荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

The faces of Wang Chong’s subordinates went stiff. What they had feared had come to pass, as their lord’s eyes were as sharp as ever. They couldn’t hide anything from him.

“Relax! I’ve already prepared myself,” Wang Chong calmly said. After all that he had experienced, he could accept even the worst news.

“Your Highness...”

Xu Keyi swallowed, lowered his head, and finally began to cautiously report another matter.

“While you were gone, Prime Minister Li Linfu managed to pass a proposal through the court completely disbanding the prefectural armies. By now, the prefectural armies are almost all dissolved.

“In addition, with Li Junxian’s vigorous backing, a large number of Hu have been allowed into the capital and the other provinces, much more than previously allowed. There are fifty thousand in the capital alone.”

“We’ve also discovered quite a few foreign spies within these Hu, but Li Junxian has completely suppressed this news,” Zhang Que added.

Bang!

Wang Chong’s body trembled in shock. Even though he had prepared himself to hear about how the Confucian Sect had seized the month he had been gone to magnify its victory and suppress the Bureau of Military Personnel, the news that the prefectural armies had been disbanded still left a nasty scowl on his face.

The prefectural armies were the foundation of the country, a reserve of soldiers. Without the prefectural armies, a major incident would result in unimaginable consequences.

“Li Junxian!”

Wang Chong clenched his fists as this name passed through his mind.

“Your Highness...”

His subordinates worriedly looked across the desk at Wang Chong, but none of them dared to say a word. The mood became almost suffocating.

After a seemingly interminable second, Wang Chong finally spoke.

“I understand!”

Wang Chong waved his hand and took in a deep breath. Although there was still some turmoil in his voice, he was not as agitated as everyone had expected.

“We’ll take back everything we’ve lost one by one. Temporary setbacks are insignificant. I’ve come back so that I can correct all the errors and put them back on the right track,” Wang Chong sternly said.

Whew! Wang Chong’s calm voice caused everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

Amidst their relief, they also felt excitement and anticipation.

This was the first time they had encountered such a predicament, but just like in the southwest and at Talas, they all maintained an absolute conviction and trust in their young master.

Around an hour later, the meeting was over and they left the study on Wang Chong’s orders. Once they were gone, Wang Chong turned to Old Eagle.

“Old Eagle, speak. What has happened with the Fifth Prince?”

It was only now that Wang Chong chose to broach this matter.

At the same time, he removed the letter that Old Eagle had sent him from his sleeve, slowly opening it on the table.

The letter he had received in the northwest had said nothing regarding the capital or the court. It had been about the Fifth Prince.

Based on the information levels the two of them had previously agreed on, the letter Old Eagle had sent was a matter of absolute urgency. If it weren’t serious, Old Eagle would have never sent it using the method he had.

“Lord Marquis, the story is rather long. Not long ago, when I was still observing Ü-Tsang and the Turks while also managing the communications between the capital and the borders, the Fifth Prince’s personal eunuch, Li Jingzhong, came to me. With a worried face, he said that he had an extremely important matter to discuss with Your Highness, a matter which the Fifth Prince’s life hinged on.”

Now that no one else was present, Old Eagle’s face turned grave as he began to recount the events of that time.

“I found it rather strange. With Your Highness’s help, the Fifth Prince should have gained a firm footing in the capital. Moreover, Xu Keyi is the one responsible for these matters, so there was no reason for Li Jingzhong to find me. He said that the matter was extremely urgent and that he couldn’t even get close to the Wang Family Residence, nor was he able to. There was a deep apprehension in his tone. Before leaving, he gave your subordinate a letter!

“This is the letter!”

As Old Eagle spoke, he took the letter from his sleeve and offered it with both hands. Wang Chong said nothing as he opened the letter and began to read through it.

Old Eagle didn’t dare to say a word for fear of interrupting Wang Chong.

After a long while, Wang Chong finally put down the letter, and his brow began to crease.

Li Jingzhong’s letter was faltering and vague, as if he was worried that the letter might fall into the wrong hands. Reading the letter had only added to Wang Chong’s questions.

“I understand!”

