Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 294 Heavenly Grace May Not Meet One's Desire
The central government structure of the Tang Dynasty was basically divided into three provinces, six ministries, nine temples, five directorates, and one platform, as well as the Secretariat, the Palace Secretariat, the Inner Palace Secretariat, the Northern and Southern Guard Offices, the Eastern Palace officials, and the offices of the princes and princesses.

The Three Departments and Six Ministries, needless to say, were the core decision-making and administrative bodies of the central court. The Nine Temples evolved from the ancient court officials, with the Court of Imperial Sacrifices being the head of the Nine Temples. It was the Grand Master of Ceremonies of the Zhou Dynasty, in charge of rites and music. When the state was in trouble, rites and music were performed by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The Xielu Lang was an official under the Taichang Temple, with the rank of Senior Eighth Grade. His duties included conducting sacrifices, banquets, and playing music in the courtyard. He would ascend the hall and hold the banner to control the music, essentially serving as the conductor of the orchestra.

On a daily basis, the music bureaus such as Taiyue and Guchui taught music and conducted auditions to examine the performances of the musicians. In addition, his main job was to write lyrics and compose songs. For example, during the funeral of Prince Qi last year, the ministers presented various eulogies, which were adopted by the music bureau staff and set to music to create elegiac songs.

In short, this was an official position managing court music, palace banquet music, and other music-related matters; it belonged to the category of "clean-ranking officials" who were not valued. "Clean-ranking officials" refers to those with high evaluations during their official career advancement.

Before assuming important official positions, one not only needs to have excellent academic performance, but also needs to have previously held certain official positions. The qualifications obtained for these positions are called "preliminary qualifications," similar to the prerequisite skills one must master when learning important skills in an online game.

Historically, Yuan Qianyao criticized Li Linfu as unfit to serve as a court official. This criticism stemmed not only from doubts about Li Linfu's abilities and character, but also from the fact that Li Linfu had entered officialdom through family connections before seeking the position and had no merit to be recorded.

The position of Xielu Lang was one of the prerequisites for promotion to important official positions such as Zhongshu Menxia Gongfeng Guan and Shangshu Sheng Lang Guan. It was easier to transfer to these other positions from this post compared to other positions.

However, this refers to the period before the Tang Dynasty, especially during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras. The current emperor was a master of music and a member of the Pear Garden, and there were tens of thousands of actors and performers in the Imperial Music Academy. The officials in charge of managing these people were naturally in very important positions.

However, with the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty declined, and various forms of entertainment were scattered. Music officials such as Xie Lülang naturally suffered a sharp drop in popularity and lost their former prestige. They even became one of the positions held by military governors in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, and their fortunes declined along with the fate of the Tang Dynasty.

The fact that Zhang Dai was appointed as Xie Lu Lang by the emperor was not without reason, as last night's examination was basically about the duties and responsibilities of a Xie Lu Lang.

Among the official positions below the eighth rank, apart from the important positions of Censor and Left and Right Remonstrance Officials, which are generally not granted to commoners, the only official position that allows for extensive interaction with the emperor in terms of work and provides numerous opportunities for performance is the Assistant Director of Music and Ceremonies.

Zhang Dai was very satisfied with his appointment.

Although the proper path for scholars was usually to serve as a proofreader or corrector, such as his grandfather Zhang Yue and his favorite student Zhang Jiuling, both of whom started their careers as proofreaders, it was undoubtedly unacceptable for Zhang Dai to bury himself in books for several more years.

Moreover, unlike ordinary scholars, he already held the rank of eighth-grade official and the rank of fifth-grade founding viscount before he was even released from official rank, so there was no need for him to painstakingly accumulate seniority from the ninth-grade position of proofreader.

The position of Xielu Lang was the lowest-ranking official position that allowed one to deeply experience the culture and customs of the Tang Dynasty. Their work allowed them to have extensive contact with the poets of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, as well as to have direct relationships with the actors and performers of the Imperial Music Academy. They could enjoy the authentic, grand, and magnificent Tang Dynasty banquets without having to go to the Tang Dynasty Never Sleeping City to sweat and smell farts.

With just a little imagination, Zhang Dai was already filled with longing for his work and life ahead!

He was appointed as Xie Lu Lang, and the other two who passed the second-class examination were also appointed to their respective positions. Among them, Wang Qiu's son, Wang Qian, was appointed as Tai Le Cheng, a lower-ranking official of the eighth grade, while Zhang Renyuan's grandson, Zhang Tongru, was appointed as a Collator of the Secretariat.

However, unlike Zhang Dai, who was completely satisfied, the other two did not look too happy, clearly dissatisfied with the official positions they had been given.

The Taile Cheng was also under the jurisdiction of the Taichang Temple and was the deputy official of the Taile Bureau. Wang Wei was the top scholar in the imperial examination in his early years and was appointed as the Taile Cheng. However, he was demoted for violating regulations by arranging for entertainers to perform forbidden dances.

