Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 81 Who among you can defeat me?
"It's that bastard again... Why won't this brat let my son go!"

When Zhang Jun returned home and told Zheng Shi what had happened, Zheng Shi was stunned for a long time after hearing it. Suddenly, she swept all the utensils on the table to the ground and roared angrily, "I have been so tolerant and have stopped my son from competing for admission to the Imperial Academy. I just hoped that he could get a degree as soon as possible... This boy is so aggressive and always has evil intentions to harm my son!"

“Ah Liu didn’t do it on purpose. He doesn’t covet this matter. It’s just that the matter is settled at the Prince of Qi’s house. If the divination is favorable, he is willing to give way to his brother.”

Seeing that Zheng's words were a bit excessive, Zhang Jun immediately frowned and said unhappily, "It was just a coincidence by a twist of fate. How can you accuse me of having evil intentions that lead to fratricide?"

"What do you know..."

Hearing this, Madam Zheng became even more furious. She dared not reveal the truth, but instead said indignantly, "If my husband had gone to the provincial capital yesterday, perhaps things could have been settled with my son. But he stayed home idly. The recent family turmoil was the same; not a single man in the house dared to take responsibility, and this brat has been swaggering around in front of everyone!"
But this boy is cunning; he fled and used tricks to intimidate those around him, merely leveraging his father's remaining influence to frighten a few prominent figures. If his father had fought for him in the province back then, this boy would never have had a chance to rise to prominence!

Now he has gained the care of his elders through deception, yet even his parents cannot discipline him, and his husband can no longer be a loving father—all because of his weakness in the face of recent events!

"Ignorant woman, what nonsense are you spouting! How much do you know about the hardships of life? When you're at home, you can't wear anything but pearls and jade, and you can't eat anything but fine food. Without my hard work outside, everything will come to you out of thin air."

Zhang Jun never expected that Madam Zheng would directly blame him, even bringing up old grievances to attack him. His anger surged to his head, and he slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "My son is not wrong! Madam Zheng has truly ruined herself! My family has its own tradition of poetry, literature, and art. As long as we study diligently, there is no need to scheme for a better future!"

After saying this, he turned and walked out, standing in the courtyard and ordering his servants to move the bedding that had just been moved back to Jicui Tower.

Hearing her husband's scolding, Zheng burst into tears. She felt that she had put all her heart into her husband and son, but she never expected to be scolded by her husband for being depraved. She knew that it must be that bastard who was stirring up trouble outside!
Thinking of this, Madam Zheng was enraged again. She smashed and destroyed things in the room, but it didn't quell her anger. She then ordered the servants to bring her son in, raised a ruler, and shouted angrily, "If you had even a little talent, why would your mother have to suffer such humiliation in this house!"

"Mother, no! It hurts..."

Zhang Yu had been studying diligently at home all day, but he never expected to be beaten. The ruler struck his body, and he cried out in pain.

"Madam, please calm down! If Ah Lang is injured, wouldn't that fulfill the prophecy..."

Seeing that the mistress was punishing her son in anger, several maids rushed in to pull him away and persuade him. Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng felt even more grief-stricken. She ordered someone to lead her son out and then knelt down on the table, weeping bitterly, "Why is my son so unfortunate! Why does Heaven not protect the good and kind, allowing this wicked son to cause trouble in our household!"

Hearing their mistress's heart-wrenching cries, the servants' eyes also welled up with tears. One of the trusted women who had accompanied her in her dowry waved for the others to leave, then closed the doors and windows before stepping forward and whispering, "This child has protection at home, so he's unlikely to be able to defeat us. Perhaps we should use divine power to perform a ritual to banish him!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng stopped crying. After a moment's thought, she said bitterly, "My father-in-law was impeached before. Don't make a scene at home. Go out and secretly visit a sorcerer. Even his name can be used to borrow luck. I'm afraid it's hard to dislike him. I only dislike his nickname, which is the true nature of a lowly slave..."

Human thoughts, whether good or evil, are often boundless. Some want to save the world, while others want to destroy it, but they are usually limited by their own abilities and cannot do good or evil in the proper way.

When Zhang Dai returned to his villa in Huixunfang, it was already evening. He was quite curious to see what kind of trouble the Zhang family would cause today, but the street drums had already sounded, so he gave up on that idea.

