Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 261 Private Visit on Weibo
The imperial court dispatched two envoys to Henan this time: Gao Lishi and Pei Zhouxian, the newly appointed Henan Provincial Commissioner for Promotion and Demotion. The two represented the inner court and the outer court, respectively.

When Zhang Dai came south from Liyang, both groups of people arrived at Guancheng Post Station in Zhengzhou.

"This humble one, Zhang Dai, greets the Duke of Bohai!"

Upon arriving at Guancheng Post Station, Zhang Dai immediately went to see Gao Lishi.

Gao Lishi looked somewhat haggard, not from the fatigue of his journey, but from the troubles of the capital. He looked down at Zhang Dai, who had come to pay his respects, and said in a deep voice, "I thought you wouldn't come to see me!"

“How dare you be so arrogant, young man! Lord Bohai is a good friend of my grandfather, with whom I have a deep friendship and have discussed philosophy. He is also an elder who has given me much guidance and care. Now that you are here, I should naturally come to greet you!”

Regardless of what he was thinking, Zhang Dai remained polite on the surface. He didn't hold Gao Chengxin's previous actions against Gao Lishi, and as for what Gao Lishi thought, he had no idea.

"You're all talk and no action, but you're full of schemes! Do you remember the advice and guidance I gave you when you abandoned me the other day?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi sneered and pointed at Zhang Dai, asking him in a stern voice.

Zhang Dai could tell that Gao Lishi still harbored considerable resentment, indicating that he had suffered greatly from the turmoil. He guessed that the reason he left the capital to travel to Henan was probably to avoid the limelight.

"Alas, the incident happened so suddenly that I was shocked when I found out. I really didn't know what to do, and I didn't even dare to walk in the streets. I hid in a passenger ship and hurriedly left..."

He did not insist on arguing who was right and who was wrong, but sighed and said, "The power of Lord Huo is unstoppable, and the matter also involves Lord Geng. I am even more frightened and may have acted inappropriately. At the time, I did not have time to examine the situation carefully. Now that I have met Lord Bohai again, I dare not argue if he scolds me."

His frank attitude made it difficult for Gao Lishi to pursue the matter further, so he nodded and said, "The Northern Gate Servant is powerful, and it is indeed beyond your ability to predict and resist. I believe he is brave but reckless, thinking that you two alone can cause trouble. His actions are truly reckless."

But he's not a malicious person, and he especially admires you. Although the matter isn't completely resolved, and he's suffering punishment and in an uneasy situation, he still anxiously asks me if we can still associate with each other. Don't try to guess what you're thinking; I'll just pass this on to you.”

“I don’t have any deep-seated hatred for Brother Gao Shiliu. It’s just that he acted on his own initiative at the time, which caught me completely off guard. Now that I think about it, it was quite hurtful to leave him back then.”

Zhang Dai was never a stubborn person. Upon hearing Gao Lishi's words, he immediately replied, "Recently, I have been wandering among the rivers and lakes, and all I see are strangers passing by. I can't help but miss the people and things of the past. The friendship we had before, which grew from shallow to deep, is still vivid in my mind. If you don't mind my absence after I return to the capital, I am willing to let bygones be bygones."

Gao Lishi's expression softened upon hearing this. He wasn't particularly concerned about whether the young man's friendship could continue.

He faced immense pressure taking on this challenge, even his personal safety was threatened. Recently, armed ruffians and scoundrels lurked outside his residence, frightening him so much that he dared not leave the palace and ordered his family to be extremely cautious when going out. This time, he volunteered to go out and avoid the limelight.

Having taken such a great risk and paid such a high price, if Zhang Dai still harbors resentment and hatred for the past, he will inevitably vent his anger on Zhang Dai.

"We'll talk about this later. Tell me about the situation here in Bianzhou first."

Gao Lishi, not wanting to complain in front of his juniors, asked about the important matter after a brief conversation: "Tell me in detail about Consort Hui's construction of the merit stele. Why did it conflict with the affairs of Bianzhou?"

The situation in Bianzhou is currently in complete chaos. Yuan Fu's various blunders have made matters worse, and these issues are not within Gao Lishi's jurisdiction. His main purpose in entering the country this time is to find out about the matters related to Consort Hui's erection of the stele.

"The matter seems simple, but the inside story is quite complicated. Erecting a monument for Consort Hui is a common wish of the people of the prefecture. This is not only being done in Bianzhou, but also in other prefectures. Only in Bianzhou did things go wrong, mainly because the prefectural governor, Yuan, abused his power and was stubborn and self-willed, which led to his alienation from the people..."

Yuan Fu certainly didn't intend to stop the monument's construction; he merely wanted to undermine Zhang Dai's influence in Bianzhou and inadvertently disrupted it. But Zhang Dai didn't care about any of that and simply gave a tactless account, making it seem as if Yuan Fu was solely focused on this matter, while other actions like detaining people and seizing goods were merely secondary.

"So, you're saying that the trouble didn't arise because you took advantage of the emperor's favor and harassed the people of the state?"

After listening to his account, Gao Lishi spoke up again to confirm.

"of course not!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly added, "After the Duke of Bohai enters the state, he may visit as he pleases. If I do anything to disturb the peace of the state, I am willing to accept any punishment! Even the construction of the monument was raised by the people of the state themselves. At that time, I had already left Bianzhou and was unaware of this matter."

That was pure nonsense, but since Zhang Dai said that, he was telling Gao Lishi to rest assured and investigate. They had already agreed on a story, so there was no need to worry about Yuan Fu turning the tables on them. Gao Lishi was naturally confident in the young man's abilities, so he nodded and said, "I have no problem here. We'll discuss the details once we get to the prefecture. You should go and pay your respects to Prefect Pei."

