Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 288 Where Does Fame and Fortune Come From?
Because of the timely intervention of the Yuan family, the chaos in the inner quarters did not affect the banquet in the front hall.

When the Zhang family finished their ancestral worship and returned to the front hall, many guests had already arrived to offer their congratulations. In addition to Zhang's relatives and friends and Zhang Shuo's colleagues in the court, many of Zhang Dai's classmates and friends had also come.

The guests moved to the central hall and took their seats, and the banquet officially began.

"By bestowing titles and encouraging virtue, and by allocating land for those who are virtuous, the Duke of Yan has made outstanding contributions to the country, which is admired by all. Now, his young disciples deeply uphold his ancestors' aspirations and are courageous in their endeavors. Their loyalty and courage are truly admirable!"

After everyone was seated, they all congratulated Zhang Dao, their eyes filled with either admiration or envy as they looked at Zhang Dai.

Most people would be somewhat humble in this situation. After all, those who could receive a title at Zhang Dai's age were either relatives of the emperor or received it through the merits of their fathers and grandfathers. How many people could obtain a title through their own efforts?
Although Zhang Dai was related to the imperial family, even Consort Wu Hui's own nephew had not yet been granted a title. If we were to consider blood relations, it would be entirely unreasonable for Zhang Dai, a distant nephew, to benefit from this honor!

Faced with the compliments of the crowd, Zhang Shuo was not humble. Instead, he smiled with satisfaction and said, "This young man's talent surpasses his peers, and his ambition surpasses his predecessors. He does not boast of his extravagant deeds, and in all his actions, he adheres to the rules. He is unwavering in his loyalty and righteousness, always striving to be the best. Your Majesty is magnanimous and does not mind his impetuousness. Now, you have bestowed upon him the grace of Heaven, bringing glory to my family. My own story is nothing to boast about; there are new talents to lead the way!"

These words were quite offensive. The older generation was displeased that Zhang Shuo was boasting about having a successor, while the younger generation was somewhat displeased with Zhang Dai, who had already achieved fame and success. After all, it's much easier to deny someone's excellence than to strive harder or learn from the virtuous.

However, most guests' feelings were fleeting. Having come to offer their congratulations, they wouldn't want to spoil the occasion or cause trouble for their host's joyous occasion. Besides, Zhang Dai's excellence was undeniable; putting everything else aside, his title as the newly appointed top scholar was still shining brightly!
But there are things that outsiders can't say, while family members are keen to undermine them.

As soon as Zhang finished speaking, his son-in-law Lu Zheng, who was sitting at the table, looked at Zhang Dai and said with a smile, "When Liu Lang was young, he was quiet and unknown. Even I, who frequented his home, did not know that there was such a talented young man. But he always makes a name for himself. Since last year, his reputation has been heard from time to time. Now he has received an honor, which is truly enviable."

Besides relatives and elders, there are also many like-minded juniors in the hall who yearn for fame and achievement but lack the means to do so. Sixth Brother should share his accomplishments and insights with them. Even if these juniors cannot strive alongside him or match his achievements, they will gain some understanding after receiving this guidance and know where to focus their efforts!

The other younger guests clapped and cheered, urging Zhang Dai to share his experience of success.

It was less of a request for advice and more of a mockery and ridicule. After all, many high-ranking officials had not yet received a title, yet Zhang Dai, a mere youth, had already been granted one. What achievements did he have to deserve such an honor?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai frowned slightly and glanced at Lu Zheng. He couldn't figure out what he had done to offend his uncle-in-law, causing him to embarrass him in front of all the guests. Moreover, it wasn't just Lu Zheng; even his aunt and her husband seemed to be giving him a hard time.

However, he was too lazy to think about it too deeply, and simply replied casually, "As for the so-called achievements and insights, my grandfather has already stated them. They are nothing more than being courageous in striving for the lead in loyalty and righteousness and making every effort to demonstrate them. The current sage is wise and powerful, with a mind as vast as the stars, and has repeatedly issued edicts to seek out worthy men. Talented people in the world have encountered this prosperous age and such an enlightened ruler. How can they be confused and unable to get out of the maze? And who can guide them?"

This answer immediately silenced the crowd's jeers. No matter how unconvinced they were, they couldn't very well say that they didn't even know the principles of loyalty and righteousness and needed to ask others for advice.

"Sixth Brother is too modest. Loyalty and righteousness are common to all people, but their practice of this principle varies greatly."

Other young people may still be resentful of Zhang Dai's favor, but his classmates are all convinced. After Zhang Dai finished speaking, Wang Changling spoke up again: "I am not as close to Lu Lang as we are by kinship and friendship. We only met this spring during the provincial examination, and after the results were announced, we went east together."

We were deeply moved by all the stories of Liu Lang we witnessed along the way. Last year, torrential rains caused the river to overflow, leaving people in both the north and south devastated, their homes destroyed and their people starving. Many spoke of righteousness, but few were willing to personally offer aid. Liu Lang, even before the provincial examinations were over, had already begun planning disaster relief, saving tens of thousands of lives. We, his companions, were fortunate enough to participate, helping to provide relief to thousands of families between Liang and Song.

Some may ask, what is the source of fame and merit? What is truly praiseworthy is not merely illustrious and great achievements, but also the salvation of the people from disaster, their suffering preserved from destruction—is this not also a good thing? Good officials throughout history have received imperial mandates and promulgated policies, taking good governance as their achievement. We commoners, though not receiving such mandates, still bravely strive to accord with Heaven's benevolent virtue of cherishing life; this is loyalty and righteousness tempered with courageous advancement!

