The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “The problem of Lingnan is longstanding, and on the surface, it appears to be because of the complicated relationships amongst the Yue. But in reality, it’s because the farmland isn’t divided equally. But this is also only a symptom, and addressing it would not solve the root cause. Thus, none of the brilliant officials sent by the court were ever able to solve the problem.”

  Wang Chong slowly began to explain.

  “It’s actually very easy to solve the problem of the Yue…”

  Wang Chong suddenly reached out and dabbed a finger in ink before writing on a piece of paper.

  ‘Foodstuffs’!

  When his subordinate saw what he had written, some of them furrowed their brows while others turned pensive.

  “Farmland is used for planting crops, and in the final analysis, this is a conflict that arises from a lack of food. If you don’t solve this, it doesn’t matter how you divide the farmland, as the Yue will never be satisfied. This is why all those talented officials failed to solve the Yue problem.

  “I give you full authority to act in Lingnan. In addition, I will have Zhang Munian send foodstuffs to the lands of the Yue. You will be responsible for connecting with the Yue and teaching them how to plant the hybrid rice. Once the foodstuffs problem is solved, Lingnan will naturally be peaceful.”

  Wang Chong stood up, his eyes shining with a wise light.

  His subordinates stared speechlessly at him. This had been a problem that had weighed Lingnan down for decades, and they had all believed that it would be very challenging to solve. But Wang Chong had rapidly dissected the problem and clearly explained its root and solution.

  At that moment, their hearts were filled with sincere admiration.

  Wang Chong had a power to look past the surface and find the essence of the problem, and no matter how difficult it seemed, he was always able to find a solution. And while it seemed as if the First Prince was intentionally causing trouble for Wang Chong with the Lingnan matter, it now seemed as if no one could solve it except for Wang Chong.

  Without another word, Su Shixuan took Wang Chong’s token and set off for Lingnan. Meanwhile, in Jiaozhi, Zhang Munian also began to move, arranging for the transport of hybrid rice to Lingnan.

  Wang Chong had actually noticed the Lingnan problem a long time ago, but at that time, the hybrid rice program had only just started and had not been on a large enough scale. But with the gradual accumulation of time, it was now ready, and this was now the perfect time to resolve Lingnan’s worries.

  Time slowly passed. Several factions intentionally played up the Lingnan matter and Wang Chong’s assignment, raising such a clamor that the entire capital knew about it. But neither Wang Chong nor the First Prince seemed to be in much of a rush.

  Wang Chong wasn’t going, and the First Prince wasn’t pushing.

  But an undercurrent was flowing around the Lingnan Circuit and the Yue people. Every day, the Eastern Palace would send numerous carrier pigeons to Lingnan.

  “How is it? Any news from Zhang Xun? Tell him that as long as he can incite conflicts amongst the Yue, this prince will agree to promote him to Governor, perhaps even the Governor of Lingnan,” the First Prince said to Zhu Tong’en from his throne.

  “Reporting!”

  At this moment, a Golden Guard rushed inside, his armor clattering.

  “Your Highness, Lingnan’s Lord Zhang Xun has sent a letter!”

  “What? Bring it up!”

  The First Prince’s eyes brightened as he waved a hand.

  “Hahaha, truly, speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives! Zhang Xun! This prince had the right idea about you! As long as Wang Chong can be toppled, this prince will treat you well!”

  The First Prince heartily laughed, his eyes shining with expectation.

  He was extremely hopeful about the Lingnan matter. Everything was ready, and all that was missing was the final touch. With Zhang Xun’s letter, he could work with the court officials to seize Wang Chong.

  At worst, they could damage Wang Chong’s reputation amongst the people. Perhaps they could even force Wang Chong to move to Lingnan and decree that he couldn’t return until he resolved the Yue problem.

  In this way, not even Wang Chong and all his prodigious abilities would be able to escape his palm.

  Whoosh!

  The First Prince impatiently opened the letter and scanned it for the information he sought.

