Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 272: Justice is clear, retribution is inevitable

"Your son greets you, Uncle. I have been ordered to leave the capital to take up my post. I know that you are currently serving as an envoy in Bianzhou. You have strictly instructed me to consult with you on all matters after I enter the prefecture and not to make any mistakes that would damage my reputation."

Cheng Ruoshui was in her twenties, and she was very respectful to Gao Lishi, as if she were paying respects to her own elder brother.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai suddenly remembered that Cheng Yaojin's eldest grandson and Gao Lishi were half-brothers, so shouldn't Cheng Ruoshui call Gao Lishi his uncle?

"In such a short time, I have grown even stronger and more capable. Now I am more able to carry out orders in the capital and take charge of affairs. I have not failed your teachings!"

Gao Lishi was quite friendly to his nephew, offering him words of encouragement with a smile. He then pointed to Zhang Dai and said to him with a smile, "This Zhang Liulang is also a rising star from a prominent family in the capital. You must have heard of him before. You should keep in touch with him in the future, so that you may become like-minded friends and support each other!"

"How could I not have heard of Zhang Zong? He is a righteous young man and the top scholar in the imperial examination. I am very familiar with all his skills and have always felt that I am not good enough for him. It is my great honor to meet him today."

Cheng Ruoshui truly lives up to his reputation as Cheng Boxian's son; his words are melodious and pleasant to the ear.

Cheng Yaojin had many descendants, but to this day, only the branch of Cheng Boxian remains active in the political arena with high-ranking official positions and generous salaries. The others, whether the eldest son who inherited the title or the second son who married a princess, have all become ordinary official families, lacking any real power or status.

Since the other party was so polite, Zhang Dai couldn't help but exchange a few compliments, and then they began to discuss the return journey.

Cheng Ruoshui brought 500 soldiers from the Southern Army from Luoyang, and also transferred 1,000 porters from Zhengzhou and Bianzhou to escort the convicted officials and their ill-gotten gains back to the capital. After several days of selling off the stolen goods, the total amount of the embezzled funds soared again, reaching over one million strings of cash.

If this extra income is escorted back to the capital, it will greatly alleviate the current financial difficulties of the imperial court. Therefore, the deadline set by the imperial court is very tight, and the journey must be started immediately.

Accompanying Cheng Ruoshui was a group of newly appointed officials. The new governor of Bianzhou had not yet been appointed, and the most important person among the first group to arrive was Li Cheng, the newly appointed chief administrator of Bianzhou and Zhang Dai's maternal uncle.

The recent political upheaval in Bianzhou has had a severe impact. Before the imperial court completes its critique and punishment of these disgraced officials and appoints new leaders, Li Cheng and others will likely need to handle state affairs during this period. For them, this presents both a formidable challenge and a rare opportunity.

Unfortunately, Zhang Dai was in a hurry to return home and had no time to stay and have a detailed conversation with Li Cheng. After they met, he briefly explained the personnel arrangements he had made here, hoping that Li Cheng would do some appeasement and that he could help Li Cheng if needed in the future.

The group then embarked on their journey back to the capital. Compared to when they arrived, Zhang Dai's entourage was significantly smaller. The large sum of money and valuables they had brought with them had long since been spent, and the porters and laborers they had hired in Luoyang had been sent back in batches.

As for the newly recruited subordinates such as Nan Jiyun, Zhang Dai temporarily kept them within the prefecture's borders, allowing them to continue recruiting honest and diligent able-bodied men as boatmen, further develop and expand the canal transport fleet, and at the same time be responsible for maintaining the transportation of materials for the weaving workshops in various prefectures, so that these businesses could operate stably in the long term.

"We still don't have enough manpower!"

On the return journey, seeing the rapidly shrinking convoy, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Putting aside other matters, if he were to contract the mountain to plant tea, he would need to organize another group of people. Moreover, once he enters the court as an official, he will not have much energy to pay attention to and promote these matters, but at present, he does not have a suitable person to manage these affairs on his behalf.

It wasn't just Zhang Dai who was lamenting the lack of manpower; Gao Lishi was also developing his own faction on his return journey.

This group of convicted officials from Bianzhou and their families numbered nearly two thousand. Although their crimes have not yet been formally sentenced, apart from people like Yuan Fu who came from prominent families and had strong connections, the others would generally suffer a terrible fate, at the very least being exiled to the frontier.

As for the women and children among the families of those convicted officials, some might be exiled along with them, while others would be enslaved by the officials. Gao Lishi then arranged for his subordinate eunuchs to observe the sons and daughters of those convicted officials, selecting those who were clever, intelligent, and of good character, and providing them with some care and food along the way.

These young men were naturally grateful, but they didn't know that their fates were already sealed. Regardless of what punishment their families would face or where they would end up, they already had secure jobs within the system.

For the eunuch ranks to maintain healthy development, they need a constant influx of new talent. These sons of officials, born with an advantage and nurtured in superior amniotic fluid, are undoubtedly more valuable to cultivate. Even Gao Lishi, after all, was a son of the prestigious Feng family of Lingnan. Looking at these young men, still clueless about their future, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Thankfully, his grandfather had held things together last year; otherwise, he himself would likely have ended up in the same situation. With his looks and intelligence, wouldn't all the senior eunuchs in the palace be vying to be his godfather?

