Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 358 Self-Reliance, Pei Lang's Poverty

You don't know anything! He can't even judge his own wife!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but mutter a curse in his heart.

He was actually quite aware of the changes in his reputation.

His best period of fame was shortly after he entered public service in the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, which was the time when his grandfather was attacked by political enemies and he risked his life to write a memorial, and incidentally brought down Li Linfu. This continued until he got into trouble with the Northern Army.

The disputes, grievances, and rights and wrongs between him and the Northern Court are not something outsiders can really understand clearly. After all, the people and affairs of the Northern Court are generally quite vague to the general public.

But what the public clearly knows is that these officers at the Northern Gate were all arrogant and domineering, yet Zhang Dai repeatedly provoked them without any fear, showing no concern whatsoever for making enemies of the Northern government. In other words, just how vicious was this guy? You can guess!

If the conflict with the Northern Court was only one aspect of the evidence, then Zhang Dai's offense against Prince Xue in the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era truly made his reputation both good and bad, and full of controversy.

Although this incident essentially led to Zhang Dai's significant advancement, propelling him from a leisurely official position focused on skills to a close attendant, the emperor's punishment of deducting his salary was a tangible consequence.

To some, this is irrefutable evidence that he is trying to sow discord within the clan; this kid is disrespectful to the king and has ulterior motives!

The general public often holds a sense of awe and fantasy towards those of noble birth. This was not only true in feudal society, but even in later generations when everyone could hold their heads high, there were still many people who mysteriously worshipped those so-called old-money aristocrats, kneeling down and calling them ancestors for fear that they, as mere bastards, would disgrace their noble bloodline.

This is why Zhang Dai didn't openly offend Prince Ning; otherwise, his reputation would have been even worse. After all, Prince Ning's abdication to a more virtuous ruler led to the prosperous Kaiyuan era. He was a living Yao, Shun, or Taibo; if you dared to provoke him, you'd already lost.

Zhang Dai was not arrogant or obsequious; he was cold and indifferent to those in power, but unconditionally supported the common people.

He's generally a mild-mannered person; if someone doesn't offend him, he won't glare at them. But if someone clearly wants to mess with him, he doesn't care about their status or position. If he doesn't retaliate now, it's because he's incompetent; just wait until he unleashes his ultimate move and you'll see!
Pei Guangting thought he was too impulsive and a bit irritable, but that was clearly just a superficial observation.

He's now a small, powerful figure, and the people he fights with are mostly children of officials. But when he encounters a real big shot who can manipulate him, he not only tolerates insults but also smiles like a flower, just like when he's in front of a sage, he can flatter him without batting an eye.

If you find him difficult to get along with, you really need to examine yourself. Have you achieved absolute power and influence? Can you suppress him from every angle and in every way? My smiling face is a yardstick; I know perfectly well who is powerful and who isn't!
While Pei Guangting's house couldn't compare to the Zhang family's enormous mansion, it was still nearly twice the size of the mansion Zhang Dai was currently building. Moreover, because his family was smaller, unlike the Zhang family which lived together as a clan and had many retainers and servants, the mansion was much more spacious.

Zhang Dai had visited the Pei family before, and this time, led by Pei Zhen, he went to the back hall to pay his respects to Madam Wu. However, upon arriving at the back hall, he was immediately dismissed by the servants standing outside. But after Zhang Dai had walked a short distance, he was called back.

"Sixth Brother, what dispute did you have with General Li's family? How did it escalate to the point of causing a death?"

Empress Wu sat upright in the back hall, and when Zhang Dai entered, she asked him in a deep voice.

Zhang Dai knew what she was really concerned about, but at this moment he just smiled and said, "Aunt, you don't need to worry about me. I am upright and honest, and evil spirits cannot harm me! Li Linfu is holding a grudge against me and he is unwilling to let go of it. He is just making a powerful enemy for himself."

He escaped the law by chance this time, but he won't be so lucky next time. If I gain power, I will not let him off the hook and will avenge the insult he caused to my Wu family!

"No, no! No parent would want their son to fight with others all day long! You now have some power and influence, and although you are striving for advancement, you still need Consort Hui's help and guidance. Remember not to betray your parents' good intentions for a moment of impulsiveness and willfulness. Save your life for great things!"

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's spirited words, Wu hurriedly waved her hand and said, "I saw that you have already started construction on your house in the neighborhood. After the previous commotion, did you acquire Li Songgong's mansion?"

"Alas, this is precisely what I resent! I originally intended to drive Gernü away in one fell swoop, forbidding him from staying here and disturbing people any longer, but in the end, I still failed. What I have gained now is only a small corner; the rest still belongs to Gernü!"

Zhang Dai first said angrily, then laughed gleefully, "But this Li Ge Nu is not having an easy time either. He recently bought this property at a low price, and the person in charge, Yuan Jie, has been sentenced to death. Now the Emperor has returned the land to him and ordered him to pay the full amount for the land within the year. It will cost at least three or four hundred thousand strings of cash!"

"So much? How could he... Sigh, even my family's savings are only a few hundred thousand strings of cash that we've lost this year. Isn't this just making things difficult for him?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Wu couldn't help but frown and sigh.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai raised an eyebrow. Did he mean you wanted to help him out?
He glanced at Pei Zhen, who was sitting blankly to the side, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "Young man, if you don't take good care of this family business, you may not even have the money to get married next year!"

However, Wu's sigh gave him an idea: if he could find a way to restrict Li Linfu's sources of funds, would this guy come up with some surprising and eye-catching moves in his impoverished state?

