Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 420 Royal relatives are rare, but getting along with them is not easy.

The next day was another sunny spring day. The sun rose at dawn, and spring light shone on the world.

Zhang Dai was forced to drink by the Prince of Hedong until late last night, and slept until the sun was high in the sky. He managed to get up with great willpower, while the Prince of Hedong was still fast asleep in his bedroom.

After washing up and having a quick breakfast, he saw servants from the Prince's Mansion bustling about in and out of the courtyard. When he got up and went outside, he saw them loading all sorts of boxes and utensils onto the carriages, and the front yard was already full of several carriages.

"Didn't we agree to return together today? Is there something else going on at the manor?"

Seeing the Princess of Yunyang standing under the eaves, Zhang Dai stepped forward and inquired.

"These are all gifts I'm going to take with me!"

When the county magistrate heard Zhang Dai ask this question, she immediately explained with a smile.

"so much?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was naturally quite surprised. He immediately waved his hand and said, "There is really no need for such a grand gift. My wife and I know each other well and do not need to fawn over each other to please one another. This visit to our elders is merely to share our thoughts. If we were to prepare such a grand gift, it would only overwhelm my family with gratitude, and they would not know how to entertain us."

The county princess's elaborate preparations made him feel valued, but he didn't want to burden her with too many favors. Besides, it wouldn't be appropriate to present such a generous gift on her first visit; it could easily confuse social norms. Everyone in the mansion would see this, and once the county princess was officially married into the family, they might think of him as a foolish, rich spendthrift.

"I didn't think that much about it. I just felt that it would be good to be more thorough in my greetings on my first visit. If that's what you say, then so be it. You can decide how to prepare."

Upon hearing this, the county princess blushed. Although she was usually quite shrewd, she was still inexperienced and didn't know how to act properly when faced with such special people and situations.

"For my eldest father, a scroll of calligraphy and painting will suffice. For my grandmother, a few screens can be placed in the bedroom so that they can appreciate my wife's thoughtfulness and care whenever they are at rest. My father is not at home, and my second uncle still lives separately. I will give my youngest uncle a set of saddle and bridle, my younger brother a set of writing brushes and ink, and my youngest sister is still young, so some sweets will be enough."

Since he hasn't officially established a relationship with the county princess yet, he doesn't need to take care of all his family members. As long as his close relatives give him gifts, that's enough to show respect. There's no need for any extra complicated preparations.

"And what about Yingniang and Aying? How about giving each of them a set of hairpins and bracelets? They'll be my eyes and ears and my judges in the long run!"

The county magistrate already knew a lot about Zhang Dai's family affairs, so she spoke up again.

When Zhang Dai heard that his wife was already recruiting housekeepers for him, he shrugged and said with a smile, "That's up to you."

The number of gifts prepared was greatly reduced, so there was no need to spend too much time packing and loading them into the carriage. A few gifts were loaded into one carriage, and the county princess and her maid got into another carriage. Then she waved to Zhang Dai and said, "We can set off now."

Zhang Dai rode out of the royal residence first, followed by his entourage. Then the county princess's entourage came out from behind, and under the warm sunshine, they left the ward before noon. The group headed south of the city.

Looking back at the magnificent carriages of the prince and the county princess, Zhang Dai had a fleeting feeling of being a son-in-law returning home. If the county princess had brought all the gifts she had prepared, the feeling would have been even stronger.

At this time, the Zhang family mansion in Yonglefang was not peaceful either. From Zhang Shuo and his wife down, all the clansmen and servants stood in front of the mansion, stretching for more than a mile along the street.

"What's going on at Zhang Yan's house? Instead of staying in his grand mansion, the whole family has gone out into the street and lined up."

Passersby who witnessed this scene were puzzled and began to whisper among themselves.

An insider chuckled and said, "The Zhang family has a distinguished relative visiting. Isn't their second son married to a princess? They informed us yesterday that the princess is coming to pay respects to her parents-in-law today, so the whole family is out in the street waiting."

"Paying respects to the parents-in-law? Haha, these parents-in-law have been waiting in the street until they look haggard, but the bride-to-be is nowhere to be seen. Zhang Yan Gong has been illustrious for half his life, and has made some very noble relatives. Even in his old age, with white hair, he still has to bow to the young man in front of his house!"

After learning the whole story, the people on the street couldn't help but burst into laughter. While it was certainly enviable that the Zhang family had become royalty, seeing how their family's morals had been turned upside down as a result also made people gloat and laugh heartily.

Hearing these mocking remarks, some of the Zhang family members and servants couldn't help but glare angrily. Several young men even wanted to step forward and drive these idlers away, but as soon as they took a step, they were stopped by their elders: "Wait here obediently and respectfully, and do not be rude!"

"The noble prince consort enjoys all the benefits, while his entire family bears the shame! We have received some favors from him, and now we are about to be humiliated in the streets!"

The hot-blooded young clansmen, seeing that the sun was already high in the sky and the princess's procession had yet to arrive, couldn't help but mutter complaints: "This princess is a bully who preys on the weak. She doesn't dare to reprimand Liu Lang, so she takes her anger out on us when he's not home!"

The family waited from dawn until nearly noon, for a full two hours, enduring the stares and ridicule of the neighbors. Finally, a horse galloped in from outside the neighborhood, and on the horse was Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji was covered in sweat, and his brocade robe was also covered with a thin layer of dust. After entering the ward, he went straight to his house. He dismounted when he was not far from Zhang Shuo and his wife, and rushed forward with a trembling voice, saying, "Father, Mother, you have been waiting for so long..." "Where is the princess?"

