"Doing one's best and having a clear conscience! Wang brat, this old man underestimated you in the past! "
Yan Wenzhang's eyes glimmered as he gazed at the young man.
"If you really can do as you say, unwavering in worldly affairs and unconcerned with fame, this old man will truly admire you!"
Wang Chong only faintly smiled and said nothing. There were some things that he disdained to explain, nor did he need to explain.
"Haha, what is everyone standing around for? It's rare for the Young Marquis to return, and this is the first prince of my Tang Dynasty with a different surname. We can't let the old imperial censors and the Grand Scribe monopolize all the glory. Come, take out my gift! "
As the Grand Scribe and Wang Chong were speaking, someone in the distance loudly called out, and a group of people immediately surged forward.
"Young Marquis, this is a little something I've prepared. In the Battle of Khorasan, Marquis greatly increased the prestige of our Tang Dynasty. I couldn't think of anything to give, so I had my family bring some local specialties. I hope that Marquis will like them!"
The first to step forward was the Beacon General, Jiang Yunrang.
In the Battle of Talas, the Imperial Court had been fiercely debating whether or not to send reinforcements to Wang Chong. Jiang Yunrang was a member of Wang Chong's military branch, and he was one of Wang Chong's staunchest supporters. No one was happier than Jiang Yunrang to see Wang Chong return.
"Haha, Young Marquis, this one is Assistant Minister of War Cao Qianzong. I hope that Marquis will accept this humble gift!"
Cao Qianzong also stepped forward, his face brimming with joy. With these two leading the way, the crowd rushed forward with gifts and surrounded Wang Chong.
"Young Marquis, this one is from the Wei Clan of the capital. We once sent soldiers to assist Milord in his campaign against Nanzhao, so we have specially offered a great gift to Milord!"
"The Zhang Clan of the capital has specially offered a visiting card and a great gift to congratulate Milord on his triumphant return!"
"The Duke Cao Residence has sent a great gift to congratulate Milord on his promotion!"
"The Duke Guo Residence has sent a great gift!"
"The Tan Public House sends a big gift!"
"The Prince of De sends a gift to congratulate the young man on his victory!"
"Prince Shou's residence sends a gift to congratulate the young man on his victory!"
"Minister of the Left Servant She Fangming pays respects to the Young Marquis and has come to deliver a congratulatory gift!"
"Silver-Green Bright Minister Wei Wujin congratulates the youth on his victory and presents a congratulatory gift!"
"Crown Prince Zhan Shi Huang Qiwei has sent a congratulatory gift!"
…
In a flash, countless voices rang out in Wang Chong's ears. Wang Chong's return to the capital had alarmed countless people. Almost all the influential figures in the capital had sent people, and even Crown Prince Zhan Shi had sent people. For a moment, the atmosphere was extremely lively.
"The Crown Prince's Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi has sent a congratulatory gift!"
All of a sudden, a sonorous and powerful voice rang out clearly in everyone's ears from within the bustling crowd. With just one sentence, the originally noisy crowd suddenly quietened down. Even Wang Chong froze as he turned in the direction of the voice.
The Crown Prince's Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi had an even more illustrious name: 'War God of the Tang dynasty'! Ten-some years ago, there was no name more illustrious than this name in the world. In the entire world, there was no name that could shake the surrounding kingdoms more than this name. Wang Chong had not expected that the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi, whom he had never met before, would personally send a congratulatory gift to him on his return to the capital.
The crowd suddenly fell silent. Following the source of the voice, Wang Chong immediately saw the speaker. He was dressed in an azure robe and had an unremarkable appearance. Mixed in with the crowd, almost no one paid him any attention. But his ramrod straight figure, determined eyes, and courageous demeanor deeply revealed the strong imprint of his master.
"Many thanks!"
Wang Chong parted the crowd, walked over, and bowed in a manner that was neither servile nor overbearing.
"Please report to Lord Wang on my behalf that I will accept his gift. In the future, Wang Chong will definitely pay him a visit to express my gratitude!"
"Marquis need not be so courteous. My lord has said that Marquis has done what he failed to do, and he greatly admires Marquis. From now on, Marquis is the true War God of the Tang dynasty. We are all officials of the same court and work together. As long as we can strengthen the Central Plains and bring prosperity to the Tang dynasty, what difference does it make whether we meet or not? "
The azure-robed servant said loudly. As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Chong couldn't help but feel deep veneration. Although he had never seen the most legendary existence of the Tang dynasty more than a decade ago, just from this servant and the words he had entrusted someone to say, he could tell what kind of person the War God of the Tang dynasty was.
"His Highness King Qi congratulates the youth on his victory and specially presents a great gift!"
Right at this moment, a resounding voice rang out. It was incomparably loud and clear, breaking the silence. In an instant, everyone turned their heads to look in the direction of the voice. The originally lively atmosphere immediately became somewhat strange when the two words' King Qi 'appeared.
King Qi and the King of Song and the Wang Clan were natural enemies, and the two sides had fought countless rounds in the Imperial Court. This sort of conflict was invisible, but it was far more dangerous than any sword or saber. No one had expected Wang Chong to send someone on his triumphant return from Khorasan.
