Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 500 True Friendship Must Not Be Tolerated by Malice

It was inconvenient for outsiders to stay in the inner palace of the garden for long. After Zhang Dai had been there for about half an hour, he and Wu Wenshen withdrew.

"Sixth Brother's steed is quite magnificent, so he must be a horse lover. I used to raise and trade horses when I was on the border. Sixth Brother, you can come to my house to visit when you have free time. If you see any horses in the stable that you like, you may take them with you."

Upon arriving outside Xingqing Palace, Wu Wenshen approached Zhang Dai and pointed to the horse that Ding Qing and the others had brought, saying with a smile, "However, there are a few of the finest Qinghai steeds in the stable, which I intend to present to Prince Shou and other nobles in the future. If you are pleased, Sixth Prince, I will visit you again at a later time to present them to you."

Although they had only known each other for a short time, Zhang Dai had already discerned that Wu Wenshen was no pushover and was extremely arrogant. Before Zhang Dai had even said a word, the man had already set himself up as a target for ridicule and humiliation.

"Thank you for your kind invitation, Lord Wu. I will certainly pay you a visit in the future. If I do not select and lead a few fine horses, it would seem that I am arrogant and unapproachable, and difficult to get along with!"

Although a little annoyed, Zhang Dai still smiled and said, "Since this guy is showing off his wealth in front of me, I have to satisfy his sense of superiority. Who wouldn't want something for free?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Wenshen's smile became somewhat stiff. Soon after, his servants brought over their horses. Sure enough, the horses were magnificent and tall, with saddles and bridles inlaid with gold and jade. Even the servants were dressed in brocade short-sleeved robes, exuding an air of wealth and power, practically writing "I am a fat sheep" on their faces.

Zhang Dai wasn't particularly impressed by the guy's flaunting of wealth, but he had to admit that the spectacle was indeed eye-catching. After just standing outside Xingqing Palace for a short while, Wu Wenshen and his party had already become quite the focus of attention.

This also shows that this guy is not just a simple fool with lots of money. Judging from his thoughts, he probably first used his image of being a rich and powerful man to gain attention from the times and quickly expand his network of connections. Then, he got close to a powerful backer like Consort Wu Hui. Anyone else who wanted to mess with him would naturally have to think twice.

After going through all the procedures, you'll have connections and powerful backers, and naturally you'll have a place in Chang'an!
"Sixth Brother, farewell. See you another day!"

After attracting enough attention, Wu Wenshen mounted his horse, gave Zhang Dai a slight bow, and then led his entourage of servants westward along the main street of Zhuque Gate.

Zhang Dai was too lazy to think about the matter anymore. Perhaps this guy regarded him as a rival for Consort Wu Hui's favor, but in the end, he was just a local tycoon from a border state who had just arrived in the capital. He was a commoner with no official position and hadn't even sorted out the affairs of the capital before jumping around.

If it weren't for the need to consider the feelings of his aunt, Consort Wu Hui, Zhang Dai would have stripped this guy naked tonight and thrown him out of Chang'an!
This trivial matter wasn't worth letting it bother him, and Zhang Dai quickly put it aside, heading towards the Taichang Temple office. When he returned, his colleagues had already set off, leaving a message for him to meet at the West Market tavern.

Zhang Dai couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. Men's gatherings always involve wine and women. When preparing for the celebration, he had grown tired of the Han people's entertainment, so when they gathered again, they would go to a Hu people's tavern to enjoy the beauty and skills of Hu women.

Chang'an was such a vast city that most people lived and worked within fixed areas. Zhang Dai was no exception; his activities were usually confined to a few major palaces, and he rarely ventured into other neighborhoods except on special days and under special circumstances.

Although he also owns businesses in the West Market, he hasn't been there for a long time. Since this gathering of colleagues has been held there, he might as well go and enjoy the Orchid Girls' charm.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Dai led his entourage away from the capital and headed straight for the West Market.

"Zhang Liu, Zhang Liu! Isn't my steed magnificent?"

After passing Yanshoufang, the West Market was already in sight. Suddenly, Zhang Dai heard someone shouting from the side. He turned around and looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Li Xia riding a tall, blue horse toward him. He reined in his horse by the roadside and waited for him to come closer before asking with a smile, "Where did you get this fine horse?"

Horses, as a relatively high-end means of transportation, are just as stylish as sports cars in later generations. A fine horse is not only expensive, but it is also often unavailable and impossible to buy.

After all, there were many playboys in Chang'an, and their desire to show off was very strong. If a famous horse entered the market, it would be quickly bought by someone. Most famous horses would never enter the market at all. They would be bought by horse dealers the moment their owners decided to sell them, and then sent to the homes of wealthy playboys.

Zhang Dai was wealthy and a passionate collector of fine horses. He was an extremely prestigious client among the horse dealers in the capital, and thus, seven or eight out of ten famous horses for sale in the city would pass through his sights. Whether he would buy or not was another matter; only after these people had inspected the horses could the price be determined.

