AUBTN -Chapter 90 Another Case of the “Switched Prince”

Inside the carriage, Yu Qing’s mouth was wide enough to fit an egg, her eyes practically popping out of her sockets.

“R-Really… Prince Ning’s son? Explain, explain everything!”

Su Hewan’s expression remained cool, her gaze deepening. “Yes. Because Zhao Shuo is Prince Ning’s final trump card! I remember in the original story there were records about Princess Ning, Lady Zhao. They said she had a fiery temper, was jealous by nature, and once suffered a miscarriage when one of the concubines was in favor. After that, she became melancholic, withdrawn, and often kept company only with the flickering light of lamps and ancient statues of the Buddha.”

“Isn’t that normal? All palace drama plays out like this,” Yu Qing said, puzzled.

“The abnormal part comes afterward,” Su Hewan shook her head.

“On the third day after Princess Ning’s miscarriage, the loyal old maid who had raised her since childhood suddenly retired and returned to her hometown.”

“A devoted servant leaving when her mistress is at her weakest, when she most needs care, can mean only one thing.”

Su Hewan lifted her eyes, her gaze piercing. “She left to care for someone even more important.”

Yu Qing drew a sharp breath, her mind racing. “You mean… that child didn’t actually die?”

“It wasn’t a miscarriage—it was a switch at birth,” Su Hewan said decisively.

“To protect her own son from the scheming concubines, and perhaps even to avoid certain machinations from Prince Ning himself, she sent the child away!”

“Zhao Shuo carries the Zhao surname, following his mother’s line. Not only does he understand the arts of divination, he knows military strategy. That noble air, that familiarity with court affairs—it’s not something any wandering fortune-teller could possess.”

Su Hewan drew a deep breath. “He appears now, at this critical moment, acting repeatedly, and was even recommended by the Empress Dowager—what kind of coincidence is that?”

Yu Qing rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. “My god, this isn’t a transmigration story—it’s a thriller! What should we do?”

“We need to tell them immediately!”

Yu Qing drew back the carriage curtain and glanced at the sky outside. “Let’s go straight back to Yuyuan and find Shen Jue and Lu Yan.”

Yuyuan, Study Room

The candlelight flickered, the atmosphere heavy.

Su Hewan recounted her deductions about Zhao Shuo’s origins, word for word.

Lu Yan sat in the Grand Tutor’s chair, brows furrowed, his stern face even deeper in shadow.

Shen Jue stood by the window, his back to everyone.

After a long pause, he slowly turned.

Step by step, he walked toward Su Hewan.

His voice was soft: “The Eastern Depot’s intelligence network reaches every corner of the realm. Even our family didn’t know this. How did you find out?”

Su Hewan’s heart skipped a beat.

Her palms grew slightly sweaty, but she forced herself to remain calm and gave a cautious answer: “If you don’t believe me, Master, you can check on the whereabouts of that old maid from back then.”

“Of course we will check,” Shen Jue said, eyes narrowing.

“But what we are even more curious about is: where exactly did you learn so much?”

It was as if, every time they acted, Su Hewan could predict it!

Like she had opened the Heavenly Eye and could foresee the future!

【Even if I explained, you’d understand anyway. Just imagine I can foresee the future, okay? Why do you have to ask every single time?! I really don’t want to explain!】

Su Hewan screamed wildly in her mind, yet her lips remained tightly pressed, silent.

Shen Jue paused, having heard her inner thoughts.

A flicker appeared in his eyes, and a smile slowly surfaced.

Seeing the tension reach a deadlock, Yu Qing beside them couldn’t take it anymore.

“Aiyo! Stop, stop, stop!”

Yu Qing suddenly jumped out, positioning herself between Shen Jue and Su Hewan.

“Commander Shen, are you having a professional moment? The focus right now isn’t the source of the information! The focus is that Zhao Shuo is the son of Prince Ning!”

She pointed at Shen Jue, fuming. “The house is almost on fire, and you’re still worried about what brand of matches it is? Our goal right now is the same—take down the villain and survive! Do you understand?”

Lu Yan looked at Yu Qing’s fierce, teeth-baring stance, and the corners of his usually tense mouth couldn’t help but curl slightly.

【This Shen Jue, always so sarcastic and cryptic—who is he trying to scare? If it were me instead of Wan Wan, I’d have slapped him already! But… why isn’t Lu Yan saying anything? Just watching the show? Give some reaction!】

Hearing Yu Qing’s frantic thoughts in his mind, Lu Yan’s eyes sparkled even more.

He cleared his throat and stood up, breaking the stalemate.

“Commander, they’re right.”

Lu Yan walked over to Shen Jue and said in a firm voice, “I also find Zhao Shuo to be unfathomable. Rather than obsess over the source of the information, we should focus on how to handle him. Since we already know his background, and he believes we are in the dark…”

He paused, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes. “Why not use his assumptions against him?”

Shen Jue withdrew his gaze, sitting back in his chair while fiddling with the jade ring on his finger. “You mean…?”

“Exactly. Use his plan against him!”

Lu Yan’s tone was as cold and hard as iron. “He wants to be the Imperial Advisor? Then let him have it. Not only let him have it, but let him rise to the highest position, admired by all. The higher he stands, the harder he’ll fall.”

The four exchanged a glance.

“Agreed!”

The next day at the morning court in the Golden Throne Hall, civil and military officials stood in rows, the atmosphere solemn.

Midway through the proceedings, Lu Yan suddenly stepped forward, his voice ringing out: “Your Majesty, Your Imperial Mother, I, your servant, have a matter to report.”

The young emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, forcing his focus. “Minister Lu, please speak.”

“With the year-end fast approaching, the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony is a matter of national importance. In past years, it was overseen by the Ministry of Rites. But this year, given the unusual celestial signs, I believe it should be led by someone who understands yin and yang, someone of high virtue and great prestige. Only then can we pray for favorable weather and national prosperity in the coming year.”

“I propose that Imperial Advisor Zhao Shuo, versed in metaphysics and possessing profound Daoist knowledge, is the ideal choice to lead the ceremony. I humbly request Your Majesty to have him preside over this year’s Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony.”

At this, the entire court erupted.

All eyes turned to Lu Yan as if he had grown a second head.

Who didn’t know that Lu Yan, Commander of the Jinyiwei, was famously upright and hated charlatans and those who pretended to have supernatural powers?

Why today, as if the sun rose from the west, was he voluntarily recommending Zhao Shuo, a man who rose through connections rather than merit?

Even the Prime Minister Lu Zhixing, who had been calmly resting his eyes, opened them in shock, unable to believe his own son’s words.

On the other side, Zhao Shuo’s smile stiffened the moment he heard this.

He gave Lu Yan a long, probing look, suspicion flickering in his eyes before he quickly concealed it.

“Minister Lu’s words are most reasonable.”

Behind the pearl curtain, the Empress Dowager’s satisfied voice carried.

“The Imperial Advisor is indeed the best choice. Approved.”

“I… receive the decree,” Zhao Shuo said, stepping forward to salute, maintaining his graceful posture, though inside he was in turmoil.

Lu Yan’s move had completely disrupted his rhythm.

Pushing him into the spotlight—was it a gesture of goodwill, or a trap?

After court, the wind outside the palace gates was bitterly cold.

Zhao Shuo deliberately slowed his pace, waiting along the path Lu Yan would inevitably take.