Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 82 The leader of the groom’s team
As evening fell and the officials of the imperial court closed for the day, more and more officials came to offer their condolences. Prince Qi's nephews and his relatives wept incessantly inside the mourning hall, while Zhang Dai and other mourners were arranged to sing newly learned dirges outside to create a somber atmosphere for the funeral.

But to be honest, it's hard for people to feel sad in such a noisy and chaotic environment.

In particular, there was a boy standing in front of Zhang Dai, Li Xia, the son of Prince Xin'an, Li Yi. He sang off-key and very loudly.

The ear-piercing sound made it impossible for Zhang Dai to remain serious. He had to pinch the outside of his thigh while singing in order to keep his face straight, and thankfully he didn't burst out laughing and lose face in front of others.

He was already having difficulty controlling his emotions, and he gradually noticed that the officials who came to pay their respects in the evening were frequently looking him over. After they finished their worship inside, they were not in a hurry to leave, but instead stood in groups of three or five in the corner of the courtyard whispering to each other, occasionally letting out some indistinct and sporadic words.

In the evening, a group of members of the Wei clan of Jingzhao came to pay their respects. Wei Jian, dressed in a scarlet official robe, was among them, seemingly having come directly from the government office.

When they went to pay their respects, Wei Jian was also scrutinizing Zhang Dai with a look that contained a hint of scrutiny, a hint of wariness, and some other indescribable emotions, which inevitably made Zhang Dai feel a little cautious.

When the drums sounded in the outer street, the Ministry of Rites sent the newly selected mourners to Prince Qi's residence, led by He Zhizhang and Zhang Jun.

After the group entered the house, they all stared intently at Zhang Dai, even his father. Their gazes were full of complex emotions, but Zhang Dai was too preoccupied with the demonic music to notice them.

With the curfew in effect, the number of mourners came to a halt. Although the curfew was lifted in Shangshan Ward and several neighboring wards due to the Qi King's funeral, it was still strictly enforced in other parts of the city.

No more guests came, and the ceremonies were temporarily suspended. Vomiting could be heard from the mourning hall. Prince Qi, Prince Hedong, Li Jin, had been crying uncontrollably and was now lying on the ground convulsing. The staff of the mansion hurriedly summoned a physician to treat him.

Standing outside, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh as he witnessed the chaotic scene. The Prince of Qi was known for his licentious deeds, but he himself had few children, with only one son, Li Jin.

Historically, the Prince of Hedong was addicted to wine and women and died young, leading to the extinction of the Prince of Qi's line. It seems he couldn't even manage the funeral arrangements, which explains why he didn't live long.

Thinking of this, the image of the Lady of Yunyang County involuntarily came to mind again.

Since entering the house, he had been assisting with the funeral in the front courtyard and had no opportunity to stroll around the back courtyard. Therefore, he had no way of seeing the county princess again and did not know her current condition. But seeing the Prince of Hedong in such a state, he figured she probably wasn't doing too well either.

While he was still lamenting other people's affairs, his father suddenly emerged from behind the crowd, tugged at him, and gestured for him to go to a secluded spot. So the father and son wandered around the front of the house for a long time before finally finding a deserted corner.

Zhang Dai thought Zhang Jun was going to talk about the quota for the groom's wife, but Zhang Jun frowned and said, "When was that poem 'Looking at Mount Tai' written? Why haven't you mentioned it at home recently? Isn't this poem more dignified and proper than that miscellaneous poem you wrote recently? Showing it to others sooner will make it more respected!"

If it weren't for the ethical relationship between father and son, Zhang Dai would honestly be quite happy to spend time with his father.

That clear-eyed stupidity and clumsy scheming easily gives people a sense of intellectual superiority: What do you know? You just open your mouth and spout nonsense. Can you understand your behavior and purpose?
He didn't explain, but whispered, "Father, did you hear what Scholar Wang said?"

