The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Feng Changqing’s words instantly made Gao Xianzhi see the light.

  “Changqing, you and I have shared all our trials and tribulations for more than ten years now. How could I let you make such a sacrifice?” With these words, Gao Xianzhi gave another sigh and finally made his decision. “Haaa, forget it. Changqing, prepare some ink and paper for me. I will personally write a letter to the Sage Emperor explaining all the facts. The Sage Emperor is wise and courageous. He will definitely understand that I do not hold a traitorous heart.”

  Flapflap! A few moments later, a messenger bird flew into the air, headed for the distant capital.

  ……

  Meanwhile, messenger birds were also flying out to the capital from Longxi and Beiting.

  No person could ignore the will of the Sage Emperor, not Gao Xianzhi, Geshu Han, or An Sishun. All of them were apprehensive and fearful. All the Great Generals who had received that golden token sent back a reply as quickly as possible explaining themselves, hoping to wash away the Sage Emperor’s doubts.

  Time slowly passed, and the Xueyang Palace Incident continued to ferment. The replies and memorials submitted by the Great Generals caused even more attention to be placed on this matter.

  This was the first time since the founding of the Great Tang that so many Hu Great Generals had involved themselves in the War of the Princes, so the attention it received was unprecedented. People both inside and outside the court were discussing it, speculating whether it was one or two of the Hu Great Generals who were colluding with the Fourth Prince, or perhaps… it was all of them?

  The capital was so abuzz with chatter that even Han luminaries like Wang Zhongsi and Zhang Shougui were paying attention. Of course, the First Prince, Second Prince, and all the other princes in the Imperial Palace were watching as well.

  “Big Brother, Fourth Brother is truly quite bold. He actually dared to collude with the Hu!”

  In the palace of the First Prince, Second Prince Li Yao was on an angry tirade.

  “If not for that senile bastard Yang Chao getting so drunk and confessing the whole thing, we would probably have never found out that he was up to such tricks.”

  “Second Brother, is there any need for such concern?”

  First Prince Li Ying was seated in the upper reaches of the hall, one hand holding a tea cup and the other holding the cup lid. He gently wiped away the foam on the surface of the tea, gently blew, and then took a light sip, the tea sliding down his throat. The entire process was neat and orderly, his confidence presenting a stark contrast to Li Yao’s frantic concern.

  “Fourth Brother was also getting nervous, so he thought about borrowing the power of the Hu. Back in our grandfather Taizong’s time, he was an undefeated conqueror. All the countries called him the Heavenly Khagan, and all the barbarians served him. Later on, these barbarian subjects were all willing to follow Grandfather Taizong in his conquests, with these people being the ancestors of the Hu within the borders. Fourth Brother was probably thinking of Grandfather Taizong when he thought of this method.”

  “Hmph, you seem to be quite composed. You can even speak up for him at a time like this. But if he had succeeded, just think about what would have happened,” Second Prince Li Yao uneasily said.

  The First Prince’s expression was calm and unperturbed. It seemed like everything was under control, that nothing could ever affect him. He put down the tea cup and lightly said, “Ha, with everything exposed, the situation is set in stone. Why should Second Brother be so worried? Moreover, as long as I maintain my virtue and don’t give him a chance, even if he had the support of all the Hu, what would he be able to do? In this world, Imperial Father’s words are still the law. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about our third brother? He’s also spent quite some time in the Imperial Clan Court. Find a time to visit him and tell him to settle down a little and be a little more conservative. In addition, give him some paper and have him write a letter of repentance. As long as Imperial Father is moved and believes that he has changed, you and I can speak up for him. Besides, he’s already been punished and has spent enough time in jail. Imperial Father is probably about to let him out.

  “In comparison to our foolish fourth brother who allowed one Yang Chao to ruin everything he had worked for, I am more worried about our fifth brother Li Heng. In the past, both you and I understood Fifth Brother’s situation, but you saw what happened in the last conflict. His plan proceeded step by step with confidence, and Third Brother ended up falling into the trap without even knowing it. There is clearly someone directing him behind the scenes, and I would never believe it if anyone said otherwise. Rather than worry about Fourth Brother, I’m more inclined to wonder just who that mysterious person is.”

