Chapter 2002 - An Yaluoshan's Dance!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The moment the ‘Sage Emperor’ touched the dragon pearl, he had sensed a stream of energy entering his body and rapidly suppressing ‘that scoundrel’.
The ‘dragon pearl’ did not harm his own body. On the contrary, he felt refreshed and with an even greater degree of control over his body.
Meanwhile, ‘that scoundrel’ had greatly weakened and was continuing to weaken.
Though he didn’t know where An Yaluoshan had obtained this dragon pearl, was it not exactly what he had wanted?
A wonderful man!
Truly wonderful!
This An Yaluoshan was like his star of fortune!
‘Third Son Xuan’ wanted nothing more than to loudly laugh.
On the right side of the ‘U’, Wang Chong looked at the faces of the ‘Sage Emperor’ and An Yaluoshan, his heart sinking.
Fast!
Too fast!
Before he had time to intervene, the dragon pearl had ended up in the hands of the ‘Sage Emperor’.
“An Yaluoshan!”
Wang Chong’s gaze shot to An Yaluoshan, his eyes immediately chilling.
He had been watching An Yaluoshan this whole time, but to his surprise, he had still managed to succeed. He had inspected numerous books to find a solution for the Sage Emperor’s problem, even sending Young Master Qingyang and Sword Dragon to the Kunlun Mountains to seek the Rainbow Glass Divine Grass. But while all this was going on, An Yaluoshan had used his ‘dragon pearl’ to suppress the Sage Emperor right when he was at his weakest, and right in front of Wang Chong’s eyes.
An Yaluoshan wasn’t so capable as to hide all this from him. There had to be someone giving him instructions!
“You’re seeking death!”
Wang Chong clenched his fists, his body erupting with intense killing intent.
Did An Yaluoshan really think he wouldn’t dare to kill him in the Imperial City? Since he dared to pull his tricks in front of him, he would do everything in his power to turn him into a corpse.
“Stop!”
As Wang Chong’s killing intent pulsed, a soft voice pleaded into his ears. Xu Qiqin hooked her slender arms around Wang Chong’s right hand and shook her head, an imploring and nervous look in her eyes.
Though others did not notice, Xu Qiqin was so close that she could not possibly fail to see what he was thinking.
In truth, Xu Qiqin had been able to sense Wang Chong’s killing intent the moment An Yaluoshan had appeared in the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal. However, no matter what An Yaluoshan did or what he was planning, she could not permit Wang Chong to strike at this time.
This was the feast of all countries, and all the countries had gathered with the ‘Sage Emperor’ presiding over all.
The ‘Sage Emperor’ already regarded Wang Chong as a thorn in his side in the court, but he lacked the excuse to get rid of him. If Wang Chong struck at this time, this would be a gift to the ‘Sage Emperor’, one that he would use to seize Wang Chong and even the Wang Clan.
Xu Qiqin raised her head and calmly whispered, “There will be another chance to deal with An Yaluoshan. There’s no need to rush it.”
These words were like spring waters gushing into his heart. The sound of her voice and the sight of the anxiety and concern in her beautiful eyes made Wang Chong take a deep breath and clear his mind.
Xu Qiqin was right. There would be more chances to deal with An Yaluoshan.
However, for everything An Yaluoshan had done… Wang Chong would kill him!
With this thought in mind, Wang Chong’s temper cooled.
Coming to the capital was easy, but leaving would not be!
While Wang Chong had calmed down, Cui Qianyou and Gao Shang were incredibly nervous.
They had been feeling Wang Chong’s razor-sharp gaze for more than half the feast, and even the delicacies arrayed before them seemed tasteless. And all of them could sense Wang Chong erupting with killing intent when he glared at An Yaluoshan.
How powerful was Wang Chong!
Even though they had made ample preparations, they were still incredibly nervous. If he really struck, they really didn’t know if they would be able to deal with him. Fortunately, Wang Chong had given up.
“This person will always be the greatest threat to our plans!” Tian Chengsi said, turning to Gao Shang.
“Sir Strategist, it all depends on you.”
Gao Shang nodded and said, “Get ready. We’re going to start.”
The capital was Wang Chong’s territory, and Gao Shang was well aware of the immense pressure on his shoulders. If not for the fact that this was the feast of all countries, the Sage Emperor was present, and they had an imperial decree protecting them, he would never have even dared to attempt this plan.
Tian Chengsi nodded and left his seat.
Wang Chong’s expression darkened. He glanced at Beacon General Jiang Yunrang, who was seated at the very end of the ‘U’. The man nodded and also departed.
Wang Chong quickly put aside Tian Chengsi and turned back to the ‘Sage Emperor’. The old eunuch at his side now waved his horsetail whisk, unrolled a decree, and began to loudly speak.
“Acceding to the will of the heavens, the Emperor declares!
