The Song Clan and the Wang Clan didn't just have a simple political alliance. There were also many other emotional factors involved.
The old The King of Song and Duke Jiu were of the same generation. Back then, the two of them were very good brothers.
In that turbulent era, the two of them fought side by side and supported the current Holy Emperor to reach his current position.
Because of this, it could be said that Duke Jiu had watched The King of Song grow up.
When the old The King of Song was still around, Duke Jiu had also visited The King of Song's residence, visited him, and hugged him. Putting aside political reasons, deep in his heart, The King of Song still saw Duke Jiu as a father figure, a kind elder.
Therefore, even though Duke Jiu didn't express his support for him this time, which made him a little disappointed, The King of Song didn't fly into a rage.
The King of Song didn't have much of an impression of Wang Chong. But when he thought about it carefully, he did have some vague impressions.
When he was young, he probably hugged him and coaxed him. It was only after he became The King of Song that he became busier and busier that he no longer had the time to pay attention to these "juniors."
Now that the matters of the imperial court had come to an end, looking at Wang Chong before him brought back memories in The King of Song's heart, as well as some of his feelings as an elder.
Wang Chong didn't know what The King of Song was thinking, but Wang Chong could feel that The King of Song was at his most amiable, easygoing, and relaxed.
It was as if he was speaking to him as an elder.
"Your Highness, I dare not bestow it to you. If it's possible, can this junior ask for someone? "
Wang Chong lowered his head and bowed.
"Someone?"
The King of Song and Lu Ting looked at each other. Both of them were very curious. In particular, The King of Song, who had been troubled by the matter of Consort Tai Zhen, suddenly became interested when he heard Wang Chong's words. He temporarily forgot about the troubles in the court.
"Hahaha, alone? Women? You must have taken a fancy to that girl. This is human nature. Tell me, no matter who it is, I will personally speak to them for you. "
The King of Song laughed and seemed to be in a much better mood.
Who had never been young? Hearing Wang Chong's words, the King of Song thought that Wang Chong liked a girl from a certain family, which evoked many memories in him.
"That's right. Chong gongzi, feel free to speak. Even if it's the Princess, with His Highness The King of Song's help, it's not impossible. "
Lu Ting stroked his beard and teased.
"No! Your Highness has misunderstood. "
Wang Chong felt awkward. That wasn't the case at all. What in the world were these two thinking?
"I wish to save someone, but only Your Highness is capable of doing so. I hope that Your Highness can save him! "
"Oh?"
The King of Song looked at Wang Chong. Seeing that the latter didn't seem to be joking, he frowned and retracted his smile. Then, he said solemnly:
"Who do you wish to save? Let me tell you first, a country has its laws, a clan has its rules, and the royal court has its laws. Even though I'm a king of the royal family, I can't do as I please! "
"I understand. This person is called Zhang Munian. The crime he committed isn't too grave. This is his dossier, Your Highness can take a look. "
With a lowered head, Wang Chong took out the handwritten dossier he had prepared beforehand and passed it over.
The King of Song, Wang Chong, had to meet him no matter what. It wasn't just for the matter of Consort Tai Zhen. To Wang Chong, there was someone more important than Consort Tai Zhen.
That person was Zhang Munian!
Ever since his reincarnation, Wang Chong had pondered over the matter for countless days and nights. To change the fate of the empire, there was a person he couldn't do without:
Zhang Munian!
"Zhang Munian?"
The King of Song frowned, seemingly racking his brains. But eventually, The King of Song realized that he couldn't recall such a person.
"Academic Lu, do you have any impression of him?" The King of Song shot him a glance.
Lu Ting shook his head.
He had never heard of this name before.
"That's strange."
The King of Song was taken aback. He took the dossier from Wang Chong's hands, flipped it open, and began reading through it.
"So, he's an agriculture official. How did he embezzle so much? 20,000 gold taels! "
The King of Song read through the information on the dossier and frowned. But on the inside, the King of Song heaved a sigh of relief. What he was worried about the most was that Wang Chong wanted to save those who committed murder, rape, betrayed the country, and committed all kinds of heinous crimes.
As for embezzlement, it was still a huge crime according to the laws of the empire. But in King Song's eyes, it was only related to money, and it wasn't that big of a deal.
At the very least, it wasn't an unpardonable crime.
"Your Highness, it's true that he embezzled 20,000 gold taels. But I guarantee that there's more to this matter. He definitely didn't embezzle the money for his personal gain. "
Wang Chong said earnestly.
"Oh?"
The eyebrows of the King of Song shot up, but he didn't pursue the matter any further. He didn't pay too much attention to such trifling matters.
"If you can repay the 20,000 gold taels first, I might be able to get the Bureau of Punishments to redeem it …"
"I can help you repay the 20,000 gold taels!"
Wang Chong was overjoyed. Before the King of Song could finish his words, he immediately interrupted. 20,000 gold taels was a huge figure according to the laws of the empire. But for the current Wang Chong, it was really nothing!
"Hehe, let me finish. I can ask the Bureau of Punishments to reconsider this matter. As long as you repay the 20,000 gold taels he embezzled, this matter can be easily solved. But if you want me to promise you, you have to answer a question of mine. "
"Ah!"
Wang Chong raised his head. This was beyond his expectation.
"Don't worry. I won't make things too difficult for you. Just tell me why you want to save him. Is this person your friend? "
The King of Song said with a smile. After confirming that the person Wang Chong wanted him to save was not a heinous criminal, the King of Song was quite open and even joked with him.
