The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Hiss!

  The Fourth Prince took in a deep breath as he calmed himself down. He had never been much of a one for repentance. Even now, he had not given up.

  “Imperial Father has already restricted my movements, but Yang Chao is of minor status, and his words alone don’t have much persuasive power, so Imperial Father can’t use them to actually imprison me. But once Zhang Xian, Zhao You, and the others start to be interrogated, everything will change. Imperial Father will probably have me jailed in the imperial prison. Write a letter to Fumeng Lingcha for me telling him that we’ve already taken care of that letter. When the time comes, no matter what happens in the Imperial Court, all he has to do is feign ignorance and completely deny any relationship to remain unscathed. In addition, tell him to wait for this storm to pass and for me to be released. Our agreement is still in effect, and I hope that he remains true to our oath,” the Fourth Prince sternly said.

  “Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate will do so,” the middle-aged scholar respectfully said.

  A centipede could die, but it would never fall over. The Fourth Prince was currently restricted in his movements, but after working for so long, he still had some capabilities. Sending a few letters was still not a problem. The Fourth Prince gave a few more orders after that. This was the critical moment, and he had to forge for himself the highest chance of survival.

  “Stand aside!”

  “The Sage Emperor has issued a decree. The Fourth Prince is invited…”

  Five minutes later, the clattering of armored footsteps could be heard outside, marching toward Xueyang Palace. At this sound, the Fourth Prince and his aide both paled.

  “Quickly, go!”

  The Fourth Prince pushed the scholar away. At almost the same moment, the door to the palace flew open, and a fully-armored imperial soldier strode in.

  “Fourth Prince, please!”

  ……

  Bang!

  With the Fourth Prince arrested, the effects from the ‘Xueyang Palace Incident’ that took place during the Xiayuan Festival were quickly felt, erupting onto the political scene. All the people who had attended the Fourth Prince’s banquet had already been arrested, their cases to be heard jointly by the Imperial Clan Court, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Bureau of Punishments, with several Imperial Princes presiding.

  Not only that, even the Sage Emperor’s trusted aide, Eunuch Gao, had been dispatched to investigate this case. From this, one could easily see the severity of the situation.

  As those arrested officials began to confess, one thing became clear: in order to build up his own faction and contend against the many important officials that supported the First Prince and Second Prince, the Fourth Prince had made the unconventional move of courting the Hu Protector-Generals and Great Generals, these Hu officials who wielded vast and very real military power.

  Based on Zhang Xian’s confession, the Fourth Prince had obtained the loyalty of either one or a few of these Hu Protector-Generals, as well as that of their subordinates. There was even a signed oath of fealty that offered their full support in assisting the Fourth Prince in taking the throne.

  Yang Chao’s words could be disregarded as nonsense. After all, this was a revered prince of the imperial household. The casual tirades of a single man could not decide his fate. But the confessions of Zhang Xian, Zhao You, and the other officials of the Six Bureaus made this incident take on a completely different character.

  It was no longer just Yang Chao saying that the Fourth Prince was colluding with the Hu Great Generals and planning rebellion. It was now beyond doubt.

  “Bastard!”

  When this news came out, the hitherto silent Sage Emperor exploded with rage, and the political circles of the empire experienced an unprecedented earthquake. In the space of a single day, the Sage Emperor sent twelve edicts together with his personal token to Beiting, Anxi, Qixi, and Longxi, requesting these four Great Generals to come to the capital and explain themselves.

  The Sage Emperor’s rage sent massive waves through the empire.

  The entire court was fraught with tension, and the Xueyang Palace Incident that had taken place in the distant capital made powerful individuals like An Sishun, Gao Xianzhi, Fumeng Lingcha, and Geshu Han quiver in fear and unease.

  Chapter 815 - Fumeng Lingcha's Confidence!

  Chapter 815: Fumeng Lingcha’s Confidence!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  With the world at peace, there was little that could enrage the Sage Emperor, much less cause him to issue twelve edicts with his personal token.

