Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 441 Innate Holy Body
August 5th is the birthday of the current sage, and the imperial court holds celebrations every year to celebrate his birthday. However, this year's birthday is different from previous years.

At the beginning of the year, it was decided to designate this day as the Thousand Autumns Festival. Although the specific arrangements would be made on the day of the grand ceremony by the ministers' petition and then by imperial decree, the matter had already been decided long ago, and all relevant departments were making preparations according to high standards.

Prince Shou had previously sought Zhang Dai's help regarding this matter. Although Zhang Dai agreed at the time, various other issues arose, so he temporarily put the matter aside.

The reason why Xue Tao, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, made things difficult for Ma Lizheng was also for this matter. As the Crown Prince's father-in-law, he naturally wanted to actively promote the Crown Prince. During the Shangsi Festival, his actions had already shown such signs, and he even tried to send Zhang Dai over, but Zhang Dai directly refused. As a result, he went to send Ma Lizheng, who was known as a good-natured person in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Now that it's June and the Emperor's birthday is drawing ever closer, Xue Tao's instigation of Ma Lizheng has become increasingly blatant.

Ma Lizheng was already in a state of waiting for his successor to take office. As soon as the official who took over took office, he would have to leave the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Naturally, he would have to be distracted by his own affairs, such as preparing to leave the capital and return to his hometown. He did not do his job well, which naturally aroused great dissatisfaction from Xue Tao.

Suspecting that Ma Lizheng was deliberately shirking his responsibilities and refusing to do his job properly, Xue Tao decided to teach him a lesson. He took Ma Lizheng's completed examination record and made significant changes to the judgments on it.

The performance evaluation of officials consists of two parts. One part is the annual performance evaluation, which, although drafted by superiors, undergoes several verification procedures before becoming the final result. The other part is the official's verdict given upon leaving office. Although this part is not as rigorous as the annual performance evaluation results, it can still have a significant impact.

After all, exams cannot directly reveal a person's entire temperament and aptitude; there are significant differences between even the best and worst performers. While an official's judgment may not be entirely objective, it is precisely this subjective bias that reveals his true feelings about a person.

If a person's file contains a judgment accusing them of disobeying their superior, the officials in charge of selection will inevitably form a preconceived notion when faced with such a judgment, and they are very likely to be eliminated in the first round.

Even if one manages to pass the tests of physical appearance, speech, writing, and judgment and obtain a new official appointment, the new superior will inevitably harbor resentment and treat them differently.

Therefore, Xue Tao's actions are truly disgusting. He directly ruined someone's file, leaving a negative label on that person for life!

“I understand the matter. Tomorrow morning I will return to the office with Ma Xielu. If there is anything I need to do to speak up for justice, I will not refuse! But I am also a junior officer, and I cannot say for sure whether I can change the superior’s judgment.”

After listening to Ma Lizheng's account, Zhang Dai pondered for a moment before saying to him, "Moreover, Xue Shaoqing and I already have a deep rift. If we argue too much, it might make him even more impetuous and also burden Ma Xielu. Therefore, if Ma Xielu can find other sources of assistance, it would be best if we could work together."

"No, no... I am of humble talent and little ability, and not valued by those in power. Although I was recommended by Lord Ma and Lord Yuanxian, I have no notable achievements. Now that both of them have passed away, the only people I know are a few down-on-their-luck scholars. I am now in dire straits, which is why I have taken the liberty of seeking help from Zhang Xielu!"

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, Ma Lizheng looked distressed and said...

He was indeed skilled in Confucianism and scholarship, and was therefore successively appointed by Ma Huaisu and Yuan Xingchong as a compiler and scholar. After several promotions, he was finally appointed as the Assistant Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

However, both of his recommenders had passed away, and he no longer knew any of the influential figures in the court. The only one he could still exchange a few words with was Zhang Dai.

Upon hearing Ma Lizheng's account, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly that this old gentleman was truly unsuitable for officialdom. After all, he had spent quite some time in the officialdom, yet he hadn't even made the acquaintance of a single powerful figure.

Judging from this situation, if it weren't for the fact that he happened to be an official in the same department and often covered for him, Ma Lizheng probably wouldn't have been able to find even one person.

In this light, it's no wonder Xue Tao dared to use clearly irregular methods to make things difficult for him. In officialdom, they don't bully the old or the young; they bully those who are honest, hardworking, and only know how to bury themselves in their work!

"Let's talk about it after we get back to the office tomorrow."

Zhang Dai sighed inwardly, then glanced at the sky outside the door and said to Ma Lizheng, "It's getting late. Why don't you stay at my house and have dinner together? We can go back to the office together tomorrow morning."

“No need, no need. I’m in a bad mood today and have no interest in anything. I still have some matters to attend to. I should hurry back to the office and finish them before the shop closes. Otherwise, if things are left unresolved, I might be reprimanded by Zhang Xielu when he tries to reason with me tomorrow. Besides, I’ve already been very ungrateful for your help today, so how could I dare to bother you any further!” As he spoke, Ma Lizheng got up to leave.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly that this old gentleman was truly blessed with extraordinary physical abilities. "I'm already planning to go back to the office tomorrow and turn against my superiors, and you're still worried about not finishing today's work!"
Knowing that Ma Lizheng came from a poor family and had touched his stomach several times during their conversation, he was afraid that he hadn't eaten all day. Even if he returned to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, it was impossible for them to give him special treatment. So he gestured for Ma Lizheng to pause for a moment, went out of the hall, and instructed his family to bring some dry food in a food box and to bring a fast horse for Ma Lizheng to ride.

