Chapter 439: The Charge (Fifth Update)

He actually wasn't very willing to make this trip.

Chu Liuyue was his only disciple; he could hardly treasure her enough, let alone come here to interrogate her.

But if he didn't ask, it would be difficult to give an account to Emperor Jiawen.

After thinking it over, he decided that he was the most suitable person to do this.

Elder Ye let out a cough

"Girl, last night... where were you?"

Chu Liuyue blinked.

"Naturally at home. Where else could I be?"

Elder Ye carefully observed her expression.

He had always known that Chu Liuyue was stronger than she let on.

At the very least, in the aspect of alchemy alone, she was above his level!

He knew very well that this girl hid many secrets.

But he did not want to doubt her because of it.

"There was a fire in the palace yesterday. You should know about that, right?"

Chu Liuyue nodded and smiled.

"A fire that large, it would be hard not to know, Master."

After much deliberation, Elder Ye finally asked directly

"Regarding yesterday's events, do they have anything to do with you?"

Chu Liuyue blinked.

"What are you referring to?"

Elder Ye's gaze fixed intently on her. After a moment, he finally couldn't help but slap his thigh!

"I knew Situ Xingchen did it on purpose! Tell me, what exactly happened? Why is she trying so hard to ruin you!?"

Chu Liuyue: "..."

Although she knew Elder Ye would take her side, this was perhaps a bit too blunt...

Chu Liuyue cleared her throat.

"It's a long story..."

"Make it short!" He still had to rush back to discuss this matter with Emperor Jiawen!

"Oh."

Chu Liuyue shrugged.

"She thinks I stole her man."

"..."

Elder Ye's expression instantly became subtle, even somewhat difficult to describe.

"Rong Xiu!?"

Chu Liuyue nodded.

Situ Xingchen had told her so personally last night; how could she be wrong?

Elder Ye suddenly took a step back, looking Chu Liuyue up and down.

"Master, what are you looking at?" Chu Liuyue asked curiously.

Elder Ye suddenly let out a "hehe" laugh.

"No wonder! No wonder! That Situ Xingchen has been trying to drag you down all this time, and it turns out it was because of this!"

Chu Liuyue's eye twitched.

For some reason, she seemed to detect a hint of smugness in his voice...

"Fine! Master knows now! Just focus on your cultivation at home! Don't worry about anything else!"

As Elder Ye spoke, he turned to leave.

Suddenly, he turned his head back and asked.

"By the way, did Mu Qinghe say when he is leaving?"

Mu Qinghe's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly suppressed the minute ripple and shook his head gently.

"Not yet. However... it should be soon."

Having gained nothing from the trip to the Imperial Mausoleum, Mu Qinghe certainly wouldn't stay for long.

Elder Ye nodded, his expression becoming much more serious as he cautioned

"Being able to go to the Tianling Empire is a massive opportunity; you must seize it. But..."

The remaining words caught in his throat. Elder Ye hesitated for a long while before finally swallowing them.

"If you are to leave, you must tell Master in advance."

Chu Liuyue nodded.

This day was the day of the Empress's funeral.

Originally, everything had been prepared perfectly, but the sudden fire at Youhe Hall had left everyone in a state of panic.

Although Emperor Jiawen was consumed by grief, he ultimately decided that the Empress's funeral rites should be kept as simple as possible.

In the end, they were conducted only at the level of a Noble Consort.

Because of excessive grief and worry, Emperor Jiawen had collapsed and was unable to attend the Empress's funeral.

As for Rong Jin, having suffered successive blows, he had fallen ill and remained bedridden, not even stepping out of the gates of the Crown Prince's Manor.

Oh, the plaque above the gates had already been removed; it could no longer be considered the Crown Prince's Manor.

Thus, in the end, only Prince Ping, Rong Qi, and Rong Zhen attended.

But of these two, one had been a playboy for many years without a shred of actual power, and the other's core had shattered, turning him completely into a useless person.

Even if they were combined, they had no presence.

As for the Situ family, only a few people attended.

The entire funeral of the Empress appeared extremely simple, starting in haste and ending in haste.

By this time, everyone could see that this was intentional on Emperor Jiawen's part!

As the Empress, the noble Mother of the Nation, her passing should have been marked by a state funeral to show her status.

But this current display was actually inferior to that of a minor concubine!

If the Empress hadn't done something during her lifetime to anger His Majesty, how could she have suffered such an end after death!?

Various rumors circulated in the streets, but they all eventually vanished without a trace.

Before long, everyone pushed the Empress's death to the back of their minds and began discussing another matter.

—The position of Crown Prince was vacant, and the Emperor would surely select a new Crown Prince from among the princes!

Emperor Jiawen's offspring were not few, but there were not many suitable to be the Crown Prince.

After much discussion, everyone found that the best candidate was the Third Prince, Rong Jiu!

In terms of strength, he had joined the Northwest Army and fought on the battlefield for many years, achieving illustrious military merits!

In terms of age, he was currently in his prime! Moreover, he was the second-ranked prince after Rong Jin!

Aside from his humble origins, he had almost no flaws!

Almost everyone had already concluded that Rong Jiu would become the new Crown Prince!

However, at this moment, Rong Jiu was not so optimistic.

Because he had been under house arrest in his manor for several days.

The Empress's funeral rites had already been completed, yet Imperial Father had been slow to release him, which inevitably caused Rong Jiu to feel anxious.

Furthermore, at this time, he suddenly heard that Imperial Father had urgently summoned Rong Jin to the palace.

It seemed the two of them had talked in the Imperial Study for a long time.

The longer the wait, the more uneasy Rong Jiu became.

Finally, on this day, someone arrived from the palace...

—The Empress was murdered by the Third Prince, Rong Jiu! From this day forth, he is to be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison to await his sentence!