Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 416 Just Say You Love Me

Zhang Dai was already in a bad mood, and then he was severely provoked by the servants of the princess's residence. So he vented his anger without restraint, whipping the servants until their faces were covered in blood. Then he ordered Ding Qing and others to escort them around the house before throwing them out through the side gate.

Soon someone reported the matter to Zhang Shuo, who was resting at home that day. When Zhang Shuo heard about it, his face immediately turned extremely ugly. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily, "Such a large mansion, can't it accommodate two households? Build another wall between the two courtyards. Anyone who dares to cross the boundary will be kicked out of the house!"

Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. Even though Zhang Shuo had just completed the assessment and review of thousands of officials, he suddenly felt powerless when faced with the turmoil of this family matter, and even began to doubt whether it was right or wrong to force his children and grandchildren to live in one house.
While it was certainly wrong for Zhang Dai, as a junior, to be so irritable and rude, Zhang Shuo knew that this young man was far more astute and insightful than his own sons when it came to weighing right and wrong, advantages and disadvantages.

Princess Ningqin, presuming on her noble status, ordered her servants to disrupt the existing household order and establish her own set of rules even before entering the family. She even tolerated the servants bullying the younger generation. This was by no means an attitude of wanting to get along well.

As the patriarch of a large family, Zhang Shuo could neither allow others to bully his eldest son's young children nor discipline the emperor's daughter with a stern attitude. Therefore, he could only deal with the problem in this seemingly fair but actually helpless way.

At this moment, Zhang Shuo was secretly looking forward to Huiwen's daughter moving into the household. Although there was a difference in status between a princess and a county princess, they were still royal women after all, and it would be easier to get along with them than with women from common families.

Even if there are constant arguments and unrest in the family in the future, it's not just our family that will lose face; the royal family will also lose face!
Not only Zhang Shuo was filled with anticipation, but Zhang Dai was even more so. He knew that the Princess of Yunyang was not one to speak carelessly; she would always keep her promises.

After venting his frustration by beating the servants of the princess's residence, Zhang Dai felt much better. He calmly washed up and ate his meal, then went to his study to read current events while waiting for a letter from the Princess of Yunyang.

Time quickly passed and it was already afternoon when a family member came to report that guests had arrived. Zhang Dai was already filled with anxiety and didn't have time to listen carefully before striding forward to greet them. But when he arrived at the front hall and saw the visitors, he was dumbfounded: "Aunt Lü, Aunt Zhu, Aunt Yan... what brings you here?"

The visitors were Lü He from the Sanqu brothel in Pingkangfang, along with several other well-known brothel owners. Lü He was young and beautiful, while the others were all middle-aged women. Standing in front of the mansion, they attracted a lot of attention.

"Sixth Master still comes to question us? We just met at the manor a few days ago, and we never heard Sixth Master mention such a grand scheme. He's accomplished such a great feat without making a sound. It's truly frightening that our hearts are pounding..."

Lu He said coquettishly as she walked gracefully toward Zhang Dai, taking out a document and presenting it to him with both hands.

Zhang Dai took the document and glanced at it. He found that it was a sales contract to buy Lü He’s brothel in Pingkangfang and all the female entertainers and servants in the brothel. The price was a full 60,000 strings of cash!

The other owners of the brothels also came forward, each presenting a sales contract with varying prices. The purchase price for just a few brothels amounted to over two hundred thousand strings of cash!
"Sixth Master's generosity is truly overwhelming. If we do not accept, we will be ungrateful! From now on, all the servants, children, and servants in the brothel, as well as us old and ugly servants, will belong to Sixth Master if he is willing to keep us!"

These brothel owners all claimed to be old and ugly, but in reality, they were all still charming. Their every move, glance, and smile exuded a seductive charm, and even the Zhang family servants nearby couldn't help but be captivated by the sight.

"What are you talking about? I didn't, I didn't spend any money to buy your properties!"

