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

In the evening, the setting sun continued to sink into the west, leaving only a last ray of red light flickering.

Yingwu inner palace.

There was a pile of delicious food in front of the emperor, but he had a sad face and had no appetite.

That kid Chu Ning actually said he didn’t want to manage Bingzhou?

I only temporarily removed him from his official position, and I did not say that he would not be in charge of Bingzhou.

This kid has a really stubborn temper.

Bingzhou is a border area. If Chu Ning doesn't care, do you want me to pay the military salaries and silver?

Now the national treasury is empty, where can we get the silver and food to allocate to the soldiers on the front line in Bingzhou!

The emperor became more and more annoyed the more he thought about it. He sighed and the food and wine on the table in front of him suddenly lost its flavor.

At this moment, the prince's voice came from outside the palace: "Father, your son requests to see you!"

The emperor raised his eyebrows, showing surprise.

What is the prince doing here at this time?

"Come in." The emperor waved his hand to signal his servants to take away the food.

The prince came in and saw that the food was untouched, so he stepped forward and bowed, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father."

"What's the matter?" the emperor asked dully.

The prince pretended to be worried: "Father is busy with state affairs, but he can't skip meals..."

"okay!"

The emperor interrupted impatiently, "Just tell me what you want to say. I still need to review the memorials later."

If it weren't for the Crown Prince, I wouldn't have punished Chu Ning today, and that kid Chu Ning wouldn't have said such harsh words.

The interrupted prince looked a little unhappy, but he still suppressed his emotions and said seriously: "Father, your son and I may have been fooled!"

"Oh?"

The emperor, who was originally not interested, suddenly stood up from his seat and asked, "Tell me in detail!"

It is not easy for the emperor to be caught in the middle of the fight between his two sons, and he cannot favor either of them.

Since the prince is willing to show weakness, we might as well listen to his thoughts.

The prince said in a deep voice: "Father, I suspect that Princess Gaoping was killed by my eighteenth brother, but my eighteenth brother also suspects that I was the one who did it!

But judging from the news just now coming from the Prince Chu's Mansion, Eighteenth Brother was in his bridal chamber last night and had no time to commit the crime, so Eighteenth Brother's suspicion can be ruled out.

When the crime happened last night, I was with the third prince of Zhao and had no time to commit the crime.

Since it wasn't me and my Eighteenth Brother, it's highly likely that someone wanted to frame the two of us and take the opportunity to make me and my Eighteenth Brother fight each other."

As soon as these words came out, the emperor narrowed his eyes and a cold light flashed across them.

If you say that it was Chu Ning who killed Princess Gaoping, I naturally don't believe it.

As for the crown prince, although he has the ability, it will be of no benefit to him to kill Princess Gaoping now.

The most likely possibility is that someone is behind this!

If the other party really wants the prince and Chu Ning to fight each other, who would that person be?

Which one of the other sixteen princes is it?

Thinking of this, the emperor's face looked a little ugly.

If it really is one of the other sixteen princes, then the other party's power is beyond his control.

As an emperor, the last thing he wants to see is things beyond his control.

"What the prince said does make some sense!"

The emperor made a prompt decision: "Zhao Ming, immediately pass on the order to cancel all punishments on Chu Ning!"

"Yes!" Zhao Ming outside the hall responded and immediately went down to pass on the order.

The emperor paused, thinking that the prince also had a contribution to make, and then nodded and said, "The prince was able to discover the murderer's purpose in time, and his contribution is indispensable. How about this, you and Chu Ning will be responsible for investigating this matter together!"

"Thank you, Father!"

The prince was very excited.

Finally won my father's trust again!

Chu Ning, ah Chu Ning, I will soon take back what you took away from me!

At this moment, the prince was full of confidence.

At the same time, in the living room of Prince Chu's Mansion, Chu Ning was receiving the Minister of Works He Peng.

"Greetings to His Majesty the King of Chu!" He Peng bowed with a smile.

Chu Ning looked at the prince's confidant calmly, feeling somewhat surprised. What did this guy come to see me for?

"Master He, there is no need to be so polite. Come, serve tea!"

Two maids brought hot tea, and a fresh fragrance wafted through the hall, making people feel refreshed.

He Peng took a sip and said with a smile, "Good tea!"

Chu Ning stared at him with a half-smile: "No matter how good this tea is, I'm afraid it can't be better than the tea in the East Palace, right?"

This is a reference to He Peng.

What are you, the prince's confidant, doing here in Prince Chu's mansion?

He Peng laughed awkwardly: "Your Highness the Prince of Chu is joking. The tea from the East Palace and the tea from the Prince of Chu's Mansion each have their own merits. It's hard to say which is better or worse."

Chu Ning shook his head, too lazy to argue with this person, leaned back in his chair, and asked calmly: "Master He, please explain your purpose. I have to have dinner with the princess later."

The fact that Chu Ning did not want to invite He Peng to dinner was enough to show his attitude.

He Peng was not surprised by this, as he did not come here to eat for free.

"Your Highness the King of Chu!"

He Peng's face straightened and he said in a deep voice, "Didn't you realize that Princess Gaoping's death caused a fight between you and the Crown Prince?"

"So?" Chu Ning still looked calm: "Lord He thinks that I should be bullied by the Crown Prince and not fight with him?"

"This……"

He Peng smiled bitterly: "That's not what I meant. I just think that this is exactly the murderer's purpose. He wants you and the prince to fight each other until both of you are defeated, so that he can reap the benefits!"

After saying that, He Peng stared at Chu Ning closely, trying to see a look of surprise on Chu Ning's face.

Unexpectedly, Chu Ning chuckled and said, "Is this the reason why Lord He came to see me?"

He Peng was stunned.

Why was the King of Chu’s reaction different from what he had imagined?

Doesn’t the King of Chu believe what I say?

He Peng was a little anxious, and quickly stood up and frowned, saying in a deep voice: "Your Highness, Prince Chu, aren't you surprised by this?"

"surprise?"

Chu Ning laughed and shook his head, "Why should I be surprised? I have thought about this a long time ago. The moment I found out the whereabouts of the prince last night, I guessed that someone wanted to use this incident to deliberately provoke a fight between me and the prince!"

After saying that, Chu Ning looked at He Peng playfully and said, "I thought Lord He and the Crown Prince wouldn't be able to find out."

These words were full of sarcasm.

He Peng's mouth twitched and a look of helplessness appeared on his face.

I came here with full confidence, but who knew that the King of Chu had already thought of it.

With a long sigh, He Peng bowed and saluted: "Your Highness, the King of Chu is wise, and I admire you, but I wonder where your Highness, the King of Chu, is going to start next?"

Chu Ning grinned, stared at He Peng and said with a smile: "Of course, I'll start with Lord He."

He Peng was shocked: "What do you mean by this, Your Highness?"

Chu Ning stood up and said slowly: "The murderer used a crossbow. Apart from me, only Lord He, the Minister of Works, can make it.

Of course, I believe that Lord He would not dare to kill Princess Gaoping, but I wonder if Lord He sold the extra crossbows to other people?"

As soon as these words came out, He Peng's face changed drastically and cold sweat broke out.