Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 324 The Great Injustice of Zhang Liulang

"Zhang Dai? It's Zhang Dai again! Why would he provoke the Prince of Xue this time?"

Inside the main hall of the Secretariat-Chancellery, when Prime Minister Li Yuanhong heard his subordinate's report, he immediately frowned and coldly snorted with annoyance.

He glanced at another prime minister, Du Xian, who was listening intently to the side, and asked directly, "Prime Minister Du, would you like to come along for questioning?"

"No, that won't be necessary. The case here is still complicated and requires careful handling."

Upon hearing this, Du Xian quickly shook his head and buried himself in the books.

After Yuan Qianyao was dismissed from his post as prime minister, only these two people remain as prime ministers in the central government. Their disputes and conflicts have become more acute, and they argue about almost everything. As a result, many minor matters are delayed for many days, and the subordinate departments are at a loss.

However, it was unusual that neither of the two officials from the Secretariat and the Chancellery wanted to take on the matter of Zhang Dai's conflict with Prince Xue. The situation already sounded extremely troublesome, and if investigated further, no one could say for sure what other disputes it might lead to.

Even if they are not implicated by the incident, as prime ministers, they will still have to devote a great deal of energy to properly handle it, which may give their opponents an opportunity to take advantage of the inconvenience and quickly make some key personnel decisions and arrangements.

Seeing Du Xian's detached attitude, Li Yuanhong couldn't help but snort inwardly. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling that he himself was now being swept up by the times and had become somewhat deviated from his original intentions.

He was originally upright and capable, especially after being promoted by the emperor to prime minister and replacing Zhang Yue. He was even more ambitious to assist the Kaiyuan government and create a situation far superior to that of his predecessors.

However, from the moment he became prime minister, he was embroiled in various personnel struggles. As time went on, he couldn't tell whether he was trying to preserve his power or to realize his ambitions. Now, faced with this seemingly troublesome conflict, his subconscious instinct was to push it away.

He did not get up and head directly to the provincial capital. Instead, he sat in his seat and sealed off some important cases for his return. At the same time, he pondered what kind of trouble Zhang Dai was up to this time. Was it his own doing or at the behest of his grandfather Zhang Shuo?
Li Yuanhong was also dawdling, when an official hurriedly entered and reported: "Reporting to the two ministers, General Gao, the Duke of Bohai, says that he has come here to inquire about matters on the orders of the Emperor."

Upon hearing this, the two men in the hall hurriedly stood up and went outside to greet Gao Lishi.

Originally, the prime ministers of the outer court did not need to be so respectful to those inside and outside the court. However, with the dismissal of the senior prime ministers, the two prime ministers in the court now have relatively shallow qualifications and have not even served as the heads of the two provinces, so they dare not be presumptuous.

Before long, Gao Lishi strode over. Upon seeing the two men, he bowed slightly and then quickly asked, "May I ask, gentlemen, there are reports from the outer court that there is unease at Prince Xue's residence. Do you know what this is about? Has it been reported to the provincial authorities?"

"It was Xue Wangfu officials and Taichang Xielu Lang Zhang Dai who filed a complaint with the Zhongshu Waishi. Originally, we were going to go to the province to inquire after the case was clearly handled, but before the case was concluded, the Duke of Bohai arrived."

Li Yuanhong was not surprised that the Emperor had come before they had submitted their reports. In fact, the Emperor's information channels were more efficient than those of these officials in the outer court. The fact that many matters needed to be reported was simply a matter of following the rules and regulations of the outer court.

However, since the matter involved Prince Xue, it undoubtedly stirred the Emperor's heart even more, so the Emperor couldn't wait for the report from the outer court and sent Gao Lishi to inquire first. Li Yuanhong's brief delay in the hall was actually an expectation that things would change in this way.

He stepped forward again and said, "Shall I accompany the Duke of Bohai to the Secretariat to inquire?"

"There's no need for that. Your Excellency is busy with the case and probably doesn't have time to investigate in detail. The Emperor is also very concerned about this, so I've taken the liberty of bringing the matter into the palace for further questioning. Please don't take offense."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi waved his hand and said, "Although the Emperor did not give a clear explanation, he knew very well that the Emperor did not want the affairs of the princes' residences to be spread too widely outside."

"How dare I! Men, quickly escort the Duke of Bohai into the province!"

Li Yuanhong had been waiting for these words, and upon hearing them, he immediately raised his hand to summon his subordinates and gave them instructions. Du Xian, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh inwardly upon hearing this.

Leaving aside the infighting among the prime ministers, Gao Lishi hurriedly headed to the outer provinces of the Zhongshu in the capital city after leaving the Zhongshu Menxia.

When he arrived at the Secretariat, a large number of court officials had gathered to watch the spectacle along the route from the main street to the gate of the Secretariat.

Inside the Secretariat, under the eaves, Zhang Dai was still wearing his blood-stained official robe, though the blood and sweat on his face had been wiped clean. Secretariat officials even brought him a folding chair to rest on and drinks to soothe his throat. The officials from Prince Xue's residence, however, did not receive such treatment and were simply standing outside in the sun.

As the highest authority in the imperial court, the Secretariat (Zhongshu Sheng) didn't even command much respect from Prince Xue. As for the officials in the Prince's residence, they were essentially low-ranking, unofficial staff. Moreover, Zhang Dai's treatment was something he had fought for himself through repeated visits to the Secretariat. Other officials, even those of much higher rank, might not have received such considerate treatment.

Gao Lishi walked in from outside and immediately spotted Zhang Dai sitting comfortably on a folding chair, sipping tea. He quickly looked away.

