Chapter 1579: The Furious First Prince!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Great Tang belonged to the subjects of the Great Tang, but more than that, it belonged to the House of Li, and the Great Tang of the House of Li was the First Prince’s Great Tang.
As the First Prince, he was the right and proper Crown Prince, and also the right and proper next Sage Emperor. All authority should have stemmed from the Imperial Court, and thus, stemmed from him. For this reason, the First Prince found the matter of the Public Order Office even more intolerable than Li Junxian.
“To set up another Imperial Court is a great taboo!” At this moment, a sharp and high-pitched voice resounded through the Eastern Palace. The white-haired eunuch at the First Prince’s side slowly spoke.
“Your Highness, although w.a.n.g Chong was the one who gave the order, the soldiers of the Public Order Squads were provided by the Bureau of Military Personnel. In other words, this was Zhangchou Jianqiong’s order. If Your Highness wishes to punish w.a.n.g Chong, it will not be easy!”
“Zhangchou Jianqiong, hm?”
The First Prince’s expression turned cold, his eyes gleaming.
“In the last militarist-Confucian conflict, I didn’t make trouble for him. Does he really think that Consort Taizhen’s protection means that I can’t do anything to him?
“Pa.s.s on my order to gather the officials for a meeting. In addition, take this prince’s token and take a trip to the Minister of War Residence. I would like to ask Zhangchou Jianqiong what he means by establis.h.i.+ng this Public Order Office. What sort of head does he have on his shoulders that he dares to establish such an office without a decree from this prince and the Imperial Court?!” the First Prince coldly said, his eyes seething with killing intent.
“This old slave will deliver the order!”
……
The skies over the capital were dark and an undercurrent flowed beneath the surface. Countless messenger birds flew here and there as innumerable spies moved throughout the capital to gather information on the new Public Order Office.
But the Minister of War Residence was the nexus of all this information.
The initial members of the Public Order Squad had originated from here, and it was true that King of Foreign Lands w.a.n.g Chong had paid a visit to Zhangchou Jianqiong before this.
“w.a.n.g Chong, you’ve put me on the roasting rack.”
Within the Minister of War Residence, Zhangchou Jianqiong bitterly smiled at his guest.
A pot made of gold-colored ceramic had been placed on the table, and within it was top-quality tea from Longjing. The tea was still piping hot, and the two exquisitely-crafted cups next to the pot were br.i.m.m.i.n.g.
The guest sitting on the other side of the table had a calm and composed expression as they drank cup after cup. Meanwhile, Zhangchou Jianqiong had left his own cup idle for more than five minutes without even a sip.
“Just treat it as me owing you a favor!”
w.a.n.g Chong softly chuckled.
“Moreover, all the generals on the border are receiving promotions that are really demotions, and even Geshu Han’s subordinates have been transferred to Lingnan to repair bridges and roads, let alone others. The authority of the generals has weakened to the extreme, and it will probably be the Great Generals who are next. You’re the Minister of War and have lived more years than I have. If the Great Tang has no more Great Generals, your position as Minister of War probably won’t last for very long either,” w.a.n.g Chong indifferently said.
“There’s no need to talk like this. What favor? If you didn’t help me in the war of the southwest, I wouldn’t be sitting here. Besides, the Confucian Sect is constantly hounding us. My Bureau of Military Personnel still has enough authority to muster up some cavalry for your Public Order Squads, but if you had waited a little longer, I wouldn’t even be able to muster infantry.”
Zhangchou Jianqiong sorrowfully sighed.
He had already considered all the consequences that would come with setting up the Public Order Office, but he had still chosen to help w.a.n.g Chong. This was partially driven by the fact that he really did owe w.a.n.g Chong a big favor for the southwest, but it was also because the Minister of War… was on the verge of becoming a figurehead.
“The Imperial Court should be coming to find me soon, but given all my efforts over my twenty years in the southwest, not even the First Prince should be able to do much to me, even if he is the heir apparent. But what do you plan to do?” Zhangchou Jianqiong said.
When Zhangchou Jianqiong looked at that young and determined face, he was suddenly reminded of his younger self.
When he was young, he once had the same courageous, determined, and decisive eyes. No matter what kind of setback he endured or opponent he faced, he would have never backed down.
It was precisely this unyielding determination that had allowed him to reach his current point, the Tiger of the Empire, the conqueror of the southwest.
Once, he had dreamed about entering the capital, taking over the Bureau of Military Personnel, dominating the government, and then becoming Prime Minister just like Duke Jiu or Li Linfu. Now, after twenty-some years, with many of his hairs having gone white, he had finally fulfilled his wish. He now served at the feet of the Son of Heaven and commanded all the soldiers of the realm.
But after experiencing one political storm after another, he had gradually learned to be cautious and evasive, losing his original courage and determination.
