Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 166 Duke Guo's Invitation
When Zhang Dai walked out of the side hall, most of the imperial relatives who had come to attend the banquet had already left. He waited for a while longer before seeing Gao Chengxin, dressed in a scarlet robe, hurrying towards him.

"I am on duty elsewhere tonight and will not have the opportunity to enter the palace to offer my services. I have heard that you, Sixth Master, will present another excellent memorial in the palace tonight. It is truly admirable!"

As Gao Chengxin walked over, he said with a smile, "I came here especially to see Liu Lang off from the palace. Will Liu Lang go straight home or go somewhere else to have some fun?"

Seeing that it was Gao Chengxin who came to escort him, Zhang Dai felt much more at ease. He had been given the cold shoulder by the Prince of Ning's family at the previous banquet, and it seemed he had also offended Wang Maozhong. He was genuinely worried that he might be ambushed. He had also witnessed the fighting prowess of his sixteenth brother, and leaving the palace together at least provided some guarantee of safety.

"I can't hold my liquor anymore, so it's best to go home safely. I'll trouble you to accompany me, Brother Sixteen!"

He cupped his hands in greeting to Gao Chengxin and said with a smile that he had no desire to seek pleasure elsewhere.

"Then that will do."

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengxin nodded and led Zhang Dai along the palace road toward the north gate. As they walked, he said with a smile, "I heard that Sixth Brother just competed with Prince Ruyang in the hall? Prince Ruyang is a nobleman of noble lineage, with outstanding demeanor. He is also the nephew of the Emperor, whom the Emperor greatly favors. Sixth Brother, although you lost the contest, you are still honorable!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled but remained silent. It seemed that his sixteenth brother's information channels were not good either; he had not lost at all!
Although he was far behind in the voting stage, in the end, he was the one whom the sage personally determined to be far superior to Zou Ji, and even admonished the Prince of Ruyang to go home and study and reflect on his mistakes!

Looking back now, however, the emperor's statement at the time may not have been a righteous declaration of justice; rather, it seemed more like a blow to the Prince of Ruyang at his moment of triumph. The Prince of Ruyang naturally dared not blame the emperor, and afterwards, he only harbored deeper resentment towards Zhang Dai.

As for why the emperor did this, there are many reasons. Besides appreciating Zhang Dai's little tricks, he probably also didn't want Zhang Dai to reconcile with the Prince of Ning's family, and hoped that the hot-blooded Prince of Ruyang would remain dissatisfied with him and continue to have some kind of petty squabble.

He was Consort Hui's nephew, and Prince Ning was the adoptive father of Consort Hui's son. They always seemed to be getting along well when they were together, which inevitably displeased the Emperor.

Of course, he is just a nobody now, not worth the emperor's time and effort. But the problem is that this is not a big deal for the emperor either; it's just something he does casually.

The emperor's influence and control over the people around him had reached a point where he could do whatever he wanted. Those around him were either unknowingly controlled like Consort Hui, or deliberately pandering to the emperor's will; he could make people harmonious and make them quarrelsome.

However, none of this had much to do with Zhang Dai. Apart from the emperor and Consort Wu Hui, he had no intention of developing any deep or complex interpersonal relationships with other members of the royal family.

Whether it was Prince Ning or his sons, they were all just tools, dressed up and locked in cages. Whether they were malicious or benevolent towards him, it wouldn't have much of a negative impact on Zhang Dai.

On the contrary, I need to be wary of Wang Maozhong. Although I didn't do it intentionally, I still disrupted his long-planned scheme tonight. There's no guarantee that he won't take his anger out on me.

As he was thinking this to himself, he followed Gao Chengxin to the vicinity of the North Gate. Although it was already late at night in the dead of winter, there were still many armored soldiers patrolling inside and outside Xuanwu Gate.

"Sixth Brother, come here!"

Gao Chengxin suddenly beckoned to Zhang Dai, signaling him to follow him to a nearby pavilion. Standing on the pavilion, he pointed to a brightly lit palace in the northwest and then said to Zhang Dai with a smile, "Sixth Brother, do you know whose courtyard that is?"

That's a rather strange question. Isn't that area within the inner garden?

But when Zhang Dai saw the playful smile on Gao Chengxin's lips, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart. He tiptoed and looked closely at the courtyard. He saw people coming and going in the spacious courtyard, and the lights inside and outside the courtyard were bright. It looked even more lively than the banquet in Anfu Hall earlier.

"Is this the inner residence of the Duke of Huo?"

He turned back to Gao Chengxin and asked a question. Seeing Gao Chengxin nod slightly, Zhang Dai was secretly surprised.

He knew that Wang Maozhong was favored, but he didn't expect him to be favored to this extent. Judging from the fact that his residence and the palace buildings in the inner garden seemed to be integrated with each other, the straight-line distance between this residence and the Anfu Hall of the inner palace where the banquet was held was probably less than 100 meters, and it was not far to go to the other palace buildings.

To say that he lived next to a sage is an understatement; he was essentially carving out a piece of land within the emperor's estate to be his own residence!
Emperor Xuanzong grew up during the turbulent Wu Zhou dynasty and personally experienced several coups. Naturally, he paid special attention to palace security. The fact that he could tolerate Wang Maozhong, a military commander, settling down so close to him shows how close he was to him!

