Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 96 The Duke of Bohai's Great Favor

In August, Luoyang is already swept by the autumn wind, and the mountains and fields on both sides of Longmen are covered with colorful forests and maple leaves like rosy clouds.

Because Xin'an Road was still flooded and impassable, Zhang Dai and his party had no choice but to detour back to the capital via Xiaohan South Road. By the time they arrived at the southern suburbs of Luoyang, it was already past the Mid-Autumn Festival.

At this time, many traces of the previous rainstorm still remained in the southern suburbs of Luoyang. The farmland had suffered considerable damage, and many laborers and farmers were repairing the river canals and embankments.

However, the situation seemed much better than Zhang Dai had expected. There were no large areas of destroyed farmland and villages, nor were there any large-scale flooded areas. The disaster was less severe than in some of the areas they had passed through along the way.

However, Zhang Dai had no time to stop and investigate the reason. Instead, he quickly passed through the southern suburbs of Luoyang and went straight into the city. After entering the city, Zhang Dai did not return directly to the Zhang family mansion. Instead, he continued north along Tianjie Street and arrived at Daoguang Ward, which was close to the imperial city in northern Luoyang.

The court's previous appointment of him was a minor matter and not worth notifying by post. Zhang Dai was able to find out because Gao Lishi sent someone to Taolin Post Station to inform him.

Gao Lishi was also conveying a certain message by doing this, so after returning to Luoyang, Zhang Dai went directly to Gao Lishi's residence in Daohuafang to pay his respects.

Many eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty owned residences outside the palace. Gao Lishi, as the leader among the eunuchs, owned residences and properties in both capitals. His mansion in Daoguangfang was no less impressive than that of the Zhang family in Kangsufang, with equally magnificent gates and rows of halberds in front, except that there was no sandbank outside the gate.

Of course, after Zhang Shuo resigned as prime minister, the sand embankment in front of the Zhang family's house was also removed. It would probably have to wait until Zhang Dai became prime minister in the future.

Zhang Dai didn't have time to indulge in boasting right now; he was eager to find out exactly who was behind it all.

His appointment as the Wudang County Lieutenant is not to become a fellow Daoist with Zhang Sanfeng. Wudang County is located in Junzhou, south of the mountains, which is where Li Linfu was demoted. If he were to actually take up the post, it is easy to imagine how Li Linfu would deal with him.

If you actually went to a place like that, it would be a pipe dream to have any kind of mental struggle. You'd be lucky to get killed and thrown into the Han River to feed the fish!
There were many visitors at the Gao family's gate. Zhang Dai sent Ding Qing in to present his invitation. After a while, a servant led them in and asked Zhang Dai to wait in the front hall. There were other guests waiting in the hall, but Zhang Dai didn't recognize most of them.

After a while, another servant came in and led Zhang Dai to a pavilion. Then he said, "Our lord is on duty today and is only entertaining guests. Our lord instructed that Young Master Zhang is not an ordinary guest. If he comes, please wait a moment. Our lord will be returning soon."

Zhang Dai also knew about Gao Lishi's family affairs. Eunuchs usually adopted younger eunuchs as their sons, but the young men in the family mentioned by his servants were not actually younger eunuchs.

Gao Lishi's real name was Feng Yuanyi. He came from the prominent Feng clan of Lingnan and was a descendant of Lady Xian. After he rose to prominence, many of his clansmen who had been scattered in Lingnan came to seek refuge with him. At the same time, another powerful eunuch, Yang Sixu, whose status was even more illustrious than Gao Lishi's, also came from a powerful clan in Lingnan.

It was already afternoon, and Zhang Dai waited there until nearly evening before Gao Lishi, dressed in a purple robe, finally entered from outside. Zhang Dai quickly rose to greet him, saying, "Duke of Bohai..."

"Panic?"

Gao Lishi looked at the somewhat anxious young man, smiled slightly, and handed Zhang Dai a document.

Zhang Dai took it and glanced at it quickly. He found that it was a document drafted by the Ministry of Personnel and issued by the Secretariat, appointing him as the Commandant of Wudang. His face immediately turned even more unpleasant.

"Your official appointment has been rejected and is now invalid. You can stay here as a reminder of the wickedness of human nature."

Gao Lishi walked up into the hall, sat down, and then spoke to Zhang Dai with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai hurriedly bowed deeply to Gao Lishi and said, "Many thanks to the Duke of Bohai for protecting me and saving me from being harmed by treacherous villains in a dangerous situation. However..."

"But what you really want to know is who orchestrated the harm, and why your family doesn't refute that, right?"

Looking at the still serious and solemn-looking young man, Gao Lishi asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded heavily. Even if he wasn't entirely certain who had harmed him, he could guess with a high degree of accuracy.

But the more serious problem is that, given such obvious targeted retaliation, how could his family allow it to happen, and even issue an official document asking Gao Lishi to help reject it?
"Many things have happened in the capital over this period of time. Although Lord Yan has retired, he served in the court for many years and left a deep legacy. You, on the other hand, have been granted a new position, alas..."

At this point, Gao Lishi sighed and continued, "This decree was drafted by Wei Jian, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. It was sent to the Secretariat without going through the capital province, and the Secretariat issued it immediately. I was late in learning about this matter, and I cannot cancel your appointment alone. I have asked Qi Huan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, to petition to cancel this appointment of the Assistant Minister. Next winter, you will be selected through a secret process."

