Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 487 A confidant is hard to find
Since he didn't need to get involved in the specific work of the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Dai's inspection was quick. After finishing the review of the documents and files, he also took a stroll through the various departments under the Ministry of Justice.

Seeing that it was almost noon, he ended his inspection for the day, made an appointment with the relevant personnel to deliver the documents that needed to be inspected to his cell at a similar time the next day, and then prepared to leave.

"A meal has been prepared in the hall. Would you like to stay for the meal, Imperial Censor Zhang?"

Seeing that Zhang Dai was about to leave, the official asked again.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately recalled the prison cell where he couldn't even stretch out his arms after sitting down, and shook his head repeatedly. If he were to stay for a meal, who knew what kind of monstrosity the Ministry of Justice would offer him?

The food at the Censorate was renowned throughout the entire capital city, so they couldn't stay and continue to suffer mistreatment from the Ministry of Justice!
After finishing his meal at the Imperial Censorate's kitchen, he took the opportunity to organize his investigation report on the Ministry of Justice, and then headed to the Ministry of Revenue.

In the afternoon, the Ministry of Revenue was no longer as crowded and bustling as it had been in the morning. However, Zhang Dai's arrival was ill-timed. The chief official had gone to the Secretariat to report on matters, and the Ministry of Revenue did not entertain him. He was simply led to a side corridor and then left unattended.

Having experienced what happened at the Ministry of Justice that morning, Zhang Dai knew that no matter what the people in the Ministry of Personnel looked like on the surface, they were still quite resistant to accepting the supervision and investigation of the Censorate. In addition, he didn't get along well with some people in the Ministry of Revenue.

When he entered the Ministry of Revenue just now, he saw Wei Heng whispering with the clerks in the corridor, giving instructions. He was not surprised to be ignored like this.

Fortunately, Zhang Dai was not neglected for long. He sat in the side corridor for about a quarter of an hour before seeing the newly appointed Vice Minister of Revenue, Pei Yaoqing, walk in from outside.

Pei Yaoqing did not notice Zhang Dai waiting in the side corridor. He went straight into the hall. When he heard the clerk report that Zhang Dai had come to investigate, his eyes lit up. He strode out of the hall, stood in the corridor and looked around. He then saw Zhang Dai coming from the side and waved to him repeatedly. His joy was evident on his face.

"After arriving in the capital, I was busy with official duties and planned to visit Lord Yan's residence when I had some free time, and also to ask to see Vice Minister Zhang. I didn't expect Vice Minister Zhang to come to see me today!"

When Zhang Dai approached, Pei Yaoqing stepped forward, took his hand, and led him into the hall. As they walked, he said with a smile, "I have long heard of your deeds and profound insights, and I have long wanted to get to know you, this young talent!"

When I traveled to the capital from Luoyang a few days ago, I visited the descendant of that righteous man Zhou. He told me that all his father's plans were seized by Attendant Censor Zhang. Now that I am here, I want to inquire about his past statements in detail. I hope you will not find it troublesome!

Pei Yaoqing served as the prefect of Jizhou during the Fengshan era. Because of his knowledge of the proper conduct, he should have been summoned to the capital. However, in the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, natural disasters and man-made calamities followed one after another, and the personnel in the court were in turmoil. Pei Yaoqing was then appointed as the prefect of Xuanzhou and went to Jiangnan to take up his post, and was responsible for transporting the grain and other supplies from Jiangnan to Jizhou in the north.

It wasn't until Yuwen Rong became prime minister and recommended Pei Yaoqing to succeed him as vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue that Pei Yaoqing was able to return to the court. The appointment was issued in May and then sent to Jiangnan. It wasn't until the end of June that Pei Yaoqing was able to return to the court and officially assume the post of vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Pei Yaoqing's enthusiasm for Zhang Dai stemmed from Zhang Dai's proposal to reform the grain transport system, submitted in a letter to him the previous year.

Zhang Dai presented this plan under the name of Zhou Liang. When Pei Yaoqing passed through Luoyang, he couldn't help but visit Zhou Liang's son, Zhou Lang, but he didn't get any useful information from him. After arriving in the capital, he was busy with his duties and didn't have time to visit Zhang Dai. When he met Zhang Dai in the government office, he was naturally quite excited.

Zhang Dai was delighted to meet Pei Yaoqing, a renowned minister who had managed the Grand Canal. However, Pei Yaoqing's enthusiastic attitude made him feel ashamed, since his previous advice had borrowed from Pei Yaoqing's various ideas in history, which was tantamount to stealing his fame.

Therefore, when faced with Pei Yaoqing's warm hospitality, Zhang Dai maintained a very respectful attitude, bowing deeply to Pei Yaoqing and saying, "The plan I presented back then may have been good, but it was not without its flaws of being impractical and lacking in detail. Vice Minister Pei has long been involved in the grain transport affairs and is well-versed in the situation of grain transport in Jiangnan. I am sure you have even more grand plans. I should humbly accept your guidance. I really dare not boast of my wisdom in front of you!"

"Although I have served as an advisor for a long time, I have only been engaged in routine affairs and have not been able to oversee any grand plans. None of my schemes have deviated from the old plans proposed by Attendant Zhang. It is a pity that the righteous man Zhou has already died in service to the king. Now I can only seek advice from Attendant Zhang again, hoping to gain some inspiration."

After Pei Yaoqing and Zhang Dai were seated in the hall, Pei Yaoqing took out a scroll from his side, unfurled it, and said to Zhang Dai, "I have copied the entire plan for the Grand Canal, and it also includes information on the various canals, granaries, and other facilities in different regions. Now I will briefly discuss the matter with you, Zhang Shiyu..."

