Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 168 It seems like an old friend has arrived

Yang Sixu's residence outside the palace was located in Sigongfang in Luobei, which was only one street away from Qinghuafang, where many eunuchs and imperial guards lived, and the distance was not far.

In Sigongfang, there is a vast mansion that occupies most of the neighborhood. Its ceremonial gate is as grand as the main gate of a palace, with halberd-wielding soldiers standing in front of it, looking very imposing. Pedestrians on the street dare not stop in front of it. This is Yang Sixu's residence in Luoyang.

"This place was originally the former residence of Duke Qi. After Duke Guo accompanied him to the Eastern Expedition and was promoted to General of the Cavalry, the Emperor bestowed this house upon him as his residence."

Standing before this magnificent mansion, Gao Chengxin exclaimed with admiration, "Nothing surpasses the pinnacle of a subject's virtue. I wonder if I will ever have the honor of reaching even a fraction of Duke Guo's stature in this lifetime!"

In the Tang Dynasty, the official ranks were based on honorary titles. Among them, the highest civil honorary title was Kaifu Yitong Sansi, and the highest military honorary title was Piaoji Dajiangjun. Both were first-rank official titles.

In the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, during the Eastern Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, Duke Huo, Wang Maozhong, was granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace for his meritorious service in supervising the pastures, while Duke Guo, Yang Sixu, was granted the title of General of the Cavalry for his meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion in Lingnan and other past achievements. Therefore, in terms of honorary official rank, the two were the highest-ranking civil and military officials in the court at that time.

Zhang Dai had recently visited the residence of Wang Maozhong in Chengyi Ward, which was the former residence of Prince Shen in Luonan. As the foremost military general, Yang Sixu was naturally no ordinary person to have been granted this residence.

The Duke Qi mentioned by Gao Chengxin refers to Duke Qi, Wang Shouyi, who was the son-in-law of Emperor Ruizong and the elder brother of Empress Wang, the first wife of the current emperor. He was originally the most prominent among the imperial relatives and a meritorious official who followed the current emperor to help the country in times of crisis and to revive the nation. He was originally deeply favored, as can be seen from his family residence in the Eastern Capital.

Unfortunately, in the twelfth year of the Kaiyuan era, Empress Wang was deposed for her involvement in the sorcery, and Wang Shouyi, who had instigated her to do so, was also demoted and sentenced to death. His family property was confiscated by the government, and this mansion was now given to Yang Sixu.

"Please come in and tell the old man that I have been ordered to bring Zhang Yan, Gongsun Liulang, Zongzhi, to visit us."

As Gao Lishi's trusted adopted son, Gao Chengxin dared not act presumptuously in front of Yang Sixu's residence. He dismounted, stepped forward, presented his calling card, and bowed respectfully to the gatekeeper.

The group waited in the lobby for about fifteen minutes when a middle-aged man with a dark complexion but no beard strode in, led by the doorman. He first waved to Gao Chengxin and greeted him, "Sixteenth Brother!"

"This is Yang Shaoyi, the son of Duke Guo. Although he holds the same position as me as the Director of the Inner Palace Attendants, he also holds the position of Left Inner Commander of the Crown Prince. He is granted a purple robe by imperial grace. You may address him as Eighth Brother Yang!"

Before the middle-aged man arrived, Gao Chengxin quickly introduced him to Zhang Dai, and then hurriedly greeted him with a beaming smile.

Upon hearing the eunuch's name, Zhang Dai secretly rejoiced. Eunuchs, due to their physical disabilities, had no offspring of their own, so they often adopted children and pretended to have a normal family relationship.

The characters "Cheng" and "Shao" in the names of Gao Chengxin and Yang Shaoyi both mean "to continue" or "to pass on," so it can be said that they were named after whatever was missing.

With that thought in mind, he didn't dare to be negligent in his actions and quickly followed behind Gao Chengxin to meet him.

