“Bastard!!”
Once the ceremony was over, the First Prince returned to the rear courtyard, where he was finally able to slam his fists against a table, his teeth clenched so hard that they might shatter.
Wang Chong!!
Wang Chong again!!
Seated on his armchair, the First Prince seethed with hatred.
An excellent affair where he was about to kill two birds with one arrow had been utterly ruined by Wang Chong, and the twenty million taels of gold had flown out of his hands.
Twenty million taels!
Not even the First Prince had expected that they would gather this much gold!
But now, there was nothing.
The First Prince’s hatred toward Wang Chong reached into his bones.
“Your Highness, this is a problem. The ledger was taken away by Yan Wenzhang. Although we planned for this and made a copy, now, even the King of Foreign Lands has given a donation. Not only that, based on the reports we’ve gathered, quite a few clans, including some of the less well-off ones, had their donations provided by the King of Foreign Lands.
“In other words, it’s impossible for us to know whether these clans are sincere in their support! This goes completely against our original purpose. The ledger is useless.”
Zhu Tong’en spoke grimly, each word only managed with great difficulty.
“What?!”
The First Prince trembled in shock, his entire body dumbfounded.
……
Once the ceremony was over, at the base of the mountain, Wang Chong prepared to board his carriage, but he was stopped by the patriarchs of various great clans.
“Many thanks, Your Highness!”
The patriarchs of the Zhang, Huang, Lu, and Li Clans, as well as those of several smaller clans, respectfully bowed in front of Wang Chong.
Wang Chong swept his gaze past the patriarchs of the four sword-smithing clans and looked toward the patriarchs and representatives of the smaller clans. The sword-smithing clans were one thing, but Wang Chong couldn’t help but sigh when he looked at these smaller clans.
Fish in the moat were caught in the crossfire when the city gate was attacked, and when disaster struck, the first to be affected were these small clans with their weak reserves. This was why he had personally assisted them this time.
Following the principle of ‘Kill the chicken to cow the monkeys’, after the Great Buddhist Temple incident, numerous minor clans would end up being destroyed.
Their maids and servants, without even knowing what was going on, would be sold into slavery.
Wang Chong had run into one of these servants and learned of their tragedy, so this time, he had chosen to pay the donations for them. If they had not come and handed over the five thousand taels of gold, the consequences would have been unbearable.
“There’s no need to be polite.”
Coming to his senses, Wang Chong waved them off.
“No matter what, we must thank Your Highness. If Your Highness needs anything in the future, this Zhang Clan is willing to obey!” the patriarch of a minor Zhang Clan sternly said.
“That’s right. If Your Highness needs us, you may ask us anytime,” another minor clan patriarch said.
They had not realized the significance of the Great Buddhist Temple at first, only coming because they had received an invitation from the First Prince and did not dare to show disrespect.
But when the First Prince brought up the sum of five thousand taels of gold, they all understood the political nature of this event and broke out in a cold sweat.
If not for the help and advice of the King of Foreign Lands, they would have made a grave error, the consequences of which they were keenly aware.
They were all shedding tears of gratitude, so they asked the four sword-smithing clans to introduce them to Wang Chong so they could express their thanks.
Wang Chong simply smiled. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he sent them off.
Once they were gone and he was alone in his carriage with the four sword-smithing clan patriarchs, the patriarchs hesitantly glanced at each other.
The Lu Clan Patriarch was the first to break the silence. “Your Highness, we’ve troubled you this time, but… you spent twenty million taels of gold to help everyone. Is it truly worth it?”
Wang Chong chuckled.
“So you came to ask me about this?”
Their reaction was completely within his expectations, and he had known what they were going to ask the moment he spotted them.
“This… yes! Your Highness truly went to great lengths for us!” the Lu Clan Patriarch and his fellows uneasily said.
Twenty million taels was no small sum, and together with the assistance to the minor clans, Wang Chong had spent at least twenty-seven million taels of gold on the Great Buddhist Temple incident.
One could say that Wang Chong had not received a single benefit from the entire affair.
They couldn’t help but be bothered about this.
“Heh, if that’s all, then there’s no need for concern. It’s just twenty million taels of gold. It means nothing to this king. Moreover, in the end, this money will pass through the Imperial Court and be used for those orphans and widows. In other words, what comes from the people is used for the people.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
After the battles over Talas and Khorasan, Wang Chong had obtained a massive compensation from the Arabian Empire, and even after various expenditures, he still had a significant sum left.
Twenty million taels was truly a meager expense.
Moreover, what Wang Chong had left unsaid was that he truly was doing this for those orphans and widows.
Such people existed in all dynasties, and even that prosperous and highly-advanced world that Wang Chong had come from had not been able to avoid this, let alone a feudal society like this one.
Many problems had been concealed by the veneer of prosperity, and the dazzling light had made those places where the light couldn’t reach even darker.