He wasn't necessarily determined to antagonize Li Linfu, but if he could seize on a weakness, it would undoubtedly greatly increase his leverage in future power struggles. If Li Linfu were to provoke or attempt to harm him again, he wouldn't be forced into a purely defensive posture.

Thinking of this, he was too lazy to argue with Wu Shi anymore. He immediately gave Pei Zhen a wink, and then the two of them got up to take their leave.

After leaving the inner hall, Zhang Dai suggested going to Pei Zhen's place for a while. Pei Zhen naturally did not object and immediately led Zhang Dai to his residence. Pei Guangting was Pei Xingjian's youngest son. His brothers had all passed away, and his nephews had all moved out and lived independently, so his family was not very large, with only Pei Zhen as his son.

Therefore, Pei Zhen's living space at home was quite large, occupying an entire courtyard in the east wing. The house had several sections, including not only his own bedroom and study, but also other rooms. He even built an archery range, and outside the archery range, he built a horse track for practicing horsemanship.

Is this what life is like for the children of top officials? Pingkangfang in Chang'an is within the second ring road, yet Pei Zhen alone enjoys such a large courtyard covering thousands of square meters. It's simply extravagant.

To be honest, even Zhang Dai's own mansion in Yonglefang was far smaller than Pei Zhen's residence. After strolling around here, he couldn't help but sigh to himself, "There's always someone better."

However, although the courtyard space is not small, the overall decoration style is relatively simple. Apart from the place where Pei Zhen lives and moves around frequently, the beams, pillars, doors and windows of the other houses are just unpainted logs exposed, so much so that these logs have traces of insects and rain damage, and look very dilapidated, which is completely out of line with the style of Pingkangfang!
"Pei Lang, your dwelling is truly shabby!"

After touring the area, Zhang Dai spoke to Pei Zhen without any politeness.

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen blushed and immediately replied, "Since I was released from my official post, all my expenses have been covered by my salary, and I have rarely asked my parents for anything. This house is merely a place to live; why should I decorate it with splendor and damage my integrity?"

This guy is still being stubborn!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai laughed again, his tone becoming even more impolite: "You are not self-disciplined, you are just inept at making a living! Your parents have given you such a magnificent house, yet you cannot even maintain or repair it properly, and you still have the nerve to complain. It's just sophistry."

"That's still better than you! I'm self-reliant, while you still need your family to spoil you and squander your money like a tycoon!"

Pei Zhen was already somewhat angry upon hearing this, and immediately glared at him and said.

"Haha, I certainly spent money lavishly without regard for the cost, but it was definitely not as you say, that I begged my family and elders. I earned it myself! You are incompetent, so don't try to judge me maliciously!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai laughed loudly again.

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen's eyes widened immediately, and he shook his head repeatedly, saying, "How is that possible! Your salary is even lower than mine, where would you get thousands or tens of thousands of strings of cash to spend? Could it be that you also committed a crime with Yuan Jie, abusing your authority as a relative?"

"What nonsense! I'm far away in Zhengzhou, and we don't even see each other at the end of the year. My grandfather's school, Jixian Academy, is full of poor scholars. How much money could they possibly squeeze out of us!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai laughed and scolded, then counted on his fingers and said, "I won't lie to you, I own a seal shop, a weaving workshop, and a farm. In the future, I will also buy property in the south of the city to grow tea. I don't need to rely on my official salary or ask my relatives for favors. My annual income of tens of thousands of strings of cash is not a problem!"

"This, so much?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen's eyes widened in disbelief, but he quickly said with a forlorn expression, "Why are you telling me all this? I have no such assets and am happy to live a simple life..."

"I want to make you rich."

No sooner had Zhang Dai finished speaking than Pei Zhen, who had just been content with poverty, grabbed his wrist and said sincerely, "Sixth Brother, let's discuss this in detail!"

"Of course we can discuss it, but it depends on how much capital you have!"

Zhang Dai saw that this guy was staring at him with bright eyes, which showed that he was also afraid of being poor and wanted to experience the life of a rich man.

“I have over 320 strings of cash in my own pocket. If I add my monthly salary and holiday allowances, I can make up 400…”

Pei Zhen said somewhat awkwardly, while Zhang Dai rolled his eyes and looked at him, saying, "You've provided this capital, and you plan to share tens of thousands of strings of cash in profits?"

"Of course not... but that's all I have, I don't have any more."

Pei Zhen said awkwardly, although he hadn't said it before, seeing Zhang Dai dressed in fine clothes, riding fine horses, surrounded by servants, and casually acquiring property, living a carefree and comfortable life, he had more or less longed for it.

“You don’t have it, but I do. When you return home, tell him that you can no longer bear poverty and want to work with me, but you are short of some capital. Calculate how much cash you have and send it all to me, and I will calculate the interest and share it with you!”

Zhang Dai patted Pei Zhen on the shoulder again and said that he would drain the Pei family's cash flow so that the Wu family would not be able to support their elderly parents even if they wanted to!
"How could he possibly agree to this... I'm afraid it's a bit difficult, and besides, you're just making empty promises. I don't really believe it! If money were so easy to come by, why would anyone suffer poverty!"

Upon hearing that he was to tell his father, Pei Zhen hesitated.

Seeing that this guy was just being a sour grapes and couldn't understand Zhang Dai's good intentions in helping him protect his wife's savings, Zhang Dai immediately glared at him and said, "Just tell me, whether you believe me or not is up to you. Working with me is much safer than learning from Yuan Jie's suicidal attempt to steal power!"

(End of this chapter)