Chapter 423: I Want Him to Win (Fourth Update)

Presumably, this man is the Emperor of the Xingluo Kingdom—Situ Yan.

Judging by his appearance, his conversation with Emperor Jiawen was clearly unpleasant, and he had most likely been forced into a disadvantageous position.

Otherwise, he would never have displayed such an expression in front of so many people.

He was an emperor, after all; unless he had truly encountered something unbearable, he shouldn't have reacted this way.

For a moment, Chu Liuyue felt a flicker of curiosity.

She wondered what Emperor Jiawen had said or done to make Situ Yan so infuriated.

Situ Yan walked past them.

Suddenly, Situ Yan paused his steps and turned his head to look at Chu Liuyue.

"You are Chu Liuyue?"

Chu Liuyue's eyes flickered slightly.

How strange—did this man actually know her?

She lowered her head slightly and performed a formal curtsy.

Situ Yan's gaze was like a razor-sharp steel blade, scraping across Chu Liuyue's body.

Chu Liuyue's heart stirred slightly.

It seemed Situ Yan didn't have a very good impression of her...

Chu Ning took a step forward, imperceptibly shielding Chu Liuyue and blocking Situ Yan's line of sight.

Situ Yan let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

Only after his figure had gradually disappeared did Chu Ning turn back and ask with some concern

"Yue'er, when did you offend this man?"

Chu Liuyue gave a light laugh and shrugged.

"Today is also the first time I've met him; how could I have had the chance to offend him? However, I did offend his precious pearl before."

Situ Chu Chen?

Chu Ning nodded in understanding.

Seeing his suddenly relieved expression, Chu Liuyue asked curiously

"You aren't worried?"

"What is there to worry about?" Chu Ning chuckled. "How could his daughter be compared to my Yue'er?"

He vaguely knew that Situ Chu Chen seemed to have feelings for Rong Xiu, but since Rong Xiu had asked to marry Yue'er, wasn't it obvious why Situ Chu Chen treated his own Yue'er that way?

In Chu Ning's eyes, all the women in the world combined were not as good as his precious Yue'er alone.

Setting aside everything else, Rong Xiu certainly had excellent taste.

Chu Liuyue: "..."

How did she detect a hint of pride in those words?

"Is Chu Ning here? Let him in!"

Emperor Jiawen's voice drifted from within the Zhaoyang Palace.

Eunuch Min hurriedly said

"Your Majesty, Miss Liuyue has also arrived. She says she has important matters to report."

There was a moment of silence inside.

"Then let her come in as well!"

Chu Ning and Chu Liuyue exchanged a glance, both becoming solemn, and entered the Zhaoyang Palace one after the other.

Upon entering the hall, Chu Liuyue immediately saw Emperor Jiawen sitting at the head.

The expression on his face seemed better than it had been in the past few days; clearly, he had vented his frustration on Situ Yan.

"Liuyue, you do not visit the palace often. What brings you here today?"

His tone was relaxed, clearly not placing much importance on Chu Liuyue's arrival.

Chu Liuyue exchanged a look with Chu Ning, then stepped forward and said

"Your Majesty, Liuyue's visit today is related to Seven Corner Alley."

Upon hearing the words "Seven Corner Alley," Emperor Jiawen's expression froze instantly. His body straightened involuntarily, and his eyes stared intently at Chu Liuyue.

"What did you say?"

Chu Liuyue paused for a moment before revealing everything.

However, she changed her reason for going to Seven Corner Alley to having passed by there by chance.

She did not want Emperor Jiawen to know that she was also investigating this matter in secret.

Emperor Jiawen had been shocked from the very first sentence.

He didn't know how much effort it took to suppress the urge to flip the table, but the veins on his hands gripping the chair were already bulging!

Furthermore, his complexion was a mix of pale and livid—quite a sight!

Chu Liuyue had long anticipated his reaction. She acted as if she hadn't noticed, calmly recounting the events.

"...Because the matter is of great importance, Liuyue did not dare to act alone and rushed here immediately."

Chu Ning immediately knelt to plead for punishment

"It was all due to this official's negligence that this situation occurred. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Emperor Jiawen slowly rested his hand against his forehead and remained silent for a long time.

Chu Ning and Chu Liuyue waited quietly.

In truth, Emperor Jiawen's inner emotions were extremely complex, and his mind was a tangled mess.

He had thought that with the Empress dead and Rong Jin deposed, the truth of this matter would gradually come to light.

But now, this had happened!

His first reaction was to suspect Situ Chu Chen.

After all, he was basically certain that Situ Chu Chen had met the Empress in secret, learned many things from her, and even obtained the matching key the Empress had secretly engraved before her death, which allowed Rong Jin to enter Sijin Peak smoothly.

She was ambitious; it wouldn't be strange at all for her to do such a thing.

But the key point was—the current Situ Chu Chen was trapped somewhere!

Therefore, the bronze vat clearly wasn't stolen by her.

And it seemed unlikely that Situ Yan had done it either.

Because the matter was urgent this time, Situ Yan had arrived at the fastest possible speed, bringing only a few personal guards with him.

"The opponent is powerful and clearly came prepared. This matter cannot be blamed entirely on you..."

Emperor Jiawen finally managed to suppress the turmoil in his heart and spoke slowly.

"Take men to Seven Corner Alley immediately and investigate if any clues can be found. Report back as soon as the investigation is complete."

"Yes!"

"As for Liuyue... since you were the first to see it, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make a trip as well."

Chu Liuyue said

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Liuyue will do her utmost."

Emperor Jiawen nodded, then suddenly asked

"By the way, this won't take up too much of your time and energy, will it? Regarding Vice General Mu... prioritize him in all matters, do you understand?"

Chu Liuyue complied, but she chuckled inwardly.

Even though they were currently overwhelmed with trouble, they still didn't dare to easily offend Mu Qinghe.

If Emperor Jiawen knew that the two people who entered the Imperial Mausoleum were actually her and Mu Qinghe, she wondered what kind of expression he would make.

"I am somewhat tired. You may leave."

Emperor Jiawen waved his hand, and Chu Ning led Chu Liuyue out.

Walking out of the Zhaoyang Palace, Chu Liuyue suddenly asked

"Father, may I go to the Empress's former residence to take a look?"

Chu Ning was startled

"What are you going there for?"

Chu Liuyue pondered for a moment and smiled

"Perhaps I might find some useful clues for you."

However, Chu Ning shook his head with a serious expression.

"The Empress's funeral will be held tomorrow. It is not appropriate for you to go there now."

He still wanted to try his best to keep Chu Liuyue distanced from these matters.

Seeing his firm attitude, Chu Liuyue did not press further and changed the subject.

The group left the palace together and headed straight for Seven Corner Alley.

***

At the Prince of Li's Manor.

"Master, a portion of the Northwest Army has already departed for the Imperial Capital," Yu Mo said in a low voice.

"They will arrive here in three days at most. What are your thoughts..."

Rong Xiu's expression was indifferent as he turned a page of his book.

"How many people are coming?"

"Not many, five thousand. But these are almost all elite troops from the Northwest Army, battle-hardened men who can almost take on ten opponents each. Although the Imperial Capital's Imperial Guard is larger in number, if the two sides truly clash, the outcome is uncertain. Not to mention, there are reinforcements coming behind them..."

The corners of Rong Xiu's lips curled slightly.

"Rong Jiu does not fight a battle without preparation. Besides... this Prince intends to let him win."

(End of Chapter)