  The First Prince’s eyes widened for a moment, an astonishingly cold light emerging from them. But it was only for a moment, and the First Prince immediately regained that gentle indifference that revealed no flaws.

  ……

  Time flew by, and the Xueyang Palace Incident continued to receive only more attention as more information was revealed. Meanwhile, the Sage Emperor’s fury had reached its peak. The memorials of the Hu Great Generals had arrived at the capital and were quickly leaked, sweeping through the capital like a firestorm.

  Each of them, without exception, had professed their fear at the Emperor’s anger and claimed that they were unjustly accused. Most of them also stated that they did not collude with the Fourth Prince in any way, with only one of them admitting that the Fourth Prince truly had tried to court him, but had been sternly rejected.

  Thus, an intractable problem had appeared. Although Zhang Xian, Zhao You, and the other officials had all claimed that the Fourth Prince had received the support of a Hu Great General on the border, this was only their account, and no records of this could be found in the Fourth Prince’s correspondences with these Great Generals.

  As for the Fourth Prince, he naturally claimed that there was nothing of the sort.

  Right now, even though the confessions pointed at the Hu Great Generals on the border, there was no firm evidence tying any of them to this incident, not Geshu Han, An Sishun, Fumeng Lingcha, or Gao Xianzhi.

  Moreover, even though they might have been Hu, they had all performed great services for the court, always keeping their hands clean, with Geshu Han even being personally promoted by the Great Tang War God and Crown Prince’s Junior Protector, Wang Zhongsi. Privately, more people were willing to believe Geshu Han’s words over the words of those officials who had confessed under the interrogation of the three agencies. The Fourth Prince had recognized the value of these generals and had tried to court them, but he had been rejected at every turn.

  In truth, all the princes of the palace tried to court the powerful officials of the court, but they would usually be rejected. Rejection and success were two completely different concepts. Rejection meant that the offer had never happened in the first place.

  Only success counted as colluding with the officials of court.

  The words of Yang Chao, Zhang Xian, Zhao You, and the other officials were simply not enough to charge the Hu Great Generals with any crime. Each of them had prominent status, and could not be thrown into jail on mere hearsay.

  If they were, what dignity would the important officials of the Imperial Court have left? The government would become a farce.

  Yet just as the claims of innocence from these Great Generals were slowly leading the incident to fade away, during the morning court session of the next day, there was an unexpected development.

  “Your Majesty, this subject Deng Chang has a memorial to submit!”

  Just as the discussions were beginning to come to a close, a graying Imperial Censor sternly walked forward, a ceremonial tablet in his hands.

  “Venerable Censor, speak whatever is on your mind.”

  The Sage Emperor’s lofty and dignified voice rang out in the hall, sounding like it had not come from the upper reaches of the hall, but had drifted d
own from the high heavens.

  Chapter 817 - Tempest, Fumeng Lingcha's Oath of Fealty!

  Chapter 817: Tempest, Fumeng Lingcha’s Oath of Fealty!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Your Majesty, several days ago, when the city guards were on patrol, they found a suspicious Hu furtively moving about. After interrogation, the Hu admitted that he was a person of the Qixi Protectorate, a trusted subordinate of Protector-General Fumeng Lingcha,” Imperial Censor Deng said, his face grim.

  Buzz!

  Imperial Censor Deng’s words immediately had the whole hall buzzing with chatter. As of late, the court’s most vicious and savage quarrels had occurred over the Xueyang Palace Incident.

  With the old censor broaching this topic, the gathered officials could already smell what was going on.

  “What does the old censor intend, only speaking about this matter now?”

  “No wonder this old censor who normally doesn’t attend the court sessions came of his own volition today. But why did he specifically mention Fumeng Lingcha?”

