The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

But when Wang Chong arrived, he had noticed at a glance a sedan chair with the symbol of the Wang Clan. His big uncle Wang Gen had been waiting for him for some time.

  Once Wang Chong stepped forward, Wang Gen began to walk with him to the Imperial Palace while assiduously explaining to him the taboos of the Imperial Court.

  “Chong-er, this is your first time attending morning court as an Advisor-in-Waiting. Remember, in morning court, it’s more about watching, listening, and learning. Before speaking, you must be absolutely certain of your words and think about them again and again. In addition, all the officials and generals have their own grade which decides where they can stand, and you can’t just choose a place. Although the Imperial Court has granted you the title of King of Foreign Lands, the position that you use to participate in politics is what determines your grade, which is your post of Advisor-in-Waiting. But you are still royalty of the court, a King of a different surname ennobled by His Majesty, so other than the fact that the place where you stand is different, you have few other restrictions in the Imperial Court.

  “The Imperial Court is different from the battlefield. There are many conventions and many restrictions, and things aren’t decided just because one has a high enough status. In addition, a large tree attracts wind, and the Imperial Court is much more complicated than it was before. While you were on the border, many people had no means of doing anything to you, but when it comes to the Imperial Court, particularly when it comes to memorials sent from various areas and petitions urgently seeking resolution, if one cannot speak substantively, one will become the laughingstock of the court. Such incidents will become ways to attack you, and King Qi and others like him might even use these incidents to stir trouble and mar your reputation.”

  “Chong-er understands!” Wang Chong respectfully said.

  Although Wang Chong had already become a much-admired Great General and hero on the battlefield, the Imperial Court was an utterly strange and unfamiliar place where martial strength could not solve any problems. Back then, when Great Tang War God Wang Zhongsi was at his most glorious period, he had been forced to leave Longxi’s Big Dipper City and resign his posts to take up the position of Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian in the palace precisely because he had fallen into a trap in the Imperial Court.

  A place where one could not see the smoke and fire of war was far more dangerous than a place where one could see such things.

  Wang Chong had long ago understood this point.

  But probably not even his big uncle knew that he did not share his big uncle’s opinion. He had his own plans for this morning court session.

  In this early morning hour in the Imperial Palace, the Golden Guards had already opened the way. Golden Guards lined the palace avenues from the palace gate all the way to the site of the court session. Even someone unfamiliar with the Imperial Palace could simply follow these lines of Golden Guards all the way until they found the place where the court debates were held.

  As Wang Chong listened to Wang Gen’s lessons, he continued farther in. Along the way, all the Golden Guards who saw Wang Chong showed deep respect in their eyes. Whether it was the Imperial Army, the Golden Guards, or the protectorate armies on the border, anyone who was a Great Tang soldier was brimming with respect and adoration for Wang Chong.

  But the civil officials Wang Chong met along the road were not so kind. Although they didn’t dare to say anything too extreme about Wang Chong, given his status, a few critical comments here and there were unavoidable.

  “Hmph, shielded by officials, three titles in one year, and becoming King of Foreign Lands at such a young age—does the Imperial Court even have rules anymore!”

  “He’s just an immature brat without even a proper beard. Putting him on the border is fine. After all, young men are full of spirit and rash courage. But what’s this about allowing him to participate in political affairs? Or are old officials like us unable to compare to a single youth?”

  “Sssh! Softer! This person is the King of Foreign Lands, riding high on the waves of success. Try not to cause any trouble. A clan with four generals and ministers!”

  “What King of Foreign Lands? This is clearly an Asura King who’s gone numb to the thought of killing people! Truly bone-chilling!”

  Groups of people stood in the distance, softly whispering into each other’s ears, but at Wang Chong’s level of cultivation, no matter how softly they tried to speak, their words still rang out like peals of thunder in his ears.

  “Chong-er, there’s no need to worry about them. These are all old officials who have already spent decades in the Imperial Court. You’ve been promoted so quickly that it’s hard for them not to grumble.”

  Wang Gen faintly smiled as he spoke. The officials of court came from a variety of backgrounds. Some of them had been promoted because of outstanding achievements, others had noble backgrounds, and others had been recommended for being filial and righteous, and some had performed well in the imperial examinations… and there was no distinction in these criticizers between those of King Song’s faction and King Qi’s faction.

  “In truth, it was the same for me back when I entered the court,” Wang Gen added.

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but smile at these words. The matter naturally wouldn’t be as simple as his big uncle described it to be, but Wang Chong had already been through many great storms. He did not take these critical comments to heart.

  “Big Uncle, let’s go!”

  With a wave of his sleeve, Wang Chong walked inside with Wang Gen.

  “Foul brat, remember that there are no relatives in the Imperial Court. Inside, just call me Lord Wang,” Wang Gen said, cracking a rare joke.

  “Yes, Lord Wang!”

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but laugh.

  ……

  The Taihe Palace was serene and somber, and when Wang Chong walked in, many officials had already lined up according to their grade. Wang Chong, wearing his red imperial robe, confidently strode in, immediately becoming the center of attention. The officials who had been whispering to each other suddenly fell quiet, and countless of them began to take measure of the rising young star that was the King of Foreign Lands.

