The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Executing the Phantom Steps, Wang Chong swiftly disappeared.

  ------

  The depths of the mountain forest were filled with thorns. Other than birds and beasts, very few people would venture into here. Yet, two figures were currently strolling in its midst.

  The young man was in his late teens. He had a tall, slim stature and an extremely exquisite face. He possessed a natural grace of nobility, and every gesture of his harnessed both elegance and authority.

  However, his face was pale, and he didn't seem to be in a good physical condition.

  Walking alongside the young man was a servant in his forties. He was lightly-dressed in a brown shirt, and his face was exceptionally ugly, especially with the wretched expression on his face.

  However, what that stood out the most about him was his neck.

  Despite being a man, he had no Adam's apple!

  Even though a servant should be subservient, he seemed to be very annoyed at the moment.

  "Uncle Jing, I have already gone to the extent of hiding here. Do you think that big brother, second brother, and the others will let me off? Father should probably forget about me, right?"

  The dashing young man walked along a path under the support of the servant.

  There shouldn't have been a path in this thorny forest, but after months of strolling in this area, he had forcefully stepped out a small path here.

  Sunlight seeped through the gaps of the tree crowns and fell upon the young man. Feeling the warmth of the sun, a slight smile surfaced on his lips. It was hard to tell whether he was enjoying the sunlight or whether he was looking forward to being forgotten.

  "Your Highness, are you a fool?" Upon hearing those words, the servant felt even more irritated, and his tone reflected his mood.

  "As a child of the royal family, the offspring of the noble Sage Emperor, you should be trying to boost your intimacy with His Majesty and win his favor so that you can grasp supreme power in your hands. Yet, you requested to come to this humble Kunwu Training Camp, and now, you are even fearing that you aren't far enough from His Majesty? How can you be so placid?"

  As he spoke, the servant grew more and more critical. If not for the fact that eunuchs had no choice where they would be dispatched, he would have never followed such a useless master.

  With this kind of personality, that fellow would be nothing more than cannon fodder in the whirlpool of authority. When the new emperor was crowned, the only road left before him would be death.

  It was one thing for this fool to die, but he would be implicated, as well!

  Since ancient times, princes who failed in the vying for royal authority would be bound for death, along with those supporting them.

  "Uncle Jing, do you know? I really hate fighting with big brother and the others. Furthermore, I am not a match for them at all. Isn't it better for me to be forgotten by father? Besides, this place is very quiet, and I like it a lot." The young man paid no heed to his servant's snappish words and smiled instead.

  "Enough! If you wish to die, do it alone! I have no intentions of following suit!" The ugly servant forcefully tossed aside the young man's arm and stomped forward angrily.

  The more he thought about the matter, the more frustrated he felt. If not for the fact that he would be a goner if he did so, he would have long killed this foolish Fifth Prince.

  How could such a placid person exist?

  The years serving him had really gone to waste!

  "Hehe, Uncle Jing. I know that you are only saying these words out of anger!"

  The young prince had a really good temper. Despite the servant flinging his arm away, he didn't seem to be angry at all. With a light chuckle, he rushed forward to catch up with him.

  Kinship was something that had never existed in the royal family.

  The young prince's mother was a lowly concubine of the Sage Emperor back when he was still a crown prince, and she had died when the young prince was still little.

  Before the schemes in the palace, it was difficult for a lonesome prince without any backing to survive. While he had managed to preserve his life to this point, those around him had died.

  All he had left was Uncle Jing.

  This was the reason why he valued this relationship a lot.

  Looking in the direction Uncle Jing had disappeared, the young prince hurriedly followed his footsteps.

  ---

  Hualala!

  Pigeon after pigeon flew across Wang Chong's head, headed in the direction of the Deflecting Blade Manor. For some reason, Wang Chong heaved a long sigh of relief upon seeing them.

  At the very least, he wouldn't have to deal with those troublesome matters for now. It seemed like leaving the training camp was a wise decision.

