Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 521 Officialdom's Snobbery
Zhang said this plan was an unsolvable, overt scheme, since censors had the power to report rumors. The things they reported could be completely fabricated, but the conclusions drawn could serve as a standard for certain matters. In particular, the emotions they stirred up could have a real effect.

It is conceivable that as this memorial is submitted, Yuwen Rong's list of enemies will inevitably be expanded to include two more powerful figures. In particular, these two princesses are the full sisters of the current sage, and they themselves are indifferent to worldly affairs and focused on cultivating Taoism, yet they have been dragged into this dispute, which is simply an undeserved disaster.

If Yuwen Rong can withstand this, then he is the true enchantress of the Tang Dynasty. Even Yang Guifei at her peak could not have made the emperor so infatuated with her!

With Zhang's advice and strategies, Zhang Dai felt much more at ease, at least no longer worried about the attacks from Yuwen Rong's side. And with all the figures coming together to exert their combined strength, Yuwen Rong would inevitably become the target of everyone's attacks, naturally having no energy left to focus on other matters.

Zhang Dai avoided a bank run and was able to calmly handle the funds invested by Yuwen Kuan and others.

Refusing to pay is the most basic operation, and there's no need to talk about justice, fairness, or industry development, because this matter is unlikely to become widely known. Even if it causes some disturbance, it will only be limited to a very small area and will not bring any fatal blow to Feiqian's development.

Because this business is not intended to facilitate the rapid transfer of embezzled funds by corrupt officials, emphasizing security in order to attract this business would only create a fatal hidden danger and make it highly susceptible to political struggles.

Since the topic had come up, and it was rare for the grandfather and grandson to both return home early today, with Wang Han and others also present, Zhang Shuo took the opportunity to inquire about some personnel changes in the current situation, especially the interaction between Pei Guangting and Prince Xin'an.

Although Zhang Shuo still enjoys a high reputation, he is no longer in office and has few opportunities to participate in important affairs of the cardinal authorities. When it comes to understanding the latest developments, he is not as knowledgeable as Zhang Dai.

After all, Zhang Dai has always been very active in the political arena, and recently he has been frequently seen acting as Pei Guangting's lackey, making him a figure at the forefront of the times. Even some current and future developments are being driven by him.

Take today's series of changes, for example. They were directly or indirectly caused by something he deliberately revealed to Madam Wu at Pei Guangting's house yesterday.

Zhang Shuo also learned a general idea of ​​Pei Guangting's plans from Zhang Dai, and at the same time couldn't help but fantasize: "If we can successfully expel Yuwen Rong and his cronies from the court this time, Jiu Ling and others may be able to return to the capital. They could easily be given positions such as Vice Minister of Rites!"

The others couldn't help but show envy when they heard Zhang say that. Even Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh that his grandfather really thought highly of Zhang Jiuling. His father was still stuck in Zhengzhou and hadn't returned yet, and they were already planning Zhang Jiuling's future here.

However, he had to admit that among Zhang Yue's faction, only Zhang Jiuling possessed true leadership qualities. This was especially true given the rather abstract nature of Zhang Yue's other philosophers, which only highlighted Zhang Jiuling's exceptional talent.

Now that Zhang Shuo is getting older and his influence is gradually declining after stepping down from his position of power, if no core figure steps forward to take the lead and continue to unite everyone around him for a long time, then the morale will inevitably become more and more scattered and the team will become more and more difficult to manage.

Zhang Dai was quite willing to take on this responsibility, but he was limited by his age, experience, and official position. No matter how much his grandfather appreciated him, he couldn't let everyone else come to assist him.

And to be honest, he didn't really want all the people in his grandfather's team. He had always wanted to kick out his father, Zhang Jun, and his uncle, Zhang Ji, but that was obviously unrealistic, given their blood ties.

Therefore, building a team centered around himself during his own growth phase is what he should be doing. Currently, his efforts in talent scouting, recruitment, and development are still limited. In the future, in addition to his own growth, he should also pay attention to identifying promising individuals and growing alongside him.

In short, now that his grandfather had taken care of this matter, Zhang Dai no longer needed to worry about it. Having a low status also had its advantages; with a powerful figure above him to protect him, as long as that figure's defenses weren't breached, he didn't need to worry too much about being the first to suffer a blow.

Of course, it also requires the leader to be benevolent and the relationship between them to be strong enough; otherwise, they will inevitably be thrown out to attract fire at any moment.

Li Linfu was in a similar situation to Zhang Dai. With the decisive battle between the two sides imminent, Zhang Dai also had to find a way to completely get rid of this trouble.

In particular, Li Linfu's harassment of Bianzhou Feiqian this time has shown Zhang Dai that this guy is very good at coordinating and utilizing resources. If he hadn't been vigilant enough, he might have really been caught off guard by this guy.

