Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 470 Who can please me? I will choose myself.

Prince Shou is still young, and not long ago there was the murder of an official in the Eastern Palace. Although it had no direct connection with Prince Shou, it was still inappropriate for him to wander outside the palace and not return home all night.

Therefore, seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Dai suggested that he escort Prince Shou back to the palace first. Prince Shou was somewhat reluctant, but he was not very opinionated to begin with, so when he heard Zhang Dai say this, he could only nod in agreement.

Song Zhuo was very happy to have met Zhang Dai today. He saw them off to the gate of the neighborhood before reluctantly waving goodbye and returning to his home.

After the emperor moved to Xingqing Palace, his wives, concubines, and children were separated and lived in different places. Xingqing Palace itself was not well-constructed and could not accommodate too many people, so only a few of his most favored concubines and their children accompanied him there.

Others either stayed at the residences of the Ten Kings or remained in the Daming Palace, only rushing to the Southern Palace upon being summoned by the Sage.

Consort Wu Hui and her children were naturally among the favored, and thus now reside in Xingqing Palace. The palace gate is just east of Anxing Ward, saving them a considerable amount of walking.

When Zhang Dai escorted Prince Shou back to the palace, Consort Wu Hui also received him at the Hua'e Tower villa.

Besides Consort Hui and her attendants, there was a pretty and delicate little girl in the hall, about the same age as Prince Shou. She was Consort Hui's daughter, Princess Xianyi. Of course, she had not yet received a title, so her elders and the palace servants only called her Eighteenth Sister.

"Stop playing around, my dear! Put your toys away now, don't show your silly side to others. Get up and greet your cousin!"

When Zhang Dai entered the hall, the little princess was still engrossed in playing with the painted pottery dolls on the table. Consort Wu Hui smiled and scolded her, then raised her hand to signal her to stand up and greet Zhang Dai.

“Cousin Zhang, how are you! This morning, my mother sent someone to take my brother to visit you, but she wouldn’t let me go with him. Otherwise, I would have gone with you.”

Because Zhang Dai frequently visited the palace, Princess Xianyi naturally recognized him. Upon hearing her mother's instructions, she looked up and smiled, but showed no intention of getting up. She rummaged through the pile of painted pottery figurines for a moment, found a tall and slender figurine in blue, and showed it to Zhang Dai with a grin: "Cousin, come and see if this looks like you?"

Historical records state that Consort Wu Hui always gave birth to exceptionally beautiful sons, which is why she was especially favored by the emperor. Prince Shou and Princess Xianyi were no exception; both were beautiful and intelligent. However, Prince Shou was somewhat dull-witted because he was raised in Prince Ning's household.

Princess Xianyi grew up with her mother from a young age, and her personality became more lively and charming. Although she has not yet fully grown up, her eyebrows and facial features are just like a child version of Consort Wu Hui. The mother and daughter look very similar.

Zhang Dai often visited the palace and would occasionally play with this young lady for a while. However, because his aunt had brought up the topic of marriage the other day, and was now looking at him with a meaningful gaze, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Looking at the charming and lovely young lady who was still innocent and naive, he felt like a pervert.

He didn't engage in much conversation or pleasantries with the little princess. After a brief exchange, he began to recount his experience of enjoying song and dance with Prince Shou at the Music Palace that day.

When the story was told, Prince Shou became excited and enthusiastic, praising the song and dance that Zhang Dai had shown him as far more wonderful than "The Long-lived Woman". The little princess, who was standing to the side, was also very curious and kept clamoring to go with him the next day.

Consort Wu Hui knew this was no joke, and she had a deeper purpose in this matter. Because the young lady was making a fuss and making it difficult to discuss serious matters, she had a palace maid lead her away. Then she turned to Zhang Dai and said with a smile, "Sixth Brother, do you think it would be better for the Emperor to perform the 'Brahman Song'? But from what you two have said, the song and dance seem a bit complicated. Can I handle it?"

"Aunt doesn't need to worry about that. Although the song and dance are complex, they don't need to be performed entirely by Prince Shou. There are other dancers to complement them..."

Although the song, dance and folk arts of the Tang Dynasty flourished, they were still limited by the times. While the scale was grand, the performance style was relatively simple. The main focus was on the performing skills of the singers and dancers themselves, but less attention was paid to stage design, the use of props, and other aspects.

Zhang Dai naturally didn't expect that Prince Shou, who wasn't a professional dancer, could handle a song and dance performance that lasted nearly half an hour. So he chose a theme of "Fairy Maidens Celebrating Birthday and Peaches for Longevity" and combined it with Brahman music for a comprehensive performance.

On stage, a peach orchard is created, where dancers weave and dance, finally gathering peaches to celebrate the birthday. Alternatively, the birthday prince could be dressed as a birthday-celebrating fairy and stuffed into one of the large peaches. When the time comes, the peach is opened, the prince jumps out, and sings a birthday song. There's no need for him to dance the entire time; instead, you'd have to worry about whether he'll fall asleep inside.

"Sixth Brother, you truly have ingenious ideas! With such an arrangement, how could the Emperor not be pleased? My son is actually the celestial attendant guarding the immortal fruit on the Queen Mother's Jade Terrace. This arrangement is truly wonderful, wonderful indeed!"

Zhang Dai only briefly stated his thoughts, and Consort Wu Hui's eyes lit up as she clapped and cheered repeatedly.

