AUBTN -Chapter 17 This Imperial Garden Is a Trap

Yu Qing hid behind a massive Taihu stone, using the faint moonlight to shakily unfold the slip of paper in her hands.

There were only three characters written on it. The handwriting was delicate, but the desperation behind it seemed to pierce right through the paper.

“Save me.”

【Help! Who’s this big sister now? I’m barely surviving here myself—how am I supposed to save you?】

“This is classic baiting law enforcement.”

A cold, clear voice suddenly came from above.

Yu Qing nearly died of fright on the spot. She jerked her head up and saw Su Hewan squatting on the artificial rock, looking down at her with an expression of utter exasperation.

“Wanwan!”

Yu Qing lowered her voice and screamed, tears instantly spilling out as she lunged forward to hug Su Hewan’s leg.

“Wuwuwu! You scared me to death! Back in the main hall, I thought I was done for! This wicked old society—so inhumane!”

Su Hewan swiftly jumped down and hugged Yu Qing back, her own eyes slightly red.

“Alright, alright. That last move of yours was godlike—Oscar owes you a little golden statuette. I was completely stunned. Plan B executed so smoothly—truly worthy of the performance department.”

The two sisters huddled together like frightened quails in the perilous corner of the imperial garden.

After a moment of relief at having survived, they quickly switched into intelligence-exchange mode.

“Over here, that perverted eunuch Shen Jue seems obsessed with old cases. He still needs me as a human scanner to go through the ledgers, so he probably won’t kill me anytime soon,” Su Hewan spoke rapidly, analyzing coldly.

Yu Qing sniffled. “That poker-faced Lu Yan—though his words are sharp, as long as I’m useful, he’ll protect me too. And that Prince Ning earlier—definitely a big boss. We need to hold tight to these two thighs and survive for now!”

“Exactly. As long as Shen Jue and Lu Yan don’t fall, we have a chance.”

Having reached a consensus, Yu Qing suddenly remembered the hot potato in her hands and quickly passed it to Su Hewan. “By the way, someone handed me this just now.”

Su Hewan glanced at it in the moonlight, and her brows immediately knitted tightly.

“The handwriting is delicate, the ink still wet—clearly just written. But Qingqing, have you thought about it? There are plenty of people in the palace who’ve been wronged—why would it come to you specifically?”

A glint appeared in Su Hewan’s eyes. “High probability this is a trap. Prince Ning just finished testing us, and this note appeared immediately after—it’s too coincidental.”

“You mean… this is bait?” Yu Qing’s skin broke out in goosebumps.

“Not just bait—it’s a death warrant,” Su Hewan’s eyes turned cold, and she said decisively.

“We can’t go, and we can’t leave it. Burn it!”

Inside Taihe Hall, the singing and dancing continued peacefully.

Shen Jue’s long fingers drummed absentmindedly on the tabletop. Though his narrow phoenix eyes appeared to be enjoying the performance, his peripheral vision never left the empty cushion.

That woman—how long has she been gone?

Fell into the latrine?

Almost simultaneously, across from him, Lu Yan set down his wine cup.

The two of them exchanged a glance across the space.

For a brief moment, the air seemed to spark and crackle with electricity.

It was the tacit understanding of mortal enemies, the instinct of top predators—

This was their prey. If someone else touched it, it would be intensely infuriating.

Lu Yan suddenly rose, whispering to his deputy to intensify the patrols.

Then he strode toward the imperial garden, the embroidery spring knife at his waist reflecting a cold glint in the lamplight.

Meanwhile, Shen Jue let out a soft laugh, lifting his cup to mask the curve of his lips. Using the wide sleeve of his robe as cover, his figure flickered, and he silently slipped out through a side door.

Behind the rockery.

Su Hewan had just pulled out a fire starter, still before she could ignite the piece of paper.

“Crack.”

The crisp sound of a dry branch snapping.

Both of them froze instantly.

From the shadows of the rockery, a figure slowly emerged.

A woman in a pale pink palace dress, her hair in disarray, her makeup already smeared by tears.

Su Hewan’s pupils constricted.

She recognized this face!

She had seen it while organizing Shen Jue’s database—Consort Chen.

The one who, half a month ago, had been publicly presented to the young emperor by Prince Ning, only to be discarded as a schemer by the emperor and left to rot in a side hall.

“Miss… please… save me…”

Consort Chen seemed to have grasped at her last lifeline. She staggered forward, clutching Su Hewan’s wrist tightly. Her nails whitened from the pressure, digging deep into Su Hewan’s flesh.

“Someone’s trying to kill me… Prince Ning… Prince Ning wants to silence me! I know his secret! Please, take me to Lord Lu or Supervisor Shen! As long as I live, I’ll tell everything!”

Her voice was sharp and pitiful, cutting through the silence of the imperial garden.

Alarm bells went off in Su Hewan’s mind.

If anyone from the emperor’s entourage discovered her with Consort Chen now, they would be considered accomplices—colluding with the enemy—a capital offense!

“Let go! We can’t help you!” Su Hewan acted decisively, trying to shake off Consort Chen’s grip.

“I won’t! You’re good people… I saw it in the main hall just now… Only you dare to mock Prince Ning…” Consort Chen was already delirious, clinging desperately.

Yu Qing panicked too, about to step forward to help pry her away.

At that moment—

The surrounding bushes stirred, though there was no wind.

Several black figures, like phantoms, silently closed in from all sides of the rockery.

Su Hewan felt her blood freeze in that instant.

【We’re done for! Totally cooked!】

Consort Chen clutched Su Hewan’s sleeve with abnormal force, her voice so loud it was almost unnatural—not so much a plea for help as a broadcast.

“Prince Ning… it’s Prince Ning! He tampered with the emperor’s medicine! He even forced me to steal the border maps… I refused, and he’s going to kill my entire family!”

Her hair hung loose, eyes wild yet frenzied, words tumbling out at a speed as if she were reciting a dying testament.

Yu Qing’s scalp went numb as she tried to pry the fingers that were nearly digging into Su Hewan’s flesh, her voice trembling with tears: “Oh my sister, eh, royal secrets that get you decapitated—are those free to listen to? Keep your voice down! Walls have ears!”

【This is over, over! Did this NPC bug out? Too much dialogue—she’s dragging us into a wipe! Where’s the system? I need to reload!】

Su Hewan, however, remained cold and calm, staring intently at Consort Chen.

In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said, “Stop talking. Your act is too much.”

Consort Chen froze, but her shriek grew even louder: “Only you can save me! Take me to the Commander!”

“Wanwan, what do we do?” Yu Qing stamped her foot in panic, tears welling up.

“This lady’s completely insane!”

“This is definitely a trap—she’s doing it on purpose. How could someone confess such a treasonous crime in full to two low-ranking palace maids they’ve just met?”