The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 818
“Wang Chong isn’t some nobody. He would never make a mistake like this. There’s something else going on here!”
The scene before him was incredibly advantageous to the Confucian Sect, but Li Junxian had interacted with Wang Chong before. Someone who could find his trail after spending only three days in the capital and then meet him in Drunken Moon Pavilion would never commit such a low-class mistake like this.
But this scene… Not even Li Junxian could give an explanation as to why Wang Chong had made such a childish mistake. There was no question that this was a complete refutation of the theories he espoused.
Even Li Junxian was still trying to understand what Wang Chong was trying to do.
Buzz!
A strange feeling suddenly welled up in his mind. Li Junxian immediately turned in the direction of the energy he had sensed, and a moment later, his pupils constricted and his face paled.
“Wang Chong!”
“The King of Foreign Lands!”
These voices did not belong to Li Junxian, but to two Confucian Sect disciples who had followed Li Junxian’s gaze. Although they had only had a glance before that person had vanished within a restaurant, this was already enough for the people of the Confucian Sect to recognize that person!
“To think it would be him!” an elderly voice sounded out. The heavily wrinkled Elder Song, wearing an azure robe, had at some point appeared at Li Junxian’s side. He gazed at the restaurant, his eyes twinkling with a dangerous light. The relationship between the Confucian Sect and Wang Chong was currently like fire and water. There was no more need to keep this person around.
“Don’t be rash! Everyone, only watch! You can’t touch him!” Li Junxian softly said.
The moment Elder Song had spoken, Li Junxian had known what he wanted to do. Countless experts had gathered in Azure Dragon Street at this time, and even Great Tang War God Wang Zhongsi had surreptitiously made his way to a nearby restaurant. To strike the King of Foreign Lands at this time would be a most unwise decision.
Moreover, a person who could kill Arab War God Qutaybah was truly not easy to deal with.
……
Li Junxian’s eyes had not been wrong. As everyone else was focused on the stage, Wang Chong, dressed in civilian clothes, had entered a nearby restaurant. He had chosen the place for this activity, so he had naturally already reserved this restaurant.
“Is it ready?”
At the top floor of Roaring Vault Pavilion, Wang Chong seated himself on a wide armchair. From this spot, he could clearly make out everything down below, including the thronging crowds and those agitated Confucians.
Even though the Confucians were venomously criticizing him, Wang Chong did not care at all.
Chapter 1300 - Wolf and Dog! (III)
Chapter 1300: Wolf and Dog! (III)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Your Highness, everything is ready. He can go onto the stage at any time,” Su Shixuan said with a bow.
“Let him go then!”
Wang Chong waved his hand.
Su Shixuan quickly left to deliver the order.
……
Bong!
A few moments later, there was a banging of gongs and drums. All became still as a hunter wearing coarse clothes and a wolfskin tied around his waist was escorted to the stage by a Wang Clan guard. Behind him was none other than Su Shixuan.
Buzz!
The moment Su Shixuan and this hunter appeared, they immediately became the center of attention. The crowds quieted down, and even those Confucians who had vehemently been criticizing Wang Chong stopped and looked over.
“What’s this fellow up to now?”
“No rush! Let’s see what happens first!”
The Confucians turned to the stage to see how things developed. In their restaurants, Yao Guangyi, Li Junxian, the Grand Tutor, and the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian, as well as all the other great clans and nobles of the capital, quietly watched.
Su Shixuan didn’t even glance down at the crowd. Once everyone had mostly become quiet, he turned to the hunter and asked, “What is your name?”
The hunter raised his head and fearlessly said, “Chen Dazhong!”
“How long have you lived in the mountains?” Su Shixuan asked again.
This sudden conversation immediately had everyone’s attention, all of them finding it rather strange. Hadn’t the Wang Clan arranged for this hunter to show up? Why did this conversation sound like they had no relationship whatsoever?
On stage, the hunter laughed and said, “My family have been hunters in the mountains for generations. Since the time of my grandfather’s grandfather, we’ve been living in that mountain village. When I was seven, I accompanied my father in hunting, and it’s been forty-some years now.”
Su Shixuan knocked on the iron cage and asked, “Did you raise this dog?”
“Heh, yes. Don’t look down on its size. It has a very sensitive nose and is able to sniff out anything on the mountain from far, far away!”
All was quiet as the crowd was increasingly entranced. Some people were beginning to realize that this matter was not exactly what they had imagined.
“If you’re a hunter, why did you come to the capital?”
Su Shixuan’s question instantly had the interest of the crowd, and everyone stared at the hunter.
“Hah, because the King of Foreign Lands said that if I could answer just a few simple questions, I could get one hundred taels of gold from him, and then I can go back to my mountain. I wouldn’t be able to make that much in a year, even if I spent every day of it hunting in the mountains. I only need to answer a few simple questions, so why wouldn’t I come?” the hunter replied.
Bang!
The hunter’s answer caused an uproar in the crowd, and within his restaurant, Li Junxian frowned. From the sound of it, Wang Chong had made no attempt to bribe this hunter into saying anything in particular. While it seemed absurd, he was confident that someone of Wang Chong’s status would not have someone speak such a low-class lie in front of so many people.
