Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 282 Heavenly Grace Utilized, All People United as One

Seeing his son's leg broken, Wang Sixian was furious, but he hadn't completely lost his temper. Especially since he saw his group surrounded from both sides, at a disadvantage in both location and numbers, he knew that if the conflict escalated and a fierce battle broke out, they would suffer even more.

He panted heavily for a moment, trying to suppress the anger in his heart. He slowly put down the small table he was holding, looked directly at Zhang Dai, and said in a deep voice, "My son has committed a great crime, and no punishment other than this is enough to atone for it. But now that he has been punished, he should not need to be subjected to any other kind of punishment."

From this day forward, if my son suffers any further mishap, I, Wang, will not rest until I have a breath left! Though I have no vast wealth, I possess unwavering courage and strength, and I will not allow my son to die alone. Zhang Liu, remember this well.”

“I have never met your family before. If it weren’t for your son’s wickedness instigating this, I probably would never have had the chance to speak with you in this life. Whether I remember my thoughts on human affairs or not is irrelevant. You and your son can ponder this carefully after you return home. What was the point of all this turmoil?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai first sneered, then said, "To prevent you and your son from still not knowing where you went wrong, I will now teach you a lesson. The North Gate is naturally more powerful and no one dares to disobey it, but that is because it is guarded by the Emperor and subject to the Emperor's authority."

If you, the guards, use the Emperor's authority for your own benefit, abusing it and acting recklessly without restraint, then disaster is not far off! Only when the Emperor's authority is used can the people be of one mind. A few private favors cannot compare to the benefits of money and silk. This is the lesson you and your son should understand after what has happened, instead of harboring resentment and adding to your troubles!

No sooner had he finished speaking than applause and cheers erupted from outside: "Truly worthy of being the virtuous grandson carefully taught by Lord Yan, his insight is truly remarkable! When the might of Heaven is employed, the people are of one mind; when private favors are granted, money and silk cannot prevail. This principle should not only be remembered by the Wang family, but by all those involved!"

Zhang Dai looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, strong middle-aged man in a purple robe. His grandfather said to him, "When the family went to inform him, I was talking with General Cheng. Upon hearing the news, we returned together and summoned the guards from the Imperial Guard to assist us."

"General, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise. I simply have something on my mind that I must express."

It turned out to be Cheng Boxian, Gao Lishi's elder brother. Zhang Dai quickly stepped forward from the crowd and bowed to Cheng Boxian.

While they exchanged pleasantries, Wang Sixian, who was waiting impatiently, was getting restless. After all, his son was still groaning and wailing, desperately needing medical attention, so he had no interest in staying to listen to Zhang Dai's ridicule and criticism.

Then he said in a deep voice, "Things have come to this point, and I humbly accept your teachings. I only hope that things can end here and that there will be no further complications that would cause unrest among all parties."

Zhang Dai knew that Wang Sixian was still worried about the bounty on the assassination, and of course he didn't want the matter to escalate further. Since he had already regained face, he looked at Wang Sixian seriously and said, "I truly know nothing of the rumors circulating in the North Gate. Thirty thousand strings of cash is no small sum, and I know nothing about who I have any financial entanglements with. Whoever asks me about this, this is the same answer!"

Wang Sixian knew that Zhang Dai would not admit that he was the one who spread the rumors, and this denial was undoubtedly telling others that he would not admit it. Even if Wang Chongjun was killed, they could not get money from him. Naturally, those who were secretly plotting would give up their plans to make a fortune from this.

After taking his revenge, Zhang Dai became much more agreeable. He didn't have his family stop the Wang family from stopping them anymore, and even had someone copy a list of the doctors who had treated Zhang Yi's injuries and give it to them. Whether the Wang family appreciated it or not was another matter.

After the Wang father and son left, Cheng Boxian did not linger there any longer, saying that he was going to his sworn brother Gao Lishi's house, presumably to report on the matter.

Gao Lishi also played a significant role in this matter; without his instigation, the news wouldn't have spread so quickly through the North Gate. With so many mouthpieces mobilized, a full investigation would have been impossible to fail to uncover; it's not something that can be easily dismissed by simply denying it.

Moreover, some things don't even require solid evidence or answers; it's enough if someone believes you did it. Take, for example, the man who assassinated Gao Lishi in Bianzhou. He was interrogated but nothing was found, so he was dealt with directly, and Gao Lishi pinned the blame on Ge Fushun.

Whether there were misunderstandings or attempts to sow discord is not important; the fundamental reason is that the contradictions and conflicts are real and objective.

Take this incident for example. Even if Gao Lishi hadn't secretly spread rumors, Ge Fushun would probably have blamed Gao Lishi. This wasn't just because there was a real conflict between them, but also because Gao Lishi had something Ge Fushun needed, or he might have used this to force Gao Lishi to hand it over.

The matter has now come to a close with the Wang father and son coming to apologize and accept punishment, which can be considered a relatively smooth resolution. The next step is to find an opportunity to report this to the higher authorities so that even the emperor knows about it.

The North Gate is guarded by the Emperor's personal troops. Did they really think they could keep this little trick from the Emperor forever?
Rather than being passively discovered, it is better to take the initiative to report. Moreover, Zhang Dai also put forward a very advantageous angle, that is, this little trick is not aimed at the loyalty of the North Gate as a whole to the Sage, but at those few families who are forming cliques for personal gain!
To avenge Wang Maozhong and Ge Fushun, the Wang family father and son actually dared to beat up Zhang Shuo's grandson, crippling him. Afterwards, they refused to apologize, but were terrified by a rumor of hiring someone to commit murder. They then obediently came to Zhang's house to be punished.

