Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 69: The food and clothing of millions of laborers

The construction of Luoyang City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties adopted the concept of harmony between man and nature. The entire city was in line with the celestial phenomena and was divided into three parts: Taiwei, Ziwei and Tianshi. The Luo River running through the city was the Milky Way.

This night the moon is almost full and the sky is filled with stars. It is another clear early summer night. The stars in the sky are reflected in the Luo River, sparkling like the Milky Way.

The Weiwang Pond on the south bank of the Luo River has a flat and wide surface, and the surrounding viewing pavilions are dotted with lights, making the lake look as quiet and peaceful as a jade plate.

In the Qiwangshan Pavilion on the east side of Weiwang Pond, tiny sparks appeared one after another, shining brightly against each other, as if the stars in the sky had descended one after another. On this moonlit night, the interweaving of many lights created a dreamlike beauty.

Hundreds of Taoist priests in robes, holding magical instruments in their hands and with solemn expressions, walked through the stars on the ground, chanting lyrics of fasting, offering sacrifices and praying for blessings. They changed their formations to respond to the celestial phenomena as the great master Sima Chengzhen, who was dressed in feathered clothes and crane cloak, danced with his sword in the Yu step on the altar.

Zhang Dai, who was in the attic, could not see this magnificent scene of heaven and man with his own eyes. He just sat in the star position where the talismans were drawn and the magic tools were displayed as instructed.

The young lady Princess Yunyang was kneeling outside the magic circle with a sad face. When the prayers of the Taoist priests outside came in, she also raised her hands to the sky, bowed deeply to the ground with a pious face, and chanted in response.

The girl's singing voice is a little hoarse and not very clear and pleasant, but precisely because of this, it has a more gripping and infectious power.

Zhang Dai sat motionless in this star position, and after seeing this scene, he was deeply moved. He knew in his heart that this kind of fasting and offering ceremony was unscientific and would ultimately be in vain.

But life is full of frustrations that cannot be solved by science alone. Every hospital intensive care unit in later generations is crowded with anxious family members. They have no idea what their family members are doing inside the intensive care unit or what kind of treatment they are receiving. They simply pour money into the unit, treating it as fuel for the life-saving machine, regardless of success or failure. Ultimately, whether their family members can be saved is not something they can decide.

This world is not fair. Some people are born as princes and nobles, while others are born as common people. Only disease and death can swallow up people who are soaked in different amniotic fluids equally.

Zhang Dai was so absorbed in his thoughts that he lost track of time. When he was pulled back to reality, he saw the young woman weeping and prostrating herself on the ground, her whole being shrouded in an overwhelming sorrow. "I pray to Heaven, if my father must not live, can he die peacefully, without suffering..."

Due to the constraints of rituals, Zhang Dai could only stay on that star position and could not move or speak at will.

He just watched the girl weeping and praying there, watched a helpless person trying in vain to alleviate the pain of her loved ones, and his heart trembled a little at the inappropriate time because of that beautiful and sad face.

The ceremony lasted a long time, from the time the lights first came on until midnight. The girl across from him had wept until she had lost all strength and collapsed to the ground, only to let out a few almost obsessive sobs. Zhang Dai, sitting in his star position, felt his legs numb and he had almost lost all feeling below his waist.

Accompanied by the clear sound of jade chimes, several Taoists ascended the attic, walked around Zhang Dai several times, raised the jade chimes above his head and struck them several times. Then one of the Taoists shouted, "The ceremony is complete. Please ask the star officials to grant the talisman!"

Another Taoist priest came forward and placed a jade plate on Zhang Dai's forehead, chanting something. When the jade plate was removed, Zhang Dai saw talismans written in cinnabar on it. He didn't know whether it was originally there or whether it was really engraved on his body by the power of a star official. In short, a process of communication between heaven and man was completed.

"Come quickly, come quickly! Help the real person up, quickly, quickly!"

After the Taoists finished the ceremony, they hurried downstairs to shout. Several maids hurried up and helped the county lady, who had cried herself to exhaustion, down the stairs.

At the same time, two Taoist priests came forward to support Zhang Dai and helped him down the stairs. They also reminded him, "This attic star position still needs to be kept for a few days. During this time, you are not allowed to come in or out at will. After the work is done, the Taoist priests will come in to clean up. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Dai waved his hand to indicate that it was okay. He was tired and hungry at the moment and didn't want to talk anymore. He just wanted to eat and sleep quickly.

The west tower was still guarded by soldiers from Prince Qi's mansion, but the rest of the house was free to roam. A Taoist priest stayed behind and solemnly instructed Zhang Yi to forbid killing and other taboos in the house. Zhang Yi listened carefully and nodded repeatedly.

"Are you hungry, Alang? There are soup noodles in the stove, you can eat them anytime."

Aying took her husband from the Taoist priests and asked in a considerate voice.