But this only made Li Junxian even more confused as to what was going on.
“Then let me ask you, how did you get this wolf?”
Su Shixuan was emotionless as he once more spoke to the hunter.
This hunter was the chief hunter of his mountain village and was fifty-some years of age. He had a calm and composed personality, and it was only someone with this sort of personality that could remain so fearless and confident in front of such a large crowd.
“Heh, last year, I hunted down and killed a mother wolf. When I went to its den, I found several wolf cubs. In the middle of winter, with the mother wolf dead and no one to feed them, those wolf cubs would be doomed. At the time, I was somewhat unable to bear it, so I took the wolf cubs back home with me, deciding to have them be playmates for my son. These wolf cubs didn’t eat dog food and starved to death, one after the other. In the end, this was the only one left. It guards my house for me and is quite a decent assistant,” the hunter said.
“Why does this wolf not eat the dog?” Su Shixuan asked again.
“This wolf cub was only able to survive by drinking the milk of this dog’s mother, and it grew up together with this dog, eating, sleeping, and playing with each other. How could it eat it?!
“Right, Milord, is that all? If that’s all your questions, I’ll take the one hundred taels of gold, spend a few days in the capital, and go home. It happens to be hunting season.”
“There’s one last question. Have you heard of ‘Benevolence and Righteousness’ and ‘Might Makes Right’? Which one do you think is correct?” Su Shixuan sternly said.
Everyone waited with bated breath for the hunter’s answer.
“Hahaha, on the road, I heard people talking about this. Everyone in the Great Tang is talking about these two books, and your people even brought up this matter to me on the road. I’m just a lowly hunter, so ther
e’s no way I could know anything about such high-level problems. But there’s one thing that I do know. Although your lord says that all creatures are beasts, that tigers eating wolves and wolves eating dogs is the law of the jungle, this isn’t an absolute. At the very least, the wolf that I raised will never eat a dog, at least not this dog that I raised.”
The hunter loudly laughed.
“Is that so? Are you really sure?”
Su Shixuan shot the hunter a profound glance.
When this hunter stepped onto the stage, Su Shixuan could sense that everyone believed that the Wang Clan had sought out this hunter’s help. But Su Shixuan knew that they had said nothing to this hunter nor done anything to him. The hunter himself didn’t even know why he had been brought here. All his answers were sincere expressions of his thoughts, unaffected by the opinions of others.
“Sir is making a joke. It might not be the case for anything else, but no one understands the beasts of the mountains more than us hunters. I can guarantee that this wolf cub that I raised will never eat a dog!” the hunter confidently proclaimed, patting his chest.
Buzz!
The crowd began to chatter. If they were dubious at first, everyone was slowly beginning to realize that this hunter truly was an ordinary hunter that the Wang Clan had found deep in the mountains. There had been no collusion between the two parties, or else the hunter would have never said such words. And his expression did not seem to be one of a liar.
The crowd spoke in hushed voices to each other, each person befuddled. If the Wang Clan had not colluded with this hunter, what game was the King of Foreign Lands trying to play? In the surrounding restaurants, all the nobles and influential officials who had heard this conversation creased their brows.
“Forgive my slow eyes, but not even I can tell what the King of Foreign Lands is up to. I’ve always heard that the King of Foreign Lands is unconventional, but his way of thinking truly is unfathomable!”
In the Moon Lake Pavilion, across from Vast Crane Pavilion, the Duke of Zhao creased his white brows.
“Lord Duke, even I am left befuddled. Didn’t the King of Foreign Lands want to defeat the Confucians? By doing this, isn’t he just doing the reverse and defeating himself?” a noble next to him said.
The others in the party glanced at each other in confusion, all of them speechless.
……
“Young Master, what should we do now?”
In the restaurant across from the stage, a Confucian Sect disciple bowed, confusion in his eyes.
“Withdraw. There’s no need to do anything else.”
Li Junxian frowned and waved his hand.
This hunter had already thoroughly described their standpoint. Finding some more beast tamers was completely unnecessary.
After some thought, Li Junxian waved a hand and called over a Confucian Sect disciple. “Come!
“Immediately send people to investigate this hunter, including how Wang Chong’s people got in touch with him. The more detailed the report, the better.”
“Yes!”
The Confucian Sect disciple swiftly left with this order.
Elder Song stepped forward and said, “Young Master, the King of Foreign Lands has given us a difficult problem this time.”
“Mm!”
Li Junxian nodded. Wang Chong had completely upset his previous plan, rendering the countermeasure useless.
“Send some people to keep a close watch on them. Inform me as soon as possible of any sign of activity! We must see how this situation develops,” Li Junxian sternly said.
“Understood!”
Elder Song nodded.
On Azure Dragon Street, the event had finally reached its final moments.
“Very good. Everyone clearly heard what was said just now. The dog is yours, and the wolf is yours too. Since you’re so certain that the wolf won’t eat the dog, let’s make a bet. If it really is as you say, His Highness is willing to pay you an additional ten thousand taels of gold, but if you lose… my lord will not have to pay you anything. Take your things and return to your home. And you will naturally not have any chance at some ten thousand taels of gold,” Su Shixuan sternly said.
