The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Heavenly phenomena can be seen whenever anything strange is going on! But just what’s the cause?” Li Junxian muttered to himself.

  There was nothing normal about the phenomena in the sky. The long history of the Confucian Sect meant that it held many records and books. Such heavenly phenomena were extremely rare, and the last time a similar event occurred was more than one thousand years ago. This was during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, when he accepted Dong Zhongshu’s advice and chose to dismiss the one hundred schools and accept only Confucianism1. This was what it meant when it was said that the heavens and man were connected. When a major event took place in the human world, the world displayed a response.

  The Imperial Palace was also swept up in the storms, and in the very center of the palace, a silver-robed eunuch who seemed like a reincarnation of the Maitreya Buddha looked worriedly at the sky.

  “Heavenly phenomena! This bodes ill!”

  Gao Lishi grasped his horsetail whisk as he gazed at the pitch-black sky, his brow creased in worry as one blazing lightning bolt after another flashed by.

  “Hahaha, let him be! Yuanyi, when dynasties change, omens of dragons and snakes will appear, and times of great chaos are certain to bring about great chances. But this is a sign of a golden age! Just why are you so worried?!”

  Loud laughter came from within the hall. The soft sounds of coughing had just moments ago been resounding endlessly from the hall, but now, the owner of this voice was extremely excited and somewhat unable to suppress their joy.

  But at this moment, no one was more worried than the two people standing nearest to Wang Chong’s study, Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Su Shixuan and Cheng Sanyuan raised their heads and paled. Countless thunderstorms had appeared over the capital over the many years, but none of them had ever been like this. Not only that, the moment the weather changed, they had sensed an enormous pressure erupting from Wang Chong’s study.

  At this moment, they felt like tiny ants confronting the vast might of the heavens, and they wanted to kneel down in fear. Almost instinctively, all of them sensed that these phenomena were connected to Wang Chong.

  “Look over there!” Cheng Sanyuan called out, pointing upward.

  Following Cheng Sanyuan’s finger, the rest of them saw that right above the Wang Family Residence, precisely over Wang Chong’s study, the clouds and wind had stirred into what was clearly a massive vortex. If one looked carefully, this vortex seemed to be the center of the storm, all the lightning arising from it.

  Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan glanced at each other, deep shock in their eyes.

  As wind and lightning reigned outside, within the study, Wang Chong seemed to sense nothing, apparently completely forgetting about the outside world. After writing the words ‘Might Makes Right’, Wang Chong had continued to write.

  ‘In the history of humanity, countries rose up like trees, the countless countries forming an enormous jungle, and the jungle has its laws. When the lakes and rivers have dried up, fish can moisten each other with their slime, and mother birds will feel the need to feed their young birds. Meanwhile, hunting dogs will chase rabbits, wolves will chase hunting dogs, and tigers will chase wolves… the weaker creatures will become food for the stronger. This is the principle of the strong eating the weak, the survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle. Only the strongest can survive in this ‘jungle’.

  ‘A single mountain has a limited amount of prey, a limited amount of resources. Over a long period of time, these resources can raise a single tiger, but if another tiger comes, there will not be enough food, making conflict inevitable. If the two tigers coexisted, then they would both be in danger of starving. Thus, a mountain cannot hold two tigers!

  ‘This is the way it is with creatures, and so it is with countries. In the end, victory in a struggle is decided by body, physique, and martial force. The weak can only be driven away or die. This is the law of survival. So it has been since ancient times, through dynasty after dynasty. All the states warred against Qin, but Qin was strong while the other states were weak, so Qin obtained the entire realm. At the end of the Han, the other kingdoms warred against the powerful Wei, but in the end, Wei survived while the other kingdoms were vanquished!

  ‘The Great Qin drove away the Xiongnu of the north through military force, not benevolence and righteousness. If the violent Qin had not been strong, the Hu would have invaded and wreaked havoc on the Central Plains. Han of Wu battled with Hu to the north and the barbarians to the south, and victory came because the armies of Han were strong, not because of the Confucianism proposed by Zhongshu. The Great Tang has been able to reach its current level of power and prosperity, the obedience of all the other countries, because they know that the Great Tang is strong, not that it is benevolent or righteous.

  ‘The strong survive while the weak are exterminated. This is a law of heaven, a fixed constant! Like the sun and moon rising from the east and setting in the west, it cannot be changed!

  ‘Since ancient times, no one has ever said that the weak survive while the strong are exterminated. Qin was replaced with Han because Qin was weak at the end while Han at the beginning was strong. Imagine if, at the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu was defeated while the powerful Qin survived. In this present era, the environment has remained the same while only the people have changed.

  ‘Wolves eat meat and deer eat grass. This is the nature of these animals! In this present age, the surrounding foreign countries are like wolves or tigers, openly reducing their armies while secretly training soldiers in defiance and biding their time. Meanwhile, the Great Tang, in the name of benevolence and righteousness, is reducing its armies, cutting off its arms and feet. This is a tiger removing its claws, hoping that by weakening itself, it can buy peace for all sides and an eternal end to war. Such conduct is like using one’s own body to feed a tiger, carrying firewood to put out a fire, only fueling an endless flame. Once the Great Tang has weakened, the surrounding powers are certain to rise together to divide it. At that time, the Divine Land will be occupied, the Great Tang partitioned, calamity will visit itself on the people, and perhaps not even one in one hundred will survive. On the day, it will be too late to regret!