"This … Actually, I don't know him."
Wang Chong hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak the truth.
"But I can tell Your Highness that this person will be of great use to the Tang dynasty in the future."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing those words, the King of Song and Lu Ting glanced at one another, and they could see a hint of doubt in each other's eyes. No one understood the meaning behind Wang Chong's words.
The two of them couldn't understand why Wang Chong viewed Zhang Munian in such high regard. However, after the incident with Yao Guang Yi, no one dared to treat him as a fifteen-year-old child anymore.
"I don't know what you intend to do. However, as long as he isn't a heinous criminal, as long as he doesn't go against the laws of the empire, and as long as he doesn't harm the empire, I can promise you anything. I can promise you anything. Wait for my news when you return. I will resolve this matter. "
The King of Song said.
His last few words weren't just directed at Zhang Munian's matter. It could be considered as a warning from the King of Song to this intelligent junior, Wang Chong.
Intelligence can be used for righteousness, but when used for evil, it can be used for evil!
The Wang Clan was a clan of ministers and generals, and this would be of utmost importance in the future!
"Your Highness, thank you for your teachings!"
Wang Chong could tell that the King of Song was making use of this opportunity to teach him a lesson, so he bowed in gratitude.
"Hehe, alright, it's about time. Academic Lu, let's return! "
The King of Song said to Lu Ting as he prepared to return home. For some reason, he suddenly felt exhausted after coming to the Four Quarters Embassy.
"Your Highness, let's go!"
Lu Ting smiled as he gestured for them to follow.
"Wait a moment!"
Seeing that the duo was about to leave, Wang Chong blurted out.
"Hm?"
The duo turned around and looked at Wang Chong in astonishment.
"Wang Chong, is there anything else?"
The King of Song smiled, displaying the benevolence of an elder. Toward a junior like Wang Chong, he was extremely lenient.
"This …"
Wang Chong hesitated. Even though he had already made up his mind to persuade the King of Song on the matter of Consort Tai Zhen, Wang Chong still found it a little difficult to speak of it. He didn't know where he should start.
The matter of 'Consort Tai Zhen' wasn't a big deal, but it involved the duties and principles of an official. The King of Song had just lectured him that he had to use his intelligence in the right place.
If he were to bring up the matter of Consort Tai Zhen to persuade the King of Song to change his stance, the King of Song and big uncle wouldn't know how they would view him.
Not only would the good impression he had painstakingly built up vanish into thin air, King Song and his big uncle would even mistake him for a crafty scoundrel. At such a young age, he had already gone astray and lost his principles.
This matter wasn't something that he could bring up easily!
Wang Chong felt that this matter was even more difficult to resolve than the regional commanders system.
"What's wrong?"
While Wang Chong was feeling anxious, he didn't know how he should speak. On the other side, the King of Song and Lu Ting saw that Wang Chong wasn't speaking, and they became even more curious, urging him to speak.
"Indeed, Chong gongzi, is there anything that you can't say in front of the King of Song?"
Lu Ting said with a smile.
The impression that this lad gave him was that he was extremely daring, and the matter with Yao Guang Yi left a deep impression on him. For some reason, he was cowering in fear at this moment, not daring to speak a word.
This wasn't the Wang Clan's Qilin son in his impression!
"May I be so bold as to say that … Your Highness is vexed over the matter of Consort Tai Zhen?"
Wang Chong struggled internally for a long time. Gritting his teeth, he finally decided to speak his mind.
Weng!
The moment the words left Wang Chong's mouth, the atmosphere in the vicinity of the fake mountain and bamboo forest changed abruptly. In an instant, it was as though a raging gale had swept across the area, causing the sky to darken.
Wang Chong heard a flapping sound. Lowering his head, he saw the King of Song's robe flapping intensely.
"What are you trying to say?"
The King of Song asked sternly. Initially, his face was filled with warmth, as though he was a benevolent elder. However, at this moment, his expression changed drastically, and his face turned livid.
Even though Lu Ting had always had a good impression of Wang Chong, at this moment, his face warped and he fell silent.
In the air, an invisible pressure seemed to be expanding, and all of the pressure was aimed at Wang Chong!
"Your Highness, you've misunderstood …"
Wang Chong quickly explained. The King of Song had clearly misunderstood something.
"Wang Chong, as an elder, I'm warning you today that it is the duty of a subject to uphold ethics. Principles are more important than anything else. If an emperor were to do something wrong, even if the emperor were to reprimand him, demote him, or even exile him, as a subject, I have to remonstrate him. This is because this is more important than my life! "
"His Majesty is wise and valiant. He is the wisest emperor in the history of our Tang dynasty. Under his leadership, our Tang dynasty has actively expanded. Now, from Jiaozhi in the south, to Yin Mountain in the north, to the East Sea in the east, and to the Pamir Mountains in the west, all belong to our Tang dynasty. The land area is unprecedentedly vast, and this is an unprecedented flourishing era in the history of the Central Plains! No other emperor can compare to it! Be it Emperor Qin or Emperor Wu of Han, they are all the same! "
"Our Tang dynasty is the most prosperous of all dynasties in terms of both political and martial arts. His Majesty is a true emperor throughout the ages! Right now, he is muddle-headed, indulging in women without realizing it. This has affected the entire court of the Tang dynasty. His Majesty doesn't know it, but as subjects, we have to remonstrate him. No matter what, we cannot allow any stain to appear on His Majesty's reputation as an emperor throughout the ages! "
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