The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The middle-aged guard smiled.

  Weng!

  In that instant, countless astonished gazes fell on Wang Chong. Even Madam Wang couldn’t help but fall into a momentary daze.

  “Lord, is it possible for you to be mistaken? King Song had never really met my unworthy son, so why would he suddenly bestow a reward upon him?”

  Madam Wang asked anxiously. She was unable to grasp the situation.

  The Song and Wang Clan had several generations of friendship and their relationship was close. However, the Wang Clan had many descendants and it was impossible for King Song to notice every single one of them. Besides, King Song had much work to attend to and the only possible timing for him to have seen Wang Chong was during his grandfather’s birthday. Even so, he only stayed for a brief moment on those occasions.

  In the entire Wang Clan, only Wang Chong’s father, big uncle and little uncle would meet with King Song often. The other children didn’t have many opportunities to see him.

  The last time Wang Chong met him was probably seven to eight years ago. It was impossible for him to remember such a matter from such a long time ago. Probably, even if Wang Chong were to stand before King Song at this moment, he wouldn’t be able to recognize him. If so, why would he suddenly bestow a reward upon him?

  “Hehe, I’m not too sure about the matter as well. However, King Song had clearly delegated me that this item is to be bestowed upon your son, Wang Chong. King Song had said that your son has overwhelming talents and a worldly view that surpassed others. He has high expectations of him and he thinks that he would make it big in the future.”

  The middle-aged guard looked at Wang Chong in commendation.

  Hua!

  The moment he said those words, the crowd immediately burst into an uproar. All the guards, old nannies, servants, and maids looked at Wang Chong in astonishment.

  Even Madam Wang turned around to look at Wang Chong in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that this was an evaluation from King Song on her incapable, trouble-making, unfilial son.

  Madam Wang rarely interfered in the matters of the royal court, but she knew that King Song did not easily compliment others. Yet, he gave such a high opinion of Wang Chong.

  “That’s weird? Why would King Song remember me?”

  Wang Chong was even more curious about this matter than anyone else. He didn’t remember doing anything that was worthy of King Song’s praises. In fact, he had never met King Song before.

  But soon, Wang Chong remembered the incident yesterday.

  “Hehe, looks like Lord Lu played a big role in this matter.”

  Wang Chong came to a realization and he smiled.

  His father had already left the capital and the only one who would speak up on his behalf before King Song was only that Lord Lu. It seemed like he didn’t waste his effort trying to perform before the other party.

  “Mother, I didn’t went out to fool about this morning. See, even King Song has complimented me.”

  Wang Chong hurriedly stood up and grinned.

  This was a godsent opportunity. If he didn’t make use of this chance well, he would have wasted the ‘effort’ King Song had put into the matter.

  Madam Wang glared at Wang Chong. Even though she didn’t know what was going on, it wasn’t appropriate for her to reprimand Wang Chong before King Song’s envoy.

  “Hurry up and thank King Song!”

  Madam Wang said coldly.

  “Thank you, envoy!”

  Wang Chong hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, “I will also have to trouble you to thank King Song on my behalf.”

  “Hehe, Chong gongzi, you’re being too courteous.”

  …

  Everyone was dumbfounded by the sight. They thought that the Third Young Master would not be able to escape this calamity, but he ended up being saved by King Song in the end.

  Wang Chong did not daze on the spot. He made use of this hard-to-come-by opportunity to find an excuse to escape after taking hold of the box.

  …

  After returning to his own room, Wang Chong shut the door, poured himself a cup of tea and slowly sipped on it. Then, he heaved a long sigh of relief. Slowly, his emotions calmed down.

  King Song’s envoy had already left and his mother brought all of the maids, servants, and old nannies back into the residence to rest. Tranquility fell upon the Wang Family Residence once more. Wang Chong had finally found the time to contemplate the future.

