Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 445 The Eastern Palace Summons
Inside the music hall, everyone was talking at once, recounting what had just happened. Each of them had a happy smile on their face, clearly pleased with Zhang Dai's actions.

"Xue Shaoqing is utterly unlearned and knows nothing of rites, music, or classical texts, yet he is particularly fond of manipulating the masses and often engages in pointless activities. His colleagues in the department have suffered for a long time, and Zhang Xielu's angry rebuke of him is truly gratifying! We, his followers, should gather our wisdom and opinions to help Zhang Xielu impeach this incompetent official!"

Zhao Ling, his face flushed with excitement, said to Zhang Dai, then ordered a servant to bring paper and pen and spread them on the table. He then loudly addressed the crowd, saying, "You all have so many grievances and complaints to express, today you can all vent them freely. I will record them here, and you may each speak your mind!"

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered loudly and immediately lined up to come forward one by one, venting their dissatisfaction with Xue Tao.

Although the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was not a major theater, it was still responsible for rites and music, making it a highly specialized department. Within such an institution, people naturally observed and judged who were truly dedicated and who were just slackers.

Xue Tao is not only incredibly incompetent, but he also has a penchant for giving unqualified people advice. In particular, during the preparation of grand ceremonies, everyone has to not only be busy with their own tasks, but also carefully check the things he is responsible for and correct any mistakes. It is truly a miserable experience.

If it were merely a matter concerning the Court of Imperial Sacrifices itself, it would be one thing, but this guy also arbitrarily ordered the officials in the office to do other things, treating all his subordinates as if they were household slaves.

Many people have experienced similar ordeals to Ma Lizheng's during his two years in office. Naturally, they were all indignant when they complained about it, and their anger grew as they spoke. They placed their hopes on Zhang Dai: "Zhang Xielu is fierce and righteous. He will surely be able to expel Xue Shaoqing, this mediocre official, from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in one fell swoop, and the officials will no longer have to suffer persecution!"

Faced with everyone's complaints and pleas, Zhang Dai responded with a smile, but in reality, he was far less optimistic than the others present, and even had some worries.

The crowd was making all sorts of complaints about Xue Tao, as if he had many faults and was utterly wicked, but in reality, they were all just minor issues.

Zhang Dai had made just as many mistakes as he had made, such as being late, leaving early, and having a low attendance rate. And Xue Tao was right about one thing: if Ma Lizheng hadn't often covered for him, Zhang Dai might not have been so attentive to his work.

Zhang Dai knew that Ma Lizheng was just a nice guy who couldn't refuse others and did just as much for others in the department. He wasn't deliberately trying to flatter him, but others might not see it that way.

In conclusion, while Xue Tao certainly made mistakes and his behavior was quite detestable, these mistakes were not major issues and were far from enough to bring him down.

To put it simply, all of Xue Tao's mistakes combined are not as serious as Zhang Dai pointing his finger at him and threatening to take him down in the government office today. Moreover, he is not only the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but his family has been related to the imperial family for generations. He is the father-in-law of the Crown Prince and the in-law of the Prince of Xue. In addition, his family married a princess last year, which further deepened their ties with the imperial family.

Such a person, no matter how incompetent or foolish, possesses a thick shield of defense that is not easily shaken. The charges that everyone has compiled now will likely not even scratch the surface of his character.

Although Zhang Dai had openly broken ties with Xue Tao in the Taichang Temple, he didn't actually have any good ideas.

Because Xue Tao is essentially a good-for-nothing. He may not have done anything good, but he also lacks the courage and ability to do bad things. Although he has a long list of misdeeds, it is difficult to punish him severely.

However, Zhang Dai's outburst just now was indeed because he couldn't stand Xue Tao's despicable face, but it wasn't purely a reckless impulse. In fact, there was also a bit of intimidation and coercion involved.

With the materials we have now, we can't get to Xue Tao. If we were to use them to make a report, we might end up being fired for various offenses such as making trouble out of nothing and disrespecting our superiors.

However, if Xue Tao does something else out of fear and anxiety, the situation could become unpredictable. Zhang Dai is betting that Xue Tao, in his desperation, will make a rash decision and create leverage against him.

Of course, this couldn't really be called a gamble, because the two had fallen out this time because Ma Lizheng hadn't done his best to prepare for the Crown Prince's celebrations. Faced with Zhang Dai's aggressive threats, Xue Tao would naturally instinctively seek out the person in charge to discuss countermeasures, and this person was indeed his strongest backer.

However, Zhang Dai was not sure whether things would develop in this way, so he had to make two preparations beforehand. He first collected and consolidated evidence of Xue Tao's use of his position to instruct the people of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to do things for the Eastern Palace.

So he personally questioned Ma Lizheng, the aggrieved party, asking him to give a detailed account of his part-time job at the Eastern Palace during this period, and then he would look for any aspects of the account that were worth making a big deal out of it.

Just then, another person entered the music hall from outside; it was Pei Zhen, Pei Guangting's son.

