Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 182 Where the Emperor resides, the foundation of the world lies.
As soon as Wang Maozhong was led into the Renshou Hall of the Imperial Palace, he saw the Emperor chatting and laughing with Yang Sixu, who had been given a seat. Wang Maozhong immediately felt a little nervous.

"Guo Gong has just arrived, and Huo Gong is coming soon. Why don't you two enter together through the north gate?"

When the sage was in private with his confidant Yuan Cong, he was always kind and approachable. When Wang Maozhong came forward to pay his respects, he smiled and beckoned Wang Maozhong to also excuse himself from the formalities and take a seat. He then said with a smile, "Lord Huo, you have come to see me in a hurry. What do you wish to discuss?"

Wang Maozhong, noticing that while the Emperor's expression remained amiable, Yang Sixu's eyes were fixed on him with a sinister glint, dared not take his seat. Instead, he remained kneeling in the hall and addressed the Emperor, saying, "I am ashamed. I have failed to properly educate my son, who got into a quarrel in the street and was wrongly arrested by the Imperial Guards. His close associates and servants were waiting outside the Imperial Guards' office on the left side of Qinghua Ward to await judgment, but they were startled and driven away by Guo Gong's servants, and then arrested by the Imperial Guards..."

"Is this happening?"

Upon hearing this, the sage's eyes sharpened, but he maintained his smile and turned to Yang Sixu, asking with a smile, "Is it truly as Lord Guo said?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu nodded and said, "A young man from the Youmen sect was taken into custody by the Jinwu Guard. I went to inquire about him, but when I was about to leave, I was blocked by ten thousand cavalrymen. The servants acted excessively, taking advantage of their power. If Lord Huo is resentful because of this, there is no need to file a complaint with the emperor. I apologize to you here and ask for your forgiveness!"

As he spoke, he shakily leaned on the table, preparing to get up and apologize to Wang Maozhong. Upon seeing this, the sage quickly signaled a servant to come forward and help him.

When Wang Maozhong saw that Yang Sixu had actually apologized to him, he was quite surprised. He had prepared a plan on how to argue with Yang Sixu, but he didn't expect that he would not need it at all.

"If this matter ends here, why doesn't Lord Huo simply let bygones be bygones and not make my heart uneasy!"

Seeing Yang Sixu bow deeply to Wang Maozhong, the sage looked at Wang Maozhong again and spoke.

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong hurriedly stood up to avoid him, his eyes filled with suspicion as he looked at Yang Sixu, unable to understand what the old eunuch was up to.

Knowing that the situation had escalated and it would be difficult to handle it privately without the emperor's knowledge, he simply asked directly, "May I ask who this young man who is traveling under the tutelage of Duke Guo is, and what he has done wrong? That it would trouble Duke Guo to personally come and investigate him?"

"This fellow is not a stranger in this world. He is Zhang Dai, the grandson of Zhang Yan, who was appreciated and given a name by the sage last year. I went on a campaign last year. When I returned, I heard about this boy's elegant name, so I summoned him into my home to take a look. He is indeed very talented. No wonder he was appreciated by my lord!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu smiled and said.

"Lord Guo, you are mistaken! This man is eloquent and flattering, two-faced, and may appear to have some outstanding qualities, but in reality, he is morally corrupt and despised by all!"

Upon hearing Yang Sixu's words, Wang Maozhong's expression changed immediately, and he then said excitedly, "My son was also captivated by his common name the other day and invited him to a banquet at his residence."

Unexpectedly, this man was lewd and lustful, and abused his favor to cause trouble. He used his captivating beauty and wicked talents to seduce a servant, leading him to elope and taking the runaway servant into his household!

As he spoke of this, the thought of his daughter being bewitched by him fueled his anger, and he couldn't help but reveal some genuine emotion. His expression was one of deep hatred, and his tone was filled with venom.

