Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 384 Daring to indulge in lust, punishment will be met with death.
Furong Garden was arguably the most famous royal garden in Chang'an, not only because of its magnificent architecture and beautiful scenery, but also because it was the only imperial garden in the city that allowed ordinary people to enter and enjoy it, of course, only on fixed holidays.

Even so, the existence of Furong Garden greatly narrowed the distance between ordinary people in Chang'an and the emperor, allowing them to glimpse the daily life of the current sage.

The Qujiang River flows into the garden from the southwest, forming a large area of ​​ponds and marshes that occupy more than one-third of the entire imperial garden.

To the east of Qujiang Pool stands a large complex of palaces and pavilions, the most central of which is the Ziyun Tower, nearly a hundred feet tall. It is as if a celestial palace has descended to earth, with its double eaves and tiles, and its golden splendor. No matter which direction you enter the garden from, you can see this magnificent and splendid tower at the first moment!
Upon arriving at Furong Garden, the emperor immediately ascended Ziyun Tower, accompanied by a group of imperial relatives and high-ranking officials. From the tower, he overlooked the entire imperial garden, with the clear blue waters of Qujiang River spread out before him.

At the same time, the scholars and commoners who had previously been confined to the west and south banks of the Qu River were also allowed into the imperial garden. They came from all directions to the foot of the Ziyun Tower, bowed down to the top of the tower, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
Although Zhang Dai had many memories and thoughts that did not belong to this era, when he saw this magnificent scene, he was also filled with excitement and pride!

Although he did not belong to this world, his feelings for the Tang Dynasty's golden age were no less than those of people in the present day. In addition to this pride, he also felt a heavy sense of contemplation and regret. Therefore, he hoped more than anyone else in this world that the golden age could last forever!

To preserve this glorious Tang Dynasty, he was willing to do anything, even if the real obstacle was the supreme sage who was now standing on the high building, receiving the worship of thousands! The Tang Dynasty was not the Tang Dynasty of one man, and the golden age was not the golden age of one man. How could a country with the ambition of a tyrant last long?
The common people in Furong Garden did not have Zhang Dai's strong sense of crisis and vigilance. At the moment, they were simply immersed in the joy of a wise ruler governing the country and celebrating the festival together.

After the crowd paid their respects at the foot of Ziyun Tower, they were led in turn to different viewing areas. The ornate tents extending from below Ziyun Tower were used not only to accommodate the families of high-ranking officials, but also to entertain local gentry, virtuous mothers and filial daughters-in-law, and other people of integrity and righteousness who were specially granted hospitality by the emperor.

The personnel arrangements and order maintenance on site were handled by designated personnel, while Zhang Dai and other music officials waited at the foot of Ziyun Tower.

In the square directly in front of Ziyun Tower, there is a large, wide platform over ten feet high. This platform is called the Hundred Plays Platform and is the main venue for public performances in Furong Garden.

As order was restored downstairs and the spectators took their places, a stirring and powerful drumbeat resounded. Accompanied by the resounding drumbeats, Zhang Dai and his entourage headed towards the stage for the various performances.

Each emperor of the Tang Dynasty had his own exclusive background music, with Emperor Xuanzong having the most. Today's performance at Furong Garden will begin with "Dragon Pool Music," a piece specially composed for Emperor Xuanzong.

"Longchi Yue" was originally a court music performed by the Taichang Temple's Libuji. It was not suitable for performance in open-air public places. The melody was not exciting enough, the dance was relatively slow, and the overall rhythm was not strong. Performing it in an open-air environment with slow music and dance would make it less entertaining.

However, after Zhang Dai took on the roles of Assistant Musician and Music Rearranging Commissioner, he made a radical overhaul of "Longchi Music".

He extracted the "Ji" movement, which has the strongest rhythm in "Longchi Yue", and expanded it using the arrangement method of Yan Yue. While maintaining the basic characteristics of Bianzhong (a type of ancient Chinese bell), he also boldly added other percussion instruments and sheng (a type of ancient Chinese mouth organ) to enrich the style of the music.

As for dance, in addition to the original female Taoist soft dance, a new dance form called "land boat rowing" has been added.

The land boat race in later generations was a very lively and festive folk performance. Some people may feel that this performance is too vulgar and rustic, and not suitable for high-end court dance and music performances.

However, the practice of rowing land boats actually went through a process of originating from the common people, being absorbed by court dance and music, and then spreading back to the common people. In the Song Dynasty court dance troupe, there was also a special group of performers called the "Lotus Picking Team" who were dedicated to performing land boat rowing.

In short, after Zhang Dai's reorganization, the entertainment value and festive atmosphere of "Longchi Yue" were greatly enhanced and improved.

Earlier, when the emperor moved to Xingqing Palace and held a banquet, a stage was set up in the Dragon Pool to perform this program. It was highly praised by the emperor and the officials. Now it is performed as the opening piece in Furong Garden.

The performance of "Longchi Yue" involved over a hundred people, including forty-eight people in lotus boats, twelve dancers, and more than forty musicians. Zhang Dai, as the conductor of the orchestra, took the lead and stood on a small platform at the front left corner of the stage to overlook the entire stage. Then, under the direction of his flag, the dancers and musicians took their places on the stage one after another.

