160: That kid Kang Wang is the worst!

"How could you possibly think of killing Duke Zhenguo?"

Li Wenbo looked at Zhou Yan with a confused expression, and Zhou Yan looked back at him, equally bewildered.

"How could you possibly think of killing Prince Kang?"

It was only then that the two realized they had both assumed the other knew something, when in reality, neither knew anything at all.

"Senior Brother Li, it seems we have fallen into some kind of misunderstanding."

"Do you want to explain why you want to kill Prince Kang? I feel like he's actually alright."

Li Wenbo wore an expression that said 'Are you kidding me?' and then began to grumble.

"Alright? What do you mean 'alright'? Prince Kang is the worst."

"Not to mention how he threw Great Yu into chaos during his time as regent, just the fact that the late Emperor died prematurely is enough to implicate him."

Zhou Yan frowned upon hearing this.

That's not right. Why is what Senior Brother said so different from what I know?

Could the Joyous Union Sect have been deceived as well?

So, he told Li Wenbo everything he knew about how Duke Zhenguo intended to hold a Dragon-Transformation ritual and planned to step into Void Refining in one go.

Upon hearing this, Li Wenbo stood up abruptly, his expression turning extremely serious.

"Impossible. How could that be possible?"

"No, that's not right... Hiss—wait, it seems to add up... Oh, no, it's still not right!"

Seeing his flustered expression, Zhou Yan pressed him for information about Prince Kang.

Li Wenbo realized he had missed some crucial information and hurriedly explained.

"Junior Brother, there is something you don't know."

"Prince Kang is completely different from the person you've heard about."

"I truly didn't know that the Grand Princess's misfortune back then was caused by Zhang Feng."

"But I am very clear that the late Emperor's premature death is definitely related to Prince Kang."

"Furthermore, Prince Kang has wanted to be The Emperor for a long time, and the higher-ups in the imperial court are basically well aware of it."

"If it weren't for Duke Zhenguo constantly blocking him and even planning to support the Grand Princess in ascending the throne, making Prince Kang afraid to drop the facade, he wouldn't have proposed the method of acting as regent first and then returning power to the current Emperor later."

"During his time as regent, he even harbored malicious intentions toward The Emperor. A person like that would save the Grand Princess? I think he definitely has ulterior motives!"

"Was the previous Emperor really killed by Prince Kang, and not by Duke Zhenguo?" Zhou Yan asked, puzzled.

He felt the situation was becoming increasingly complex and his mind was a bit muddled, but he was desperate to know the truth about the late Emperor's death.

Only by clarifying this could he judge the Grand Princess's stance and decide whether he should make a clean break with her, or see if she knew any other inside information.

Fortunately, he had been cautious and hadn't followed her to the Kaifeng, otherwise, he might have truly been considered part of Prince Kang's faction, which could have even affected Li Wenbo.

"The late Emperor did indeed die of illness; Prince Kang merely accelerated his death. If he had directly killed him, Duke Zhenguo would have crushed him to death long ago."

"He used a secret technique to borrow The Emperor's Luck, called 'Python Swallow Dragon'."

"This is a secret technique unique to the imperial family."

At this point, Li Wenbo gritted his teeth in anger, as if he could pounce and take a bite out of Prince Kang if he were standing right in front of him.

"'Python Swallow Dragon' is an imperial secret technique; although its nature is vile, it's not my place to judge, as that is a matter for their imperial family."

"But his actions were truly beastly."

After saying this, he sat back down, not forgetting to pick up his cup and take a sip from the edge.

"Junior Brother, you have just stepped onto the path of cultivation; whether in officialdom or in Cultivating, you are still a novice, and there are many things you do not yet understand."

"The Imperial Dynasty's system is different from ours; it is a product of combining the Old Method and the new method."

"Therefore, the approach is rather strange."

"However, you only need to remember that within the Imperial Dynasty system, the Human Dao is greater than the Imperial Dynasty, and the Imperial Dynasty is greater than The Emperor."

