AUBTN -Chapter 384 Execution in Three Days

The prison warden shrank his neck. Although Lu Yan no longer held any real power, the murderous aura surrounding him was still enough to make anyone shudder.

“Yes, yes, yes. Your Highness, please make the most of your time. I’ll stand guard outside for you.”

The warden hurriedly bowed and opened the heavy iron door at the very end of the prison.

Lu Yan descended the steps, his leather boots striking the damp floor with dull, echoing thuds.

He had thought that, given how quickly Shen Jue had been imprisoned, his treatment would not be too bad.

But he had never expected the people from the Ministry of Justice to be so heartless. They had not prepared anything for Shen Jue at all!

The entire cell was dark and damp. There was nothing inside except a bed made from wooden planks.

When he reached the cell door, Lu Yan was completely stunned.

He was furious.

Looking at Shen Jue, who was sitting cross-legged on the wooden bed, he cursed angrily, “So this is how those damn servants are treating you, and you’re actually willing to put up with it!”

A hint of amusement flashed through Shen Jue’s eyes. His thin lips parted slightly.

“What? From the sound of it, Brother Lu, are you feeling sorry for me?”

He slowly rose and walked over to Lu Yan, a faintly mocking smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Lu Yan snorted coldly. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked at him disdainfully.

“Who’s feeling sorry for you? I just think the wheel of fortune has turned. Now it’s your turn to sit in this prison. So, how does it feel?”

Shen Jue raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice deep and wickedly seductive.

“The feeling is certainly nothing special. But… I do regret one thing now. Back when you were locked up in the Eastern Depot prison, I should have had Zhao Zhou give you a little whipping every day, then washed you down with salt water afterward. That way, I wouldn’t be doing justice to the affection shown by Prince Jing coming to visit me in prison today.”

“You—”

Lu Yan was so angry he was speechless.

That damn eunuch! Even now, when he had fallen to such a state, that mouth of his could still infuriate someone to death.

“Enough. I don’t have time to stand here trading barbs with you.”

Lu Yan took a deep breath, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

He cautiously glanced around and lowered his voice.

“I paid a hefty price just to get in here, and my time is limited. Let’s talk business. How do you intend to break out of this predicament?”

The carefree, irreverent expression on Shen Jue’s face gradually disappeared as well. A chilling, murderous glint flashed through his eyes.

“Wen Xianzhong is going all in this time. Since he dared to openly challenge me in court, he must have made thorough preparations. That old eunuch and Imperial Physician Song Zhao are merely pawns on the surface. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion behind them is the true mastermind pulling the strings.”

“I knew it was the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion behind this.”

Lu Yan snorted coldly.

“However, this organization is incredibly mysterious. Do you have any leads?”

Shen Jue nodded slightly. He reached into his sleeve and took out a small dark-iron token engraved with strange patterns. He passed it to Lu Yan through the gap between the iron bars.

“Go find Zhao Zhou. Have him contact the sleeper agent I planted inside the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. I believe he will help me turn this situation around.”

Lu Yan accepted the token, his fingertips rubbing over the patterns engraved on its surface. Yet his expression did not relax in the slightest.

He looked at Shen Jue, his gaze deep and complicated, before suddenly asking a question that had puzzled him for a long time.

“Shen Jue, there’s something I’ve always wondered about. Since the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is so mysterious, why are they so determined to hound you relentlessly?”

Shen Jue was silent for a moment before answering indifferently, “I controlled the Eastern Depot for many years. The people I offended are as numerous as carp crossing a river. There are more people who want me dead than I can count.”

“No.”

Lu Yan shook his head, his eyes burning as he stared at him.

“If they were merely after money, why would they expose your secrets and go so far as to demand your life?”

Lu Yan paused, then asked word by word,

“Have you never considered that the person behind the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion… might be an old acquaintance of yours? Or perhaps… someone from that old case back then who was lucky enough to survive?”

An old acquaintance.

Someone from the past.

Those two phrases caused Shen Jue’s pupils to contract abruptly.

The blood feud from all those years ago—the horrific scene of his entire family being executed—surged into his mind like a raging tide at that very moment.

