Chapter 1590 - The Second Memorial! (II)
Chapter 1590: The Second Memorial! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
In a flash, everyone looked at Wang Chong with a sense of deep dread.
The First Prince took in a deep breath and coldly ordered, “Bring it up!”
Li Ying hated Wang Chong down to the bones for helping Fifth Prince Li Heng oppose him, but now that Wang Chong had so openly made a statement, Li Ying was compelled to look the memorial over.
All was deathly still as all eyes focused on the second memorial in Wang Chong’s right hand.
The eunuch heading down took both memorials from Wang Chong and then returned, offering them to First Prince Li Ying.
The mood turned strange as everyone turned their focus to the First Prince and Wang Chong’s memorial.
No one knew what Wang Chong was selling, but there was no question that Wang Chong had come prepared and that he was not at all as passive as they had expected. Just when the First Prince and Li Junxian had firmly seized control of the Imperial Court, Wang Chong had come forward like a cold and sharp sword, pressuring everyone on the scene.
“As expected, no matter what, you can’t look down on the King of Foreign Lands!”
Some of the old officials on the gate tower sighed. These people had been important officials before Li Junxian’s appearance, and all they had experienced told them just how formidable Wang Chong was.
All those operations targeted against Wang Chong and the Wang Clan had all failed.
Even so, they were all very interested in how Wang Chong would manage to recover from a situation where he was so clearly in the wrong. Just what was written in this memorial?
King Qi’s goateed advisor stepped forward and whispered into his ear, “Your Highness, the situation looks bad. That kid has clearly come well-prepared. The First Prince won’t let him go just because of this one memorial, right?”
“Impossible! No matter what Wang Chong has written in his memorial, the First Prince will never let him go. There’s no hope of escaping this disaster for him!”
King Qi glared at the confident and composed figure of Wang Chong.
Brat, I’d like to see how long you can keep that smug expression! King Qi mentally cursed.
Based on his understanding of Li Ying, nothing but a miracle could let Wang Chong escape.
The fact that Wang Chong was supporting Li Heng from the shadows was enough for the First Prince to not forgive him.
Li Ying didn’t even glance at the memorial impeaching Li Junxian before passing it to a eunuch. After profoundly glancing at Wang Chong, the First Prince opened Wang Chong’s second memorial.
He wanted to see what sort of trick Wang Chong would play after committing so many crimes, with so much evidence against him.
Whoooah!
When the First Prince opened the memorial, the tens of thousands of people in the vicinity all held their breaths and watched.
‘Your Highness, the subject Wang Chong has a memorial!’
This was the first line of the memorial, and the words were square and rigid. Wang Chong had clearly made progress from his original bird scratch, but such words were still not worthy of the First Prince’s admiration.
Hmph, it’s just like the rumors said.
The First Prince inwardly sneered as he scoffed. He had long ago heard about how awful the writing of the King of Foreign Lands was, and today, he had confirmed the rumors for himself. Moreover, as the regent, he had seen openings like this thousands of times. Thus, at first glance, the First Prince paid no heed to this memorial.
In truth, he was determined to ignore the memorial no matter what Wang Chong said.
But two seconds later, the First Prince paled.
‘The subject has often heard that all things under the sun and moon are founded in loyalty and integrity. At present, the Great Tang’s might in the world is undisputed, and this is due to its emphasis on laws, loyalty, and integrity. Thus, when the Son of Heaven commits a crime, he is punished the same as a commoner. If even the Son of Heaven is treated like this, why should the Hu be different?
‘Whether they come from the east, west, north, or south, whether they are Arab, Characenian, Turkic, Mengshe Zhao, or Goguryeon, any who enter the land of the Han must comply with the laws of the Han. Those who defy this law must all be heavily punished so as to affirm that Hu and Han are equal. This is what it means to have loyalty and integrity!
‘Thus, this lowly subject established the Public Order Office so that all the realm may see and hear for themselves what is correct and proper! Let all the Hu in the four directions understand this principle!
‘With no norms or standards, nothing can be accomplished. If the Hu are allowed to commit crimes without punishment, the system of laws will collapse, and it will be made known to all the world that the Hu stand above the Han. Firstly, the Hu have always had proud personalities, fearing might and spurning kindness. Thus, previous dynasties have always chosen to subdue the Hu through force and not kindness. Secondly, the people of the Tang have begun to voice their scorn, their cries of complaint rising from all around. As time passes, the people will grow discontent, and they will accuse the imperial household, accuse the Imperial Court.