Wang and Ge accepted loyalty from their subordinate that went beyond the bounds of official business, but ultimately failed to protect that subordinate. That was the situation; the methods used were certainly somewhat underhanded, but they were forced to resort to such a desperate measure due to circumstances. Now that the matter has been properly resolved, they dare not continue to make mistakes or deceive the Sage. Therefore, they carefully explained the situation, hoping to stop there and then focus on getting the Sage the travel expenses home.

If anyone continues to harp on this and stir up trouble, then they are clearly lacking in common sense and unwilling to let the sage return home soon!
These clean-up tasks were naturally left to Gao Lishi. In addition to helping Zhang Dai, Gao Lishi's job was also to have the eunuchs continuously put a bad word about the North Gate in front of the emperor.

While the factionalism within the Northern Gate is certainly problematic, a lack of effective control is equally problematic. If the duties of the Imperial Guard were so simple and easy, why would they enjoy such preferential treatment and favor?
Zhang Shuo was initially unaware of Zhang Dai's scheme, but Cheng Boxian volunteered to accompany him home, and after witnessing the scene upon returning, he naturally grasped the general idea. Of course, to understand the specific details, one still had to listen to Zhang Dai's account.

"Recently, there have been many disagreements among the personnel at the North Gate. Huo and Geng are each expanding their own power camps, and the soldiers in the other camps are left without a leader. Hearing of this astonishing reward, it is inevitable that the people will be even more confused. Wang Sixian is willing to spend a lot of money to invite a woman from one of the five families to marry his son. He must be a man who loves his son. With his son's life threatened like this, it is no wonder that he is in a state of panic."

After listening to Zhang Dai's account, Zhang Shuo first gave a brief explanation, then looked at Zhang Dai with satisfaction and said, "There is no inherent good or evil in tactics; the key is to find the right strategy. Even I didn't know how to handle this matter properly, but you were able to take advantage of the situation and handle it easily, which is truly commendable. Your father and uncles both lack the ability to recognize and adapt to changing circumstances, and you will need to offer more advice on how to handle family affairs in the future."

“Our elders are still young and vigorous, and we have our own kind parents to guide us. How could I, a mere child, have the right to sell my wisdom?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai lowered his head again and said, "This matter is not too difficult. If Zhang Shuo is willing to put in the effort, dealing with the Wang family father and son is not a problem. The problem is that it is too shameful. The matter caused by the Zheng family's sale of the marriage has made Zhang Shuo too lazy to care about it."

"They are already mature and their ways are set; it would be difficult to discipline and improve them further."

Zhang Shuo was originally quite satisfied with his sons, at least they weren't as bad as Yao Chong's sons. However, as he lost power and was dismissed from his post, his sons' shortcomings gradually became apparent, which made him quite disappointed.

As the grandfather and grandson were talking, more people walked in from outside. The one in front was Zhang Ji, followed by a young man of similar age.

After the young man entered and greeted Zhang Shuo, addressing him as "father-in-law," Zhang Dai realized that this young man was his aunt's husband, Zhang Shuo's son-in-law, and also came from a prestigious family, being a member of the Lu family of Fanyang, named Lu Zheng.

His aunt got married in Chang'an and has been in mourning at home for the past few years, so he has never met his uncle.

After the two men greeted Zhang Shuo, they took their seats. Zhang Ji then looked at Zhang Dai with a frown and said, "A-Liu, I heard that you just committed a violent act at home, breaking the hands and feet of a visitor? When did you start acting so violently? How can people respect my family's reputation?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai first glanced at his grandfather. Seeing Zhang Shuo frowning and remaining silent, he then said, "Uncle, you don't know this. The person who came to our door was the one who beat my brother. I broke his leg to avenge my brother!"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! Since the person has come to apologize, they must know they've made a mistake and have a heart of repentance. But you're so arrogant and unforgiving, only deepening the hatred. Do you really want to be enemies with the whole world before you're satisfied?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji became even more dissatisfied and pointed at Zhang Dai, continuing to rebuke him: "The government troops at the North Gate are far more arrogant and domineering than the current officials. You have clashed and entangled with them several times before, causing your family to suffer and be uneasy. Your brother's current predicament is also related to this, but you still do not repent!"
This time, the other party has finally come to our door, a rare opportunity. If we can handle things properly, we can resolve our past grievances. If you don't know how to handle it, you can come and ask me. Instead, you acted recklessly, deepening the enmity. If in the future, any family members are implicated by you, or siblings are crippled, and the entire North Gate is filled with enemies, how will you seek revenge then?"

"I have already returned home from the capital, why are you only arriving now?"

Zhang Shuo suddenly looked at Zhang Ji and said in a deep voice.

“My son, brother-in-law, and I are hosting a banquet for our guests in the west building. It’s a rare opportunity for us to get together, so we must make sure to entertain them properly before dealing with other matters.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji immediately lowered his head and said, "Brother knows that I have just returned to the mortal world and am unfamiliar with many things, so he invited the loyal king's friend Huangfu Weiming and others to a gathering to socialize, hoping to use this opportunity to help me get things done."

(End of this chapter)