My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 176 Orthodoxy

His face began to twitch involuntarily.

“You entered the palace at a young age, while the Holy Sun Church was established at most in the last twenty or thirty years. Judging from your age, you couldn’t possibly be an inside agent they sent into the palace long ago.”

"I truly cannot understand what they gave you that would make you, already in a high position, still take such a great risk and collude with the Holy Sun Church?"

Chu Ling frowned slightly, looking at Eunuch Li's expression as if he were pondering or testing the waters.

Even at this point, Eunuch Li still refused to speak, only staring intently at him.

Chu Ling lowered his eyes, rubbed the ring on his hand and pondered for a moment. Then, as if he had thought of something, he suddenly smiled and said, "Since you are unwilling to say, then I will guess."

"If I remember correctly, you seem to have said 'traitor' twice from just now until now."

Chu Ling walked up to Eunuch Li, bowed slightly, and looked directly into his eyes. "Your words are not just referring to me, but also to the entire Chu family, right?"

Eunuch Li's pupils contracted slightly, and Chu Ling's upturned lips curved into a wider smile.

"It seems I guessed correctly."

Chu Ling sneered, straightened his body, and seemed about to say something, but after glancing at Xie Yan, he ultimately said nothing.

But he didn't say anything; Xie Yan spoke up instead.

"What a bunch of blindly loyal fools."

"With a muddle-headed monarch and treacherous officials in power, such an incompetent and corrupt court is overthrown and people even cheer. What is there to be loyal to?"

Upon hearing Xie Yan's words, not only Eunuch Li but also Chu Ling showed a hint of surprise in their eyes.

It was as if they hadn't expected him to be so merciless in his insults.

As if provoked, Eunuch Li glared at Xie Yan with bloodshot eyes and shouted angrily, "What do you know?!"

"No matter how legitimate the Chu family's cause may be, they are not the true heirs! Even if they ascend the throne, they are ultimately nothing more than a group of usurpers who seized power, murdered the emperor, and rebelled!"

"Their names are illegitimate and their words are not legitimate. Thousands of years from now, they will be condemned by posterity and will only be remembered in history books as infamy!"

Chu Ling stood aside and coldly watched him, who looked indignant.

Only when he heard Eunuch Li's last words did he suddenly chuckle and say, "So what?"

"Since we've done it, we're not afraid to bear the consequences."

Chu Ling's eyes were deep and cold as he looked at Eunuch Li.

"Do you think we care about being infamous or anything like that?"

The words stuck in Eunuch Li's throat. He turned his head left and right, looking at the two "treasonous" people, his teeth grinding together.

"You, you guys!"

He glared at the two men with hatred for a few moments, but ultimately, unwillingly, he was dragged away at Chu Ling's signal.

As he was dragged past Xie Yan, he kept muttering to himself—

"...Our Holy Sun Church will surely restore order, and you traitors and rebels will surely suffer a terrible death..."

As Eunuch Li departed, the tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.

Chu Ling frowned, let out a soft sigh, and then picked up a handkerchief to continue wiping Xie Yan's hands.

"This Holy Sun Sect is really quite capable, managing to extend its reach into the palace. I wonder how many people like Eunuch Li are in the palace."

"It seems I still need to write a letter back to remind my brother, the Emperor, to have him thoroughly investigate this matter."

As he spoke, Chu Ling looked up at Xie Yan, but the latter had her eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.

"what happened?"

Xie Yan tilted his head, his expression somewhat grave. "I have a feeling that something's not right..."

"You know, it's one thing for the Holy Sun Church to stir up trouble under the banner of restoring the kingdom, but according to the information I gathered in Fengyun Tower, what they want is far more than that."

Chu Ling suddenly paused, and then narrowed his eyes.

"You mean they also want to follow the Chu family's example and seize power?"

Xie Yan nodded.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ling sneered, "The Chu family's rebellion can barely be considered to have a legitimate cause."

"But the Holy Sun Cult is just a small Jianghu sect with neither soldiers to command nor generals to lead. Their rebellion is truly illegitimate."

"That's why I can't understand this. Tell me, what exactly are they relying on?"

Xie Yan frowned deeply.

His gaze wandered, finally settling slowly on the bloodstains left by Eunuch Li on the rack.

“You just said that Eunuch Li grew up in the palace since childhood. Judging from his age, he must have served as a eunuch for two dynasties…”

"It seems they are looking for people from the previous dynasty's palace. Only such people still hold the hope of a restoration."

"But even if their schemes succeed, do you really think the throne will go to that leader of the Holy Sun Cult?"

Chu Ling's brows furrowed even more as Xie Yan spoke.

"No, that's not right."

Xie Yan muttered to herself, grasping at the faint unease in her heart, and began to repeat the words that Dongfang Yuan and Eunuch Li had said, "The merit of following the emperor, the traitors and rebels, the legitimate ruler, restoring order from chaos..."

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he abruptly raised his head to meet Chu Ling's gaze.

Their expressions changed simultaneously, and they both thought of the same possibility—

"Could it be that……"

"They have legitimate bloodlines on their hands?!"

This legitimacy certainly cannot refer to the bloodline of the Chu family; the most likely explanation is the bloodline of the previous dynasty!

That makes sense now!

Why were they able to gain the support of Dongfang Yuan and those old officials so easily, and why did they dare to act so recklessly?

Because they have the right to do so!

As long as they possess legitimate bloodlines, they have the most justifiable pretext to seize power, and regardless of whether they attempt a restoration or not, they will never lack manpower.

Chu Ling's gaze suddenly darkened.

He looked at Xie Yan, who also seemed somewhat shocked, and said in a serious tone, "Could it be that besides you, other princes also escaped back then?"

Xie Yan pursed her lips, looked at Chu Ling, and shook her head.

"Actually, I don't remember things from that time very clearly."

"I only remember that before the army stormed into the capital, Emperor Ai felt that all was lost and went into a frenzy."

"Then he ordered his men to bind all the concubines and princes in the harem and lock them tightly inside the palace, intending to burn us all to death in one go."

"After the fire started, I fainted. When I woke up again, I was already inside the Fengyun Tower."

Chu Ling held Xie Yan's hand tightly, his expression growing increasingly grim as he spoke.

He let out a deep sigh of relief and then spoke.

"After I arrived and put out the fire, the people inside were burned beyond recognition."

"Afterwards, I counted the number of corpses..."

"But no missing parts were found."