Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 322 Entering the Prince's Palace as a Courtesan Should Also Be Supervised

The morning hours were the quietest time at the royal residence. The masters had often been enjoying themselves until late the night before and were still in bed when the sun was high in the sky. Meanwhile, most of the court officials were either at court or working in their offices, and few would come to visit at this time.

Daily life in the royal residence usually doesn't officially begin until noon. The servants in the residence follow their master's schedule, stealing a moment of leisure in the early morning and morning hours. Only when it is almost noon do they begin to busy themselves with sweeping and tidying.

The Xue family in Shangshanfang maintained this routine, and even when the sun was high in the sky, there were still few people walking around inside and outside the mansion.

Therefore, when Zhang Dai led more than twenty musicians, government officials, and his own entourage to the gate of the Xue family, it seemed a bit abrupt.

Zhao Ling, the registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, who had been dragged along along, arrived at the door with a mournful face, holding a letter, ready to pay his respects. However, there was no servant to attend to him in the large courtyard. He stood helplessly by the door, looking back at Zhang Dai.

Shout it out loud!

Zhang Dai gestured to Zhao Ling and loudly ordered him. Zhao Ling dared not shout and muttered to himself to encourage himself. However, the servants of the Xue Prince's mansion inside the gate had already been shouted out by Zhang Dai. As they walked, they angrily shouted, "Where did this idler come from, daring to make a fuss in front of your noble residence!"

"The officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, carrying official documents, have come to the residence of the King of Xue to request that Your Majesty present your report."

Zhao Ling was merely a lowly ninth-rank clerk. Standing before the Prince's residence, he was already somewhat intimidated. Upon hearing the servants' reprimands, his face paled even more. He held the name card respectfully in front of him with both hands and muttered something under his breath.

"Officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? The King has not instructed any officials to visit. You may wait outside the residence. It is not proper for a guest to disturb us at this early morning. If the King wishes to see you, he will summon you."

As they were talking, the servant casually took the name card and tossed it into the box behind the door. He didn't even take the card to report to the emperor. Instead, he swung his stick, which startled Zhao Ling so much that he jumped back a big step to avoid being hit by the tip of the stick. He then staggered down the steps.

What a shame!
Zhang Dai couldn't stand Zhao Ling's cautious attitude. He took a step forward, pointed at the gatekeeper, and angrily cursed, "You thieving gatekeeper, are you blind? Do you know why we came to pay our respects to Prince Xue, yet you dare to block us officials from entering! If you delay the prince's important business, be careful, I'll beat you to death and feed you to the dogs!"

The gatekeeper was furious upon hearing this. He glared at the door, but when he saw Zhang Dai's arrogant and disdainful demeanor as he sat high on his horse, his anger subsided. He turned around, took out the name card from the box, and then said in a low voice, "Wait outside. Don't come in and make a fuss."

After saying this, he hurriedly walked inside, while two more gatekeepers came to the door, watching them warily.

"Zhang Xielu, this is so rude, isn't it?"

Seeing Zhang Dai's arrogant and abusive tone even before he entered the door, Zhao Ling couldn't help but lean forward and whisper, "This...this is, after all, the residence of a noble prince. If reported by the censor, he will inevitably be punished. Besides, our visit today is not for routine business; it's just...just something we did privately..."

"It's true that there's a court musician in Prince Xue's household. We court musicians have been neglecting our duties for a long time, so we've come to your residence to take the exam. We certainly wouldn't dare to hold Your Majesty accountable for this inconvenience, but how could we be stopped at the gate by a servant! Don't worry, Zhao Lushi, the world can accommodate an upright person!"

Seeing that this fellow was already frightened and worried before even entering the room, Zhang Dai waved his hand, signaling him to go to the back and not stand in front, thus diminishing everyone's morale.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling said no more, bent down and disappeared into the back of the group.

The gatekeeper could not go directly to Prince Xue's residence, but when the name card was delivered to the mansion, the steward recognized the signature on the card as Zhang Dai, whom the prince had recently deeply resented. So he dared not neglect it and delivered it to Prince Xue's bedside in relay.

