Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 499 Wu Family Relatives
Consort Wu noticed Zhang Dai's somewhat bewildered expression, so she added with a smile, "Sixth Brother, your mother passed away early, and you know very little about your maternal relatives. This gentleman is a son of the former Prince of Kuaiji, so you should address him as your uncle!"

The so-called King of Kuaiji refers to the title bestowed during the Wu Zhou dynasty. King Wu Youwang of Kuaiji was the son of Wu Huaiyun, the younger brother of King Heng'an Wu Youzhi, and also the uncle of Consort Wu Hui. Since the middle-aged man named Wu Wenshen in front of them was the son of Wu Youwang, he was naturally Consort Wu Hui's cousin.

"So it's Uncle Wu. My apologies for my poor eyesight."

Now that they knew their relationship, Zhang Dai's expression became more respectful, and he clasped his hands in greeting to the other party.

Seeing this, Wu Wenshen bowed even deeper, his face beaming with smiles, and said, "Sixth Brother, you flatter me. Although I am old and foolish, I am but a powerless and insignificant man from the mountains. I dare not accept such respect. It is already a great honor to meet you here today. I just had a detailed discussion with Consort Hui about family matters and learned of your youthful talent and how much you have helped me. This makes me feel even more ashamed of my own abilities. I should pay my respects to you and thank you!"

As a tea master of considerable skill, Zhang Dai quickly detected the green tea flavor in the other party's words and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Even if you're powerless and insignificant, is it my fault? With all the awful things your Wu family has done, you're lucky you're still alive. My aunt can warm the Emperor's bed and be my protector, what can you do!

Consort Wu Hui smiled and said, "It's good that my cousin has such insight. Don't look down on the younger generation because of your age. Although Liu Lang is still young, he can be of great benefit to people both in the court and among relatives."

"Brother, you have returned from afar and have no one to rely on in the capital. Your relatives and friends should naturally offer you their assistance. However, I am merely a lady of the inner palace, and my actions are often inconvenient. If I could receive your help, Sixth Brother, establishing myself and building a career would not be difficult."

"I will remember Consort Hui's teachings."

Upon hearing Consort Wu Hui's words, Wu Wenshen quickly bowed in agreement, and then bowed to Zhang Dai, saying, "Please, Sixth Brother, do not despise my old and useless self, and give me some guidance."

Zhang Dai was too lazy to engage in any witty banter with this person. Upon hearing this, he simply said to Consort Wu Hui, "I am merely a junior disciple who has received your kindness and care. But with your permission, Aunt, I will certainly handle the matter properly."

Consort Wu Hui, being relatively naive, didn't notice anything amiss in their conversation. She then invited them to sit down together, hoping to deepen their understanding and connection through dialogue.

During the ensuing conversation, Zhang Dai learned about Wu Wenshen's background. His father, Wu Youwang, was demoted to Lingnan during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong and later died in exile.

Wu Wenshen was originally exiled with his father, but after his father's death, he heard that there were many troubles in the court and was worried that the court would send censors to massacre exiles and eliminate the remnants of the Wu clan, just like Wu Zhou did. So he fled his place of exile and fled westward. He was taken in by the Tuqiang people in western Sichuan, married a Qiang woman, inherited the tribe, and settled in Longnan as a merchant, thus becoming very wealthy.

Previously, when Prince Xin'an conquered Shibao City, he launched a major campaign to eliminate the Tibetan forces in Haidong. Wu Wenshen took this opportunity to bring his tribe to submit and was able to return to the country.

After hearing Wu Wenshen's story, Zhang Dai felt it was somewhat familiar. After a moment's thought, he remembered that Pei Zhouxian, who was then the Prefect of Jingzhao, had a similar experience.

This was also a common experience for some exiled people during the politically turbulent Wu Zhou period. They were often defeated in the political struggles within the country and were ostracized, exiled to remote places, but they were favored and respected by the Hu tribes in the border areas, who not only married their daughters to them, but even entrusted their entire tribes to them.

Perhaps in the eyes of some people in later generations, this behavior is somewhat unbelievable. Those powerful chieftains of the Hu tribes were, after all, local strongmen with many followers. Why should they show such respect to a mere prisoner?
The reason for this question is that people do not understand what kind of existence the Tang Dynasty is in this era.

Perhaps it can be used to describe some regimes and countries in later generations, whose powerful figures were either powerless or unwilling to govern their own regimes well, so they desperately exploited and squeezed, and then tried every means to transfer their children's assets to other places.

While powerful forces such as Tibet and the Turks existed around the Tang Dynasty, there were also numerous small and medium-sized tribes. They were not strong enough to protect themselves, and their survival in the cracks was full of dangers. Therefore, they tried every means to integrate into the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, there were also tribes that joined the Tibetans and Turks, hoping to gain a share of the spoils in their conflicts by acting as their henchmen.

This Wu Wenshen, who managed to escape to the borderlands and lead his tribe back to the country, was indeed a shrewd and capable man. However, through his own account of his background, Zhang Dai could also discern some suspicious points. The route of his tribe's migration was, in essence, the trade route for exporting Shu brocade. The Qiang tribe that Wu Wenshen inherited clearly did not possess the ability to produce Shu brocade, and these local Qiang tribes were not necessarily all wealthy enough to participate in the Silk Road trade. The most likely activity Wu Wenshen engaged in was plundering and pillaging along the trade route to accumulate wealth.