  Those princes won't be easy to deal with!, Wang Chong thought. He didn't panic even when facing Yao Guang Yi back at the Vast Crane Pavilion, but this incident had really left him a little distressed.

  Hua!

  Crouching down, Wang Chong leapt, leaving a reverberating tree branch behind him. Like a sharp arrow, he flew in an arc and landed on another tree branch several zhang away.

  Wnag Chong felt exceptionally relaxed in this quiet place, allowing him to calm down and organize his thoughts.

  "Don't follow me! ..." At that moment, an angry bellow sounded. Amidst the depths of the mountain, it was exceptionally conspicuous.

  "Hm?" Wang Chong frowned in surprise. "There's someone here."

  "You useless bum! ..." That angry voice sounded once more from the distance. He seemed to be reprimanding someone.

  "This is weird..."

  Wang Chong couldn't help but feel a little curious about this situation. Even though Wang Chong, Su Hanshan, and the others were able to leave Kunwu Training Camp easily, they were the exceptions. Most of the recruits weren't allowed to leave the premises casually.

  It was only because of Zhao Qianqiu that they possessed this privilege, and it was for this privilege that Wang Chong sought Zhao Qianqiu.

  Sou! Sou!

  Leaping from the tree branches, Wang Chong headed southwest, the direction the voice seemed to have originated from. Soon, from a distance of thirty to forty zhang away, divided by a layer of thick tree leaves, Wang Chong saw a dashing young man seemingly arguing with someone else.

  Wang Chong didn't think much at first sight, he was only perplexed that at how familiar the other party looked. However, at second glance, Wang Chong's eyebrows twitched violently.

  "Li Heng?!"

  These words flashed across Wang Chong's mind like a streak of lightning. To think that he would meet Fifth Prince Li Heng here!

  In this world, there might be very few people who had heard of Li Heng, but in his previous life, there was no one who didn’t know of this Fifth Prince.

  The reason was simple.

  He was the final great emperor of Great Tang and the Central Plains!

  Li Heng was the personal name of Emperor Suzong of Tang, who was the successor of the current Sage Emperor. Also, Uncle Jing was more commonly known as Li Fuguo in history, a eunuch that wielded immense authority during Li Heng's rule.

  __________________________

  TL Notes:

  The happenings in the story will probably be a little different, but this is a basic glimpse of what happened in Great Tang in history.

  In both history and the story, there is no crown prince at the current moment. However, a highly favored eunuch by the Sage Emperor's side known as Gao Lishi (He has appeared in the story in Chapter 172 as Gao-gonggong) would soon recommend the Sage Emperor to choose Li Heng as the crown prince.

  If you recall the regional commanders incident, that is basically the build-up to the rebellion of the Hu under An Lushan. The rebellion of the Hu caused the Sage Emperor (Emperor Xuanzong) to flee to Jiannan to seek refuge as An Lushan's troops were swiftly approaching the capital Chang'an. However, Li Heng decided not to flee to Jiannan due to the long distance, which would make it difficult to recapt
ure Chang'an. Do note that it is a huge disgrace to have the capital of a country captured, and it can make the people lose confidence in the monarchy. Thus, Li Heng headed to Lingwu to rally an army, but under the pressure of the locals there, he ended up declaring himself emperor.

  Chapter 312: The Future Corrupted Minister!

  Chapter 312: The Future Corrupted Minister!

  Boom!

  Watching the two figures in the distance, a huge wave of shock gushed over Wang Chong.

  He didn't expect to meet the future Son of Heaven here! Furthermore, it was in the humblest of the three training camps, established specially for ordinary civilians, Kunwu!

  This was simply too astonishing!

  Pah!

  Wang Chong was still surprised by the unexpected discovery in the mountain when he suddenly heard a loud "pah!". Turning around to take a look, he saw that the servant had actually slapped the Fifth Prince Li Heng.

  "Audacious!"

  Anger swept across Wang Chong's face. Peng! Dashing ahead, he swiftly stepped in between that servant and the Fifth Prince Li Heng. With a palm strike, he knocked that servant away. After which, he turned around and helped the future Great Tang emperor up.