  But a few moments later, his excitement cooled and his face slowly shifted into a scowl.

  Chapter 1655 - King Song in Trouble!

  Chapter 1655: King Song in Trouble!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “This, this… How!?”

  The First Prince gnashed his teeth, his expression completely transforming.

  “Your Highness, what’s wrong?” Zhu Tong’en asked in shock.

  With Zhang Xun’s cooperation, the Lingnan matter should have gone smoothly, and besides, Wang Chong was still in the capital. But for some reason, the First Prince had been rendered motionless after reading Zhang Xun’s letter, and it was impossible to tell what was going on. Zhu Tong’en was left incredibly uneasy.

  Whoosh!

  Zhu Tong’en had barely spoken when there was a rustling of paper as the First Prince sent the letter flying over to Zhu Tong’en, who glanced at it and was rendered speechless.

  “How could this be? The King of Foreign Lands seems to have been ready for this!” Zhu Tong’en muttered, finally understanding why the First Prince had such a nasty scowl.

  Zhang Xun truly had followed the First Prince’s orders and attempted to stir up conflict amongst the Yue, but to his surprise, a group had suddenly entered the Yue territory with a large amount of grain and begun working to pacify the Yue.

  The Yue were in conflict with each other because they lacked the farmland to grow sufficient food, so these tens of thousands of dan of grain immediately made them go from enemies to allies. Not only that, the group of newcomers had also stated that this was only the first shipment, and even more grain was coming.

  This situation was clearly not what the First Prince and Zhang Xun wanted to see, so when Zhang Xun heard the news, he immediately sent his men to stop that group. But to Zhang Xun’s surprise, that other party took out the token of the King of Foreign Lands and said that they had come on the authority of the special envoy to Lingnan to placate the Yue.

  Although Zhang Xun was the Deputy Governor of Lingnan, he was deeply lacking compared to Wang Chong. Even he had to pay respects to the name of the King of Foreign Lands.

  Moreover, not long after this group had entered Lingnan, they had dispatched many warriors, farmland surveying experts, and plant cultivation experts. The warriors were guards while the others taught the Yue how to plant rice. With a display of power and kindness, the King of Foreign Lands had managed to obtain the obedience of many Yue.

  In addition, the King of Foreign Lands had once more divided the lands of the Yue. With the intersection of the He and Gui Rivers as the center, he divided Lingnan into ‘Guangdong’ and ‘Guangxi’. The Yue were no longer allocated farmland by clan, but by region.

  The Yue had no objections to this, and this single proposal caused many of the conflicts to dissipate.

  “This…”

  Upon seeing that last remark, Zhu Tong’en couldn’t help but inwardly sigh in admiration.

  They had analyzed the problem with the Yue in Lingnan and had concluded that it was an impossible challenge that no one could solve. But Wang Chong had bought the hearts of the people with grain and used the chance to divide Lingnan into ‘Guangdong’ and ‘Guangxi’, thus turning the internal conflicts of the Yue into the conflicts of these two regions.

  Moreover, Wang Chong had wisely chosen to use the He and Gui Rivers to divide the two territories, thus preventing conflict between them.

  The Great Tang was divided into fifteen circuits, almost all of them established on the basis of divisions from prev
ious dynasties and further adapted. It was rare for any further divisions to be made.

  While Wang Chong’s division of the Lingnan Circuit into Guangdong and Guangxi seemed simple, it was easier said than done, and not everyone had the charm and understanding to pull it off.

  What a pity that such a man insists on opposing the First Prince!

  Zhu Tong’en internally sighed.

  “Bastard! I won’t let things end here!”

  The Eastern Palace reverberated with the First Prince’s furious cries.

  ……

  Whoosh!

  As the Eastern Palace was getting the news, another messenger bird was flying into the King of Foreign Lands Residence.

  Wang Chong silently smiled after reading the letter from Su Shixuan.

  “Not bad! With Su Shixuan there, the problem of the Yue will be solved!” Wang Chong said with a smile.

