If he did not know of the truth behind this sage minister of the Great Tang, Wang Chong might have been exactly like King Song or the other officials of the court and been fooled by this man’s reputation and smile. But Wang Chong was well aware that if he were deceived by this genial attitude, he would be so thoroughly devoured that not even bones would be left.
People had been fooled by his smiling appearance in the past and the present, and they would still be fooled in the future, but this group would never count Wang Chong as one of its members. This was because Wang Chong was well aware of this sage minister’s other and more illustrious name, ‘Li Linfu’!
And there was another saying about this Prime Minister: ‘honey in mouth, sword in belly’. This person was probably one of the finest actors in the history of the Great Tang, perhaps the history of the entire Central Plains!
Wang Chong didn’t believe a word that he said. This talk of ‘expanding the prefectural armies when the time was right’ was merely talk and would never come to fruition.
Wang Chong suddenly stepped forward, smiling, and commented to Li Genu, “Heh, Lord Prime Minister, the Governor of Yichun has asked me to wish you well!”
But these simple words caused the prestigious Prime Minister to instantly pale. Even someone of Li Genu’s personality couldn’t help but turn ashen and speechless for a moment.
But it was only for a moment. Li Genu quickly regained his composure, his face ruddy and fresh as the spring wind, beaming with smiles.
“Hah, it seems like the King of Foreign Lands has a very deep misunderstanding of me!”
Li Genu was not angry, and his face remained relaxed and carefree.
“King Song, King of Foreign Lands, this minister still has other matters to attend to and will leave first. In the future, I will pay a visit and give an explanation to Your Highnesses,” Li Genu said.
“Lord Prime Minister is too polite. Then let us meet again some other day.”
King Song clasped his hands and bowed. He watched Li Genu leave, and only when he was out of sight did he finally turn to Wang Chong.
“Wang Chong, why did you suddenly bring up the matter of Li Shizhi? Are you telling me you believe it to be true?”
“Not ‘believe’! It was always true!” Wang Chong nonchalantly said, looking in the direction in which Li Linfu had vanished.
The Governor of Yichun, Li Shizhi, had once enjoyed the great favor of the Sage Emperor, but Li Linfu’s schemes forced him into retirement. Just when he had managed to return to the capital and get close to the Sage Emperor, the moment he turned around, Li Linfu deceived the Sage Emperor by saying that Li Shizhi was old and ill. He requested that the Sage Emperor show pity by having him resign his post and live out the rest of his life in peace.
When Li Shizhi discovered that he had been deceived, he disclosed the matter.
But none of the court officials, not even Li Linfu’s political enemies, believed him. This was because Li Linfu had the reputation of a sage minister, and it was deemed impossible for him to do such a thing.
In the end, Li Shizhi1 became depressed and eventually died.
This matter had caused a large turmoil in society at the time, but since there had been no firm evidence and no one believed the accuser, it was eventually set aside.
Not even King Song had expected Wang Chong to revive this matter, but when he saw the serious expression on Wang Chong’s face, King Song turned pensive.
“So, Your Highness has been avoiding any meetings because of Prime Minister Li Genu, correct?” Wang Chong suddenly said.
Buzz!
King Song instantly grimaced.
“This isn’t the right place to talk! Let’s go!”
King Song suddenly grabbed Wang Chong’s arms, scanned the area, and then immediately began to pull Wang Chong forward.
Outside the Imperial Court, King Song pulled Wang Chong onto his carriage, and only once they were seated did he breathe a sigh of relief.
“Wang Chong, you are extremely intelligent. Even if I didn’t tell you of this matter, you would have found a way to dig it up. But there are many talkative mouths in the Imperial Court, a place where one is apt to get into trouble, not a place where we can talk.”
“Hah, the army has already been withdrawn from Khorasan and the protectorate armies have all had their troop strength reduced, and now we’re even talking about dissolving the prefectural armies. Is there anything else that could be more important?” Wang Chong said in a self-mocking tone.
King Song was silent.
