AUBTN -Chapter 385 Su He Wan Begs for Help

Her vision suddenly spun, and the world seemed to turn upside down.

“Wanwan!”

Amid Yu Qing’s startled cry, Su He Wan closed her eyes and collapsed limply.

“Wanwan! Don’t scare me!” Yu Qing caught Su He Wan in her arms, so frightened that tears immediately streamed down her face.

“Lu Yan! What do we do? Hurry and think of something!”

Yu Qing looked at Lu Yan through her tears.

Lu Yan stepped forward, crouched down, and wiped away her tears. His heart aching for her, he said, “All right, don’t panic. I’ll go find a way!”

“Zhao Zhou, take good care of them!”

Gritting his teeth, Lu Yan rose and charged into the torrential rain.

---

Imperial Palace, Outside the Imperial Study

The rain poured down relentlessly, washing over the white jade steps until they looked cold and grim.

Dressed in a black robe, Lu Yan had stormed alone to the Imperial Study.

However, before he could even step onto the stairs, he was firmly blocked by a squad of fully armed Imperial Guards.

“Get out of my way!”

Lu Yan’s eyes were bloodshot, and murderous intent surged from his entire body. The long saber in his hand gleamed with a chilling light.

“Prince Jing, please stop.”

With a creak, the doors to the Imperial Study opened. Eunuch Wang, the chief eunuch, emerged holding an oiled-paper umbrella, his expression complicated.

“Eunuch Wang, I want to see His Majesty!” Lu Yan took a step forward, his voice as cold as ice. “Shen Jue has been framed! This is a conspiracy by the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets and Wen Xianzhong! His Majesty cannot kill him!”

“Prince Jing, please don’t act rashly.”

Eunuch Wang sighed and lowered his voice. “His Majesty is furious right now. Wen Xianzhong has joined forces with half of the imperial censors and is kneeling inside the hall, threatening to die if His Majesty refuses to heed their remonstrance. If His Majesty protects Shen Jue, then it means admitting that the imperial family has been deceived by a eunuch for years. What would happen to the dignity of the imperial family?”

“Is dignity more important than a human life? How many great achievements has Shen Jue made for Great Wei!” Lu Yan roared.

“Your Highness, mind your words!”

Eunuch Wang’s expression turned stern as he said in a deep voice, “His Majesty has issued an edict. Shen Jue’s crimes are unforgivable, and no one is permitted to plead for him. Anyone who disobeys… will be treated as Shen Jue’s accomplice. Their title will be stripped, their household registration revoked, and their entire family executed!”

Lu Yan’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his saber until his knuckles turned white. His hand even trembled faintly from the sheer force he was exerting.

“Prince Jing, go back.” Eunuch Wang let out a quiet sigh before turning and retreating into the hall.

The heavy palace doors slammed shut once more.

---

After leaving the imperial palace, Lu Yan immediately rushed toward the Ministry of Justice prison.

Along the way, his heart sank lower and lower.

“Stop!”

By now, the prison of the Ministry of Justice was surrounded by layers upon layers of Imperial Guards, leaving not even a gap to pass through. The gleaming steel blades reflected the rain, giving off a harsh, dazzling light.

“I want to see Prince Shezheng!” Lu Yan dismounted and shouted sternly.

The prison warden, who had still been fawning over him just yesterday, now cowered behind the guards, trembling so badly that he did not even dare raise his head.

“P-Prince Jing… it’s truly not that this subordinate is being unreasonable. But Shen Jue is now a serious criminal, and His Majesty personally issued a death order. Without a royal edict, anyone who dares trespass even one step into the prison will be killed without mercy!”

“I was still able to enter yesterday. Why can’t I today?” Lu Yan stepped forward.

“Clang!”

Dozens of Imperial Guards instantly drew their swords from their scabbards. The cold blades pointed in unison at Lu Yan.

“Your Highness, yesterday was yesterday, and today is today. The prison is now personally guarded by the Imperial Guards and the Minister of Justice. Please don’t make things difficult for this subordinate. If you insist on forcing your way in, then we can only offend you!” the warden cried out miserably.