  ‘Since ancient times, those who use war to seek peace will create peace, but those who seek peace through compromise will bring about peace’s end!

  ‘If the Great Tang seeks peace for one hundred generations, for all invasions to cease forevermore, it must strengthen itself, help itself, and one who helps themselves is helped by the heavens!”

  ……

  Wang Chong’s brush flew across the paper, writing one page, two pages… and with each page he wrote, he poured all his resentment, worry, and the thoughts accumulated over his several lives into his brush. Rumble! Lightning crisscrossed outside his window, shining brighter and brighter. Meanwhile, the sky itself had gone completely dark.

  Countless people within the capital spent an entire night under this dreadful black sky.

  Wang Chong’s study was also thrown into disarray by the wind, the pages of books flapping and snapping. But Wang Chong’s head remain buried in his work as he continued to write.

  ‘…Those who fall behind are certain to be beaten! If one does not wish to be a slave, if one wants true peace, one must constantly strengthen oneself! One must understand that Might makes Right! This is the only law of survival!’

  After some time, Wang Chong wrote the final line and breathed a sigh of relief, the darkness and storms vanishing with it. The clouds scattered and the rains faded, light beginning to appear in the east. Wang Chong placed the brush back on the rack and lay back against his chair, a deep sense of fatigue on his face.

  This short night had consumed all his strength, and he felt more mentally exhausted than he did after any battle. He had already poured all his resentment and concerns into his words. But Wang Chong knew that this was far from over. The thick stack of pap
er on his desk recorded a new idea that was far beyond this era and was certain to have an enormous impact on those that valued peace, benevolence, and righteousness above all.

  The world was crueler than all of them had imagined. Even if everyone did not understand him, Wang Chong still had to do this.

  Good medicine was bitter to taste; loyal advice jarred to the ears. Wang Chong had no idea if his actions would have any effect or if it would influence the world in any way, but he had to try!

  Rumble!

  Suddenly, a peal of thunder resounded in his mind. Light and shadow twisted in the room as a familiar energy surged forward. This was the Origin Power of the World.

  “Special Event! The things user has written will have an enormous effect on history, influencing the entire world. There is an extremely high chance that the entire world will begin to walk an entirely unknown path. This event contains enormous risks, but also enormous rewards. It is impossible to determine the final effects.

  “User has three seconds to consider. By setting these words aflame, the effects of this incident on the world will be reduced to zero. But user can also consider promulgating these ideas from another era to the world. But once these words are published, they will have a major effect on the Great Tang and trigger a massive backlash from the world. It could even lead to user eventually failing and being exterminated. The result is completely unpredictable. User, please consider carefully!

  “User, please decide whether or not to publish this manuscript for the public.”

  A string of messages rushed through his mind. This time, however, the Stone of Destiny’s voice was tinged with unprecedented solemnity.

  Wang Chong continued to lean back on his chair, but his mind was abuzz. The light and shadow in the study continued to shift as if responding to the shifts in Wang Chong’s thoughts.

  Wang Chong had never expected this manuscript to be so highly regarded by the Stone of Destiny. And not even the Stone of Destiny could determine what sort of effect the manuscript would have on this world. But Wang Chong did not hesitate for very long.

  “Confirm!”

  His voice was neither loud nor soft, but the moment he spoke, there was a deafening explosion as if the world was tearing itself apart.

  Buzz!

  The Stone of Destiny spoke once more in Wang Chong’s mind.

  “Major World Event! ‘Might Makes Right’ will soon be published. This event will have immense influence on the advancement of this world’s history. Because this event far surpasses that of any other event in this world’s history, user is awarded one hundred thousand points of Destiny Energy. But because this idea far exceeds the level of this era, is completely at odds with the era’s way of thinking, and will cause a major deviation in the history of the world, starting from the day the manuscript is published, user will endure the powerful repulsion and backlash from the Power of the World.

  “Special warning: Starting from the day the manuscript is published, user will constantly consume Destiny Energy to resist the Power of the World. Consumption of Destiny Energy will depend on the resistance from the world. If all Destiny Energy is consumed, user will be killed. This status will last until the event is concluded or user’s ideas are completely accepted by this world!”

  ______________

  1. Dong Zhongshu was an influential official of the Han Dynasty who played a major role in having Emperor Wu of Han accept Confucianism as the guiding state ideology.↩

  Chapter 1292 - Shaking the World! (I)

  Chapter 1292: Shaking the World! (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Wang Chong was dazed. He had never expected the situation before him. Ever since he had obtained a vast quantity of Destiny Energy in the war of the southwest, Wang Chong had not run into the World Constraint. As long as one had enough Destiny Energy, the World Constraints would have no effect on him, but this situation was clearly different.

