Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 207 Prince Shou Delivers Meals
Not to mention Zhang Dai, who was imprisoned in the Censorate to prepare for the re-examination of miscellaneous essays, Ding Qing, under the orders of the emperor, ran eastward and successfully escaped Xuanren Gate, mainly because no one chased after him.

After running out of the East City, he was filled with panic and confusion. His family thought that Ah Lang would not leave the examination hall until at least evening, so he was left alone here.

He wanted to go home and report the news first, but fearing that the journey was too far and would delay the rescue of Ah Lang, he decided to turn back and head north to Daoguang Lane. He had been following Zhang Dai around and was familiar with his connections, so he went to Gao Chengxin's house in Daoguang Lane to ask for help.

Gao Chengxin was on duty in the palace today and was not at home. Fortunately, his servant knew Ding Qing, so he first led the panting boy into the front courtyard, and then hurriedly went to inform his wife.

Before long, Gao Chengxin's wife, Gong Wu Niangzi, hurriedly walked in. Before she could speak, Ding Qing knelt down in front of her and pleaded, "Please, Madam, please send your family to inform Supervisor Gao immediately and ask him to rescue my husband!"

My son's strategy in the provincial examination today was brilliant; he left the examination hall first, but was arrested by officials from the Ministry of Personnel with their troops! My son has always been like a brother to Supervisor Gao, and we would entrust our lives to each other. He told me to inform Supervisor Gao if I am in trouble, and Supervisor Gao will definitely do everything in his power to save me..."

"This, this... Ding, please speak slowly. What exactly is going on? How could Zhang Lang be arrested by the Ministry of Personnel while taking the exam?"

Gong Wu Niangzi was also completely confused and quickly asked again.

“I can’t explain it clearly in a short time. I only heard that the judge in the Ministry of Personnel, Cui, had a bad relationship with my old master and the Duke of Bohai. At that time, the situation was urgent and my master did not have time to give detailed instructions. He just sent me to tell you.”

Having followed Alang for a long time, Ding Qing also developed some cunning ideas. Knowing that Gao Chengxin might not be enthusiastic about his own affairs, he simply dragged Gao Lishi into it as well.

As expected, upon hearing this, Lady Gong changed her mind and quickly asked again, "Did your husband give any instructions on how to rescue him?"

“Madam, you only need to inform Supervisor Gao, who will handle the matter accordingly. There is also Lord Guo and Consort Hui in the palace. I don’t have time to inform them all, and I must go home immediately to report the matter. Please send someone to inform them, Madam, and I will go home to report the change now!”

He quickly counted all the connections he could think of and asked Madam Gong to send someone to inform them. Then he hurriedly left the Gao family, borrowed a horse, and galloped back to the Kangsufang mansion.

"Quickly, quickly pack up your belongings and weapons! Ah Lang has been ambushed again in the capital province!"

Upon returning home, Ding Qing immediately called out.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the mansion changed their expressions drastically. Zhang Gu, the head of the mansion, stopped Ding Qing from shouting and led him into the hall to ask him questions. Then he quickly arranged for several capable family members to either go to the Eastern City Ministry of Rites or to the Imperial City to find someone to inform their lord, Zhang Shuo, and not to take any rash actions before the situation was clear.

"It must be Wang Maozhong again! He failed to harm my brother last time, and this time he's resorting to evil tricks again! Everyone, come with me to teach his son a lesson and avenge my brother!"

Because of the previous incident, Zhang Yu had improved his relationship with his elder brother and was full of brotherly loyalty. When he heard that his elder brother was being harassed again, he immediately glared and shouted angrily.

Upon hearing this, the other members of the Zhang family were also filled with righteous indignation, and they rushed towards the stables with sticks in hand.

"What...what are you going to do?"

Wang Shouzhen was squatting behind the gate of the courtyard, listening to the commotion in the front hall, when he unexpectedly saw the Zhang family members coming towards him aggressively.

"You scoundrel, is it you who used your treacherous schemes to harm my brother again!"

Zhang Yu pointed at Wang Shouzhen, who looked terrified, and roared.

