AUBTN -Chapter 366 In the End, It Was All Wrong

Prime Minister Lu sneered inwardly again and again, but he still put on an expression of tearful gratitude.

“This old minister obeys Your Imperial Command.”

In the Imperial Study, the fragrance of agarwood incense curled upward in thin wisps.

The young emperor sat on the dragon throne, looking at Prime Minister Lu kneeling below. A trace of barely perceptible satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

“Minister Lu, you may rise. Take a seat,” the young emperor said in a voice so gentle it seemed almost sweet.

“This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your grace.” Prime Minister Lu sat down, even remembering to wipe the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

The young emperor sighed, putting on a deeply pained expression.

“The assassination of the Eastern island envoys has caused chaos throughout the capital. I know Lord Shen acted somewhat too aggressively, and that caused Lu Yan to suffer. But I was also forced to take this measure in order to preserve his life.”

“Your Majesty is wise! This old minister understands that Your Majesty has always protected Yan’er. It is simply his fate that is bitter, and he has fallen victim to scheming villains!” Prime Minister Lu followed the thread smoothly, his acting flawless.

Seeing that the timing was right, the young emperor suddenly changed tone, speaking with apparent sincerity.

“My dear minister, Lu Yan has worked tirelessly for the empire and for me. Seeing him injured like this pains me deeply as well. The position of Jinyiwei Commander is simply too dangerous—too much killing, too much blood. It is no longer suitable for him to continue. After much thought, I have decided to relieve Lu Yan of his post as Commander of the Jinyiwei.”

Prime Minister Lu raised his head abruptly, putting on a shocked expression.

The young emperor immediately followed up with bait.

“But he has served meritoriously, and I will not mistreat a loyal subject. I decree that Lu Yan shall continue to hold the title of Prince of Jin. He will be granted a princely estate, and his title shall be hereditary! From now on, he may live out his life in comfort and honor as a noble, leisurely prince. What do you think, my dear minister?”

A nominal title of an imperial prince with no real authority—using a hollow promotion to strip Lu Yan of his sharpest blade.

What a brilliant move of “promotion on the surface, demotion in reality”—a perfect decapitation strike.

Prime Minister Lu sneered inwardly, but outwardly he appeared fearful and grateful.

“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless! This old minister… this old minister thanks Your Majesty on behalf of Yan’er! For him to have survived this ordeal and still receive such imperial favor—it is truly a blessing earned over several lifetimes!”

Watching this, the young emperor finally lowered his guard and burst into hearty laughter.

“Good! Prime Minister Lu understands my intentions. I am greatly comforted!”

The next day, the young emperor publicly announced the list of officials entering the newly established Grand Secretariat before the civil and military court.

“From this day forth, the Grand Secretariat shall be established to assist in governing state affairs. The first batch of appointed academicians is as follows…”

Eunuch Wang’s sharp voice echoed through the empty Imperial Study.

The names followed one after another—new top scholar He Mingxiu, Hanlin compiler Li Wendong, Vice Minister of Rites He Wenyuan…

As the list went on, both Prime Minister Lu and Shen Jue felt a growing chill in their hearts. Without exception, every single one of them was a newly risen scholar-official from humble origins.

Once the Grand Secretariat was established, the power of the Chancellor would be diluted beyond measure.

The young emperor was using Lu Yan’s imprisonment and the resulting turmoil in court as the perfect opportunity to completely reshuffle the power structure.

Such political maneuvering—so smooth, so ruthless.

Then, two thunderous announcements struck the capital like massive stones thrown into a still lake, stirring up overwhelming waves.

First: Lu Yan was stripped of military command and titled a noble but powerless Prince of Jin.

Second: the Grand Secretariat was established, and new officials rose to power.

At the same time, people from the Eastern Depot “accidentally” leaked some information, and several blood-soaked prison uniforms were quietly transported out of the Northern Investigation Bureau.

In an instant, rumors spread wildly through the streets and alleys of the capital—that Shen Jue had abused his power for personal revenge, torturing Lu Yan beyond recognition, and that Prime Minister Lu had been forced to surrender his position in order to save his son’s life.

