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

The August evening breeze brought a hint of coolness as it blew over the towering eaves of Prince Zhao's Mansion.

The palace was solemn, with white banners hanging low. The eternal lamp in front of the mourning hall swayed in the breeze, casting flickering light and shadows.

Chu Ning stood in the center of the mourning hall, his eyes fixed on Princess Zhao who was lying quietly on the ground.

Her face looked peaceful, as if she was just sleeping, only the dark red bloodstain at the corner of her mouth indicated the end of her life.

"Your Majesty..." The eunuch beside him spoke cautiously, but Chu Ning raised his hand to stop him.

He slowly squatted down, reached out and gently stroked Princess Zhao's forehead, and tucked the scattered black hair behind her ear.

This action reminded him of the scene several years ago when he first came to Prince Zhao's Mansion with his brother Prince Zhao.

At that time, Princess Zhao was still a lively and cheerful girl, and she would personally cook Jiangnan snacks for her brothers.

"Why!" Chu Ning murmured in a low voice, his voice almost inaudible.

He came this time to tell Princess Zhao that the court had posthumously conferred the title of Prince Zhongyong on Prince Zhao and bestowed upon him the posthumous title of "Wulie".

I also wanted to assure her in person that I would take good care of their two children.

But he didn't expect that he would be greeted by such a scene.

According to the maids in the palace, after learning that His Majesty was coming, Princess Zhao specially dressed up and changed into the light blue dress she wore when she first met Prince Zhao.

She calmly explained the affairs of the mansion, went to see her sleeping children, then returned to the main hall and drank the poisoned wine that had been prepared long ago.

Chu Ning's fingertips trembled slightly, and a deep sorrow flashed in his eyes.

"Pass on my orders."

Chu Ning slowly stood up, his voice low and firm, "Burial Princess Zhao according to the rites of a prince, and bury her beside the imperial mausoleum alongside her brother, Prince Zhao. Instruct the Ministry of Rites to draft a posthumous decree, conferring the title of Lady Zhenlie upon Princess Zhao."

He paused and turned his gaze outside the hall.

In the darkness of the night, two small figures could be vaguely seen being led by their wet nurse, looking towards this side anxiously.

They were the eight-year-old prince Chu Bin and his six-year-old daughter Chu Yue.

"Zhao Wang's Crown Prince Chu Bin will inherit the Zhao Wang title from this day forward. He will also confer upon Zhao Wang's daughter Chu Yue the title of Princess Qinghuai, grant her a princess residence, and double her annual salary."

Chu Ning's voice echoed in the empty mourning hall: "Dispatch four senior maids and twenty guards from the palace to take care of her full-time. No mistakes are allowed."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The accompanying officials immediately bowed their heads and quickly wrote down every word of the emperor.

When leaving Prince Zhao's Mansion, Chu Ning stopped at the threshold and looked back.

This mansion, once filled with laughter, is now covered in mourning.

The night wind blew up the hem of his dragon robe, taking away his almost inaudible sigh.

The night was as dark as ink, and Chu Ning galloped on his horse back to the palace.

The accompanying guards did not dare to get close and could only follow from a distance.

They had never seen His Majesty lose his composure like this - the emperor, who always paid attention to his appearance, now had his hair crown slightly tilted and his robes were stained with incense ash from the mourning hall.

When the outline of the palace came into view, Chu Ning suddenly pulled the reins.

The horseman under his crotch stood up and neighed.

He looked up at the towering palace wall, and in a trance he seemed to recall the scene of meeting Chu Kuang here in the past.

"Your Majesty?" Zhao Yu stepped forward cautiously.

Chu Ning came to his senses, shook his head, and continued moving forward.

When the guards at the palace gate saw the emperor, they knelt down in salute, but they only felt a gust of wind passing by.

In the imperial study, Queen Shen Wanying had already prepared dinner.

She specially ordered someone to prepare some of Chu Ning's favorite Jiangnan dishes, and also warmed up a pot of osmanthus wine.

