Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 326 The early spring rain is bitter

In the spring of the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era, in Chang'an city.

At dawn, a light drizzle began to fall again. Although spring rain is said to be as precious as oil, the continuous drizzle and lack of sunshine over the past few days were indeed quite irritating.

Knock, knock!

Zhang Dai was still asleep when he was awakened by a gentle knock on the door. When he opened his eyes, the pillow still smelled warm. Ah Ying, with whom he had slept the night before, had already gotten up and gone out.

He sat up abruptly, and then there was the sound of jade pendants. Ah Ying peeked in from outside and asked with a smile, "Ah Lang, you're awake? The washing and warm water are all prepared. I've already told the kitchen to bring the meal in a couple of quarters."

"What time is it?"

Zhang Dai, lying on the bed, squinted to catch his breath, and then asked.

Ah Ying glanced back at the water clock in the outer room and then replied, "It's already past 4:45."

Hearing that it was getting late, Zhang Dai quickly shook his head to rouse himself, put on his clothes, got out of bed, and washed up briefly. When he heard the sparse sound of running water outside, he immediately frowned and said, "It's raining again?"

"It's been raining for quite a while now."

As she spoke, Ah Ying took out a blue robe coated with tung oil from the closet and asked, "Is Ah Lang still wearing the same oiled robe he wore the other day?"

"whatever."

Zhang Dai answered casually, sat by the window, opened it, and began to eat while watching the raindrops fall like a beaded curtain outside the corridor. Breakfast wasn't particularly elaborate; it mainly consisted of filling, low-moisture flatbreads and pastries.

Leaving home at around 4 a.m. to attend court at Xingqing Palace, and continuing until the morning court session ends, it's at least 10 a.m. If something happens and it drags on until noon, and if one gets an upset stomach or makes a slight breach of etiquette and is impeached by the censor, at least a season's worth of salary will be lost.

Zhang Dai was relieved of his official post in the summer of the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, and from then until the spring of the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era, he had never received a full year's salary. It wasn't because he had stomach problems from attending court, but because the rules for attending court as a court official were too numerous and cumbersome, and those bastards in the Censorate loved to glare at him and make trouble, forcing him to work while sponging off his parents.

After finishing breakfast, Zhang Dai put on his oilcloth raincoat and went out of his bedroom. Because of the continuous rain, the bricks and stones in the courtyard were covered with moss. To prevent the path from becoming slippery, his family had already followed his routine and laid out straw mats all the way to the front hall.

This wasn't simply due to extravagance; the key issue was that the Zhang family's mansion in Yonglefang, Chang'an, occupied an excessively large area, with a long alley separating the front and back residences. The northeast courtyard where Zhang Dai lived was several hundred meters from the front hall, and the wet stone steps made it easy to slip and fall.

As Zhang Dai passed through the back hall, he noticed that his grandfather's bedroom was still dark and unlit, and he couldn't help but feel envious.

After the Emperor returned to the capital, Zhang Yue was promoted from Right Chancellor to Left Chancellor, but he still retired to the second line. He only went to the Jixian Academy every few days and no longer needed to attend regular court sessions. He was already living a semi-retired life, so naturally he didn't have to get up early in the rain on this gloomy day.

When they arrived at the front hall, the family members had already prepared the horses. Zhang Dai wasn't the only member of the Zhang family attending the morning court session; his two uncles and one cousin were also present. Although the family wasn't as powerful as it had been in its heyday, it was still quite well-off. After all, besides those serving in the imperial court, several members of his family held official positions in local prefectures and counties.

Upon arriving at the front hall, Zhang Dai was somewhat surprised to find his uncle Zhang Yang sitting there as well. He asked, somewhat surprised, "Uncle, what are you doing up so early?"

Zhang Yang was a few years older than Zhang Dai, and was now approaching twenty, but he had not yet been appointed to an official post and was still living off his parents at home.

