Chapter 1799: Reinstatement of Office! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

”Really, really… to think it would be like this…!”

Li Heng had imagined many answers before his meeting with Wang Chong, but not this one. He had never expected the answer to be so simple. In order to get close to the Sage Emperor, both he and the First Prince had tried many methods, but all of them had failed.

The Dragon Guards were callous and strong, allowing no one to approach. Their existence was an impregnable fortress that no one could trick their way past.

Not even the Sage Emperor's beloved Consort Taizhen could get in, much less anyone else.

Thus, everyone subconsciously believed that Taiji Palace was unapproachable, including the First Prince.

But they had all forgotten that while Consort Taizhen might not have been permitted to approach, one person was. That person was Eunuch Gao, who had seemingly vanished. As the Eunuch Director of the Inner Court and the Sage Emperor's trusted aide, Eunuch Gao had a completely different status.

Eunuch Gao was the Sage Emperor's shadow and representative. The Dragon Guards and True Dragon Sentinels might have been duty-bound to refuse Consort Taizhen, but they all knew Eunuch Gao and would not stop him. This was the only way to get inside Taiji Palace.

As for the Eastern Palace guards around them, they were somewhat more problematic. But given Wang Chong's strength, it was entirely possible to get past them in the middle of the night. And it was also possible that Wang Chong had disguised himself as an Imperial Army soldier and mixed in with the crowd.

As these thoughts occurred to Li Heng, he examined Wang Chong's calm and relaxed face, and felt sincere admiration.

All of this was easier said than done. The situation at the time had been fraught with tension, and Wang Chong had been carrying an immense pressure on his shoulders, the fate of the empire depending on his choices. Any normal person would have been completely crushed, but Wang Chong had remained cold and collected. He had Young Master Qingyang draw the attention of Hou Junji and the Eastern Palace, taking care of all the numerous details and overseeing the overall situation, while he himself infiltrated Taiji Palace.

The slightest error would have made all his efforts for naught.

The entire matter was definitely not as simple as he made it out to be.

But Wang Chong had still managed to do it. Everything taking place within and without the Imperial Palace, including Hou Junji and the Eastern Palace, had all been within his calculations.

”Right—what has the Imperial Court said?” Wang Chong asked.

Wang Chong had an entirely different concern on his mind. The Rebellion of the Three Princes had been smoothly brought to an end, so it was now time to see how the court responded.

”The officials of the court were given a bad fright, so they've all gone back to their homes to rest. No one expected this rebellion, so they will need some time to discuss how to handle the aftermath.”

Upon hearing Wang Chong's question, the Fifth Prince refocused himself.

”Right—before leaving, Imperial Father issued an order moving me from Jinyang Palace to Jade Dragon Palace.”

A hint of joy gleamed in Li Heng's eyes.

”Congratulations, Your Highness!”

Wang Chong was also elated, though he had already had a vague inkling that this would happen. After this rebellion, the First Prince, Second Prince, and Third Prince would all be marginalized and lose any right to the throne. At the very least, none of those officials who had been imprisoned in Taihe Palace would agree. As for the Fourth Prince, the Xueyang Palace incident had already caused him to fall out of contention.

Thus, Fifth Prince Li Heng was now the natural successor. In handing him the authority to deal with the remaining rebels, the Sage Emperor had indicated as such. Moreover, with the First Prince removed, the Eastern Palace was empty. While the Sage Emperor had yet to move Li Heng into the Eastern Palace or name him the Crown Prince, the move to Jade Dragon Palace was evidence enough of his stance.

Jade Dragon Palace was much closer to Taiji Palace than Jinyang Palace. More importantly, while Jade Dragon Palace was not a very highly ranked palace, it was the Sage Emperor's residence when he had still been Prince of Chu. By moving Li Heng there, the Sage Emperor was exhibiting his high favor.

”The Rebellion of the Three Princes has formally concluded. Congratulations to user for pacifying the rebellion. For removing this potential disaster, user has been rewarded with 300,000 points of Destiny Energy. In addition, for the immense progress achieved in the True Dragon mission, user has been rewarded an additional 200,000 points of Destiny Energy!”

The familiar voice of the Stone of Destiny suddenly resounded in Wang Chong's mind.

Wang Chong smiled at this news. Li Heng spent a little longer in Wang Chong's residence, discussing a few more things, and then took his leave. After sending Li Heng off, Wang Chong felt drowsiness coming over him. While he seemed relaxed, predicting the actions of Hou Junji and the Eastern Palace alone had drained him.

Now that everything was settled, Wang Chong felt exhaustion overcoming him. But just when Wang Chong was about to go to his room to rest, another figure rushed in, accompanied by a light breeze.

”Haha, congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations! Good news! Wonderful news!”

The voice loudly announced his guest's arrival, and a few moments later, the door opened, allowing a silk-robed figure holding a horsetail whisk to come in, a joyful look on his face.

”Bian Lingcheng?!”

Wang Chong was startled to see this most unexpected visitor.

”This lowly one pays respects to His Highness!”

Bian Lingcheng turned serious and respectfully bowed, his bow deeper than any time before.