The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Once all this was handled, Wang Chong looked toward his destination.

  At night, the alley was pitch-black. The residents of the surrounding homes had apparently sensed that something was going on, and had extinguished their lights and fallen silent. The only light was that of a single dim lamp several hundred feet away.

  Wang Chong’s eyes gleamed as he walked forward.

  “Your Highness!”

  The door opened with a creak, and Wang Chong went inside. Within, several men from the King of Foreign Lands Residence were already waiting, and they immediately bowed upon seeing Wang Chong.

  “Your Highness, everything has been handled. Little Li is inside,” one of the guards said.

  Wang Chong only gave a slight nod.

  Passing through a curtain, he entered a dimly lit room furnished with a crude table. Several figures were standing next to the table, and their leader was a lean youth of eighteen or nineteen, but he had a straight back and a proud demeanor.

  Even when surrounded by all these guards, he was fearless.

  He had no beard or mustache, and he exuded the same aura as the other eunuchs of the palace. This was clearly the man Wang Chong had been looking for.

  Wang Chong examined the young eunuch and asked, “You are Little Li?”

  “Yes!”

  Little Li’s response was proud and resolved. He didn’t even glance at Wang Chong, and his words held no trace of politeness.

  “Your Highness, what offense have we committed that would cause the King of Foreign Lands to come and seize us? For Your Highness to not concern yourself with affairs of state but to go and arrest minor characters, is this not putting the cart before the horse? If this matter got out, would it not harm Your Highness’s reputation?”

  “Ha!”

  Wang Chong chuckled and refused to take the eunuch’s bait.

  “Might I ask how Eunuch Gao is doing?”

  Buzz!

  The eunuch trembled and his face paled. But he so quickly regained his composure that his anxiety seemed like it had been an illusion.

  The eunuch shook his head and sternly replied, “What are you asking? I’m just a minor eunuch who holds lamps in the palace, and I only came out this time to buy some lamp oil. How could I have ever met Eunuch Gao? If Your Highness wishes to see Eunuch Gao, it would be better to go to the palace and ask.”

  “Heh, is that so?”

  Wang Chong glanced at the eunuch and smiled.

  “There’s no need to be nervous. I don’t mean any harm. I only wish to know about Eunuch Gao’s condition lately. And besides, aren’t you the true Little Li?”

  While he was initially speaking to the eunuch at the front, his last question was directed toward an honest-faced young follower wearing cloth robes standing behind him.

  This simple question instantly had the two of them shuddering in shock.

  “King of Foreign Lands, what are you asking about? There is only one Little Li here. Please, take your leave!”

  ‘Little Li’ straightened his back and spoke in a forceful tone.

  Wang Chong refused to argue with this eunuch, his indifferent gaze remaining fixed on the cloth-robed youth in the back. Li Gui or Li Kui1, he already knew who the real one was.

  “The First Prince’s men are already making their way to this alley and will be here soon. If I were the First Prince’s man or meant you ill, would I still be standing in front of you and talking with you? I merely wish to know how Eunuch Gao has been doing lately. You should know that I received my title from the Sage Emperor himself, and that I was on friendly terms with Eunuch Gao. I have no need to deceive you.”

  The young follower in the back had a complicated expression, a look of hesitation and struggle in his eyes. Wang Chong said no more and revealed the King of Foreign Lands token that was uniquely his.

  The royal token Wang Chong possessed was crimson in gold, a dragon of blood that no other King possessed. The meaning of this was that Wang Chong was the empire’s protector, the Great Tang War God who had battled through a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses. There was no other token like it in the empire.

  Thud!

  Finally, the young cloth-robed man dropped to his knees.

  “Paying respects to Your Highness! Please forgive this Little Li for his offense!”

  Upon saying this, Little Li breathed a long sigh like he had been relieved of a great burden. His body instantly broke out in a cold sweat that drenched his clothes.

  Cheng Sanyuan and Zhang Que exchanged speechless glances.

