Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 284 Tang Yuan's achievements are insignificant
The Zheng brothers were berated by their sister, and their in-laws, the Wang Sixian family, were not spared either.

Originally, because of the bounty on the hitman, the Wang family had become the focus of attention for the men of the North Gate and the Five Workshops, and their every move was closely watched. When Wang Sixian took his son to the Zhang family to apologize, only to have his son's leg broken by the Zhang family, the news spread immediately.

When Wang Sixian returned home with his son, whose leg had been broken, his door was already crowded with young men from the North Gate and the Five Workshops who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

However, these people arrived so quickly not to show concern or offer comfort to the injured Wang Chongjun. Some came to watch the spectacle, some to scold and ridicule him, and others had ulterior motives, wanting to see what was really going on.

"General Wang, was it really true that Wang San's limbs were broken by Zhang Yan's men?"

After the Wang father and son entered the neighborhood, people on the street came up to them and asked them questions.

“My son was just… well, that’s all. Thank you all for your concern. Go home now, as my family is too busy to entertain you all.”

Wang Sixian was naturally very embarrassed and ashamed when he heard this question. He wanted to make a few excuses, but when he saw his son still wailing in pain, it seemed that there was not much difference between losing a leg and losing all four limbs.

Right now, all he wants to do is treat his son as quickly as possible and preserve his injured leg's mobility, so he waved his hand to disperse the crowd.

But these people refused to leave easily and continued to shout, "Is it true? How dare Zhang Yan's family be so arrogant and underestimate our Northern Gate Heroes!"

These were relatively normal words, but some of the Northern Gate disciples couldn't help but shout: "Wang San, stop pretending to be dead! Just a few days ago you were arrogant and said you would never bow down to the Zhang family and admit your mistakes, so why did you take the initiative to come to their door today and have your limbs broken? Doing this is a disgrace to the young men of the Northern Gate!"
"Are you truly afraid of the rumors of murder for a reward? Do you and your son really consider us greedy, unrighteous cowards? Come, explain yourself clearly, who are you afraid of killing you for the reward!"

Hearing the commotion, others around also chimed in. This matter involved not only the Wang family but also a number of other members of the Northern Gate.

The fact that the Wang father and son did this shows that they do not believe that the comrades in the North Gate value righteousness over profit, and that they would rather go to their enemy's house to be humiliated. This will undoubtedly make the people of the North Gate laugh at them.

Wang Chongjun, tormented by pain, was unable to reply. Wang Sixian, already in a foul mood, was further enraged by their persistent questioning, and immediately roared, "Why should I explain my actions to you? The reputation of the Northern Gate is not yours to bear!"
Now that the feud between my family and the Zhang family is over, no one would use such a large sum of money to harm my son. You should all disperse quickly and not cause any further trouble, lest you damage our harmony!

Some words, once spoken, are hurtful. Wang Sixian's words implied that everyone present intended to harm his son in exchange for a reward. Not to mention those who did not have such intentions, even some of those who did felt deeply insulted. They immediately shouted angrily, "Just now, Wang ran to the Zhang family's gate like a spineless dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy, but now he acts all high and mighty in front of us, his companions from the North Gate! We will not disperse, why do you want to ruin our harmony!"

Despite this, Wang Sixian was a general of considerable power among the cavalry, so the crowd didn't dare to actually confront him directly, but instead shouted reprimands at him.

However, the North Gate was also a place where many powerful figures were hidden, and there were always people who were not afraid to offend Wang Sixian to his face.

Just after the father and son returned home, another group of people arrived. The leader was Ge Fushun's son, Ge Yanchang. Upon arriving at the entrance of the Wang family's hall, Ge Yanchang asked in a menacing voice, "Is Wang San dead yet?"

“My son is badly injured and cannot see Ge Lang. What brings you here, Ge Lang? Just tell me.”

Wang Sixian didn't dare to yell at Ge Yanchang, but he didn't give him a friendly look either. Fearing that these people would disturb his son, he stood in front of the door with his sword and said in a deep voice.

"General Wang, you don't need to resent me so much. Your son recently boasted that he was brave, strong, and fearless of the powerful, and he received many benefits from me. But now he turns around and wants to go to my enemy's house to kowtow and beg for forgiveness. It turns out he was just deceiving and tricking me. How can I tolerate this!"

Ge Yanchang said angrily, "I've come here today to demand the return of all the money and goods that Wang San swindled from me. From now on, we'll sever all ties and never have anything to do with each other again! If you don't believe me, go ask your son. If he owes you even a penny, I will not forgive him!"

"Ge Lang is clear about right and wrong, truly a role model for us!"

The Northern Gate disciples who had been gathered around the Wang family's residence earlier applauded and cheered upon hearing this. Wang Chongjun had recently broken Zhang Shuo's grandson's leg, a fact they had boasted about for a long time. Now, seeing this, they were naturally gloating.

Wang Sixian was extremely ashamed and angry. He walked back to his room, intending to question his son, but upon hearing the hoarse groans, he felt a pang of pity.

He was not sure how much his son had received as gifts from Ge Yanchang, but after paying the Zhang family 10,000 strings of cash as compensation, the family's savings were already depleted.

He was just a general at the North Gate, not a wealthy merchant. The tens of thousands of strings of cash he spent on the wedding and the compensation would have emptied his savings. Even if he still had some money and silk at home, he had to save it for his son's treatment. He couldn't possibly give it all to Ge Yanchang.

After thinking for a moment, he went back to the back hall, found a slightly worn brocade robe and a gorgeous sash, and brought them to the front hall. He handed the two items to Ge Yanchang and said in a deep voice, "My son is currently in great pain and cannot speak. We don't have much money left at home, so I'm pledging these two items to you, Ge Lang. I will definitely redeem them for a higher price when I have more money in the future. I beg you, Ge Lang, to consider our relationship and not keep these items to delay my son's treatment."