The steed Li Xia rode was indeed exceptionally fine, even surpassing most of the horses in Zhang Dai's stables. That's why he was so happy to show it off to Zhang Dai, who had never seen one before and was quite curious.

"Haha, this is of course a famous horse, a genuine, purebred Qinghai steed! Guess where I got it?"

Li Xia proudly showed off to Zhang Dai. He had been envious of Zhang Dai's stable full of fine horses, but his own financial resources were limited. Even if he could afford to buy them, he couldn't afford to keep them. Now that he had finally acquired a stunning steed, he naturally had to show it off.

Upon hearing this term, Zhang Dai's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately asked, "Was it given to you by Wu Wenshen?"

"How...how did you know? How did you guess? I didn't even know!" Li Xia's eyes widened in surprise when he heard Zhang Dai reveal the origin of the horse so easily.

His father, Li Yi, was a general on the frontier, but he disliked the trend of wealthy young men in the capital keeping fine horses. He bluntly stated that these people did not ride into battle or fight on the battlefield, and keeping fine horses not only wasted money but also their strength.

Therefore, even with such convenience, the Li brothers dared not keep fine horses at home, only raising ordinary horses for transportation. Even after receiving this gift, Li Xia only dared to hide the horse in the outer room. Today, on the first time he rode it out, Zhang Dai revealed its origin, which naturally surprised him greatly.

Zhang Dai had just been boasted about by Wu Wenshen, and now he saw the gift the man had given him. Recalling what Wu Wenshen had said, it seemed that in his mind, Li Xia was a noble person on par with Prince Shou, someone he needed to befriend.

This is understandable, given that Prince Xin'an has achieved great merit and is currently very popular. A few days ago, when he entered the court, the Emperor even ordered his eldest son, Prince Qing, to personally greet him. Moreover, Prince Xin'an is in charge of military affairs on the border and has brought Wu Wenshen back to the country. Wu Wenshen's situation is entirely up to Prince Xin'an, so naturally, the Emperor would rush to curry favor with him.

"How should I know? The former horse owner was just bragging about it to me!"

Zhang Dai smiled and briefly recounted how he met Wu Wenshen at Consort Hui's place. He didn't say much else, only mentioning that Wu Wenshen and he didn't get along very well.

"Why are you making an enemy of Wu Wenshen? Listen to me, he's shrewd, quick-witted, perceptive, and has a generous and open-minded personality. He's definitely worth befriending."

Upon hearing this, Li Xia frowned. He had initially had a good impression of Zhang Dai because of the generous gift he received, but now, hearing Zhang Dai's words, he immediately became conflicted: "Is there some misunderstanding between us? Should I mediate between you two? I was just thinking that you always say you want to sell tea to the border, and you were even planning to introduce him to you to help supplement our business. The first batch of tea from Shannan has already been delivered to the manor!"

Hearing Li Xia's words, Zhang Dai couldn't help but admire Wu Wenshen's shrewdness; he had managed to flatter the Prince of Xin'an and his son quite well, leaving them with a favorable impression. It seemed he needed to be more careful; he couldn't let that old rascal steal his man away.

“I have no intention of making enemies with him. He probably feels that he is closer to Consort Hui than to me, so he wants to exclude me and rely solely on Consort Hui’s favor. Otherwise, why would he be friendly to everyone else but be hostile to me?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai sighed again, realizing there was no need to hide anything from Li Xia.

"He's courting death! True friendship is as precious as gold; how could we allow him to sabotage us!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xia immediately glared and shouted angrily, then added, "I was invited to his home as a guest, but I never expected this man to harbor such wicked intentions. I will never set foot in his house again, and I will also prevent my other relatives and friends from associating with him!"

"This is just a dispute between him and me, what business is it of yours? Besides, you accepted his gift, why did you turn against him so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and was quite pleased with Li Xia's attitude.

"Is a mere beast worth selling myself for? I'll lead it back right now!"

Li Xia spoke angrily again, and his fine horse, which seemed to understand human nature, sensed its master's agitation and lowered its head to rub against Li Xia's leg. The horse then looked reluctant and pitifully at Zhang Dai, saying, "I absolutely refuse to abandon my friend and associate with this kind of person! But, after this horse is sent back, you will replace it with an equally magnificent one, right?"

"No delivery!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai rolled his eyes in annoyance and then waved his hand at him, saying, "You're not one of my concubines, so who cares about who you associate with! It's fine if you go to his house as a guest, but you can also help me see which families he associates with in the capital and what matters he discusses and plans."

"I will, don't worry! I'll find out everything about who he associates with and report back to you."

Having finally found a solution that would allow them to keep the horse without betraying their friend, Li Xia was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. He then said to Zhang Dai, "I was just saying this morning that I would invite you to my home when you have some free time in the near future to discuss some current affairs with you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded. In the future, the military forces related to Hexi, Shuofang, and the two northeastern tribes would be of great importance to the nation, and he would like to discuss these issues with Prince Xin'an again.

(End of this chapter)