The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Most of the soldiers by the borders were Han, and the Han generals chose to promote Hu as a show of meritocracy and equality. However, the Hu chose to only promote and protect other Hu. This caused an exponential rise in the number of Hu commanders by the border.

  With the lack of opportunities to take on leadership roles, it was impossible for the new generation of Han soldiers to mature.

  As such, the number of Han generals had been steadily on the decline.

  This was no longer a foresight, but a truth. What Wang Chong had said was the current reality of Great Tang, and there were many examples of so. A group of Han soldiers might have pitted their lives on the battlefield to triumph over their enemies, but if their leader was a Hu, the greatest credit would be attributed to the Hu.

  On the other hand, the Han soldiers were only bestowed with a few slices of meat and a few cups of wine. As this cycle repeated again and again, the soldiers would lose their motivation, causing their performance to plummet.

  In other words, they were doomed to remain at the bottommost tier.

  This was no longer a hypothetical situation anymore.

  No one knew the current situation better than the Han generals of Great Tang.

  As Great Tang’s Beiting and Western Protectorate Manor often fought in wars, a steady stream of fresh Han blood was constantly injected into those camps.

  The entire Great Tang was giving in its blood and flesh to fight against the Hu. Yet, the leadership of those armies consisted nearly entirely of only Hu. This was something extremely unnatural and worrying.

  Toward the dissatisfaction of the Han, the Hu also held their own ground.

  The Hu were more courageous and ferocious in battle. Wasn’t it natural for the stronger side to take on leadership positions?

  In the royal court, the Sage Emperor sat silently on the throne. The Sage Emperor listened silently to the arguments between both factions from the start to the end, but eventually, when the heat of the arguments reached the peak, the Sage Emperor silently stood up and left.

  “His Majesty has decreed that he would announced his judgement on the matter regarding Wang Chong tomorrow!”

  When the Sage Emperor left, a cloud-embroidery, yellow-robed head eunuch appeared on the royal court. With his sharp voice, he announced the decree of the Sage Emperor.

  Boom!

  His voice seemed to have ignited the entire royal court, causing the tense atmosphere to rise to a new peak. Regardless of whether it was the Han or the Hu, they trembled in anticipation for the decision that would be announced tomorrow.

  …

  “Grandfather, you have to save big brother! Big brother isn’t a bad person!”

  At the same time, beyond the royal palace, at an inconspicuous residence, a five-year-old child kneeled in front of the gates of the Su Residence and bawled loudly.

  This was the third day little Jianjian had appeared here. As a child, his thoughts were innocent. All he knew was that Wang Chong wasn’t a bad person, and Su Zhengchen possessed the might to save Wang Chong. As such, he came every single day, kowtowing at the doorstep to the point that blood was streaming down his forehead.

  “Sigh, don’t worry. Your big brother won’t die!”

  After a long time, an old voice finally sounded from beyond the tightly-shut gates of the Su Residence.

  “Grandfather!”

  Little Jianjian abruptly lifted his head in delight. This was the first time Su Zhengchen had responded to his plea.

  “Your big brother is fine. You are truly a silly child. Come in.”

  A crack finally appeared in the tightly-shut gates of the Su Residence. Su Zhengchen’s pale hands stretched out and pulled little Jianjian in.

  …

  “The old master is calling for you!”

  “What?! I’ll go over now!”

  Yao Guang Yi was taken aback.

  Tomorrow was the day that the verdict regarding Wang Chong’s survival would be announced. He was just about to visit the old master to consult him on the matter when the old master abruptly summoned him.

  “Send in a memorial at this instant and publicly announce your support for the Wang Clan and Wang Chong!”

  Old Master Yao was sitting in a dimly lit room. Upon seeing Yao Guang Yi, he immediately dived straight to the point.

  “What?”

  Yao Guang Yi was astounded.

  “But the Wang Clan is our enemy! It’s one thing for us to not stand against them, but why should we support them?”

  Yao Guang Yi was intrigued.

