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

Deng Hongwen’s words are shocking!

Those who can attend the emperor's banquet must be at least officials of the fifth rank or above, and none of them are fools.

All officials were well aware of Deng Hongwen's suggestion.

The current Kyoto city has been in chaos for some time due to the fighting among the princes.

Although the emperor did not intervene, it is impossible for him to say that he was unaware of the matter.

If he could find the murderer who assassinated the Eighth Prince and completely put an end to the current chaos, he would definitely please the Emperor and establish his prestige in the court.

The Tenth Prince nodded slightly upon hearing this, patted Deng Hongwen on the shoulder and said, "This is a very good plan. From now on, Lord Deng will handle the affairs of the Ministry of Rites, and spend the rest of his time helping me investigate this matter!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!" Deng Hongwen bowed respectfully.

The prince looked at the two people who were having fun, a cold light flashed in his eyes, he snorted, stood up and left.

When the Fourth Prince saw that the Crown Prince had left, he was too lazy to stay and left as well.

Of course, the princes did not want to see the smug look on the Tenth Prince's face, as that would only make them look like losers.

In just a blink of an eye, all the princes except the tenth prince left.

However, the Tenth Prince had no intention of leaving. Instead, he continued to toast with Deng Hongwen and get to know more court officials.

This banquet completely turned into Deng Hongwen’s personal show!

Whether it was the political affairs of the court authorities or his personal charm, he fully demonstrated his abilities.

This also changed the views of many officials who had originally looked down on him.

The rest of the banquet became Deng Hongwen's personal banquet, and the radiance emanating from him completely overshadowed Liu Yunqing and Yang Wentao!

At this time, Chu Ning returned to the palace.

It was late at night and the lights in Prince Chu's Mansion were dim. Chu Ning returned to the mansion and wanted to go to the backyard to find Shen Wanying, but someone had been waiting in the living room for a long time.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the King of Chu - cough cough!" the old man said while coughing.

Chu Ning frowned, stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Master Wang, there is no need to be polite. Sit down and talk."

This person was none other than the Minister of Rites Wang Wenguang, who had been recuperating in the palace for many days.

Although tonight's banquet was to entertain all officials, Wang Wenguang had not yet fully recovered, and Chu Ning was still the acting Minister of Rites, so Wang Wenguang did not participate.

After Wang Wenguang sat down, he said with a look of shame, "I am really sorry for disturbing Your Highness in the palace all this time.

Now that the imperial examination is over, I have recovered a little and there is no need for me to stay in the palace. Please allow me to return home tonight."

Before this, Chu Ning had been dealing with the imperial examination and was not in the palace, so Wang Wenguang had never found a chance to mention this matter.

Now that the imperial examination is over and Chu Ning is back, Wang Wenguang can't wait to say goodbye.

It has been more than a month since Wang Wenguang was injured, and most of his injuries have healed.

It’s just that due to his old age and poor health, his injuries have not yet fully healed.

Chu Ning looked at the old minister in front of him and said with a smile: "Master Wang, why are you so anxious? Why don't you stay in the mansion for a few more days and take good care of your health?"

Wang Wenguang smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, I have lived in your house for a long time and I am too ashamed to stay any longer."

Chu Ning pondered for a moment.

If he refused now, it would seem that he was trying to usurp the position of Minister of Rites.

Wang Wenguang wanted to go back simply because he wanted to deal with the affairs of the Ministry of Rites as soon as possible.

Although he served as the Minister of Rites during this period, he did not actually participate in the affairs of the Ministry of Rites. He was only responsible for the imperial examinations.

The Ministry of Rites has a lot of things piled up now!

In addition, Deng Hongwen was appointed as the Minister of Rites tonight, so Wang Wenguang, the chief official of the Ministry of Rites, naturally had to go and meet him.

"Since Lord Wang has decided to go back, I will not try to keep him."

Chu Ning shouted outside: "Ran Ming, send a few people to see Lord Wang off!"

But Wang Wenguang quickly stood up and waved his hand, saying, "Your Highness, please don't bother me. My servants are already waiting outside the mansion.

It’s getting late, I’ll take my leave now.”

Having said that, Wang Wenguang bowed, turned around and left.

Chu Ning did not insist. After all, most of the guards in the palace were guarding the examination halls during this period, and the guards in the palace were also on high alert and really needed a rest.

What's more, this is Kyoto City, and no one dares to take action against a senior official in the city.

In addition, as the Minister of Rites, Wang Wenguang has always been neutral and has never offended anyone. Unless he is mentally ill, no one would take action against such an old minister.

After all, Lord Wang is a well-known good guy in the court!

After seeing Wang Wenguang off, Chu Ning went to the backyard to find Shen Wanying.

I've been stuck in the exam room for half a month with no place to vent. Now that I have some free time, of course I have to make up for it all!

At this moment, Wang Wenguang was sitting in a sedan chair, heading towards the mansion under the escort of several servants.

Under the cover of night, the streets of Kyoto were extremely dark.

The guards advanced with torches, the flames constantly illuminating the way ahead.

On the quiet street, the night breeze was blowing gently, accompanied by Wang Wenguang's occasional coughing, which seemed very abrupt.

But just when everyone was halfway there, footsteps were suddenly heard on the street ahead.

Then, a group of people wearing masks and black night clothes blocked the way.

Wang Wenguang's servant's face changed drastically when he saw this: "Master, this is bad, someone is blocking the road ahead!"

Wang Wenguang frowned, lifted the curtain, and glared at them: "Who are you? How dare you block my way in the middle of the night?"

The masked man in the lead didn't waste any words and uttered a word coldly: "Kill!"

Then, this group of masked men rushed forward, waving sharp blades in their hands!

"Protect the master and leave!"

Wang Wenguang's servants were very loyal. Four of them rushed forward immediately, and the remaining two supported Wang Wenguang and immediately returned to the Chu Palace.

They knew that only the Prince Chu's Palace was safe now!

However, the screams coming from behind made them realize that their companions had been killed!

Even Wang Wenguang couldn't help but turn his head to look.

But when I saw this, I was instantly scared to death!

I saw four servants lying in a pool of blood, and it was obvious that they were not going to survive.

The masked man had already rushed behind him, swinging a sharp blade to kill people!

"My lord, please leave quickly!" The remaining two servants stepped forward.

But they were no match for the masked man and were knocked to the ground by him in just two moves.

Wang Wenguang was the only one left, running while panting.

But after all, his body has not recovered yet, and he is old, so there is no way he can outrun the strong masked man.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Wenguang was surrounded by masked men.

"You... who are you?" Wang Wenguang knew he couldn't escape, he just wanted to know the identity of the person in front of him.

But the masked man in the lead snorted coldly: "Go ask the King of Hell!"

Then, he raised his hand and swung the knife!

"Pfft!"

A knife to the throat!

Blood splattered from Wang Wenguang's throat, his eyes widened, and he fell to the ground unwillingly.

A veteran minister of three dynasties and a third-rank official in one of the six ministries, died just like that!