Upon seeing this, Ma Lizheng's eyes instantly reddened. He raised his arm and bowed deeply to Zhang Dai before choking back tears, saying, "Having served as an official in Chang'an for over a decade, apart from the two benefactors who recommended me, only Zhang Xielu has shown me any kindness and compassion. Regardless of the outcome of this matter, I will forever remember Zhang Xielu's kindness."

Zhang Dai didn't expect any reward. After seeing Ma Lizheng off, he watched the old man ride away on his horse back to work overtime. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, thinking that such a good mate would be hard to find again.

After seeing Ma Lizheng off, he returned home, where the wailing and howling in the courtyard grew even louder. When he stepped into the main hall, he saw it brightly lit, with a group of people jumping around, the most boisterous of whom was Zhang Yang, who acted as if he were the devil in charge.

"Stop, stop, everyone stop!"

Upon seeing Zhang Dai approach, Zhang Yang quickly waved to stop the singing, dancing, and shouting of the crowd. He strode out and led Zhang Dai into the hall, then grinned at him, saying, "I had invited my disciples to my home to celebrate Zongzhi's new appointment, but I've been waiting for a long time. Let's have some fun first. My disciples here have long admired your talent and achievements and have repeatedly asked me to introduce you. Knowing you are busy with your duties, I took this opportunity to gather my disciples and introduce them to you!"

Zhang Dai didn't think Zhang Yan could make any good friends, but he still had to give his uncle face in front of outsiders. Upon hearing this, he immediately smiled and said, "My family's guest room always has seating for entertaining friends. If you'd like to introduce me to everyone, Uncle, just say so! No matter how busy I am with my duties, I wouldn't dare to neglect you!"

Zhang Yan was initially a little nervous, but upon hearing Zhang Dai give him such face, he immediately burst into laughter with a radiant smile.

As he led Zhang Dai into the hall and settled him down, he said with a smile to everyone present, "Leaving aside how we usually joke and play around outside, my nephew is a renowned young official admired by the world, the youngest censor in this dynasty! When you meet at the same table, you must put away your bad habits and refrain from being impolite!"

Upon hearing this, everyone responded with a resounding "yes," and then, suppressing their smiles, they bowed to Zhang Dai in greeting: "Although we disciples have no talent to boast of, we can still discern beauty from ugliness and good from bad. Sixth Master is a first-rate young man among men, and we are deeply honored that he is here to receive us! In the future, if Sixth Master has any business to discuss with us in this city, we will certainly not refuse!"

Seeing that these people were quite polite, Zhang Dai also stood up and bowed in return.

To be honest, he didn't have much ill feelings towards these so-called young masters of Wuling Street. What he really hated were those who relied on their family background to bully the weak and do evil deeds, and he had been demanding that Zhang Yang not do such things.

As for striving for advancement, it doesn't really matter. They're born into a life of ease, lacking any outstanding abilities. If they were truly determined to improve, they'd have nowhere to exert their strength, and might even resort to crooked schemes like registering their names at Xuanwu Gate. Back when the Emperor led his forces into Xuanwu Gate to eliminate the Wei clan, he had no shortage of such people under his command.

“I have many friends, but not everyone is worthy of being introduced to you, Ah Liu! Knowing that you have taken up a new post in the Gazette, the people I am introducing to you today are all people who can help you!”

Zhang Yang then pointed to the crowd and introduced them to Zhang Dai one by one: "This barbarian with round, blue eyes is named Kang Lide. He is Kang Lian, a wealthy merchant in the West Market and also a powerful official in the capital. He has eyes and ears everywhere in the capital who buy light goods. If anyone in the court accepts bribes for light goods, just ask him! If this barbarian dares to conceal anything, I will not forgive him..."

The young Hu man who was called out immediately crossed his hands and said, "Sixth Brother, if you have something to say, please ask! If I dare to conceal anything, I am willing to be trampled by your horses!"

This so-called "horse trampling" was a form of punishment among the wandering knights and playboys in the capital. Anyone who did something against the code of honor would be tied up in a sack and thrown into the wilderness, where everyone would take turns trampling over it on horseback. Whether they lived or died was left to fate.

Zhang Dai was still planning to build his own intelligence system, but he didn't expect that his uncle wasn't just fooling around at home. Instead, he was gathering spies for him. He was quite pleasantly surprised and raised his glass to Kang Lide to drink.

Zhang Yan was also delighted that his friend had been recognized by Zhang Dai. So he pulled over a young man with his hands tucked into his sleeves and a sinister look in his eyes, and introduced him to Zhang Dai with a loud laugh: "This is a fellow townsman from Henan Prefecture, named Ji Wen. He himself is not very famous, but his uncle is very famous. He is the prime minister Ji Xu, who is appreciated by Empress Dowager Wu..."

(End of this chapter)