  “Hmph! Let me ask you then. Was it under King Qi’s intention that you came the past few days to persuade me to announce my support for the Hu generals and Wang Chong’s execution?”

  Instead of replying, Old Master Yao raised a question of his own.

  “This… Yes! That’s indeed King Qi’s intention.”

  Yao Guang Yi fell silent and lowered his head. After a moment, he eventually nodded. The old master was an perceptive person; there was no need to lie to him.

  “However, if we were to do so, won’t we be standing against King Qi?”

  A look of difficulty flashed across Yao Guang Yi’s face.

  The most fervent supporter of the Hu, as well as the most intense opposition to Wang Chong this time around was King Qi.

  “Did you relay my words to King Qi?”

  “Yes!”

  Yao Guang Yi didn’t deny the matter.

  “No wonder.”

  Old Master Yao nodded with a look indicating that it was exactly as he deduced. After learning that Wang Chong was the one who foiled his plans, it was impossible for King Qi to let him get away scot-free.

  “Guang Yi, you must know that this isn’t a matter of whether we want to stand against King Qi or not, but whether King Qi wants to stand against His Majesty or not.”

  “Ah?”

  “Guang Yi, do you still not understand? The one we’re supporting isn’t the Wang Clan, but His Majesty. As long as His Majesty doesn’t wish for Wang Chong’s death, no one will be able to touch him.”

  Old Master Yao sighed.

  “However, wasn’t His Majesty still contemplating over the issue?”

  Yao Guang Yi asked doubtfully.

  “Hehe, His Majesty’s thoughts are getting difficult to deduce. He’s truly becoming more and more like a wise emperor. Seems like he’s no longer that crown prince back then.”

  Old Master Yao suddenly sighed deeply.

  “I wasn’t not too sure about His Majesty’s intentions either at the start, and that’s the reason why I refused to meet you. However, after the past three days, I’ve verified His Majesty’s intentions. Wang Chong will not die!”

  “Father, please enlighten me!”

  Yao Guang Yi stood up and bowed deeply, putting on an attitude of an earnest and humble student.

  “Hehe, you still don’t get it? His Majesty is a decisive person. Once he decides on something, no one can refute his judgement, be it whether it’s on the Consort Taizhen incident or the regional commander policy. If His Majesty wishes to kill Wang Chong, is there a need for him to wait until now?”

  Old Master Yao chuckled as he tapped his walking cane lightly on the ground in front of Yao Guang Yi.

  Hong!

  Those words seemed to have parted the veil cloaking Yao Guang Yi’s eyes. In an instant, all of the confusion plaguing Yao Guang Yi’s mind vanished.

  “Father, thank you for your advice. I understand now.”

  Yao Guang Yi respectfully bowed. Sometimes, the words of another granted one a clear glimpse of a situation.

  His father had been serving the Sage Emperor for more than four decades; Yao Guang Yi knew that it was impossible for his father to be mistaken on this issue.

  “But father, if what you say is true, then how will the Sage Emperor placate the Hu generals by the border?”

  “Hehe, that’ll depend on how His Majesty deals with it.”

  Old Master Yao repli
ed calmly.

  Chapter 172: Eunuch Gao!

  Hualala!

  Wang Chong woke up to the sound of several pairs of footsteps. Of these footsteps, there was a particular set that sounded exceptionally powerful and clear. Lifting his head, he saw a bright radiance at the very end of the dark passageway of the imperial prison.

  Wang Chong had never felt such an aura before. Grand, powerful, and radiant, like the sun that illuminated the world.

  “Who are they?”

  Wang Chong widened his eyes in astonishment.

  In just a short moment, a pair of cloud-embroidered shoes appeared before Wang Chong. The owner of the shoes was a towering eunuch dressed in a cloud-embroidered yellow robe. He was extremely plump, reminiscent of the Maitreya.

  (Maitreya -> ; the Chinese interpretation of Maitreya’s appearance is very different from other locations)

  Standing behind him were several other eunuchs, Chamberlains of Imperial Insignia, and prison guards. All of them seemed to regard him as their leader.

