Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 305 If you lack talent, then maintain your integrity

Zhang Jun's divorce from his wife is such a big deal, he needs to give his family an explanation to avoid giving rise to all sorts of absurd speculations and rumors.

So when Zheng and the others were taken out of the mansion and moved elsewhere, Zhang Yue summoned everyone in the family and announced in the main hall that Zhang Jun had divorced his wife. The reason given was that he divorced her out of jealousy, but he kept silent about her use of witchcraft to harm people.

"This matter ends here. No further private discussion is permitted. All of you men and women should take this as a warning, carefully manage your households, and refrain from violating family rules and ethics, or doing anything that would disgrace the family. Anyone found guilty will be severely punished!"

Zhang Shuo gave a stern order with a cold expression, and then waved his hand to dismiss the group of clansmen.

Listening to the message his grandfather shared with the clansmen, Zhang Dai couldn't help but admire his grandfather's ability to handle family affairs, befitting a prime minister who once held power.

Revealing different messages to different people will inevitably lead to various rumors, but because everyone's knowledge is different, they will eventually reach a consensus and fail to reach a common understanding. Even the spreaders of rumors will question each other, making the whole thing laughable in an absurd atmosphere.

After dismissing the other clansmen, Zhang Yue kept Zhang Jun and his son behind. Pointing at Zhang Jun, he said in a deep voice, "Now that the matter has been resolved, you should not stay at home any longer. Return to Zhengzhou tomorrow. Be careful after you enter the prefecture and do not do anything immoral or illegal. If you misbehave and are questioned, the consequences will be dire, and you may end up where Yuan Qianyao's son is!"

"The Zheng family father and son have already written their testimonies. It was that jealous woman who made the mistake. How can it be implicated me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun frowned nervously and said, "I want to complain about Zhang Dai again, but when I saw my father's stern eyes, I swallowed the words that were about to come out and asked with a worried look, 'When can I relax?'"

"Relax about what? You could be overthrown by thieves in a single day if you're not careful. How can you be so indulgent? Just be careful in your words and deeds, and abide by the rules and regulations, and you will enjoy endless wealth and glory, with fame and fortune coming your way. Who in the world wouldn't want that?"

Zhang then solemnly admonished, "If you have talent, you should achieve merit; if you lack talent, you should uphold your integrity. In life and after death, you can look back with a clear conscience! Even if this matter did not occur, you should remember this sentiment and never slacken your efforts!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun nodded in agreement, while Zhang Dai, standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

In the original history, it is clear that his father did not heed his father's teachings, or perhaps he had a misconception about himself. He probably thought he had amazing talents and was eager to show them off, so he did not serve the Tang Dynasty but instead served the Yan Dynasty.

"After you return to Guizhou, there is one more thing I need you to do. That evil monk, Faneng, is not a privately ordained monk. He is a monk with a certificate of ordination and registered with the authorities. It is not convenient to deal with him privately. If we bring him to the government in the capital region, it will be too conspicuous. Take him to Zhengzhou and try him for one of the ten heinous crimes. Then deal with him in the prefecture."

Zheng was abandoned by her father and brothers, and the servants were theoretically all Zhang family servants, so that was easy to deal with. However, the monk Faneng had no connection with the Zhang family and had his own social connections, so it was not easy to deal with him privately.

Zhang said he had learned his lesson last year, so he was even more cautious this year. The imperial court was quite strict in its management of monks and Taoists with official records. If the Zhang family were to privately punish the monk Faneng, it could have very serious consequences if the news got out.

"But even if he is sentenced to be executed in the marketplace, the case still needs to be reviewed three times by the court. If the officials question it and conduct a review, wouldn't that cause further complications?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun couldn't help but frown and say something.

Upon hearing this question, not only Zhang Shuo frowned, but even Zhang Dai secretly shook his head. Zhang Jun clearly lacked imagination in the use of power. A prisoner with irrefutable evidence—you're worried about not being able to kill him? There are far too many ways to take a life in this world, not just execution in the autumn.

"Let Zhang Gu accompany you to help you handle this matter properly. The fewer people involved in the Zhengzhou prefecture, the better. Your brother-in-law can fill in the gaps in the procedures at the Ministry of Justice in the central government, so he won't interfere too much with the prefecture's affairs."

Zhang Shuo was too lazy to keep reminding his son of everything and made arrangements directly.

This monk, Fa Neng, had harmed more than one person with his sorcery. His surviving spellbooks even contained information about many of his clients and victims, making it possible to convict him without false accusation. The reason for bypassing the court's review process was to prevent the Zhang family's witchcraft from being exposed to the court officials.

Now Zhang Jun is handling the lawsuits and issuing judgments within the state, and Zheng Yan from the Ministry of Justice of the Imperial Court is providing procedural support.

The monk was sentenced to death for his crimes, but he suddenly contracted a serious illness in the Zhengzhou prison and died. All that could be done was to notify the temple where he was registered to send someone to take away and bury his body. The monk's previous monastic status was still registered at Changshou Temple.

"The matter is now settled, so you don't need to take it to heart anymore. All the family disputes in the past were due to the carelessness and negligence of the elders. Fortunately, our sons have been self-reliant and have now become outstanding, even able to help support the family. From now on, there will be no more such troubles!"

