Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 55: Lord Yan Has a Good Grandson

Zhang Luo quickly understood why things had turned out this way. Ultimately, his destructive power was too astonishing, forcing the situation in North Korea onto a completely different track.

As for Zhang Shuo's immediate retirement, this wasn't a serious change. After all, Zhang Shuo's most important position was the position of Prime Minister, Zhongshu Ling. Even if he took on another official position after being dismissed, he would have essentially lost control of the current situation.

Take Song Jing, another famous prime minister of the Kaiyuan period, for example. Although he had been dismissed for many years, he is still alive and well. During this eastern tour to Fengshan, Song Jing was also arranged to stay in Xijing, but in fact, the development of the Tang Dynasty was completely beyond his control and influence.

Even if Zhang Shuo retained his other official positions after being dismissed from his post, he would only continue to sit in the court and be purged and slapped in the face, watching his former followers being demoted one by one, but he himself could do nothing.

Rather than suffering like that, it would be better to go home and enjoy his old age, waiting to be rehired by the court after the storm has passed. After all, even if his official position was stripped away, Zhang Shuo still had the identity of a leader in the literary world, and was still qualified to preside over various book editing and classic revision tasks.

So the grandfather and grandson continued to wait outside Wucheng Gate, during which time high-ranking officials from the Southern Province were constantly summoned.

As those people hurried up to the palace, Zhang Luo saw that Zhang Shuo's face clearly showed a mixture of disappointment and longing, showing that he still felt a little unwilling. After all, for a politician, sixty years old is not that old, and the sudden loss of power inevitably requires some time to adjust.

Zhang Luo, watching Zhang Shuo's expression, couldn't help but think of himself. While the Kaiyuan Era was undoubtedly glorious and prosperous, its end was also deeply regrettable. If history had remained unchanged, and the An Lushan Rebellion had broken out when he was in his forties, how would he have coped?

Of course, as his presence and influence in this world become increasingly stronger, history cannot remain unchanged.

He even kicked out an important figure like Li Linfu from the central government just by making some trouble. As for An Lushan and Shi Siming, it was actually easier to deal with them.

However, the cause of the Anshi Rebellion was not just the evil ambitions of a few border generals. The process of this disaster contained very profound social changes and personnel disputes. If we want to solve or avoid it, it is far from being eliminated by simply killing a few people.

Zhang Luo had not thought about these problems before, because it was useless to think about them. At that time, he didn't even know how he should deal with himself in this world. Such an important crisis for the country and family, and a universal catastrophe, no matter how much he thought about it, it would only be a fuss for himself.

But now that the crisis of the Zhang family has been resolved, he is no longer an unknown person in this world. Naturally, he has to think about and consider related matters and make some preparations in advance. Otherwise, even if he has made some achievements in personnel in this world, they will be built on huge crises and uncertainties.

Although Zhang Luo didn't have a clear idea or plan at the moment, he knew in his heart that this matter was by no means simple. The frequent occurrence of wicked rulers, treacherous ministers, and bad policies were not the only reasons for this crisis, but even this alone made things extremely difficult and thorny.

But as he had said to Zhou Liang before, if it is possible, it is our duty. Nuwa mended the sky and Dayu controlled the floods, so what was a mere An Lushan Rebellion?
It wasn't that he was so arrogant as to think he was a god, but he just had a habit of refusing to admit defeat, especially when there was something he couldn't avoid and admitting defeat was pointless. He just had to do it! Don't think about whether you can do it, think about the steps first.

The most important step at the moment is to see what benefits can be gained from this turmoil. Although his answer to the last question last night was not very good, he was not directly sent out of the palace today, which made him secretly look forward to it.

He was still immersed in his own thoughts when suddenly his grandfather Zhang Shuo moved and stood in front of him. Zhang Luo looked up again and saw the Imperial Censor Cui Yinfu striding towards him with a serious expression.

Cui Yinfu walked straight up to the two men. He didn't look at Zhang Shuo standing opposite him. Instead, he stared intently at Zhang Luo and said in a deep voice, "The memorial submitted by Zhang's son last night was truly a suicide note concocted by Zhou Liang, the recorder of Henan Prefecture? Did you send Zhou Liang's son to sue Henan Prefecture yesterday to deceive me?"

"Doctor Cui, don't you find it absurd to ask me this? Mr. Zhou has been a junior official in Henan Prefecture for several years. What is his talent and ability, yet Doctor Cui has no idea? Could the injustice suffered by his family be the result of a scheme orchestrated by a mere boy?"

Zhang Luo looked at Cui Yinfu, who was somewhat exasperated, and retorted bluntly.

Although Zhou Liang's death and the suffering of his family had nothing to do with Cui Yinfu, the accumulated problems in Luonan and the behavior of the officials in Henan Prefecture could not be said to have nothing to do with Cui Yinfu just because he left Henan Prefecture. Therefore, Zhang Luo also had a bad impression of him.

When Cui Yinfu heard this, a trace of embarrassment and shame flashed across his face. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, "I will thoroughly investigate the Zhou Liang incident and will not allow the treacherous and wicked to confuse right and wrong!"

Although the saint did not directly reprimand him in the temple before, he specifically asked him to investigate the matter personally.

This was not to allow him to use his position to conceal matters that were detrimental to him, but to force him to investigate the personnel malpractices in Henan Prefecture more thoroughly. Otherwise, this case could have been handled by just one of the Imperial Censors, without the need for him, the Imperial Censor, to step in.

