Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 275 Scum of a Prestigious Family
Upon hearing Zhang Shuo's words, Zhang Dai knew there was more to the story. However, seeing that Zhang Shuo was followed by several disciples, he did not ask directly. Instead, he instructed Yingniang and the others to stop packing their luggage and followed Zhang Shuo to the main hall.

"A disgrace to a prestigious family, a disgrace to society!"

After taking his seat in the hall, Zhang said angrily, "Zheng sold her daughter for money, which is already extremely shameful. It's laughable that she chose such a bad person, which has caused my grandson to suffer this misfortune. If my grandson's leg is really incurable, I will not let that old man Zheng Ai off the hook!"

"Father, what exactly happened? How did the Zheng family get involved again?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai became even more confused and quickly asked a question.

At this moment, the other members of the clan also rushed over upon hearing the commotion. They were all very curious when they heard Zhang repeatedly cursing his in-law, Zheng, in the hall, but they dared not ask any questions on their own.

At this moment, the hall was filled with his own family members, so Zhang Yue no longer concealed anything and spoke angrily: "Zheng was greedy and sold a marriage. She arranged to marry Wang Sixian of the North Gate for 50,000 strings of cash, and then gave her daughter to his family. Wang paid 20,000 strings of cash upfront, and the marriage was completed before the new year. They agreed that the remaining amount would be paid after the new year, but it has been delayed until now. Zheng came to demand the money, and fearing that he was weak, she invited my son to come with her. As a result, they started hurling insults and fighting."

"Is there such a thing?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's eyes widened in disbelief. His mind was clearly too sharp; he hadn't expected such a detail!

The practice of aristocratic families selling marriages was also a trend. They would demand exorbitant dowries based on their social standing, known as "compensation for the family's wealth," which was a form of compensation for the imbalance of social status. Zhang said that his children's marriage partners were almost all from the five prominent families, and he must have given out a considerable amount of "compensation for the family's wealth." Therefore, once he gained power, he began to rake in money.

However, this was the first time Zhang Dai had heard of such a specific case in his life, so he was both surprised and somewhat taken aback. He couldn't help but ask, "Is the Zheng family woman really worth 50,000 strings of cash? What about Father back then...?"

Before he could finish his question, his grandfather rolled his eyes at him, so he shut his mouth in embarrassment. But after a moment's thought, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

He originally thought that he might have really implicated Zhang Yu, and he felt guilty. Even though he was scolded by Madam Zheng after entering the family, he endured it.

But now that I know the inside story, it turns out that Zhang's leg was broken because of the Zheng family's affairs. Zheng must know the inside story, but this woman still came to slander and take her anger out on me. No wonder Zhang said that he was annoyed and hateful when he cursed her earlier!
Zhang said he had only learned the inside story today while out gathering information, and he was naturally filled with shame and anger. After briefly recounting the events, he immediately asked in a deep voice, "Did the Zheng family come today?"

"No, I just ordered the servants to bring some medicine to treat the injuries."

Upon hearing the question, Zhang Gu, the head of the prefecture, quickly lowered his head and answered.

"Since these thieves aren't coming, they don't need to come again. If anyone from their family comes again, beat them out with sticks! From now on, no one in our family is allowed to have any further dealings with them!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo became even more furious and immediately gave an angry order.

"But...but what about the lady in the east wing..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gu couldn't help but look troubled. Because of the Zheng family connection, it was clearly impossible for the two families to completely cut off contact.

"So what if she is? If she were a virtuous wife and loving mother, would she let her son get involved in such a shameful affair? Now that she has suffered this calamity, it is a lesson for her. She should cut off all ties as soon as possible and not get entangled with such wicked relatives! If she has any objections, let her come and ask me. Let's see if I dare to break the hands of all her brothers and nephews!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily, expressing his extreme hatred for the Zheng family as a marriage alliance.

Seeing this, everyone became even more silent. When Zhang said he had no further instructions, they all got up and took their leave.

"Don't worry about these trivial matters. How's the situation in Bianzhou?"

Zhang said that he sat silently for a while, composed himself, and then looked at Zhang Dai and asked.

Zhang Dai immediately recounted what had happened in Bianzhou. Hearing how thoroughly Pei Zhouxian had investigated in Bianzhou, Zhang Dai's mood improved, and a smile appeared on his face. He sighed, "Pei Zhouxian is getting stronger with age. It was the right choice to entrust this matter to him. If someone else had been sent to the prefecture, they would have been concerned about Yuan Qianyao's feelings and probably wouldn't have investigated so thoroughly."

The personnel in the imperial court were not strictly separated by factions; various personnel entanglements were often intertwined.

Although Yuan Qianyao is a low-key person who doesn't fight for power, he has served as prime minister for many years and is still in office. Officials in the court have been promoted and favored by him to varying degrees, so there is always some favor between them. If the officials he sends are not strong enough, the matter in Bianzhou will inevitably be downplayed.

"It's fortunate that Zhang Jia-zhen failed to return to court smoothly, which gave things a new lease on life. Otherwise, even if you had informed us the other day, things probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly." At this point, Zhang Shuo couldn't help but sigh again: "The Emperor's intentions are profound and difficult to fathom!"

At the beginning of the year, a personnel power struggle took place, and although Cui Yinfu and others were expelled from the court, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse for Zhang Shuo's faction.

The most important thing in this matter was that the former prime minister Zhang Jiazhen was appointed as the censor-in-chief, which was tantamount to putting a sharper knife to Zhang Shuo's neck.

