The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “I’ve already gathered all the doctors in the army and purchased large quantities of medicine. All these should have arrived already. In addition, Zhang Zheng’s head should be delivered to the Fifth Prince in the palace as I previously ordered!” Wang Chong said.

  Zhang Zheng was one of the main culprits behind the Rebellion of the Three Princes. Wang Chong was already a King and could rise no higher, so Zhang Zheng would provide him no boon. In contrast, Li Heng was in dire need of battlefield achievement.

  Wang Chong gave out another set of orders, and everyone quickly dispersed, leaving Wang Chong by himself.

  After some time, a Golden Guard rushed into the room and got down on one knee. “Reporting! Your Highness, the Fifth Prince has arrived!”

  “There’s no need. I already said that I could announce myself.” A voice came from behind the guard, and the Fifth Prince soon walked in, accompanied by Li Jingzhong.

  “You’re here,” Wang Chong indifferently said, apparently having expected Li Heng’s visit.

  “You’re dismissed!”

  Wang Chong gestured at the Golden Guard, and the man quickly turned around and left.

  Li Heng quickly realized something and asked, “You were waiting?”

  Wang Chong smiled.

  “Given what happened last night, I would find it far stranger if you didn’t have any questions to ask me.”

  Besides the Sage Emperor and Wang Chong, Li Heng had been one of Li Ying’s top targets in the Rebellion of the Three Princes. And while Wang Chong had planned out the night’s events, only a scant few knew the entire plan.

  As one of the participants, Li Heng inevitably would have many questions, and it was only natural that he was impatient to learn the truth.

  Li Heng smiled and walked over.

  “You played a part in Imperial Father’s awakening, right?” Li Heng anxiously said. As he spoke, Li Jingzhong stared at Wang Chong.

  In this coup, the most critical factor was unquestionably the Sage Emperor’s condition. The Sage Emperor’s attack had left everyone awed, and at that moment, First Prince Li Ying had been totally defeated.

  Even though many people believed that the Sage Emperor was uninjured and that all of this had been a trap, Li Heng sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed. If the First Prince had not been sure that the Sage Emperor was ill and confused, he would have never had the guts to start a rebellion.

  Li Heng’s intuition told him that his father could have been so energetic because Wang Chong was involved.

  When it came to the truth of this matter, only the Sage Emperor and Wang Chong knew what was going on.

  Wang Chong smiled at their expectant gazes and satisfied their curiosity. “Heh, I played a small role, but in the end, it depended mostly on the Sage Emperor himself!”

  “As expected!”

  The two were elated to hear this.

  “But how did you manage to do it? I know that you used a disguising art on Young Master Qingyang, but Taiji Palace was heavily guarded, with First Imperial Brother’s soldiers completely surrounding it. And before that, neither I nor any official could meet with Imperial Father no matter how hard we tried.

  “Moreover, the area within one thousand feet of Taiji Palace is controlled entirely by Imperial Father’s soldiers. Those Dragon Guards and True Dragon Sentinels are all powerful and emotionless. Not even when First Imperial Brother was the regent was he allowed to approach, much less anyone else. How did you manage to get in? And without a single person noticing?” Li Heng said in disbelief.

  When he arrived at the Imperial Palace and saw Wang Chong exiting Taiji Palace, he had been stunned, and this question had been lingering in his mind this entire time.

  Taiji Palace was the residence of the Sage Emperor and was the most heavily guarded place in the realm. If Wang Chong had tried to force his way in, the First Prince would have immediately noticed, but it was now obvious that he had gotten in without anyone from the Eastern Palace noticing.

  Just how Wang Chong had managed to get in was still an inexplicable riddle.

  Wang Chong smiled as he glanced around the hall. Li Heng probably wasn’t the only one with this question. Everyone, even the imprisoned First Prince, was probably just as confused.

  “Heh, it’s actually not as difficult as you imagine. It’s really no secret. I just walked in,” Wang Chong indifferently said.

  “Impossible!” Li Jingzhong blurted out before Li Heng could speak. If it had really been that simple, Li Heng would have walked into Taiji Palace long ago.

