The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  However, getting in touch with so many sword shops and smiths was clearly not something that could be done in a short time; one night was definitely not enough!

  Moreover, actual discussions, signing of contracts, and affirmation at the Court of Judicial Review would require time.

  "Hmph, if time is needed, use money to lower it!" Wang Chong said with a grim smile.

  Although he was young, he was also no three-year-old. In a place like the capital, if a deal was going slowly, it meant that the price was not enough.

  "Old Eagle, let me ask you, when auctioning the spirit vein, how much money did we raise?" Wang Chong asked.

  With his long hair, gown, and hands held behind his back, he naturally gave off the graceful air of a noble scion, but he was also not lacking in the manly air of a descendant of generals.

  "Young Master, even if you didn't ask, I would still say it. One-third of the spirit vein has been sold off at present, resulting in 1.8 billion taels of gold!"

  "1.8 billion taels?"

  Wang Chong took in a deep breath, the shock evident on his face. Even though he was the one who had initiated the proceedings, he still didn't dare believe his ears. This sum had far surpassed his original expectations.

  "Yes, Young Master. The auction price far exceeded our original estimates. However, although I say 1.8 billion taels of gold, the amount we have in hand hasn't reached that amount. When we began the auction, the great clans still did not have much money in hand, so quite a significant part of this sum is made up of land, businesses, or treasures the great clans used to reach the necessary sum," Old Eagle said somewhat apologetically.

  The spirit vein was a priceless treasure that any clan would cherish. But no one had expected Wang Chong to give it up like an old shoe and auction it off.

  The clans of the capital all basically went crazy!

  However, the price for the spirit vein was still very high, not something an ordinary clan could afford. Many of the clans had bought parts of the spirit vein by offering both gold and clan property.

  Even so, the amount of actual gold was still a massive sum.

  "So how much is left?" Wang Chong asked.

  "About 200 million gold!" Old Eagle said.

  The gap between this figure and the one he first reported was rather large, but it was still quite the surprise. The Wang Clan did not have any sort of large-scale business.

  The other clans, on the other hand, had an unending stream of revenue from their own properties.

  It was precisely this thought that gave Old Eagle the idea of paying part of the auction price in property. Otherwise, it would have simply been impossible to bring in this much gold.

  But Old Eagle had no idea what Wang Chong wanted to do with all this gold.

  "200 million… is enough!" Wang Chong indifferently said, his eyes calm, his plans already made. "Take 100 million and give it to the clan guards. Have them go directly to those sword smiths and shops, and negotiate with them. I want to hear their answer by the end of today. As for the rest of the 100 million, help me find the sword-smithing clans and sword shops on the periphery of the capital.

  "Although their forging abilities are inferior to those of the capital, it's enough for what I want to have forged!" Wang Chong said without hesitation, a calm expression on his face.

  Old Eagle looked at Wang Chong in consternation, wanting to speak out. 200 million taels of gold was the harvest from auctioning off the spirit vein. By doing this, Wang Chong was just using the money to smooth negotiations.

  This would lead to a much greater loss than normal.

  "Yes, Young Master!"

  Old Eagle had hesitated, initially wanting to urge Wang Chong to do otherwise, but by the time the words had reached his mouth, he had already changed his mind. Wang Chong's will was firm and was not easy to alter. It was clear that anything that Old Eagle said would be useless.

  "Mm!"

  Wang Chong nodded and continued, "Did you inform all of the capital's great clans? When will they arrive?"

  "According to Young Master's will, they have all been informed. They should arrive in four hours," Old Eagle said.

  "Mm, I understand. I'll go back inside and do a little work. When they arrive, come and inform me."

  With this said, Wang Chong turned and walked back into his study.

  "Yes, Young Master!"

  Old Eagle's voice came from behind him, but right after, boom!A massive energy struck an acupoint on his back. Wang Chong's entire body trembled as all the strength poured out of his body like it was a punctured sack. A tide of drowsiness immediately swept over him.

