Chu Yun still knew nothing about this news.
At this moment, he had already entered the palace with Luo Feng.
"Greetings, Mother Consort, Uncle."
After entering Consort Shi's palace, Chu Yun bowed to the two of them.
"Yun'er, come, sit."
"Yes, Mother Consort."
After rising, Chu Yun sat down in the nearest chair.
Luo Feng stood by the entrance. At Asura Venerable's signal, Luo Feng closed the door and left.
"Mother Consort, what did you summon me for? Why did even Commander Luo have to avoid this?" Chu Yun asked curiously.
"Yun'er, your mother consort and I have recently heard that you intend to investigate what happened back then, is that right?" Asura Venerable spoke.
Chu Yun's expression remained calm. He knew that his mother consort and uncle must have heard it from Atai.
He did not deny it. "Mother Consort, Uncle, my disappearance back then was far too strange."
"Now that I have returned, those people are lurking in the shadows and must be waiting for their chance to act. I cannot wait until they come knocking with murder in their hearts before thinking of a way to respond, can I?"
"If I do not take the initiative, I will only remain passive forever."
Consort Shi looked worried. "Yun'er, Mother Consort knows everything you have said."
"But you must understand that the forces behind those people are not something you can contend with alone right now. Not only do you stand no chance, but the deeper you investigate, the greater the danger you will face."
"Mother Consort wants to persuade you to stop here, all right?"
"Leave it to me and your uncle. Mother Consort does not want to see you sink into the whirlpool of danger."
Chu Yun understood his mother consort's feelings.
Yet he remained exceptionally resolute. "Mother Consort, you are mistaken. It is not that I insist on investigating—it is that I have no choice."
"Even if I do not investigate, do you think those people from back then will truly let me go?"
"Besides, born into the imperial family, if I am willing to become a flower raised in a greenhouse and never weather wind and rain, I will only die faster."
Chu Yun's words left Consort Shi almost unable to find a reply.
Asura Venerable's face instead revealed a gratified expression. "Little sister, I told you before that Yun'er has grown up. He has his own opinions and does not need us to worry over him too much."
Consort Shi sighed, then revealed a faint smile. "Yun'er, what you said today makes Mother Consort very proud. Born into the imperial family, you understand your own situation better than anyone. Mother Consort will not try to dissuade you further."
"For all these years, your uncle and I have used the Shi Family's power to investigate what happened back then."
"Although we have not been able to confirm who exactly abducted you back then, we already have suspected targets."
"As for the mastermind and accomplices behind that incident, we have more or less uncovered them as well."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yun's expression immediately turned extremely serious. "Mother Consort, who are those people?"
Consort Shi looked at him. "Yun'er, do you know of the Empress Faction?"
Chu Yun nodded. "Atai and Commander Luo Feng have both told me about it."
"The Empress's original name is Lan Ji. She is the daughter of the former Sect Master of the Tianzhou Divine Sect, as well as the junior sister of the Divine Sect's current Sect Master."
"At court, both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are her biological sons and listen to her closely."
"As for the officials, the current Imperial Advisor, including the Black Iron King, the Left Cavalry General, the Right Valiant General, six dynasty retainers at the Nirvana Realm, and certain seventh- and eighth-rank officials, all stand on the Empress's side. They are all part of the Empress Faction."
Consort Shi nodded. "Those people are indeed part of the Empress Faction, but that is not all."
"Lan Ji is highly skilled at cultivating connections. The Sect Masters of both the Blood God Sect and the Corpse Yin Sect are friends she has known since her youth. Moreover, as the daughter of the former Sect Master of the Divine Sect, she has the Divine Sect supporting her."
"So many forces are connected to her. And in your disappearance back then, the mastermind was Empress Lan Ji. Aside from the Imperial Advisor, the Black Iron King, and those people, there was also an Imperial Clan Elder!"
When Chu Yun heard how intricate the Empress Lan Ji's web of connections was, his expression darkened slightly.
"Mother Consort, you said an Imperial Clan Elder?"
"Which one?" Chu Yun asked after pondering for a while.
"I do not know."
"Your uncle and I are still investigating that person's exact identity."
"The Imperial Clan Elders, including the ancestors, all reside within Imperial Ancestor Mountain. Other than His Majesty, no one may approach it freely, so investigating is extremely difficult."
"Only by starting with the Empress is there any possibility of learning that elder's identity," Consort Shi said.
At this moment, Chu Yun could not help recalling what Commander Luo Feng had once said: his disappearance back then had been the work of someone within the imperial family.
In other words...
"Mother Consort, so the one who abducted me back then was that Imperial Clan Elder?"
"That is why even Uncle could not uncover the slightest trace, is that right?" Chu Yun asked with a solemn expression.
Asura Venerable spoke. "Your guess is correct. Your mother consort, I, and even your Imperial Father all suspect the same."
"However, the Imperial Clan Elders are all within Imperial Ancestor Mountain. Other than your Imperial Father, no one can come into contact with them."
"Then what about my Imperial Father?" Chu Yun asked instinctively.
"Yun'er, do not blame your Imperial Father either. It is not that he does not wish to investigate, but the situation within Imperial Ancestor Mountain is complicated. Not one of the elders can be spared; he is helpless in every possible way."
"As for the Empress, now that you know her web of connections, you should be able to imagine the consequences if His Majesty were to move against her."
"Therefore, your Imperial Father worries every day and has always felt guilty toward you," Consort Shi sighed as she explained.
Listening to Consort Shi's words, Chu Yun did not actually blame his Imperial Father.
Sitting upon the throne, what he had to consider was the overall situation of the entire Great Xia Dynasty.
If killing the Empress led to chaos within the dynasty and caused the court's order to crumble and fall apart, then he would be letting down every living being in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Thus, Chu Yun could understand him. There was nothing to criticize in what he had done—it was an act born of helplessness.
But Chu Yun was different.
His Imperial Father had no choice, but he was a man who possessed a system.
Now that he knew who his enemies were, he would naturally use his own methods to avenge the hatred of those years!
"Mother Consort, rest assured, I do not mean to blame Imperial Father."
"I understand Imperial Father's circumstances. As the ruler of a nation, he must naturally take the whole situation into account."
"So I will find my own way to avenge what happened back then," Chu Yun said.
"Yun'er, do not try to do everything by yourself."
"Your Imperial Father may have no way, but I, your uncle, and even the entire Shi Family are your strongest support!"
"Whatever you intend to do next, just say it. We will do everything in our power to help you," Consort Shi said.
Asura Venerable also spoke at this moment. "Yun'er, the Shi Family will forever stand behind you and support you. Whatever you want to do next, go all out and do it!"
"I will remain within the Imperial City. So long as no one from the Heavenly Aspect Realm appears, no one can lay a hand on you!"
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