Chapter 360: Twin Bells (Third Update)

The Empress's heart skipped a beat.

The matter had indeed been exposed!

Panic surged within her. Enduring the sharp pain in her chest, she pleaded

"Your Majesty, this servant had no other intentions; I only... I only sought stability! For all these years, there was only Si Meng—"

"You still dare to argue!"

Emperor Jiawen was incensed, his eyes seemingly burning with raging flames!

The Empress was startled.

Emperor Jiawen had never lost his temper with her like this before.

She knew, in truth, that this matter had touched Emperor Jiawen's bottom line.

Whether there was one person or ten did not actually matter; what mattered was that regarding Si Meng's existence, Emperor Jiawen had been kept entirely in the dark.

This was equivalent to delivering a resounding slap to the face of Emperor Jiawen and the entire imperial guard!

"Speak! Where are that rebellious disciple and Rong Zhen now?!"

The Empress shook her head, weeping

"Your Majesty, this servant truly does not know. Si Meng died several days ago, but as for Zhenzhen, his whereabouts remain unknown even now..."

Emperor Jiawen stared fixedly at her and let out a cold laugh

"Dead? Isn't that a bit too coincidental?"

"It is true! This servant has always been in contact with him, but the connection was suddenly severed a few days ago. He is indeed dead! Your Majesty, this servant is not lying to you!"

Seeing the Empress in such a state, Emperor Jiawen finally believed her somewhat, but the fury in his heart did not diminish in the slightest.

"Whether he is dead or alive can be discussed later. What I want to know now is where Rong Zhen is!"

The Empress's weeping grew even more sorrowful.

"Your Majesty, actually, these past few days, this servant has also been searching for Rong Zhen in secret, but... but there have been no clues. This servant is also worried to the extreme; I have been restless day and night..."

Unable to restrain himself, Emperor Jiawen kicked her again.

"If you were truly restless, you should have told me long ago! If I hadn't discovered it myself today, how long were you planning to hide it!? You are already the Empress, and your son is the Crown Prince! What more do you have to be dissatisfied with!?"

The Empress collapsed to the ground, her hair disheveled and her clothes soiled, looking utterly wretched.

Standing behind Emperor Jiawen, Eunuch Min watched this scene with a trembling heart.

Having served His Majesty for so many years, he had never seen the Emperor lay hands on the Empress; today, it was clear the Emperor was beyond furious.

He did not dare to intervene.

It was one thing for the Empress to hide Rong Zhen's disappearance, but to secretly maintain a group of secret guards—wasn't this clearly acting in opposition to His Majesty?

Once this matter was exposed, even the Empress's throne might not be secure!

"Guards! Take the Empress away! At the same time, summon Si Yezhi to the palace immediately!"

He actually wanted to ask Si Yezhi if the Si family was planning a rebellion!

The Empress suddenly looked up, her face filled with panic.

Was His Majesty going to imprison her!?

How could this be?

Once the news spread, she would certainly be unable to continue as Empress!

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I beg you, for the sake of the many years I have served you, please let me off this once! And Rong Jin, Rong Jin! Whatever punishment you wish to inflict upon me, I will accept, but if the Kingdom of Xingluo finds out about this, it will surely have a massive impact on the marriage alliance between our two sides!"

Her final words caused a flicker of hesitation in Emperor Jiawen's heart.

That was true.

Currently, Rong Jin was in the Kingdom of Xingluo. If all went smoothly, his marriage to Situ Xingchen could be finalized.

But if this scandal broke out now...

He stared deeply at the Empress, his gaze so piercing that she felt a sense of dread in her heart.

"Si Huijing, you certainly have a clever scheme!"

She must have calculated all of this long ago! She had deliberately used Rong Jin as her final shield!

Even though he knew she had intentionally dug a pit, he still had to jump into it!

The Empress's pale lips trembled as she averted her gaze, not daring to look at Emperor Jiawen or speak again.

After an unknown amount of time, Emperor Jiawen said coldly

"Issue the decree: The Empress has contracted a severe illness and is bedridden. The affairs of the inner palace are to be temporarily handed over to Noble Consort Gu for full management!"

The Empress's heart sank!

His Majesty was going to place her under house arrest and strip her of all her powers!

"Your Majesty—"

Emperor Jiawen leaned down, gripped the Empress's chin firmly, and said word by word

"I will send people to find Rong Zhen. Once Rong Jin's matters are concluded and Rong Zhen's whereabouts are brought to light, I will come to deal with you!"

With that, he released his grip, and the Empress tumbled violently to the ground.

He turned and left with large, strides. Eunuch Min glanced at the Empress before hurriedly following after him.

Only after their figures had completely disappeared did the Empress breathe a sigh of relief, suddenly pulling something from her bosom.

Now, all hope rested on Rong Jin...

The marriage alliance must go smoothly!

***

The Kingdom of Xingluo.

A palace banquet was being held to welcome Rong Jin and the others.

Inside the great hall, wine flowed and toasts were exchanged. Many people were approaching Rong Jin to offer toasts, making the atmosphere extremely lively.

The reason for this was that Emperor Mingzhen of Xingluo, Situ Chong, had just agreed to Rong Jin's marriage proposal for Situ Xingchen.

The two sides had officially become in-laws!

Situ Chong seemed very satisfied with Rong Jin, even directly setting the wedding date for one month later.

This could not help but leave everyone filled with doubt.

In the past, many scions of noble families had sought to marry Situ Xingchen, but neither Situ Xingchen nor Situ Chong had ever given their consent.

They had thought it was because Situ Chong was reluctant to part with his precious daughter, but unexpectedly, as soon as Rong Jin arrived, he agreed immediately.

Of course, everyone knew that this marriage alliance was of great importance and must have been discussed beforehand; this was merely a formality.

Yet, people still could not fathom: why Rong Jin specifically?

Rumor had it that the Crown Prince of the neighboring Yaochen Kingdom had a rather poor reputation lately.

But what surprised everyone even more was that Elder Zongye, who had just returned from the Mingyue Heavenly Mountains, also spoke highly of Rong Jin.

With him speaking up, naturally, no one dared to object.

And so, the marriage alliance was successfully completed.

Surrounded by the enthusiastic crowd, Rong Jin was truly feeling triumphant. Looking at the jealous and envious eyes of those people, he felt that the hardships he had endured recently finally had an outlet.

With a face full of smiles, he raised a glass toward Situ Xingchen, who was sitting not far away, in a distant toast.

Situ Xingchen nodded slightly with a smile, poised and gentle.

Rong Jin felt a sense of vindication

What was his would ultimately belong to him!

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly. He smiled at the people around him

"This Prince feels a bit dizzy; I shall step out for some fresh air."

The crowd thought he was trying to dodge the drinking and burst into laughter, not attempting to stop him.

Rong Jin left the great hall with somewhat hurried steps.

Situ Xingchen's eyes narrowed slightly. She also stood up and walked toward the exit of the hall.

Rong Jin walked to a secluded corner and took a bell from his bosom.

At this moment, the bell was vibrating, producing an extremely faint sound.

However, Rong Jin's expression became even more grim.

Before leaving, he had specifically kept this Twin Bell; if something happened to Rong Zhen, his Mother Empress would ring it.

Did something happen on the Mother Empress's side!?

"Your Highness."

A soft voice drifted over.

(End of Chapter)