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

The next day, the palace.

Inside the Yangxin Palace, the air was filled with the scent of sandalwood. A jade palace lantern was placed on the golden nanmu desk. The flickering light illuminated Chu Ning's profile, making it appear bright and dim.

It was already dusk outside the window, and the last ray of setting sun shone through the carved window lattices, casting mottled light and shadows on the golden brick floor inside the hall.

Zhao Yu bowed and the copper nails on his armor shone coldly under the light.

He presented a stack of letters with both hands and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, we have not yet found any clues related to the murder of the retired emperor."

Chu Ning's slender fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a dull sound.

His eyes fell on the letters, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"However, some people in the court have dealings with the Tang Dynasty and the Han Dynasty. This is the letter I found." Zhao Yu added, lowering his voice.

The hall was silent for a moment, with only the rustling sound of paper rubbing against each other as Chu Ning opened the envelope.

He carefully unfolded each letter and read it word by word.

As the candlelight flickered, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and the coldness in his eyes grew stronger.

"Humph!"

Chu Ning suddenly sneered, breaking the suffocating silence in the hall.

He slammed a letter on the table and said, "I just ordered a search of all ministers' residences, and letters from foreign countries have appeared in the residences of Prime Minister Yang and Lord Jia."

Zhao Yu looked up and saw anger burning in the young emperor's eyes.

Chu Ning stood up, his bright yellow dragon robe gleaming in the candlelight. He walked to the window and said with his back to Zhao Yu:

"How foolish! These two gentlemen are not in Kyoto. How could the letters from the Tang and Han dynasties be in their houses?"

Outside the window, a night breeze blew, bringing the fragrance of osmanthus from the imperial garden.

Chu Ning took a deep breath, and when he turned around, his eyes had regained their composure: "Someone must have deliberately framed me to make me suspect these two adults."

He walked back to the desk and tapped the letters with his fingers. "Zhao Yu, take the Jinyiwei and keep an eye on the people in these two mansions. If you find anyone suspicious, arrest them immediately!"

Zhao Yu was about to accept the order, but he saw Chu Ning's eyes fall on the last letter, and his face suddenly became as gloomy as iron.

"As for this Minister of Rites, Wang Xinde!"

Chu Ning's voice was as cold as ice: "We must pry open his mouth and find the person in the Tang Dynasty who is in contact with him."

"Yes!" Zhao Yu responded with a fist, and the armor made a crisp collision sound.

As he stood up and left, he noticed that the emperor's fingers were tapping unconsciously on the table, which was Chu Ning's usual movement when he was thinking.

As the hall door opened and closed, a gust of wind blew through, causing the candlelight to flicker.

Chu Ning stood alone in the hall, his shadow stretched out very long.

He stared at the letter on the desk, his eyes flashing with complex light.

These frame-ups were so crude they looked as if they were intentional.

"This is a provocation, a mockery!" Chu Ning muttered to himself, his fingers clenching the cuffs of his dragon robe.

Not long after he returned and merged with the Great Zhou Dynasty, many things in the court had not been dealt with yet, but the emperor was mysteriously killed. Now someone was playing this trick under his nose.

The sound of footsteps outside the hall interrupted Chu Ning's thoughts.

The eunuch's shrill voice rang out: "Your Majesty, Lord Ling from the Ministry of Justice requests an audience."

"Come in." Chu Ning calmed down and sat back on the dragon throne, his face regaining the majesty of an emperor.

Ling Haoran walked in quickly, with a little dust on the hem of his official robe, obviously he had rushed here from the crime scene.

He knelt and saluted, beads of sweat on his forehead glistening in the light. "Your Majesty, after two days and one night of investigation, I have only discovered that the injuries sustained by the Emperor were not caused by ordinary soldiers. It seems to be a trick used by people in the martial arts world."

"The moves of the Jianghu people?"

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the table.

He thought of the strange wounds on the body of the retired emperor - not the neat cuts caused by standard military weapons, but scars of varying depths and strange directions.

