AUBTN -Chapter 264 Meeting the Empress Dowager

Shen Jue found a protruding stone on the wall and pressed down hard.

A heavy mechanical sound echoed as a stone slab above them slowly slid open.

A faint glow of candlelight poured down.

They were in the northwest corner of the imperial palace.

Fortunately, it was not far from the Hall of Compassion and Tranquility.

The exit was right before them, but Shen Jue and Lu Yan left Su Hewan and Yu Qing there.

“Your identity is sensitive. It’s not appropriate for you to meet the Empress Dowager. Wait here for me to return,” Shen Jue said to Su Hewan in a low, firm voice.

Lu Yan gave the same instruction to Yu Qing, asking her to stay behind as well.

Although Su Hewan was worried, she knew she would only be a burden in this world. “Alright. Then be careful.”

“Stay safe!” Yu Qing held Lu Yan’s hand reluctantly.

The two men each kissed their foreheads solemnly and said in unison, “Wait for us to come back.”

Then they silently infiltrated the Hall of Compassion and Tranquility.

The inner hall was empty—there wasn’t even a single night watch palace maid.

As they turned past the inner hall, a sharp voice suddenly rang out.

“Who’s there?”

Hearing the faint noise, the Empress Dowager, startled like a frightened bird, abruptly raised her head.

Shen Jue slowly stepped out of the shadows and saw the Empress Dowager seated on the phoenix couch, not yet resting.

“This subject Shen Jue arrives late to rescue Your Majesty.”

Lu Yan followed and stepped forward, kneeling on one knee, his voice steady and powerful.

“This subject Lu Yan pays respects to the Empress Dowager.”

The Empress Dowager stared at the two men before her, her pupils constricting in disbelief.

After a long moment, she forced herself to speak through exhaustion.

“You… you’ve finally returned.”

She stumbled as she stood up from the phoenix couch.

“It’s good that you’re back… it’s good that you’re back.”

Her attitude was completely different from before they had set out for the Southern Frontier.

Shen Jue rose, his gaze cold and sharp.

“Your Majesty, what exactly happened in the capital? Why did His Majesty suddenly fall ill from poisoning?”

At the mention of the young emperor, the Empress Dowager’s face twisted with hatred and sorrow.

“It was Zhou Wenhai! That wolf-hearted brother of mine!”

She recounted everything that had happened over the past month.

It turned out that while Shen Jue and Lu Yan were away, the Zhou family’s influence in the capital had rapidly expanded.

The Grand Chancellor, Zhou Wenhai, in order to seize full control of the court, had joined forces with the Ministry of War and several feudal lords, forcing the young emperor to marry his biological daughter, Zhou Ruoyun, as Empress.

The Empress Dowager trembled.

“On the night of the wedding, the emperor drank the ceremonial union wine handed to him by the Zhou Empress—and immediately coughed up blood from all seven orifices and collapsed unconscious!”

“All the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau were helpless. They said it was a rare poison from the Western Regions!”

“Now Zhou Wenhai has used the emperor’s illness as an excuse to seal off the imperial chambers. He is handling all memorials and controlling state affairs in the emperor’s name!”

“He is attempting to usurp the throne!”

Lu Yan frowned. “What about that Empress? After the emperor drank her wine, wasn’t she held accountable?”

“Hmph. Zhou Ruoyun is nothing but a pawn. She is now confined in the Chaofeng Palace, claiming she knows nothing!” The Empress Dowager’s anger surged at the mention of her niece.

She believed both she and her brother were ingrates.

Shen Jue was already calculating rapidly in his mind.

An aristocratic power grabbing control, poisoning the puppet emperor—Zhou Wenhai was rushing to turn the situation into a fait accompli. Once the emperor died, even the Empress Dowager would become helpless.

His slender fingers toyed with the jade thumb ring on his hand.

“Then what does Your Majesty wish us to do?”

The Empress Dowager’s expression hardened.

“Traitors must be executed. I ask for your assistance in uncovering the truth behind the emperor’s poisoning and bringing Zhou Wenhai to justice!”