  Su Shixuan had impressive executive abilities, and he was almost always able to perfectly execute Wang Chong’s orders. Su Shixuan had not only succeeded in soothing the Yue, he had also had them accept the idea of dividing their territories into Guangdong and Guangxi, divided by the rivers.

  In a later era, the Lingnan Circuit would be divided into Guangdong and Guangxi, but such a thing had yet to happen in the current Great Tang.

  (TN: The division of Lingnan into Guangdong and Guangxi took place during the Song Dynasty, where they were known as ‘Guangnandong’ and ‘Guangnanxi’, Southern Expanse East and West respectively.)

  “Order Su Shixuan to take care of the farmland surveying and partitioning as well!” Wang Chong declared.

  ……

  Time flew by, and everything was on the right track, matters in Lingnan proceeding smoothly. But it was an axiom of the universe that nothing would ever go according to plan forever.

  Two days later, as Wang Chong was inspecting a new report from Lingnan, an explosion went off in his mind and the Stone of Destiny spoke once more.

  “Warning! Special Event! A crucial figure is on the verge of death! Chance of failure in the Rebellion of the Three Princes has increased by 20%!”

  Wang Chong’s heart thumped in alarm, and he looked up from the letter.

  Too sudden!

  Everything was quiet in the King of Foreign Lands Residence, and Wang Chong sensed nothing strange. And who was this crucial figure the Stone of Destiny referred to?

  What’s the meaning of this warning from the Stone of Destiny?

  Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil.

  At this moment in time, any event related to the Rebellion of the Three Princes had his attention, and that wasn’t even considering the grave warning from the Stone of Destiny. Moreover, even if he didn’t know who this crucial figure was, the Stone of Destiny was never one to issue warnings without reason.

  All of this made Wang Chong’s heart thump with intense unease.

  Before Wang Chong had time to think, he heard a rush of footsteps.

  “King of Foreign Lands, it’s bad! There’s been an incident!”

  An anxious voice came from outside the hall, and then a familiar figure rushed in.

  “Sir Lu?”

  Recognizing the figure, Wang Chong stood up in alarm.

  “What’s brought you here?”

  The man who had rushed inside wore a wide-sleeved robe and had a refined and scholarly aura. This was Academic Lu Ting, whom Wang Chong had not seen in some time. But the man had an uncharacteristically worried expression and his hair was in disorder. He lacked any of his normal grace and confidence.

  Wang Chong’s eyes widened as he sensed an ill foreboding.

  “King of Foreign Lands, it’s terrible! Assassins attacked King Song and he’s in a coma!” Lu Ting shouted in panic.

  “What!?”

  Wang Chong felt like he had been struck by a lightning bolt, and his face twisted in alarm and fear.

  Impossible!

  This was Wang Chong’s first reaction.

  When the Stone of Destiny had given its warning, Wang Chong had never imagined that it referred to King Song.

  While King Song rarely showed it, he actually possessed immense strength on par with King Qi, and he would even be able to put up a fight against the likes of Gao Xianzhi. How could something ever happen to such a man?

  But the pale face of Lu Ting made Wang Chong’s heart sink.

  ……

  A few moments later, a carriage rolled out of the King of Foreign Lands Residence.

  “What is going on here?”

  Wang Chong sat next to Lu Ting, and the mood was tense.

  The name of King Song wielded influential status within the empire. He was a pillar who had supported the state for ten-some years and had played a critical role in its prosperity.

  There was almost no one in the empire who did not know about King Song. Even elite Protector-Generals like Zhangchou Jianqiong, An Sishun, and Geshu Han regarded him with utmost respect.

  It was precisely because of King Song that the Protector-Generals were able to confidently guard the border without worrying about internal affairs.

  If King Song fell, the empire’s military would undergo a shift tantamount to an earthquake.