“If it were just an ordinary household slave, it would be a minor matter to run away with her. We could simply keep our distance from her once we know who she is. But the one she has taken is a slave from the former residence of Huizhuang, which was recently bestowed upon her by the Emperor. How could she dare to squander the Emperor’s favor? Therefore, I cannot rest easy. After finding out the truth, I went straight to her residence to demand her return.”

At this point, Wang Maozhong put on a sorrowful expression: "However, my family is not a prestigious one, and those who teach our children are all loyal, righteous, and upright. My son is both foolish and straightforward, and he thought that returning lost items was a matter of course and no one could blame him. I never expected that this treacherous and cunning person would frame me in the Jinwu Guard's office."

Later, the Duke of Yan pursued the boy to this place, and because of his former family, instructed him to take the matter to the criminal authorities. I fear that this trivial matter will incur the wrath of the officials of the Southern Province, therefore I hastily come here to plead guilty, and beg Your Majesty for mercy and a plan to protect myself.”

At this point, Wang Maozhong bowed deeply in the hall, his tone tinged with unease.

After Yang Sixu sat back down, his eyes flickered with a strange light when he heard Wang Maozhong's distorted and deliberately pitiful remarks.

Although he was a eunuch, he was not known for his deep scheming or cunning methods. Instead, he had the demeanor of a military general. He had achieved his current position through meritorious service in quelling rebellions. After listening to Wang Maozhong's report, he couldn't help but admire him. He really didn't have such eloquence and cunning.

After listening to Wang Maozhong's account, the Sage's expression turned serious, and even his superficial smile disappeared. He turned to Yang Sixu and asked in a deep voice, "Since Lord Guo has been to the Jinwu Guard's office, he must know some of the inside story. Is the matter as Lord Huo said?"

Upon hearing the sage's question, Wang Maozhong's heart sank. This was clearly a skeptical statement, a disbelief in his own words. Moreover, the question was directed at Yang Sixu, with whom he had a long-standing feud, making the doubt even stronger.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu shook his head and said, "I only had a brief meeting with this Zhang man in the neighborhood, where we inquired about local customs. My visit to the Jinwu Guard's office was not a special trip; I simply happened to be passing by and, upon learning of this matter, went inside for a brief look."

"I am neither an official in charge of judgment nor a relative of this man. Even if I have heard some rumors, I have not been able to discern their truth or falsehood, and I dare not report them to Your Majesty. I have come to the palace today to pay my respects because there is another matter that I urgently need to report to my sovereign." When Wang Maozhong heard Yang Sixu say that he had not come to the palace to see him because of Zhang Dai, he was slightly surprised, but he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

By reporting this matter to the sage first, even if the sage does not fully believe it, he will still have a preconceived notion about it, which is undoubtedly extremely advantageous to him.

When the sage heard that Yang Sixu was not using this matter to attack Wang Maozhong, his tense expression eased slightly, and he then said, "Then let's hear what the Duke of Guo has to say."

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu bowed again and said, "What I have said today is also related to Lord Huo. My humble opinion may be incomplete, and I hope that Lord Huo can also make corrections and improvements so that His Majesty can adopt it."

Wang Maozhong frowned slightly again, and instead of answering directly, he simply nodded slightly.

"Perhaps it is because we are of the same kind that we appreciate each other. I have heard of the great victory in Hexi and the great defeat of the Tubo by the Prince of Liangzhou in Haixi. I am very happy and eager to go and congratulate Your Majesty! I also have something to report to Your Majesty. The victory in Hexi is enough to prove the Prince's loyalty and bravery and Your Majesty's appropriate use of talents."

Yang Sixu first patted the horse, then sighed and said, "The only flaw is that this man comes from the border and serves the border, and has not yet served in the court for a long time to be grateful to the emperor."

"Barbarian tribes may occasionally receive the imperial favor of being appointed as inner court guards, but Your Majesty has served on the frontier for many years, toiling and meritorious, yet you have not been given any important position in the court, which is a slight underestimation of your meritorious service. Therefore, I request that you summon these meritorious officials to the North Gate and entrust them with important and trusted positions!"