Zhang Dai was by no means the first to realize the drawbacks of the Tang Dynasty's canal transport system; contemporary officials had already given it considerable thought. Ideas such as tiered transportation and the establishment of numerous granaries had been tried by wise ministers of previous generations, and Pei Yaoqing, after becoming prime minister, systematically summarized and promoted them.

Following the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty declined, with key financial regions like Hebei and Henan suffering severe damage. The grain and other supplies transported from the Jiangnan region became the lifeblood of the Tang regime. Although capable financial officials like Liu Yan emerged, the most fundamental channels for fiscal revenue distribution were established by Pei Yaoqing. While Pei Yaoqing may not have been the most famous among the prime ministers of the Kaiyuan era, his work during his tenure had a profound impact on the Tang Empire.

After Zhang Dai came into this world, he also came into contact with many famous officials of the time. While these people were also scheming and vying for power, they also had the ability to stand in the context of the times, think deeply about the problems of the time, and devise good strategies.

Even Li Linfu, whom he repeatedly clashed with, had many strategies and plans to address the ills of the time, but Zhang Dai stole them without Li Linfu's knowledge.

When Pei Yaoqing spoke about matters related to the Grand Canal, his eyes shone brightly. Although Zhang Dai had already made a general summary of the Grand Canal, Pei Yaoqing did not stop thinking and instead made more comprehensive and specific considerations within that framework.

"The Jiangnan region is damp and prone to spoilage, making it difficult to store goods for long; Hebei is also burdened with affairs, and should be given more consideration. The reason for the long-term stability of the dynasty lies in following the Way of Heaven. The Way of Heaven is to reduce the surplus and supplement the deficiency, and the way of reducing and supplementing lies in the Grand Canal. When muscles and bones are strained, strength diminishes; when essence and blood are stagnant, life is short..."

Although Pei Yaoqing has not yet taken charge of the central government, he has been working in various localities for many years and has a deep understanding of the local conditions and customs. He also realizes that the central government's coordination capabilities are needed to enable various regions to complement each other.

Since the manpower in Jiangnan is difficult to organize and utilize, the burden of heavy labor in Hebei and Guanzhong should be compensated by supplying resources. The Tang Dynasty aimed to encompass the entire realm; if different regions could not complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, or even artificially create divisions, it would be tantamount to self-harm.

Pei Yaoqing pulled Zhang Dai aside and talked at length, expressing his various ideas for reforming the canal transport system, while Zhang Dai occasionally supplemented his ideas by quoting some later perspectives.

These experiences, summarized from history, often embody the wisdom of the times. Even just one or two viewpoints are enough to dispel the doubts that have been accumulating in Pei Yaoqing's mind for a long time.

One had extensive frontline experience, while the other possessed highly summarized viewpoints. When they combined, a wonderful chemical reaction occurred. The more they talked, the happier they became, to the point that Pei Yaoqing put aside all other case matters. Several times, his subordinates entered the hall to report, but he impatiently waved them away, and then continued his discussion with Zhang Dai.

"In the past, I was hailed as a child prodigy, but now I have lived half my life in a slump. I believe I have gained something from all my experiences, but they are disorganized and I don't know how to summarize them. Liu Lang is my confidant. He opened his heart and explained everything to me, which cleared up all my doubts and opened my mind. I regret that I met him too late!"

Unbeknownst to them, Pei Yaoqing had already come down from the hall and sat down opposite Zhang Dai. When they got excited, he couldn't help but hold Zhang Dai's hand and sigh repeatedly.

Although Zhang Dai was not as engrossed in the conversation as Pei Yaoqing, he still gained a great deal by summarizing suitable viewpoints in his mind through Pei Yaoqing's narration of current events.

His main activities were between the two capitals. Even when he traveled to Henan and Hebei, it was only a brief and superficial visit. Naturally, his understanding of the prefectures and counties was not as profound and detailed as Pei Yaoqing's.

This truly illustrates the saying, "I have pondered all day long, but it is not as good as a moment of learning." Human wisdom and experience are ultimately limited. Learning the essence of knowledge from others is infinitely more convenient than self-exploration.

"I am still young and may have wild ideas, but listening to Vice Minister Pei's wisdom over the past half-life is like a sudden awakening. I am fortunate to have gained this much. Although I have not fully grasped it, I will not have wasted the rest of my life!"

Zhang Dai couldn't help but bow repeatedly to express his sincere gratitude to Pei Yaoqing.

The two talked as if no one else was around, which greatly surprised everyone else in the Ministry of Revenue, who wondered why they got along so well.

As for Wei Heng, who harbored deep resentment towards Zhang Dai, he was even more jealous upon seeing this scene. Pei Yaoqing was clearly recommended by his cousin Yuwen Rong, so why did he show such favor and appreciation to Zhang Dai? Could it be that he harbored ulterior motives and was preparing to defect to another side?

Seeing that the two had been talking for a long time without any sign of stopping, he simply went straight to the Secretariat and told Yuwen Rong everything that had happened: "Vice Minister Pei was able to return to the court thanks to your help, Prime Minister. Now that you want to use his help to realize your ambitions, can you still trust him if he is actually two-faced?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong frowned slightly. Recalling the recent reports of Zhang Shuo's close interaction with Duke Deng, Zhang Wei, he said in a deep voice, "Take my letter back to the Ministry of Revenue and invite these two men to come home for a chat!"

(End of this chapter)