  He had already settled the issue with his father. Also, he had also received the funds to kickstart his plan for the Hyderabad ores, and little Wei Hao was helping him to look for suitable craftsmen. The Wootz steel weapons weren’t something that could be done in a moment, and until then, he didn’t have much to do.

  “Now, it’s time for me to raise my abilities!”

  Wang Chong thought as he sipped on the tea.

  In his previous life, Wang Chong had experienced that earth-shaking catastrophe and as such, he understood that it wasn’t something that could be solved by the strength of an individual.

  ‘The rage of a peasant destroys a household, but the anger of an emperor forms a river of blood.’ Only upon reaching the top of the Central Plains could he change destiny for Great Tang to cope with the impending catastrophe.

  Thus, Wang Chong had decided to climb to the higher echelons of the royal court. Only by changing his clan and the empire could he change the path of fate to achieve his goals.

  In comparison to that, the strength of an individual was insignificant.

  However, this didn’t mean that one’s fighting prowess was unimportant!

  If he wanted to join the upper echelons to wield sufficient authority to change the entire empire, he had to possess strength unparalleled by others.

  In the Central Plains, in the Great Tang Empire, strength was the basis of everything.

  Furthermore, today, when he was with Wei Hao, Wei Hao was able to easily push him down. This very fact further motivated Wang Chong into action.

  Just like what Wei Hao said, perhaps he should start working hard.

  The metal has to be sufficiently tough before a weapon can be forged from it. If he lacked strength, everything else was just empty talk.

  “For the next few days, I will remain at home to train diligently!”

  Wang Chong made up his mind.

  There was no one else in the room. After resting for a moment, Wang Chong’s attention was diverted onto the small box which King Song had someone sent over.

  “I wonder what King Song gave me.”

  Fondling the box, Wang Chong suddenly felt curious.

  King Song was a member of the royal clan. This kind of people was exceptionally particular about rewarding and punishing others. They would never easily bestow a gift upon others, but if they did, the gift was likely to be extremely generous. The item he had someone to send to him was probably quite valuable as well.

  Even though the Song Clan and Wang Clan had three generations of friendship, that was mostly limited to the older generation rather than the current younger generation.

  This was the first time Wang Chong was receiving a present from King Song.

  “I should hurry up and open it.”

  At this, Wang Chong couldn’t suppress his curiosity any further. He placed the box on the table and unhooked the hidden lock on top of it, click! The box was opened.

  “Fragrant!”

  As soon as Wang Chong lifted the cover up, he caught the scent of a deep refreshing scent. He couldn’t help but take a deep whiff of it.

  “It’s a pill!”

  A thought flashed through Wang Chong’s head. He was overjoyed. Amidst the deep medicinal aroma, Wang Chong caught the scent of sulfur and lead.

  These two happened to be ingredients required for forging pills. Without a doubt, King Song had bestowed upon him an extremely valuable pill.

  Wang Chong abruptly opened the box and saw a round and dense-looking pill that resembled lead s
itting on top of a golden silk cloth placed at the bottom of the box. The pill emitted the glow of a metal.

  On the surface of the thumb-size pill, Wang Chong could see many minuscule and exquisite green inscription and moire pattern, granting it a mysterious look.

  “Body Tempering Pill!”

  Wang Chong was overjoyed. The pill King Song gave him was actually the valuable and rare Body Tempering Pill. This was the pill beginner martial artists used to cultivate their origin energy and raise their inner energy. It was a precious pill which all rookie martial artists dreamt of.

  Wang Chong had long wanted to buy a ‘Body Tempering Pill’ for himself, but it was a pity that the Wang Family’s financial ability was much too lacking for that. Furthermore, apothecaries were rare and usually only served the empire’s royalty. As for the others, and that was including the nobles, they were unable to afford it at all.

  In fact, these apothecaries rarely appeared before others. Even a distinguished clan like the Wang Clan would find it difficult to meet them.

  Wang Chong didn’t expect that King Song would give him such a precious Body Tempering Pill.

