Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 186 Zhang Dai's Righteousness and Deeds Are Well-Known

"You, you're talking nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to point at Zhang Dai and unleash a torrent of abuse, he remembered that he was in front of the Emperor and hurriedly knelt down, stammering, "I absolutely did not say such a thing! I have many maids in my household. If I truly needed to give away women, why would I pursue the matter further..."

"Shu Zi is so impudent!"

Wang Maozhong suddenly roared, glaring angrily at Zhang Dai, "The soldiers of the Northern Gate are all the most trusted and trusted advisors of the Emperor. What illegal acts have you, a madman, discovered? If you have any evidence, speak up now! If you are making baseless accusations before the Emperor, you are truly audacious. If you are not severely punished, how can this hatred be quelled!"

"Wang Maozhong, you are arrogant!"

Before Wang Maozhong could finish speaking, Zhang Shuo pointed at him and shouted angrily, "The Emperor has taken the time to summon both families today to resolve this matter, but there has been no conclusion yet. Who does this madman intend to frighten with extreme punishment? Your son is innocent and pure, and everything he said is true. You can report this directly to the Emperor without any investigation?"

At this point, Zhang Shuo bowed to the emperor with a look of grief and indignation and said, "I am fortunate to have been born into this world. I have worked hard and been favored, and have been able to enjoy honors and rewards. My family background is such that even if some of my lesser servants are greedy and want to enjoy themselves, why should I need to rely on others?"
Although I had doubts before, I dared not speak out because the matter was relayed to Lord Huo by the Emperor, and only rebuked my grandson. I know that Lord Huo is deeply favored by the Emperor and would not deceive His Majesty. Now that I have revealed another hidden matter, instead of questioning his son in detail, Lord Huo threatens me with dire words. Is this the attitude of being fair and seeking the truth?
If even Your Majesty's ears can be deceived, and you fail to carefully verify anything, then what in the world is truly true! If your humble servant is unworthy and has lied to Your Majesty, it is my misfortune, and I am willing to share the punishment without complaint. I wonder if Lord Huo dares to include these words in this discussion?

Hearing his grandfather's indignant accusation, Zhang Dai silently gave him a thumbs up.

As expected of a shrewd and experienced actor, Zhang Shuo knew everything that Wang Shouzhen had said along the way while he was escorting Wang Shouzhen to Henan Prefecture, yet he still dared to risk his life to support him.

Ultimately, whether this event actually happened or not is not important; what matters is whether the emperor believed it, or rather, whether he was willing to believe that such a thing happened.

Seeing Zhang's resolute attitude, Wang Maozhong couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. He was never a resolute and decisive person; otherwise, he wouldn't have retreated and fled when the Tanglong Coup was imminent.

Now that Zhang Shuo had cornered him in a very dangerous situation, he certainly didn't dare to say anything about father and son being punished together. After a moment of hesitation, he glared at Wang Shouzhen and demanded, "Did you say that or not!"

"I didn't, I really didn't say that! Father, you have to believe me! How could I... Zhang Liu is slandering me!"

Upon hearing her father's question, Wang Shouzhen was overcome with grief and fell to the ground, wailing in anguish.

Things have developed to this point, becoming a farce that's hard to explain. The sage, who was just moments ago calm and collected, offering to resolve the matter between the two families, now sits in the hall with a livid face.

“Zhang’s son, I ask you, where did Wang Shouzhen report this matter to you, who else heard about it, and who is the official at the North Gate he mentioned? Do you know what crime is committed for slandering the guards at the North Gate?”

After the sage bestowed the name upon him, he would always address Zhang Dai by his given name whenever they met. But now, however, he did not call him by his name, and his tone was extremely cold and harsh, which showed how bad his mood was.

However, Zhang Dai was not intimidated at all, because he knew the true nature of the emperor and how he would become a clown in his later years, so he could no longer have any heartfelt respect for him.

But he still had to pretend to be respectful and trembling with fear. He first lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said in a trembling voice: "At that time, we had only passed the Xinzhong Bridge a dozen steps away. The smoke in Huixunfang still seemed to have not been extinguished. My grandfather rode a green horse more than two zhang ahead, and my family members were all around."

Your Majesty, fearing the streets outside the South Market would be crowded, intended to travel west and return to your neighborhood to check on the fire situation. Your Majesty's residence and Huiwen's villa have suffered greatly from the fire. Wang Shouzhen, perhaps fearing that you might harm him, secretly informed you of this matter. Although you were indignant, you had no intention of harming him, nor dared to inquire about the North Gate, so you stopped speaking and have not heard any further details..."

If you're curious, then ask yourself or look it up yourself. Why would I bother asking about your security team when I'm bored out of my mind?
Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression grew even more gloomy. He then turned to look at Wang Shouzhen and said in a deep voice, "Wang Shouzhen, what do you have to say to defend yourself?"

"Your Majesty, this is all Zhang Liu's slander. I utterly deny it. I only beg for his mercy, nothing more! Your Majesty, if you do not believe me, you can send me to the North Gate to inquire. There is absolutely no officer threatening or bribing me..."

Wang Shouzhen was so anxious that her face turned red. In order to prove her innocence, she even took the initiative to ask the emperor to send someone to the North Gate to inquire.

“Shut up, you unfilial son! Your own behavior is improper and your words are out of line. Don’t implicate others! Bei Men is responsible for guarding the palace. If this causes panic among the people, even if this didn’t happen, your sins will be unforgivable!”

Before his son could finish speaking, Wang Maozhong rushed forward and kicked the boy to the ground, shouting and cursing, "You idiot, do you think we men can withstand scrutiny? You even willingly let the Emperor investigate at the North Gate!"

