strictlysupreme Chapter 440 Empowerment!
Chapter 440 Empowerment!
"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince was... killed!"
Three quarters past three in the morning, in the Imperial Palace, in the Yingwu Hall.
The captain of the imperial guards escorting the eighth prince knelt down in the Yingwu Palace.
The emperor, who was awakened, had not yet dressed properly. Upon hearing this, he immediately stopped adjusting his clothes.
But after a moment, the emperor came back to his senses, a cold look appeared on his face: "Who did it?"
Although the Eighth Prince was stripped of all his titles, he was still a prince after all!
If he was killed right under the emperor's feet and the news got out, the royal family would lose all face.
The captain of the imperial guards knew that the matter was of great importance and dared not hide anything. He quickly shook his head and replied, "Your Majesty, the enemy came and went without a trace, and there were archers to cover them. I have not found out their identity."
"waste!"
The emperor rushed forward in anger, kicked the captain of the imperial guards to the ground, and glared at him: "I usually feed you with good food and drink, but you are of no use at the critical moment!"
The emperor was getting angrier and angrier as he spoke, and he kicked the captain of the imperial guards several times before he roared:
"Get out! Get out now!"
The captain of the imperial guards dared not say anything more and fled out of the Yingwu Palace tumbling.
Inside the palace, the emperor was alone, with a murderous look on his face and his hands clenched tightly.
With two princes dying one after another, even the emperor, who had a heart as hard as stone, couldn't help but feel a little distressed at this moment.
Although he was a prince, he could not bear to die in such a way.
It has only been a few months since the second prince committed suicide, and now the eighth prince has been killed again!
"Shadow Guard!" the emperor shouted through gritted teeth.
A black figure emerged from the darkness of the temple.
"His Majesty!"
"Have the other princes made any moves tonight?"
The emperor was wondering if this was done by other princes.
The shadow guard shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have the information I have now. The princes are all in the palace, and there is no news that they were the ones who did it.
Only the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu are out tonight, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is currently searching the Eighth Prince's residence, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu has already returned to the examination room."
No clue!
The emperor's face suddenly turned ugly.
After pondering for a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "Who do you think will kill Lao Ba at this moment?"
"This……"
The shadow guard's expression changed slightly, and he said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince has been deposed. Logically, he poses no threat to the other princes."
The implication is that there is no need for the princes to take action against the Eighth Prince at this moment.
It is too stupid to kill a prince who has been demoted to a commoner.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and said, "That's exactly what I thought. Since they didn't do it, then things will be easy!
Zhao Ming, immediately send a message to the Crown Prince, asking him to lead the Ministry of Justice and investigate the murder of the Eighth Elder. If there is any obstruction, you can act at your own discretion! "
After saying that, Chu Ning took off the jade pendant in his hand and handed it to Zhao Ming.
Zhao Ming took the jade pendant and immediately went down to pass on the order.
Mao time, at the Eighth Prince’s residence.
"Count out all the silver and pack all the treasures. Nothing should be damaged, or I will hold you accountable!"
The prince, who was confiscating property, was filled with excitement, his eyes shining as he watched the boxes of silver being carried out.
With so many treasures, if you just take some back, you won’t be discovered.
Chu Ning, Chu Ning, you didn't expect that although the mastermind behind the scenes was found, it was me who benefited in the end!
At this moment, the prince was so proud!
Unexpectedly, at this moment, hurried footsteps were heard, and Zhao Ming hurried over under the escort of the imperial guards.
"Your Highness, this is the emperor's order!" Zhao Ming went straight to the point as soon as he arrived.
The prince was stunned for a moment, then he and everyone else at the scene bowed and saluted, looking as if they were listening attentively.
Zhao Ming then said in all seriousness: "The Eighth Prince was assassinated on the way to the Imperial Clan House. Order the Crown Prince to lead the Ministry of Justice and investigate the matter with all his strength. If there is any obstruction, you can act at your own discretion!"
