Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 335 Interest on Debts is a Matter of Nature
“Back then, I acted poorly and made a mistake. After the incident, I still took a chance and foolishly gave others a handle to use against me, which led to future troubles. It is my fault for failing to educate my son properly, and it has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Yuan Qianyao first spoke in a deep voice, then turned to look at Yuwen Rong and said, "Your affairs are more important now, and you cannot be distracted by other things. As for Zhang's son making trouble over old matters, it is nothing more than some debts, and I will handle it properly."

After saying this, he raised his hand and summoned a servant, ordering him to prepare a guest room for Yuwen Rong to stay and rest.

Yuwen Rong knew that Yuan Qianyao did not want to discuss these family matters in front of outsiders. After all, no matter how good their relationship was, they were all people with their own families and had achieved success and status. Why would they be willing to expose their messy family affairs to others?

So he stood up, took his leave, and left, leaving only Genji and his son in the hall to discuss matters.

After Yuwen Rong left, Yuan Qianyao frowned deeply again and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Shuo's grandson is quite shrewd and should not be underestimated because of his youth. Several years have passed since the incident, and he has remained inactive until now. His sudden attack must have a reason, and his motives may not be just money. Tomorrow, you should take the initiative to visit him and find out his true intentions!"

"That's what I think too. It's a debt of tens of thousands of strings of cash. If he only wanted that, he would have come knocking on our door to demand it long ago. The fact that he's been holding back until now means he must have something else in mind!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jie immediately nodded and said, "Tomorrow I will go to his house and question him to find out what he is trying to do. If it is within my power, I will try my best to help him resolve this matter and put an end to it as soon as possible. We cannot leave any hidden dangers and allow others to manipulate us. We cannot allow him to force us to extort tens of thousands of coins from my family based on his old tricks! Losing money is a small matter, but if word gets out, it will inevitably make us a laughing stock!"

"No! The Zhang family is wealthy, how could they be troubled by money! If this boy is only after money, that would be the simplest thing to do. Although my family is not extremely wealthy, my father and I have been officials for many years and have accumulated some savings. Tomorrow, you should first check how much cash you have at home. If the Zhang boy is only asking for money, give him the money immediately to settle the debt temporarily. Even if there is still resentment, we can discuss it again after your brother pardons him."

After thinking for a moment, Yuan Qianyao said, "If you don't have enough cash at home, you can borrow from relatives and friends to tide you over."

Thirty thousand strings of cash would be an astronomical sum for an ordinary family, but it wasn't out of reach for an official family like the Yuan family. Yuan Qianyao had served as an official for most of his life, including several years as prime minister. Even if he didn't embezzle as extensively as Zhang Shuo, his salary, gifts, and other accumulative wealth from his colleagues still amounted to a considerable fortune.

However, the family might not have that much cash on hand at the moment. But the Genji family is a large and long-established family with many members holding official positions and considerable assets in the two capitals. It wouldn't be difficult for them to pool together 30,000 kan.

"But that's a full thirty thousand strings of cash!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jie's face immediately showed resentment and heartache. He said indignantly, "My brother also said that the officials of Bianzhou did not extort as much tax money from Zhang Dai back then. Moreover, Bianzhou was in turmoil back then, and that money and silk were all treated as stolen goods. They did not enter my family, so how can my family bear the responsibility of repayment!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qianyao immediately frowned and said, "Can you act so recklessly? It was your brother who wrote it in black and white, and there is an official seal to prove it. If this dispute is taken to court, won't others suspect that your family is trying to use this to exonerate the family members in Bianzhou?"
"At that time, not only will your brother be unable to leave this land of miasma, but the ensuing disputes will also be far more complex than can be resolved with mere money! Moreover, the court is currently in turmoil due to the discord between Li and Du, and a powerful figure is needed to take charge of the Secretariat and the Chancellery to restore order. If my family's affairs jeopardize Yuwen's future, the personnel situation will be greatly disrupted for decades to come!"

"That's right! Yuwen Rong should also share this debt. Back then, not only did he not save my brother, but he also sent a letter to persuade Father to take Bianzhou for him. He owes my family a huge favor!"

Although his father had already analyzed the pros and cons quite clearly, Yuan Jie still felt a pang of heartache at the thought of being extorted for 30,000 strings of cash by Zhang Dai. He immediately added, "I've heard that since Yuwen Rong took control of Bianzhou, his sons and disciples have been making a fortune there. He can certainly come up with a mere 30,000 strings of cash..."

"Shut up! This is my own business, how can I shirk responsibility to others! Yuwen Rong is a magnanimous and righteous man, but if you use this favor to blackmail him, you will demean this friendship. Although you promoted him, it was for the sake of the country, how can you use it to seek personal favors in return!"

Before his son could finish speaking, Yuan Qianyao immediately scolded him in a low voice: "Moreover, your brother's future honor and disgrace may depend on his decision. If you reward him with a mere amount of money now, he will find it difficult to ask for anything else in the future!"

"I understand. Then I will go and ask Zhang Dai myself to raise the money as soon as possible to repay the debt."

After hearing her father's reprimand, Yuan Jie lowered her head dejectedly and said...

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qianyao's expression softened slightly. He then added, "Remember, if Zhang's son only demands money and silk, then disregard everything else and give him the money as soon as possible. But if he uses this to extort anything else, especially anything related to Yuwen Rong or personnel matters in the court, do not agree to it lightly. Just report back to me!"

