The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Whoosh! The dark figures were dispelled, and Wang Chong returned to his throne.

  He opened his eyes and called out, “Come in!”

  Creeeeak!

  The door opened a crack, and as the sunlight peeped in, a long shadow was cast on the floor.

  “The subordinate pays respect to the master!” said a dull and lifeless voice. Four or five steps away, a muscular figure wearing a black robe and a cold iron mask bowed to Wang Chong.

  The moment this man appeared, the entire hall seemed to descend into an icy hell.

  Jiange Governor Zhang Qiantuo!

  Or perhaps it was better to call him ‘the faceless man’.

  Ever since he had put on the iron mask and sworn an oath to spend the rest of his life seeking out the men in black, the faceless man had disappeared from the public eye and had followed Wang Chong in the shadows.

  Wang Chong had never limited his movements, nor did he make him recklessly reveal himself. In all of those major incidents and wars, whether it was the militarist-Confucian conflict or the war of the northwest, the faceless man had never appeared.

  The faceless man existed solely to hunt down the men in black. He had nothing to do with anything else.

  Wang Chong had never asked anything of the faceless man. On the contrary, Wang Chong had bestowed upon him many arts, resources, pills, and even ritual tools. He gave him everything he could, even the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art!

  This was the sole exception Wang Chong had ever made!

  The faceless man had already abandoned everything: authority, reputation, wealth, status, even his own identity and past. From a certain perspective, he was already a dead man.

  The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art was a supreme evil art that would have been a disaster for the world in the hands of others. But Wang Chong knew that the faceless man would never do anything of the sort with it.

  In addition, only the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art could help him advance as quickly as possible, giving him the ability to deal with and track the men in black, the Celestial God Organization.

  Wang Chong scanned the faceless man and instantly judged his progress. “Not bad! You’ve already reached eighty percent maturity with your Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, and seventy percent with the Greater Void Step. With these two, you have the ability to survive against the Celestial God Organization!”

  The faceless man had not wasted all the resources and arts Wang Chong had given him. He was currently at eighty percent of Wang Chong’s current cultivation level.

  “But you were in too much of a rush, leaving behind many internal injuries. These will have a major effect on you in the future,” Wang Chong said.

  The faceless man’s strength was abnormal. Even with the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, this progress was too fast. Wang Chong could sense that the faceless man had used some extreme methods to cultivate, completely ignoring the consequences, and his cultivation had already begun to go off course.

  “I’m already a dead man. What does it matter what internal injuries I have or how long I can live? As long as I can seize those men and take revenge, it’s all worth it!” the faceless man said, his voice cold and emotionless. It was like he was talking about someone else.

  Wang Chong fell silent. He knew that his words alone would not be enough to convince the man.

  Bang!

  Saying no more, Wang Chong unleashed his Trayastrimsa Heaven, the dazzling golden pavilion exuding boundless mystery.

  A flood of Origin Immortal Stellar Energy rushed through the air and rumbled into the faceless man’s body.

  Chapter 1935 - The Faceless Man's Mission!

  Chapter 1935: The Faceless Man’s Mission!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Wang Chong withdrew his wrist, and the Origin Immortal Stellar Energy flowed back into his body.

  “I’ve done my best to treat your internal injuries, but this method can’t go on for too long. After eight times at most, your body won’t be able to hold on and will completely collapse,” Wang Chong sternly said.

  The faceless man, Zhang Qiantuo, had begun cultivating far too late. In his teens, he had failed to reach a very high level, and it was only in his forties that he had begun to learn those supreme arts.

  This age gap was something that the faceless man could not make up for, no matter what he did.

  The faceless man straightened his back and coldly said, “This faceless man is unimportant. Master does not need to worry. Master must tell me why you summoned me!”

  “Mm!”

  After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong began to speak.

  “I have a mission for you. I hope that this object can help you find some clues.”

  As Wang Chong spoke, he opened his hand. Pop! A secret compartment behind him opened, and a large metal sphere flew through the air and floated in front of him. This was none other than the control core left behind by the Landeshunger beneath Hamuhad.

  “What mission?”

  Surprisingly, the faceless man did not immediately agree, nor did he take the sphere. He stood his ground, motionless.