Of course, from another perspective, this also means keeping Wang Maozhong's entire family under his control. Any slight movement by Wang Maozhong could lead to the tragic massacre of his entire family. But regardless of the interpretation, when things are presented in the most direct way, it can indeed have a tremendous psychological impact.

"Lord Huo's power is immense and awe-inspiring. If the sons of the six nobles are merely traveling among scholars or seeking advancement in the southern provinces, they need not be overly fearful of his power. However, if they are eager to curry favor with the emperor and seek his favor, then Lord Huo's power will inevitably be feared."

Consort Hui is indeed a noble mistress, but she wouldn't look down on such insignificant matters. Her favoritism towards us is merely for the sake of pleasing her. While Liu Lang is indeed related to us, if he wishes to travel freely within this region, he will need a close confidant to guide and protect him.

Seeing Zhang Dai remain silent in thought, Gao Chengxin smiled and said, "I have received much guidance from you, Sixth Brother, in the past, and I am very willing to work with you and share both good and bad fortune. Surely you won't distance yourself from me because of my physical disability?"

Zhang Dai had long seen that Gao Chengxin was not a law-abiding fellow, and now, hearing that he again wanted to deepen their connection and interaction, he smiled and said, "Sixteenth Brother's heartfelt words are truly like sweet rain and a precious treasure to me. To be honest, at the banquet just now, I disrupted Duke Huo's plan to offer his daughter to the palace, and perhaps we have already incurred a deep grudge..."

Gao Chengxin valued Zhang Dai's noble family background, his reliance on Consort Hui, his outstanding talent, and his promising future. Therefore, he wanted to befriend Zhang Dai and deepen their relationship. However, after hearing Zhang Dai's words, his expression suddenly froze.

After a moment of silence, he quickly spoke again: "What exactly happened? Could you tell me in detail, Sixth Brother? There are many servants from the North Gate here, so let's talk as we walk."

Upon hearing that Zhang Dai had offended Wang Maozhong again, this guy was no longer as courageous as before and didn't want to band together to fight back. He signaled to Zhang Dai to leave the North Gate area as soon as possible.

Seeing his nervous expression, Zhang Dai couldn't bring himself to laugh, after all, he was the one who had attracted the other's hatred. If Wang Maozhong really brought his men to surround him, judging from Gao Chengxin's nature, he would probably follow his own style and leave without a second thought, rather than staying to share the consequences.

The two were not far from Xuanwu Gate, and they quickly arrived at the palace gate without any trouble. After their identities were verified, they were allowed to pass. Ding Qing and An Xiaochen, who had been waiting in the Zuo Jin Tun camp, also came with their horses. After they met up, they left the palace together.

During the journey, Zhang Dai recounted the banquet to Gao Chengxin. After listening, Gao Chengxin frowned and looked at Zhang Dai, asking, "Is this really just a coincidence, not something Liu Lang did intentionally?"

Hearing this fellow also suspect that he had planned this all along, Zhang Dai felt very wronged. He really wanted to ask, "What kind of impression have I left on you? Am I not a noble and upright gentleman who would rather break than bend?"

"How could such a thing be foreseen? Besides, given Duke Huo's style, is there any difference between intentional and misunderstanding?"

The coincidences were too great, and it was no wonder these guys suspected him. Zhang Dai could only smile helplessly and ask again.

Gao Chengxin nodded after hearing this, indeed there was no difference, since they had both ruined Wang Maozhong's plans.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Things are as they are, worrying won't help. Fortunately, although Lord Huo's influence is great, it's only limited to the North Gate. Liu Lang, please don't go near the North Gate these days, and be careful when you go out. Avoid going to crowded and noisy places of entertainment."

After the provincial examination, once you become an official in the Selection Department, even if Beimen Nu is arrogant, he wouldn't dare to plot against you again. Yes, there's another respected elder in the palace who I'd like to invite Liu Lang to meet—the recently returned Duke Guo. Duke Guo has many powerful men under his command; if you can get his protection, Beimen Nu won't be able to harm you in the slightest!

"General Yang, the Duke of Guo? He wants to see me?"

Zhang Dai was also surprised to hear this and quickly pressed for more information. This was a ruthless eunuch; compared to him, even the most powerful eunuchs of the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty were like his children or grandchildren.

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengxin nodded and said, "Your previous business of making money through flying coins was very profitable. The other day, when Duke Guo returned to court and saw the profits, he was very pleased, so he sent me to tell you about it."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Although Lord Huo harbors resentment towards you, it is only temporary. If his daughter cannot serve the emperor, it is already a foregone conclusion. Wouldn't it be even more of a loss for him to incur the wrath of the Yan family because of this? Moreover, his flying money is already in a rather embarrassing situation as it is being controlled by Lord Guo and others. I think I will need you, Sixth Brother, to mediate and make peace with him soon!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai breathed a slight sigh of relief. After all, being targeted by such a fierce fellow as Wang Maozhong was never a good thing. He hadn't wanted to be at the forefront, but who could have imagined encountering this situation at a banquet?
It would be ideal to establish a relationship with a powerful eunuch like Yang Sixu, as Gao Lishi is currently at a disadvantage in his confrontation with Wang Maozhong.

So he made an appointment with Gao Chengxin to visit Yang Sixu's residence in the coming days.

(End of this chapter)