Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 273 Fanyang County Man
Several months later, Zhang Dai returned to the imperial palace in Luoyang, still feeling quite uneasy and nervous.

He noticed that Niu Guier hadn't led him into the palace through the North Gate, but rather through the East Palace, clearly out of concern that the officers at the North Gate might pose a threat. Having witnessed even Gao Lishi's assassination attempt against these same people in Bianzhou, he no longer felt his vigilance was meaningless.

These guys from the North Gate are definitely not benevolent people. They have repeatedly participated in coups and are inherently greedy and gloating. Now that they are arrogant and domineering, it is really hard to predict what they will do.

Compared to other generals at the North Gate, Wang Maozhong might even be considered one of the more rational ones. After all, he still knew fear; his retreat during the Tanglong Coup showed he wasn't truly fearless.

Fortunately, these guys' activity range is relatively limited, basically only around the North Gate, and they don't dare to lead organized troops to attack the market. As long as we avoid their stronghold, even if we encounter them elsewhere and a conflict breaks out, it's hard to say who will win or lose.

After all, Zhang Dai is no longer alone and isolated. If needed, he can raise a team of a hundred or so people. There are other ways to avoid street fights besides running away.

Putting those thoughts aside, he noticed that the Eastern Palace wasn't very lively. Apart from a few fixed patrol posts and soldiers guarding the palace gates, there weren't many people inside the Eastern Palace, and the few eunuchs and palace maids he did see all seemed listless.

The flowers and trees planted in the palace gardens grew wildly with the arrival of midsummer, their branches and leaves flourishing and clustering together. However, due to the lack of necessary pruning and maintenance, they looked messy and lacked any aesthetic appeal.

Zhang Dai has been in this world for over a year and has entered and exited the palace many times, but he has hardly seen the Crown Prince yet. This is certainly because the Crown Prince is in mourning, but even when he is not in mourning, the Crown Prince's presence is not high; he is a character whose presence or absence makes little difference.

Just a few days ago, the emperor ordered that his sons, including Prince Qing and Prince Zhong, be appointed to positions such as governors, prefects, and military governors. Of course, these were only nominal appointments and they would not actually take up the posts.

Even with this nominal title, the Crown Prince had no real power. As for the official positions in the Eastern Palace, they became mere stepping stones for the sons of meritorious officials to accumulate seniority and coast along. Although Emperor Xuanzong's attitude towards his sons, especially the Crown Prince, wasn't as harsh as it had become later in his reign, signs of this were already emerging.

As they continued their wandering thoughts, they soon arrived at the palace of Consort Hui. Niu Guier went in first to report, and Zhang Dai, who had been waiting outside, was invited into the palace shortly afterward.

"Your son greets your aunt!"

Upon entering the hall, Zhang Dai saw Consort Hui seated at the table, still stunningly beautiful. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This journey to the east has been successful; I have fulfilled my mission and spread my aunt's kindness to the people of the prefecture. The people are deeply grateful, and this stele commemorates her virtues, ensuring her benevolent deeds will be forever remembered. I will make a rubbing of this inscription to present to my aunt as proof of her virtues!"

As he spoke, he presented more than a dozen rubbings of ancient inscriptions with both hands.

"The young man is reliable and keeps his word. He comes home and before he even has time to eat or drink, he immediately starts talking about business. It's really reassuring!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Hui beamed with joy and immediately ordered someone to bring a rubbing of the stele to be presented. As she examined it, she said with a smile, "I've only ever heard of governors and prefects who are skilled at governing the people receiving steles from the local populace to commemorate their deeds. I never imagined that I would one day be so respected and loved by others!"

The monument commemorating her merits served little practical purpose for Consort Wu Hui; it was more of a novel experience that satisfied her emotional needs. After all, no matter how grateful the disaster victims on both sides of the river were, they were unlikely to travel to the capital to petition for Consort Wu Hui to be made empress.

Even so, seeing the dignified and powerful inscriptions on the stele praising the event with classical allusions filled Consort Wu Hui with great satisfaction, even to the point of being overjoyed.

Especially when she saw the stele specially made by Zhang Dai to pray for the deaths of Xia King, Huai King and other children, Consort Wu Hui couldn't help but have tears welling up in her eyes: "The living have the power of their own wishes. Today, hundreds of people have made vows, praying that my child will be reborn into a wealthy family and enjoy lasting blessings!"

At this point, she looked at Zhang Dai with a face full of satisfaction and said, "Sixth Brother, you are very thoughtful and have done a lot to comfort your aunt. As an elder, I have received a lot of help from you for no reason, and I should also repay you."

“My aunt is my benefactor and has repeatedly protected me. I only wish to improve my skills so that my aunt can have everything go smoothly. How could I dare to shamelessly ask for a reward for such a trivial matter?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately lowered his head and said...

"Good deeds deserve rewards, and you shouldn't refuse what's given to you; just accept it!"

After Consort Hui finished speaking, she gestured for a palace maid standing to the side to carry a tray toward Zhang Dai. The tray contained a magnificent brocade pouch.

Zhang Dai took the brocade pouch with both hands, opened it with some doubt, and immediately discovered that it contained a handwritten edict, which conferred upon him the title of "Baron of Fanyang County".

"This, this... I have done nothing to deserve such a favor from Your Majesty!"

After reading the contents of the edict, Zhang Dai was truly astonished and could hardly believe his eyes. He immediately knelt down and held the edict in both hands, saying...

