Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 481 Begging Liu Lang for Help

Although the exchange with Lady Wu was not pleasant, since he had come to Pei Guangting's house, he couldn't just leave without saying goodbye to his elder brother. So after leaving the inner hall, Zhang Dai and Pei Zhen went straight to the central hall.

Inside the main hall, Pei Guangting was discussing current affairs with Yan Linzhi and several other confidants. When they saw Zhang Dai following Pei Zhen in, they paused their discussion. Pei Guangting looked at Zhang Dai and said with a smile, "Coming home at this hour, perhaps to relax in the neighborhood again?"

Upon hearing the similar opening lines from the father and son, Zhang Dai realized they had probably been gossiping about him behind his back. However, he was young, handsome, talented, and wealthy, making him the most beloved and anticipated patron of the women of Sanqu—something beyond his control.

"I must first come to pay my respects to my husband and listen to the church music before I dare to go elsewhere to enjoy myself."

Zhang Dai bowed respectfully before entering, and even when visiting a brothel, he didn't forget to report on his work first. Such a dedicated subordinate is hard to find anywhere else in the world!
Upon hearing this, Pei Guangting smiled slightly and did not press the matter further. After inquiring with Zhang Dai and learning that Zhang Dai had already eaten dinner, he instructed his servant to bring tea.

The Pei family of Hedong is also a famous family in Guanzhong. Pei Guangting's family has a typical Guanzhong style of eating habits, but now they serve tea to guests at home, which is a recent change.

"I heard that your tea shop has already been built in the south of the city. I suppose we'll be able to take advantage of the cheap price and taste the new tea from your shop soon?"

Pei Guangting gestured for Zhang Dai to drink tea, then picked up his own teacup and took a sip. He then said with a smile, "This tea tastes bitter at first, but after drinking it for a while, it becomes sweet and refreshing. It can help with indigestion, relieve depression, remove fishy smells, and refresh the mind. It has many wonderful benefits!"

Hearing Pei Guangting rattle off a string of smooth advertising slogans, Zhang Dai guessed that Wu Shi must have been under considerable pressure because of the 20,000 guan investment, which was why Pei Guangting subconsciously hoped that the investment would yield a return as soon as possible.

The father and son were clearly unaware that the real reason for Wu's anger was that the family's cash flow had been drained, preventing her from using the money to help her old lover, rather than because the father and son had made irrational investments.

Zhang Dai naturally couldn't tell Pei Guangting and his son the inside story directly. He simply followed the topic and said, "Transforming the barren hills south of the city into tea gardens is not something that can be done overnight. The processes of clearing land, adding fertilizer, and transplanting seedlings will take several years before a stable harvest can be expected..."

Upon hearing this, Pei Guangting's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not speak. He simply took another sip of the astringent tea.

"However, tea planting and harvesting are not the only sources of income for tea gardens. There are tea gardens in Shannan and Huainan, but because the tea processing is not done properly and the astringency is too strong, it is difficult to transport over long distances and does not suit the tastes of northerners, so it is difficult to sell in large quantities. Therefore, I have also arranged for people to go to various places to purchase raw tea, transport it back to Chang'an, process it, and then market it to various places. If things go smoothly, we can estimate how much profit we will make this winter."

Zhang Dai then briefly revealed his idea to Pei Guangting, noting that the current situation was excellent and that they could achieve twice the result with half the effort.

If we can successfully exchange cattle and horses with Shuofang and other places through the trade, it will be just right to make up for the loss of livestock caused by the cattle epidemic in Henan. In addition, the people who were relocated from Henan to Hebei for reclamation will return one after another next year. Having such a batch of livestock will undoubtedly be more conducive to helping them restore agricultural production.

When all aspects of a process are connected, even if the profit of one aspect is not very considerable, it can still generate a very considerable positive effect when placed in the whole system.

Upon hearing this, Pei Guangting's expression softened somewhat. The profit or loss of a mere 20,000 strings of cash was not something he, as the prime minister, was concerned about; otherwise, he wouldn't have so readily sent it to the Zhang family.

However, his wife's frequent complaints and nagging about this matter lately inevitably had a negative impact on his mood. When he heard that Zhang Dai had a well-thought-out plan, he felt more at ease, and when his wife complained again, he could at least give her a positive response so that she would stop dwelling on the matter.

In short, every family has its own problems. Pei Guangting was a high-ranking and powerful prime minister in the eyes of outsiders, but at home he also had to meet the needs of his wife and children. In particular, he had relied on the influence of his wife's family during his rise to the position of prime minister, so he naturally had to be more tolerant of his wife.

Putting these trivial matters aside, Pei Guangting remembered another matter, and he looked at Zhang Dai and said, "Recently, Wang Ziyu and others have frequently submitted memorials, mostly concerning matters of the pastoral administration. It also seems that some old matters of the Court of Imperial Stud have been brought up. Do you know the hidden story behind this? I heard that Deng Gong's family has been frequently visiting Yan Gong recently. What are they discussing? Has Yan Gong asked you to convey their message?"

This was clearly an attempt to find out what Zhang Shuo had been busy with lately. After all, Wang Han and the others were Zhang Shuo's disciples and followers, and their sudden coordinated actions were obviously under some kind of instruction.

