Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 525 To associate with him, one needs to be cunning.

Wiping the fine sweat from his forehead, Zhang Dai hurriedly followed the female Taoist priest to the outer room of the temple. Upon seeing Prince Xin'an, he strode forward to greet him, saying excitedly, "Your Majesty has finally arrived!"

"I am so grateful to you, Zongzhi, for coming to inform me of this matter. You are truly kind-hearted! I will remember this kindness and wait for the right time."

Seeing the anxiety and excitement on Zhang Dai's face, Prince Xin'an was quite moved. He first spoke in a deep voice, then leaned closer to Zhang Dai and asked in a low voice, "Have you finished reporting to Xianyuan?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded and, walking alongside Prince Xin'an inside, whispered, "After learning of the matter, Consort Xian was very indignant and wanted to find and punish those who had spread rumors and caused trouble. However, Consort Xian remained mindful of the bigger picture and was unwilling to easily interfere in the affairs of the outer court. I was just in the Dao Hall trying to comfort and appease her, but to little avail..."

Upon hearing this, Prince Xin'an nodded, understanding the situation. Princess Yuzhen was filled with resentment, but dared not bear the infamy of Princess Anle and other members of the imperial clan for interfering in court affairs in the past, leaving her with nowhere to vent her anger.

Prince Xin'an naturally had no such concerns, and since Yuwen Rong was also planning to impeach him, he could take advantage of this momentum to launch a fierce counterattack.

As they spoke, the two arrived outside the Taoist temple, where Princess Yuzhen and Princess Yunyang also came out to greet them.

Upon seeing this, Prince Xin'an hurriedly stepped forward, first bowing to Princess Yuzhen, then nodding to the Princess of Yunyang, before saying to the princess, "How could I dare trouble you, Fairy, to personally come to greet me!"

“Cousin, there’s no need for such formality. You are a rare and distinguished guest who doesn’t come here often. It’s just a pity that my place has been crowded and chaotic lately, so I can’t keep you quiet. Please don’t mind.”

Princess Yuzhen's face no longer showed the angry look from before; she had returned to her usual dignified and serene demeanor, and smiled as she bowed to Prince Xin'an.

"How dare I? How dare I! It was I who came uninvited and offended the host..."

Prince Xin'an quickly bowed and said that although he was much older than Princess Yuzhen, he still respected his cousin very much.

Zhang Dai stood aside and watched the two finish their polite greetings before stepping forward and saying, "Actually, I am afraid that my abilities are too limited and I am worried that I cannot relieve Xianyuan's troubles. That is why I have taken the liberty of reporting to King Xin'an, hoping that Your Majesty can come here to comfort Xianyuan."

"You are truly audacious, daring to act on your own! His Majesty has fought for the country and rendered great service. He has finally been able to return home for a short rest and is about to enjoy time with his family. How can you disturb him over such a trivial matter!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Yuzhen immediately looked at Zhang Dai and gave him a light rebuke.

Prince Xin'an quickly spoke again, saying, "Please calm down, Immortal Lady, and allow me to explain. Although Zongzhi is young, he is dignified and cautious in his actions and would not act rashly. Since he has told me about this matter, he must have his reasons. In fact, I am also deeply troubled, and I wonder if you have the time to listen?"

Princess Yuzhen was naturally curious upon hearing this, so she nodded and said, "It's rare that my cousin also thinks highly of this young man. I didn't really mean to blame him; I just consider him one of my students, so I spoke rather casually. This is not the place to discuss matters; please come inside and talk in detail, cousin."

The group then returned to the palace together. Princess Yuzhen sat down with Prince Xin'an and listened to him recount his experiences and situation.

Zhang Dai and the Princess of Yunyang sat below. Since the Taoist temple was vast and several feet apart, it didn't hinder their conversation. The Princess of Yunyang leaned closer to Zhang Dai and whispered, "What exactly happened?"

Except for some special circumstances, Zhang Dai and the Princess of Yunyang County naturally had no secrets between them. He immediately recounted to the princess the various personnel disputes that had been going on recently.

“I was recently resentful that you hadn’t come to see me, but I never expected that you would have suffered so much trouble in such a short time. There are still some things stored at home in Luoyang. If there are any problems with Feiqian’s business, you can take them to tide you over.”

After listening, the county princess whispered to Zhang Dai, "I can't help you with much, but if it's just about money, you don't need to worry about it!"

It feels so good to be kept by a rich woman, especially one who is so young, beautiful, and understanding.

Zhang Dai glanced at the two people talking in the hall, and finally managed to refrain from making any advances towards the county magistrate. He simply took a deep breath of the fragrance emanating from the county magistrate's clothes, hair, and body before replying softly, "A little disturbance is nothing to me. My lady need not worry about it either; they are just creating trouble for themselves."

I've come today to report to Immortal Jade Maiden, precisely to settle this matter. Yuwen Rong is the patron of these disciples; if his power crumbles, the rest of us are nothing but chickens and dogs!

"Is there anything I can do? Sigh, I thought you were afraid of being reprimanded by the Fairy Maiden, so you said a lot of unnecessary things..."

Upon hearing this, the county princess quickly added that she then understood the current situation.

"Of course I will! I want my wife to go home and eat well, rest and recuperate, so that I can be refreshed and full of energy. After I have finished my business, I will come to admire your stunning beauty!" Zhang Dai said with a smile to the county princess. Looking at her rosy and delicate face, he couldn't help but say resentfully, "Those scoundrels are truly annoying, causing so much trouble and preventing me from enjoying your beautiful face for long. If I don't take severe revenge, how can I quell this hatred in my heart!"

