Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 36 What Can a Rat Do?

In the 14th year of the Kaiyuan reign, Emperor Xuanzong summoned Cui Yinfu, the governor of Henan Province, intending to promote him to a higher position. The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Zhang Shuo, despised his lack of literary talent and recommended him for the position of General of the Imperial Guards. He also recommended Cui Rizhi, a friend of his, as Imperial Censor. Xuanzong rejected the recommendation and instead appointed Cui Rizhi as General of the Left Winged Guards and Cui Yinfu as Imperial Censor. This marked the beginning of a feud between Cui Yinfu and Zhang Shuo.

Yuwen Rong, the Chief Censor, rose in power and interfered with the Ministry of Personnel selection process after the Fengshan ceremony. Zhang Shuo was concerned about this and suppressed him. Another Chief Censor, Li Linfu, was recommended by Yuwen Rong. Li Linfu's uncle was also the Prime Minister Yuan Qianyao, who had long been oppressed by Zhang Shuo.

In this way, Zhang Shuo achieved the achievement of offending all the senior officials of the Censorate, and was unsurprisingly impeached jointly by the Chief Censor Cui Yinfu and the two Chief Censors Yuwen Rong and Li Linfu.

This is the general outline of the political struggle that unfolded in the fourteenth year of the Kaiyuan reign, and it's one of the reasons Zhang Luo, despite knowing full well that this would happen, didn't warn him. As Consort Wu Huifei said, "there were deep-seated causes," and this wasn't some sudden political infighting.

Zhang Jiuling, who was deeply admired by Zhang Shuo, had reminded Zhang Shuo in advance to be careful of Yuwen Rong. However, Zhang Shuo just said "What can a rat do", and was sniped by the "rat" as a result.

Zhang Luo came to Qinghuafang to contact Wu Huifei through Niu Guier, not mainly because of the political turmoil in the Zhang family, which was not an area he could get involved in at the moment. He wanted more to help Zhou Liang clear his grievances and rescue his wife.

But with the bigwigs in the court fighting for their lives, who would care about the life and death of a mere ninth-rank official? So even if Zhang Luo's original intention was not to do this, he had to connect this matter with the current hot topics in order to attract attention.

Although Zhou Liang's experience was just a small matter, the fact that the officials of Henan Prefecture dared to do so was of a serious nature. If it was escalated to the former prefect Cui Yinfu, it would be closely linked to the current case of Cui Yinfu impeaching Zhang Shuo.

Was Cui Yinfu behind this incident? Among the Henan officials involved, who were Cui Yinfu's allies? Even Luonan suffered several floods during this spring-summer transition. To what extent should Cui Yinfu, the former prefect, bear responsibility?

Once Cui Yinfu was caught up in the vortex of public opinion, the impact of his impeachment against Zhang Shuo would inevitably be greatly reduced. The fate of a minor official of the ninth rank was not worthy of discussion in the court, but the competence of a Grand Censor was something that needed to be carefully considered!
So Zhang Luo did not come to ask for help from Concubine Wu Huifei, but to give her an opportunity and an angle to intervene in and influence the personnel disputes in the court.

Although Concubine Wu Huifei asked Niu Guier to say that she was powerless to do anything about it and seemed that she had no intention of interfering in the personnel affairs of the outer court, but everyone has the blood of the Wu family flowing in their veins, don’t I know you?
Niu Gui'er, though clever, clearly lacked great political wisdom and didn't grasp the underlying meaning. After listening to Zhang Luo's account, his expression remained largely unchanged. He simply nodded slightly and said, "So there's such a thing. My dear, you're truly a rare and righteous man who knows how to repay a debt of gratitude. Even with your own anxieties, you're still so eager to repay a debt of gratitude. I've made note of this and will report it to Concubine Hui tomorrow morning upon my return to the Forbidden City."

Zhang Luo didn't expect him to understand much, so he continued, "Everyone in my family is in a state of panic right now. I haven't told them about this matter yet. Concubine Hui is my only relative in this world, so I'd like to ask her to carefully consider what should be done. If there's a solution, the recipients will be incredibly grateful and will definitely repay her with all their might!"

At this point, it's clear that if you want to be the queen, you can't just hide in the palace and do nothing. You need strong support from the court. If he can help my grandfather overcome this difficulty, what can he do?

Although Zhang Luo was not optimistic about Concubine Wu Hui's promotion to Queen, nor did he think that his grandfather would be stupid enough to get involved in this mess, but one thing is one thing, and there is always a sequence. It is better to paint a pie in the sky now and have everyone look forward to it together than to watch others fighting happily on the field while standing by and worrying.

Niu Gui'er still didn't grasp the deeper meaning, and even felt that this young man was a bit naive and ignorant. Your family is in such trouble, and you don't care, but instead waste your precious connections worrying about other people's family affairs. No matter how great the favor is, can it be more important than your own safety and life?
But seeing Zhang Luo's sincere attitude, Niu Guier said that he would report to Concubine Wu Huifei after entering the palace tomorrow morning, and then invited Zhang Luo to stay at his home.

However, Zhang Luo had already found a place to stay in the neighborhood, and he had a feeling that there was something amiss about Niu Gui'er and his wife. Upon hearing this, he waved his hand and said, "I'm already bothering you by notifying you of my visit. How can I continue to bother you? When Niu Neipu reports to you tomorrow and receives a reply, you can have me inform the Qiting family about my presence."