The reason is quite simple. Ever since the emperor went east in the twelfth year of the Kaiyuan era and Zhang Yue and others returned to Luoyang, this guy stayed in Chang'an and completely let himself go. Last year, he failed the Hongwen Academy examination and was disgraced, so the path to officialdom that his father had arranged for him was no longer needed.

When Zhang Dai walked in, Zhang Yang hurriedly went to greet him with a fawning smile and said, "Sixth Brother, keep your snow lion in the stable to fatten it up these days and don't drive it. Can I borrow it to go to Qujiang Garden on the Shangsi Festival?"

Although he was an elder, he couldn't really act like one in front of Zhang Dai. At home, he would call him by his nickname Luo Nu, but in front of outsiders, he would call him A Liu. When he needed something, he would call him Liu Lang or Zong Zhi. He was even more mischievous and unruly than Zhang Dai, who had gradually become quieter in recent years.

"With this weather, even the Qujiang River is bound to swell on the Shangsi Festival. How dare you play games?"

Zhang Dai pointed to the spring rain outside, which showed no signs of stopping, and asked with some confusion.

"What do you know! So many families are eagerly anticipating this festival. Last year, the young men of every household in the capital were already buying new clothes, hoping to make a name for themselves and amaze the world. Even if it's just a light drizzle, or even if the south of the capital is flooded, we'll still go boating and have fun!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan, a prominent figure among the纨绔 (playboys) of the capital, immediately glared and retorted.

"A few scoundrels, all they know is how to squander their family's money and cause a ruckus outside. Who can they possibly impress!"

Hearing Zhang Yao's words, Zhang Guang's son, Zhang Yao, who was serving as the Director of the Ministry of Personnel, immediately retorted without hesitation. He then pointed at Zhang Dai and said, "Those Jinshi who passed the provincial examinations and whose names were announced on the spring list were truly astonishing talents. Even now, their colleagues in the province still speak of those days with great relish, lamenting that since the return of Zhang Dai, the candidates selected each year have not been as good as they were back then." Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai realized that the results of this year's imperial examinations were about to be released, so he smiled and asked, "How did Meng Haoran from Shannan, who visited last year, fare in this year's examinations? Does Uncle know?"

In the autumn of the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the emperor returned to Chang'an from Luoyang. Meng Haoran went north to participate in the imperial examination that year and visited the Zhang family.

Zhang Dai warmly welcomed Meng Haoran, a renowned socialite among the Tang Dynasty poets, and encouraged him to try again after Meng failed the imperial examination the following spring. Sure enough, Meng returned to Chang'an last autumn to take the exam again, which made Zhang Dai very much looking forward to his performance.

"I'm not entirely sure about that, but I've heard that this Meng Shanren has recently been frequenting the entourage of the Commandant of the Guards, indulging in banquets and revelry. He must have passed the examinations well, otherwise, where would he find such interest?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao laughed and said that since the provincial examination papers were leaked in the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the Examination and Merit Bureau has become increasingly strict in presiding over the provincial examinations in recent years, and even officials from the Ministry of Personnel have found it difficult to find out the inside details.

The so-called Commandant of the Guards refers to Zhang Dai's second uncle, Zhang Ji. As expected, this guy finally got his long-cherished wish in the second half of last year, marrying Princess Ningqin, the half-sister of the Prince of Zhong, and becoming the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant he had always longed for.

The sage also displayed an even more impressive display of power, directly appointing his new son-in-law as a third-rank official in the Imperial Guard, making Zhang Ji the third high-ranking official in their family after Zhang Yue and Zhang Guang.

To be honest, if Zhang Dai hadn't known that his second uncle had already exhausted all his potential for the rest of his life with this move, he probably would have been quite envious. Marrying a wife and getting a third-rank official as a dowry—who wouldn't be bewildered?
In the fourteenth and fifteenth years of the Kaiyuan era, Zhang Dai was naturally the most popular person in his family, but as Zhang Ji became the imperial son-in-law, he naturally rose to the top spot.