Although Cui Yinfu has a strong style, he is still a level below Zhang Jiazhen. Zhang Jiazhen is the kind of person who could beat Jiang Jiao to death and fight Zhang Shuo in the Secretariat. When he was prime minister, he frightened all the officials in the court to the point that they dared not speak out. Now that he has returned to the court to take charge of the Censorate, he will probably stir up another bloody storm.

However, just as everyone was speculating about how lively the situation at court would become, Zhang Jiazhen immediately received a new appointment after his audience with the emperor in Taizhou. He was appointed as the governor of Dingzhou and military commander of Beiping, with the title of Imperial Censor.

Only at this point did the court officials understand the Emperor's true intention: not to recall Zhang Jiazhen to the court and push the personnel disputes in the court to a new level, but to arrange for Zhang Jiazhen to be stationed in Hebei and take charge of the five Hebei armies newly established last year!

Although Zhang Jiazhen did not possess any outstanding martial arts skills, he was quite adept at governing the army. In the early years, the imperial court established the Heavenly Army in Taiyuan to intimidate the nine Turkic tribes that had submitted to the court. Zhang Jiazhen was the first ambassador of the Heavenly Army, and Zhang Shuo was the second. This was the predecessor of the Hedong Jiedushi (military governor).

Last year, the imperial court established the Five Armies of Hebei, based on the Hebei Unity Army, to defend against the Turks and the two northeastern barbarians. Naturally, a suitable person was needed to coordinate and manage them. Zhang Jiazhen was both qualified and capable, and had established the Heavenly Army in his early years, making him a suitable candidate.

This appointment was certainly appropriate and skillful, and it also demonstrated the emperor's effortless control over the political situation. By making a feint, he brought the escalating power struggles in the court to a sudden halt, preventing them from escalating further.

This shows that the current emperor has a very accurate understanding of the current situation and the selection of officials, and has appropriate purposes, which is incomparable to the near-brain-dead state of inaction during the Tianbao era.

Zhang Jiazhen's entry into the court naturally had the greatest impact on Zhang Yue. Therefore, when this appointment was announced, Zhang Yue was somewhat uneasy and dared not make any big moves to win the personnel positions in the court that were vacated after Cui Yinfu and others left office.

When Zhang Jiazhen returned to the court and received a new appointment, the situation at court naturally stabilized again. In short, Zhang Shuo missed a good opportunity to recover lost territory.

It was precisely because Zhang Jiazhen had not truly returned to the capital, and because there were no strong constraints from the court, that when Zhang Dai reported the situation in Bianzhou to Zhang Yue, Zhang Yue was able to quickly reach an understanding with Prime Minister Du Xian and, with Du Xian's support, send Pei Zhouxian to the state to conduct an investigation.

From this perspective, the current officialdom's emphasis on the central government while neglecting local positions makes perfect sense. This is because central politics is currently very powerful, and the outcome of power struggles within the central government can determine the personnel order at the local level.

Pei Zhouxian, with only a hundred or so men, was able to directly capture many criminal officials and their families in Bianzhou. The local authorities were powerless to resist and dared not fight back.

This would have been absolutely impossible during the late Tang Dynasty, when regional warlords held sway. Pei Zhouxian and his party might have been drowned by the local militia before they even reached Bianzhou!
Therefore, Zhang Dai also deeply realized that even if he wanted to develop personnel influence in the local areas, he still had to maintain a position in the central government where he could coordinate the situation. Otherwise, these personnel influences would still be trapped in the local areas and would not be able to play a complementary role.

"Now that you've returned to the capital, don't dwell on these matters. Even if there are further upheavals and disturbances in the court, they will have nothing to do with you."

Zhang Shuo then looked at Zhang Dai and said, "The Emperor will issue an edict seeking talented individuals and establishing examinations in the middle of the month. While there is still some time, you should stay at home and prepare for the exams. The sooner you are promoted and put on your new post, the more your talents will be able to shine!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly nodded in agreement. With his grandfather arranging his path to officialdom, he could indeed avoid many detours compared to others. His fellow graduates would not be appointed to official positions until the winter selection process at the earliest, while he could be appointed to an official post very soon if the imperial examination went smoothly.

Having said that, he then remembered the matter of the title conferment, took out the brocade pouch containing the imperial edict and handed it to his grandfather. After reading it, Zhang Shuo couldn't help but show a look of surprise and delight: "Consort Hui really has a great affection for you, seeking this title for you at such a young age!"

But he quickly added in a deep voice, "The Emperor recently bestowed great honors upon his sons, but I doubt his intention was to secure their safety. The princes are all grown up, while the Crown Prince alone remains mute. In the future, there will inevitably be many disputes within the imperial clan. You have gained favor because of Consort Hui, but remember not to rashly get involved. At any time, opportunism is a bad strategy; only personal talent, strength, and courage are the foundation for one's survival!"

"I will always remember my grandfather's teachings!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly nodded in agreement, saying that what he said was quite true; although the rewards of political speculation were high, the hidden dangers were also great.

Truly capable people don't need to rush into taking risks. For example, Yao Chong did not participate in the series of coups launched by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in the early years of the Kaiyuan era. When he returned to the capital, he still suppressed a group of meritorious officials and sent them out.

Zhang Yue's outstanding abilities enabled him to rise again and regain power after other meritorious officials had fallen from grace.

(End of this chapter)