  “In this identity, I naturally can’t, but if I were Eunuch Gao, then things are different.”

  Wang Chong faintly smiled.

  “Eunuch Gao?”

  The master and servant both froze in shock, but suddenly, they had a flash of insight. Li Heng shivered in understanding.

  “You… Wang Chong… you mean to say that you disguised yourself as Eunuch Gao and got through the Dragon Guards and True Dragon Sentinels?”

  Upon seeing Wang Chong nod, Li Heng felt like a storm had erupted in his mind.

  Chapter 1799 - : Reinstatement of Office!

  Chapter 1799: Reinstatement of Office!Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Really, really… to think it would be like this…!”

  Li Heng had imagined many answers before his meeting with Wang Chong, but not this one. He had never expected the answer to be so simple. In order to get close to the Sage Emperor, both he and the First Prince had tried many methods, but all of them had failed.

  The Dragon Guards were callous and strong, allowing no one to approach. Their existence was an impregnable fortress that no one could trick their way past.

  Not even the Sage Emperor’s beloved Consort Taizhen could get in, much less anyone else.

  Thus, everyone subconsciously believed that Taiji Palace was unapproachable, including the First Prince.

  But they had all forgotten that while Consort Taizhen might not have been permitted to approach, one person was. That person was Eunuch Gao, who had seemingly vanished. As the Eunuch Director of the Inner Court and the Sage Emperor’s trusted aide, Eunuch Gao had a completely different status.

  Eunuch Gao was the Sage Emperor’s shadow and representative. The Dragon Guards and True Dragon Sentinels might have been duty-bound to refuse Consort Taizhen, but they all knew Eunuch Gao and would not stop him. This was the only way to get inside Taiji Palace.

  As for the Eastern Palace guards around them, they were somewhat more problematic. But given Wang Chong’s strength, it was entirely possible to get past them in the middle of the night. And it was also possible that Wang Chong had disguised himself as an Imperial Army soldier and mixed in with the crowd.

  As these thoughts occurred to Li Heng, he examined Wang Chong’s calm and relaxed face, and felt sincere admiration.

  All of this was easier said than done. The situation at the time had been fraught with tension, and Wang Chong had been carrying an immense pressure on his shoulders, the fate of the empire depending on his choices. Any normal person would have been completely crushed, but Wang Chong had remained cold and collected. He had Young Master Qingyang draw the attention of Hou Junji and the Eastern Palace, taking care of all the numerous details and overseeing the overall situation, while he himself infiltrated Taiji Palace.

  The slightest error would have made all his efforts for naught.

  The entire matter was definitely not as simple as he made it out to be.

  But Wang Chong had still managed to do it. Everything taking place within and without the Imperial Palace, including Hou Junji and the Eastern Palace, had all been within his calculations.

  “Right—what has the Imperial Court said?” Wang Chong asked.

  Wang Chong had an entirely different concern on his mind. The Rebellion of the Three Princes had been smoothly brought to an end, so it was now time to see how the court responded.

  “The officials of
the court were given a bad fright, so they’ve all gone back to their homes to rest. No one expected this rebellion, so they will need some time to discuss how to handle the aftermath.”

  Upon hearing Wang Chong’s question, the Fifth Prince refocused himself.

  “Right—before leaving, Imperial Father issued an order moving me from Jinyang Palace to Jade Dragon Palace.”

  A hint of joy gleamed in Li Heng’s eyes.

  “Congratulations, Your Highness!”

  Wang Chong was also elated, though he had already had a vague inkling that this would happen. After this rebellion, the First Prince, Second Prince, and Third Prince would all be marginalized and lose any right to the throne. At the very least, none of those officials who had been imprisoned in Taihe Palace would agree. As for the Fourth Prince, the Xueyang Palace incident had already caused him to fall out of contention.

  Thus, Fifth Prince Li Heng was now the natural successor. In handing him the authority to deal with the remaining rebels, the Sage Emperor had indicated as such. Moreover, with the First Prince removed, the Eastern Palace was empty. While the Sage Emperor had yet to move Li Heng into the Eastern Palace or name him the Crown Prince, the move to Jade Dragon Palace was evidence enough of his stance.

