AUBTN -Chapter 377 Halo of the Protagonist

Faced with Lu Yan’s questioning, Shen Jue fell silent for a moment, a hint of helpless amusement appearing in his smile.

He slowly turned around and sighed softly. “He who understands me, Brother Lu. You’re getting to know me better and better.”

“Who wants to understand you!” Lu Yan snapped angrily, irritated by his calm, indifferent attitude.

Shen Jue’s joking expression faded, and he said seriously, “What I’m dealing with this time is the Tianji Pavilion hiding in the shadows, and the endless chatter of the entire court. I don’t want to drag you into this. After all, you’ve already got a family now.”

“Don’t flatter yourself!” Lu Yan snorted coldly.

“You think I want to deal with your mess? I’m just afraid my wife will end up crying and I’ll feel bad for her! Given her relationship with your wife, if something happens to you, how could she not be upset? Do you think I can stay out of it?”

He spoke with righteous confidence, as if such a huge matter of loyalty and concern was only about saving his own wife a few tears.

Shen Jue was slightly stunned when he heard this. Then, looking at Lu Yan’s stubborn, soft-hearted demeanor, he couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“In that case,” he said, the coldness in his eyes melting away a little as he solemnly cupped his hands.

“Then I, this king, thank Brother Lu in advance.”

---

On the other side, inside the Wutong Courtyard.

When Yu Qing found Su Hewan, she was standing alone by the window, staring blankly at the wutong tree in the courtyard.

Her delicate profile was filled with lingering worry.

“Wanwan, so you are here.” Yu Qing walked over and gently hugged her from behind.

“Still worried about that guy Shen Jue?”

Su Hewan’s shoulders trembled slightly, but she said nothing. Her faintly cold body temperature said it all.

Yu Qing pulled her around to face her, holding her hands with a serious expression.

“Oh come on, don’t worry! Have you forgotten how many storms we’ve been through? We fell off a cliff and didn’t die, we escaped after being imprisoned by the Empress Dowager, and we even resolved the He Wenyuan incident. What hurdle can we not get over?”

Seeing Su Hewan still frowning, Yu Qing’s eyes flickered.

“Besides, don’t forget—we’ve got protagonist halo protection! We won’t die!”

Su Hewan stared at her blankly for a long moment. Looking at Yu Qing’s earnest, confident expression, she finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“You…” Su Hewan shook her head helplessly, the worry in her eyes greatly eased by her smile.

“At a time like this, you’re still joking.”

Although she knew it was a joke, for some reason, the heavy stone in her heart truly seemed to have been slightly lifted by those words—protagonist halo.

---

The next day, the Fengtian Hall.

The atmosphere in the court was suffocating.

The rumors spread by the Tianji Pavilion had already reached a fever pitch, and the censors of the Imperial Court were like sharks that had smelled blood.

Each of them held up their tablets, voices filled with righteous fury.

“Your Majesty! Shen Jue has committed misconduct in the palace and deceived the emperor! These rumors have already spread throughout the capital, disgracing the imperial family. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Eastern Depot and strip Shen Jue of his position as Director!” the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate knelt and shouted passionately.

The young emperor sitting on the dragon throne looked dark and uncertain, his gaze shifting.

Those rumors about the “fake eunuch” were like a thorn stuck in his throat.

“Jingwang, you were once the Commander of the Jinyiwei. What is your opinion?” the young emperor suddenly threw the question to Lu Yan.

The entire court held its breath. All eyes focused on him.

Everyone knew Lu Yan and Shen Jue were now as close as wearing the same pair of trousers.

Lu Yan stepped forward slowly.

He glanced coldly at Shen Jue standing diagonally opposite him.

“Reporting to Your Majesty,” Lu Yan said firmly.

“The Jinyiwei are the Emperor’s personal guards, loyal only to His Majesty. I believe that where there is smoke, there is fire. If the Prince Regent is truly innocent, why would such rumors spread so wildly throughout the capital? If the Eastern Depot is truly corrupt, the Jinyiwei will show no mercy!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in uproar.

Shen Jue stood alone in place, aloof and unmoving.

Hearing this, he suddenly turned to stare at Lu Yan. His eyes were now filled with bloodshot veins and fury, as if he had been betrayed.

“What a righteous and merciless Prince of Jing!” Shen Jue laughed in anger.

“I’d like to see who dares to touch even a single finger of the Eastern Depot!”

The morning court ended hastily with Shen Jue and Lu Yan completely breaking ties.

Within less than half an hour, news of Prince of Jing Lu Yan publicly severing relations with Shen Jue in court spread across every corner of the capital like it had grown wings.

That night, Eastern Depot, the Imperial Prison.

Dim torchlight made the damp stone walls look like shifting ghost shadows. The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay.

Smack! Smack!

Heavy execution rods whistled through the air and slammed hard into flesh, producing dull, bone-chilling thuds that made one’s teeth ache.

Shen Jue leaned lazily back in a grand chair, idly playing with a jade thumb ring.

Killing intent filled his eyes.

“Speak! Who took money from the Tianji Pavilion and leaked my affairs?”

The man bound to the torture rack was one of the capable men under Zhao Zhou, the Eastern Depot’s Chief Execution Officer—his name was Chen Yin.

Chen Yin was covered in blood, his skin torn open, yet he still gritted his teeth and refused to beg for mercy.

“My lord… I am wronged! I have followed you for seven years, I would never betray you!”

“Wronged?” Shen Jue suddenly stood up and walked step by step to him, gripping his chin tightly.

“The rumors were so detailed—so precise that even my deepest secrets were known! If it wasn’t you, you treacherous dog leaking information, then how would Tianji Pavilion know anything?”

He flung his hand away in disgust.

“If you refuse to confess, then cut his tendons and throw him into the mass grave outside the city to feed the dogs. I will not keep traitors by my side!”

“My lord! My lord, spare me—!”

Piercing screams echoed through the Imperial Prison for a long, long time.

In the shadows, Zhao Zhou stood with his head lowered.

Only he knew—this was all an act!

Late at night, Ten-Li Slope outside the city, mass grave.

Heavy rain poured down, washing over scattered bones and rotting flesh, turning everything into a filthy swamp.

A bolt of lightning split the night sky, illuminating a figure crawling in the mud.

It was Chen Yin, his clothes in tatters.

He used his elbows and knees to drag himself forward through the mire.

“Shen Jue… you eunuch dog… I shed blood and risked my life for you for seven years… and this is how you treat me…”

As he crawled, he coughed up blood, letting out a desperate roar filled with hatred.

Just as he was about to exhaust his strength and lose consciousness, a pair of black cloud-patterned boots suddenly appeared on the muddy road ahead.

Chen Yin struggled to raise his head.

The newcomer wore a wide black robe and a bamboo hat, most of their body hidden in darkness.

Rainwater dripped from the brim of the hat. The person looked down at Chen Yin struggling in the mud and let out a low chuckle.

“Tsk tsk… how pitiful.”

The black-robed figure slowly crouched down and took out an exquisite white porcelain medicine bottle from their sleeve, tossing it in front of Chen Yin.

“The Eastern Depot is so heartless, and Shen Jue that mad dog discards people once they’re useless. You’ve ended up like this… Chen Baihu, are you really willing to just die like this?”