Zhang Shuo's face showed no emotion, but he looked at Zhang Ji and said in a deep voice, "Didn't you say you would enter the ward at dawn? My family has been waiting since early morning, without eating or drinking anything. Why haven't they come yet?"

“Princess, Princess… She had already prepared her entourage early this morning, but just as we were about to depart, an urgent message came from the palace that a concubine had suddenly fallen ill. I had no choice but to rush into the palace with the princess. After a flurry of activity, I have only now been able to return home to report that the princess must remain in the palace to attend to her medicine, and I fear she will not have time to visit her parents in the coming days…”

Zhang Ji wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly bowed again.

When Zhang heard that there was a reason for the visit and that it wasn't a deliberate attempt to neglect or ignore his family, his expression softened slightly. He nodded slowly and said, "In that case, there's no need to insist on coming to see me. It's a filial duty to attend to medicine at the bedside. It won't be too late to come home and see me after Your Highness has recovered."

However, Zhang Ji's next words immediately darkened Zhang Shuo's expression: "Since Father and Mother are aware of the situation, then hurry home and don't linger in the streets. I must return to the palace immediately..."

"What kind of medical expert is Zhang Qing? Can you cure all diseases and ensure your mother-in-law's health? If you truly have such extraordinary abilities, could you please take the opportunity to use your miraculous skills on your parents and relieve their fatigue from waiting for so long?"

Zhang Shuo was already furious that his family had been waiting in front of the gate for so long. When he saw that Zhang Ji completely disregarded the family's hardship and turned to return to the palace to show his filial piety, Zhang Shuo was even more enraged.

"How could this be...? Things are different in terms of urgency, and I was just confused because I was worried."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji felt somewhat aggrieved and immediately said in a low voice, "Father indulged Ah Liu's violent behavior at home, and I spent so much time and effort to appease the princess, finally getting her to stop arguing with the younger generation and even return home to pay respects to her parents. But who could have predicted such a sudden event? I feared my parents would be tired from waiting, so I left my beloved wife behind and hurriedly returned to inform them..."

Before he could finish his complaints, Lady Yan, who was standing nearby, began to sway from the strain of the argument between father and son and the fatigue of standing for so long. Upon seeing this, Zhang Ji quickly shut his mouth and went forward to support his mother, but Lady Yuan only waved her hand and said softly, "Go, go, don't argue with you."

Just then, another group of people entered the neighborhood; it was Zhang Dai and his entourage. Seeing this scene on the street, Zhang Dai was taken aback. He quickly rode home, dismounted, and rushed forward, asking urgently, "Father, what happened?"

"Sixth Brother, come here. Help your grandmother home, and let your uncle go!"

When Yuan saw her grandson approaching, she pushed Zhang Ji out and waved her hand, saying, "Go away, go away. Filial piety and righteousness are not immediately apparent. Keeping him here will only increase resentment."

Zhang Ji awkwardly stepped aside, but seeing that his father's face was still ashen and he hadn't said a word, he didn't dare to leave and could only stand there with his head down.

Zhang Dai stepped forward to help his grandmother, but Zhang Shuo noticed the county princess's carriage that had entered the mansion with her and immediately asked in a low voice, "Who is in the carriage?"

“Yesterday I went to the Prince of Qi’s house and explained my feelings to the county magistrate. The county magistrate was very pleased and came back with me this morning to pay my respects to my beloved mother.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo's face, which had been ashen, immediately brightened, and he said, "The county princess is so polite and respectful to the elderly, truly, truly... Why didn't you send me back to inform her first? It's so impolite! Quickly, quickly invite her in, please get out of the carriage and come into the house!"

“With all my relatives and friends on the street, how can the county princess get out of the carriage? Please, grandfather, grandmother, and other relatives, return home. I will personally lead the county princess to the hall to pay her respects.”

Zhang Dai was still a little confused about the situation, but he knew basic manners, so he immediately shook his head and said...

"Alas, my family affairs are in turmoil; I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Your Highness. Please go quickly, I'll wait for you inside the gate. Don't neglect Your Highness!"

The Lady of Yan, who had just been dazed and needed support, now had a happy expression on her face and her spirits had improved.

She had also heard about Zhang Dai's feelings from Zhang Shuo, but she never expected that her grandson would bring his girlfriend home so soon. She sighed with a mixture of joy and anxiety, "How rude of me! Good boy, you must keep the county princess here. I will apologize to her in person and not let her interfere with my grandson's marriage!"

At this moment, Ah Ying quietly came up from the crowd behind and explained in a low voice what had happened.

Zhang Dai frowned upon hearing this. It seemed the whole family had pitched in only to be met with a cold shoulder. But for the county magistrate to come knocking so soon after such an incident seemed rather unfair to her.

As he pondered, he walked back to the county princess's carriage, quietly recounted the situation, and then sighed, "I had no idea such a thing had happened at home today. Even if a banquet has been prepared for guests, it is not exclusively for you, my lady. You can come another day. There is no need to clean up the leftovers for anyone else!"

“My brother and I have sworn an oath to be together for life, why would I care about such trivial matters? Besides, I am no more noble than the princess, and my status in this family will depend on my brother’s position. Now that I am here, why should I be inferior?”

The county princess, however, did not take this to heart. Instead, she comforted Zhang Dai, saying, "Brother, there's no need to worry that I might become a laughingstock. You are not the legitimate wife at home, and I am not a princess in the imperial clan, but we both have the intelligence to live a more fulfilling and comfortable life than they do!"

(End of this chapter)