  “No one visits a temple without cause. Has the old censor discovered something?”

  The gathered officials had all sorts of speculations and theories. The Xueyang Palace Incident had already begun to fade into the background, so no one understood why this imperial censor had brought it back up again.

  At this moment, King Qi in his dragon robe suddenly spoke. “Venerable Censor, Fumeng Lingcha and the other Hu Great Generals are all valued subjects of the Great Tang who have performed great services. You must think carefully before you speak. After all, we cannot let those Great Generals who have done so much for the court be disappointed in our conduct, no?”

  When an imperial censor was directly submitting a memorial to the Sage Emperor, only an Imperial Prince like King Qi had enough status to butt in. Of all the Imperial Princes of the court, King Qi was the one with the best relationship with the Hu Great Generals. As for why their relationship was good, the reason was simple.

  King Song had successfully courted almost all the Han generals, so King Qi had no other choice than to court the Hu Great Generals. However, despite this, King Qi still knew a little about propriety and never got too close.

  This was also the plan his strategists had designed for him.

  At a time like this, only he could speak up for the Hu Great Generals.

  “Your Majesty!”

  The old censor only gave King Qi a glance before returning his gaze to that supreme existence of the empire, the wielder of imperial authority, the most esteemed Sage Emperor.

  “A border general of the court leaving the army without seeking permission is a dereliction of duty, a severe crime under military law. In addition, he was infiltrating the capital disguised as a Hu merchant and clearly had some ulterior motives. Thus, the city guards arrested him. However, this is not the important point. The important point is that the city guards found a letter, and this letter is the primary reason this old subject has appeared.

  “Civil officials have no love for wealth and generals do not mind death. Everyone has their own place and duties to attend to, with no side interfering with the other. This is the foundation upon which my Great Tang’s centuries of peace were established. But Fumeng Lingcha, a Great General of the border, an Imperial Great General, does not focus his attention on the border, has no inclination to proactively render service to the Imperial Court. Instead, he frequently exchanges letters with the Fourth Prince, only thinking about how to collude with him. One promises to do all he can to help the Fourth Prince ascend to the position of Emperor, and the other promises that after success, he will make Fumeng Lingcha Prime Minister and Grand State Preceptor, setting a precedent for the Hu!” As the old censor spoke, his entire body trembled in agitation. “These two are villains working together, insolent to the extreme! This old subject impeaches Fumeng Lingcha for harboring evil intent and planning rebellion!”

  Boom! The censor’s words were like a boulder smashing into the center of the hall, immediately unleashing a storm of discussion amongst the gathered officials. Impeachments and accusations were thrown around every day in the capital, as the duty of imperial censors was to supervise the world and impeach those who had made errors. Their purview ranged from the highest ranks of officialdom to the lowliest county functionary. Even the supreme Sage Emperor was not excluded from their impeachments.

  Impeachments were a common sight for anyone who spent long enough in the court!

  But this matter was of an entirely different nature. Imperial Censor Deng Chang’s mouth had spoken several very unusual terms, ones that could even be called forbidden. One was ‘Emperor’, another was ‘Prime Minister’, and there was also ‘collude’. Such words were an absolute taboo for officials.

  “Lord Deng, is what you say true?”

  “A Great General of the border was colluding with a prince so that he could be made Prime Minister? Absolutely shameless! Fumeng Lingcha is quite bold!”

  “Deng Chang, you better not be speaking nonsense! This concerns an Imperial Great General and a prince. This is no laughing matter, so think carefully before speaking! Moreover, didn’t Fumeng Lingcha just render great service on the Tibetan Plateau? Are you slandering a meritorious subject?”

  “What do you mean ‘think carefully’? Imperial Censor Deng is a veteran official of the court. If he’s not thinking carefully, are you? The duty of imperial censors has always been to supervise the world, and this is a matter completely within their range of duties. As for you, speaking up for Fumeng Lingcha at a time like this, could you also be involved in this matter?”

