Side Story Chapter 12: Strategy Advisor, Wang Jiuling!

Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr

Li Taiyi loathed the comet. If not for this comet, how could he have been separated from Qing Luo?

But at the same time, it had given him a new life, allowing him the chance to save the Great Tang and correct this injustice from centuries before!

Li Taiyi now understood. His sense was right. Some mysterious power really had been working on his body!

As that scene of the comet smashing into Li Taiyi played out, that giant star rapidly began to shrink, all of the light condensing into it.

A few moments later, that brilliant star was no more.

In its place was a fist-sized jewel, simple and unadorned, pulsing with spacetime power. It quietly floated in front of Li Taiyi, exuding considerable power.

Li Taiyi inexplicably knew that this was the ‘Stone of Destiny’.

“Congratulations to user for rewriting the Thunderclap Event and ensuring the dragon veins persist! User is rewarded with 10,000 points of Destiny Energy!” the Stone of Destiny said.

“User? Thunderclap? Dragon veins?”

Li Taiyi was baffled by these words, but his mind quickly came around.

‘User’ referred to him, ‘Thunderclap’ referred to the Spring Rain Banquet and how destiny had not followed the course of the ‘thunderclap coup’, and the dragon veins were the fortune of the Great Tang. But what was Destiny Energy?

“Destiny is like a giant boulder pressed on the body, unable to be moved. Only those with formidable wills can change destiny and obliterate this heavy stone. Destiny Energy allows the user to more quickly alter destiny and more swiftly seize opportunities!” the Stone of Destiny explained, as if it knew about the questions on Li Taiyi’s mind.

The Stone of Destiny’s answer made Li Taiyi raise an eyebrow in surprise.

To more swiftly seize opportunities… Li Taiyi’s eyes flashed as he thoughtfully looked at the Stone of Destiny.

At present, he had already raised his reputation and was gaining favor with his father. Everything was smoothly advancing toward his goal. The only thing that he was currently impatient to reach was…

“Stone of Destiny, can these Destiny Energy points let me get stronger, to have the strength to contend against the entire world?” Li Taiyi said.

What he lacked the most was cultivation and the corresponding martial arts.

Li Taiyi had asked despite not really expecting that the so-called Stone of Destiny would actually answer.

“Searching for a solution for user. Please wait…

“User resides in the prosperous lands of the Central Plains, and the Imperial Palace is full of countless treasures and various martial arts manuals!” the Stone of Destiny said.

“!!!”

Li Taiyi was shaken, and his eyes instantly began to burn with passion.

“How can I find martial arts that can increase my power?”

“…User does not have enough Destiny Energy for this question to be answered,” the Stone of Destiny said.

“……”

“……”

The dimension became deathly still.

Li Taiyi raised an eyebrow at the Stone of Destiny. Just when he was thinking about smashing it, the Stone of Destiny spoke again.

“If user finds a treasure location, there will be a corresponding reaction.”

After saying this, the Stone of Destiny fell silent.

Very quickly, the void faded away like it was an illusion, and Jade Dragon Palace returned as if nothing had happened.

Li Taiyi sat on his sandalwood bed, unable to calm down.

He knew that all of this had been real, and that dazzling jewel was quietly floating in his mind!

This matter had given him too much of a shock. He needed time to think things over and understand what was going on.

At the end, the Stone of Destiny had mentioned that there was a powerful art in the northwestern part of the Imperial Palace, and he could set aside some time to look for it.

Taptaptap!

A rapid tapping came at his door.

Li Taiyi focused and called out, “Enter!”

The door opened, and the bowed form of Gao Lishi entered.

“Your Highness, the arrangements are done. Your Highness may go and see Lord Wang Jiuling in the jail of the Bureau of Punishments today.”

Li Taiyi nodded.

“Let’s go!”

……

A carriage swiftly made its way toward the jail run by the Bureau of Punishments.

Within the imposing carriage, Li Taiyi closed his eyes and rested.

After some time, Gao Lishi’s voice came from outside. “Your Highness, we’ve arrived.”

Li Taiyi slowly opened his eyes.

As he raised the curtain, he saw a pitch-black building.

This building lurked there like a giant beast. Seemingly to prevent criminals from escaping, arrows glinting with cold light peeked out from the four corners of the building, and the edifice naturally exuded a somber and intimidating aura.

A large black stele taller than an adult man had been set up in front of the black building, with several words chiseled into it.

Bureau of Punishments Jail!

Besides this, a tiger head had been carved over the gate, appearing rather old. Whenever anyone got close, this tiger would appear to savagely bare its fangs at them. This was the legendary Bi’an that represented justice, and its awesome appearance instilled respect and solemnity in those who looked upon it.