Hearing Zhang Dai's sweet words, the Princess of Yunyang's pretty face became even more radiant. However, before she could reply, a loud bang suddenly came from above.

The two quickly looked up and saw Princess Yuzhen slamming her hand on the table again, her face ashen. She seemed to be very angry, which startled Prince Xin'an, who was sitting next to her, to lean slightly to the side.

"Outrageous! I thought only my sisters and I were being harassed, but I never imagined that you, my cousin, would be even more persecuted! Did Yuwen Rong ascend to the position of prime minister to handle state affairs, or was it merely to humiliate our clan?"

After hearing about Prince Xin'an's ordeal, Princess Yuzhen's barely suppressed anger was reignited. She then looked at Prince Xin'an and asked, "Cousin, you have been humiliated like this. How can you swallow this insult? You command a vast army, fearless of powerful enemies, penetrating deep into enemy territory and conquering formidable cities. You are fearless. How can you not dare to resist this disrespectful treatment?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Xin'an sighed deeply and then said in a deep voice, "In the past, when we fought against enemy countries, it was because of the emperor's orders and the principles of righteousness that we were fearless and went forward without hesitation! But now, upon returning to the court, I am repeatedly questioned by the prime ministers, and I do not know whether I am right or wrong. I am also afraid of being ridiculed for being arrogant because of my achievements. Therefore, I can only be cautious and dare not lose my composure."

"Are our relatives guilty? Are our meritorious officials guilty? If this is how things are handled, where is the natural order of family? Where is justice?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Yuzhen said with a face full of indignation, "It is a pity that I am just a woman and cannot speak up for my cousin in the court. However, family members should help each other. If we treat each other coldly, who will help me in the future? Moreover, my cousin and I are in the same predicament. Today I am going to the palace to pay my respects to the Emperor. Would my cousin be willing to come with me?"

"This, this... If the county princess is willing to speak up for justice, how dare I disobey? However, if I request an audience without being summoned, will it disturb His Majesty's hearing?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Xin'an was naturally overjoyed, but also somewhat worried. The reason his family was able to weather the various political upheavals from the reign of Empress Wu Zetian to that of Emperor Zhongzong was precisely because of their cautious conduct.

“It’s alright. Even if my cousin doesn’t request an audience, does the Emperor not care? It’s only right to report the injustices suffered by our relatives to the Emperor now!”

Upon hearing this, Princess Yuzhen waved her hand and said that she and the Emperor had an extremely deep sibling relationship, and she could freely come and go between the palace and the garden. After saying this, she immediately raised her hand to summon her servants and ordered the carriages and ceremonial guards to be prepared for the trip.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Zhang Dai breathed a sigh of relief. The prime ministers had been embroiled in infighting in the court for years, and the appointment of this prime minister had also been fraught with controversy. If this matter were to continue to be debated in the court, it was uncertain how the situation would develop.

Therefore, the best approach is naturally to resolve the issue within a small circle, minimizing the negative impact. More importantly, this approach offers greater assurance, as Yuwen Rong's arrogance isn't entirely without reason. If he is to be dismissed, the question of who will replace him in charge of finances becomes an unavoidable issue.

Seeing that Princess Yuzhen was preparing to enter the palace with Prince Xin'an, he stood up and said, "I have been here for quite some time, but I still have an official document to send to Fairy Jin Xian. Since Fairy Jin Xian is about to leave, I would like to take my leave and visit her another day."

"You don't need to go to my sister's place either, lest you cause her unnecessary worry. Send the official documents to me; in short, my sister and I will not send anyone to respond to this matter!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Yuzhen spoke again in a deep voice, then pointed at Zhang Dai and said, "You should not leave either. You will come with me to the palace to meet the Emperor later! You have always been good at speaking. If I fail to express myself properly later, you must speak on my behalf! If you speak well, you may even be able to get another portrait to hang in the palace!"

Despite her deep affection for the current emperor, Princess Yuzhen was understandably apprehensive about the fact that she was now suing the powerful prime minister. She was also deeply impressed by the scene of Zhang Dai and General Li Zhaodao meeting the emperor together at the Hua'e Tower, and thus planned to bring Zhang Dai with her to the palace to act as her mouthpiece.

Zhang Dai was dumbfounded upon hearing this. He knew that this terrible idea came from his grandfather. Princess Yuzhen might not have thought of it, but the Emperor, that cunning old man, might make some connections after pondering it for a while. Therefore, he really didn't want to go, so he quickly said, "But this humble official still needs to return to the Censorate to report to Physician Pei..."

"Before you came, you still had time to inform Prince Xin'an, but now you can't spare the time?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Yuzhen immediately glared and asked again. Clearly, she understood that Zhang Dai was a troublemaker, and that she had specifically summoned Prince Xin'an to join her in this fight against a common enemy; naturally, she wouldn't let this brat off the hook now.

"Of course not, no..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai chuckled dryly and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Then please allow me to temporarily withdraw and instruct my servants to return and inform them."

"So you really didn't have anything important to report, you cunning brat!"

Upon hearing his words, Princess Yuzhen immediately sneered again, pointed at him forcefully, and then looked at Princess Yunyang, saying, "You've seen this boy's true colors? You'll need to be very cunning when dealing with him!"

Seeing Zhang Dai's humiliation, the county magistrate stopped speaking up and simply covered her mouth with a faint smile.

(End of this chapter)