While pondering this, Lu Chen went all-out, vehemently berating the courtiers who praised Jiang Chengwan. He also subtly hinted that Cangming Sacred King held disloyal intentions and disrespected the Emperor.

Although everyone was aware of this, and they tacitly assumed Jiang Chengwan had ulterior motives, knowing and explicitly stating were different matters.

Currently, an unspoken agreement existed between the courtiers and Jiang Chengwan. In this context, openly confronting the matter would be equivalent to challenging Jiang Chengwan.

Therefore, in the eyes of the courtiers, Lu Chen had already offended Cangming Sacred King. If nothing unexpected happened, sooner or later, Lu Chen would face the furious retaliation of Cangming Sacred King, who had now replaced Empress Zhao and become the de facto ruler of the new Daxia dynasty.

Hadn’t you noticed that the gaze beneath Jiang Chengwan’s mask has been growing colder?

In the face of Lu Chen’s accusations, Li Zheng remained utterly unperturbed and even smirked in disdain.

“Lu, spare us your malicious words. His Highness the Sacred King tirelessly journeyed thousands of miles from Cangming Realm to lead his troops and rescue the Emperor, vanquishing the Empress who harmed the court and tormented the people. These grand achievements undoubtedly deserve the title ‘national merit.’ We hold deep respect for His Highness the Sacred King from the bottom of our hearts. Where does the idea of fawning come from?”

Xie Hongyun chimed in, “Furthermore, Lu, don’t forget that if His Highness the Sacred King hadn’t arrived in time, you would have already been dismissed by the Empress. Could you still stand here arrogantly like you are now?”

Wang Zhi waved his sleeves emphatically and spoke in a stern voice, “Mr. Xie is right. Before you accuse us of disloyalty and injustice, Lu, why not examine your own character? Clearly, His Highness the Sacred King has shown you great kindness. If you don’t feel grateful for that, so be it. However, to then slander His Highness, who achieved such great deeds for the court, with accusations of disloyalty, isn’t this a case of biting the hand that feeds you?”

Hearing this, Lu Chen retorted without hesitation, his expression full of disdain, “Even if I was persecuted by the Empress and lost my official position, so what? High position and fat pay are as fleeting as clouds to me. If I cannot be loyal to the Emperor, what use is the official position? Thus, how can we speak of any kindness? There is only one person in this world who has bestowed great kindness upon me, and that’s the Emperor. Aside from the Emperor, regardless of who it is—whether the Sacred King or the Grand Scholar—I will treat everyone equally. I will never bow down or kneel before anyone merely because of their status and power.”

Pausing for a moment, Lu Chen turned to the Empress and nodded respectfully before looking at Jiang Chengwan. With unyielding determination, he met Jiang Chengwan’s gaze and said solemnly, “In this life, the only individuals I hold in reverence are my parents who gave birth to and raised me, and the Emperor!”

That’s right, he was a loyal supporter of the Emperor. He would never betray the Emperor, even if she was just a puppet ruler.

So, please, quickly dismiss this foolishly loyal individual who doesn’t understand the current situation. He’s quite an eyesore.