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

Chapter 2325 Hate!

Chu Yun was held down by two cavalrymen, but he still struggled to raise his head and stared at Chu Ning with his bloodshot eyes.

His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Those grand pronouncements I had rehearsed countless times in my mind, those lofty words about destiny and restoring order.

Faced with this mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood, this scene of devastation, and Chu Ning's icy gaze, he couldn't utter a single word.

Lu Xiuwen lay on the ground, trembling all over, not daring to lift his head.

His earlier frenzied charge had vanished, leaving only a trembling, pitiful, dying old man.

Chu Ning's gaze first fell on Chu Yun.

That gaze was cold and sharp, carrying a deep sense of disappointment and disgust.

"Chu Yun,"

He spoke, his voice not loud, but every word was like a knife: "You are my seventeenth brother. Of the late emperor's eighteen sons, only you and I remain."

"Since I ascended the throne, although I know you have been dissatisfied, I have always considered our brotherly bond and have never treated you harshly."

"I will give you the salary of a prince, let you live a carefree life, and let you indulge in pleasures without any interference."

"I believe you will eventually understand that brotherly affection is more important than the struggle for power."

"I believe that you will eventually let go of your obsession and enjoy wealth and honor."

His voice suddenly turned stern: "But what about you? You secretly recruited private soldiers and plotted for years, all for this assassination today?"

"Do you know that the arrow you shot not only cost me my life, but also the fate of the Great Chu dynasty!"

"Do you know how many innocent people will die tragically and how many families will be torn apart by your rebellion?"

He abruptly pointed to the mountain of corpses, his voice filled with sorrow and anger:

"Look at these people! They are all soldiers you trained! They could have lived good lives, they could have gone home and reunited with their parents, wives and children!"

"But now, they are all dead! Dead here! Dead because of your ambition!"

"Their parents will never see their sons come home, their wives will never see their husbands return, and their children will never see their fathers embrace them again!"

"Chu Yun!"

Chu Ning shouted sternly, "As a prince, you eat the emperor's food and are supported by the people, yet you disregard the greater good of the nation and the lives of countless people for your own selfish desires!"

"How can you stand between heaven and earth? How can you face the late emperor and your ancestors?"

Chu Yun's body trembled violently.

He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, to refute, to laugh wildly and mock Chu Ning as before.

But at this moment, faced with the corpses scattered all over the ground, the pungent stench of blood, and Chu Ning's cold yet sorrowful gaze, he couldn't utter a single word.

He just stared intently at Chu Ning, his eyes filled with resentment, hatred, fear, and a trace of shame that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

Chu Ning stopped looking at him and turned her gaze to Lü Xiuwen, who was lying on the ground.

That gaze was even colder and sharper.

Like ancient ice, like a sharp blade, it pierced Lu Xiuwen, making him tremble all over and almost collapse to the ground.

“Lü Xiuwen.”

Chu Ning's voice was not loud, but it carried a suffocating sense of oppression: "I ask you, have I ever wronged you in any way?"

Lu Xiuwen lay on the ground, not daring to raise his head or answer.

Chu Ning continued, "Back then, you were just a minor official in Bingzhou, poor and frustrated."

"It was I who brought you out of Bingzhou, introduced you to the court, and entrusted you with important responsibilities!"

"It was I who promoted you step by step, from a secretary in the Six Ministries to a vice minister, then to a minister, and finally to a cabinet minister!"

"It is I who entrust you with the power of the Ministry of Personnel, allowing you to select officials throughout the land, to rise to the highest position among ministers, and to enjoy endless wealth and honor!"

His voice grew colder and harsher: "I have treated you with the utmost kindness and trust!"

"I believe you are my trusted advisor, a loyal man who shares my joys and sorrows and works with me to create a great cause!"

"I believe that you, Lü Xiuwen, are a person who knows how to repay kindness and understands the meaning of loyalty and righteousness!"

"But what about you?"

Chu Ning's voice suddenly rose, booming like thunder: "Your son was assassinated by a foreign tribe, and you are in unbearable pain. I understand!"

"So you're going to betray me, betray the Great Chu, and side with the traitor Chu Yun?"

"Your son's enemies are those foreign tribes! They are the Scorpion Clan! They are the Rouran! Not me!"

"Instead of thinking about how to avenge your son, instead of thinking about how to destroy those foreign tribes, you vent your resentment on me and on the Great Chu that gave you birth and raised you!"

"The 230,000 soldiers who died on the front lines were also human beings! They had parents, wives, and children too!"

"Weren't their parents grieving? Weren't their wives and children heartbroken? But did they ever betray their country and surrender to the enemy like you?!"

"Lü Xiuwen!"

Chu Ning spoke each word slowly and deliberately, each word like a heavy hammer blow to Lü Xiuwen's heart:

"You have neglected public duty for personal reasons, and forgotten the greater good of the nation for your own personal vendetta. This is disloyalty!"

"You have betrayed my trust and my kindness; this is unjust!"

"You instigated Chu Yun to rebel, causing the deaths of thousands of soldiers. This is inhumane!"

"You—disloyal, unjust, and heartless, how dare you live in this world?"

Lu Xiuwen lay on the ground, his whole body trembling violently.

Every word Chu Ning uttered was like a sharp dagger, piercing his heart, leaving him utterly devastated and utterly ashamed.

Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer.

He suddenly raised his head, and his once refined and elegant face was now completely distorted, his eyes filled with madness and despair.

He opened his mouth and let out a deafening, utterly miserable laugh:

"Hahahahaha—!"

The laughter, shrill and insane, filled with endless despair and resentment, echoed across the empty plains, sending chills down one's spine.

"Chu Ning! You're right! You're absolutely right!"

Lu Xiuwen laughed maniacally, his voice shrill and piercing: "I'm sorry to you? I betrayed you? Hahahaha! But do you know why I rebelled?"

"My son is dead! My son is dead! He was the only heir of the Lü family! He was my only hope! He's dead! Dead!"

His eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears, and his voice was completely distorted with emotion.

"You want me to seek revenge? How am I supposed to take revenge?! Those foreign tribes are thousands of miles away!"

"I can't kill them! I hate it! I hate it so much! But what about you? You're still being tough on foreign powers! You're still going to keep fighting!"

"Do you know how many officials' family members will continue to die at the hands of foreign assassins because of your tough stance?!"

"I oppose it because I don't want to see any more fathers lose their sons like I did!"

"I rebel because I want to change all of this!"

"I want to make peace with the barbarians, I want peace on the border, and I want all people's families to live in peace and safety!"