  “If Master’s mission is to deal with the Eastern or Western Turkic Khaganates or some particular person, please forgive the faceless man for not accepting the request. I remember Master saying that I lived for only one goal, and that anything that did not have to do with those men was no business of mine!”

  Xu Keyi and the other subordinates would have been shocked to hear this. No member of the King of Foreign Lands Residence dared to speak to Wang Chong this way, and this wasn’t even considering that Wang Chong had saved the faceless man’s life.

  But on his throne, Wang Chong simply nodded.

  He keenly understood that the faceless man was not being disrespectful. This was simply his personality.

  “Relax. This mission has to do with finding those people.”

  As Wang Chong spoke, he raised his right index finger and lightly prodded the metal sphere. Clack! The metal sphere separated into four pieces, revealing a square box the size of a fist.

  With another prod, he pressed a hidden button on the box. The box opened, revealing an even smaller metal sphere.

  This metal sphere was pitch-black, covered in mysterious carvings.

  The hall fell quiet. Even the faceless man couldn’t help but stare at this small metal sphere.

  Given the many layers under which this sphere had been hidden, the faceless man sensed that there was something special about it.

  “Take this metal sphere with you. It will guide you toward some items. When you find those items, you will be able to find the men in black. But remember, no matter what, you are not to fight them. Once you find their location, immediately report back to me. You are to do nothing else,” Wang Chong sternly said as he tossed the sphere over to the faceless man.

  “Understood!”

  The faceless man immediately took the metal sphere and vanished, leaving behind no trace of his existence in the hall.

  Wang Chong was left alone in the hall.

  He stood next to his throne, his eyes in pensive thought.

  Wang Chong’s greatest harvest from the Hamuhad well was not the Ifrit King seed, nor was it the golden seed’s new ability. Instead, it was the black sphere left behind by the Landeshunger.

  This was the second and final message left behind by the Landeshunger.

  “…One from the future, if you can hear these words, you must remember that the otherworldly invaders must open six bases in order to enter the world of humans. These six bases also serve as their entry points.

  “The object hidden in the metal sphere is the culmination of all our research on the otherworldly invaders, created at great price. In a certain range, it can sense the existence of the six bases. In the future, it will undoubtedly be of assistance to your world, allowing you to discover the clues beforehand and avoid the destiny of our world!”

  Wang
Chong once more recalled that voice of the Landeshunger left behind in the metal sphere.

  “No matter what, no matter the cost, I will not let you succeed!” Wang Chong muttered, looking up at the roof. He flipped his palm over, revealing a glassy black crystal as large as his palm. But in the blink of an eye, Wang Chong put it away.

  The black crystal had also been left behind by the Landeshunger, but it was not time for it to appear yet.

  “Reporting!”

  Rapid footsteps came from outside. Those footsteps stopped in front of the door, and then one of his guards bowed and called from outside.

  “Your Highness, Chamberlain of Palace Revenues Yang Zhao requests an audience!”

  “Oh?”

  Wang Chong raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  Ever since Yang Zhao had become Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, he was no longer a free man. There was no such thing as a minor affair when it came to finance, and he was so burdened with various affairs that he barely had any free time.

  Moreover, besides the problems of the gold yuan certificates and the various private money houses, he also had to deal with the five billion taels of gold and the assorted treasures Wang Chong had brought back from Arabia. These items needed to be sorted into the management of their respective offices, and Yang Zhao shouldn’t have had the free time to visit him.

  Wang Chong had also heard that Yang Zhao hadn’t even had the time to visit Consort Taizhen as of late. How could he have the time to visit him?

  “Invite him in!”

  Despite his questions, Wang Chong still had him come in.

  Taptaptap!

  A few moments later, Yang Zhao arrived with crisp footsteps. Dressed in leisure clothes and wearing a scarf hat, he opened the door with a smile and strode in.

  “Hahaha, virtuous brother! My good virtuous brother! With your victory in the northwest, your big brother can walk around the capital with pride!”

  Yang Zhao cupped his hands and congratulated Wang Chong from a distance.

  “It is rare for Big Brother to honor me with a visit! Please, sit!”

  Wang Chong smiled and hastily rose to welcome him.

  In another timeline, his adopted brother was cursed by all. But in Wang Chong’s view, while this man might have had many poor habits, like his love of gambling and his laziness, he was no treacherous minister, nor had he ever terrorized the populace and acted like a despot. Moreover, even if he was a gambler, he was a good one, standing well above the rest of the crowd.

