The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

Yang Zhao asked. His voice sounded even more anxious than Consort Taizhen. He traveled a far distance from Jiannan to the capital, and his greatest backing here was his cousin, Consort Taizhen.

  If something were to happen to her, then his dream of affluence would come to an end.

  “His Majesty hopes to confer me the title of a consort, but this has stirred the violent objections of the officials, and more than half of the officials have been slandering me. I’m currently stepping on burning charcoal, and my life is hanging by a thread. If this matter succeeds, I will be able to fulfill my wish of being beside His Majesty from day to night. However, if it were to fail, since ancient times, people like me have never ended well…”

  Consort Taizhen tried her best to stay calm, but a sliver of unease and fear still managed to seep into her voice.

  Since ancient times, there has never been a single lady who was attacked by more than half of the royal court. This pressure wasn’t something that she could shoulder alone. Just the thought of those dagger-like memorials sent to the court was sufficient for her to wake up in the middle of the night.

  “What!”

  Yang Zhao’s face darkened. He has heard about the matters of the royal court, and he knew that his cousin was in a difficult position. Even so, he didn’t think that she would be in such a precarious situation.

  “What can we do about this?”

  “Of all of the officials, the ones who oppose to me the most vehemently is King Song and a powerful official named Wang Gen. Putting aside the other officials, King Song is a member of royalty, a qinwang of Great Tang, and he possesses tremendous influence in the royal court. As for Wang Gen, he is a member of the Wang Clan. Even though his standing is unable to match up to King Song, his father is the revered Duke Jiu.”

  Consort Taizhen replied.

  “Wang Gen?”

  Yang Zhao frowned. He wasn’t familiar with the personnel of the royal court, but he found the name ‘Wang Gen’ slightly familiar, and it didn’t seem to be because of his father, Duke Jiu.

  “… At the moment, only Duke Jiu hasn’t made a stand on the matter. His opinion has a great influence on the court officials and His Majesty. King Song and the Wang Clan have three generations of friendship, and today is Duke Jiu’s seventieth birthday. King Song will definitely head there to offer his blessings. If Duke Jiu were to support him openly, then our situation would truly be dire!”

  Consort Taizhen’s worried and frustrated voice sounded from the red tent. She didn’t expect that things would evolve to such a point.

  She didn’t do anything vile, and she didn’t interfere in politics either. All she wanted was to be with the person she loved, why must so many people stand between them!

  “Little sister, what do you want me to do?”

  Without any hesitation, Yang Zhao asked. He didn’t know much, and the only strength of his was that he wouldn’t hesitate to dive into a sea of flames for his little sister.

  Even if it was murder, he would do it without any hesitation.

  “His Majesty has said that he would induct me into the palace no matter what happened, and many people in the royal court have expressed their approval for His Majesty and me, such as King Qi and the Yao Clan. However, this is far from sufficient. Duke Jiu wields an exceptional position in His Majesty’s heart, and I don’t have any way to influence his decision. All I can do is to try and influence the other officials.”

  Consort Taizhen clapped, and a few old nannies appeared from Yuzhen Palace. They carried a few crates of golden sheets, golden coins, and golden bars, and they placed it before Yang Zhao.

  The sight of the mountain of gold caused Yang Zhao’s eyes to blur.

  “I don’t know much people in the capital, and my relationship with His Majesty makes it difficult for me to appear in public. Thus, I can only entrust this matter to brother. You are the only one who can help me now.”

  “These are the rewards that His Majesty bestowed me with, take it! You must find a way to pull as many as court officials as you can to my side in the shortest time possible.”

  Consort Taizhen said.

  “Little sister, rest assured. Leave this matter to me.”

  Patting his chest, Yang Zhao hesitated for a moment before speaking once more.

  “However, I’m afraid that just these gold would be insufficient to buy the hearts of those officials!”

  “Hmph, rest assured. Tell them that I will find a way to promote them if I survive this ordeal so that they can enjoy a life of luxury! As for King Song, there is no grudge between us, but he gathered officials time and time again to send memorials to His Majesty to kill me. If I manage to survive this, I will make sure that he and the Wang Clan will die tragically!”

