Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 111 The Difficult Life of a First Wife
Zhang Dai never quite managed to empathize with or understand the psychology of these spoiled brats.

Take Wang Shouzhen's behavior, for example. He really couldn't figure out what this guy was up to. If you want to give a proper gift, just send it properly. If you want to show off and intimidate, this level of intensity isn't enough!
Awe? Impossible. Let alone this guy, even his father, Wang Maozhong, Zhang Dai was already plotting when to get rid of him. Of course, the most urgent matter was with the eunuchs. If he could share some of the spoils while they were fighting amongst themselves, Zhang Dai wouldn't object.

However, to be fair, the Qinghai horse that Wang Shouzhen sent was truly excellent. Besides managing the Northern Office, Wang Maozhong also served as the head of the inner and outer stables and the head of the livestock troop; he really knows how to get his hands on good stuff!
Zhang Dai circled the fine horse several times, growing more and more fond of it. He then gestured to his servants to clear out a good place for the horse in the stables at home.

"This Qinghai steed is truly magnificent! Don't worry, Liu Lang, I will stay in the stable with this horse tonight and take good care of it!"

Wu Chuan, the stable manager, rushed over upon hearing the news. When he saw the fine horse, his eyes lit up, and he patted his chest with a fawning smile as he spoke to Zhang Dai.

These servants, who used to look down on this young master to some extent, no longer need to emphasize it. They have become extremely respectful to Zhang Dai and do their best to fulfill any orders he gives.

After putting the horse into the stable, Zhang Dai returned to the main hall and recounted the story of Wang Shouzhen's visit to present the horse.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun's tense expression eased slightly, but he quickly turned to Zhang Dai and said in a deep voice, "Although Lord Huo is very powerful, his Northern Army soldiers are mostly violent. You should try to have as little contact with them as possible."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai sighed inwardly. It wasn't that his father was oblivious; he did have political sensitivity, but he often misused it. He failed to pay attention to what he should, yet he was highly sensitive and timid about trivial matters.

In summary, it stems from a lack of political wisdom, limiting oneself with superficial understanding.

While the Northern Garrison was indeed a sensitive area, it was by no means a completely closed system. Many of the commanders of the Imperial Guards and the Ten Thousand Cavalry were also officials from outside the region. Excluding these people from one's social network in the name of avoiding suspicion was simply giving up a possibility for one's own development.

Of course, besides being cautious, Zhang Jun's words also reflected a kind of arrogance among scholars, especially now that he held the official position of Zhongshu Sheren, he naturally looked down on the servants and slaves of the Northern Army.

Skipping over this incident, the banquet continued. Since it was a celebration of his passing the imperial examination, Zhang Dai couldn't leave early, so he mustered his energy and stayed until midnight. He got so drunk that he fell asleep at his seat and was only helped away by Ding Qing and others.

The next day, Zhang Dai slept until late morning before waking up. He didn't rush to get out of bed, but lay there pondering what he should do that day.

"My mother and the others are moving back to their villa. They sent me to ask if my husband has any further instructions."

Aying came in and, while rummaging through the trunk for clothes for Zhang Dai, asked him questions.

Yingniang probably realized that the young man and woman had already tasted the forbidden fruit. After moving back from the country estate outside the city, she no longer entered Zhang Dai's residence at will, and had Aying deliver messages to them.

"First, thoroughly clean the villa, and then prepare some wine and food for storage."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Dai instructed that his grandfather had found him many tutors so that he could continue to improve his knowledge before the provincial examination. He also did not plan to move out for a long time before passing the provincial examination, but would only use the villa as a place to entertain guests.

He took the clothes Ah Ying handed him, got dressed, and got up. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll go with you too. I'll tidy up the household affairs and also pay my respects to Consort Hui. You stay at home, thank the madam, and inquire about her affairs."

He had previously said he would set aside three thousand strings of cash for scholarships at the clan school, but he couldn't just boast without doing anything. The gifts his grandmother had given him and the gifts from the Qiwang family at the end of the ritual were enough, so there was no need for further explanation. Of course, no one dared to ask him to explain.

After returning home, Madam Zheng began to gradually take over household affairs. Yesterday's banquet was organized under her direction, and it went quite well. Of course, this was also because the budget was sufficient and there was enough manpower.

Zhang Dai's earlier suggestion to let her take charge of the household was not, of course, to help her seize power, but rather inspired by Emperor Xuanzong's appointment of his father, Zhang Jun, with the aim of flattering her to her death.

The Zhang family has a total of 100 members, and that's not a figurative number; it's a real family.

Zhang Shuo and his two brothers, along with their respective sons, already had more than a dozen children and grandchildren. Because Zhang Shuo was the youngest among his brothers, his children and grandchildren were correspondingly younger. Zhang Dai, the eldest grandson, was only fourteen or fifteen years old, but his older cousins ​​were already married.

These people didn't live separately; they all resided in different courtyards within the mansion, and their daily needs for food, drink, and sanitation were no small matter. If you really wanted to calculate it, these household affairs were even more complicated than those of the Ning and Rong mansions in "Dream of the Red Chamber."

Although the Zhang family had just lost power, the Ning and Rong families were even more impoverished in comparison. After all, Zhang Jun's official position as a mere Imperial Secretary surpassed that of the heads of the Ning and Rong families. Zhang Dai wasn't entirely clear about the Zhang family's income structure, but he could surmise that their former estates and properties must have made up a large portion. These estates weren't centrally managed but rather distributed among the family members, essentially acting as their own private accounts.

