Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 471 The Prime Minister's Family Tradition
Song Jing's home was also located in Anxing Ward, a location befitting his status. Even among the powerful and wealthy residents of the ward, Song Jing was considered one of the best.

However, this residence was neither an ancestral property nor purchased by Song Jing with his own money. Rather, it was a residence specially bestowed by the imperial court to ensure that this wise prime minister of the Tang Dynasty could live comfortably and better serve the country.

This imperial mansion was indeed magnificent, but the layout of the buildings inside was not particularly spacious. Although Song Jing's family did not have many servants or students, they had many descendants and a large and prosperous household.

Even after these children and grandchildren got married, they still lived in the mansion and did not move to other places to acquire property. One reason was that everything in the capital was expensive, and purchasing property would inevitably cost a lot. The Song family was not wealthy to begin with, and they were strict with their children and grandchildren, so these children and grandchildren naturally did not have the financial means to acquire luxurious properties.

On the other hand, Song Jing strictly adhered to rules and regulations, and did not allow his descendants to move elsewhere while he was still alive, so as not to corrupt morals and become a laughing stock.

But large families also have their troubles. With so many people living together, friction and disputes are inevitable, though they usually don't reach Song Jing's ears. Song Jing is busy with state affairs, and even if he hears about them, he can't deal with them all. As long as they don't go too far, he just pretends not to know.

In the mansion, Song Jing and his wife occupied the main hall, while their children and grandchildren each lived on the left and right sides respectively. The rooms in the northeast corner of the mansion were the residence of Song Jing's eldest son, Song Fu, and his family.

Song Jing's eldest son died young, leaving only his wife and children, among whom Song Zhuo was the oldest. After returning home from the music academy, he heard crying coming from the room and saw his half-sister covering her face and weeping. His stepmother and his own mother stood to the side, their expressions somewhat unfriendly.

"Mother, Auntie, what happened? Why is my sister crying so sadly?"

Seeing this, Song Zhuo quickly stepped forward and asked.

He had lost his father, two sons, and a daughter. As the eldest son born out of wedlock, he was also the oldest and had already been appointed to an official post. His younger siblings were only teenagers, so he naturally had an obligation to take care of his family.

"This playful rascal went to the south courtyard storeroom to try and handle someone's colored silk, but accidentally soiled it, yet he kept quiet about it. Your aunt came into the house this morning to question him, and that's when I found out about it. I'm so ashamed I could disappear!"

Upon hearing this, the stepmother pointed at the weeping woman and said angrily.

“I only soiled a corner, it’s not as serious as my aunt makes it out to be! Besides, that storeroom of hers should have been our house, but she secretly occupied it and forbade the family from telling my grandfather and grandmother. Now that I’ve damaged a few of her things, the whole family is spreading rumors that I’m a thief…”

Upon hearing this, the girl looked aggrieved and said...

Hearing this, her mother's face flushed with even more shame and anger: "Let alone a single coin, even a tiny bit is someone else's property. You didn't get permission, yet you tried to take advantage of someone else's things. What are you if not a thief? And now you still have the nerve to argue? You're trying to drive me crazy!"

"Mother, don't be angry. If they break something, just compensate them. My sister is just playful and curious; she has no intention of harming anyone."

Song Zhuo quickly stepped forward to stop his stepmother, and gestured for his own mother to come forward to help. He then said, "When I returned, the people of the county gave me several bolts of colored silk. I can choose one that looks similar to the one I gave to my aunt."

Upon hearing this, the stepmother's expression softened slightly, while her birth mother frowned but said nothing.

After calming his family down, Song Zhuo went back to his room, found a piece of colorful silk, tucked it under his arm, and walked out towards the south courtyard.

Song Jing was fair in governing affairs and also very just in managing his household. The houses allocated to his sons who had started their own families were roughly the same size, but the circumstances of each son's family were not quite the same.

For example, if the eldest son died young, while the second son served as a governor in a different prefecture, their influence and status would naturally differ, and part of the eldest son's family's property would be occupied by the second son's family. At first, they might have been polite and said they were just borrowing it, but as time went on, what was originally borrowing became something they took for granted as possession.

Although serving as an official in a remote prefecture is far from the central government, it has one advantage: the income in addition to various salaries is quite considerable. For example, when Song Zhuo's uncle, Song Sheng, was appointed to a remote prefecture, every few months a cart or even several carts of wealth would be transported back, to the point that his own house could not hold it all, and he had to borrow Song Zhuo's house as a storeroom.

Although Song Zhuo himself only served as a county magistrate, Hefei was located in a strategic location in Huainan, and he had accumulated some savings over the years. However, because he was worried about his grandfather's reprimand, he did not accept any overly valuable gifts while in office, and when he left office, he only accepted a gift of ten bolts of silk. After returning, he gave it to his elders and visited relatives and friends, and soon spent most of it.

When Song Zhuo arrived at the South Courtyard, Song Sheng's wife was in the inner hall. When she saw Song Zhuo bringing gifts to make amends, she smiled and said, "There's no need for family members to be so calculating. If I were truly a petty person, why would I have placed those valuables in front of your house, Si Lang, and not arranged for servants to supervise them?"
I know your family is inevitably short of money, and your son is short of funds, so lending him some money is no problem, but you must explain clearly. If it weren't for a family matter requiring supplies, I wouldn't have known such a thing had happened…”

Despite saying this, she still had the servants accept the compensation gifts brought by Song Zhuo, and Song Zhuo, suppressing his shame and anger, apologized with a smile and then withdrew.

