Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 3: It's hard to find shade under a big tree

On the way back to his residence, although the scenery remained the same, Zhang Luo's mood was completely different.

Before, he had some difficulty in accepting his new identity and was more of an outsider. However, after personally experiencing the cold attitude of his biological father Zhang Jun, he suddenly felt indignant and even developed a bit of hatred.

Hatred and anger are the most sympathetic. Now he has regarded himself as the original young Zhang Luonu. He feels that the entire Zhang family mansion is full of indifference, and they don't care about his life or death, and even harbor a deep malice.

Before this, whether it was the dilapidated house he lived in or the lack of intimate interactions with his parents in his childhood memories, they were all relatively indirect reflections of the situation, so Zhang Luo, who had just arrived here, did not have any strong feelings.

However, the conversation with Zhang Jun just now made him realize that if he wanted to live in this world for a long time as the young Zhang Luonu, then this bad ethical relationship would probably be a shackle and burden that he could not get rid of.

Besides his relationship with Zhang Jun, Zhang Luo's mind was also filled with other things. As a graduate student in ancient history, even if he didn't have the memories of the young Zhang Luonu, he had heard of the deeds of Zhang Shuo's family.

Because of Zhang Shuo's own power and achievements, his family became a very important political family during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It was so prominent that after the Anshi Rebellion broke out and An Lushan reached Chang'an, he appointed his son as prime minister!
Yes, although Zhang Shuo was a famous prime minister who helped to establish the Kaiyuan era of civil governance, his sons Zhang Jun and Zhang Yi defected to An Lushan during the Anshi Rebellion and became shameful traitors. They even served as prime ministers in the pseudo-Yan regime established by An Lushan. They were extremely shameless and betrayed their king and father!
Maid Jiang Ying also noticed that Alang was not in a good mood. He was gloomy and silent all the way back. She did not dare to disturb him and could only walk beside him at a fast pace. When she saw Alang about to go down the wrong alley, she stepped forward and took his sleeve to guide him to the right path. If she met other servants along the way, she would stop Alang to prevent them from disturbing him.

The master and servant walked back to their residence in silence. Zhang Luo saw two baskets filled with clothes and utensils placed in front of the house. He looked at Ying Niang who came forward with some surprise and asked, "Auntie, what are you doing with these?"

"Alang has recovered from his illness. We naturally don't need to stay here anymore. We can move back to our old home!"

Yingniang smiled upon hearing this, then looked back at the dilapidated house and sighed with a complicated expression, "I'm sorry that Alang has been living in this shabby house for days. But fortunately, with the protection of the gods, Alang is getting better, and everything will be fine!"

"Don't bother any more. The old house isn't much different from this one."

Zhang Luo waved his hand upon hearing this. On the way back, he had already made a secret decision in his mind: "Zhang Garden may be vast, but it can't accommodate one person. Living under someone else's roof is bound to be difficult for a long time. Before, I was ignorant and muddle-headed, causing Auntie and Aying to suffer here, forcing you to swallow your anger and be cautious. Now that I have awakened after my illness, why do we have to do this? The sage's Eastern Envoy is complete, the world is at peace, and all things are flourishing. Why should I be trapped in this radius and be looked down upon by others?"

"Ah Lang is so bold! I've always felt that this family is not a good family, especially the Zheng family mistress. She usually pretends to be magnanimous, but she will persecute Ah Lang whenever she gets the chance. The servants around her even secretly reported it to me..."

When Jiang Ying heard Alang say this, her eyes suddenly lit up and she waved her fist to cheer Alang up, but as expected, her mother slapped her in the face.

"Don't talk nonsense and irritate Alang! Life at home is indeed uncomfortable, but if you leave this wealthy family, do you really think it will be easy to make a living outside? The dangers you will encounter then will not only be a few cold stares and a few difficult times. If it were safe outside, why would the former lord entrust his wife to this family?"

Yingniang had been a slave for a long time. She served Madam Wu when she was young and raised Alang in the Zhang family for many years. She had an instinctive fear of the world outside the high walls of the house. When she heard the quarrel between the boy and girl, she immediately waved her hand to deny it.

Ah Ying seemed to have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Undeterred by her mother's reassurance, she continued, "The late master entrusted my wife with this matter, but where is she now? The dangers within this house are far greater than what mother has witnessed. I dared not speak out before, but now that Ah Lang has sensed it himself, there is no need to conceal it."

I secretly made friends with the servants around Madam Zheng. They told me that Madam Zheng hated Alang, not only because Alang had lost his mother, but also because a wizard had predicted years ago that Alang's fate was in conflict with the son he would have. There must be a decline after prosperity, and a fall after prosperity, so the situation became more serious the following year.

Mother, you don’t know, and I don’t dare tell anyone, but this time, Alang has to buy raw herbs and learn to prepare them himself, instead of using the prepared medicines provided by the mansion, because I’m afraid someone will tamper with them…”

"Is there such a thing?"

Hearing the girl say this, Zhang Luo and Ying Niang widened their eyes and screamed in surprise.

Yingniang was usually submissive and cautious, not daring to argue or quarrel with anyone in the house, hoping only that Alang could grow up safely. She had never expected that someone in the inner house could harbor such evil intentions. Hearing her daughter's words, she immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

As for Zhang Luo's shock, it was multifaceted. First of all, he was naturally surprised that his situation was even more dangerous than he had felt before. If he encountered someone who believed in numerology and divination firmly, it might really become a reason for murder.

