Chapter 1616: An Unexpectedly Shocking Development! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Wang Chong opened his eyes and mentally noted, I have to find a person to ask. I need to know what happened in there.
However, even if his information was limited, Wang Chong was not content to just sit around. As he was sitting in the carriage and pondering these matters, he sent out several carrier pigeons.
As he was setting off for the Imperial Palace, several figures watching from the shadows took off.
Rumble!
The carriage suddenly stopped, and the voice of the driver came from outside.
”Your Highness, we've arrived at the Imperial Palace.”
Raising his robe and lifting the curtain, Wang Chong descended from the carriage. The Great Tang Imperial Palace was as vast and grandiose as ever, but on first glance, Wang Chong sensed an indescribable strangeness.
All the Imperial Army soldiers at the gate have been changed, Wang Chong noted, a darkness flitting through his eyes.
Wang Chong had been into the Imperial Palace several times and was very familiar with the Imperial Army soldiers stationed there. Moreover, the Public Order Squad incident had taken place here, and Wang Chong had been able to take note of the Imperial Army soldiers at the time. But this time, he realized that all of these people had been switched out.
All of these soldiers had young and fresh faces, and they were even wearing a different kind of armor.
Not only that, the auras in their bodies lacked the composure and stability of regular Imperial Army soldiers. It was clear that they had all been newly promoted.
”Who goes there?”
As he was thinking, a voice came from the Imperial Palace gates. The Imperial Palace guards parted to allow a golden-armored officer to come forward.
”Such audacity! You dare to stop the King of Foreign Lands from entering the palace?” The carriage driver spoke up before Wang Chong could respond.
”Hmph, there is an incident within the palace. For the next seven days, all outside officials are forbidden from entering except for court sessions. King of Foreign Lands, please go back!”
The Imperial Army officer had a cold and aloof expression, and he immediately rooted himself to his spot like a spear, his face steely and righteous.
Wang Chong's brow instantly creased in worry.
With his status as King of Foreign Lands, not even the nobles of the palace dared to lightly offend him. If someone hadn't put him up to it, a meager Imperial Army officer would have never acted so brashly in front of him.
And what was this about seven days?
”What is your name?” Wang Chong suddenly said.
”From your accent, you're probably a native of Hebei? The Imperial Army has strict standards when it comes to promotion, and as the southern gate of the Imperial Palace is where the officials enter, the officer in charge must be at least Imperial Martial Tier Four. From your pulses of Stellar Energy, I can see that your Xuanyuan, Lingqiao, and Xuefu acupuncture points are still not full, so you've probably just reached Imperial Martial Tier 3, and not even for more than four days. You're still quite some distance from Tier Four and don't satisfy the requirements to be the officer in charge of the Imperial Palace gates. Just who in the world selected you?”
Wang Chong's eyes turned sharp, and his piercing words immediately made the officer turn pale, panic replacing his initial composure.
He had never imagined that Wang Chong would possess such a penetrating gaze. Not only had he noticed that he had only been at Imperial Martial Tier 3 for a few days, he also knew the promotion conditions of the Imperial Army like the back of his hand and could see immediately that he did not fit the standard.
The Great Tang's laws had always been strict. Even Emperor Taizong had chosen to lead by example and not defy his laws, and the Tang Emperors that followed emulated him. Since these were iron laws that were not lightly broken, it meant that for him to be an Imperial Army officer who did not fit the standard was no trifling matter!
More importantly, he himself knew that he was not fit for this position.
If Wang Chong investigated him, he would be doomed!
The Imperial Army officer broke out in a cold sweat and his heart went cold.
”Impudent!” A harsh cry of rebuke came from within the Imperial Palace, and a middle-aged man wearing a black official's hat and a white scholarly robe strode out.
”A puny Imperial Army officer like you even dares to stop the carriage of the King of Foreign Lands? What's going on in that head of yours? Don't you know that the King of Foreign Lands is a valued subject highly regarded by the Sage Emperor, the Son of Heaven's disciple?”
”Lord Yang!”
The Imperial Army guards around the officer instantly shivered and lowered their heads.
In the capital, only one man in such scholarly and elegant attire commanded such respect from the Imperial Army: the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, Yang Zhao.
Yang Zhao had not read many books and was a born gambler, but after becoming an official, he enjoyed posing as an elegant scholar and regarding himself as a civil official. In addition, Yang Zhao was a relative of the imperial household, as his backer was the much-adored Consort Taizhen.
And even without this, the fact that he had been personally made the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues by the Sage Emperor made him a man to fear.
Although Yang Zhao didn't know martial arts, when it came to numbers, he possessed an astonishing talent. Upon becoming the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, he had tidied up the Great Tang's domestic affairs and revenues. Wang Chong had even heard that Yang Zhao's measures had increased the Great Tang's treasury by twenty percent.
For a massive empire like the Great Tang, twenty percent was astounding.
Not only that, as Chamberlain of Palace Revenues, Yang Zhao also controlled the salaries of the consorts, maids, eunuchs, and the Imperial Army. Although the Imperial Household Department was not under his jurisdiction, all of its managers passionately followed his lead.