Zhang Dai was even more puzzled after hearing this. Although he had a sum of money coming in, he couldn't possibly come up with more than 200,000 strings of cash. Moreover, all that money was already set aside for other purposes, so it was impossible for him to use it to buy a brothel! Even if visiting a brothel was enjoyable, he wouldn't be so extravagant as to buy the entire brothel!
"Not Liu Lang? Why does the person who came to discuss the deal claim to be Liu Lang's servant? And why did they pay in advance, only asking us to come to the manor today to ask Liu Lang to sign the contract and complete the transaction!"

Lu He and the others were stunned when they heard this. Lu He then took out several flying money tickets from his pocket, with a face value of exactly 60,000 guan as stated in the contract!
Zhang Dai was initially suspicious that Dou E and his friends were playing a trick on him, trying to see if he could forcefully buy these brothels. But when he saw that they had all pulled out receipts for the money, he was stunned for a moment. Who would spend so much money to play a trick on him?

While he was still speculating, another visitor arrived outside the door. Following behind the Zhang family's doorman, the person who entered was none other than Du Yunqing, the eighth daughter of Du Yunqing, a disciple of Gongsun Da Niang and a fellow disciple of Gong Wu Niangzi, the sister-in-law of Gongsun Da Niangzi.

"Is Lady Du here today? I heard from the people in the music academy that she was traveling in Tongzhou and performing at the banquet. I regret that I was unable to see her at the Qujiang Festival."

When Zhang Dai saw Du Yunqing coming from outside, he temporarily put aside his doubts and quickly got up to greet her.

He had a very good impression of this Lady Du, and had even specially composed several dance pieces for her at the Music Bureau. After her first performance in Luoyang, Lady Du had frequently performed between the two capitals in recent years, and her stage name was now following in the footsteps of her teacher, Lady Gongsun.

"Young Master Zhang is very kind. I was indeed summoned by Prefect Lu of Tongzhou a few days ago and went to Tongzhou to perform at the Shangsi Festival. I only recently returned to the capital."

After entering the hall, Du Ba Niangzi first bowed to Zhang Dai, then took out a brocade pouch from her bosom and presented it to Zhang Dai with both hands. At the same time, she said with a serious expression, "Yun Qing thanks Young Master Zhang for his kindness and favor, and for giving such a large sum of money to redeem her."

However, I am not my master's servant, and I cannot leave at will. There is no need for you, sir, to offer such a large sum of money to invite me to be your concubine. I am deeply grateful for your kindness, but on the day I completed my training, I vowed to serve my master for ten years. My gratitude remains unfulfilled, and I will never leave. I can only express my sincere thanks and regret for your kindness.

"W-What's going on?"

Zhang Dai took the brocade pouch handed to him by Du Yunqing and found a bill for 50,000 strings of cash. He immediately understood what Du Yunqing meant: someone was using this money to ask Gongsun Da Niang to redeem Du Yunqing from her servitude and then take her as a concubine.

Du Yunqing had 50,000 strings of cash, and with the money spent by the courtesans in Pingkang Ward, the total had already exceeded 300,000 strings of cash! Even if Zhang Dai was slow-witted, he now vaguely understood whose handiwork this was. There were very few people in the entire Chang'an City who would dare to spend so lavishly in a single day and have so much cash on hand.

He circled the hall once, collecting all the coins from everyone's hands. He bowed to them and said in a deep voice, "This was a prank by a friend, but it has caused you all considerable disturbance. I am truly sorry! This matter ends here. I have other matters to attend to today and cannot attend to them. Please leave now, and I will certainly visit you in person to apologize in person another day!"

"But...but the contract has already been signed! If Liu Lang thinks the price is too high, we can discuss it..."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Was this the daily pastime of the top elites, joking around with tens or hundreds of thousands of strings of cash? The manager of the brothel couldn't help but step forward and beg.

