Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 216 Catching a Sheep Under the List
Throughout the day's banquet, words of praise and compliments were heard incessantly. Zhang Dai, as the protagonist, fully appreciated the beauty of language, making him feel ethereal and carefree.

As evening approached, some guests began to leave, and Zhang Dai was seen off repeatedly, sweating profusely from the back and forth. His initial drowsiness from drinking also sobered him up considerably.

The banquet in the main hall continued. Zhang Shuo had been entertaining guests all day and was now a little tired. He instructed his disciples to continue entertaining the guests and then gestured for Zhang Dai to help him to the back hall.

"Zheng Yao, who is present at the banquet today, was once a servant of Prince Qi. He greatly admires you and seems to be considering you as his son-in-law. He is a cousin of Prince Consort Zheng, and his family is known for its dignified and respectable character. If you are interested, your family can arrange the marriage immediately."

Although Zhang was somewhat drunk, he was still relatively clear-headed. After returning to the back room and sitting down, he drank a cup of buttermilk to moisten his throat, and then squinted at Zhang Dai and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was taken aback at first. After a moment's thought, he remembered that this Zheng Yao was the thin, listless old man who had been sitting in the hall earlier. He looked older than his grandfather, but unexpectedly, he had taken a liking to him and wanted to find a son-in-law.

"This Prefect Zheng has the demeanor of a pine tree and crane, and his family even has a woman of marriageable age to marry me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang laughed and said, "Old trees bearing abundant fruit, new branches sprouting—what's so special about that? The Zheng family has a distinguished reputation; a marriage alliance with them would be of great benefit to you."

Zhang Dai quickly shook his head: "My two uncles are still unmarried. I am only newly born and have not yet received any salary. I still have to beg for food at my doorstep. How can I have the strength to marry and start a family!"

He wasn't particularly keen on marrying into powerful families. Marriage was always a major life event, and aside from the element of lust, there had to be something to gain.

Zhang Dai's view on choosing a spouse was not utilitarian, but rather a reflection of the fact that the more complex one's social identity, the more factors need to be considered.

Zheng Yao's desire to make him his son-in-law was clearly not solely based on his unparalleled good looks; he undoubtedly also valued his family background and potential. Especially the latter—a young scholar who had won the emperor's favor, who wouldn't be envious?

But what could a marriage alliance with the Zheng family of Xingyang bring Zhang Dai? Did he expect the imperial son-in-law Zheng Wanjun to promote him? He himself didn't even want to be the imperial son-in-law!
He himself was a rising political star, and the marriage alliance with the five families brought him no benefits other than being tainted by their bloated and complicated interpersonal relationships.

While the five families could certainly be considered evergreen figures in the political arena, outstanding clan members were as rare as gold in dung compared to their vast clan population. And the assets they possessed were utterly worthless in Zhang Dai's eyes.

To put it simply, Zhang Shuo, as a representative of the newly emerging families of the Tang Dynasty, had a network of connections that far surpassed the kinship networks of the Five Families in terms of quality.

As an emerging force with little foundation, Zhang Shuo inevitably had to adopt new standards that better aligned with the times to get to know and win over the elite. From the Wu Zhou era onwards, Zhang Shuo consistently stood at the forefront of the times, and his friends and enemies were all elites of that era.

In contrast, the five clans possess deep-rooted traditions and abundant resources. They prioritize stability and moderation in their actions, allowing their members to progress steadily. They can also attract talented individuals through marriage alliances to share in the fruits of their labor. A stagnant pool, stinking and foul, is no different from willingly walking into a leech's nest by arranging a marriage with them.

Especially in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, with unified government and a thriving society, the five families, apart from their name, are still considered established entities. Their other so-called political resources and cultural advantages have been shattered in the increasingly broad social competition.

“Zhang Shuo’s grandson, are you still worried about not being able to support your family? The villa in Huixunfang has burned down and is difficult to live in. There is still a vacant house in Jidefang, with some accumulated items inside, which you can use for expenses related to socializing and traveling.”

Zhang Shuo waved his hand magnanimously, but unlike Zhang Dai, he was not indifferent to this matter. After a moment's thought, he added, "There's no need to refuse outright. We should leave some room for future discussion. Although you are still young, there aren't many suitable families in the city."

Zhang Dai knew that his grandfather had a strong desire to befriend Lao Qian, so he didn't say anything more about it. Instead, he was more delighted that the old man was finally going to make a fortune.

Zhang said this and then yawned, waving his hand to signal Zhang Dai to go to the front hall to continue the banquet, while he himself went back to his quarters to rest.

The Zhang family's banquet lasted for three whole days, and the cost of the food alone amounted to several thousand strings of cash. Not only were the members of the Zhang family all greasy-faced, but even the people of Kangsufang had gained a lot of weight.

However, Zhang Dai did not stay at home to entertain guests. The announcement of the results also meant a new beginning. Celebrations for successful candidates, such as inscribing their names on the Wild Goose Pagoda and holding banquets at Qujiang, were naturally absent in Luoyang.

However, the successful candidates still had many formalities to follow, such as thanking their patrons and then being led by their patrons to pay their respects to the prime minister.

However, Zhang Dai and his group faced a rather awkward situation: their original supervisor, Yan Tingzhi, was still detained and under investigation. Although there were four proctors for the re-examination, including Cui Mian and Yao Yi, these individuals could not be considered their supervisors.

Firstly, these men held high positions and wielded great power, so they might not be willing to pay attention to these successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Secondly, Zhang Dai was also quite unhappy with these people and was unwilling to consider himself their disciple.

