Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 376 Newly Planted Flowering Trees Touch People's Hearts

When Zhang Dai left the Prince of Qi's residence and arrived at Zhuquemen Hengjie, the first drumbeat of the street had already sounded. He then went into Pingkangfang to check on the construction progress of his own residence.

It was already evening. Normally, the entertainment district of Pingkang would be bustling with people, and the decadent nightlife would be about to begin. However, perhaps due to the previous disturbances, the entertainment district was deserted today, with few people coming and going.

Zhang Dai did not linger there, but went straight to his own house in the south of the neighborhood. After passing through the cross street, he saw that his house was surrounded by a brick and stone wall that was more than half a person high.

The craftsmen introduced by Chen Dong were indeed very diligent. In just a few days, the framework of the mansion was completed, and the progress was very encouraging.

In contrast, the house of Li Linfu, who lives to the east, remains unchanged, showing no signs of construction.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Dai couldn't help but lament that he was truly a jinx personally unleashed by Li Linfu. If it weren't for the fact that he had written a letter into the copper box back then, and happened to encounter Li Linfu's honeyed words and treacherous intentions to lure him into falsely accusing Zhang Shuo, thus allowing him to turn the tables and bite back, the enmity between them wouldn't have been so deep.

After all, whether Li Linfu was treacherous or loyal, there were many things in history that he hadn't yet accomplished. And even if he didn't have much affection for Li Linfu, he wouldn't target him at every turn. He disliked An Lushan even more, yet he didn't immediately gather his troops and rush to Youzhou to besiege and kill An Lushan.

Zhang Dai made his way through the south alley into his own residence for a brief inspection. By now, the craftsmen had all finished work and left, leaving only a dozen or so Zhang family servants stationed there. They no longer needed to live in the temporary tents, as a row of new sheds had been built inside the residence for living and storing materials.

As Zhang Dai walked to the center of the residence, he soon saw many trees planted in different locations along the shore of the small lake in front of the hall. These trees were covered with thatched sheds for shade, and the distribution of the trees along the lake seemed to have been measured and selected, making them look quite harmonious.

He was naturally curious, so he pointed at the trees and asked, "Where did these trees come from?"

"Reporting to Sixth Prince, the Qi Prince's family sent people here today, bringing many flowering trees, accompanied by the Feathered Immortal. They selected locations to plant these plants. The Qi Prince's family instructed us not to disturb the plants, as these flowering trees are all located in auspicious and pleasant places, promoting vitality and enhancing the master's fortune!"

The steward who remained here hurried forward and respectfully addressed Zhang Dai.

"Were they planted by members of the Qi Prince's family?"

Zhang Dai couldn't help but ask again to confirm, but he couldn't help but recall the hollowed-out flower garden in front of the Prince of Qi's house that he had seen that morning, as well as the lament of the Prince of Hedong.

He couldn't help but step forward to examine the plants closely, and his heart suddenly burned with passion. He had previously wondered if the Princess of Yunyang might have a domineering side that he was unaware of, but now all such worries were forgotten, and his heart was filled with tenderness.

"You must take good care of these plants and make sure nothing goes wrong!"

Zhang Dai gave another serious instruction, his mind already filled with images of the lake's rippling blue waves, the banks adorned with blooming flowers, and a beautiful woman even more captivating and understanding than the flowers themselves.

Upon hearing this, the steward smiled and said, "Sixth Prince, rest assured, we will take good care of these plants. When the Prince of Qi's family left, they also instructed that a gardener would be sent to check on these newly planted plants tomorrow morning!"

Just then, the first street drum was nearing its end.

Zhang Dai recalled the scene when he said goodbye to the county princess at the Prince of Qi's house. At that time, he thought the county princess was mocking him, but now, seeing these flower plants transplanted from the Prince of Qi's house, Zhang Dai could taste a hint of jealousy in them.

So he quickly left the area, riding out of Pingkang Ward with his entourage. Then, accompanied by increasingly urgent street drumbeats, he headed towards Yongle Ward, managing to return to the ward before the curfew began, thus avoiding any loss of his chastity elsewhere.

When he rode slowly to the front of the house in the neighborhood, he saw that the house was full of carriages and horses, and there were many servants and attendants sitting or standing in front of the door. He was a little surprised and even wondered if he had mistakenly walked into the front of the house of Prime Minister Xiao Song of Linqu.
"Liu Lang is home!"

Someone shouted, and a large group of servants buzzed forward, swarming around Zhang Dai like flies. Fortunately, Zhang Dai had a large and well-trained retinue, which promptly protected him and separated him from the crowd.

"These are all people who have come to visit as guests."

A servant of the Zhang family squeezed in and said to Zhang Dai with a smile, "Since the afternoon, visitors have been coming in droves, and the guest hall is now packed."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing how realistic human relationships truly are!
He had only seen such a grand scene of guests filling the house when he first came into this world, before his grandfather was dismissed from his post as prime minister, in Luoyang. However, at that time, he was just a nobody on the fringes of the family, and his comings and goings would not attract the attention of these people.

The guests gathered here now are probably not the same group as those in Luoyang. Most of them are probably officials from the capital who are waiting for the imperial examinations and have come to pay their respects. He was too lazy to go into the hall to deal with these sycophants. After returning home, he went straight back to his residence through the side courtyard.

His small courtyard was also bustling with activity. As soon as Zhang Dai entered, Zhang Yi strode up to him and called out, "Brother, I'm off today! Before the holiday, I took the imperial examination and passed seven out of ten questions, earning a second-class grade!"