(TN: The Bi’an is one of the nine sons of the dragon, like the Bixi mentioned earlier. While the Bixi was a turtle dragon, the Bi’an is a tiger dragon, and its image was usually placed over prison gates.)

An aloof prison guard stood in front of the steel gate, fiercely and warily looking around.

Upon seeing Li Taiyi’s carriage, the guard immediately became respectful and called out in Li Taiyi’s direction.

“Third Prince!”

Li Taiyi slowly stepped off the carriage, assisted by Gao Lishi, and got straight to the point. “Where is Wang Jiuling being held?”

“Your Highness, please follow me.”

The prison guard immediately led Li Taiyi into the jail.

As soon as the prison gates opened, a cold and sinister odor assailed Li Taiyi’s nostrils and made him shiver.

It was dark and gloomy past the gates, the two sides lit by dim lanterns. As soon as the gates opened, two of the lanterns were blown out by the wind, making the place even darker.

This was a dark and humid place that usually did not see the light of the sun. The air was foul and turbid, wet as if it had just rained, and it was mixed with the scent of dried blood.

The farther they went in, the more oppressive the air became. The cries for mercy from the prisoners added an additional hint of despair.

“Your Highness, we’ve arrived.”

The prison guard stopped in front of a cell and opened it to the tune of swishing chains.

Li Taiyi’s eyes flashed as he nodded and said, “Withdraw.”

Once the guard was gone, Li Taiyi turned his eyes to the figure in the cell.

This man’s eyes were closed as he leaned against the bed in the cell. Though his clothes were ragged and situation dire, he exuded a tenacity like the winter plum blossoms that would bloom in frost, exuding their special aromas.

As Li Taiyi inspected him, a calm and steady voice came from the resting Wang Jiuling.

“Third Prince? The prison is a dark and filthy place. For what reason has the Third Prince come? Wang Jiuling is an ordinary man and does not believe that he ever had any interactions with the Third Prince.”

He had not even seen Li Taiyi. In truth, his eyes had never even opened, and his face was unperturbed.

But it appeared as if he knew everything going on around him.

Li Taiyi was rather surprised. It appeared that Wang Jiuling knew who he was.

But with a grin, Li Taiyi shook it off.

He used this chance to more closely inspect this visionary sage whose talents had gone unappreciated in this era.

Noble and unsullied!

Learned and virtuous!

Calm and composed!

This was Li Taiyi’s first impression of Wang Jiuling. His back was straight, and he had a unique demeanor that no other official possessed.

Thinking back to the man’s stiff and cold attitude, Li Taiyi inwardly smiled. He somewhat understood why his father had been so angry.

“Heh, though we have never interacted before, I have admired Lord Wang for some time. This time, I have come hoping to get Lord Wang’s help and to take Lord Wang out of this place.”

Li Taiyi smiled, a broad-minded and magnanimous look on his face.

Wang Jiuling’s brow slightly creased. He opened his eyes and glanced at Li Taiyi, a brief and astonishing glint in his eyes for the briefest moments, sharp and vicious. But a moment later, it died away.

Wang Jiuling quickly regained his steely demeanor and refused Li Taiyi. “If you wish to contend with the other Princes for the throne, then this one must disappoint Your Highness. This one is not the person Your Highness wants. In addition, while this one thanks Your Highness for your kind intentions, His Divine Majesty passed judgement on Wang Jiuling, so there is no need to trouble Your Highness.”

Li Taiyi was momentarily stupefied by such a swift and straightforward refusal.

However, he soon broke into a smile again.

“Heh, Lord Wang misunderstands. The Third Prince does not wish to request you to take part in the struggle for the throne, but for another matter.”

“Oh?”

Wang Jiuling showed a hint of surprise.

“In Milord’s view, where will the next crisis facing the Great Tang come from?”

Li Taiyi placed his hands behind his back, his expression grand and imposing. Without waiting for Wang Jiuling to answer, Li Taiyi spoke.

“Whether it is the court struggles, the War of the Princes, the embezzlement case, or even your own imprisonment, they are all minor affairs. Even droughts in the north and floods in the south are not very significant.

“These are all momentary struggles. The true danger comes from all around the Great Tang, from the surrounding countries! If there are those who can sow discord in the Central Plains, it must be the Hu!

“If the Central Plains cannot grow stronger, an unpredictable disaster with far graver consequences than can be fathomed will inevitably occur. None of the officials at court understand this.”

Boom!

Wang Jiuling trembled in shock and stared in disbelief at Li Taiyi.

