Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 117 Zhang Shuo Returns to Court
By this time, the curfew had already begun. In order to ensure that Zhang Dai could return home smoothly, the emperor arranged for an official to accompany him back to his residence.

Upon arriving in the imperial city, Zhang Dai couldn't help but recall the ordeal he had endured in April to finally meet the emperor, while now it was as casual as visiting a relative. The stark contrast between his previous and current experiences was truly poignant.

The eunuchs escorted Zhang Dai all the way to the gate of the house. Suddenly, a voice came from the front hall asking, "Now that you've passed the prefectural examination, instead of staying home to study and prepare for the next one, where have you been wandering around and returning late at night!"

Zhang Jun was pacing back and forth in the front hall. When he saw that his son had only just returned home, he became angry again. He questioned him as he walked forward, but when he saw the several eunuchs who had accompanied him, his expression changed immediately.

"I must inform you, Zhang Shaoqing, that your son went to the palace to visit relatives today. Because His Majesty invited him to stay for a meal and to discuss matters, he was only released at this time. Therefore, I have instructed you to escort him home. Zhang Shaoqing's family has strict discipline; no wonder your son is so talented!"

Several officials quickly bowed and replied, inevitably offering Zhang Jun a slight compliment.

"A saint, a saint, invited me to dine?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun's expression changed again. He hurriedly raised his hand to invite several eunuchs into the mansion to entertain him, but the eunuchs had to return to the palace to report after sending Zhang Dai back, so they declined the invitation and took their leave.

Zhang Jun saw the eunuchs off, then returned to the front hall. He looked at his son with great eagerness and asked urgently, "What brings you to the palace today? What did the Emperor ask you to discuss?"

Zhang Dai did not answer the question directly, but smiled knowingly and said, "Zhang Shaoqing?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun blushed with shame. He lowered his head and mumbled a few words, but it was unclear what he was saying. Then he sighed and said, "The Secretariat is tyrannical and heartless. I have benefited greatly from it since I entered the province. Now they have expelled me and sent me to the Dali Temple."

Zhang Dai had been quite looking forward to it, but upon hearing this, he immediately felt bored. Although the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat was in charge of the Southern Province and participated in important matters, he was only a fifth-rank official, while the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was a fourth-rank official.

Li Yuanhong's attack power is weak. He went through a lot of trouble, but ended up getting his father promoted!
These sons of high-ranking officials are real bastards! One of them is his father, and the other is Yao Hong. Whether you're capable or not, your official positions rise by leaps and bounds! Once I'm in power, I'll demote and exile you all!
Zhang Jun, having suddenly lost his important power, was feeling dejected. He then pulled Zhang Dai aside and repeatedly asked, "Tell me, what happened tonight?"

“I went to the palace to thank Consort Hui for granting me back my estate, and Consort Hui invited me to dine with the Emperor,” he replied casually.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun's face flushed again, and he lowered his head, saying, "That's it? You are so talented and skillful, don't try to climb the ladder of power! Although you are related to Consort Hui, there is still a difference between the inner and outer courts. You must be careful in your interactions and never divulge family matters."

At this moment, Zhang Yi ran over in a flash. Upon seeing Zhang Dai, he first called out "Brother," then leaned close to Zhang Jun and whispered, "Father, Mother sent me to complain. Which couple doesn't quarrel? Mother, who manages the household affairs, is already suffering greatly from the disturbances caused by the family, and now Father is making a scene..."

"Get out! Get out of here!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jun became even angrier, glaring and shouting, which frightened Zhang Yi so much that he took several steps back. Then, he mustered up his courage and said, "Mother also said that Father should not be angry and live separately anymore, making her laugh for the family. If there is anything to say, it should be discussed in the inner room!"

He was in a bad mood because he was demoted, and then he and his wife had a fight when he got home, so he's sitting here sulking.

"Madam is right. She has just taken charge of the household affairs and needs to establish her authority. If Father acts so arrogantly and moves out separately, what will the rest of the family think of him?"