Regaining his composure, Wang Chong waved his hand and dismissed Old Eagle. Once he was alone, Wang Chong placed a hand on his brow and began to think.

When he was receiving Old Eagle’s letter back in the northwest, he had heard the Stone of Destiny speak.

“Warning! User’s mission ‘Plan of the True Dragon’ is under grave threat and is on the verge of failure! Once target Li Heng dies, user will be deducted 300,000 points of Destiny Energy.

“Notice: As Li Heng is an important individual for this world, his death will have severe consequences that could lead the world’s history down an unpredictable path, producing many unknown variables. Note: For mission failure, user will be deducted an additional 1,000,000 points of Destiny Energy!”

......

“What is going on here?”

Wang Chong’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper. He had concluded that after the last incident in the palace, Li Heng should have been able to slowly establish his own prestige and recruit his own comrades that could help him plan and strategize. The Fifth Prince was maturing by the day, and not even the First Prince could deal with him that easily. Moreover, the status of Prince was extremely important. The Third Prince Li Ju, for his crimes of framing Li Heng and deceiving the sovereign, had only been jailed in the imperial prison.

Why had the Stone of Destiny mentioned that Li Heng would die?

“This shouldn’t be...”

Wang Chong muttered to himself as he searched through his memories. Based on what he knew, nothing important was happening around this time that could threaten Li Heng.

Shaking himself from his stupor, he cast his eyes on the envelope the letter had come in. Thrusting his fingers inside, he quickly extracted a small token.

The sight of this small token made Wang Chong’s eyes slowly clear up.

Time slowly passed, and without much fanfare, a day had passed since Wang Chong’s return to the capital.

In the western part of the capital, a new restaurant had been opened on Kui Dragon Street, lavishly decorated and painted. The words ‘Morning Song Pavilion’ had been written on its signboard.

Morning Song Pavilion was one of the most popular restaurants on Kui Dragon Street, with merchants, peddlers, and commoners of all trades and professions going in and out. Amongst the gourmets of the capital, its reputation was even beginning to catch up to Vast Crane Pavilion.

Creeeeak!

The door of a carriage parked outside the pavilion slowly opened, allowing a slender figure to walk out.

“This is the place?”

Wang Chong looked up at Morning Song Pavilion.

Wang Chong had slightly altered his appearance. Although he was no master of this art, with his cultivation, he could control the muscles and bones of his face to change his external features. Moreover, there were many carriages outside Morning Song Pavilion, so unless someone was watching out for him in particular, they wouldn’t pick him out from the crowd.

Wang Chong quickly went inside.

Inside Morning Song Pavilion, a waiter lazily leaned against the counter. Morning Song Pavilion was so popular that the other waiters were rushing up to passionately greet guests, so busy that they had no free time, but this waiter appeared completely at ease.

Wang Chong walked over and merely flashed the small token in his hand.

Buzz!

The red token in Wang Chong’s hand caused the lazy waiter to tremble, his eyes flying open.

“Guest, please! Come inside!”

The waiter shook his sleeves and enthusiastically led the way. Passing through the entire restaurant, Wang Chong was led toward a hidden passage going underground.

“Your Highness, thank you for the trouble! Milord is inside and would like to treat you to a meal!”

Now that no one was around, the waiter deferentially bowed.

Wang Chong grunted and gave a slight nod, then he pushed the door and went in.

The room was quiet, a fact which Wang Chong did not find surprising at all.

“Li Jingzhong, come out!” Wang Chong said without turning his head.

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. A few moments later, with a dry cough and the jangling of a concealed curtain, ‘Li Jingzhong’ walked out, an awkward expression on his face.

“Wang Chong, it’s me,” the man softly said, but this wasn’t Li Jingzhong’s voice. Wang Chong made out this man’s features in the dim light and was struck dumb.

“Your Highness?!”

Wang Chong’s body trembled in surprise.

He had come to Morning Song Pavilion on Li Jingzhong’s request, under the impression that he was going to see the number one treacherous eunuch of the Great Tang. He had never imagined that the one waiting in this secret room was not Li Jingzhong, but the progeny of the Son of Heaven, the revered Fifth Prince, Li Heng.