With a solemn expression, he raised his voice and said, “His Highness the Sacred King has spared no effort to launch a miraculous assault on Luojing, crushing the Empress’s conspiracy, annihilating her followers, rescuing Your Majesty from peril, and saving the people who were hanging by a thread…”

His resonant voice echoed throughout the Taiji Hall. Every word, every sentence, praised Jiang Chengwan, without a mention of why he led his troops to the capital without reason, why he showed such little respect for the Emperor, and why he boldly strode into the court on his first appearance, undaunted by his reverence for the Emperor.

“Who else can quell the raging waves and uphold Daxia in its dire situation apart from His Highness the Sacred King?”

At this point, he suddenly bowed deeply, addressing the Empress with utmost respect, “His Highness the Sacred King is both scholarly and martial, esteemed for his virtue and prestige. He is the undeniable choice to handle this case. With the general consensus supporting this, I earnestly plead with Your Majesty to entrust His Highness the Sacred King to handle this case.”

As soon as his words fell, nearly half of the Imperial Censors behind him simultaneously bowed.

“We beseech Your Majesty to entrust this case to His Highness the Sacred King!”

“We beseech Your Majesty to entrust this case to His Highness the Sacred King!”

With a leader, others naturally followed suit.

Nearly half of the officials from the Grand Court and Ministry of Justice also bowed, requesting the Empress to grant their plea.

While the other half of officials appeared somewhat pale, they stood their ground, showing no sign of yielding.

Years of arduous studying had instilled a sense of conscience in them, preventing them from shamelessly ingratiating themselves with Cangming Sacred King like their colleagues. However, reason also hindered them from stepping forward to join Lu Chen in his verbal assault.

Thus, they were caught in a dilemma, standing still and experiencing immense internal turmoil.

Some of the other officials showed signs of wavering, some remained expressionless, while others cast contemptuous glances at those who had approached the Empress for a plea.

However, not a single person stepped forward to voice their opinion.

Seeing that they were acting so “shamelessly,” Lu Chen’s eyes widened in anger. His breathing grew more rapid, his chest heaved intensely, and he appeared infuriated beyond measure.

“Unprecedented shamelessness!”

He suddenly bellowed as if losing his rationality, pointing at Xie Hongyun and the others with fury, “As courtiers of the Shenghe Dynasty, you people are so shameless that you shamelessly fawn over an ambitious minister like a pack of spineless opportunists, right in front of Your Majesty!”

Hearing this, Jiang Chengwan’s eyebrows slightly rose, fixing his gaze on the figure below who was resolutely defending the Emperor’s rights. He thought inwardly:

‘He might be a bit foolish, but… his loyalty is quite rare.’

Foolish people can be educated over time, but loyalty is challenging to cultivate.

Although he was called an ambitious minister, Lu Chen’s current role did involve ambitious plans, a plan that the Empress initially discussed with him. After all, she needed to legitimately eliminate certain pests.

‘He truly lives up to his title of Supreme chosen by the Royal Seal. Even before formally assuming power, he’s already assisted by such a loyal subject who’s fighting for what’s right and logical.’

A sense of ambition, a heart that resolutely fought for the Emperor’s interests—it was indeed a trait Jiang Chengwan valued.