The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “The Grand Preceptor is already very old, and has spilled blood, sweat, and tears in service of the Great Tang. Is there any official or general that would not respect him? Even when I see him, I respectfully address him as Grand Preceptor. If something happens to the Grand Preceptor, will you be able to take the responsibility?!”

  King Qi turned his head to the Sage Emperor.

  “Your Majesty, this subject wishes to impeach the King of Foreign Lands for showing no respect to his elders! The Great Tang is ruled through benevolence and ceremony, and respect for one’s elders is the foundation of the country. The King of Foreign Lands has spoken disrespectfully to the Grand Preceptor, so this subject proposes that his rank as King be removed to serve as an example to the rest of the country.”

  The atmosphere in the Imperial Court turned strange. Everyone in the capital knew of King Qi’s conduct, and not even the civil officials liked him that much. King Qi rarely stepped forward, and he would normally make trouble through the officials serving in his faction. This was probably the first time he had stepped forward to impeach another official of the court.

  “Hmph!”

  Wang Chong only coldly sneered at this sight.

  “Your Majesty, this subject also has a memorial. This subject wishes to impeach King Qi for failing at his duty. The Imperial Court is for the discussion and handling of government affairs. King Qi, as an Imperial Prince and King of the Great Tang, enjoys high status, yet in his twenty-some years in the court, King Qi has paid no attention to outside matters. The first proposal he has made in his life is to accuse another subject of lacking respect for elders. King Qi has mediocre talents and is ignorant and incompetent. This subject believes that King Qi cannot undertake this enormous responsibility. Your Majesty, please remove King Qi’s rank and have King Qi retire.”

  “You!”

  King Qi suddenly turned his head, his face contorting in rage. King Qi had always cherished the saying ‘too many words will inevitably reveal a mistake’. Thus, if he could have his subordinates do the job, he would never personally intervene. Thus, after so many years, even though he had privately engaged in so many projects, no one had ever been able to do anything to him. But when he finally had an opportunity to criticize Wang Chong, Wang Chong had turned around and used this point to make trouble for him, catching him totally off guard.

  Chapter 1239 - Wang Chong and King Song!

  Chapter 1239: Wang Chong and King Song!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Wang Chong, you’re speaking sheer nonsense!”

  “King Qi, whether or not you have any achievements, others don’t know and you yourself aren’t clear about them! In the view of this king, the Bureau of Rites is more appropriate for you!” Wang Chong sternly said.

  He couldn’t retreat, nor was there a need to retreat, and he couldn’t endure, nor was there a need to endure. The proposal to dissolve the prefectural armies had unleashed Wang Chong’s rage. Whether it was the Grand Preceptor or King Qi, Wang Chong would not forgive anyone who tried to argue for this matter, would not let a single one of them go! This was no longer an ordinary factional battle or some argument in the Imperial Court. The lives of the millions of people of the Central Plains were at stake!

  “Enough! King Qi! King of Foreign Lands! Stop messing around!”

  Next to the dragon throne, Gao Lishi could watch no longer and harshly rebuked, “Both of you are Kings of the Great Tang, of revered status. Just what are you showing His Majesty by acting this way!”

  A court debate on the proposal to dissolve the prefectural armies had actually devolved into a childish quarrel. Not even Gao Lishi could let this go on any longer. Gao Lishi’s rebuke immediately caused the court to become much quieter. Although Gao Lishi did not have an official post, everyone knew that he had followed the Sage Emperor for many years and had long ago developed a mental connection with him. It was clear that not even the Sage Emperor could stand to watch this quarrel go on any longer.

  “Withdraw!”

  The Sage Emperor suddenly spoke, his five fingers slightly shifting. His dignified voice resounded through the hall, suffused with a tone that could not be questioned.

  “Yes, yes, Your Majesty!”

  Wang Chong and King Qi both bowed and retreated to the sides.

  Wang Chong’s face was cold and emotionless, but King Qi was grinding his teeth in anger.