“It wasn’t him. Before, when the people in the province questioned you for holding the ropes and helping with the affairs, and accused the Ministry of Rites of unfair handling of the matter, Du Shenyan’s grandson climbed the wall to make you famous and recited this poem to appease the public’s grievances.”

Upon hearing Zhang Jun's answer, Zhang Dai raised an eyebrow, feeling secretly displeased. Was he the only one selected early? Why was he singled out? Did they think he was easy to bully?
He recalled Wei Jian's look earlier and secretly pondered that as a prominent family in the Guanzhong Plain, the Wei family of Jingzhao must have had many candidates for the position of funeral attendant. It was possible that those who were stirring up trouble against him were members of the Wei family, which made him feel that it was necessary to guard against more underhanded tricks from the other party.

However, upon hearing that it was Du Fu who had helped him resolve the matter, Zhang Dai felt both moved and ashamed. He looked around the crowd and asked, "Where is Du Fu?"

"Are all Taoists as fortunate as you? This child has no connections to rely on and has already been sent away."

As he said this, Zhang Jun felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if he had been wronged.

Although he was the head of the department and his son was a candidate, the one who was actually selected did not rely on him. The person he wanted to bring in did not get his wish, and as a result, he was scolded by these good-for-nothing bastards. If his son had not been so good at fighting, he would probably have been forced to resign due to the noise.

Thinking of this, a touch of warmth welled up in his heart, and he patted Zhang Dai on the shoulder, saying, "Your talent is abundant, there's no need to hide your abilities, feel free to display them. Although my family's influence is not what it used to be, we can still protect a brilliant young man from the envy and slander of others!"

For example, if I had known of your talent earlier, would I have been confined to the office, allowing a bunch of scoundrels to question my father and me outside?

Zhang Dai chuckled inwardly upon hearing this. "I believe you're 30% stupid. The one I need to guard against the most is you, old man!"

He never intended to rely on his father for anything; even if he had any family connections, it was all thanks to his grandfather. However, when he heard Zhang Jun say that Du Fu had no family connections to rely on, he secretly vowed to work hard and strive to become Du Fu's patron in the future!

With fewer people coming and going to Prince Qi's residence in the evening, it's time to adjust and arrange the rituals for the next day. Since all 120 mourners have been selected, they also need to begin formal rehearsals.

Perhaps it was because of the poem "Looking at Mount Tai" that the mourners who had previously been making a fuss and accusing others in the province did not cause any trouble after arriving at Prince Qi's residence. On the contrary, they were quite polite to Zhang Dai. Even some of the selected sons of the Wei family, who were either not close relatives of Wei Jian or dared not openly provoke him, did not dare to glare at him.

Although he didn't get a chance to slap them in the face, Zhang Dai felt quite pleased to see these people being arrogant at first and then obsequious. "If the Poet Saint and I were together, who would dare to mess with us!"

"Zhang Liulang is a talented poet. After this matter is over, choose a day to visit Lord Yan's residence. Don't avoid him!"

After He Zhizhang delivered the funeral banner, he chatted with several colleagues. Now, he strolled over, patted Zhang Dai on the shoulder, and said with a smile.

The old gentleman was even older than Zhang Shuo, and his amiable pat on the shoulder in praise made Zhang Dai feel flattered.

But seeing his unabashed grin, Zhang Dai felt that the old man really needed to be taught a lesson. He himself had pinched his thigh until it was bruised in order to control his expression, but the old man didn't seem to care at all.

Presumably because Du Fu had interrupted earlier in the province, He Zhizhang hadn't shouted the words telling everyone to wait for Prince Ning, which might have saved him from being reprimanded. But Zhang Dai didn't dare stand next to him in the mourning hall grinning and talking; after bowing his head and responding a few times, he quickly took the opportunity to slip away.

In fact, thousands of people came and went throughout the day. Apart from a few specific individuals, most people rarely showed any signs of distress, but they generally managed to maintain a serious demeanor.