"Zhang Dai? This madman actually dares to come to my door? Hmph, he really has a lot of nerve. Now that he's here, how can I let him off so easily!"

Prince Xue was still asleep and was naturally annoyed to be woken up, but when he heard the servant report that it was Zhang Dai who had taken the initiative to visit him, he immediately perked up and sat up in bed to put on his clothes.

"Your Majesty, is it... is it that wicked official from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? I beg Your Majesty to do justice for my family..."

The woman serving him on the bed was none other than the dancer Hongxiao. Upon hearing Xue Wang's words, she hurriedly rose from behind the curtain, knelt beside him, and pleaded pitifully.

King Xue glanced at the dancer's fair and exquisite figure, and his love for her deepened. He held her tightly in his arms for a moment before laughing and saying, "Don't worry, this fellow has walked right into our trap. How can he escape so easily!"

After saying this, Prince Xue put on his robes and stormed into the main hall.

At this moment, Zhang Dai and his entourage were also led into the hall. Before being summoned by Prince Xue, he looked around at the guards of the Prince's residence.

The guards of the Tang Dynasty princes were quite strong, with a special Imperial Household Department for the Princes, and nearly a thousand guards in total.

However, this is only in theory. The current sage has always insisted on blocking the path he has taken, so he has reduced the number of guards in the princes' residences and replaced them with the arrangement of Jinwu Guards and street shops around the princes' residences. In Chang'an, the princes' residences are surrounded by the inner palace, and the palace guards are used instead of the prefectural guards.

Therefore, the inner court of the princes' residences now exists only as a framework, with many vacancies, and few are being added. From Zhang Dai's view in the entrance hall, there were only seven or eight guards in the front courtyard of Prince Xue's residence; whether there were more inside was unknown.

While he was secretly assessing the situation, King Xue had already strode to the front courtyard with his head held high. He then led his followers to greet him, saying, "This humble official, Zhang Dai, the Assistant Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, brings his staff to pay respects to Your Majesty. It has been several days since we last met, and Your Majesty's demeanor is even more magnificent than before. This humble official is fortunate to witness the illustrious figure of Your Majesty and is filled with great admiration!"

King Xue had planned how to reprimand this arrogant fellow upon their arrival, but he hadn't expected the young man to be so humble and respectful. After a moment of surprise, he coldly snorted, "What business do you, officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, have of disturbing us?" "Your Majesty's family is of noble birth, perhaps too lazy to concern yourselves with worldly affairs. I recently took the imperial examination and, by chance, passed, obtaining this official position as Assistant Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices..."

Zhang Dai spoke respectfully again, but before he could finish introducing himself, he was rudely interrupted by Prince Xue: "Enough with the idle talk! Who wants to hear about your official rank and resume! Those who bother you without reason will not be let off lightly!"

"How dare I? I have come to your door today on important business."

As Zhang Dai spoke, he gestured for his colleagues to stand up as well, and then bowed to Prince Xue, saying, "Since assuming my new post, I have been worried that I may not have handled my duties properly. After reviewing the records, I discovered that Your Highness also has several officials of the Imperial Music Bureau residing in your residence..."

"So what if I have it? What are you going to do about it? If you need to inquire, send your Minister of the Imperial Household Department to ask. How dare a mere Assistant Musician ask about my family affairs!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Xue immediately glared and angrily retorted, "Do you think the royal residence is a commoner's house? Whom do you intend to intimidate with this horde of followers?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. It was my unclear expression."

Despite being repeatedly reprimanded by Prince Xue, Zhang Dai maintained a respectful expression, seemingly unconcerned. He quickly bowed and said, "It is a blessing for a few mere Taichang Yinshengren to serve such a noble prince. Moreover, this matter has already been dealt with, so how dare I presume to question it?"

