Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 414 I Follow Zhou

Zhang Dai did not continue to follow the Princess of Yunyang County. After leaving Yuzhen Temple, he led his followers back home.

He could tell that the Princess of Yunyang was in a very conflicted state, but this conflict didn't seem to be because of him; rather, it seemed to stem from a sense of self-deprecation.

This left him somewhat bewildered, wondering what kind of mentality the Princess of Yunyang had that led to such feelings. Ultimately, although they had known each other for quite some time, they hadn't delved deeply into each other's lives, and their understanding of one another remained rather superficial.

But the Lady of Yunyang County assured him she would reply the next day, which put Zhang Dai at ease. Whatever difficulties and obstacles existed in this relationship, knowing the crux of the problem allowed him to find a way to resolve it; otherwise, they would simply have to part ways.

When he returned home, it was already afternoon, and he encountered his grandfather returning home surrounded by a group of court officials. He hurried forward to greet him and learned that this year's examinations were basically completed, and the final results would be officially announced after the court assembly in the middle of the month.

Zhang Shuo has experienced a resurgence in power, and now those who have benefited from his favors are mostly court officials who flatter and fawn upon him.

The Zhang family inevitably held a grand banquet afterward, with everyone feasting from the afternoon until late at night, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

During the banquet, guests came and went, with hundreds of people gathering at the peak. As night fell, even the Prime Minister Xiao Song, who lived in the same neighborhood, came to congratulate Zhang Shuo on completing his important task of evaluating students and returning home, which brought the atmosphere of the banquet to a climax.

Zhang Shuo had been on duty in the province for several days and was quite tired. After seeing off Xiao Song, who had come to visit, he arranged for his son Zhang Yang and others to entertain the guests in the main hall, while he returned to the back hall to rest. Zhang Dai was also summoned to the back hall.

"Everything has finally come to an end, and now it's time to reap the rewards."

Back in the inner hall, Zhang Yue sipped his hangover soup and said with lingering relish, then turned to Zhang Dai, who was sitting at the lower table, and said, "Today I went to the Ministry of Personnel to see Minister Du and had a brief conversation with him. His demeanor and words were rather strange, as if they contained some hidden meaning. Do you know why?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai shook his head, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Although I hold a part-time post as a remonstrator, I don't often stay in the province on duty, and I don't have much contact with Prime Minister Du. In the past, it was my mentor, Prefect Yan, who consulted with Prime Minister Du on matters. It was only recently, because I had something to report, that I was summoned by Prime Minister Du..."

The officialdom was strictly hierarchical and orderly. Although Zhang Dai had powerful backers, his own rank was not high enough for a high-ranking official like the Prime Minister to show him special care and protection. Therefore, he did not have much contact with Du Xian. When he heard Zhang Shuo comment that Du Xian's attitude was somewhat strange, he recounted in detail the scene of their meeting a few days ago.

After listening to Zhang Dai's story, Zhang Shuo pondered for a moment, then suddenly pointed at Zhang Dai and said with a smile, "Du Xian has taken a liking to you and wants to make you his son-in-law!"

"This...this can't be, right?"

Zhang Dai was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this, finding it hard to believe his grandfather's judgment.

"Why not? My grandson is exceptionally talented and a rising star. It's perfectly normal for the Du family to have a daughter of marriageable age who falls for you upon seeing you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo smiled and said, then pondered for a moment, "Although the Du family is not a first-rate family, they have risen to prominence since Siam and are a well-known family of their time. If their daughters are virtuous and beautiful, and have the appearance of being good wives and husbands, they would be a suitable match for my grandson."

"It is too early to say these things. They are just private thoughts between my grandfather and me. Lord Du may not necessarily hold this view."

Zhang Dai shook his head again and said, "Although Du Xian is the prime minister, he is about to step down. If he had such thoughts when he first entered the court, it would have been worth considering, at least he could have lived a smooth life under his protection for a few years. But now it is not so meaningful."

His thinking was certainly somewhat realistic, but he hadn't even met that Lady Du, so he couldn't afford to be sentimental. Besides, he was currently preoccupied with the development of his relationship with the Princess of Yunyang, and had no interest in anything else. This time, he truly had no desire to look back at the fleeting pleasures of love.

"Yes, I haven't had time to go home and ask you in detail these past few days. What is the matter with the poem 'Canghai Wushan' that you wrote recently? I heard that it was dedicated to Huiwen's beloved daughter. Is it just a joke by busybodies, or is there really something to it?"

Seeing that Zhang Dai was not interested in this, Zhang Shuo looked at him and asked again.

Zhang Dai did not hide anything from this. Upon hearing this, he immediately nodded and said, "It is indeed true. That day in Furong Garden, the Crown Prince made things difficult for me. Princess Yunyang of the Qi Prince's family spoke up for her grandson, but she was defeated by my uncle's words. I was deeply moved and wanted to offer some words of comfort, so I wrote this poem to express my feelings."

When Zhang Shuo heard Zhang Dai recount the events of that day, his face immediately darkened, but he didn't say much. He simply looked at Zhang Dai and said, "You just want to offer some leniency?"

