The Human Emperor

“I’ve already made arrangements for everything!”
Wang Chong seemed to know what Zhang Que was thinking, speaking without turning his head away from the window.
“There are two letters on the table. The first is for the Fifth Prince. The second is for the Minister of War Residence, for Zhangchou Jianqiong. With the two of them working together, there shouldn’t be any problem in the capital for the short term. In addition, if there’s any sort of incident in the capital, inform me by eagle!”
After a moment’s daze, Zhang Que looked at the desk and realized that there really were two letters there.
“Your subordinate understands!”
Whether on the battlefield or in the court, his liege’s plans were flawless. It was clear that he had already meticulously considered every angle of this operation.
Creeeak!
After issuing this order, Wang Chong pushed open the door and exited.
Outside, the clouds hung low and a mournful mood drifted on the air, mirroring the mood of the empire.
A Great General had died, and the circumstances of his death were a complete mystery. Regardless of what anyone said or what trouble the man in the Eastern Palace would make for Wang Chong, Wang Chong needed to go to Big Dipper City. This was the only respect and honor he could offer to a Great General who had contributed so much to the empire.
……
Neeeigh!
A few moments later, Wang Chong rode out from the western suburbs of the capital, dressed for the first time in a very long time in the armor of a Great General.
Underneath him was the White-hoofed Shadow, which gave out a heaven-startling cry. They had not traveled together since the Battle of Talas.
Boom!
Wang Chong’s expression was cold as he looked in the direction of the distant Big Dipper City. A moment later, in a golden flash of light, Subtle realm energy burst from his body and flowed into the White-hoofed Shadow.
Thud! The White-hoofed Shadow’s hoof slammed into the ground as if it weighed ten thousand jun, causing the earth to quake.
At the same time, a golden halo came clattering out from its hooves and rapidly expanded.
Halo of Dusk Stallion!
With Wang Chong’s Subtle realm strength, the Halo of Dusk Stallion had been transformed. Its power was now on an entirely different level.
The White-hoofed Shadow, the Halo of Dusk Stallion, and Wang Chong’s formidable Subtle realm strength made Wang Chong capable of moving with explosive speed that an ordinary person could only dream about. While the capital was very far away from Big Dipper City, at Wang Chong’s current speed, he would only need a few days to arrive.
Neeeigh!
The White-hoofed Shadow took a few steps back, and then horse and rider shot forward like a cannonball. A deafening sonic boom could be heard as the pair left a trail several dozen meters long in their wake, vanishing into the distance in less than a second.
……
At the same time, countless birds were flying in and out of the Eastern Palace, even more than had been coming out of Wang Chong’s estate.
“We finally got it! The third base!”
A voice resounded through the hall as a slim and powerful palm reached out, fair-skinned fingers snatching a cinnabar brush and drawing a large ‘X’ across Big Dipper City on the map of the Great Tang.
Standing in front of the map, the First Prince gazed at the three ‘X’ marks and sighed, a smile slowly creeping onto his lips.
“Your Highness, congratulations! With Anxi, Beiting, and Big Dipper all in our hands, Your Highness has taken a step closer to the completion of the grand project!” Kim U-Seok used this chance to loudly proclaim his congratulations.
“What a pity. Geshu Han was a courageous warrior of my Great Tang, but he opposed this prince and was not willing to join me, refusing each of my invitations. If he had known some tact and stood on this prince’s side, we would have complemented each other as sovereign and subject. It would have been wonderful!”
The First Prince emotionally sighed.
But there was no sign of remorse on his face.
He of great ambitions did not quibble over minor details. While Geshu Han was astonishingly talented in both civil and martial pursuits, what did it compare to his grand aspirations?
Everyone else in the hall smiled. Geshu Han had a frank and upright personality, but no one dared to ruin the First Prince’s good mood by saying so.
“Your Highness, the matter of Geshu Han is far from over. The Imperial Court and all the people are waiting for our explanation! The death of a Great General is no minor matter. No matter what, we must give a reason!” Zhu Tong’en, wearing casual robes, respectfully said.
The First Prince softly chuckled at Zhu Tong’en’s words.
“Minister Zhu, there is no need to worry. This prince knows how to proceed. Meng Tu, what have the surrounding countries said?”
After soothing Zhu Tong’en, the First Prince quickly turned to Meng Tu.
