Chapter 1265: The Black Symbol, Bird Seal Script! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Wen Changqing, Tang Chengyu, and Li Fanming were the three nails that the Confucian school had managed with great difficulty to place in the army. Given Wang Chong's status, now that he had reported this matter to the court, there was a sixty to seventy percent chance that he could actually topple those three. More importantly, Wang Chong could use them to attack the Confucian school.
This was because the information on Wen Changqing, Tang Chengyu, and Li Fanming was all available to be investigated.
”There's no need!” Li Junxian lightly said, putting down the ancient scroll and slowly standing up. ”This battle has only just begun. Have Tang Chengyu and the others delay while we try to respond to the Bureau of Military Personnel. Keep his subordinates imprisoned for now. As for the King of Foreign Lands, I will deal with him, making him incapable of doing anything to those three for a while.”
In the northwest, they had not issued their 'challenge' first. Rather, it had been Wang Chong's subordinates who had first defied military orders. Even if Wang Chong informed the Imperial Court, he could only save his subordinates and not actually do anything to the three Confucian commanders. Li Junxian had already carefully considered every detail of this plan. Moreover, his goal had never been to deal with Wang Chong's subordinates.
”Elder Song, have the preparations for that other matter been completed?” Li Junxian suddenly said.
”Young Master, be at ease. Everything is ready. All we need is Young Master's order,” Elder Song said.
”Then begin!”
……
Wang Chong, King Song, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Gen, Lu Ting, Elder Ye, and Elder Zhao had all gathered in the King Song Residence. Even Wang Chong's little uncle Wang Mi was present, called back from Heaven Pillar Mountain on the outskirts of the capital. Wang Chong, King Song, and Zhangchou Jianqiong sat side by side while the others were seated in a circle down below.
Gathered here was one of the most powerful factions of the court. The Wang Family Residence was not secretive enough, and the King of Foreign Lands Residence was still being constructed and would not be ready for two or three months. Thus, Wang Chong had borrowed King Song's residence to gather everyone.
King Song scanned the room and suddenly said, ”Wang Chong! Everyone is here! Give everyone a summary of the information that you've recently gathered!”
”Mm!”
Wang Chong proceeded to relay everything he had turned up in his investigations ever since his return to the capital, including how he had used Zhang Shougui's incident to find Li Junxian. The only thing he concealed was the matter of the Sage Emperor.
The Sage Emperor was the backbone of the empire, the primary strength stabilizing the hearts of the people. If the Sage Emperor's condition were made known, it would probably cause panic and turmoil throughout society.
The room was quiet as everyone seriously listened to Wang Chong's words. Everyone had seen what Wang Chong had done in the Imperial Court. But no one had imagined that while everyone was still immersed in the chaos, Wang Chong had already begun to investigate the main schemer behind the curtains.
”Truly incredible! So you mean to say that the events taking place inside and outside the court have all been the work of one young man?” Elder Ye incredulously muttered.
Old fellows like them had already withdrawn from the core of the empire, and so they only roughly understood what was going on in the Imperial Court, not that it had been so complicated. And at this moment, everyone understood exactly what Elder Ye was feeling.
Who could have imagined that the Grand Preceptor, King Qi, and Prime Minister, all extremely important officials, were all obeying a young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven? It sounded like a fairytale!
If it hadn't been Wang Chong making this claim, none of them would have believed it.
But Wang Chong would never make such outlandish claims without reason. As long as he was speaking seriously, even if he said that the sun was going to rise from the west, they would probably believe him.
”This is also something I must speak to all of you about. A single young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven could never possess such abilities that he could order around the Grand Preceptor and King Qi. This is particularly the case for King Qi, who has always been conceited and unwilling to serve others. This can only be possible with the support of some enormously powerful faction. I hope that everyone can assist me with this. All of you are my seniors and have a wide array of experiences. Perhaps you might know something about the Confucian Sect's backing and origin,” Wang Chong slowly said to the crowd.
His adversary was not a single person, and Wang Chong could not fight against an immense faction with only his own strength. This was also one of the reasons he had gathered these people here.
King Song did not reply, instead taking up the strange symbol Wang Chong had drawn out and asking, ”Wang Chong, you're sure that it's this symbol?”
Everyone instantly focused on the ink symbol on the paper.
”Mm!”
Wang Chong nodded.
The room instantly fell silent as everyone inspected the thin sheet of paper. The black symbol was extremely strange. At a glance, it seemed like a soaring bird, but if one looked carefully, it didn't seem like one at all. It was semi-drawing, semi-word.
”This old man has spent forty-some years out and about in the world, but I've never seen this symbol before. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have never even known that there was such a powerful faction in the Great Tang!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong emotionally sighed as he gazed at the symbol. After a slight pause, he added, ”But the more hidden this faction is, the greater its ambitions.”