Wang Chong had known in his past life that the Great Tang’s orphan problem was extremely grave. Even back in Taizong’s era, the foreigners on the border would infiltrate the Great Tang, take these orphans, and train them into assassins and spies to be used against the Great Tang.
And the constant warfare and excess fertility had led to even more orphans.
With the calamity imminent and the world going through great changes, even more children would be orphaned. Wang Chong had donated twenty million taels of gold during this incident to prepare for this.
At the very least, he could train these orphans and provide them something to eat so that they could survive in that apocalyptic era.
In the future, they would be the hope for the Great Tang, the hope of humanity!
But Wang Chong would never explain this to anyone.
Chapter 1645 - A New Clue!
Chapter 1645: A New Clue!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Great Buddhist Temple incident had come to an end, but its effects were still being felt. With the backing of Wang Chong and Yan Wenzhang, and the promise of the First Prince at the summit, the Imperial Court quickly set up a Charity Office specifically to handle the matter of orphans and widows.
The news of Wang Chong’s personal donation of twenty million taels of gold for the orphans and widows was spread throughout the capital and the empire.
The generous words and benevolent acts of the King of Foreign Lands had earned him the widespread praise of the capital, and the streets and alleys were filled with admiration for him.
“Bastard!”
In the Eastern Palace, the First Prince could only gnash his teeth at the news. He had been the originator of the Great Buddhist Temple incident, and he had invited all the great clans, but in the end, it was Wang Chong who had received the support of the people.
As for the First Prince who had built the temple, he had b
een tossed aside.
“Have the calculations been finished?” the First Prince suddenly asked, not even turning his head.
An extremely wise-looking Eastern Palace advisor moved around the beads of an abacus before lowering his head and giving a report.
“The calculations are done. According to the records in the ledger, thirty-five million taels of gold were received in donations. Five hundred thousand taels were left in the Great Buddhist Temple, and the rest was taken away by the Grand Scribe!”
This number made the hall fall silent, and the First Prince’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Thirty-five million taels!
This was even more than Wang Chong had donated, nearly double. This made the First Prince the greatest donor of this event, and also the greatest loser. But despite his contribution, it was Wang Chong who had taken all of the prestige.
The First Prince hated Wang Chong to his very core!
In this oppressive air, an old and deep voice spoke, instantly assuaging the mood with its mere presence.
“There is no need for Your Highness to be so vexed. It is only thirty-five million taels of gold. Your Highness has the realm, so why worry about this trifling money?”
At this time, the only person who could speak like this to the First Prince after such a major defeat and humiliation was the Ghost King.
Not far from the First Prince, the Ghost King was reading through a book, not even raising his head as he spoke.
This Ghost King… to think he would speak with this sort of tone to His Highness.
Nearby, Zhu Tong’en and the other Eastern Palace advisors glanced at the Ghost King with complicated looks. Anyone who had dared to speak to the First Prince like this in the past would probably already have their head rolling.
But for some reason, the First Prince was extremely respectful to this mysterious Ghost King, treating him completely unlike his other advisors.
“Senior, it was your idea to build the Great Buddhist Temple, but now we’ve lost everything, and can’t even tell which of the clans attending the ceremony are sincerely loyal, yet Senior still seems able to laugh,” the First Prince sternly said.
Everyone could sense that the First Prince was suppressing his anger, and he was surprisingly succeeding, showing incredible restraint in front of the Ghost King.
At this point, the Ghost King chuckled and finally put down his book.
“Who said that it’s impossible to tell which ones are truly loyal to you?” the Ghost King said lightly.
With these words, the Ghost King instantly had the attention of everyone in the hall.
“Right now, I have a rough understanding of this King of Foreign Lands you speak of. I have to say that his action was rather unexpected. Encouraging the great clans to attend the ceremony and then funding their donations, and then pushing things along so that all the money is taken away for the sake of orphans and widows—this entire plan was meticulously designed. But in the end, it’s all minor.”
The Ghost King placed his hands behind his back and slowly rose from his chair.
“This… What does Senior mean?”
The advisors were stunned, and even the First Prince frowned in confusion.
“You don’t get it?”
The Ghost King chuckled, his every movement oozing dominance.
“No matter how the King of Foreign Lands reacted or what he tried, we’ve reached our goal in this operation. With the Great Buddhist Temple, Your Highness has made it clear to all the great clans of the capital that you are recruiting. Although the King of Foreign Lands interfered and reduced its effectiveness, those who wish to join Your Highness will now join.”
“Ah?!”
The First Prince was surprised. He had never even thought about what the Ghost King was saying.
“Senior, you mean that we didn’t fail?”
“Hmph, how could that be?” the Ghost King said indifferently, waving his sleeve. “It’s late now, and this old man judges that they’ll start to move over the next few days!”
“Reporting!”
As if in response to the Ghost King’s words, a Golden Guard of the Eastern Palace rushed in.