He had been displaying a half-hearted and estranged attitude to this Third Prince, but at this moment, the Third Prince had broken through his stiff and obstinate exterior.

This was the first Prince he had encountered who was thinking of danger in times of peace.

Of course, what was more important…

“You read my memorial!”

Wang Jiuling was stunned.

‘If there are those who can sow discord in the Central Plains, it must be the Hu’ was a line taken straight from the memorial he had submitted to the Emperor!

But how was that possible?

His memorial to the Emperor was the same as any other memorial from an official of the court. In normal circumstances, only the Emperor could read them. How had the Third Prince gotten his hands on it?

“Heh, great minds think alike. I came to see Lord Wang, not for my selfish purposes, but for this matter,” Li Taiyi sternly said.

Wang Jiuling fell silent. It was rumored that Prince Xuan cared little for foreign affairs and was a bullying tyrant who did as he pleased. But this person seemed to be very different from the rumors.

However, he was still not inclined to take part in the War of the Princes.

What he truly cared about was the safety of the Great Tang.

These words were not enough for him to make a decision.

“Lord Wang, if a man possesses vision and wisdom beyond their era, they must pay a price for it, just as it is with Lord Wang—just like it is with this one.

“If I were to tell you that in a few centuries, the civilization of the Central Plains will cease to exist, that the Han will be enslaved by another people, living a life worse than death as ants eking out an existence on the earth, and the lands of the Central Plains will be turned to pasture, would you believe me?” Li Taiyi called out.

He recalled the past, all that he had experienced in his past life, that era of absolute darkness and absolute despair.

An immense pain appeared on his face.

Even Wang Jiuling was shaken by this display.

He could sense that this deep pain was not feigned, that it was a natural expression of someone who had lived through such an experience.

But what was the Third Prince saying? He was born in the palace and had never been far from the capital. He probably didn’t even know how many taels of silver a family in the capital needed to feed itself each year.

How could he have had such experiences?

At this moment, Wang Jiuling’s impression of the Third Prince completely changed.

But Li Taiyi knew none of this.

In this era, everyone was still absorbed in the ‘daily routine’, believing that those incidents on the border were similar to those that had taken place for hundreds of years.

If they were not awakened, if they did not realize what was going on, the events from his last life might repeat themselves.

Everyone in the Central Plains would pay an unprecedented and most bitter price.

“Peace is not obtained through compromise. The people’s hopes for peace can be understood, but seeking peace through war is still the best method, the way to attain true peace.

“The quieter the foreigners on the borders of the Great Tang are, the greater their ambition. And even if they talk peace, their ambition is enough to devour an elephant.

“The calm is merely an illusion!

“Lord Wang, I know that this is our first meeting and you still find it difficult to believe, and I also do not know how far I can go, but I am willing to do everything in my power to change this era and neutralize this crisis that no one else can see!”

Li Taiyi’s eyes gleamed, and his body exuded an intimidating aura. For a moment, it was possible to make out a corner of a lofty and majestic mountain.

“Lord Wang, are you willing to work with me?”

Li Taiyi looked at Wang Jiuling.

Wang Jiuling was moved.

Though it was absurd, though the two had never met before, though this Third Prince had an infamous reputation, Wang Jiuling felt like believing in him.

He sensed that the Third Prince was speaking from his heart.

“Ha…”

With a deep sigh, Wang Jiuling closed his eyes, many thoughts running through his mind.

As a child, he had excelled in both the civil and martial arts. He had entered the capital with noble aspirations and a body full of energy, never imagining that no one in the court would acknowledge his abilities.

He spent a sleepless night drafting a memorial, but to his shock, this memorial had so enraged the Emperor that he had been jailed.

In Wang Jiuling’s heart, the Emperor was a wise sovereign. He believed that the Emperor would eventually understand and release him, but time had gone on with nothing happening. In the end, it was the famously unruly Prince Xuan who had come to find him!

He had a body full of impassioned blood, but nowhere to spill it!

This was what he had been thinking before the Third Prince appeared.

He had even readied himself to die in the jail of the Bureau of Punishments.

If this was an era where his aspirations were unrealizable, what was the point in living?

But upon seeing the Third Prince and the sincere look in his eyes, Wang Jiuling was shaken.

Perhaps this man was his chance!

“Lord Wang?”

Li Taiyi smiled, still waiting for Wang Jiuling’s answer.

“I agree!” Wang Jiuling finally said.

Outside the cell, Li Taiyi smiled. This was exactly as he had predicted.

“I will do my utmost to get Milord out of this cell. Lord Wang, please wait for the good news!”

His objective achieved, Li Taiyi quickly departed from the prison.