Chapter 370: Suspicion (Second Update)

The Imperial Palace.

When Chu Liuyue arrived with Chu Ning, Emperor Jiawen and the Empress were already waiting in the main hall.

Sitting below them were also Rong Jin and Situ Xingchen.

On the other side, there was one more person—Rong Jiu.

Chu Liuyue had already heard Chu Ning mention what had happened previously, so she was not surprised to see Rong Jiu here.

Her gaze quickly swept across the people in the hall.

Emperor Jiawen’s face was expressionless, but his eyes were dark and gloomy.

The Empress looked much more haggard than the last time they had met, appearing as if she had aged a decade overnight.

It was evident that the recent events had taken a heavy toll on her.

When Rong Jin saw Chu Liuyue, a complex expression flashed across his face.

In his hand, he held a hairpin.

Chu Liuyue guessed that it was the one they had mentioned finding in their own backyard, belonging to Rong Zhen.

Situ Xingchen and Rong Jiu both maintained calm expressions, making it impossible to read their thoughts.

Chu Ning and Chu Liuyue performed their salutations in turn.

Emperor Jiawen motioned for the two of them to sit.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let us begin!"

Having lost his patience, Emperor Jiawen got straight to the point. He looked toward Situ Xingchen and asked in a heavy voice

"Xingchen, you previously said that you saw Liuyue and Zhenzhen together. Is this true?"

Situ Xingchen stood up and bowed.

"To answer Your Majesty, Xingchen does not dare to speak recklessly; every word I say is the truth. Because the Nine Nether Tower caught fire that day, I remember it very clearly. After the tower collapsed, since Taiyan Academy was set to depart the following day, I quickly went back to pack my luggage. I did not expect to run into Rong Zhen and Chu Liuyue on the way."

Emperor Jiawen asked

"Were there any others present at the time?"

"There was an elderly man dressed in black robes, but I did not see his face."

"Did you hear what they were saying?"

"I was at a distance at the time, so I did not hear them. However, seeing how closely the two of them were walking, I thought they were on very good terms. I didn't expect that later..."

Emperor Jiawen's expression grew increasingly grim.

That elderly man in black robes following them must have been Si Meng.

If Situ Xingchen were lying, how would she know about Si Meng's existence?

"Actually, after seeing this scene that day, I felt somewhat strange in my heart," Situ Xingchen said, looking up at Emperor Jiawen with a hint of hesitation. "Because on that day, Your Majesty had just bestowed the marriage between Prince Li and Chu Liuyue. So, seeing her with Rong Zhen, I was puzzled for quite a long time."

Everyone understood.

The timing was far too suspicious.

Even if Chu Liuyue and Rong Zhen had a good relationship, it seemed unlikely she would be with him on the very day she was granted a marriage.

Furthermore, who didn't know that there had been conflict between the two of them?

Them being together was truly suspicious.

Emperor Jiawen asked again

"And then? Did you see where they were heading?"

Situ Xingchen shook her head

"I only took a glance from afar. Because I was in a hurry to get back, I left immediately. I did not know where they were going."

Emperor Jiawen nodded. "You may sit."

He then turned his gaze toward Chu Liuyue.

"Liuyue, you heard everything just now. Do you have anything to say?"

Chu Liuyue lightly tapped the armrest of her chair, looking at Situ Xingchen thoughtfully.

The words Situ Xingchen had just spoken were actually quite vague, but the mention of Si Meng alone gave her testimony immense credibility.

After all, even Emperor Jiawen had not known of Si Meng's existence before; for Situ Xingchen to bring this up made it very easy for people to believe her.

In other words, Situ Xingchen had indeed known about Si Meng's existence for a long time.

Perhaps she even knew exactly what had happened that day.

It was just that, for some reason, she could not speak of it fully and could only choose a middle-ground explanation.

After all, even like this, she could still pin the matter of Rong Zhen on Chu Liuyue.

Chu Liuyue said indifferently

"I did not see Rong Zhen that day."

"On that day, Prince Li sent people to escort my father and me home. Afterward, the Chu family sent an invitation, and my father went there. As for me, I stayed at home the entire time and did not go out. The people of the Chu family can testify to this."

Many people knew about Chu Ning going to the Chu residence; it had even been a topic of private gossip for a long time.

Who didn't know that the members of the Chu family regretted driving out Chu Ning and his daughter, and were trying every possible way to persuade them to return!

Chu Ning added

"That is correct. Yue'er originally intended to return with me that day, but I persuaded her otherwise, so she remained at home."

"Even so, who can say that she didn't go out during the interval when Lord Chu Ning was away?" Rong Jin countered. "Furthermore, since you two are father and daughter, your testimony might not be entirely reliable."

Chu Ning's brow furrowed slightly.

If the opposition persisted with this argument, they would have no way to refute it.

Because he and Yue'er indeed had no way to prove that Yue'er had been home during that specific window of time.

Chu Liuyue suddenly spoke

"I heard that the appearance of that hairpin was inexplicable, and even Her Majesty the Empress cannot explain how that object came to be. So, how can everyone know that the other things you say are true?"

The Empress grew agitated. "You!"

Chu Liuyue was truly poking a sore spot!

Because of that hairpin, His Majesty was already extremely dissatisfied with her yesterday. Now that she had brought it up again, wasn't she just rubbing salt in the wound for His Majesty!?

Rong Jin frowned and hid the hairpin in his hand.

He had originally thought this hairpin was solid evidence, but judging from the Empress's reaction, it was hard to say what was actually going on.

With both sides holding their ground, the situation fell into a deadlock.

Rong Jiu suddenly spoke

"Actually, the key to this matter is finding Rong Zhen's whereabouts. Empress, Rong Zhen's original core was shattered; with her own abilities, she certainly could not have left the palace without a sound. In other words, she must have left with Si Meng's help. Although Si Meng is dead... did he not leave any clues behind?"

The Empress felt even more frustrated.

She knew that every time Si Meng was mentioned, it only increased His Majesty's dissatisfaction and resentment.

But if they wanted to shift all the blame entirely onto Chu Liuyue, Si Meng was a crucial figure.

She rubbed her temples and said

"No. Si Meng died very suddenly."

At this point, she paused, her gaze turning suspicious as she looked at Chu Liuyue.

"By the way, speaking of which. Si Meng was a fifth-tier martial artist; ordinary people were no match for him. The person capable of killing him so quickly must possess extremely great strength! In the entire Imperial Capital, there seem to be very few people of such caliber."

Chu Liuyue raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Why? Does Her Majesty the Empress suspect that I killed him? You are giving me far too much credit for a second-tier martial artist, don't you think?"