  Although Wang Chong had become famous in the war of the southwest, quite a significant portion of the influential officials of the court had not even seen him before. To these people, only those who were able to squeeze their way into the dazzling Taihe Palace were worthy of being seen by them.

  Wang Chong’s young figure elicited different emotions. There were admiring gazes, envious ones, appreciative ones, ones brimming with hostility and ones brimming with kindness.

  In the face of all these illustrious and influential politicians of the Central Plains, in the face of so many complicated gazes, Wang Chong was confident and unperturbed.

  His eyes swiftly swept over the gathered officials, and in a few short moments, he spotted a familiar figure.

  King Song!

  Beneath a cinnabar coiling dragon pillar, King Song was standing motionless in his imperial robe. King Song had been avoiding Wang Chong this entire time, even refusing Wang Chong’s personal visits to his residence, but no matter how much he tried to evade, he could not run away from the morning court session.

  As if sensing Wang Chong’s gaze, King Song turned his head and glanced, but after taking this glance, he immediately turned his head back around, avoiding Wang Chong’s eyes.

  But this glance was enough for Wang Chong. At that moment, Wang Chong could sense that King Song’s heart was filled with worries and he seemed to be immersed in some immense cloud of confusion.

  It seems like the old butler wasn’t lying, Wang Chong inwardly muttered.

  At times, one didn’t need words to communicate. At the very least, Wang Chong had confirmed one thing. King Song was still King Song. He had not changed, though it seemed like he really had encountered a very difficult problem.

  Buzz!

  As Wang Chong quietly thought to himself,
he suddenly heard a cold snort at his ear. At the same time, he sensed a malicious and hostile gaze turning on him.

  Wang Chong turned his head and saw another noble and powerful figure standing distantly opposite to King Song, their demeanor just as mighty and impressive. But this person had a sinister aura that could not be found on King Song. The officials surrounding this person were all coldly laughing at Wang Chong, none of them hiding the hostility in their eyes.

  King Qi!

  A thought flitted through Wang Chong’s mind. This was not his first time seeing King Qi. He had already met him during the ceremony in which he was made a Marquis, but this was the first time they were so close to each other, in the same hall, as colleagues.

  Wang Chong coldly laughed and then fearlessly and rudely glared at King Qi, showing no sign of backing down.

  King Qi’s face instantly turned dark and gloomy, and with a cold snort, he turned his head away.

  ______________

  1. Pan An was a poet of the Western Jin Dynasty who was known for his good looks. Song Yu was a poet from the Warring States period and is believed to have composed many of the poems in the Songs of Chu.↩

  Chapter 1235 - Making Trouble!

  Chapter 1235: Making Trouble!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Wang Chong was not bothered by King Qi. Wang Chong was currently at the height of his power, and was also the first King of the Great Tang with a different surname. Wang Chong’s current status was on par with King Qi’s, so he had no need to back down.

  The Sage Emperor had yet to arrive, so after shooting his glare at King Qi, Wang Chong began to look around the court. His big uncle had been correct. There truly were many new faces in the hall. In his dissolute days wandering the capital, although he had never attended a morning court session, he had learned all about the major officials of court, including their special symbols and how they spoke. And he had still been somewhat influenced by his upbringing in a clan of ministers and generals, and knew, even without entering the Taihe Palace, which people were in the Imperial Court.

  But there were many faces in the Imperial Court of which Wang Chong had no impression or knowledge. Moreover, the way these people stood, with their backs straight and their eyes forward, and even the way they moved, indicated that they all belonged to the same group. On the whole, they gave an extremely bizarre feeling.

  The majority of them were around thirty years old, which was very young in the Imperial Court.

  These people had their eyes shut and showed no willingness to acknowledge the others around them. In this situation, even if Wang Chong wanted to obtain any information from them, he would find it a very difficult task.

  His gaze paused on these people for a few moments before moving elsewhere.

  “Mm?”

  Suddenly, Wang Chong noticed something. Standing at the entrance to the hall, Wang Chong could clearly see that while King Song seemed rather worried and absentminded, he was constantly looking in one direction.

  Wang Chong followed his gaze and saw a tall and slender figure who seemed prestigious and imposing, their gaze focused on the upper reaches of the hall. This person did not seem particularly powerful, and at least in martial arts, he was much weaker than people like Wang Chong or King Qi. But the power and influence he had built up over the years far exceeded that of any other official. Just by standing there, he was instantly a crane standing amongst the chickens.

  Moreover, even though he was just standing there with his hands behind his back, the surrounding officials, when they occasionally shot glances at him, would always have extremely respectful expressions.

  Wang Chong immediately recognized this man.

  Li Genu!

  The Great Tang’s Prime Minister, and in the eyes of many, a ‘sage minister’. Through his actions over the last ten-some years, he had won the respect of the civil and military officials of the court, but to Wang Chong, he was an out-and-out traitorous minister!

  At this moment, a voice pulled Wang Chong out of his thoughts. “Chong-er, I’ll leave first. My position is over there. Remember, for your first court session, talk less and watch more.”