No matter how reclusive and noble Meng Haoran was, since he came to Chang'an to participate in the imperial examination, he was naturally hoping to advance his career and become an official. Therefore, he would naturally want to get close to Zhang Ji, the popular son-in-law of the emperor.

Zhang Dai had only asked casually and didn't take it to heart. He and his uncle Zhang Ji didn't get along, but that was a family matter, and outsiders wouldn't know the details. In any case, they were both trying to get close to the Zhang family, a top-tier cultural family.

Moreover, Zhang Dai himself held multiple positions, unlike his uncle who only needed to sleep with the princess, so he didn't have much time for such social engagements.

After chatting for a few minutes, the few who needed to attend court went out, mounted their horses, and rode along the street towards the gate of the neighborhood.

It was still some time before dawn, and the light was quite limited. The family members leading the way had to hold up umbrellas and lamps to barely see the road.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood servants were busy dredging debris from the open drains on both sides of the street to facilitate the timely drainage of the floodwater. The continuous rain had made the streets somewhat slippery, but thanks to timely drainage and proper maintenance, travel was not hindered.

A sand embankment was also laid on Fang Street, leading directly west to Zhuque Avenue. This sand embankment did not belong to the Zhang family, but to the family of Xiao Song, the newly appointed prime minister who had been appointed prime minister last year for his great victory over the Turks.

Seeing that there weren't many pedestrians on the street, Zhang Dai simply spurred his horse onto the sandy embankment of Xiao Song's house and left the neighborhood. He figured he could always make Xiao Song's family ride back after he became prime minister.

When they reached Zhuque Street, the road was flooded, with water reaching above the horses' hooves. It seemed that the open channel on the east side of the street was blocked, causing the water to overflow and accumulate on the side of the street.

Given the road conditions, Zhang Dai and his party could only wade through the water slowly. Although there was standing water on the streets, it wasn't muddy, but there were ruts everywhere. If their horses rode too fast and stepped into them, they would inevitably fall over.

"We need to buy a house near Xingqing Palace!"

As Zhang Dai rode slowly along, he muttered to himself. Although Yonglefang was in a fairly good location in Chang'an, it took less than half an hour to commute to the capital for work.

The problem is that in addition to being the Assistant Musician, he also served as the Left Remonstrator of the Secretariat and had to attend regular court sessions. Moreover, the location of the Tang emperor's court sessions was unpredictable; in the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, it was held at the Daming Palace, and last year it was moved to the Xingqing Palace.

As the Assistant Musician, his office was located in the Imperial City south of the Taiji Palace. As the Left Remonstrance Official, he also had to serve the Emperor. Every day, he had to travel back and forth between these places, wasting several hours just on commuting.

He had this idea since last year, but at the time his finances were a bit tight, and there weren't many suitable options around Xingqing Palace, so he had to put it on hold for the time being. Recently, suffering from the incessant rain, this idea has become stronger again.

When the group traveled north to Hengjie in front of Zhuque Gate, the situation finally improved; the floodwaters had drained and the road was clear.

Zhang Dai had just sped up, intending to shake off the rain and tidy his appearance outside Xingqing Gate. As he walked north of Pingkang Ward, he saw Pei Zhen, the son of Pei Guangting, who was serving as a court attendant in the Secretariat, coming from the east side of the street. He immediately waved and greeted him, "The morning court is approaching, why is Pei Lang turning back?"

"The court session has ended. The bell has rung. Go home now and come back this afternoon!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen immediately grinned and said, "For working people, the happiest thing is having a holiday, and an unplanned holiday is even happier!"
Another court session? How many times has this happened since the Lunar New Year?

Zhang Dai inwardly grumbled that the emperor was skipping the morning court session again, but then he saw Pei Zhen turn his horse around and head into Pingkang Ward. He immediately looked envious. As they turned back and waded through the water to get home, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Buy a house, I must buy a house!"

(End of this chapter)