Chapter 1230: The First Prince!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“What’s going on?”
Wang Chong frowned as he came back to his senses and looked up.
“Lord, Lord Marquis, someone is up ahead barring our path,” the silver-robed eunuch’s trembling voice came from up ahead.
Buzz!
Wang Chong grimaced as he opened his senses, and he immediately noticed that some fifty to sixty paces away, a powerful aura was blocking the road.
Wang Chong had originally believed that this was some powerful Imperial Army commander patrolling the palace, but it now seemed that his guess had been wrong.
But this was far from the only thing that surprised Wang Chong. The Imperial Palace was a sacred land, and no idlers were permitted within its premises. For this person to dare obstruct his path while he was going to meet the Sage Emperor was truly audacious, and no normal person would dare to do such a thing.
“King of Foreign Lands, will you not come out and meet with me?”
A noble and dignified voice came from outside, tinged with contempt and superiority. In that moment, Wang Chong felt as if all the Golden Guards and the silver-robed eunuch had stopped breathing. They were like mice encountering a cat, and they had clearly been struck with deep fear.
Whoosh!
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Chong extended a hand, raised the curtain, and got out of the sedan chair. A figure stood in the distance, wearing a four-clawed dragon robe, his entire body seething with boundless majesty. Wang Chong had never met this person before, but based on the similarities his face had with the Sage Emperor, Wang Chong was still able to almost instantly recognize him.
The First Prince!
Wang Chong finally couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock. It had been less than a day since his return to the capital, yet he was meeting the First Prince in this sort of manner. And from the First Prince’s calm and unruffled appearance, he had clearly predicted that this was an avenue of the Imperial Palace that Wang Chong would need to pass through.
“King of Foreign Lands, to get a meeting with you is truly not easy!”
The First Prince’s eyes flashed as he stalked like a tiger toward Wang Chong. At this moment, Wang Chong scanned the area and realized that all the soldiers of the Imperial Army within several hundred steps had vanished.
All was quiet.
The air was tense, and everyone around the sedan chair had dropped to the ground in submission. Their faces were pale and their bodies trembled.
In the palace, for a prince to meet with an important subject of the court was a major taboo, and Wang Chong was not just any ordinary important subject. If this matter were made known, it would definitely have massive ramifications, and a few people might even have their mouths eternally silenced.
More importantly, the First Prince was the eldest son, the heir apparent, the right and proper successor to the throne of the Great Tang Emperor. If everything went as expected, he would become the Great Tang Emperor, and everyone in the palace who had offended him could easily imagine what would happen to them then.
“Relax. The First Prince is open-minded enough that I trust he will not make trouble for all of you!”
Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as he walked over. One needn’t fear fortune, and disasters were inevitable. Since he had been reincarnated, Wang Chong had always been unintentionally avoiding the First Prince, and even his big uncle had been influenced by him to slowly draw away from the First Prince. But even though he had avoided him for so long, he had finally reached the limit.
Wang Chong could choose to work around the First Prince, but he could not prevent the First Prince from coming to find him.
And Wang Chong was also a little curious as to why the First Prince had come to find him.
“Paying respects to Your Highness!”
Three or four paces from the First Prince, Wang Chong stopped and gave a bow that was neither too proud nor too meek.
“Hah, King of Foreign Lands is truly kindhearted and benevolent. As long as they do not speak loosely, why would I make any trouble for these servants!?” the First Prince indifferently said as he gazed at Wang Chong.
This was the first time the First Prince had ever inspected Wang Chong. Although he had heard of many legends about him and had a portrait of him brought over so that he could see, when he saw the real person, the First Prince still couldn’t help but sigh.
In the war of the southwest, he had led more than one thousand experts from the great clans to the southwest, and eventually succeeded in reversing the tides and killing hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army. And after that, in two large-scale battles, he had killed one million of the world’s best cavalry. Such feats could truly only be described as miracles.
Such feats were to be expected of someone called a War God. But no one could have imagined that the person who had accomplished these mighty feats was a youth of seventeen or eighteen.
Alas! If I knew that the youngest son of the Wang Clan had such talent, I would have pulled over the Wang Clan through Wang Gen a long time ago!
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The First Prince was overcome with regret. With Wang Chong’s help, all these achievements would have ultimately been assigned to him, and by now, nobody would be able to oppose him.
While the First Prince observed Wang Chong, Wang Chong observed the First Prince. After all, as the Sage Emperor’s offspring, the First Prince was rather similar to the Sage Emperor in appearance. Moreover, as the oldest prince, the First Prince had very early on begun to participate in administrative affairs. His body was brimming with majesty and suffused with supreme authority.
