As one of the oldest and prestigious officials in the royal court and the number one expert of the military, his life was both a legend and a tragedy.
He has never been happy in his entire life.
Misfortune and sorrow followed him from his birth to his death.
Su Zhengchen carried the bloodline of a princess of the previous Great Sui Dynasty in him. Even though his results on the battlefield were outstanding, this also became the source of his misery.
When he was still a humble subordinate, no one spoke of his bloodline. But when he had finally risen through the ranks through his contribution, striking down the Turkic Khaganate, Ü-Tsang, and Goguryeo, expanding the borders of the Great Tang to the Yin Mountains, this sliver of Great Sui bloodline became his fatal flaw.
In his lifetime, countless people had framed him for plotting a revolt to overthrow the Great Tang and reinstate the Great Sui Dynasty!
This was huge taboo, regardless of which dynasty one was in!
Furthermore, it was a fact that Su Zhengchen carried the bloodline of a princess of the Great Sui in him! His outstanding military achievements and his influence in the army became a gigantic baggage for him, transforming into the arrows pointing straight at his heart!
Chapter 69: Yao Feng’s Killing Intent!
In order to avoid suspicion, at the very peak of his career, Su Zhengchen chose to retire. He handed over the military influence within his grasp and went into seclusion. Shutting himself within the Su Residence, he rejected all guests and cut off all connections with the military commanders and influential officials of the royal court.
He even went as far as to give up on pursuing his cultivation. Thus, in the Su Residence, not a single word about the military could be heard and no movement of the Origin Energy could be felt either. As though an ordinary man, he slowly aged and waited for his demise.
The Su Residence’s gates were always shut, secluding those within the Su Residence, including Su Zhengchen, from the outside world. Even so, this was just the start of his tragedy.
Even though Su Zhengchen could tolerate giving up his power under the slanders of the officials, losing his only son when he was in his prime had dealt him a heavy blow.
Su Zhengchen had retreated from the royal court, but he didn’t forbid his son from working for it. This was the matter that he regretted the most.
When Su Zhengchen’s only grandson died as well, Su Zhengchen’s heart was killed along with him. From then on, his life was just a heap of sorrow and pain.
Since then, the old servant had never seen Su Zhengchen laugh before. When the old servant spoke of this, tears couldn’t help but stream from his eyes.
As an ex-God of War, a meritorious subject who had expanded the territories of the Central Plains, he shouldn’t meet with such an ending!
Su Zhengchen had never experienced joy from that day onward!
And this little child who was licking on a stick of candied haws would become his only source of happiness in the later part of his life, even though this happiness would only last for a few short years.
Life was short, and regardless of whether Wang Chong was able to obtain Su Zhengchen’s inheritance or not, he hoped that this ex-God of War would be able to be happy. At the very least, he hoped that through his effort, Su Zhengchen would enjoy this happiness a few years earlier. This was Wang Chong’s show of respect toward the noble man!
“Remember, don’t tell the Old Mister of this matter.”
Wang Chong patted the young child’s head before throwing a silver ingot to him. Then, he placed his second black stone on the gold-plated chess board.
Wang Chong only had a single chance at the game with Su Zhengchen. A single misstep could spell his loss, causing this unparalleled art to slip by him.
Since Wang Chong wasn’t eliminated in his first move, giving him a second black stone even, meant that Wang Chong had successfully caught the attention of the old marshal.
Leaving behind the black stone, Wang Chong turned around and left the Ghost Tree District.
Su Zhengchen’s Art of God and Demon Obliteration was known as the hardest ultimate technique to obtain, and many old marshals, including the previous emperor, had been rejected heartlessly by him, needless to say, a youngster like him.
Wang Chong didn’t expect to obtain the inheritance of the ex-God of War so easily. However, if he was attracting his attention, he was making good progress.
…………
Just as Wang Chong left the Ghost Tree District, Yao Feng wasn’t lazing about at the Yao Residence.