  “Yes, Big… Lord Wang.”

  Wang Chong was just about to call out ‘Big Uncle’, but he quickly corrected himself.

  Wang Gen quickly took his position, and Wang Chong also walked to the end of the Imperial Court ranks and stopped.

  Boom!

  As Wang Chong took his place, loud laughter resounded through the Imperial Court as countless people gazed upon Wang Chong with jeering eyes.

  “A fine Advisor-in-Waiting!”

  Wang Chong’s initial entrance truly had left many of them quite scared, but in the end, he was just an Advisor-in-Waiting. In terms of grade, he was even behind some minor officials in the Imperial Court.

  Wang Chong only smiled. Standing at the back had its advantages, at least for what he wanted to do. As for those jeerers, Wang Chong immediately knew that these were King Qi’s men. But this sort of mocking ridicule that neither hurt nor itched could not shake Wang Chong’s mind, not even cause a ripple.

  Thump!

  At this moment, a white-haired, silver-robed eunuch positioned on the raised platform suddenly raised his whip and cracked it. The entire Imperial Court fell quiet, and all the officials took up their proper positions.

  “His Divine Majesty arrives!”

  Ringing bells and musical instruments played, and before the Sage Emperor had even appeared, vast and majestic energy swept forward, engulfing the entire hall. A moment later, a golden figure appeared before the gathered officials, a divine god emerging from the side hall and ascending to the high platform to seat themselves on the dragon throne.

  When that figure sat down, the entire hall buzzed and trembled as if the entire world was shaking. Even Wang Chong couldn’t help but feel an enormous pressure, and he solemnly lowered his head.

  “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!!”

  Amidst this sea of roars, all the officials lowered their heads and bowed, and a solemn and respectful atmosphere reigned through the hall.

  “If there are any concerns, please present a memorial. If there are none, then withdraw!”

  Eunuch Gao stood to the right of the Sage Emperor, his face red and genial like the Maitreya Buddha.

  “Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial…”

  Eunuch Gao had barely spoken when a civil official stepped forward, his ceremonial tablet held out. Just like that, today’s court session had begun.

  Wang Chong stood in the very back of the court, silently observing everything. Whether in this life or the last, this was his first time taking part in a court session in which matters of state were discussed. Personally taking part was different from listening to gossip in the marketplace. The dynasties of the Central Plains had lasted for thousands of years, one generation after another, and the process in which officials discussed matters of state was now extremely refined.

  From as great as the budget for the military and financial allocation for the various areas to as small as miscarriages of justice and torrential rains and landslides—all these things were in the purview of the Imperial Court. The vastness of the Central Plains meant that the memorials and records accumulated each day ranged from the hundreds to thousands. This was why the Great Tang’s morning court session began at the fifth watch. And some time ago, the Sage Emperor had relinquished a part of his authority and would only participate for extremely important proposals.

  The court session was halfway done when a discordant voice suddenly spoke. “Last year, a flood took place in Ji County, and six or seven out of ten were drowned. Later, the men sent by the Imperial Court to handle the situation discovered that nine out of ten households in Ji County were impoverished, and more than ninety percent of common folk could not even guarantee three meals a day. Most families owned nothing more than a single table, a single bed, and one che
st of clothes, and only ten-some coins in savings. This was a situation of extreme poverty, so the Imperial Court removed the local officials and dispatched six or seven young officials skilled in administration and with past achievements to the county. But in the end, Ji County was unchanged and remained in dire poverty. Afterward, the Imperial Court made up its mind and ordered the Bureau of Revenue to allocate money to Ji County. However, not too long ago, the Imperial Court sent an imperial censor to investigate the situation. Not only was Ji County not prosperous, it is now even poorer than before. It has been said that Advisor-in-Waiting Lord Wang is extremely blessed with intelligence. Does he have any view on this?”

  The mood in the Imperial Court instantly turned strange, and countless gazes focused on Wang Chong.

  Wang Chong had been quietly listening this entire time, but when he heard these words, he suddenly raised his head and looked to see who had spoken. What he saw was an official wearing azure robes standing at the front ranks, turning to him with a cold sneer.

  The other civil officials around him were also jeering at Wang Chong and appeared to be waiting to watch a good show.

  Investigating Minister Lin Changxin!

  Wang Chong immediately recognized this person as one of King Qi’s staunchest followers. Lin Changxin had clearly asked Wang Chong this question on his first court session so that Wang Chong would make a fool of himself.

  On the other end, King Qi, his back to a cinnabar pillar, inwardly sneered. He rarely got involved in matters like this, but Lin Changxin and the others had a greater understanding of these things. The matter of Ji County had been a constant headache for the Bureau of Personnel and Bureau of Revenue. No matter what they did, they couldn’t resolve the problem. And after the Imperial Court intervened, the situation had actually gotten worse. Such a thing had never happened before.

  Truthfully speaking, this was an intractable problem with no solution. It had been brought up solely to make Wang Chong look bad.

  Although Wang Chong had an awesome reputation as King of Foreign Lands, matters of the Imperial Court were different from killing on the battlefield.