Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 238 The Refined Cui Wei Tu

Traveling eastward from Luoyang for several days, we arrived in Zhengzhou.

"Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother, we are here!"

Dust swirled on the road. Zhang Dai, still in the group, rode his horse along, observing the scenery around him with his companions, including Wang Changling. Suddenly, they heard shouts coming from the hill to their side.

When he looked in the direction of the sound, he couldn't see anything clearly because of the sand and dust. It wasn't until the other person rode up to him that he saw that it was the same person who had accompanied his father to Zhengzhou to take up his post. So he smiled and said, "Thank you for waiting."

"How dare I! Since receiving the letter, my lord has been sending servants to wait for us in the border region every day, hoping to see Liu Lang as soon as possible!"

Several family members stepped forward to bow to Zhang Dai. Accompanying them were two men in official robes, who each stepped forward, clasped their hands, and said, "We are honored to serve as military advisors in the prefecture. We were delighted to hear that Zhang Dai's virtuous son, Zhang Zhuangtou, was coming to the prefecture to visit relatives, so we took the liberty of coming here to welcome him! We have long heard of Zhang Zhuangtou's talent and reputation, and now that we have met him, we can see that his reputation is truly well-deserved!"

Zhang Dai also dismounted and bowed to the two men in return, saying, "So, the reason I have received such high praise from you two is probably because of the outstanding demeanor of my fellow travelers and contemporaries, which has influenced me greatly!"

Upon hearing this, the two military advisors also greeted the people behind them one by one. Wang Changling and the others returned the greetings and thanked them for welcoming them.

Although the military advisors of various prefectures were the lowest-ranking officials in the prefecture, and the two of them even came to the prefecture border to welcome them along with Zhang's servants, it seemed that their status was not high.

However, no one dared to underestimate them. They were polite to Zhang Dai because of his family background, and the fact that his father was a senior official in the prefecture, making Zhang Dai one of the officials' sons. But if it came to official rank, even if he were to be appointed this autumn, he might not necessarily be able to hold a higher position than them.

As one of the six powerful prefectures, Zhengzhou had four military advisors in its prefecture, who were officials of the ninth rank or higher, and senior officials were even of the eighth rank or lower.

However, these Jinshi graduates, if they were not serving as senior officials in the court, would usually only be county magistrates in various counties. Even if they were county magistrates in the capital region, they would only be of the lower ninth rank and would need to go through a selection process to be promoted to the rank of military advisor in a prefecture.

Zhang Dai's party of several hundred people, along with a large amount of goods, naturally did not travel very fast. Even at full speed, it would still take more than half a day to travel from the border of the prefecture to the prefectural city.

Because his father, Zhang Jun, had already prepared a banquet in the prefecture and invited the prefecture's celebrities to join him, Zhang Dai couldn't help but feel a headache when he heard about such a grand affair. He could only separate from the group and ride quickly to the prefecture city with his fellow young men. As for the cargo transport team, he asked two prefecture military advisors to guide and manage it.

Even so, by the time the group arrived in the city, it was already evening. After entering the city, Zhang Dai and his party had no time to linger and were immediately led to the residence prepared for his father by the prefectural government.

Although his family kept saying how happy his father was after hearing that Zhang Dai had passed the imperial examination, Zhang Dai didn't see his father at all when he entered the house. He wasn't surprised, as the man was probably sitting in the main hall putting on airs.

Sure enough, as he stepped into the hall, he saw Zhang Jun, dressed in fine clothes, sitting in the host's seat, along with several other guests.

Suppressing his unease, Zhang Dai stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am slow in my steps, which has caused my father to wait. I am truly unfilial! A day apart feels like three autumns, and an autumn apart feels like a lifetime. Please come before the table and pour wine and share some roasted meat with my father!"

"You foolish child's attachment to his father is truly laughable to our guests! You have just entered the literary arena and have already topped the spring examination, your name is known throughout the land. You are no longer foolish. Why don't you come and pay your respects to Prefect Cui and the worthy men of the prefectures!"