“So, Your Highness, just what happened on that day?”
Wang Chong got straight to the point.
“Ah! At this point, there’s no reason to keep hiding things from you.”
King Song sighed and began to slowly describe the events of that day. Wang Chong had already learned of many events of that day from Wang Gen, Zhangchou Jianqiong, and other important officials, but King Song could fill the most important blank on his map.
King Song had known about the proposal regarding Khorasan long before the court session had begun. King Song was one of the important leaders of the court, so it was impossible to hide most proposals from him. Many proposals would even pass through King Song’s hands first before being sent on to the Imperial Court.
At the start, King Song had not been very concerned about the proposal to withdraw soldiers from Khorasan, because there was simply no way it could pass. He regarded it as the product of some impulsive civil minister.
But when he arrived at court, King Song immediately sensed that something was wrong. Firstly, Wang Gen was not present, and secondly, Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong did not arrive until very late in the morning. What made King Song the most uneasy was that this anti-war proposal had obtained the support of many civil officials in the court. It did not seem at all like the work of some impulsive civil official.
Even worse was that King Song had realized that those civil officials had come fully prepared. The Grand Preceptor was leading them, and they had formed an alliance with King Qi. In the court, King Qi had all the officials under him throw their full support to the proposal. But it was another person who had truly allowed the proposal to pass.
“Li Linfu!”
Wang Chong had guessed the answer before King Song could even say it.
“Correct—it was the Lord Prime Minister!”
King Song sighed.
“Wang Chong, you’ve never been involved with the politics of the Imperial Court, and this was only your first court session, so you don’t know that the Prime Minister doesn’t just represent some important position. His post contains another meaning amongst the officials. The Lord Prime Minister rarely interferes in the affairs of the court, but when he does intervene, it is not just his will, but the will of His Majesty.
“Lord Li is skilled in grasping the mind of the Sage Emperor. In the last ten-some years, he has spoken very rarely, but when he does speak, his opinion happens to coincide with that of the Sage Emperor. Thus, any proposal with the Prime Minister’s approval will in the end be passed by His Majesty. There are even times when it is inconvenient for His Majesty to personally express his will, so he will express his will through the Lord Prime Minister. For many years, everyone has silently agreed that Lord Li’s will is actually the will of the Sage Emperor.
“During that court session, when the Lord Prime Minister stepped forward, I originally believed that he would represent the Sage Emperor’s will and oppose the proposal. To my surprise, he stood on the side that was for the proposal! This expression of approval caused a massive reversal in the court, and there were even many generals who were forced to give up on their standpoint and turn to the other side,” King Song sternly said, a look of recollection in his eyes.
Even now, when he thought back to the strange mood of that day, he was filled with shock. In the space of a single day, the Imperial Court had decided the fate of that frontline fortress on the border of the Great Tan
g that had been paid for with countless lives.
______________
1. Historically, Li Shizhi was co-chancellor with Li Linfu, and Li Linfu frequently attempted to discredit him or have him removed from power. Eventually, after Li Linfu was able to successfully demote and exile several officials Li Shizhi was friendly with, Li Shizhi offered his resignation as chancellor and was made advisor to the crown prince. Later on, however, Li Linfu made further accusations against Li Shizhi, causing him to be demoted to Governor of Yichun. This was still not enough for Li Linfu, as he later on had Emperor Xuanzong, the Sage Emperor, dispatch an imperial censor to the commanderies to execute officials in the commanderies who he still found to be threats to his power, and Li Shizhi was terrorized into committing suicide.↩
Chapter 1241 - The News Brought by Li Heng!
Chapter 1241: The News Brought by Li Heng!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“…Even now, I cannot conclude whether the Prime Minister was expressing his own will or His Majesty’s will on that day,” King Song muttered, then sighed.
Wang Chong was silent. If it were him, he would never be this confused, but King Song was clearly different. ‘The bystander has a clear view while the participant is confused.’ King Song was currently the ‘confused participant’.