  “Great! With this pill, I can start to cultivate the Dragon Bone Art!”

  Looking at that pill, Wang Chong recalled an ultimate skill. That skill was extremely difficult to learn and grasp. Furthermore, it takes a very long time for its effects to show through. As such, Wang Chong did not intend to train it in the first place.

  However, everything was different with this Body Tempering Pill.

  In the hands of others, this Body Tempering Pill could only raise a person’s physical abilities, making his body even more powerful and resilient. However, Wang Chong could unleash the full effectiveness of it.

  This would also be useful for later on, when he entered the Kunwu Training Camp.

  “Looks like I have to get the steward to prepare some herbs for me…”

  Wang Chong thought.

  The art of pill making in this spacetime continuum was unique. Large amounts of lead, mercury, sulfur, and metal were included in pills. The pills made of these ingredients were lethal poison to the average human. Not only would they not grow stronger upon consuming these pills, they might even die.

  However, it was an entirely different matter for martial artists. A suitable amount of lead, mercury, and sulfur would strengthen a martial artist’s bones and tendons significantly.

  Wang Chong wasn’t strong enough yet. He needed to borrow the properties of some herbs to neutralize the poison in the Body Tempering Pill slightly before he was able to consume it.

  Padah!

  As he thought so, Wang Chong placed the Body Tempering Pill back into the box and shut the lid.

  Chapter 31: The Capital’s Zhang Clan

  After eating dinner and visiting his grounded little sister, Wang Chong returned back to his room to rest. Suddenly, the door opened. Shen Hai and Meng Long rushed in from outside.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Wang Chong frowned and lifted his head.

  “Gongzi, someone is looking for you!”

  Two abrupt visitors had visited the Wang Clan’s Residence and they had specifically pointed out that they would like to meet Wang Chong. It just happened that Shen Hai and Meng Long were punished by Madam Wang to stand sentry by the entrance. As such, no one knew of this matter except for the two.

  Initially, Meng Long and Shen Hai intended to report this matter to Madam. However, Madam had too many worries within this short period of time and if she were to knew that young master had ’caused trouble’ outside once more, she would definitely fly into another rage. As such, the two decided to hide the matter from her.

  “Third Young Master, I think it would be best for you to meet them outside. Otherwise, if Madam were to find out, you will probably be punished.”

  The two bowed respectfully.

  Wang Chong chuckled. Shen Hai and Meng Long probably didn’t notice the changes in their attitudes toward him. They would never have said such words before.

  Looks like King Song’s ‘intentional’ high evaluation of him had worked its wonders. At the very least, the two no longer saw him as a profligate scion as they did before.

  Walking out of the residence, Wang Chong saw the two uninvited guests. To tell the truth, Wang Chong was also curious where these two came from and why they would come looking for him.

  “You are Wang Chong?”

  Before Wang Chong could even say anything, the two people outside had already started to question him. Actually, from the moment Wang Chong walked out of the residence, the two were already evaluating him from afar.

  These two were curious to know what kind of person Wang Chong was for him to hinder their plans. Less than a handful of people knew about the matter regarding the Hyderabad ore, and it was beyond the means of an average person to purchase these ores with at such an exorbitant price before them!

  These two were interested to know who their competitor was. Just that, they didn’t expect for Wang Chong to be so young.

  Just like the two Sindhi monks said, the other party was really just a kid!

  It was truly hard to believe that a matter highly valued by the Zhang Clan and its clan head could be foiled by a little child.

  “Who are you two?”

  Similarly, Wang Chong was also trying to discern their identity. Wang Chong did not remember meeting him beforehand, but he could identify the deep scent of metal, sulfur, and charcoal from them, even from afar.

  Those who carried such scent with them must be people who had been put under unique working conditions for long hours. Wang Chong had a rough idea of the background of the two, but he needed confirmation.

  “I am Zhang Jian!”

  “I am Zhang Cong! Wang gongzi may not know who we are, but we are from the capital’s Zhang Clan.”