As he spoke, Zhao Ming handed over the emperor's jade pendant.
When the prince heard that the eighth prince had been killed, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
But then he heard that the emperor gave him a jade pendant and allowed him to do as he pleased, and he was overjoyed.
With this jade pendant, I can investigate anyone I want in the future!
The prince immediately took the jade pendant and said in a deep voice, "Please ask Chief Steward Zhao to report to my father. I will do my best to find the murderer."
Zhao Ming sighed and said, "This matter has made His Majesty very angry. If it gets out, it will be detrimental to the reputation of the royal family. Please find the murderer as soon as possible, Your Highness."
After saying that, Zhao Ming bowed and left.
The prince looked at the jade pendant in his hand, a hint of amusement appearing on his face.
The second and eighth brothers are both dead, and the only ones left who can compete for the throne are the fourth brother and Chu Ning!
However, Chu Ning has the Bingzhou troops under his command, and is also in charge of the imperial examination at the moment, so he cannot be easily moved.
It seems that we can only start with the fourth brother!
The prince made up his mind and immediately shouted, "Hurry up and bring all the things in the palace to the inner treasury!"
At this moment, he no longer even thought about embezzling from it, and was only thinking about how to use this matter to move against the Fourth Prince!
It would be a shame not to take advantage of such a good opportunity!
As long as the Fourth Prince falls, Chu Ning will be the only one left in Kyoto City who can threaten the Crown Prince's position.
But Chu Ning's identity as an illegitimate child means that he cannot inherit the throne!
By then, the prince's position will be stable, and we will see who dares to disobey him.
The extremely excited prince accelerated the pace of confiscating the property!
At this moment, the news of the eighth prince's murder spread like wildfire, and in just two hours it had spread throughout the entire Kyoto city.
Three quarters past three in the morning, in the examination room.
It was already bright in the sky, and the sun was rising in the sky. A ray of sunlight shone on Chu Ning, who was resting on the table in the examination hall.
Feeling the warmth of the sun on his body, Chu Ning, who had not had a good night's rest, tilted his head, changed his position and continued sleeping.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall.
Then, Liu Shouren's panicked voice came: "Your Highness, Your Highness, wake up quickly, something big has happened!"
Chu Ning, who looked sleepy, didn't care: "What big deal can happen at this time?"
"The eighth prince...he was killed!" Liu Shouren said anxiously.
Chu Ning was stunned for a moment, and all sleepiness disappeared instantly. He jumped up from his seat.
"Who... who did you say was killed?"
"The Eighth Prince encountered a group of assassins on his way to the Imperial Clan House last night. They were outnumbered and used their archers to force back the Imperial Guards, and then shot the Eighth Prince to death!"
Liu Shouren said in a deep voice: "Now His Majesty has ordered the Crown Prince to lead the Ministry of Justice and bestowed the jade pendant, allowing the Crown Prince to act at his discretion."
After hearing this, Chu Ning was no longer anxious.
The emperor's checks and balances are here again!
The successive deaths of the second prince and the eighth prince have greatly reduced the power of the princes, which will boost the power of the crown prince.
At this moment, asking the Crown Prince to investigate the murder of the Eighth Prince and giving him the right to act at his own convenience is clearly forcing the other princes to unite and fight against the Crown Prince!
Chu Ning sighed: "It's already this time, and you are still calculating these things."
Liu Shouren didn't understand what Chu Ning meant, so he smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, now the prince has the right to act at his own discretion, should we be more careful?"
This is because they are worried that the prince will take action against them.
But Chu Ning raised his lips slightly: "Don't worry, the prince will not deal with us, and we only need to mark the test papers and announce the list.
As for the prince's investigation into the murder of the starling, it has nothing to do with us, we can just watch the show!"
Liu Shouren was stunned.
The situation is urgent, and you're still ready to watch the show?
But this was Chu Ning's order, so Liu Shouren didn't dare to ask more questions and had to go down to mark the papers.
But at this moment, the other princes were no longer calm after receiving the news!