the streets and alleys, and even the peddlers on the streets began to whisper to each other.

The old man selling candied haws shook his head and sighed, the peddler carrying a load looked panicked, and even the girls in the brothel stopped singing and dancing and gathered together whispering.

No matter what, the retired emperor was once their emperor, and it was indeed shocking that he was killed outside the city of Kyoto.

When the news reached the East Market, a silk vendor suddenly lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the emperor died in a very tragic way, hacked to death by a mad sword!"

The woman selling porcelain nearby immediately covered her ears and said, "Amitabha, I dare not listen to this."

But her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

At the same time, there was a solemn and murderous atmosphere in the palace.

In Lanxin Palace, Chu Ning was discussing the follow-up matters with Wu Zhao and Shen Wanying.

The charcoal fire in the hall was blazing, but it couldn't dispel the coldness on the three people's faces.

Chu Ning stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the plum branches swaying in the cold wind outside, his eyes full of uncertainty.

"His Majesty!"

Wu Zhao was dressed in a palace dress, her features were picturesque yet stern. “This matter must be dealt with as soon as possible, otherwise the government and the country will be in turmoil, and there may be unexpected changes.”

Shen Wanying's gentle face showed worry. "I always feel that this matter is strange. Few people knew that the Grand Emperor left the palace yesterday. Why was he intercepted outside the city?"

Before she could finish her words, Zhao Yu's urgent voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, this is bad! The news of the Emperor's murder has spread, and the people in the city are talking about it!"

Chu Ning turned around suddenly, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and the plum branches outside the window broke with a sound.

"Come in and talk!" His voice was as cold as ice.

Zhao Yu hurried into the hall, bowed, beads of sweat on his forehead. "Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei are here to report that someone seems to have deliberately leaked this matter, hoping to make it known to everyone."

"Sure enough, it's here."

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashing across them: "It seems that someone is plotting against me and wants to fan the flames behind the scenes."

His slender fingers unconsciously stroked the jade pendant around his waist, which was the dragon-patterned jade pendant given to him by the late emperor.

Wu Zhao nodded slightly, the golden hairpin in her hair not moving at all. "Your Majesty has just returned to the palace, and such talk has already occurred in the city. If this matter is not dealt with promptly, it will cause a great uproar in the city."

She paused, a gleam in her eyes: "And the timing is too coincidental."

Chu Ning snorted coldly, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. "For the past year, I have been fighting on the front lines with Jia Yu, which has concentrated most of the Jinyiwei's strength on the front lines!"

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup on it to jump up. "It seems some people in the country are getting ready to make trouble again."

Even the usually gentle Queen Shen Wanying couldn't help but frown at this moment: "Who on earth would dare to kick someone when they're down at this time?"

Her slender fingers tightly grasped the handkerchief. "In the past year, Your Majesty has conquered the State of Wei and annexed the Zhou Dynasty. Logically, your power and authority are unparalleled, and no one in the country dares to disobey you."

"But now..." Chu Ning took over the conversation, his voice as low as thunder: "This kind of thing has happened one after another. It's clear that he is arrogant."

He walked slowly towards the center of the hall, each step seeming to tread on people's hearts: "The person behind this is really too bold."

The hall was silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling sound of the charcoal fire.

The sky outside the window grew darker, as if a snowstorm was coming.

Chu Ning suddenly turned around, his eyes gleaming with brilliance. "No matter who it is, I must find him! Zhao Yu, summon the ministers to the Golden Palace immediately to discuss this matter!"

"Yes!" Zhao Yu clasped his fists and accepted the order, then turned around and left quickly. The sound of his boots stepping on the gold bricks echoed in the corridor.

An hour later, the ministers who received the news braved the cold wind and hurried to the palace.

On the palace road, ministers were talking in groups of three or four, and the white breath they exhaled condensed in the cold air.

"Your Majesty is so anxious to summon us now, but I don't know what has happened?" Lord Wang, the Minister of Rites, rubbed his hands with a frown.

"Master Wang, don't you know yet?" The Minister of Revenue lowered his voice, "The rumor is spreading like wildfire in the city. It's said that the Emperor has been killed."

"What? The emperor was killed? This..."

Minister Wang took a step back in shock, almost stepping on the hem of his clothes. "How could such a thing happen?"

Not far away, the chief minister of the cabinet, Liu Shouren, was surrounded by several officials.

"Sir Liu, you are a cabinet minister. Do you have any other information about this matter?" a young official asked anxiously.

Liu Shouren's gray eyebrows knitted tightly together and he shook his head: "I just learned about this as well. Let me go in and see what His Majesty has to say."

He looked up at the gloomy sky and sighed, "These are troubled times."

"Even Lord Liu doesn't know about this?" The officials nearby looked at each other in confusion. "It seems this is a sudden incident."

Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Works wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Alas, if something really happens to the retired emperor, I'm afraid Kyoto will be in turmoil again."

He thought of the purge three years ago and shuddered.

The guards on both sides of the palace road stood straight, expressionless, but their hands gripped their swords a little tighter than usual.

The cold wind blew their clothes and armor, making a slight sound of metal clashing.

When the ministers arrived in front of the Golden Palace, they found that there were many more Jinyiwei outside the palace. They were wearing Feiyu uniforms, embroidered spring swords on their waists, and their eyes were as sharp as eagles.