Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 123 Duke Huo's Grand Plan

Huo Guogong Wang Maozhong was deeply favored by the emperor. In particular, last year he led tens of thousands of idle stables and herds of fine horses to accompany the emperor to Dongfeng. For his meritorious service in supervising the herds, he was granted the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi at Mount Taiyue. He was the fourth minister in the current dynasty to receive this honor, and his prestige was at its zenith.

Although he owned a magnificent residence in Luoyang, Wang Maozhong preferred to live in a house located in the Imperial Stables most of the time. This allowed him to manage the affairs of the Northern Guards in a timely manner, and also demonstrated the Emperor's extraordinary trust in him.

Therefore, after accompanying the emperor to Luoyang, Wang Maozhong lived in the residence of the Feilong Stables official residence inside Xuanwu Gate. His wives, concubines and children also lived there, and he could also enjoy the Taoguang Garden, which was a place where the ladies of the inner palace would visit in their leisure time.

After returning to the palace from the ward, Wang Shouzhen went straight to the Feilong Stables residence. Just then, his father returned from his patrol, so Wang Shouzhen went up to the hall to report, and immediately began to complain: "Father, that Yan Gongsun is really too arrogant. I had already tricked Gao Shiliu into my trap and threatened to expel the eunuch, but unexpectedly, Zhang Liu was completely clueless and talked about repaying a debt of gratitude..."

Although Wang Maozhong was a general in the Northern Army, he was not the kind of person who was pot-bellied and burly. Instead, he was tall, lean and strong, with slightly sunken eyes. He looked very shrewd and somewhat sinister.

He toyed with a tortoiseshell toy in his hand, listening to his son recount the events. When he heard Wang Shouzhen's evaluation of Zhang Dai, he laughed and said, "Don't underestimate the people of this time. This is a heroic young man who dared to break into the Forbidden City alone to rescue his family. Even the sage praised his filial piety and righteousness. It's normal for him to be arrogant and haughty towards high officials. You have no official rank, position, merit, or reputation, so naturally you can hardly convince him!"

“I am my father’s son, and I hold the rank of fourth-grade official. Am I not enough to subdue him? In the end, this boy is just too arrogant. If I get the chance, I will teach him a lesson!”

Wang Shouzhen said indignantly, then brought up the follow-up plan, but was still full of complaints: "This kid actually wants to fight for half of the benefits for Consort Hui. At this rate, it will probably be hundreds of thousands of strings of cash every year. What use is it for Consort Hui, a woman in the inner palace, to greedily seize so much?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Consort Hui is the most favored concubine in the palace. It is already an honor for those who are involved to serve her. What do you care how much she benefits from it? Even if she reaps all the benefits, you young disciples who are involved must still respectfully accept her orders!"

Hearing his son's words were a bit excessive, Wang Maozhong frowned and gave a light reprimand, but his tone wasn't too harsh, which showed that he was also dissatisfied with Consort Hui occupying so much.

"The most favored concubine in the harem..."

Wang Shouzhen snorted softly, but didn't say anything more about it. Finally, he brought up Zhang Dai's plan to not distribute profits first and instead expand the market. His tone was no longer indignant, but rather carried a hint of admiration: "Zhang Liu is indeed very ambitious. He has already made so much profit with just the initial opening of the two capitals. If he really brings all the prefectures and counties under his control, the profits will be unimaginable!"

“Ge Fushun and the others will not agree. Xijing has lent them hundreds of thousands of strings of cash and silk before, and has repeatedly sent people to inquire about it. Now that they know that the profits from flying money are so fierce, how can they bear to leave these profits outside for a long time? They must want to put them in their pockets.”

When Wang Maozhong recounted this part, a shadow crossed his face.

Although he was in charge of the military affairs of the Northern Army, he could only command and discipline the lower and middle-ranking soldiers of the Imperial Guard. For high-ranking generals like Ge Fushun, who also had the status of meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty, he needed to lower his stance, negotiate amicably, and especially transfer benefits so that everyone could get along well.

Over the years, Wang Maozhong has been in charge of the Northern Army and the idle stables and pastures. However, he could not keep all the benefits for himself. More than half of them flowed into the pockets of other generals in the Northern Army.

Of course, this was something Wang Maozhong deliberately did, in order to create a community of interests centered around him. Although he was very prestigious in this group, many things could not be decided with a single word.

"Actually, I think we can agree to it for now. The eunuchs are trapped inside the Forbidden City and can't see the vast world outside. This benefit is enough to make them happy and content."

Although Wang Shouzhen appeared somewhat eccentric and arrogant, he was also quite shrewd. On his way back, he had already secretly planned: "Now we will pretend to work together, but gradually withdraw the interest and use it as capital to make money. We will then manipulate the flying money to Hebei, Longyou, Shuzhong and Hedong."

Especially since Sichuan has many fine goods and the roads there are difficult to traverse, once this system is operational, it will likely be even more prosperous than the flying money system in the two capitals! Once the capital itself is sufficient, it will completely devour the original flying money system!

But Zhang Liu probably anticipated that the person involved would have such a scheme, so he wanted to withhold the interest. He was also holding the interest on behalf of Consort Hui, which was an obstacle...

Wang Maozhong also agreed with his son's idea of ​​secretly starting anew. After thinking about it, he said, "Zhang Ziyi's help to the eunuch is simply because the eunuch once did him a favor."

Friendships always deepen over time. Given his talent and ability, he deserves to be treated well and favored by others. His grandfather, Zhang Yan, was also a shrewd man and would certainly not allow him to compete with or offend me.