Zhang Dai also advised Zhang Jun not to be temperamental and engage in a cold war, suggesting that it would be better for them to have a heated argument behind closed doors.

"How can you say that? If it weren't for me, would she have a place in this house? All my schemes and plots were for the sake of maintaining the family's status. This foolish woman actually blames me for ruining the family business and making it difficult for her to manage the household. Now she has lost her official position and is in trouble both inside and outside the family. Ah Liu, you tell me the truth. If it weren't for me, what would she be..."

Hearing that his eldest son, who should have been understanding, was also on his wife's side, Zhang Jun felt wronged and recounted the reasons for the couple's quarrel with resentment.

Zhang Dai was even more amused by this, but he also put on a stern face and snorted coldly: "That is indeed inappropriate. I am going back with Father. How dare she despise me like this!"

"No need, no need. It's just a few words between elders; you, as a junior, shouldn't interfere. I'll be going now; you don't need to come with me."

Knowing this kid's fighting prowess, Zhang Jun knew that if he really got involved, it wouldn't just be a matter of a few days of marital discord. To prevent a small matter from escalating, he waved his hand to stop Zhang Dai from following him and hurried towards the east wing.

After scaring the guy away, Zhang Dai went to the inner courtyard. Aying hurriedly came up to him and told him that his grandfather was still in the study of Jicui Tower, so he quickly went into the study.

Zhang Shuo was browsing through Zhang Dai's practice works. There was nothing sensitive in them, but the quality was as inconsistent as ever, some extremely high and some extremely poor, which made Zhang Shuo frown.

"Where are you going to wander off to this time?"

The news of today's court assembly dispute has left Zhang in a bad mood. He planned to devise a crash course for the boy, but he ended up waiting until this late.

Go get a re-employment arrangement for this retired old man!
Zhang Dai thought to himself, went to the desk to tidy up the papers spread out on it, and then said, "Today I went to the palace to thank Consort Hui. When I mentioned the disasters in Henan and Hebei, I used my wisdom to offer a plan for Consort Hui to present to the Emperor. The Emperor was very pleased with the plan and ordered me to go back and tell my grandfather that I would go to the palace to pay my respects after the morning court tomorrow."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo immediately stood up in surprise, staring at Zhang Dai with an incredulous expression. Zhang Dai smiled and nodded, and seeing the old man's expression of surprise, doubt, and uncontrollable joy, he felt a sense of pleasure, like teasing his grandson with candy.

"Tell me in detail, tell me in detail!"

Zhang Shuo pulled Zhang Dai to sit opposite him and then said with an expectant look on his face.

So Zhang Dai recounted the matter in detail, making sure to tell his grandfather what he needed to know, so that the details wouldn't be inconsistent when they presented their memorials the next day.

After listening, Zhang Shuo fell into a long silence. After a while, he looked at Zhang Dai and said, "Your association with Consort Hui is not a bad thing. You can treat her like a normal relative. You must know a lot about the inside story of the matter."

Because of Empress Wu's past mistakes, Consort Hui's plans were extremely difficult, and many contemporary figures would not allow any further reversals. Apart from this, there were no other taboos. The current emperor was in his prime, possessing great wisdom and resourcefulness; managing household affairs was merely a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.

You're also someone who's blinded by illusions and loves to manipulate yourself!

Zhang Dai thought to himself, "This shows that in the eyes of the people, the current emperor is a wise and powerful sage ruler who has revitalized the country. His image is practically flawless."

Before committing heinous acts of patricide and incest, this guy was terrifyingly strong!
Because so much time had passed, Zhang said he had forgotten some of the border strategies he had presented when he served as the governor of Youzhou in his early years. He then searched through the books in the building and finally managed to organize his thoughts again.

"Although the two northeastern tribes are not formidable enemies, the Songmo Desert is vast and deep, and their people roaming there can be considered stubborn bandits. We must be especially wary of their communication with the Turks. In recent years, there have been frequent changes in the personnel and affairs of the region. We should strengthen our border defenses and not rely solely on appeasement."