“After that day’s incident, did Your Highness not go to the Imperial Palace to pay the Sage Emperor a visit?” Wang Chong asked.
King Song shook his head.
“I tried, but His Majesty refused me every time. His Majesty is no longer meeting anyone. In this more than half a month, you are the first person His Majesty has decided to have an audience with. I don’t know if it was because of you, but today is the longest His Majesty has participated in a court session in this time period. We don’t even know if His Majesty will attend tomorrow’s court session or how long he will last!”
King Song’s face was fraught with concern.
Wang Chong’s heart also sank at these words, and he once more recalled that distant sound that seemed like a bell, a chime, and also none of these things. He had already heard this sound twice now, and each time, the Sage Emperor had hurriedly departed soon after.
Have things already reached that stage…
Wang Chong’s heart hung heavy.
If this were anyone else, Wang Chong might have believed that someone was controlling their mind or there was some scheme afoot in the Imperial Palace. But this person was the Sage Emperor of the Great Tang, the supreme existence of the Central Plains, the lynchpin of the Divine Land. Even the most unyielding barbarian would adopt a respectful expression when discussing the Great Tang’s Sage Emperor.
Wang Chong was confident that no one could control him. But…
Wang Chong glanced at King Song, hesitant.
Only someone who could look very far into the future would know what was happening. But at this moment, nobody except him, not even King Song, knew what was happening to the Sage Emperor.
No one could imagine the price that came from failing to break into the Divine Martial realm. Wang Chong didn’t know what state the Sage Emperor’s body was in, but his current state was clearly extremely dire. This was no longer a matter that concerned the Sage Emperor alone, but had major ramifications for all the people in the Central Plains.
It was precisely after the Sage Emperor passed that the Great Tang descended into a period of many troubles!
Wang Chong took in a deep breath, suppressed that worry in his heart, and continued. “And afterward? Your Highness should have gone to see Li Linfu. What did he say?”
“The Lord Prime Minister did not state anything directly, only said that he discussed matters in the court according to their own merits. However, in his words, he was constantly implying that this was His Majesty’s will,” King Song said.
The carriage was immediately plunged into silence as Wang Chong leaned against the compartment wall and frowned. Wang Chong had a rough grasp of King Song’s mindset. The Sage Emperor was publicly acknowledged as a sovereign for the ages, and his ambition to expand the borders of the empire was even greater than King Song’s. But this desire was in direct contradiction with what Li Linfu implied, stirring doubt in King Song’s mind.
But Wang Chong would never believe anything Li Linfu said. Not! A! Single! Word!
“Your Highness, have you heard of this story before?” Wang Chong suddenly said.
“What?”
King Song blinked in surprise. He had never imagined that Wang Chong would be in a mood to talk about stories after today’s events.
Wang Chong smiled and simply stated, “The fox exploits the tiger’s might!”
“Oh!”
King Song’s eyes widened, and then he gave a profound glance at Wang Chong as if he suddenly understood. But for a moment, he could not grasp the whole truth.
“The fox borrows the might of the tiger to gain the respect of all the other beasts, but a tiger is still a tiger while a fox is still a fox. If the tiger leaves the mountain one day but the fox still demands tribute from the beasts, is this the will of the tiger or the will of the fox?”
Buzz!
King Song’s body trembled as he stared at Wang Chong, his eyes bright and sharp. At that moment, it seemed like he finally understood.
Wang Chong only smiled as he quickly got off King Song’s carriage. King Song was an intelligent man, and even Li Linfu could only confuse him momentarily, not forever. King Song would have figured things out on his own eventually, with or without Wang Chong.
After summoning his carriage, Wang Chong quickly returned to his home. The estate of the King of Foreign Lands was still in the middle of construction and would need three or four months to complete.
When Wang Chong returned home, he immediately felt that something was strange. Normally, when he got home, the servants and maids would be gathered together and chatting, but this time, it was abnormally quiet.
“Wang Chong, you’re finally back!”
