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

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. His Highness the Prince of Chu has been assassinated and his life or death is unknown!"

Three days later, in the Imperial Palace, Yingwu Hall.

The masked shadow guard came to report. Although his facial expression could not be seen clearly, his tone was obviously much more urgent than usual.

On the main seat, the emperor, who was reviewing memorials, was slightly stunned and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Then, the emperor shook his head and chuckled: "Chu Ning is a very clever guy, maybe he did this on purpose."

The emperor was still very confident about Chu Ning.

In addition, Chu Ning was notoriously dishonest and a person who would not suffer any loss, so how could he be assassinated?

But the shadow guard said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely true. Our people saw with their own eyes that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu was covered in blood, and he was chopped into a pulp by the two generals Zhao Yu and Ran Ming who arrived at the scene."

The emperor suddenly couldn't sit still anymore.

The memorial that was originally in his hand slipped silently and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

If Chu Ning was fine, Zhao Yu and Ran Ming would not be so angry as to chop the assassin into pieces. They would definitely leave him alive for interrogation.

The fact that these two people were so angry could only mean that Chu Ning’s situation was very bad!

Thinking of this, the emperor quickly stood up and asked, "Do you know how badly Chu Ning was injured?"

The shadow guard frowned and shook his head, saying, "At present, General Zhao Yu and Lord Cai, the governor of Dunhuang County, have blocked the news, and not many people know that His Highness was assassinated.

As for His Highness's situation, our people were not very clear either. We only saw many doctors being called over by Lord Cai, and maids constantly coming out of the room carrying copper basins filled with blood."

The emperor's heart trembled, and he suddenly had a bad premonition.

If Chu Ning was fine, why would he have gone to find so many doctors?

It must be that one doctor cannot cure the disease, so we need to find more doctors to see it.

And the constant flow of blood was enough to prove that Chu Ning was in a very bad situation at the moment.

The emperor was getting more and more frightened the more he thought about it. His face was extremely gloomy and he said in a cold voice: "Investigate, you must investigate it for me to find out who attacked Chu Ning!"

After a pause, the emperor added: "Focus on investigating the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

But the shadow guard frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the Great Zhou army has already retreated, and has signed an alliance with our dynasty. They are even willing to build Dunhuang County into a trading city for both sides. I don't think it is possible that they would attack Your Majesty!"

The Great Zhou withdrew its troops?

The emperor was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Chu Ning to solve the matter so quickly.

Could it be that this incident caused others to be jealous?

But this is not right. Even I have only just received the news that the Great Zhou has withdrawn its troops. It is certainly impossible for other people in the court to know the news before me.

Could it be that the prince holds a grudge against Chu Ning?

Or did the other princes want Chu Ning to die on the front line?

At this moment, the emperor's mind was confused and he had no idea what was going on.

After a moment's silence, the emperor asked with a sullen face, "Is there no news from the Shadow Guards? How did the assassin succeed?"

The shadow guard did not dare to delay and immediately recounted the entire process of Chu Ning's assassination.

After hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but narrow his eyes, and a cold light flashed across them.

"Even the head of the police force is an assassin, and he even arranged for the maid to stay in the county governor's mansion. He is really capable!"

The emperor snorted coldly: "Issue an order to immediately dismiss Cai Xingchao from his post and investigate him!"

The prince was assassinated, and he was assassinated by someone in the government office during a celebration banquet. Regardless of whether Cai Xingchao was involved or not, it was at least dereliction of duty!

The angry emperor couldn't find anyone to vent his anger on, so he could only take action against Cai Xingchao.

But the shadow guard quickly persuaded him, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the King of Chu has already signed an alliance with the Great Zhou. If Cai Xingchao is captured now, the affairs of Dunhuang County will be delayed.

The most urgent task is to find out the situation of His Highness and investigate the person behind the scenes."

The emperor, who was originally furious, calmed down immediately after hearing this.

The assassination took place in the government office. If Cai Xingchao, the county magistrate, was really involved in the incident, it would be impossible for him to choose the government office as the location of the assassination.

Moreover, Cai Xingchao was an arrogant person who had always been at odds with various factions in the court, so it was unlikely that he could be bribed.

The only possibility is that someone planned it, bribed Captain Wang, and sent a maid to assassinate Chu Ning.

If Cai Xingchao is captured now, it will indeed affect the affairs of Dunhuang County.

Thinking of this, the emperor pondered for a moment, then said coldly: "You are right!"

"How about this, immediately spread the news that Chu Ning was assassinated and see how people react."

"Also, notify Cai Xingchao immediately and have him send someone to escort Chu Ning back to Beijing for treatment."

"I obey your command!" the shadow guard responded, and then his body disappeared into the darkness.

The emperor stood there, his face expressionless.

After a long while, the eunuch chief eunuch Zhao Ming came in and said, "Your Majesty, it's time for dinner."

The emperor came back to his senses, turned to look at Zhao Ming, and asked calmly: "Chu Ning was assassinated. Who do you think is the most suspicious?"

"This……"

Zhao Ming was horrified: "His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu was assassinated? Who... who did this?"

The emperor glared at him in dissatisfaction and said, "You old man, I'm asking you a question, why are you asking me a question instead?"

Zhao Ming looked terrified: "Your Majesty, how dare I speak so easily about such a big matter? Your Highness the Prince of Chu has been so popular recently and has offended so many people. I really don't know who is the most suspicious."

It was not known whether it was intentional or unintentional, but the emperor frowned when he heard the words "too much limelight".

Yes, during this period, Chu Ning first destroyed the 200,000 troops of the Zhao State, then got married, sold facial masks to make money, solved the case of the murder of Princess Gaoping, and even cooperated with the Qin and Jin dynasties to sell facial masks.

With such momentum, how could the other princes not be worried?

Thinking of this, the emperor sighed and said, "Forget it. It's useless to ask you. You old thing have always been like this."

After saying this, the emperor flicked his sleeves and walked out: "Accompany me to the Imperial Garden for a walk."

Zhao Ming didn't dare to say anything else, he bent down and followed immediately.

And with the emperor's deliberate propaganda, the news of Chu Ning's assassination quickly spread throughout Kyoto.

The first to receive the news was naturally the Eastern Palace, which was closest to the Yingwu Palace!

"Hahahaha, Chu Ning, ah Chu Ning, you have come to this day!"

The prince's arrogant laughter came from his highness.

Upon learning the news that Chu Ning had been assassinated and his life or death was unknown, the prince initially did not quite believe it and thought that Chu Ning had done it on purpose.

But when he learned that this was news from the Emperor and was confirmed by the shadow guard himself, the prince burst into laughter.

Last time, because of the Shen Wanying incident, not only did I fail to get the beauty I wished for, but I was punished by my father.

This time, Chu Ning was assassinated and his life or death is unknown. My chance has come!

Today, I must capture Shen Wanying!

Thinking of this, the excited prince shouted outside the palace: "Come here, ask the Princess of Chu to come over and tell her that I have news about the assassination of the Prince of Chu's brother!"

If I had invited Shen Wanying under normal circumstances, I would definitely have been rejected.

But this time, he believed that Shen Wanying would definitely come in order to get news about Chu Ning.

As long as you enter the Eastern Palace, Shen Wanying will be my person!

Thinking of Shen Wanying's beautiful face, the prince rubbed his hands excitedly.