"The operation of the Imperial Dynasty is beneficial to the Human Dao, but what is beneficial to the Human Dao is not necessarily beneficial to The Emperor."

"Every generation of imperial offspring has the qualifications to be Emperor, and there are quite a few people outside the imperial family who also possess these qualifications."

"It's just that their Luck is far inferior to the imperial family's."

"However, there are also those with extraordinary talent whose Luck is overwhelming, allowing them to seize The Emperor's status. If such a person does not cause trouble during the transition of imperial power, it is fine, but once they intervene, it will inevitably cause turmoil."

"Therefore, to consolidate imperial power, the rules of the Imperial Dynasty include the concept of the Human Emperor status."

"Great Yu's Human Emperor status is bound to the Great Yu Imperial Dynasty. If there is only one descendant among the Great Yu imperial family, they directly inherit the previous generation's status and possess The Emperor's fate."

"If there are many offspring, then upon the new Emperor's ascension, the status of the other imperial family members is concentrated onto the new Emperor alone."

"But there are always Emperors whose lives are not long, and thus the 'Python Swallow Dragon' method came into being."

"This method uses Bloodline Power to communicate with the other party's fate and take it away. This way, even the offspring whose fate has been taken away can continue the imperial line when The Emperor's lineage has no heirs."

"But this method undoubtedly accelerates The Emperor's death. It would be fine if it were used when the other party is on the verge of death or after they have passed away, but Prince Kang, not knowing what means he used, persuaded the Empress Dowager and some of the imperial clan to support him while the late Emperor was critically ill, using this method prematurely."

"This accelerated the late Emperor's death."

"But as you can see, the late Emperor was clearly still savable, and even went on to have two more children later."

"Yet Prince Kang was still relentless, constantly devouring his fate."

"He even claimed externally that once the 'Python Swallow Dragon' method begins, it cannot be stopped, otherwise the losses would be too great and it would be unfavorable for both sides."

"Because the late Emperor was already in that state, and it was agreed upon within the imperial family, outsiders could not intervene, so we could only watch helplessly as he continued."

"At that time, Duke Zhenguo could not stand his behavior, refused to support his ascension under any circumstances, and instead turned to support the young Grand Princess."

"Although Prince Kang had taken back the fate and had higher qualifications, before the ascension, both the Grand Princess and the current Emperor were eligible to succeed to the throne."

"Although their qualifications were lower, under Duke Zhenguo's staunch protection, the Grand Princess actually had a better chance of winning."

"Later, when news came that the Grand Princess's life or death was unknown, Duke Zhenguo was forced to concede and agreed to let Prince Kang act as regent first."

"But this old bastard is too evil!"

"He actually secretly used the 'Python Swallow Dragon' method on the current Emperor."

"If it hadn't been for Duke Zhenguo discovering it early, and he had truly stolen most of The Emperor's fate, we would have had no choice but to let him be Emperor."

"It was precisely because of that incident that Duke Zhenguo overcame all opposition and forcibly pushed the young Emperor onto the throne."

"He even went so far as to threaten rebellion to force Prince Kang to return power."

"At that time, Duke Zhenguo truly had a shadow of his heroic spirit from back in the day; unfortunately, that version of him only appeared that one time." Li Wenbo's eyes flashed with a trace of reminiscence, then he lowered his head and sighed.

"Duke Zhenguo, although he is now fond of grandiosity and relies on his seniority to bully others, is loyal to the imperial family. Whether during the late Emperor's reign or Emperor Sizong's, he can be said to have given his all."

"Think about it: a Soul Transformation Cultivator, a veteran official of three reigns, holding heavy military power, yet still willing to listen to most of the current Emperor's opinions—what kind of concept is that?"

"We call the late Emperor the 'late Emperor,' but he calls the late Emperor 'Emperor Aizong'; we call the late Emperor's father 'Emperor Sizong,' but he calls him the 'late Emperor'."

"To put it bluntly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for the current Emperor to call him 'Great Uncle'."