The Human Emperor

"Your Highness, how did it go?"

The moment Wang Chong arrived at his residence, he was welcomed by an expectant Zhang Que and Xu Keyi.

Wang Chong gave a detailed account of what had happened.

When they heard that Kong Wu had been arrested, they all sighed in relief.

"Kong Wu was Assistant Minister for ten-some years. To think that he would even go after the compensation money for bereaved families… If not for Your Highness, no one would have ever been able to imagine it."

"The account books of the Bureau of Military Personnel are incredibly complex and difficult to verify. Kong Wu probably never imagined that His Highness would be able to accurately determine that he had embezzled five million taels of gold."

All of them emotionally sighed.

Kong Wu's conduct was unacceptable in the military, and let alone Minister of War, he wouldn't have even been able to keep his post as Assistant Minister.

A voice came from the side. "Toppling Kong Wu is good, but what left me the most surprised was the First Prince's attitude, ordering Kong Wu to be arrested himself."

The hall fell silent as everyone turned to the speaker. It was Gao Xianzhi, who had arrived with several of his followers.

"Lord Gao!"

Seeing him, Wang Chong smiled and bowed.

"Heh, your visit to the court this time was quite effective. The matter of Kong Wu has already spread throughout the capital. King Song is still down from the poison, and even if Zhangchou wants to return, the First Prince probably won't allow him. You're the only one we can rely on in the court at this time," Gao Xianzhi said, an expectant look in his eyes.

"When are you leaving?"

Wang Chong glanced at Gao Xianzhi, seemingly understanding something.

"I have to set out before nightfall. The Imperial Court has already issued a decree. I must head for Mengshe Zhao immediately. From what I can see, His Highness plans to keep me out for one to two years!" Gao Xianzhi said with a bitter smile.

The mighty Anxi Protector-General who had ruled the Western Regions and had spent almost his entire life campaigning had fallen, becoming a mere civil official being sent as an envoy to Mengshe Zhao. He would have to spend each day interacting with the Six Zhao of Erhai, and it would probably be a very long time before he could return to the Central Plains. For a born general like Gao Xianzhi, this was nothing but torture.

"Time is short. I wanted to meet you one last time before setting out. But it seems that I can rest easy."

Gao Xianzhi shot Wang Chong an admiring glance.

Wang Chong fell silent.

King Song was still gravely ill, while Zhangchou Jianqiong was threatened by assassination. Now, an illustrious Great General in Gao Xianzhi was being sent off to Mengshe Zhao. These pillars that had supported the peace and prosperity of the empire had been undermined, and the Great Tang was slowly immersing itself into a storm.

"Milord, take care of yourself!"

All the thousands of words he wanted to say eventually condensed into this simple farewell.

The kitchen was ordered to prepare a sumptuous feast, and Wang Chong dined with Gao Xianzhi. After the meal, Wang Chong personally sent Gao Xianzhi off.

At the same time, at nightfall, an Imperial Army soldier stealthily left the Imperial City, winding his way through the streets until he eventually reached the First Prince's Great Buddhist Temple beyond the walls.

Although the Great Buddhist Temple had been a battleground for Wang Chong and the First Prince, as a place consecrated to the Buddha, it was calm and peaceful.

Lanterns were scattered across the summit, and even at night, one could still hear the chanting of Buddhist sutras and the striking of wooden fish, something that the nearby common folk took much delight in. There were even some ordinary folk who had moved their homes here just so they could listen to the peaceful and calming chanting.

The main hall of the Great Buddhist Temple was so brightly lit that it seemed like daytime, but a nearby side hall was dimly lit by just a few lanterns. Worshiped here was a black, six-armed Guanyin.

(TN: Guanyin is the Bodhisattva of compassion and is one of the most popular Buddhist divinities. As Guanyin can assume any form, Guanyin can be depicted as either male or female, though in recent times, Guanyin is mostly depicted as female. Guanyin as a female started to become a trend in the Song Dynasty, but in the Tang Dynasty, Guanyin should still have been depicted as a male.)

Even though the monks of the Great Buddhist Temple were all virtuous high monks that the First Prince had invited, all of them well-versed in the sutras, none of them had ever heard of a black Guanyin statue. Even looking at it filled one's heart with dread.

Ever since the establishment of the Great Buddhist Temple, the side hall had been empty. None of the monks went to attend to it, except for a black-robed monk who would occasionally appear.

Amidst rustling leaves, the Imperial Army soldier entered the side hall.

"The Celestial God shines upon all. This subordinate comes on the Crown Prince's order to request the assistance of the High God."