  This could only mean one thing: the Xueyang Palace Incident was far more serious than many people had expected, having broken one of the Sage Emperor’s greatest taboos.

  ……

  In the distant Qixi Protectorate headquarters, the mood was grim and dour.

  When that incident in the capital erupted, the Qixi Protectorate was sapped of all the joy that came from being rewarded by the Imperial Court for the battle they had taken credit for. In the gloomy hall, the Hu generals all had lowered heads and nervous expressions.

  “Has everything been taken care of?”

  A thick voice, suffused with a despotic air, came from the upper reaches of the hall. Fumeng Lingcha was seated upright on his throne, his face a sheet of ice. However, compared to his subordinates, he was much more composed, displaying the demeanor of a Great General.

  “It’s all been taken care of,” a wise-looking Hu general to Fumeng Lingcha’s left said. “Qifu Li has already been informed by messenger pigeon to return as quickly as possible and without attracting anyone’s attention. In addition, we’ve carefully written the letter so that it will attract no suspicion, nor will anyone associate it with us.”

  As one of the concerned parties, Fumeng Lingcha had been one of the first to react upon the eruption of the Xueyang Palace Incident. No one was more concerned than him about this matter. After all, Fumeng Lingcha had actually pledged his loyalty to the Fourth Prince, even sending him an oath of fealty upon which he had placed all his future prospects.

  “Milord, what of the Fourth Prince’s side…”

  A few of the Hu generals in the hall hesitantly looked at Fumeng Lingcha.

  “Relax!”

  Fumeng Lingcha waved his hands, his expression confident and assured, imbued with a persuasive strength.

  “The Fourth Prince won’t be so stupid. No matter the time or condition, he will never give me up. If he doesn’t give me up, he still has a chance to stage a comeback, but if he does give me up, this matter will take on a whole new level of severity.”

  “But the rumors in the capital already contain Milord’s name, and the Sage Emperor is furious. His people have already come asking questions, bringing several of his personal tokens with them. We worry that this matter will end poorly for Milord.”

  The generals all looked worriedly at Fumeng Lingcha.

  Even Fumeng Lingcha’s calm and composed face couldn’t help but waver a little. The Sage Emperor’s rage was far more worrisome than the matters regarding the Fourth Prince. Although Fumeng Lingcha appeared composed, he knew that he could not remain completely unaffected. However, he needed only a few moments to regain his composure.

  “None of you need to worry. I have many plans. I’m an old subject of the Western Regions, the earliest of the Hu Great Generals, and I’ve accomplished many deeds for the sake of the Great Tang. No matter how furious the Sage Emperor is, without firm evidence, His Majesty has no grounds to punish me. Regardless of how the situation develops, I will always be Qixi Protector-General. No one will be able to move me from this spot.”

  As Fumeng Lingcha said these words, his body exploded with a storm of majestic energy, his majestic eyes exuding a dazzling light. With his many years serving the Great Tang, the Xueyang Palace Incident was far from the only difficulty he had encountered. Although he did not possess as deep an understanding of the workings
of the Imperial Court as the Han, he had come to understand at least one principle. As long as he was still Qixi Protector-General, as long as he still commanded a large number of troops and fended off the Tibetans and Turks for the empire, the Sage Emperor would not heedlessly remove him.

  This was also why he, as a Hu, had been able to stand firm in the Imperial Court of the Han for so many years.

  These confident words immediately lightened the mood in the hall.

  “Reporting!”

  A Hu scout rushed into the hall and got down on one knee. “The capital’s Boruchel has sent a letter. Milord, please take a look!”

  Buzz! Fumeng Lingcha’s pupils constricted as if he had been jabbed by a needle. ‘Boruchel’ was not an ordinary Hu name, and Fumeng Lingcha knew of only one person who used it.

  “Hand it over!”

  Fumeng Lingcha suddenly stretched out a finger, and the letter in the Hu scout’s hand immediately flew through the air and into his hand.

  “Haha, excellent! With this letter, my position in this Xueyang Palace Incident is as firm as a mountain. No one will be able to do anything to me!”