‘Taizong once said that waters can keep a boat afloat, but they can also sink a boat. Just as waters can keep a boat afloat at the start and sink it later, so can the will of the people change. Even if the Hu show favor, if the will of the people is broken, more will be lost than gained, and is this truly what the lord desires? If this policy is not changed, this subject fears that when there is an incident at the border, no one in the Great Tang will answer the call. This subject hopes that Your Highness and the gentlemen of the court will reconsider…’
The memorial was full of sharp insights, and as the First Prince read more and more, his face turned green.
Each sentence was well-reasoned, but each sentence was also aimed at him.
“King of Foreign Lands, are you criticizing me?”
The First Prince clenched his fists in rage. As he read these cutting words of the memorial, he felt like Wang Chong was standing in front of him and criticizing him for his dereliction of duty.
The policy toward the Hu was to be as tolerant and openminded as possible, even ordering the City Guard not to intervene in disputes involving the Hu. Although this was the idea of Li Junxian and Confucian Sect, how could it have been implemented without the approval of the Great Tang’s heir apparent?
Wang Chong’s memorial seemed on the surface to only be arguing on the merits and demerits of a policy, but the First Prince felt like Wang Chong was using the matter of the Hu to help out the Fifth Prince.
If he admitted to his errors, would he not be saying to the people of the realm that he was not fit for the position of heir apparent?
Truly ridiculous! the First Prince inwardly fumed.
Buzz!
As the First Prince inwardly raged, a turmoil broke out in the crowd. A few shouts soon turned into a clamor of discussion.
“That’s right! The King of Foreign Lands is exactly right!”
“The Imperial Court should have done this long ago!”
“Isn’t it supposed to be a Harmonious World? They should have done this long ago!”
Cheers could be heard from the distance, accompanied by loud exclamations and shouts.
The First Prince raised his head in alarm.
“What’s going on? What happened over there?”
Ordinary clamor was one thing, but judging by the volume, something strange had clearly happened.
Someone rushed away, and after a few moments, they returned.
“Your Highness, someone has put up posters around the city, and from the contents, they seemed to be from a memorial. Moreover…”
The gate attendant glanced at the memorial in the First Prince’s hand, swallowed, and then worked up his courage.
“It seems… to be the memorial in Your Highness’s hands!”
All the officials on the wall paled, and the First Prince instantly understood, his face twisting into a scowl.
Wang Chong had been far more prepared for this than he had imagined.
Boom!
As the news traveled through the city, the kneeling commoners in front of the gate began to raise their heads and cry out.
“Wonderful! The King of Foreign Lands is right!”
“The Imperial Court has finally taken notice!”
The crowd began to cheer.
In the middle of the crowd, Li Junxian and King Qi were in a state of alarm, and the soldiers of the Penal Court had begun to panic.
“Damn it! Just what in the world happened that has all these lowly commoners shouting?” King Qi angrily spat.
Meanwhile, Li Junxian’s brow had furrowed. Although he didn’t know what was going on, it was clear that it was related to this incident and boded ill for him.
On the wall, Zhangchou Jianqiong faintly smiled. He suddenly understood Wang Chong’s plan and finally understood why Wang Chong wasn’t anxious.
Kid, good job!
Zhangchou Jianqiong inwardly chuckled. It was now clear that Wang Chong had not only prepared the memorial, he had also posted its contents all across the city.
The greatest discontent toward the matter of the Hu came from the people, so one could easily imagine the effects Wang Chong’s memorial would have on them.
This is called turning passive into active. Even the First Prince will have to think twice now.
“Bastard! Are you forcing this prince?”
The First Prince’s face darkened. Although he had been determined to do something about Wang Chong regardless of the contents of the memorial, now that Wang Chong had published the memorial, the First Prince’s opposition would essentially put him at odds with the people. Even if he didn’t want to agree, he had to agree.
But letting go of such an excellent chance to deal with Wang Chong was easier said than done.
“Wang Chong, even if your words are reasonable, only the Imperial Court has the authority to establish the Public Order Squads. Even if it was for the sake of the Great Tang, you cannot overstep your bounds. You must still explain yourself to the officials and to the realm for this matter,” the First Prince sternly said.
“That’s right! And there’s also Pusan Tuoye. Wang Chong, hurry and release them,” King Qi loudly called out.