The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Here was a small table about four feet square. The table was so old that the paint was peeling off, and one could see that the wood had begun to splinter in many parts. Several small plates had been placed on the table—ordinary foods like radish-stewed brisket, ginger stir-fried chicken, and stir-fried vegetables.

  Sitting by the table was a thin old man wearing an azure robe. A pair of wooden chopsticks was ferrying food into his mouth as he took a sip of wine. His eyes were slightly closed and his expression calm and relaxed. He seemed to be greatly enjoying himself.

  While the old man seemed a little strange, this sort of customer was a frequent sight in this kind of restaurant.

  Wang Chong’s eyes scanned his body and quickly spotted the azure jade token at his waist.

  It should be him.

  Wang Chong quickly walked over to the elder.

  “Junior Wang Chong pays respects to the venerable Grand Commandant.”

  Wang Chong went up to the table and deeply bowed.

  The chopsticks froze in mid-air.

  The old man, who had been sipping his alcohol and enjoying his personal time, instantly froze the moment he heard the words ‘venerable Grand Commandant’.

  This change in emotion further confirmed Wang Chong’s suspicions. If he hadn’t investigated the matter for so long and found out everything he could about this old man, he would have scarcely believed that this was the retired Grand Commandant whose prestige was almost equal to Master Zhu. He had retired long ago from the Imperial Court, and the post of Grand Commandant had even been abolished in the reign of the previous emperor.

  But this man still wielded enormous influence in the court, even exceeding Duke Jiu in some aspects.

  Wang Chong had noticed this matter because of the previous militarist-Confucian conflict.

  When he published Might Makes Right and stunned the Confucian Sect, even forcing Master Zhu to step forward and reproach him, almost the entire world had criticized him. But there had been a significant number of officials and Confucians who had not taken part.

  The reason for this situation was the retired Grand Commandant of the Great Tang, who was at present more than ninety years old.

  The retired Grand Commandant had a candid and upright personality. His mindset had long ago transcended the militarist-Confucian conflict. For him, there was only one thing that determined good or evil, right or wrong: was it of benefit to the Great Tang and its people? As for the difference of opinion between the militarists and the Confucian Sect, the retired Grand Commandant didn’t care.

  Chapter 1672 - The Retired Grand Commandant! (II)

  Chapter 1672: The Retired Grand Commandant! (II)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Although the Grand Commandant had not been in court for many years, he still possessed immense influence. Even when the Confucian Sect and Master Zhu were exerting their pressure, he was still able to have a portion of the court officials and Confucian scholars maintain their silence. Moreover, many of the officials forced out of the court recently had been the retired Grand Commandant’s disciples. They had inherited the upright attitude of their master.

  But for the Confucian Sect, who viewed the Harmonious World as their duty, this was simply unacceptable, and they even regarded these people as traitors. They naturally couldn’t tolerate their presence in court.

  For the members of the Grand Commandant’s faction, who determined whether something was wrong or right by whether or not they felt shame in their hearts, they naturally didn’t care too much about their expulsions.

  Even so, the retired Grand Commandant still had his influence and prestige in society. Not even Master Zhu and Li Junxian dared to act too excessively. Wang Chong had come this time to gain his support.

  A single tree would find it very hard to become a forest. In Wang Chong’s plan, the retired Grand Commandant’s support was necessary to stop internal strife and prevent immense sacrifices being made.

  But the only problem was that the Grand Commandant had retired from public life a very long time ago. In one aspect, this was rather similar to Great Tang War God Su Zhengchen, but Su Zhengchen had been bound by Taizong’s last will, while the Grand Commandant had himself made the decision to renounce court matters and live the life of an ordinary person.

  This Zhiyi Restaurant was a place where the ordinary folk of the capital frequently gathered. From the retired Grand Commandant’s expression, one could see that he enjoyed mixing with the common folk of the capital, experiencing how they lived for himself, and from his experiences, sensing whether the empire was prospering or declining.

  Moreover, he had been an important official for a large part of his life, and even the Prime Minister had to be respectful to him. But in comparison to all this courtesy and reverence, the Grand Commandant clearly preferred to be treated as an ordinary old man by the passersby.

  He had even refused the Sage Emperor’s request, let alone anyone else’s. Anyone who wanted his help and acknowledgment would have to make him break his rule to not interfere in court matters—no easy task.

  “Young man, were you talking to me? Are you in the right state of mind? There’s only this old man here. Where is this retired Grand Commandant you speak of?”

  The azure-robed elder quickly came to his senses, his chopsticks seizing some more stir-fried vegetables as he took another sip of his wine. His expression was cold and inflexible, his tone incredibly unwelcoming.

  These words would make even the most enthusiastic and ardent visitor have second thoughts and go back in frustration. This old man clearly didn’t want to see Wang Chong, despite knowing his illustrious status.

  “Besides, little fellow, you shouldn’t be in a place like this. If you go out and take a left, you’ll find Golden Sparrow Pavilion. That sort of luxurious place is where a noble like you should go,” the elder coldly said.

