Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 419 Unparalleled Blessings
The King of Hedong spoke with great bravado, but his eyes betrayed a sense of bewilderment and unease, like a mischievous child who had suddenly lost his support.

His face was contorted with rage, but his eyes were welling up with tears. Suddenly, he turned away and sneered, "The way you look at me is just because you look down on me. You can't understand me, so what are you talking about!"

After saying this, he walked straight into the hall without looking back, ignoring the two of them.

"Does his statement show responsibility and wisdom? If we let him act so willfully, are my sisters and I really destined to marry beggars? I forbid him from having fun outside, but only occasionally imitate the children of other families..."

Hearing the King of Hedong's furious interrogation, Princess Yunyang's face turned red with anger: "When did I ever blame him for ruining my good marriage? He himself is not good at self-cultivation, yet he blames others for not being at ease and worrying unnecessarily! He is my elder brother and the heir of this family. My consideration for him is considered looking down on him!"

In the past, if Zhang Dai encountered such a farce of family members being unable to express themselves and complaining to each other, he would naturally keep his distance and not easily interrupt.

But now that he had just fallen in love with the county princess, he couldn't bear to see her so troubled, so he said, "Young men have high aspirations, who doesn't want to be omnipotent? You're disciplining him too much, which only makes him feel incompetent."

You yourself still say that he is the heir to the family line, so he certainly has the ambition to handle things properly both internally and externally, but he just doesn't have a concrete idea yet. You and your brother are siblings, your closest relatives, and you know best how to say the most hurtful things when you argue. For now, don't continue the argument; let me go and appease him.”

“Well, well, if my brother says something bad, he’s just angry. Please don’t be upset.”

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate first nodded, then said to Zhang Dai with some concern.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ayu. I'm just going to settle things, not to argue. Even if I get a few harsh words and am impolite to you when I return, any resentment I may have will quickly dissipate."

The county princess, who was still full of worries, was taken aback when she heard these words. She did not shy away from Zhang Dai's burning gaze, but sighed and said, "If I had received such a wonderful word of comfort from you earlier, I would have been spared from being depressed for so long."

Hearing this, Zhang Dai felt even more compelled to teach his wife a lesson for her willful brother-in-law. Although his wife was somewhat arrogant, one should always side with family, regardless of right or wrong. Without his wife, what was his brother-in-law anyway?

When Zhang Dai arrived at the hall, he saw the Prince of Hedong sitting upright in the middle of the table, with several maids close behind him, leaning against him with their delicate bodies. On each side of the table, there was a beautiful maid, one pouring wine and the other serving dishes.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly that when facing this kind of person, emotions such as sympathy, pity, and compassion are meaningless. Even if they make a fuss and cry their hearts out, they are still just whining monsters lying on mountains of gold and silver!
Upon hearing the footsteps, the Prince of Hedong glanced down, then rolled his eyes upwards. He didn't instruct Zhang Dai to do the same, showing a very rude attitude towards his new brother-in-law.

Zhang Dai didn't bother with the argument; he figured he could always apologize to the county magistrate later. He entered the hall, sat down, beckoned a servant to ask for food and drink, and then began to drink by himself. His emotions had been quite turbulent during his tearful conversation with the magistrate, and he was now both thirsty and exhausted.

His nonchalant attitude displeased the Prince of Hedong, who straightened up from his reclining position, placed his hands on the table, looked down at Zhang Dai, and sneered, "What did you two talk about before I went home? Whatever you talked about, it doesn't count without my approval!"

Zhang Dai had basically figured out the problems of the brother and sister. The Prince of Hedong was not a bad person, but he was not smart. He was lazy to manage affairs and had little self-control. He was the kind of person who would occasionally want to strive for improvement, and the thought would flash through his mind as if he had already made an effort. At the same time, he could quit smoking eight hundred times a day. People without ambition often make resolutions, which is exactly what this kind of person is like.

As for the Princess of Yunyang, she does indeed possess some awareness and ability as a steward, but she also has considerable problems in her attitude towards people, especially towards her close relative, the Prince of Hedong.

She probably had high expectations of the Prince of Hedong because of a sense of crisis in her heart, but she couldn't explain what kind of person she wanted her brother to become, so she would frequently make various demands.

The Prince of Hedong was a man who loved to make promises and was diligent in setting goals but lacked perseverance. He would often make promises but only to be perfunctory, and then forget about them afterwards. Naturally, the longer one spent with him, the greater the disappointment would be, to the point that one would think that this elder brother was completely useless.

To some extent, the formation of the Prince of Hedong's personality was also a result of the many demanding requirements of the Princess of Yunyang. He neither wanted to disappoint his closest relatives, nor was he capable of fulfilling what his sister envisioned.

So even though they are the closest of siblings, and they are accommodating and tolerant of each other, the gap between them is widening. Over time, they will communicate less and less, and eventually they will be unable to communicate effectively anymore.

Zhang Dai knew that the Prince of Hedong was using this method to save face for himself and demonstrate his authority in family matters. Upon hearing this, he did not confront him or argue, but simply said, "How could I not understand what Your Majesty has said? My relationship with the County Princess was merely a matter of expressing our respective opinions. As for subsequent personnel matters, of course we must follow Your Majesty's arrangements. I dare not overstep the bounds without Your Majesty's permission!"