  Consort Taizhen uttered coldly. Deep hatred emanated from her words.

  To King Song, this was a matter of the honor of the royal family. However, to her, this was a matter of life and death. When a person was forced into a desperate situation, no matter how weak they could be, they would slowly grow stronger.

  “Hehe, little sister, don’t worry. With your words, I’m confident of convincing them!”

  Promising her, Yang Zhao spoke no more.

  Even though Yang Zhao has lost all of his money in the gambling den, he has met people from all walks of life there, and he learned many things as well.

  ‘Under the heavens, all comes for profit, and leaves for profit’, as long as there were sufficient profits involved, he was confident that he could move anyone.

  Summoning the two old nannies of the palace to carry the crates, Yang Zhao left Yuzhen Palace.

  …

  When Yang Zhao left Yuzhen Palace, in another different location…

  “Your Highness, King Song has left King Song Residence!”

  In King Qi Residence, a powerful figure walked into the residence, kneeled onto the floor respectfully, and reported earnestly.

  “Hahaha, good!”

  Behind a narra table, a massive figure emanating a vigorous aura sat. He had a kind of disposition which induced fear in others, as though a mighty flood dragon had coiled at that spot.

  (Narra is a type of wood)

  “Old Master Yao’s words are true. My chance has finally come!”

  King Qi’s eyes lit up and he laughed heartily. Yao Guang Yi promised him time and time again that no mishap would occur for the matter by the border, yet he failed him eventually.

  The reason why he decided to hold his anger back was because Old Master Yao had stood up and told him that there was another chance.

  As long as they made use of this opportunity well, they would be able to overthrow both King Song and the Wang Clan without lifting a single finger. Furthermore, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to make a comeback.

  Because the one who will overthrow them is the current Sage Emperor!

  “Hahaha, Li Chengqi, Li Chenqi! Do you think that you are being loyal? You are just going against the will of His Majesty!

  King Qi laughed heartily. If not for Old Master Yao’s pointer, he wouldn’t have known that His Majesty had already made up his mind for the ‘Consort Taizhen incident’. No matter what kind of price he had to pay, no matter which subordinates opposed to it, he would induct Consort Taizhen into the royal palace.

  There were already people who were addressing ‘Consort Taizhen’ as Her Highness in the royal palace secretly. If not for His Majesty’s orders, no one would dare to be so bold.

  Most probably, even Consort Taizhen didn’t know that despite half of the royal court was against her, and her circumstances seemed dire, her position as an imperial consort was already fixed in place!

  Old Master Yao’s eye for such things was extremely sharp. He has followed the current emperor for decades, and it was impossible for him to be wrong about this.

  “As a subordinate, it’s one thing for you to argue with His Majesty on the important matters of the empire, but to interfere in His Majesty’s private affairs as well…
King Song, you are overstepping your boundaries! Hehe, you are courting death, no one can save you! ——Go on, it’s best that you pull that old fogey down along with you!”

  King Qi laughed heartily. The matter regarding Consort Taizhen raised a storm in the capital, and all of the officials were bringing out the Confucian classics to advise His Majesty, but King Qi steered clear of the matter completely.

  He wished fervently for them to cause an even larger ruckus! It would be best if King Song and the officials he led could force His Majesty to a corner!

  …

  Wang Chong didn’t know the commotion outside, and he didn’t know that Yuzhen Palace and King Qi Residence were moving to the ‘Consort Taizhen incident’.

  At this moment, Wang Chong was staring at the entrance of the Four Quarters Embassy. A huge commotion was currently going on there. Where friends were, enemies came.

  The ones who came for the old master’s birthday banquet weren’t just limited to friends.

  “What are you looking at? Can’t I come to offer my blessings to Duke Jiu?”

  Playing off his seniority, an elder spoke rudely.

  “Old fellow, don’t go overboard. Are you even related to Duke Jiu at all?”

