Chapter 464: The Calm Before the Storm (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Old Eagle managed to get a meeting with w.a.n.g Chong six days later.
While this incident was causing a storm in the capital, only w.a.n.g Chong"s faction maintained an extremely level head. It was not because w.a.n.g Chong had told them anything, but because they still had incredible trust and faith in him.
This was a powerful unifying source.
"Enter!"
Old Eagle heard a voice in his ears. An expert of the Court of Judicial Review coldly looked down from the steps at him, finally giving him permission to pa.s.s.
"Thank you!"
Old Eagle gave a long sigh, clasped his hands in thanks, and strode into the building. It had been four hours since Old Eagle had handed over the token from the Bureau of Military Personnel.
Before going in, Old Eagle took one last look at the place. This was a government office built in an ancient style. It was roofed with greenish-blue tiles, and the place was lush with plant life and tall, mighty trees. All in all, it was a very quiet and secluded place.
But in reality, this was an out-and-out prison!
This was not the Court of Judicial Review, nor was it the Chamberlain of Dependencies, and it certainly wasn"t the territory of the Imperial Army. The place w.a.n.g Chong was imprisoned was one that no one could lightly approach, not even Old Eagle with the token of the Bureau of Military Personnel.
At this time, there was no matter more earthshaking in the capital than the incident caused by w.a.n.g Chong. One Protector-General and one Vice Protector-General, one clan of ministers and generals, the Yao Clan, and two Imperial Princes… No matter could possibly have more reverberations than this.
In the Central Plains, one wouldn"t be able to find a game with higher stakes!
All the factions were fighting in the background, with the Imperial Army, Court of Judicial Review, and Chamberlain of Dependencies all fighting to take charge of the w.a.n.g Chong incident.
But none of those three factions ended up being satisfied. In the end, a temporary prison, managed by all three factions, was constructed in the northwest region of the capital to serve as w.a.n.g Chong"s jail.
This "government office" was surrounded by Imperial Army soldiers, mixed with experts from the Court of Judicial Review and Chamberlain of Dependencies. They watched each other while also keeping strict guard. Outsiders found it impossible to get close.
"Young Master…!"
Old Eagle drew his gaze back, a tinge of concern in his eyes as he was led into this "government office" by the Court of Judicial Review expert.
It was dark and quiet inside the office, with only a few dim rays of light trickling in. The floor was paved in gray bricks, cold air exuding from them.
The long pathway was lined with guards every few steps, the experts of the Court of Judicial Review and Chamberlain of Dependencies keeping a vigilant watch. None of them viewed Old Eagle with any kindness.
In the current Imperial Court, it was the Court of Judicial Review and Chamberlain of Dependencies that wanted to punish w.a.n.g Chong the most. Old Eagle"s status was no secret in their eyes.
However, even though they both wanted to severely punish w.a.n.g Chong, the Court of Judicial Review and the Chamberlain of Dependencies were also still fighting with each other over the right to handle w.a.n.g Chong"s case.
This had less to do with w.a.n.g Chong"s conduct and more to do with the reputation of the Court of Judicial Review and Chamberlain of Dependencies.
It was this that gave w.a.n.g Chong and Old Eagle a chance!
Old Eagle ignored those unkind gazes, proceeding with his head lowered. Deep below this government office, he finally met w.a.n.g Chong.
"Young Master!"
The moment he saw w.a.n.g Chong, Old Eagle"s eyes ached. Behind a set of iron bars, w.a.n.g Chong was seated cross-legged on the ground, his long hair covering his face. He looked like some wooden statue.
Six whole days had made w.a.n.g Chong"s skin ghastly pale, and he was so thin that his bones were showing. He had become a completely different person.
Old Eagle had been with w.a.n.g Chong for a long time, and his image of w.a.n.g Chong had always been of a person in high spirits. This was his first time seeing w.a.n.g Chong so haggard.
"Old Eagle, you"re here!"
w.a.n.g Chong"s body s.h.i.+vered at Old Eagle"s voice as he slowly turned his head. His face was sunken and his eyes were surrounded by dark circles, like he hadn"t closed them in some time.
He was surrounded by many sheets of paper, all of them densely covered in writing. It appeared that w.a.n.g Chong had been spending all his time in prison on these things.
"Young Master, relax; I"ll definitely think of a way to get you out of here!"
Old Eagle shot forward and gripped the bars of the cell.
"Release me? Haha, you thought that was what I was worried about?"
w.a.n.g Chong smiled and shook his head, his long hair slos.h.i.+ng about like waves.
Although he looked extremely haggard and tired, w.a.n.g Chong was full of energy. His eyes were bright, and he seemed even more vigorous than the average person.
Yet the more w.a.n.g Chong appeared this way, the more Old Eagle was concerned.
"Old Eagle, let"s not talk about this. Let me ask you, has there been any news from Solitary Wolf?" w.a.n.g Chong asked.
"No."
Now that w.a.n.g Chong was bringing up business, Old Eagle shook his head.
"All our connections with Solitary Wolf have been cut. If we want the latest news, we"ll have to wait at least another six days."
A tinge of dejection flashed through w.a.n.g Chong"s eyes, but he quickly returned to normal.
"Although Solitary Wolf is fierce and brave, he"s also extremely cautious. He followed my orders and excavated a secret pa.s.sage to hide himself, so if nothing unexpected occurs, he will definitely be able to safely depart."
"Life and death are decided by destiny. Solitary Wolf and I are both people who have already died once. No matter what we encounter, we"ve already mentally prepared ourselves, so there"s no need for Young Master to worry," Old Eagle calmly said.
Solitary Wolf was a formidable martial artist who had reached the Profound Martial realm ages ago. Killing him was no easy task.
In comparison, he was more worried about w.a.n.g Chong. There was clearly something off about him!
Moreover, there was a very profound confusion in the depths of Old Eagle"s mind.
Whether or not the incident in the southwest"s Jiange was true, it was just one city. Such incidents were commonplace in Beiting, Andong, Anxi, and Longxi.
A city would often be constantly fought over, cycling between lost, occupied, lost, occupied… There was nothing out of the ordinary about such a thing along the border.
But w.a.n.g Chong seemed to treat this incident as something completely different. Now that he carefully thought about it, when w.a.n.g Chong had finished meeting with Duke Jiu and w.a.n.g Gen in Four Quarters Emba.s.sy and returned to Deflecting Blade Manor, he was actually very normal.
Everything had changed with Solitary Wolf"s letter.
w.a.n.g Chong said nothing. Inwardly, he hoped that both Solitary Wolf and Zhang Qiantuo would be fine. Solitary Wolf had already fought several campaigns with him.
He was no longer just a subordinate. In w.a.n.g Chong"s mind, he was a kindred spirit, an ally. And there were far too few experts at w.a.n.g Chong"s side that were both powerful and able to carry out his missions.
In Mengshe Zhao"s a.s.sault on the city, Solitary Wolf had amply proved himself.
And though Zhang Qiantuo had an inflexible personality that wasn"t good at adapting, he was a loyal minister through and through. A minister who could be loyal to his empire to the end couldn"t be allowed to have this sort of end.
He was exactly the kind of person w.a.n.g Chong needed at his side.
In addition, w.a.n.g Chong had too many questions about this matter. Mengshe Zhao"s occupation of Jiange had been a ma.s.sive puzzle in his last life. At present, besides Solitary Wolf and Zhang Qiantuo, probably no one knew what had actually happened there.
w.a.n.g Chong had to find them and ask them what exactly happened.
As these thoughts flew through his mind, w.a.n.g Chong quickly resolved himself. Compared to the matter of Jiange, the situation in front of him was even more important!