  In addition, Yang Zhao was exceptionally talented with numbers and was extremely responsible in his role as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues. He was doing a much better job than the previous Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, and the Tang treasury’s various offices were operating in a disciplined and orderly fashion, organizing the treasures without the slightest hint of disorder.

  Of course, privately, Yang Zhao was still showing small fits of greediness, even stealing some money from the treasury and placing it in private money houses to collect interest. Wang Chong knew about all of these things.

  But Yang Zhao never stepped out of line, and his embezzlement was restricted to a number so small that it was almost laughable to talk about. Wang Chong decided to just watch with one eye closed.

  As Lord Ban of the Eastern Han had said, water that was too pure had no fish. It was fine so long as the pros outweighed the cons.

  As the two seated themselves, the estate maids quickly served tea and snacks.

  “Big Brother, how is the matter of the gold yuan certificates proceeding?”Wang Chong asked, lightly sipping his tea.

  He remembered that Yang Zhao’s last visit had been to ask him for a solution for this vexing problem.

  “Heheh, with your assistance, the crisis of the gold yuan certificates was resolved long ago. Not only are the gold yuan certificates being used in the surrounding countries, Siam, the Xi, the Khitans, and even Greater and Lesser Balur are using them.

  “Your victory over Arabia in particular removed all impediments in the way of their uses. For the next step, I plan to have Khorasan and all the other western countries using gold yuan certificates! To have the entire continent use them!”

  Yang Zhao couldn’t help but waggle his brows as he spoke.

  His adopted brother was truly a genius, not just in war, but in economics too. One had to realize that he had thought of the idea of gold yuan certificates when he was only sixteen and in jail!

  As expected, while some people were talented, a rare few were kings of talent!

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but smile. To have the entire world use gold yuan certificates? His adopted brother truly had some unconventional ideas, but this was actually what Wang Chong had intended when he first made this proposal to the Sage Emperor.

  The goal with the gold yuan certificates was to have all the gold and wealth in the world enter the pockets of the Great Tang!

  There was truly no better person for the post of Chamberlain of Palace Revenues than his big brother Yang Zhao!

  “It’s not impossible for Big Brother to have gold yuan certificates being circulated through the world. Many countries are still suspicious of the gold yuan certificates and unwilling to use them because the gold yuan certificates don’t have enough backing them. The trustworthiness of the Great Tang was not enough. But now, things are different. We have the five billion taels from the Arabian Empire, and with the compensation we received previously, the Great Tang has a massive stockpile of gold. This gold can serve as the security for the gold yuan certificates.

  “Right now, what Big Brother needs to do is go on a shopping spree in the other countries, and you should inform the other countries that if they have gold yuan certificates, they can come to the Great Tang to exchange them for gold whenever they wish, that gold yuan certificates are gold, and we should also set up exchange stations at various border stations. Once the countries start to accept it, the gold yuan certificates will naturally begin to circulate throughout the world.

  “The other countries might not be able to accept gold yuan certificates, but that doesn’t mean they can’t accept gold. We just need to break down this barrier for the gold yuan certificates to become the true world currency!” Wang Chong sternly said.

  Chapter 1936 - Yang Zhao's Worries!

