Chapter 1589: The Second Memorial! (I)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“King of Foreign Lands, the First Prince and all the officials are here, so it’s time to give a proper explanation!” Li Junxian demanded. “With no decree from the palace, you privately commanded more than nine thousand members of the Public Order Squad to appear in front of the Imperial Palace gates. Even if the Hu have congregated and blocked the gates, this is a matter for the Chamberlain of Dependencies and the Bureau of Rites to handle. In other words, it is for King Qi to handle, not you.”

After accusing w.a.n.g Chong, he quickly turned his focus to Zhangchou Jianqiong, who was standing near the First Prince.

“In addition, if I remember correctly, Lord Zhangchou said that the Public Order Squads were established by the Bureau of Military Personnel. But even though they were set up by Lord Zhangchou, the one commanding the Public Order Squad cavalry is not Lord Zhangchou, but the King of Foreign Lands who should have been resting at home. Do the King of Foreign Lands and Lord Zhangchou have an explanation for this?”

Zhangchou Jianqiong was part of Consort Taizhen’s faction, so all the members of court, even the First Prince, were somewhat fearful of him and did not try to push him too badly. But Li Junxian did not have the same apprehensions. Anyone who colluded with w.a.n.g Chong to ruin the Confucian Sect’s Harmonious World was a mortal foe of the Confucian Sect.

As expected, Zhangchou Jianqiong’s heart thumped upon hearing Li Junxian’s questions and his face paled.

He had long ago known that the matter wouldn’t end so easily. Whether it was the First Prince, Li Junxian, or King Qi, they would all make trouble over this. Thus, when w.a.n.g Chong first proposed the Public Order Squads, Zhangchou Jianqiong had objected.

Even worse was that these three were making trouble at the same time.

But rather than being worried about himself, he was more worried about w.a.n.g Chong.

Using the excuse of a rebellion taking place at the gates, the First Prince had broken precedent and left in the middle of a court session, leading all the officials to the walls. He was clearly determined to use this chance to seize w.a.n.g Chong and deal him a heavy blow.

It seemed to be about the Public Order Squads, but the reality was far more complex.

“Li Junxian, you are a civil official, so I do not blame you for not knowing the rules of the Bureau of Military Personnel. The Bureau of Military Personnel is the central pivot around which all the armies of the Great Tang turn. Whether a general or n.o.ble, as long as they belong to the military, they are under the control of the Bureau of Military Personnel. What is wrong with this king appearing here?

“Moreover, as a n.o.ble of the court and former Qixi Protector-General, does this king not even have the right to command several thousand Public Order Squad cavalry? And no matter how many soldiers there are, they do not belong to this king but to the Bureau of Military Personnel. It’s not like King Qi, who has two thousand personal soldiers, all of them even better equipped than the Divine Martial Army that Great General Geshu trained for several decades. And even the Penal Court, while seeming to be under the authority of the Imperial Court, has become yet another personal army of his, moving however he pleases. He even mobilized the entirety of the soldiers at the Penal Court for his personal use.”

w.a.n.g Chong shot a glance at King Qi.

King Qi instantly paled at these words, not having expected w.a.n.g Chong to implicate him in this affair.

“w.a.n.g Chong, don’t go slandering others. I heard that there was an incident at the gates of the Imperial Palace and rushed over with my men to give aid. In my haste, I could only think of the Penal Court. How could this be the same as what you have done?!”

King Qi was fuming with rage by the end. w.a.n.g Chong was possibly the only person who could make him so angry.

“w.a.n.g Chong, this prince is waiting for your explanation!”

On the high gate tower, the First Prince ignored King Qi, his eyes fixed on w.a.n.g Chong.

“Your Highness, w.a.n.g Chong had no disloyal notions, and I truly had a reason for leading soldiers here. If not for the inability of the City Guard, allowing the Hu to run rampant in the city, and if not for the officials in court saying that we should tolerate the Hu because they are newcomers, causing tens of thousands of Hu to gather in front of the Imperial Palace gates, I would not have led so many soldiers here. There would not have even been a need for the Public Order Squads to be established. It is precisely the incompetence of certain people that caused all this. Seeing as these people could not even handle this matter properly, allowing such an incident to take place at the feet of the Son of Heaven, this lowly subject was obligated to fulfill his duty as a n.o.ble of the Great Tang and personally intervene,” w.a.n.g Chong righteously proclaimed.

Li Junxian’s expression darkened. w.a.n.g Chong was clearly criticizing his policies and trying to drag him into the water.

“This matter was a decision made by the Imperial Court. Great plans can be ruined by just a touch of impatience. King of Foreign Lands, with the First Prince here, it is never your place to act rashly!” Li Junxian coldly shot back.

