Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 285 Zhang Liulang, a man of unparalleled righteousness

Recently, due to the trouble caused by his adopted son Gao Chengxin, Gao Lishi's situation is quite embarrassing. Even ordinary palace servants can sense this, and some even secretly speculate that Gao Lishi might lose power from now on.
However, after Gao Lishi returned from his mission, he was even more favored than before. The emperor not only kept him in the Changzhi Palace, but also specially arranged for him to have a residence in a side hall. Sometimes, even late at night, the emperor would summon him to discuss matters, and frequently sent Gao Lishi to inspect the affairs of various departments in the southern provinces.

This inevitably surprised some people who were secretly gloating and wanted to see Gao Lishi fall into ruin, while some palace servants who had previously distanced themselves from him were also uneasy and could only serve him more diligently to make up for it.

Gao Lishi was too lazy to bother with such matters now. His only thought was to handle the flying money affair perfectly, ensuring the Emperor's smooth return to the capital this autumn. Besides that, he enjoyed watching the infighting within the Northern Gate to amuse himself.

When Gao Lishi learned from Cheng Boxian that the Wang father and son had gone to the Zhang family to apologize, and knowing that Ge Fushun would be furious about it, he couldn't help but smile broadly.

Ge Fushun's willingness to rise up and vie for power with Wang Maozhong within the North Gate was naturally something Gao Lishi was happy to see. However, this fellow should never have made Gao Lishi's target for establishing his authority, and he also coveted Gao Lishi's assets.

Even without Zhang Dai's request for help, Gao Lishi was already planning to find time and an opportunity to launch a counterattack, and this was the perfect opportunity. In order to ensure that the situation did not get out of control and to force the Wang family father and son to submit as soon as possible, Gao Lishi also used some forces that he had not used before.

After the Tanglong and Xiantian coups, in order to reward the meritorious officials and to eliminate the remaining personnel problems in the palace, the current emperor bestowed a large number of palace servants and eunuchs upon the coup heroes as household slaves.

Although these people left the palace, they still maintained numerous connections with it. In particular, the eunuchs, due to their physical disabilities, were more willing to interact with their fellow eunuchs, and many of them even dreamed of one day returning to the palace.

These servants, bestowed upon the families of meritorious officials, also became natural eyes and ears, exchanging information privately about the situations of each official's family. In this instance, Gao Lishi arranged for someone to contact the servants bestowed upon Wang Sixian's family, staging a good show for the Wang family father and son.

What happened next unfolded as expected, but there was still one crucial point left unresolved: the sage's opinion on the matter.

Gao Lishi tidied up his affairs briefly, then went outside the palace to request permission to report on his matters.

"What good news has the General brought this time?"

Recently, the court has been in an uproar over the final handling of the convicted officials in Bianzhou. Many officials have submitted memorials to express their opinions, which has greatly disturbed the emperor. Upon hearing that Gao Lishi requested an audience, the emperor immediately put aside his work and ordered an official to bring him into the hall to ask him questions with a smile.

Gao Lishi did not directly recount the matter, but instead spoke of the reform of the flying money system that he was currently in charge of: "Yangzhou and Yizhou are both places where resources converge. When the flying money is to be implemented in the future, these two places will be of utmost importance. The amount of money involved may be in the hundreds of millions."

However, the records kept by the various departments of the court now contain very few matters concerning commerce. To avoid the misuse of legal expertise due to ignorance, I request that loyal and diligent officials be dispatched to these two regions to inquire in detail about the relevant matters for reference.

"In your opinion, General, who in the inner palace is qualified to handle this matter?"

Upon hearing this, the sage took it to heart and quickly asked again.

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi shook his head and said, "The eunuchs are mostly ignorant and incompetent. The questions they have asked on this mission are related to a huge amount of money and silk. They may not be able to clarify the situation in a short time, which may delay His Majesty's return. It would be safest for His Majesty to select a virtuous and capable person!"

Unlike other powerful eunuchs, Gao Lishi was not keen on taking all personnel power into his own hands. Especially after being severely betrayed by his adopted son, he realized that it was most important to entrust the right things to the right people.

He was the one who presented the matter of the flying money reform to the emperor, which greatly pleased the emperor and led him to take charge of the matter. This was already a great favor to him, but he also knew that this matter involved a wide range of people and could not be accomplished by the eunuchs in the inner palace alone.

If one controls all personnel matters, it means taking on all responsibilities. If things succeed, great; but if they don't, how can one face the saint who has bestowed great favor and trust upon him?
"It is rare to find a general who is so humble and open-minded, willing to delegate tasks and treat the virtuous with respect. This kind of magnanimity alone is something that even the prime ministers of the Southern Province cannot match!"

Upon hearing this, the sage glanced at the memorials submitted to the emperor on his desk and couldn't help but sigh.

He had thought that by dismissing Zhang Shuo, the court would be free from the dominance of one party and could regain its clarity through healthy competition. However, the court is no longer dominated by one party, but the various struggles are much more intense than before.

Many matters had to be brought up to the emperor for him to make decisions, which inevitably caused him great dissatisfaction. Although he possessed great talent and ambition, he was not particular about details. If he had to personally oversee every matter, big or small, why should the court spend its resources to support the entire court of officials?
"Such high praise is undeserved. There is something I need to report to Your Majesty, and I beg Your Majesty to forgive me!"