His every movement and word revealed a part of the Sage Emperor’s demeanor, but alas…
Wang Chong gazed at the First Prince and internally sighed. Others might not know, but Wang Chong clearly understood that the First Prince would never be able to sit upon the Sage Emperor’s throne. This wasn’t because of Fifth Prince Li Heng, but because his personality was not suited for it.
“Wang Chong, you are a talented individual, and that I did not personally attempt to recruit you in the past is this king’s greatest error. I have seen your talent for the art of war, and it is truly unmatched in the world. Not even Wang Zhongsi can compare to you. If I had your assistance, perhaps I would have long ago seated myself upon the throne of Nine and Five. Thus, this king has come this time to correct this mistake and give you a chance, and to also give this king a chance. Wang Chong, why not come and help this king?”
The First Prince’s voice resounded through the palace avenue, and the silver-robed eunuch and the other guards behind Wang Chong all trembled in fear. The words ‘Nine and Five’ particularly made them instantly turn ghastly pale. No one dared to say anything, and they pressed their heads even lower to the ground.
In the War of the Princes, the First Prince was committing a forbidden deed by trying to recruit the King of Foreign Lands in the middle of the Imperial Palace. If this matter were done poorly, all witnesses would be killed. And if only a small detail about this scene leaked out, it would be enough to send great waves through the Imperial Court.
All of them trembled in silent fear, and the surroundings became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
After what seemed like both a second and like countless eons, Wang Chong finally spoke.
“I did not think that Your Highness regarded me so highly, but I am afraid that I must disappoint Your Highness. Wang Chong is only an ordinary general, who only has some achievements on the battlefield. As for the matter Your Highness spoke of, that is something that only the Sage Emperor can decide, not something a lowly general like Wang Chong can influence,” Wang Chong said, and then he bowed once more.
“Audacious! Wang Chong, are you refusing His Highness?” one of the First Prince’s guards shouted harshly from behind him.
“Impudent! Zhou Xing, withdraw now! Is the King of Foreign Lands someone that you can be rude to?”
The First Prince waved at his subordinate and rebuked him, but there was no sign of remonstrance on his expression.
Wang Chong viewed this all with indifference. Although he hadn’t seen many of the methods these princes used to bribe people, he understood all of them rather well.
“Wang Chong, will you truly not reconsider? This king has personally come to visit to express my sincerity. Back then, in the previous War of the Princes, Duke Jiu pacified the rebellion and assisted the Sage Emperor in attaining the throne. Even now, this feat still garners the admiration of others. Wang Chong, if you work together with me, we can create an even greater golden age, expand to new lands, and increase the Great Tang’s borders like never before, continuing the story of Duke Jiu and the Sage Emperor. Would this not be a wonderful story?”
The First Prince spoke with passion and enthusiasm.
Even Wang Chong was somewhat moved by the First Prince’s appeals, but he quickly regained his composure.
“Your Highness, there might be some misunderstanding. The duty of a soldier is to follow orders. Wang Chong is a soldier of the Great Tang, and if Your Highness sits upon the Sage Emperor’s throne, Wang Chong will naturally follow Your Highness’s orders for the sake of the Great Tang’s prosperity!” Wang Chong flatly said, no emotion on his face.
All was deathly still, and as the First Prince stared at Wang Chong, his brow imperceptibly creased. Wang Chong had given a very safe answer, but this was not the answer that he wanted.
“Wang Chong, this king does not like being rejected by others, but it seems like this final chance this king is giving you is one that you are going to refuse.”
Wang Chong’s eyes widened, but he swiftly returned to normal.
“Your Highness…”
“Hahaha!”
But before Wang Chong could finish speaking, the First Prince waved his sleeve and interrupted him.
“Wang Chong, this king understands your meaning. I just hope that you will not regret it!”
The First Prince gave Wang Chong a profound glance, turned around, and then shot him one more profound glance.
“Wang Chong, this king knows that you are riding on the crest of success, but even the full moon will begin to wane, much less a human. You really shouldn’t have gone to help Old Five!”
The First Prince stopped several dozen feet away, said these last few words, and then vanished with a cold snort.
Buzz!
Wang Chong’s calm composure instantly shattered when he heard the First Prince’s last words.
Old Five!
In the entire Imperial Palace, the only person that could be called ‘Old Five’ was the Fifth Prince, Li Heng. Wang Chong had originally believed that very few people knew that he had been helping Fifth Prince Li Heng in secret, but it seemed like this was far from the case.
I didn’t think that he knew so much!
A dark cloud of worry flitted over Wang Chong’s brow, but he quickly cast it aside.