Meng Tu stepped forward and reported, “Your Highness is truly wise. Since we made the announcement, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, Goguryeo, Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, and Arabia have all felt fear and sent letters of state defending themselves, afraid that we might blame them for the death of Great General Geshu.”
Everyone in the hall chuckled. They were well aware of how Geshu Han had died, but through subtle influences, they had made everyone look toward the surrounding countries, making them the greatest suspects.
The strong ate the weak and the victor became the king. None of the surrounding countries dared to provoke the Great Tang at this time. The number of panicked letters of state was firm evidence of this.
“But there are a few minor problems. Not long ago, Secretariat Advisor Li Junxian sent a letter containing veiled criticism of Your Highness.”
Meng Tu’s words caused the air in the hall to freeze and all sound to die away.
Li Junxian was the leader of the Confucian Sect, and their casting of blame on the foreign countries had drawn the criticism of this faction. The Confucian Sect’s greatest concern was the long-term peace between the Great Tang and the surrounding countries. Li Junxian had sent a letter because he was clearly concerned that the First Prince’s plan would ruin the Confucian Sect’s efforts.
The First Prince smiled and said, “Heh, we can ignore the Secretariat Advisor for now. In the future, block all his letters and any of his attempts to get a private audience with me in the Eastern Palace!”
He had only worked with the Confucian Sect because they shared a common interest, because it concerned the War of the Princes and the Seat of the Nine and Five. He would naturally not allow the Confucian Sect and Li Junxian to hinder his plans.
“Your subordinate understands!”
Meng Tu swiftly nodded.
“But now is not the time to be careless,” the First Prince said after a few moments of silence. “Kim U-Seok, keep a close eye on the King of Foreign Lands Residence and report to me immediately on any signs of movement!”
Everything was proceeding smoothly. With the armies of Anxi, Beiting, and Big Dipper under his command, he had the largest foundation of power. But still the First Prince was somewhat uneasy, and the only one he feared was the man in the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Wang Chong.
The only person who had yet to react to Geshu Han’s death was Wang Chong.
Wang Chong was a variable that would always remain an unstable factor in the First Prince’s plan.
Kim U-Seok bowed and said, “Your Highness, be at ease. Your subordinate already dispatched men to keep a close eye on the slightest movement there!”
Whoosh!
As he was speaking, there was a rush of wind, and a golden bird flew into the hall, its flapping wings swiftly attracting everyone’s attention.
Kim U-Seok raised an eyebrow in surprise. His birds were divided by species, to be used for varying degrees of importance. This golden bird was only used for extremely important news.
Whoosh!
Kim U-Seok opened his palm, and a pull emerged from it that drew the bird into his hands. Taking the letter from its leg, he glanced over it and then quickly looked up at the First Prince.
“Your Highness, we’ve just received word that the King of Foreign Lands has taken a warhorse and left his estate for Big Dipper City.”
The First Prince’s eyes widened and his lashes trembled.
Everyone else was also taken aback by this report.
“Hahaha, Ghost King, it’s just as you predicted! He really left the capital for Big Dipper City!”
The First Prince heartily laughed as he turned his eyes to another man in the hall.
Everyone in the hall also turned to look at this man. The Ghost King had already become the undisputed number one strategist of the Eastern Palace, and perhaps even the title of strategist was not enough to describe his abilities. Even the First Prince regarded him with great respect.
On his lounge chair, Hou Junji indifferently smiled as if the First Prince had brought up some insignificant matter.
“Senior, with Geshu Han dead, what should we do now?” Meng Tu respectfully said.
Meng Tu had also made his name on his schemes and intelligence, but even he felt deep respect for this man. This man seemed capable of changing the heavens with just a raise of his hand. He had seized two armies and even forced the troublesome Wang Chong into an extremely passive position. He was only one capable of such a feat.
“There’s no need to ask about this. The Ghost King and I understand how to proceed!”
Surprisingly, the First Prince waved his sleeve and stopped Meng Tu.
“Ghost King, I leave the next matter to you!”
“There is no need for Your Highness’s concern! Simply wait for the good news!”

On his lounge chair, Hou Junji was indifferent, neither happy nor sad. He gave off an unfathomable sensation, like no one in the world could escape his schemes. Hou Junji slowly turned his eyes to look out the window, a faint smile flitting across his lips.