The entire Taiji Palace was silent. Wang Chong could feel a pair of dignified and disdainful eyes looking down from above, piercing through the void and landing on him.
From this gaze, Wang Chong could only feel one thing: unfathomable.
Since ancient times, 'accompanying a sovereign is like accompanying a tiger', and 'the might of the heavens is unfathomable', Wang Chong could not sense any emotion from this gaze. He was also unable to fathom what the Son of Heaven of the Tang dynasty was thinking.
In the silence of the palace, Wang Chong remained kneeling on the floor, unmoving. In the silence of the palace, Wang Chong could hear his own heartbeat.
After an unknown period of time, which felt like an instant, but also like countless centuries, Wang Chong finally heard an authoritative and thunderous voice.
"Wang Chong, I heard that you are opposed to my regional commanders system and the Hu system?"
The voice was indifferent, devoid of any emotion.
Wang Chong's heart trembled. When a subject submitted a memorial, he had to answer it. However, the Holy Emperor's words weren't easy to answer. On a smaller scale, Wang Chong was only expressing his opinion on the Holy Emperor's words. On a larger scale, Wang Chong was opposing the Holy Emperor.
"Yes!"
Wang Chong hesitated, but he still replied.
"Speak!"
That voice spoke calmly, authoritatively, and majestically.
"Yes!"
Wang Chong lowered his head and replied respectfully. The air in the palace churned, and a gust of wind blew in. Wang Chong's heart began to tremble along with this gust of wind.
For some reason, the words Big Uncle Wang Gen had said on the carriage echoed in his ears once more.
"The more you speak, the fewer mistakes you'll make. The less you speak, the less mistakes you'll make.
"If His Majesty asks, you must answer. If you know, you must say that you know. If you don't know, you must say that you don't know. If you know, you must only say that you know.
"You don't understand politics, so you don't know anything. It's my first time meeting the Emperor. I don't want to be meritorious, but I want to avoid making mistakes. "
"This matter concerns our entire Wang Clan. It's not just you and your father, but me, your big aunt, your little uncle, and everyone else. You mustn't be reckless. Remember this. "
…
These words were the culmination of Big Uncle Wang Gen's decades of experience. Even though it sounded slippery, it was the best advice for an inexperienced scion like Wang Chong.
"The more you speak, the more mistakes you will make. The less you speak, the less mistakes you will make." Entering the palace to meet the emperor was no small matter. With the Wang Clan's current status, they no longer needed Wang Chong's help in this matter.
As long as he didn't make any mistakes, everything would be fine!
It was just that … Thinking back to his previous life, Wang Chong couldn't make himself remain silent. The Jiedushi system and the Hu system were the root causes of the chaos in the Tang dynasty.
Now, he finally had a chance to meet the Holy Emperor and have a chance to remonstrate with him. If he missed this opportunity, he would never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life!
At this point, Wang Chong hesitated no more.
"Your Majesty, the Jiedushi system and the Hu system are the root causes of the chaos in the Tang dynasty. This policy must not be implemented!"
In the next moment, Wang Chong kneeled on the ground and recounted his thoughts in detail, even including the words he had used to persuade the elders in the Four Quarters Embassy without holding anything back.
No one knew better than Wang Chong how dangerous the Jiedushi system would be in the future. Wang Chong knew that this was an opportunity for him to change history.
"Your Majesty, the Hu have formed their own faction. The Hu protect the Hu, and the Hu promote the Hu! Once this precedent is set, it will surely bring disaster to the Tang dynasty. Your Majesty, please reconsider! "
After saying those words, Wang Chong kneeled on the floor, not moving in the slightest.
These words came from the bottom of his heart, and they were Wang Chong's true thoughts. Those who had never experienced that chaotic era would never be able to imagine it.
To Wang Chong, the words he said to his grandfather and the Holy Emperor weren't just a possibility or a prophecy. They were a reality that would happen in the future!
However, other than him, no one else in the Central Plains knew of it. Even more so, no one knew that the fate of the empire rested on a single thought of the Holy Emperor.
The hall was silent, devoid of any sound.
After an unknown period of time, Wang Chong finally heard a voice.
"I understand! You can leave now. When you return, write a memorial of what you have just said and submit it to me! "
This was the third and final sentence that Wang Chong had heard since entering the Taiji Palace.
"Yes!"
Wang Chong was taken aback. After which, he bowed and left the hall.
"Hu!"
Beneath the white jade steps, a gust of wind blew, and Wang Chong's entire body turned cold. Only then did he realize that even his shoes were wet.
Accompanying a sovereign was like accompanying a tiger. The pressure in the Taiji Palace was simply too great. In there, every step Wang Chong took was even more difficult than a major battle.
But this wasn't what Wang Chong was concerned about.
"I wonder if His Majesty has listened to me?"
Recalling what had just happened, Wang Chong's heart was filled with worry. Wang Chong was in a daze. Even when he came out at the end, Wang Chong didn't know whether he had succeeded or failed. He wondered if His Majesty had listened to him at all.
'Accompanying a sovereign is like accompanying a tiger.' In the entire hall, Wang Chong had said quite a bit, saying everything that needed to be said. But from the moment he entered to the moment he came out, Wang Chong had only heard three sentences.
