AUBTN -Chapter 356 Dead

“Catching a thief requires catching him with the stolen goods; catching an adulterer requires catching them in the act. If you’re going to make a move, you must catch them when they are meeting—or actively in the middle of doing something.”

Shen Jue let out a faint chuckle and casually tossed the handkerchief in his hand into the brazier. The firelight cast a cold glow across his dark, dangerously beautiful profile.

Unexpectedly, his thoughts aligned perfectly with this woman’s.

“The Blessing Ceremony.”

Shen Jue and Lu Yan spoke those four words in unison.

They exchanged a glance. Sparks of hostility instantly flared between sworn enemies, and both immediately turned away with cold sneers.

Yu Qing’s eyes lit up as she quickly followed the line of thought.

“Exactly! The Blessing Ceremony in a few days—His Majesty will personally ascend the Temple of Heaven. By then, security across the capital will be heavily rearranged. That’s the best opportunity for them to strike under chaos and carry out an assassination!”

“So we’ll use a classic tactic—catching a turtle in a jar.”

Shen Jue curled his lips into a cold smile, killing intent swirling in his eyes.

“In the next few days, withdraw all visible surveillance. Let them believe the Great Wei has relaxed its vigilance. When the ceremony day arrives, I will capture not only him—but also the master behind him—in one sweep!”

The four of them, under the flickering candlelight, began to simulate the entire operation for the day of the ceremony: hidden posts, intelligence lines, and responses to possible emergencies.

Only when the eastern sky began to pale with the first light of dawn was this vast, inescapable net finally woven.

---

Morning.

The flower hall in the Yu Residence finally carried a faint trace of everyday warmth.

On the table were steaming baskets of crab roe buns and thick, creamy bird’s nest porridge.

Yu Qing sat there with two heavy dark circles under her eyes, chewing on a bun as if she had lost all will to live.

【These ancient buns are delicious, but this life is not human life. Once this is over, I’m definitely going to request paid leave from Lu Yan.】

Lu Yan paused slightly as he held his bowl of porridge. Pretending he heard nothing, he expressionlessly picked up a bun and placed it into his own bowl.

Su Hewan sipped her porridge elegantly, still calculating every detail of the ceremony in her mind.

Shen Jue sat across from her, resting his cheek on one hand, watching her focused expression with faint amusement.

In this rare moment of calm—

“Bang!”

The gates of the Yu Residence were violently slammed open.

Hurried, chaotic footsteps approached, shattering the morning stillness.

Jinyiwei Deputy Commander Chang Lin, along with an official from the Ministry of Rites, rushed into the flower hall almost stumbling.

Their faces were as pale as paper, as if they had seen a ghost. Their official hats were crooked, but they didn’t even notice.

“My lord! Something… something terrible has happened!”

Chang Lin dropped to one knee, his voice trembling.

The Ministry of Rites official collapsed directly to the ground, teeth chattering.

“De… dead…”

Lu Yan slammed his bowl heavily onto the table. His brows shot up, and an oppressive aura instantly filled the room.

“Stop panicking! Speak clearly!”

Shen Jue’s lazy demeanor vanished in an instant, his gaze turning cold as a frozen abyss.

The official swallowed hard and screamed in a shaking voice:

“The Eastern Island chief envoy, Xiang Du—last night he died in the Ministry of Rites guest residence! His throat was cut in one stroke!”

“What?”

Su Hewan shot to her feet, eyes widening in disbelief.

【How is that possible? Xiang Du is the most important piece on the board—he’s also the blade inserted by the Northern Barbarians. How could he suddenly be killed at the guest residence?】

Yu Qing’s bun dropped onto the table with a “thud.”

【Damn—murder in a locked room? Someone actually died?】

Shen Jue’s face darkened so heavily it looked ready to drip ink. He rose abruptly, his crimson imperial robes sweeping up a sharp gust of wind.

“Who did it? Where is the body? Were there any survivors at the scene?”

Chang Lin took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked toward Lu Yan with deep fear in his eyes.

“Reporting to the Supervising Lord… and the Commander… there were no survivors. But…”

Chang Lin gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue: “The murder weapon… was left at the scene. It’s… it’s one of our Great Wei Embroidered Uniform Guard’s standard sabers! The Xiu Chun Saber!”

