AUBTN -Chapter 294 Three Days of Time

“Dongchang and the Jinyiwei are conducting searches day and night. Although there are some leads, it will still take time to verify them.”

Lu Yan followed closely behind and cupped his hands, saying in a low voice, “We are doing our utmost to investigate. We will not fail Your Majesty’s trust.”

The words were flawlessly polished—without a single flaw.

But how could the Empress Dowager be an ordinary person?

She let out a cold laugh.

“Still under investigation?”

With a sharp bang, she slammed the Buddhist beads in her hand onto the desk!

“Shen Jue, Lu Yan!”

“Do you really take this dowager for a three-year-old child, to be fooled by you like this?”

She suddenly stood up.

“These past few days, you’ve shut yourselves away in the estate. Do you really think I am blind and deaf and know nothing?”

Killing intent filled the Empress Dowager’s eyes without the slightest concealment.

“I advise you not to play any tricks.”

“Don’t forget—your lives are still in my hands!”

At these words, both Shen Jue and Lu Yan’s expressions darkened at the same time.

“Calculating the time, the poison I gave you will take effect in three days.”

“Three days.”

A faint smile curled on her lips.

“I’m only giving you three days!”

“Before that, if I do not see evidence of the Zhou family’s crimes—”

“Then you will bear the consequences!”

Shen Jue forcefully suppressed the murderous intent surging in his eyes.

He lowered his head deeply.

“As you command.”

Lu Yan also lowered his head.

“This minister… obeys.”

After leaving Cining Palace, the long palace corridor stretched ahead. The two of them walked side by side, neither speaking.

Only after confirming there were no more of the Empress Dowager’s spies around did Lu Yan stop and break the dead silence in a low voice.

“She’s become suspicious.”

“We really don’t have much time left.”

His voice carried a rare heaviness.

Shen Jue narrowed his long, sharp eyes slightly, his gaze like a blade.

“The Empress Dowager wants to use us as blades—then discard us when she’s done.”

“Three days… heh.”

He let out a cold laugh, his tone carrying ruthless resolve.

“We must wake the little emperor before she reacts—and deliver a fatal blow!”

Lu Yan nodded, his brows filled with killing intent.

“Exactly.”

“Until the seventh day, there are only three days left.”

“That’s enough!”

As long as the little emperor could awaken smoothly—

This deadlock of a situation could be completely turned around.

Shen Jue idly played with the jade pendant at his waist, calculation flashing in his eyes.

“But our poison also has three days left!” Lu Yan said helplessly.

However, the moment the word poison was mentioned, Lu Yan—who had just been full of killing intent—suddenly deflated like a punctured bag.

He irritably ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh.

“Haah…”

“Politics is easy to solve, but this matter… how are we supposed to handle it?”

“What matter?” Shen Jue asked.

Lu Yan turned his head and looked at his nemesis, his expression so complicated it was as if he were looking at an idiot.

“What else could it be?”

“The poison, of course!”

He lowered his voice, full of conflict and helplessness.

“We can’t tell those two about this!”

Shen Jue frowned immediately.

“Yes.”

Lu Yan looked at him like he was looking at a fool.

“You’re usually quite smart—why can’t your brain work now? Think of something!”

Shen Jue sighed.

“If I had a solution, would I still be arguing with you here?”

“Think about it—if they find out we’ve been poisoned, do you think they’ll cry themselves sick worrying about us, or will they be furious that we hid it from them?”

In Shen Jue’s mind, Su Hewan’s cold eyes—usually calm, but laced with restrained anger—flashed instantly.

He couldn’t help but shiver.

He coughed twice, trying to salvage a trace of the authority befitting the East Bureau’s chief eunuch.

“Then… should we just tell them?”

“We’re husband and wife after all. Being honest is only right.”

Lu Yan immediately rejected it without hesitation.

“No!”

He shook his head decisively.

“That girl, Yu Qing, may seem carefree and heartless, but she’s actually the impulsive type.”

“If she finds out, she’ll definitely make a scene!”

“At this critical moment, we absolutely cannot allow anything to go wrong!”

Shen Jue was speechless.

Thinking it over carefully, Su Hewan was indeed rational—but if she learned the truth, she would most likely risk her own life just to detoxify him.

And that was not the outcome he wanted.

“Then what do you suggest?”

Shen Jue rubbed his brow irritably, a rare trace of frustration in his voice.

Lu Yan spread his hands, signaling he had no solution either.

“How would I know?”

“If we hide it, I’m afraid they’ll bring it up and settle old scores later.”

“If we don’t hide it, it’s a huge problem right now.”

The two men—who could summon storms in court and control power with a single hand—were figures who wouldn’t even furrow their brows in the face of life and death.

Yet at this moment, they were unexpectedly stuck, tormented by this emotional weak spot, scratching their heads in frustration.

The long palace corridor fell into dead silence once again.

Neither of them had a better answer.

This situation… no matter how they solved it, it was difficult.

The gates of the imperial residence slowly opened with a heavy creak.

Su Hewan and Yu Qing were already waiting in the main hall. Hearing the sound, they immediately went forward to greet them.

“You’re back!”

Yu Qing, like a lively little sparrow, rushed forward, instinctively about to throw herself into Lu Yan’s arms.

But the moment she saw their expressions clearly, she abruptly stopped in her tracks.

Su Hewan’s heart sank instantly.

Her instincts told her something must have gone wrong.

“In the palace… did something happen?”

Su Hewan steadied herself, locking her gaze tightly onto Shen Jue’s eyes.

When Shen Jue saw her, the violence in his eyes was instantly concealed without a trace.

He forced out a lazy smile as usual.

But no matter how one looked at it, that smile felt strained and unnatural.

“What could have happened? It’s just the Empress Dowager urging the investigation into the Zhou family case again.”

He raised his hand and casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind Su Hewan’s ear.

Su Hewan frowned slightly.

“Just urging the case?”

Lu Yan coughed lightly on the side, avoiding Yu Qing’s questioning gaze.

“Mm. The Empress Dowager is pressing hard, ordering us to present solid evidence as soon as possible.”

He patted Yu Qing’s head, his voice low and hoarse.

“The East Bureau and Northern Constabulary still have a pile of messes to deal with. These next few days will be extremely busy.”

“Shen Jue and I need to discuss countermeasures in the study. You two… just have dinner yourselves. No need to wait for us.”

With that, Lu Yan glanced deeply at Yu Qing.

Then he gently let go of her hand.

“Be good. Don’t overthink.”

The two of them didn’t linger for even a moment longer.

They turned and strode directly toward the study.

Yu Qing stared blankly at the empty courtyard.

“Something’s wrong! Ninety percent—no, a hundred percent something’s wrong!”

She angrily grabbed at her own hair.

“Wanwan, what do you think is going on with them?”

“They came back from the palace looking like their souls had been taken!”

Yu Qing grabbed Su Hewan’s arm anxiously.

“It can’t be that old witch causing trouble again, right?”

Su Hewan also shook her head in confusion.

She stood quietly in place, her brows tightly furrowed.

【The Empress Dowager has no military power. She wouldn’t dare act rashly against Shen Jue and Lu Yan.】

【We already obtained solid evidence for the Zhou family case. Logically, they shouldn’t be this passive.】

【Unless… the Empress Dowager is holding something far more lethal than military power or evidence.】

【Lethal enough to make even these two men, who stand above the court, completely powerless.】

What on earth could it be?