The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Buzz!

  King Song’s words caused the Imperial Court to instantly become as silent as a grave. The Grand Preceptor and King Qi became rather pale. Meanwhile, the young and unfamiliar civil officials of the court suddenly had extremely unnatural expressions. Even a fool could tell that Chen Yuanbao’s accusation was aimed at them, and the people commanding him from behind the scenes were none other than Wang Chong and King Song.

  “Lord Chen, please finish your words! Which lord are you accusing?” Wang Chong said.

  “Yes, Your Highness!”

  With Wang Chong’s encouragement, Chen Yuanbao immediately calmed down. He turned and bowed to the Sage Emperor.

  “Your Majesty, this subject accuses Assistant Minister of Personnel Zhang Chaoshu!”

  Chen Yuanbao thrust out his right hand and pointed at a young civil official standing nearby. This person just so happened to be the young official who had proposed that the prefectural armies should be dissolved yesterday.

  Taihe Palace was the center of the Great Tang, and those able to enter this place were all of advanced age. Excluding Wang Chong, the majority of the people present were in their forties, and those able to obtain a high status like Assistant Minister of Personnel were even older.

  But this official called Zhang Chaoshu was only thirty-five at most! It was hard to believe that he was so young, and yet no one had ever heard his name before.

  Buzz!

  When he heard Chen Yuanbao accusing him, this Zhang Chaoshu did his utmost to maintain his composure. But Wang Chong could clearly see his throat move as if he was swallowing.

  Zhang Chaoshu took in a deep breath and quickly stepped forward, giving the court a deep bow. “Lord Chen, this one was a local official, and all of this one’s achievements have been recorded. In addition, this one knew when entering the Imperial Court that their knowledge was shallow, so this one has always been cautious and conscientious, not daring to be lazy. Is there a reason Lord Chen has targeted me? Presumably, Lord Chen has deep prejudices against this one. The country is of utmost importance, so if Lord Chen believes that this one is too young and unable to bear the responsibility, this one is willing to resign so as to maintain the harmony of the court!”

  Zhang Chaoshu had barely spoken when a white-haired official immediately stepped forward and harshly rebuked, “Absurd! Zhang Chaoshu, you stand there. I’d like to see just who would dare to frame you. In the Imperial Court, one is able to discuss matters of state based on their ability, not their age, correct?”

  “That’s right!” Another civil official stepped forward and severely scolded Wang Chong. “The matters of state are of utmost importance. King of Foreign Lands, even if you are a King granted their title by the Sage Emperor, we will never fear you!”

  Wang Chong coldly took this all in and sneered. He recognized these people as colleagues, schoolmates, or intimate friends of the Grand Preceptor. These people were clearly acting on the Grand Preceptor’s orders. If he judged the matter purely from the righteous air of these officials, Wang Chong really might have believed that he had made an unjust accusation.

  The Grand Preceptor is truly rather wise!

  This thought suddenly occurred to Wang Chong.

  Two days of attending court had not been in vain. He had been carefully observing the court from his position in the back and had gradually noticed a few things. These new and strange faces had replaced the civil officials in King Song’s faction—a truly brilliant move on the Grand Preceptor’s part. Even more brilliant was that one group of this batch of officials knew the truth while the other batch was left completely clueless.

  Their trust in the Grand Preceptor seemed to have overcome everything else.

  And these officials unaware of the truth were the best tools for the Grand Preceptor and the civil officials to attack Wang Chong. Even a few generals had been fooled into thinking that this was an unjust accusation.

  …Alas, this move is of no use against me!

  Wang Chong coldly laughed.

  If he had not made ample preparations, he would have never made this counterattack. The reaction of the Grand Preceptor and those civil officials had been completely within Wang Chong’s expectations.

  “Since you want evidence, I will give it to you!”

  Wang Chong stepped forward and immediately produced two thick books, the ones he had asked Old Eagle to deliver to him last night.

