AUBTN -Chapter 274 The Conspiracy Behind the Scenes

“When Xia Dong becomes pregnant with a member of the Zhou family’s bloodline, they’ll kill that cousin to silence him—no witness left behind!”

“Ten months later, as long as Xia Dong safely gives birth to a baby boy…”

Shen Jue naturally continued the thought.

“They’ll stage a switch—swapping the child.”

“They’ll take Xia Dong’s baby and openly declare him the legitimate Crown Prince of the Great Wei Empire!”

Su Hewan frowned in thought, then raised a different possibility.

“If that’s the case, why wouldn’t the Zhou family just let Zhou Ruoyun and the cousin conceive the child instead? Wouldn’t that be simpler?”

“Exactly, why?” Yu Qing also looked at her in confusion.

Su Hewan said, “My guess is… the one who truly has feelings for the cousin is Xia Dong. And that cousin… he might have some kind of… unusual preference. Then Zhou Ruoyun accidentally discovered their relationship, and it just so happened Xia Dong was already pregnant. Zhou Ruoyun may have originally wanted to fulfill them, but Zhou Wenhai found out.”

“But there’s still one thing that doesn’t add up. Why would Zhou Ruoyun willingly help Zhou Wenhai carry out such a deception?”

Yu Qing scoffed. “Father-daughter bond, obviously! What else could it be?”

“No.” Su Hewan shook her head. “Do you remember the look Zhou Wenhai gave Zhou Ruoyun when he left the Chaofeng Palace last time?”

Yu Qing nodded, frowning. “What does that prove?”

Su Hewan smiled faintly. “It proves a lot. The way he looked at Zhou Ruoyun was definitely not affection between father and daughter. It looked more like a warning—or a threat.”

Shen Jue immediately understood something. “You mean Zhou Wenhai is coercing Zhou Ruoyun into helping him?”

“So… there’s someone else behind this?” Lu Yan also grasped the point.

“Wait, wait—why are we suddenly adding another person into this? Isn’t this getting too far-fetched?” Yu Qing said in disbelief.

“Then go investigate what secret Zhou Ruoyun is hiding. What kind of matter—or person—could make her be blackmailed by her own father, and willingly help him commit such treasonous deception?”

Su Hewan felt the situation was far more complicated than it appeared.

Lu Yan’s voice turned cold as ice.

“I’ll immediately mobilize the Jinyiwei. Tomorrow morning we’ll investigate. Should we also arrest that palace maid while we’re at it?”

“No!”

Su Hewan and Shen Jue spoke in unison, stopping him.

They both paused. Shen Jue’s lips curled slightly in amusement, signaling for Su Hewan to continue first.

Su Hewan looked at Lu Yan and analyzed calmly.

“Lord Lu, you must catch someone red-handed. If you act now, Zhou Ruoyun can easily turn it around and accuse you of slandering the Empress.”

“Xia Dong is just a palace maid. The Zhou family can sacrifice her at any time and cleanly erase all traces.”

“What we need is a fatal strike—one that leaves the entire Zhou family with no chance of recovery.”

Yu Qing leaned in curiously. “Wanyan, do you already have a plan?”

Su Hewan smiled slightly.

“You all continue investigating Zhou Ruoyun. Since they want to stage this ‘switching the cat for the prince’ act, then we’ll play along and pretend we know nothing.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll have the imperial physician discover that the Empress’s fetal condition is unstable.”

“At a time like this, Zhou Ruoyun will be more anxious than anyone else.”

“I’ll tell her that to save the child, she needs a rare medicinal herb—Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus.”

Lu Yan frowned. “Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus? The Imperial Medical Bureau doesn’t have such a thing.”

“That’s exactly why she’ll have to seek it outside the palace.”

Shen Jue chuckled softly and took over.

“As far as I know, in the entire capital, only the Duke’s estate’s secret vault contains a Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus.”

Su Hewan nodded.

“Exactly. As long as Zhou Ruoyun desperately needs this medicine, she will definitely find a way to contact Zhou Wenhai.”

“As soon as they make contact, the Eastern Depot and the Jinyiwei can follow the trail and obtain ironclad proof of the Zhou family’s attempt to manipulate the imperial bloodline.”

“A perfect plan to lure the snake out of its hole,” Lu Yan said, a trace of admiration flashing in his eyes.

The next early morning.

Inside Chaofeng Palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Zhou Ruoyun reclined on the couch, her face dark and grim as if it could drip ink.

“What’s going on? Why does this palace feel a faint pain in the abdomen today?”

Although she was not truly pregnant, in order to make the act convincing, she had been taking a secret medicine daily that mimicked pregnancy symptoms.

At this moment, however, the cramping pain in her abdomen was not an act.

Su Huan knelt before the phoenix bed, her expression filled with panic as she checked the pulse.

After a moment, Su Huan suddenly withdrew her hand, her face turning deathly pale as she knocked her head to the ground.

“Your Majesty! This is terrible!”

“Your pulse is slippery yet uneven—clearly the fetus is unstable. There are signs of a miscarriage!”

As soon as these words fell, all the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall dropped to their knees in a rush!

Xia Dong trembled violently, instinctively clutching her abdomen.

Zhou Ruoyun abruptly sat upright!

“Presumptuous! What nonsense are you spouting!”

She knew better than anyone that there was nothing in her womb—how could there possibly be a miscarriage?

But if it wasn’t a miscarriage, then what was the cause of the pain brought on by the medicine?

Could it be a drug interaction that had damaged her body?

Panic began to rise within her.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!” Su Huan pressed her forehead to the ground, her voice trembling but precise.

“This servant’s ancestors were imperial physicians. I would never misread this pulse! You must have been overly worried these days, which has harmed your body!”

“If not treated in time, I fear the imperial heir may not be preserved!”

Zhou Ruoyun dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to remain calm.

“If you can tell, then is there a solution?”

Su Huan lifted her head.

“Yes! Only one remedy is needed—Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus, combined with a pregnancy-stabilizing decoction. It will surely stabilize the imperial heir!”

Zhou Ruoyun’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

Nine-Leaf Blood Lotus!

There just happened to be one in her father’s private storeroom in his study!

At this moment, she had no time to question why a mere palace maid would know such a rare medicinal secret.

All she knew was that she had to maintain this lie.

She absolutely could not allow any flaw to appear at this critical moment!

“Xia Dong!” Zhou Ruoyun barked sharply.

“This servant is here!” she responded immediately.

Zhou Ruoyun quickly removed a personal jade pendant from her waist and shoved it into Xia Dong’s hands, lowering her voice with gritted teeth.

“Take my jade token and leave the palace at once! Go see my father!”

“Tell him to spare no expense—he must send the medicine in immediately!”

Xia Dong gripped the jade tightly, her palms drenched in cold sweat.

“This servant obeys!”

Watching Xia Dong’s hurried retreat, Su Huan lowered her eyes, hiding the flash of cold light within them.

The fish has finally taken the bait.

Outside the imperial city.

The moment Xia Dong’s carriage passed through Shenwu Gate, several ghost-like black shadows silently followed.

Xia Dong’s face was pale as she repeatedly lifted the carriage curtain, nervously scanning outside.

She did not know that on both sides of these seemingly peaceful streets, countless eyes were already fixed on her.

In the dark alleys, agents of the Eastern Depot exchanged secret signals rapidly.

“One team, keep close to the carriage. Do not let her out of sight!”

“Second team has already set up surveillance outside the Grand Commandant’s residence!”

Two forces, at this moment, were working together in tacit cooperation.