  “Heh, Senior, this junior Wang Chong is the King of Foreign Lands and was previously the Qixi Protector-General. This junior comes to visit Senior naturally for an important matter of state!”

  A normal person would have probably withdrawn in defeat, but Wang Chong faintly smiled and bowed, no impatience on his expression.

  “Kid, you don’t need to list your titles to me. This old man knows who you are.”

  The mention of matters of state finally had the elder raising his head, his expression slightly relaxing. But his body still thickly exuded an aura of unfriendliness.

  “If you want to discuss matters of state, you should go to Taihe Palace and talk with the martial and civil officials of the court, not run over here to talk with this rotten old man.”

  “Thus, Senior is not denying your identity? If you were really not the retired Grand Commandant, you should have said that you knew nothing about me and not mentioned Taihe Palace.”

  Wang Chong unexpectedly smiled at these worlds. The elder’s reaction and his answer had exposed the truth.

  The azure-robed elder, or to be more precise, the retired Grand Commandant, momentarily froze. He had clearly not expected this answer from Wang Chong.

  “King of Foreign Lands, it’s best to not waste your time. This old man knows that you are quick-witted, but that’s pointless here. I retired from the court several decades ago and ceased to concern myself with politics. I have never made a single exception, and no matter what you ask of me, you will only go back in disappointment,” the Grand Commandant sternly said.

  This young man had clearly come prepared and investigated everything thoroughly, so there was no point in denial. But Wang Chong’s tricks were all useless to the retired Grand Commandant.

  All those of advanced age in the court understood what kind of person he was. He had a straightforward personality; he liked what he liked and hated what he hated. If he was willing, he was willing, but when he was unwilling, no one could change his mind. The reason he hadn’t driven Wang Chong away immediately like all the others and had eve
n conversed with him was that he knew a little about Wang Chong, knew that this young man had many worries on his mind and wasn’t concentrated on personal gain.

  But that was the extent of his favor.

  “It’s best if you quickly leave!”

  The retired Grand Commandant gestured farewell, his voice chilling.

  Wang Chong’s smile faded as he sternly said, “If Senior is not willing to intervene, then Wang Chong will not force it, but if I said that the entire capital was about to run over with blood, and that the matter this junior came for was also related to this, would Senior still find this matter meaningless?” He stared at the retired Grand Commandant.

  The Grand Commandant had been intent on repelling Wang Chong and having him quickly leave, but when Wang Chong said those words, he could see the Grand Commandant’s fingers on his wine cup faintly tremble.

  He had been focused on his meal at first, not even looking at Wang Chong while he spoke, but now, the Grand Commandant finally couldn’t help but turn his head.

  “Kid, just what are you saying? The capital is the pivot of the Great Tang, so how could you say that it would run over with blood? If you don’t speak clearly, this old man might just turn around and submit a memorial of reprimand to the court!” the retired Grand Commandant grimly said.

  Seeing this, Wang Chong was able to slightly relax. The Grand Commandant had been retired for many years and became unreasonable whenever something involved court matters. If even this was not able to move him, then he truly was impossible to persuade.

  But if the Grand Commandant was so committed to his retirement that such a major incident left him unperturbed, then Wang Chong had probably been looking for the wrong person anyway.

  “This junior is not exaggerating. Ordinary matters naturally would not affect the capital, but what if it was a matter of the inner court, if the arrogant young dragon opened its eyes and wished to replace the True Dragon?” Wang Chong said.

  Bang!

  The retired Grand Commandant trembled all over as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt, and his expression completely transformed.

  “Bastard! Do you know what you’re saying?! And is this the place to talk about such things?” the Grand Commandant sternly said.

  Although Wang Chong had spoken vaguely, the information he had divulged was enough to shock anyone. ‘The young dragon opens its eyes and wishes to replace the True Dragon’ clearly conveyed that there was a Prince in the Imperial Palace that wished to start a rebellion and kill his father. This was far more serious than anything that could take place between the Princes, and its effects were so vast that anyone would pale at the mention of it.

  For dynasty after dynasty, countless people had lost their heads for getting involved in such matters.

  “Senior, this junior is not lying. Without firm evidence, this junior would have never said such a thing. In addition… there is no need for Senior to worry. This junior has already used a secret art to seal off the surroundings. No one will be able to hear our conversation,” Wang Chong said.

  A treasonous Prince attempting rebellion was far too grave of a crime, and this was not a matter that could be discussed in public. But Wang Chong had a meticulous control over energy and could control the energy in the air. Before the two had even begun to talk, Wang Chong had controlled the surrounding energy into sealing off the surrounding space so that no one else could hear them talking.

  The Grand Commandant’s expression slightly relaxed, but it was still in a rather nasty scowl.

  “Sit down and speak!”

  The Grand Commandant pointed at the seat across from him.

  “If this old man finds out that you’re lying, then even if you’re Jiuling’s grandson and the Sage Emperor’s disciple, this old man won’t forgive you,” the Grand Commandant grimly said, staring at Wang Chong.

  “Venerable Grand Commandant only needs to look at these things to know if this junior is lying or not.”