After saying this, he stood up and said goodbye. Although Niu Gui'er didn't understand what he meant, he still greeted and saw him off respectfully. He personally escorted Zhang Luo back to the restaurant and threatened the owner in front of Zhang Luo, using his status as an inner palace official to urge him to be careful in treating distinguished guests.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, as soon as the street drum sounded, Zhang Luo got up early, refused the sumptuous meal offered by the restaurant, went to the street and bought two freshly baked Hu cakes, which he held in his hands and ate while walking towards the gate.

There are many people like him on the street. The common people are busy with food and clothing all day long and have no time to stop and have a full rest. The streets are already crowded with people early in the morning.

When they parted yesterday, Zhang Luo had simply instructed Ding Qing and Zhou Lang to come look for him at Qinghuafang, but he hadn't specified the exact location. Worried that the two would wander around aimlessly and not find him, or perhaps even cause trouble, Zhang Luo had arrived early to wait at the gate.

He first wandered around the North Gate, but couldn't find the two men. He then went to the East Gate, and from dawn to dusk he wandered back and forth between the two gates, until his legs grew tired. Finally, he spotted the two men squatting under a willow tree inside the East Gate. "Why are you here so late?"

Zhang Luo strode towards the two men and asked in a low voice. When he saw the two guys, dusty and covered in grass debris, looking in a mess, he felt something was wrong.

"Ah, Alang, this is bad! Yesterday I found Zhou Lang in the south of the city. Just as I was about to return to the village to report the news, a team of Jinwu guards headed straight for the village..."

Ding Qing looked up and saw Zhang Luo. He almost burst into tears, but fearing the attention of passersby, he covered his mouth and sobbed softly, "With just the two of us and an old horse, there was no way we could catch up... When we were almost halfway there, we saw the Jinwu Guards returning with their men. My aunt Ying, my sister Ying, and I had all been captured... Fearing the Jinwu Guards would disperse and arrest us, we turned north. We fled all night until we neared Beimang. We had no money, so even after selling our horses, we only got less than a coin..."

The boy spoke incoherently, but he finally explained clearly. After listening to him, Zhang Luo's face turned ashen.

According to what Ding Qing saw, the Jinwu Guards should have gone to Luonan Farm to capture him shortly after taking control of the Zhang family mansion. How did they learn of his existence and whereabouts so quickly?
The Zhang family had many farms and estates in Luonan. Even if the Jinwu Guards were searching for the scattered Zhang clan members, they shouldn't put themselves first. After all, even Concubine Wu Huifei believed that he was just a concubine and shouldn't be implicated too deeply.

The situation now unfolding clearly indicated that someone within the Zhang family had reported their position to the Jinwu Guards, perhaps even exaggerating their significance within the family. Zhang Luo could already guess who would do this without much thought.

At this moment, he was filled with anger and fear. He originally thought that if he hid in the suburbs, he would have time to leave calmly even after the Zhang family was in crisis. However, he still underestimated Zheng's malice towards him.

This woman was in danger herself, but she still refused to let him go unpunished. She chose to report him immediately. This woman really wanted him to die!
If Zhang Luo hadn't entered the city at that time, even if he had heard the news and fled, he probably wouldn't have gotten very far and would have been captured by the Jinwu Guards. Once they controlled him, he would undoubtedly be a piece of cake, unable to save others or himself.

"Don't stay on the street, go somewhere else."

Realizing that he had been listed as a target for arrest by the Jinwu Guards, Zhang Luo felt a surge of sense of crisis. He waved his hand to signal the two to follow him out of Qinghuafang and head south to the more bustling Lidefang, hoping to use the crowded flow of people in Lidefang to conceal their whereabouts.

There were also short-term guesthouses in Lidefang, much cheaper than the one Zhang Luo had rented in Qinghuafang. Zhang Luo used the few hundred coins Ding Qing had earned from selling his horse to rent a guesthouse. After entering the room, Zhou Lang, who had been silent until then, sank to his knees and cried out in grief, "Has my family's misfortune implicated you, my dear?"

"It's irrelevant. I've also learned about your family affairs..."

Zhang Luo briefly told him about his visit to Madam Zhou in Henan Prefecture yesterday, then frowned and fell into deep thought again.

He hurried to Qinghuafang last night to seek help from Concubine Wu Huifei. Of course, he hoped to use Concubine Wu Huifei's influence on the current situation to get more attention to the Zhou Liang case, to help Zhou Liang restore his innocence, and to rescue Madam Zhou.

But he himself did not intend to show up or get involved too deeply, just as he had advised Zhou Liang before, if things can be done, then it is his duty; if things are difficult, then do it within your ability.

These matters were originally beyond his ability. Asking Wu Huifei for help would only add a possibility for a good change. But if Wu Huifei had no interest in this and was unwilling to get deeply involved, then he could only give up, or bury the matter deep in his heart and wait until he had the ability and opportunity to retaliate.

However, as Yingniang and her daughter and Ding Cang were captured by the Jinwu Guards, the nature of the matter changed for Zhang Luo.

They were the closest people to him in the world. Yingniang was like his adoptive mother, Aying and he had been childhood sweethearts, and Ding Cang had managed the farm, provided food and clothing, and worked tirelessly for years. Now that they had been captured and taken back to the Zhang family, if he just walked away, no matter what the Zhang family's future would be, their situation would be extremely miserable.

Moreover, Zheng's desire to kill him completely dispelled Zhang Luo's previous ethical concerns: Are you so afraid of me taking away your son's fortune? Since you won't let me go, I'll fight to the bitter end! As long as I'm here, your son will never get ahead!
(End of this chapter)