Dressed as the prince's substitute? I took the throne

Nangong Yanling stepped forward to check the Empress Dowager's wounds and said to Zhou Chuxuan with a serious look in her eyes: "Moreover, the hundreds of palace maids who protected the Empress Dowager were all killed. Judging from the wounds, they must have been killed by the same person!"

Zhou Chuxuan took a deep breath. "This is the inner courtyard of the palace, and we have people guarding it day and night. Who could have sneaked in? Who?"

At the end of his words, there was already a hint of anger in Zhou Chuxuan's tone. If it was not safe in this deep palace and the enemy was allowed to do whatever they wanted, then what was the point of his Wu Dynasty deterring the enemy?

Nangong Yanling pondered for a long moment, and finally said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, I believe that the people of Prince Jin's lineage must be hiding deep in the inner palace. Even if they are not direct descendants, they must be from the side branches! I guess they are very familiar with the inner palace, which is why they can avoid our detection!"

Zhou Chuxuan nodded in agreement. "Immediately order the Imperial Guards to come and burn and bury these bodies on the spot. Queen Dowager, bury them with honor in the imperial mausoleum! But remember, don't draw anyone's attention!"

The Empress Dowager was killed in the deep palace. This matter cannot be underestimated. If it were really known to the people outside, it would cause an uproar.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Slowly walking out of the underground palace, under the sunlight outside, Zhou Chuxuan stroked the broken jade pendant in his hand, carefully piecing it together, frowning.

"Your Highness, there is a phoenix pattern on it!"

Nangong Yanling was about to leave, but after seeing the phoenix pattern, he immediately returned and said with a serious look, "The phoenix is ​​a symbol of good fortune in the world. In the Wu Dynasty, it can stand shoulder to shoulder with the dragon!"

Murong Xue whispered, "Prince Jin is not just a vassal king, but was also conferred the title of One and the Same King by Emperor Wu! That's why this phoenix pattern can be engraved on the jade pendant!"

"Haha, you're so brave, you actually dare to leave the jade pendant here?"

Zhou Chuxuan was speaking when he suddenly changed his mind: "No, this jade pendant is already shattered. The Queen Mother must have snatched it from the murderer! But the Queen Mother was already seriously injured. How could she possibly be a match for the murderer? How could she have snatched the jade pendant from her?"

His brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and finally Zhou Chuxuan fell into deep thought. Nangong Yanling and Murong Xue did not disturb him, but just waited quietly there.

After a long moment, Zhou Chuxuan took a deep breath. "A demonstration! This is the murderer demonstrating to us! This behavior reminds me of what an old friend did!"

"Who?"

Nangong Yanling and Murong Xue looked at each other, confused.

"Zhou Shaxuan!"

Zhou Chuxuan said in a deep voice, "Back then, Zhou Shaxuan always liked to test things out before taking action. Isn't it the same now? The previous actions were both a test and a warning and a threat!"

"He is back!"

Nangong Yanling suddenly felt the hairs on his body stand on end. This kind of invisible enemy is the most terrifying: "Then, Your Highness, what should we do? Right now, we don't seem to have any clues!"

"How about we go look for Zhou Wuhen again?" Murong Xue asked tentatively, but Zhou Chuxuan waved her hand and refused: "Do you think Zhou Wuhen might tell us all the information?"

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Both of them seemed to hear a different meaning in Zhou Chuxuan's tone.

Zhou Chuxuan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "This is a guy whose depth you will never be able to fathom. If you really think you have completely mastered him, then you are gravely wrong! If my guess is correct, this Zhou Wuhen must have some secret deal with Zhou Shaxuan!"

"However, Zhou Wuhen also wants to obtain the manufacturing technology that can ensure equality for all beings from me, or perhaps even something more. That's why he has always been mediating between us and has not really favored either side!"

Murong Xue's brain was slow, but Nangong Yanling was extremely smart in this regard and quickly reacted: "Your Highness, I understand. Zhou Wuhen is the one who set up the game. He wanted to play a shocking chess game among you, and ultimately gain the final benefit and become the ultimate winner!"

"Yes, that's what it means!"

Zhou Chuxuan laughed and said, "The so-called lack of desire, no interest in the throne, wandering around and touring the countries, is just for show! And doing so can also make his own plans even bigger!"

"He even wants to take over the entire world!"

Seeing Murong Xue's increasingly confused eyes, Zhou Chuxuan waved his hand, and the three of them continued to walk out of the palace.

"The world I'm talking about doesn't refer to the Wu Dynasty. It probably includes all the places he visited! The Wu Dynasty, Liang State, the lineage of the King of Jin, the countries in the Western Regions, the grassland tribes..."

"hiss!"

Murong Xue immediately gasped: "Your Highness, does he really have such a broad mind and such a generous demeanor?"

Zhou Chuxuan smiled and said, "I really underestimated him before, but now it seems that he is the one with real ambition!"

"Your Highness, then we..."

"Don't worry about it!"

Zhou Chuxuan waved his hand: "Let's go back and summon the officials from the six ministries to the mansion!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

......

Soon, officials from the six ministries gathered in the courtyard of Zhou Chuxuan's mansion.

There are also the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard Hu Yongwei, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard Wan Hao, Han Bin of the Fuling Army, and Ma Sandao.

Seeing everyone gathered together, except for Xu Qinglong's voice, Zhou Chuxuan felt a little sad.

If Xu Qinglong were still there, he could do whatever he wanted without worry, and there would naturally be someone guarding the capital.

"Everyone, the Wu Dynasty is currently facing a severe test. The lineage of Prince Jin poses a serious threat to us. Therefore, I am issuing an order today to gather all the talented individuals to the capital."

"As long as you pass this test, I will reward you with a thousand gold coins and make you a marquis!"

Zhou Chuxuan said in a deep voice: "Everyone must not discriminate against these talented people. Since they exist and have been passed down from generation to generation until now, they must have their own methods and abilities!"

"What Old Heavenly Master Zhang said back then was absolutely correct! If the maritime ban hadn't been lifted, the Wu Dynasty would have been destroyed in no time!"

Most of the current officials in the six ministries are young talents promoted by Zhou Chuxuan. Upon hearing this, they looked at each other in confusion.

They had also read a lot of history books and knew about the past maritime bans, so they couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"But Your Highness, if we do this, wouldn't that be overturning the actions of the late emperor? We will be condemned by scholars all over the world!"

Zhou Chuxuan chuckled and said, "Well, now let me ask you a question!"