Chapter 1664: Surging Undercurrent! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

When Zhangchou Jianqiong had first moved from the southwest to the capital, the half of the Commander Tally which represented supreme authority was something he had dreamed about. But now, it was the hottest potato in the empire, the most fatal tally that could end his life.

Without realizing it, Zhangchou Jianqiong had walked into the center of the storm.

The Commander Tally was kept protected on the person of the Minister of War, and it could not be handed to any other person. Even if Zhangchou Jianqiong wanted to back away now or give the Commander Tally to someone else, it was impossible.

Wang Chong said nothing, but he could understand what Zhangchou Jianqiong was feeling. But there was no backing down for anyone now.

”Whether or not I survive is a trifling matter. My worry is that this is only the beginning, that the heavens above the Great Tang are about to change!”

Zhangchou Jianqiong had a look of grave concern.

The hall became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Wang Chong's brow creased as if he was in deep thought.

Meanwhile, as Wang Chong was paying a visit to Zhangchou Jianqiong, the members of the Eastern Palace had convened a meeting.

Flap flap!

In the middle of their discussion, there was a flapping of wings, and then a fierce gyrfalcon with a beak like an iron hook flew through the window.

The moment the gyrfalcon flew in, a rough and wrinkled finger reached out to receive it.

”Your Highness, we've just received word that the King of Foreign Lands is heading toward Zhangchou Jianqiong's residence!”

Kim U-Seok stepped forward and bowed.

With the First Prince's support, he now had many intelligence members under his command, some of them even recruited from the former royal house of Goguryeo. Purely when it came to scouts, he had six to seven hundred, and even the bending of a blade of grass in the Imperial City would not be able to escape his gaze.

”Hmph, he went, as expected. Truly unsurprising!”

The First Prince put down his teacup and coldly smiled.

Zhangchou Jianqiong and Wang Chong had worked together in the Public Order Squad incident, and by now, everyone in the court knew of their relationship.

”Your Highness, we've already received three memorials from Zhangchou Jianqiong, all of them saying that he is unwell and will be recovering in his residence. The rules of the Imperial Court will make it very difficult for us to prevent this,” Zhu Tong'en commented at this time.

”I didn't think that even their men would fail. This is a problem,” another voice said, its owner taking a few steps forward. This was Asura, who had been rescued from the Imperial Clan Court some time ago.

He had been the one who had carried out the preliminary surveillance of Zhangchou Jianqiong's route, discovering that small alley that he liked to frequent.

Kim U-Seok's scouts were of too low a level, and they would have been easily discovered by Zhangchou Jianqiong.

But Asura had never imagined that those powerful assassins would also fail. Zhangchou Jianqiong was now on his guard and had even holed up in his house while claiming that he was unwell. This would make any further operations much more difficult.

”Without Zhangchou Jianqiong's Commander Tally, we can't proceed with our plan,” Asura added.

The hall instantly fell silent.

”Ghost King, what is your view on this matter?” the First Prince suddenly asked, his gaze turning to his right, where the Ghost King was seated motionlessly under a coiling dragon pillar.

During the discussion, the Ghost King had not participated, his eyes closed in thought as if this entire matter had nothing to do with him.

In the First Prince's faction, the Ghost King possessed supreme status, with even the First Prince showing him respect.

The assassination of Zhangchou Jianqiong was actually a plan the Ghost King had proposed from the very start. On that model of the capital, one of the flags the Ghost King had put down had been thrust into Zhangchou Jianqiong's residence.

The Bureau of Military Personnel was the pivot around which the armies of the realm turned, and it controlled the immense military might of the Great Tang. If the First Prince wanted to ascend to the Throne of the Nine and Five, he could not ignore this critical piece.

”Seizing Zhangchou Jianqiong's Commander Tally is the superior plan, but it is not the only one.”

The Ghost King opened his eyes, and his first words immediately caused everyone else to feel relieved.

As expected of the wisest strategist of the Eastern Palace, the Ghost King always had a back-up plan. As long as the Ghost King had a plan, it meant that their side would not have to be too passive.

The Ghost King's identity had always been unfathomable and imposing. At the start, all of them had still been somewhat unconvinced, but now, as they began to finally realize who he was, they began to follow him with sincere devotion, and all their complaints disappeared.

”Only with the Commander Tally can we order around the six Protector-Generals and the various armies, but even if we don't have it, that doesn't mean that we can't execute our plan. The Confucian Sect controls the Imperial Court, and they've already disbanded the prefectural armies and have significantly reduced the armies of the six protectorates. Even if they're dissatisfied, their influence would be greatly reduced if they tried to make an enemy of the First Prince. Is this not why the First Prince agreed with the Confucian Sect to disband the prefectural armies in the first place?”