Seeing how adept this young man was at handling things, Zhang Jun immediately stroked his beard and laughed heartily, his mouth almost reaching his ears. Then, with a helpless expression, he said to the guests at the table, "Please forgive my rudeness. When I left the capital to take up my post, this boy cried mournfully at Luopu, holding onto his reins and refusing to go. He actually wanted to go with his father to his post and skip the provincial examination. After a stern reprimand, he was forced to stay at home. As soon as the results of the spring examination were announced, he hurriedly went to the prefecture again."

Even though Zhang Dai knew what kind of person his father was, he couldn't stand hearing him lie through his teeth: Should we find out which bastard was the one who cried out in sorrow and resentment at Luopu that day?

"The bond between father and son is deep, a testament to the natural order of human relationships. Prefect Zhang's exemplary character has brought forth a family of outstanding individuals. His son, not yet twenty, has already achieved remarkable success in the imperial examinations, truly the envy of his contemporaries!"

The other people in the state were unaware of the actual state of the father and son. At this moment, they only saw the deep affection between father and son, and naturally they couldn't help but admire them. Their eyes were also full of envy when they looked at Zhang Jun.

There's nothing we can do about it; this guy is just too lucky. Not only does he have a father who is a literary master, but even his teenage son became the top scholar in the imperial examination. How many people in the world can be like that?

Zhang Jun had been staying at home for several days, waiting for this moment. Now, listening to the praises from the guests, his eyebrows almost floated to the top of his head.

It wasn't until Zhang Dai couldn't help but ask that he introduced the guests to Zhang Dai.

The middle-aged man sitting with Zhang Jun at the host's table was Cui Shang, the prefect of Zhengzhou, the same Cui who was mentioned in Du Fu's poem "The learned Cui and Wei, who think I am like Ban Gu and Yang Guifei." "A few days ago, Du Shenyan's son brought his family through the area and visited the government. One of his sons was a very spirited young man who boasted about the affairs of the capital region and praised Zhang Liulang."

A few days later, the spring examination results were released, and Zhang Zongzhi was prominently listed at the top, fulfilling the earlier prediction. Having worked with Prefect Zhang for a long time, I had never heard him mention his family affairs. This clearly shows that Zhang Yan's family is full of exceptional talents; what was once considered an ordinary young disciple has now become a sensation!

Cui Shang looked at Zhang Dai, who was bowing before him, with admiration in his eyes and praise in his mouth.

Zhang Jun first glanced at the boy secretly, then laughed and said, "What we discussed with the magistrate were all important matters concerning the administration of the people. Why talk about this boy? If it weren't for the fact that the selection committee favored him and promoted him to the top of the list, he would have been hard to hide. I don't want to say more, lest I encourage his arrogance."

Zhang Dai was too lazy to pay attention to his father's boasting. Only after hearing Cui Shang's words did he realize why he hadn't seen Du Fu in Luoyang before or after the provincial examination. It turned out that he had been traveling around with his father.

To prevent his father from continuing to use him as a tool for boasting, Zhang Dai, after meeting all the guests at the banquet, quickly introduced his fellow students to everyone present.

However, the social scene for adults is a naked arena of fame and fortune. These thirteen people were able to pass the imperial examination in the spring, so they were naturally considered the darlings of this year's examinations. However, they did not receive much attention at this banquet in the prefecture.

Even Wang Changling, whose poetic reputation was already quite established, didn't receive much attention. On the contrary, Li Yi and Du Wei, the top scholars of the Imperial Academy, and Yang Jian, a member of the Hongnong Yang clan, received some preferential treatment because of their family backgrounds. However, this is not enough to show how much importance was placed on aristocratic families; it was mainly used as a status symbol.

During the unprecedented prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, people from all walks of life and regions moved and interacted more frequently, making it easier for certain special labels to establish a sense of identity in social situations.