Didn't he say he had a grudge against Yao Lianggongsun? Investigate and find out what crimes Yao Chongsun has committed that warrant arrest. Have the officials expel everyone from here.

If he fails to grasp this basic human sentiment and continues to obstruct progress, then he too shall be banished from the capital. Consort Hui has shown no concern for this nephew for over a decade; would she really risk arguing with me over such a scoundrel?

"Alas, the blessing of one woman is better than the whole family risking their lives in battle!"

Wang Shouzhen sighed first, then asked her father, "Father, has anything been settled regarding my sister?"

Previously, Wang Maozhong had always appeared calm and composed when discussing matters, but upon hearing these words, his expression suddenly changed, and he glared at his son, angrily rebuking him: "Stop saying things you shouldn't! Do you really think there's no difference between these words?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen hurriedly agreed and dared not say more.

Just then, several maids carrying fans passed by outside the hall, and a pretty young girl in a colorful dress was surrounded by the maids in the center. Upon seeing this, Wang Maozhong immediately raised his hand in the hall and called out, "Where has Third Miss gone again?"

The young girl turned and walked into the hall, her face immediately breaking into a smile, making her even more radiant. She skipped and hopped into the hall, laughing and saying to the Wang father and son, "Father, brother, are you both home? I'm going to the inner music academy to ask Li Guinian to compose music for the new lyrics, so I can sing them for you."

This girl was not only charming and beautiful, but also had a voice as clear and melodious as a nightingale's.

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong and his son were even more delighted. Wang Shouzhen even abandoned his arrogant demeanor in front of outsiders and looked at the girl with a smile, saying, "Rou Niang has a new work, of course we must listen to it!"

“This wasn’t made by me; it was sent by Brother Wang, who often comes to visit, the other day.”

The young girl sat down in the hall, turned her head and instructed her maid to fetch musical instruments, while casually explaining something at the same time.

Wang Erxiong refers to Wang Yuanbao. Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen laughed and said, "Wang Er is just a mere merchant. What does he know about music and poetry!"

“Brother, if you keep making fun of me, I won’t sing for you! This song is wonderful, I love it so much, and no one is allowed to make fun of it!”

Upon hearing this, the girl immediately gave a coquettish laugh, and Wang Maozhong rolled his eyes at his son, warning him not to speak.

The father and son's affection for this young girl in the family wasn't due to any doting fatherly love or sister-obsessed behavior; rather, it was because the girl embodied their plans to continue revitalizing the family.

Wang Maozhong was originally a servant in the residence of the current emperor when he was still a prince. Through a series of events, he has now risen to the highest position in the court. However, he still has some regrets and dissatisfaction, which he wants to make up for and change. That is, he wants to be promoted to a member of the imperial family and realize the true improvement and transformation of his family.

His plan was based on his lovely daughter.

As early as when Wang was a prince in Linzi, Wang Maozhong was betrothed to a wife by his master and had sons such as Wang Shouzhen.

After the Tang-Yuan Revolution, his status rose sharply, and he began to take many concubines. Among the children born to his wives and concubines, this girl was the most charming and lovely, and she also had remarkable talent in singing, dancing and performing arts. Wang Maozhong devoted himself to cultivating her, dreaming that one day he could present his daughter to the emperor and make her a favorite in the harem.

Wang Maozhong's thinking was not far-fetched. Although his family was strictly speaking the emperor's household slaves, the status of the emperor's concubines who were favored by him was not necessarily high. Some of them were even courtesans from the brothels or local entertainment districts who served the emperor with their beauty.

His daughter is both beautiful and talented, and the education she received from childhood is even more refined than that of some princesses. If she can serve in the harem, with Wang Maozhong's own power in the Northern Court, the father and daughter will work together, and the family's fortunes will surely rise even higher.

However, such thoughts were somewhat presumptuous and delusional, so Wang Maozhong dared not reveal them to others. He only wanted to wait until his daughter grew up and became even more outstanding in beauty and talent before finding a way to have her serve the emperor.

As Wang Maozhong's eldest son, Wang Shouzhen was one of the few in the family who knew his father's intentions, so he treated his half-sister with great courtesy.

If this girl were to become a favorite in the harem in the future, but then neglect to help him due to the strained relationship between siblings, he would be left with nothing but tears.

Before long, a maid brought in a pipa. The young woman, Wang Rou Niang, held the pipa in her arms, displaying the demeanor of a renowned artist. She then had the sheet music placed on the table. Perhaps because the music was newly written and she was not yet familiar with it, the young woman played it for a while before the music gradually became smoother.

Wang Maozhong himself was not knowledgeable in music theory, but because the sage favored this subject, he secretly studied it on his own. Now, while he could not be said to be an expert, he was quite knowledgeable. After listening for a moment with his eyes closed, he smiled and said, "This is a miscellaneous Nuo opera. Li Guinian's new variation of the tune has reduced the noise and distractions. The pipa playing is similar to Kucha music, and if you listen carefully to the turns, you can also hear the influence of Goryeo..."

"Ah, you're so noisy!"

The girl was not familiar with the lyrics, and the music was disrupted by her father. She immediately frowned and said unhappily.

Wang Maozhong, the imposing general in public, showed no anger at his daughter's scolding. He quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth to shush her, and then gestured for the girl to continue her singing and playing.

"Last year on the Lantern Festival, the flower market was as bright as day..."

A young girl's voice is clear and pleasant when she speaks normally, but when she sings a song with a touch of melancholy and sorrow, it is still pleasant to listen to.

Those who listen to the song feel their pores relax, and their souls are seemingly drawn into the brightly lit Lantern Festival by the ethereal and magnetic singing voice, making them intoxicated and yearning.

(End of this chapter)