  “This person…”

  Wang Chong’s eyebrows twitched as he stared at this plump and amiable eunuch in bewilderment. Regardless of whether it was his previous life or his current life, he had never met this person before.

  Nevertheless, Wang Chong’s instincts told him that this person had a massive background.

  “Hehehe, Wang gongzi has suffered. I’ve come to visit you as a representative of His Majesty.”

  That plump eunuch walked up to Wang Chong’s cell with a warm smile on his face. He seemed to possess a mysterious quality that made one feel intimate with him, as though one was his kin or bosom buddy.

  “Gonggong, you’re being too polite.”

  Wang Chong replied with composure, but a bizarre feeling was welling up in his heart.

  “Hehe, gongzi, how do you find the conditions here?”

  That plump eunuch asked.

  “What does gonggong think?”

  Wang Chong flashed a bitter smile.

  “Hehe, it’s not a big deal for youngsters like you to suffer a little. Only after suffering some pain will one mature to shoulder huge responsibilities.”

  The plump eunuch looked around the gloomy and dark ‘imperial prison’ as he chuckled.

  Of course it’s easy for you to say so!

  ——This was the only thought Wang Chong had in mind.

  Despite that, Wang Chong had a good impression of this eunuch.

  “Gongzi, is the food still alright?”

  The plump eunuch continued asking.

  “The food is not bad.”

  Wang Chong nodded. Despite the standard prisoner meals in the imperial prison being leftovers, even moldy at times, Wang Chong had never suffered such injustice.

  Zhou Xing would always have a separate meal delivered specially for Wang Chong. This was also the main reason why Wang Chong was still able to cope in here.

  “That’s good.”

  The plump eunuch nodded. He continued asking a whole bunch of things, and even though Wang Chong was confused, he answered the questions one by one patiently. This head eunuch felt very different from anyone he had met before.

  “Hehe, since that’s the case, I’ll report these to His Majesty then. Men!”

  The plump eunuch suddenly clapped his hands, and a commotion broke out among the guards behind him. Only at this moment did Wang Chong notice the two palace maids hidden behind the group.

  Their short figures were hidden behind the Chamberlains of Imperial Insignia, so Wang Chong failed to notice them earlier on.

  “This person… He actually managed to bring palace maids in here!”

  Wang Chong stared at the eunuch before him in astonishment. His curiosity over the other party’s identity heightened. Even the prison in the Bureau of Punishments forbade one from bringing women in, needless to say, the stricter imperial prison.

  Just the fact that this eunuch was able to bring palace maids in meant that he wasn’t anyone ordinary!

  “Wang gongzi, the imperial prison is cold. These pills are a gesture of goodwill from His Majesty, so don’t be shy and feel free to consume them.”

  The plump eunuch said.

  The two palace maids held a silver plate in their hands each, and placed on top of the silver plates were silk boxes used for storing pills. Even though the lids were tightly shut, Wang Chong could sense that the pills within were anything but ordinary.

  Wang Chong’s intrigue deepened. He couldn’t understand the meaning behind the presence of this plump eunuch. Was he here just to deliver these two pills to him?

  “Thank you, gonggong!”

  However, Wang Chong didn’t stand on ceremonies. Stretching out his hand, he grabbed the two silk boxes on the silver plates.

  Dah dah dah!

  Just as Wang Chong took the silk boxes, flurried footsteps sounded. From the end of the passageway, a Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia rushed over.

  “Gao gonggong…”

  The Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia looked around the prison, and upon seeing the plump eunuch, he swiftly walked up and whispered into the latter’s ear.

  Weng!

  Hearing the words of the Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia, Wang Chong’s heart jolted. Raising his head, he assessed the eunuch before him once more.

  “To think it would be him!”

  A huge storm raised in Wang Chong’s mind. He finally knew the identity of the person before him. It was no wonder why he said that he could represent His Majesty.