Wang Chong had barely stepped through the main gate when he was greeted by an elated young voice. Wang Chong raised his head and saw a familiar figure standing at the door to the Wang Family’s reception hall, dressed in a golden four-clawed dragon robe. This person excitedly strode over to welcome Wang Chong.
“Li Heng?”
Wang Chong’s brow creased in surprise.
The Fifth Prince was a son of the Emperor, and his every move was being watched by countless people. Long ago, Wang Chong had advised him to be cautious in his actions, and even Wang Chong would not normally choose to visit him. This was the first time the Fifth Prince had paid a visit to his own home.
“Your Highness, why are you here?” Wang Chong asked.
“I’ve already heard about what happened at Khorasan, so how could I sit still? I already ordered them to inform me the moment you returned. Seeing that you’re fine is truly wonderful!”
Li Heng excitedly gave Wang Chong a big hug.
Li Heng’s sincere excitement and joy caused a surge of warmth to flow through Wang Chong’s body. Although he still didn’t approve of the Fifth Prince’s rather impulsive action, he could sense his sincerity.
“Relax; I’m fine. Not even the perilous hell of the battlefield could defeat me, let alone a small setback like this,” Wang Chong nonchalantly said.
“Haha, I just knew that no one could defeat you!” Fifth Prince Li Heng excitedly said. He had what could be described as almost blind adoration for Wang Chong, and he seemed to believe that there was nothing in the world that Wang Chong couldn’t handle.
“These bastards are just making trouble. Without the protection of the army, do these scholars think they can fight wars themselves?”
The thought of this injustice made the Fifth Prince’s face screw up in anger.
“Come; this isn’t the place to talk. Come inside!”
Wang Chong extended a hand to lead the way and quickly brought Li Heng i
nto the reception hall.
Wang Chong waved a hand, and a maid served snacks and tea. Once the two were seated, Wang Chong finally had the time to size up the Fifth Prince. He had clearly experienced great improvement since their last meeting.
Wang Chong stared at the Fifth Prince and suddenly said, “Aren’t you on the verge of breaking into the Imperial Martial realm?”
Li Heng was stunned at first, and then he smiled.
“King of Foreign Lands, you truly have a sharp set of eyes. Not long ago, Uncle Jing found for me an ancient scroll that taught me how to conceal my energy. It was supposed to be able to even hide my energy from Great Generals, but I didn’t think that you would see through it on our first meeting.”
The Fifth Prince revealed the truth, and then he took a cake from the table and placed it in his mouth, his entire demeanor relaxed and natural.
Li Heng placed great trust in Wang Chong, so he hid nothing from him.
Wang Chong slightly frowned. The Uncle Jing that Li Heng spoke of was naturally the treacherous eunuch Li Jingzhong. It was apparent that while Wang Chong wasn’t here, Li Jingzhong had gotten even closer to Li Heng. But Wang Chong didn’t care very much. As long as Li Jingzhong did his utmost to assist the Fifth Prince, it was fine, and if he had other ideas, the only thing awaiting him would be death.
“Your Highness is the person that will inherit the throne in the future, so it is not appropriate for you to not have a sufficiently powerful martial art. Your Highness should focus on cultivation, and I happen to have some mantras that should be of assistance to you.
“Right, has something happened in the palace, that Your Highness would pay me a personal visit?” Wang Chong suddenly asked.
“It’s not so bad as that.”
Fifth Prince Li Heng shook his head.
“After the last incident, no one in the Imperial Palace dares to lightly provoke me, not even Big Brother!”
The Fifth Prince spoke these words with a hint of pride, and also of gratitude toward Wang Chong. In the last storm, the other princes had attempted to expose the Fifth Prince for creating a faction and drawing officials to his side, accusing him of being shrewd and deceiving the sovereign. They had never expected that not only would the Fifth Prince emerge unharmed, but the person who had tried to frame him, the Third Prince, would end up being imprisoned. This was completely different from the timid and easily bullied Fifth Prince that the other princes knew of, and everyone was left stunned. Consequently, the Fifth Prince’s situation in the palace had greatly improved.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 781