If the person behind the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion truly was someone from his past…

Then who could it be?

And why would that person want him dead?

Seeing Shen Jue fall into silence, Lu Yan knew that his words had reached him.

“My time is up. I’ll leave first. Take care of yourself.”

Lu Yan did not say anything more. He took a deep look at him, then turned and disappeared at the end of the dim corridor.

Inside the cell, silence returned once more.

Shen Jue slowly clenched his fists. As he stared at the flickering candlelight, the killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable!

Yuyuan, Main Hall.

At some point, a torrential downpour had begun outside the window.

Su Hewan sat in the Grand Tutor’s chair, her face pale. Yu Qing stood beside her, her eyes red-rimmed and filled with worry.

After a while, Lu Yan strode in, carrying the cold, damp chill of the wind and rain with him.

Zhao Zhou followed closely behind.

However, Zhao Zhou, who was usually imposing and full of authority, was completely drenched at this moment. There were even dried traces of blood clinging to the hem of his clothes, and his expression was grim.

“How did it go?” Su Hewan abruptly rose to her feet.

“Did you make contact with that secret informant?”

Zhao Zhou dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice hoarse.

“Princess Consort… this subordinate has failed you. I took His Highness’s Black Iron Token to the rendezvous point, but… but by the time I arrived, the place had already been burned to ruins.”

“What?” Lu Yan’s expression changed drastically. He grabbed Zhao Zhou by the collar.

“What happened to the informant?”

“He’s dead.” Zhao Zhou closed his eyes, two streams of hot tears mingling with the rainwater on his face.

“His skin was flayed off, and his body was hung from the lintel at the entrance to the ruins. Beside him, eight characters had been written in blood: ‘窥伺天机，万劫不复’—‘Those who pry into Heaven’s secrets shall suffer eternal ruin.’ The Tianji Pavilion knew long ago that he was His Highness’s secret informant! They deliberately kept him alive, waiting for us to come looking for him!”

BOOM!

A thunderclap tore across the sky.

Lu Yan released his grip helplessly and staggered back three steps.

Su Hewan swayed unsteadily and knocked over the teacup on the table. It crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

“How could this happen…”

“Could the Tianji Pavilion really have calculated everything this far ahead?”

“Without the informant, we have no evidence against the Tianji Pavilion, and Shen Jue…” Yu Qing murmured in terror.

She finally looked toward Lu Yan, but his expression was equally grim. He was completely helpless and had no idea what to do!

Before everyone could recover from the shock of the secret informant being eliminated, a hurried and chaotic clatter of horse hooves suddenly sounded outside Yuyuan.

A young eunuch from the Eastern Depot came tumbling into the main hall, his voice filled with panic:

“Something terrible has happened! Princess Consort! His Highness Prince Jing! The Ministry of Justice… the Ministry of Justice has just joined forces with the Three Judicial Offices and confirmed the crime that the Governor is a false eunuch!”

This young eunuch was Shen Jue’s trusted subordinate planted in the imperial palace. Su Hewan had seen him several times before!

“What happened?” Lu Yan asked urgently.

“How could they have confirmed it in just one day?”

The young eunuch collapsed to the ground, sobbing so hard that his body went limp.

“It was Chancellor Wen! I don’t know where he found him, but he brought out the adopted son of Eunuch Cao, the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace who adopted the Governor back then. They insist that the Governor never underwent the punishment of castration in the first place! The Ministry of Justice has already taken his statement, had him affix his fingerprint, and submitted it to His Majesty!”

“His Majesty has already issued the decree!”

Su Hewan’s ears rang, and she could barely hold herself together. Forcing herself to remain standing, she asked in a trembling voice, “His Majesty… what did he say?”

The young eunuch pressed his forehead firmly against the floor, his entire body trembling.

“His Majesty was furious. He has determined that Shen Jue deceived and defied the Emperor and caused chaos in the imperial harem. His crimes are unforgivable. His Majesty has ordered that he be executed by beheading at Meridian Gate three days from now!”

Su Hewan felt as though something had exploded inside her head!

Three days from now… he was to be executed?