Although the Director of the Inner Palace Attendants was only a sixth-rank eunuch, the Left Inner Commander of the Crown Prince was a fourth-rank official, comparable to the General of the Left Thousand Ox Guard of the Southern Palace, and even higher in rank than Wang Shouzhen, the Crown Prince's servant. Yang Shaoyi had also been granted the privilege of wearing a purple robe, allowing him to enjoy the treatment of a third-rank noble. He could already be considered a prominent figure among eunuchs, far surpassing Gao Chengxin, who was still striving for advancement.

"This must be Zhang Liulang. He is truly handsome and has an outstanding demeanor! I have been recuperating at home recently and am inspecting the boys at the drill ground. Liulang, please come in with me!"

Yang Shaoyi walked to the entrance hall, first exchanged pleasantries with Gao Chengxin, and then spoke to Zhang Dai with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded in agreement, and they then proceeded together into the house.

He had seen many stories of arrogant and domineering eunuchs during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, but after coming to this world and actually interacting with them, he could sense that while the eunuchs were quite powerful, there were not many who were truly arrogant and unreasonable.

People like Gao Chengxin and Yang Shaoyi, who are now standing before me, are both confidants of powerful eunuchs, yet they are both polite and respectful in my presence, and not arrogant at all.

However, he did not assume that all eunuchs were like that. Their politeness towards him was simply because there were no conflicts between them. Besides, he himself was not an ordinary person. His grandfather, Zhang Shuo, and his aunt, Consort Wu Hui, were figures whom the eunuchs had to treat with respect.

Eunuchs are servants, so they are naturally good at reading people's expressions and treating them politely. But when they are facing someone who doesn't require them to do that, their arrogance and conceit will surely show.

Take Li Jingzhong, whom I met for the first time when I entered the palace, for example. This guy was considerate and harmless. Who would have thought that a few decades later, even Emperor Xuanzong and Gao Lishi would be ordered around by him?
Yang Sixu's mansion was extremely spacious, and the group felt as if they were walking through a palace. As they came into contact with more and more powerful and influential people, Zhang Dai's own mansion, which he had been quite proud of, became increasingly insignificant in comparison.

Wasn't it said that there were no grand mansions in Luoyang? Yet the mansions he frequented were all enormous! This shows that the world isn't always fully revealed to unrelated people.

Yang Sixu's mansion not only had numerous buildings, but also a spacious and flat training ground covering at least ten acres. At this moment, two sides, each with dozens of soldiers, were engaged in fierce combat on the training ground, creating a lively scene.

On the south side of the drill ground, there was a bamboo platform with a windproof and sunshade tent. Yang Shaoyi gestured for Gao Chengxin and Zhang Dai to follow him up the bamboo platform, and then he went in first and said respectfully, "Father, Gao Shiliu and Zhang Jia Liulang have arrived."

"Let them in."

Yang Sixu was lying on his back on the couch, covered with a thick brocade blanket. As he watched the knights sparring in the training ground, he spoke, "Your son greets you, Father!"

After Gao Chengxin entered the tent, he knelt down on the ground with a thud and kowtowed. The force of his kowtow was so great that even though the ground was carpeted, Zhang Dai felt pain for him just hearing the sound of his knees hitting the ground.

As he hesitated about how to greet him, Yang Sixu, who was on the couch, said, "Young Master Zhang is a respectable young man from a respectable family. There is no need to act so servile. Just greet me with the usual courtesy. I am suffering from rheumatism and foot pain, and it is difficult for me to get up and walk. I am not lying here to be arrogant in front of you."

"I have long admired the loyalty, integrity, and meritorious service of the Duke of Guo. I am overjoyed to be summoned to this audience and would never dare to harbor any resentment!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply. Then, he couldn't help but look up with some curiosity. He saw that Yang Sixu was also looking down at him. When their eyes met briefly, he noticed that although Yang Sixu's old eyes were somewhat cloudy, they were still sharp. Zhang Dai felt that he was being disrespectful, so he quickly lowered his head again.