  "Old Eagle…"

  This was the last thought in Wang Chong's mind as his body toppled.

  "Young Master, I've offended you. What you truly need is a good rest. If you continue like this, I'm worried that you'll break down!"

  Old Eagle gave a long sigh as he went to pick up Wang Chong.

  From the cell to now, Wang Chong had always appeared energetic and not the least bit tired. But Old Eagle was well aware that he was actually exhausted to the extreme.

  This was not purely physical exhaustion. The bodies of martial artists were far stronger than those of ordinary people. Old Eagle's true concern was Wang Chong's mental state.

  Wang Chong's mind had been operating at full capacity throughout his more than half a month of imprisonment. In the few times Old Eagle had seen him in his cell, he had been constantly writing and drawing.

  Even though he didn't understand what Wang Chong was writing, Old Eagle was completely capable of guessing that it had to do with the southwestern region of the empire.

  A person couldn't allow their physical body to reach this state of exhaustion. Old Eagle was worried that if Wang Chong persisted on this path, he would burn himself out.

  "Rest well, Young Master! Just leave the rest to me!"

  Old Eagle put Wang Chong in bed and then left the room and the residence. Since Wang Chong had already pointed out the direction, he should handle the rest…

  Chapter 479: Discussion in the Hall (I)

  Chapter 479: Discussion in the Hall (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Wang Chong woke up four hours later.

  "Young Master, all the representatives from the great clans are here!"

  He heard a familiar voice at his ear. Opening his eyes, Wang Chong immediately noticed that Old Eagle was standing by his bed, his waist bent in a deferential bow.

  Wang Chong froze for a moment before giving a bitter smile of understanding.

  "Old Eagle, I know that you had good intentions, but you shouldn't do this again."

  "Yes, Young Master. Old Eagle understands."

  Old Eagle did not argue.

  Wang Chong left the matter at that. Old Eagle didn't have a bad personality, and Wang Chong knew that he had done it for his own good, but time was short, and he had countless matters he needed to attend to. How could he allow himself to take a rest?

  "Where are they all?" Wang Chong asked.

  "In the reception hall. I only came to inform Young Master after making sure that they were all taken care of," Old Eagle said.

  Wang Chong took in a deep breath, nodded, and quickly left his room.

  ……

  The Wang Clan's reception hall was packed.

  The representatives from the great clans filled the room. The Wang Clan was a clan of ministers and generals, its status far higher than the other great clans. Ordinary clans wouldn't even have the right to step through its main gate.

  In addition, the Wang Clan was influenced by its Old Master and had very strict principles, so other clans were rarely invited into its residence.

  For many of these great clans, this was their first time being invited into the Wang Clan Residence. However, the atmosphere in the hall was not harmonious in the slightest.

  "Just what is the Wang Clan up to?"

  "We've been waiting for so
long, so why has no one come out?"

  "Is that how the Wang Clan acts when they want to borrow people from us?"

  "Hmph, what's this about borrowing people? Did you agree? I certainly haven't. Just want to see what reason the Wang Clan has for making this request."

  "That's right, that's right. Not even revered Duke Jiu would do something like this, right? We ourselves don't have many True Martial realm warriors, so why should we lend them to the Wang Clan? And they're even asking for True Martial realm Tier 4 or 5!"

  ……

  The crowd in the hall was buzzing with conversation, but the air wasn't very friendly.

  "These people!"

  This was the sight greeting Old Eagle when he led Wang Chong out, a sight that caused Old Eagle's brow to rise.

  "It's fine!"

  Wang Chong chuckled as he pulled the angry Old Eagle back from giving those people a beating. Unlike Old Eagle, Wang Chong only needed to sweep his gaze through the room to know what was going on.

  "Someone here is leading the conversation!" Wang Chong softly said, the situation as clear as crystal in his eyes.