"Wang Chong, I heard that you oppose my regional commanders system and the Hu system?"
"Speak!"
"I understand! You can leave now. When you return, write a memorial of what you have just said and submit it to me! "
Just based on these three sentences, Wang Chong couldn't tell whether the Holy Emperor was delighted or furious. He couldn't tell whether he had listened to what he had said or not.
Furthermore, what was the meaning behind the other party's request for him to write a memorial?
"Wang gongzi, please!"
A familiar voice sounded. Wang Chong snapped out of his daze and saw a golden carriage parked not too far away. A eunuch stood by the side, and it was the head eunuch who had escorted him into the royal palace.
"The heart of a sovereign is truly unfathomable!"
Wang Chong sighed as he lowered his head and entered the carriage.
The carriage left the royal palace, and eventually, Wang Chong was sent to the Wang Family Residence.
…
Not long after returning to the residence, Wang Chong wrote all of his thoughts, as well as his thoughts on the financial system, into a memorial.
That very night, Wang Chong's memorial was sent to the royal palace along with the head eunuch.
After doing all of this, Wang Chong tossed everything aside and began to cultivate the complete version of the 《Little Yinyang Art》.
Hong long!
A single stone raised a thousand ripples. Wang Chong had never imagined that on the very next day, his memorial would appear in the Imperial Court and be circulated to all the officials, causing a huge uproar in the court!
"Preposterous! Wang Gen, is this the opinion of your Wang Clan? Your Majesty, this humble subject wishes to impeach Wang Gen and that Wang Chong! "
That day, in the royal court, Imperial Censor Zhou Zhang suddenly bellowed furiously and grabbed Wang Gen's beard.
Hua!
In an instant, a huge commotion broke out in the royal court. No one had expected Zhou Zhang to make a move before so many people.
"Lord Zhou, let go!"
"Zhou Zhang, what are you doing?"
"How dare you act so audaciously before the Son of Heaven!"
…
The officials surrounded Wang Gen and Zhou Zhang tightly, and the situation was chaotic. But before the first wave subsided, another wave rose. At the same time that the officials surrounded Wang Gen and Zhou Zhang, Wang Gen and Zhou Zhang were stunned.
Putong!
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the ground shook violently, as though a meteor had crashed into the ground. Amidst the crowd of officials, a tall and sturdy figure knelt heavily on the ground like a falling jade pillar, prostrating himself in worship.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject Abusi has made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. I am loyal and devoted to you. Your Majesty, I beseech Your Majesty to uphold justice for this humble subject! "
Following Abusi's words, thud thud thud thud. The officials in the royal court knelt down like wooden pillars. In the two-hundred-odd years since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the Hu and Han had lived together. Not only were there Han officials in the royal court, there were also Hu generals.
Wang Chong's memorial caused all of the Hu generals in the royal court to kneel with their heads facing the Holy Emperor.
In an instant, the originally noisy imperial court fell into a deathly silence.
All of the officials stared at the kneeling Hu officials, speechless! Only Wang Gen stood in the royal court, his clothes in disarray. Looking at the kneeling Hu officials, his face warped in shock.
But this wasn't the end of the matter.
Hualala!
Countless pigeons, kites, jays, eagles, and eagles flew out from the capital. There had never been a day when so many birds flew out from the capital.
The birds that were transmitting messages blotted out the sky and covered the sun, covering the entire sky.
Upon seeing this sight, even the elders who had lived in the capital for decades were dumbfounded.
"Preposterous! Preposterous! Preposterous!
In the Qixi Governor's Manor in the rear of the Western Regions, a blue-eyed, bearded Hu with a domineering aura bellowed in rage.
"I have contributed greatly to the Tang Dynasty while guarding the Western Regions. How dare a brat humiliate me like this? How hateful!! He deserves to die! "
Hong long!
The green-eyed Hu raised his palm, and with a loud boom, the metal table in front of him shattered into pieces. The immense force caused the ground to tremble, and a huge cloud of dust burst out of the Governor's Manor, rising nearly a hundred zhang into the air.
"'The Hu form their own faction, the Han promote the Hu, and the Hu promote the Hu'. Feng Changqing, aren't you a Han official? This brat is spouting nonsense, he deserves to die! "
In the vast desert of the Western Regions, a five-thousand-strong armored army was on the move. At the very front of the army was a beautiful and handsome general with an aura that was as vast as the mountains and as vast as the seas.
He looked no different from a Han, but the Xinluo jade token by his waist revealed his identity.
He was the Anxi Vice Protector-General, Duke of Miyun, Gao Xianzhi.
He was the only Xinluo Vice Protector-General in the entire Tang dynasty, as well as the highest standing of the Xinluo people in the Tang dynasty. In the military world of the Tang dynasty, he wielded unparalleled authority.
Anxi Vice Protector-General Gao Xianzhi was known for his elegant bearing, and even when he was angry, he maintained a calm expression. However, Gao Xianzhi raised his right hand, and with a crack, the neck of a warhorse broke. Without any warning, it suddenly fell to the ground, motionless.
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