  Elder Ma’s voice sounded at the entrance of the Four Quarters Embassy, and he seemed to be obstructing the person’s entry.

  “Heh, whether I have any relationship with him or not, do I need a coach like you to point it out? Even Duke Jiu hasn’t said anything yet, who do you think you are? Scram to the side!”

  Hong, the entire Four Quarters Embassy tremored. A powerful shock wave shook the surroundings, and it seemed like Elder Ma had crossed blows with that person.

  Wang Chong hurried over, just that barely after he took a few steps, a figure walked straight over vigorously. The white-haired elder who seemed like he could even crush mountains led a huge crowd over.

  Carrying a gold token in his hand, even the Imperial Army guards didn’t dare to stop him.

  “Bastard, it’s that old turtle!”

  Standing by the corner of the fake hill, Wang Chong got a good glimpse of the person and cursed in his mind. No one of the current generation of officials dared to act so impudently in the grandfather’s Four Quarters Embassy.

  Those who dared to do so, to the point that even the Imperial Army guards didn’t dare to stop, could only be the old officials of the same generations as the old master. However, different from Elder Ma, Elder Zhao, and the others, they were the old master’s political rivals back in those years.

  ‘Xu Shao’, one of the rivals of the old master in the royal court back then. When he was younger, he often opposed the old master in the military affairs of the empire. The old master was hot-blooded then, and he didn’t like him either.

  Back then, the both of them had sent countless memorials complaining about one another.

  Back then, during the political change in the royal court, Xu Shao was supposed to be impeached, but by luck of some sort, he led an army and saved the current emperor.

  Thus, he managed to survive the ordeal of the political change then. After which, by sheer luck once more, he was conferred the title of Duke of Xu, allowing him to tread fearlessly in the Great Tang.

  Back then, the old master was young and hot-blooded. But as years went by, he slowly calmed down and became more cultivated. On the other hand, the Duke of Xu, Xu Shao, didn’t change at all, and he was still the same as back then.

  The old fellow was already advanced in age, being just several years younger than grandfather, and he has retired from the royal court. However, his temper of standing at odds with grandfather on everything hasn’t changed at all.

  Thus, during grandfather’s birthday banquet each year, they would barge in along with their grandsons to cause a ruckus. In his previous life, Wang Chong had secretly scolded him ‘old turtle’, but he managed to overhear it and he pulled Wang Chong’s ear around the embassy.

  Due to grandfather being cultured, as long as the old turtle didn’t go overboard, he would just meet him with a smile, allowing him to do as he pleased.

  Chapter 105: Bone Forging Pill!

  “You rascals, wait outside. Feel free to walk and play around, I would like to see if anyone in the Four Quarters Embassy dare to stop you all. I’ll leave a huge hole in anyone who dares to trample on my pride today!”

  The old fellow spoke arrogantly.

  “I’ll fetch you all back after I meet that decrepit geezer!”

  “Yes, grandfather. We’re still waiting for you to show them your might!”

  The Xu Clan offsprings fawned shamelessly on their grandfather with a bright smile.

  “Bastard!”

  From afar, Cousin Wang Li, Wang Zhu Yan, and Wang Liang stepped forward and glared furiously at the Xu Clan members.

  These fellows were annual visitors to grandfather’s birthday banquet, and under the name of offering blessings, they came to wreck havoc.

  No one could understand why grandfather would allow these unwelcomed fellows in each year.

  “Heh, how can the Wang Clan treat their guests like that? Does the Wang Clan not educate its offsprings on the proper way of welcoming one’s guests?”

  The offsprings of the old fellow lifted their head arrogantly.

  “Hehe, little lad, if the one who said those words was your grandfather, I might still reconsider the matter on his account. You all are just brats, I advise you all to scram to the side obediently.”

  Abusing his seniority, the old fellow chirped in.

  “Old turtle, is this all you can do? To think that despite your age, all you can do is to bully the young folks like us!”

  Wang Chong couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

  Shua!

  In an instant, everyone’s gazes immediately fell onto Wang Chong. Upon hearing the nickname ‘old turtle’, the old fellow’s face turned crimson as if he was injected with chicken blood.

