Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 106 Filial and Righteous Sixth Son, the Whole Clan Returns to His Heart

Since the family tragedy in April, the Zhang family mansion has been shrouded in a low-key and somber atmosphere. The expenses of the Zhang clan members have been reduced and their behavior has been strictly controlled, making them feel extremely oppressed.

In May and June, a large number of the family's hidden farmland properties were confiscated by the government, resulting in a sharp reduction in the family's assets and a heavy loss. This dealt another heavy blow to the clansmen, making the atmosphere in the family even more somber.

But today the situation was different. Zhang Shuo, the head of the household who had always strictly disciplined his family, ordered the servants to return and prepare a feast to celebrate. Even some of the clansmen who had moved out of the mansion and were living independently were invited back.

As for the theme of the celebration, it was that Zhang Dai, the sixth son of the Prince of the Prince, won the title of the top scholar in the capital!
Although the Zhang family has a long tradition of scholarship and many of its members have passed the imperial examinations, this is the first time they have achieved such an honor as the top scholar in the capital prefecture.

Although there was a provincial examination after the preliminary examination, the Jingzhao Prefecture examination was known as the best prefectural examination in the country, and passing the provincial examination with the top scorer from Jingzhao Prefecture was almost effortless. In fact, if the top scorer from Jingzhao Prefecture was not selected in the provincial examination, Jingzhao Prefecture could issue a document to the selection department to inquire and question the matter.

Besides celebrating Zhang Dai's victory in the capital, this family banquet also had another significance for the Zhang clan members: the oppressive and tense atmosphere that had been hanging over them for months seemed to be about to dissipate.

So when Zhang Shuo returned home, the entire Zhang family came out to greet him. Even Lady Yuan of Yan was helped out of the inner courtyard by her servants and stood inside the gate to wait.

Of course, Zhang Jun and his family of three, who had already moved to Huixunfang Villa, were not here, but no one cared at the moment.

When Zhang Dai arrived at the gate and saw this scene, he hurriedly dismounted and went to help his grandmother, bowing his head and saying, "I am late in returning home, and I have troubled my grandmother to wait for so long."

"My grandson has brought honor to the family and made a name for himself in his time. Your grandmother is overjoyed to hear this and longs to see her virtuous grandson soon!"

Madam Yuan was equally generous in praising her grandson, Zhang Dai becoming more and more pleased with him. Turning to the women of the Zhang family around her, she said with a smile, "I'm not bragging, but my grandson is the best young man in the world. In the future, any girl who wants to marry him will have to choose carefully. If he doesn't approve of me, then his parents' words are meaningless!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The actions of Zhang Jun and his wife had truly cast a deep psychological shadow on the elderly couple. Even his grandmother, taking advantage of the family gathering, spoke up to relinquish her parenting authority from Zhang Jun and his wife to prevent further interference from them.

After Zhang Shuo alighted from the carriage, everyone crowded around him and headed straight for the main hall of the mansion. Zhang Shuo was in a good mood today, unlike before when he treated his family members with a stern attitude and would scold them at the slightest provocation. Instead, he was all smiles and laughter.

Since it was a family banquet, there was no distinction between men and women; everyone sat in the main hall, husband and wife sharing a table, with their children serving them. As for Zhang Dai, he was simply arranged to sit next to his grandparents.

As the banquet began, the elders naturally praised Zhang Dai highly.

The title of "Jietou of Jingzhao Prefecture" is indeed a glorious honor, even more so than that of "Jinshi" (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination). After all, there are a dozen or twenty Jinshi every year, but there is only one Jietou of Jingzhao Prefecture. Moreover, he obtained the title by taking the examinations in various departments such as the Capital Province and the Secretariat. It can be said that there is no one like him before!
Although the Zhang family's decline in influence was the real reason for this achievement, which added so many twists and turns to the story, the fact that they overcame so many obstacles shows that the young men are very capable and that the family's revival is not far off!
The old folks were gratified that the family line had finally been passed down, while the younger generation looked at Zhang Dai with a mixture of envy and admiration, but their main focus was on eating heartily.

During this period, the family's daily life, including food, clothing, shelter, and entertainment, was severely restricted, which made the boys suffer a lot and even reduced their food intake.

Now that they finally had the chance to eat meat, they naturally ate heartily. Especially considering that the next such sumptuous family feast would probably not be until several months later, after the provincial examinations, these boys ate even more voraciously.

"All you ever do is eat! If only you had a third of Liu Lang's talent, you could save your parents so much trouble in disciplining you!"

Such reprimands echoed continuously in the hall. When the men and women of the Zhang family saw Zhang Daifeng's handsome appearance and outstanding demeanor, and then saw their own sons eating voraciously like hungry ghosts, they became even more furious.

Despite some of these discordant elements, the overall atmosphere of the family banquet in the hall was still very cheerful, continuing until Zhang Jun and his family of three returned home.

"Your son greets Grandfather and Grandmother, and congratulates my elder brother on achieving first place in the examination!"

Zhang Jun and his wife lingered outside, hesitant to enter the main hall. They sent their son, Zhang Yu, in first to test the waters. After Zhang Yu entered the hall timidly, he immediately paid his respects to his grandparents and, as instructed by his father, congratulated his elder brother.

In the past, Zhang Shuo and his wife had always doted on their grandson. However, people and things are most afraid of comparison. In addition, due to the influence of Zhang Jun and his wife's behavior, they found their timid grandson somewhat unappealing. If he was like this in front of his family, when could they expect him to be able to treat others properly?

