Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 309 Seeking Fragrance at the External Education Center

On his first day at work, Zhang Dai didn't do much serious work. He simply learned about the personnel and responsibilities of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and got a basic understanding of his work environment, job duties, and salary.

The Xielu Lang was directly under the Taichang Qing, so unlike the Taile Shu, which had a relatively independent office area in the official residence, the Xielu Lang only had a few rooms in the hall on one side of the Dushitang as an office area, so that they could be summoned by their superiors at any time.

These rooms are quite spacious. The main hall has several desks, while the side rooms on the left and right store various music books and items related to the duties of the Assistant Musician. Screens separate the inside and outside as living rooms, where the Assistant Musician could live and store some personal belongings when on duty.

There were also six clerks assisting in the office, and four official slaves were assigned to them for summons and errands, and to take care of the daily life of the assistant music officer in the Taichang Temple office. These official slaves were not servants assigned to officials, but rather a job benefit provided by the Taichang Temple to its serving officials, usually filled by miscellaneous households of the Taichang Temple.

In addition, the Xie Lu Lang was provided with one meal at the office on weekdays, and three meals were provided if he stayed overnight on duty. On non-working days, he naturally did not receive any meal benefits.

As a rank-eighth official in the capital, Zhang Dai's regular benefits included an annual stipend of 60 shi of rice, a monthly salary of 1,300 shi, food allowance of 300 shi, miscellaneous allowance of 250 shi, 250 mu of assigned land, and three servants. In addition, he was granted a rank-fifth title and 8 qing of land.

The allocation of land to officials had been abolished by Yuwen Rong's reforms, and they were now supplemented with five shi of millet annually based on the acreage. As for servants, they were conscripted into labor service, which was quite troublesome. Therefore, in recent years, they have usually been exempted from labor service by paying a fee, which is paid monthly, giving them an extra two to three hundred coins each month.

In this way, Zhang Dai's annual salary totaled about 65 shi of rice and 25 guan of cash.

This income, while not a small amount, is certainly not a large one either. If a single man is not too extravagant, it is more than enough to cover his expenses.

However, if one has to support a family, even just a family of three to five, this income is barely enough to make ends meet in the bustling capitals of the two cities. Without other sources of income, life would be quite difficult. Furthermore, if there is a fixed rent expense, there would be a significant deficit.

Zhang Dai didn't need this salary to support his family, but after hearing about the treatment, he couldn't help but sigh that the income of grassroots officials in the Tang Dynasty was generally average.

No wonder that when Du Fu served as a military advisor in the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard during the Tianbao era, his family had to live in the suburbs outside Chang'an, and there was even a tragedy where his young son starved to death.

Before Zhang Dai, there was another Assistant Musician in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Ma Lizheng, whom Cui Rizhi described as "old, hunched over, and unsightly."

When Zhang Dai arrived at the office of the Assistant Musician, he did not see his colleague. He asked the clerk on duty in the office and learned that the Assistant Musician Ma had gone to the Music Hall to inspect and maintain musical instruments.

"Is the duties of the Assistant Musician still very busy?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but ask again.

Seeing how friendly Grand Minister Cui Rizhi was with Zhang Dai, Zhao Ling, who was acting as a guide, became even more attentive. Upon hearing this, he leaned closer and whispered, "Although the duties of the Grand Master of Ceremonies are complicated, they are actually quite sinecure. Whether the duties are easy or difficult depends on the individual. Ma Xielu is a slow and inflexible person, so he is often bothered by the temple and its offices whenever there is something to do."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai understood. It seemed this colleague was a pushover who couldn't say no, which was why his colleagues in the department were happy to pass the buck to him. Such a person wasn't assertive, and Zhang Dai himself wasn't one to bully others, so they should be able to get along relatively well.

He asked the clerk and learned that the living room on the left side of the office was still empty. So he put the books on laws and regulations and music that he had obtained from Cui Rizhi there first. As for bedding and other daily necessities, he would bring them with him when he went to the office the next day.

He had originally planned to take advantage of his free time to visit the rehearsal site of the Taichang Musicians, but as soon as he put his things down, visitors arrived outside. Several Taichang officials introduced themselves, some were judges from various departments, and some were officials from the Taichang of Zhili.

These people were of varying ages, all with friendly smiles on their faces. Since they had come so warmly to make their acquaintances, Zhang Dai couldn't very well turn them away. So, with Zhao Ling's introduction, he greeted each of them.

Among them was a middle-aged man of similar age to his father. After exchanging greetings with Zhang Dai, he said with a sigh, "Zongzhi is a young and talented man, and he has the same demeanor as his father! I remember passing the imperial examination with your father in the same year, and it seems like only yesterday. Now, seeing the son of an old friend who has already become so outstanding, I realize that times have changed and I am no longer a young man!"

"This is Li, the Registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, a virtuous and outstanding descendant of the Duke of Nanyang and a member of the imperial family!"

Seeing that Zhang Dai looked somewhat bewildered, Zhao Ling quickly stepped forward and whispered a reminder: "Li Fei, the registrar, and your father, Prefect Zhang, were both Jinshi graduates in the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era!"

Although Zhang Dai had some prior knowledge of the personnel at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, it mainly concerned a few high-ranking officials. The Registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was only a seventh-rank official, not much higher than Zhang Dai's position as Assistant Musician, so his understanding of him was not as detailed.

