Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 311 The Crown Prince's Father-in-Law
Zhang Dai only enjoyed the songs at Ren Zhifang's house and did not have any of the women serve him in bed. He only stayed in the guest room for one night. He got up early the next morning and then instructed Ding Qing to settle accounts with Ren Zhifang's family. In the end, he only spent less than three strings of cash.

Zhang Dai was also stunned when he heard the number. Last year, he spent more than five strings of cash staying at Qinghuafang Restaurant for a few days. Recently, he has spent several hundred strings of cash each time he went to Chengfufang.

In Mingyifang, a group of people ate and played, and some even invited courtesans to share a bed with them, but they only spent less than three strings of cash. The price was surprisingly cheap.

Zhang Dai even doubted that he had misheard, so he specially asked for the bill to take a look. He found that it only calculated the price of some food and drink, and most of it was at cost price. As for the labor costs such as performances and bedchamber services, there were none at all.

It seems this was one of the job perks of the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. They didn't have to spend money to come to the brothel for entertainment. No wonder a group of guys always came to Mingyifang when they wanted to have fun.

Most low-ranking officials in the capital lived on meager salaries and had no other way to earn extra income. With the high cost of living in the two capitals, they inevitably struggled to make ends meet.

Officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could enjoy free tutoring at the Imperial Music Academy, which was quite a generous perk. However, the extent to which they could enjoy this perk depended on their physical strength.

However, Zhang Dai still had some misunderstandings. The officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who could enjoy this benefit were basically those in charge of music and dance. Officials of departments such as the Imperial Mausoleum Administration, the Medical and Divination Bureau, etc., did not have much interaction with musicians and actors, and the actors of the Imperial Music Academy naturally did not bother to give them this face.

Moreover, court ladies like Ren Zhifang, who had a reputation in the music academy, generally wouldn't give much face to low-ranking officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and sometimes would even refuse to entertain them outright. The reason for offering such a preferential price was because Zhang Dai himself was not an ordinary official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Although these musicians from the Imperial Music Academy were of low social status, due to the nature of their profession, they often traveled to the residences of high-ranking officials and even the inner palace. They were like the straw that tied a crab to a tree, and some of them were so confused that they blurred their own status and thought they were extremely noble.

For example, Lü Yuanzhen, who was skilled at playing the Jie drum in the Jiaofang (a type of academy), was also fond of this art. In his early years, he summoned Lü Yuanzhen to his residence before he was born.

Lü Yuanzhen, relying on his abilities, often refused to go, saying only that "he needed a yellow paper," meaning he would only go if he had an imperial edict. Otherwise, he wouldn't bother with the Prince of Linzi, which made the emperor very embarrassed back then.

Zhang Dai himself didn't care much about the price, and he knew that the services provided by Ren Zhifang's family were worth far more than that. However, he didn't want to break the established practice among his colleagues by doing so, so he didn't give any extra tips.

Once the gates of the ward opened, he didn't wait for his colleagues who had been reveling all night and were still asleep. He left Mingyi Ward directly, returned home, took off his robes reeking of alcohol, changed into a new set of clothes, washed up, ate, visited his younger siblings, and then headed straight for the East City government office.

Although he had only been working there for one day, Zhang Dai was already very satisfied with his position.

My colleagues are fairly friendly, and my superiors are quite considerate. Although the salary isn't high, the work is light and I live close to home. In particular, I don't have to get up in the dark to go to court. Moreover, my career prospects are very good, and the benefits are considerable. There are really no downsides.

He didn't expect to wield great power immediately upon becoming an official and to plunge directly into the fierce power struggles in the court. The leisurely position of Xie Lu Lang was just right as the starting point for his career!

However, his good mood did not last long. Upon returning to the government office, he was met with his first reprimand and setback as a new official.

When he arrived at the government office, the sun was already high in the sky, and all the offices in the front courtyard had begun their work. As soon as he stepped through the gate, a clerk hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Zhang Xielu has finally returned to his office. The Vice Minister has been asking several times whether Xielu has returned and has ordered that Xielu come to see him immediately upon his return."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai dared not delay and immediately went to the Hall of State Affairs. Stepping into the hall, he discovered that the middle-aged man in purple robes sitting there was not Wei Tao, but Xue Tao, the other Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices whom he had not seen yesterday.

"This humble official, Zhang Dai, is a newly appointed Assistant Musician. I have met with you, Vice Minister. May I ask what business you have with me?"

He hurried forward and bowed deeply.

The middle-aged man in purple robes was Xue Tao. Although the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was only a fourth-rank official, he had already been granted the honorary title of Grand Master of the Palace (a third-rank official) because he was the father of the Crown Princess. He became the second person in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, after Cui Rizhi, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, to wear purple robes.

"Zhang Xielu, what makes you say that? Yesterday is new, today is old. Did the head of the department not explain the regulations and procedures of the temple to you yesterday, and now you have to come up to the hall to ask what you are summoned for? Now that you have been released from your post and are receiving a salary, you should put away your past laxity and indolence. If you are late or negligent again in the future, you will be punished!"

Xue Tao looked at Zhang Dai, but his expression was far less amiable and warm than that of Cui Rizhi and Wei Tao yesterday. His brows furrowed slightly, and there was a hint of disgust in his eyes.