  This minor eunuch was far too strange. He had escaped the palace without telling anyone, and then he acted so cautiously that it seemed like he was hiding some enormous secret.

  “Everyone except Cheng Sanyuan and Zhang Que, withdraw!”

  Wang Chong had clearly noticed something, and he gravely ordered his men to leave.

  Whoosh!

  Everyone immediately withdrew, even the eunuch who had pretended to be Little Li. The only ones left in the room were Wang Chong, Cheng Sanyuan, Zhang Que, and the true ‘Little Li’.

  Although Wang Chong was still not sure if this Little Li was the same as the one in his memories, he believed that the chances were extremely high.

  Hiss! Pop!

  The room was quiet, the only source of sound the occasional crackling of the flame in the simple rusted lamp on the table. The shadows of the four swayed and shifted along with the flame.

  No one said a word in the somber air.

  “…Was it Eunuch Gao who mentioned me to Your Highness?”

  In the end, it was still Little Li who broke the silence. It was obvious that he thought that Wang Chong only knew who he was because Eunuch Gao had mentioned him before.

  “Why did you have to escape the Imperial Palace? Are you the one the First Prince’s men are after?”

  Wang Chong didn’t answer the question, instead asking questions of his own.

  The room was silent as everyone waited for an answer.

  Little Li kneeled on the floor and said, “This lowly one didn’t want to leave, but was forced to. It was Eunuch Gao who had this lowly one escape!”

  Boom!

  Wang Chong instantly grimaced, as did Cheng Sanyuan and Zhang Que. The air became even more rife with tension.

  Just who was Eunuch Gao?

  The Eunuch Director of the Inner Court, the Sage Emperor’s number one aide! In the Imperial Palace, Eunuch Gao represented the Sage Emperor, and all the officials and all the consorts and concubines regarded him with respect, let alone anyone else.

  When Eunuch Gao spoke, no one dared to defy him. But Little Li was now saying that Eunuch Gao had told him to flee the Imperial Palace!

  What sort of problem could it be, that not even Eunuch Gao could handle it?

  “This lowly one originally belonged to the Menial Service Department as a eunuch in charge of several miscellaneous affairs. But later on, I would occasionally be summoned by Eunuch Gao to hold the lamp for him while he read books when on break from his duties to the Sage Emperor. This would only happen six times every month, with each session lasting for an hour. This lowly one has held the lamps for Eunuch Gao for several years now.”

  Before Wang Chong could ask anything, Little Li began to give the whole story.

  “But several months ago, when this lowly one went to Taihe Palace as usual to hold the lamp, this lowly one was questioned many times. This lowly one asked Eunuch Gao what was happening, but Eunuch Gao said that it was nothing. Later on, when this lowly one went to Taihe Palace again, Eunuch Gao said that there was no need for my service. Although this lowly one was confused, this lowly one did not think too much of it and stopped going, believing it to simply be Eunuch Gao’s will.

  “Around a month ago, this lowly one was assigned to the Palace Larder. In there, this lowly one discovered several sweets that Eunuch Gao enjoyed eating. No one in the palace besides Eunuch Gao enjoys these sweets, and they were even molded in the shape h
e liked. In addition, this lowly one remembered that when he asked Eunuch Gao about this, Eunuch Gao mentioned that they were snacks that he ate at the Sage Emperor’s residence, and the palace did not normally make them. But this lowly one discovered that these sweets were not being sent to Taihe Palace,” Little Li said.

  Buzz!

  Wang Chong’s eyes widened and his face paled.

  Eunuch Gao was the Sage Emperor’s personal eunuch and had followed him since he was ‘King Chu’. The two were inseparable, and he had the Sage Emperor’s eternal trust.

  Wang Chong had believed that he would only need to find Eunuch Gao to learn the Sage Emperor’s condition. But… if Eunuch Gao wasn’t at the Sage Emperor’s side, then who was the person inside Taihe Palace?