  The court immediately exploded. The Xueyang Palace Incident had already resulted in many officials from the Six Bureaus being removed. These people might have been speaking not on behalf of Fumeng Lingcha, but because many of their colleagues and friends of several decades were currently locked up in prison.

  As the court fell into disorder and chaos, the Director of the Inner Court, Gao Lishi, suddenly spoke. “Imperial Censor Deng, His Majesty has decreed that you come up and present the letter!”

  Without another word, Deng Chang took the prepared letter from his sleeve and stepped forward.

  On the side, two fully-armored generals stepped forward and took the letter from Imperial Censor Deng.

  At this sight, the buzzing crowd below instantly fell quiet, everyone nervously looking upward. Although Imperial Censor Deng accused Fumeng Lingcha of colluding with the Fourth Prince, no one had seen the letter, so no one knew if it was true.

  Buzz!

  The moment the letter arrived in the Sage Emperor’s hands, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly dropped. It was like countless mountains had descended from the heavens, and all of them felt like they were drowning in unease.

  Time seemed to stop. Although no one could see it, they could all sense that a dreadful and oppressive air was sweeping through the hall. Before this energy, all the assembled officials were tiny ants.

  “Bastard!”

  A thunderous bellow echoed through the hall, and the entire palace trembled as if about to shatter.

  “Tell Fumeng Lingcha that We want to hear him explain this personally!!!”

  The Sage Emperor’s decree immediately sent an earthquake through the capital, setting in stone a change that was certain to alter the entire structure of the empire.

  ……

  “Lord Marquis, we’ve succeeded!” In the distant Wushang, Cheng Sanyuan gripped a letter as he happily barged into Wang Chong’s residence. “The capital is currently abuzz with talk about how Fumeng Lingcha colluded with the Fourth Prince, especially about how Fumeng Lingcha wanted to be Prime Minister. With this matter exposed, he’s become everyone’s target. Right now, it’s not just us who regard him as a thorn in the side. Even Andong Protector-General Zhang Shougui, Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong, Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han, and all the other important ministers, the
Prime Minister included, think this way. Fumeng Lingcha will no longer be able to sit steadily at his post!

  “Lord Marquis, Fumeng Lingcha is definitely doomed this time.”

  “Is that so?”

  Wang Chong lightly smiled as he sipped tea together with Xu Qiqin, his expression unsurprised.

  “Fumeng Lingcha doesn’t have the talent to be Prime Minister, yet he stubbornly insists on trying to be one. He only has himself to blame for that. With this matter exposed, is it any wonder that he’s being attacked on all sides?

  “But someone of Fumeng Lingcha’s personality won’t give up that easily. Don’t get careless.” Xu Qiqin covered her mouth as she smiled and put down her tea cup. Unlike Wang Chong, she was drinking peony tea. Delicate peony petals floated on the surface of the tea, exuding a sweet and elegant fragrance.

  “He won’t get the chance. The evidence that he’s colluding with the Fourth Prince is clear and obvious, and there’s even his Protector-General seal on it. There’s no way he can explain that. No one can help him now, and the Sage Emperor will not spare him.

  “And besides, this matter is far from over,” Wang Chong indifferently added.

  A profound light shone in Wang Chong’s eyes. The oath of fealty he had given to the Fourth Prince was truly a major headache for Fumeng Lingcha that placed him at great risk, but this was far from the only headache he would have to suffer. After all, Wang Chong had still not reported to the court that Fumeng Lingcha had stolen credit for a battle, lied on a military report, and let Dayan Mangban through the defenses for private gain.

  “Oh, that’s right; how is the Qixi Protectorate doing?” Wang Chong asked.

  “Haha, the Qixi Protectorate headquarters has been in a frenzy for a while,” Cheng Sanyuan said with a laugh. “After such a major event, how could Fumeng Lingcha sit still? If everything goes as expected, Fumeng Lingcha should be heading to the capital within three days… His Majesty is truly incensed this time.”