Chapter 362: Questioning (Fifth Update)

Hearing this voice, a cold light flashed in Chu Liuyue's eyes.

Immediately, she composed her expression and turned back with a calm face.

The person speaking was none other than Cheng Han!

"Dean? Why are you here?"

Elder Mocang was extremely surprised.

Recently, Cheng Han had been busy investigating the matters regarding Yang Jianqing and Heng Jingchuo, and had not shown his face for several days. He hadn't expected him to suddenly appear now.

"When you said 'not letting her leave' just now, were you referring to Chu Liuyue?"

Cheng Han strode forward like a shooting star, his expression serious

"Correct!"

Elder Mocang froze, momentarily bewildered.

Hadn't the Dean always wanted Chu Liuyue to leave as soon as possible? Now that she was finally leaving, why was he suddenly stopping her?

"Dean, you are—"

"Chu Liuyue, you know exactly why this old man is stopping you, don't you?" Cheng Han came to a halt three paces in front of Chu Liuyue, his expression stern and fierce.

Chu Liuyue's heart skipped a beat.

—Could it be that the matter of the God-Shocking Art has been discovered?

That shouldn't be possible; with Cheng Han's strength, he shouldn't have reached the realm where he could perceive such things...

A polite smile appeared on her calm face.

"Dean Cheng Han, I don't know what you are talking about."

"You don't know?" A cold sneer curled the corner of Cheng Han's mouth. "No one knows what you've done better than you yourself! Rong Jin is coming any moment now. You'd better save those excuses for him!"

Rong Jin?

Chu Liuyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

It seemed it wasn't because of the God-Shocking Art.

But what did this have to do with Rong Jin?

Her brow furrowed slightly.

In Cheng Han's eyes, this expression was clearly the guilt and panic of someone whose misdeeds had been exposed.

Seeing Cheng Han's hard-to-hide look of schadenfreude, Chu Liuyue suddenly remembered something.

—If she remembered correctly, Rong Jin should have already arrived in the Starry Kingdom to enter a political marriage with Situ Xingchen!

Just as she was thinking about this, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind her.

Cheng Han looked over, a long-awaited smile appearing on his face.

Chu Liuyue turned around.

Who else could it be but Rong Jin, walking in through the main gate?

He looked anxious, his steps hurried, clearly having rushed from somewhere in a great haste.

Their eyes met for a moment.

Rong Jin abruptly halted his steps.

All along the way, he had been thinking about how he would question Chu Liuyue once he saw her, but now that he was actually facing her, his mind suddenly went blank.

In his heart, he actually did not wish to confront Chu Liuyue like this, but...

Seeing the flash of struggle in the depths of Rong Jin's eyes, Chu Liuyue narrowed her eyes.

Then, she saw Situ Xingchen behind Rong Jin.

She was a step behind Rong Jin, appearing as if she were accompanying him.

When she raised her eyes and saw Chu Liuyue, she was also suddenly startled, clearly not expecting to run into her directly here.

However, she quickly adjusted her expression.

She shifted her gaze nonchalantly, walked to Rong Jin's side, and said in a gentle voice

"Your Highness, things can be discussed calmly. Please, do not let this upset you."

Chu Liuyue's eyebrows shot up high.

Since when did the relationship between Situ Xingchen and Rong Jin become so good?

Hadn't they only met a few times?

Rong Jin glanced at Situ Xingchen and nodded

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Chu Liuyue crossed her arms, lost in thought.

She had only gone into the Library Pavilion to read for a few days, yet it seemed a lot had happened outside...

"Dean Cheng Han, thank you for helping me stop her."

Rong Jin cupped his hands in a salute toward Cheng Han.

Cheng Han waved his hand dismissively

"It's a small matter, not worth mentioning! Xingchen told this old man that I must help you with this, so naturally, I wouldn't refuse!"

Rong Jin gave Situ Xingchen a grateful look.

"Thank you."

"It is best not to delay Your Highness's important business," Situ Xingchen said in a gentle voice.

Chu Liuyue finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

If she hadn't personally seen the cloud patterns on Situ Xingchen's clothes and witnessed how she acted toward Rong Xiu, she truly would have thought that Situ Xingchen had given her heart to Rong Jin.

Setting everything else aside, her acting was truly superb!

Hearing this laugh, Rong Jin instinctively felt that Chu Liuyue was mocking him, and his face darkened slightly.

"Chu Liuyue, what are you laughing at?"

Chu Liuyue shrugged

"It's nothing. If the Crown Prince has something to say to me, just say it. Why make such a grand spectacle?"

Rong Jin paused, then asked in a heavy voice

"Does the matter regarding Rong Zhen have something to do with you?"

Chu Liuyue's eyes flickered. "What?"

Seeing her reaction, Rong Jin's heart wavered for a moment.

She seemed to truly not know...

But Situ Xingchen had clearly said she saw Chu Liuyue and Rong Zhen together.

"I am asking—did you do something to Rong Zhen before!?"

Chu Liuyue's mind raced.

She had done this matter very discreetly; logically, no one should have noticed.

But the Empress might not necessarily be unaware that it was her.

After all, the Empress likely knew about most of the things Rong Zhen had done previously.

It would seem quite normal for her to direct that suspicion toward Rong Jin.

Except...

Looking at Rong Jin's manner, why did he seem so certain about this matter?

Chu Liuyue shook her head

"Crown Prince, I truly do not know what you are asking. Shouldn't the Fourth Princess be in the Imperial Palace of the Yaochen Kingdom right now? Why are you coming here to pick a fight with me?"

Rong Jin finally lost his patience. He took a step forward and barked in a low, angry voice

"Stop pretending! Rong Zhen's disappearance must be your doing! Someone saw her with you before she went missing!"

Chu Liuyue blinked, her gaze clear and clean, shrouded in a layer of faint confusion

"The Fourth Princess has disappeared? Since when?"

Looking at her expression, Rong Jin suddenly felt a sense of hesitation.

Could it be that Chu Liuyue really didn't know?

Chu Liuyue's gaze shifted slightly as she looked toward Situ Xingchen on the side with great interest.

She thought she knew why Rong Jin knew.

"Grand Princess Situ, if I may ask impudently, was it you who told the Crown Prince that you once saw me with the Fourth Princess?"

Situ Xingchen bit her lip, her brow furrowing, looking pitiable and fragile.

"I did indeed see them. I am sorry, I did not know the Fourth Princess had disappeared; I only mentioned it unintentionally because His Highness asked. I didn't do it on purpose..."

The corners of Chu Liuyue's lips slowly curled up.

Very good.

With that single sentence, suspicion had been lightly transformed into certainty!

Rong Zhen's disappearance was indeed related to her.

However, she did not remember being with Rong Zhen at any time.

Before leaving the Imperial Capital, she hadn't even shown her face.

Situ Xingchen was simply lying!

"Chu Liuyue, what else do you have to say now?"

Seeing that Chu Liuyue had been silent for a while, Rong Jin thought she was feeling guilty and spoke again.

After a pause, he added

"I know that Rong Zhen is not dead yet. As long as you hand her over, I guarantee I will not kill you!"

Chu Liuyue gave him a cold, indifferent glance.

"Does Your Highness intend to convict me based solely on her word?"