  Moreover, Eunuch Gao was devoted to the Sage Emperor and would not willingly leave him, not even if the sky was falling. How could such a thing have occurred?

  Wang Chong instantly felt his heart sink to rock bottom.

  Although he didn’t know the exact situation in the palace, there was one thing that he was sure about: something had happened to Eunuch Gao.

  Meanwhile, Little Li was continuing.

  “This lowly one began to keep an eye out from that point onward. But no matter who this lowly one asked, none of them knew where the box of sweets was being sent. Apparently, someone would appear after the box left the Palace Larder to promptly take it away. But not long ago, this lowly one found a pool of blood inside the returned box! And there was a bloody silk scarf belonging to Eunuch Gao!”

  Boom!

  Wang Chong shuddered, his eyes flying open.

  “What?!”

  His mind immediately began to toss and turn with massive waves, and he found it impossible to keep himself calm. He had thought of many possibilities, but none of them had included Eunuch Gao being injured.

  As the Sage Emperor’s number one aide, Eunuch Gao was even stronger than an Imperial Great General. Wang Chong sensed that the number of people who could compare to Eunuch Gao in martial arts could be counted with one’s fingers.

  Wang Chong had never imagined that someone of Eunuch Gao’s strength could be injured!!!

  ______________

  1. This is another reference to the story of Li Gui and Li Kui. Please see the note in Chapter 1096 for more details.↩

  Chapter 1628 - A Rebellious Heart!

  Chapter 1628: A Rebellious Heart!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Let alone Wang Chong, Cheng Sanyuan and Zhang Que were stunned as well.

  They had never met Eunuch Gao before, but there were many legends in the capital of this man’s strength. It had even been mentioned a few times that this man had already surpassed the peak of the Saint Martial realm and reached an unimaginable level.

  But this kind of person would also cough blood?

  How could this be unless he had exceptionally grave injuries?

  More importantly, there were many experts gathered in the Imperial Palace—not just the Imperial Army, but also the servitors of the imperial household. This was the most heavily guarded place in the Great Tang. Besides that, Eunuch Gao was a peerless expert. How could someone possibly injure him?

  The two suddenly understood why Little Li had so abruptly fled the Imperial Palace. Anyone who learned this news would not be able to live for very long.

  As for Wang Chong, he had never anticipated this development!

  “Your Highness, it’s true! This lowly one served Eunuch Gao for several years and would never fail to recognize this scarf!”

  As Little Li spoke, he took out a silk scarf that was around half a foot long. It was glossy and smooth, with many intricately woven patterns. One could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary scarf.

  And in the center of it was a striking crimson bloodstain.

  Wang Chong solemnly took the scarf from Little Li. The moment he set eyes on it, his heart sank. This scarf was a tribute from Shu and was woven from the cocoons of a certain type of silkworm.

  The cloudlike designs upon it were naturally formed on the cocoons.

  This kind of silk was extremely rare, and there were few successful products. Few people in the Great Tang were allowed to own these objects, and they were all of the King level or above. Wang Chong had once obtained a silk scarf of this kind.

  As for the palace, only the most illustrious members of the palace could own such products, and there were probably not very many.

  Eunuch Gao was obviously one of these people.

  “What did you mean when you said that Eunuch Gao told you to leave?” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  Little Li kneeled on the floor and said, “Eunuch Gao showed kindness to this lowly one, so when this lowly one discovered the scarf, he thought of a way to place a message in the snack box asking about Eunuch Gao’s situation. This lowly one later found Eunuch Gao’s reply in the box, but it was only a few words telling this lowly one to escape as quickly as possible. Not long after that, this lowly one realized that someone in the palace was investigating him. This lowly one sensed that something was wrong and so found an opportunity to leave the Imperial Palace.”

  Wang Chong silently furrowed his brow. The First Prince had dispatched men and was so brazenly scouring the area. He had clearly realized something and already knew of Little Li’s existence.

  After some time, Wang Chong finally spoke.

  “Rise. I now understand the situation. I will think of a way to help Eunuch Gao.