"It's such a simple truth, but that woman just doesn't understand! If she spoke to me kindly, I would be her own brother, her closest relative in this world. How could I possibly speak ill of her!"

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's respectful tone, the Prince of Hedong sighed with a wronged expression, then looked at Zhang Dai and warned, "I'm not saying she's unreasonable. My sister is fair in her dealings and manages this large mansion perfectly. If you two live together in the future and there are any disputes, you should reflect on your own behavior first!" Zhang Dai listened to this seemingly contradictory statement and nodded sincerely in agreement.

The King of Hedong then said, “My reputation is indeed bad, but I have not done anything particularly evil. I have simply indulged in pleasures and other things. Who would criticize me for that? This woman only thinks that my reputation is too bad, which is why I cannot marry a woman from a prestigious family.”

But was she truly shrewd? She frequently visited my cousin Princess Yongmu's family and others, showering them with gifts and favors, but in reality, they were merely using this as a lure to extract money. I know what each family was secretly plotting; some even laughed at me for having no chance of a marriage arranged, which embarrassed and angered me. When did I ever tell her about this? I was just afraid of hurting her feelings!

In my opinion, is it really important to marry or not? Who says a man must have a wife? Aren't I surrounded by beautiful women right now? Marrying a wife might not guarantee her beauty or gentle nature; supporting one would be more expensive than supporting ten. What benefit would I gain? Virtuous wife? What a joke! Even my own mother and sisters can't be taught to be good, why bother hiring a female tutor?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but nod in agreement, feeling that the words, though crude, made sense. Who said that landlords' families were all fools? They were well aware of the costs of supporting a wife and keeping ten servants, and they clearly distinguished between emotional value and practical value. Who wouldn't love a cleaning lady as beautiful as an angel?

"These are just the thoughts of a playboy, not profound truths. Zhang Dai, you are a dignified young man, don't listen too intently! Do you think everyone is as lucky as you to be favored by such a beautiful and intelligent woman as my sister?"

Seeing Zhang Dai's expression of agreement, the Prince of Hedong felt somewhat displeased and immediately frowned and said...

"Absolutely! Absolutely! I am more fortunate than any other woman, and I have no other desires!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded and said, "That's true. If it weren't for everything about the county princess that deeply moved him, he wouldn't have planned to marry so young. With heart, strength, wealth, and beauty, who wouldn't want to be a playboy for a few more years?"
“What kind of outdated custom is there in this world where brothers don’t marry and sisters don’t get married? Since you two are in love, I’d love for this woman to leave home as soon as possible so I can be less controlled! You’re not some foreign chieftain. Even if you get married, you’ll live in the same city. If she’s worried about her family affairs, can I stop her from returning to her hometown?”

When the Prince of Hedong brought up the matter again, his expression was much calmer. He then said, "However, things aren't entirely harmonious in your family. I dislike the way Zhang Qing, the Commandant of the Guards, behaves. He is your uncle and the Emperor's son-in-law. Although I cannot elevate you to a higher status than him, now that you are my son-in-law, from now on, Zhang Dai, you don't need to worry about household matters anymore. Just focus on the affairs of the king. With your talent and ambition, you will surely rise to high positions. You will make sure my sister's procession is even more magnificent and noble than that of the princess!"

Hearing his brother-in-law's high expectations of him, Zhang Dai quickly nodded and said, "With Your Majesty's encouragement, I will certainly strive to be the best and dare not slack off!"

As the two were talking, a maidservant peeked out from outside the hall. Upon seeing this, the Prince of Hedong waved his hand and said, "Go and tell that lady that I am safe here. It is getting dark, so you should stay at the manor tonight. Go quickly and come back soon. I will wait for you here to drink!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai blushed slightly. This guy was quite wise in his own eyes; he had hidden his wicked intentions so well, yet he had still been seen through!

He left the hall first, and then, led by a maid, entered the county princess's boudoir. The county princess of Yunyang also rose to greet him with a concerned expression and asked, "Brother, you two didn't quarrel, did you?"

"How could that be? Not only was there no argument, but the king also calmly told me many things."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and waved his hand, then took the county princess's arm and sat back down at the table, recounting his conversation with the Prince of Hedong.

“He never told me any of these things. So, it turns out that my brother also had many ideas in his heart, and I had been looking down on him all along!”

After listening to Zhang Dai's story, the county princess looked surprised and ashamed, and then looked at Zhang Dai with affection: "Brother, you are so kind. If it weren't for your ability to talk to me, my sister and I would still be at odds with each other, and we wouldn't know how to understand each other."

"Was it worth being a little impolite for all this talk?"

Zhang Dai gazed into the county princess's eyes and said with a smile.

"My brother is still waiting in the guest hall, please don't stay any longer, brother!"

Upon hearing this, the county princess withdrew her fair wrist, lifted Zhang Dai from the seat and led him away, then smiled and said, "Not only has my brother made a contribution, but I will also accompany him on his return journey to visit the Duke of Yan and the Lady of Yan!"

(End of this chapter)