Upon seeing this, Wang Shouzhen was terrified and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "You, Qilang, have made a mistake. I, Ye Quan, am at the North Gate and have no jurisdiction over matters in the South Office!"

"You can't escape responsibility, get them!"

A group of Zhang family members ignored all that and started hitting Wang Shouzhen with sticks and fists.

No misunderstandings arose in the capital due to Ding Qing's efforts, since the prime ministers had made the decision to re-examine the miscellaneous essays in court that morning and presented it to the emperor. Zhang Yue from Jixian Academy also learned of this.

"The path to fame and fortune for young men is truly fraught with difficulties!"

Upon learning of this situation, Zhang was both amused and exasperated. He had thought the provincial examination would end smoothly, but it had been disrupted again due to the manipulation of unscrupulous merchants.

Although his cronies had been suppressed again recently, he still retained some basic information and soon learned that in addition to Cui Mian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the examiners for this re-examination included Song Yao, the Censor-in-Chief, Yao Yi, the Secretary of the Secretariat, and Wu Gong, the Supervising Secretary of the Chancellery.

"I fear my grandson is now being held hostage by these scoundrels!"

Upon learning of this list, Zhang said he became increasingly agitated.

Seeing Zhang Shuo's worried expression and restlessness, Xu Jian, who was also on duty at Jixian Academy, comforted him, saying, "Zhang Dai is talented and insightful, as everyone can see. Although Cui Sanqi and others may have different tastes from Yan Gong, they are generally fair and just. Moreover, now that they are jointly supervising the Censorate and the provinces, how could they abandon their reputation for integrity for the sake of one person's choice?"

"Xu Yuangu, a refined scholar, underestimates the deep cunning and wickedness of those in power. My grandson may have talent, but he is merely a scholar in plain clothes, subject to the judgment of others. Moreover, the examination texts are already heavily regulated and full of clichés; how many essays can truly be considered the law? What kind of virtuous talent would not be rejected?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo sighed deeply. Once people have a stance, what fairness can there be? It's nothing more than a powerful voice that prevents people from scrutinizing the details.

Even a prime minister like him can be replaced so easily, so what divine law did those examiners break by not admitting his grandson to the examination? Aren't there plenty of disillusioned scholars and down-on-their-luck candidates in this world? What trouble can they possibly cause?
Of course, Zhang said he didn't know that a man named Huang Chao would appear more than a hundred years later, but the thought of his grandson being innocently dragged into such human affairs still made him feel uneasy.

Seeing his old friend's expression, Xu Jian pondered for a moment and then said, "If Duke Yan really cannot take this calmly, he should write to Wu Shaowei and ask him to act uprightly and not to bury the young talent in a roundabout way."

He said that Wu Shaowei was Wu Gong, a censor in the Secretariat. Wu Shaowei, Fu Jiamo and others were also well-known literati of the time. They had a slight relationship with Zhang Yue, but they did not have any common political interests.

However, compared to other people with whom he clearly didn't get along, Wu Gong, the censor, was someone who could still be won over. As Xu Jian said, even if he couldn't get protection, as long as Wu Gong was willing to act uprightly and allow his grandson to perform normally without being swayed by personal relationships, that would be quite good.

Although it was somewhat difficult for Zhang Shuo to ask such a junior in politics for help, he disregarded his pride when he thought that Zhang Dai might be subjected to difficulties. He immediately picked up his pen and wrote a short letter, and attached a poem he had exchanged with his father, Wu Shaowei, at the end of the letter. Then he instructed the clerk to send it to the Secretariat as soon as possible.

At the Censorate, the examinees shouted for a while, but no one came to arrange food for them. The hungry crowd looked at Zhang Dai with resentment.

Zhang Dai never expected the Censorate to be so stingy, not even providing meals.

He walked to the corridor and looked out at the layout of the Censorate. He saw that the setting sun had become somewhat cold and gloomy, and he couldn't help but sigh that the Censorate was a truly eerie place with too much yin energy.