  Chapter 1936: Yang Zhao’s Worries!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  In another life, in another world, an empire across the ocean had relied on its immense military might and several tens of thousands of tons of gold to make its currency into the true world currency.The Great Tang currently had the strength to suppress all other contenders, as well as two hundred and fifty thousand tons of gold, even more than the gold reserves of that empire from Wang Chong’s memories. In every aspect, the Great Tang had the ability to issue a world currency!“A world currency…”Yang Zhao’s eyes immediately brightened at Wang Chong’s words.“Virtuous brother is right! Exactly right! A world currency, that’s what it is…”Yang Zhao began to mutter to himself.He had only wanted to have the gold yuan certificates circulating through the other countries, a sort of instinctive desire, but he was never sure what to call the thing the gold yuan certificates would become. When Wang Chong declared that it was a ‘world currency’, Yang Zhao felt like he had been enlightened.Wang Chong merely chuckled. He had his own reasons for helping Yang Zhao.With the calamity imminent, Yang Zhao probably did not have the time to push the gold yuan certificates on the entire world. But this could be considered an opportunity. In the future, it could serve as the foundation to establish a new world regime with the Great Tang at its center!The gold yuan certificates were just an opening, a prelude, setting the foundation for a new human world.Of course, Wang Chong kept all these thoughts buried deep in his heart.Wang Chong took a sip from his tea and suddenly broached a question, shooting a glance at Yang Zhao. “Right, Big Brother rarely visits, and Big Brother should be completely occupied with work as o
f late. Did something happen to make you find me?”Buzz!Yang Zhao remained calm, but he couldn’t suppress a slight tremble. Wang Chong knew instantly that this sense had been right.He could tell from the moment Yang Zhao came in that his mind was heavily burdened. While he might have appeared all smiles, his brow was slightly creased the entire time. He had clearly come with a problem.After a few moments of hesitation, Yang Zhao decided to come clean, knowing that it was impossible to keep anything hidden from Wang Chong.“Haaa, virtuous brother, you’re truly sharp, your eyes like a bright mirror. Your foolish brother can’t hide anything from you.“Your foolish brother truly did come with a request.”Yang Zhao’s face turned sorrowful as he took up his tea and took a sip.Wang Chong was rather shocked that Yang Zhao was being so frank.“The world is at peace and the Great Tang is at the height of its power. Big Brother is also performing well as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, with the treasury much larger than it was in the past. I’ve heard of all these things, so what could trouble Big Brother so?” Wang Chong curiously asked.Yang Zhao’s reaction implied that it was no minor affair, but the Three Princes had been pacified, King Qi had been deposed, Arabia had been conquered, and Yang Zhao was one of the Sage Emperor’s favorites and had Consort Taizhen’s support. There was basically no one in society who could oppose him, and he should have been able to sleep without any worries. What sort of matter could make him so uneasy?Yang Zhao sighed and mournfully said, “This… I’m afraid that I won’t be able to remain as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues for very long.”“How could this be?!”Wang Chong raised an eyebrow in surprise.While Yang Zhao had not been very cautious before their first meeting, ever since he had entered the palace, he had become an illustrious minister without any problems. Was it a war in the harem? Or had the Emperor found out about the gambling ring Yang Zhao had formed with the palace maids and eunuchs?Or was it that someone had reported him for placing small amounts of money in private money houses to be loaned out?“No, it has nothing to do with those things!”Yang Zhao immediately knew what Wang Chong was thinking from his expression and hastily shook his head.“It would be fine if that were really the case. At least I would understand why I had to ‘die’.”Wang Chong frowned and said, “You’re saying it’s about the Sage Emperor… What in the world happened?”He had been campaigning abroad for around six months. The Great Tang should have been at peace this entire time. Had there been an incident during this time period that he didn’t know about?And what did he mean by ‘understand why I had to die’?What was Yang Zhao trying to say?Wang Chong felt somewhat like his head was in a fog.“Haaa, this matter… I also don’t know quite how to talk about it.”Yang Zhao sorrowfully continued, hiding nothing from his wise and intelligent adopted brother. In truth, he had come here in the hopes of getting some advice from Wang Chong.“I’ve been Chamberlain of Palace Revenues for around two years, and I think I’ve done a fine job. While I’ve had a few small mess-ups here and there, I’ve always done well on major problems. Virtuous brother, you’ve seen all of this, and His Majesty has never said anything to me. But over the last few months, something has gone strange.”It really does have to do with His Majesty.Wang Chong frowned, but he did not interrupt Yang Zhao.“…In the past, His Majesty never had anything to say about my performance as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues. But over the last few months, everything suddenly changed. Once, without any warning, His Majesty began asking me about the Great Tang’s treasury. This sort of thing never happened before.”Yang Zhao was almost talking to himself, failing to notice the change in expression on Wang Chong’s face.