Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 495 Supreme Benevolence, Brotherly Compassion
At noon, accompanied by solemn and majestic music, the imperial procession returned to Xingqing Palace, accompanied by imperial relatives, the two queens, civil and military officials, and chieftains from various states.

The music officials, including Zhang Dai, who had not yet had time to offer their congratulations, were all led to the palace gate and bowed to welcome the emperor along both sides of the palace road. The emperor sat high on his imperial carriage, looking radiant and content, and headed straight for the Hua'e Tower on the southeast side of Xingqing Palace.

Upon arriving at the Hua'e Tower, the Emperor alighted from his carriage and gestured slightly to Prince Ning and Prince Xue, who were following behind. Upon seeing this, the two hurried forward, and the Emperor then took one of their arms and led them upstairs.

"Supreme benevolence and love, brotherly compassion!"

Upon seeing this, Gao Lishi, who was standing nearby, hurriedly shouted loudly and prostrated himself in worship. Hearing this, everyone else also hurriedly shouted in response.

Repetition has power. Even an absurd lie, after being repeated a thousand times in a brainwashing manner, can gain followers and believers. Later generations were filled with viral marketing tactics that called a deer a horse, using constant repetition and emphasis to subvert people's perception of beauty, ugliness, good, and evil.

For decades, the sage has consistently emphasized brotherly love and respect, and even if it was initially feigned, it has become genuine. And this affection is indeed real; as long as his brothers cease to covet the supreme power and show any similar attempts or intentions, the sage will bestow great favor upon them!
Seeing this scene, many of the senior ministers recalled the chaos and infighting among the imperial clan during the reigns of Emperor Wu and Emperor Zhongzong. Seeing the emperor's close relationship with his brothers, they were all deeply moved: "This is a great virtue, a prosperous age! The supreme ruler is benevolent and loving, and all people support him!"

At this time, a large number of people from the capital had already gathered on the main street of Zhuque Gate outside Xingqing Palace. As the emperor and the two princes ascended the Hua'e Tower together, the crowd on the street couldn't help but shout, prostrating themselves and yelling "Long live the emperor!"

Zhang Dai had already circled around to the outer corridor of the Flower Calyx Tower to arrange for the musicians to take the stage. When he saw that the emperor had made a casual appearance, he instantly ignited the atmosphere. The cheers and hymns rose and fell like waves. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: This is what a true man should be like!

After the sage and the two kings ascended the tower and took their seats, the officials below also ascended the tower in order of rank, paid their respects after entering the hall, and then took their seats.

Among them were foreign officials and chieftains who were visiting the Hua'e Tower for the first time. After taking their seats, they couldn't help but admire the magnificent building.

Although Xingqing Palace is not as grand as the other two major palaces, the Hua'e Tower and Qinzheng Tower are no less impressive than the other palaces. The buildings themselves are tall and magnificent, and their construction style is more exquisite and lively than that of Hanyuan Hall and Taiji Hall. The decorations inside are also magnificent, which perfectly matches the aesthetic taste of the current emperor, who is in his prime and living a peaceful life.

As a dedicated banquet venue, Hua'e Tower also features an ingeniously designed stage. Inside the tower's main hall, there is an exquisitely arranged stage that can accommodate a troupe of dozens of dancers, primarily used for the performances of the seated musicians.

Outside the building, there is a stage spanning between the Hua'e Tower and the palace wall. This stage is larger and semi-open-air, used for larger-scale song and dance performances, as well as more lively programs such as haiku and acrobatics.

The performances on this outdoor stage were not only visible to the nobles and royalty inside the building, but also to the common people on the street outside Xingqing Palace, making it a true celebration shared by all.

The first performance of the dance and music show, "Dragon Pool Music," was held on the outer stage. This time, Zhang Dai did not take the stage to hold the banner; instead, the newly appointed Assistant Musician Song Zhuo was appointed instead.

"Six, Six, may I?"

This was Song Zhuo's first time undertaking such a great task. Looking north, he saw the emperor and a host of princes, nobles, and civil and military officials; looking south, he saw a dense crowd of people from the capital region. Such a grand scene made one's head spin. As he approached his turn, Song Zhuo was so nervous that cold sweat poured down his forehead. He looked at Zhang Dai with a helpless expression and said in a trembling voice.

Zhang Dai patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "During the previous rehearsals, Song Lang was always composed and measured. What's the difference now? If you feel that everyone is staring at you, just think of it as a mountain full of pines and cypresses with no one around."

"But...but if I make a mistake, won't it implicate you, Liu Lang, and all the hard work of Yue Si and his apprentices over the past few days? Otherwise, it's better if...it's better if you, Liu Lang..."

It sounds simple, but Song Zhuo was still a little nervous and even wanted to make a last-minute substitution and have Zhang Dai take over the command.

"Cheer up, don't put all the blame on yourself. When I first entered such a place, I was just as nervous and flustered as you are now, but let me tell you the truth, when all those beautiful women are dancing around, who cares about your behavior?"

Seeing that Song Zhuo was still a little nervous, Zhang Dai decided to tease him without holding back. Everyone was there to watch the beautiful women dance. As long as you, the conductor, don't act crazy or make a fool of yourself, the audience won't bother with you. So why are you nervous?