This wasn't a deliberate display of humility; he was genuinely surprised to be granted a noble title. Although many of the people he encountered daily held titles, including several dukes, these individuals were among the most powerful and influential in the Tang Empire, and it didn't mean that titles were easy to acquire.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were generally three ways to acquire a noble title: through kinship, through merit, and through official appointment. Other methods included hereditary titles, hereditary privilege, and posthumous bestowal. However, the latter methods required that someone in your family already possessed a noble title.

High-ranking titles like Duke were either bestowed upon members of the imperial family or were destined for them; obtaining them through merit was extremely difficult. During Emperor Xuanzong's reign, the granting of titles based on merit was mainly concentrated in two periods: the Tanglong and Xiantian eras. The reason is simple: two successful coups.

Zhang Dai's grandfather was granted the title of Duke of Yan after the Xiantian Coup. Without such a momentous event, it would have been much more difficult to obtain a title based on ordinary merit.

The most typical example of this is Guo Yuanzhen, who served as the governor of Liangzhou and the protector-general of Anxi during the reign of Emperor Wuzong.

During his tenure, he also offered a scheme to sow discord, which led the Tibetan king to force the Tibetan chieftain, Qinling, to commit suicide. This caused the Gar family, to which Qinling belonged, to defect from Tibet and surrender to the Tang Dynasty, thus reversing the overall situation of the Tang-Tibet conflict.

When the Tibetan Empire and the Later Turks jointly invaded Liangzhou, Guo Yuanzhen led a large army westward into Qinghai, forcing the Tibetan king to sue for peace with the Tang Dynasty. During his tenure as the governor of Anxi, Guo Yuanzhen skillfully handled various disputes and conflicts, making him a highly accomplished and experienced border official.

Even with his reputation as a renowned general guarding the border, Guo Yuanzhen never received any official title. It wasn't until the Jingyun era of Emperor Ruizong of Tang, when he entered the court as prime minister, that he was granted the title of Baron of Guantao County due to his official rank of third grade.

Just two years later, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who had only recently ascended the throne, launched the Xiantian Coup to eliminate Princess Taiping's power. Guo Yuanzhen was rewarded with the title of Duke of Dai for his involvement in the coup!

The Tang Dynasty's system of granting titles was so paradoxical. Border officials and generals who had served the frontier for many years and made great contributions might not be able to obtain a title, but as long as they followed the Li family to the Xuanwu Gate for a name-calling ceremony, even a household servant or eunuch could make a magnificent leap forward and be granted the title of Duke, bringing glory to their ancestors.

Although Zhang Dai could be considered a member of the imperial family, his relationship with the imperial family was rather distant. There were probably tens of thousands of imperial relatives of his caliber throughout the Tang Dynasty, so it would be difficult for him to be granted a title based on that.

As for meritorious service, he couldn't even compare to a single hair on Guo Yuanzhen's leg, let alone dare to hope that he could obtain a title based on it.

At the same time, the Tang Dynasty also had the option of granting noble titles to officials who reached the third rank, but the highest title they could be granted was Duke of Guangping. Song Jing, one of the famous prime ministers of the Kaiyuan era, was granted the title of Duke of Guangping.

The current prime minister, Li Yuanhong, was granted the title of Baron of Qingshui County at the same time he was appointed prime minister last year. Another prime minister, Du Xian, although he was already the Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, his honorary title had not yet reached the third rank, so he was not granted a title.

This shows how difficult it was to obtain a noble title through normal channels in the Tang Dynasty. Sometimes even the prime minister could not obtain this honor. Zhang Dai traveled east from the capital and returned, and was actually granted a noble title, even if it was only the lowest level, county baron. This was enough to make him very happy.

“You are always too mature and modest, my child. Although I do favor my own son, I would never use titles and public office to do personal favors. There must be a reason why you were granted a title. You built weaving workshops along the river and provided relief to many people. If you do not reward this merit, how can you expect the officials in the disaster-stricken prefectures and counties to do their best to provide relief?”

Consort Wu Hui smiled and said, "This edict is just to inform you in advance so that you can prepare. The actual conferment of the title will take place on the full moon day of the month when you go to the Secretariat to receive your reward and title!"

That being said, without Consort Wu Hui's connections, no matter how much he did, he probably wouldn't have been able to reach the Emperor's ears, let alone be granted a title.

Zhang Dai carefully put the imperial edict back into the brocade pouch and kept it close to his body, feeling secretly pleased. Although the title was not high, having it and not having it were two completely different things.

After being granted a noble title, his social status will be greatly enhanced, especially in certain formal occasions, where he can be treated as an equal to a fifth-rank noble.

Consort Wu Hui, knowing that Zhang Dai had only recently returned and had been led into the palace before she could reply, did not linger with him. After bestowing upon him the imperial edict of conferring a title, she instructed Niu Guier to lead him out of the palace and back to his home.

After Zhang Dai walked out of the palace gate, he saw that in addition to the guards who had accompanied him all the way, Ding Cang and others who had stayed at home had also come here, and there were as many as several dozen strong soldiers.

Although he was thinking about strengthening security, he couldn't help but laugh and say when he saw this commotion, "Isn't that a bit too ostentatious?"

"Something happened at home, so it's best to be careful."

Upon hearing this, Ding Cang spoke with a serious expression.

(End of this chapter)