  "Li Jingzhong, how dare you!"

  Wang Chong turned around and glared at that eunuch furiously. Killing intent surfaced in his eyes. Since the Fifth Prince was here, the middle-aged servant beside him must be that notorious, power-hungry eunuch, Li Jingzhong.

  He had a far more spectacular title, Great Eunuch Li Fuguo!

  The number one corrupted minister during Great Tang's era of catastrophe!

  If there was one person whom everyone in the Central Plains hated after the Sage Emperor's passing, it was the Great Eunuch Li Fuguo.

  In his previous life, countless people wanted to assassinate him, drain his blood, and rip his flesh.

  If not for this bastard, the grand heritage of Great Tang wouldn't have been terminated. It could be said that he was the one who extinguished the final hopes of Great Tang.

  "Forget it!"

  Just as Wang Chong was considering whether he should make use of this opportunity to clip away Li Jingzhong before he had assumed a role of power, a deep and gentle voice sounded in his ears.

  Li Heng rubbed his slightly swollen face as he spoke with composure, "Uncle Jing didn't do it on purpose, he was just anxious in my stead."

  On the other hand, Li Jingzhong's face was pale, and he was trembling in shock. He really didn't do it intentionally.

  Even though he was very annoyed by the Fifth Prince's action, and he did possess the thought of teaching the latter a lesson, he would never dare to dream of slapping a member of the royal family.

  A servant slapping his own master was truly a heinous crime. It was only out of anger that he did so. More importantly, he also didn't think that he would be seen in the midst of this remote mountain.

  If word were to spread out, he might just be beheaded!

  "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I was foolish." Li Jingzhong hurriedly came to and slapped himself heavily in repentance of his own actions.

  "Forget it, Uncle Jing. I know that you didn't do it intentionally." The Fifth Prince waved his hands casually.

  Upon seeing this sight, Wang Chong fell into deep thought.

  It was not without reason that the Fifth Prince was so highly favored by the Sage Emperor and eventually claimed the crown. Just his magnanimity and disposition in itself were incomparable to many.

  The prince had come from a noble bloodline, and being slapped by a servant was a huge humiliation to them. If it had been any of the other princes, they would have surely flown into rage by now. However, the Fifth Prince was still able to view it with nonchalance while not making it seem that he was weak and powerless.

  "Gongzi, may I know how I should address you?" Fifth Prince Li Heng asked as he assessed Wang Chong. Compared to Uncle Jing, he was more interested in the background of the young man before him.

  The other party seemed to know of his identity, but Li Heng didn't have any recollections of having met this young man before.

  "Indeed, who are you? To be snooping around here, what are you up to?" Hearing those words, Li Jingzhong immediately grasped the opportunity to retaliate. The situation just a moment ago nearly scared him to death.

  Thinking deeper into the matter, Li Jingzhong suddenly realized something that he had neglected earlier, and this left him extremely unnerved.

  How did this lad know his name?

  Even within the palace, very few knew his name. Yet, this unknown lad from Kunwu Training Camp actually knew of him!

  This was truly shocking!

  If possible, Li Jingzhong wanted to use this as an impetus to kill the lad before him so as to prevent any future problems. After all, if it was known that he had slapped a member of the royal family, he would be doomed.

  "Speak! Did the First Prince send you here..."

  Pah!

  But before Li Jingzhong could finish his words, Wang Chong's palm had already struck his face heavily. The immense force behind the action send his body flying back, and half of his head swelled up.

  This abrupt action left both Li Jingzhong and Li Heng stunned. As the saying goes, "One should look at the owner before beating up a dog". Since Wang Chong knew of Li Heng's identity, he should know that such a course of action was taboo.

  "Hmph, this slap is for the Fifth Prince. His Highness might not care much about this matter, but it is imperative that I teach you a lesson. How can a eunuch of the royal palace lay his hands on a prince? Do you want me to report this to the royal family or the Court of Judicial Review?" Wang Chong harrumphed coldly and forcefully.