Lu Yan stared at the forest of dark blades and the crimson seal pasted across the entrance to the prison.

No matter how high his martial arts skills were, there was no way he could rescue Shen Jue from such an impenetrable defense without alerting anyone.

The torrential rain mercilessly drenched Lu Yan’s face.

For a moment, it seemed as though there was no path to heaven above and no door to the earth below.

By the time Lu Yan returned to Yuyuan in a daze, night had already fallen.

The torrential rain had gradually stopped, leaving only the constant dripping of water from the eaves.

Several dim candles were lit in the main hall.

Su He Wan had already awakened. She leaned somewhat dazedly against the soft couch, her face deathly pale, without the slightest trace of color.

Yu Qing sat beside her, her eyes swollen like walnuts as she mechanically pressed a warm towel against the back of Su He Wan’s hand.

At the sound of footsteps, the two women looked up simultaneously.

When they saw Lu Yan standing there drenched from head to toe, his entire person radiating despair and dejection, the last sliver of hope in their eyes also went out like a candle flickering in the wind.

“We can’t get in, can we?”

Su He Wan’s voice was unusually hoarse, yet her calmness was heartbreaking.

Lu Yan slumped into a chair, covering his face with both hands before answering in a low voice:

“Mm. His Majesty has issued a death edict. Anyone who pleads for him will be deemed his accomplice. The Ministry of Justice prison has been taken over by the Imperial Guards. Not even a fly can get inside.”

The room instantly fell into silence.

Zhao Zhou slammed his fist hard against a pillar, his knuckles becoming drenched in blood.

“Are we really just going to stand by and watch the Prince die? In three days… In three days, are they really going to…”

His life had been saved by Shen Jue. Without Shen Jue, he would not be where he was today.

So he was determined to save him, even if it cost him his life!

Yu Qing stared blankly at everything before her.

The candle flames flickered faintly in the vast main hall, stretching the shadows of the people inside to an unnatural length and casting the entire room in an atmosphere of utter desolation.

Su He Wan had always believed herself to be calm.

After transmigrating here, she had thought that these people were nothing more than NPCs and had nothing to do with her.

She had relied on absolute composure and her deductions of the historical trajectory to make her moves within this game. She had analyzed the schemes and intrigues of countless emperors and powerful ministers, calculated the workings of human hearts, and coldly watched countless lives fade away.

But now, the man who had been pushed onto the execution platform was Shen Jue.

The man who could shield her behind him at the brink of life and death.

The man who would tolerate her no matter what she did.

Her husband!

“Wanwan…”

Yu Qing’s tearful voice sounded beside her.

The warmth of the towel touched the back of her hand, yet Su He Wan felt that warmth was cold enough to pierce her bones.

No.

History was written by the victors, but her fate belonged to her!

Su He Wan closed her eyes for a moment. Then she struggled to get out of bed and, without the slightest hesitation, dropped heavily to her knees before Lu Yan.

“Wanwan!”

Yu Qing cried out in alarm.

In her eyes, Su He Wan had always been such a proud woman.

Yet now, she was actually willing to kneel for Shen Jue!

“Lu Yan, I beg you…”

“Save him… I, Su He Wan, have never begged anyone for anything. But today, I am begging you—save Shen Jue!”

She bent forward, pressing her forehead heavily against the cold floor.

“He cannot die… Lu Yan, for the sake of the many years you two have known each other, and for the sake of the fact that he once secretly helped you, I beg you, save him!”

Zhao Zhou, standing nearby, instantly reddened around the eyes until they looked as though they might bleed.

His life had been given to him by Shen Jue. Without Shen Jue, there would be no Zhao Zhou today!

“Thud!”

Zhao Zhou suddenly dropped heavily to his knees as well. His eyes were filled with tears, and his voice was so hoarse that it was barely recognizable.

“Prince Jing! The Prince’s life is my life! This worthless life of mine was given to me by the Governor. As long as I can save the Governor, even if you order me to climb a mountain of knives or plunge into a pot of boiling oil, I won’t so much as furrow my brow! I beg you, Your Highness, please! Please think of a way!”