Seeing that the emperor seemed to be in a good mood, Gao Lishi quickly pressed on while the iron was hot.

"General, please speak frankly. Why can't we talk about this?" The sage said with a smile after hearing this, pretending to listen attentively.

"Recently, there has been a dispute between the Yan family and the Northern Gate disciples..."

Gao Lishi first recounted the story of how Zhang Shuo's grandson's leg was broken by Wang Chongjun.

After listening, the sage frowned, pondered for a moment, and then smiled and said, "Duke Yan likes to arrange marriages with people from Shandong, but he doesn't know that there are many troubles and problems in famous families. They are a mixed bag, and how will he extricate himself from this predicament?"

At this point, he looked at Gao Lishi and asked with a smile, "So, the Duke of Yan asked the General to step in and resolve this matter?"

"It's not that it's Duke Yan. Duke Yan is a solemn minister. He is already very tired from studying the classics and compiling history. He probably doesn't have the energy to concern himself with such trivial matters."

Gao Lishi first shook his head, then said, "It is Zhang Dai, another grandson of the Duke of Yan. He came to my door seeking my help to get justice. He asked me to inform the gang at the North Gate on his behalf, offering 30,000 strings of cash to buy the life of that villain..."

"How dare he! Zhang Dai is truly audacious and reckless, relying on his meager talents to act with utter disregard! Does he not know his duty at the North Gate? The Emperor's personal guards are being used to manipulate people and sow discord!"

Upon hearing this, the sage flew into a rage, slammed his fist on the table, and roared. Then, his eyes darted around, and he looked at Gao Lishi and asked in a deep voice, "Did you help him commit this crime?"

Gao Lishi was secretly uneasy when he saw that the emperor's reaction was even more intense than he had expected. At the same time, he was also glad that he had reported the matter early. If the emperor had learned about it through other channels, he probably wouldn't have had a chance to explain.

"When I first heard this, I was also shocked and furious. I never expected this boy to be so audacious. But after hearing his explanation of why he dared to devise such a plan, I couldn't help but agree with him."

While secretly observing the Emperor's expression, Gao Lishi continued, "His disciples claim to be the Emperor's personal guards at the Northern Gate, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting the Emperor. Naturally, their power is unstoppable and no one dares to disobey them, but this is all due to the Emperor's authority. However, there are some ignorant and arrogant people who take the Emperor's authority as their own, disregarding the law and bullying others!"
The reason for this elaborate scheme is to warn some that only through the power of Heaven can the disciples of the North Gate be united! Those who pursue personal favors will inevitably find themselves weighing the pros and cons and scheming against each other.

"Even so, this person's actions of stirring up trouble are still incredibly audacious!"

Upon hearing this, the sage's anger subsided, though he was not entirely appeased. He stared at Gao Lishi and asked in a deep voice, "So you're helping him because of this?"

Gao Lishi immediately bowed and then said in a deep voice, "The reason I helped him with this matter was also to offer advice. The North Gate today is quite different from the past. In the past, the North Gate valued benevolence and righteousness, and its guards of the Imperial Residence were loyal and unwavering. The Emperor also bestowed generous rewards upon them, so that these followers received far more than the troops outside the capital."

However, human greed leads to many problems. In both capitals, wealthy merchants and local bullies, coveting the spoils of the Imperial Guards, have used their wealth to bribe their way into their ranks. In recent years, many of the newly recruited soldiers at the North Gate are street urchins. These men are inherently greedy and ungrateful, and even Zhang Dai, a mere youth, has noticed this and intends to use money to drive them away.

Wang Sixian, the commander of the Wanqi Battalion, was well aware of this matter and dared not delay. Upon hearing the news, he immediately led his son to the commander's residence to apologize. "What outsiders say may be biased, but what the Wanqi commander felt is certainly true!"

Upon hearing this, the sage's eyes sharpened, but after a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Where did this brat get such a huge sum of money to manipulate his disciples?"

"He had no money or silk. He did receive some gifts from Lord Yan after the provincial examination, but afterwards he spent all his money to buy veterinary medicine from Lord Huo and distributed it to the people along the way to prevent cattle plague."

After recounting this, Gao Lishi sighed and said, "I had been secretly resentful that this man had abandoned me the other day and I was unwilling to have any contact with him again. However, during this mission, I was deeply moved by his actions and found that his respect for kindness and righteousness was not hypocritical."

Consort Hui was deeply grateful to him and entrusted him with many duties. He personally visited various prefectures and counties, so that his virtuous reputation was known throughout the north and south of Henan. During the Liang and Song dynasties, no fewer than a thousand families saved their livestock from a cattle plague because of his medicinal treatment. His followers made no mention of it; had I not personally visited the prefecture, I would not have known of this.

This son was born out of wedlock and was not on good terms with his family. His father was away on official business, leaving the household affairs unmanaged. Seeing his relatives and disciples being humiliated, and resenting his lack of power to protect them, he took the risk of plotting this. I asked him if it was worth it if he were to be tortured for it. His disciple only said that when there is a duty to be fulfilled, there is no room for compromise. Therefore, I could not bear to refuse him…”

After hearing Gao Lishi's words, the emperor's expression changed several times. After a long while, he pointed at Gao Lishi and said, "I understand. The general is not here to apologize for this man, but to curry favor!"

(End of this chapter)