  “Bastard thing, this king will never let you go!”

  A frighteningly cold light flickered through King Qi’s eyes. He had originally believed that he could use Wang Chong’s conflict with the Grand Preceptor to accuse him of disrespect, not expecting Wang Chong to easily take care of the problem with a few words. This filled King Qi with rage and made him want nothing more than to kill Wang Chong.

  “Let us return to the debate.”

  Gao Lishi waved his horsetail whisk as he spoke in the name of the Sage Emperor.

  “In addition, King of Foreign Lands, the Grand Preceptor is more than eighty years old. Young people are full of passion and vigor, but can you not yield a little to the Grand Preceptor?”

  These words were fully intended to allay the hostilities between Wang Chong and the Grand Preceptor.

  “Yes! Wang Chong understands!”

  Wang Chong bowed, understanding that the Sage Emperor was trying to shield him.

  At this moment, a slender figure dressed in a wide robe stepped out from the front row and said, “Your Majesty! With regards to the matter of dissolving the prefectural armies, the rage of the King of Foreign Lands is understandable, but this lowly subject also believes that the civil officials have a reasonable argument. The Great Tang is at peace, and we have only recently signed treaties with Ü-Tsang, the Eastern and Western Turks, Mengshe Zhao, Goguryeo, and Arabia. We truly do not need so many soldiers, and the various prefectural armies consume no small amount of resources. In wartime, this cost is acceptable, but there are currently no wars, and the King of Foreign Lands has just defeated the Arabian Empire. There is truly no need to maintain this many soldiers. If it is really necessary, we can maintain a part of the prefectural armies and recruit the rest when they are needed!”

  At the sound of this voice, both civil officials and generals lowered their heads, respectful looks on their faces.

  The Great Tang’s ‘sage minister’ Li Genu!

  No one had expected him to speak at a time like this. As the Prime Minister of the Great Tang, the leader of all the officials, Li Genu carried abnormal weight with his words, and he had even more influence than Wang Chong, King Song, or King Qi. Once the Prime Minister made his stance known, he would immediately influence the result of the debate. Many people would even change their stances on the spot to follow the Prime Minister.

  Wang Chong had just been preparing to return to his spot, but when he heard the Prime Minister speak, his eyes narrowed and his face paled. Wang Chong opened his mouth to speak, but as his gaze passed over a nearby pillar, he suddenly stopped.

  King Song!

  Wang Chong’s eyebrows rose as he gazed at the familiar figure. All the way up to now, King Song had appeared muddleheaded and absent-minded, not even participating in the majority of the court debate, which was completely different from how he usually acted. But at this moment, when Prime Minister Li Genu began to speak, King Song appeared to have been given a sharp jab, his head suddenly rising to stare at this figure.

  At this moment, King Song’s eyes were bursting with light and his expression was extremely complex.

  “This…”

  Wang Chong raised his brow and followed King Song’s gaze to that robed figure, his mind in turmoil as he vaguely guessed at something.

  As Wang Chong was thinking, Li Genu’s words were causing a chain reaction through the court.

  “This subject agrees!”

  “This subject agrees!”

  “This subject agrees!”

  For a moment, th
e hall was filled with sounds of approval from the civil officials. Even a few officials who had not expressed their stance before were adding their comments to the pile.

  Wang Chong’s eyes chilled as he immediately stepped forward.

  “Your Majesty, this subject objects! Since this involves the prefectural armies and the Bureau of Military Personnel, the border protectorates should be asked their opinion, including all the Titled Generals, Protector-Generals, and Great Generals. Once all these generals have expressed their opinion, a decision can be made. This should not be something that only the Imperial Court can decide.”

  Wang Chong spoke firmly, and he immediately garnered everyone’s attention.

  “Your Majesty, this subject agrees!”

  At this moment, Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong instinctively sensed that the time was now and strode forward.