  Wang Chong turned to Zhang Chaoshu, his eyes sharp. “Lord Zhang is truly impressive. One of these two reports is from ten-some years ago, recording your administration of Chun County, while the other is from two years ago, recording your administration of Qiao Prefecture, yet both reports seem to be new. Most suspicious of all is that Chun County is extremely remote, and the county office is old and in a state of disrepair. Many reports have been lost or have rotted, but only Lord Zhang’s still remains. As for Qiao Prefecture, I checked… Lord Zhang truly was assigned to that place, but only for around one month! Lord Zhao, you truly are incredible! A promotion in a single month! Not even this king is capable of such a feat!”

  Buzz!

  When he saw the two reports in Wang Chong’s hands, Zhang Chaoshu immediately felt the blood drain from his face, and even his lips began to tremble. He had never imagined that Wang Chong would take out his reports. The Grand Preceptor also immediately lost his composure.

  “How could this be!”

  The Grand Preceptor clenched his fists, his face taut.

  Facts spoke louder than words, and only now did he realize that Wang Chong had come prepared—far more prepared than he had imagined. With these two reports, Zhang Chaoshu’s defense immediately lost its luster. Most importantly, there was no question that Wang Chong held the true reports.

  Even the most meticulous plan had a flaw!

  At this moment, half of the court was deathly still. Even King Qi had chosen to keep his mouth shut at this time. Even those two old officials who had been passionately rebuking Wang Chong remained silent.

  Accusations were one thing, but Wang Chong had managed to get his hands on Zhang Chaoshu’s reports and firmly proved his case!

  This was no random slandering of a court official, but a prepared attack. To speak at this time would be to draw the fire onto their own person!

  “Does the Grand Preceptor have anything else to say?”

  Wang Chong coldly smiled as he raised the two reports and gazed at the Grand Preceptor.

  The Grand Preceptor’s face was pale and he truly had nothing to say. Wang Chong was clearly returning blow for blow and mocking his previous words.

  Chapter 1244 - Revealed, the Instigator Behind the Curtain! (I)

  Chapter 1244: Revealed, the Instigator Behind the Curtain! (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “King of Foreign Lands, do not blame me for not warning you! Zhang Chaoshu is Assistant Minister of Revenue. His assignment to this position was only after many verifications by the Bureau of Personnel and Bureau of Revenue, and the Imperial Court investigated and confirmed that he truly did have outstanding achievements. Civil officials are different from generals. Do you know what the result will be if you slander an important official and disgrace his reputation? Now that you have made this accusation before the Sage Emperor, if the investigation turns up nothing, this old man will not let you go!” the Grand Preceptor said, his face ashen.

  Wang Chong had even produced evidence, leaving the Grand Preceptor with no other option. Whether or not the accusations were true, Zhang Chaoshu would have to submit to an investigation.

  “Something that’s half true and half false can’t be considered false, and something that’s half false and half true can’t be considered true. Does Grand Preceptor not understand this principle?”

  Wang Chong grinned at the Grand Preceptor. He naturally understood what tricks these people were up to, but they were all petty trifles before him.

  “Moreover, Grand Prec
eptor, be at ease; I have even more evidence at my place… and in a few days, I will send it all to the Imperial Court!!”

  Buzz!

  The Grand Preceptor trembled in shock, immediately left speechless. Meanwhile, Zhang Chaoshu’s face had turned ghastly pale.

  “Your Majesty! This subject has nothing more to say. In order to prove this one’s innocence, this subject is willing to submit to the Imperial Court’s investigation.”

  Zhang Chaoshu finally walked out and bowed to the figure seated in the upper reaches of the hall.

  With the situation at this point, this was his only choice.

  ……

  When the court session concluded, Wang Chong was the first to emerge from the Imperial Court, his expression aloof and his hands held behind his back.

  Unlike his first day at court, the civil officials were all glum and silent today, all of them fearfully staring at Wang Chong’s back.

