Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 320 A Word Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold
Although Zhang Dai was somewhat confused, he decided to take some time the next day to visit the Prince of Bin's house to see what was going on.

The reason is simple: if the Prince of Bin were to make an outrageous claim that Zhang Dai owed him several thousand or tens of thousands of strings of cash, he would naturally feel that the other party was extorting him.

But now that the numbers are so precise, he can't help but wonder if there really is such a thing that he has forgotten, or if his father owes money to the Binwang family, and now the Binwang can't find his father, so he can only come to him.

If the Prince of Bin was cheating and scheming, he wouldn't be afraid. Although the other party had been granted a title and was loyal to the king, his situation was more sensitive and awkward than that of the Prince of Ning and the Prince of Xue. The more trouble he caused, the more dangerous it would be.

He put the matter aside for the time being, and after sending away the servant of the Prince of Bin, he went to visit Zhang Yi.

After several days of rest, Zhang Ke's condition has basically stabilized, but he is still far from a full recovery. After all, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and Zhang Ke's leg injury was a genuine fracture, so the recovery time required will inevitably be even longer.

Zhang Dai didn't have much knowledge of medical care, otherwise he wouldn't have been born in the prime of his life. Fortunately, the Zhang family was wealthy enough to invite a famous doctor in the capital who treated bone injuries to come to their home for care and treatment, so his family didn't need to worry too much.

"Brother, I'm bored just lying at home. I'd like to go to the clan school to attend classes and learn in a few days. Is that alright?"

After injuring his leg and experiencing the upheaval of his mother being divorced, Zhang Yi became much calmer. When Zhang Dai came to visit him, he asked for instructions.

“It is good that you are eager to learn, but there is no rush. The clan school is full of noisy children, which may not be conducive to your recuperation. If you get hurt, it will be a loss. I will arrange for a few people to come and teach you first. If you lay a good foundation, you will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort when you study in the future.”

Zhang Dai initially shook his head in refusal, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "If you are bored at home and miss your friends, you can ask your family to invite them over for a chat. I have just joined the temple office and my duties are not yet well organized. On my day off, I will arrange for some actors and entertainers to come to my home for some fun."

“Brother, I… I’m so sorry… In the past, I looked down on you at home and joined others in mocking and bullying you…”

After holding back for a while, Zhang Yu looked at Zhang Dai with a face full of shame and said.

"The dead cannot be brought back, but the future is still there. Remember the good things from the past and forget the bad ones. Remembering too much about people and things that cannot make you feel good or inspire you to improve is just asking for trouble."

Zhang Dai stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Although I am not a kind person, I can distinguish between insiders and outsiders, relatives and strangers. In any case, we will always be brothers in this life. If you are grateful for this brotherly affection, you will be able to enjoy the care of an elder brother no matter what opportunities you encounter in this life."

“I know, I understand. Ever since my brother avenged me last time, I’ve known that he is a man of great loyalty and righteousness! From now on, no matter how successful I become, my heart will always be with my brother!”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai wiped away his tears and took out the 10,000 guan (a unit of currency) worth of flying money notes from beside the bed, handing them to Zhang Dai: "Father is not home, and only my elder brother supports the family. I am crippled and incapable, so only these money my brother has recovered can help supplement the family's income..."

"Keep it. I have my own plans for household expenses. Besides, your grandparents will help out. Keep this money for yourself; it will be useful for getting married and having children next year."

Zhang Dai waved his hand, indicating that he should put the tickets away for the time being. At the same time, he was also thinking about when to withdraw the 10,000 strings of cash, lest these tickets become worthless debts that no one would handle after the reform of the flying money system was completed.

"Sigh, what's the point of marrying a wife? I think it's just asking for trouble. Marrying an unvirtuous wife will ruin the family. As for having children, I don't even know how to improve myself, so how would I know how to raise them!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi looked dejected and replied in a hoarse voice. It seemed that the recent family tragedy had left a very deep shadow in his heart.

Zhang Dai didn't know how to comfort him, so he simply patted him on the shoulder and got up to leave. When he went to another room to check on his baby sister in swaddling clothes, the girl had already been lulled to sleep by her wet nurse.

Normal home life is just like that, uneventful, and the work of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices also became uneventful after Xue Tao took sick leave.

The next day, Zhang Dai returned to his official residence and finally met another music director, Ma Lizheng.

This colleague was in his forties and looked like an old scholar who was used to burying himself in his books. He was probably nearsighted and always squinted and craned his neck when looking at people and things, which made him look rather unsightly. This reminded Zhang Dai of Cui Rizhi's harsh evaluation of him.

"I have been busy with other department affairs these past few days and have neglected my own case. I have not been able to properly contact Mr. Zhang. Please forgive me!"

After the official introduced the two to each other, Ma Lizheng quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and apologized.

Zhang Dai was indeed reprimanded by Xue Tao for this, but seeing that Ma Xielu looked uneasy and wasn't deliberately ignoring him, he didn't take it too seriously. He just casually asked, "Did Ma Xielu handle the matter of Lexuan Academy properly on his trip?" As soon as he asked the question, Zhang Dai quickly regretted his sharp tongue.

Ma Lizheng pulled him back to his seat and began to talk about the scale and regulations of the musical instruments in the Music Hall, as well as their various origins and stories, tracing them back from the Zhou and Sui dynasties all the way to the pre-Zhou period. He quoted extensively and spoke fluently, making Zhang Dai's head spin. Before he knew it, it was noon.

