AUBTN -Chapter 19 Smearing

The embroidered spring knife in Lu Yan’s hand rang sharply as its blade swept horizontally, exuding a deadly aura.

The surrounding palace guards were intimidated by this overwhelming presence and, for a moment, dared not step forward.

Amid this tense, hair-trigger chaos, Su Wanhe silently slipped out from behind Shen Jue and headed straight toward the body of Consort Chen.

Shen Jue lowered his gaze, observing the seemingly delicate but actually audacious figure, fingers lightly stroking the nanmu Buddhist beads, without stopping her.

He wanted to see what claws this little cat would reveal next.

Su Wanhe squatted beside Consort Chen’s corpse, paying no mind to the gruesome death and the dark blood pooled on the ground.

She was a history student and had handled ancient corpses at the museum—this scene didn’t scare her at all.

Quickly, she pried open Consort Chen’s jaw and grabbed her withered hand, holding it close to the firelight for a careful inspection.

“Don’t move.”

Su Wanhe spoke suddenly. Her voice was soft but carried a calm authority that demanded trust.

She stood, subtly shifting half a step between Shen Jue and Lu Yan, using her position as cover, and whispered in an extremely low voice:

“It’s a blood-sealing throat technique.”

Lu Yan’s brow twitched.

Su Wanhe spoke rapidly and clearly, “The poison doesn’t go through the mouth—it’s hidden under the fingernails. When she got agitated just now, her nails pierced her palm, letting the poison enter her blood, killing her instantly. This is a method used by committed assassins. It’s not murder—it’s suicide.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Jue’s long, narrow phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of amusement crossing his gaze.

A blood-sealing throat poison—a lethal toxin from the southern border—is rare in the palace.

At the same time, Su Wanhe’s inner thoughts echoed clearly in Shen Jue’s mind:

【Consort Chen as a pawn is now useless. Prince Ning’s move is ruthless: he used her madness to lure us here, then her death to smear the Jinyiwei. If it’s proven that Yu Qing killed her to cover up, Lu Yan won’t just fail to save her—he could lose his post as commander of the Jinyiwei. There’s no evidence now; the only breakthrough is the poison… but this is clearly a prearranged trap. Flipping it will be difficult.】

【Poor Qingqing is really taking the fall this time. That silly girl—I bet she’s scared out of her wits.】

The Buddhist beads in Shen Jue’s fingers paused.

Pawn? Taking the fall?

This woman’s mind works faster than those stubborn old ministers in court.

Meanwhile, Prince Ning, seeing Lu Yan dare to draw his knife, became even more arrogant:

“Lu Yan! Are you rebelling? You dare wield a weapon in the Imperial Garden?”

“Prince, are you so quick to pin the label of rebellion?”

Shen Jue spoke slowly, his soft, chilling voice carrying an icy edge:

“We find Consort Chen’s death suspicious. You’re so eager to kill before any inquiry—aren’t you… feeling guilty?”

“What is there for me to feel guilty about!” Prince Ning snorted coldly.

“Everyone’s watching—killers must pay with their lives!”

Yu Qing hid behind Lu Yan, hearing the repeated cries of “killers must pay,” her head buzzing.

【What do I do? Do I really have to die before finishing three episodes?】

Yu Qing forced herself to take deep breaths, her mind racing as she reviewed everything that had happened today.

Why did Consort Chen point at her?

The note!

Yes, the note that said, “Save me!”

That note was slipped to her by a little eunuch!

【That little eunuch… what did he look like?】

Yu Qing closed her eyes, desperately searching her memory for that fleeting image.

It had been so chaotic at the time that she hadn’t seen his face clearly, but… his hand!

【At the tiger’s mouth, there’s a bright red mole! Extremely conspicuous! It looks like it was dotted on with cinnabar!】

【Yes! It’s that red-mole eunuch! He must have been the one who let Consort Chen out, or he threatened her! If we can find that red-mole eunuch, we can prove this is a setup!】

“It was someone framing me—a eunuch with a red mole on his hand lured me here!” Yu Qing shouted.

Lu Yan and Shen Jue both stiffened almost simultaneously.

A eunuch with a red mole at the tiger’s mouth?

Lu Yan’s gaze sharpened, quickly scanning the group of attendant eunuchs behind Prince Ning.

The firelight flickered, casting shifting shadows. Among the men Prince Ning brought, there were indeed many palace eunuchs mixed in.

Shen Jue reacted even faster.

Heh, so this is where they’ve been waiting.

As the Supervisor of the Eastern Depot, he oversaw all the eunuchs in the imperial city!

Now this dirty trick is being turned onto him!

Interesting!

The playful glint in Shen Jue’s eyes instantly hardened into a chilling frost.

He didn’t even need to speak. A slight lift of his finger, and the hidden Eastern Depot guards surged out like phantoms, instantly blocking all exits of the Imperial Garden.

“Did you hear that?” Shen Jue’s voice was soft but carried an unsettling, almost hypnotic chill.

“Let’s see which blind fool dares to play such a framing game right under my eyes. Check them thoroughly, one hand at a time!”

Prince Ning’s face changed abruptly. “Shen Jue! You dare to lock down the Imperial Garden? The Empress Dowager and His Majesty are still here—”

“Your Highness, Prince Ning,”

Lu Yan stepped forward, placing himself between Yu Qing and the others.

Even though his embroidered spring blade was sheathed, the murderous aura around him hadn’t diminished at all.

“Since this involves an attempt on a palace consort’s life and framing the Jinyiwei, this falls under imperial jurisdiction.” Lu Yan’s expression was blank, his words landing heavily.

“The Jinyiwei handles the case—civilians, step aside!”

For the first time, the two court titans who often fought to the death on the political stage pointed their weapons in the same direction with uncanny synchronicity.

Prince Ning’s anger made his face contort several times, yet Shen Jue smiled faintly while twirling his prayer beads, and Lu Yan’s hand rested on his sword as if facing a mortal enemy. For a moment, Prince Ning seemed trapped between a rock and a hard place.

The investigation proceeded quickly.

In less than a teacup’s time, a small eunuch cowering in a corner was dragged out by the guards.

The torchlight revealed a bright, dripping-red mole at the tiger’s mouth of his left hand, which he had desperately tried to hide in his sleeve.

“It’s him!” Yu Qing nearly jumped in excitement.

【Heaven has eyes! My life is saved!】

However, the moment Lu Yan reached to seize him, a look of resolute determination flashed in the small eunuch’s eyes.

“Not good! His jaw—!” Su Hewan’s pupils constricted as the words slipped out.

But it was too late. Black blood spilled from the eunuch’s mouth. His body went limp, collapsing like a heap of rotten mud, convulsing twice before falling silent.

Su Hewan rushed forward to check his breath. When she stood up, her expression was grim.

She looked at Shen Jue and shook her head slightly.

【Poison hidden in the molars, and a death warrior again. The clue is completely wiped out. It seems whoever is behind this not only wanted Consort Chen done tonight but also left no escape route. Now that this little eunuch is dead, as long as Prince Ning distances himself, this matter will ultimately remain unsolved.】

Sure enough, only then did the chief attendant of the Empress Dowager rush over to deliver an imperial decree, her words smoothing things over:

Since the culprit has killed himself out of fear, and today is the Empress Dowager’s birthday, it’s inappropriate to shed blood. The matter ends here.