Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 530 Accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger

Princess Yuzhen was already feeling emotional, and seeing how concerned the Emperor was about her safety made her even more unable to control herself, and her expression became sorrowful.

"I am but a woman of meager fortune, how could I possibly deserve such care and favor from Your Majesty!"

She said in a sorrowful tone, "I don't know where my soul went in the afterlife. In this life, I am fortunate to be born into the heavenly family. I should have lived a carefree and wealthy life, but I unexpectedly suffered from hardship in my childhood. My father was imprisoned and my mother died. I was always worried about my future. Fortunately, my brother, the emperor, has blessed my family and allowed us to enjoy the glory of the world again."

My nature is hardly extraordinary; I merely revere Heaven and fear fate. Knowing I am not a person of great fortune, I have renounced worldly desires and devoted myself to Taoism, accumulating blessings for my ancestors and praying for the longevity of my relatives and friends. I thought that in doing so I would be harmless to the world, but I never imagined that I would still be unacceptable to it…

At this point, Princess Yuzhen was already in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. She was in the prime of her life, and her Taoist robes made her look beautiful and charming. Now, with her choked sobs and tears streaming down her face, even Zhang Dai, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for her when he glanced at her sideways.

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. Princess Yuzhen had said she was worried that he would not express himself well when they were in her Taoist temple. Now it seemed that she was being too modest.

Her words, reminiscing about her past and reflecting on her life, immediately elevated the conversation to a very high level. Tonight, unless the request was too arrogant or outrageous, even the sage would probably be unable to resist refusing it.

As expected, after listening to Princess Yuzhen's tearful plea, the Emperor himself became somewhat saddened and agitated. He immediately turned his gaze to the two maids who had accompanied him into the palace and angrily shouted, "How have you servants served your master? How could you allow anyone to harm my sister and cause her such grief!"

Upon seeing this, the two maids immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, naturally unable to offer any explanation. Princess Yuzhen was now choked with sobs and unable to speak, and it was clearly inappropriate for Prince Xin'an to continue the conversation.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Dai immediately spoke up again: "Your Majesty, the reason why the fairy is like this is because I was ordered to deliver an official document to the Taoist temple today..."

"It's you? How dare you disturb my imperial sister? You brat, you've become arrogant and audacious!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's face darkened immediately. He pointed at Zhang Dai and angrily rebuked him, then quickly turned to Gao Lishi and said, "Whatever his disturbance, bring him out for a beating! If my sister is still heartbroken, punish her even more severely..."

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. This has nothing to do with Zhang Dai... It is I, I myself, who feel distressed that I am not accepted by others."

Princess Yuzhen had not expected the Emperor to be so enraged and to take his anger out on Zhang Dai. Forgetting all about her sobbing, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed the Emperor's arm, and pleaded with him.

She certainly didn't want to implicate Zhang Dai, and more importantly, if the Emperor vented his anger on Zhang Dai, it was hard to say what kind of punishment he would give Yuwen Rong next.

After all, people's emotions cannot remain high forever. Whether it is joy or sorrow, after venting, they will always enter a period of calm and tranquility, which is naturally very detrimental to their purpose of entering the palace tonight.

Gao Lishi and Prince Xin'an, both shrewd men in the hall, saw this and spoke up to persuade the emperor to calm down and plead for Zhang Dai.

Hearing everyone say this, the Sage snorted coldly again, no longer demanding punishment for Zhang Dai. Instead, he pointed at him and demanded, "What exactly has disturbed the Immortal Maiden to this state? Tell me quickly! After I know the details, I will then investigate the extent of your crime!"

Although he was not actually punished, and Zhang Dai understood that the sage's anger was partly an act, he was still quite displeased.

The saying "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger" is truly no exaggeration. Frankly speaking, the emperor's power is limitless; he can act entirely according to his instincts and desires without bearing any responsibility, making him no different from a beast. Whether getting too close to him is a blessing or a curse truly depends on fate.

Despite his inner complaints, Zhang Dai didn't dare to be negligent and immediately recounted the relevant events.

After learning the whole story, the Sage was furious and immediately shouted, "Who exactly made this heretical claim? Has the Censorate investigated? If so, immediately send the relevant people to the Dali Temple for a thorough interrogation to find out if they were instructed by someone! If not, how dare you, the Censorate's disciples, disturb the Immortal Maiden with such unfounded rumors!"

My imperial sister is extraordinary and refined, her Daoist nature pure and genuine. Even when I miss her, I send envoys several times to inquire about her feelings, lest worldly distractions disturb her serene cultivation. How dare Pei Guangting so disregard the laws of the Pure Void Dao and arbitrarily send people to disturb her!

The others in the hall were quite surprised to hear the emperor directly target the Censorate and Pei Guangting, and they all frowned, not daring to speak easily. Even Princess Yuzhen's sobs subsided a bit, her eyes darting around as she pondered how to steer the conversation back onto the intended path.

Seeing the sage's reaction, Zhang Dai couldn't help but secretly admire his talent. His mind worked well enough to understand the situation; almost instantly, he instinctively grasped the crux of the problem and positioned himself in a position of maximum freedom.