But Zhang Shuo couldn't vent his resentment towards his son on his grandson. He gestured and said, "Go sit at your uncle's table." Zhang Ji nodded in agreement and then nervously sat down next to his uncle Zhang Ji. He remained silent, completely forgetting his father's instructions before entering the hall to ask his grandfather to allow his parents to come and apologize.

He didn't say anything, and Zhang naturally wouldn't ask. As for the other members of the Zhang clan, most of them were still full of resentment towards Zhang Jun and were happy to see him being neglected, so they were even less likely to speak up.

The Zhang couple, left unseen outside the hall, grew increasingly grumpy as they were not summoned. Zheng muttered under her breath, "I told you I would be questioned and ignored upon my return, but my husband..."

“Shut up! You should have thought when you encouraged me to leave home that leaving would be easy, but returning would be difficult! If I don’t take advantage of my son’s success in the imperial examinations today, it will be even harder to return in the future! Ah Liu is urging me to go home, and he won’t abandon me. But you must remember to treat him kindly. If you further strain the relationship between my son and me, it will only weaken the bond between husband and wife!”

Zhang Jun rebuked her in a low voice, and Zheng was so angry that she felt like her lungs were about to explode, but she still dared not lash out.

Zhang Dai didn't disappoint his father. Seeing that Zhang Qi was the kind of person who would rather die than lose, and was already enjoying his meal and drinking without caring that his parents were still waiting outside, he asked, "A-Qi, are you going back alone, or will someone escort you?"

Zhang Zheng was relieved that no one was questioning him anymore, but upon hearing this, his expression froze, and he lowered his head and whispered, "It was my parents who brought me back. They're still outside..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai turned to Zhang Shuo and asked, "Shall I go and bring Father in?"

Zhang Shuo merely snorted coldly without speaking, while Madam Yuan raised her hand to signal Zhang Dai to go; she ultimately cared for her son and couldn't bear to neglect him too much.

So Zhang Dai got up and went outside. He looked around and saw Zhang Jun and his wife standing in the shadows in the left outer corridor. He walked up to Zhang Jun and said, "Father, Grandmother asked me to invite you into the hall."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun quickly responded, then turned back and glanced displeasedly at Zheng Shi, who stood there expressionless. Seeing this, Zheng Shi took a step forward and opened her mouth several times before saying in a hoarse voice, "Sixth Brother was fortunate to be the top scholar in the capital today, which truly brings joy to the family. When you returned and told me, you were very excited, and I am also deeply happy."

Zhang Dai didn't bother to respond to her. He simply raised his hand to signal Zhang Jun to go first. In short, today he wanted to show them what a real family feud was like, not just some underhanded sabotage.

The couple braced themselves and entered the hall, first bowing and greeting Zhang Yue and his wife. Zhang Yue remained silent, so Yuan Shi instructed her servants to set up another table next to theirs for Zhang Jun and his wife to sit down.

After Zhang Jun sat down, he opened his mouth to say something, but found that his clansmen all had indifferent expressions and few people looked at him properly. This made him feel a little embarrassed and annoyed: Not to mention that I am now an official in the Imperial Secretariat, the person you are congratulating today is my son who has passed the imperial examination with top honors. It is not my son and I who have such a happy time.
He thought to himself, but his father's expression remained gloomy, so he didn't dare to say anything outrageous. He looked down at the food table in front of him and said nothing more.

As Zhang Jun and his wife entered the hall, the other members of the Zhang clan became cautious in their words and actions, fearing that a single inappropriate remark might lead to Zhang Jun's righteous act of killing a family member. Therefore, the joyful atmosphere in the hall vanished instantly, replaced by an extremely somber mood.

Zhang Dai, however, was least afraid of such occasions. He picked up a cup of wine, walked into the hall, bowed to everyone present to draw their attention to himself, and then spoke: "Since the beginning of summer, a series of misfortunes have befallen my family. All sorts of disturbances have come one after another, causing my family to be filled with unease, with no joy in sight..."

Hearing this, the Zhang clan members in the hall nodded in deep agreement. If their Zhang family had been living a life of luxury and prosperity before, the family's situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse with the family upheaval in April. It was as if they had stepped from the height of summer into the depths of winter, and many clan members felt very uncomfortable.

First, he evoked emotional resonance among the crowd, then Zhang Dai pointed to his father, Zhang Jun, and said in a deep voice, "The other day, I... alas, as a son, I do not speak ill of my father. I can only say that we each have our own responsibilities and difficulties, and may act against our conscience, but my true intention is still to hope for harmony within the family!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun nodded repeatedly, feeling that at least he had a son who could understand his suffering. However, the other clansmen looked at him with even more resentment.

Even some of the clansmen who had initially calmed down couldn't help but feel their resentment rising: "All we see is you selling out your relatives for personal gain, who has ever seen you bring peace to your family? You haven't uttered a single apology since you did this, but instead sent your son out to beg for forgiveness and curry favor. How despicable!"
"Losing my official position is truly a painful loss. The money and silk I have lost cannot be compensated by idle words. I also know that my relatives are suffering greatly because of this, and I have no way to express my gratitude. I can only offer all the things I have accumulated since entering the world, as well as the things left by my late mother, totaling more than three thousand strings of cash, to the clan to help each family. I earnestly request that my elders forgive me and not hold any grudges!"

After saying this, Zhang Dai raised his cup and drank the wine in one gulp, then looked sincerely at the people of his clan present.

"Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother, why must you do this... With such filial piety and righteousness from my son, how can I not feel ashamed!"

Upon hearing this, the clansmen in the hall were immediately in an uproar. Several clansmen even stared at Zhang Jun angrily, feeling that he was not worthy of having such a good son!

(End of this chapter)