  Even Zhangchou Jianqiong couldn’t help but praise Wang Chong, as dragging in the Protector-Generals of the Great Tang was truly an ingenious move. Although the decisions of the Imperial Court had always been decided within the Imperial Court, no one would dare to say that dissolving the prefectural armies did not have anything to do with the Protector-Generals and Great Generals on the border.

  Zhangchou Jianqiong was almost certain that Geshu Han, Zhangchou Jianqiong, An Sishun, and Gao Xianzhi all shared the same opinion on the matter of the prefectural armies.

  As long as these top-class generals of the Great Tang made their stances known, they would immediately represent an influential group that not even the civil officials could do anything about.

  The King of Foreign Lands together with the Minister of War immediately had all the civil officials, including the Prime Minister Li Genu, grimacing. But this was far from over. A moment later, another voice resounded through the hall, adding another considerable weight onto the side of the opposition.

  The ever-motionless King Song finally stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, “Your Majesty! This subject also agrees!”

  Whoosh!

  The Imperial Court suddenly became as silent as a grave. With three heavyweights of the court expressing their stance at the same time, all the civil officials felt an immense pressure.

  When King Song stepped forward, Wang Chong could clearly see Prime Minister Li Genu slightly paling, losing some of his former composure.

  “Your Majesty, this subject agrees!”

  “This subject agrees!”

  “This subject agrees!”

  The generals in the Imperial Court were revitalized and began to express their support for Wang Chong’s proposal.

  The Imperial Court was quickly at a stalemate, and everyone looked up to await the Sage Emperor’s judgment.

  The hall was quiet, and in the middle of this silence, Wang Chong clearly heard the sound of that bell that wasn’t a bell, very soft as if coming from extremely far away. None of the other officials noticed this, but when Wang Chong heard the sound, his heart sank and his face grimaced. Wang Chong looked up, and though everything seemed as normal in the upper reaches of the hall, Wang Chong could clearly sense that the atmosphere had turned strange.

  “We understand! This matter will be put off for discussion at a later time!”

  The Sage Emperor’s majestic voice boomed through the hall. After saying this, the Sage Emperor suddenly rose from his throne and left.

  The officials immediately lowered their heads and roared, “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!” They watched as the Sage Emperor left.

  Wang Chong’s first court session came to an end, and with the light crack of a whip, all the officials departed from Taihe Palace.

  ……

  Once the court session was over, Zhangchou Jianqiong came forward and accompanied Wang Chong out of the hall. Meanwhile, almost all the generals thronged around Wang Chong, all their faces ruddy with excitement.

  “Your Highness, we owe much to you! Otherwise, we generals wouldn’t even have a place to stand in the future!”

  “Right, right! Your Highness has truly increased the prestige of the people on our side! Although the conflict between civil and military has always existed, they’re resorting to any method possible now. They’re truly acting out of line!”

  “That’s right, that’s right! Fortunately, His Highness was here. Although the Grand Preceptor has always been dissatisfied with us, he rarely participated in court debates, but recently, the Grand Preceptor has been present in almost every debate. We don’t have the status to oppose the Grand Preceptor. Only His Highness is capable of doing so.”

  The Grand Preceptor, King Qi, the Prime Minister, and all the civil officials—the generals of the court had to spend almost every day under this kind of pressure. Wang Chong’s arrival finally allowed these people to hold their heads high, and when they saw the Grand Preceptor pale with rage and unable to stand steady, all of them breathed a sigh of relief.

  Although it was truly somewhat inappropriate for Wang Chong to enrage the Grand Preceptor into such a state, there was one thing that Wang Chong was right about. The Grand Preceptor truly had recently been bullying around others with his seniority. But these words could only be said in one’s mind and not spoken out loud.

  “Milords, you are all too polite. Matters of state are not a child’s game. Without the assistance of Milords, Wang Chong would find it difficult to achieve anything,” Wang Chong calmly said, and the group walked out while exchanging pleasantries. Wang Chong had now confirmed his status as one of the leaders in the military faction.