If he had retained even a fraction of that level of sharpness in his later years, the world wouldn't have fallen into such a state of chaos. Despite various interpretations from later generations, there is no doubt that this emperor, who once led the Tang Dynasty to its peak and then quickly plummeted to its lowest point, was utterly wicked!
Zhang Dai inwardly criticized this, but seeing that the others remained silent, he could only speak up: "We, your subjects, are entrusted with this task, receiving the emperor's bounty and enjoying the country's favor. Our thoughts and plans are solely focused on loyalty to the emperor and repaying this grace. If this ambition is not fulfilled, everything else is secondary."

Although the matter reported by Imperial Censor Wang Han was based on hearsay and the source of the information was not thoroughly investigated, the matters he discussed were already shocking. We dared not fail to report it to the emperor, which was the original intention of the court in establishing this agency.

As for the fact that Lady Yuzhen was alarmed and distressed by this, it was truly inappropriate that no one, from Doctor Pei down to me, had offered any advice. I deserve to be punished for this oversight, and I humbly await Your Majesty's judgment, daring not to complain of being wronged!

Princess Yuzhen's hasty expression of her grief was actually a bit too much.

Although this touched the emperor, it also made him secretly wary. He must have suspected what his sister's intentions were in bringing a great general like the Prince of Xin'an to visit the forbidden garden at night. Therefore, he first pretended to be furious and took his anger out on Zhang Dai.

Then, this guy seized control of the entire night's events, taking the initiative into his own hands, which was also very shrewd.

But this approach is clearly unfair to the Censorate. No matter what the emperor's motives are, why target honest people so aggressively? What has our Censorate done wrong?

It's simply about putting the emperor first, being loyal to the army and serving the country without any distractions! If you still think we're guilty after all that, then we'll accept it. Anyway, you're the emperor, so you're in the right. We'll just have to put up with it. What else can we do?
After listening to Zhang Dai's reply, the emperor's irritability subsided and turned into a serious expression. He did not continue to reprimand the Censorate, but instead frowned and pondered.

Seeing that the Emperor's mood had calmed down, Gao Lishi quickly added, "Although Zhang Dai said that loyalty to the Emperor is paramount and there is no time to consider anything else, this is actually somewhat inaccurate. The Emperor is the ruler of the world and the supreme being. As long as you keep loyalty to the Emperor in your heart, you need not worry about anything else, and everything will naturally go smoothly!"

Although the Ninth Princess has been troubled this time, in the long run, it is actually a case of treating a minor ailment. I dare to offer my opinion, but the rumors and discussions surrounding this matter are nothing more than the story of King Jungjong.

The reason why Xianyuan was so grief-stricken was probably precisely because of this: Xianyuan revered Heaven and feared fate, cultivated her character and temperament, yet she was still compared to the vile and despicable Wei, and what kind of world did she compare this to?

"How dare you, you scoundrel!"

Upon hearing this, the sage's expression immediately turned furious again, and his eyes glared angrily at Gao Lishi, who had made the suggestion.

Having served the Emperor for a long time, Gao Lishi naturally knew what kind of words would elicit what kind of reaction from the Emperor. However, he also bore a significant responsibility tonight. Seeing that Zhang Dai had finally managed to defuse the Emperor's accusations against the Censorate, he naturally had to decisively continue his attack and not let the atmosphere cool down.

Seeing that the emperor was angered again, Gao Lishi immediately knelt down and said, "Your subject dares to..."

At this moment, Princess Yuzhen also found her rhythm, and said with a resentful look, "What I grieve is just as General Gao said. I will not go into details about his usual behavior, but what I cannot understand is why he has been grouped with his cousins ​​and become a disgraceful person who is detrimental to the world and the country?"
Today, I entered the palace to pay my respects, and I also wish to request Your Majesty to order the officials of the Censorate to investigate and review all my words and deeds. If I have violated any of these rules, then I shall not be sent to another prefecture, but rather either become a commoner or be executed.

"What nonsense! Don't say such things again, I don't want to hear them."

The Emperor waved his hand to interrupt Princess Yuzhen's narration, his brows furrowed with barely concealed anxiety. His gaze swept across the hall for a moment before settling on Prince Xin'an. He then asked directly, "Your Majesty, did you go to the inner garden with your sister tonight because of this matter, or is there something else you wish to report?"

Although Prince Xin'an was still somewhat unsure of the Emperor's thoughts, there was no turning back now. Therefore, he immediately bowed and said, "This night, I have shared the same feelings as the celestial maiden and have also expressed my concerns to Your Majesty."

"Throughout my life, I have served in various positions, moving between prefectures and counties, and advancing and retreating to border regions. I have little understanding of the inner workings of government and lack a grasp of the big picture. I do not know where I have gone wrong to offend the Prime Minister, and have been repeatedly criticized by the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Yuwen Rong. I do not know how to explain myself or respond. Therefore, I humbly request permission to submit this memorial to Your Majesty and respectfully receive Your Majesty's instruction."

When Zhang Dai heard Prince Xin'an clearly state the purpose of his trip, he couldn't help but silently applaud him. Teaming up with someone like him was truly the most effective. Unlike the others, who seemed to have said a lot, but all of it was just rambling and didn't get to the point.

(End of this chapter)