Your plan is insightful, as it preserves household registration while simultaneously strengthening border defenses. However, without official supervision, it will be extremely difficult to succeed with only private resources. The local official, fearing the loss of his followers, will likely not cooperate…”

Zhang Dai wasn't an official in office, so his pronouncements were bound to be theoretical; what mattered was the line of thought he presented. After listening to his explanation, Zhang said he began to consider the administrative difficulties of implementation and planned to elaborate further during his audience with the emperor the next day.

While pondering these questions, he looked at Zhang Dai with admiration and said, "You are quite shrewd and insightful in your political discourse. No wonder even the Secretariat dared not challenge your policy proposals the other day and was convinced and approved by you."

If my family's crisis can be resolved this time, after passing the imperial examination next year, I won't need to hold onto my position for long. I'll be more than capable of handling things after leaving office, and I won't have to worry about disgracing the family. But you, sigh..."

The more outstanding his grandson was, the more disappointed Zhang became with his son, to the point that he was even too lazy to comment on him.

The grandfather and grandson talked until late at night before going to sleep. Zhang was so excited that he woke up again after a short nap and ordered his family to quickly find his official robes. Before dawn, he couldn't help but put them on and wait for daybreak.

When the family members saw Zhang Shuo's familiar yet unfamiliar attire, they were all pleasantly surprised. Their family's situation was closely related to Zhang Shuo's power and position, while people like Zhang Jun were simply there to make up the numbers.

"Is Father going back to court today?"

When Zhang Jun woke up in the morning and saw his father's posture, he was greatly surprised. After being stunned for a while, he quickly turned around and ran out, heading straight for Zhang Dai's bedroom in Jicui Building, banging loudly on the bedroom door.

Zhang Dai, however, was not as energetic as his father and son. Last night, his grandfather had kept him up discussing current affairs until midnight. He was still half asleep when he was woken up. He had just finished dressing when Zhang Jun rushed in and asked repeatedly, "Didn't you say that the Emperor invited you to dinner last night and that nothing else was discussed? Why is your grandfather returning to court today?"

"Get out, don't disturb the young men's rest!"

Zhang said that he came over and saw Zhang Jun making a big fuss and disturbing his precious grandson's rest. He immediately frowned, told Zhang Jun to leave, and then said to Zhang Dai: "You don't need to get up early. Sleep more and rest. Do two miscellaneous essay questions in the afternoon. I will check them when I get back."

Zhang Dai had already put on his clothes and come out, but when he heard his grandfather say that, he immediately nodded in agreement, then turned around and went back to his room to continue his nap.

Zhang went out and saw his son still peeking around, seemingly preparing to turn back. So he summoned him and said, "Later, when we go to the palace to meet the Emperor, you will lead my horse!"

Zhang Jun dared not refuse and could only nod in agreement, secretly planning to find that kid again when he got back and ask him for details.

Several months later, Zhang Yue returned to the capital, naturally attracting the attention of the court officials. In particular, after the morning court session, the emperor summoned Zhang Yue to the Tongming Hall for a dialogue that lasted for several hours. Zhang Yue was not sent away until evening, which also caused the court officials to speculate and suffer greatly.

At the same time, the emperor sent officials to the Secretariat to announce Zhang Yue's latest appointment, reinstating him as Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Personnel, Academician of the Jixian Academy, and Director of the Academy, in charge of literature and history, and to consult on state affairs. Meanwhile, Zhang Jun, who had accompanied his father to the palace, was not left behind; he also received a new appointment.

"Prefect of Zhengzhou? Why...why am I being sent to another prefecture?"

Zhang Jun was initially delighted to see his father return to the court, but when he heard about his latest appointment, he was stunned. On the way home, he couldn't help but ask Zhang Shuo, "Father, you complained before that I didn't stop A-Liu from taking office, so why didn't you refuse to help me now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo glared at him and said coldly, "I have specifically petitioned the Emperor to send you to an outlying state. If you are diligent in your duties, you will have a chance to return to the capital. If you neglect your duties, you will remain wandering in the provinces!"

(End of this chapter)