This has little to do with emotional intelligence. Most people come here to do things, and being overly sentimental will only hinder their work.

Unfortunately, Zhang Dai, who was serving as the mourner, was one of those specific people. The family invited you young men to sing funeral songs to create a festive atmosphere, not to dance in front of the coffin.

Zhang Dai returned to the mourning procession and was assigned the task of being the head of the mourning squad. The 120 mourners were divided into six squads, and those of them who had been selected in advance were the squad leaders who sang the funeral songs.

However, this wasn't absolute. Prince Xin'an's son failed to become a group leader because he was tone-deaf, while others were relegated to the back of the group because they lacked charisma. Zhang Dai, with his excellent voice, pitch, appearance, and temperament, was placed at the head of the first class on the left wing, earning him the right to debut in the center position.

None of the grooms had any objections to this. Being in or out of the queue did not affect their treatment afterward. Moreover, the order of the queue had nothing to do with family background or social standing. It all depended on how they felt about each other and how good-looking they were.

If you're not good-looking enough but still insist on being in the front of the line, you'll be booed all the way from Luoyang to Chang'an. Just thinking about it is terrifying.

The order of escorting the grooms had just been arranged when a palace maid hurriedly entered and whispered in Zhang Dai's ear that a nobleman had summoned him.

Hearing this, Zhang Dai felt a little nervous. He lowered his head to straighten his robes and compose himself before following the eunuch around the noisy front courtyard and into the inner courtyard.

The Prince Qi's residence was clearly divided into inner and outer sections. Passing through a long alley, one entered a courtyard. In the small courtyard stood a two-story pavilion, surrounded by screens on all four sides. At the same time, male and female servants were busy going in and out, making it no less quiet than the front residence.

When Zhang Dai arrived at the pavilion, he looked inside and saw that the Princess of Yunyang had removed her Taoist robes and changed into mourning clothes. However, unlike the Prince of Hedong, she was not kneeling and wailing, but instead sitting at her desk writing furiously, looking just as busy as she was.

"Greetings, Brother Zhang. It's nice to see you again. Please take a seat and wait a moment while I finish dealing with some trivial matters before we can talk."

The county magistrate of Yunyang hurriedly looked up and said something to Zhang Dai, then lowered her head again and began writing furiously.

Zhang Dai had been wondering how heartbroken the county princess must be, but the scene before him was far beyond his expectations, making him hesitate and wonder if he had come to the wrong place.

He went inside and sat down. He saw that the county magistrate's desk was piled high with accounting books, some of which were scattered. He bent down to pick them up and put them back on the desk. He glanced at them briefly and found that they were some accounting books for estates. It turned out that the county magistrate was so busy checking the properties.

"These matters cannot be entrusted to the prefectural government? It would be too much trouble and stress for the county magistrate to handle them!"

Upon hearing this, the Princess of Yunyang paused mid-sentence, her hand hovering over the pen as she wrote. Her pale, haggard face paled slightly. She raised her other hand to cover her mouth and coughed twice to conceal her embarrassment before softly saying, "The affairs of the front residence have already kept the officials extremely busy. It is inconvenient to trouble them with such private matters concerning the inner quarters..."

She looked up at Zhang Dai and then said in a low voice, "After my father's passing, I will soon be returning to Luoyang for the funeral. I do not know when I will be able to return here, and I will not be able to come back for many years. My family affairs will be scattered and may fall into disrepair. So I will try my best to pack up and bring them back before the funeral."

"My dear friend has passed away, yet you do not weave mourning clothes but instead try to make money. Brother, you must have never seen such a defiled woman as me, have you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai first shook his head, then realized that his gesture had been misunderstood, and continued, "The pain of losing a loved one is merely something for others to observe. No matter how heart-wrenching this feeling may be, one cannot simply go to the grave together in a single day. Beyond observing proper etiquette, one still needs to make a living. I just never imagined that this matter would involve the county magistrate..."

(End of this chapter)