The Human Emperor

“Lord Protector-General, I was not the only person there. In the Arabian treasury were also King Song, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Tongluo Great General Abusi, Great General Gao Xianzhi… All of them saw this and can verify my account,” Wang Chong calmly said.

“Impossible! This is impossible…”

Zhang Shougui began to mutter to himself in shock, clearly unable to accept this.

Wang Chong mentally sighed. He knew that An Yaluoshan had been deceiving Zhang Shougui for a long time. Thus, a single scroll painting and a slip of paper written in Arabic could not possibly change the impression built up in Zhang Shougui’s mind.

In truth, Wang Chong had already predicted how things would go when he invited Zhang Shougui.

“I have heard that Lord Protector-General’s old wounds have repeatedly flared, and that when the war in Youzhou broke out, Lord Protector-General was ill in bed, allowing Yeon Gaesomun to seize the opportunity. Does Lord Protector-General know the reason for this?” Wang Chong continued.

“Your Highness, thank you for your concern, and I understand what Your Highness means, but this matter truly has nothing to do with my lowly son.

“This old man was a soldier starting from his teens, and in his life on the campaign trail, he has encountered many dangers. This old man has only been able to get to today by fearlessly putting his life on the line and succeeding. Every consequence has its cause. In my youth, I risked my life too much, leaving many hidden wounds that have led to my situation today!”

Zhang Shougui gave a melancholy sigh.

When he recalled how high-spirited he had once been, respecting no one in the empire except the Sage Emperor, how he thought that even Wang Zhongsi wasn’t much better than him, he never would have imagined that a flare-up of his old wounds would cause him to fall into this state.

“What is Lord Protector-General’s age this year?”

Wang Chong shook his head, not at all surprised. On the contrary, he asked Zhang Shougui’s age.

Zhang Shougui’s expression froze, and there was a strange light in his eyes. Wang Chong’s question was truly rather abrupt, but Zhang Shougui still gave his age. “This old man is fifty-seven this year.”

Anyone of some knowledge in the empire would know his age, so there was nothing for him to hide.

“Fifty-seven is still in one’s prime. Does Lord Protector-General not feel that hidden injuries flared a little too early? My grandfather, Duke Jiu, is a civil official, and he cannot compare to Lord Protector-General in terms of martial might, but even he only began to suffer from his old wounds at around seventy. Does Lord Protector-General not find it strange that they flared at such a young age?” Wang Chong indifferently said.

“This…”

Zhang Shougui was momentarily speechless.

As a mighty Great General, he possessed a mighty cultivation. He naturally couldn’t admit that he was inferior to a civil official.

But there was also no questioning the flare-up of his old injuries.

“I also considered this problem before.”

Zhang Shougui’s expression gradually softened.

“The most suspicious individual in all of the northeast is none other than Yeon Gaesomun of Goguryeo. He is the only one with the motive and ability.

“And his assault on Youzhou this time was far too suspicious. This old man had just been taken ill, and he advanced with his army precisely when this old man was at his weakest. As for that denouncement, it was probably something he prepared to fool others.

“Yeon Gaesomun is a cunning and treacherous man, and in the end, he is an enemy of my Great Tang. A day will come when this old man personally executes that fiend.”

In the end, his present humiliation was all because of Yeon Gaesomun. One could easily imagine Zhang Shougui’s fury and murderous intent.

Wang Chong’s brow creased. He had wanted to draw Zhang Shougui’s attention to An Yaluoshan, but alas, Zhang Shougui was so prejudiced that his first thought was Yeon Gaesomun. Wang Chong couldn’t help but deeply sigh.

Zhang Shougui’s impression of An Yaluoshan was too simple, and the deception was too far-reaching. When he finally told Zhang Shougui the truth, he found it impossible to say just how furious Zhang Shougui would be.

Wang Chong said no more, instead clapping his hands twice. A moment later, the doors to the hall flew open, and two of his guards escorted a person inside.

“Calm Orchid!”

Zhang Shougui was shocked to see the person Wang Chong had brought in.

“King of Foreign Lands, what is this about?”

The person Wang Chong had brought in was none other than his servant girl from the Andong Protectorate. Given the abrupt nature of his departure, Zhang Shougui had left her back in the Andong Protectorate.

Wang Chong said nothing. He flicked his finger, sending a black wisp of energy into Calm Orchid’s body. A few moments later, the woman raised her head, but her expression was slack, as if she was dreaming.

The Nightmare Beast was controlling her.

“Calm Orchid, tell the Lord Protector-General. What is it that you put in his tea every day?”

Wang Chong ignored Zhang Shougui as he stared at the servant girl.

Calm Orchid waved her hands and uneasily said, “I-I don’t know. It has nothing to do with me… The young commander made me do it!”

Zhang Shougui had been staring angrily at Wang Chong and waiting for an explanation, but when he heard this, he instantly paled.

“Calm Orchid, what are you saying?”

Zhang Shougui’s voice was shaking.

“Lord Protector-General, spare me! It was not my intention! The young commander, he captured my parents and threatened me into putting some white powder into your tea every day! It really has nothing to do with me! I truly did not intend to harm the Protector-General!”

Calm Orchid’s body trembled, and she was on the verge of tears. There was no one in Youzhou who did not fear Zhang Shougui, and they feared him even more than they feared Wang Chong.

