Chapter 120: Second Persuasion to King Song (1/2)
“He’s finally here. He came earlier than I expected!”
Hearing Shen Hai and Meng Long’s report, Wang Chong’s eyes lit up. A gleam flashed through his eyes as he calmed his cultivation and walked out of the courtyard.
Even though Lu Ting didn’t state the matter he was here for, Wang Chong knew it was definitely regarding the Consort Taizhen incident. He hadn’t paid much attention to the royal court, but he knew from the rumors that the Sage Emperor had prevented King Song from attending the morning assembly for several days already.
Wang Chong thought that it would at least take a dozen more days before King Song would wake up, so he was caught by surprise by the other party’s arrival.
Wang Chong met Lu Ting in the lounge of the Wang Family Residence.
Lu Ting was seated by the tea table. Holding a porcelain teacup in his hand, he seemed to have waited for quite awhile. Upon seeing Wang Chong, his eyes immediately glowed in agitation.
The fifteen-year-old Wang Chong was dressed in a grayish training slacks fastened casually by a piece of fabric at his waist. Accompanied with his pitch black hair, crescent brows, and bright eyes, he looked dashing.
Lu Ting had never noticed in the past, but Wang Chong seemed to exude composure and confidence that was absent in those of his age.
Everything that he did seemed to have a motive behind it. Regardless of whether it was the incident at the Vast Crane Pavilion or the words he left them at the Four Quarters Embassy, his deeds had already made it impossible for one to view him as an ordinary child.
In fact, there were times when Lu Ting unwittingly thought of him as a fellow peer.
This was something completely unimaginable to the Lu Ting of the past.
“Lu Ting greets gongzi!”
Lu Ting abruptly stood up and bowed deeply.
“Lord Lu, there’s no need for formalities. I am unworthy of your bow!”
Wang Chong smiled.
Wang Chong found Lu Ting an extremely interesting person. He thought that he had hidden his deeds at the Vast Crane Pavilion well, but it seemed that the other party had already seen through his ploy right from the very start.
Wang Chong even dared to bet that Lu Ting had played a huge role in convincing King Song on the Consort Taizhen incident.
“Hehe, gongzi is indeed a formidable person. To think that you would be able to guess the matter regarding the Consort Taizhen incident accurately! You are definitely worthy of this bow!”
Lu Ting couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was just a moment ago that he thought Wang Chong was mature like an adult when Wang Chong asked the obvious, as though a child.
“What do you mean? I don’t recall saying anything?”
Wang Chong feigned ignorance.
“Hehe! At Four Quarters Embassy, wasn’t gongzi trying to persuade King Song to not oppose Consort Taizhen?”
Arching his back, Lu Ting went along with Wang Chong and asked.
“Lord Lu, you must have remembered wrongly. I don’t recall persuading King Song before. I only advised King Song to visit King Shou so that they could rekindle their relationship.”
The smile on Wang Chong’s face deepened.
“Gongzi, please don’t jest with me. I admit that the matter then was my fault, alright? If you have any opinions, feel free to speak. I will do my best to advise King Song! …”
With a bitter smile, Lu Ting admitted defeat.
“Hahaha! …”
Wang Chong suddenly started laughing.
Lu Ting couldn’t help but burst into laughter as well.
It was best not to expose some matters. Back in the Four Quarters Embassy, Lu Ting had shared the same thoughts as King Song even though he didn’t voice it out. The both of them thought that Wang Chong was lacking the principles that a subordinate should possess, and this had caused rift in their mutual trust.
Without mutual trust to serve as the foundation of their relationship, it would be impossible for them to work together. Thus, Wang Chong intentionally feigned ignorance to get Lu Ting to admit defeat.
Only after resolving this issue and getting past this rift could they continue to work together.
“Lord Lu, I will take your words for it then.”
Pointing a finger at Lu Ting, Wang Chong smiled.
“Of course, I mean my words. Chong gongzi has already proven yourself with your capability, so how can I dare to say anything else?”
Lu Ting said.
This wasn’t mere pleasantry but honest words from Lu Ting. Neither the matter at the Vast Crane Pavilion nor the Consort Taizhen incident were ordinary trifling matters.
Lu Ting admitted that even though Wang Chong was young, his insight and wisdom toward these matters far surpassed even him.
Yao Guang Yi suffering a setback from him served as the best evidence of his capability.
“Chong gongzi, due to the Consort Taizhen incident, the Sage Emperor ordered for King Song to stay out of the morning assembly and rest at his residence instead. This is a huge matter. Gongzi, please follow me to the King Song Residence, His Highness is waiting for you.”
Lu Ting said earnestly.
“I’ll be troubling Lord Lu then.”
Seeing Lu Ting’s grim expression, Wang Chong immediately nodded.
Thus, the two of them entered the carriage and left for King Song Residence.
Some time later, Wang Chong met King Song in the main hall of the King Song Residence. King Song, Lu Ting, the old butler, and Wang Chong, these four were the only ones in the main hall.
Other than them, there were no one else.
The doors to the main hall were tightly shut, and experts were stationed throughout the entire residence, be it the corners or the roofs. Even though this was Wang Chong’s first time at King Song Residence, he could clearly sense a heavy atmosphere looming in the area.
“Chong gongzi, can you tell us now?”
In the hall, everyone’s eyes were gathered on Wang Chong, The matter between King Shou and Consort Taizhen had plagued King Song’s mind for quite awhile, and he couldn’t wait any longer.
In King Song’s view, if there was a person that knew of the secrets hidden within the matter, that person had to be Wang Chong.
If not for Wang Chong’s reminder, King Song wouldn’t have thought of visiting King Shou, and he wouldn’t have found out that Consort Taizhen, despite being wedded, was a virgin!
When King Song met Wang Chong in the Four Quarters Embassy back then, he even chastised the other party for being unprincipled. But now, he didn’t dare to harbor such thoughts anymore.
“Does Your Highness think that I know of the truth?”
Just when everyone was waiting expectantly for Wang Chong’s reply, Wang Chong’s reply left everyone astonished.
“You don’t know?”
King Song was shocked. The reason why he invited Wang Chong over was because he was certain that Wang Chong carried the key to their doubts. He didn’t expect Wang Chong to say that he didn’t know anything either.
“Your Highness is overestimating Wang Chong. I would like to know the truth as well, but I truly don’t know much about the matter.”
Shaking his head, Wang Chong smiled bitterly.
Be it in his previous life or his current life, the Consort Taizhen incident was a mystery to Wang Chong. In fact, on the road here, when he learned from Lu Ting that Consort Taizhen was a virgin, he was even more astonished than the latter.
While he knew that Consort Taizhen and King Shou had no offsprings, he couldn’t have imagined that Consort Taizhen was still a virgin.
Given the overwhelming odds against the matter, how could Wang Chong not be surprised?
King Song expected an answer from Wang Chong, but Wang Chong didn’t know any better than him either.
“Chong gongzi, this isn’t what you said earlier. If you don’t know the insides of the matter, why would you advise His Highness to meet King Shou?”
Lu Ting frowned as well.
In a panic to bring Wang Chong to King Song, he didn’t ask about the matter along the way. On the other hand, it was Wang Chong who kept asking him about the matter concerning King Shou and Consort Taizhen.
“Your Highness and Lord Lu are mistaken.”
Without hiding anything, Wang Chong revealed the details of his glimpse of King Shou. Naturally, he left out the part regarding encountering this incident in his previous life.
“That is to say, you only suspected the matter because you saw King Shou?”