Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 296 Willing to Become a Disciple of Liu Lang
Fearing that Yingniang might suffer a serious injury from anger, Zhang Dai had someone lead the already tearful Yingniang out of the hall before he walked up to Jiang Xingwei and said angrily, "I, Jiang, have already committed a great evil by abandoning my wife and daughter. If I am not here to rekindle our past relationship, then what is the purpose of my visit?"
My aunt raised me; do you think she's still as weak and easily bullied as she was in previous years? Now that you've come here of your own accord, if I don't give you a proper explanation, how can I let you leave so easily!

"Sixth Brother, please calm down. Now that I have come to your door, I am not afraid of being criticized for my past mistakes. Abandoning my wife and daughters was indeed wrong, but how can a man's ambition be suppressed for long? Besides, I did not go there to enjoy myself, but to join the army and serve my country. I endured snow and ice, fought bloody battles, and faced death several times before accumulating merit and rising above others..."

Jiang Xingwei didn't think he had done anything wrong, and even spoke of the past with a hint of pride.

However, Zhang Dai frowned upon hearing this and said angrily, "There are many meritorious people in the border towns, are they all despicable people who abandon their wives and children? Whatever your ambitions, you can leave on your own, but when you stole my aunt's private property, did you ever think about how she and her daughter would make a living in the future? Now that you have gained merit, you have a wife and children to enjoy it with. Coming to my house to show off is to mock my aunt for being unlucky."

"Sixth Brother, you've misunderstood. I've come here today to make amends to them, mother and daughter, and I'm willing to take them home..."

Jiang Xingwei quickly spoke again.

"You want to take her home? Who wants to go with you! To be a foot-washing maid for your illicit woman? Dream on!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai snorted coldly, and then said, "You want to rekindle your old relationship? Fine! Immediately file a lawsuit with the government to divorce your second wife, and then petition the court to grant my aunt the title of County Lady. Once you've accomplished these things, I will personally send my aunt to your home. Otherwise, don't bother me!"

"This, this... Sixth Brother, you are really asking me a difficult question. My family is harmonious now, and my wife is not a jealous woman. She is willing to take in Yingniang and her daughter. She was already freed from her servants, and now she has found a home..."

Jiang Xingwei then said with a troubled expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai could no longer contain his anger. He stepped forward and punched Jiang Xingwei in the face, shouting, "When you got married, did you know my aunt's background? When you stole her and ran away, did you know her background? What you, you dog, say is not human! Remember this: if I ever rise to prominence, I will surely plead for you, and your wife will have to stand respectfully to the side when she sees you! Get out of here! If you ever come back to my house, I'll break your legs!"

Jiang Xingwei hadn't expected Zhang Dai to have such deep feelings for Yingniang. He was a little stunned by the punch. When An Xiaochen and the others dragged him out of the hall, he remembered the real purpose of his trip and immediately shouted, "Sixth Brother, wait! Sixth Brother, wait! I have something important to tell you!"

Zhang Dai was too lazy to waste any more words with this man, and simply waved his hand to signal him to continue dragging him out.

"Why must you, Liu Lang, humiliate a brave man for the sake of my family's affairs! I have come to pay my respects today with the sincere intention of becoming a disciple of Lord Yan and to serve under you, Liu Lang! I know that you have a grudge against the official at the North Gate, and I am currently stationed at the North Gate. If you are willing to accept me, I will sincerely help you and will never let you down..."

Jiang Xingwei struggled and shouted again.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai finally understood the true purpose of this man's visit. It turned out that he didn't come to visit and bring back Yingniang and her daughter, but rather wanted to use this relationship to curry favor with his family. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how ruthless this man was, so opportunistic that he could still shamelessly try to take advantage of his wife and daughter whom he had abandoned for many years.

"Wait, drag him back!"

After thinking for a moment, he ordered An Xiaochen and the others to drag the man back to the hall, and then sneered, "You call yourself a strongman and want to join my ranks, but what schemes and strength do you have to offer me?"

"Several of us recently accompanied General Wang to the capital and were rewarded by the Emperor by being retained as imperial guards. However, the situation at the North Gate is quite different from that on the border. Lord Huo, Wang Maozhong, and others have been entrenched at the North Gate for many years, and their subordinates are even more of a clique. When we first entered the North Gate, we were met with a lot of difficulties due to personnel issues..."

Seeing that Zhang Dai seemed somewhat interested, Jiang Xingwei was secretly delighted and quickly added, "We border guards are skilled in archery and horsemanship, but we lack connections, which is why we are often harassed by former officials of the Northern Gate. However, if we can gain the support of powerful figures in the court, it will not be difficult to counterbalance the former officials of the Northern Gate. Now, the opportunity to recruit swift cavalry from among the Imperial Guards is even more precious. Last year, the Duke of Yan recruited long-serving guards..."

As Zhang Dai listened to this man's story, a cold smile crept onto his lips. These newly recruited border guards must have been feeling extremely uncomfortable being squeezed out by Wang Maozhong and other former North Gate generals, so they were eager to find help and had thus set their sights on his own side.

It seems that Jiang Xingwei highly values ​​Zhang Shuo's past achievements in overseeing military reforms and establishing the Changcong Imperial Guard. He hopes that Zhang Shuo can introduce him to the Changcong Imperial Guard, who are now the generals of the Imperial Guard, so that they can get to know each other and then rely on the Yulin Army to stand on equal footing with Wang Maozhong and others at the North Gate.