Those words struck like a thunderclap out of a clear sky, exploding throughout the flower hall.

Lu Yan’s face, cold as an iceberg, instantly filled with murderous intent. His right hand subconsciously pressed against the hilt of his blade.

“What did you say?” Lu Yan stepped down the stairs one step at a time. The temperature around him seemed to plummet to freezing point.

“You’re saying someone used my Jinyiwei’s saber… to kill the Eastern Island envoy?”

“Yes…” the official replied with a mournful expression.

“The Eastern Island deputy envoy has completely lost his mind. He’s gathered all the Eastern Island warriors in the Four Quarters Residence and surrounded the Honglu Temple’s guesthouse without leaving even a gap!”

“They’re holding that Xiu Chun Saber and shouting in the streets, accusing Great Wei of breaking its word—on the surface we hosted them with banquets, but behind their backs we sent the Jinyiwei to assassinate their envoys!”

The official slammed his head to the ground in despair.

“They said… if Great Wei does not hand over the murderer and repay blood with blood, the Eastern Island Emperor will mobilize the entire nation’s army, cross the sea, and go to war!”

A deathly silence blanketed the entire flower hall.

Suddenly, Shen Jue laughed.

He slowly turned his head to look at Lu Yan, whose expression was as still as water. There was no amusement in Shen Jue’s eyes—only an ice-cold frost that could not be dissolved.

“What a fine move—burning the bridge after crossing it, killing with a borrowed blade.”

Shen Jue’s voice was soft, but it carried a cruelty that made one’s bones turn cold.

Su Hewan’s hands tightened around the back of her chair.

This isn’t just killing with a borrowed blade! Xiang Du is dead, and all leads to the Northern Barbarian spy are cut off. And now this fire is directly burning the Jinyiwei! If the Eastern Island really stirs up trouble, it won’t just ruin diplomatic relations—it’ll make both the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot targets in court!

The person behind this… never intended to assassinate at the prayer ceremony. He wants to stir internal chaos in Great Wei—and ignite a war between nations!

Shen Jue’s smile deepened into something colder as he listened to her inner voice.

“Brother Lu,” Shen Jue said lightly, brushing nonexistent dust from his sleeve, his tone icy.

“It seems our opponent has no intention of obediently walking into our trap. Instead… he’s dug us a very deep grave.”

Lu Yan let out a cold snort and drew half an inch of his Xiu Chun Saber. The blade’s glint reflected his sharp, piercing gaze.

“If they want to play,” he said coldly, “then I’ll play with them to the end.”

He strode toward the exit without looking back, barking an order:

“Chang Lin! Assemble the Jinyiwei. Follow me to the embassy!”

“Shen Jue,” Su Hewan suddenly turned and grabbed his wrist, her gaze firm.

“I’m going too. The scene cannot be left solely to the Eastern Islanders!”

Shen Jue glanced down at the hand gripping his wrist. Then he turned his hand over and held hers instead, the corner of his lips lifting into a bloodthirsty curve.

“Alright. Let’s see which little ghost dares to act wild on the king of all demons’ turf.”

Hoofbeats shattered the thin morning mist of the capital.

When the group arrived at the Honglu Temple guesthouse, it had already become a boiling cauldron.

Layers upon layers of imperial guards surrounded the building, yet they could not suppress the murderous aura pouring from within.

“Make way!” Lu Yan dismounted, using the scabbard of his Xiu Chun Saber to forcefully push aside the guards blocking the entrance, striding inside.

Shen Jue walked unhurriedly at his side, followed by Su Hewan and Yu Qing.

The moment they entered the courtyard, a thick stench of blood hit them.

At the center of the courtyard lay a corpse, hastily covered with a white cloth. Blood seeped outward, staining the cracks of the blue stone pavement a deep red.

In front of the body stood the Eastern Island deputy envoy, Ito, like a raging beast blocking the steps.

He was a middle-aged man with a hooked nose, his eyes now completely bloodshot.

Behind him stood dozens of Eastern Island warriors in wooden clogs and chonmage hairstyles, lined up as if ready to draw their swords at any moment.

Opposite them stood the trembling Minister of Honglu Temple and Minister Lu.