Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 237 Eastbound
As evening fell, Ding Cang, accompanied by A Ying and several maids, arrived at the warehouse outside the city. Also present was Niu Gui'er, who had been ordered by Consort Wu Hui to search for the Kangsufang mansion.

Zhang Dai first invited Niu Guier into the room, and after they were all seated, he asked, "Is there something else that has bothered Consort Hui? Has Consort Hui instructed her servant Niu to relay this message?"

Upon hearing this, Niu Gui'er shook her head and smiled, saying, "Consort Hui has instructed her servant to tell Zhang Lang not to take this matter to heart. There are always various disturbances in the world, but if one maintains integrity, there is naturally no need to worry about them. Even if someone wants to cause trouble, they should first consider whether they have the power to act unreasonably!"

That's true. If you don't want to reason, then you have to compete in power. Of course, Zhang Dai's power is still inferior to Wang Maozhong's at the moment, so you have to be a little wary of whether this guy will become irritable and take his anger out on you.

After all, he had caused quite a bit of trouble just by making a few winks at the palace banquet a few days ago. Now, although Gao Chengxin did it, he was actually doing it in Zhang Dai's name. In the end, what would a eunuch like Gao Chengxin do to abduct someone's daughter?
But when Niu Guier recounted the subsequent events to Zhang Dai, and heard Consort Wu Hui suggest that Gao Lishi adopt Wang Rou Niang as his daughter, Zhang Dai couldn't help but laugh: "Who suggested this plan to Consort Hui?"

If the whole story were to be spread, even if Zhang Dai was unaware of it beforehand and did not actively seduce her, his reputation would not be very good. Some women of marriageable age would probably not allow him to visit their homes.

Now that Gao Lishi has accepted this adopted daughter, it serves two purposes: firstly, it keeps the hatred firmly in check, and secondly, it can somewhat preserve the reputations of the parties involved. Whether Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun are willing to accept this outcome is another matter, but at least for Zhang Dai, it can minimize the negative impact.

In this way, he would not have to bear any frivolous and dissolute reputation, and at the same time, he would avoid attracting the hatred of the Beimen family.

"After learning of the matter, Consort Hui immediately went to pay homage to the Emperor without discussing the matter with anyone else. This plan must have been her own idea."

Upon hearing this, Niu Gui'er chuckled and said, "Consort Hui is truly concerned about Zhang Lang's matter, but it seems difficult to handle things at the Duke of Bohai's residence. The Emperor summoned Lord Huo and Lord Geng to the palace to resolve the matter. Lord Huo even drew his sword to strike, but fortunately, the guards disarmed him. Lord Geng bluntly stated that the betrothal gifts were too expensive, and the matter could not be easily resolved..."

With just a few words, he painted a picture of chaos and turmoil. After listening, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly that Gao Lishi was truly having a run of bad luck. He then asked, "What happened to Gao Chengxin?"

"This man was audacious and reckless, and acted eccentrically. He was stripped of his official position and sent to the Western Garden as the Qingcheng Palace Envoy, thus avoiding direct retaliation from the two dukes."

Niu Guier said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Gao Chengxin, thanks to Gao Lishi's appreciation, can be said to be the fastest rising among the younger generation of eunuchs, but now he has suffered such a big setback."

Upon hearing about the punishment of Gao Chengxin, Zhang Dai realized that this guy had probably inadvertently catered to the emperor's wishes.

Otherwise, if they wanted to appease those two guys at the North Gate, the simplest approach would have been to hand Gao Chengxin over to them for punishment. While it appears he has been demoted, he has actually been spared.

It seems that the emperor was not happy about the marriage between Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun, but he had no reason to interfere in the matter before.

After all, as the emperor, he needs to be concerned with and deal with important national affairs. If he personally inquires about such trivial matters, it would be making a mountain out of a molehill and would make Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun suspicious. Is the emperor dissatisfied with the marriage between their two families, or is he dissatisfied with their two families?
Once suspicion and distrust arise between superiors and subordinates, the foundation of trust ceases to exist. If this relationship is not dealt with decisively, further delays will lead to serious problems.

Just as after the An Lushan Rebellion, throughout the Tang Dynasty, the relationship between the emperor and the general in charge of the army never reached a state of complete trust, and was always accompanied by various suspicions, tests, surveillance and forbearance.

"Consort Hui sent a servant to tell Zhang Lang that he can travel east with peace of mind and focus on his work, without worrying about the disturbances in the capital. Also, the money and goods mentioned earlier to help with the matter will be sent by a servant later."

Upon hearing Niu Guier's relay of Consort Hui's words, Zhang Dai quickly nodded in agreement. There was really nothing more to say. He would make sure to arrange the disaster relief work properly and beautifully during this trip eastward, and also erect several merit monuments for his aunt along the Yellow River!

His decision to send a letter to Consort Hui after the incident was simply a matter of habit, and he didn't have high hopes for it. However, he didn't expect his aunt to be so helpful, managing to completely clear him of any involvement.

He couldn't help but think to himself that if he didn't let his aunt experience the life of an empress for a few days before she died, it would be because he, her nephew, was incompetent!

After seeing Niu Guier off, Zhang Dai finally had time to summon Ding Cang and a few others to inquire whether his home had been harassed by the Northern Army. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The key issue is that there was too much personnel turmoil before, which made him a bit stressed, and he forgot that his family is actually very powerful.