After Wang Changling said this, the other classmates also chimed in, recounting their experiences on their journey to the east.

Upon hearing this, everyone present realized the reason for Zhang Dai's investiture—he truly had saved over ten thousand lives. They had initially thought Zhang Dai's eastward journey was aimed at Yuan Qianyao, an extension of court intrigue; now it seemed their understanding was far too shallow.

So everyone continued to praise Zhang Dai, making him a little embarrassed. And when the guests who arrived later heard about Zhang Dai's deeds, they couldn't help but praise him as well.

As evening approached, even more guests arrived to offer their congratulations. When Ding Qing presented a visiting card, Zhang Dai glanced at it and decided to personally greet them.

Most of the guests who came to offer their congratulations had already been led to the main hall by their families, but some remained in the front hall to wait. Zhang Dai stepped into the side room of the front hall and immediately saw the owner of the visiting card, Gao Chengxin, the adopted son of Gao Lishi.

"Sixth, Sixth Brother..." Gao Chengxin saw Zhang Dai walk in and hurriedly stood up from his seat, bowing to him somewhat awkwardly: "I, I came on Father's orders to congratulate Sixth Brother on his conferment of a title."

"If it weren't for the Duke of Bohai's order, would you, Sixteenth Brother, intend to disappear from my doorstep from now on?"

Zhang Dai walked into the room, looked at Gao Chengxin and said, seeing that the man no longer had his previous spirited appearance and looked dejected, he sighed and said, "Sixteenth Brother, are you still resentful that I abandoned you before?"

“No, how could I dare… The mistake was ultimately my own willfulness, how could I dare to blame Liu Lang? Even now, when I think about it, I am filled with remorse. Liu Lang treated me with utmost sincerity before, but I acted rashly and dragged Liu Lang into unpredictable danger.”

At this point, Gao Chengxin suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Zhang Dai, saying, "Even without Father's instructions, I... I have long wanted to come to your door to apologize to Liu Lang in person. Whether Liu Lang is willing to forgive me or not... I have ultimately failed to repay this invaluable kindness!"

Zhang Dai hadn't expected this guy to pull such a stunt, so he quickly stepped aside and went to the side to help Gao Chengxin up. Then he said, "The other day in Bianzhou, the Duke of Bohai also told me about this matter. The matter is over now. If we keep dwelling on it and getting caught up in the past, we'll only be binding ourselves."

I am delighted that my sixteenth brother has come to congratulate me today. I hope we can both be understanding of each other, so that this friendship can continue and deepen. Let us treat each other with sincerity, support each other, and become true friends who cherish one another.

"Sixth Brother's magnanimity makes me feel even more ashamed..."

While wiping away tears, Gao Chengxin reached into his robes and handed a letter to Zhang Dai: "Father sent me here not only to offer his congratulations, but also to instruct me to present this to Liulang."

Zhang Dai took the letter and opened it, only to find that it was an informal edict from the emperor to the Secretariat. The gist of it was that, because the Duke of Bohai, Gao Lishi, had presented the details, the emperor felt that his previous reward to Zhang Dai was too low, so he would grant him an additional rank.

Upon seeing this order, Zhang Dai realized the reason for his promotion from County Magistrate to County Viscount. He then hurriedly said, "I am truly flattered by the Duke of Bohai's kindness and consideration! I am so grateful to you, Brother Sixteen, for coming to inform me. Please stay and have a cup of wine with me!"

"Since you, Liu Lang, are so kind as to ask me to stay, it would be impolite of me to refuse!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengxin quickly added that he was no longer the most prominent among Gao Lishi's adopted sons. Maintaining a good relationship with Zhang Dai would undoubtedly be more helpful for his future comeback.

When Zhang Dai led Gao Chengxin back to the banquet, the conversation finally shifted away from him and began to focus on reciting and composing poetry. The Tang people had always loved poetry, and Zhang Yue was a literary giant of his time; reciting poetry at banquets had become a regular feature of their family's gatherings.

Such occasions are naturally meant to liven up the atmosphere, and there are rarely any outstanding poems or songs that can be passed down to future generations. Anyone with a basic understanding of phonetics can contribute a few poems, and even if they are not well-written, they will not be ridiculed or mocked.

The poem being composed at the banquet is a Yuefu poem titled "Drinking Song," written by Cao Cao, the Emperor Wu of Wei. It is a common theme used at banquets to encourage drinking, with titles such as "Drinking is indeed a joy" and "Singing while drinking." Poets like Li Bai also wrote many poems in response to this theme.

The most active person at the table right now is Gao Shi. Regardless of whether others ask him to drink with them or not, he is always reciting and singing at the table. He has already sung seven or eight songs, showing his talent and desire to perform.

Besides the major national affairs, another matter was announced in the court today: the emperor issued an edict to seek talented individuals and will hold a special imperial examination, with Zhang Dai's examination scheduled for three days later.

This was related to whether he could successfully leave his official post, so he naturally dared not be negligent. Therefore, he did not stay at the banquet for too long. Seeing that his fellow graduates and friends were getting along well, he got up to take his leave and went back to his residence to rest and prepare for the imperial examination a few days later.

Back in their room at Jicui Tower, Zhang Dai noticed that Yingniang and her daughter Aying seemed a bit off, so he asked, "What happened?"

"Ah Lang, the mistress has gone too far! She actually..."

Upon hearing this, Ah Ying recounted with indignation the ordeal that her mistress, Madam Zheng, had caused.

(End of this chapter)