  There were many great clans in the capital, but all of them would be very reluctant to lend their precious True Martial realm Tier 4 or 5 experts to another person.

  But for all of these people to be of one mind, all working in concert to make a ruckus in the Wang Clan's reception hall, that wasn't normal at all. If there weren't someone making trouble in the background, there was no way this crowd would have been so united in their denunciations.

  But Wang Chong didn't care that much.

  If he had no confidence in this venture, he would not have dared. He wasn't just confident that he could merely persuade these great clans to lend him their experts. He believed that by the end, they would be more than happy to lend him their guards, even those people who were making trouble and leading the conversation.

  In truth, by that time, he wouldn't be begging them. They would be begging him.

  "I've let everyone wait!"

  With a sweep of his sleeve, Wang Chong walked into the hall, Old Eagle at his side.

  "It's Young Master!"

  "Young Master Chong is here!"

  Wang Chong's entrance immediately attracted the attention of the crowd. With a glance, Wang Chong could tell that while the number of people in the hall was quite large, it was only a small part of the number he had actually invited.

  Moreover, many of these people were not actual members of these great clans, but their subordinates.

  No wonder they were so easily incited by someone else, Wang Chong said to himself, instantly understanding everything.

  "Young Master Chong, what do you need to borrow these people for?"

  "Young Master Chong, Duke Jiu has always been revered by the people. If the Wang Clan needs it, our Li Clan will do our utmost to assist. However, even we are lacking True Martial Tier 4 and 5 experts!"

  "Young Master Chong, I am truly sorry. Our clan elders haven't been present as of late, so we are momentarily unable to answer your request. I was sent here to express our apologies to Young Master Chong! I hope that Young Master can forgive us!"

  "Young Master, these two Deep Sea Xuan Pearls represent our Yu Clan's courtesy. As for ten True Martial realm experts, please forgive us. We cannot do it. Our Yu Clan is already lacking in manpower, so I don't know if you're willing to accept two True Martial realm experts!"

  ……

  Wang Chong coldly watched the proceedings. There were all kinds of people in the hall. Some of them directly refused, some found an excuse, fearing the Wang Clan's power, and others wanted to negotiate to reduce the number of people requested…

  While he had been sleeping from the strike Old Eagle had delivered to his acupoint, that person in the shadows had proved very effective in their attempts to lead the conversation.

  Yet Wang Chong was utterly unsurprised by this result.

  Experts at the True Martial realm and above were extremely important to the great clans. Moreover, the Imperial Court had always strictly controlled the experts of the great clans.

  Each great clan had a quota to meet in the army, and once a clan had too many experts, they would immediately be ordered to enter the army to follow the military's tune.

  As a result, there had always been a limit to the number of experts under the control of the clans. Besides, clan experts were a special resource that couldn't be loaned out to others like silver or gold.

  It was the complete opposite. If a clan found someone talented or strong, they would vigorously attempt to recruit them. Why in the world would they want to lend these experts to others?

  From the very start, Wang Chong's request had been almost impossible to fulfill.

  "Hmph, isn't it just twenty experts at True Martial realm Tier 4 or 5? This one will lend you forty!"

  While everyone was making excuses or declining, a voice suddenly exploded like thunder in the ears of the crowd.

  For a moment, the entire hall was quiet. Everyone turned to one particular extremely straightforward and outspoken young scion.

  "Hmph, I wondered who it was. So it was Wei Hao! You're childhood friends with Wang Chong, brothers who basically shared the same pair of pants. Of course you would lend guards to him!"

  An odd voice filled with derision quickly entered the ears of the crowd.

  "But Wei Hao, I would just like to ask one thing. You casually declared that you would lend him forty True Martial realm experts, but are they actually yours? If I remember correctly, don't you have two older brothers? Wouldn't you have to ask them as well as your father, Duke Wei, first?"

  A man dressed in silver walked out of the crowd, a sneer on his face. He had a stalwart body, and the emblem of a clan adorned his chest. He was clearly a guard from some clan.

