Chapter 316: Deep Night!
"Don't worry, I have an idea in mind!" Wang Chong spoke nonchalantly, but his expression revealed his confidence.
His stroll in the mountains wasn't without reward. With that momentary breather, Wang Chong was able to calm down and take a good look at the situation. Eventually, he decided to take the initiative instead of waiting passively for others to strike.
Walking into the study, he swiftly wrote a few letters.
"Jingdian, take a trip to the Court of Judicial Review and divide the deed as per stated in this note. After which, deliver those deeds along with these letters to the royal court."
"Divide?" Zhao Jingdian's eyebrows twitched, and he keenly noticed the hidden meaning behind Wang Chong's words.
"Un. To those princes, princesses, and royal consorts in the palace, we are nothing more than a thick, juicy piece of meat. We can't afford to offend any of them at the moment. Rather than have them stomp up to our gates, we might as well take the initiative and gift a portion of the land to them."
"This way, we can avoid offending the royal family. At the same time, by dividing the land among everyone, they will be encouraged to restrain one another to prevent another from claiming a larger share of the land," Wang Chong said.
The War of the Princes was a huge whirlpool that was far deadlier than anything else. Even with the Wang Clan's strong foundation, it was still unable to withstand the violent tides.
Ever since ancient times, many were the prestigious clans who had died from being embroiled in the fight for the crown, and a handful of them were even bigger than the current Wang Clan.
Since even those powerhouses ended up being crushed by the whirlpool, there was little hope to believe that the Wang Clan would be an exception.
Taking the initiative to divide and give out the spirit vein was the best solution to resolve this crisis.
Even though it wouldn't satisfy anyone, at the very least, it could guarantee the Wang Clan's safety. Furthermore, through this method, the Wang Clan could also become acquainted with the princes and princesses, and this could prove to be beneficial to the Wang Clan.
After sending Zhao Jingdian away, Wang Chong sat quietly in the room, thinking about Fifth Prince Li Heng's affairs.
Trading for the Blood Reformation has cost me 30 Destiny Energy, but it brought me a reward of 45 Destiny Energy in return. This is really an unexpected gain. It seems like my conjecture is right; the greater the danger and impact of the matter, the more generous the reward will be!, Wang Chong thought as he recalled the voice he heard from the Stone of Destiny when he was back with Li Heng.
Obstructing the Goguryeons' assassination plot and getting rid of King Sosurim had brought him 10 Destiny Energy. Reversing the fate of the Wang Clan had brought him 25. These were far more troublesome than a mere Blood Reformation, and yet it was the latter which brought him 45 Destiny Energy.
This was really an unexpectedly generous reward.
Wait, something is wrong!, a sudden thought flashed across his mind. He realized that he had neglected an extremely important piece of information.
The Crowning of the True Dragon!
On top of mentioning the War of the Princes, the Stone of Destiny had also mentioned the Crowning of the True Dragon. The former was still understandable, but the latter...
In other words, this is only the start. By participating in the process to Li Heng's inauguration, I will be able to earn a steady stream of Destiny Energy!
A tempest broke out in Wang Chong's mind.
This was truly an alluring deal, but as someone who had witnessed the outcome of the War of the Princes before, he knew that it would surely be fraught with danger. It wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Wang Chong had stepped onto a dangerous path that most nobles and prestigious clans would flee in fright from.
And judging from the notice from the Stone of Destiny, Wang Chong had already been embroiled in the whirlpool, unable to escape anymore.
On most paths was an endless abyss, and on the last was a path to greatness. There was no middle ground in between!
"I can only count my steps as I take them now!" Wang Chong sighed.
Soon, the shadows in the royal court would move. Hidden beneath the facade of calm and tranquility would be an immense hurricane that would sweep one off their feet should they be caught off guard. Who knew how many prestigious clans would be ripped apart by that hurricane soon? And who knew how many powerful officials would have their heads lopped off their necks in the days ahead?
Getting involved in the War of the Princes meant that he would soon find himself standing at the very eye of this hurricane.
But Wang Chong knew there was no other alternative anymore.
Even if he hadn't met Li Heng today, he would still be swept in eventually.
With such thoughts in mind, Wang Chong closed his eyes.
Hu!
The candlelight was extinguished.
------
Just as Wang Chong was sitting silently in the Deflecting Blade Manor, a certain residence in the capital was brightly lit.
Before the dim candlelight, Wang Gen could be seen with a deep frown on his forehead.
As the eldest son of the Wang Clan, a grade-2 official of the royal court, there were rarely any matters that could induce a frown on his face. However, Wang Gen was truly troubled this time around.
"Hmph, what is there to troubled about? Isn't it just a single spirit vein? Just have the lad hand it over and everything will be resolved. With the welfare of the clan at stake, do you think that lad will still dare to defy you on this matter?"
A sharp and harsh voice sounded suddenly by his side, Wang Chong's big aunt.
