Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 140 Oranges Scented from Rubbing Fingers

Since they couldn't see eye to eye, Zhang Dai simply got up and took his leave, not wanting to linger and make a fool of himself.

Consort Wu Hui, confined to the inner palace, had little contact with outsiders and could not find a suitable candidate. Furthermore, given her brother's character, even if Zhang Dai wanted to offer the position, he couldn't.

This also put Zhang Dai in a difficult position. He himself was facing the same predicament of having no one to choose from, and Yuwen Rong was about to leave the court for the disaster area, so a candidate had to be selected in the coming days. Judging from the situation, he might have to ask his grandfather to choose someone.

It seems I still need to strengthen my social activities in the future. Without enough connections, it's really difficult to cultivate my own network of relationships.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Dai returned directly to his home in Kangsufang. He had just settled down when a servant came to report that a visitor had come specifically to pay a visit to Liu Lang.

"Xu Shen? He's back in Luoyang?"

Zhang Dai took the invitation and looked at it. He was shocked to find that it belonged to Xu Shen, the former clerk of Henan Prefecture, who was the first customer he had impersonated to write the epitaph.

If these old customers had come to visit him before, he would have been terrified. But now that he had already confronted his grandfather, and his grandfather was willing to protect him, he had nothing to worry about.

But what brings Xu Shen here? Could it be that he's discovered something amiss with the epitaph and is here to seek after-sales service?

With doubts in his mind, Zhang Dai went to the front hall and had someone bring Xu Shen in.

Xu Shen strode into the mansion, followed by two servants, each carrying two large loads of goods.

Upon seeing Zhang Dai standing in the front hall, Xu Shen hurried forward, bowed, and said, "Young Master Zhang, it's been a long time! It's been several months since we last met, and you look even more dashing than before!"

"Greetings, Mr. Xu. When will you return to Luoyang from your hometown?"

Zhang Dai smiled and returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, then gestured for Xu to enter the main hall. If it weren't for this man, Zhang Dai wouldn't have been able to find a way to make money writing epitaphs. Although he ultimately didn't use it, Zhang Dai still had a fairly good impression of him.

"Having just returned, I have come to pay my respects to you, my lord! I am deeply grateful for your previous assistance, which allowed me to fulfill my filial wish. I was previously short of money and could not express my gratitude fully. After returning home and settling my affairs, my whole family was honored in the village. As soon as things were settled, I hurried back to thank you again!"

After saying this, he pointed to the gifts carried by the servants and said with a smile, "The writings of Lord Yan are so magnificent that they are worth a thousand pieces of gold. I am presenting them to you, sir, as a small token of my gratitude. Please accept them with a smile!"

Zhang Dai glanced at the two slaves, each carrying a wooden box several feet wide and tall. They looked quite heavy, but he couldn't tell what was inside.

Previously, he was easily swayed and was overjoyed with a fee of one hundred strings of cash for writing, even being scolded by his grandfather for asking for too low a price. Now that Xu Shen had added a thank-you gift, he accepted it without any guilt, signaling his family to come forward and put away the gift, while he chatted with Xu Shen in the front hall.

"Half a year has passed since I left the capital, and now I return, only to find everything changed. The fate of the Zhou family, in particular, is truly heartbreaking. But thankfully, my husband has protected them, so although they suffered in life, their honors far surpass those of others..."

Xu Shen and Zhou Liang were from the same hometown, Bianzhou. When they talked about their family affairs, they couldn't help but sigh. Although they were saddened by the untimely death of Zhou Liang and his wife, they also felt a little envious of the honors they received.

The promotion of officials in the Tang Dynasty also had some unspoken rules. These officials, who were located outside the two capitals, did not have a prominent family background or outstanding talents. If they did not have a high-ranking patron to promote them, reaching the rank of fifth grade Tonggui was the ceiling for most officials.

As for Zhou Liang, he was originally an outsider to the official ranks, making his path to promotion even more difficult. Without a special opportunity, he probably wouldn't have reached the fifth rank in his entire life. Now, although he has passed away, he enjoys posthumous honors from the court, and his son can also be granted an official position through his influence—a dream that most people envy.

Xu Shen and Zhou Liang were from the same hometown. Xu Shen knew that Zhou Liang didn't have any powerful backers, except for the fact that Xu Shen had helped him a little when they were in Henan Prefecture because they were from the same hometown. Naturally, the treatment he received today was all thanks to this young master Zhang.

Therefore, Xu Shen looked at Zhang Dai with a sincere expression and said, "Young master, you are righteous and admirable. After hearing about this, I also admire you wholeheartedly!"

“To be ungrateful is inhuman! Zhou Lushi once saved my life, and doing what I can for him will bring me peace of mind.”

Zhang Dai stopped boasting about himself and, after glossing over the topic, asked Xu Shen, "What personnel plans does Mr. Xu have for returning to the capital this time? How much impact did the recent natural disaster have on Bianzhou?"

"During the torrential rains of summer and autumn, the canal transport in Bianzhou was largely disrupted, rivers and canals overflowed, and fields and mulberry trees were destroyed. Only now has a semblance of order been restored. Many people from other prefectures have wandered into this area seeking help and begging for food, which is a cause for great concern. My family has some savings, and I have distributed several hundred bushels of stored grain to my fellow villagers, but it is still a drop in the ocean compared to the disaster."

Xu Shen couldn't help but sigh at this point, then continued, "I am a poor scholar living in the countryside, and I have little willpower. I am powerless to do anything about the chaos in the countryside, and it only adds to my worries. So I decided to leave my hometown and return to the capital, hoping to find an opportunity to do my part."

