Chapter 1661: Su Zhengchen and Hou Junji! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

”After that, Hou Junji was defeated and Emperor Taizong had him executed, his name and portrait removed from Lingyan Pavilion1. This matter was a major blow to Emperor Taizong, and the entire empire was shaken,” Su Zhengchen said.

Wang Chong deeply frowned upon hearing this. He had not personally experienced these events, so he did not have as deep an impression of them as Su Zhengchen. But from what Su Zhengchen had said, Hou Junji should have been dead, so what was going on with the 'Hou Junji' he was facing now?

Given his age, he didn't seem like Hou Junji's son or grandson, and besides, the two had scars in exactly the same places, as could be verified with Hou Junji's portrait from Lingyan Pavilion.

That doesn't make sense. What's going on here? Could a dead man have come back to life?

Wang Chong's mind was in turmoil.

Su Zhengchen spoke again. ”However, later on, I heard that there was some incident at the execution ground during Hou Junji's execution. I had already been placed under house arrest, so I don't know the exact details, but ever since then, Hou Junji has never appeared. The Imperial Court told the public that Hou Junji was dead, and I don't know about anything after that, nor was I paying much attention.”

Buzz!

This flippant observation from Su Zhengchen made Wang Chong's heart shudder as he came to realize something.

Someone who has been dead for one hundred years can't have come back to life, but if that man was never dead, everything is different, and many things start making sense. And if it's what I imagine, Hou Junji must be hiding an extremely important secret.

If this man really is Hou Junji, then something must have happened on the execution ground that day. But who was it that saved Hou Junji?

There seemed to be some enormous riddle hiding behind everything. Wang Chong sensed that Hou Junji's appearance was not as simple as it seemed, and that there would probably be a major difference in this Rebellion of the Three Princes.

Su Zhengchen stared at Wang Chong and solemnly warned, ”Chong-er, I don't know if this man is the real Hou Junji, but if he is, you must be extremely careful. Hou Junji has never been picky with his methods, and cares about the ends, not the means. Back then, when it came to martial arts and the art of war, he was only second to me. Given all the years that have passed and his formidable learning ability, he has probably reached an incredibly frightening level. Many years have passed since there has been any news of him, but now that he's appeared again, he must have great ambitions. You have to be cautious.”

Looking at Su Zhengchen's expression, Wang Chong couldn't help but tremble.

”Chong-er, I promised His Majesty Taizong that I would never involve myself in the court again, so I'm afraid I can't help you. But your master believes that you have the ability to get through this trial. Come; let's not talk about this anymore. It's rare for us to meet, so play a round of chess with me,” Su Zhengchen suddenly said, thus ending the discussion.

Now that he knew the Ghost King's identity, Wang Chong was extremely uneasy, but even so, he still sat down and played a game with Su Zhengchen.

……

As Wang Chong emerged from the rear gate, Zhang Que emerged from his hiding place and came up to meet him.

”How was it? Your Highness, did you find anything out?”

”Mm, it really is him!” Wang Chong said.

”Ah? Then is Senior Su willing to help us?” Zhang Que asked. The more he learned about Hou Junji and his past record, the greater the pressure he felt.

Who could have imagined that the advisor by the First Prince's side would be such a legendary figure?!

This sort of opponent was far above the normal caliber of foe they faced.

”Heh, relax!”

Wang Chong gave Zhang Que a surprising pat on the shoulder.

”Senior Su actually already took action!”

”Ah?!”

Zhang Que's eyes went slack, completely confused by Wang Chong's words.

Wang Chong merely smiled. Without an explanation, he swept his sleeve and left.

Although Su Zhengchen was restrained by the oath from the past to not intervene in court affairs, Su Zhengchen had invited Wang Chong to play a round of chess before leaving. While it had seemed like an ordinary game, it was in fact an exhibition of Hou Junji's art of war. In this way, he had indirectly assisted Wang Chong.

'Master one and master a hundred.' Now that he knew Hou Junji's art of war, he also indirectly understood Hou Junji's style and the method to counter him.

Whoosh!

In a gust of wind, Wang Chong and Zhang Que vanished into the darkness.

……

By knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy, one could emerge victorious in battle. Now that he knew the Ghost King's true identity, Wang Chong found that the clouds had greatly cleared up.

Wang Chong knew what he needed to do next.

The King of Foreign Lands Residence spun to life like a giant machine as Wang Chong began to issue orders.

Meanwhile, as the stars turned and the sun rose, the entire capital was peaceful and quiet.

For the common folk, everything was peaceful, and no matter how fierce the quarrels in the court were, they were all far, far away.

At this time, no one noticed that beneath a massive scholar tree in the western part of the city, a tall and thin figure was sitting motionlessly, a golden chessboard placed in front of him.

On the sides of the chessboard were two gourds containing chess pieces.

The elder simply sat there, seemingly fusing with the tree next to him.

Time continued to slowly pass.