  It had only been two days, two court sessions in which Wang Chong had served as Advisor-in-Waiting. But on the first day, he had savagely denounced the Grand Preceptor, King Qi, and Li Linfu, leaving no part of their body unbruised. On the second day, he had caused the Assistant Minister of Revenue, Zhang Chaoshu, who had made the proposal for dissolving the prefectural armies, to be imprisoned. Wang Chong’s conduct could be described as swift as the wind, harsh as lightning.

  At this moment, no one dared to treat him as an eighteen-year-old youth. Even King Qi had a rather grave expression when he emerged from the court. King Qi had come to the sudden realization that Wang Chong had become even more difficult to deal with after only a year.

  The Tiger of the Empire, Zhangchou Jianqiong, rushed to catch up to Wang Chong and said, “Wang Chong, it really was as you predicted. With Zhang Chaoshu being seized, the rest of the civil officials have been cowed. Although we still can’t escape the suppression of the civil officials just yet, nor can we alter the proposal to reduce the number of soldiers, at least we won’t have a further intensifying with policies like ‘dissolving the prefectural armies’.”

  He now felt sincere admiration for Wang Chong. Ever since that incident more than half a month ago, Zhangchou Jianqiong’s brow had been constantly furrowed with worry. As the Minister of War, he had not only been unable to protect the Bureau of Military Personnel, but had also failed to mount an effective counterattack. On the contrary, even he had found himself muzzled. Wang Chong’s appearance was like a ray of hope, and he was probably the only person capable of breaking the current stalemate.

  “However, is this incident really enough to get at them?” Zhangchou Jianqiong asked. “The Confucians won’t let this matter go so easily!”

  Zhangchou Jianqiong was much older and had much more seniority than Wang Chong, but with regards to this matter, not even he had realized that he was valuing Wang Chong’s opinions more and more.

  “This is why I wished to speak with Lord Zhangchou. The Bureau of Military Personnel shares a very close relationship with the Bureau of Punishments. I hope that Lord Zhangchou can use this connection to increase the number of men assigned to this case!”

  Buzz!

  Zhangchou Jianqiong’s eyes narrowed and he suddenly grimaced.

  “Wang Chong, you mean…”

  “In normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be necessary, but there’s no harm in being safe. They can even have old officials who served in court for ten-some years retire, so who knows how far they can go?” Wang Chong sternly said.

  “I understand!”

  Zhangchou Jianqiong took in a deep breath, a profound look in his eyes.

  ……

  Wang Chong quickly put the matters of court to the back of his mind. Exiting the Imperial Palace, he soon boarded his carriage.

  What he had to do next was far more important than the matter of Zhang Chaoshu.

  After setting off from the Imperial Palace, he did not return straight to the Wang Family Residence, but instead had his carriage turn onto a street it had never taken before.

  Wang Chong hadn’t been sitting in the carriage for long before Zhang Que’s voice came from outside, anxious and curious. ‘Your Highness, did we really get Zhang Chaoshu?”

  “How did you know?”

  Wang Chong opened his eyes. He had not told anyone about the matter of Zhang Chaoshu, and Zhang Que could not enter the Imperial Palace. He normally should not have found out so quickly.

  “Heh, Your Highness, don’t blame me once I explain. Last night, when I was paying a visit to Master, I noticed a document on Master’s table. Moreover, when we were setting out from the palace gate, I glanced back and saw that when the servants of the civil officials were leaving, they were all quiet, not as loud and raucous as they usually were. It was clear that something had happened,” Zhang Que said.

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this explanation. Zhang Que’s master was naturally Old Eagle, but Wang Chong hadn’t expected Zhang Que to be so quick-witted. Although he had not been in the Imperial Court, he had been able to conjecture at the truth from only a few clues.

  “That’s right!”

  Wang Chong nodded. He knew from his understanding of Zhang Que’s personality that he wouldn’t give up unless he knew the answer, so he gave Zhang Que a brief summary of what had happened in court. Although Wang Chong had greatly simplified the story, Zhang Que was one of Wang Chong’s primary intelligence officers, so this version was enough for him.

