Chapter 386: Impersonation (Third Update)

The Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Study.

Emperor Jiawen looked at the booklet in his hands, his brow furrowing deeper with every glance, until finally, with a loud "thud," he tossed the thing aside.

"Chu Ning, I ordered you to search Seven-Corner Alley with everything you had, and all you found were these useless things?"

Chu Ning, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides, immediately knelt.

"Your Majesty, this official has utilized every connection and method available, but this is truly all that can be uncovered at present. Although there are over a hundred sets of bones in Seven-Corner Alley, aside from being able to identify them as cultivators, not a single shred of information regarding their identities can be found. It seems as though anything capable of revealing their identities was specifically dealt with; nothing can be found. Even... aside from the corpse that is still hanging, there isn't even a single piece of clothing left on the other bones."

The person responsible for these actions was clearly extremely cautious.

Chu Ning had spent almost these past few days without sleep, even truly turning Seven-Corner Alley upside down, but aside from piles of bones, there truly had been no other breakthroughs.

Emperor Jiawen rubbed his brow in irritation.

He knew this matter would not be easily cleared up, and sitting here in anxiety was useless, but as soon as he thought of that bronze vat stained with dried, dark red blood, his heart filled with dread.

Chu Ning glanced at Emperor Jiawen and continued

"Regarding the investigation, Her Majesty the Empress visits Seven-Corner Alley on average once every two months. Her movements are extremely discreet, and she only stays there for a short time each time. Therefore, for such a long time, she has never been discovered."

Emperor Jiawen's expression was incredibly grim.

In truth, he had personally interrogated the Empress several times, but her mouth was extremely tight. From beginning to end, she only said that everything was her doing, but she refused to mention whether it was actually prepared for Rong Jin, let alone why she would do such a thing.

In the interim, with Emperor Jiawen's tacit permission, his subordinates had even applied torture to the Empress, yet they still failed to obtain any useful clues.

The moment he thought about how the Empress had deceived him for so many years right under his nose without him noticing even slightly, a chill would surge from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, making his entire being shudder.

*Knock, knock.*

"Your Majesty, the Third Prince requests an audience," Eunuch Min said cautiously from outside.

"Let him in."

Emperor Jiawen took a deep breath and looked at Rong Jiu as he pushed the door open, asking

"Do you have any news from your side?"

As soon as Rong Jiu entered and saw Chu Ning kneeling on the ground, he realized that the man likely hadn't found anything.

He first offered a respectful salute, and only then did he speak unhurriedly

"I personally interrogated all the servants in Her Majesty the Empress's palace and obtained some information that might be of some use."

Emperor Jiawen finally regained some spirit

"Speak quickly!"

Rong Jiu said

"According to the testimony of the Empress's personal maid, Her Majesty keeps a box to herself and never allows anyone else to touch it. At regular intervals, Her Majesty locks herself inside her sleeping quarters. At first, the palace servants didn't think much of it, but later, a eunuch accidentally stumbled in and finally discovered that Her Majesty was inside, seemingly looking at the contents of that box."

Emperor Jiawen pondered for a moment

"What kind of box is it that she values so much? How is it that I have never known of it?"

Rong Jiu sneered inwardly.

There was no such thing as affection between Emperor Jiawen and the Empress, especially regarding Emperor Jiawen; he likely hadn't even devoted one-tenth of his thoughts to her.

If he had ever cared for the Empress, he wouldn't have allowed her to carry out so many chaotic affairs right under his nose.

The Empress frequently entered and exited Seven-Corner Alley and even continuously hunted cultivators to accumulate power for that bronze vat, yet Emperor Jiawen remained unaware—so how could he know about a small box?

To deceive Emperor Jiawen was truly too easy.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but mock himself.

It was precisely because of this that the Empress had silently killed his Imperial Mother, yet had never received the punishment she deserved!

Emperor Jiawen's treatment of his mother hadn't been much better!

Rong Jiu suppressed his emotions, his face a mask of calm.

"I was unable to ask about that specific detail; after all, the palace servants do not dare to pry into Her Majesty's belongings. However, that eunuch who accidentally discovered the matter passed away shortly after, having supposedly fallen into the lake and drowned. Since then, everyone in the Empress's palace has remained tight-lipped about the matter."

This time, he had also used certain methods to finally extract this single point of information.

"I believe that if we can find that box, many questions should be resolved easily."

Emperor Jiawen's expression turned solemn.

"Are you saying that the box is related to the matter of Seven-Corner Alley?"

"This is merely my speculation. In the absence of other clues, this is the only viable path."

Emperor Jiawen thought for a moment and felt that these words made quite a bit of sense.

"In that case, Rong Jiu, go to the Empress and tell her to hand the item over!"

Rong Jiu hesitated

"Imperial Father, since Her Majesty values that box so much, she likely won't hand it over easily..."

"Tell her this: if she hands it over honestly, I might still give Rong Jin a chance. If she remains obstinate... let her weigh the consequences herself!"

A trace of cold light, difficult to detect, flashed through the depths of Rong Jiu's eyes.

"Your son obeys the decree."

Having said that, he quickly took his leave.

Emperor Jiawen looked at Chu Ning helplessly.

"Chu Ning, you must also hurry your side. If all else fails, start from other angles! Go and investigate everyone who had close dealings with the Empress and Rong Jin in the past!"

"Yes!"

Only after Chu Ning had withdrawn did Emperor Jiawen relax his body and lean back into his chair.

Chu Ning was good at everything, except for one thing—his methods were insufficient.

By comparison, Rong Jiu's efficiency was much higher.

After all, he was tempered within the Northwest Army...

Thinking of this, Emperor Jiawen felt a vague sense of discomfort in his heart.

He had never previously thought of leaving the throne to Rong Jiu, because he truly could not bring himself to like this son, and the aura of slaughter upon him was far too heavy, sometimes even making Emperor Jiawen feel a sense of wariness.

But looking at it now... Rong Jin was absolutely out of the question. Among the remaining princes, Rong Jiu had actually become the most suitable.

Even if he was cold and murderous, it was better than being weak and incompetent.

Regrettably...

Emperor Jiawen let out a long sigh, appearing to age a dozen years in an instant.

If only Rong Xiu's health were better...

***

The Empress's Palace.

The former bustle and prosperity had vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced now by a scene of desolate loneliness and hardship, with only layers of guards trapping the Empress within.

When Situ Xingchen arrived here, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

Emperor Jiawen's hatred and wariness toward the Empress had actually reached such an extent...

A guard saw Situ Xingchen and immediately stepped forward

"Grand Princess Situ, please stop. By His Majesty's command, no one is permitted to approach here!"

Situ Xingchen took a token from her sleeve, assuming the full dignified posture of a Grand Princess

"This Princess has come on official orders."

The guard glanced at it, recognized it as indeed the Emperor's token, and hurriedly stepped aside

"Grand Princess Situ, please!"

Situ Xingchen put the token away and walked into the Empress's palace with a composed expression.

(End of Chapter)