  Jade Dragon Palace was much closer to Taiji Palace than Jinyang Palace. More importantly, while Jade Dragon Palace was not a very highly ranked palace, it was the Sage Emperor’s residence when he had still been Prince of Chu. By moving Li Heng there, the Sage Emperor was exhibiting his high favor.

  “The Rebellion of the Three Princes has formally concluded. Congratulations to user for pacifying the rebellion. For removing this potential disaster, user has been rewarded with 300,000 points of Destiny Energy. In addition, for the immense progress achieved in the True Dragon mission, user has been rewarded an additional 200,000 points of Destiny Energy!”

  The familiar voice of the Stone of Destiny suddenly resounded in Wang Chong’s mind.

  Wang Chong smiled at this news. Li Heng spent a little longer in Wang Chong’s residence, discussing a few more things, and then took his leave. After sending Li Heng off, Wang Chong felt drowsiness coming over him. While he seemed relaxed, predicting the actions of Hou Junji and the Eastern Palace alone had drained him.

  Now that everything was settled, Wang Chong felt exhaustion overcoming him. But just when Wang Chong was about to go to his room to rest, another figure rushed in, accompanied by a light breeze.

  “Haha, congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations! Good news! Wonderful news!”

  The voice loudly announced his guest’s arrival, and a few moments later, the door opened, allowing a silk-robed figure holding a horsetail whisk to come in, a joyful look on his face.

  “Bian Lingcheng?!”

  Wang Chong was startled to see this most unexpected visitor.

  “This lowly one pays respects to His Highness!”

  Bian Lingcheng turned serious and respectfully bowed, his bow deeper than any time before.

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” Wang Chong said.

  In the original course of history, Bian Lingcheng had caused Gao Xianzhi’s death, and he himself had not met a very good end either. He had been a properly treacherous official back then, but in this life, due to Wang Chong’s interference, Bian Lingcheng had changed a lot. In the Rebellion of the Three Princes, he had played a significant role as a relayer of information.

  For this reason, Wang Chong had few objections toward the current man.

  “Heh, this lowly one has come to inform Your Highness of the good news. Not too long ago, His Highness Li Heng, Lord Zhangchou, and even the Lord Prime Minister and General Abusi all proposed to His Majesty that Your Highness should be richly rewarded, as should the soldiers under your command. His Majesty agreed, ordering the Prime Minister, Grand Tutor, and Grand Preceptor to draft a decree reinstating Your Highness as an Advisor-in-Waiting and Qixi Protector-General!

  “This news will be officially announced in a few days!” Bian Lingcheng excitedly said to Wang Chong.

  While Bian Lingcheng had initially been forced into obeying Wang Chong, by now, he was Wang Chong’s loyal servant. Wang Chong already enjoyed the Sage Emperor’s favor as the King of Foreign Lands, the first King of a different surname in the Great Tang’s history. And now, Wang Chong had added the feat of saving the emperor to his list of achievements. There was no one in the realm who could touch his status.

  “Ah!”

  Wang Chong was struck dumb. He had expected that the Imperial Court would reward him, but not that it would come so quickly. Although the post of Qixi Protector-General seemed like a return to his original position, it was also a position of actual power. After all, Wang Chong had already reached the height of the nobility and could not receive any more titles.

  In normal circumstances, he would just get an empty title. For him to receive a position of real power was an expression of immense favor!

  The Sage Emperor’s immense favor!

  And this reward came even faster than Bian Lingcheng had expected. Just one day later, countless messenger birds took flight from the capital, proclaiming the news that Wang Chong had been formally reinstated as Qixi’s Protector-General by the Imperial Court to all the empires of the continent.

  The Great Tang was the strongest country on the continent, and Wang Chong was its most illustrious young War God. Thus, Wang Chong and the coup in the capital had been watched by an unimaginably vast crowd!