Wang Han came from a wealthy family and was very generous. This morning, he sent over some furnishings that greatly enhanced the appearance of the hall in Zhang Dai's home. Zhang Dai had invited him here to express his gratitude, but unexpectedly, he received many more favors from him for no reason.

As for the two female entertainers who were sent along with him, Zhang Dai found Aying learning to play musical instruments with them when he got home. So he decided to leave them with Aying for the time being, and ask her to take them back when Wang Han came to visit again.

Broker Wei Lin also arrived again, accompanied by his wife, a short-haired woman in her early twenties.

When the couple came forward to pay their respects, Zhang Dai was stunned. He had never seen a woman with such a short and messy hairstyle since he came into this world. Even though rural women used wooden hairpins to tie their hair up, Wei Lin's wife's hair was so short that she could only cover it with a veil.

“My family is extremely poor and has no precious gifts to offer as a token of our respect. Knowing our plight, my wife cut off her hair and donated it to Changshou Temple to obtain a talisman for peace, which we are now presenting to you…”

Wei Lin explained the reason for his wife's attire, stating that it was not intended to be disrespectful or impolite.

Hearing this, Zhang Dai was deeply moved and immediately said, "Of all things, appearance is the least important. Although poverty and hardship bring sorrow to couples, if they have true love and stay together through thick and thin, building a family is not difficult. With such a virtuous wife to help him, Wei Yalang will surely have his day!"

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"

The couple were deeply moved by Zhang Dai's words of comfort and repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

Next, Wei Lin talked about visiting Wang Yuanbao, saying that Wang Yuanbao had been traveling around recently, and it would be difficult for him to meet him.

Zhang Dai is currently in a hurry to go to the Prince of Qi's house to be a mourner, so he's not in a rush. Besides, it seems that Wei Jian hasn't provided Wang Yuanbao with any substantial help.

So he simply instructed Wei Lin to keep an eye on things and, if there were good prices in the market, to sell some of the lighter goods at home for money to cover daily expenses. The next day, Zhang Dai got up early, carefully washed and dressed himself, and then left home for the Prince of Qi's residence.

The neighboring Shanting Courtyard to the west was merely a villa; Prince Qi had another residence in Luoyang, located in Shangshanfang, south of Tianjin Bridge. The later poem by Du Fu, "Often seen in Prince Qi's residence," refers to Prince Qi's residence in Shangshanfang.

Leaving Huixunfang to the west and passing Weiwang Pond, Zhang Dai arrived at Shangshanfang. To his horror, the entire ward was draped in mourning white, a scene of profound sorrow. The more Emperor Xuanzong inwardly feared his brothers, the more openly he displayed his true feelings; now, the entire Shangshanfang was shrouded in mourning for Prince Qi.

There were Jinwu guards on duty at the gate. When Zhang Dai stepped forward and introduced himself as a rope-bearer, he was quickly led to the residence of Prince Qi.

At this time, the residence of Prince Qi was crowded with people, and it was impossible to tell who were the guests who came to offer condolences and who were the helpers who came to assist in the funeral.

Zhang Dai had only been mingling in the world of fame and fortune in Luoyang for a short time, and most people didn't know him. After searching around the crowd, he finally found a young man from the Duke of Jiguo's family who was someone he had met the day before as a fellow mourner. Then they went together to the side courtyard to change into their headscarves and mourner's robes.

The most important role of the mourner is to carry the funeral rope, but before the funeral procession, he also has to sing a funeral song outside the mourning hall. So Zhang Dai and the others have to start learning to sing funeral songs now.

The Prince of Qi was a beloved younger brother of the sage, and now that he has passed away so young, the whole country is grieving. Not only are the sons of all families vying to be mourners, but all the court officials are also vying to compose elegiac poems.

Just as Zhang Dai and his entourage changed into mourning attire, the court officials, initially selected by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, brought in a basket full of elegiac poems, numbering over a hundred. The first two were composed by his grandfather the day before when he came to offer his condolences.

Seeing so many elegiac poems, Zhang Dai and his men were sweating profusely with anxiety. They had thought being a mourner would be an easy task, but they hadn't expected to have to memorize ancient poems—hundreds of them. Not only did they have to memorize them, but they also had to be able to sing them, and not only that, they had to remember when to sing which poem.

Moreover, these elegies are not all; so far, they are only those presented by officials of the Eastern Capital. Next, officials from the Western Capital and various prefectures and counties will likely also make their own contributions, and Prince Qi's friends in the literary world will certainly also compose some.

