AUBTN -Chapter 370 Enforcing the Law

The newcomer stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his expression cold and stern.

His deep, sharp eyes swept across the entire scene in an instant.

Silence fell over the crowd!

The imperial chancellor, Lu Zhixing, who had been crying bitterly for his son just a moment ago, now stood there as if struck by lightning, mouth agape—he had even forgotten to wipe away his tears.

“Y… Yaner?” Chancellor Lu rubbed his clouded old eyes, hardly believing what he was seeing.

Wasn’t he supposed to have already been tortured beyond recognition in the imperial prison? Wasn’t he said to be left with only a single breath?

Yet this imposing presence, like a tiger swallowing mountains and rivers—how did he look anything like someone who had suffered any punishment at all?

At the moment Lu Yan appeared, the faces of He Wenyuan and Tuoba Lie turned completely ashen.

“Lu Yan! You’re not dead?!” He Wenyuan blurted out, his voice so sharp it distorted.

“Are you disappointed, Lord He?” Lu Yan let out a cold laugh. He strode forward, knelt on one knee before the throne, and said in a voice as loud as a bell: “Your servant Lu Yan pays respects to Your Majesty!”

The young emperor nearly stood up from the dragon throne.

“Lord Lu! You… you are completely unharmed?”

“By Your Majesty’s blessing, I emerged from the imperial prison without a single injury,” Lu Yan said as he rose. His gaze shot like a torch toward He Wenyuan.

“These past few days, I merely remained in seclusion to work with Governor Shen in setting up a trap—to lure out the hidden rot in the shadows!”

On the side platform where the female guests sat, Yu Qing grabbed Su Houwan’s arm in excitement, lowering her voice as she screamed, “Ahhh! Wanwan, look! I told you my Lord Lu is the most handsome! Look at him walking with that wind-at-his-heels aura, look at that gaze! Incredible, absolutely incredible!”

Su Houwan calmly pulled her arm free from the painful grip, shaking her head helplessly with a smile.

At the center of the altar, Lu Yan took out a confession bearing a bright red fingerprint and presented it with both hands.

“Your Majesty, I was not idle in the imperial prison. I followed the leads and personally interrogated the truth!”

His voice rang out powerfully, echoing through the vast Temple of Heaven.

“This is the testimony of a bribed lower-ranking officer of the Jinyiwei. It clearly states that Zhou Wenhai ordered him to steal a colleague’s embroidered spring saber. Zhou Wenhai, skilled in martial arts, personally infiltrated the diplomatic lodge that night, mimicked the Jinyiwei’s unique blade technique, and committed the murder to silence him!”

It was as if a thunderclap exploded through the crowd.

He Wenyuan’s psychological defenses completely collapsed.

He trembled all over, cold sweat soaking through his official robes, his eyes becoming unfocused and frantic.

“No… that’s not true… you’re all framing me! I am a Minister of Rites! I am a Grand Secretariat assistant!”

He Wenyuan muttered incoherently, then suddenly spun around and fixed his gaze on a nearby court official.

An old compiler from the Hanlin Academy.

“If you won’t give me a way out, then we all die together!”

Like a mad dog, He Wenyuan suddenly let out a piercing howl.

He violently pulled a sharp dagger from his wide sleeve and lunged at the old compiler with a grotesquely twisted motion.

He seized the old official’s neck and pressed the poisoned blade tightly against his throat!

“Back off! All of you, back off!”

His eyes were bloodshot, spittle flying as his facial muscles twisted from terror and madness.

“Yes! I did it! I was the one who lured that fool Xiang Du into the capital! I was the one who arranged his murder! All of you self-righteous ministers, all you blind royals—you all deserve to die!”

The sudden turn of events threw the entire sacrificial ceremony into utter chaos.

“Protect His Majesty! Protect him!” Eunuch Wang screamed in a shrill voice. The Jinyiwei and Eastern Depot agents instantly drew their blades, surrounding the young emperor tightly.

The old compiler’s eyes rolled back as he was choked, nearly fainting in terror.

Lu Yan’s expression turned icy. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he gripped his sword, silently stepping forward.

“Don’t come any closer! Lu Yan, take one more step and I’ll slit his throat!”

He Wenyuan swung the dagger wildly as he screamed, dragging the hostage step by step toward the edge of the side altar.

And in that direction—the women’s seating area.

Yu Qing covered her mouth in fear, while Su Houwan remained unusually calm.

Her gaze was locked tightly onto He Wenyuan’s hands, which were bulging with veins from extreme tension.

“You think you’ve already won?” He Wenyuan laughed maniacally, his eyes filled with a desperate resolve to drag everyone down with him.

In that instant—while he tilted his head back in狂笑 and lost focus—

Su Houwan, who had been hiding among the noblewomen at the side altar, moved like a cat. She suddenly slipped out from behind a white jade pillar.

Without hesitation, she pulled out a paper packet from her sleeve, crushed it hard, and flung it straight at He Wenyuan’s face.

“What is that?!”

A cloud of white powder exploded instantly, splattering directly across his face.

The specially prepared quicklime powder mixed with premium chili powder created a searing pain that shot straight to the brain, causing He Wenyuan to scream like a slaughtered pig.

“Aah—my eyes!”

Blinded by the pain, He Wenyuan instinctively released the hostage and clutched at his eyes.

Lu Yan and Shen Jue exchanged a glance. No words were needed—perfect coordination erupted in an instant.

Lu Yan did not even draw the sword at his waist. Instead, he hurled the sheathed blade like lightning, striking precisely He Wenyuan’s right wrist holding the dagger.

A crisp crack of bone echoed as the poisoned dagger fell to the ground.

Almost at the same time, Shen Jue’s figure blurred forward like a ghost.

His white jade folding fan had become a lethal weapon. With a sharp whistling force, the fan’s ribs slammed into the back of He Wenyuan’s knee.

“Kneel!”

Shen Jue’s cold voice rang out.

He Wenyuan’s legs gave way, and he crashed heavily onto the stone floor.

Two Jinwu Guards swarmed in like wolves, pinning his arms down tightly.

The crisis was resolved. The entire scene finally let out a collective breath.

Su Houwan brushed the lingering lime powder from her hands, straightened her slightly wind-tousled hair, and calmly retreated back into the crowd—leaving no trace of her actions.

From the corner of his eye, Shen Jue glanced at that calm, composed figure. A faint trace of approval—and indulgence—flashed in his deep gaze.

Ruthless enough. He liked it.

“Take him away. Keep him under strict guard,” Lu Yan ordered coldly.

“Ha… hahahahaha!”

Pinned to the ground, He Wenyuan did not beg for mercy. Instead, he erupted into shrill, unrestrained laughter.

He suddenly twisted his head and locked his gaze onto the Northern nomad delegation, staring directly at Tuoba Lie, who was already preparing to slip away.

“Tuoba Lie! Don’t think you can escape unscathed!”

He Wenyuan shouted with all his remaining strength:

“I’m finished, but you won’t have it easy either! Do you really think Northern Xia can keep everything hidden? I already leaked your entire border invasion plan against Great Wei to the Eastern Isles!”

That roar was like a bomb exploding over the altar.

Tuoba Lie’s face turned pale as death. His eyes widened in disbelief, his finger trembling as he pointed.

“You… you madman!”

Meanwhile, Ito, the Eastern Isles deputy envoy, froze in place upon hearing this. His previous amused expression vanished instantly, and cold sweat formed on his forehead as he stepped back.

At that moment, the hidden cards of Great Wei, Northern Xia, and the Eastern Isles were all exposed—

Shattered by a dying man’s scream, laid bare before the entire world.