“Your Highness, we just received a letter. Please look it over!”
The Golden Guard got down on his knees and offered a letter with both hands. An Eastern Palace advisor hastily walked over to take the letter and deliver it to the First Prince.
Taking the letter, the First Prince glanced at the clan insignia upon it and froze. He then swiftly opened the letter and looked through it. He glanced at the Ghost King, his mouth slightly open in shock.
The Ghost King had clearly guessed correctly, but the First Prince had never imagined that those great clans would be so quick.
“This is only the beginning. I have already agreed to help Your Highness, so all Your Highness needs to do is wait for the good news!” the Ghost King declared, his robes beginning to rustle around him as his body erupted with a tyrannical aura.
For the Ghost King, the Great Buddhist Temple was just a small test. If that youth had made no response, it would only prove that he wasn’t even worth the Ghost King’s personal intervention.
But that youth had now passed his first test. The Ghost King would now personally take action and deal with the Great Tang’s new War God. This great game had only just begun!
……
Meanwhile, after returning from the Great Buddhist Temple and arranging for the Imperial Court to handle the matter of the orphans and widows, Wang Chong returned to his own residence, where everything calmed back down.
“No matter what, I have to find out what’s going on with Eunuch Gao and His Divine Majesty!”
In the main hall of the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Wang Chong stood next to a table, the index and middle fingers of his right hand lightly tapping upon it.
The Great Buddhist Temple incident had made Wang Chong develop many theories, and these theories only made Wang Chong more anxious to know of Eunuch Gao’s condition. But the entire Imperial Palace was engulfed in a black mist that made it impossible to find out what was going on.
Going by the information that he had gathered, what had happened to Eunuch Gao was far too abnormal.
It seems that I might have to make a trip to the Imperial Palace myself! Wang Chong said to himself.
Officials had many restrictions when entering the palace, and many places were forbidden to them. If he wanted to look for clues on Eunuch Gao, he would have to go at night. According to the laws of the Great Tang, this was a major taboo, but Wang Chong was past caring about such things.
The matter of Eunuch Gao remained a mystery, but several days later, there was a surprising development.
The combined power of Yang Zhao, Li Jingzhong, Zhao Fengchen, and Bian Lingcheng had finally found a clue in the Imperial Palace.
“What?! There was a fight in the palace, and someone even died?”
In the main hall of the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Wang Chong shot to his feet and stared in shock at the two eunuchs who had come to deliver the message.
“Your Highness, this truly is the case. We questioned the eunuchs and maids, and in the end, we found a man called One-Armed Wu who is responsible for transporting trash and wastewater out of the palace. From One-Armed Wu’s place, we discovered many bloody bandages. They are made from a material that ordinary maids and eunuchs don’t use, so their presence in the palace is definitely unusual.
“Following this clue, we managed to track down several maids and eunuchs, but these people didn’t know much. They said that around half a month ago, they were ordered to Taiwu Palace to clean up trash, and those bloody bandages had been inside. According to them, there were a lot of bloodstains on the floor, but they didn’t know many details.
“And while we were investigating, we discovered that the maids and eunuchs who had been sent into that palace had all disappeared. Only one palace maid was left, as she happened to h
ave been transferred to serve under Consort Hui.
“Not only that, we continued to pursue the clues and learned of something else. Also half a month ago, some corpses were secretly transported out of the palace. The witnesses said that the hands of those people were curled like hooks and their skin was even whiter than mutton-fat jade, clear signs that they cultivated some special art. Moreover, their skin was also as tough as steel, which left a particularly deep impression on the Imperial Army soldiers manning the gate. This was because when they went up to inspect the corpses, someone slapped their hands away and sternly reprimanded them.”
Chapter 1646 - Scouting the Imperial Palace At Night! (I)
Chapter 1646: Scouting the Imperial Palace At Night! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“In addition, according to that Imperial Army soldier, the heads of those people had been beaten open through tremendous force. Moreover, their clothes were also very strange, neither those of the servitors of the palace nor of the Imperial Army. They didn’t seem like members of the palace at all. They were more like…”
The eunuch hesitated.
“Like assassins?” Wang Chong helped him with the rest of his sentence.
“Yes!” the eunuch said, bowing.
The Great Tang’s Imperial Palace was the most guarded place in the realm, and it was extremely challenging for outsiders to enter. In addition, these people had died extremely gruesome deaths that no ordinary person would experience. As maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Army soldiers had been ruled out, they could only be assassins.
“That’s not all; our investigation has revealed that around that period of time, several palaces around Taiwu Palace were badly damaged, and a group of craftsmen was summoned from outside to repair it. The explanation the palace gave at the time was that these palace buildings had fallen into disrepair and had also been struck by lightning.”
At this time, the other eunuch spoke up, lowering his head and bowing.
“But in this past month, there’s been no rain, so there was naturally no lightning either!”
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1014