Zhang Dai was about to discuss the contents of his negotiations with the wealthy families of Bianzhou, but upon hearing this, he felt it was inappropriate to stay there for too long. So he immediately got up to take his leave and went to another hall in the post station.

Pei Zhouxian was the same age as Zhang Shuo, both over sixty years old. When Zhang Dai entered the hall to pay his respects, he was reading a book.

"Zongzhi, there's no need for such formalities. Your grandfather, Zhang Yan, and I have been good friends and colleagues for many years. Before he left, he told me that although you are young, you are shrewd and capable. You can trust everything you say and do without any doubt. This time, when you come to the prefecture to rectify the administration, you will need to give me detailed advice on many things."

Seeing the young man ascend the hall to pay his respects, Pei Zhou first put down the book in his hand, looked at him with a smile, and said with a hint of envy in his expression: "Young man, you are outstanding. At such a young age, you have already achieved great things and become famous throughout the world. The Yan family is truly a glorious place!"

"Your Excellency's praise is too much for me to bear. I will not dare to boast or claim anything extraordinary in my words or deeds. I will be content as long as I do not disgrace your reputation!"

Zhang Dai had never seen Pei Zhouxian visit his home before, but judging from his tone, Pei Zhouxian seemed quite familiar and friendly with his grandfather. He wasn't too surprised, since his grandfather had been involved in factionalism and corruption in the court for so many years, his network of connections was naturally very deep.

Pei Zhouxian was not some pedantic and rigid old scholar, nor did he put on airs in front of young people. He gestured for Zhang Dai to sit down and then inquired in detail about the current situation in Bianzhou.

"After the disaster and the epidemic, people's feelings are like dust, and they are already restless and uneasy. They will be blown away by a gust of wind and scattered by a brush. We must show stability and not be too hasty, let alone ignore the suffering and frequently issue orders! If things are as Zong said, then Yuanfu's actions are far inferior to his father's style. One person's mistake will affect thousands of people. We cannot continue to indulge in the bad!"

Since this matter concerned the competence of a third-rank regional official, Pei Zhouxian naturally could not simply listen to Zhang Dai's one-sided account. Although he said this, he still needed to conduct an on-site investigation in Bianzhou before making a final decision.

He was not a person who followed the rules and regulations. After listening to Zhang Dai's account, he pondered for a moment and then said that he would leave the ceremonial guard and go to the countryside of Bianzhou to see the actual situation first, rather than just investigating the personnel information on the surface.

Zhang Dai wasn't slandering Yuan Fu, so of course he wasn't afraid of Pei Zhou's incognito visit. In fact, he enthusiastically suggested that they could make some preparations at Guancheng Post Station, buy some goods, and pretend to be grain merchants. Once the props were used up, they could distribute the grain to the disaster victims on the spot.

He still had several thousand strings of cash left, which he could use to purchase a batch of grain at Guancheng Post Station. The reason he was so enthusiastic was that he was worried that if the group abandoned their entourage, their size would be too small, and they might miss the inspecting officials of Bianzhou, which would undoubtedly reduce their enjoyment.

Pei Zhouxian was unaware of Zhang Dai's treacherous intentions. Upon hearing this, he nodded with interest and said, "In previous years, I have made a lot of money trading in Beiting. I am very knowledgeable about the ways of commerce. Zongzhi, you don't need to worry about losing all your money!"

He was also a legendary figure. His uncle, Pei Yan, was falsely accused of treason and executed by Wu Zetian. After being exiled, he wandered to the frontier, where he made a living by doing business and amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions, becoming a very wealthy man.

It wasn't until Emperor Zhongzong's restoration after the Shenlong Coup that he returned to the political arena to serve as an official. Recalling his glorious past, Pei Zhouxian was filled with emotion and even personally went to the market with Zhang Dai to investigate market conditions and purchase some goods.

Watching Pei Zhou skillfully negotiate prices with merchants from all over the country in the marketplace, and even be able to identify the quality of some common goods at a glance, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh that this old gentleman was not bragging. His eyesight and knowledge of commerce alone were beyond his own reach.

They quickly procured tens of thousands of catties of various goods, forming a sizable fleet of boats and carts, before departing from Guancheng Post Station for Bianzhou. Gao Lishi, however, showed little interest in this role and continued to travel along the official post station with the ceremonial procession.

As expected, the group was stopped and questioned shortly after arriving in Bianzhou. When faced with the state officials who demanded an exorbitant 30% tax, Pei Zhou was naturally indignant and angrily asked, "What laws and regulations does this place follow that allow such excessive exploitation?"

"Don't be so arrogant, old man. If you continue to resist and disobey the law, not only will your goods be confiscated, but you will be detained as well!"

Fewer and fewer merchant caravans were entering the country. The state officials had been searching for days before finally managing to catch this one. Upon hearing Pei Zhouxian's question, they immediately sneered, "You unscrupulous merchants have the nerve to accuse us of exploitation? If you weren't greedy for the good prices of goods in Bianzhou, why would you even bother coming here!"

This made perfect sense, so much so that Pei Zhou was so angry that his face turned ashen but he was speechless. Meanwhile, Zhang Dai, who was acting as his accountant in the group, happily paid the full amount of tax, and then the group continued on their way.

It was now early April, almost a month since Zhang Dai last passed through the area. The situation in Bianzhou was even worse than when he last passed through. The prefectural government could no longer control the vast countryside, and groups of disaster victims begging for food had appeared along the banks of the Bian Canal.

"Don't waste any more time. Leave one team to distribute the goods along the way, and the rest of you follow me straight to the prefectural capital!"

After being repeatedly questioned and harassed by state officials, and with disaster victims frequently coming to beg for food, Pei Zhouxian's expression grew increasingly grim. He could no longer afford to play the role of reminiscing about the past and gave an order.

(End of this chapter)