Chapter 422: News (Third Update)

The corpse seen earlier was still hanging in mid-air, but the space beneath it was now empty!

There were signs of a struggle within the courtyard, along with several corpses of Imperial Guards.

Furthermore, the barrier of Seven-Corner Alley had been shattered, clearly forced open by someone.

Chu Liuyue immediately searched the courtyard, but she failed to find any useful clues.

The only thing she could confirm was that the time of death for these people should not have exceeded one day.

Whether they were outside or inside, these deceased Imperial Guards did not have many wounds on their bodies; they had all been killed instantly by a direct slit to the throat.

This was clearly a one-sided massacre!

Chu Liuyue carefully examined their corpses, her brow gradually furrowing.

It appeared that the Imperial Guards had not even had time to resist.

Although these people could not be considered top-tier experts, they were all well-trained. To be able to deal with so many people simultaneously, without even leaving them a chance to pass on a message, meant that either the opponent had overwhelming numbers or possessed extreme strength!

Chu Liuyue leaned toward the latter.

The Imperial Capital had been under heavy guard recently; if that many people had truly arrived, the commotion of a fight between two sides would have certainly spread long ago, rather than leaving corpses scattered everywhere with no one knowing, as was the case now.

If she hadn't happened to arrive today, there was no telling when the situation here would have been discovered.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Liuyue headed straight for the Imperial Palace.

The palace was heavily guarded, but fortunately, Chu Liuyue and Rong Xiu now had an engagement. As the future Princess Consort of Prince Li, the palace servants naturally allowed her direct passage.

Chu Liuyue did not go to find Emperor Jiawen; instead, she headed straight for the Empress's sleeping quarters.

Walking along the path, she keenly sensed that the atmosphere in the palace was stiff, cold, and eerie; everyone had become extremely cautious.

Clearly, the matters involving the Empress and Rong Jin had left everyone on edge.

Halfway there, Chu Liuyue bumped into a group of people.

The person in front was none other than Chu Ning!

Having not seen him for a few days, he looked much more haggard and exhausted, showing how much he had been worrying during this period.

"Father!"

Chu Liuyue stepped forward quickly.

Hearing this familiar voice, Chu Ning immediately looked up and saw Chu Liuyue at a glance.

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly frowned.

"Yue'er, why are you here!?"

Chu Liuyue walked up to him

"Father, I have an urgent matter to tell you."

Looking at her expression, a sudden sense of unease welled up in Chu Ning's heart.

Yue'er had always been very sensible; if it weren't for an emergency, she would absolutely not have rushed to the palace to find him at this time.

He whispered a few instructions to the people behind him and then led Chu Liuyue to the side.

"What exactly happened?"

Chu Liuyue pursed her lips.

"Father, all the Imperial Guards responsible for guarding Seven-Corner Alley have been killed! And the bronze tripod in Seven-Corner Alley has also been stolen and its whereabouts are unknown!"

"Wh-what!?"

Chu Ning looked horrified.

He had anticipated that something bad might have happened, but he never expected—

"When did this happen!?"

Chu Liuyue gave a brief account of the events.

Chu Ning's expression grew increasingly grim.

"...In other words, it is still unknown who did this? And there are no clues at all?"

Chu Liuyue nodded slightly.

"I know Your Majesty places great importance on the matter of Seven-Corner Alley, and since you happen to be in charge of it recently, I rushed here immediately after the incident occurred."

Frost seemed to settle on Chu Ning's face.

He had been busy in the palace dealing with the Empress's affairs these past few days, so he had temporarily set aside the matters of Seven-Corner Alley and left them to his subordinates.

But he never expected such a thing to happen!

Even if His Majesty had ordered him to stay in the palace to resolve the issues here first, he would still be unable to escape blame!

"Fine, I understand. I will go report to His Majesty immediately."

Chu Ning made a quick decision.

This matter would be known to His Majesty sooner or later; even if he were to be punished, he had to face it proactively.

"Yue'er, you go back first—"

Chu Liuyue shook her head.

"I will accompany Father. I am the first person to discover this matter; there is no reason for me not to go."

Chu Ning hesitated slightly.

"This matter involves great stakes. Father does not want you to be dragged into it."

Based on his investigations in various aspects over the past few days, he had already vaguely sensed that the Empress must have set a massive scheme before her death.

Even though she was dead now, the matter was far from over.

Especially... now that the bronze tripod of Seven-Corner Alley had mysteriously vanished!

From any perspective, he hoped Yue'er could remain uninvolved.

The corners of Chu Liuyue's lips curled slightly.

"From the moment I went to Seven-Corner Alley, it became impossible to easily withdraw. But don't worry, Father, Yue'er knows what she is doing. I know very well what should and should not be done."

Chu Ning looked at her with a deep gaze.

How could he not know that this was merely her way of speaking?

The real reason was that if she appeared, it would, to a large extent, mitigate the punishment His Majesty would impose upon him.

Feeling a pang of heartache, Chu Ning finally nodded.

"Fine. Come with me to see His Majesty."

Chu Liuyue walked beside Chu Ning, and the Imperial Guards behind them tactfully maintained a distance from the two.

Originally, Chu Liuyue wanted to ask about the situation regarding the Empress, but after thinking it over, she suppressed the words.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the group finally arrived at Zhaoyang Hall.

Strangely, although it was currently daytime, the doors of Zhaoyang Hall were tightly shut.

Furthermore, the number of guards outside the hall was double that of usual, appearing to be on high alert.

Chu Ning tactfully stopped.

Eunuch Min, who was guarding the entrance of the hall, saw Chu Ning and knew he had come to report to His Majesty, but immediately after, he saw Chu Liuyue standing beside him.

Eunuch Min's heart skipped a beat.

Why had this lady come at a time like this!?

He hurriedly scurried over with small steps.

"Lord Chu Ning, His Majesty is currently handling important matters. Please wait a moment."

After saying that, he looked at Chu Liuyue: "Miss Liuyue, why have you come today?"

Chu Liuyue spoke concisely

"I have an important matter to report to His Majesty along with my father. There is no need for you to worry, Eunuch Min; we will just wait here."

Eunuch Min was a shrewd man; seeing the expressions of Chu Liuyue and Chu Ning, he sensed something was wrong. He did not ask further, merely offered a few words of agreement, and retreated.

However, just as he walked back, the doors were suddenly flung open from the inside!

*Bang!*

A middle-aged man dressed in black brocade stepped out!

His expression was extremely grim, and he carried an aura of majesty that warned others not to approach.

Seeing him emerge, Eunuch Min immediately took a respectful step back.

But the man ignored him entirely, walking out with large, purposeful strides!

Looking at that face, Chu Liuyue narrowed her eyes slightly.

This appearance... was somewhat familiar.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up!

This man bore a fifty-percent resemblance to Situ Xingchen!