After explaining these final matters, Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Dai and comforted him, saying, "Go back to your room and rest for a while, relax, and take up your post with ease! After learning that you would be his subordinate, Cui Taichang praised you to me several times, and he is very much looking forward to you bringing some personnel benefits!" "Your son will certainly live up to your expectations, Father, and do his best in this position, accumulating merits to advance!"

Zhang Dai also quickly stood up and said that although such a result was not perfect, it was a relief for him. From now on, he would no longer have to worry about when this hidden danger would erupt and could concentrate on external affairs.

Even if there are other disharmonies in the family, they are not like Zheng's, who can suppress him without any way to fight back based on ethical relationships. They can also handle them with ease and don't need to take them to heart.

Although it was only afternoon, Zhang said he was a little tired after finishing his business, so he waved his hand to dismiss the father and son and went back to the backyard to rest.

After leaving the hall, Zhang Dai headed straight for Jicui Tower, but was stopped by Zhang Jun from behind: "Come with me to the east wing first."

In the east wing, the servants were still busy cleaning up the traces left by Zheng Shi. Seeing the familiar furnishings being dismantled and moved away, Zhang Jun couldn't help but feel his eyes well up with tears, and he remained silent for a long time with a sorrowful expression.

But after a while, he suddenly looked at Zhang Dai and said, "Did that evil monk tell us if there were any evil spirits in the east wing? Has it been cleaned up?"

Seeing his lingering fear, Zhang Dai shook his head: "I don't know either, but we still need to clean it thoroughly before moving back in. Since Father isn't home, I don't want to live here, so let's just seal it off for now."

"Sigh, what a nice family..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun sighed again. Just then, Zhang Yu, who had moved to the backyard, was carried back on a stretcher by his family. Before they even got close, he burst into tears, crying, "Father, has my mother really left home? What crime did she commit? Why won't you forgive her?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun's face paled, but after glancing at Zhang Dai, he frowned again, adopted a stern demeanor, and said in a deep voice, "You are not young anymore, how can you only cry and wail when things happen! Your mother is already unvirtuous for being jealous, and she has even resorted to witchcraft to harm people. How can I tolerate her!"
You should learn from your elder brother. He was orphaned at a young age, yet he thrived and is now a renowned young talent, a source of pride for our family!

Zhang Dai was somewhat surprised to hear his father's words; he hadn't expected that this dog could spout such ivory.

Zhang Yi dared not cry out loud anymore, but only lowered his head and sobbed.

At this moment, the newborn girl was also brought back by the wet nurse. This wet nurse was not the one arranged by Madam Zheng before, but was rearranged by the old lady Madam Yuan. Because the breathing of the newborn girl was different, the girl kept crying.

Hearing his children crying, Zhang Jun couldn't help but burst into tears. He took the little girl and placed her in Zhang Dai's arms, then put Zhang Yi's hand in his as well. Only then did he say in a heavy tone, "I will be leaving home for the prefecture again tomorrow. I entrust your younger brother and sister-in-law to you!"
Even if you still harbor resentment, remember the kindness and loyalty I have shown you, and on your behalf... Alas, in short, all the affairs of the family are entrusted to you. Do not be a lone flower blooming alone; remember to also care for the young and the old.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai realized that Zhang Jun had only said those kind words to put the burden of the family on his shoulders. Although he had considered taking over the upbringing and care of his younger siblings when he was planning to resolve the Zheng family issue, he still felt that his father was a real jerk. Did he just not want to take any responsibility?
Strangely enough, the young woman, who had been crying hoarsely, stopped crying after being placed in his arms, and just stared at Zhang Dai with her teary eyes.

Zhang Dai glanced down at the baby, too lazy to argue with Zhang Jun any longer, and simply said, "The trees are flourishing and the springs are flowing gently. Father, how about we name this little sister Juanjuan?"

"Anything is OK."

Zhang Jun was still immersed in the faint sadness of becoming a middle-aged widower and had no interest in anything else. Upon hearing this, he casually replied.

After thinking for a moment, he pulled Zhang Dai aside and whispered, "Your grandfather and I are not registered in any other place, so we have little property. We only have a villa in Yanshi County, which yields between three and five thousand strings of cash a year. I will send the estate owner home to report to you later. From now on, you will be in charge of managing this estate, which will be enough for you and your siblings to live on."

This guy wasn't completely shameless after all; he left all his family affairs to Zhang Dai and even remembered to leave behind a private stash of money and property to support the household. Zhang Dai readily accepted this, but then looked at his father and pressed, "Is this the only one?"

Zhang Jun awkwardly turned his head away to avoid his gaze, then stiffly changed the subject: "Do you still remember Li Chengyu's son, Li Kui, whom you saw at the state school? He will be studying at the Imperial Academy, and his family will be moving to the capital. Could you help look after them then?"

The other day they said they'd arrange a marriage for you with a woman from their family, but you didn't like her. So, help them keep their household quiet and prevent those dissolute young men from causing trouble. Remember this well, don't take it as mere idle talk!

When Zhang Dai saw Zhang Jun's serious expression, he became suspicious: What are you planning?
(End of this chapter)