"Your Majesty misunderstands. I had absolutely no such intention, and this is certainly not within my duties. I have come to inquire today only to ask Your Majesty: are the entertainers serving you well? Have their skills become rusty?"

Prince Xue had already switched to battle mode, ready to summon his guards to rush in and punish Zhang Dai and his party. However, when he saw the boy's submissive appearance, he was a little confused. So he said with a haughty expression, "Whether they are pleased or not is none of your business!"

"Your Majesty is mistaken. This is precisely my duty. If it has nothing to do with me, then what is the purpose of my salary?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai straightened up and looked directly at Prince Xue, saying, "Recently, I have been inspecting the skills of the actors in various departments at the palace. I have seen many who are still unfamiliar with their craft. Considering the plight of my fellow actors, I imagine they are even more rusty. To present such inadequate skills to Your Majesty would be truly presumptuous. Therefore, I have come to Your Majesty's residence to inquire whether Your Majesty should quickly gather all the actors here so that I may examine them carefully. If any are found to be unworthy, they will be severely punished without exception!"

"What...what did you say? What are you going to do...you...you're being insolent! How dare you punish my servant!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Xue was first stunned. After going through it in his mind, he finally understood what this kid was trying to do. Not only did he punish his favorite concubine's family in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but today he even dared to come to the door to punish his favorite concubine!
Upon realizing this, King Xue's anger surged to his head, and he immediately roared, "Guards! Beat him! Beat this madman, this scoundrel, to death! He's gone too far!"

"Run! Run! Prince Xue is abusing his power and is completely unreasonable!"

Seeing that Prince Xue was angry, Zhang Dai immediately leaped backward and was protected by his brothers, Jin Huan and Yin Huan. Under their protection, he fled through the door, shouting warnings to his colleagues.

At the command of Prince Xue, in addition to the seven or eight guards in the front courtyard rushing forward, at least twenty or thirty more people rushed out from inside the mansion, all wielding sticks and clubs, and surged toward them.

It is evident that although the Prince's mansion's personal guards were not at full strength, they still possessed a considerable defensive force. Combined with the patrolling Imperial Guards, they were more than capable of protecting the mansion's safety.

However, these court musicians were completely out of it. They didn't know how exciting it was to follow Zhang Dai on field missions. By the time the guards from Prince Xue's mansion surrounded them, most of the musicians and officials had been intercepted.

Only a few quick-witted individuals, including Zhang Dai, managed to catch up and, together with Zhang Dai's entourage, broke free from the guards' sticks and ran straight out of the mansion.

"Zhang Xielu, Xielu, save me..."

Zhao Ling was so frightened that his legs cramped. Although he rushed out, he fell to the ground halfway and roared at Zhang Dai with a look of despair.

Zhang Dai bent down and pulled him up, then slapped a bag of pig's blood over his face. Just then, a guard from the Prince's mansion struck him with a staff, causing Zhao Ling to scream in pain. It was only with great difficulty that he was dragged up and they ran outside together.

Despite the Jin Huan brothers' strenuous efforts to stop them, Zhang Dai and the others managed to escape from the Xue Wang family's residence and headed straight for the entrance of Shangshanfang. Their pitiful state immediately drew the attention of passersby on the street.

"Don't let the thief Zhang Dai get away!"

Prince Xue, accompanied by his guards, chased after Zhang Dai and his group from the palace, shouting as they fled in the direction they had gone. Unfortunately, although his palace had a large number of guards, they were poorly equipped with armor and weapons, and were merely noisy servants chasing after them.

"Help! Help! Prince Xue has allowed his servants to commit violence, beating up an official of the imperial court... Stop him quickly!"

Shangshanfang was located south of Tianjin Bridge, and as a major route to the imperial city, it was guarded day and night by soldiers of the Jinwu Guard.

The reason Zhang Dai dared to risk his life to deliberately provoke Xue Wang's family was because it was convenient to call for help from there. After running out of Shangshanfang, the group rushed straight to the Jinwuwei Street Shop south of Tianjin Bridge.

(End of this chapter)