  ……

  In the massive tent on the peak of the Western Turks’ Mount Sanmi, Ishbara Khagan sat cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed. He was in the middle of cultivation, the white wisps of steam rising from his head congealing into white snakes that circled around his body.

  “Reporting!”

  Suddenly, one of his elite guards rushed inside.

  Ishbara Khagan’s expression darkened as he harshly rebuked, “What’s going on? Can’t you restrain yourself even a little!?”

  The guard got down on one knee and respectfully said, “Your Majesty, news from the Great Tang’s capital! It’s regarding the Great Tang’s First Prince, Li Ying!”

  Buzz!

  The mention of Li Ying’s name made Ishbara Khagan grimace, and the mood in the tent shifted.

  “Read it!”

  A domineering voice rumbled. The speaker was not Ishbara Khagan, but that divine, golden-armored figure standing behind him.

  Wunu Shibi!

  This Solar Great General of the Western Turkic Khaganate was similar in status to Ü-Tsang’s King of Great Generals, We Tadra Khonglo.

  This was the only man in the entire Khaganate who could possibly interrupt Ishbara Khagan and not provoke his rebuke.

  “Yes!”

  The guard hesitated for a moment, and then he began to read.

  “The spy in the Great Tang’s capital reports that Li Ying launched his rebellion last night, leading the one hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army in attacking Taiji Palace. But he was stopped by King of Foreign Lands Wang Chong, and the coup failed. The Sage Emperor has imprisoned Li Ying in the Imperial Clan Court!

  “In addition, the King of Foreign Lands has been reinstated as Qixi’s Protector-General!”

  Buzz!

  The two hegemons of the Western Turks instantly grimaced, particularly Ishbara Khagan. His face twisted in rage.

  “Bastard! Him again!”

  Ishbara Khagan’s fingers clenched, making his joints crack and the veins on the back of his hand bulge.

  Chapter 1800 - Strange Movements!

  Chapter 1800: Strange Movements!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Ishbara Khagan and the First Prince had not interacted very much, but while Li Ying ruled, the Western Turkic Khaganate’s relationship with the Great Tang had reached its most amicable level.

  More importantly, the Great Tang was simply too strong, so much so that the Western Turks, Eastern Turk
s, Goguryeo, and the Ü-Tsang Empire had all joined together in a sort of alliance. They had also become almost secret allies with the First Prince of the Great Tang.

  Dalon Trinling had long ago said that the First Prince taking the throne of the Great Tang would be the best outcome for all the other countries.

  But this was not what made Ishbara Khagan fearful and angry. What did, however, was the mention once more of that name: Wang Chong!

  Li Ying’s coup could have failed because of anyone else, and none of them would have made him more furious than Wang Chong.

  Ishbara Khagan would never forget Wang Chong’s brazen threat, that letter that had made him the laughingstock of all the other countries. And now, that man had once more ruined a good thing for the Western Turkic Khaganate.

  In Ishbara Khagan’s heart, Wang Chong had already topped the list of the people he wanted to kill.

  “To think that he would fail after all that…! This is a problem!”

  Behind him, Wunu Shibi couldn’t help but turn grim upon hearing this news.

  “The Great Tang’s fighting power is far greater than ours, and we had been relying on First Prince Li Ying and the Confucian Sect to suppress them. This was how we managed to halve the Great Tang’s armies, but now that Li Ying’s coup has failed, the militarists of the Great Tang wil once more have the upper hand!

  “Even worse is that Wang Chong was one of the primary leaders of the Great Tang’s war faction. He played a major role in ending this coup and had already been reinstated as Qixi’s Protector-General. Now that he once more wields actual power, his prestige and power are certain to be even greater than before. We might not be able to suppress him any longer!”

  Wunu Shibi’s eyes were brimming with concern.

  Wunu Shibi feared no opponent, but that young King of the Great Tang was an exception.

  He had closely studied this man’s past battles, and the intelligence and stratagems he had seen terrified him. Wunu Shibi had simulated these battles numerous times, and if he had been in Wang Chong’s position, even if all the infantry of the Great Tang had been exchanged for Western Turkic cavalry, he would still not have been able to reach that terrifying level.