“I thought that His Majesty was only taking a momentary interest, so I didn’t pay the incident much mind, but things got stranger after that. His Majesty asked me several more times in front of the entire court.”Wang Chong was shaken by these words. To question Yang Zhao about the treasury in front of the Imperial Court could be taken as an expression of distrust. It was no wonder Yang Zhao was uneasy.“Perhaps you’re overthinking things. Just because His Majesty rarely asks doesn’t mean he never will ask. Moreover, war is an extremely expensive endeavor. I also happened to find the Arabian treasury, so His Majesty might have had a sudden impulse about his own treasury. It can’t be taken as a sign of anything,” Wang Chong said.“That’s not it at all! These incidents happened before you found the Arabian treasury. In addition, several months ago, without any warning, informing no one beforehand, His Majesty suddenly appeared at my estate and ordered me to open the treasury so he could inspect the gold and silver within.“Virtuous brother, you know that the sovereign keeps himself far away from the kitchen, and no sovereign in the history of the Great Tang has ever entered the treasury to personally inspect it. Though I was alarmed, I could not defy the imperial decree, so I could only open the treasury and bring His Majesty inside.“But after barely taking a few steps inside, His Majesty suddenly changed his mind and left. I was left alone, clueless as to what had transpired.”As Yang Zhao spoke, his brow creased more and more.“Once could just be an accident, but in those few months, it happened three times. His Majesty asked me three times to open the treasury, but each time, he would change his mind halfway and leave.“Virtuous brother, you’re smarter than I am. Tell me: is His Majesty dissatisfied with me and planning to remove me from my post as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues?”Wang Chong said nothing. He had a vague idea, but he couldn’t quite pin it down yet.Yang Zhao viewed his position as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues with great importance. It was only reasonable for him to feel uneasy after all these incidents.But for some reason, Wang Chong felt that the matter wasn’t so simple.“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that His Majesty is dissatisfied with you. You’ve done well as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, and there’s no one else in court who could do better than you. In addition, I haven’t heard any rumors of this nature. His Majesty has always utilized the talents beneath him well. He would not remove you for no reason,” Wang Chong comforted.“Virtuous brother, this isn’t because I’m being overly sensitive and frightening myself with wild speculations. I wouldn’t immediately believe that His Majesty was dissatisfied with me just because of that. But you also know how much His Majesty favors Consort Taizhen. He once opposed the entire court just for her. However, it was one thing before the Rebellion of the Three Princes, when His Majesty had retreated behind the curtain. Yet despite His Majesty personally presiding over the court, barring a few visits at the start, His Majesty has not gone to see Consort Taizhen in the last few months.“In fact, I heard from a few old eunuchs in the servant quarter that once, His Majesty’s carriage was heading toward Yuzhen Palace when he suddenly changed his mind and returned to Taiji Palace.“Virtuous brother, I’m not hiding anything from you. Everyone in court knows how your big brother got the position of Chamberlain of Palace Revenues. I got here thanks to my family relations, solely because Her Majesty is favored by His Majesty. But nothing is eternal, and men adore the new and dislike the old, even more so with sovereigns. Do you think His Majesty has grown tired of Her Majesty?” Yang Zhao worriedly said, looking hopefully at Wang Chong.Ever since his arrival at the capital, Yang Zhao had been pursuing fame and fortune. ‘Everyone will rush to one place in the world for the sake of profit.’Emperor Taizong had said this, so Yang Zhao had never believed there was anything wrong about his pursuit of wealth, or about keeping the post of Chamberlain of Palace Revenues for himself. Instead, Yang Zhao was far more worried about Consort Taizhen losing favor.Without the post of Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, he could eventually climb his way back up, but if Consort Taizhen lost favor, he was utterly finished.Yang Zhao had spent several sleepless nights over this before finally coming to Wang Chong for help.“Virtuous brother, you were only recently made Empire Guardian Great General, granted an Imperial Dragon Bracelet, and enshrined in Lingyan Pavilion. You are the one most favored by His Majesty! You have to think of a way to help your foolish brother and his sister!”Yang Zhao’s eyes were brimming with hope, almost all of it placed on Wang Chong.Wang Chong had believed Yang Zhao was
making a mountain out of a molehill at the start, but the more he heard, the more he also realized that something was wrong.Wang Chong creased his brow and asked, “Big Brother, does even Her Majesty think this?”Anything that involved Consort Taizhen was no small affair. Yang Zhao was willing to talk about almost anything with him, but he would rarely bring up matters involving her. If Yang Zhao was coming to find him at this time with these worries, the consort of Yuzhen Palace probably had the same worries!