He rushed in, looking anxious, and shouted as soon as he entered the music hall, "Zhang Zongzhi, you're still here? Something terrible has happened..."

Upon hearing the report from his subordinate, Zhang Dai came out of the hall and, seeing Pei Zhen striding towards him, said with a smile, "What brings you here, Young Master Pei?"

"You still have the nerve to laugh! What did you do recently? Who did you offend? Hurry up and figure out what to do, or the retribution will come soon!" Seeing Zhang Dai's relaxed smile, Pei Zhen became even more furious and said, "I was on duty at the Shaoyang Academy today. Not long ago, I saw Xue Shaoqing of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices looking unfriendly and hurriedly paying his respects. Soon after, the Crown Prince ordered his men to arrest you. I was afraid that someone else would come to arrest you, so I volunteered first. What exactly did you do?"

Pei Zhen currently serves as the Crown Prince's Attendant, responsible for announcing and conveying the farewells of the Crown Prince's officials. Zhang Dai, in addition to his current position, also previously held the concurrent post of Crown Prince's Tutor, making him essentially a semi-official of the Crown Prince's court.

"Nothing else happened, it's just that I had a dispute with Xue Shaoqing in the office just now. He abused his power and bullied me. I couldn't stand it, so I said that I would impeach him and get rid of this incompetent official!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said, not that he was deliberately putting on a relaxed act. Seeing that Pei Zhen had come looking for him, he had finally found the leverage he needed, so he was naturally very happy.

"What? What caused this fight between you two? It's so serious! No wonder Xue Shaoqing was so angry..."

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen's expression changed again, and he then said softly, "In that case, you should not go to see the Crown Prince for the time being. The Crown Prince's demeanor in the garden just now was rather unfriendly. If you go, I'm afraid it won't end well. I will inform you that I cannot visit you and buy you some time. You can then go elsewhere to plead with your elders and relatives, hoping to resolve the matter."

What a good brother!

Zhang Dai patted Pei Zhen on the shoulder and then said with a smile, "Brother Pei, you are very kind, but the matter is not that serious. As the newly appointed Inspector, it is my duty to impeach those who break the law, and the matter of Xue Shaoqing's dereliction of duty is also a matter of my own department, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

The Crown Prince is unaware of the truth, or perhaps he has only heard what Xue Shaoqing said. Since you have summoned me, how can I refuse to see you? I am about to present the facts to the Crown Prince. After understanding the details, I believe he will change his mind, and may even praise my integrity!

"You're oversimplifying things. You can't let strangers interfere with your relatives!"

Seeing that Zhang Dai still seemed indifferent, Pei Zhen immediately spoke up in anger.

However, after spending a considerable amount of time with Zhang Dai, he finally came to understand him somewhat. He knew that this guy was full of cunning and was by no means a naive or simple person. Seeing the boy's confident and fearless expression, he couldn't help but have a thought and leaned closer to whisper, "You have a backup plan in mind, so you can calmly deal with the Crown Prince's questioning?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai shook his head. He wasn't lying; the Crown Prince wasn't his target this time, and he wasn't sure how the Crown Prince would treat him, so he naturally had no backup plan.

This time, he was prepared to swallow his pride and let things slide. As long as he saw the Crown Prince because of this, the Crown Prince would have a bullet ready to fire his sniper rifle aimed at Xue Tao.

"You all stay here for now. I have other matters to attend to and need to leave temporarily. If any colleagues come to report anything, please make sure to record it carefully!"

To avoid making the disciples uneasy, Zhang Dai did not tell them about the Crown Prince's summons. After returning to the hall, he gave them some instructions.

Although Xue Tao's crimes at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were not major offenses, the sheer number of minor mistakes proved that he was indeed a mediocre talent who didn't know his place. Only by paying attention to details can one's attacks be powerful!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling, who was writing at his desk, nodded quickly and said, "Don't worry, Zhang Xielu. We will definitely record all of Xue Shaoqing's misdeeds clearly and will not allow him to hide his evil deeds!"

Zhang Dai was quite pleased with what he saw. He had been considering who to bring to the Censorate to assist him as a judge, but now it seemed that Zhao Ling was a promising candidate.

This guy is very experienced in handling documents, and he has a history of following me to offend the prince. Now he is actively working on the crown prince's father-in-law, so he is a good candidate to be trained as a trusted henchman!
Zhang Dai planned to ask Zhao Ling for his thoughts after this matter was over, and decided not to say anything for now. After all, if this matter couldn't be resolved, he himself estimated that he would have difficulty maintaining his position in the Censorate, and speaking too soon would only lead to disappointment.

With that thought in mind, he stepped out of the hall, waved to Pei Zhen who was waiting outside, and they went out together.

Pei Zhen was still a little uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, he leaned closer and whispered, "Should we tell me what happened?"

"It's not necessary right now. Let's make a decision after we've met with the Crown Prince."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Dai said that Xue Tao was both a member of the imperial family and a third-rank official, a proper and powerful minister. If he wanted to impeach him, he would need the prime minister's approval and support.

(End of this chapter)