  As Wang Chong spoke, he took out several prepared objects. One of these was a letter, and another was a silk scarf. When the Grand Commandant saw the bloodstained scarf, he looked in slight confusion at Wang Chong.

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  “It belonged to Eunuch Gao, Gao Lishi!” Wang Chong sternly said, and the Grand Commandant instantly paled.

  ……

  Upon emerging from Zhiyi Restaurant, Wang Chong let out a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had come prepared. Given the capabilities of the retired Grand Commandant, he would naturally be able to investigate and learn whether or not Gao Lishi had gotten into trouble. And if Gao Lishi was in trouble, there was clearly a problem.

  As for the letter, it was a secret correspondence between the First Prince and a titled general stationed on the border that Wang Chong had managed to obtain with great difficulty. Although it was not damning evidence, the terms used in the letter were extremely taboo. The Grand Commandant was experienced enough that Wang Chong was sure that he understood what they meant.

  With these two objects, Wang Chong didn’t need to explain too much in detail.

  Wang Chong boarded his carriage and left Zhiyi Restaurant.

  His next endeavor would be even more important than his meeting with Gao Xianzhi or the retired Grand Commandant.

  Chapter 1673 - Meng Tu!

  Chapter 1673: Meng Tu!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The carriage quickly returned to the King of Foreign Lands Residence, whereupon Wang Chong returned to the main hall without alarming anyone. He unrolled a sheet of white paper, took up his brush, and began to write.

  Time slowly passed as Wang Chong continued to write, a process that lasted for more than an hour.

  Wang Chong put down his brush and called outside, “Zhang Que, come in.”

  A few moments later, Zhang Que respectfully walked in. “Your Highness!”

  “I have an important task for you!”

  Wang Chong pointed at the paper densely covered in brush strokes on the desk.

  Zhang Que instinctively looked down and immediately froze.

  The paper on Wang Chong’s desk was covered in names. Zhang Que had some vague recollection of some of the names, but he was still bewildered as to why they had all been written down.

  “Your Highness?”

  Zhang Que turned his mystified gaze to Wang Chong.

  “These are all officials in the Three Departments and Six Bureaus, and a few people outside the court. I need you to investigate all of them, and when the time is right, I’ll give you further orders. No matter what, you must keep these people safe,” Wang Chong said, a profound look in his eyes.

  ‘The War of the Princes’, ‘Discord in the Court’—such things were commonplace throughout the successive dynasties, but with the calamity imminent, the Great Tang simply couldn’t endure internal strife at this time.

  While stopping the First Prince was important, it was even more important for Wang Chong that he save the elites of the Great Tang from being caught up in the Rebellion of the Three Princes.

  The names Wang Chong had written out on the paper were all extremely important talents. While some of them may not have had high status, being almost completely unknown to the common folk of the capital, they were like screws in a massive machine. Every single one was irreplaceable.

  For example, State Farm Office Secretary Luo Wen was just a minor rank-seven official, as tiny as a sesame seed in a place with so many high officials like the capital. But when the State Farm Office Secretary died in the Rebellion of the Three Princes, the State Farm Office fell into complete disarray, and there was no one capable of handling the massive piles of documents coming in from the commanderies and prefectures, nor was there anyone responsible for overseeing the planting and harvesting taking place across the four seasons.

  It was only when everything was in complete disarray that everyone suddenly realized that the minor off
icial who had been an obscure secretary in the State Farm Office for ten-some years had possessed a rare talent. He had been able to process all those documents in an orderly manner and coordinate everything so that all the orders were clearly delivered, thus allowing the Great Tang’s vitality to thrive.

  But purely because he had opposed the First Prince in the Rebellion of the Three Princes, he had been killed.

  There was also Zhang Ce, Wang Shijie, and Wu Guangda of the Bureau of Personnel’s Office of Evaluations. When the three of them died, it became known that the employees of the Office of Evaluations had called them the ‘Three Worthies of the Bureau of Personnel’. It was only after a long time that people realized just how effective these three officials of rather low rank had been.

  They had developed a rigorous method of evaluating the achievements of local officials and selecting talented individuals, allowing dusty pearls to shine.

  These three had also been caught up in that unprecedented strife and killed.

  After they were dead, the Imperial Court attempted to implement their methods in the hopes of screening and selecting talented officials who could keep this massive empire running. But the final result was not what had been desired. Not only did they fail to select true talents, the local governments were thrown into disarray, causing the massive empire to slacken and judder like a rusty machine.

  There were many other talented individuals like this.

  When the Great Tang was operating properly, few paid these people mind, but when these people were gone and their positions vacant, everyone finally realized how rare and precious they had been.

  There were thousands of such people in the Great Tang, and Wang Chong could only do his best to remember all he could. But the names on this list were only a trifling minority of the true loss of talent suffered by the Great Tang.

  Far, far too many people would be caught up in this internecine strife!

  Zhang Que quickly left with the list of names.

  Wang Chong had not given much detail, and just investigating the names would take some time, but Wang Chong was confident that Zhang Que was capable of investigating and properly handling all these people.