"Lord Huo and Lord Geng may hold high positions, but their methods of governing the army are utterly incompetent, and many of their ten thousand cavalrymen are corrupt. Sixth Brother previously clashed with the纨绔 (playboys) of the North Gate, so he must disdain to associate with them. If you are willing to recruit him, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

Jiang Xingwei looked at Zhang Dai with hopeful eyes and said, "Yingniang was originally a servant of ours, and taking care of Liulang was her duty. Liulang is deeply grateful for this, which shows that he is of noble character. If you are willing to take her under your wing and give her some guidance, I will be deeply grateful and do my best to repay this kindness!"

"Ha, whether my morals are noble or not is none of your business. But as for your morals, well, you may leave now."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai sneered and then waved his hand, saying, "Even if I need help to fight against the North Gate, I would never consider someone like this."

This guy's words and actions revealed him to be an extremely self-centered egoist, the kind who didn't care at all whether he would harm others. His entire speech revolved around how the Zhang family would use their resources to help him gain a foothold in the Northern Government, and when it came to how he would repay them, it was just a string of platitudes. If Zhang Dai actually believed him, he'd be no different from Yingniang in her youth. Even if he was short-handed, he couldn't possibly raise such a cold-hearted ingrate, especially since he had no resources whatsoever to help him establish himself and develop in the Northern Government.

As for his grandfather's influence among the Imperial Guards, it was almost completely exhausted back during the Fengshan ceremony. Last year, when the Imperial Guards besieged his family's estate, they were all gloating and having a great time!
Therefore, Jiang Xingwei's visit to his home hoping to gain help from the Imperial Guard system was a case of seeking the wrong help. He had some knowledge of the people in the court, but not much.

"Sixth Brother, I have come here with utmost sincerity! Please, Sixth Brother... my address is on the visiting card. If you change your mind in the future, or if Yingniang and her daughter wish to return home, that is fine..."

Jiang Xingwei tried to plead his case again, but An Xiaochen grabbed his arm and shoved him out, saying, "Get out!"

Although he wasn't exactly a saint, having even sold his concubine when he was poor, he bought her back once things improved slightly, showing he still had some humanity.

But Jiang Xingwei was truly a complicated character. Even after achieving great success, he never thought of searching for his wife and daughters again. If he hadn't wanted to rely on the Zhang family, he probably wouldn't have come here at all. He kept saying that his ex-wife was just a servant and was no longer worthy of him. His character was utterly depraved.

After seeing Jiang Xingwei off, Zhang Dai returned to Jicui Tower to comfort Yingniang and her daughter. When he arrived at the tower, he saw Aying diligently drying books on the bookshelf outside. He went up to her and asked, "Where is Auntie?"

"She was crying in her room, and I found it annoying, so I pretended to be busy outside."

Upon hearing this, Aying spoke up and quickly set up a folding chair for Zhang Dai, saying, "Alang, why don't you bask in the sun here for a while before going inside, so you won't get upset?"

"Didn't your aunt tell you what happened earlier?"

Seeing that the girl remained calm, Zhang Dai sat on the couch and asked her curiously.

"I did tell him, but so what? I've never even met him in my life, why should I be sad and shed tears for him! Mother just doesn't understand. She should just consider this annoying thing gone. Why is she still bothered by it now? Haven't all the suffering she's endured over the years been for nothing?"

Ah Ying was quite open-minded. She leaned down and nestled next to Zhang Dai, then pointed to the building and then to the residence of Ding Cang and his son. She laughed and said, "My family only has these people. What does it matter to me if that man becomes a general or a prime minister? I'm going to rely on Ah Lang for the rest of my life. I don't have time to care about what other people's meals are like!"

Zhang Dai was worried that this young woman would also be unable to hold back her tears like her mother, after all, this incident was quite shocking. However, he also witnessed Aying's resilient heart. No wonder she had the courage to argue with the servants around Zheng Shi when he was on the verge of death last year. Aying was so clear-headed about people and things, and she wouldn't be bothered or saddened by trivial matters.

"I was thinking that I should be more lenient with him out of consideration for you, but since that's what you think, then there's no point in giving him any face."

He always sought revenge, especially since he had a very bad impression of Jiang Xingwei. He pulled Aying close and whispered, "While we're magnanimous and easygoing, we shouldn't let things slide. Bad people won't change their ways just because you forgive them; they'll only think you're foolish and easily bullied. I'll find a time to teach him a lesson, to show him that making mistakes and harming people will definitely come with consequences!"

"Then Ah Lang can figure it out himself. I don't want to know any of this."

Ah Ying felt no love or hate for this so-called father, nor did she want to say or hear much about him. When she heard the crying in the room gradually subside, she got up and walked towards the room: "Mother is tired from crying, I have to go and comfort her, otherwise she will complain that I am heartless!"

Zhang Dai didn't follow. He was still sitting on the couch, squinting his eyes and basking in the sun while pondering in his mind. Suddenly, he heard a shout: "Zhang Liu, you won the imperial examination and greatly suppressed my brother. Shouldn't you treat us brothers to a meal to ease the resentment and congratulate you on your upcoming new post?"

He opened his eyes and saw Ding Qing leading the Li brothers, Li Xian and Li Xia, toward him. He got up to greet them and said with a smile, "I still have some leftover food from the banquet I had the other day. You don't mind if it's simple..."

"Why shouldn't you mind? You're not broke! I'm going to Xintan to hire prostitutes!"

Li Xia, that lad, hasn't forgotten his original intentions. He refused to stay obediently in the Zhang family mansion and came forward to drag Zhang Dai's arm out, saying, "I have already notified many friends to wait at Chengfu Lane, just waiting for you to settle accounts! Now that you have become the Assistant Musician, which of those boat girls would dare not serve you wholeheartedly!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's face darkened. "Did I become this official just so you could go to brothels, brag, and show off?"

(End of this chapter)