Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 17 A Good Horse Deserves a Good Saddle

Who is Wu Huifei?

When later generations talk about the love history of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the most well-known one is naturally his affair with Yang Guifei. But in fact, before Yang Guifei, her mother-in-law Wu Huifei was already the favorite in the harem.

Consort Wu Huifei was the daughter of Wu Youzhi, Wu Zetian's nephew. Her father died of illness when she was young, so she was taken into the palace to be raised. The Tang Dynasty's political landscape shifted several times, ultimately leading to the reign of Wu Zetian's fourth son, Li Dan. After Emperor Xuanzong, Li Longji, ascended the throne, he incorporated Consort Wu into his harem.

Wu Huifei's experience in the inner palace was quite similar to that of her great-aunt Wu Zetian. She was favored by the emperor and was initially granted the title of Jieyushi in the first year of Kaiyuan. Emperor Xuanzong's original wife, Queen Wang, was eventually deposed because she had no children and her favor was fading. After that, Wu Jieyushi became increasingly favored and was promoted to Huifei, and she tried several times to become the queen.

However, because of the precedent of her great-aunt Wu Zetian, both Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and the ministers of the outer court were nervous and could not tolerate a woman of the Wu family becoming the head of the harem again, so Wu Huifei was unable to fulfill her wish.

Historically, Wu Huifei's pursuit of the position of empress directly triggered the scandalous "Three Commoners Case" during the Kaiyuan period, a case that was both shocking and truly remarkable in ancient history. Crown Prince Li Ying, Prince of E, Li Yao, and Prince of Guang, Li Ju, resented their mothers' fall from favor and were slandered by Huifei's son-in-law, Yang Hui. Huifei then schemed to summon the three princes into the palace and framed them for treason. Enraged, Xuanzong demoted the three sons to commoners and subsequently executed the three commoners.

The Case of the Three Commoners can be said to be a very important and critical turning point in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. However, Wu Huifei, who was the direct cause of this incident, had an influence on the situation in the Kaiyuan period that went beyond that.

Although she stayed in the inner palace for a long time, her influence was not limited to the palace. She also exerted considerable impetus on the personnel affairs outside the court.

The treacherous Li Linfu was the longest-serving prime minister during Emperor Xuanzong's reign, a staggering nineteen years. Yao Chong and Song Jing, two models of virtuous ministers in ancient times, served as prime ministers for less than half as long as Li Linfu.

Even for such a prominent and powerful minister of the outer court, Li Linfu was able to become a prime minister because of the crucial help he received from Consort Wu Huifei. Li Linfu's stance and behavior during his reign were also directly affected by this incident.

Young Zhang Luonu's grandfather Wu Youyi and Wu Huifei's father Wu Youzhi were cousins. Based on this relationship, Zhang Luonu should indeed call Wu Huifei aunt.

Although they had never met each other before, and even his biological mother, Wu, and Wu Huifei, the cousins, might not have had a very deep relationship, Zhang Luo clearly felt that Wu Huifei's attitude towards him was very friendly and kind, far exceeding the level of distant relatives meeting for the first time.

Zhang Luo turned around and looked at his mother's tombstone and the words he had written in blood on it. He felt a little touched in his heart. Perhaps this was the reason.

Although Wu Huifei held a high position in the inner palace, being one of the three wives second only to the empress, and was deeply favored by Emperor Xuanzong, as long as she was not the empress, to be frank, she was actually just a concubine who lived a more respectable life.

Seeing her cousin, who was in a similar situation, being treated so poorly by her husband's family after her death, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy. Although Wu was dead, at least her son had grown up and was deeply in love with his mother.

This time, Wu Huifei went to Wan'an Mountain to pay tribute to her son who died young. After seeing Zhang Luo, she was reminded of herself and developed an extraordinary liking for him. This was understandable.

Zhang Luo was familiar with history and knew that Wu Huifei's end was not good. He even felt that she deserved it and was being punished, but that was more than ten years later.

At the moment, this is definitely a huge network of contacts. Even if he cannot become a prime minister with the help of Concubine Wu Huifei, having such a relative is definitely not a bad thing.

For a moment, Zhang Luo was a little hesitant in his decision to leave the Zhang family. You know, if he gave up this identity, it would be equivalent to giving up his relationship with Concubine Wu Huifei. It was a bit of a pity to think about it.

Apart from anything else, the blue horse given by Concubine Wu Hui was far more majestic than the old horse that Zhang Luo rode from the Zhang family. According to Ding Cang's judgment, if it were to be purchased in the market, it would probably cost at least seventy or eighty strings of cash.

The imperial horses in the inner stables have undergone extensive combat training. Not only can they be ridden for daily transportation, but they can even be used directly as war horses to kill the enemy. This is a skill that the horses raised by the public on the market do not have, and it cannot be bought even with money.

The saddle, stirrups, ropes, bridles and other items provided with the horses are also products from the imperial palace. Both the material and the style are extremely exquisite and outstanding. If you want to buy them in the market, it will probably cost at least dozens of strings of cash.

As they descended the mountain, Zhang Luo couldn't resist riding the steed. Initially, the steed was a bit shy, shaking its head and refusing to obey Zhang Luo's instructions. But after Zhang Luo yelled at it and fed it several times with concentrated feed, the horse gradually accepted its new master.