Zhang Dai didn't think this guy had any noble patriotism or concern for the people; otherwise, he wouldn't have used the excuse of relocating his deceased father's grave to leave Henan Prefecture when things turned bad.

In retrospect, his choice was incredibly shrewd. Had he remained in Henan Prefecture, he probably wouldn't have escaped the purge that followed.

However, his concern for his hometown is not unfounded. Humans aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? Moreover, with their hometown suffering a disaster, their family's situation is inevitably precarious, and naturally they hope everything can return to normal as soon as possible.

As Zhang Dai finished speaking, a thought suddenly struck him, and he said to Xu Shen, "If you, Mr. Xu, have such a heart for disaster relief and helping the people, you will certainly have a place to put your talents to use. I am currently handling a disaster relief matter, but I still lack a candidate to take charge of the matter in the prefecture."

"Xu Jun, you come from a disaster area and are well-versed in official matters. Could you temporarily go back and draft a brief report on the disaster situation and a relief strategy, then send it to me tomorrow morning? Can you do that?" "Is your words truly true, sir?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shen was overjoyed and asked urgently. After a moment, realizing his mistake, he quickly lowered his head and said, "I am overjoyed to have your appreciation, sir! If I could use your help to participate in the relief efforts, I would be duty-bound and eternally grateful!"

Although he withdrew in time, it was not a normal resignation after completing the examination, and he did not receive an examination result. He still has to enter the waiting period and does not know how many years he will have to wait before he can participate in the Ministry of Personnel's selection again.

His return to Luoyang was partly motivated by a desire to leverage connections and shorten his campaign period. Therefore, upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, he became so excited that he almost lost control.

Zhang Dai was short-handed, and Xu Shen's arrival was timely. Moreover, this guy was quite cunning; judging from his previous clever escape, he would definitely be alert if someone were to set a trap for him during the disaster relief process.

However, whether or not to use Xu Shen depends on his abilities. If he is merely slippery but lacks sufficient practical skills, Zhang Dai does not intend to employ him.

Xu Shen was quite decisive; he immediately got up to take his leave and prepared to return to his residence to write the policy document as Zhang Dai had requested. Zhang Dai had long been familiar with Xu Shen's efficient and decisive style and appreciated it. He was just waiting for Xu Shen to send over the policy document the next day to assess his work before making a decision.

After seeing Xu Shen off, he returned to his residence at Jicui Tower and saw Aying wrapped in a glittering piece of cloth, with a bronze mirror in her other hand looking around.

Seeing Ah Lang enter, Ah Ying quickly put down the mirror and the cloth, and hurried to Zhang Dai's side, asking with a smile, "Did you buy all these fine things, Ah Lang? That roll of gold-threaded cloth has several pieces. I saw it in the market for dozens of bolts of silk per foot. This cloth is enough to make several robes..."

"So expensive?"

Zhang Dai was also taken aback when he heard this. He walked over to the large gift boxes and found that they contained quite a few gifts.

Besides the gold-threaded cloth that Ah Ying had just been playing with, there were several pieces of lustrous white jade in a brocade box, hundreds of pearls in a silver bottle, and below the gift box was half a box of fragrant and tempting oranges.

"Xu Shen is really generous!"

Although Zhang Dai was unaware of the market value of these gifts, they clearly far exceeded the cost of the epitaph he had previously purchased. Xu Shen, unaware that Zhang Dai could recruit him, had already sent these gifts, and his attitude seemed quite sincere.

Zhang Dai peeled an orange and cut it in half. He handed one half to A Ying and put the other half in his own mouth. But after putting it in his mouth, he frowned. The orange smelled fragrant and tempting, but it tasted sour and bitter, unlike the sweet taste of the oranges he ate in later generations.

Ah Ying held her half in her hand and saw Ah Lang wincing and trembling from the sourness. She couldn't help but laugh: "These oranges are just toys to hold, their fragrance filling your sleeves. If you really want to eat them, you have to soak them in water and honey. If you eat them like this, won't they just be sour and bitter!"

"It's really troublesome!"

Zhang Dai casually tossed the remaining oranges onto the table, then, following A-Ying's advice, he picked one up and twirled it in his palm. The orange flavor was indeed rich, sweet, and refreshing.

"These oranges cost several tens of yuan each, we can't waste them!"

Ah Ying couldn't bear to throw away the unprocessed fruit flesh, nor was she too lazy to process it, so she endured the sourness and popped it into her mouth piece by piece.

Seeing that she looked adorable as she grimaced from the sourness, Zhang Dai leaned closer, covered her cherry lips with his own big mouth, and sucked out the orange pulp and juice. The sour and bitter taste was greatly reduced, and instead, it tasted somewhat sweet.

“Keep some of these oranges in your own house, and distribute the rest to each household.”

The two jokingly finished eating a lime. When Zhang Dai saw that Xu Shen had brought quite a lot, he gave instructions to Aying.

Upon hearing this, Ah Ying nodded, gently rubbing her lips, which were slightly swollen from Ah Lang's kisses, and asked, "Will you send it to the mistress?"

“Send some over as well.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai said that he was too lazy to make any distinctions in such a trivial matter.

"I'll take this opportunity to ask about some things while I'm delivering the oranges!"

Ah Ying whispered again, "The mistress is unfair in her dealings, and those close to her are starting to complain. Some say that there's something fishy about Su Qiniang's son being chosen by the mistress to handle affairs, and it seems to be related to the recent siege of the mansion by the Imperial Guards. If that's true, perhaps it was Su Qiniang who informed the soldiers about Ah Lang's whereabouts!"

"Find out the debts slowly; we'll settle them all at once when there are too many!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai sneered. Although the harm and restrictions imposed on him by the Zheng family were decreasing, it did not mean that the past could be wiped clean.

(End of this chapter)