As expected, Song Zhuo's mood improved considerably upon hearing this. He nodded vigorously to Zhang Dai, and before Zhang Dai could say anything, Lu Xiangxian, the Minister of Ceremonies standing to the north, shouted loudly, "Bring the music!" With this command, Song Zhuo immediately straightened up and led the singers, dancers, and musicians who had been waiting for a long time to march onto the stage. Upon reaching the front of the stage, Song Zhuo led everyone to bow towards the upper floor and said, "Song Zhuo, the Assistant Minister of Ceremonies, leads all the musicians of the Ceremonies to present music here, wishing our sovereign a thousand years of prosperity and eternal enjoyment!"

Inside the hall, the emperor saw Song Zhuo leading the music troupe onto the stage to offer birthday wishes. He smiled and said to Song Jing, who was sitting at the head of the officials, "Is this a worthy grandson of the Duke of Guangping? Someone recommended him to me the other day, and I only then realized that there was such a talented person hidden in the Duke of Guangping's household. Therefore, I have promoted him."

In this respect, the Duke of Guangping is not as open and honest as the Duke of Yan. The Duke of Yan's beloved grandson, Zhang Dai, is already renowned throughout the region and diligently serves the state. The Duke of Guangping needs to urge his sons and younger brothers to follow in his footsteps!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue, who was sitting below Song Jing, was overjoyed. Song Jing, on the other hand, was somewhat embarrassed by the emperor's teasing and could only bow and say, "This man is fortunate to be promoted by the emperor. I will certainly encourage and motivate him to repay the emperor's kindness!"

On either side of the main hall of Hua'e Tower were separate halls, hosted by Consort Wu Hui and the Crown Prince, respectively, for entertaining noblewomen and noblemen from various families. When Song Zhuo and the musicians took the stage, a question arose from the hall of noblewomen: "Why wasn't it Zhang Liulang leading the musicians to the stage?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Wu Hui, seated at the head of the table, chuckled and said, “The young men of the Zhang family are increasingly burdened with duties and have complained to me several times, recommending worthy men to replace them. The official on the table is a son of the Duke of Guangping, Song Kaifu. I recently sent Prince Shou to test him, and he reported back that he was indeed a talented man, so I recommended him.”

Upon hearing this, the women in the hall showed disappointment. Although Song Zhuo was also the grandson of the prime minister and a young man, he lacked the captivating charm of the incomparably handsome Zhang Liulang. Many of them had hoped to catch a glimpse of Zhang Lang's beauty at this grand gathering, and seeing their hopes dashed, they were naturally deeply disappointed.

As for the ladies of the various noble families, they understood a deeper meaning. Consort Wu Hui's words revealed several layers of meaning. First, her eldest nephew, Zhang Dai, was becoming increasingly important and was interacting closely with her, his aunt, communicating and reporting on both official and private matters.

Secondly, Consort Wu Hui's influence on the Emperor was growing stronger. As long as she recommended her to the Emperor for an official position in the outer court, the Emperor would always agree.

Finally, the newly appointed Assistant Musician was actually Song Jing's grandson. Who didn't know that Song Jing was an upright and incorruptible man? It was quite astonishing that he would entrust Consort Hui to help his protégés obtain positions!
Whispers filled the hall, and the way many of the ladies of the court looked at Consort Wu Hui changed dramatically, becoming increasingly respectful and friendly. Regardless of whether Song Jing had secretly aligned himself with Consort Hui, the fact that she could arrange official positions in the outer court was enough to earn their admiration and command even greater respect.

Although this appointment was only for a lowly eighth-rank position, it was precisely because of this that the women of the outer court took it even more seriously.

Their husbands already held high-ranking official positions, so even if they wanted to help them, they wouldn't know where to start. However, they each had children and grandchildren who had already or would soon inherit official positions. If they could secure a good starting point through their efforts, their future paths would undoubtedly be much smoother!

With this in mind, they naturally became even more enthusiastic and attentive when facing Consort Hui.

Sensing such a clear change in the attitudes of these noblewomen, Consort Wu Hui's smile grew even more cheerful.

For a long time, her influence was limited to the inner palace. Although she had now become the de facto mistress of the six palaces, most of the noblewomen in the outer court were not very attentive to her. Some even deliberately distanced themselves from her and were indifferent to her out of fear of the resurgence of the evil influence of the Wu Zhou dynasty.

Seeing that Zhang Dai could break down this barrier of personal connections for her with just the appointment of a lowly official position like Xie Lu Lang, Consort Wu Hui was naturally overjoyed and felt even more that her eldest nephew was truly capable!
Thinking of this, Consort Wu Hui glanced at her daughter in the side seat, and her thoughts became even more eager.

As the music outside suddenly changed, she quickly perked up and pointed to the performers changing scenes outside, saying with a smile, "Please pay close attention to the next piece. The young man in the house is pure and filial, and he is trying his best to perform for his father's birthday. I don't know what kind of trick he will play, so please forgive him if it is not good."

"Prince Shou is dignified, courteous, calm, and filial; he is a blessing to the imperial family. How dare we, his concubines, laugh foolishly!"

Having witnessed the earlier incident, the ladies of the court all chimed in with their opinions upon hearing this. Now that they had seen Consort Hui's influence on the political situation, they naturally wouldn't hesitate to offer such flattering and inexpensive words.

While the Lady's Palace was peaceful and harmonious, the atmosphere in the Princess's Palace, where the Crown Prince was presiding, became somewhat strange as the next song and dance performance was about to begin.

(End of this chapter)