Chapter 94: Circumstances (1) (1/2)

“Everyone, this is the third son of my third son, Wang Chong!”

At this moment, the old master seated at the top spoke as he gestured toward Wang Chong, who just entered the room.

“Oh!”

“Chong gongzi!”

“Chong gongzi, come in.”

…

The white-haired old men greeted Wang Chong, but they didn’t pay him much attention. They were only saying so out of respect for the old master. They have seen too many people in this hall already.

Be it Wang Li, Wang Fu, or Wang Bei, they’ve seen them all. This was already the fourth one, and they didn’t think that there was any need to pay much heed to Wang Chong.

“Wang Chong pays respect to the elders!”

Wang Chong respectfully bowed, paying no heed to their attitude.

Those who were seated here along with the old master were his ex-subordinates. These people have weathered the various political changes in the royal court, and followed the old master to support the current emperor to the throne under chaotic times. When they were younger, they had frequented the royal court and held powerful positions… Even though they’ve exceeded their sixties now, their rallying ability and influence were still spectacular.

Every single one of them were either a head of a powerful clan or a hero of a region. Most of them were over their sixties, but age did little to thin their influence.

Given their standing, there was no need for them to behave respectfully to a fifteen-year-old kid. In fact, if not for the old master’s halo, they probably wouldn’t be bothered to waste their breath on pleasantries.

“Sit down. Men, get him a chair!”

The old master ordered.

The men in the conference hall were all veterans. Wang Chong may be the old master’s grandson, but in terms of standing, he was only qualified to sit at the very end. In fact, he was only given a small chair by the corner of the room.

The main reason why old master sent him here was for him to listen to the affairs and gain some experience. This would prove to be useful to him in the future.

After Wang Chang was settled in, the group in the conference hall burst into discussion once more.

Seated by the corner, Wang Chong scanned the room. Other than the old master and his subordinates, Big Uncle Wang Gen was also present, seated beside the old master.

Big uncle was the eldest son of the clan, as well as an authoritative official in the royal court. Regardless of whether he was able to earn the recognition of these old subordinates, there would always be a seat for him beside the old master.

Other than big uncle, Cousin Wang Li was present as well. Initially, when he first arrived at the Four Quarters Embassy, he looked irritated and impatient. But at this moment, he seemed like a completely different person. He listened attentively to the conversation among the old master and his subordinates, and his face betrayed his strong desire to perform on this occasion.

This was different from the impression he gave Wang Chong in the past.

“Cousin Wang Li also intends to win the recognition of these old subordinates!”

A thought flashed through Wang Chong’s head.

Grandfather didn’t have a say in the judgement of these old subordinates; he could only nominate candidates. After all, it was impossible to force someone to ‘respect’ and ‘recognize’ you. These were only useful when it came from the depth of one’s heart.

Cousin Wang Li may have tried his best to perform every single time, but Wang Chong knew that it was impossible for him to win over the old master’s students and old acquaintances no matter how hard he tries.

It wasn’t because he was lacking. Rather, these old subordinates were experienced veterans, and they’ve weathered through many tribulations in their life. No matter what kind of ability one displays, they would only think of it as a ‘petty trick’.

‘Conquering’ them was a nigh impossible task. Otherwise, big uncle, father, uncle, little uncle, big brother, second brother, and cousin wouldn’t have all failed.

At the very most, they’ve only earned the recognition of one or two of these ‘old subordinates’. To date, not a single one of them had been able to win the recognition of all those in this room yet.

Glancing around the conference hall, Wang Chong’s eyes soon fell on the old master. A sliver of sorrow flashed across his eyes.

“The old master won’t survive till the calamity!”

A memory resurfaced in Wang Chong’s mind. Four years later, grandfather would meet his demise. The hidden trauma he sustained in his earlier years, the heavy wound inflicted on him on the battlefield, and the heavy workload he had to shoulder even after his retirement took a toll on his body. Despite already reaching his seventies, he still worked himself to the bones for the emperor, presenting strategies and ploys to him. This caused grandfather to be under great stress at all times.

In a few years’ time, the old master would finally cave in and return to the earth.

But no one in the Wang Clan seemed to have realized this matter, be it big uncle or father.