Although Gao Lishi didn't speak much, he revealed a wealth of information. First, he mentioned problems within his own family. His father, Zhang Jun, being appointed a Zhongshu Sheren (a high-ranking official in the Imperial Secretariat) should have been a good thing, but Gao Lishi sighed, indicating that things weren't so simple. As for the process of his own official appointment, it was even more peculiar. Originally, the affairs of the Six Ministries were to be summarized and submitted to the Shangshu Dusheng (Ministerial Secretariat), where they would be discussed and organized internally before being submitted to the Zhongshu Menxia (Secretariat) for final decision-making.

Several years ago, Zhang Shuo reformed the government, changing the Zhengshitang to Zhongshu Menxia and establishing five offices to connect with the six ministries. Since the appointments of the Ministry of Personnel did not go through the provincial capital, they must have been issued by Zhongshu Menxia to the provincial government.

Zhang Jun had just been promoted to the position of Zhongshu Sheren, and one of the duties of Zhongshu Sheren was to oversee the five departments. This meant that Zhang Jun had already reviewed Zhang Dai's appointment before it even entered the Menxia Province, but he did not react to it at all and still sent it to the Menxia Province.

What does this mean? It means that Zhang Jun is not only cold-hearted and indifferent to his son's life, but also a complete idiot. Where is Wudang County? It's in Junzhou! When they made this appointment, they didn't treat Zhang Jun like a human being, and Zhang Jun didn't treat himself like one either!

Gao Lishi argued that Zhang Dai's imperial appointment shouldn't be revoked alone, yet he could instruct the Vice Minister of Personnel to directly halt all appointments of mourning officials. Why make such a fuss? Because interfering solely in Zhang Dai's affairs was too conspicuous and shameful! Even the emperor himself wasn't worried, so why was he, an outsider, in such a hurry?
"I am truly, truly grateful for the Duke of Bohai's kindness! I will certainly not refuse any task he may undertake in the future!"

Having said all that, Zhang Dai was too ashamed to press Gao Lishi for more details. He decided to go home and sort out his own messy affairs before worrying about anything else.

Hearing that Zhang Dai had grasped the essence of the matter so quickly, Gao Lishi's eyes showed a hint of admiration. However, seeing the young man's ashen face, he continued, "Young man, your talent is remarkable, and you have seen more than one thing. The manners of the children in my household are far inferior to yours. They only value power and position, and do not recognize talent and strategy. Therefore, I forbid them from entertaining you, lest they make enemies out of ignorance. Next year, when your position is even higher, they will naturally know how to curry favor with you."

Your grandfather, Zhang Yan, was highly respected throughout the land, but at your age, he was nothing more than a scoundrel from Luoyang. Experiencing some temporary difficulties at a young age is not necessarily a bad thing; I believe in your abilities to handle them calmly. Don't let a moment of impulsiveness lead you to do something foolish you'll regret for the rest of your life.”

"I will remember the profound teachings of Lord Bohai. I will take them to heart and never fail to live up to his kindness in passing on his teachings!"

Zhang Dai never expected Gao Lishi to give him such earnest advice. He knew that Gao Lishi was reminding him to control his emotions. If he went home and argued with his foolish father and broke off relations, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage in terms of public opinion, which would make it easier for others to succeed in their schemes.

"Young man, you're currently preoccupied with family matters, and regarding the money-making scheme you mentioned the other day..."

He knew why Gao Lishi was taking such good care of him, so he spoke again.

Gao Lishi waved his hand and said, “You are currently troubled and cannot concentrate on other matters. Moreover, things are not going smoothly in both capitals, so these matters are not urgent. Go home first. I heard that Lord Yan has been unwell recently. I have been on duty for days and have not had time to visit him. Please give him my regards when you get home.”

In fact, the more inconvenient the communication between the two capitals, the more conducive it is to the promotion and development of the flying money business. However, he really didn't have the energy to do these things right now. He could only thank Gao Lishi again, then get up to say goodbye and hurriedly head home.

However, when he returned to the Kangsufang mansion, he found that Ah Ying and her group, who had gone into the city earlier to return to Huixunfang villa, had also returned to the mansion.

“Ah Lang, we were told after we returned that the lady was pregnant and needed to be near water to ensure a safe pregnancy, so... Mother and the others moved to the farm in the south of the city a few days ago.”

Ah Ying hurried forward and whispered.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's gaze sharpened again. He patted A Ying's hand and gently comforted her, "It's alright, there's room anywhere. Let's send someone to the manor to inform them first."

Since he didn't know the specifics yet, he didn't make a big fuss like he did after returning from sending the letter in the copper box. He paused in the front courtyard for a moment, and then went straight to the back house to pay his respects to his grandparents.

"Liu Lang is back, thank goodness..."

When the servants of the clan in the mansion heard the noise, they all looked at Zhang Dai with a hesitant expression, but none of them gave him a cold look.

Zhang Dai nodded slightly in response to his family members' calls and made his way to the back hall. He could clearly sense a strange atmosphere permeating the house, even more oppressive than the last time he had suffered a family upheaval.

When he arrived at the back hall, he saw his uncle Zhang Ji standing outside the hall with a gloomy expression and a tired look on his face. So he went up to him and said, "Uncle, I'm back. Is Father's illness very serious?"

Zhang Ji looked up at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and a hint of anger. After staring at Zhang Dai for a moment, he said in a low voice, "You can still observe people and understand things. Go in!"

"Is that Zongzhi outside? When did you return? The heavy rains of the past few days have taken their toll on many travelers. It's good that you're back safe and sound!"

A weak voice came from inside the hall. Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly entered and said, "Father, it's me who's back. I've troubled you with worry; I'm truly unfilial!"

(End of this chapter)