Without realizing it, he had gotten old.
Zhangchou Jianqiong couldn’t help but sigh.
Now, the young man sitting across from him had become the hope of all the protectorates on the border, all the officers and soldiers in the army, and even the Minister of War. If they wanted to oppose the Confucian Sect and the First Prince, who were at the height of their power, w.a.n.g Chong was their only chance.
“There’s a proper countermeasure for everything. I have my own ideas on how to deal with it.”
w.a.n.g Chong did not give any details.
Zhangchou Jianqiong gave a slight nod. He was never worried about w.a.n.g Chong. While young, w.a.n.g Chong had a long list of achievements and conquests, so there was no need for him to explain too much.
“Reporting!”
As the two were conversing, one of Zhangchou Jianqiong’s personal guards rushed inside.
“Milord, a eunuch from the palace has come. He has the First Prince’s token and says that Milord has been requested to enter the palace for a court session.”
w.a.n.g Chong and Zhangchou Jianqiong both widened their eyes and looked at the guard.
“Lord Zhangchou, His Highness has requested your presence. Please!” A sharp voice came from outside. The voice came from very far away, but its owner moved like a ghost, and just a few moments later, he was stepping over the threshold without making a sound.
w.a.n.g Chong and Zhangchou Jianqiong were both top-cla.s.s experts, particularly w.a.n.g Chong, who had received an enormous boost in strength after his northwest adventure. But not even he was sure how this white-haired eunuch with claw-like hands had managed to get inside.
The man quietly stood there with a confident bearing, but w.a.n.g Chong couldn’t sense his aura. The man felt like an illusion.
A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he profoundly gazed at the eunuch. However, he remained silent and simply took a sip of his tea.
“So it was Lord Eunuch! Forgive me for not coming out to greet you!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong quickly got to his feet and bowed. He had spent some time in the palace and had seen the First Prince’s personal eunuch several times.
“So Lord Zhangchou was with the King of Foreign Lands. It was rather rude for me to show up like this.”
Surprisingly, the eunuch ignored Zhangchou Jianqiong and turned his eyes to the composed w.a.n.g Chong.
“Lord Eunuch knows of me?”
w.a.n.g Chong faintly smiled and looked up at the eunuch.
The white-haired eunuch stared at w.a.n.g Chong and unhurriedly said, “The mighty name of the King of Foreign Lands is known throughout the land, the first King of a different surname, personally granted the t.i.tle by His Majesty. I accompany His Highness in the palace, so how could I not have heard of this?”
“Is that so?”
w.a.n.g Chong merely smiled in reply. On the side, Zhangchou Jianqiong couldn’t help but pale. He had begun to sense that there was something strange going on between these two.
The ‘Eunuch Yin’ before him was the First Prince’s closest advisor and eunuch official. He was responsible for handling all of the First Prince’s affairs and would only leave the palace for matters of utmost importance.
Moreover, as the First Prince’s favorite, he had a cold and aloof personality. Zhangchou Jianqiong had seen him several times, but he rarely ever spoke. The man valued his words like they were made of gold, barely exchanging words with even high n.o.bles and important officials. Even Zhangchou Jianqiong had only managed to get a few words from his lips.
But now, Eunuch Yin was ignoring the master of this building and had started a conversation with w.a.n.g Chong, who had been minding his own business and drinking tea. This was incredibly abnormal.
Seeing that the mood had turned strange, Zhangchou Jianqiong laughed and changed the subject. “Haha, Lord Eunuch, did His Highness not have a matter to discuss? Let us set off!”
These words proved effective. Eunuch Yin shot one last glance at w.a.n.g Chong before turning to Zhangchou Jianqiong.
“Lord Zhangchou, please.”
Zhangchou Jianqiong and Eunuch Yin quickly departed.
w.a.n.g Chong stared in the direction they had left, his mind rapidly turning.
w.a.n.g Chong had heard of Li Ying’s personal eunuch, Eunuch Yin, in his last life, but only his name.
For dynasty after dynasty, sovereigns would almost always prepare top-cla.s.s experts to protect the highly-regarded Princes. It was very rare for there to be cases like Li Heng’s, who was only a.s.signed Li Jingzhong, who barely had the strength to truss a chicken.
Of course, when it came to plots and conspiracies, this eunuch was more formidable than any other eunuch in history, which was why Li Heng had survived five attempts on his life so far.
But someone as extraordinarily powerful as Eunuch Yin was also extremely rare. This was no longer a simple bodyguard.
It was absolutely abnormal for a eunuch of the court to reach this level! And this person just had to be the First Prince’s personal eunuch.
Countless thoughts ran through w.a.n.g Chong’s mind.
“It’s enough! I should begin moving as well,” w.a.n.g Chong softly said, and he quickly left the Minister of War Residence.