The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Heh, it seems like we can finally close that chapter. It seems like the Fifth Prince won’t have to worry about assassins for a while!”

  On his throne within the main hall, Wang Chong opened his eyes, glanced at the letter, and gave a knowing smile.

  Chapter 1615 - Sudden Shift in the Palace!

  Chapter 1615: Sudden Shift in the Palace!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The First Prince had been more patient than expected, not making any major moves ever since Wang Chong’s return, but in the end, he had failed to restrain himself. All of this had been predicted by Wang Chong, and the moment that force took action, he had ensured that they would be completely wiped out.

  The First Prince had a special status, and there were far too many chattering mouths in the palace for him to raise this kind of force there. Thus, this force had to gather outside the palace, and none of them could be members of the palace.

  Wang Chong couldn’t do anything to the First Prince, but exterminating that group of mysterious assassins was as easy as lifting a finger.

  “I can finally rest easy.”

  With a light flick of his finger, Wang Chong obliterated the letter, and then he closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

  Rumble! The Stellar Energy within his body began to surge, and a few moments later, the Trayastrimsa Heaven manifested behind him.

  But now, the Trayastrimsa Heaven had gone from six floors to eight floors, and Wang Chong was still trying for higher and higher levels.

  Boom!

  After some time, space trembled and golden light surged. That grandiose pavilion which was seemingly infused with boundless spacetime energy grew to nine floors, the ninth heaven.

  Time flew past. After this string of incidents, both the Confucian Sect and the Imperial Court became much calmer.

  The Confucian Sect ceased to act against the militarists.

  As expected, a capital that was presided over by Wang Chong was entirely different.

  In this period of rare calm, Wang Chong continued to make his plans and build up strength, sending even more people to the Promised Land.

  Meanwhile, he continued to expand his military power and sent even more forces to the Eastern Islands. He also increased the training of the soldiers at the triangular gap and recruited more men, including Khorasani and Hu from the surrounding area.

  But he made sure all the important commanders were Han.

  In the past, the Hu, Western Regioners, and Khorasani would have all been dissatisfied by this arrangement, but almost all the soldiers at the triangular pass were Wang Chong’s men, and whenever Wang Chong was involved, no one dared to question him.

  All the Hu, Western Regioners, and Khorasani followed him with sincere loyalty.

  Everything was going smoothly, so Wang Chong used this time to focus on cultivation. He began to study and review all the arts he knew, including the Origin Immortal Art and Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art.

  On the martial path, he continued to pursue higher realms.

  Even though the weather was gradually chilling, Wang Chong’s room was warm, and a vast energy was surging within his body.

  Around him, countless Origin Immortal symbols were slowly spinning as they became more and more solid.

  With his renewed focus, Wang Chong was reaching higher and higher levels of cultivation, and he could finally sense that he was reaching a bottleneck.

  At the eleventh layer, the Origin Immortal Art underwent a quintessential transformation. Wang Chong was currently trying to break his way into the eleventh heaven.

  Rumble!

  More and more white fog circled around Wang Chong, and the golden particles within the fog grew more and more numerous. Within, Wang Chong was entirely drenched in sweat.

  After some time, boom! The torrent of Stellar Energy seemed to collide with an invisible barrier and collapsed.

  The fog dispersed and Wang Chong exhaled, his entire person seeming tired and exhausted.

  “It’s still no good!”

  Wang Chong disappointedly shook his head.

  The Origin Immortal Art got harder to cultivate the further he got, and the bottleneck was even more difficult to break through.

  “As expected of the world’s supreme art! I’ll probably have to try many more times before I can finally succeed,” Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

  Although the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art and Origin Immortal Art were both part of the ten great arts of the Central Plains, the mantra of the Origin Immortal Art was many times more difficult. But Wang Chong was not dejected. The more difficult it was, the more he looked forward to the results.

  Exhaling again, Wang Chong stood up and took a towel from a nearby water basin, preparing to wipe himself down. Suddenly—

  “Reporting!”

  An anxious voice came from outside, and then someone ran up to his door.

  A few moments later, a Golden Guard of the King of Foreign Lands Residence rushed into the hall and got down on both knees.

  “Your Highness, there is a eunuch outside seeking an audience. He says that he serves the Fifth Prince and that he has an extremely important matter to report to Your Highness.”

  “Oh?”

  Wang Chong raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  “Have him come in!”

  A thin, silk-robed eunuch soon came in, in so much haste that he was practically tripping over himself.

  “Yo-your Highness, it’s terrible! The Fifth… Fifth Prince is in trouble! The Fifth Prince has been imprisoned!” the thin eunuch said in panic, his face pale.

  “What!!!?”

  Wang Chong’s entire body trembled in shock.

  Before Wang Chong could further react, he heard a familiar voice in his mind.

  “Warning! The True Dragon mission has experienced a major development: The True Dragon’s Prison. As user was unable to resolve this danger, 300,000 points of Destiny Energy have been deducted!”

  As the icy voice spoke, three hundred thousand points of Destiny Energy were rapidly drained from Wang Chong’s mind. Unlike before, this deduction was accompanied by an intense pain all over his body like he was being stabbed by tens of thousands of needles.