"Good, good! Don't follow your uncle's example and ruin the family reputation!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and stepped forward to pat Zhang Yu on the shoulder, saying, "Now that you're on leave, rest well at home and return to the academy to continue your studies after the holiday." After the Emperor's return to the capital, Zhang Yu entered the Hongwen Academy, fulfilling a long-held wish of his mother, Zheng, from years ago. Without his parents' care and protection, the boy became more independent, and his academic performance ranked in the upper-middle range at the Hongwen Academy.

"Who's talking badly about me behind my back!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi nodded in agreement. However, the shameless Zhang Yan rushed out of the room, holding a wooden sword upside down in his hand. As he ran, he shouted, "Luo Nu, where did you find this vicious child? I was just playing with him, and he actually tried to cut me!"

Yan Wu, also wielding a wooden sword, chased after Zhang Dai from behind, yelling loudly. When he saw Zhang Dai enter, he was startled and quickly sheathed his sword, bowing his head and whispering, "Senior Brother Zhang, I... I've finished my homework. It was this scoundrel who came in to disturb me and scribbled on my notebook. I will never let him get away with this!"

Before Zhang Dai could finish resolving the case, Yingniang and her daughter, along with a beautiful young woman, a boy, and two girls, came out from the inner hall.

The little girl running at the front, her steps unsteady, ran towards Zhang Dai, opening her tiny arms and giggling, "Brother, brother, hug me!"

Zhang Dai bent down and picked up the little girl Zhang Juanjuan, then nodded to Yingniang and Aying before his gaze fell on the young woman who had come out with them. He said with a smile, "Aunt Liu, you have time to come here?"

This young woman was none other than Liu Niangzi, the concubine of his uncle Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji went to the princess's mansion to become the prince consort, but left his concubine and two children at home.

Upon hearing this, Lady Liu quickly bowed and said, "I am a simple woman in my household, and I don't distinguish between being busy and idle. I'm just afraid of disturbing your peace, so I don't dare to visit you often. Alan said he came to borrow a book, so I brought him and his sister to greet you."

"Has Alan started his studies at the tribal school? How are his studies? How many poems can he recite? Don't hesitate to ask if you don't understand!"

Zhang Dai looked down at his uncle's illegitimate son, Alan, and said with a smile.

He didn't get along with Zhang Ji, but he had no prejudice against his concubines and children. In fact, because of his predecessor's past experiences, he felt a sense of sympathy for them and was willing to take care of them. However, Madam Liu was cautious and knew that he and his nephew were not on good terms, so she rarely brought her children to visit, and they were somewhat estranged.

This Alan is just a nickname; she doesn't even have a formal name yet. Just like Zhang Dai, who was only called Zhang Luonu until he was a teenager, only receiving a name after meeting the current emperor. However, this boy hasn't had that opportunity yet, and probably won't in the future. After all, no matter how much the emperor messes things up, he wouldn't cause any discord between legitimate and illegitimate children in his own daughter's family.

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's question, he quickly lowered his head and said, "Reporting to Sixth Brother, I have been enrolled for two months, and I have not yet composed a single poem. I will certainly take Sixth Brother as my role model..."

"What nonsense!"

Lady Liu must have said similar things to her son quite often, but now she was worried that Zhang Dai would feel offended. Hearing her son say it unconsciously, she hurriedly spoke up to scold and interrupt him.

"It's alright, you don't need to be so polite. We're brothers from the same clan, being too formal would only make us feel distant."

Zhang Dai didn't seem to care much about this. He chatted for a bit, then looked back and saw Yan Wu and his uncle Zhang Yan fighting with wooden swords again. He felt a headache coming on and realized that he needed a mistress to manage the messy affairs in his household.

Zhang Yan, being an adult, grew tired of playing around after a while. He stretched out his wooden sword and tripped Yan Wu, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt. Then he said to Zhang Dai, "I've come to inform you that I've borrowed your Snow Lion and Yellow Teler horses. I'll return them to you after the Shangsi Festival!"

Before Zhang Dai could reply, Zhang Yi complained, "Uncle, if you lead them away, what will my brother ride?"

"You think I want to take advantage of you, a junior? All the fine horses in my family have been taken away by the Commandant of the Guards to fill his stables. Your brother has more than ten famous horses, and I only borrowed two. How come they were all taken away?"

Zhang Yang was naturally indignant when he recounted this matter, but then he turned to Zhang Yi and said, "Your uncle is not one to bully the young. This year, the campsite I secured for the family is right next to Xingyuan Garden. The main tent has three layers, enough for over a hundred families to go together. When you go there and enjoy the festive splendor, you'll know how good your uncle is!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present showed longing on their faces. Even Yan Wu, who had been lying on the ground pounding his fist, got up, wiped his nose, and stood silently beside Zhang Dai, his eyes showing a hint of flattery as he looked at Zhang Yang. The Tang people truly had an innate love for watching a spectacle.

"Sixth Brother and Sixth Brother, since they came to the capital, they haven't even left their home yet..."

Seeing her two children looking at her with such expectant eyes, Madam Liu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, so she cautiously spoke to Zhang Dai again.

"It's always a festive occasion. Since Uncle has already made all the arrangements, there's no harm in going along!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said, "It's more lively with more people, but remember not to wander around, lest you get separated!"

(End of this chapter)