"No, no, absolutely not!"

Wang Maozhong had initially breathed a sigh of relief, but when he heard that Yang Sixu's report directly targeted his vital military power in the Northern Army, he immediately became like a fighting rooster with its feathers standing on end. He glared at Yang Sixu with a ferocious expression and angrily said, "What Eunuch Yang says is wrong! Border affairs and palace affairs are fundamentally different. The Emperor's presence is the foundation of the empire, and the importance of guarding the palace is greater than that of the Five Sacred Mountains. How can it be lightly granted to a border official!"

After listening to Yang Sixu's account, the Sage was somewhat unimpressed. However, upon seeing Wang Maozhong's agitated reaction, he frowned slightly and did not rush to speak. Instead, he looked at Yang Sixu and waited for him to continue.

"What's wrong with the emperor employing people? I am no hero either, but I am strong when I am favored!"

Yang Sixu did not argue his point, but simply gave a dismissive reply.

However, this one sentence caused Wang Maozhong, whose chest was churning and who felt a bellyful of scathing words about to burst forth, to suddenly choke up, his face turning red, and he could not utter a single word.

The sage then clapped his hands and laughed, then pointed at Yang Sixu and said, "Lord Guo's words are truly refreshing and pleasing to the ear! Do not say that he is not a hero; without your expedition, Lingnan could not have been pacified. The records of your achievements are all there; who can belittle him?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong became increasingly restless, cold sweat beading on his forehead. A strong sense of crisis surged through his chest, and he lost all interest in accusing the eloquent and deceitful Zhang.

"It is human nature to appreciate things of their own kind. It is not surprising that Duke Guo loves border achievements and promotes border soldiers. However, selecting and employing talents both inside and outside the capital is my concern, not your forte! If you recommend someone but do not employ him, please do not take it to heart."

The sage smiled and said to Yang Sixu, seemingly indicating that he did not intend to adopt Yang Sixu's suggestion, but in fact, he was affirming Yang Sixu's statement that "the emperor can use people, what is wrong with that?"

My concerns are neither those of Duke Guo nor Duke Huo. To put it bluntly, get to work and stop talking nonsense!
When the two men entered the palace, it was just after dark and the emperor had not yet had his meal. So the emperor decided to keep them in the palace and offer them a meal together.

However, Yang Sixu's gout had not yet fully healed, and he still needed to abstain from certain foods. As for Wang Maozhong, he was in a state of utter confusion and had no appetite whatsoever. The sage also seemed to be deep in thought, and similarly ate very little.

So, during the dinner, the exquisite and delicious dishes were basically served and then cleared away as they were served. After dinner, Yang Sixu bid farewell to the emperor, who then specially ordered the eunuchs to arrange a palanquin to escort Yang Sixu out of the palace, showing him great favor.

As for Wang Maozhong, he wanted to stay and continue the topic that hadn't been finished earlier. His presentation had been interrupted by Yang Sixu, so he wanted to elaborate on it more carefully.

However, the Emperor had no intention of continuing the previous topic. He simply looked at Wang Maozhong and said with a smile, "The other day, Consort Hui boasted that the silkworm harvest of the women in the six palaces was expected to be quite bountiful, and she was quite proud of her leadership. If the silk reeling is indeed bountiful when you come, I will bestow upon you a bolt of silk. Do not consider it a small gift!"

"How dare I! Your Majesty's grace is bestowed upon me, and I am deeply grateful to Consort Hui for extending this favor!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong immediately bowed again and danced to express his gratitude, then bowed and left the palace.

After Wang Maozhong also left, the emperor's face darkened again. He raised his hand and summoned a servant, saying in a deep voice, "Quickly go to the front hall and ask whether the Secretariat and the Censorate have made any reports!"

(End of this chapter)