“Wang Yan, Wang Bei, Wang Chong… One day, I will crush the entire Wang Clan, repaying the humiliation you have showered upon our Yao Clan tenfold!”
Yao Feng clenched his fists tightly and swept everything on the desk onto the floor.
The Yao Residence’s atmosphere was gloomy, extremely gloomy!
Ever since his father, Yao Guang Yi, had suffered a setback in the hands of Wang Yan by the borders, the atmosphere in the entire Yao Residence has been extremely stifled. The Old Master from the Four Quarters Embassy had passed down an instruction strictly forbidding any Yao Clan member from causing trouble outside.
From that day on, the gates to the Yao Residence had been tightly shut. Even Yao Feng’s actions were strictly restricted and he wasn’t able to leave the house as he pleased. This was the first time he was experiencing this since young.
To the proud Yao Feng, this was a heavy blow.
Yao Feng knew this was the Old Master’s way of preventing any more handle from falling into the hands of the Wang Clan after coming into a compromise with them.
Right now, without even heading out, Yao Feng knew that he was already a laughingstock among the other scions.
To Yao Feng, who valued his reputation, this was outright humiliation!
“Regardless, our Yao Clan cannot take this lying!”
Yao Feng thought furiously.
Even though Yao Feng had been done in by the Wang Clan siblings at the Vast Crane Pavilion, he didn’t run straight up to them to exact vengeance on them.
Of course, this wasn’t because Yao Feng was magnanimous. Rather, his father had instructed him not to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Yao Feng knew of his father and King Qi’s scheme. As long as his father succeeded, the entire Wang Clan would perish in a moment.
This was also the reason why Yao Feng had been holding himself back. In consideration for the larger picture, he tried his best to tolerate the matter.
Just that, Yao Feng didn’t expect that his wait didn’t bring him the news of his father’s victory by the border and the fallout between the Wang Clan and King Song. Instead, what he got was his father miscalculating and making a fool out of himself by the border, becoming the object of mock in the capital.
Even his grandfather, who he had respected since young, had to lower his head to the Wang Clan Old Master for the very first time to settle this matter.
When Yao Feng heard the news, his heart bled!
The Yao Clan was currently at the peak of its power, and along with the protection of King Qi, when had it ever suffered such humiliation?
Furthermore, things didn’t end there. Soon, his father issued an order to shut the gates of the residence. The Yao Clan turned down all guests to avoid the spotlight and gossip.
After holding himself back for almost ten days, Yao Feng finally was at the ends of his tolerance.
“I can’t stand it any longer! I must talk to father. Our Yao Clan mustn’t tolerate this kind of insult!”
Thus, Yao Feng left the room and rushed toward his father’s study. Yao Feng felt that he had to discuss with his father to come up with a ploy to deal with the Wang Clan.
“Lord, I just received news that the Wang Clan’s Wang Chong had appeared in the Bluebottle Pavilion…”
Just when Yao Feng reached his father’s study, he heard a familiar voice sounding inside the study from afar.
�
�It’s Guard Zhou.”
Yao Feng stopped in his footsteps. Guard Zhou was his father’s confidant and he was in charge of gathering news all over the capital. Yao Feng didn’t expect to hear news about Wang Chong from his mouth.
Yao Feng was prepared to listen to the news regarding Wang Chong when he heard a long sigh.
“Say no more. Father has already instructed for our Yao Clan to avoid clashing with the Wang Clan during this period of time. For the time being, you don’t need to report to me news on the Wang Clan.”
From the study, his father’s heavy and fatigued voice could be heard.
“…Yes!”
Guard Zhou was silent for a moment before nodding his head.
Standing by the door, Yao Feng’s complexion suddenly turned pale. If he didn’t see it personally, he wouldn’t dare to believe that this was his wise, calm, and confident father who always seemed to be in grasp of the situation.
Yao Feng understood the reason behind his behavior.
In the fight by the border, his father had lost tragically. He had never thought highly of Wang Chong’s father, but this time, his father had lost completely in his field of specialty, scheming.