A good horse certainly understands human nature, but it is not as unruly and difficult to tame as portrayed in movies and TV shows. This black horse, in particular, came from the inner stable and had already been fully trained, so there was no need to spend a lot of effort to tame it.

As Zhang Luo rode down the mountain on this horse, he felt it was both more powerful and more stable than his old steed. The saddle beneath his crotch was just as soft and firm, supporting his body steadily while also providing a certain degree of shock absorption and force relief, making the rider's ride even more comfortable. It truly is true that a good car needs good wax, and a good horse needs a good saddle! On the way back to the city, although Zhang Luo didn't dare to gallop due to the heavy traffic on Luonan Avenue, he still attracted many eyes. The handsome young man in bright clothes and on a vigorous horse is the dream of countless men and the dream lover of countless women.

Although Zhang Luo's clothes are still relatively simple at the moment, the other two items add a lot of points. He immediately becomes the most handsome guy on Luonan Avenue. He has attracted the attention and applause of many people along the way. It can be said that his vanity is greatly satisfied!

After returning to the Zhang family mansion, Zhang Luo personally moved the newly acquired steed to the family stables. When the stable keeper, Wu Chuan, saw the turquoise horse, his eyes immediately lit up. He came up to examine it and exclaimed, "This horse is truly excellent. All the horses kept in the stables are of the highest quality. May I ask where Liu Lang found this horse?"

"I need to explain something to you?"

Zhang Luo knew that this fellow had often exploited his position to blackmail his predecessor, Zhang Luonu, so he naturally had no good feelings towards him. He snorted coldly and then said in a deep voice, "For the time being, I'll entrust you with careful care. If you raise it well, you'll be rewarded. If you lose weight or hair, you'll be in trouble!"

Wu Chuan had also noticed the markings on the horse, indicating it came from the inner stables. After all, the Zhang family stables also housed many imperial horses from the inner stables, none of which could be purchased in the marketplace. Although he didn't know where Zhang Luo had obtained the horse, he assumed it wasn't by illicit means, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to bring it home so openly.

Wu Chuan then became even more respectful, patting his chest and assuring, "Don't worry, Liu Lang. These imperial horses are more precious than ordinary horses, and they must be kept in separate stables and troughs. Since Liu Lang has placed the horses here, if they get any thinner, I'll take some from my own body!"

Zhang Luo was not one to take advantage of his power. Seeing that Wu Chuan was still in a decent posture, he smiled at Ding Cang, who was leading the old horse back home, and said, "Boss Wu has done a good job. I'll give him fifty coins!"

"Thank you for the reward, Rokuro!"

Wu Chuan smiled brightly after hearing this. He bowed to express his gratitude and personally picked up a brush to sweep away the dust and grass debris on the horse's hair.

Zhang Luo stood outside the stable and saw that the guy was doing his job seriously, so he left with peace of mind. When he returned to the courtyard where he lived, he saw Aying, who stayed at home, standing outside the gate with two servants. The girl had a look of anxiety on her face.

"Alang is back!"

Seeing Zhang Luo return, Ah Ying hurried forward to greet him. However, before she could exchange a glance, two servants from behind also strode forward to greet Zhang Luo. They crossed their arms and said, "Sixth Brother has finally returned home. Your Excellency has ordered your servants to bring you to the Hall of Honor!"

After hearing this, Zhang Luo's heart skipped a beat. He was a nobody at home and no one cared about him. Why did Zhang Luo suddenly want to see him today?

In a flash, various theories raced through his mind. Either Zhang Jun and his wife had framed him in front of Zhang Shuo, angering him and wanting to punish him personally. Or, had the news of him impersonating Zhang Shuo to write the epitaph leaked?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath and pinched the copper fish talisman given to him by Concubine Wu Huifei.

If the latter were to happen, he would probably have to ask his aunt to summon him to the palace as a eunuch to avoid Zhang Shuo's wrath. The interplay of joy and sorrow in life was truly thrilling.

Zhang Luo couldn't imagine what good could come of Zhang Shuo summoning him, so he could only feign composure and say, "I've just returned from abroad and am covered in dust. It would be rude of me to see you like this. Please wait a moment while I go into my room to change."

"It's been over a quarter of an hour since you summoned me, and there are guests waiting in the hall. Please hurry up, Liu Lang, to avoid being blamed."

The two men didn't stop him, but they couldn't help but urge him on.

Zhang Luo nodded slightly, then beckoned Ah Ying to follow him into the room. After returning to his room, he quickly gathered up the paper, pen, and stationery on his desk. Fortunately, he was usually quite cautious and would immediately burn any drafts of the epitaph, leaving no direct evidence.

While tidying up his desk, he looked at Ah Ying and asked quickly, "Do you know why the Lord wants to see me?"

Ah Ying nodded, then came over to help while saying, "After Ah Lang and Ah Mu left home, I had nothing to do in the house, so I went to the front of the mansion to find a familiar servant to inquire about something. However, I happened to see Ling Gong hosting a banquet at home, so I was asked to help..."

(End of this chapter)