However, what the other party did in the past was none of his concern for the time being, and Zhang Dai was too lazy to pry. But what the other party said next made him secretly wary.

Wu Wenshen handed Zhang Dai a visiting card and said with a smile, "After our clan came to the capital, we acquired a new house in Liquanfang, west of the city. If you happen to visit the neighborhood someday, please come and pay us a visit. I will certainly bring my entire clan to welcome you!"

"My cousin has returned to the capital and settled in the city. It was Lady Pei who told me about this at the banquet yesterday. Today, she sent someone to introduce him to me and also to introduce you, Sixth Brother."

Consort Wu Hui then pointed to her daughter and said with a smile, "This young lady is getting older and is always very curious about the people in the city. Recently, I've been planning to build her a garden outside the city. Sixth Brother's talents are quite similar. Do you see any good vacant land in the city? You can find some to build for her. I know you recently built a new villa and are probably not very relaxed. If there are any difficulties, you don't have to bear them yourself. You can find someone capable to work with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's heart skipped a beat. He noticed his aunt's ambiguous gaze, as if she were preparing a wedding home for him. Even more intriguing was the fact that she seemed to intend for her long-lost cousin to provide the funds.

What made Zhang Dai most wary was that Wu Wenshen was recommended by Pei Guangting's wife, Lady Wu. It seemed that this guy had been in the capital for more than a day and had already been seeking connections everywhere, and all of them were big names. It seemed that he had something in mind and did not just want to settle down in the capital as he claimed.

Zhang Dai knew that Wu Zetian harbored resentment towards him lately because of Li Linfu, and that Li Linfu seemed to intend to use her to sow discord between him and the people in the inner palace. If Wu Wenshen was indeed one of his schemes, then Zhang Dai could understand Wu Wenshen's sarcastic remarks earlier.

This guy is probably envious of his harmonious relationship with Consort Wu Hui, and jealous of all the conveniences he enjoys under her protection. He boasts that he is closer to Consort Wu Hui, so he wants to replace me in her position. He's here to compete for her favor!

However, Consort Wu Hui clearly has no intention of replacing her. In fact, Wu Wenshen is not even qualified to be her alternative. Consort Wu Hui is currently just treating him as a fat sheep to pay for her daughter's wedding house.

Since that's the case, Zhang Dai didn't stand on ceremony any longer and nodded with a smile, saying, "It's only natural for a young lady to have such curiosity. Everything in the garden is wonderful, but it's too detached from worldly affairs and lacks the warmth and human touch of a neighborhood. Staying in the neighborhood for a few days in your spare time would be good for your mind and body."

However, in recent years, Chang'an has seen a large influx of visitors from all directions, and the city's neighborhoods are overcrowded. It may be difficult to find a satisfactory place to live for the time being. Wu's uncle must have spent a considerable sum to move into the city this time, right?

Upon hearing this, Wu Wenshen revealed a reserved smile and said, "Although I have lived in this desolate land for a long time, I have managed to accumulate some savings by supervising my clansmen to work diligently for many years. Although there have been some twists and turns in settling in the city, I have finally settled down properly. Since Consort Hui has entrusted this matter to me, I will naturally do my utmost to ensure that the princess's residence is satisfactory!"

“Where is there no vacant land? I heard that my cousin Zhang has a large tract of vacant land next to his villa. Can’t we take it for our use?”

The eighteenth young lady had probably been thinking about this for a while, and upon hearing their conversation, she immediately spoke up.

Zhang Dai chuckled upon hearing this. He had originally planned to cause Wu Wenshen some trouble, but he hadn't expected his little cousin to have her eye on Li Linfu's territory. However, he was still planning to see Li Linfu scramble to pay off his debts, and didn't want the guy to take advantage of the situation to get out of trouble.

Ideally, Li Linfu should first sell everything he owns to pay off that huge debt, and then Wu Wenshen should use Consort Wu Hui's influence to forcibly buy the place at a low price, while also offending the Wu family behind Li Linfu. That would be perfect!
Wu Wenshen, newly arrived in the capital, was clearly unfamiliar with the intricacies of human relationships there. Upon hearing that the little princess had already chosen a place, he immediately said, "A smile is worse than a fortune. Since the princess has already made her choice, the elders will naturally do their utmost to help her! I will go to the neighborhood to inquire about this matter in the future. Please rest in peace in the garden and await good news!"

He knew he didn't have the backing of a prime minister's family like Zhang Dai, and that Zhang Dai had maintained close ties with Consort Hui for years, a relationship far deeper than his own, a newcomer. To gain Consort Hui's favor, he naturally had to be more proactive and capable than Zhang Dai.

Zhang Dai was speechless at how eagerly this guy was to fall into the trap. However, he could tell that Wu Wenshen did indeed have some wealth, but this guy clearly didn't know that this trap couldn't be filled with a mere ten thousand strings of cash; it would take hundreds of thousands!
Consort Wu Hui was quite satisfied with Wu Wenshen's positive attitude. Upon hearing this, she smiled and nodded, saying, "It is truly touching that my cousin is so warmly concerned about the younger generation. There is no need to rush things. The important thing is to discuss and decide on a plan with Liu Lang. If we can get his approval, I will naturally be satisfied."

She also had her own calculations in mind. Not to mention that Wu Wenshen was just a cousin she hadn't seen in a long time, even her own two brothers were now far less important to Consort Wu Hui than her eldest nephew, Zhang Dai!
(End of this chapter)