  "And since you have asked, I'll tell you my identity. I am Wang Chong, a son of the Wang Clan. My grandfather is Wang Jiuling, my big uncle is an influential official of the royal court, Wang Gen, and my father is Wang Yan. If you wish to report me, feel free to do so!"

  As soon as those words were spoken, Li Jingzhong's face immediately paled. Even Li Heng was shocked.

  Wang Clan... a clan of ministers and generals!

  With Wang Chong's identity, even a prince had to take him seriously. However, what that left Li Heng shocked was another matter.

  “You are Wang Chong?" Li Heng assessed Wang Chong from head to toe with a look of surprise. In Great Tang, this was a name that needed no family background to complement it. It was prestigious in and of itself.

  Even a prince like him, who was often cooped up in the palace, had heard that a formidable youth known as Wang Chong had appeared in the capital recently.

  Rumors in the streets had said that Wang Chong hadn't even reached sixteen yet, and Li Heng found those words hard to believe back then. However, this young man seemed to be even younger than he had expected.

  Even Li Jingzhong was stunned.

  The current him hadn't obtained the power to reign supreme in the royal court yet. No matter how formidable he was now, it was all based on the Fifth Prince's trust and standing. In truth, he wielded no real authority at all.

  Thus, there were still many things that could leave him frightened, and this offspring of the Wang Clan was one of them.

  This is truly exhilarating!

  Taking this into his sight, Wang Chong couldn't help but feel excited. Recalling all of the atrocities Li Jingzhong had done in his previous life, this slap felt even more pleasurable than advancing a single realm in his cultivation!

  The corrupted Li Fuguo was always surrounded by experts, making it impossible to even get close to him, let alone assassinate him.

  Not even a fly would be able to get into a radius of three hundred zhang around him safely!

  Engaging the top experts from the demonic cults, sects, and the pugilistic world, his defense was watertight!

  Innumerable experts who had intended to assassinate Li Fuguo had fallen at a distance of three hundred zhang away without even seeing their target.

  However, the current Li Jingz
hong wasn't so heavily protected yet.

  Seeing how the other party couldn't even retaliate, Wang Chong couldn't help but feel ecstatic.

  If I could get rid of him now, there would be one less corrupted minister in the future!, Wang Chong thought.

  Li Jingzhong, or rather Li Fuguo, was the first eunuch to climb to the seat of the Prime Minister, thus starting the convention of eunuchs assuming a role of power in the royal court and interfering directly in politics.

  He was the cause of the continuous decline of Great Tang in the future, pushing it further into the abyss. If Wang Chong were to kill him now, perhaps the future of Great Tang could be changed.

  There might be another ray of hope for Great Tang.

  However, Wang Chong extinguished this thought in his mind as soon as it surfaced.

  There are always two sides to everything.

  Li Jingzhong might become a corrupted minister in the future, but he had contributed to the nation in some ways, as well. For one, he had played a pivotal role in helping the Fifth Prince Li Heng in gaining power in the royal court before his coronation.

  His devious schemes had also helped Li Heng avoid the various traps that the other princes had laid for the latter time and time again.

  This was also the reason why Li Heng possessed absolute trust in him, not even berating him when slapped. However, in return, this created the corrupt Li Fuguo who eventually led to the downfall of the empire.

  However, the reason why Wang Chong chose not to touch Li Jingzhong was due to another reason.

  Due to the illness that Li Heng suffered, his body was feeble, and he couldn't learn martial arts. This gave rise to his placid personality.

  This was very different from Li Jingzhong, who was driven by his craving for power.

  Thus, in the earlier stages of Li Heng's life, Li Jingzhong was a motivating factor which pushed the even-tempered Li Heng forward in hopes that he would become more driven.

  During this period of time, Li Jingzhong had put in all of his efforts into helping Li Heng.

  This could be considered as the 'honeymoon period' for the both of them.

  It seems like Li Jingzhong has struck Li Heng due to this matter!