The Imperial Army soldier quickly got down on his knees, but his arms were raised up and his hands open as if there was something in them.

Time slowly passed, but there was only silence in the hall. The two lamps flanking the idol dimly flickered.

Time slowly passed and still there was nothing. But the Imperial Army soldier continued to kneel, his head lowered.

Clap!

Finally, there was a footstep. A monk in a black robe with a sinister and bizarre expression emerged from the shadows and into the dim lantern light.

"Let me see."

The icy-faced monk walked up to the Imperial Army soldier and took the object from his hand.

In the light, one could now see that the Imperial Army soldier had been holding an exquisitely crafted claw that was about four inches long. This claw was gold and black, its surface covered in tiny scales. It was a dragon claw.

This dragon claw had four fingers, a symbol of the First Prince's status.

But its most striking feature was the golden eye bizarrely placed on the leg.

The black-robed monk silently stared at the golden eye. Then his right thumb gently stroked the eye, and he nodded.

"Speak. What is the problem?" the monk said emotionlessly.

"His Highness has recently run into a small problem, a court official of the Great Tang called Wang Chong. His Highness hopes that the High God can intervene and remove this problem."

The Imperial Army soldier did not even dare to raise his head.

"Is that so? The High God does not need to be disturbed over such a trifling matter. Go back. Tell Your Highness that I will personally handle this matter," the monk said.

"This… But His Highness said that he hopes that this news can be told to the High God!" the kneeling Imperial Army soldier said, a hard-pressed look on his face.

"A mere Imperial Army soldier thinks he has the right to negotiate with us? Only death awaits you if you disturb the High God!" the monk firmly said, staring at the Imperial Army soldier with eyes brimming with killing intent.

"Wait a moment!"

Suddenly, a resounding voice like a peal of thunder spoke.

"Tell Your Highness that I already know of this matter. This god will personally take action."

An immense energy like that of a primordial beast suddenly appeared in the hall. His heart filled with dread, the Imperial Army soldier subconsciously raised his head.

"Ah!"

A moment later, the Imperial Army soldier's body trembled in shock, extreme fear appearing in his eyes.

A pair of eyes was floating in the darkness, coldly staring at him. And if one looked carefully, one would realize that those eyes belonged to the six-armed idol.

The six-armed idol in the hall was ten-some meters tall, and it had been seated cross-legged on a lotus throne. But at this time, the six-armed Guanyin had come to life. Not only had it opened its eyes, its large arms were moving about as it slowly rose from the lotus throne.

This soldier was an experienced veteran, but he had never seen such a bizarre sight before. He instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"High God!" the black-robed monk cried out, immediately getting down on his knees.

The Imperial Army soldier's heart trembled in fear. He now understood that this was the mysterious 'High God'.

The six-armed idol spoke once more in its thunderous voice. "Return and tell your First Prince that I will personally take care of this matter."

"Yes!"

The guard once more prostrated, not daring to say another word.

……

Kong Wu's brother-in-law had embezzled compensation money from the Bureau of Military Personnel, and Kong Wu had also been implicated in the scandal, a matter which the investigation of the Three Departments soon confirmed. A few days later, Kong Wu was officially stripped of his official rank.

This matter shook the entire capital, and Wang Chong's position in the court was also stabilized.

Even though the court was still under the control of the First Prince and the Confucian Sect, as long as Wang Chong was present, both factions and even King Qi and Prime Minister Li Linfu would be docile and obedient. They would do their utmost to avoid bringing up the Bureau of Military Personnel.

No one wanted to provoke Wang Chong!

Even the First Prince understood that Wang Chong was covered in thorns. Trying to make trouble for the Bureau of Military Personnel in court would only bring trouble on himself.

With the First Prince being docile, Wang Chong didn't take any special action. The two sides maintained a strange stalemate, and all was calm and peaceful.

Whoosh!

An exquisitely crafted golden wine jar with a slender mouth was raised into the air. Golden liquor poured out, unleashing a wave of fragrance as it poured into a goblet crafted in the shape of a frog.

This was a new custom in the capital, and imitating ancient-style wine cups was now the popular trend. But few people knew that all this was actually because of Wang Chong.

As for Wang Chong, he just liked this kind of thing.

With the matters in court temporarily resolved, Wang Chong had gone alone to a restaurant. He now took the frog-shaped goblet and took a light sip, then he looked out from the balcony and began to enjoy his time alone.

This restaurant had a superb location, and because it was five floors tall, much higher than the other buildings, one could see more than half the capital from its southern balcony. The prosperity evident in the countless rows of buildings had a charm all its own.