  As they exited Taihe Palace and descended the steps, they spotted a figure standing ahead, his silver imperial robe flapping in the wind, endowing him with a transcendent air. Wang Chong and Zhangchou Jianqiong glanced at each other before quickly walking up to the figure.

  “Your Highness!”

  Wang Chong and Zhangchou Jianqiong stepped forward and bowed.

  “Wang Chong, come and walk with me!” King Song said with his hands held behind his back.

  Chapter 1240 - The Great Tang's Prime Minister, Li Genu!

  Chapter 1240: The Great Tang’s Prime Minister, Li Genu!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Then this Zhangchou Jianqiong will bid farewell.”

  Zhangchou Jianqiong understood that the two had matters to discuss, so he immediately withdrew. The other generals also understood the situation and dispersed, leaving Wang Chong and King Song to walk alone.

  King Song stood next to Wang Chong as they walked and indifferently asked, “During this court session, did you feel it?”

  “Mm!”

  Wang Chong nodded. Although this was only his first day, Wang Chong could already sense the undercurrent in the court, the strange and extremely complicated clouds that were shrouding it.

  “The circumstances of that day were even more complicated than they were today!” King Song lightly said. These words could be considered his explanation to Wang Chong.

  “Just who are those officials with the unfamiliar faces? So many people can’t have just appeared in the court overnight. Just who are they?” Wang Chong asked.

  “For a little while, I also cannot answer this question, but in terms of background, these people are perfect. Not even I can make any sort of criticism!” King Song said.

  “So, it’s the Grand Preceptor, right?”

  Wang Chong suddenly stopped, his eyes turning sharp.

  The Grand Preceptor was the leader of the civil officials, and almost all the new faces in the court were civil officials. For so many new civil officials to appear in court could not be done without the Grand Preceptor’s approval. Moreover, even if the Grand Preceptor was not the mastermind, he was definitely inextricably connected.

  “Before, I had the same idea as you, but I’m afraid that this matter is not so simple. The Grand Preceptor truly is involved, but he is not the man controlling things from behind the curtain. In comparison, I’m more worried about another matter�
�” King Song gravely said.

  “Oh.”

  Wang Chong’s brow creased, but just when he was about to speak, a mellow voice came from behind him.

  “Your Highnesses, please hold!”

  Both of them immediately turned around to see a slender figure wearing the crimson robe of a rank-one official walking up from behind them.

  The pair’s expressions immediately turned strange.

  “Lord Prime Minister!”

  King Song gave a bow, but Wang Chong remained upright, with his hands held behind his back and a gentle smile on his lips.

  The person chasing after them was none other than the leader of all the officials, the current Prime Minister, Li Genu.

  “Your Highnesses are too polite.”

  As Li Genu approached, he hurriedly returned the bow.

  “Does Lord Prime Minister have business with us?” Wang Chong asked, neither too coldly nor too warmly. He had just quarreled with Li Genu in the Imperial Court, so he was in no mood to meet with him now.

  “Haha, King of Foreign Lands, King Song, do Your Highnesses perhaps have some misunderstanding about me from the matter just now?”

  Li Genu clasped his hands and gave a refreshing smile.

  “This one was only discussing the matter of dissolving the prefectural armies on its own merits and did not have any other intentions. In the future, if it is necessary, it is entirely possible to begin recruiting soldiers in advance, perhaps even increasing the scale of the prefectural armies. All of this is possible!”

  Li Genu spoke with flawless poise, and his expression was frank and confident, warm and genial like a ball of cotton. It was impossible to get angry at a person like this. Moreover, despite being an upper rank-one official and leader of all officials, Li Genu did not put on any airs. This was extremely rare amongst the officials and was one of the reasons this Prime Minister of the Great Tang was so respected.

  “Lord Prime Minister’s words are too serious. This king did not have that intention.”

  A hint of confusion appeared in King Song’s eyes, but some of the doubt in his mind appeared to have instantly been cleared up. But Wang Chong’s expression remained cold and unmoved.