AUBTN -Chapter 309 Acting Out a Fake Death

Su Hewan gently wrapped an arm around Yu Qing’s shoulder and softly patted her back.

“Qingqing, don’t be sad.”

“Whether his father accepts you or not, if he really doesn’t go back, you can just stay here.”

“Where I am is your home too—and it’s also your home together.”

Yu Qing sniffled and leaned against Su Hewan’s shoulder.

“Wanwan, I know.”

“Actually… even if he doesn’t say it, I can still feel it.”

“Every time he sees other families with loving fathers and sons, his eyes turn very dark.”

“He probably really wants to reconcile with Lord Prime Minister Lu… it’s just that there’s a thorn in his heart. He can’t bring himself to lower his pride, and he can’t find a proper way down.”

Su Hewan rested her chin thoughtfully, gazing at Lord Lu Yan in the distance.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

A sly, dark-bellied smile—very much like Shen Jue’s—curled at her lips.

“Qingqing.”

She turned to look at her friend who was leaning on her shoulder.

“Aren’t you a performing arts student?”

Yu Qing froze for a moment and lifted her head.

“Yes… why?”

“Then how about…” Su Hewan lowered her voice, her eyes sparkling with mischief, “we just put on a play?”

“A play… that would force him to face Lord Prime Minister Lu—and force him to step down from his pride!”

Yu Qing blanked out for two seconds.

Then the tears in her eyes vanished instantly.

She slapped her thigh hard.

“This is doable!”

No more hesitation—they got to work immediately.

The next morning, Su Hewan and Yu Qing rushed to block Shen Jue’s study door.

After hearing their shocking plan, Shen Jue’s hand holding the purple clay teacup suddenly froze.

His handsome face was full of disbelief and absurdity.

He looked at the two audacious girls in front of him.

“You want me to go?”

Shen Jue raised his voice, his tone filled with undisguised resistance.

“You want this dignified Regent Prince to lower himself and go find that stubborn old fossil, Lu Zhixing?”

“And then have me persuade him to cooperate with you in staging a fake death act?”

He let out a cold snort.

“Impossible. Absolutely impossible!”

“Not to mention that old man values ritual and propriety above all else—just the fact that we’ve always been at odds in court makes this absurd!”

“If I can make him agree to pretend to be dead, I’ll swallow this inkstone whole!”

Seeing that he refused outright, Su Hewan didn’t get angry.

Instead, she blinked cunningly like a little fox that had just succeeded in a scheme.

“Don’t rush to refuse, Your Highness.”

She stepped closer and naturally leaned toward Shen Jue’s ear, quickly whispering something only he could hear.

Shen Jue’s originally resistant expression changed instantly upon hearing those words.

He narrowed his long phoenix eyes slightly, scrutinizing Su Hewan with suspicion.

“You’re sure this will work on him?”

Su Hewan and Yu Qing nodded vigorously in perfect sync, like little chicks pecking at rice.

Shen Jue fell silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he rubbed his brow helplessly and let out a deep sigh.

“Fine. This prince will trust you once.”

“If this fails, you two can face Lu Yan’s embroidered spring blades yourselves.”

Half an hour later.

Prime Minister Lu’s residence, study room.

After hearing Shen Jue’s outrageously absurd proposal, Lu Zhixing’s beard trembled violently with rage.

“Preposterous! Utterly ridiculous beyond belief!”

Lu Zhixing slammed his palm on the table and stood up abruptly, pointing at Shen Jue’s nose in rage.

“I, Lu Zhixing, am the dignified Prime Minister of this dynasty! I read the sages’ books and walk the path of righteousness!”

“And you want me to pretend to be dead? To act like those actors in the pleasure quarters and street theaters, doing such deceitful, disgraceful tricks?”

“Shen Jue, don’t you go too far!”

Facing the furious Prime Minister Lu, Shen Jue didn’t even lift his eyelids.

He remained seated in the guest chair, leisurely playing with his white jade folding fan.

Only after Lu Zhixing finished shouting himself breathless did he finally raise his eyes lazily.

Those unfathomable eyes flickered with a cold light that saw through human nature.

“Prime Minister Lu, integrity is indeed a good thing.”

Shen Jue slowly stood up, straightening his immaculate brocade robe.

“But integrity can’t bring back your son’s forgiveness, nor can it untie the decades-long knot between you two.”

He walked to the door, paused slightly, and without turning back, threw out a final sentence.

“If you want to carry that pride into your coffin and let your son hate you forever, then keep holding onto it.”

“But if you want your son to come home and call you ‘Father’ with sincerity…”

“Then it depends on whether you’re willing to put down your pride.”

With that, Shen Jue calmly stepped over the threshold and left.

—

The next morning.

Barely dawn had broken when a shocking piece of news reached the Yu Residence!

Prime Minister Lu Zhixing had suddenly fallen seriously ill last night, and despite emergency treatment, passed away at the hour of Yin!

In the side hall of the Yu Residence.

Lu Yan was reviewing the defense map of the capital garrison, a vermilion brush poised in his slender fingers.

A Jinwu Guard thousand-commandant rushed in, almost stumbling, his voice filled with barely contained panic.

“Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!”

“The Prime Minister’s household has announced mourning… Prime Minister Lu… he’s gone!”

The vermilion brush in Lu Yan’s hand dropped without warning onto the map, spreading a large, glaring red stain.

He froze instantly.

His mind went completely blank.

“…What did you say?”

His voice was hoarse.

“The Prime Minister’s residence has already hung white mourning banners!” the officer said, kneeling without daring to look up.

Lu Yan suddenly stood up.

Like a gale, he rushed out of the Yu Residence.

Shen Jue, Su Hewan, and Yu Qing followed closely behind him in silence.

When they arrived at the street where the Prime Minister’s residence stood, from afar they could already see the entire estate draped in white mourning cloth.

At the gate, Lu Yan reined in his horse so hard it nearly reared.

He dismounted and stumbled up the steps.

Eyes red, he grabbed the house steward Zhao Bo by the collar.

“Where is my father?”

“Where is he?!”

Zhao Bo was startled by his murderous expression.

But remembering Shen Jue’s instructions from the night before, he gritted his teeth.

The old steward instantly went into full acting mode, squeezing out a few tears on command.

“Young Master! You’re finally back!”

He collapsed to his knees and wailed.

“Master… he suddenly suffered heart pain last night. We didn’t even have time to call the imperial physician… and he was gone!”

“When he left… he was still clutching the longevity lock you wore as a child!”

Yu Qing silently gave Zhao Bo a thumbs-up.

Lu Yan shoved him aside and staggered into the main hall of the Prime Minister’s residence.

The once luxurious hall had already been turned into a solemn mourning hall.

In the center stood a pitch-black coffin made of golden-threaded nanmu wood.