Regardless of whether this program idea would please the emperor, it had already won her heart. Because several of Consort Wu Hui's children had died young, she was more averse to talking about death than ordinary people, and she also hoped and wanted to believe that her children's fates were extraordinary. Zhang Dai's stage setting can be said to have perfectly grasped her feelings!

"However, there is still a problem at the moment. Although the music has been composed, the singing and dancing are still lacking. The women of Yichun Courtyard live in the palace for a long time and rarely see each other, so it is difficult to coordinate and arrange them."

Seeing that his aunt was so satisfied with the idea, Zhang Dai immediately took the opportunity to raise the current difficulties.

"The palace women are at the emperor's disposal; he may use whomever he desires. I will send word to the Yichun Palace that anyone who dares to cause trouble or misbehave will be immediately expelled from the palace!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Wu Hui immediately snorted coldly. Although the women in the Yichun Courtyard were beautiful and talented, they were nothing more than entertainers kept in the palace. Consort Wu Hui naturally would not allow these people to act willfully and delay her affairs.

With Consort Wu Hui's support and promise, Zhang Dai felt much more at ease. He then brought up another matter: "Today, when Your Majesty and I were at the Music Bureau, we met a grandson named Song Zhuo, a disciple of the Duke of Guangping. This young man has just returned to officialdom, speaks eloquently, and is well-versed in music theory. It would be very suitable for him to join the Music Bureau. Moreover, Ma Lizheng, the Assistant Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, is about to leave after his term expires, and a new person has not yet taken office. I will also be dismissed soon. If you recommend this young man, Aunt, it would be a good thing."

"This is such a small matter, you can decide for yourself. If you really appreciate this student, then you can recommend him without hesitation. If there are any obstacles, I will speak on your behalf."

Upon hearing this, Consort Wu Hui casually remarked, clearly not taking the matter too seriously. She then added with a smile, "I know your young disciple is meticulous in his thinking, perhaps hoping to use this to gain favor with Song Jing. However, this man is self-reliant and upright, and I'm afraid he won't be easily befriended."

In the past, when he held a position of power, he showed no concern for his followers. Now that he has lost his position, what good would it do him to be pleased? If I were to be too attentive, I might even be suspected of harboring ulterior motives. I have no interest in associating with such people.”

Consort Wu Hui also had her own views on people and things. Song Jing had previously served as prime minister and later as minister of personnel for several years. If he really wanted to arrange a position for his own son, it would be very simple.

But he didn't do that, which means that it wasn't an important matter to him. Even if someone else did it for him, he might not be grateful. Instead, he might complain that the other person was meddling and damaging his integrity.

Moreover, Song Jing was recently invited by Chancellor Yuwen Rong to serve as Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Personnel, which was an elevation of his position but in reality a demotion, so that he would no longer be in charge of the Ministry of Personnel.

This made Song Jing even less powerful in the political situation. In Consort Wu Hui’s view, there was no need to please him anymore. After all, Song Jing was not like Zhang Yue, who still had many followers who remained in power even after he was dismissed.

"It is precisely because the Duke of Guangping has lost power that now is the right time to act. If he were still in power, rashly promoting his sons and brothers would inevitably be ridiculed as an attempt to curry favor with the powerful. But since he has no power to rely on, this move is purely to reward talent."

Zhang Dai patiently explained, “The Duke of Guangping was a model of uprightness in the court. What he gained was valued more for his time than for his usefulness, but for his reputation. For example, Wei Zheng was praised for his outspokenness, and his reputation remains undiminished to this day. People consider it an honor to recommend his descendants, simply to borrow his uprightness. If Prince Shou could gain this reputation for recognizing and recommending talent, it would also be a good thing for him.”

Furthermore, the position of Assistant Musician is vacant, yet no new appointment has been made in the court. This is because powerful families all covet the position, hoping to secure credit for their sons in this year's affairs. The various families are vying for it, and no one dares to claim it, hence the uncertainty. If my aunt were to step in and settle the matter, it would demonstrate her authority.

Ma Lizheng, the Assistant Musician, had already completed his term, but the court had not yet appointed a new person to take over his post. One of the most important reasons for this was that the position of Assistant Musician in the second half of the year was an extremely desirable one.

Whether it was the Thousand Autumns Festival or the visit to the Five Mausoleums, these were very important experiences for officials in charge of rites and music. As long as they handled these matters smoothly, rewards and promotions would be inevitable afterward.

The position of Xielu Lang was one of the most important positions for low-ranking officials to participate in. Zhang Shuo had already been planning this lucrative post for his grandson as early as the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era. Now that the opportunity had arrived, there were naturally even more powerful second-generation officials vying for it.

It can be said that as long as one serves as the Assistant Musician and participates in this series of ceremonial matters, there will be virtually no obstacles to being promoted to the fifth rank; one can simply proceed step by step. Moreover, this is also a very important resume when competing for the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's explanation, Consort Wu Hui finally understood its significance. She immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Since it is what all the families are after, we naturally cannot easily give it up. As a woman in the inner palace, I certainly dare not interfere with the selection of ministers in the outer court. But if I recommend a talented eighth-rank musician, who would dare to question me?"

I don't need others to fear or respect me; it's enough that everyone knows who pleases me and whom I will appoint. Sixth Brother's idea is excellent, excellent indeed. Tell that the Song family son, after receiving his new position, need not come to thank me; he must diligently assist Prince Shou in preparing for the birthday celebrations!

(End of this chapter)