Although his cronies in the court were purged again, it also gave his grandfather a sense of indifference and strength. That is, although there was no hope of returning to power, anyone who wanted to cause trouble in different ways would have to think twice before they could withstand the condemnation.

After all, the current personnel balance in the court is still very fragile. If one side manages to get Zhang Shuo, a seasoned veteran of the political arena, to help them, it will cause considerable trouble for the other side.

Including the current Northern Court and the inner court officials, they were undoubtedly the emperor's trusted henchmen, while Zhang Shuo was also a veteran minister who assisted in establishing the dynasty. In terms of their relationship with the emperor, they might not have been much more distant than the former. Moreover, Zhang Dai had a favored concubine who was adept at influencing the emperor's mind!
Of course, this is all under the premise of being rational enough. If someone gets angry and does something irrational, it is unpredictable.

After all, even Wang Maozhong probably didn't expect his daughter to have the audacity to elope, and Zhang Dai couldn't guarantee that Ge Fushun's son, who had previously questioned him about his affair with Wang's daughter, wouldn't be heartbroken and come after him. In short, leaving Luoyang to avoid the limelight was a good choice. "How long will you be gone, my lord? I came in a hurry, and I didn't bring many of my packed belongings. I'll have to arrange for them to be delivered later. They are all things you're used to using in your daily life."

Ah Ying rushed over to see him, but didn't have time to bring all the things she had prepared. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Ah Lang was alright, and then started planning what to bring for the trip.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai waved his hand and said, "Why be so particular? We'll have supplies along the way, so there's no need to waste resources transporting those unnecessary items. You can take Wanqing and the others home later. We'll be gone for a month or two, and return after summer."

"Huh? Ah Lang won't let me come along?"

Upon hearing this, Aying's face immediately fell, and she lowered her head, sulking: "Then why is Alang bringing along the courtesans from Chengfu Fang? Am I not as suitable as those courtesans in serving him?"

Seeing that the young woman was jealous, Zhang Dai waved the others away and then pulled Aying into his arms, saying gently, "How can you compare to others? You are my Aying!"

"I don't want you to go because the journey is arduous, and besides, I travel to and from places deeply affected by disasters, witnessing the miserable plight of families struggling to survive, while they themselves are well-fed and cared for. I can't bear to observe the suffering of others any further. If I only observe briefly, how can I know how to properly help people?"

“My husband is suffering outside, and I am also suffering at home... So let me stay with him and not disturb him while he is doing his work.”

Ah Ying pressed her cheek against Zhang Dai's chest, still stubbornly pleading, "How can the master suffer while the servant enjoys himself at home! I dare not interfere when my lord goes to the brothel, but now that my lord is traveling, if I do not accompany him to serve him, what use is this servant? Besides, what right do those courtesans have..."

“If you want to endure hardship, you don’t have to come with me. You can stay home and take good care of the mulberry groves and orchards in the village south of the city; they are all our family property. As for Yingnu who is with me, it’s because of her background. She is originally from Caozhou and was kidnapped and sold by merchants when she was young. Now that I am going to her hometown, we are still close relatives, so I’m taking her back with me.”

Even the most magnanimous woman is not immune to jealousy. When Zhang Dai heard that the young lady was still troubled by this matter, he gently offered a brief explanation.

“My lord forbids me to go with you, but tonight, but tonight you must not send me away. I will go by myself tomorrow morning.”

As Aying spoke, her eyes gradually became hazy. With a twist of her slender waist, she straddled Zhang Dai and pounced forward, pinning him to the couch.

Zhang Dai didn't even have time for dinner. He woke up hungry the next morning and turned to look around, only to find that A-Ying was nowhere to be seen.

He got up, put on his clothes, and went outside. There he saw the young woman with a stern face giving instructions on one thing after another. Yingnu, dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), sat opposite him with a tense expression, carefully writing down the instructions given by Aying.

Zhang Dai leaned closer to look and found that the records contained his daily routines, eating habits, and other preferences. Some of these were things he himself hadn't even realized he'd seen, yet Aying had observed and summarized them in such detail.

He sat down next to Aying, reached out to help lift the young woman's long, flowing hair, and smiled, "Are you hungry? Eat first. After breakfast, we'll head back to the city. Don't stay here and cry your eyes out later."

"Alang..."

Upon hearing this, the young woman couldn't hold back anymore and threw herself into Zhang Dai's arms, bursting into tears. Then, with tearful eyes, she instructed Yingnu, "You must take good care of Ah Lang on this journey. If you don't serve him properly, I'll always find out and punish you!"

"This servant will serve my master wholeheartedly and will never slacken. Please rest assured, Madam Ying!"

Upon hearing this, Yingnu hurriedly lowered her head in agreement, but looking at the two of them cuddling intimately, she couldn't help but reveal a look of envy.

After breakfast, Zhang Dai saw off Ding Cang, A Ying, and the others, and then took stock of all the goods with his subordinates.

Right now, there is a shortage of everything in the disaster area, but considering the limited transportation capacity, they can only make selective arrangements for transportation.

First and foremost were various medicines for epidemic prevention, and secondly, money and silk. In addition to the various expenses already incurred, Zhang Dai prepared a full 50,000 strings of cash and silk to purchase supplies or distribute relief along the way.

By afternoon, all thirteen successful candidates of this year's examination had arrived, and the boats and carriages had already been loaded. There were more than seven hundred porters and more than two hundred carriages. In addition, there were several hundred boats and several hundred people traveling by water, and the procession of more than a thousand people set off in a grand manner.

(End of this chapter)