Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 42: Same Grandson, Different Fate

Duanmen is the south gate of the Eastern Capital Imperial City. To the south, it faces the Tianjin Bridge across the Luo River, and to the north are the imperial city's hundreds of departments and the Forbidden City.

The streets outside the imperial city were patrolled by cavalry soldiers, forbidding anyone from lingering for long. Even officials and their entourages traveling to and from the imperial city were required to leave quickly and not linger near the city. If they were seen by the censors, they would be impeached the next day.

The bronze box was placed under the palace wall on the east side of the Duanmen Gate, covered by a tent and guarded by armed soldiers of the Jinwu Guard.

Only when Zhang Luo got closer did he see clearly that this bronze box was a large copper cabinet more than one meter tall. The four sides were painted in four different colors: blue, red, white and black. It was used to store letters with different contents.

Of course, it doesn't matter even if the wrong category is submitted, because the court has a Zhikui Envoy who will review and sort out the submitted letters after the copper boxes are collected, and then report to the emperor. Zhikui Envoy is usually a Jianyi Doctor from the Menxia Province.

"Who is coming!"

When Zhang Luo was walking along the side street, he had already been noticed. When he gradually approached the bronze box, the armored soldiers of the Jinwu Guard came forward and shouted at him.

Arriving at the core of the Tang Empire's rule, even Zhang Luo, a man known for his grand gestures, couldn't help but feel a little nervous. After calming himself, he spoke loudly, "My name is Zhang Luonu, a native of Kangsu Village, Henan County, Henan Prefecture. I'm the descendant of the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Zhang Yangong. I have something to report, and I've sent this letter in a bronze box, begging for it to reach the emperor!"

In fact, the letter sent to the copper box did not require such a detailed account of one's life story. During the reign of Wu Zetian, cruel officials were prevalent and people were encouraged to inform on others. The writer did not even need to provide any identification, and the officials in charge were not allowed to put up any obstacles. The informer had to be provided with the food of a fifth-rank official.

The reason why Zhang Luo shouted out his identity so loudly was to attract people's attention.

Although there was Concubine Wu Huifei in the palace as a backup, this matter was still not completely risk-free. Zhang Luo shouted to let everyone who came in and out of the imperial city know that there was such a person as him and that he was doing such a thing.

It was evening, the street drums were already beating, and some officials who were not required to stay on duty were hurriedly leaving the imperial city, so the area was very lively. Zhang Luo's roar immediately attracted the attention of nearby passers-by.

These officials in the imperial city have always been very concerned about the personnel struggles in the court. Some of them are even members of the two factions in the political struggle. When they heard that there were new variables, they were naturally curious and came over one after another.

"Mr. Zhang Yan is extremely poor! This morning, he ordered his brother to cut off his ear in the court, which may have aroused people's sympathy. In the evening, he sent a child to send a letter to the copper box. His frequent use of force is increasingly disturbing. It is really too much!"

There were also people who were just there to watch the fun. They did not rush over to watch, but just stood in the distance, shaking their heads and giving their own judgment.

With so many officials gathered to watch the fun, the guarding Jinwu Guards felt a lot of pressure. They quickly led Zhang Luo to the bronze box and asked him where he wanted to submit the letter.

Zhang Luo did not answer, nor did he let them handle his memorial. He walked to the bronze box and casually threw it in.

At this moment, another team of armored soldiers came out of the imperial city. They first dispersed the officials who had gathered there to watch the excitement, and then led out an ox cart and lifted the bronze box onto the ox cart.

The bronze box was transported in and out in the morning and in at dusk. Now the street drums were beating, and it was time to transport it back to the imperial city. It was not because of the disturbance caused by Zhang Luo's letter.

However, an official in charge of the copper box came forward, frowned at Zhang Luo, and asked, "Young man, are you truly a member of the Zhang Yan family? Your family is well-off, and relatives already hold positions in the imperial court. If you have something to report, why would you need to come here to present it?"

"I am undoubtedly a member of the Yan family. Since my report is unusual, I need to submit a letter in a bronze box. The bronze box is placed here to receive praise and advice from all sides. I believe you will not refuse it, right?"

Zhang Luo saw that this person's attitude was not very good, so he responded neither softly nor harshly.

Although the official was somewhat unhappy with Zhang Luo's ostentatious behavior, he did not dare to bring himself into the crime of obstructing freedom of speech, so he could only snort coldly and signal Zhang Luo to follow the ox cart transporting the copper box into the imperial city.

The imperial city is where all the court departments are located. The buildings are taller and more imposing than the houses in the streets. Each government office of the central court occupies a large square courtyard, and the atmosphere is more solemn than that in the streets.

After entering Duanmen, the group walked north along Tianjie to the second cross street, then turned left and headed towards the Jishiyuan.

Because the Yishiyuan had to frequently communicate with external personnel, it was located in a relatively outer position of the imperial city. On both sides were the offices of the Southern Court Guards. Therefore, many Southern Court soldiers walked or stopped on this cross street.

Among the row of government offices, the Yishiyuan was not particularly large. Entering the gatehouse, one was greeted by a screen wall made of blue bricks, painted white, and covered in numerous inscriptions. Zhang Luo glanced up and was instantly amused. He had initially thought it might contain some kind of rules and regulations, but it turned out to be just some poetry and even some graffiti. The messy scene was not much different from the "I was here" graffiti found in later scenic spots.