For this matter, his father had made sure that it was impossible for any information to leak out. It should have been impossible for the Wang Clan to know of the matter beforehand, but this was precisely the reason why his father took an even greater blow.
If his father couldn’t find out who was the one helping Wang Clan from the back and how he lost so pathetically, he might very well never rise up from this blow.
“Wang Yan, I might not be able not to be able to deal with you or your two elder sons. However, I can deal with your youngest one!”
Whenever Yao Feng recalled how Wang Chong pushed him to the ground and pummeled him in the Vast Crane Pavilion, he would feel a stinging sensation on his face and even greater hatred for Wang Chong.
His grandfather had asked them to tone down their actions and his father had ordered for the entire residence to be closed. Their intentions were clear, they didn’t want to go against the Wang Clan at this moment. Yao Feng knew clearly that tripping Wang Chong up at this moment wasn’t a wise decision.
But when did Yao Feng need to move personally to deal with the Wang Chong?
As he thought so, Yao Feng sneered coldly. He turned around and sneaked out of the Yao Clan. He knew a place where he could find a powerful assassin who would be able to secretly accomplish this mission.
…
On the afternoon of the very same day, Zhao Fengchen sent exactly 35000 gold taels into Wang Chong’s hands. When sent over, Uncle Li Lin was so delighted that he praised Wang Chong over and over again.
At this point, he was completely impressed by Wang Chong.
Wang Chong didn’t keep the entire 35000 gold taels to himself. Rather, he left half of it to his uncle, entrusting it to him to keep it for him.
On the other hand, Wang Chong had some plans to have his uncle accomplish some matters in his stead so that he could avoid unneeded trouble.
Naturally, Uncle Li Lin nodded his head in agreement to Wang CHong’s requests.
Through his matter, the relationship between the uncle and the nephew was brought significantly closer.
“Chong-er, you currently possess a wealth that is unthinkable to the Wang Clan, so have you thought about how you are going to spend it? Furthermore, don’t you think that it will be inconvenient for you to stay in the Wang Family Residence? It could unintentionally bring you trouble, so have you considered about moving out?”
In the carriage, Uncle Li Lin suddenly brought this matter up. He wasn’t a fool, and it was clear that Wang Chong had many hidden secrets. However, his secrets were likely to be a blessing to the Wang Clan instead of a curse, so he was willing to overlook them.
Furthermore, Li Lin could sense that even though his nephew was young, he was ambitious. The things he were going to accomplish were only going to increase in scale.
By his experience, Li Lin could sense that there would be much potential trouble he would face. Even though Wang Chong had failed to notice them himself, Li Lin saw through them.
For example, Duke Jiu’s lineage has always prided itself for its incorruptibility, and it was likely that Wang Chong’s sudden wealth would stir up rumors. Even though Wang Chong’s money had come from a legitimate source, it could still potentially bring the Wang Clan unneeded trouble.
All of these factors required consideration.
“Un, uncle. I will leave this matter in your hands.”
Wang Chong said. Actually, he had been considering the idea of moving out as well. There were more and more inconveniences in his residence for him to carry out his plan. Furthermore, just like uncle has said, there are some things that, if not handled properly, can potentially bring harm to the clan.
Putting aside everything else, just the 35000 gold taels was sufficient to attract the envy of others. This was also the reason why he entrusted half of the sum to Uncle Li Lin.
“Also, please don’t tell my mother about this.”
Wang Chong said.
“Rest assured.”
Li Lin smiled dotingly.
Li Lin was finding himself getting more and more fond of this nephew of his. If not for Wang Chong, he would probably remain as a mere section leader in the North Gates for countless years. Thus, out of gratitude and kinship, regardless of what Wang Chong did now, Li Lin gave his full approval.
If the clan knew of what Wang Chong was doing, it would cause some restraint or surveillance on Wang Chong’s actions. Also, as a mother, Zhao Shu Hua would be worried about him as well.
If so, Wang Chong wouldn’t be able to operate freely.
Thus, Li Lin was also in approval of Wang Chong’s decision of hiding the matter first.