Therefore, the Tang Dynasty's emphasis on family background stemmed from a social need, not from using it as a criterion for resource allocation. When meeting, people would inquire about each other's family history: "You're from Longxi, I'm from Fanyang, we're both powerful. If you shortchange me even a copper coin in a business deal, I'll slap you across the face!"
The banquet was actually quite uninteresting. Zhang Dai and his men had traveled a long way on horseback and were already exhausted. As for the guests from within the state, they had initially been somewhat enthusiastic after Zhang Jun's initial boasting, but with the banquet going on all night, how could anyone maintain any interest?
So after Zhang Dai earnestly advised his father to cherish his health and not to overindulge in drinking, the guests tactfully got up to take their leave. Although Zhang Jun's residence was quite spacious, he had many people and couldn't accommodate all his fellow graduates, so he first arranged for them to stay at the prefectural government's villa.

After the guests left, Zhang Jun's demeanor was no longer as unrestrained and arrogant as before. After looking Zhang Dai up and down, he smiled and said, "Now that you have passed the imperial examination, you realize that the strict discipline you received in the past was not in vain, right?"

In the past, when your grandfather was demoted to Yueyang, I also bravely took the imperial examination, but unfortunately, due to family circumstances, I was unable to achieve the highest score. Now, my son has fulfilled his long-cherished wish, and I am greatly gratified!

Zhang Jun was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era. He was quite learned, but to say that he failed to become the top scholar because of his family's influence would be a bit of a lie.

In the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era, Yao Chong's favor with the emperor waned, and he was dismissed from his post as prime minister that year. Therefore, he could not have completely blocked the Zhang family. Zhang Jun's statement was purely self-aggrandizement.

However, Zhang Dai knew his father's character and was too lazy to argue with him. After sitting back down, he said to Zhang Jun, "Zhang Yi, Li Guang and others have reported on the recent events. Father has been of great help."

"If it weren't for Father's great help, many things would not have progressed smoothly. This trip to the state is also to sincerely thank Father. If many lives are saved because of this, it will all be due to the merit of my father and me!"

This wasn't just polite talk. Although Zhang Jun was disliked no matter how you looked at him while he was in the court, he was surprisingly useful after he entered the prefecture. He made good use of the government's resources in Zhengzhou, and the mobilization of personnel was quite convenient.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun paused for a moment, then waved his hand somewhat shyly, saying, "Why talk about such things between father and son! Your grandfather is fond of being a strict father, praising few and scolding many. Even if I have any talent or ability, I'm too lazy to tell him. My son knows me..."

Zhang Dai couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this. He shouldn't have given this guy such a nice look!

Having received affirmation from his son, Zhang Jun still looked unsatisfied and continued, "I was so busy receiving guests that I forgot to call the servants to pay their respects to my son! Please wait a moment, and let all the servants, both inside and outside the palace, witness my son's stunning brilliance in Luoyang!"

This guy is very snobbish. He had been cold to Zhang Dai before, but now that his son has brought him enviable glory, he has become extremely enthusiastic. Even though Zhang Dai repeatedly said that he didn't need it, he still loudly summoned all the servants to the courtyard and made them enter the hall one by one to pay their respects to Zhang Dai, as if he were about to let Zhang Dai inherit the family business.

Zhang Dai knew most of Zhang Jun's family members who had accompanied him to the prefecture, but he soon noticed several unfamiliar faces in the group, especially the women at the front of the line, whom he had never seen before. He couldn't help but point and ask, "What's going on here?"

Zhang Jun rubbed his hands shyly, then smiled and said, "The people of this prefecture are so hospitable, it would be impolite to refuse. You only need to know about what happened here; don't say too much when you get back, lest your family worry about you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately understood. He had noticed the few gray hairs at Zhang Jun's temples and lamented how tough his days in exile were. But judging from this, it was no hardship at all. This guy was clearly enjoying himself and had forgotten all about home, still thinking he was a young man!

(End of this chapter)