AUBTN -Chapter 307 Shock Across the Court

Early the next morning, all the officials in the capital were trembling with fear!

Shen Jue gave the Empress Dowager’s faction no chance to catch their breath.

He directly kicked open the doors of several high-ranking court officials.

“By order of the Regent Prince, you are accused of forming cliques for personal gain and colluding with the inner palace. All of you are to be taken into custody!”

Shrill cries and desperate pleas for mercy echoed across the capital’s sky.

Those Empress Dowager loyalists who had been the most outspoken in court the previous day—and who were deeply entangled with the Zhou family—didn’t even have time to change out of their official robes before they were brutally dragged out of their estates.

What awaited them was the infamous Zha Prison of the Eastern Depot—where very few who entered ever walked out standing.

On the other side, Lu Yan’s actions were equally thunderous.

Outside the capital garrison camp.

Lu Yan sat atop a tall horse, cloaked in a heavy cape.

His expression was cold and stern. In his hand, he held a golden imperial token, raised high!

“Seeing this token is the same as seeing His Majesty!”

Tens of thousands of imperial guards dropped to their knees in a dense mass under the embroidered sabers of the Jinyiwei.

Lu Yan personally killed three generals from the Empress Dowager’s faction who attempted to resist.

In just half a day, half of the military power of the capital garrison was completely brought under his control.

The commander of the imperial army was directly replaced with Lu Yan’s own man!

The Empress Dowager’s painstakingly cultivated influence within the military was uprooted at its roots!

The entire court and government fell into dead silence.

Only then did everyone suddenly realize: what the young emperor had released was not two obedient hunting dogs.

But two ferocious dragons capable of turning the Great Wei court upside down!

Their actions were so fast it left people dizzy.

No one in court dared to speak another word.

That night.

In the study of the Imperial Villa, the earth heating kept the room warm.

A faint scent of sandalwood masked the lingering trace of blood on Shen Jue’s body.

Shen Jue held a wolf-hair brush, his brows slightly furrowed, eyes fixed on a thick register of officials.

The court’s power structure was deeply entrenched—pull one thread and a whole web would come undone.

To completely reshape the court would take more than a single day.

The door was gently pushed open.

Su Hewan walked in with a bowl of red bean and walnut sweet soup, her steps light.

“It’s late. Your Highness the Regent should rest his eyes.”

She smiled as she placed the porcelain bowl on the desk, then naturally moved behind him and gently massaged his tense shoulders.

Shen Jue leaned back slightly, enjoying this rare moment of warmth and softness, the furrow between his brows gradually relaxing.

“They’re all corrupt officials. Dealing with them is indeed a bit troublesome.”

Su Hewan’s gaze drifted over his shoulder and accidentally landed on the open register on the desk.

It was densely marked with red and blue annotations.

“Wow… this is basically an ancient version of an official power relationship map.”

“But this classification method is way too primitive. It’s all based on memory and bloodline ties?”

Shen Jue’s half-closed eyes suddenly opened, a flash of keen interest in them.

He had once again heard this girl’s strange but always razor-sharp thoughts.

He deliberately asked,

“Madam, what is your opinion on this?”

Shen Jue turned her wrist and pulled her into his arms, seating her directly on his lap.

Su Hewan was not the type to be overly formal. She picked up the cinnabar brush on the table and circled several seemingly unrelated names on the roster.

“Look here. This says that Deputy Minister of Revenue Zhao appears to be part of the ‘clean officials’ faction, but his wife’s maternal nephew is holding a lucrative post under one of Zhou Wenhai’s protégés. Don’t you think there’s something worth digging into there?”

“And this Censor from the Ministry of War keeps publicly accusing the Empress Dowager’s faction in court. Yet his family estates back home have extensive loan ties with Vice General Xiao Zhengnan of the Southern Pacification Prince’s forces.”

“In modern terms… cough, where we come from, this is called interest transfer and hidden nepotistic networks.”

“What matters isn’t their public stance. What matters is whose ship their money and family interests are actually tied to.”

“So based on this, group these people together—and then take them down one by one!”

She tapped the brush lightly and said slyly, “It’s useless to guard against them submitting joint memorials. You need to investigate their banks and private accounts instead. One squeeze, and the truth comes out immediately.”

Shen Jue listened in silence, the light in his phoenix eyes growing brighter and brighter.

It was as if the clouds were parting and the sky had suddenly cleared—enlightenment striking all at once.

He looked at the young woman in his arms, speaking so confidently, and felt something in his chest beating wildly.

“My lady…”

Shen Jue suddenly lowered his head and pressed a hard kiss at the corner of her lips, his voice hoarse beyond measure.

“How many more surprises are hidden in your mind?”

“With a wife like this, why would one ever worry about failing to settle the realm?”

Su Hewan’s cheeks flushed red. She shoved him in mock annoyance.

“Stop sweet-talking and eat your supper!”

—

Meanwhile, in Lu Yan’s quarters, the atmosphere was completely different.

On the table lay spread out dozens of portraits of mid-ranking imperial guards.

These were specially drawn by court sketch artists that Lu Yan had summoned in order to purge wavering officials within the military.

Lu Yan was currently troubled over how to determine the loyalty of these old foxes.

Yu Qing was lying on the table, pointing at the portraits like she was picking vegetables.

“Look at this one—triangular eyes, and his mouth even tilts unevenly when he smiles!”

With obvious disgust, she tossed the portrait aside.

“That face screams ‘villain cannon fodder’—the kind who wouldn’t last three episodes!”

“And this one! Sparse eyebrows, shifty eyes—clearly a fence-sitter who goes wherever the wind blows. Definitely not a good person!”

Lu Yan’s face was full of black lines. He didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.

“Qingqing, this is selecting military commanders, not reading fortunes.”

“Your judgment criteria are a bit… too simplistic.”

Yu Qing put her hands on her hips, completely unconvinced.

“Lord Lu, don’t underestimate my intuition!”

“Don’t you know that appearance reflects the heart? Micro-expressions don’t lie!”

“If you don’t believe me, go investigate these people. I guarantee their backgrounds are dirty!”

【Hmph! I’ve studied micro-expression psychology before. I’ve watched so many palace intrigue dramas—what haven’t I seen?】

【People who look like traitors like this? If they turn out loyal, I’ll eat that scroll whole!】

Lu Yan listened to her inner monologue, helplessly shaking his head.

But still, he decided to take a chance and summoned a Jinwu Guard deputy outside.

“Go. Investigate the past six months of movements and backgrounds of these three men thoroughly.”

One stick of incense later.

The deputy rushed back, drenched in sweat, his face full of shock.

“My Lord… your divine judgment is correct! These three… these three have indeed been secretly exchanging letters with the Zhou family, and were preparing to present a token of loyalty to the Empress Dowager on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival!”

Lu Yan turned in shock to look at Yu Qing, who was sitting smugly nearby, practically radiating pride like a peacock with its tail raised.

The helplessness in his eyes slowly turned into deep affection and a faint smile.

He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her head.

“Alright. Our Qingqing is the smartest—my lucky star.”

【Hehe, of course! This young lady steps in, and one counts as two!】