Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 174 Villa Attacked
Although Huixunfang Villa is elegant in environment, exquisite in architecture, and has a good layout, it has one drawback: it is too close to the Luo River. In summer, there is a risk of flooding due to heavy rain, and in winter, it is too cold and damp, making it unsuitable for long-term residence throughout the year.

After participating in the prefectural examination, Zhang Dai moved back to his mansion in Kangsufang to live permanently. Only a few servants lived and maintained the villa, which was occasionally used as a place to receive guests.

Upon entering the neighborhood, Zhang Dai noticed that many homes had been decorated with colorful lanterns and other ornaments, and even the streets were adorned with ornate lanterns.

The Lantern Festival was the first major festival after the New Year, and the Tang people attached great importance to this festival. The mere lifting of the three-day curfew in the city was enough to make the people of the villages extremely happy and joyful all night long.

When he arrived at the gate of his own villa, Zhang Dai couldn't help but glance at the Qiwang Mountain Garden to the west. He found that the garden was still closed and very deserted, and the image of the Princess of Yunyang came to mind again.

Although the separation was brief, the county princess left a very deep impression on Zhang Dai. Besides their compatible appearance and temperament, it was also due to the princess's trust in him; she had entrusted him with a large sum of money when they parted in Chang'an.

The emperor showed great kindness and care to his brothers while they were alive, but his attitude turned cold after their deaths. For example, before the mourning period for Prince Shen was over, his former residence had already been given to others. Although Prince Shen had no heir, he still had adopted sons, wives, and daughters. Such a situation was indeed lamentable.

Princess Yunyang entrusted the 500,000 strings of cash and silk to herself, presumably with the intention of diversifying her risk. In particular, Prince Qi's offspring were few and his favor with the emperor was waning, while the other branches of the imperial family had many children. Moreover, the Li Tang imperial family had never been known for their refined manners and benevolence, so it was not uncommon for them to be wiped out of their lineage.

Zhang Dai was like someone who had so many lice that he wasn't afraid of being bitten. He wasn't afraid of offending the royal family members who coveted the Qi Prince's property. In any case, he didn't intend to get along well with these people, especially after that palace banquet before the New Year.

The 500,000 strings of cash had been delivered in installments, but Zhang Dai hadn't used much of it. Apart from a few tens of thousands of strings being added to disaster relief efforts in Henan and Hebei, the main funds were used to manage the Pure Land Courtyard of Changshou Temple, with over a thousand strings invested in temple renovations. The rest was used to purchase land near Xiangshan.

The land he purchased was mainly mountainous and wild land, and mulberry fields belonging to local people. These places were often not suitable for cultivation and irrigation, and could only be used for planting economic tree species such as mulberry groves and orchards.

No matter the era, land is the most basic and stable means of production.

With such a large sum of money at his disposal, Zhang Dai naturally wanted to pursue stable returns, so his focus was on acquiring land assets. Only with continuous and stable returns could he protect his own interests while maintaining the development of the Pure Land Retirement Plan.

However, his thinking differed from that of the powerful and wealthy who were keen on seizing fertile land. He believed that ordinary people had limited risk resistance and limited capital and ability to participate in complex economic activities. Therefore, they should occupy fertile land that could produce stable output as long as they worked diligently.

As for those high-ranking officials and nobles who are determined to run a business, they have the income from their salaries and gifts as a safety net, and they also control considerable social resources. They have a high ability to withstand risks and have a better grasp of social and commercial information, so they should take on economic activities with higher risks and more complex operational processes.

However, the reality is often the opposite: those at the top of society tend to monopolize social resources that can generate stable and continuous income.

People at the bottom are often driven to desperation and then rise up in resistance. After a period of extreme chaos, order gradually emerges, and those who control certain social resources begin to gamble and steal the fruits of their labor, and then the cycle continues.

Due to limited output, large areas of forests, mountains, and open fields were often left uncultivated, making development extremely difficult. Even when Henan Prefecture was conducting land reclamation, these areas were not included in the scope of the reclamation program.

Zhang Dai was wealthy and willing to invest in development, so he purchased a lot of hillsides and embankments in a very short period of time.

To put it bluntly, even if these mountainous areas are ultimately not developed, if he has the ability to buy up all the valleys on both sides of the Yi River, it will be convenient for him to lead troops to Luoyang next year!
Of course, this is a bit of a digression. In order to provide disaster relief, he set up numerous weaving workshops in Henan and Hebei, which naturally required a large amount of raw silk. Before the effects of planting mulberry trees in various prefectures were seen, establishing a production base in Luoyang by planting mulberry trees could maintain production and reduce costs.

Zhang Dai wasn't sure if the county lord of Yunyang would agree with his investment strategy, but there were still more than two years until the county lord's mourning period ended, and he hoped to achieve some results during this time to gain the county lord's approval.

He stood in front of the door lost in thought for a while before going back into his own house. He then instructed his servants to prepare a feast, while he strolled around the house.

As noon approached, Li Xia and his companions arrived together. They then climbed the west tower of the villa, looking down at the somewhat desolate scenery of the neighboring Qiwang Mountain Garden, and sighed with emotion.