Pei Zhen had previously stated that his father was still furious, and with Zhang Shuo's encouragement, he would need to focus his efforts on wrestling with Yuwen Rong. He probably wouldn't have the mood or energy to coax Wu Shi back.

Wu Zetian was also very temperamental, and her family wouldn't dare to come home unless they bowed their heads and submitted. Moreover, as the next stage of the power struggle intensified, Li Linfu would likely meet and contact Wu Zetian frequently in order to protect himself.

Therefore, this period of time presents a good opportunity to catch the adulterer in the act. Once Pei Guangting finishes his political maneuvering at court, he will naturally have time to deal with this troublesome family matter. Nothing more was said that night, and the next morning, Zhang Dai returned to the Imperial Censorate with Wang Han, ready to watch the spectacle. Although Pei Guangting had given him a few days off to coordinate with various parties, since they were all preparing to take advantage of the situation, he naturally wanted to closely monitor its development.

Upon returning to the Censorate, Wang Han went straight back to the office to prepare his memorial, while Zhang Dai walked back to the Censorate alone. Along the way, he clearly sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat different; his colleagues were giving him strange looks, as if they wanted to say something but hesitated, and even kept their distance from him as much as possible.

Clearly, news that Chancellor Yuwen Rong was going to deal with him had already spread throughout the Censorate, which is why the public was reacting so strangely.

Although history is replete with instances of censors challenging prime ministers and even impeaching them, these examples are rare, which is why they are recorded and widely circulated. Most of the time, censors who attempted to challenge the prime minister, bypassing his rank, met with a pitiful end.

Although no one knew exactly what Zhang Dai had done to offend Yuwen Rong, Yuwen Rong's intention to deal with him was quite clear. Until their superior, Pei Guangting, explicitly stated his intention to protect Zhang Dai, this strange reaction surrounding him would continue for some time.

"Attendant Zhang, last night, Attendant Li Zhou of the palace courtyard..."

The clerk, Zhao Ling, hurriedly came forward, looking worried, wanting to inform Zhang Dai.

Zhang Dai waved his hand to indicate that he already knew, and then said, "Let him be. Do you have any backlogged matters on your desk today? Since you're back at the office, take care of them while you're at it."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling's expression turned grim again.

At the same time, Zhang Yi, a fellow censor, stepped forward and said to Zhang Dai, "Censor Zhang, last night, Censor Li of the Palace Secretariat sent someone to inform you that you are suspected of illegal activities and that it is inappropriate for you to handle any further cases. All matters on your case have been taken into custody and will be handled separately by your colleagues in the Censorate. Do you have any explanation?"

"I see. Then I'll trouble you all. I don't have anything to report, but I'd like to ask Vice Censor Zhang, if I have any more matters on my desk, should I also delegate them to my colleagues?"

Zhang Dai was happy to receive a salary without doing any work, since he had already completed his performance targets for the year and was not under any pressure to meet them. So he looked at Zhang Yi and asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi's face showed a hint of unease, but he quickly replied, "Of course not. We colleagues all know Zhang Shiyu's character. I'm sure he'll be exonerated soon and able to handle the case normally."

"But I am still innocent. I have not seen Li Shiyu's memorial or the official's judgment. Since I joined the office, my colleagues have all avoided me. Zhang Shiyu is the first censor to speak with me."

Zhang Dai smiled and said, but Zhang Yi's face became even more embarrassed upon hearing this. He didn't say anything more, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Dai, and then turned back to his desk.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It seemed that even before the battle had begun, everyone had already assumed that Pei Guangting was no match for Yuwen Rong. Or rather, they didn't believe that Pei Guangting could protect Zhang Dai under the aggressive pressure of Yuwen Rong.

After all, Pei Guangting wasn't good at making a scene, and his resume was far inferior to Yuwen Rong's. Although he responded reasonably well to Wang Maozhong's challenge at the door, he didn't give Wang Maozhong a strong counterattack afterward, which made everyone think less of him.

Pei Guangting's concurrent appointment as Imperial Censor was already quite surprising. Most people felt that after Yuwen Rong's attacks on Prince Xin'an and others, Pei Guangting would likely be dismissed from his concurrent post.

The court might choose another minister to serve as the Grand Censor, or it might simply promote Ban Jingqian to the position of the new Vice Censor-in-Chief, with the other two prime ministers each taking charge of the Censorate.

Since there was nothing for him to do, Zhang Dai simply had Zhao Ling bring out a felt mat and a stove to set up under the outer corridor of the main hall. He then sat in the only sunny spot in the Censorate and brewed tea. It was already autumn, and the weather was quite chilly. The Censorate was naturally gloomy, so drinking some ginger tea was perfect for warding off the cold.

But before he could even boil a pot of tea, another official rushed into the Censorate, shouting, "Zhang Dai, Attendant Censor, Physician Pei has summoned you to the capital!"

(End of this chapter)