AUBTN -Chapter 10 Killing with a Borrowed Knife

【Hmm… let me think… besides transporting grain, what else does the Grain Transport handle? Right, the supplies for the Capital Garrison!】

Shen Jue’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

The Capital Garrison?

That was the territory of Lu Yan, Commander of the Jinyiwei, responsible for the defense of the capital.

Su Hewan lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously brushing along the edge of the ledger, while the inner commentary in her mind scrolled rapidly:

【The Jinyiwei under Lu Yan and the Garrison handle large quantities of military supplies every year, transported via the Grain Transport to the capital. If… I mean, if just hypothetically, something shouldn’t be on one of these supply ships—like a privately hoarded dragon robe? Or forbidden weapons from the previous dynasty?】

【Once forbidden items are discovered, that’s treason. The Commander of the Jinyiwei would be held responsible; Lu Yan would surely face punishment, perhaps even imprisonment pending investigation. And since the incident happened on a ship, the Eastern Depot would have the perfect excuse to seal off the docks and inspect every vessel thoroughly.】

【At that time, under the guise of searching for contraband, they could turn the Grain Transport Governor’s office upside down. Who would dare say no? This is killing with a borrowed knife, and at the same time, the fire would be directed at Lu Yan, forcing him and Prince Ning into a dog-eat-dog fight. Two birds with one stone. Perfect!】

【But I’m definitely not going to tell him!】

A soft crack sounded.

The lid of the tea cup in Shen Jue’s hand had split under his grip.

He stared at Su Hewan.

This woman…

Not only had she seen through the court situation, but in the blink of an eye, she had devised such an exquisite and deadly scheme!

This plan didn’t just solve his current predicament—it even conveniently implicated his archrival, Lu Yan.

Looking at it this way, she was clearly not a spy sent by Lu Yan!

Fine. Stir the waters, let the Jinyiwei take the fall, and let the Eastern Depot reap the benefits.

Such cunning, such technique… could a palace maid really come up with this?

Su Hewan continued to play the innocent little rabbit, her voice trembling: “Master… please don’t be angry. Your servant was only guessing… if you’re really unhappy—”

Her words were cut off by Shen Jue!

“Su Hewan, aren’t you guessing rather well? Even Prince Ning could figure this out. Not bad at all!”

He spoke her name softly, his tone unreadable—neither anger nor joy—but it sent chills down the spine.

Su Hewan was forced to meet his bottomless gaze, her heart racing.

“I… I was really just guessing, I just like listening to the gossip in the palace!”

Her eyelashes trembled, tears welling in her eyes, giving her the look of someone about to cry.

“Gossip? What kind of gossip?”

Her sob caught, and she quickly explained: “Just… just idle talk, nothing important, nothing important at all!”

Shen Jue let out a cold laugh.

He turned to the window, looking at the begonia tree outside, his back to Su Hewan. His voice suddenly became somewhat distant, as if asking casually: “You… seem to know a lot about Lu Yan of the Jinyiwei?”

The sudden question left Su Hewan stunned.

【Lu Yan? That poker-faced, icy man?】

【I don’t know him! I know you much better! Why is he asking this…? And what about Qingqing over there…?】

Her mind raced, but her lips carefully answered: “Your servant… has lived in the deep palace for a long time and has never seen Commander Lu in person… I’ve only heard the palace sisters mention him in idle chat. They said Lord Lu… is awe-inspiring and fearsome, able to stop a crying child at night!”

“Oh? Just heard of him?”

Shen Jue turned to face her, his gaze piercing, as if he could see into her very soul.

Earlier, her inner thoughts had revealed an intimate understanding of Lu Yan’s defense zones, duties, and even weaknesses.

The tone didn’t sound like she was talking about a stranger; it sounded like she was analyzing a long-studied opponent.

“Miss Su,” Shen Jue slowly took two steps closer, his voice dropping low, carrying a dangerous test.

“Then why don’t you take another guess—if this Supervisor wanted to make a move on the grain transport, besides checking the accounts, would there be any other shortcuts?”

He wanted to test whether the strategy she had voiced in her inner thoughts just now was a casual remark or a carefully considered plan.

Su Hewan blinked innocently.

【Is this pervert testing me? Fine, fine, I’ll have to tell him… though I hope it won’t affect Qingqing!】

She bit her lip and put on an expression of deep thought, as if racking her brain for an answer.

After hesitating for a long moment, she stammered out:

“Your servant… your servant does not understand state affairs. But… when I listen to plays in the palace, I heard one called The Borrowed Blade. It says… if you want to deal with a fierce tiger, you don’t necessarily have to strike it yourself… you can… you can lure another vicious wolf to bite it…”

She sneakily glanced at Shen Jue, then quickly lowered her head again.

“Your servant also heard… heard that the Jinyiwei’s fleet will return to the capital via the grain transport next month… if… if something goes wrong on their ships… then… then wouldn’t it be possible to muddy the waters?”

By the end, her voice had dwindled so small it was almost a whisper, as if she feared she had just said something incredibly treasonous. She hurriedly sank to her knees.

“Your servant speaks nonsense! Please forgive me, Supervisor! I truly just spoke without thinking…”

【Shen Jue, Shen Jue… you asked me yourself, and now I’ve handed you the blade. Whether you can use it depends on your own intelligence.】

Shen Jue looked at the woman kneeling at his feet; the shock in his eyes gradually faded.

Sure enough, what she had said perfectly matched what she had been thinking. Not a single detail was off.

If Lu Yan was his overt enemy, then this Su Hewan was a huge wild card hiding in the shadows.

Keeping her around could be a sharp weapon.

But if she could not be controlled…

Shen Jue’s fingers lightly traced the jade thumb ring on his hand, a flash of killing intent passing through his eyes.

But in the end, he suppressed it.

Now was not the time.

At least, when it came to dealing with Lu Yan and Prince Ning, her mind was far more useful than that bunch of East Depot idiots who only knew how to extract confessions under torture.

“Rise.”

Shen Jue’s voice returned to its usual cold calm.

“Miss Su, your offhand remark is… rather interesting.”

“In that case, I shall reward you,” Shen Jue said, a cruel curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

“Since you seem so interested in the Jinyiwei, another day I shall take you to meet that… officer capable of quieting a child’s night cries.”

Su Hewan’s head shot up, her face full of shock.

【What the heck? Me, meet Lu Yan? That’s Qingqing’s problem, not mine!】

“Why? Don’t want to?” Shen Jue raised an eyebrow.

“Your servant… thanks the Supervisor for his grace,” Su Hewan said with a bitter face, mentally cursing Shen Jue’s ancestors up and down.

Hearing all the colorful curses in her mind, Shen Jue neither became angry nor offended; he found it mildly amusing.

“Someone,” Shen Jue said, turning toward the door.

“Prepare a pot of hot tea for Miss Su. Also, awaken our secret operatives at the grain transport dock.”

At the doorway, he paused for a moment, not turning back, leaving only a cryptic remark:

“Miss Su, since this play was suggested by you, make sure you don’t forget to step on stage and sing a few lines when the time comes.”

Watching Shen Jue disappear outside in his red cloak, Su Hewan’s legs went weak and she sank into the chair.

【Sing the play, my foot! I’m the playwright! The playwright, do you understand? Who asks the playwright to perform their own play?】

【This is bad, bad… the plot is going completely off track. Shen Jue isn’t really planning to use me as a pawn, is he? No, I have to find a way to contact Qingqing and see how her side of the scenario is progressing.】

【How long is this time-traveling ordeal going to last…】