Upon hearing this, a sudden idea formed in Shen Jue’s mind.

He stepped forward, his gaze piercing directly into hers.

“Your Majesty, I and Commander Lu can help you kill Zhou Wenhai, purge the court of corruption, and rescue His Majesty.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes lit up with desperate joy.

“Truly?”

“I knew it—so long as you two are here, Great Wei will not fall into chaos!”

However, Shen Jue’s tone suddenly shifted.

“But I have one condition.”

A flash of joy appeared on the Empress Dowager’s face, but it immediately stiffened. Her brows furrowed.

“What condition? As long as you can save the Emperor, titles, wealth, gold, and jewels—anything—I will grant you everything!”

Shen Jue shook his head. His voice was soft yet carried undeniable weight.

“I do not want rank or riches.”

He glanced at Lu Yan before continuing.

“I want Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree.”

“After the matter is settled, completely pardon Su Hewan for the crime of being a remnant of the former dynasty! I believe Your Majesty is well aware of this already!”

Lu Yan immediately stepped forward as well, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shen Jue.

“I also request a decree of marriage—recognizing Yu Qing’s identity and severing all ties between her and the Lu family from this day onward!”

His voice was firm and unwavering.

The Empress Dowager froze. The moment she heard those two names, her gaze turned cold and vicious in an instant.

“So it’s them. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten those two pests!”

She slammed her hand on the phoenix throne’s armrest and shouted sharply:

“This is not up for discussion!”

“One matter is one matter. Saving the Emperor is your duty as ministers—but those two must die!”

“You know exactly who she is, Shen Jue! A remnant of the former dynasty—keeping her alive is like leaving a time bomb in the Great Wei Empire!”

“And that Yu Qing—she was a palace maid meant for burial rites, yet she dared to escape the ceremony! She has utterly disregarded imperial authority!”

Lu Yan strode forward angrily, refusing to back down.

“Your Majesty! If you want us to risk our lives for you, shouldn’t we be granted some assurance in return?”

His voice echoed through the hall like thunder.

“They are just two weak young women!”

“They pose no real threat to you or to Great Wei!”

“Now that external threats remain unresolved and internal traitors still linger, are you truly unable to tolerate even two innocent girls?”

The Empress Dowager laughed in fury at his words.

“Innocent? She has no martial skills, but what about the former dynasty’s assassins behind her? Can you guarantee her background holds no threat at all?”

“Throughout my life, the thing I hate most is uncontrollable variables!”

“I can guarantee it,” Shen Jue said, lifting his chin slightly.

The Empress Dowager was enraged by their defiance.

“Guarantee? With what?”

She suddenly stood up.

“Shen Jue! Lu Yan! Don’t forget—the power in your hands was granted by the royal family!”

“Empty promises—why should I believe them?”

At that moment, two heavy thuds rang out as both men knelt.

Shen Jue swept his robes and knelt, and Lu Yan followed immediately.

At this moment, the two powerful ministers knelt before the Empress Dowager—for the sake of two women.

“We humbly beg Your Majesty’s approval!”

Their voices overlapped, resolute as if they were prepared to stake everything.

“I have already married Yu Qing. She is my wife now!”

The Empress Dowager’s anger intensified.

“Lu Yan, do you even know what you are saying? There are countless noble ladies in the capital—yet you chose to marry a palace maid?”

“Do you not fear your father will never allow her into the family?”

Lu Yan looked up stubbornly.

“Your Majesty, I have long severed ties with Chancellor Lu!”

The Empress Dowager’s face turned deathly pale with rage.

Looking at the two men kneeling below, shock filled her eyes, followed by deep apprehension.

They were like two unruly wolves—rather die than submit.

Yet today, for two women, they had willingly abandoned all pride.

A dangerous thought formed rapidly in her mind.

She slowly sat back down on the phoenix throne, her breathing gradually calming.

“Fine. I can agree to your request.”

Her voice softened suddenly, yet carried an eerie, unsettling persuasion.

“But on one condition—you must forever become the sharpest blades in my hand.”

“Never betray me.”