Zhang Dai was naturally displeased by the reprimand, but he knew he was indeed late, so he immediately bowed and said, "This humble official will certainly remember your teachings and dare not repeat them."

Xue Tao snorted coldly again and didn't say anything more.

Zhang Dai waited in the hall for a while longer, but received no instructions. He then walked to the seat Zhao Ling had assigned him the day before and prepared to sit down. Upon seeing this, Xue Tao's gaze turned cold again, and he asked in a deep voice, "Has the monthly music inspection been completed? Why hasn't last month's supervision report been submitted to the court? Have the monthly music and percussion instruction reports been compiled?"

After being bombarded with questions, Zhang Dai was taken aback again. He hurriedly returned and bowed, saying, "When I entered the office yesterday, I did not see Sima Xielu, and the case was not handed over in detail. Therefore, I am still unaware of all the questions you asked. If any matters need to be reported immediately, I request to leave the court temporarily and go to find Sima Xielu for further inquiry."

"Is it also planned to transfer Zhang Xielu's salary to Ma Xielu?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Tao immediately snorted coldly, then pointed at him angrily and said, "Get out! Stand still in the corridor! You are not allowed to leave without my command!"

"Yes."

Zhang Dai bowed again in response, and then obediently went to stand as punishment in the outer corridor.

He was a little annoyed, but he also knew that he had made mistakes. He had been spoiled by his superiors and colleagues yesterday and had forgotten to prepare for the handover of the case.

Today's attack on him is a lesson, reminding him that in the end, an official must first do his job well. Connections and power are just icing on the cake. If he doesn't do his job well, he can't blame others for criticizing and questioning him.

However, he was still a little confused. Xue Tao seemed to be on edge and taking advantage of the situation. What had he done to offend this guy?
He had never met Xue Tao before. Before the news broke, he had sent his family to deliver a gift to Xue Tao as a gesture of good manners. So why was he being targeted like this on their first meeting?

The only possibility he could think of was that Xue Tao, as the Crown Prince's father-in-law, instinctively harbored wariness and resistance towards Consort Wu Hui, the Crown Prince's favored stepmother, and consequently developed a dislike for himself, Consort Wu Hui's nephew.

After all, some things don't need to develop to a certain point before people realize their harm. Consort Wu Hui had been striving to become Empress. Unlike Empress Wang, she didn't have any children. Once she became Empress, her sons, such as Prince Shou, would naturally become the Emperor's legitimate sons.

The current crown prince is neither the eldest son nor the legitimate heir, so his position is naturally under great threat. Moreover, the crown prince's mother, Consort Zhao, just passed away last year. If there are any major personnel changes in the harem in the near future, the crown prince, who is currently in mourning, will naturally be in an uneasy situation.

Zhang Dai knew that the conflict between Consort Wu Hui and the Crown Prince would not erupt until a full ten years later, but the current situation was not certain of this. As someone with closely related interests, Xue Tao's attitude towards Zhang Dai was understandable.

Having figured this out, Zhang Dai calmed down. Since it wasn't his problem, and the conflict was impossible to resolve, he decided to let it be.

Anyway, Xue Tao wasn't the only official in charge of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. As long as he didn't make any major mistakes, even if the other party was hostile to him, they would only use small tricks to warn him.

Having thought of this, he leaned into the hall and said, "Reporting to Vice Minister Xue, I just remembered that Minister Cui instructed me to present my assignments early this morning so that he could review them upon his return. May I take my leave for a moment and accept my punishment later?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Tao's face darkened immediately, and after a moment of silence, he let out a cold snort.

Zhang Dai took it as a yes and immediately headed towards Cui Rizhi's Wangsheng Tower. Once inside, he didn't go up but sat down on the floor. He summoned an official and ordered him to bring Zhao Ling over so he could inquire more carefully about his duties and avoid further trouble.

He wasn't worried that Xue Tao would dislike him even more because he used Cui Riming's name to intimidate others, since Xue Tao's dislike for him had nothing to do with his attitude towards him.

However, Cui Riming's reputation is not a long-term solution, especially since the other party only has a good relationship with his grandfather. It is impossible for Zhang Dai to use him recklessly against Xue Tao and thus get involved in the conflict between the Crown Prince and the favored concubine.

Therefore, Zhang Dai needed to have his own methods and rhythm in order to avoid being continuously suppressed by Xue Tao in the government office, and he absolutely could not let this guy affect his career development.

While he was still pondering this, he saw Zhao Ling and Li Fei walking over together. Li Fei waved to him and said, "Just now, when I entered the hall to report on matters, I invited Zhang Xielu to go with me to the Imperial Music Bureau to supervise the examinations. Zhang Xielu, are you ready to go?"

Zhang Dai naturally had nothing to report to Cui Rizhi. Upon hearing this, he immediately stepped out of Wangsheng Tower and said to Li Fei with a smile, "Fellow traveler, fellow traveler! Your esteemed presence is so great that I dare not face you alone. The case has not yet been fully investigated, so I must give way. Thank you both for your help!"

Upon hearing this, the two did not ask Zhang Dai why he had offended Xue Tao, and instead went together to the music hall in the backyard of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

(End of this chapter)