“It doesn’t make a difference whether you tell your mother about this matter now or later. Also, Lord Zhao has entrusted me to pass this letter on to you. He says that he would like to invite you over to the Imperial Army barracks if you have time.”
Li Lin took out an invitation letter from his embrace and passed it over. This was the main purpose of his trip.
Chapter 70: Zhang Munian
After delivering the invitation letter to Wang Chong, Uncle Li Lin left.
After pondering for awhile, Wang Chong decided to bring the remaining 17000 gold taels to the Duke of Wei Residence. Unlike the Wang Clan, the Duke of Wei has wide business connections. They would be a great help in helping the two monks arrange the transportation of the rations to Sindhu. As there were many factors to consider, this wasn’t a task that Wang Chong could accomplish alone.
Wei Hao was much more skilled than him in this field.
Even though Wei Hao hasn’t reached the level where his words were authority in the Wei Residence, as the young master of the Wei Clan, he didn’t need the permission of the Duke of Wei in conducting some of the less significant matter, such as selling swords in the Bluebottle Pavilion.
Also, Wang Chong didn’t need the Wei Clan to do much. He only wanted to make use of their connections to purchase the rations required.
Heading west, he soon saw a grand, exquisite mansion with a majestic black plaque with the word, ‘Wei’, engraved in gold at the entrance.
This was the Duke of Wei Residence!
Even though Wang Chong and Wei Hao were childhood buddies, Wang Chong rarely came to the Duke of Wei Residence. The reason was simple, Wang Chong’s father, Wang Yan, and Wei Hao’s father, Wei Yuan, weren’t on good ties.
When Wang Chong and Wei Hao were younger, the relationship between the two families was still amiable. However, after Wei Hao’s father was titled as the Duke of Wei, everything changed.
Both Duke of Wei and Wang Chong’s father had an obstinate personality. Furthermore, the former kept having clashed with Wang Chong’s big uncle, Wang Gen, on the royal court. As such, the relationship of the both clans slowly drifted apart.
&nbs
p; In any case, Wang Chong and Wei Hao’s relationship wasn’t affected by the matter; the adults did their own stuff while the children played among themselves.
Just that, it was impossible Wang Chong to enter the Duke of Wei Residence.
The personality of the Duke of Wei was different from Wang Chong’s father. Even though Wang Yan didn’t have a good relationship with the Duke of Wei, he still welcomed Wei Hao’s appearance in the residence.
Wang Chong’s mother would often affectionately call him ‘youngster’ and prepare a plate of snacks for him.
In the Wang Clan, the matters concerning the adults didn’t implicate the younger generation.
But the Duke of Wei was different. He viewed the entire clan was an entity. Since he disliked Wang Chong’s father, Wang Yan, his resentment spilled over onto Wang Chong as well.
Thus, when the rape incident regarding Wang Chong caused a storm previously, Wei Hao was grounded along with him for a week!
In fact, the Duke of Wei even strictly forbade Wang Chong from stepping into the Wei Residence!
However, this meant nothing to Wang Chong at all. He found the guard which Wei Hao had privately ‘bribed’ and passed a note on to him. Soon, Wei Hao stepped out from the gates.
“Wang Chong, what are you doing here!”
Wei Hao hurriedly ran out. The look of astonishment on his face was clear. In the past, Wang Chong would often head to the Eight Gods Pavilion to look for him, and he rarely came to his home.
In fact, this was the first time Wang Chong had come to the Duke of Wei Residence.
“Cut the nonsense, hurry up and come up the carriage. I need your help for some matter!”
Wang Chong beckoned with a smile.
“Hehe, you came at a timely moment. I happen to have something for you as well!”
Wei Hao said.
“Oh?”
Wang Chong was surprised.
The two childhood friend got onto the carriage, shut the doors, and the carriage soon moved into the distance.
“Wang Chong, do you remember the fellow named Zhang Munian who you got me to investigate previously? Tell me your reason for finding him first.”
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 97
