Chapter 379: Summoned (First Update)

Situ Xingchen brushed Rong Jin's hand away without a second thought.

Rong Jin was startled. "Xingchen?"

Wasn't she just smiling and laughing at him with eyes full of tenderness before? How could she suddenly become so cold in the blink of an eye?

He even saw a fleeting flash of disgust in her eyes.

Situ Xingchen gave a concealing smile and spoke softly again

"Your Highness, please do not misunderstand. It is not that I do not wish to help, but this matter involves great stakes, and His Majesty may not be willing to let others know... If I were to rashly ask Imperial Father to intervene, it might instead make His Majesty even angrier, and ultimately result in a clumsy failure, wouldn't it?"

Hearing this, Rong Jin also began to hesitate.

What Situ Xingchen said made sense.

Currently, it seemed Imperial Father was already convinced that this matter was the work of the Empress Dowager. Afterward, he would likely hold them accountable, and perhaps even... the Situ family might not be spared.

This was no longer a simple matter of "family scandal."

If the news spread, the reputation of the entire Yao Chen Imperial Family would likely be destroyed completely!

But beyond that, he truly could not think of any other way.

"Then... then what should we do?"

Rong Jin had never seen Emperor Jiawen so furious.

"Xingchen, you must find a way to help me! We are already engaged; if something happens to me or my mother..."

Situ Xingchen was currently filled with intense regret.

If she had known things would develop this way, she would rather die than have replied to that letter from Rong Jin!

She feigned deep thought for a moment and said

"Your Highness, do not be anxious yet. This matter has not reached a final conclusion; there must still be room for maneuver. How about... I return to Xingluo first to discuss it with Imperial Father, and then we can see how to resolve this?"

She had to get out of this place of trouble as quickly as possible!

As soon as she returned, she would immediately inform Imperial Father and dissolve her engagement with Rong Jin!

Rong Jin, however, was unaware of Situ Xingchen's thoughts. He merely thought she had agreed to ask her father for help. He was instantly filled with gratitude, and even the slight displeasure and suspicion from being brushed off earlier vanished completely.

"Good, good! Then you must do it as quickly as possible! I will wait for your news!"

As Rong Jin spoke, a trace of emotion surfaced on his face.

"Xingchen, as expected, you are the only one willing to help me..."

Suppressing the nausea in her heart, Situ Xingchen urged him with a smile

"Your Highness, please rest assured. Her Majesty the Empress is still waiting for you there; please go quickly! The events of today must have had a massive impact on her. You must take good care of her."

A wave of warmth surged in Rong Jin's heart. He looked at Situ Xingchen with gratitude, never having found her so moving.

Unable to restrain his impulse, he suddenly pulled Situ Xingchen into his arms.

Situ Xingchen was startled by his movement and almost struck him!

"Xingchen... I promise you, once this matter is over, we shall have our grand wedding!"

Rong Jin said, word by word.

Situ Xingchen's body went stiff.

If there weren't people watching nearby, she would have pushed him away long ago!

She closed her eyes, suppressing her rage

"Your Highness, now is not the time to discuss such things. Let us first resolve the Empress's troubles."

Hearing this, Rong Jin finally let her go, giving her one last deep look.

"Then I leave everything to you."

With that, Rong Jin turned and left.

Situ Xingchen felt as if her entire body were covered in crawling ants; she almost screamed aloud!

Once the figures of those people had finally disappeared, she quickly turned to Rong Jiu and said

"Third Prince, since things have come to this, this Princess does not wish to disturb His Majesty any further and will take her leave."

Having said that, she walked toward the exit.

Rong Jiu raised his voice

"Grand Princess Situ, this is quite impolite. How about I send someone to escort you back?"

As if she hadn't heard him, Situ Xingchen walked away briskly.

Soon, only Chu Liuyue and Rong Jiu remained in the courtyard.

Chu Liuyue bowed to Rong Jiu

"I must thank the Third Prince for this."

If Rong Jiu had not intervened, Chu Ning would certainly have faced punishment, and even more so, would not have drawn out the Seven Horns.

Rong Jiu, however, gave Chu Liuyue a thoughtful look.

"There is no need to thank me. We are merely pursuing our own interests."

With that, he turned and left.

Chu Liuyue raised an eyebrow.

She hadn't noticed before, but Rong Jiu was actually quite interesting.

At the very least, he was honest enough.

However...

Judging by his reaction just now, he didn't seem to know the actual situation here.

Her eyes flickered slightly.

She hadn't hidden Rong Zhen here before, yet he had appeared here mysteriously over the past two days, and just happened to be seen by Rong Jiu...

Most importantly, Rong Zhen's memory was clearly in a state of confusion.

He clearly did not remember everything that had happened in the mountains outside the Imperial Capital; instead, he remembered the Empress sending him here.

And Si Meng—he had clearly died right in front of her, yet now she had remembered it completely wrong.

If it weren't for the words Rong Zhen had spoken, Emperor Jiawen would never have so decisively assigned guilt to the Empress.

In the entire Imperial Capital, there should only be one person capable of doing this.

—Rong Xiu!

Chu Liuyue curled her lip slightly.

She had stayed at Rong Xiu's place for quite a long time yesterday, yet he hadn't even mentioned this matter!

Who could have guessed that from beginning to end, all these matters were being manipulated by the never-before-seen Rong Xiu?

Even as she recalled this series of developments, she felt a sense of profound sighing in her heart.

Rong Xiu's schemes and methods were truly deeper than she had imagined...

However, this feeling of having someone to clean up after her at any time, orchestrating everything to solve all troubles, didn't seem too bad?

The corners of Chu Liuyue's mouth curled up. She turned back to look at that bronze vat and fell into thought.

What exactly was the Empress trying to do with this thing?

Was it really just to help Rong Jin increase his cultivation?

But even if Rong Jin relied on his own cultivation, there wouldn't actually be much of a problem.

If hundreds of people had died here, it meant the Empress had been doing this for a very long time.

What was her true motive?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Chu Liuyue's mind!

Rong Zhen had previously mentioned a secret regarding Rong Jin; could it be related to that?

***

The Situ Family.

On the martial arts training grounds, the younger generation of the Situ family was practicing diligently.

Situ Yezhi stood below the field, offering occasional guidance.

The reason the Situ family could be the head of the four great families was largely because their fresh blood was very abundant.

These teenagers and young adults were all exceptionally outstanding.

Compared to other families, this point was particularly prominent in the Situ family.

Although they couldn't compare to Si Ting, Situ Yezhi was already very satisfied.

Suddenly, a guard ran over from outside, looking hurried.

"Patriarch! His Majesty has issued an urgent summons!"

Situ Yezhi was stunned.

At a time like this, what business could His Majesty have to suddenly summon him to the palace?

"Do you know what it is about?"

The guard shook his head, but his expression was somewhat tense

"Eunuch Min is waiting outside! He looks quite anxious."

Situ Yezhi frowned.

Judging by the guard's reaction, it seemed it wasn't as simple as just being "anxious."

He said in a heavy voice

"Understood. I am going now."