Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 119 Horses are restless and need to be castrated
In the northwest corner of Daoguangfang, beside the Xiecheng Canal, there is a rather large but inconspicuous inn.

Unlike other inns and shops that are bustling with customers and goods, this inn had no carriages or boats docked inside or outside. Instead, there were many soldiers in armor and armed guards standing guard and patrolling inside and outside.

Ordinary people in the capital could not have imagined that nearly two million strings of cash and goods were stored in this shop!

Zhang Dai, along with An Xiaochen, Wei Lin, and several others, rode to the vicinity. Wang Yuanbao, who had been waiting for a long time, hurriedly stepped forward, waving as he went, and said, "Young Master Zhang, we are here!"

Upon approaching, Zhang Dai dismounted, and Wang Yuanbao naturally stepped forward to take the reins of his horse. He then said, "Gao Chengxin, the eunuch sent by General Gao, is already here. Prince Wang's servant has not yet arrived, but he should be here soon."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded. The other party was powerful and arrogant, so what did it matter if they were a little late?

"Zhang Lang's talent is renowned far and wide. Before I left, my father instructed me that if I had any questions, I should consult Zhang Lang. I hope Zhang Lang will not hesitate to guide me."

Standing at the entrance of the inn was a tall, handsome young man who looked to be only in his early twenties, yet he was already dressed in a scarlet official robe. He was none other than Gao Chengxin, the adopted son sent by Gao Lishi.

There were no high-ranking eunuchs. Even a powerful eunuch like Gao Lishi only held the fifth-rank position of Inner Attendant in the Inner Palace, and he needed to borrow the purple and scarlet robes from another official. Gao Chengxin, who held the sixth-rank position of Inner Attendant Supervisor, was already an outstanding figure among eunuchs.

Zhang Dai glanced at Gao Chengxin a few times, and felt the same way he had when Gao Chengxin was impersonating Niu Guier, as the officials of Henan Prefecture had felt before. He looked quite respectable, but it was a pity he was a eunuch.

However, if Gao Chengxin weren't a eunuch, unless he came from an extremely powerful family, it would be difficult for him to wear a scarlet robe at such a young age. Even Zhang Dai's second uncle, Zhang Ji, only advanced to the fifth rank through the Fengshan ceremony.

As for Zhang Dai himself, even if he passed the imperial examination the following year and was appointed to an official post, he would still have to wear a green toad skin and rise through the ranks step by step. The advantage was that he had an extra lifeline compared to the eunuchs.

"Gao Jian is handsome and has an outstanding demeanor. No wonder he is highly regarded by the Bohai Guild and entrusted with important tasks. I dare not accept his guidance and promotion. I only hope that we can work together without any misunderstandings and do a good job in the matters entrusted to us by our elders."

Zhang Dai bowed to Gao Chengxin and said that he could have acted as Gao Lishi's spokesperson by introducing Gao Lishi into this matter, but since the emperor added Consort Wu Hui, he naturally had to represent his aunt.

"Zhang Lang, there's no need to be so polite. Just call me Gao Shiliu."

Although Gao Chengxin held a high-ranking official position, he was not arrogant and treated Zhang Dai with great courtesy.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai exclaimed, "Wow, your eunuch family is quite large! I'm only Zhang Lao Liu at home, and you're a whole number more than me!"

While he couldn't voice his joking thoughts, Zhang Dai smiled and said, "In that case, there's no need for formalities. You can just call me Zhang Liu, Sixteenth Brother."

"Food and wine have been prepared inside, so please, Sixth Brother, go to the guest room first and wait together for the arrival of the Crown Prince's servant."

This inn was Gao Lishi's territory, and Gao Chengxin was also a local, so he immediately invited Zhang Dai inside with a smile.

As for Wang Yuanbao, he did not dare to enter. After apologizing, he stood outside the door waiting for his true master, Wang Shouzhen.

"I don't live here in the Eastern Capital often, so the room is a bit simple. I hope you'll forgive my rudeness, Sixth Brother."