Zhang Dai nodded weakly, then walked into the main hall and sat down. Yingniang brought him food. He ate two large bowls of soup noodles, and only then did his hunger ease. Then, fatigue set in. He forced himself into the bedroom he had cleaned up in the east attic, climbed onto his bed, and fell asleep. Perhaps influenced by the ritual, all sorts of bizarre dreams continued to surface in Zhang Dai's mind that night. He slept soundly until noon, waking only then.

When he got up, dressed, and walked out of his bedroom, he saw the guards from Prince Qi's mansion still stationed around the west attic. In the main hall, a vast expanse of colorful brocades was piled high. Ding Cang and Zhang Yi both hurried forward and reported, "Ah Lang, this morning Prince Qi's mansion sent two hundred bolts of various colored silks as a token of gratitude for their assistance in borrowing the building."

Zhang Dai walked into the main hall and looked at the exquisite fabrics. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the Qi Wang family was really generous and lavish.

These fabrics are not ordinary silk cloths, but high-end textiles. For example, a piece of that brocade is worth dozens of strings of cash, and the two hundred pieces of colorful brocade are worth at least a thousand strings of cash!

At this moment, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh that his life had really reached a new realm. Before, he used his grandfather's big account to write epitaphs, and earned only a few hundred strings of cash for each article. But now, when he interacted with people, he could easily make thousands of strings of cash.

Although the gifts from his grandmother and Prince Qi's Mansion were not frequent social activities, just this one gift was enough for him to use for a long time.

"Put these colorful items in the backyard and store them properly. Don't use them lightly."

He was not optimistic about King Qi's plan to prolong his life, but he also knew that King Qi's family was currently worried and grieving, and had no time to refuse these gifts, so he simply put them away for the time being.

If the children of King Qi complained to him again that he had not been able to help them, he would return the money. Perhaps he would just send it back as money in a few days.

After breakfast, he felt much better. He had originally planned to continue cleaning and decorating the villa today, but now it seems he should wait a few more days.

After thinking about it, he took Ding Qing out with him, and stopped by Xuanfanfang to see Zhou Lang and his mother, and then went home to tell his grandfather about this matter.

"Ah Lang, the stables at home are still empty. It would be a waste to use only this one royal horse. Do you want to buy a few more good horses?"

After the master and servant left the village, Ding Qing looked at the tall and handsome horse under Alang's crotch. After selling his old horse, he could only rent a donkey to get around. He said cautiously, "It's too much for me to keep only one horse at home. I can keep more busy if I keep a few."

Zhang Dai knew what he was thinking. He rolled his eyes at him and said, "I'll give you a job in a few days. I'm afraid your brain isn't suited to studying. You can't just stay at home and eat your food. You need to learn some skills to be more useful. One day I'll take you to Qinghuafang to find some soldiers from the Southern Yamen and teach you some wrestling skills."

Many imperial guards settled in Qinghuafang, and some old soldiers were laid off from the cavalry and no longer served as guards, so they taught people some boxing, archery and horse riding skills to make a living.

Zhang Dai had been keeping an eye on this when he was hiding in Qinghuafang. He also wanted to gather some and train his own guards. Not that he was going to do anything big, but having some armed support was always a good thing. At least when he got home and beat up Zhang Cheng again, he wouldn't have to raise his fists himself.

Ding Qing is a strong boy with a simple mind. If he is trained well, he can be a guard at home and a bodyguard when he goes out. Even if Zhang Dai has the opportunity to serve in the frontier next year, he can be a brave general in the battlefield.

Although he is still a commoner, Zhang Dai has plans for his future. That is, he must not just hang around in the central government in the future. He must actively integrate into the process of expansion and improvement of the Tang Dynasty's military and establish his own connections and influence in the army.

When the Tang Dynasty's rule was stable, serving as an official at the central government certainly offered various advantages: high pay, minimal labor, and proximity to home. However, as order gradually collapsed, only force became the most important means of ensuring one's safety and gaining greater power.

Speaking of this point, we have to mention the canal transport reform plan that Zhang Dai had previously submitted. In fact, if he had a choice, he did not want to submit this plan in advance, but wanted to join in after he had a certain personnel foundation and play an active role in it.

Because the canal transport reform inevitably requires the dispatch and control of large amounts of money, grain and personnel, if Zhang Dai can join in, he can take the opportunity to develop and accumulate personnel strength.

If all goes well, he can take deep roots in Henan and Huaixi, and then the food and clothing of millions of canal workers will be in his hands. Just thinking about it makes me feel excited: If you can't stay here, I will be like Wu Yuanji, ready to make an armed petition at any time. I just want to ask you if you are afraid!
Although Henan, Huainan and other places are not traditional military strongholds of the Tang Dynasty, what are their brains used for?
What's more, the social changes in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the migration of population, and the integration and confrontation between regions themselves contain huge potential energy and various possibilities. There is definitely more than just the Anshi Rebellion and the separatist rule of military governors!
Of course, this is just an idea in Zhang Dai's mind. As for where he will go in the future, he still has to make a decision based on his own circumstances.

No matter which direction it takes, it must ensure that it is strong enough to influence and even determine the development of the times, rather than being crushed into pieces by the advancing times.

(End of this chapter)