“Since you have asked, I dare not hide it. I have secretly fallen in love with this county princess and have long desired to be with her, but I am ashamed of my background and have not dared to speak of it.” Zhang Dai then frankly told Zhang Shuo that he knew that if this matter were to succeed, it would not only depend on the feelings of the two people, but also on getting past the family’s approval.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo looked at Zhang Dai with a hint of pity, but quickly frowned and fell into deep thought. After a while, he looked up at Zhang Dai again and said, "Let's set aside the matter of your junior's feelings for now. But my family is merely a newly noble family, not related to the main family by blood. Your uncle's marriage to the princess was already a great act of imperial favor. Although Huiwen has passed away, the affairs of the main family are still under someone's control..."

I remember you weren't particularly enthusiastic about the prince before, so why are you now so devoted to Huiwen's daughter? Although Huiwen and I have a past friendship, if anyone says I'm using my grandson to glorify my family, I will carefully refuse. You lack the leadership qualities and willpower for a leader; if you had a powerful father-in-law to guide you, your path would be much smoother!

Zhang initially spoke tactfully, but eventually he bluntly stated his unwillingness to form a marriage alliance with the royal family. Firstly, the Prince of Qi was no longer alive, and there was no power to support him. Secondly, even if the Prince of Qi were still alive, it would be a waste of talent for Zhang Dai to become his son-in-law.

At least a prince consort has the prestige and honor of a title, while a prince's son-in-law has neither honor nor the added political taboos. Zhang Dai was Zhang Shuo's most favored grandson, so naturally, he wanted to arrange the smoothest path for him.

“Grandfather, officials are just officials. Even if they hold high positions, they cannot speak with each other inside the palace gates.”

Zhang Shuo disagreed with this, which did not surprise Zhang Dai. So after listening to this advice, he leaned closer to Zhang Shuo and whispered something.

Zhang Shuo was originally sitting in a rather lazy and comfortable position, leaning against the table. Upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, he stood up straight without any external force, strode across the table, looked around the hall, dismissed the servants, and then turned back, staring sharply at Zhang Dai and saying in a deep voice, "What kind of sect talk do you want to say?"

Zhang Dai, observing his grandfather's series of reactions and actions, exclaimed that he truly deserved to be called an old revolutionary who had emerged from the revolutionary era of swords and shadows. He doubted that he could have reacted so quickly if he had said this to someone else.

However, much of his knowledge and thinking was based on his predictions of the future, so he couldn't explain it too clearly to his grandfather.

So when faced with Zhang Shuo's questioning, he only gave an ambiguous answer: "My grandfather said that the position of the Crown Prince was not stable and that the Prince of Zhong could succeed him. But I think the situation is not so optimistic. The Emperor is in his prime and his sons are growing up. The Prince of Zhong and the Crown Prince are about the same age. If the Crown Prince cannot secure his position, how can the Prince of Zhong replace him?"
Why are Pingling and Qianling considered mounds? The past can serve as a guide for the future! The Zhou dynasty learned from the two preceding dynasties; how rich and splendid its culture was! I follow the Zhou!

After hearing Zhang Dai's words, Zhang Shuo's expression changed erratically. He first stared intently at Zhang Dai, but soon he fell into a somewhat agitated state, pacing back and forth in the hall while keeping his eyes fixed on Zhang Dai and muttering to himself.

As Zhang Shuo approached Zhang Dai, Zhang Dai faintly heard his grandfather muttering something: "Is this the one who will bring prosperity to our clan? Or is this the one who will cut off our lineage?"

After hearing what Zhang Shuo was saying, Zhang Dai broke out in a cold sweat and even became more vigilant. Was the old man perhaps considering whether to eliminate him, the scourge that was troubling the family, in advance?
Zhang Dai couldn't help but feel that he was really wronged. His point was actually very simple: Emperor Zhao of Han and Emperor Gaozong of Tang had both been deposed before they were able to ascend to the throne, especially Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

Although Emperor Taizong's relationship with his sons was not as bad as that with Emperor Xuanzong, his two eldest sons, Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Prince Wei Li Tai, both showed great flaws. Emperor Gaozong essentially ascended the throne by stepping on his two older brothers.

If the current crown prince is eliminated by the emperor because he has grown too fast, then Prince Zhong will not be able to avoid the same danger. Moreover, Prince Zhong's clan is far more prominent than the crown prince's and is more likely to gain the support of the Guanzhong nobles. Therefore, he may soon be suspected and suppressed by the emperor after replacing the crown prince.

The fact is as Zhang Dai said, since King Zhong was established as the prince, the emperor only had two things left for daily entertainment, showing off his affection by picking off ashes and beating his son when nothing happened.

Historically, Li Linfu probably held a similar view to Zhang Dai, which is actually a fairly normal judgment, given the clear example of Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

But Li Linfu probably didn't expect that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang would suffer from the same problem as his grandmother—living too long! As a result, Li Linfu's dream of becoming the late emperor's tutor and the new emperor's meritorious official was shattered, and he was outlived by Emperor Xuanzong.

But regardless of Li Linfu's fate in history, this theory is not wrong.

So after pacing around the hall for a while, Zhang Yue's mood gradually calmed down. However, his gaze towards Zhang Dai became even more complicated, and he sighed, "Fortunately, he is my grandson; otherwise, upon hearing such treacherous words that would bring ruin to the country, I would have had him beaten to death!"

That's a pointless statement!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Is it wrong for me not to associate with a few cushion materials? Being Huo Guang or Changsun Wuji also carries risks. You should at least wait until I surpass a few predecessors before uttering a few such words!

(End of this chapter)