Wang Chong might not be the wastrel he was before, even sharing an intimate relationship with Wang Gen now, but the opinion that Wang Chong's big aunt had of him didn't change at all.
On the contrary, the more brightly Wang Chong shone, the more threatened she felt.
"How can a madam like you know anything about the affairs of the royal court? Don't spout nonsense," Wang Gen berated her.
"I spout nonsense? I can overlook it if it was any other occasion, but the First Prince is the future emperor! It is to our benefit that he wants the spirit vein, such an opportunity will not come a second time. What is there to hesitate over?" Xing-shi stood up from her seat and yelled in agitation. Even a madam like her could see this as clear as the day, and yet a man like Wang Gen was still hesitating over such a grave matter!
She couldn't stand watching this any longer.
"What do you know? The spirit vein belongs to Chong-er. If it is my possession, I would have long given it to the First Prince already! Besides, do you understand the significance of the spirit vein? Even the three training camps which His Majesty regards highly are built upon ordinary spirit veins only, and Chong-er's spirit vein is at least tenfold more effective than that!" Wang Gen said with a grim face.
Having participated in governance for numerous decades, he understood the significance of this large spirit vein to a clan.
This kind of spirit vein could allow a clan to groom a large number of powerful experts within a short period of time.
A clan with such a spirit vein in possession need not worry about their downfall for centuries to come!
If not for that, how could Wang Chong's spirit vein cause such a huge stir in the capital?
"Hmph, I think you are just getting muddle-headed. Let's see how you intend to account this matter to the First Prince without a spirit vein in hand!" After scolding her husband, Xing-shi flung her sleeves and stomped out of the room angrily.
With Xing-shi's departure, the entire room plunged into silence.
Staring at the flickering candlelight before him, Wang Gen sighed deeply. Following which, he took out a letter from his sleeves. It came from the First Prince.
There was only a single line on the note: I wish to meet Wang Chong!
A short message, but the First Prince's intention was clear. His goal was not the spirit vein, but Wang Chong.
The First Prince intended to rally Wang Chong to his side!
"Forget it, I should still call Chong-er over." Sighing, Wang Gen made up his mind. Xing-shi's words were harsh, but they weren't illogical.
No matter what, the First Prince was the eldest son of the Sage Emperor, and Great Tang would be his eventually.
With such thoughts in mind, Wang Gen raised his brush and before long, a pigeon flew out of the room through the window.
------
"Spirit vein! This is truly inconceivable!"
Deep in the night, two figures, one short and one tall, stood on an opposite mountain as they gazed upon the massive spirit vein.
A conspicuous dense white mist drifted amidst the darkness. It was concentrated spiritual energy.
A beautiful sight that one could only see at night!
The billowing white mist stretched for hundreds of li within the darkness, creating a majestic sight.
If not for that the person who leaked out the news, no one could have imagined that there would be such a grand sight just a short distance away from the capital.
"That child from the Wang Clan sure is incredible!"
"Indeed! The malicious aura here is so thick that even seers would find it hard to divine this location. Furthermore, this area is filled with so many poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts, and the main route is more than ten li away. And yet he was still able to find this location!"
The duo couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
When the duo first learned that the owner of this spirit vein was Wang Chong, and that he had already bought the deed from the Court of Judicial Review several months ago, they found themselves rendered speechless.
This entire affair was simply way too fantastical.
Wang Chong had barely shaken the world through the regional commanders incident when in the blink of an eye, he became the owner of this gigantic spirit vein in the depths of the mountain.
At that moment, there was only one word running through their mind: shrewd!
It might just be a coincidence the first time, but two was one too many. The child of the Wang Clan was only a fifteen-year-old child, but he had already created an unfathomable image in front of them.
It would be no exaggeration to say that they even felt respect for that child.
No, calling him a child would be inaccurate!
To be more precise, he was the future head of the Wang Clan, Duke Jiu's successor!
"I heard that he had established a Deflecting Blade Manor at the Kunwu Training Camp, and it is in the midst of accepting members. Get Chou-er to join it. That child has a boundless future ahead of him. With such momentum, the Wang Clan could possibly grow beyond its previous peak, when it was under Duke Jiu. Perhaps striking this karmic relationship with him can bring us unexpected gains in the future!"
"Yes, clan head. I'll order Chou-er to ally himself with Wang gongzi," the other figure replied.
The former nodded and fell silent.
Glancing down from the starry skies, many shadows could be seen lurking in the vicinity of the spirit vein. Tonight, countless experts had come down here to determine the authenticity of the rumor.
And who knew how many would make the same decision as the two shadows from before?
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TL Notes:
Xing-shi
Xing refers to her maiden surname, Xing Chunyuan, whereas -shi is just an address for her. It is often used within households to address one another, especially in regards to one's wife and concubines.
It is customary in China for one's eldest son to take over the father's inheritances (such as noble conferment, business, and such), and this applies to the imperial family, too. Of course, the decision is ultimately dependent on the father, but such is the traditional practice.