Zhang Yue was quite different from Song Jing. Even though he had faded from the political scene, he could still exert considerable influence. Zhang Yue's planning and assistance in Pei Guangting's appointment as prime minister were particularly significant.

Now that Pei Guangting is the prime minister, in order to maintain his control and influence over the political situation, he naturally needs to be aware of the undercurrents. Since it's inconvenient for him to go directly to the Zhang family to question Zhang Shuo face-to-face, he can only use Zhang Dai as a channel for communication and dialogue.

"This humble official is not well-versed in this matter. I was recently ordered by the Prime Minister to go to the residence of the Duke of Bohai..."

When Zhang Dai was ordered to visit Gao Lishi recently, he devised a comprehensive plan to control the North Gate. Gao Lishi then sought the assistance of Zhang Shuo from the Zhang family, and later, Duke Deng, Zhang Wei, also joined the fray. However, there was no need for Pei Guangting to know too much about these matters, as they did not overlap much with the personnel affairs of the outer court. The main focus was on the struggle and distribution of power among the personnel in the North Gate.

Moreover, Zhang Dai had been busy with matters concerning the Censorate these days, and his grandfather had warned him not to get too involved in these personnel disputes, so he was also unaware of what his grandfather and his associates were up to.

Therefore, he only gave a brief description, explaining how these people came together, without going into the details.

After listening to Zhang Dai's account, Pei Guangting pondered for a moment before saying, "Yan Gong is indeed a man of great talent, and all his plans are in accordance with the general principle. However, he has been out of touch with current affairs for several years, and he has not been able to handle many matters personally. Zongzhi, you are quick-witted and capable. If you see any bias in your understanding, you should promptly remind him to avoid confusion!"

He was worried that Zhang Shuo was still power-hungry and would get involved with Gao Lishi and others, causing confusion in internal and external personnel matters and creating many unnecessary disputes and disturbances in the current situation.

"Your humble servant will humbly follow your instructions and will certainly convey this message."

Zhang Dai nodded in agreement, but then continued, "However, the practice of making do with what is available is not a recent phenomenon. In the past, the circumstances were not favorable, and in order to conform to the general situation, we could only make do with what we had. Now, if the current leaders have the energy and resources, it is our duty to clarify the distinction between internal and external matters. The matters that Wang Duan Gong and others have presented today are all in line with this idea."

Pei Guangting worried that Zhang Yue would abuse his power and confuse internal and external affairs, while Zhang Dai saw this as a good opportunity for the Southern Province to reclaim some responsibilities that had been encroached upon by the Northern Gate. Although there was a distinction between internal and external affairs, they were physically separated by only a wall; how could they possibly maintain a completely clear separation?

Wang Maozhong is currently too powerful to be easily overthrown, because from the beginning of the Kaiyuan era to the present, he has wielded so much power that no one can be found to perfectly replace him.

If the outer court could demonstrate more obedience and responsibility at this time, the emperor might reassign some of the authority over the North Gate back to the outer court.

"It's always easier said than done! Orders are issued from multiple sources, and difficulties are all at once. The overall situation is still undecided, which is quite different from the previous year."

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, Pei Guangting immediately sighed again.

Currently, there are three prime ministers in the court, each with their own expertise and strengths, and ultimately, none of them are willing to concede to the others. It was only after Pei Guangting concurrently assumed the position of Imperial Censor that he gained a degree of authority to rival the other two.

The prime ministers are still in the process of getting to know each other and have not yet figured out who is in charge and who is in charge. Under such circumstances, trying to take over the North Gate will only make the power struggle more complicated.

This also shows that Pei Guangting is cautious in his actions and tends to be pragmatic and follow a step-by-step approach.

If it were the passionate Yuwen Rong, who had only heard Zhang Dai briefly mention the general outline of the Kaizhong Law before, he would have vigorously promoted the relevant matters. If he then heard that it could turn against the North Gate, he would probably personally lead the attack and accountability against Wang Maozhong tomorrow.

"Your recent actions in Taichung have garnered a very good reputation, and all your deductions have been in accordance with human nature and the law. You should continue to work diligently on other matters to further enhance your reputation!"

After a pause, Pei Guangting said to Zhang Dai, "Inspecting the Southern Province is also an important task. It will greatly benefit your future promotion to a position as a junior official in the Southern Province. Don't let other matters distract you from this matter!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly nodded in agreement. He had just been officially appointed when Pei Guangting assigned him to oversee the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice within the Ministry of Personnel. However, various lawsuits immediately came knocking, leaving him no time to oversee both ministries. Now that most of the pending lawsuits had been resolved, he would naturally resume his oversight duties once his holiday ended.

He had only come to visit on a whim and didn't have much to report, so after chatting for a while, he got up to say goodbye. Pei Zhenli saw him off at the door, and then, under the strange gaze of this guy, he walked across the crossroads and headed towards the third bend.

Just as Zhang Dai was about to head towards Lü He's house in Nanqu, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the north street. Intrigued, he led his guards north to see what was going on.

He walked north for several dozen meters and saw a group of people chasing a tall, thin man on the street. The man, fleeing for his life, saw Zhang Dai approaching and immediately ran straight towards him, waving his hands and shouting, "Sixth Brother, Zhang Sixth Brother! Please, Sixth Brother, save me..."

(End of this chapter)