Zhang Shougui’s body shuddered, and he lost all his composure.

“Lord Protector-General, in truth, it was also my fault. I only mentioned that you should be careful of An Yaluoshan poisoning you, but I failed to notice that he might have never poisoned your food, instead poisoning your tea,” Wang Chong calmly said.

Calm Orchid was a target that Wang Chong’s four teams had needed a long time to confirm.

“Lord Protector-General, forgive this Wang Chong for speaking bluntly. You were not suffering from any old wounds at all, simply poisoned. The poison can be found inside this paper bundle. Lord Protector-General is a master of the tea arts, so you should be no stranger to this scent, yes?”

At this moment, Wang Chong flicked his fingers, and a bundle of folded paper lightly slid across the table toward Zhang Shougui.

Zhang Shougui’s face went stiff. After a few moments of hesitation, he took the paper bundle and opened it. He was immediately assailed by a familiar scent.

In a flash, Zhang Shougui’s face contorted into a nasty scowl.

Zhang Shougui was not much of one for feminine charms, and his sole hobby was drinking tea. It was a habit he had picked up when he was young, and maintained into his old age. It served as his sole source of relaxation in his military life.

Even in the midst of a fierce battle, Zhang Shougui yearned to brew a cup of tea.

When this matter became known, it became a sort of fairytale in the empire, and it also served as a symbol of Zhang Shougui’s strength.

As for Zhang Shougui’s subordinates, the sight of their commander so relaxed increased their confidence and morale. Besides that, it encouraged Zhang Shougui’s legend of invincibility. Thus, over the years, intentionally or not, Zhang Shougui had kept this hobby.

When the paper bundle was opened, Zhang Shougui immediately smelled the ‘Anya Cake Tea’ An Yaluoshan had offered to him. In Han, ‘Anya’ meant ‘Flower of the War God’. Apparently, the flowers were picked from the Mountain of the War God in the Turkic Khaganate, Mount Yaluo, and were exceedingly rare.

The tea had a unique scent and sweetness. After drinking it a few times, Zhang Shougui had ended up liking it.

“Impossible! Impossible! An Yaluoshan could never be this bold. In addition, I had the slave generals in the army drink it. It was only after I was sure that they were fine that I…”

As Zhang Shougui spoke, he realized something, and his mouth dropped open.

Wang Chong mentally sighed. Zhang Shougui was still a superb military strategist, so he had managed to discover the problem.

As Zhang Shougui wasn’t saying anything, Wang Chong decided to speak for him. “The slave generals in the army are all Hu, and they’re in their forties at most. They haven’t experienced long campaigns, much less built up any old injuries. If they drank this, they naturally wouldn’t feel anything. But Milord, with your many injuries, if you drink this tea, it can stimulate all your old wounds.”

An oppressive mood settled in over the hall.

Zhang Shougui sat in the armchair, his eyes flashing, his fists clenching and unclenching. There was clearly a great battle taking place in his mind, and he was immersed in contradictions and doubts.

Wang Chong could only sigh at this.

Given Zhang Shougui’s intelligence and the solidity of the evidence, he should have guessed at many things long ago. But An Yaluoshan’s disguise was too good, and the good impression of him was so deeply rooted in Zhang Shougui’s mind that, despite his suspicions, he still found the reality difficult to accept.

“Lord Protector-General, if you have any doubts, I have prepared several more things.”

Wang Chong began to speak once more.

“Lord Protector-General understands Goguryeon, Xi, Khitan, and Turkic, so you should be able to tell at a glance.”

Wang Chong took out two letters he had ready and waiting in his sleeve.

These two letters were clearly letters that had been written in Goguryeon and Turkic.

After a long silence, Zhang Shougui finally took the two letters and opened them. After reading one, he immediately scowled.

And once he was done reading the second, his entire body shook.

“…The first letter is one that we took great lengths to intercept at Hwando. Lord Protector-General has fought with Yeon Gaesomun for many years, so you should be able to recognize his handwriting. This is a letter that he wrote to a subordinate of Protector-General Zhang, and the contents discuss a matter they are cooperating on. Someone as sharp as Lord Protector-General should be able to guess who his collaborator is.”

Wang Chong looked at Zhang Shougui and deeply sighed, pity in his heart.

“As for this letter, my subordinates raided a Turkic noble and seized it. If Lord Zhang requires it, I can also provide similar letters from the Xi and the Khitans. Lord Zhang, do you still not understand? From start to finish, the Youzhou war was a conspiracy, a play starring An Yaluoshan, Yeon Gaesomun, the Xi, the Khitans, and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate!

“That force that crossed the Eastern Sea to infiltrate Goguryeo was made up of An Yaluoshan’s men, and their reason of seeking a treatment for Milord was a made-up excuse. As for that battle in Youzhou, that army of Hu that An Yaluoshan hastily gathered, does Lord Protector-General really think that a group of wandering soldiers could be so well-trained as to defeat the elites under Yeon Gaesomun’s command? Right, and I forgot to say, and perhaps Lord Protector-General did not know this, but Goguryeo doesn’t have any Princesses. The so-called Princess was really just a girl that Yeon Gaesomun adopted two months before the war!” Wang Chong lightly said.

Wang Chong’s words had deeply penetrated into his mind like a sharp awl.