As expected, the world is just a huge makeshift team. After seeing this scene, the majesty of the Yuanshiyuan, an institution that can report to the emperor, suddenly decreased in Zhang Luo's mind, and his mood became a little relaxed.

Beyond the screen wall lay an open courtyard. Directly to the north of the courtyard was an enlarged hall, with two rows of side rooms extending from either side. On the steps of the hall, an official in a light green robe was already standing.

In the Tang Dynasty, officials of the eighth and ninth ranks wore blue, and officials of the sixth and seventh ranks wore green. The official in front of us was wearing light green, which meant he was a seventh-rank official.

"This is Yao Shiyi from the Ministry of Personnel. Whatever you have to write to me about, you can speak directly to Yao Shiyi here!"

Zhang Luo was still wondering what position this official held, but after hearing this introduction, he couldn't help but look at him with a new respect.

The Left Censor of the Imperial Court was an eighth-rank official. During the Tang Dynasty, officials were divided into two categories: casual officials and official positions, as well as those with honors and titles. Official ranks were primarily determined by casual officials, while others were higher or lower, and their rank varied. This isn't the main point; the main point is that while the Left Censor was only an eighth-rank position, it was a very important position. He accompanied the emperor on his journey, offered advice, and served as a close attendant and censor to the emperor.

Like the famous poet Du Fu in later generations, he spent most of his life holding the most formal and prominent official position. This was given to him by Emperor Suzong of Tang as a reward for his service in the court during the Anshi Rebellion when he fled to Tang Suzong.

As for other famous officials of the Tang Dynasty who served as Buque and Shiyi, their number was even greater. They were usually able to advance step by step in these positions and achieve prominent positions. They can be regarded as genuine reserve forces for high-ranking officials.

The man in front of him, Yao Shiyi, looked to be only in his twenties, yet he was already in such an important position, and his rank was even higher than his official position. This was enough to show that he either had an outstanding family background or outstanding talents, and there was always something that ordinary people could not achieve.

The current director of the Court of Imperial Aid is Wei Jiansu, the Imperial Counselor of the Ministry of Personnel. Because he happened to have other things to do, the person who handled the affairs of the Court of Imperial Aid today was his deputy Yao Shiyi.

The general process after submitting a letter to the copper box is that the writer first gathers in the Box Envoy Court, waiting for the Box Envoy to sort out the letter and present it to the Palace, which will then review and approve it, and send it to the relevant officials for processing. The so-called relevant officials are the Box Envoys of the Censorate, and the Censorate will then transfer the content of the letter to the Dali Temple or other departments for final processing.

During this process, the person who submitted the letter cannot move freely and must be guaranteed to be summoned by the authorities at any time.

If it is a general matter, the person who sent the letter only needs to leave a fixed address at the court where the person can be contacted. However, if it is a particularly important matter, the person who sent the letter must be strictly controlled.

In addition to Zhang Luo, dozens of people who submitted letters to the court also gathered in the court. Some of them were offering tributes, while others were petitioning. They lined up and told the purpose of their submission to the bronze box.

But Yao Shiyi didn't seem interested in any of this. He simply asked a clerk to record the situation while he searched the crowd. When he spotted Zhang Luo, he pointed at him and asked, "Are you a member of Zhang Yan's family? What's the matter with this letter?"

Zhang Luo knew he had stepped into enemy territory at that moment. Any response would directly determine the course of events. To reduce his own risk, he had to start pretending. He opened his mouth and said, "I am Zhang Luonu, a wicked grandson of Zhang Yan Gong. My relatives rely on Yan Gong's prestige and have committed many outrageous and illegal acts. They are despised by the people and cause public resentment. I am ashamed to be included in their ranks. I am angry and have sent this letter to the bronze box, hoping that it will be heard by the emperor and severely punished!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire courtyard was in an uproar, and everyone looked at Zhang Luo in surprise.

Even Yao Shiyi's eyes widened for a moment, and he asked in disbelief, "Is what you said true? Do you have any proof?"

Zhang Luo was surprised by this guy's reaction. Even if you, an eighth-rank junior collector, were on the opposing side, was there any need to be so anxious? Could it be that if I defeated Zhang Shuo, I would still let you take over?
At this moment, the Jinwu Guards who were watching the excitement laughed and pointed at Zhang Luo, saying with a bit of gloating, "Yao Shiyi is the famous grandson of Yao Lianggong. It is only fitting that the Zhang family's son should report the family scandal to Shiyi!"

Yao Lianggong? Yao Chong!

Zhang Luo had originally suspected that this Yao Shiyi might have a distinguished family background, and sure enough, this man was no ordinary grandson; he was actually the grandson of Yao Chong, the renowned Kaiyuan Prime Minister. With such a family background, it was only natural that he would hold the important position of Shiyi at such a young age.

Seeing that Yao Shiyi and the Jinwu Guard soldiers both had gloating expressions on their faces, it was obvious that they had no good intentions.

It would be fine if the soldiers of the Southern Court were resentful of Zhang Shuo for his unfair treatment during the Fengshan ceremony, which resulted in very little rewards for them. But the fact that Yao Shiyi was so happy to see the Zhang family suffer misfortune was a historical issue.

(End of this chapter)