Below the stage, the spectators had been waiting for a long time, paying close attention to every little change on the stage. When Zhang Dai stepped onto the stage, his demeanor and style naturally caught the attention of the spectators below.

"Who is that young man in blue on the stage? He's truly an outstanding figure!" Soon, someone below the stage couldn't help but shout and ask. People in the Tang Dynasty loved excitement and also loved to comment on people. Zhang Dainian was not yet twenty and was still a young man. He was tall and handsome, and naturally attracted everyone's attention in this grand festival. People couldn't help but comment on him.

"Our dynasty truly has many talented people. Even a lowly official of such low rank is so outstanding, handsome and extraordinary!"

While appearance cannot represent a person's entirety, those with outstanding looks are more likely to gain favor with others. Zhang Dai had not done anything after taking the stage, yet he had already won the favor of the elites in the capital, who believed that he was worthy of his position at today's grand event.

The more knowledgeable Shi Liu laughed loudly: "This person is no lowly official; he is the top scorer in the prefectural examination, the provincial examination, and the special imperial examination in the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era. He is Zhang Dai, the grandson of the former prime minister Zhang Yan, who was personally named by the emperor! Among the younger generation in the country, he is the best, which is why he has been given such an important position and has won the approval of the elders in the capital!"

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed in shame. One person lamented, "This morning, watching the scholars composing their poems from afar at Qujiang, I thought they were quite outstanding. Compared to the top scholars of this year, all those selected this year are like clay chickens and earthen dogs. The selection officials were careless!"

The comments and discussions about Zhang Dai as a person didn't last long. As the song and dance performance on stage began, the audience's attention was quickly drawn to him. After all, no matter how handsome Zhang Dai was, he couldn't compare to the comprehensive audio-visual enjoyment that the meticulously choreographed song and dance performance provided.

The common people on the stage were engrossed in the song and dance performance, while the nobles and nobles in the Ziyun Tower, seeing so much sensual entertainment, were not particularly enthusiastic. They kept an eye on the changes in the emperor's expression while chatting quietly with their colleagues.

Although Prime Minister Du Xian was attending the grand gathering, his mind was elsewhere. Suddenly, he felt his belt being tugged. He turned around and saw his wife, who was also attending, seemingly about to say something. He leaned closer and whispered, "What is it?"

“The musician on stage is quite talented. I just heard many wives and daughters praising him. My family is not without women of marriageable age. Why is my husband not tempted by him?”

Du Xian's wife glanced at Zhang Dai, who was directing the performance from the side of the stage, and whispered to her husband.

Du Xian was taken aback when he heard this. Since entering the court, he had been preoccupied with the power struggle with his colleague Li Yuanhong and had no interest in his children's marriage.

Upon hearing his wife's words, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart. He scrutinized Zhang Dai for a moment, becoming increasingly satisfied with his appearance. However, when he turned to look at Zhang Yue, who was sitting beside the two princes of Ning and Xue, his expression darkened. He whispered to his wife, "Lord Zhang Yan likes to arrange marriages with families in Shandong. Now that his family has such a promising young man, I'm afraid he won't easily agree to marry into an ordinary family!"

"What kind of illustrious family does he come from? My family isn't after his family's status. Now that my husband is in power, he highly values ​​his disciples. If we become father-in-law and son-in-law, we will naturally do our best to help them. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Du Xian's wife couldn't help but say, "I've heard that although Zhang Yan's grandson is exceptionally talented, he's not the eldest son of the first wife and may not be highly regarded by Shandong families. But if we sincerely seek him out, things might still work out. Such a handsome young man is worth seeking out; how can we be content to settle for second best if we don't give it a try!"

Regardless of the conversation between Du Xian and his wife, others on the platform were also harboring similar thoughts. Such a festive gathering was originally a good opportunity for socializing and making friends, and many wealthy and powerful families attended with their children, hoping to find a suitable partner at this grand event.

The Xue family's seats were adjacent to Zhang Shuo's. Because he still held a grudge against Zhang Dai for offending him before, the Xue family was very cold towards Zhang Shuo and did not communicate with him at all.

But when he turned his head, he found his princess consort laughing and talking with Zhang Shuo's wife behind the table. He was naturally displeased and immediately ordered someone to call the princess consort back. Then he reprimanded her in a stern voice: "Why are you laughing and talking with the Zhang family? Have you forgotten why your brother was expelled?"

"Past tales only add to troubles; only by dispelling sorrow and resentment can one achieve a broad mind. My brother's misconduct has been punished by the law, so why take it out on others? Zhang Yan's young apprentice is handsome and promising; if he were to..."

As soon as Princess Wei opened her mouth, Prince Xue glared and angrily retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting! Does this scoundrel from the Zhang family deserve to be a distinguished guest of the Prince's residence? Besides, I have already sent someone to inquire about Lady Wei, the Duke of Xun. Isn't she far superior to Lady Zhang!"

As he spoke, he glanced at his own woman, who looked utterly disappointed behind the table, and muttered viciously, "Stop with your lustful desires! If you dare to follow Wang Maozhong's example and ruin the family's reputation, I would rather beat and kill a woman who has lost her chastity than suffer this humiliation!"

(End of this chapter)