Chapter 1269: The Ruckus Gets Worse! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Whoosh! King Qi gave the order, and all his men scattered.
Wang Chong, however, his eyes squinted, shot a contemplative glance at Li Linfu and King Qi.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the earth rumbled as yet another group arrived on the scene.
”The First Prince has arrived!”
Bzzz! Wang Chong's mind trembled as he turned to look. In the distance, he spotted two massive dragon banners snapping in the wind, and behind those banners were countless soldiers of the Imperial Army and even the personal guards of the Emperor, the Golden Guards. They were marching in orderly ranks toward the Penal Court. And one could also see a majestic and noble figure being escorted by these imperial guards.
The First Prince!
Wang Chong immediately spotted this familiar figure amidst the sea of soldiers.
With the Sage Emperor having withdrawn into the palace, the First Prince was serving as regent and represented the Emperor. But this was the first time Wang Chong had ever seen the First Prince outside of the Imperial Palace.
In the span of a single day, the small Penal Court had gathered together three influential figures of the court: the Prime Minister, the First Prince, and King Qi. In a flash, Wang Chong's heart sank and he immediately had an ill foreboding.
Putting aside King Qi, the Prime Minister and the First Prince had clearly come prepared. As expected, a moment later, Wang Chong heard the First Prince speak.
”Wang Chong, you are quite bold to dare to wound Imperial Uncle. Have you become so accustomed to the battlefield that you're even treating a place like this as one?!”
With his first words, the First Prince looked past King Qi and locked his eyes on Wang Chong.
The First Prince's horse leapt out from the soldiers of the Imperial Army and trotted over to the Penal Court.
”Paying respects to the First Prince!”
Everyone began to get off their horses and bow, even Prime Minister Li Linfu.
”Your Highness! You came at just the right time. The King of Foreign Lands forced his way into the Penal Court to seize a prisoner from within, even wounding the guards of the Penal Court in the process. He clearly has no regard for the laws of this country and no respect for what is moral and right! First Prince, please act on behalf of this king!”
King Qi suddenly took on a new face when facing the First Prince, immediately walking up to him and pointing a figure at Wang Chong, adopting the pose of a victim.
In a flash, all the officials, Prime Minister Li Linfu, and the First Prince all stared at Wang Chong. The entire Penal Court was silent as an invisible pressure descended.
”Bastards! These people are working together to make trouble for His Highness!”
Old Eagle and Zhang Que immediately saw what was going on. This was clearly a scheme to deal with Wang Chong.
The First Prince was regent, Li Linfu was Prime Minister, and King Qi was a King. The power formed by the three joining together would be incredibly difficult to stop.
”Hah.”
Wang Chong's robes flapped in the wind. After understanding his foes' plans, Wang Chong still remained calm and fearless.
”First Prince and Lord Prime Minister have truly come at just the right time. This king only just arrived, yet Milords arrived so promptly. And Your Highness the First Prince is truly perceptive. This king and King Qi were standing together, but Your Highness was immediately able to determine that this king was at fault and King Qi was unrelated.”
Wang Chong smiled.
These words immediately caused the trio to grimace.
The First Prince was particularly taken aback. He had originally believed that at this stage, Wang Chong would concede at least a little ground, but he was unexpectedly as tough and stubborn as ever.
And Wang Chong had already exposed them.
”Impudent!”
A few moments later, the First Prince felt a surge of rage. It was one thing if Wang Chong was too proud to join him, but he had actually chosen to side with the Fifth Prince. He simply could not permit this sort of failure to appreciate his kindness.
”Wang Chong, your meaning is that this prince is unjustly accusing you?”
King Qi used this opportunity to fire off a rebuke. ”Wang Chong, it seems to me that after your victory at Khorasan, you have no regard for anyone else and have forgotten how high the heavens are! His Highness the First Prince is the eldest son and also the regent, the representative for the Sage Emperor when His Majesty is not present! Is this how you speak to the First Prince?”
Wang Chong's presence at the Penal Court was a hard fact, and he would find it incredibly difficult to escape responsibility for his crimes.
”Haha, I'm just judging the matter on its own merits, nothing more. And the Penal Court is not some forbidden ground of the Imperial Palace. As a King of the Great Tang, can this king not even approach this trifling place?”
Wang Chong held his heads behind his back, not yielding one bit to the trio.
”Moreover, King Qi, since you have said to His Highness that I forced myself into the Penal Court to take away a prisoner, let this king ask you, where is that prisoner that I am taking away?”
Wang Chong swept his eyes over the trio. Li Linfu, the First Prince, and King Qi instantly paled.
According to their plans, Wang Chong should have been bringing Zhao Qianqiu out of the Penal Court at this time, but for some reason, there were only the two subordinates who frequently appeared with Wang Chong at his side. There was no sign of Zhao Qianqiu, completely different from what they had predicted.