This Ma Xielu was indeed a learned old scholar with a strong desire to express himself, but he was also quite capable. After returning to his post, he took the initiative to take on most of the work, which immediately made Zhang Dai more relaxed. He felt that it was too pleasant to have such a naturally strong and capable person as a work partner.

Seeing that there was nothing urgent to do at the office, Zhang Dai decided to stay and have lunch before leaving early, planning to visit the Prince of Bin in the afternoon.

When he passed through Nanshi on his way, he originally planned to go into the market to buy a gift. However, considering that they had little friendship and that the Prince of Bin was of such high status, and that he did not know what the Prince's intentions were, it would be inappropriate to give a gift that was too expensive or too meager.

If you want to bring something for the children, even just some snacks, you have to use a horse-drawn carriage to transport them, otherwise there simply won't be enough to go around.

So after some consideration, Zhang Dai simply abandoned the idea and went to the Prince of Bin's door empty-handed to see what his intentions were.

Despite being somewhat prepared, Zhang Dai was still taken aback by the bustling scene at the Prince of Bin's residence in Luxinfang when he arrived. He couldn't help but stand outside the gate to carefully examine the array of halberds and ceremonial gates to confirm that this was indeed the Prince of Bin's residence, and not some gambling den or brothel.

Fortunately, the situation improved after passing the front courtyard. The central hall, as the main place for the master's activities and entertaining guests, was built in accordance with the status of the Prince of Bin and was quite magnificent.

Led by a servant of the Prince of Bin, Zhang Dai entered the hall. He looked up and saw the Prince of Bin sitting upright in the hall, quite dignified, but a large blotch of what looked like rouge on the front of his robe was a bit jarring.

"Your humble servant Zhang Dai greets Your Majesty."

He stepped forward and bowed in respect.

"Fan Yangzi, there's no need for such formalities. Please take a seat."

The Prince of Bin smiled kindly, but when his gaze fell on Zhang Dai's face, he paused slightly, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes. However, he quickly regained his composure and looked at Zhang Dai with a smile, saying, "We have no prior acquaintance, so it seems a bit unexpected that I have summoned you so suddenly, Fan Yangzi?"

Zhang Dai and the Prince of Bin had little friendship to begin with, so upon hearing this, he did not mince words and nodded directly, saying, "Indeed, I am trembling with fear and do not understand why Your Majesty speaks of a debt."

"I have lived in the countryside since childhood and have never traveled to your esteemed residence before. Only last year did I, confident in my completed studies, step into the world. As for the debt Your Majesty speaks of, even with my current salary and decades of personal involvement, I would find it difficult to collect. I truly do not know how this came to be, and humbly request Your Majesty's guidance!"

A few hundred strings of cash may not seem like much, but with his current salary as an eighth-rank official, it would take him decades to save up without eating or drinking. Zhang Dai certainly couldn't take on this debt for no reason!
While he was speaking, the Prince of Bin had been intently scrutinizing his appearance. After a moment, he suddenly snapped out of it, his face darkening. He pointed at Zhang Dai and said in a deep voice, "We'll discuss the debt later! I've heard that you, Fan Yangzi, have recently been disobeying your clan and elders. Is that true? Who instructed you to be so audacious as to defy Heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai raised an eyebrow and stood up from his seat. He looked directly at the Prince of Bin and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, what makes you say such a thing? I am but a lowly official, young and of humble rank. It is already an honor to be summoned. I have no idea where I have offended a prince of such stature to deserve such criticism!"

Prince Bin was slightly taken aback by Zhang Dai's strong response, but a smile suddenly appeared on his face. He raised his hand and gestured for Zhang Dai to return to his seat, then said, "Zhang Lang is very eloquent, but some things are not necessarily true just because you speak loudly. Although your words are powerful, do you really think that I am falsely accusing you?"

Zhang Dai knew what the Prince of Bin meant, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Regardless of anything else, I am always very respectful to Your Majesty and will come whenever you summon me, without daring to be negligent."

"Haha, as expected of Zhang Yan Gongsun, you are quick-witted and flexible. I was worried that you were too impetuous and might not speak your mind, but it seems I was overthinking it."

When the Prince of Bin heard him change his tone, he couldn't help but laugh again: "Since that's the case, I'll be frank with you. The amount of money mentioned in the letter is not something you owe me, Zhang Lang. It's a loan of one thousand strings of cash that your disciple Wang Yuanbao's pawnshop lent me last year, plus interest. If you forgive this debt, I'll give you a few words of advice."

“Wang Yuanbao is not my disciple, but a distant relative of Lord Huo.”

Zhang Dai first offered an explanation, while inwardly marveling at how high the profits of these usurers were. From last year to now, the interest had already exceeded half of the principal, and they even dared to lend money to a prince. Indeed, capitalism was truly lawless!

However, the words of the Prince of Bin still piqued his curiosity. What kind of words could be worth a thousand or two thousand strings of cash? Could this guy be trying to be clever and give him some advice on not to easily believe what others say?
After some deliberation, he still spoke up, saying, "Although Wang Yuanbao is not my disciple, Your Majesty's words are as precious as gold. I respectfully accept Your Majesty's teachings and am willing to assist Your Majesty in mediating and relieving your predicament."

(End of this chapter)