Although the relationship between a master and his disciples is not as close and profound as it would be in later generations, it is still extraordinary. Once a master kowtows, this relationship is not easily severed. "Recently, Cui Mian interfered in the provincial examination with the intention of establishing his authority, but the situation spiraled out of control, greatly embarrassing him. If he continues to investigate, Yan Tingzhi will probably not get away easily, and your examinations will likely face further complications."

While it was certainly gratifying that Zhang Dai achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, there was still a lingering issue. So, amidst his joy, Zhang Shuo didn't forget to remind Zhang Dai to avoid turning his happiness into sorrow.

To prevent the court officials from making any unforeseen decisions, Zhang Dai sent out invitations two days later to his fellow graduates to gather and discuss what to do next.

The family's banquet was still ongoing, and relatives and friends continued to come to offer their congratulations. Zhang Dai decided to hold the gathering at his farm in the south of the city.

On the day of the gathering, he first waited for the arrival of his fellow graduates at his mansion in Kangsufang, and then they went out of the city together to the farm.

"Congratulations to Zhang Bixian on passing the imperial examination with top honors! You are the envy of your peers!"

The first to arrive was Li Yi. Apart from those candidates who were rejected in the re-examination, the biggest victim was none other than this guy.

Because after the essay exam, Li Yi was placed at the top of the list by Yan Tingzhi, whose admiration for him was obvious. If nothing unexpected happens, this guy will probably be the top scholar this time.

However, Li Yi's performance in the re-examination was greatly affected, and he ultimately ranked seventh. Although he was accepted, he was undoubtedly far inferior to the top scholar. When he arrived at the Zhang family and saw the gilded invitation still posted in the hall, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Although he was disappointed, he didn't harbor any resentment towards Zhang Dai, since Zhang Dai's exceptional performance in the final match was undeniable.

Moreover, it is said that the order of the list of successful candidates in this provincial examination was decided by the prime minister himself. The two prime ministers, Li Yuanhong and Du Xian, unusually did not argue and unanimously agreed to select Zhang Dai as the top candidate in the first-class examination. Zhang Dai was the only candidate in the first-class examination this time.

Zhang Dai knew that his title of first in the imperial examination was indeed somewhat dubious, but he did not become arrogant because of it. Instead, he personally stood in front of the gate to welcome everyone. After all thirteen people had gathered, they headed south of the city together.

When they met again a few days later, all the successful candidates had become rounder than before, obviously indulging in food and drink after the exam and celebrating after the results were announced.

At this point, everyone couldn't help but complain: "Zhang Zhuangtou has a lot of family affairs to attend to, and he has hired all the banquet troupes in the South Market, which has made it cost several strings of cash more to prepare a banquet in the capital than before!"

Although these people were not as numerous and powerful as the Zhang family, and some were even just lone guests in Luoyang, they still needed to prepare a banquet to celebrate after passing the imperial examination. As a result, the Zhang family hired all the chefs who would prepare the banquet, and the remaining chefs raised their prices on the spot, causing these penniless scholars to suffer greatly.

"You should all be glad that you took the exam in the Eastern Capital this time. If you had taken it in Chang'an, the expenses would have been much higher! After the final exam in the twelfth year of the Kaiyuan era, all the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were kidnapped by the Jinshi group and held a banquet at Qujiang, where each person spent more than a hundred strings of cash per meal. One of the Jinshi, Cai Xizhou, had no money left, and his family was too busy to redeem him. He copied books for more than two months before he was able to redeem himself..."

When Du Wei, a resident of Chang'an, recounted what had happened after the imperial examinations in Chang'an, everyone was astonished: "What kind of background does this group of successful candidates have that they dared to kidnap newly selected candidates?"

Zhang Dai was initially embarrassed when he heard the crowd's complaints, but upon hearing what Du Wei said, he became very curious and quickly rode forward to listen.

"The Jinshi group consisted of vagrants and layabouts from the streets of Chang'an who attached themselves to the Jinshi to extort money from them. Upon the Jinshi's arrival in the capital, they were provided with lodging, escorted and entertained in the streets, circulated the announcements after the examinations, and hosted banquets after the final examinations..."

Zhang Dai had initially thought the Jinshi Group was a group composed of Jinshi graduates, but upon hearing this, he realized it was a group providing services to them. They offered everything from renting houses and acting as tour guides to organizing banquets, covering all aspects of their lives – food, clothing, lodging, and transportation. Their services were truly comprehensive.

But as the saying goes, those who offer unsolicited favors are either up to no good or are thieves. Sure enough, Du Wei then said, "Those who are selected for the imperial examinations have spent a great deal of money. The expenses of the Qujiang Banquet alone almost bankrupted them..."

Zhang Dai had naturally heard of the Qujiang Banquet, which was mostly associated with the romantic and carefree lives of the successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Now, listening to Du Wei's account, he learned that behind this elegant and joyful atmosphere lay the exploitation and oppression of the successful candidates.

“These societies often have the chief clerk of the Secretariat, the chief examiner of the Ministry of Personnel, and the clerk of the Jingzhao Prefecture as their leaders, and recruit the henchmen of the North Gate and the Five Workshops as their henchmen. Therefore, even if the newly promoted scholars suffer greatly, they dare not complain to the government.”

Upon hearing that if one were to take the imperial examination in Chang'an and finally pass with flying colors, one would still have to endure such interpersonal difficulties, everyone sighed with regret. They stopped complaining about the high cost of the examination hall and instead rejoiced that they were taking the exam in Luoyang, thus avoiding the misfortune of being caught after the list of successful candidates was released.

(End of this chapter)