Gao Chengxin led Zhang Dai to the second floor of a pavilion overlooking the river and said to Zhang Dai with a smile.

The pavilion was elegantly and beautifully decorated, with a table laden with sumptuous food and wine. Several charming young women dressed in traditional Chinese dresses stood by the table, while maids leaned over to pour wine and serve food, their manners attentive and their fragrance alluring.

Even though Zhang Dai didn't drink much, he took a couple of sips under the attentive flattery of the beautiful maid. Then he raised his hand, pressed down on the maid's soft, jade-like wrist, and said with a smile, "I have a lot of thoughts but little capacity. Let's wait until the Crown Prince's servant arrives and we discuss important matters before we drink to our hearts' content."

Seeing this, Gao Chengxin stopped trying to persuade him and then said with a smile, "I am very happy to meet you, Liu Lang. I have a small request. Father has already warned me that it is already a great honor to have introduced you to this beauty industry, and you should not be greedy."

However, recently, the Henan Prefecture seized land in the suburbs of the capital, confiscating many estates that had been painstakingly cultivated by eunuchs over many years. These eunuchs had no outside support and had only managed to acquire some estates in the Eastern Capital for their retirement through years of diligent service. Now that things had come to this, they were at a loss as to who they would rely on for their future plans…

The area surrounding Luoyang had many farmlands owned by eunuchs, which suffered heavy losses after being raided by the Henan government. Therefore, Gao Lishi placed even greater emphasis on this newly acquired source of wealth, hoping to supplement the livelihoods of his followers.

Gao Chengxin contacted Zhang Dai before Wang Shouzhen arrived, hoping that Zhang Dai would cooperate with him and get a larger share.

Zhang Dai had no objection to this, because Consort Wu Hui herself didn't care much about how much profit she could make, nor did she stipulate a certain share for him, so he had a lot of room to maneuver. Moreover, Consort Hui's status was special, and no matter how much the other two parties offered, they wouldn't dare to directly squeeze out Consort Hui's share.

However, when Zhang Dai heard that the eunuchs had suffered heavy losses in the previous round of land requisitioning in Henan Prefecture, he felt a surge of joy. Acquiring land and property for retirement was an investment option reserved for mid- to high-ranking eunuchs and palace maids; the fact that this avenue had been severely damaged had undoubtedly made these officials extremely wary. Introducing a new and better option at this time would undoubtedly have a greater market.

Some might think that these officials could keep the money in their own hands and use it as retirement funds for the future.

However, firstly, developing a stable and sustainable income and savings plan is not a skill possessed by the average person. Secondly, personal savings in ancient times also incurred costs, and these costs were quite high. Pawnshops and trust companies offered exorbitant interest rates, while personal savings lacked any security.

In a disaster year like this, prices have soared and the cost of living has increased dramatically. For those who have lost their ability to work and are living off their savings, this is a nightmare!
Therefore, most palace servants and eunuchs tend to use their money to worship Buddha and pursue some vague psychological comfort, and rarely save it for their old age.

Besides, even if you grow old and frail, and leave the palace with a few hundred strings of cash that you've painstakingly accumulated over half a lifetime, will that really be yours? A single blow from a club and those desolate hills and graves in Beiman Mountain will reveal that they hold not only the remains of kings and generals.

"I have recently received great kindness from the Duke of Bohai, and I have been struggling to repay him. Now that I know about this, I feel it is my duty to do so. Let us discuss this here first, and if we cannot finish in time, I will consult with Consort Hui upon my return."

Although he had no objections, he still needed to make his point clear.

I'll help persuade Consort Hui, but you'll have to win over Wang Shouzhen yourself. And this favor will have to be attributed to Gao Lishi, not just to listen to Gao Chengxin's nonsense.

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengxin's eyes flashed with a strange light. His polite attitude was somewhat affected, but he hadn't expected Zhang Dai, at such a young age, to be so eloquent.