  As this eunuch was entering Wang Chong’s residence, a piece of news was shaking the Imperial Palace. Fifth Prince Li Heng had been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, on the charge of causing chaos in the harem and having an affair with a consort.

  Although the matter was being suppressed right now, it could erupt at any time and set off a political storm in society.

  Rumble!

  Some time later, Wang Chong’s carriage left his residence. Within the opulent confines were the eunuch who had delivered the news and an extremely grave Wang Chong.

  Even now, he couldn’t believe this news.

  It was a completely unexpected incident. It hadn’t been long since the Fifth Prince had last sought his aid, and with those assassins all dead, Wang Chong had thought that this chapter was closed.

  He had never expected this kind of development. The Fifth Prince had been taken by the Imperial Clan Court for meddling with the harem!

  “Warning! The True Dragon is a vital individual for this world, and his fate will influence the history of the world and the Dragon Qi of the Central Plains. If user cannot save the True Dragon, 1,000,000 points of Destiny Energy will be deducted!

  “Notice: User has only five days to think of a countermeasure. User faces a heavy penalty that may even result in death! User is encouraged to take action as quickly as possible!!”

  Not long ago, the Stone of Destiny had spoken once more in his mind.

  Wang Chong had rarely seen the Stone of Destiny so harsh, and it had rarely given such urgent messages like ‘User is encouraged to take action as quickly as possible’. It was clear that the Fifth Prince was not involved in something as simple as a palace dispute.

  If something happened to Li He
ng, the destiny of the Central Plains would change. And Wang Chong did not dare to imagine what this future would look like.

  Coming back to his senses, Wang Chong took in a deep breath and focused on the eunuch.

  “What did Li Jingzhong say? Why didn’t you tell me immediately?”

  No matter what sort of incident happened with the Fifth Prince, Li Jingzhong handled everything, and he was also the one who had sent this eunuch. But something as major as an incident involving the Fifth Prince and the harem must have had an investigation, so there should have been some time between the incident and the arrest. But Wang Chong had only learned about the entire thing after Li Heng had been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.

  This was a grave error, and if he had been informed from the very beginning, there would have never been such panic.

  “When we first learned of the incident, everyone thought that it was a mistake, and even the Fifth Prince didn’t treat it seriously. He even told us to cooperate with the investigation as much as possible. But no one expected that when the Imperial Clan Court appeared again, they would arrest the Fifth Prince and the Lord Eunuch for causing chaos in the harem. Lord Eunuch only had time to order this lowly one to seek Your Highness’s aid before he was taken away.”

  The thought of what had happened to the Fifth Prince not too long ago had the eunuch’s face stricken with panic and unease. The Fifth Prince was ascendant amongst the other Princes, particularly after his infirmities had been cured and he became the victor in the dispute with Third Prince Li Ju, with Li Ju being imprisoned. Li Heng’s prestige had swelled, and he was now a competitor for the throne.

  But then an unforeseen disaster struck, and the Fifth Prince was now imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.

  The sight of the savage men from the Imperial Clan Court charging in had been an unprecedented shock to the lower eunuchs and maids.

  Wang Chong said nothing, only deeply creased his brow in thought.

  “Do you know which consort it was?” Wang Chong asked.

  “I don’t know. This matter was too sudden. And as it involves a Prince… and a consort… much of the information has been sealed. This lowly slave knows nothing.”

  The eunuch’s face turned red from shame, and he suddenly kneeled down on the floor of the carriage.

  “Your Highness, the Fifth Prince is not this sort of person. Please, no matter what, you must save him!”

  He was on the verge of tears and was about to strike his head against the floor. But before he could do so, a stream of Stellar Energy held him up. At the same time, Wang Chong spoke.

  “Relax! I will save the Fifth Prince!”

  The carriage fell into silence. Wang Chong leaned against the wall, his brow creasing deeper and deeper. The information he could obtain from the eunuch was very limited, and he only knew that the Fifth Prince had been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court for having an affair with a consort. He was being reckless in rushing toward the palace in this situation.

  Without any more details, Wang Chong would find it very difficult to think of a plan.

  Chapter 1616 - An Unexpectedly Shocking Development!

  Chapter 1616: An Unexpectedly Shocking Development!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Wang Chong opened his eyes and mentally noted, I have to find a person to ask. I need to know what happened in there.

  However, even if his information was limited, Wang Chong was not content to just sit around. As he was sitting in the carriage and pondering these matters, he sent out several carrier pigeons.

  As he was setting off for the Imperial Palace, several figures watching from the shadows took off.

  Rumble!

  The carriage suddenly stopped, and the voice of the driver came from outside.

  “Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the Imperial Palace.”

  Raising his robe and lifting the curtain, Wang Chong descended from the carriage. The Great Tang Imperial Palace was as vast and grandiose as ever, but on first glance, Wang Chong sensed an indescribable strangeness.

  All the Imperial Army soldiers at the gate have been changed, Wang Chong noted, a darkness flitting through his eyes.