“Newly appointed Andong Protector-General An Yaluoshan is a loyal servant of the country whose devotion is to be lauded. In the war of the northeast, he displayed exceptional valor and defeated the Goguryeo Empire, rendering great service for the Great Tang and serving as one of the critical subjects of the Great Tang. We are pleased to see this, and grant him a golden plume dragon robe, a dragon sword, a jade token to enter the palace, and a jade belt. Thus is the Emperor’s will!
“Andong Protector-General, hurry and thank the Sage Emperor!”
“May the Emperor live ten thousand years!”
An overjoyed An Yaluoshan hastily prostrated and kowtowed several times.
A minor eunuch had been waiting on the side with a red sandalwood tray covered in golden silk. Atop the silk was a golden plume robe, a dragon sword, the jade token, and the jade belt.
“Your Majesty’s favor to this lowly subject is as weighty as the mountains, and An Yaluoshan is so grateful as to weep, feeling both awe and terror. It just so happens that this lowly subject prepared a dance for this feast of all countries to present to Your Majesty!”
An Yaluoshan raised his head, a fawning look on his face.
“Oh? You also prepared a dance?”
The Sage Emperor’s eyes brightened in surprise.
“Lord An, jokes are not permitted in front of His Majesty,” the old eunuch said.
For generations, dancers had always been the slender, graceful, and beautiful palace ladies. But An Yaluoshan had a short and chubby figure, and was a man. What sort of dance would he perform?
A fatty dancing, and for the Sage Emperor?
This was unheard of!
“Your Highness, this lowly subject does not lie. Your Majesty needs to only watch to understand!” An Yaluoshan firmly said.
“Hahaha, good! This is a rare occasion when all the countries have gathered and the sovereign can celebrate with the people, so there is no need for any refinement or elegance. Let Us see your dance, An Yaluoshan!”
The ‘Sage Emperor’ stroked his beard and chuckled.
All the countries paying obeisance had fulfilled one of his lifelong desires, and the gift of the ‘dragon pearl’ had made him even happier. He naturally did not care about such trifles.
“This lowly subject receives the decree!” An Yaluoshan loudly called out, and then he smiled as he took the rewards and departed.
On the right side of the hall, Wang Chong and Xu Qiqin glanced at each other, seeing their mutual concern.
They had both reviewed the itinerary, and there was no dance from An Yaluoshan scheduled for this feast. For An Yaluoshan to offer this dance at this time was far too suspicious.
As the two were wondering what was going on, the palace maids who had been standing behind the officials and foreign dignitaries turned around and extinguished the torches lining the walls.
At the same time, a lid was placed atop the fire basin in the center of the hall.
In the blink of an eye, the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal was cast into darkness.
“Ah!”
Cries of alarm came from outside the walls, the common folk confused as to why the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal had suddenly gone dark.
But just a few seconds later, the torches were relit and the fire basin was reignited.
The entire Pavilion of Petal and Sepal was brightly lit once more.
Ding!
Bong!
Instruments began to play, and then sumptuously dressed dancing girls gracefully stepped into the hall. But the most striking thing was the giant bronze ball being rolled into the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal right behind the dancing girls.
The ball had been made to look like a flower, and it rumbled and groaned as it was rolled across the ground.
Bang!
Before anyone could react, the bronze ball exploded, and a figure jumped out from within.
An Yaluoshan was standing in the center of the pavilion, wearing a jacket that left his arms bare and his belly exposed, and a pair of puffy pants.
“Hahaha!”
An Yaluoshan’s comical appearance made everyone break out in laughter.
Compared to the palace beauties, An Yaluoshan’s attire was truly amusing, particularly when one contrasted his jiggling belly of fat to the graceful dancing girls around him.
And An Yaluoshan was not ashamed, even winking and suggestively glancing at the Sage Emperor and the rest of the crowd, causing them to laugh even harder.
In his seat, Wang Chong grew even more solemn.
He was one of the few people in the room that was not laughing. Even in another dimension that greatly differed from this one, An Yaluoshan’s dance was famous.
No one understood more than Wang Chong that An Yaluoshan’s performance was just disguising himself as a pig to eat tigers. He was making the crowd laugh at him so that they would underestimate him.
A comical clown had none of the dignity or grace of a major official of the court, a commander of the border. How could someone who cared only about amusing the crowd present a major threat to the realm?
It would be simply ridiculous for the Great Tang to meet its end at the hands of a clown like this.
In Wang Chong’s memories, this was what many major officials had thought.
Wang Chong turned his eyes to Prime Minister Li Linfu, who was seated on the left.
The saying ‘honey in mouth, sword in belly, shrewd as a thief’ was meant to refer to none other than this man.
Although he had no evidence, Wang Chong knew that this man was behind many things, but his strategies were simply too profound. No matter how others ended up, Li Linfu was always able to emerge unscathed.
But not even Li Linfu could have imagined that even his all-seeing gaze would misjudge An Yaluoshan.
I wonder if you were still able to laugh when he rose up in rebellion, Wang Chong quietly remarked as he stared at Li Linfu.
He could see that while Li Linfu was not laughing like the other officials, when he looked in An Yaluoshan’s direction, there was an almost imperceptible disdain in his eyes.