"Father, rest assured, I know what's important and what's not. In short, we must not let this matter cause a commotion and affect my brother's pardon and transfer. We also cannot let Zhang Dai use this as an excuse to affect Yuwen Rong's plans to become prime minister."

Hearing what Yuan Jie said, Yuan Qianyao nodded, feeling slightly relieved. Actually, if he weren't so busy with official duties and had to assist Yuwen Rong in mediating interpersonal relationships in the court, he would have liked to personally contact Zhang Dai to resolve this matter.

Although there was a significant difference in their ages and positions, Yuan Qianyao was deeply impressed by the boy's cunning and ruthlessness. He did not believe that his son could easily deal with the man, which is why he gave him a thorough and detailed instruction.

The next morning, Yuan Jie arrived early with his servants at the Zhang family mansion in Yongle Ward. To avoid any trouble from Zhang Dai, he had prepared a gift. However, upon arriving, he was told that Zhang Dai had already gone to work, so he could only wait in the front hall. Although Zhang Dai was prone to causing trouble, he was also very serious about his work; a matter of a few tens of thousands of strings of cash wasn't worth him taking time off to wait at home. If the censor caught him absent from work, his salary for the season would likely be reduced again.

Everyone else was rushing to Taicang to collect rice, while he couldn't even fill a single sack—it was a double humiliation. Those guys might not say anything, but they were all secretly delighted to see him make a fool of himself.

So even though he had been informed by his family in advance, Zhang Dai stayed in the government office until the afternoon before leisurely returning home.

Yesterday, Yuan Jie arrogantly declared that Zhang Dai was unworthy to be entertained in his own main hall, but today he waited anxiously in the front hall of the Zhang family for most of the day. Just as he was getting impatient, he finally saw Zhang Dai walk into the house, so he immediately got up and hurried to greet him.

"Yuan Jiulang is still here? Didn't I ask your family to tell you that your return is uncertain and you can come back another day?"

Upon seeing Yuan Jie approaching with a gloomy face, Zhang Dai immediately smiled and said something.

“I have come to visit you today specifically to settle this matter. I have nothing else to attend to. Although you, Zhang Liulang, are busy with your case, you must have come to my house yesterday hoping to resolve it as soon as possible.”

Yuan Jie suppressed his anger and said to Zhang Dai with his hands clasped, "This matter is weighing on my mind and making me uneasy. I hope we can be frank and amicable today and reach a consensus so that we won't let this bother us anymore."

"That's true. If your family had been so honest earlier, things wouldn't have dragged on like this until now."

Zhang Dai chuckled again, then walked back to the front hall and sat down. When he saw the tea, fruit and snacks laid out in front of Yuan Jie, he immediately felt displeased. It seemed he had to educate his family members and stop providing food and drink to just anyone who came to the house.

"Go and fetch that IOU ledger."

After they were seated, Zhang Dai raised his hand and instructed his servant, while also saying to Yuan Jie, "Yuan Jiu has come to visit today, presumably with cash prepared at home? We all dislike each other, and frankly, I don't want to see each other frequently and fail to reach an agreement over such a trivial matter."

“We will agree on a time and place, and my family will deliver the money and silk in full. However, in addition to the loan agreement that my brother was forced to write before, you must also give me a receipt. In addition to settling the debt, you must also guarantee that you will not bother my family with this matter again, and especially not use this to interfere with my brother’s transfer pending amnesty!”

Despite being very unhappy, Yuan Jie still spoke with a cold face.

"Of course, I have no grudge against your brother and I also hope that he can be pardoned and return home soon to serve his parents."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said, "This year is the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era. By the middle of the year, the current emperor's birthday will be designated as the Thousand Autumns Festival, at which time there will be a general amnesty. At the end of the year, there will be an even larger amnesty and reward for the visit to the Five Mausoleums, which has been delayed due to border affairs."

If nothing unexpected happens, with the two amnesties combined, Yuan Fuzhen, who was exiled to Hainan, may be able to return to Chang'an at the end of the year to celebrate the New Year.

Soon, the family brought the IOU and ledger. Zhang Dai naturally couldn't give the original IOU to Yuan Jie, but only handed him a copy, and said with a smile, "Lord Yuan is not only a respected elder of the country, but also a skilled administrator, and he is also adept at managing his household. He can produce more than 50,000 strings of cash so easily, which truly makes us younger generations admire him greatly!"

"What? Over fifty thousand strings of cash! Not thirty thousand?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jie immediately jumped up from his seat, his eyes wide, and shouted angrily at Zhang Dai, "Zhang Liu, what wicked scheme are you plotting now!"

“Yuan, be careful with your words! When have I ever committed any evil deeds or plotted against your family? On the contrary, since I entered this world, I have been constantly harassed and obstructed by your family’s relatives, friends, and servants! Thirty thousand strings of cash was a figure from the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era. What year is it now? Interest on debts is a matter of course. No matter how powerful your family is, can it outweigh the principles of heaven and the law?”

Zhang Dai, naturally, wouldn't tolerate him either. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing at Yuan Jie and angrily shouting, "Open your dog eyes and look at the ledger! Have I exaggerated anything? To say I used trickery is truly laughable!"

(End of this chapter)