Zhang Dai did all this to get the emperor's attention. After all, he was just a lowly music official, with no opportunity to meet the emperor or the power to submit memorials. He didn't know when he would be summoned by his aunt and then go to greet his uncle. So he could only use this method to get his attention.

As it turned out, Prince Ning and Prince Xue were like nerves that the emperor had grown outside the palace; anyone who kicked them would make the emperor sensitive and groan. Sure enough, Gao Lishi arrived very quickly.

The Secretariat did not handle related cases, and since the accompanying officials conveyed the Prime Minister's instructions to the Secretariat Attendant, Gao Lishi directly led the people out and then led them to the inner palace.

Throughout the journey, despite his deep curiosity, Gao Lishi refrained from looking too closely or asking Zhang Dai any questions.

Zhang Dai was not surprised by this. Just like when he abandoned Gao Chengxin and ran away last time, everyone should have a clear understanding of what kind of relationship exists between people. It doesn't mean that being friends with you means you have to tolerate everything about you and help you without any limits.

Gao Lishi's identity was special. Apart from the current emperor, he would not have any deep friendships or life-and-death ties with anyone. They would help each other out if they needed something or could support each other. It was nothing to lend a helping hand without spending any money.

However, if it involves taking certain risks, then it depends on the nature of the matter. Even with an old friend like Zhang Shuo, Gao Lishi would only speak up to help him if he was certain that the emperor did not intend to put Zhang Shuo to death.

Zhang Dai is currently having a conflict with the emperor's own brother, and Gao Lishi, as the emperor's trusted servant, certainly cannot intervene to help Zhang Dai. Any statement or action he makes will likely be seen by the emperor as siding with the emperor's brother.

Zhang Dai hadn't expected Gao Lishi or his aunt Wu Huifei to help him. He hadn't even mentioned it to his grandfather because he didn't need anyone else's help to deal with Prince Xue. The current emperor was his biggest helper, or rather, he was the emperor's inside man.

Led by Gao Lishi, the group quickly arrived outside the inner palace. Gao Lishi ordered everyone to stand outside the palace and wait, while he hurriedly went up into the palace to report on the matter.

Zhang Dai watched as several of the prince's officials appeared somewhat uneasy, likely because they couldn't see the emperor often, and thus couldn't help but become nervous.

They waited outside the hall for about a quarter of an hour before a eunuch hurriedly came out and led them into a side hall.

"Zhang Dai, how dare you! Who taught you to lead a crowd to the Prince's residence to cause a disturbance? Such audacity is outrageous! If you are not severely punished, will you cause a disturbance in the Forbidden City in the future!"

As the group entered the hall, before they could even bow in worship, an angry voice rang out in the hall.

While inwardly lamenting the Emperor's lack of emotional intensity, Zhang Dai bowed deeply and said with a wronged expression, "Your Majesty's teachings are beyond my ability to evade or argue. I have only one question: Is it a crime to diligently perform my duties? If so, then my crime is unforgivable; if not, then I have no guilt to admit!"

"You instigated a disturbance at the Prince's residence by the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; what duty are you fulfilling?"

The emperor, seated high in the hall, immediately snorted coldly upon hearing Zhang Dai's words.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai remained kneeling on the ground, his shoulders trembling. After a while, he said with a sorrowful expression, "If Your Majesty punishes me for this, then I will truly be unjustly accused for all time! I beg Your Majesty to allow me to explain in detail. If Your Majesty still punishes me for this, I will have no complaints."

The reason the Emperor knew about this was not because of the commotion in the southern province, but because shortly after Zhang Dai escaped, Prince Xue sent his subordinates to the capital to plead his case, while also sending his son, Prince Li Yuan of Le'an, to enter the palace through the north gate to see the Emperor and denounce Zhang Dai's actions.

Therefore, the emperor sent Gao Lishi to the outer court to summon the man. Upon seeing Zhang Dai, Gao Lishi reprimanded him without questioning him. Hearing Zhang Dai say this, Gao Lishi couldn't help but become suspicious. So he said in a deep voice, "Why have you disturbed the royal residence? Tell me quickly!"

"Your Majesty, I had no intention of disturbing the Prince's residence! I have just been appointed to a new post and am filled with gratitude. I only wish to make a name for myself in my duties as soon as possible and live up to His Majesty's grace. In recent days, I have been inspecting miscellaneous matters in the office, diligently supervising the performances of the Imperial Music Bureau and encouraging the actors of the two bureaus. Those who neglect their duties will be punished!"

Zhang Dai, still looking aggrieved, continued in a sorrowful voice: "Upon checking the registers, I found that a court musician from the Imperial Music Bureau had been transferred to the prince's residence and had not returned for a long time. Therefore, I wanted to lead the court musicians to visit the prince's residence to request supervision of the teachings. Firstly, I wanted to use this matter to demonstrate my diligence, and secondly, I wanted to use this courtesy to gain the prince's favor."

Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the door and briefly explaining my purpose, I was enraged and driven away by the King of Xue! I am utterly perplexed. What crime have I committed? I know my intentions were impure; I hoped to use this to flaunt my meager talents and gain the King's favor. Even if my heart was not entirely honest, why, why have I been subjected to such mistreatment?
"My minister and his colleagues were beaten all the way to the main street by the guards of the Prince's entourage. My colleagues were covered in blood, their fates unknown. I fled in desperation, and was fortunate enough to be sheltered by Vice Minister Song of the Censorate outside the Duan Gate, thus escaping being captured by these officials of the Prince's residence. My attempt to curry favor failed, and I suffered this calamity. What crime have I committed besides this?"

(End of this chapter)