Hearing footsteps, she hurriedly stood up to greet him, but saw that her husband was pale and his eyes were dull.

"Your Majesty, you are back." Shen Wanying said softly, "I have prepared some food, you..."

Before he finished speaking, Chu Ning suddenly shook.

Shen Wanying quickly supported him, but felt her hand sink.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" She called out in panic and found that Chu Ning had lost consciousness.

The palace maids and eunuchs outside rushed over upon hearing the noise and immediately became chaotic upon seeing the situation.

Shen Wanying forced herself to remain calm and immediately ordered the guards to help Chu Ning to the dragon couch in the inner room. At the same time, she sent someone to quickly invite Sun Simiao, the director of the Imperial Hospital.

"And then go and inform the Vice Queen and the Imperial Noble Consort." She added, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the handkerchief.

About three quarters of an hour later, Sun Simiao hurried over carrying a medicine box.

This old doctor, who was over sixty years old, even wore his official hat crookedly, which showed how urgent he came.

Just as he was about to salute, Shen Wanying waved her hand to stop him: "Lord Sun, there is no need to be so polite. Show it to His Majesty."

Sun Simiao nodded and immediately stepped forward to take Chu Ning's pulse.

His fingers rested on the emperor's wrist, and his brows gradually furrowed.

After a moment, he gently opened Chu Ning's eyelids to check, and finally put his ear to the emperor's chest to listen carefully.

"Doctor Sun, how is His Majesty?" Shen Wanying couldn't help but ask.

Sun Simiao let out a long sigh and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has been overworked for days, and the anger has caused the blood and qi to flow backwards, causing him to faint temporarily."

As he spoke, he opened the medicine box and said, "I will give Your Majesty acupuncture to clear the meridians. After that, you can take a few doses of herbal medicine and you will be fine."

As he spoke, he took out a set of silver needles and quickly disinfected them over the candle flame.

He skillfully inserted the first needle into the Baihui point on the top of Chu Ning's head, followed by the temple and Hegu point.

Each stitch is extremely precise and of just the right depth.

As the twenty-seven silver needles fell one after another, Chu Ning's originally furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

"Please step aside for now, Your Majesty." Sun Simiao turned around and said, "When giving acupuncture, you must concentrate and cannot make any mistakes."

Shen Wanying understood and led the palace maid out of the inner room.

As soon as I walked into the courtyard, I saw Wu Zhao and Feng Mulan coming together.

Wu Zhao was wearing a purple palace dress with a dignified look on her face, while Feng Mulan was wearing a neat riding outfit, obviously coming directly from the martial arts training ground.

"Sister, how is His Majesty?" Feng Mulan was the most impatient and asked before anyone even arrived.

Shen Wanying repeated Sun Simiao's diagnosis.

Wu Zhao frowned after hearing this: "This is the second time Your Majesty has fainted this month. The last time was when you learned of the death of Prince Zhao."

"No wonder."

Shen Wanying sighed and said, "Among the late emperor's eighteen princes, only His Royal Highness Prince Zhao steadfastly supported Your Majesty in the battle for the throne. They had a deep brotherly bond. Now that Prince Zhao is gone, Your Majesty..."

She didn't finish her words, but the three of them understood the meaning.

Back when Chu Ning was still the inconspicuous eighteenth prince, it was Prince Chu Kuang of Zhao who protected him everywhere.

On the bloody night of the succession struggle, it was King Zhao who led his relatives to help Chu Ning and bought crucial time for Chu Ning.

"I heard that...Princess Zhao..." Wu Zhao hesitated to speak.

Shen Wanying nodded solemnly: "He committed suicide by taking poison. Your Majesty wanted to comfort him, but he witnessed this scene with his own eyes."

The three of them were speechless for a moment.

Chu Ning had always had a deep brotherly relationship with the King of Zhao. He had witnessed the King of Zhao's wife committing suicide by taking poison, so he naturally felt extremely guilty.