He had just stepped out of the South Courtyard when he saw his uncle, Song Hun, standing opposite him, waving repeatedly. He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "Uncle, is there something you need?"

"What's going on at your second uncle's house today? The servants are carrying things in and out. Is there some ulterior motive?" Song Hun pointed to Song Sheng's courtyard and whispered to Song Zhuo, "The woman in charge of their household is short-sighted. Your grandfather has just been promoted to Right Chancellor and is no longer in charge of the selection department. If they do something wrong, there will be no one to clean up the mess! Why did I see you carrying things in?"

Song Zhuo dared not interfere in the elders' dispute. Upon hearing this, he quickly shook his head and said, "I just returned from my trip today and do not know what happened at my second uncle's house. I brought some things to pay my respects just now, but my sister accidentally broke my aunt's belongings. I came here to make amends and beg for forgiveness."

"Truly a woman's limited perspective, short-sighted and narrow-minded. How dare she make things difficult for a junior over such a trivial matter!"

Upon hearing this, Song Hun snorted coldly and then waved his hand at Song Zhuo, saying, "Go."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhuo immediately nodded in agreement, took his leave, and turned to leave. However, after walking quite a distance, he looked back and saw that his uncle was still standing in the same spot, observing Song Sheng's family compound. He couldn't help but feel curious.

When he returned to his room, Song Zhuo saw his birth mother tidying up for him, so he said softly, "Auntie, don't bother, I can clean up by myself later. Madam suffered a humiliation today, and I'm sure she won't be able to feel better for days. I'll have to trouble you to help her."

“I’m used to it. Madam wants to maintain appearances, but the house is in such a state. There were even more embarrassing situations before, but we could only endure them. Fortunately, now that Ah Lang is back, we can discuss things.”

Upon hearing this, his birth mother sighed: "The old master enjoys a great reputation outside, but the family has to endure poverty and hardship. Unlike other powerful families in the capital, they are not as glamorous as they are in the capital. They inevitably harbor some resentment and dare not show off outside, but they have to compete for priority in everything at home."

Recently, several families have been embroiled in disputes, seemingly vying for lucrative positions for their sons. However, the old prime minister has suddenly been stripped of power by the prime minister. Whether he's stripped or not doesn't really matter much; they'll still have to find their own ways to secure positions elsewhere…

At this point, she quickly stepped forward to close the door, then turned back to her son and said, “My son, you have been traveling for several years and have only managed to save a little money for yourself. You must cherish it and use it wisely. Who knows how many years you will have to wait before you can participate in the selection process next year? Even when the old prime minister was in office, he did not care about his family. At that time, you will inevitably have to associate with the powerful and influential. If you are too poor, how can you be respected?”

Seeing his birth mother's aged and haggard appearance, yet still worried about his future, Song Zhuo couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat. To comfort his mother, he forced a smile and said, "Auntie, don't worry too much. True friends don't need to be made with a lot of money."

Today I made a good friend in the neighborhood, Zhang Zongzhi, the eldest grandson of Zhang Yan. He accompanied Prince Shou on an inspection tour of the music hall and happened to meet me. We had a very pleasant conversation and even agreed to visit each other again in the future!

"Ah Lang has actually made acquaintances with Zhang Liulang? This is great news!"

Upon hearing this, his mother's face lit up with joy. She quickly stepped forward and sat opposite her son, whispering, "That Zhang Liulang's background is similar to yours, but he is much more fortunate. His grandfather loved to help and support his children and grandchildren, and Zhang Liulang himself is also very capable."

I overheard some private discussions among the residents that Zhang Liulang not only has a successful official career but also runs a very successful business, making him far superior to ordinary sons of officials. I heard that the Southern Governor's family had previously sent someone to inquire about Zhang Yan's marriage prospects, but nothing came of it.

Ah Lang, your acquaintance with him is a great stroke of luck! If you can get along well, he might even benefit you more than your father and grandfather!

"This Zhang Liulang, he actually has such a grand entourage?"

Upon hearing this, Song Zhuo couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

After returning to the capital, he naturally heard many stories about Zhang Dai. He greatly admired him after talking with him today, but he still felt that they were both grandsons of prime ministers, so there was no difference in their status.

But now, hearing that even his mother, who rarely left the house, spoke so highly of Zhang Dai, he realized that he might have underestimated Zhang Dai.

“Ah Lang, I’m not teaching you the bad habit of currying favor. It’s just that although the old master is upright and has a good reputation, it’s obvious that none of the young masters under his command are tolerant of others.”

Now that only the mother and son were alone, Song Zhuo's mother looked at her son earnestly and said, "Right now, this family is still supported by the old master, and outsiders dare not look down on us. But if the old master is gone, our own family might start fighting. You are already an orphan, so you need to plan for yourself as soon as possible!"

"I will, Auntie, Mother!"

Upon hearing this, Song Zhuo nodded and spoke earnestly.

The woman's eyes instantly welled up with tears from just a change in address. She covered her mouth and took a few deep breaths before whispering, "Are you hungry? What would you like to eat? Auntie will make it for you!"

(End of this chapter)