  “Your Highness, do you really have more evidence on him?”

  Zhang Que looked expectantly at Wang Chong.

  “No!”

  “Ah?!”

  Zhang Que was dumbstruck, his entire body frozen by this answer.

  Wang Chong sat in the carriage with his eyes half-closed, giving no explanation. The Confucians had prepared for a long time, leaving their position nigh impregnable. Wang Chong even had to exert enormous effort to obtain information on Zhang Chaoshu, but those two reports were far from enough to pin any charges on Zhang Chaoshu. However, Wang Chong’s goal had never been to pin any crime onto Zhang Chaoshu.

  Neigh!

  As he was thinking, turmoil came from outside, and he could hear Zhang Que’s surprised and angry voice.

  “What are you doing? Let go!”

  “Is this the King of Foreign Lands?”

  The voice of an old woman came from outside, accompanied by fits of coughing.

  “You’re crazy!”

  Zhang Que was flabbergasted. He had been following Wang Chong’s orders and leading the carriage eastward, but for some reason, an old woman selling vegetables had suddenly rushed out and barred the carriage’s path, grabbing the reins.

  The old woman had a cold and severe expression, and a basket was still hanging from her other hand, stuffed with vegetables, but her gaze was completely focused elsewhere.

  It was extremely dangerous to charge out in front of a carriage, but this old woman seemed to not care at all.

  “King of Foreign Lands, do you dare come out for a meeting!”

  The old woman clenched the reins as she stared at the carriage compartment.

  Seeing that there was no response, the old woman yelled once more, “King of Foreign Lands, do you dare come out for a meeting!”

  Finally couldn’t hold yourself back.

  Wang Chong was lightly tapping his right index finger, his eyes half-closed and his face emotionless. At this time, he was as calm and composed as ever.

  Fwoomp! The carriage curtains suddenly parted, allowing Wang Chong to get a view of the old woman outside. The woman was wearing an apron stained with vegetable juices around her waist, and her silver hair was neatly bound together. Although her face was covered in wrinkles, her eyes were clear and bright, completely at odds with her age.

  “We finally meet,” Wang Chong indifferently said to the old woman, his face emotionless. He did not seem to be speaking in a tone with which one would address an old woman. The atmosphere was extremely bizarre, and Zhang Que
was left speechless by the scene.

  “King of Foreign Lands, you have succeeded. I admit that in this matter, I truly overlooked this flaw, allowing you to seize upon this weakness, but you have not won.”

  The old woman’s eyes were wise, and her words did not fit her status at all. Sitting on the carriage, Zhang Que felt his heart tremble. Anyone, no matter how slow they were, would be able to tell by now that there was something strange about this old woman.

  “You were behind everything, right? The Grand Preceptor, King Qi, the Prime Minister, perhaps even the First Prince—you’re using all of them. But just who are you? I really didn’t think that there was someone like you within the Great Tang, able to use all these people at once. Speak: just what are you up to with all this?”

  Wang Chong’s expression was grave as he went straight to the point.

  On his way back from Khorasan, Wang Chong had felt as if his entire mind was drowning in a sea of fog. But by using Zhang Chaoshu, Wang Chong was finally able to see a hint of the sun, forcing the instigator behind the curtains to come out and meet him.

  “Hah, my goal in coming here is very simple. I hope that the King of Foreign Lands will give up!” the old woman said.

  “Give up? Give up on what?” Wang Chong coldly smiled. “Give up on the Great Tang and let the foreigners on the borders and Arabia to the west invade? Or give up on stopping you, allowing you to dissolve the prefectural armies so that you can make the empire into a hell on earth in the future?!”

  “Can war solve all problems? Even if you can protect the country and give it a momentary peace, can you protect the empire for an entire age? Wars have no end. Today, you have swept over Arabia, killing a million soldiers. All of the Great Tang regards you as a hero, but have you ever thought about what the people in other countries thought of you? Have you ever thought about Arabia?”