Ling Haoran nodded and took out an autopsy record from his sleeve: "Your Majesty, please look, there are fine jagged marks on the edges of these wounds, as if they were caused by some kind of strange weapon, and..."

He hesitated for a moment. "The fatal wound was stabbed diagonally upwards into the heart. This technique is extremely rare in the military. It seems more like..."

"Like what?" Chu Ning asked.

"It looks like the Green Snake Sword Technique in the martial arts world." Ling Haoran whispered, his voice almost inaudible.

The hall fell into silence for a moment.

Chu Ning stood up and paced back and forth, his dragon robe making a slight sound as it dragged on the ground.

He suddenly stopped, turned around and asked, "That doesn't make sense. That group of people didn't leave many clues at the scene. It's obvious that they were well-trained."

Ling Haoran smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, in fact, when it comes to cleaning up after a murder, the people of Jianghu are better than the dead soldiers."

"They've been on the edge of a knife for years, and their greatest skill is killing people without leaving any traces."

When Chu Ning heard this, a hint of realization flashed in his eyes.

He remembered that when he was not a prince, he had traveled among the people and witnessed the methods of those people in the martial arts world.

Indeed, they kill without blinking an eye and are very skilled at handling the scene afterwards.

"Since there are clues, let's investigate!"

Chu Ning slammed his palm on the table, making the teacups clink. "I don't care who they are. As long as they are the murderers, I must track them down to the end."

He walked up to Ling Haoran and commanded condescendingly, "Order all states, counties, and prefectures to issue a notice. Anyone who can provide clues from the underworld will be rewarded with a million gold coins!"

"Yes!" Ling Haoran took the order and retreated. The sound of official boots stepping on the gold bricks gradually faded away.

Chu Ning stood alone in the hall and suddenly felt tired.

He rubbed his temples and walked to the window.

The death of the retired emperor was too strange, and now the underworld forces are involved. What is hidden behind this?

Just as he was lost in thought, a voice came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, Minister of Rites Deng Hongwen requests an audience."

Chu Ning took a deep breath and straightened his clothes: "Announce."

Deng Hongwen was nearly forty years old, but his hair was already white. However, he walked steadily. He held a memorial in his hand and bowed respectfully:

"See Your Majesty!"

"What's the matter?" Chu Ning asked, his voice full of fatigue.

Deng Hongwen presented the memorial with both hands: "Your Majesty, the funeral arrangements have been almost completed, but regarding the location of the funeral, I would like to ask for your instructions."

Chu Ning took the memorial and unfolded it under the lamp.

This is a detailed list, densely packed with the names of court ministers, with their respective positions at the funeral marked behind them.

He glanced briefly at some of the people at the top of the rankings - there were members of the royal family and the six ministers. The positions were arranged very carefully, taking into account both the rank and the balance between civil officials and military generals.

"Just follow your list."

Chu Ning closed the memorial and handed it back to Deng Hongwen: "Remember, the funeral must be grand and in accordance with the standards of an emperor."

Deng Hongwen nodded repeatedly: "I understand."

He hesitated for a moment, then added, "But there's one more thing. According to etiquette, the Grand Emperor should be given a title."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning couldn't help but slap his forehead: "I forgot about this."

He thought for a moment and said, "How about this, we discuss this matter at court tomorrow morning."

Deng Hongwen bowed and was about to leave when he heard Chu Ning say, "Wait a minute."

Deng Hongwen stopped and looked at the young emperor in confusion.

Chu Ning walked up to him and lowered his voice: "At the funeral, arrange more Jinyiwei personnel, especially near the coffin."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "I want to see who would be particularly interested in the coffin of the retired emperor."

Deng Hongwen's eyes flashed with understanding, and he nodded solemnly: "I understand."

After Deng Hongwen left, Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on the throne.

Letters, autopsy records, and funeral lists were spread out on the desk, just like his chaotic thoughts at the moment.

He picked up the secret letter between Wang Xinde and Datang and read it carefully again.

Outside the window, a night wind suddenly blew violently, making the window frames rattle.

The candlelight flickered violently, casting Chu Ning's figure on the wall, sometimes larger and sometimes smaller, like a dormant beast.