  It was no wonder why he could bring palace maids into the ‘imperial prison’.

  Wang Chong didn’t expect to see this legendary figure in the imperial prison.

  “Gonggong!”

  Wang Chong suddenly spoke up.

  “May I request something of you?”

  These words were completely unexpected. In an instant, everyone’s gazes immediately gathered on Wang Chong. Even the Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia who had just rushed in subconsciously turned his head over in shock.

  “Oh? Gongzi, feel free to speak.”

  The eyebrows of the plump eunuch twitched slightly. A surprised look appeared on his face, but it slowly turned into one of interest.

  “Gonggong, can you find a way to bring him out?”

  As he spoke those words, Wang Chong pointed to Zhang Munian who was locked just right next to him.

  These words left Zhang Munian dumbstruck. The other prisoners who were surveying the situation curiously were also stunned.

  “Don’t! I’m here as well, Wang gongzi, ask them to let me out too!”

  “Why should he be let out? Let me out instead. I deserve it more!”

  “Lord, save me! I didn’t commit any mistake, I don’t deserve to die. I want to go out!”

  …

  The prisoners immediately flew into an uproar, and they started bellowing frenziedly.

  “Hm?”

  The eyebrows of the plump eunuch shot up, and he harrumphed coldly. Suddenly, the temperature in the ‘imperial prison’ plunged. The rowdy prisoners abruptly fell silent and fear surfaced in their eyes.

  “Gongzi, can you tell me why I should save him?”

  The plump eunuch turned around to survey Wang Chong in interest. Clearly, Wang Chong’s words had attracted his interest.

  Despite being locked in the imperial prison, he was thinking about saving another person instead of saving himself. This had piqued his curiosity.

  “That’s because this person will contribute greatly to the empire!”

  Wang Chong replied earnestly.

  “Oh?”

  Graveness finally appeared in the eyes of the plump eunuch. For the first time, he assessed Zhang Munian carefully. The latter’s eyes were widened, and his astonishment didn’t seem to be any less than anyone else here.

  “Gongzi, can you tell me the reason?”

  The plump eunuch asked.

  If it was anyone else who said those words, he might have just laughed
it off. However, this youngster… After witnessing the other party’s astonishing deeds, even he did not dare to underestimate his words.

  Especially after Wang Chong had said that ‘this person will contribute greatly to the empire’.

  “I can’t explain it clearly now so I can only hope that gonggong will believe me. On top of that, he shouldn’t have been here. It’s all because of King Qi’s selfish act that he was sent here.”

  Wang Chong replied calmly.

  Wang Chong and Zhang Munian had talked about this matter. The latter should have been locked at the Bureau of Punishments.

  Some time ago, Zhang Munian was about to be released when, for some reason, the decision was retracted. Eventually, he ended up being brought to the imperial prison.

  This matter remained a mystery to Zhang Munian. He couldn’t comprehend the bizarreness of the situation. However, he was a prisoner on the death row in the first place so he didn’t give it much thought.

  However, Wang Chong had a completely different view of this matter.

  After asking Zhang Munian on the details of the incident back then, Wang Chong could roughly deduce the happenings.

  King Song had indeed helped him, and Zhang Munian’s punishment had been annulled. However, someone seemed to have undone everything that King Song did later on.

  Judging from the time, it was during the period that King Song was demoted and King Qi laid his hands on the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments.

  King Qi didn’t know who Zhang Munian was, but opposing to those supporting King Song and supporting those opposing King Song would never be a wrong move.

  Thus, he canceled the annulment and even sent Zhang Munian to the more strictly guarded imperial prison.

  So, to speak of it, Wang Chong was probably the main reason why Zhang Munian was brought here.

  “King Qi?”

  The plump eunuch frowned, and he seemed to have recalled something.

  “I understand!”

  “Tell your warden that His Majesty wants this person. Take him out.”

  The plump eunuch casually flashed the token by his waist. Wang Chong didn’t catch a clear look on it but deference immediately appeared on the faces of the other prison guards.