Secondly, he was astonished that Ah Ying, a seemingly docile and delicate young woman, was so skilled at gathering intelligence, able to uncover the enemy's inner workings. Thirdly, he was astonished that the medicine he drank was actually concocted by this young woman on the spot. The true cause of death of his predecessor, the young Zhang Luonu, was still unclear. Could it be that from now on, besides being wary of the enemy, he also had to be wary of you?

This last bit of doubt was a bit hurtful to say out loud, so Zhang Luo secretly decided in his heart that he would never drink the medicine prepared by this young lady again until he found out what level Aying's pharmaceutical skills were!
After the three shocking moments, Zhang Luo motioned for Aying to help him carry the two baskets back to the room. Yingniang didn't object, but her face was still pale, clearly still recovering from the shock. Judging from the mother and daughter's behavior, the younger Aying was actually more assertive and shrewd than her mother.

"Auntie, don't worry too much. Even if Zheng hates me, I don't think she would harm me directly. She's a well-dressed, noble woman. I'm just a flea on the bedside or under the mattress. It's harmless to just nip it in the bud. But she wouldn't chase me down and make a scene, tearing up the bed and making it known to everyone."

After returning to the room, Zhang Luo saw that Yingniang still looked uneasy, so he smiled and said.

Although he was not familiar with the mistress of the Zheng family, he guessed that she was a lady from a noble family after all, and not a born killer. Even if such a person had no moral integrity, she would not easily allow herself to be involved in dirty things and ruin her reputation.

Just like his predecessor, the young Zhang Luonu, who was unconscious, a little trouble and letting him die would have been what the other party wanted. Unfortunately, he had possessed the young man's body and regained consciousness. Unless he had shown some obvious signs of threatening his son's safety and future, the other party would not immediately make any substantial moves to murder him.

"Ah Lang is not a flea under the mattress. Those who have bad intentions and are two-faced are the despicable creatures that God hates!"

Ah Ying wholeheartedly protected Ah Lang, and couldn't help but retort even when Zhang Luo made self-deprecating remarks. Her beautiful eyes wide open and serious expression made her look quite domineering and cute.

"Just having this thought already makes me unable to sleep! If we really want to wait until someone attacks and murders me, what else can we do? This place is dangerous, we should leave as soon as possible!"

Yingniang was now filled with a strong sense of crisis. She felt that if she stayed here any longer, she would face a catastrophic disaster. However, she was also confused about the future. "But where can I go if I leave here? In the village south of the city, it's still difficult to escape the evildoers' murder..."

Zhang Luo's desire to leave the Zhang family wasn't primarily to escape the hostility within the inner chambers; he had much more to consider. In the long run, the Zhang Jun brothers lacked both political wisdom and moral integrity, and their choices and actions during the An Lushan Rebellion were utterly disgraceful.

Even though it is the 14th year of Kaiyuan now and there is still a long time before the Anshi Rebellion, the brothers are just useless people who rely on their father's influence to get by, and they are definitely not capable people who can revitalize the family.

In the short term, the Zhang family seems to be flourishing, but in fact, it is already harboring a huge crisis.

Although Zhang Shuo held a high position and great power, he was arrogant and irritable and had many enemies. Especially during the recent Fengshan ceremony, he was unfair in his dealings and openly formed a clique for personal gain, which had caused resentment among the people and even disgust from the emperor.

In fact, in the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan, Zhang Shuo would soon be besieged and attacked by his political enemies. Although he was lucky enough to survive, he was dismissed from his position as prime minister and lost the qualification to govern the country.

Both the long-term and short-term concerns showed that the Zhang family was a difficult tree to rely on, and Zhang Jun was clearly indifferent to his illegitimate son. Zhang Luo really couldn't find the need to continue to get involved with this family.

"It's certainly not advisable to stay in a dangerous place for long, but there's no need to panic. Plan carefully first, and it won't be too late to leave once you're fully prepared."

Zhang Luo's plan was to take advantage of the political crisis that the Zhang family would soon encounter and be unable to take care of themselves to withdraw, so as to avoid the obstruction and restriction of the Zhang family to the greatest extent. As for where to go after leaving the Zhang family, he did not have a specific idea yet.

But no matter where you go, it is very necessary to have enough money. As the poet Gu Kuang said, things are expensive in Chang'an and it is not easy to live in a big city. Even if he does not go to Chang'an, he must ensure the expenses of food, clothing, housing and transportation.

So after a moment's hesitation, he asked again, "Auntie, how much savings do we have now?"

After hearing this question, Yingniang and her daughter immediately showed an embarrassed expression on their faces.

Lest readers say, "He's a prime minister's grandson, and yet he wants to escape, only to be caught as a vagrant the moment he steps out," let me offer a brief explanation. The protagonist's idea is a result of a combination of factors; a detailed explanation would be too detrimental to the plot, so I'll gradually expand upon it later. Furthermore, character development and plot development require a gradual process, and some viewpoints and positions are not set in stone. What's currently presented doesn't represent the author's complete understanding of the era. Therefore, some ideas that may seem naive or immature early on will be expanded upon later. If they aren't expanded upon later, it's likely that they are truly immature.



(End of this chapter)