This also reflects that the saint is quite dissatisfied with him, but the current atmosphere is not suitable for serious handling. If he cannot handle this case impartially and investigate it quickly and thoroughly, he will undoubtedly lose the saint's favor even more.

Cui Yinfu glanced at Zhang Shuo again, opened his mouth but hesitated to speak. After a moment, he said in a cold voice, "Lord Yan has a good grandson!"

After saying this, he turned away. After Cui Yinfu left, Gao Lishi hurried out of the hall and summoned the grandfather and grandson to the hall to meet the emperor. Zhang Luo then followed his grandfather step by step to the hall to pay his respects to the emperor.

"Lord Yan has served the government for many years, assisting the government and achieving success, and has made great contributions. Now he has returned home, enjoying a luxurious life in his elegant residence, free from distractions, and enjoying his remaining years in peace..."

The emperor looked at Zhang Shuo with a pleasant smile on his face, and spoke a string of soothing words. Zhang Shuo also bowed to cooperate with the emperor's performance, occasionally responding with a few words. The relationship between the emperor and his subject was very harmonious.

Zhang Luo watched the two people's meaningless but necessary greetings from the side, just silently acting as a background board. When Zhang Shuo was given a seat in the hall, he also stood up and stood beside Zhang Shuo's seat.

Just as he stood there, he heard the saint say, "Zhang Luonu..."

"Xiaomin is here!"

He hurried to the front of the hall and bowed. Immediately, the sage continued, "Last night, I caused a disturbance in the Southern Province. Your actions are forgivable and will be spared. Furthermore, you have offered advice that will benefit the state. Your filial piety and righteousness are commendable, and your demeanor is impressive. I grant you a Thousand Oxen Sword. Are you willing to wield it?"

Zhang Luo was both delighted and disappointed when he heard this. He was glad that the emperor finally had the urge to reward him, but the fact that he wanted to appoint him as a Qianniu Beishen was a little bit against Zhang Luo's will.

The Qianniu Guard served as the emperor's personal attendants, a good choice for the sons of high-ranking officials and nobles seeking official positions. For example, Li Linfu, once a Qianniu Guard, served as one. However, after all, they were merely sentinels, their duties were dull and arduous.

In particular, with the dismantling of the Fubing system, the Southern Court's guards were generally in decline. Against this backdrop, if there was any career prospect for a Qianniu Beishen, it lay in gaining more exposure to the emperor, increasing their chances of recognition and promotion.

If it were a different time, Zhang Luo might have happily agreed. But now his grandfather had just retired and been expelled from the court. He had also severely offended the Southern Court officers and soldiers during the previous Fengshan ceremony. There would definitely be a purge against Zhang Shuo's followers in the court.

Under these circumstances, Zhang Luo's appointment as a Qianniu Beishen in the Southern Court was not a good idea. Not to mention that he had just driven Li Linfu out of the court, and Li Linfu might have some relatives and friends in the Southern Court who were plotting to deal with him.

Even if the emperor had some appreciation for him, it was impossible for him to protect him like a son every day. What's more, being this guy's son was a job that brought him great misfortune.

After a quick mental assessment, Zhang Luo bowed again and said, "I am merely passing on the wise advice. How dare I take credit for it? If the sage truly considers this a merit, I earnestly request that you transfer this gift to your benefactor, Zhou Liang. Otherwise, I feel ashamed to accept it. This small contribution cannot even justify the crime of stealing."

He had just seen Cui Yinfu leave in anger, and was worried that Zhou Liang's family affairs would not be resolved smoothly, so he wanted to help again.

To be honest, he himself had no shortage of avenues for officialdom, and he was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Even if he managed to become an official, he would have to be humble wherever he went. It would be better to take advantage of this momentum and help Zhou Liang's family.

"It's rare for a boy to be so grateful and righteous!"

After listening to Concubine Wu Huifei's explanation last night, the saint had already become more fond of the young man. Now that he saw that he remained calm in the face of the real temptation of an official position, he admired him even more.

After a brief pause, he continued, "Zhou Liangzhong worked diligently and made suggestions that benefited the country, so he deserved a reward. This young man promoted talented people for the country without being greedy for salary and reward, so he should also be praised.

"Now, the boy is still unknown, and perhaps your parents think he needs to be nurtured for a few more years before entering the world. But now, through experience, he has not lost his integrity and righteousness, but has even developed it. Today, I will take the initiative and propose the name 'Zhang Dai' for this boy. Is it acceptable, Lord Yan?"

"Why don't you quickly thank the saint for the name!"

Zhang Shuo frowned upon hearing this, but quickly concealed it. He whispered to Zhang Luo, then stood up, bowed, and danced in gratitude, saying, "This young man in our household has undeveloped talent, yet he has already enjoyed the emperor's favor. You have bestowed upon him special favors and given him a name to encourage him. I will teach him well and cultivate talent for the country!"

"I, your humble servant Zhang Dai, thank you for your great grace!"

Zhang Luo didn't expect that the emperor would give him a name. After a moment of shock, he quickly imitated his grandfather's dance to express his gratitude. While dancing, he looked at Zhang Shuo's movements. It took him a while to become proficient. Then he felt that the old man's dancing was not as beautiful as his own.

(End of this chapter)