  Chapter 480: Discussion in the Hall (II)

  Chapter 480: Discussion in the Hall (II)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "Hmph, you were sent by Su Bai? Bastard thing, since he sent you over, he must not be far. Su Bai, you son of a bitch, show your face!"

  Wei Hao angrily snorted, his wolfish gaze sweeping over the crowd. He had no reason to be polite toward Su Bai. If that fellow dared to send people over to make trouble, he was under no obligation to treat him kindly.

  "Don't go spouting off any nonsense here. Our young master didn't even come. Besides, the one who invited us was your good brother Wang Chong. It has nothing to do with us!" the Duke Su guard sneered back.

  The order he had received was to do his utmost to ruin this venture of Wang Chong's, no matter what it was. However, even if he hadn't received this order, Duke Su had intended for him to come and see what exactly was going on.

  Alas, in Su Bai's hands, these orders became ones of selfish mischief, demanding that he ruin Wang Chong's venture at any price.

  "Wang Chong, Su Bai can't have had any good intentions by sending over this son of a bitch. Just give the word and I'll help you kick him out!"

  Wei Hao was foaming in rage as he pressed out of the crowd and to Wang Chong's side.

  As a brother who had basically grown up together with Wang Chong, he had a good grasp of the Wang Clan Residence, but Wei Hao still understood whose home this actually was.

  This gathering had been called by Wang Chong, so on this formal occasion, only Wang Chong could decide how to deal with the unwelcome and troublemakers.

  "It's fine."

  With a grin, Wang Chong pulled on the fuming Wei Hao.

  "Cool down a little. I was the one who invited Duke Su's people."

  "What?!"

  The raging Wei Hao was dumbfounded by these words, his face frozen in shock. He had been under the impression that Su Bai had sent people purely to make trouble.

  He didn't think that Wang Chong had specifically invited them.

  "Haven't you always been at odds with him? Why did you suddenly invite him?"

  Wei Hao h
ad an incredulous look, taken completely aback by the truth.

  "Haha, in a little while, I'll tell you."

  Wang Chong smiled but did not explain any further.

  The matter of the southwest involved enemies of the country while the matter between the Wang Clan and the Su Clan was just a private grudge, and what did a private grudge matter in comparison to what was about to happen in the southwest?

  As long as it was of benefit to his current task, as long as it could help the empire and its millions of inhabitants confront this great peril and get through this storm, nothing else was important to Wang Chong.

  "Hmph, Wang Chong, don't pay attention to this bastard. Isn't it just ten-some True Martial realm experts? Not only does my Bai Clan have them, it has plenty!"

  A voice piped up from the crowd as Bai Siling strode out of the crowd, simultaneously heroic and charming, her head held high.

  As she walked over to Wang Chong, she also blinked her eyelashes at him as if communicating some profound meaning.

  Wei Hao leaned close to Wang Chong and whispered to him, "We had originally wanted to come and find you, but you happened to be sleeping. Bai Siling also said that there were certain to be troublemakers among all these people you invited, so she recommended that we not rush out to meet you and mix in with the crowd first."

  Although he hadn't spent much time in the training camp, he had met the people at Wang Chong's side quite a few times, so he knew the Bai Clan's Bai Siling, who had made her name off her intelligence and cunning.

  "Haha, if Young Master Wang needs, you can also count on our Xu Clan!"

  On the other side, Xu Gan coordinated with Bai Siling and also walked out of the crowd. He wasn't as bombastic as Bai Siling, but it was enough for him to coordinate with her.

  "Haha, then count us in too!"

  Like a fiery cloud, the red-dressed Zhao Yatong, a dot of red on her brow, promptly drifted out of the crowd, bewitchingly beautiful.

  Buzz!

  Both the Xu Clan and the Zhao Clan were very influential clans in the capital, and Bai Siling's Bai Clan ranked amongst the oldest, its influence on par with the Wang Clan's.