Even if Taichang doesn't accept everything, in the end there will probably be hundreds of elegiac songs that need to be sung!

Among the members of the Li Tang imperial family present were many who had served as mourners more than once, including those who had participated in the funeral of Crown Prince Huizhuang two years prior. One of them couldn't help but sigh with a bitter expression, saying, "Two years ago, when Crown Prince Huizhuang was being buried at Qiaoling from Chang'an, over two hundred songs were sung. This time, when Huiwen is being buried from Luoyang, if songs are sung along the way, the number of songs will likely be several times greater! Everyone, please be mindful. If you violate the rules or etiquette, you will not only be reprimanded by the Ministry of Rites, but also become a laughingstock among the people!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces fell, and their pride in being selected as mourners vanished. Even Zhang Dai frowned deeply; he probably didn't look this bad even when his father died.

In this world, those who cannot obtain things are always restless, while those who are favored are fearless. While these mourners were still learning to sing funeral songs with gloomy faces, the Ministry of Rites in the capital was in turmoil over the selection of mourners.

Originally, selecting a pallbearer only required looking at the family's social standing and choosing from the highest to the lowest. However, because all the young men were so eager to improve themselves, there were too many candidates this time. Therefore, the Ministry of Rites arranged some tests to eliminate candidates. The test content was poetry and the copying of the Classic of Filial Piety.

Such an assessment was a last resort, but the question is, if those sons of powerful families were truly well-versed in poetry and classics, would they still need to flock together to participate in the selection of mourners?

So when the selection process ended and the list of results was announced in the evening, many candidates who did not meet the required qualifications were prominently listed, while some candidates from higher-ranking families were not selected, which naturally caused an uproar.

The crowd condemned the Ministry of Rites for its unfair selection process. Some of the candidates, who already knew they had no chance of being selected, joined in the commotion and surrounded the Ministry of Rites' office, refusing to disperse.

Many of the ringleaders pointed at the list of those with weaker family backgrounds and nitpicked their faults. However, a few members of the Wei family from Jingzhao, who were also there to participate in the selection of mourning attendants, suddenly shouted: "Zhang Yan's grandson Zhang Dai is not from a prominent family and should not have been selected in advance, but because his father is a clerk, he has already become a mourning attendant and gone to the residence of Prince Qi. We, on the other hand, have been left here to be selected. We should correct this ugly situation, so why bother questioning our own kind!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar once again. No matter how high your reputation is, Zhang Daiyu, it's fine for everyone to express their admiration when they meet you, but you can't openly disregard the rules and disdain competing with us on the same stage!
Among the noisy eunuch sons, the young Du Fu was not eligible to participate in the selection because his father did not hold a position of the sixth rank or above in the capital. He came with Zheng Qianyao, the son of Zheng Wanjun, the son-in-law of Emperor Ruizong.

Hearing everyone unanimously condemning Zhang Dai, Du Fu felt somewhat dissatisfied.

He moved with agility, leaping over the crowd and scrambling up the wall of the Ministry of Rites. He shouted at the crowd, "You bunch of idiots can barely pass the exam, yet you want to bring Zhang Liulang here to compete? You're just asking for humiliation!"
I recently visited Zhang Liulang and heard him recite his poem "Looking at Mount Tai." I will now read it aloud for you all to listen carefully. If you think it is superior, you may replace him without hesitation!

As he spoke, he stood atop the wall and loudly recited the poem that had so impressed him that he dared not compete: "How majestic is Mount Tai..."

At this moment, He Zhizhang's head peeked out from the other side of the wall. He was getting fed up with the noise from these sons of powerful and wealthy families and was about to remind them that it was also a bit inappropriate to keep staring at Prince Qi's place and Prince Ning's place.

But as soon as he peeked out, he heard Du Fu reciting a poem. After listening, his eyes lit up. Taking advantage of the silence and everyone's contemplation, he looked at Du Fu and shouted, "Young man, this poem is really by Zhang Liu!"

"I heard this yesterday at the Zhang family's villa; how could it be false!"

Upon hearing this, Du Fu replied that based on this one poem alone, he had already idolized Zhang Dai and would not allow anyone to maliciously slander him in the present. He then glared at the crowd and said, "Who among you can surpass him!"

(End of this chapter)