  Fumeng Lingcha heartily laughed upon reading the letter, his chortling causing the entire hall to tremble. The laughter still echoing in the hall, Fumeng Lingcha quickly passed the letter around to his subordinates.

  “Wonderful!”

  “With this letter from the Fourth Prince, Milord can truly rest easy.”

  “Milord’s safety is assured!”

  The nervous and worried Hu generals were instantly invigorated by this letter, and the mood in the Qixi Protectorate became much more relaxed.

  In the Turkic language, ‘Boruchel’ was a name of supreme respect, meaning a future rising sun. The Fourth Prince had always admired the bravery and courage of the Turks, so he had requested that Fumeng Lingcha give him a Turkic name, and this was the name that Fumeng Lingcha had selected. In all of the Great Tang, the number of people who knew this name were few and far between.

  Fumeng Lingcha happened to be one of them.

  His trusted Hu subordinates in this hall naturally knew about it as well.

  The Fourth Prince’s letter had been very simple. He told Fumeng Lingcha to be at ease, that everything had been taken care off, and there was no evidence left to incriminate him.

  “Yinalou, draft a memorial for me to the Sage Emperor. Say that Fumeng Lingcha has done nothing and finds nothing to reproach himself over!”

  With these final words, the entire hall fell back into peace and quiet.

  ……

  “What was Fumeng Lingcha’s reaction?”

  Several hundred li from the Qixi Protectorate headquarters, in Wushang, Wang Chong was standing beneath a transplanted scholar tree, watching as the maids and servants dispatched by the great clans planted a flowerbed and watered the plants. Qixi had once been a barren land devoid of life, but it was slowly beginning to show a different kind of scene, one thriving with life and vitality.

  “The Qixi Protectorate headquarters has been quiet, as if nothing has happened.” A stern voice came from the giant figure of Li Siye standing behind Wang Chong.

  “Fumeng Lingcha reacted rather quickly. Even after such a major incident, he didn’t panic. It seems like he’s confident that his back is covered. If I’m right, the Fourth Prince probably told him that everything was taken care of and he doesn’t need to worry.”

  Wang Chong chuckled. Everything was happening in exactly the same way as it had happened in his last life. Fumeng Lingcha had experienced many storms and trials in his life, and he knew that his greatest weakness in the Xueyang Palace Incident was the oath of fealty. With the Fourth Prince telling him that this oath had been taken care of, Fumeng Lingcha naturally had nothing to fear.

  “But if that’s what he thinks, then he’s truly too naive.”

  Wang Chong lightly snatched out at a leaf drifting in the wind.

  “This incident won’t come to an end so easily.”

  “Fumeng Lingcha probably doesn’t know of Young Master’s interference, but this matter won’t be able to remain hidden for long,” Li Siye worriedly said.

  “Haha, there’s no need to worry about that now. We’ll talk about it when that time comes,” Wang Chong carelessly said. The one he was thinking of at the moment was the imprisoned Fourth Prince. Although he felt a little remorseful, if he were presented with the same choice, Wang Chong would do it all over again. The Fourth Prince could be considered a strange one amongst the rest of the princes. Although he was an esteemed member of the imperial household, his likes were completely different.

  Ever since he was a boy, this prince had been fond of the Turks and attempted to imitate them in every way. Wang Chong had heard many tales of him, many of which were later verified. When no one was around, he liked to wear Turkic clothes. On his birthday, he set up a Turkic tent in the middle of the Xueyang Palace. He learned how to eat and drink like a Turk, and enjoyed using knives to cut up beef and sheep meat. He also hired several Hu maids.

  But these were all minor trifles. The Fourth Prince loved the Turks so much that even though he wasn’t dead, he would summon his subordinates and have them ride horses around him in imitation of a Hu funeral, howling like wolves. Thus, the Fourth Prince’s trying to court the Hu Great Generals, promising great rewards in exchange for their help in taking the throne, was only to be expected in Wang Chong’s view.

