Chapter 163: Uproar Throughout the Entire Court! (1/2)
The entire Taiji Palace was silent, and Wang Chong could sense an imposing gaze staring down on him from above.
There was only one word to describe the feeling Wang Chong got from that gaze… ‘unfathomable’.
From ancient times, it was said that ‘accompanying the emperor is no different from accompanying a tiger’ and ‘the heavens are unpredictable’. Wang Chong couldn’t feel any emotions from the gaze, and he couldn’t peer into the thoughts of the Great Tang’s ultimate overlord either.
Wang Chong kneeled motionlessly on the ground. The palace was so silent that he could hear his own heart beating.
Perhaps it was countless eons later, or maybe it was just an instant, but Wang Chong finally heard an authoritative voice reminiscent of thunder booming in the palace.
“Wang Chong. I heard that you oppose to my regional commanders and utilizing Hu talents policies?”
The voice was nonchalant, and not a single emotion could be sensed from those words.
Wang Chong’s heart jolted. The question of an emperor had to be answered, just that, this question wasn’t a simple one at all. To put in mildly, Wang Chong was expressing his opinion on the Sage Emperor’s intentions, but at the same time, it could also be said that he was refuting the Sage Emperor.
“Yes!”
Wang Chong replied despite his hesitation.
“Speak!”
That authoritative voice replied nonchalantly with a single word.
“Yes!”
Lowering his head, Wang Chong replied respectfully. An air current gushed through the palace, blowing straight toward Wang Chong. Wang Chong’s heart flew away along with this gust of wind.
Somehow, Wang Chong suddenly heard Big Uncle Wang Gen’s words in his ears:
“The less you speak, the fewer mistakes you make. If you don’t say anything, it’s impossible for you to be wrong!”
“No matter what His Majesty asks, you have to respond. Even if you don’t know, you have to say that you don’t know. However, take note of your words, and exercise caution.”
“You don’t understand politics, so for your first meeting with His Majesty, don’t aim to accomplish. Instead, aim not to err.”
“This matter concerns our entire Wang Clan. It won’t just affect you. Your father, me, your big aunt, your uncle, and everyone else will be implicated as well. Thus, no matter what, you mustn’t be reckless. Remember this!”
…
This advice was the distilled essence of Wang Gen’s decades long career in politics, Although it sounded cowardly, there was no better advice for inexperienced scions such as Wang Chong.
‘The less you speak, the fewer mistakes you make. If you don’t say anything, it’s impossible for you to be wrong’. Facing the emperor was no small matter. Given the Wang Clan’s current standing, there was no need for Wang Chong to contribute to the family through this matter.
What was imperative however was for him to not err!
Just that… Recalling the matters in his previous life, Wang Chong couldn’t allow himself to remain silent. The regional commanders and utilizing Hu talents policies were the source of Great Tang’s calamity.
The opportunity to face the emperor didn’t come by easily. This was a golden chance for Wang Chong to advise him. If he were to miss out on this chance, he would never be able to forgive himself.
Thus, Wang Chong steeled his resolve and purged himself of all hesitation.
“His Majesty, the regional commanders and utilizing Hu talents policies are sure to be sources of calamity for Great Tang. These policies mustn’t be passed!”
Kneeling on the ground, Wang Chong voiced his thoughts in detail. This included the arguments he used to convince the elders back then in the Four Quarters Embassy.
No one knew better than Wang Chong what kind of dangers the regional commanders policy would bring in the future. The chance to reverse destiny was lying right before Wang Chong, and he had to grasp it!
“Your Majesty, the Hu is an independent faction in itself. They will only protect and promote their own members! Such behaviour would inevitably bite back at Great Tang. Your Majesty, please reconsider this matter!”
After finishing his piece, Wang Chong kneeled motionlessly on the floor.
These words came straight from Wang Chong’s heart, and they were his earnest opinion lf the matter. Those who had never experienced that chaos back then could never imagine the extent of the ramifications of the issue.
To Wang Chong, the words he spoke to his grandfather and the Sage Emperor wasn’t just a possibility. They were a prophecy of something that would come!
However, he was currently the only one in the Central Plains who knew what would happen if things were allowed to go down this path. No one could have imagined that the ultimate fate of Great Tang hung by the thoughts of the Sage Emperor at this very instant.
For a very long time, the palace was silent.
After what that felt like an eternity, a voice finally sounded.
“I understand, you may leave now! After you return, compile what you have just told me into a memorial and submit it to the royal court!”
This was the third and final time the emperor had spoken to Wang Chong ever since he entered Taiji Palace.
“Yes!”
Wang Chong jolted in surprise. He hurriedly answered before bowing respectfully and backing out of the palace.
Hu!
Walking back down the white jade stairs, the huge gust of wind blew, and Wang Chong shuddered involuntarily. Only then did he realize that he was completely soaked from his top to his shoes.
‘Accompanying the emperor is no different from accompanying a tiger’, the pressure he felt in the brief moment in the Taiji Palace was simply too great. Under that pressure, the effort required to verbalize each word was a battle in itself.
However, that wasn’t what Wang Chong was concerned about.
“I wonder if His Majesty has taken my words in.”
As he went over the encounter in his mind, Wang Chong felt worried. Even until now, he still wasn’t able to fully comprehend what had just happened, and he wasn’t able to determine whether the trip was a success or a failure. He had no way of telling whether or nothis words had struck a chord with the emperor.
During the meeting, Wang Chong had raised many issues, speaking of all that he thought was necessary to deal the future catastrophe. But from the start to the end, the Sage Emperor had only spoke to him three times.
“Wang Chong. I heard that you oppose to my regional commanders and utilizing Hu talents policies?”
“Speak!”