At this moment, the only person who remained calm and unmoved was Wang Chong.
Ever since he had announced the imperial decree in Khorasan that he had been demoted, and then he had learned in Qixi that the Tang dynasty had retreated, everything he had worked so hard to build up in Khorasan had gone up in smoke. There was no longer any news that could shake him. Wang Chong had already mentally prepared himself for anything.
With a calm expression, Wang Chong turned his head in the direction of the voice.
Whoosh!
At the densest part of the crowd, a figure with a rather feminine temperament pushed through the crowd and walked out.
"Young Marquis, congratulations. There is no one in the world who doesn't know of your great achievements in the western expedition. When the Young Marquis arrived at the capital, almost all the civil and military officials of the court knew of it, and all of them sent people to congratulate and welcome you. The Young Marquis is in high spirits and on the verge of being made King. Truly worthy of celebration! "
Most of the people present had never seen this effeminate minor official before. Moreover, in front of so many senior and important officials, this effeminate minor official did not show any stage fright. Not only did he not show any weakness, there was even a hint of wildness between his brows.
But this official's words left everyone dumbfounded. No one had expected King Qi to be so gentle this time.
"If you have anything else to say, say it all at once!"
Wang Chong's face was calm and unmoved.
"Heheheh!"
The effeminate official gave a strange laugh and lowered his body as he spoke in an eccentric tone.
"As expected, I can't hide it from Milord. His Highness King Qi truly did entrust this lowly one with a message. His Highness said that a man cannot be happy for a thousand days, a flower cannot bloom for a hundred days. The higher one climbs … the harder one falls! "
With these last words, the effeminate official slowly raised his head and gazed at Wang Chong, a strange smile on his face.
"Impudent!"
The crowd instantly paled at these words.
Wang Chong had made great contributions in the western expedition, and his return to the capital was truly the focus of attention. Even those who normally had a bad opinion of Wang Chong, like Yan Wenzhang, would restrain themselves. But this minor official was relying on King Qi's authority to act like a fox exploiting the tiger's might before Wang Chong.
"Ha!"
The effeminate official did not restrain himself in the slightest when he heard this rebuke. On the contrary, he began to laugh.
On his return to the capital, Wang Chong had been ordered by King Qi to say these words in front of all the officials precisely for this effect. No matter how illustrious Wang Chong was right now, there would be a day when he would fall. In short, he could not let Wang Chong and the Wang Clan have an easy time. The surroundings were deathly silent, and all of the civil and military officials had uneasy expressions on their faces.
One was an Imperial Prince of the Tang Dynasty while the other was the newly conferred King of Foreign Lands by the Tang Dynasty. This was especially true considering that Wang Chong had just been stripped of his military authority and transferred back to the interior. He had returned with a belly full of rage. Everyone was worried that Wang Chong would not be able to restrain himself and would immediately clash with King Qi.
"Then thank King Qi in my stead!"
As the tense atmosphere was like an erupting volcano, Wang Chong's indifferent voice resounded in everyone's ears. His voice was neither loud nor soft, flat and emotionless. Everyone was dumbfounded by these calm words, and even the effeminate official was dumbfounded. He had apparently not expected Wang Chong to be so calm.
But a moment later, he realized that he had been wrong.
"In addition, help me bring these same words to His Highness King Qi as well!"
"Buzz!"
The minor official, who had been proud of himself, suddenly changed his expression. His face immediately became extremely ugly. He had not expected that Wang Chong would use the spear of a son to attack a son's shield, returning the words he had just said back to him. But he could not act up.
Because he had said those words in the first place.
"Hmph!"
The effeminate official coldly snorted at Wang Chong's words. Unable to stay any longer, he swept his sleeves and left.
"This child … is worthy of being taught!"
Nearby, Duan Cao, Deng Chang, and Lu Ji had been watching from the sidelines. They had not spoken for Wang Chong, nor had they interfered to stop the minor official. Seeing how Wang Chong handled matters, they couldn't help but give a slight nod.
With Wang Chong's return, an invisible storm was brewing. Countless factions in the capital had heard of this news, and just for this tiny city gate, countless people from all sorts of sects and clans had come to gather. Some of these people had sincerely come to congratulate Wang Chong, while others, like King Qi, had used the excuse of welcoming him to conceal ill intentions and deliberately cause trouble.
And all of this was only the tip of this storm.
If Wang Chong could not resolve this crisis, he would be even less capable of dealing with the dangers that were about to befall the Imperial Court.
The three of them had coldly watched from the sidelines, wanting to see how Wang Chong would respond. Would he recklessly rely on his bravery to fight for his life, or would he use his wisdom and courage to use a more ingenious method? The three of them had been worried for a long time, but now, they could finally relax.
"He has courage, willpower, and even more wisdom! This child is even more patient than we imagined! "
"It wasn't easy for a spark like this to appear in the Tang Dynasty. No matter what, we can't let it be destroyed!"
"There will always come a time when one's strength is exhausted. For this child to be able to perform like this, our efforts to protect him were not in vain!"
… …
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