  But before Wang Chong could think too deeply about this, the door opened, allowing Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, and Xue Qianjun to rush inside. The four of them scanned the room before swiftly setting eyes on Wang Chong. They had been standing outside the door the entire night as Wang Chong was writing, all of them extremely uneasy.

  “Your Highness, how are you doing?”

  They stared with concern at Wang Chong behind his desk. Wang Chong’s face was pale and he appeared to have gotten much thinner. But even though he was extremely fatigued, his eyes were shining brightly. Yet this only made them even more worried.

  Wang Chong only waved his hand.

  “Su Shixuan, Cheng Sanyuan, Xue Qianjun, Xu Keyi, I have a task for you. Take the manuscript on the table and then have it typeset, printed, and bound into books as quickly as possible. In my name, have the book distributed throughout the entire empire. In three days, I want the entire capital and every part of the empire to be able to see this book!”

  Wang Chong extended a finger and pointed at the thick stack of papers on the desk.

  The study fell silent as everyone stared at the papers.

  The moment they had entered the study, they had noticed the stack of papers in front of Wang Chong, thickly covered in writing, the ink still wet.

  No one knew what Wang Chong had written, but they all knew that anything that Wang Chong had needed five days to write and that he spoke of so solemnly could not be simple.

  “Yes!”

  The four of them respectfully replied and stepped forward to take away the thick stack of papers. But the four of them had no idea that when they stepped out of the study, that thick stack of papers became destined to completely alter the Great Tang and the countries that bordered it.

  ……

  The storm had quickly passed, and as the eastern skies slowly brightened, the capital regained its calm. For the people of the capital, the heavenly phenomena produced by Wang Chong as he wrote in his study were a mere illusion and had not affected their lives very much. It was just an additional topic of conversation. Within the capital, the number of people marching had not decreased at all.

  The western part of the city, Li Zheng Meat Bun Store.

  This steamed meat bun store was renowned throughout the capital. It was said that it was established by a couple with the surnames Li and Zheng, and had a history of seventy-some years, passed down from father to son. Its meat buns were known for their thin, flaky skin and thick, tender, and fragrant meat filling. Many of its patrons would even walk for two hours to eat the meat buns from this store.

  In the early morning, steam was rising from the store while a fragrance filled the air. Many customers had gathered at the entrance.

  “Shopkeeper, give me three meat buns!” said an azure-robed scholar of thirty-some years, at the same time placing three copper coins on the counter.

  “Scholar, once you’re done eating the buns, are you still planning to head to the tea house?” the owner of the store asked as he grabbed the buns. It was clear that he was very familiar with this scholar.

  “Heh, that’s right!” the scholar absentmindedly replied as he turned to the bookstall next door.

  The bookstall was run by a bearded man of forty-some years. Every morning, this book merchant would come to this place to sell books. Unlike other countries, the Great Tang had a deep appreciation for books and learning. It wasn’t merely the scholar class, but also the ordinary people who enjoyed buying and selling books, either to collect them or pass them down through their families.

  The azure-robed scholar happened to be fond of this hobby. Every day, he wanted to see if there were any newly-published books, and once he found one, he would regard it as a treasure and immediately buy it so that he could take it home and carefully read it. But the scholar had not found any new books at this book merchant’s stall for quite some time.

  “Mm?”

  Suddenly, the scholar’s eyebrow rose as he noticed an additional book on display.

 
; “‘Might Makes Right’? What a strange name!”

  The scholar was taken aback. He had been reading since the age of ten, twenty-some years of time, and he had seen all kinds of bizarre names for books. However, he had never seen one like this. And he was not able to determine what the contents of the book were from the title.

  This book gave him a completely different feeling and had a completely different style from any other book he owned.

  “Shopkeeper, what book is this? How come I’ve never seen it before? Which of the honored scholars wrote it?” the middle-aged scholar asked.

  “Ah? Oh, Scholar Zhang! That’s not the case. It’s a new book that was sent over this morning. And the person who wrote this book is rather famous: our Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands. I heard that he spared no effort to write this book. I’m planning to treat it as a treasure of my store and even keep one book for myself.”

  The book merchant cheerfully smiled.

  “What?!”

  The scholar was astonished by these words, his eyes flying open.

  The King of Foreign Lands? He had long ago heard that the King of Foreign Lands was a farsighted strategist who could decide victory from one thousand li away, the Great Tang’s new War God. But he had never heard that the King of Foreign Lands had any attainments on the scholarly path, or that he had even written a book.

  The scholar suddenly left the meat bun store and grabbed the book. He happily opened it, but after only taking a few glances, he suddenly paled.

  “Shopkeeper, how much for this book?”

  “Ten coins, but I’m not selling…” the book merchant subconsciously replied, but before he even got to ‘selling’, he heard the cling of ten coins being thrown on the counter. Scholar Zhang had taken the book and left without another word.

  “Hey! Your meat buns!”

  ……

  Thumpthumpthump!

  A set of hurried footsteps resounded through the Secretariat Advisor Residence. After just four hours, a Confucian Sect disciple rushed into Li Junxian’s room. The weather was not particularly hot today, but the disciple’s body was drenched in sweat and he appeared extremely uneasy.