  But there was one thing that Wang Chong could not tolerate. In truth, the Fourth Prince had not only sent letters to Geshu Han, An Sishun, and Fumeng Lingcha. He had even thought about courting that traitor to the Great Tang, An Yaluoshan. Moreover, based on what Wang Chong had heard, the Fourth Prince had secretly provided a great deal of support to An Yaluoshan.

  An Yaluoshan’s rapid rise to power was inextricably tied to the Fourth Prince.

  No matter what, Wang Chong could not allow this to pass.

  Wang Chong would have loved to use this opportunity to bring down An Yaluoshan as well, but someone like An Yaluoshan was simply of too little status for anyone to care about him. Moreover, An Yaluoshan had always kept his hands extremely clean, and his collusion with the Fourth Prince was only revealed many years later.

  Meanwhile, Li Siye had no idea what Wang Chong was thinking. He only nodded at Wang Chong’s words. No matter the result, Fumeng Lingcha had to be removed. Li Siye and Wang Chong both understood that Fumeng Lingcha’s presence would make it very hard for anything to be done.

  “When is Lord Marquis prepared to have the people in the capital act?” Li Siye asked. “Scholar Lu has already sent a letter prompting you several times.”

  Although Wushang was far from the capital, with Old Eagle serving as go-between, a constant line of communication was maintained.

  “It should be about time.”

  A solemn light appeared in Wang Chong’s eyes. He appeared to be carelessly enjoying the scenery, but he was actually keeping a close watch on the situation, keeping abreast of everything going on in the capital.

  “The fastest messenger bird needs at least two days to travel the distance between Wushang and the capital. Let Fumeng Lingcha be happy for two days. Tell Scholar Lu to begin as soon as he receives the letter.”

  “Yes.”

  Li Siye lowered his head and quickly left.

  Chapter 816 - Making Trouble, the Trump Card!

  Chapter 816: Making Trouble, the Trump Card!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  While Fumeng Lingcha and Wang Chong were unperturbed, the Xueyang Palace Incident was having a completely different effect on the other areas along the Great Tang border.

  In the Anxi Protectorate headquarters, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing had met up, and the hall was bursting with unease and worry.

  “Changqing, it was a good thing I listened to you back then and didn’t collude with the Fourth Prince. Otherwise, both you and I would be beyond redemption,” Gao Xianzhi said,
his brow deeply creased, his head lowered as he paced back and forth.

  “Milord, there’s no need to be so worried. We did not actually collude with the Fourth Prince, so why should we worry about the Sage Emperor’s fury?” Feng Changqing comforted.

  “Although this really is the case, the incident this time can’t be underestimated. The Fourth Prince did in fact try to court us, promising great rewards. If the Sage Emperor misunderstands this as collusion, all our future prospects will be destroyed,” Gao Xianzhi sternly warned. There had been no small number of times when Great Generals on the border had been caught interfering in the War of the Princes and ultimately ended up being stripped of their rank and imprisoned. With this precedent, Gao Xianzhi couldn’t help but worry that the Sage Emperor might misunderstand.

  “Haaa…”

  Feng Changqing gave a deep sigh. No outsider could have ever imagined how affected these Great Generals on the border would be by this incident. Unlike a veteran general like Fumeng Lingcha, who had nothing to fear, his commander did not have as long a history in the army. He had only been able to reach his position as Anxi Protector-General by relying on the Sage Emperor’s favor, his extremely cautious nature, and his endless stream of achievements on the battlefield.

  This was why he was constantly attacking other countries from Anxi, and his plan this time to attack the Shi Kingdom was no different. Only constant achievements on the battlefield could stabilize his position and gain the Sage Emperor’s favor. Otherwise, once a situation like this occurred, while the other Great Generals might have nothing to fear, he and the commander would be the first to fall.

  “Milord, things will turn out all right. Looking up, we have nothing to be ashamed about toward the heavens, and looking down, we have nothing to be ashamed about toward the earth. Our record in the Great Tang is one of merit on the battlefield, not mistakes and faults. If the Sage Emperor charges us with a crime, Changqing is willing to enter the capital and clear Milord of this injustice!” Feng Changqing earnestly declared.