荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

After being ‘reminded’ by Li Linfu, the First Prince immediately had a ‘realization’.

“Lord Prime Minister is right. Imperial Uncle, we will leave first. You may come at a later time!”

With these words, the First Prince pulled on the reins of his horse and rode away.

“Your Highness King Song, I will leave first with the First Prince then,” Li Linfu genially said, a warm smile on his face. With a sweep of his sleeve, he walked past King Song and away.

King Song gazed in apprehension at their backs, then he turned back to Wang Chong and softly sighed in relief. He and Zhangchou Jianqiong had learned the news a little late, and the First Prince and Li Linfu had arrived far before they had. Thankfully, nothing had happened to Wang Chong.

“King Qi, your injuries do not seem light. You should go back and rest up. This king has other matters and will take his leave first.”

Wang Chong shot a glance at King Qi before walking off toward King Song. Behind him, King Qi was trembling in rage, his face frighteningly dark.

Everyone boarded King Song’s carriage and departed from the Penal Court.

Once King Song, Wang Chong, and Zhangchou Jianqiong were all seated in the carriage, King Song spoke up.

“How is it? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Wang Chong shook his head.

“It’s not that easy for King Qi to deal with me.”

“This matter truly is rather strange. It’s fine if King Qi came when you forced your way into the Penal Court. After all, that is his territory. However, even the First Prince and the Prime Minister came. This was no small matter. Fortunately, you were incredibly quick-witted and didn’t leave them anything that they could use,” King Song said.

“True! The First Prince and Li Linfu clearly had a plan when they came. When King Song and I were coming, we had broken out in a cold sweat!” Zhangchou Jianqiong added.

Upon learning that the First Prince and the Prime Minister had both appeared at the Penal Court, even Zhangchou Jianqiong was left dumbstruck. This was also why he had rushed over with King Song.

“This matter isn’t that simple!”

Wang Chong’s reaction was much calmer and more cool-headed.

“The arrival of King Qi, the First Prince, and the Prime Minister is entirely linked to the arrest of Zhao Qianqiu and the development in the Three Great Training Camps. They arrived soon after I came to the Penal Court, which can’t be a coincidence. It seems more like the result of someone’s meticulous plan. King Qi doesn’t have this sort of ability, while the Prime Minister is smooth and furtive and would never so easily reveal his abilities. He does have the power, but it definitely can’t be him this time. As for the First Prince, that’s even more impossible!”

Wang Chong’s eyes shone with a profound light, and he seemed to be able to stare into the depths of spacetime.

“So, Wang Chong, you’re saying that this was the work of the Confucian Sect and that young man called Li Junxian?”

King Song immediately understood what Wang Chong was saying.

“Mm. He’s the only possibility!”

Wang Chong firmly nodded. Only this could explain everything. Although his adversary was still young, he was the strongest opponent Wang Chong had ever encountered. His attacks came in wave after wave, giving him no chance to breathe.

Buzz!

King Song and Zhangchou Jianqiong exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.

After bidding farewell to King Song and Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Chong disembarked from the carriage and returned home.

......

Flap flap!

As Wang Chong was making his way back to his home, a carrier pigeon flew through the sky and landed in a restaurant in the western part of the capital.

All three floors of this restaurant were quiet and secluded. West Wind Pavilion valued the elegance and refreshment one felt when admiring the landscape. Here, one could enjoy the view of the plum blossom trees planted along the river.

Every day, many scholars and literati would gather here to drink wine while admiring the plum blossoms.

But at this moment, West Wind Pavilion was deserted, utterly silent. From the main gate hung a placard that only said ‘Closed’. But at this moment, a white-robed young man was sitting on the third floor, drinking wine and enjoying the plum blossoms alone.

All of West Wind Pavilion had been closed for today precisely to serve this honored guest.

Flapflap! The carrier pigeon landed on the table. A hand that had been waiting for some time now took the letter and sent the pigeon on its way.

“Young Master, we failed at the Penal Court. Wang Chong returned safe and sound!”

A voice came from the bowed figure at the side. This man respectfully offered the letter with both hands.

“Is that so?”

Li Junxian grinned and lightly sipped a cup of fragrant wine, his expression exuding indescribable grace and ease.

“As expected, we still can’t get a grip on him.”

“This isn’t the only problem. We just learned that the King of Foreign Lands has just sent a memorial to the Imperial Court formally gifting Deflecting Blade Manor to Kunwu Training Camp. However, he also appointed the manager for Deflecting Blade Manor. As expected, it was a member of Deflecting Blade Manor. In addition, we have also learned that the King of Foreign Lands has apparently written letters to all the Great Generals on the border and the Bureau of Military Personnel. In the name of the border protectorates, they plan to jointly form with the Bureau of Military Personnel a commander base that will be independent of the Three Great Training Camps.