When the servants brought in food and drink and Zhang set up a feast, Li Xia immediately pounded the table in dissatisfaction: "Zhang Liu is too stingy. Doesn't he have any trained entertainers or actresses in his house? There are no beauties or performers to serve him. He only has a few repulsive-looking people to face. Even if there is food and drink, how can he eat it?"

Zhang Dai's household already had entertainers and maids, some of whom were sent by Wang Han, and later he brought back Xiaoman and Wanqing from Wang Shouzhen's household.

But he was also somewhat hypocritical. He could accept being entertained with sexual acts when visiting someone's home, but he couldn't accept someone he already had a close relationship with offering sexual acts to entertain a guest. So today, he didn't even bring Ah Ying, leaving only a few servants to prepare the meal. Hearing Li Xia's commotion, he laughed without ceremony, "In the dead of winter and cold spring, is this warm wine and food not enough? Li Jiu is still calling for sexual acts? Shall I go and perform a song and dance?"

"If you possess the talents of the Prince of Ruyang, why wouldn't I watch you?"

The young man got excited and looked at Zhang Dai with a mocking tone. Seeing that the others looked a bit confused, he started talking about the scene at the palace banquet before the New Year. When he got to the part where Zhang Dai was outscored by the Prince of Ruyang, he became even more animated, showing the demeanor of a friend who was happy to see his friend lose face.

But in the end, he couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that this fiend was too talented; in the end, he was even praised by the sage as the Xu Gong of the North City. None of you disciples know this story?"

He went home and flipped through "Strategies of the Warring States" to catch up on the key points before he finally understood the meaning. Now he couldn't help but show off and prepared to give everyone a lesson.

However, no one gave him that chance. After he finished speaking, they all raised their cups to Zhang Dai to congratulate him on winning the emperor's favor and praise. This angered Li Xia, who yelled loudly and repeatedly asked his host to visit the boat girls near Xintan.

Zhang Dai noticed that the boy was being quite unruly today, probably because he had been strictly controlled at home during the period around the Spring Festival. So he beckoned Ding Qing and asked him to go and check on Xintan.

There are two major entertainment centers in the capital: one is near Mingyi Ward, where the Left and Right Jiaofang (musical academies) are located, and the other is around Xintan. Both areas are home to many courtesans and entertainers who make a living through their art. Zhang Dai had only heard of them but had never seen them before. Taking advantage of entertaining this thirsty fellow, he decided to witness the charm of the boat girls in Xintan.

Just as Ding Qing came downstairs, the sound of galloping horses suddenly rang out from the outer street.

At first, Zhang Dai didn't think much of it, assuming that some young man was racing horses in the street. But as the sound of hooves grew closer, he began to feel uneasy.

At this moment, Ding Qing rushed back upstairs, his face grim, and cried out, "My lord, something terrible has happened! It's the Crown Prince's servant, leading dozens of soldiers this way!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was naturally startled. Without having time to explain further to Li Xia and the others, he immediately stood up and said to them, "You all hurry up and climb over the back of the house and out of the neighborhood. Wang Shouzhen relies on his family's power and is arrogant and domineering. He must have ill intentions in coming here!"

"What nonsense is Zhang Liu spouting! He was just asking for wine at the banquet, how can he leave alone now! And what about Wang Shouzhen?"

As he spoke, he walked to the window with a heroic air and looked down. He saw Wang Shouzhen and others rushing into the room, each of them holding knives and canes and looking menacing.

Upon seeing this, Li Xia's expression changed drastically, and he shrank back, exclaiming in alarm, "How did you offend him? He's trying to kill me!"

At this moment, all the servants in the house were driven to the back. After locating Zhang Dai's position, Wang Shouzhen ordered the soldiers to surround the pavilion. Then, standing outside the pavilion with his hands on his hips, he roared, "Zhang Liu, get down here immediately! You took two runaway slaves from my house and brought them into my household without my permission. I have investigated extensively and found out that it was you, you dog! Hand over my runaway slaves immediately, come downstairs, kowtow and beg for forgiveness, or I will never forgive you!"

Zhang Dai was just wondering how Wang Shouzhen was going to make things difficult for him when he suddenly barged in. When he heard the excuse Wang Shouzhen shouted, he was immediately shocked. This guy was even dirtier than him. He was playing games like this!

Li Xia looked surprised and asked, "You really took in his family's runaway slave? Is he male or female? What are his looks and skills like? How could you make Zhang Liu do such a disgraceful thing!"

"He's talking nonsense!"

If those two maids had been caught red-handed in the villa today, Zhang Dai might have felt a headache coming on, but now he would certainly deny it outright.

He strode to the window, glanced down, and then said in a deep voice, "I know why Wang has come to cause trouble, so there's no need for false pretenses! Although we weren't close friends in the past, we were still somewhat acquainted. Are you trying to make an enemy of me to the very end by acting like this?"

"Since you know of the favors I've done, why did you still ruin my plans? Even if we become enemies today, what wouldn't I dare to do? Get down here now and obediently submit to your bondage!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen became even angrier and immediately waved his hand and shouted, "Charge forward immediately and capture this scoundrel to be punished!"

(End of this chapter)