The position of Taile Cheng was actually a court musician, usually a promotion for musicians outside the official ranks. Although some scholars, such as Wang Wei, held this position after the Tang Dynasty, Wang Wei himself was quite accomplished in music, and holding this position would have facilitated his interactions with imperial relatives such as Prince Qi and Princess Yuzhen, so there was nothing wrong with it.

However, Wang Qian came from the prestigious Langya Wang clan, and he looked down on such an official position that was supposed to be a step towards righteousness.

This also reveals the hypocrisy of these aristocratic sons. They are nonchalant and indifferent to power since the iron fist hasn't fallen on them, and they no longer claim to be "blessed by Heaven's grace, whether in times of trouble or in times of chaos." Upon hearing the appointment, they immediately became somewhat embarrassed.

As for Zhang Tongru's appointment as a proofreader in the Secretariat, although it was a good choice for aristocratic families to rise to prominence, his face fell after receiving the appointment.

Because he was not a commoner to begin with, after completing his term in the Three Guards, he was appointed as a county magistrate. He finally seized an opportunity to take the imperial examination, but was instead appointed as a proofreader in the Secretariat, and had to start all over again.

No matter how good the starting point is, if you've been running for almost ten years and are still stuck in the same place, who could stand that? So even if you're the son of a high-ranking official, things don't always go your way. Life is always full of unexpected twists and turns.

If these two men had switched official positions, they would probably both be quite satisfied. Wang Qian would have been a promising candidate for a position starting from a noble family, while Zhang Tongru would have been able to return to the capital and serve as an eighth-rank judge. However, since this appointment was personally bestowed by the emperor, they naturally dared not be picky.

After the three men were granted their official positions, the officials of the Secretariat instructed them to return home and make their own preparations. They were to report to their new units on the first day of the sixth month of the following year. If they failed to report and take office by the deadline, they would be dismissed from their posts and punished.

"Farewell, gentlemen. See you another day!"

Zhang Dai wasn't very familiar with these two men. Seeing their displeased and dejected expressions, he didn't bother with further pleasantries. He immediately bowed to them to take his leave, then put away his official document and headed straight out of the imperial city.

"We have heard that the first candidate, Gao Liulang, has passed the imperial examination with top honors. May I ask what position he has been appointed to?"

Outside the imperial city, An Xiaochen, Ding Qing, and others had been waiting for a long time. Gao Shi, who had been staying at the Zhang family's house recently, also came here. Upon seeing Zhang Dai come out, he immediately rushed forward and asked questions.

"By the grace of the Emperor, I have been granted a sinecure as a Music Assistant."

Zhang Dai looked at the group of people whose faces were full of anticipation and curiosity, and replied with a smile.

"A Music Master? This... this really is... Liu Lang is already an eighth-rank official upon leaving office, truly... truly enviable!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Shi immediately showed envy and quickly said, "Sixth Brother, you mustn't underestimate this position. The current emperor is fond of music and rhythm. Being granted this position is no different from being a close attendant. By serving the emperor wholeheartedly, you will naturally receive even more favor... Alas, Sixth Brother, you are from a noble family. How could you not know this? It was I who was ignorant and showing off!"

Gao Shi was naturally very envious when he heard that Zhang Dai had been granted the position of Xie Lu Lang, a rank of eighth grader, right from the start of his career.

Although he came from a respectable family, his family had long since fallen on hard times. His father was away on official business since he was young, and he did not receive a proper early education. He said he was ashamed to take the imperial examinations, but in reality he lacked confidence. He always hoped to gain the appreciation and recommendation of the powerful and wealthy through his poetry, prose and strategies, and thus obtain a better social standing.

Seeing Zhang Dai, who is much younger than him, already standing at such a high starting point, Gao Shi felt a mix of joy and sorrow.

Zhang Dai, oblivious to Gao Shi's emotional shift, remained absorbed in imagining his future work, and thus chuckled, saying, "Since you've been appointed to this position, you must be dedicated to it, no matter what."

During your free time at age 35, you can help me gather inspiration. If any reclusive poets travel to the capital, or if you yourself have any elegant new works, please let me know. I will compose music for them, hoping that one day I can present them before the Emperor.

"Definitely, definitely, I will live up to Liu Lang's expectations and focus on collecting folk songs!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Shi's face lit up with delight, and he nodded repeatedly, clearly regarding Zhang Dai's casual remark as a rare opportunity.

People are in high spirits when they have good news. Zhang Dai has been in this world for more than a year. Today, he finally received an official position and was no longer a commoner. He was naturally very excited. He even wanted to go to the pleasure quarters south of Xintan to inspect and guide the cultural and entertainment life in Luoyang City, and show off his new identity.

After all, guiding and managing the operation and performances of these private prostitutes was within his authority.

However, remembering his grandfather's words of advice and knowing that he wasn't very popular, he didn't dare to be too carefree and went home to share the good news with his family.

Although the significance of Zhang Dai's official position this time was slightly less than that of the previous conferment of a title, since there were quite a few people in the clan who held official positions, and a mere eighth-rank official was not much, it still meant that the Zhang family had gained another formidable figure in the officialdom. Therefore, the family members were very happy. When Zhang returned home in the evening, relatives and friends inevitably gathered together.

(End of this chapter)