Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 434: Casting stones to ask for directions
Zhang Dai did not immediately go to the Censorate to take up his post, because an unexpected little incident occurred, and he had to attend a banquet.

Just as Zhang Dai returned home in high spirits after his promotion, he found the atmosphere at home to be somewhat strange. At first, there was a sense of solemnity and grief, but at the same time, there was a sense of relief and ease.

The combination of these two contrasting atmospheres created a very strange feeling, to the point that Zhang Dai was somewhat suspicious. He wondered why his family members seemed to have gone crazy after he had only been away from home for a few days.

What happened at home?

He returned to his courtyard and frowned as he looked at Ah Ying who came to greet him.

Aying frowned slightly, her expression quite serious, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly. Hearing Zhang Dai's question, she said in a deep voice, "Nothing's wrong at home. It's the royal family, the princess's mother, who has passed away. This morning, the prince consort and the princess went to the palace to attend the funeral..."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai suddenly realized why he hadn't seen the soldiers guarding the house when he returned home today. They had gone with the princess to her parents' home for the funeral. No wonder his family members had such strange reactions and expressions.

It wasn't so much gloating as it was the fact that ever since Princess Ningqin moved into the Zhang family mansion, she had single-handedly destroyed the Zhang family's awe and imagination of the imperial family, leaving only resentment.

Upon closer examination, Princess Ningqin did not engage in any arrogant or domineering behavior or bullying of her family members after moving into the mansion. She simply adopted the normal daily routines of a princess and moved into the Zhang family home. And that is the crux of the problem.

The guards stationed throughout the Zhang family compound, rigorously checking everyone entering and leaving, were merely minor issues. To accommodate the princess's daily life, the Zhang family members were only allowed to move around in the common areas of the house at fixed times each day. The rest of the time, they had to stay in their own courtyards or rooms, and were forbidden from making noise or laughing. Lights were not allowed to be left on until late at night, food was subject to inspection, alcohol consumption was limited, and large gatherings for meals until late at night were prohibited, among other things.

Just like those few rich kids in later elementary schools who love to be pretentious and show off their superiority, and who like to nitpick and criticize their classmates, the difference is that Princess Ningqin was a real royal princess. Others followed her standards to arrange their own lives, which was both a rule of etiquette and a law, making people even more disgusted and resentful.

Besides, the princess's attendants and servants also loved to gain vanity by belittling every aspect of the Zhang family. They were like the fan leaders of top idols, scorning the Zhang family's low-class family rules and traditions in order to highlight their own superiority as servants of the emperor.

In short, it's a complicated story. Perhaps these are just their daily lives, but in the eyes of the Zhang family, it's undoubtedly a group of arrogant and eccentric people who have barged into their home and can't be driven away.

Therefore, when it comes to marriage, putting aside outdated notions like "marrying someone of equal social standing," at the very least, one should be aligned in terms of values ​​and lifestyle. Either find a spouse who can endlessly accommodate you, or it will just be mutual torture.

Especially in the ancient life of a large family living under one roof, having to swallow one's anger and tolerate and accommodate another's wife, and being completely unable to resist, this kind of torment can be described as torture.

While an emperor marrying his princess into a minister's family was undoubtedly a sign of favor and honor, it also essentially placed a spotlight directly on their home. With someone like that in your household, how could you possibly form cliques or engage in favoritism? Forget it! Everything and everyone you do will be laid bare for all to see!

So when the princess returned to the palace for the funeral, the entire Zhang family felt a great sense of relief. If it weren't for the fact that the emperor had lost his concubine and they couldn't be on good terms with each other, the house would probably be filled with laughter and joy right now.

Zhang Dai had not been resting in his own courtyard for long when a family member came to tell him that his grandfather, Zhang Shuo, had summoned him to the back hall. So he hurried to the back hall and saw that his third uncle, Zhang Yang, as well as several other uncles and cousins, had already arrived.

"You should postpone your own affairs for the next few days and do not go anywhere else. Go to the princess's residence tomorrow morning and accompany the prince consort to the palace to help with the funeral arrangements."

Although he was quite unhappy with his son, he still had to put on a show of respect at this crucial moment. Therefore, Zhang gathered all the family members together and gave them serious instructions.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Putting everything else aside, attending a royal funeral was a rare experience for them. They had been under constant surveillance and restraint these past few days, all for the sake of being able to make an appearance on such an occasion.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang said, "The princess left in a hurry this morning, and she will surely have to build a hut to mourn upon her return. Her household affairs are in disarray, so it may not be convenient for her to live in seclusion. When you leave tomorrow morning, please take all the things you left behind with you to the princess's residence."

He had previously complained that Zhang Ji and the princess were living separately and neglecting their family. After spending these few days together, he couldn't stand it anymore, so he decided to take this opportunity to send the couple away again.

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up, and Zhang Yang quickly said, "Father, don't worry, I will clean the house thoroughly and leave nothing behind! Even if the princess thinks my courtyard is suitable for walking, I will shovel up the steps and send them over!"

Others might have official duties or studies to attend to, allowing them to temporarily escape the situation. But his idle, parasitic son, who stayed home sponging off his parents, had been feeling incredibly stifled lately. Hearing about the chance to send this plague away, he was overjoyed, almost to the point of tears. "What nonsense!"