The hunter suddenly paled. He had never expected something like ten thousand taels of gold, and Su Shixuan and his men had never even hinted at such a possibility.
“Chen Dazhong, everyone here heard it and can serve as your witness. We’ve also even informed the Court of Judicial Review of this matter. If you can prove what you say, then the ten thousand taels of gold will all be yours!”
As Su Shixuan spoke, he gestured behind him.
Rumble! Four muscular soldiers carried up a heavy iron chest and placed it on the stage. The moment it was set down, everyone could feel the stage quiver.
“Okay, let’s go!”
Su Shixuan looked around at the guards around the stage before leaving.
“Let’s go!”
At almost the same moment, Wang Chong stood up from his seat and left the restaurant. The show was basically over.
I hope that this can finally make everyone understand!
Wang Chong inwardly sighed before he left.
An empire could not be changed in a single night. This was a method he had thought of to resolve this problem from the smallest possible cost.
……
The Confucian Sect was incredibly efficient. On the night of the same day, an extremely detailed report on the hunter Chen Dazhong was sent by messenger bird to the Secretariat Advisor Residence.
Chapter 1301 - Wolf and Dog! (IV)
Chapter 1301: Wolf and Dog! (IV)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Young Master, from our investigation, this Chen Dazhong truly is just an ordinary hunter, and the King of Foreign Lands really did just randomly pick him out. And we learned from his neighbors, wife, and son that Chen Dazhong truly did not know what he was going to the capital for. He was going entirely for the one hundred taels of gold. In addition, we found one of the soldiers who escorted the hunter and were able to ask him questions in a roundabout way without drawing his suspicion. We learned that the King of Foreign Lands had only tasked them with escort, forbidding them from interacting excessively with the hunter, his wolf, or his dog.
“…And according to our investigation, the King of Foreign Lands did not directly interact with this hunter. When they arrived at the capital, they stayed in a hostel, and the hunter even fed the wolf and dog in the hostel. From these various signs, we do not believe that the King of Foreign Lands colluded with him. Moreover, the King of Foreign Lands has always been proud. Doing such a thing would be lowering his own status, so the actual situation is probably exactly what we investigated.”
In the Secretariat Advisor Residence, a man wearing a white robe with a bamboo leaf pattern bowed as he finished his report. Although he did his utmost to restrain his energy, the bright flashes of light from his eyes and the way they sparkled like stars indicated that his cultivation was on par with Elder Song.
Bamboo Mirror!
This was the leader of the Confucian Sect’s spy team, handling the intelligence gathered from the spies of the Confucian Sect throughout the world.
Li Junxian said nothing, but his brows were deeply creased. The more he learned, the less he understood Wang Chong’s plan.
There was no question that Wang Chong was so proud that he had not been willing to meddle in the slightest with this matter. But if this was the case, it meant that the Confucian Sect could exploit this matter for their own ends.
“Keep a close watch on this matter and ensure that the King of Foreign Lands hasn’t done anything. In addition, since he’s made his move, we should make good use of this matter to widen our influence,” Li Junxian said.
“Yes!”
Bamboo Mirror bowed and quickly withdrew. Unlike others, Bamboo Mirror would never question Li Junxian’s decision. He only cared about one thing: information.
A day passed in the blink of an eye, and the stage on Azure Dragon Street had attracted the attention of countless people.
Awooo!
In the cage, the large gray wolf let out howl after howl. At its feet, the small dog wagged its tail and ran around the wolf. The wolf had a soft expression, stretching out its paws to stroke the small dog and even occasionally licking the dog’s fur.
Arf! Arf!
The small dog suddenly barked and made a flying leap at the wolf. The large wolf immediately fell to the ground, and it let out soft cries as if begging for its life.
Bang!
The onlookers heartily laughed in amusement.
“Mommy, that wolf is so cute! I want to raise one too!”
“Don’t speak nonsense. How can you raise a wolf?”
A mother slapped her child in reprimand, but there was little rebuke in her eyes. Even this mother had been drawn in by the play of this wolf and dog.
“Do you see! Do you see!”
Beneath the stage, ten-some Confucians had gathered, and one of these Confucians was wildly gesticulating, using this opportunity to preach to the crowd.
“The King of Foreign Lands says that men are just like beasts, and the strong eat the weak. But all of you have seen this! Can you still believe what he says? It’s all nonsense!”
“That’s right! The theories of the King of Foreign Lands have fallen apart all on their own. Everyone, don’t be misguided by the King of Foreign Lands. Only peace can bring happiness to all!”
The other Confucians sounded out in agreement.
“Haha, big dog, here you go!”
On the stage, the hunter, Chen Dazhong, loudly laughed as he tore off a piece of jerky and threw it into the cage. The gray wolf that had originally been rolling around the ground jumped into the air and caught the jerky, growls of happiness coming from its mouth. The crowd down below couldn’t help but laugh with it, all of them moved by the peaceful coexistence of dog and wolf.
“We want peace, not war!” someone shouted from the crowd, and everyone immediately began to cheer.