Hearing Zhao Ling introduce Li Fei's identity, Zhang Dai felt even more at home. In the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, besides his grandfather's friends, only his father's classmates from the same year passed the imperial examination. However, this Li Fei seemed a bit unreliable. He and his father, Zhang Jun, were both Jinshi graduates in the same year, yet Zhang Jun was now a fourth-rank official, the Prefect of Zhengzhou, while Li Fei was still only a seventh-rank Taichang Zhubu (a minor official position), not even having earned the rank of scarlet robe.

However, this was actually the normal speed of promotion for Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the Tang Dynasty. After passing the Jinshi examination, one usually had to wait for two to three years to be selected before being eligible to participate in the official selection process. Official appointments were usually from the ninth rank and up, with positions such as Proofreader, Corrector, and County Commandant of the capital region being the best.

After their term of office expires, they either enter a period of waiting for selection, or they skip the waiting period by passing the special examination and are then appointed to an official position of the seventh or eighth rank. However, it is also very difficult to obtain a position in the capital. Some officials have served several terms but still find it difficult to stay in the capital.

In this way, more than a decade passed in vain. Zhang Tongru, the grandson of Zhang Renyuan, who took the imperial examination with Zhang Dai, was in the same situation.

Although Li Fei had the title of a member of the imperial clan, his blood relationship was much more distant than that of Li Linfu's family. The so-called Duke of Nanyang was Li Yanbo, the eldest son of Emperor Taizu of Tang, Li Hu, who had already been removed from the imperial clan in the early years of the Zhenguan era.

Therefore, Li Fei was just an ordinary scholar. He passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era and became a seventh-rank official in the capital, Taichang Temple Registrar, which was a relatively normal and even smooth career path.

As for Zhang Jun, who had no merit or achievements to speak of over ten years, yet was able to rise through the ranks to the fourth grade, it was purely cheating, and Zhang Dai looked down on such people.

A local official is more powerful than a distant one, and a fallen member of the imperial clan is less valuable than a prime minister in power.

Although Li Fei's official rank is low, it is still one rank higher than Zhang Dai's. The position of Taichang Zhubu is similar to that of Biesi Gongcao, and he has the power to supervise and evaluate the performance of the officials in his department. At the same time, he is also responsible for arranging some general affairs. It is a position that requires frequent contact in the work, so it is naturally beneficial to have a good relationship with him.

“My father often said that Li, the chief clerk, is a man of outstanding talent and ability. The only problem is that people do not recognize him. But if the time is right, he will surely rise to the occasion and help the country!”

He bowed and smiled at Li Fei, but in reality, he had never heard his father mention such a classmate.

Li Fei was very pleased to hear this. The dynasty had been in power for a long time, and there were countless members of the imperial family like him who had fallen on hard times. Even if they had entered the world through conventional means, their status as members of the imperial family was still the label that made them most proud.

He then smiled and said to Zhang Dai, "When I was serving as an official in the capital region, I returned to the capital last year intending to visit my old friends, but I heard that your father had already been appointed to govern the prefecture, so I regretted not being able to meet him. Now it is quite a coincidence that we are working together in the same office. When he returns to the capital in the future, please tell me, and I will definitely bring wine to your door and we can have a good drink together!"

"If you wish to seek revelry, why wait until tomorrow? Although I am a junior and of short age, I still hope to associate with the wise and virtuous of this era. Since we are meeting here today, why not join Registrar Li and our colleagues for a feast and enjoyment today?"

More than a dozen people arrived intermittently, and Zhang Dai couldn't remember too many names in a short time. It wouldn't be appropriate to treat the government office as his own reception room, so he simply suggested that he go home and host a banquet for the current generation.

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered. Just as Zhao Ling said, the affairs of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could be busy or leisurely. In fact, there were no important matters to be done every day, so leaving early once was not a big deal.

It was just past noon, and with so many people leaving early, they needed to consult their superiors. The group was somewhat intimidated by the Grand Minister Cui Rizhi, so they all nominated Zhang Dai to go to the Wangsheng Tower to ask for permission.

Zhang Dai chuckled at their somewhat awkward expressions, and thus went upstairs to ask for instructions, as they all wished. Cui Rizhi, who was looking out over the Ministry of Personnel from his high vantage point, simply nodded upon hearing this and then waved him away.

So the group then made a ruckus as they left Chengfu Gate. Zhang Dai then summoned Ding Qing, who was waiting outside, and instructed him to go to Song San Niang's house in Chengfu Lane to inform her to prepare food and drink.

But before he could finish speaking, his colleagues laughed and said, "Zhang Lang, have you forgotten our position? Why should we go to brothels to seek pleasure? We can go directly to the brothels on either side. Just give them some food and drink. Why waste our hard-earned salary on prostitutes in the brothels?"

Judging from their gleeful appearance, Zhang Dai guessed that they had often used their positions to frequent the brothels for entertainment. He, on the other hand, had only passed by the brothels when he visited Yuwen Rong's house, and had not yet seen the courtesans there.

Hearing the crowd's commotion, he was quite tempted, so he went with them to the south of the imperial city. After crossing the Luo River at Tianjin Bridge, they headed towards Mingyi Ward, where the Left and Right Jiaofang were located.

At the same time, he didn't forget to have Ding Qing go home and recruit some more able-bodied men. After all, there was still Wang Maozhong's house in Chengyifang, south of Mingyifang. Who knew if they would be unlucky enough to run into Wang Maozhong's son? If they really did run into him and things got heated, having helpers by their side would put them at ease.

(End of this chapter)