  The two said. The capital’s Zhang Clan mainly managed smitheries, mines, the sales of weapons and armors. Even though they were famous in the smithing industry, the two did not think that a fourteen to fifteen-year-old child would know of them.

  “As I expected, it’s them!”

  Wang Chong looked calm and indifferent on the surface, but his heart was already beating anxiously. He didn’t think that the capital’s Zhang Clan would come looking for him so soon.

  In his previous life, the little bit of Wootz steel weapon made from the material the Sindhi monks left in the Central Plains were made by the capital’s Zhang Clan.

  If he hadn’t appeared, the Zhang Clan should have been the one to negotiate with the Sindhi monks and buy the Hyderabad ores off them.

  In the smithing industry, the Zhang Clan was a celebrity. They held a prominent standing in the industry and if not for them, there probably wouldn’t be any Wootz steel in the Great Tang at all.

  However, it was a pity that even though they were able to tell that the Hyderabad ore was not any normal metal ore, they were unable to realize the true worth of it.

  They only bought a small sample portion of the Hyderabad ore from the Sindhi monks. Furthermore, due to their inappropriate refining and crafting methods, they were unable to bring out the true value of the metal. It was truly regrettable.

  “May I know the reason behind your visit?”

  Wang Chong smiled.

  “You see, I’ve heard that gongzi had bought a little bit of ore from two Sindhi monks.”

  The two chose their words carefully and spoke extremely politely.

  Their clan head had emphasized that the matter regarding the Hyderabad ore must not be leaked outward. At present, the two did not know whether Wang Chong truly understood the worth of the ore or he was just fooling around.

  All in all, before they understood Wang Chong’s situation, they didn’t want to reveal too much on the matter.

  “Hehe, as I expected.”

  Upon hearing those words, Wang Chong smiled on the inside. The two were indeed here for the Hyderabad ore. Furthermore, it was likely that they knew about
him after a futile meeting with the two Sindhi monks.

  “Indeed, I bought a little bit of the ore. Why, are you two interested in the ore as well?”

  Wang Chong flung his sleeves, placed his hands behind his back and said with a carefree expression.

  Bought a bit? He bought all of it! Not just that, he even bought the rights to monopolize the sales of the Hyderabad ore in the Central Plains.

  If the two hadn’t failed to buy any of the Hyderabad ore from the two Sindhi monks, they had no reason to be here!

  “This… Our Zhang Clan is indeed interested in the mine as well. However, I have heard that gongzi had bought all of it. Your father is a prominent official of the Great Tang, and even more so, Duke Jiu had always been a figure of respect for me. However, I have never heard that your clan is involved in the smithing industry. I am here to ask if gongzi could sell them to our Zhang Clan. Of course, we won’t let gongzi make a loss. After which, we will compensate you a suitable amount of gold so as to display our sincerity in this matter.”

  The two of them bowed respectfully as they said so.

  The two felt that their words were logical and filled with sincerity. Duke Jiu’s heritage was not that of a blacksmith; Wang Yan and his family had nothing to do with blacksmiths either.

  It was a waste of precious commodity to leave these Hyderabad ores in the hands of the Wang Clan. Only in the hands of the Zhang Clan was it able to showcase its full potential.

  Of course, the Zhang Clan didn’t expect to obtain it for free. They would also compensate the Wang Clan with a suitable amount of money. Thus, this trade was profitable for both the Zhang Clan and the Wang Clan.

  In their view, even though Wang Chong had monopolized the Hyderabad ores, he was still a child. Furthermore, given the Wang Clan’s reputation in the capital, it was likely that he was unlikely to afford the price of these ores.

  The reason why the Wang Family’s gongzi made such a promise was probably mainly due to his obstinacy as a child.

  “Hehe!”

  Upon hearing their words, Wang Chong knew that they thought that he was merely a child who couldn’t recognize the value of those ores: