Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 393 Generations of Slaves
The Classic of Filial Piety is not long, only a little over a thousand characters in total. Zhang Dai read it aloud with clear pronunciation and intonation, so it did not take too long.

When he finished reciting, the entire tent was completely silent, which naturally displeased Zhang Dai. "I recited the classics to you in a proper broadcasting voice, making my throat numb and my brain feel dizzy from lack of oxygen, and you didn't react at all!"

He bowed directly to the Crown Prince and asked with a smile, "I wonder if my performance has met Your Highness's approval?"

The crown prince's expression was already very unnatural. Upon hearing the question, his eyes became even sharper, but he didn't say anything more. He just gritted his teeth and slowly nodded.

“Zhang Lang’s recitation is a clever trick! The profound truths he recites are universally accepted, and even if there are errors in technique and rhythm, it is not appropriate to delve into them. But his powerful voice is indeed like the sound of gold and jade, which pleases the listener.”

Prince Zhong stood up again to smooth things over, pointing at Zhang Dai and saying with a smile, "Please take your seat. Because of your arrival, everyone has forgotten that the match on the field is still in full swing!"

Zhang Dai glanced at the seats in the tent. He wanted to go straight to sit with the Yunyang County Chairman, whose emotions had stabilized and who was smiling at him, but it would be too blatant for them to sit together and whisper intimately in front of everyone after just finishing their conversation.

As for his younger cousin, Prince Shou, the Prince of Ruyang sitting next to him was also an annoying fellow. After looking around, he could only go and sit in Prince Zhong's seat in the end.

Just now, when the Crown Prince was making things difficult for him, Zhang Dai was still jumping around, singing and reciting, while Zhang Yang and the others stood awkwardly between the tents, not knowing where to go. When they saw Zhang Dai heading towards the seat of the Prince of Zhong, they all hurriedly followed.

Prince Zhong was naturally pleased to see Zhang Dai and his group come to him, as it would bolster his own power and influence. He was now gradually developing the idea of ​​challenging the Crown Prince's authority. However, Zhang Ji, who was seated with them, couldn't help but frown when he saw them approaching. This wasn't just because he was jealous of Zhang Dai; there were other reasons as well.

"Your son greets Father!"

Upon entering the tent, Alan, who had been following behind, hurriedly took a few steps and knelt before Zhang Ji, respectfully saying...

While it is proper etiquette for a son to pay respects to his father, the occasion is inappropriate.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Ji's face darkened instantly, and he remained silent. Alan, unable to hear his father's voice, dared not move. The boy buried his face in his arms, not daring to move at all, but his shoulders and back trembled with tension.

The banquet hosted by Prince Zhong was lavish. Besides him and Zhang Ji, Princess Ningqin was also seated at the table. She had been smiling as she watched Zhang Dai and his companions approach, but her expression immediately fell when she saw Alan, the illegitimate son, appear. The teenage girl was innocent and her gaze towards the boy revealed undisguised disgust.

Zhang Dai observed the couple's expressions. It was understandable that the princess disliked Alan; after all, it was human nature. But Zhang Ji's feigned muteness was truly shameless. He was certainly having a good time during the planting!
He couldn't bear to see Alan suffer such complicated interpersonal difficulties, so he bent down to help him up and led the boy to sit down beside him. But then he heard sobbing beside him. Turning his head, he saw Alan lowering his head, pursing his lips, and secretly wiping away tears. He whispered, "What's wrong?"

"Sixth Brother, did I do something wrong? Father didn't answer me. How will I explain this to Mother when I get home..."

Alan's voice was barely audible, filled with trepidation and fear.

Zhang Dai knew that Lady Liu must have instilled in her children the idea that "as long as Zhang Ji is close to and cares for them, they can live peacefully in the Zhang family." That's why Alan was so panicked when she saw her father's indifference towards her, and her body trembled like a leaf.

Although he too rose from humble beginnings as a son of a concubine, his experience was not replicable. Especially since Alan was only a few years old, an age when he regarded his parents as his heaven and earth. Even if he were taught to disobey his biological father, this boy would certainly not dare to listen. Moreover, his stepmother was the emperor's daughter, and was far more powerful than the previous Zheng Shi.

Zhang Dai knew that there was no hope for Zhang Ji. Whether the mother and son could live peacefully in the Zhang family ultimately depended on the princess's will. So he leaned close to Alan and whispered, "You should go and pay your respects to the princess. If the princess is tolerant of you, she will not blame you anymore."

"I...I'll listen to Liu Lang."

Upon hearing this, Alan quickly wiped away her tears, stood up, walked to the princess's chair, and then bowed down, whispering, "This servant, Alan, greets the princess."

What followed was not the princess's icy expression softening, nor did she break into a radiant smile, gazing at her respectful and courteous son with maternal love—a scene straight out of the fairy tale. The princess remained oblivious to this as well. Only the maidservant standing beside her, seeing Alan kneeling on a corner of the colorful carpet beneath the princess's seat, lifted her leg and gently pushed the deeply kneeling Alan back.

"This arrogant master and his unruly servant have gone too far! Who do they take my son for?!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yang immediately showed displeasure and was about to get up to help Alan up, but Zhang Dai stopped him by raising his hand.

Zhang Dai knew that the root of the problem lay with Zhang Ji himself. He didn't even care about his own flesh and blood, so who could he expect to care for and protect him? Their meddling in his family affairs would not only fail to provide any solutions, but would also only breed resentment.