Not only were eunuchs selected for the reserve team, but the daughters of officials were not spared either. During the journey, there were many daughters of convicted officials who were chosen, and even their parents actively sent their daughters away in order to reduce or avoid punishment after entering the capital.

Born into official families, they enjoyed a very privileged material life from a young age. However, when disaster struck, they were still inevitably used as gifts to be offered to various parties. Each delicate young lady from an official family was nothing more than a bag containing the people's hard-earned money.

Zhang Dai saw at least seven or eight attractive women being escorted to Cheng Ruoshui's dormitory along the way. Luckily, Bianzhou wasn't far from Luoyang; otherwise, this escort trip would have been too much for the young man's body. Moreover, with such enthusiasm, had they considered the feelings of his master?
Although he wasn't a general in the escort team, he still received a lot of attention from those convicted officials. Despite their pitiful appearance, these officials probably spent a lot of time thinking about Zhang Dai's preferences along the way. At each lodging, women of all shapes and sizes were often led to his tent.

However, although Zhang Dai was not a gentleman who could remain unmoved by temptation, he was generally able to control his desires and refused all such offers.

Moreover, no matter how well-educated these convicted officials were, they would never train their daughters to become courtesans. Unless, like Wang Maozhong, they had a daughter specifically to entertain people with her beauty and talent.

When it comes to beauty and talent, few of these convicted officials' families can compare to Yingnu, who was personally trained by Song Sanniang for several years and is both considerate and charming.

However, there was one exception: Liu, the registrar of Bianzhou. Liu was an old friend of Zhang Dai, but he too was not spared this time.

When the group arrived at Guancheng Post Station, all the families of the convicted officials became targets for the escorting soldiers to hunt for women. Liu Sihu then knelt outside Zhang Dai's room for a long time, followed by a mother and daughter.

“I am corrupt and dishonest in my official duties, and I deserve the punishment I have received. I now offer this mother and daughter to you, my lord, and beg you to take them in as your servants.”

Liu Sihu's wife and children were in Luoyang, while his concubine and daughter were with him in the prefecture. Now, with nowhere else to turn, he could only seek Zhang Dai's protection.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Dai couldn't help but feel deeply moved. At this time last year, Liu Sihu came to the capital as an envoy to the court and was very generous in asking him to buy an epitaph for his deceased mother. The extra money and silk he gave him made him happy for several days.

But now, only a year has passed, and Liu Sihu has lost all his arrogance, kneeling before me and begging me to take in his concubine and daughter. Life's fortunes are truly unpredictable.

“Liu Sihu need not be so distressed. I have also asked Prefect Pei about your case. I know that you have simply accepted bribes without cause. After you enter the capital, you only need to actively cooperate in the recovery of the stolen goods, and you will most likely be given a lenient sentence. In the future, you can turn over a new leaf and start anew. With your talents, it will not be difficult for you to find a job. There is no need to rush to entrust your family to anyone.”

Liu Sihu's crime was relatively minor; he hadn't committed any particularly heinous acts of illegality or murder. However, the amount he embezzled was quite large. Even if he actively paid back the embezzled funds, it would be difficult for him to be re-elected to the rank of Sihu, but at least he could save his life. Such a common crime of embezzlement wouldn't implicate his family unless the mother and daughter were originally slaves, treated as property rather than family members.

Upon hearing this, Liu, the registrar, couldn't help but burst into tears again. He knelt on the ground and cried out in anguish, "The officials are as vicious as wolves, and the criminals are terrified and unable to protect themselves. I cannot bear to see this mother and daughter's innocence ruined by these villains. I beg you, sir, to have mercy and protect them..."

Hearing his pitiful story, Zhang Dai agreed to take the mother and daughter in temporarily, and return them to Liu Sihu after arriving in Luoyang.

This moment of kindness sparked the enthusiasm of the convicted officials to offer their tribute. The next day, as they approached Zhengzhou, the tribute-givers blocked his tent, making his father, Zhang Jun, who was there to meet the escort team, very nervous. Fearing that he might make a mistake due to his youthful impetuosity, he sent someone to take him into the city overnight.

But in reality, Zhang Dai was even more worried about his father. When he was about to leave, he repeatedly confirmed that his father really hadn't asked anyone to stay, until Zhang Jun was a little embarrassed and angry, before he finally set off again.

A few days later, the group finally arrived at Luopu in the east of the city, where officials from the Ministry of Justice were already waiting to receive the convicted officials and their stolen goods.

These matters were none of Zhang Dai's concern. He had previously instructed his family to wait for him at Luopu Manor. Now, seeing that his uncle Zheng Yan, who had led the team, was busy counting the numerous stolen goods and had no time to deal with him, he decided to return to the manor first to meet up with his family who had come to greet him.

He hadn't gone far when he heard Niu Gui'er's voice calling from behind: "Young master, please wait! Young master, please wait! Fortunately, we're not too late. Consort Hui instructed me to bring you into the palace to meet her as soon as possible. Consort Hui has prepared a big surprise for you!"

(End of this chapter)