"Alas, let's discuss this later. I have urgent business to attend to right now. I'm so sorry, so sorry, please forgive me!"

After saying this, Zhang Dai had no mood to stay and explain in detail. He went out and asked Ding Qing and the others to bring him a horse. Then they all mounted their horses and headed straight for the north of the city.

When the group arrived at Shengyefang, north of Hengjie Street, they encountered Zhang Ji leading his servants out of the neighborhood in a menacing manner.

"Ah Liu, stop right there! Who told you to..."

Zhang Ji was about to go home to hold someone accountable when he unexpectedly ran into Zhang Dai here. He immediately raised his hand and shouted angrily.

"Go away!"

Zhang Dai rolled his eyes at him, then spurred his horse and charged off. He was eager to get an explanation for his love affair and had no time for arguing with this guy.

"You brat, how dare you!"

Zhang Ji was furious at being treated so roughly, and his face turned as red as a pig's liver. However, Zhang Dai and his party had already rushed into Anxingfang in the north.

After entering the ward, Zhang Dai rode swiftly to the gate of Prince Qi's residence. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before dismounting and stepping forward to pay his respects.

“Please wait in the front hall, Zhang Lang. The King is not at home at the moment. Please allow me to go inside and inform the County Princess.”

The steward of the Prince's residence stepped forward to greet him and said, "Let's go together. If the County Princess refuses to see me, I will withdraw!" Zhang Dai, who was in a hurry, replied, "Let's go together. If the County Princess refuses to see me, I will withdraw!"

The steward knew that Zhang Dai frequently visited the Prince's residence and had a good relationship with the Prince of Hedong and the County Princess. Seeing that Zhang Dai looked somewhat anxious, the steward stopped trying to dissuade him and they went together to the backyard of the Prince's residence.

As the steward stepped through the archway, Zhang Dai did not wait outside but followed him in. He looked up and saw the Princess of Yunyang sitting in a waterside pavilion in the garden. Ignoring the obstruction of the nearby servants, he strode forward.

When Princess Yunyang saw Zhang Dai enter, she looked somewhat flustered, but she still stood up, waved her hand to dismiss the servants inside and outside, and smiled at Zhang Dai who was walking quickly towards her, saying, "Brother, have you seen the gift I prepared for you? In addition, there is another letter that should have been presented, but my mind is in turmoil and I have not yet completed it."

As she spoke, she lowered her head and pointed to a piece of paper on the table, which was covered by a jade paperweight and had a few lines of writing on it, but was still mostly blank.

"Zhang Dai is unworthy of such a generous reward and has come to return the large sum of money!"

Zhang Dai entered the waterside pavilion and placed the thick stack of over 300,000 strings of cash notes on the table. His gaze then fell on the unfinished letter. He picked it up, rolled it up carefully, and said to the Princess of Yunyang, "Although the letter is incomplete, it contains a single word from the heart, which is a treasure to me. Farewell!"

The Lady of Yunyang County glanced at the flying coins on the table, then looked up at Zhang Dai who had turned and left. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and she lost her usual composure.

Looking at Zhang Dai's retreating figure, she choked back tears and cried out, "I love you, my brother, and I wish to marry you and stay with you forever! I also love my father and brother, and I hope that my father's illness will be cured and that he will enjoy happiness forever! I wish that you, my brother, will be ambitious and improve yourself and manage your household well! Things have not gone as I wished, but your love is like sweet nectar to me. Although I am not destined to enjoy it forever, I still want to repay you. Am I wrong to do that?"

Zhang Dai was already feeling quite down when he suddenly heard the county princess confess her love to him, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

He turned and looked back, seeing the county princess's face streaked with tears, just as she had prayed to the heavens for mercy in her own pavilion years ago. A wave of pity washed over him. He quickly walked back to the waterside pavilion, stood before the county princess, and said, "Simply say you love me, there's no need for anything else!"

(End of this chapter)