The court descended into chaos.

Officials aligned with Prime Minister Lu erupted in outrage, their impeachment memorials flying into the Imperial Study like snowflakes, condemning Shen Jue as a corrupt, nation-destroying eunuch faction and demanding his punishment.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed Grand Secretariat scholars stood firmly on the emperor’s side, debating fiercely with the opposition. The court turned into a daily battlefield of arguments and accusations.

Inside the imperial guest residence of the Ministry of Rites…

The Second Prince of the Northern Barbarians and Ito, the deputy envoy of the Eastern Isles, overheard the commotion outside. They exchanged a glance and let out satisfied, mocking laughs.

Ito lifted his teacup, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes.

“With the Jinyiwei having changed hands, the Eastern Depot and the civil officials are tearing each other apart. Internal strife never stops. Shen Jue is nothing more than a paper tiger now—nothing to fear!”

“The real show is still ahead,” the Northern Barbarian Second Prince said, idly playing with the curved blade in his hand, his smile sinister.

In the Yu Garden, inside the library pavilion—

Su Hewan sat cross-legged amid piles of medical texts and Imperial Household archives. In front of her, sheets of paper were filled with intricate diagrams of tangled relationships.

Her gaze was as cold as ice, but her mind was running at high speed.

“Ruan Gu Teng in Xiang Du’s stomach… Ruan Gu Teng…”

Her finger slammed down heavily on an aged volume, Records of Southern Frontier Plants.

This thing originated from the extreme cold miasma lands of the Southern Frontier. The Great Wei Empire simply did not grow such herbs.

The Imperial Medical Bureau’s records also showed no procurement of it.

For it to appear inside the stomach of the Eastern Isles’ official without anyone noticing—there was only one possibility: it had been brought out from within the palace.

Su Hewan’s brows tightened as a thread of thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

The young emperor had once been poisoned.

Although the symptoms were publicly declared as food poisoning from incompatible ingredients, she had once glanced at the pulse records on Shen Jue’s desk. That pulse pattern clearly matched the characteristics of a slow-acting Southern Frontier poison.

It’s the same person. Or rather—the same group of people!

Clarity struck her. She quickly grabbed a brush and wrote down a few words on the paper: Investigate the palace, Southern Frontier origins, anyone who had contact with medicinal materials.

She took a deep breath and began reviewing the Imperial Household registry again.

At the same time, in the Eastern Depot, inside a secret chamber—

Shen Jue sat in a dark red python robe, leaning back in a grand master chair, idly spinning a jade thumb ring.

His handsome face was shrouded in a layer of deep, unshakable gloom.

“Your Grace,” Deputy Judicial Commander Zhao Zhou knelt on one knee and presented a confidential report with both hands. “It’s been confirmed. In the past few days after Xiang Du entered the capital, aside from meeting the Northern Barbarians at the Ministry of Rites, he also visited Tingyu Tower once.”

“Tingyu Tower?” Shen Jue narrowed his long phoenix eyes slightly, his voice as cold as shattered ice.

“Yes. Our covert agents in the tea house confirmed it. Xiang Du booked a private room in the Tianzi tier that day. The person he met for half an hour in secret was not any foreign envoy—but…”

Zhao Zhou paused, swallowed, and lowered his voice.

“It was the Vice Minister of Rites, He Wenyuan.”

The jade ring in Shen Jue’s hand gave a faint cracking sound.

“He Wenyuan…” Shen Jue slowly repeated the name, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his lips.

If he remembered correctly, this Minister He had only recently been personally promoted by the young emperor, entering the first batch of Inner Cabinet scholars and becoming one of the hottest rising officials in the emperor’s favor.

“So the fox’s tail has finally shown itself,” Shen Jue said as he rose to his feet. His black cloak swept through the air like a blade.

He walked to the window and looked at the rolling dark clouds on the horizon, the depths of his eyes swallowing everything in darkness.

With the upcoming Blessing Ceremony approaching, the young emperor—using the incident with the foreign envoys as cover—was already rushing to remove the Lu family’s influence and promote his own trusted men.

This move… had ultimately been a mistake.