Especially during the reign of Emperor Wu, cruel officials ran rampant, and countless wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice were fabricated in the Censorate of Luoyang Palace, making it a place with a sinister atmosphere. Only a person like Zhang Dai, with his upright character, could withstand the intimidating aura of the Censorate. Last time he came, he even took down a Vice Censor-in-Chief.

To put it more broadly, the dismissal of the recently retired Imperial Censor Cui Yinfu and another Vice Imperial Censor Yuwen Rong was also related to him to some extent. The three top officials of the Censorate who took down Zhang Shuo last year have all fallen at Zhang Dai's hands, either directly or indirectly.

As everyone waited, more and more candidates were brought here. Most of them looked anxious and nervous. After all, most of them were just ordinary people taking the imperial examinations. How many heroes like Zhang Dai had seen great things?

As dusk approached, all the candidates who had participated in today's examination were transferred to the Censorate, where Cui Mian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, solemnly announced the reason for the upcoming re-examination of miscellaneous essays.

"You disciples must remember this well, especially as a warning from the past: before the re-examination is over, you are not allowed to contact any outsiders..."

Cui Mian was announcing the regulations in a stern tone when, just as the ceremony was beginning, an official from the Censorate rushed into the hall, clasped his hands in greeting to Cui Mian, and said, "Reporting to Cui Sanqi, Prince Shou has entered the yamen to request an audience with the tribute student Zhang Dai."

Upon hearing this, Cui Mian's expression froze for a moment, then he glared at Zhang Dai and asked, "What brings Prince Shou here to request an audience?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai shook his head, "How the hell would I know?" Seeing Cui Mian's furrowed brows, he continued, "I simply do not know why Prince Shou has come to see me. But if you, Cui Sanqi, have any doubts about the matter of the handover, I am willing to go with you to hear the Prince's instructions."

"I'll go instead."

Seeing Cui Mian's unfriendly expression, Song Yao, the Imperial Censor who was also standing in the hall, immediately spoke up, saying that the Censorate had just undergone a decapitation operation and he dared not arrogantly refuse to let the princes and nobles into the hall.

Upon hearing this, Cui Mian nodded and waved for the two to go out of the hall to greet Prince Shou, while he continued to give a stern lecture.

Zhang Dai and Song Yao hurriedly arrived at the gate of the Censorate and saw the young Prince Shou, Li Qing, surrounded by several eunuchs and palace maids. They quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Please excuse the formalities, Vice Minister Song. I have no official business to attend to today, but only a personal matter."

Prince Shou first exchanged greetings and conversations with Song Yao with meticulous care, then turned to Zhang Dai and said, "Gao Chengxin, the Director of the Imperial Household Department, informed me that my cousin's provincial examination has been disrupted and he still needs to stay at the yamen for a re-examination. My mother is also worried about this, but she knows that my cousin is indeed very talented and is not afraid of slanderous attacks. She is only afraid that my cousin's diet is not right, or that he will not be able to write his essays in peace. Therefore, she sent me here to deliver his meal!"

After saying this, he gestured to the eunuch behind him to bring up a food box.

Zhang Dai knew that Consort Hui had sent Prince Shou to deliver the meal to support him, so he quickly accepted the food box with both hands and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Consort Hui, and thank you for your gift, Your Majesty. I will definitely study hard for the exam and strive to achieve fame and success to repay this kindness!"

Song Yao stood to the side with her head down, listening to the conversation between the two, and then glanced at the food box in Zhang Dai's hand, her eyes flickering.

Zhang Dai took the food box and found it quite heavy. A thought struck him, and he turned to Prince Shou and said, "I am fortunate to receive this favor, which allows me to eat well and concentrate on the examination. However, the students in the Censorate are still hungry and struggling to think. I humbly request Your Majesty to speak on behalf of all the candidates and ask Vice Minister Song for food."

"This...this...may I ask you, Vice Minister Song, is what my cousin said acceptable?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Shou looked at Song Yao and asked.

Upon hearing this, Song Yao immediately became solemn and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty's instruction is benevolent and compassionate to scholars; how could I dare disobey!"

(End of this chapter)