  “In addition, Sanyuan, handle things here and take Little Li to the King of Foreign Lands Residence. For the time being, we will protect him.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Cheng Sanyuan bowed.

  Once he was out of the room, Wang Chong looked up to the sky with furrowed brows. All he saw was darkness, just like it was in his mind.

  Wang Chong had believed that finding Little Li would answer many questions, but it turned out that he had only added to his confusion. For Wang Chong, the depths of the Imperial Palace were shrouded in a thick fog.

  Far too many things were concealed in this fog.

  Just what had happened in the palace in the time he had been gone? Why was Eunuch Gao no longer at Taihe Palace, and who could have injured him, even making him spit out blood?

  Wang Chong sensed that there was a scheme going on.

  Investigating all of this was his next task.

  “Let’s go!”

  With a wave of his sleeve, Wang Chong departed the crude alley.

  An hour after Wang Chong’s men had gone, another party angrily stormed into the alley and charged into the house. But a few moments later, they charged back out.

  “Bastard!”

  They all gnashed their teeth as they departed.

  A few moments later, flapflap! A carrier pigeon rose into the air, and the Eastern Palace soon learned what had happened in that house in the southern part of the city.

  “What? Wang Chong suddenly appeared and took away that minor eunuch?”

  The sight of the name ‘King of Foreign Lands’ immediately enraged the First Prince, and his bellows resounded through the hall.

  “A pile of trash! If you can’t even do something small like this, what do I keep you around for?”

  The Eastern Palace guards kneeled in the hall, trembling in fear and panic. They had thought that they had found the eunuch’s hiding spot, but they had never imagined that the King of Foreign Lands would get there first and take the eunuch with him.

  The King of Foreign Lands’ prestige was ascendant. Who would dare to oppose him?

  Moreover, the First Prince had never explained why this eunuch was important. He had only ordered that the eunuch be captured.

  “Out! All of you, out!” the First Prince roared.

  The guards fearfully left, not daring to tarry.

  Once the guards were gone, the First Prince seemed to somewhat calm down.

  “Zhu Tong’en,
tell me: how much does that eunuch know about the situation? Will his falling into Wang Chong’s hand create a major obstacle in our plan?”

  The First Prince quickly turned his head to Zhu Tong’en, fear in his eyes. Catching the minor eunuch was secondary. What he was worried about now was how much information Wang Chong had.

  Zhu Tong’en thought for a few moments before giving his analysis.

  “Your Highness, be at ease. Going by the eunuch’s hasty escape, he probably doesn’t know much. Even if the King of Foreign Lands has the eunuch, there’s no guarantee that he will be able to get much. More importantly, even if he has his guesses, he has no firm evidence. Thus, it will not have a major effect on our plans in the short term.”

  Although his martial arts and scheming abilities were not that formidable, Zhu Tong’en was incredible when it came to analyzing intelligence.

  He could always produce the most penetrating of insights from a pile of disorderly information.

  This was one of the reasons the First Prince had recruited him.

  “Moreover, this place is still the Imperial Palace, Your Highness’s territory. Even if he is a King, he can not move as he pleases. Thus, there is no need for Your Highness to worry for the time being,” Zhu Tong’en concluded.

  The First Prince’s complexion visibly improved.

  “Reporting!”

  Suddenly, a voice came from outside, and one of the First Prince’s personal guards soon came inside.

  “Your Highness, we’ve just received word. We’ve captured Master Yinshan!”

  Buzz!

  When the First Prince heard this, he trembled and looked over, all his worries instantly swept away. His eyes immediately brightened with excitement.

  “Great! After so long, we’ve finally captured him. Take me to see him!”

  “This subject will withdraw!”

  Zhu Tong’en seemed to understand something, and he immediately bowed and withdrew, a hint of worry in his eyes.

  Master Yinshan was one of the most renowned diviners in the Great Tang, excelling in astrology and aura viewing. He could see a person’s Dragon Qi.