Although owning property elsewhere is a crime that is unacceptable under both ethics and law, unless someone is an extreme case like Zhang Jun and his wife, who would scrutinize their children and grandchildren for this and forbid them from owning property separately?
As the son of the clan chief, Zhang Jun could certainly hand over all these hidden fields, but that couldn't stop the clansmen from harboring resentment towards him.

Faced with such a sudden change, each family's assets and income will inevitably decline sharply. Under such circumstances, the housekeeper is a thankless and demanding position.

Previously, when Madam Yuan was in charge of household affairs, the various families, though harboring grievances, dared not cause trouble. But now that Madam Zheng has taken over, she is no longer a Lady of the State, and in terms of age and seniority, she is still considered a junior in this large household. Naturally, the other housewives are less wary of her. Should their losses be compensated? Should their fallen standard of living be restored?
"Go and listen and observe more at Madam's place. If any family members are truly ill and in distress but have no one to help them, bring them here. Provide them with whatever they need, whether it's people or goods. Also, find out what kind of preferential treatment Madam has for her staff and get rid of them when you have the chance!"

Zhang Dai himself didn't have time to keep an eye on family affairs, nor did he need to take the power struggles within the household too seriously. So he let Zheng Shi reveal the close and distant relationships among the family members on her own initiative, and then he would deal with her all at once once the relationships had been exposed enough.

In the process, the clansmen's resentment towards Zheng Shi was also amplified, which made Zhang Dai's subsequent punishment of her more legitimate. He was putting the interests of the entire family before his own, rather than bullying his legal mother as a son of a concubine.

They were already very close, and Ah Ying was able to follow Zhang Dai's train of thought. After hearing this, she said, "Several of Zheng's maternal uncles often come to the door to take a share of Madam's private property. Should we tell the family about this?"

Although the Zheng family of Xingyang was a renowned family, with the unification of the country and the absolute dominance of imperial power, the five surnames no longer held an absolute advantage in terms of politics or economy.

Some later scholars even extrapolated from this to suggest that the Tang Dynasty rulers' exclusion and suppression of the Hebei gentry was one of the reasons for the long-term separatist rule of the Hebei warlords in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty. This is utter nonsense, a hodgepodge of privilege narratives and popular historical perspectives, which even the rulers themselves couldn't understand.

Madam Zheng's family was not among the most prominent branches of the Xingyang Zheng clan. It could be said that they had nothing to offer except for their social standing. The reason she was able to marry into the Zhang family was due to the inferiority complex of Zhang Shuo and his son, who admired Qian Feng.

The Zhang family did not gain any significant improvement from this marriage; on the contrary, they had to provide a great deal of assistance to the Zheng family, both in terms of their livelihood and their careers.

Hearing Ah Ying say this, Zhang Dai nodded and smiled, "Of course there's no need to cover it up for her. Her family should know where the money is going!"

In the past, our family had a feast with so much food and drink that we couldn't even finish it all. It was perfectly fine to give some to poor relatives. But now, our family can barely afford soup, and you're still bringing bones to your parents' house. Is that right?
Zhang Jun really sold off his family property very cleanly this time. Basically, apart from the permanent land, the allotted land, and the granted land, everything else was taken away by him.

Even Zhang Dai's estate was handed over to the emperor. It was Consort Wu Hui in the palace who took the estate back and then gave it back to Zhang Dai, preserving this piece of property left to him by his deceased mother.

Under such circumstances, if Zheng were to use Zhang's possessions to subsidize her own family, those clansmen who had been bankrupted by her husband would go crazy! The more chaotic the family affairs, the more resentment would naturally accumulate.

The interpersonal relationships within the family must be destroyed before they can be established. Only by destroying all these old things can Zhang Dai's influence in the family be stably established.

Now that he has received investment from the County Head of Yunyang, aside from his grandfather whose true strength remains to be seen, he can be considered the wealthiest man in the Zhang family. Moreover, with his grandfather's backing and the approval of his relatives, it is the perfect time to expand his territory and recruit trusted confidants within the family!
He was planning his strategy and steps to become the little tyrant of the Zhang family. After washing up, he went to the back room to greet his grandfather before leaving.

Zhang said that old age makes one feel short, and he had already gotten up. He was sitting by the window in his study practicing calligraphy when he saw Zhang Dai walk in. He put down his brush and said, "These days, after maintaining some social relationships, you should settle down and start focusing on preparing for the exam. Although your poetry is excellent, your understanding of the principles is still lacking. Classical studies are the foundation of artistic pursuits. If your learning is not dignified, your talent will be restless and unstable, and you will not grasp the big picture!"

Zhang Dai was aware of his shortcomings, and upon hearing this, he quickly nodded in agreement. He planned to cram on his knowledge of moral principles, at least to the point where he could handle the provincial examination's essay questions. After all, redeeming the essay was just a shortcut; if he encountered a serious person, it wouldn't be so easy to fool them.

"Whose exquisite calligraphy did my grandfather copy?"

He walked towards the desk, smiling as he asked.

Upon hearing this, Zhang replied casually, "I recently visited the ancestral graves at Wan'an Mountain and saw a new stele with very powerful calligraphy. I made a rubbing of it to admire and copy."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, he stepped forward to take a look and found it to be a rubbing of the inscription on the tombstone he had erected for his deceased mother a few days earlier.

(End of this chapter)