Although Zhang was also a little overwhelmed, when he heard his son speak so bluntly, he glared at him and scolded him, then waved his hand and said, "You all step back first, Zongzhi stays."

After everyone had left, Zhang Shuo gestured for Zhang Dai to come closer, and asked with a smile, "Have you received the imperial edict yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded. Although his grandfather had not attended court for several days, he had his own spies in the court, and he would naturally find out about such a minor matter as Zhang Dai's promotion to Inspector General soon.

"I thought Pei Guangting might arrange for you to concurrently serve as the Chief Secretary of the Secretariat, but I didn't expect you to be appointed as the Inspector. It seems he really appreciates you!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yue smiled and stroked his beard, expressing great satisfaction with his grandson's career advancement.

The Chief Clerk of the Secretariat was a seventh-rank official, primarily responsible for various document matters within the Secretariat. Although his rank was higher than that of the Censor, he was essentially a minor scribe, managing various miscellaneous tasks, and was usually appointed through the ranks after being transferred from outside the official system. The Censor, on the other hand, was far more important, incomparable to a minor scribe.

"I heard that there was a deep dispute about this among the officials of the Secretariat and the Chancellery. It was only after Lord Yuwen spoke up and helped that the matter was resolved."

Zhang Dai then recounted the content of his conversation with Yuwen Rong.

“Pei Guangting’s skills are not limited to this. His so-called humiliation is merely an attempt to use the power of others to suppress Xiao Song. You are not an ordinary low-ranking official. If you were to appeal this trivial matter to the emperor, it would only embarrass Xiao Song.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo laughed and said, "Zhang Dai was quite inspired by this. His portrait was still hanging in the Hanlin Academy. If he were to present it to the emperor, the emperor would most likely want to show that he is not bound by convention in his appreciation of talent."

Yuwen Rong's help was worse than not helping at all; he wasted a chance to gain favor with the Emperor and enjoy his current high regard. He couldn't keep suppressing the princes and the crown prince every day; who knew when the Emperor would notice him again!

"Your method of opening the middle is quite ingenious. It's normal for Yuwen Rong, who is preoccupied with financial matters, to appreciate you. However, in recent years, the border regions have been dealing with the issue of purchasing grain through diplomatic channels. If he wants to implement this plan on a large scale, Xiao Song will definitely not agree, and the two will soon fall out."

Zhang Dai only considered the various factors involved in implementing the "open market" method, such as salt production and supervision in salt lakes and powerful merchants, but he did not think about the issues of border areas and grain purchases.

Niu Xianke, who shone brightly for his role in the grain purchasing and was even considered a future prime minister, is now highly regarded and relied upon by Xiao Song. When they were in Hexi, Xiao Song appointed him as his deputy judge. Now that Xiao Song has entered the court, he has made many recommendations for Niu Xianke, clearly intending to make him the successor to the Hexi military governor.

If Yuwen Rong were to advocate for the "opening of the middle way" (a method of supplying the army through grain purchases), it would undoubtedly clash with the "purchasing grain" method of supplying the army, and there would inevitably be some clashes and disputes.

Purchasing grain through contracts is one of the mainstream methods of supplying the army at present, and a relatively stable chain of interests has inevitably been established based on this. With advantages and disadvantages, there are positions to be taken, and the waters involved are not shallow.

Thinking about this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. This time, he had used Yuwen Rong as a pebble to test the waters and see if Yuwen Rong could withstand the pressure so that he could be better prepared for future actions.

Yuwen Rong, who served as prime minister for only 100 days, was dismissed and then exiled until his death. He was one of the prime ministers with the most tragic end during the Kaiyuan era. He was comparable to the leader of the Red Flower Society. The more dashing he was when he made his debut, the more hasty and embarrassing his defeat was.

Later generations have attributed it to a continuation of the political struggle with Zhang Shuo in the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, but based on Zhang Dai's understanding and judgment, the inside story is probably much richer. Even excluding the unexpected element of the Kaizhong Law, that series of sharp blows was far beyond what Zhang Shuo, who had long since retired to the second line, could remotely direct or organize.

Zhang Dai didn't actually harbor deep malice towards Yuwen Rong. Putting aside everything else, the fact that Yuwen Rong was able to address long-standing social problems and achieve remarkable results shows that Yuwen Rong is the kind of person who is willing to accept change and even actively create change. He is a progressive force that can drive society forward and also a good target to attract criticism.

"The Imperial Palace may send a document detailing Yang Guifei's whereabouts to my home someday. If you are willing, you can write it down for me. Recently, the matter of Xu Yuangu has been keeping me preoccupied, and I find it difficult to write anything else."

Zhang Shuo interrupted Zhang Dai's thoughts again. As a literary giant, it was perfectly normal for him to be invited to write epitaphs for emperors and concubines when they passed away. However, his good friend Xu Jian had also recently passed away, and he was focused on writing an epitaph for Xu Jian, so he entrusted other matters to Zhang Dai. After all, this was not the first time this guy had done this.

(End of this chapter)