He first angrily rebuked his son, then bowed to the emperor and said, "I blindly believed my unfilial son's words and presented them to Your Majesty without careful examination. I did not expect there to be another hidden story. I am deeply ashamed and speechless for disturbing Your Majesty with such untrue matters. I await Your Majesty's judgment and punishment!"

"Today I have resolved matters for both your families, so Lord Huo need not be so hasty in covering up your family scandals. It is unacceptable to conceal one's illness and refuse treatment. Only by treating the disease early can one truly reform!" The Emperor was not easily appeased, but instead said in a deep voice, "Wang Shouzhen, how can you bear to see yourself, after so much toil for the country, being deceived by your colleagues and forced to await punishment with a sorrowful countenance? Quickly explain the whole story!"

"Your Majesty, this..."

Wang Shouzhen was stunned. She couldn't understand why, after things had gone so well, she was now being questioned. For a moment, she stammered and didn't know how to answer.

"You unfilial son, things have come to this, and you still dare to try to deceive us! Is it Wan Ma Chong? He has been going in and out with you recently. Did he force you to make things difficult for the Zhang family? What have you done to deserve this? Tell me quickly, what have you done and what punishment you deserve. Even with the Emperor himself here, I will not let you off lightly, you unfilial son!"

Seeing his panicked and stunned expression, Wang Maozhong angrily questioned him again.

“It was Ma Chong… He forced me because last year when I went hunting outside the city, I injured several imperial horses, and Ma Chong covered for me. It was this incident that led him to demand a maidservant from me, threatening to report it to Father if I didn’t. Father is strict in his administration, and I was afraid he would find out, so I…”

Wang Shouzhen wasn't completely foolish after all; he managed to find something in his chaotic mind that was relatively minor and that he could bring up to gloss over the matter.

Zhang Dai never expected that his casual slander would actually extract something from him, which shows that this guy had really done a lot of illegal and unethical things by relying on his father's power in the North Gate.

Of course, he didn't want to let this guy get away with it so easily, so he immediately shouted, "No, that's not it! You clearly said it was something from Chang'an before, so why are you talking about something from last year? Are you just trying to evade the issue!"

"No, it's just that, it's nothing else! You misheard me, no, I misspoke, I was terrified and blurted out whatever came to mind..."

Wang Shouzhen was on the verge of tears, sweat pouring down her forehead.

"You previously uttered many false accusations, falsely accusing me of having an affair with your servant. How hateful!"

Zhang Dai said angrily again, and then bowed to the emperor and said: "I am naturally unruly, fond of making friends and valuing righteousness. The other day, Wang Shouzhen invited me with a friendly smile and said that we were like-minded people, so I went with him and confided in him."

Unexpectedly, people's hearts are treacherous, and I have been subjected to such accusations. However, I still remember the kindness of that meal and cannot bear to break off the banquet to seek revenge. But now that this matter has troubled His Majesty and I fear that His Majesty's ears may be misled, I have decided to speak the truth. Even the power of Lord Huo cannot stop me from presenting the facts.

Now that Wang Shouzhen has confessed his mistakes, the truth is clear. I regret my lack of discernment in judging character, but I still hope that the strategies we discussed before will benefit humanity. Recently, the eunuch Lady Li, sent by Consort Hui to Henan and Hebei for disaster relief, reported that cattle plague is spreading in the disaster areas and medicines are urgently needed.

I earnestly request that Lord Huo not go against his previous vows, open the granaries to distribute medicine, and provide righteous relief to the disaster victims. Even if I dare not associate with your son again, I will still admire Lord Huo's integrity as a minister.

Wang Maozhong was extremely indignant at this moment. Hearing that this kid was still thinking about the veterinary medicine that he had spent manpower and resources and used his position to get back from the Longyou pastoral area, he was also very annoyed.

He originally didn't want to pay attention to this kid's extortion, but seeing that the emperor's expression was still serious, he knew that he needed to make amends quickly, so he hurriedly said, "I know about this matter, and I will arrange for my servants to administer medicine and help him later."

"The epidemic is raging like wildfire, and Lord Huo is busy with his duties as a guard. I'm afraid he can't attend to both at the same time. But please rest assured, Lord Huo, last year Consort Hui donated supplies to save lives and has already arranged many boats and vehicles from Luoyang to Bianzhou. She will be able to properly transport supplies to the epidemic area and spread Lord Huo's benevolent heart to the outside world."

Zhang Dai, however, wouldn't let Wang Maozhong get away with it. Medicines for the prevention of diseases in large numbers of livestock were essential supplies that money couldn't buy; only officials and herdsmen could obtain them. Since he knew that Wang Maozhong had hoarded so many, he naturally wanted to find a way to extract them. After all, this guy had just righteously declared that he wasn't doing it for money.

Seeing that Wang Maozhong remained silent, he spoke again: "Lord Huo does not know me, and perhaps he has some doubts. Compared with the thousands of suffering people in Henan and Hebei, my slight grudge with your son is a trivial matter. Although it cannot be easily dismissed, I will never deliberately hinder Lord Huo from doing good deeds because of it."

"Lord Huo, you may entrust this matter to me. I will personally send people to properly deliver the supplies to the epidemic area and distribute them to the affected families. I hereby undertake this task in person before the Sage. If I fail in my duties, I am willing to accept punishment under the law and Lord Huo's private punishment!"

The sage then spoke up, saying, "Zhang Dai's righteousness and deeds are well-known. Although the two men are on bad terms because of their friendship, he did not delve into how Wang should be punished. Instead, he worried that the matter discussed the other day might not be accomplished. This shows his character. It is fine for Lord Huo to leave the matter to him. After all, the affairs of the North Gate and the inner city need to be rectified later!"

"Your subject obeys!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong was startled and realized that the matter was not yet over. He hurriedly bowed and kowtowed.

(End of this chapter)