  “…We still haven’t investigated the incident, and when I received the news, King Song had already fallen unconscious. Even after further questioning, I’ve only learned that before the incident, King Song had gone out, and when he returned, he had already been poisoned for some time. But there are still no details on what actually happened,” Lu Ting reported, still himself shocked from the news.

  He had known King Song for ten-some years and had been at his side for almost as many. Such a major incident had taken him completely by surprise.

  “How could this be? Does not even the old butler know?” Wang Chong asked.

  The old butler and King Song were inseparable. If there was one person in the King Song Residence who knew all the details, it had to be the butler.

  “The old butler was more concerned than anyone else by King Song’s collapse, and ever since they returned to the residence, he’s been standing guard at King Song’s bed, not moving and not answering any questions. The old butler is one of King Song’s old subordinates and has watched King Song grow up, so he’s probably received an even greater blow from this than the rest of us.”

  Lu Ting sighed.

  He had tried asking the old butler, but the old butler simply wasn’t in the right state of mind to answer.

  The carriage fell silent, both Wang Chong and Lu Ting going quiet.

  Both of them were on King Song’s side, and this incident was a heavy blow.

  The carriage soon reached the King Song Residence, which already had a large number of carriages outside its gates.

  When Wang Chong emerged from the carriage, he sensed an oppressive mood in the air and saw a scene of chaos as people went in and out of the gates.

  Chapter 1656 - Wang Chong Intervenes!

  Chapter 1656: Wang Chong Intervenes!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “The news of King Song’s collapse has already spread throughout the capital. Many major officials have already come to see him,” Lu Ting remarked as he walked into the estate with Wang Chong.

  “Your Highness!”

  “Your Highness!”

  When the passersby saw Lu Ting and Wang Chong, many of them respectfully bowed.

  Wang Chong’s prestige was at its zenith, and there was practically no one who did not respect or fear him.

  Wang Chong was uneasy and in no state of mind to reciprocate the courtesy. He simply nodded to them before continuing with Lu Ting into the estate.

  One of the large halls was simply packed with people. Inside were rows of imperial physicians, surrounded by numerous maids carrying towels and basins. Everyone was looking in the same direction with great concern.

  In the center of this hall, Wang Chong saw King Song.

  His lips were p
urple and his eyes were tightly shut. His aura was like a candle flickering in the wind, about to go out at any moment. The situation was grim.

  Wang Chong instantly felt his heart being seized.

  In Wang Chong’s mind, King Song was a mighty mountain that no pressure or disaster would ever be able to topple. As long as King Song was present, the empire would have one last pillar that would prevent everything from descending into complete mayhem.

  But the King Song on the sickbed was completely different from what Wang Chong remembered. His body was feeble and continuing to decline, and the thick aura of death could be felt within his body.

  “Just what is King Song’s condition?”

  Wang Chong felt his heart sinking.

  “This… The poison in King Song’s body is far too domineering, and we’ve never even seen this kind of poison before. We’ve… done all we can.”

  The most senior imperial physician in the room shook his head and sighed.

  Wang Chong felt his body grow cold and his heart sink.

  “The situation is not good. We tried everything we could to drive the poison out of his body, but… none of them had an effect,” Zhangchou Jianqiong said in his deep and mellow voice as he walked out from behind Wang Chong, his brow tightly furrowed.

  The collapse of King Song had thrown his entire residence into disorder. Zhangchou Jianqiong had been looking over documents when he heard the news and rushed over.

  He had come somewhat earlier than Wang Chong, so he understood a little more about King Song’s condition. However, the poison had already burrowed deep into King Song’s bones, and even though Zhangchou Jianqiong had done all he could to treat him, his efforts had failed.

  He could understand Wang Chong’s emotions, but there was very little they could do about King Song’s condition.

  “Impossible! Given King Song’s cultivation, how could there be a poison that can’t be driven out?”

  Wang Chong shook his head. The King Song lineage had been close to the Wang Clan for several generations, and for Wang Chong, King Song was both a senior and a close friend. How could he accept such a formidable figure collapsing without any warning?

  “Let me take a look!”