If a commotion were to erupt here, causing the princess to feel humiliated in front of her siblings, it would undoubtedly worsen the situation for Alan and her son. Zhang Yi, however, was reminded of Zhang Dai from years past by the image of Alan kneeling motionless on the ground, weak and helpless. He leaned closer and whispered, “Brother, in the past I was ignorant and unaware of filial piety and brotherly love. I remained indifferent to your repeated mistreatment. Brother, you do not hold a grudge against me for the past, and still show concern and affection. I will remember this kindness and never dare to disobey you again!”

"To know one's mistakes and correct them is of utmost importance. The ugly behavior of people is most despicable. All these things should serve as a warning. Next year, the family tradition will still depend on you and me, brothers."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai patted Zhang Qian on the shoulder and whispered to him, "His father's generation spoiled him rotten. Although Zhang Qian isn't as cold-hearted as his two older brothers, as a child born late in life and pampered, his desire for pleasure outweighs his ambition for success, so there's not much to expect from him."

Leaving aside these little thoughts, not long after they sat down, a series of cheers suddenly erupted from the polo field, reminding everyone that there was still a polo match going on, and they all turned their attention to the field again.

At this moment, one of the two teams competing on the field was full of morale, while the other had been overwhelmed and was in complete disarray. As the gong sounded on the sidelines, the match came to an end.

The players dismounted and removed their protective gear. Some of the spectators who had been watching from the perimeter of the field returned to their tents, including the two clowns, Li Xia and Dou E. Upon seeing Zhang Dai also seated, the two immediately wore mournful faces and said, "Zhang Liu, we lost."

After watching the match for a while, Zhang Dai could see clearly that one of the two teams was the team of the Eastern Palace, and the other was the team formed by the King of Hedong. The King of Hedong personally took to the field, and his own Yin Huan was also helping out, but they still couldn't withstand the onslaught of the Eastern Palace team.

Not long after, the Prince of Hedong, covered in sweat and looking somewhat dejected, entered the tent. He first bowed to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness's training is truly extraordinary. I am ashamed of my own inadequacy! I have made a fool of myself on the field today, but I hope it will bring a smile to Your Highness's face."

"I have not been accustomed to polo for a long time. The disciples of the Crown Prince were all recruited by the head of the household and the chief of the palace guards from the North Gate and the Five Wards. Wang Neng entered the field and competed with them for a long time, which shows his skill. There is no need to worry about the outcome of this match!"

The Crown Prince treated the Prince of Hedong with great courtesy, offering him comfort and encouragement while having his servants serve him drinks.

The Prince of Hedong had just lost the game and was not in a good mood. When he saw Zhang Dai sitting in the Prince of Zhong's seat, he did not go forward to talk to him, but simply nodded slightly and went back to his own seat.

Just then, several people strode into the tent from outside. The two leading figures were none other than Wang Maozhong's two sons, Wang Shoulian, who served as the Crown Prince's Household Steward, and Wang Shouqing, who served as the Crown Prince's Chief of Staff.

"Your Highness, we have fulfilled our mission and achieved the goal of winning the title of King!"

The two brothers led the ball players into the tent and bowed to the Crown Prince, loudly proclaiming, "We still have the strength to fight for Your Highness. If anyone in the tent dares to challenge us, we will accept the challenge!"

"Reward the brave warrior!"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was overjoyed and waved his hand repeatedly to signal the servants to present the reward. He also invited the Wang brothers to sit down with him.

"When you go up there, will you be able to defeat these lackeys?"

Hearing the arrogant words of the Wang brothers, King Zhong felt a surge of dissatisfaction and turned to ask Wang Zhongsi, who had come with him, in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhongsi glanced at the Wang brothers and the players they had chosen, then whispered, "If we don't care about lives, breaking through isn't difficult. One strike to kill that 'ring-eyed' player would disable several of his variations..."

"That's not necessary anymore."

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhong chuckled and shook his head, saying that he did not doubt Wang Zhongsi's words, but it was just a gathering and banquet, not worth causing anyone to die. The Crown Prince had been quiet and unremarkable for several years; let him have a few days to breathe a sigh of relief.

Even the Loyal King didn't dare to step forward, so the other kings, though dissatisfied with the arrogant Wang brothers, could only swallow their anger. Most of them couldn't even put together a polo team, let alone compete on the field.

Zhang Dai watched the Wang brothers interacting intimately with the Crown Prince and couldn't help but ponder. Judging from their demeanor, were the Wang brothers deliberately trying to curry favor with the Crown Prince, intending to utilize their generations of sycophantic skills and repeat their father's path from servant to powerful minister?
Zhang Dai thought this approach was somewhat irrational, but when faced with the temptation of huge profits, who can distinguish between advantages and disadvantages? Moreover, following the crowd is one of the basic human behaviors, as can be clearly seen by glancing at the rankings of novel websites.

Telling Wang Maozhong's son to stay away from the Crown Prince? Are you out of your mind? Do you even know how people make their fortunes? There's a living example of success right in front of him. His father was a top performer who won in this race. You're saying this path is blocked?
Zhang Dai was still pondering whether he could find some opportunities in this kind of interaction when the Prince of Hedong, who had just taken his seat, walked over carrying a wine jar, his expression somewhat unfriendly.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai's heart skipped a beat. Was this because they heard that he had openly flirted with girls and came to cause him trouble?
(End of this chapter)