"You scoundrel who stole my money, and now you blame me for delaying your son's life? Did I give you your son all those injuries?"

Upon hearing this, Ge Yanchang flew into a rage. He glanced at the worn robe and said with disdain, "Wang San has amassed over a thousand strings of cash from me these past few days, not to mention his spending at Chengfu Brothel. And now I'm offering an old robe as collateral? Are you trying to fool me by saying I don't know my place?" Hearing this, Wang Sixian also became agitated and furious. Holding the robe in both hands, he shouted angrily, "Ge Lang, do you know what this robe is? This is a robe bestowed upon us, the soldiers of the Northern Gate, by the Emperor for following him in eliminating the Wei and restoring the dynasty. It is a token of our merit as Tang Yuan warriors, and it is the means of livelihood for you, the sons of the Northern Gate!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present, both inside and outside the palace, changed slightly. Even among the Northern Gate Imperial Guards, the meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty were a very special group. Wang Sixian's display of this imperial gift made everyone present hesitant to speak or act recklessly.

Ge Yanchang's expression changed, but after thinking for a moment, he snatched the brocade robe and sash and said coldly, "My family also has this robe, as well as several new robes bestowed by the emperor. Wang, there's no need to scare me with this. I will accept this item as collateral and wait for you to redeem it! If you want to use this to pay off your debt, you're dreaming."

After Ge Yanchang and his group left, the others dispersed, inevitably criticizing and mocking the actions of the Wang family father and son.

After leaving Wang Sixian's house, Ge Yanchang had no desire to seek pleasure anymore, so he went straight back to his own home, where he found his father cursing the Wang family father and son for bringing shame upon themselves.

Ge Fushun was also closely watching the development of the situation, and Wang Sixian's cowardice and failure to hold on for such a short time before going to the Zhang family to apologize undoubtedly caused him great loss of face.

Although he did not admit that Wang Chongjun hit Zhang Shuo's grandson to vent his anger, that was how others saw it. Now that the Wang family father and son could not withstand the pressure and went to the Zhang family to apologize, it undoubtedly showed that Ge Fushun did not protect the power and influence of the Wang family father and son.

This would undoubtedly have a very negative impact on Ge Fushun, who was eager to rival Wang Maozhong. The generals of the Northern Gate were both opportunistic and eager to follow the strong. Since Ge Fushun could not control his subordinates, he naturally could not win people's hearts.

Just as he was feeling annoyed, he looked up and saw his son peeking in from outside the hall. He immediately sneered, "So you're finally going home? I thought you were so engrossed in your love life that you'd forgotten all about your parents!"

"If Father is still willing to bring Wang San Niangzi back, how could I not be happy to go home..."

Upon hearing this, Ge Yanchang muttered to himself that he still couldn't forget Wang Maozhong's daughter and privately begged his father to send someone to Changshou Temple to bring her back. However, Ge Fushun felt it was too shameful and refused to agree no matter how much he made a fuss.

"If you, you unfilial son, think that again, I'll break your legs!"

Upon hearing this, Ge Fushun couldn't help but roar again. He had been suppressed by Wang Maozhong for many years, and his son had been humiliated by Wang Maozhong's daughter, yet he remained infatuated. The thought of this made him feel suffocated with anger.

"Go ahead and fight! Zhang Liu broke Wang San's leg! I've only just realized that all that boasting about the power of the Northern Gate is nothing compared to a prime minister's illegitimate grandson! He's been humiliated like this, yet he has no plan for revenge!"

Ge Yanchang said angrily, and forcefully threw Wang Sixian's robe to the ground.

At first, Ge Fushun merely frowned and glared at his son, but after glancing at the robe on the ground, his expression immediately changed. He hurriedly got up from his seat, picked up the robe, and after examining it carefully, he said in a deep voice, "Where did you get this?"

"That scoundrel Wang San pretended to be a tough guy and swindled a lot of money from me, but I never expected him to be such a coward. I was determined to get my money back! But he's so greedy and stubborn that he refused to pay back the money and instead used it as collateral!"

Upon hearing this, Ge Yanchang said in an annoyed tone.

"He gave it to you, and you just accepted it? Do you even know what it is?"

Ge Fushun angrily demanded an explanation, but Ge Yanchang nonchalantly replied, "It's nothing more than a gift bestowed during the Tang and Yuan dynasties..."

"Nothing more than? This 'nothing more than' is the foundation upon which you stand, the lifelong glory of us meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty, and the source of your remaining wealth and honor, you fool! You rebellious son, do you know what is important, daring to so scorn the achievements of the Tang Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Ge Fushun became even more enraged and punched his son in the face.

Just then, a servant hurriedly entered the hall and said, "Reporting to my lord, Young Master Huo and Wang Shoulian, the Crown Prince's steward, are requesting an audience at the gate."

Since Wang's daughter eloped, the two families had not had any contact. When Ge Fushun heard that Wang Shoulian wanted to see him, he was secretly puzzled.

He first had his son escorted to the backyard, and then had Wang Shoulian invited in. After Wang Shoulian entered the hall, he was followed by several servants, each carrying a box of gold and silver jewelry.

"My father heard that General Wang of the Ten Thousand Cavalry had a minor dispute with the Geng family over money and goods, so he specially sent me to bring a hundred catties of gold and several bushels of pearls and jade to settle the matter, hoping that the Geng family would return the robe bestowed upon General Wang by Tang Yuan. My father said that the gifts bestowed are extremely valuable, far exceeding the value of money and silk..."

Upon hearing Wang Shoulian's words, Ge Fushun's face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

(End of this chapter)