  Wang Chong had been into the Imperial Palace several times and was very familiar with the Imperial Army soldiers stationed there. Moreover, the Public Order Squad incident had taken place here, and Wang Chong had been able to take note of the Imperial Army soldiers at the time. But this time, he realized that all of these people had been switched out.

  All of these soldiers had young and fresh faces, and they were even wearing a different kind of armor.

  Not only that, the auras in their bodies lacked the composure and stability of regular Imperial Army soldiers. It was clear that they had all been newly promoted.

  “Who goes there?”

  As he was thinking, a voice came from the Imperial Palace gates. The Imperial Palace guards parted to allow a golden-armored officer to come forward.

  “Such audacity! You dare to stop the King of Foreign Lands from entering the palace?” The carriage driver spoke up before Wang Chong could respond.

  “Hmph, there is an incident within the palace. For the next seven days, all outside officials are forbidden from entering except for court sessions. King of Foreign Lands, please go back!”

  The Imperial Army officer had a cold and aloof expression, and he immediately rooted himself to his spot like a spear, his face steely and righteous.

  Wang Chong’s brow instantly creased in worry.

  With his status as King of Foreign Lands, not even the nobles of the palace dared to lightly offend him. If someone hadn’t put him up to it, a meager Imperial Army officer would have never acted so brashly in front of him.

  And what was this about seven days?

  “What is your name?” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  “From your accent, you’re probably a native of Hebei? The Imperial Army has strict standards when it comes to promotion, and as the southern gate of the Imperial Palace is where the officials enter, the officer in charge must be at least Imperial Martial Tier Four. From your pulses of Stellar Energy, I can see that your Xuanyuan, Lingqiao, and Xuefu acupuncture points are still not full, so you’ve probably just reached Imperial Martial Tier 3, and not even for more than four days. You’re still quite some distance from Tier Four and don’t satisfy the requirements to be the officer in charge of the Imperial Palace gates. Just who in the world selected you?”

  Wang Chong’s eyes turned sharp, and his piercing words immediately made the officer turn pale, panic replacing his initial composure.

  He had never imagined that Wang Chong would possess such a penetrating gaze. Not only had he noticed that he had only been at Imperial Martial Tier 3 for a few days, he also knew the promotion conditions of the Imperial Army like the back of his hand and could see immediately that he did not fit the standard.

  The Great Tang’s laws had always been strict. Even Emperor Taizong had chosen to lead by example and not defy his laws, and the Tang Emperors that followed emulated him. Since these were iron laws that were not lightly broken, it meant that for him to be an Imperial Army officer who did not fit the standard was no trifling matter!

  More importantly, he himself knew that he was not fit for this position.

  If Wang Chong investigated him, he would be doomed!

  The Imperial Army officer broke out in a cold sweat and his heart went cold.

  “Impudent!” A harsh cry of rebuke came from within the Imperial Palace, and a middle-aged man wearing a black official’s hat and a white scholarly robe strode out.

  “A puny Imperial Army officer like you even dares to stop the carriage of the King of Foreign Lands? What’s going on in that head of yours? Don’t you know that the King of Foreign Lands is a valued subject highly regarded by the Sage Emperor, the Son of Heaven’s disciple?”

  “Lord Yang!”

  The Imperial Army guards around the
officer instantly shivered and lowered their heads.

  In the capital, only one man in such scholarly and elegant attire commanded such respect from the Imperial Army: the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, Yang Zhao.

  Yang Zhao had not read many books and was a born gambler, but after becoming an official, he enjoyed posing as an elegant scholar and regarding himself as a civil official. In addition, Yang Zhao was a relative of the imperial household, as his backer was the much-adored Consort Taizhen.

  And even without this, the fact that he had been personally made the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues by the Sage Emperor made him a man to fear.

  Although Yang Zhao didn’t know martial arts, when it came to numbers, he possessed an astonishing talent. Upon becoming the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, he had tidied up the Great Tang’s domestic affairs and revenues. Wang Chong had even heard that Yang Zhao’s measures had increased the Great Tang’s treasury by twenty percent.

  For a massive empire like the Great Tang, twenty percent was astounding.

  Not only that, as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, Yang Zhao also controlled the salaries of the consorts, maids, eunuchs, and the Imperial Army. Although the Imperial Household Department was not under his jurisdiction, all of its managers passionately followed his lead.

  Even Wang Chong had to admire Yang Zhao’s ability.

  Given that the salaries of all these people were under his control, it was no wonder that Yang Zhao could move so freely through the palace, even these newly-recruited Imperial Army soldiers showing him deep respect.

  Wang Chong spotted Yang Zhao and raised an eyebrow. He recalled that, after becoming an official, Yang Zhao liked to carry around a fan and would usually be all smiles. But today, Yang Zhao was uncharacteristically grim and harsh.

  Wang Chong’s heart seemed to thump in foreboding.

  “Did you say that all outside officials are forbidden from entering the palace for the next seven days due to a matter in the palace? The King of Foreign Lands is a guest of Consort Taizhen! Can even he not come in?”

  Yang Zhao coldly flipped over his palm, revealing a golden token with a five-clawed dragon upon it.