Of course, he was unaware that Zhang Dai was thinking more about something other than the immediate matter at hand, and that he wanted to seize the opportunity to undermine their inner circle of officials.

As the two were talking, the sound of galloping horses suddenly came from outside. Zhang Dai looked out and saw Wang Shouzhen, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, leaping into the house, with Wang Yuanbao and his entourage following closely behind.

"This prince's servant is truly spirited and unrestrained. If he loses his composure, I fear he will be difficult to tolerate!"

Upon seeing this, Gao Chengxin's eyes turned cold, and his tone was somewhat displeased. However, he still stood up and walked quickly downstairs. Once downstairs, his demeanor had returned to normal, and he was polite with a hint of humility.

Zhang Dai also came out to greet him. Just as they reached the outside of the pavilion, Wang Shouzhen, who was riding his horse around the spacious courtyard, waved to him with an arrogant and unrestrained manner: "Zhang Lang, we meet again! Why don't you ride the Qinghai horse I gave you the other day? That horse and my horse are siblings. If you bring it to meet me, the horse will be even more cheerful and willing to work harder!"

“The fine horses are still being carefully fed in the stable, and we are not yet willing to use their strength.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said that he was not familiar with Wang Shouzhen. In their two encounters, he only noticed that Wang was somewhat eccentric and reckless, and he had not seen much else.

"There's no need for such kindness. No matter how fine a foal is, it's just a beast of burden. Some horses are too restless and might become unruly, so they need to be gelded before they can be used. When my father used to inspect the pastures, I gelled more than a hundred fine horses."

As Wang Shouzhen spoke, he flipped over and landed steadily on his horse, demonstrating his superb riding skills and graceful movements.

Zhang Dai didn't know if the guy was doing it on purpose or just said it unintentionally, but Gao Chengxin looked a little embarrassed, so he didn't respond. As for the other boys who came with him, they were all laughing and joking.

After the group went upstairs and sat down, Wang Shouxin pointed to a young man who was with him and said to Zhang Dai, "Young Master Zhang, you are a man of noble birth and talent. Don't think that we sons of military families are difficult to get along with. Although I am not good at literature, I have some followers who are good at literature and art."

This Zhang San, Zhang Rongchong, although a decorated military officer, prefers literature to military service. He passed the provincial examination in Henan this year, and perhaps next year he will be a fellow graduate of Zhang Lang's examination!

"You flatter me, Mr. Wang. My humble literary skills are nothing compared to yours, Mr. Zhang!"

The boy named by Wang Shouxin quickly stood up from his seat and bowed to Zhang Dai, saying, "Zhang Lang's brilliant writing has amazed the entire capital. We, the candidates from Henan Prefecture, were all impressed by his talent and admitted that we were not as good as him."

"Now that we've met, I'm quite curious. Why doesn't Zhang Lang seek release from his hometown and instead goes to the capital? Otherwise, we might be able to be released together, which would be a great stroke of luck!"

Zhang Dai hadn't expected to encounter a candidate from Henan Prefecture who had passed the provincial examination this year. He had been planning to deal with Yao Hong these past few days, and upon hearing this, he immediately sighed and said, "I have a grudge against Yao Hong, the clerk of Henan Prefecture, so I won't seek his help. May I ask if you, Zhang Sanlang, have you heard of any unfairness in the provincial examinations this year? If any unsuccessful candidates are feeling aggrieved, I'd be willing to recommend them again!"

Previously, due to his predicament, although he was harassed by Yao Hong, he had no time to argue with him. Now that he has passed the provincial examination and his grandfather has returned to the court, he has time to play around with Yao Hong.

The so-called desecration of Yao Chong's grave was a despicable tactic born of desperation. He himself still held Yao Chong, the famous prime minister of the Kaiyuan era, in high esteem and had no need to desecrate his legacy.

However, revenge must still be taken against Yao Hong. If it is discovered that Yao Hong's selection of officials was unfair or that any talented individuals were overlooked, he would be happy to help, as this would both strike at the enemy and promote talented people.

(End of this chapter)