“Every post has its duty, and those not in those posts should not a.s.sume those duties. Do you not even understand this simple principle? Or are you saying that all the officials in court do not compare to a single King of Foreign Lands?”

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. w.a.n.g Chong, Li Junxian, King Qi, the First Prince, and even Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong were all here. These were some of the most powerful political figures in the entirety of the Great Tang Empire, and no one else dared to interrupt.

But at the same time, whether it was the Imperial Army, the Public Order Squad cavalry, the Penal Court soldiers, or even the kneeling crowd of commoners, all of them were listening attentively to every word.

They all vaguely sensed that this dispute could change the political structure of the Great Tang, and it would also decide the fate of the renowned King of Foreign Lands.

Ever since Master Zhu had appeared, everyone had come to know of the militarist-Confucian conflict. The conflict between Li Junxian and w.a.n.g Chong was, in the end, a quarrel between the militarists and Confucians, one that was far from over.

“Hmph, Li Junxian, do you know what it means to enjoy the status of a position while doing none of the work? You and your Confucian Sect were the ones who let these Hu come in, but you’re incapable of properly handling them. These Hu go around the capital like they own the place, fighting, arguing, intimidating, taking items without paying for them, hara.s.sing the women of the capital in broad daylight… They even ignore the laws of the Imperial Court and the authority of the sovereign, making a ruckus right in front of the palace gates.

“Several days ago, as this king was traveling down a busy street, I saw with my own eyes a group of Hu hara.s.sing someone’s fiancée. When the groom came to ask for an explanation, he almost ended up being beaten up. If they dared to act so brashly in broad daylight, one can only imagine what the Hu are acting like elsewhere. Gathered officials, can you not imagine the state of the capital now?

“The Hu have provoked the anger of the ma.s.ses. And when this king went to question the City Guard, they said that the Secretariat Advisor had declared that none of the Hu in the capital were under their jurisdiction, and they were ordered to not interfere.

“Li Junxian, you want nothing more than for the Great Tang to be at peace with the other countries so you can have your Harmonious World. So, is your Harmonious World one where the common folk of the Great Tang are bullied while the Hu can eat, drink, and fight as they please?

“Li Junxian, you’re someone who reads books, right? Someone who practices according to the sacred texts? Your Highness, for you to ask this question is just right. This lowly subject would like to formally impeach the Secretariat Advisor for a dereliction of duty!”

w.a.n.g Chong’s cold voice was deafening as he reached into his left sleeve and raised up high a memorial.

Buzz!

Elder Song, Bamboo Mirror, the white-clothed girl, and the other Confucian Sect experts all paled. Even Li Junxian, King Qi, and the First Prince grimaced.

For w.a.n.g Chong to privately gather more than nine thousand men of the Public Order Office and appear at a sensitive place like the gates of the palace without imperial decree should have been a grave crime, an excellent opportunity to seize him.

But he had turned around and submitted a memorial impeaching Secretariat Advisor Li Junxian.

This was a move that no one had expected.

“This prince will make the final decision on this. Have the memorial brought up.”

Although the First Prince was taken aback, he quickly regained his composure and gestured at a eunuch, who quickly descended from the walls.

Regardless of what w.a.n.g Chong was impeaching Li Junxian for, the First Prince could not allow him to succeed. By sending a eunuch, he was clearly stating that w.a.n.g Chong’s impeachment would be shelved.

“The only thing this prince wishes to ask you for is an explanation for the Public Order Squad.”

The First Prince looked around at the nine-thousand-some Public Order Squad cavalry. No matter what reason w.a.n.g Chong had, none of them was enough to explain why he had led so many soldiers to such a sensitive place.

Just because someone else was committing murder on the streets didn’t meant that one could commit arson. The First Prince was grimly clutching to this point.

“Ha!”

w.a.n.g Chong softly chuckled, completely unsurprised by the First Prince’s stance.

The First Prince and Li Junxian were colluding, and he had never once believed that a single memorial would be enough to impeach Li Junxian. However, the establishment of the Public Order Squad was inevitable, and no one could stop it.

“Your Highness, the Public Order Squad was established because of the Hu, and even if Your Highness had not asked, w.a.n.g Chong would still have personally gone to the court to submit a memorial regarding it. Moreover, because of this matter, this lowly subject has already written a memorial. Your Highness, please read it!”

w.a.n.g Chong produced a second memorial from his sleeve, and everyone instantly paled. The crowd was unsurprised by the first memorial impeaching Li Junxian, as the two were not on friendly terms and had the militarist-Confucian conflict between them. But this second memorial was completely different.

It was obvious that w.a.n.g Chong had come prepared, not just in establis.h.i.+ng the Public Order Squad, but also in mobilizing his men to arrest all the Hu in front of the palace gates.