“We were only able to intervene in the Three Great Training Camps through our connection with the First Prince and the imperial household. If this commander base is established, it will be a faction entirely under the control of the militarists, and we will have no hope of intervening in it! Moreover, those Protector-Generals on the border all have enormous influence. This commander base will probably have a reputation equal to the Three Great Training Camps. If this is allowed to take place, all our efforts will have been for nothing!” the Confucian Sect expert sternly said, his voice suffused with worry.

It had been centuries since the Confucian Sect had last encountered such a troublesome opponent. This was clearly a teenager, but his way of doing things was like that of a seasoned veteran. He was able to counter every move the Confucian Sect made and minimize its effects.

Upon hearing these last words, Li Junxian’s right hand, gripping the white porcelain cup, slightly paused, and his brow finally creased.

The Penal Court incident had not been important. It would have been fine if they could imprison Wang Chong, but if they didn’t, it wouldn’t have too much effect. But if this commander base was established, everything would be completely different. The militarists and Confucians were irreconcilable. One was pro-war while the other was anti-war. At the very least, in the current situation, he could not allow the militarists to expand any further.

“There’s no need to worry! I have a plan to deal with this matter!”

Li Junxian’s brow quickly relaxed and he soon calmed down. Those clear and limpid eyes looked forward, apparently imbued with boundless intelligence.

“Since the King of Foreign Lands has taken countermeasures, we’ll set him aside for now. When the time comes, I will personally deal with him. Let me ask, are the preparations for that matter ready?”

“Young Master, everything is ready and awaiting your orders! As long as we complete this phase, we will take a large stride forward in our objectives, and Young Master’s reputation is certain to shake the world. Young Master will become a meritorious contributor to our Confucian Sect!”

The expert’s voice was brimming with admiration for Li Junxian.

An endless stream of Confucians had attempted to realize the true Harmonious World, but in the end, they could only die with regret. Only under Li Junxian’s command had they taken great strides forward and gotten much closer to their goal.

“Get ready. In a few days, I will make a journey to the Western Turks to complete the final phase,” Li Junxian said.

“Yes, Young Master!” the Confucian Sect expert said.

Ding! Li Junxian placed the white porcelain cup on the table. As he gazed at the cup, Li Junxian appeared to realize something, a hint of sorrow appearing in his eyes, but it quickly faded away. Hwoosh! A gust of wind blew through, and when it was gone, the two figures in West Wind Pavilion had vanished with it.

......

Whoosh!

A carrier pigeon flew into the Wang Family Residence. The capital appeared calm on the surface, but a silent battle was taking place in the shadows. Wang Chong received the carrier pigeon and slowly removed the letter from its leg.

Wang Chong glanced at the letter and immediately sighed in relief.

This letter was from the northwest and had the personal seal of Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi. Wang Chong’s earlier letter had proved useful. Upon learning that Su Hanshan and Li Siye had been arrested, Gao Xianzhi had taken Cheng Qianli and the other high-ranking officers of the Anxi Protectorate army and had personally gone to Qixi to find out what was going on. Li Siye and Su Hanshan had fought together with the Anxi Protectorate army at the Battle of Talas, and they were allies whose bonds had been forged in the peril of battle.

One could say that if they had not risked their lives on the battlefield, the Anxi Protectorate army would already be gone. Moreover, the two of them had rendered enormous merit in the battle against the Arabs. It was absurd to the extreme that they had been arrested over such a trifling matter.

This was the first time Gao Xianzhi had ever been so angry. Even without Wang Chong’s request, he would have still intervened.

Not only that, while Gao Xianzhi was heading over to Qixi, Geshu Han had also sent a letter saying that he would arrive in Qixi in a few days. The two Great Generals of the Great Tang had come with a furious momentum, and their enormous prestige and influence in the army proved effective. Pressured by the two Great Generals, the three Confucian commanders were forced to guarantee that no harm would be done to Li Siye and Su Hanshan.

Moreover, in order to prove their sincerity, they agreed to have subordinates of Gao Xianzhi and Geshu Han stand as supervisors until the judgment from the Imperial Court arrived.

“There’s simply no need for Su Hanshan and Li Siye to remain imprisoned. This is clearly a delaying tactic. Just what are these people up to?” Wang Chong muttered to himself after putting away the letter.

Wang Chong was almost certain that while Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect appeared to be targeting Su Hanshan and Li Siye, they were actually targeting him. But no matter what sort of idea Li Junxian had, Wang Chong remained fearless, confident that he could counter.

“Milord!”

At this moment, Old Eagle rushed inside.

“We just received word. One of the clans that we work with, the Li Clan of Jing Prefecture, says that they found a trace of Wen Choushu.”