  The faces of the Xu Clan offsprings also darkened as they glared savagely at Wang Chong.

  Wang Chong didn’t bother avoiding them either. Walking out from the fake hill, he slowly walked over to Old Geezer Xu.

  Every family had guests whom they don’t welcome.

  Old Geezer Xu was one of them.

  Wang Chong couldn’t stand his arrogance.

  “Hehe, back then, during the political change in the royal court, you hid in your own turtle shell, not daring to move at all. Only when everything was nearly settled did you send an army of troops over, earning yourself the title of Duke of Xu. Old geezer, if you aren’t a turtle, who else is?”

  Walking over, Wang Chong didn’t mince his words at all. The nickname of ‘old turtle’ that he gave him in his previous life didn’t come from nowhere. In Wang Chong’s opinion, it wasn’t luck at all. The other party was just a coward, and the only reason why he managed to become the Duke of Xu was because he saw that the situation was settling down, and he made use of the opportunity to step out and earn himself merit.

  “You stinky brat!”

  Turning to look at Wang Chong, Old Geezer Xu’s body trembled, and his face became as red as a pig’s liver. Back then, during the political change, Xu Shao arrived late, and numerous people made use of this fact to attack him. It was his greatest sore spot.

  He didn’t expect that Wang Chong would flip it out today.

  “… You, come here! I promise that I won’t throw you over the wall!”

  Wang Chong was no fool. Seeing Old Geezer Xu’s eyes turn red, he immediately retreated.

  “Duke of Xu, since you’ve arrived, you should enter!”

  At this moment, a calm voice echoed in everyone’s ears.

  “Heh, little bastard, I’ll let you off for now on your grandfather’s account!”

  Hearing the voice, Old Geezer Xu’s anger dissipated, and he roared in laughter. Flinging his sleeves, he tilted his head upward. With an arrogant expression saying ‘I won’t waste my time quarreling with a little bra
t like you’, he walked into the hall.

  Behind him, the offsprings of Old Geezer Xu also copied his haughty attitude.

  “That old turtle and little turtles truly share the same blood!”

  Wang Chong criticized them in his mind.

  The old fellow was of the same generation as the old master, and his qualifications made it impossible for Wang Chong to do anything about him. All he could do was to grab onto his sore spot and infuriate him.

  “Little brat, the name you came up with is quite good. Judging from how distressed the old geezer looks, he seems to be exceptionally sensitive to it.”

  Wang Zhu Yan walked over from the distance, and a smile slowly crept onto her face.

  Old Geezer Xu was the typical uninvited guest that one would meet at a party, and it wasn’t the first time he had come over to cause trouble. He had already been visiting since Wang Zhu Yan was a child.

  However, this was her first time seeing him getting so agitated to the point that his eyes turned red.

  “The next time he dares to act impertinently here, we’ll call him old turtle together! Let’s see what he’ll do about that!”

  Saying those words, Wang Zhu Yan couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Wang Chong also laughed as well.

  Honestly speaking, even though Old Geezer Xu’s behavior was unseemly for an elder, playing off his seniority and wreaking havoc at grandfather’s birthday banquet every year, he didn’t do anything much other than that.

  Wang Chong’s impression of him wasn’t too bad. Just getting back at him by insulting him as an ‘old turtle’ was enough for him.

  “Hmph!”

  Just as Wang Chong was speaking with Wang Zhu Yan, no one noticed that the eldest granddaughter of the Ye Clan, Ye Yinping, was also looking at them. Harrumphing lightly, it was hard to tell what she was thinking of, but she suddenly approached the offsprings of Duke of Xu.

  “Wang Chong!”

  Suddenly, a loud bellow sounded. Instantly, everyone’s attention was captured by the voice. Turning around, Wang Chong saw a young and haughty figure stepping forth from the crowd.

  “… Do you have the guts to battle with me?”

  From afar, the person pointed a finger at Wang Chong and spoke with an overbearing tone.