"Does Zhang Lang have any elder brothers of the same clan who have a similar demeanor and bearing?"

After looking at Zhang Dai for a while, Yang Sixu suddenly asked, "Although this is our first meeting, the young man's demeanor seems to remind me of an old acquaintance."

Zhang Dai was taken aback when he heard this, and then said, "I am the eldest son of my grandfather's family, and I have no brothers of the same grandfather. I do have several elder brothers, but my family says that I look like my maternal relatives, and therefore I am quite different from my brothers."

“Zhang Lang is a member of the Xi State Duke’s clan, perhaps his father’s past affairs were similar to those of Empress Wu’s court.”

Gao Chengxin quickly said from the side.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu scrutinized Zhang Dai for a few more moments, then shook his head and said, "It's not the Wu family, but who could it be? I'm old and forgetful, I can't remember, I can't remember..."

He muttered to himself, but his old eyes suddenly welled up with tears. It was as if he had forgotten some vague person or thing, and only a lingering sense of melancholy remained in his heart.

Zhang Dai and Gao Chengxin then sat together in the tent, enjoying the knights' competition on the training ground. Yang Sixu, however, remained immersed in a melancholy mood and was not in much interest in conversation.

Looking at the spacious training ground, Zhang Dai was quite envious.

Although his house was not small, there were many people living there. There wasn't enough open space to set up a training ground or horse track. If they wanted to learn horsemanship or polo, they would either have to rent a field in the neighborhood or go to the suburbs, neither of which was very convenient.

He didn't expect to become a brave and skilled general with proficiency in archery and horsemanship, but he did have career plans and expectations for himself, such as becoming a high-ranking official. Of course, he also needed to master the basics of horsemanship.

Furthermore, trusted confidants like Ding Qing also need to be trained thoroughly, as they will require proficiency in both protecting the enemy and fighting on the battlefield later. If there were such a large space at home, it would be much more convenient to train them.

"Does Zhang Lang also appreciate these soldiers' theatrical performances?"

Yang Sixu remained silent for a while, then, seeing Zhang Dai intently watching the martial arts demonstration on the training ground, he asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded: "Although I am a rogue from the capital, I also have the ambition to fight and achieve merit. I have heard that the Duke of Guo's prestige shakes the southwest. Although I have not yet been there, I yearn for it. If I can join his army next year when my strength has grown, I would be happy to do so!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu burst into laughter, pointed at Zhang Dai, and said, "We soldiers in the army are upright in our words and deeds. Zhang Lang's words may be flattery, but I take them seriously. If there is another expedition next year, I will appoint you to join the expedition. You cannot refuse!"

"It's my honor!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly added that he also hoped to broaden his experience and knowledge.

Seeing that Yang Sixu's attitude towards Zhang Dai was relatively amiable, Gao Chengxin quickly stood up and said, "Today, my son and I have come to pay our respects to you, sir. In addition to exchanging greetings, we also have some private matters to discuss, concerning Lord Huo of the North Gate..."

As he spoke, he gestured for Zhang Dai to also take the opportunity to explain his illness and plight, asking Yang Sixu for protection.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Dai quickly stood up and recounted to Yang Sixu how he had offended Wang Maozhong.

Although he didn't have a close relationship with Yang Sixu, Yang still shared in the profits from the money-making scheme. Moreover, by unintentionally preventing Wang Maozhong's daughter from entering the palace, he not only benefited Consort Hui but also helped the palace eunuchs. If Wang Maozhong had succeeded in this endeavor, the palace eunuchs would have been even less able to hold their heads high in front of him.

After hearing this, Yang Sixu frowned and pondered for a while. After a while, he raised his hand to signal the two to return to their seats, and then summoned a waiter to whisper something to him.

After receiving the order, the attendant hurriedly withdrew, and returned after about a quarter of an hour. Behind him were two robust and young eunuchs, one of whom was carrying a brocade box several feet square. After entering the tent, the attendant respectfully placed the brocade box on the table in front of Yang Sixu.

(End of this chapter)