Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 73: The Descendant of a Noble Family
After discussing some current affairs with Zhang Shuo, it was already getting late, so Zhang Dai decided to stay overnight at the mansion. His bedroom in the Jicui Building was still preserved, making it convenient for him to stay home from time to time.

A person's state of mind is always related to their own situation. Zhang Dai always felt depressed in this mansion before, and only felt more comfortable when he left here.

But now, because of the appreciation and support of his family elders, the entire Zhang family treats him kindly and politely, which makes him no longer reluctant to enter and leave the mansion.

Zhang Jun and Zheng, who used to be quite annoying, now occasionally provoked each other, which was also a kind of pleasure. As the saying goes, little by little, it will eventually become a big deal, and one day they will be completely dealt with.

However, the Zhang family, having just experienced a major change, was still rather subdued and silent. Most of the family members were not as optimistic and open-minded as Zhang Dai, nor were they as calm and detached in their situations.

He, the once neglected illegitimate son of the Zhang family, had now become the most comfortable one in the family. Of course, this was all earned at the cost of his life. The wound on his head had only just scabbed over and hadn't healed yet.

Early the next morning, after he had breakfast with his grandparents, it was naturally impossible for him to go and greet his biological parents. He left home directly and returned to his villa in Huixunfang.

After returning to his villa, Zhang Dai arranged for Ding Cang to select some of the light goods returned by Henan Prefecture yesterday and take them to Nanshi to sell. A certain amount of cash flow must be prepared for the life of a large family.

He did not stay idle at home either, and took Zhang Yi and Ding Qing with him to Yudefang in Luobei. Yudefang was the seat of the Luoyang County government, where Zhou Lang and his son had been taken by Luoyang County officials yesterday. And today, Henan Prefecture was also returning Zhou Liang's body.

Zhou Liang was originally from Bianzhou, and now he was an orphan and a widow in Luoyang, so Zhang Dai brought a few people from his household to help with the funeral. He also wanted to ask Zhang Yi to go to the Luoyang County Office to recruit a few obedient servants to stay at home and serve.

Although the Zhang family also had servants, Zhang Dai considered that there were still many things he did not want the Zhang family, especially Zhang Jun and his wife, to know, so it would be better to spend a little money to hire someone from the government and feel at ease.

Luoyang City's southern part belongs to Henan County, and Luoyang City's northern part belongs to Luoyang County. Zhang Yi previously served as a clerk in Luoyang County, so he was very familiar with this area. Under his leadership, the group quickly arrived at the Luoyang County Office in Yudefang.

Zhou Lang and his son had been placed in an unoccupied house within the neighborhood, and were being escorted there by county officials. Zhang Yi stayed behind for the time being, asking his colleagues to hire a few men from the slave households under the jurisdiction of the county government.

The Zhou family's house covers an area of ​​more than two acres. It is a common residential house in Luoyang. It does not have a very large courtyard and can barely be divided into a front hall and a back residence.

When Zhang Dai arrived, Luoyang County officials had already helped set up the mourning hall. Knowing the story of Zhou Liang's family, they were deeply concerned. Mrs. Zhou was bedridden, and Zhou Lang was in mourning at home. Without their help, the funeral would have been impossible.

Not long after, an official from Henan Prefecture came to inform that Zhou Liang's coffin had arrived outside the town. Zhou Lang wept and kowtowed in front of the door, while Zhang Dai took Ding Qing and others out of the town to greet him.

After a lesson, Henan Prefecture learned its lesson and did not do anything weird again. It prepared a set of coffins and secret tools to bury Zhou Liang's body in the prefecture, and then sent it to Yudefang.

However, when Zhang Dai saw the official in charge of escorting Zhou Liang's coffin from Henan Prefecture, he could not help but frown. The person was none other than Yao Hong, the Left Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, who had gloated over his misfortune when he had submitted the letter to the bronze box.

When Yao Hong saw Zhang Dai representing the bereaved family to greet them at the gate, he immediately frowned and looked at Zhang Dai with strong hostility.

Despite his deep reluctance, he dismounted and stepped forward, saying, "I am now serving as a military officer in the Henan Prefecture. Following orders from Lord Magistrate Meng, I am here to escort the body of Zhou Liang, a senior official who died in the service of the king, back to his home."

Zhang Dai was also annoyed by the guy's harsh tone. Li Linfu, who had been implicated in the illegal handling of his letter and the bronze box, had been exiled to Shannan. He could also imagine that Yao Hong would not be able to escape at the beginning.

But this guy was always a minor figure, and the outcome of his treatment was not widely known. Last night, when I discussed personnel changes with Zhang, I didn't mention this grandson. I didn't expect to see him again the next day. Moreover, this guy is worthy of being Yao Chong's grandson. He has withstood the blow that even Li Linfu could not withstand.

Yao Hong's previous position was as a Left Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, but he was now a Legal Assistant of Henan Prefecture, apparently demoted from the central government of Southern Province to a local prefecture or county. However, Left Censor was an eighth-rank official, while Legal Assistant of Henan Prefecture was a seventh-rank official, and was located in the Eastern Capital, Luoyang, not a remote area.

Therefore, Yao Hong's demotion this time was more like a normal transfer of official positions, and even a promotion.

For example, Xu Shen, the military official of Henan Prefecture, and Liu Gui, the warehouse official, whom Zhang Dai knew, both reached this level in their forties and middle age. Yao Hong had already held this position in his early twenties, so there was no sign of him being demoted.

The only thing that looked a little disappointed was that this guy changed his official robe from light green toad skin to the current blue one, which meant that his casual rank was reduced from the seventh to the eighth.

Before, he was an official of the eighth rank with a seventh rank, and now he is an official of the seventh rank with an eighth rank. The apparent demotion and hidden promotion are clear.

"The master of ceremonies hasn't entered the block yet. Yao Facao, please hold the banner and wait here for a moment." Zhou Liang was posthumously awarded the fifth rank, and he also died in the service of the king. According to etiquette, the master of ceremonies of the Honglu Temple should preside over the funeral and offer a small sacrifice. However, Zhang Dai didn't see the master of ceremonies at Zhou Liang's house just now, so he spoke up.

When Yao Hong heard this, anger suddenly appeared on his face again, but thinking of the instructions from the Grand Magistrate Meng Wenli before the trip to cooperate with the funeral and avoid unnecessary trouble, he could only snatch the hemp banner from the official's hand and stand beside the carriage carrying Zhou Liang's coffin. At first glance, he looked like a child or grandchild of the funeral.

Yudefang is also a prosperous neighborhood in northern Luoyang, where many officials and officials live. When they see a funeral in the neighborhood, they naturally come over to watch.

Zhang Dai was just an unknown person before. Although he has become very famous recently, not many people have seen him.

Yao Hong was different. He was the grandson of Yao Chong. His father, Yao Yi and his brothers had been selling official positions and titles in the Eastern Capital many years ago and were very successful. In addition, Yao Hong himself had been an official for several years, so many people in Luoyang knew him.

Seeing him standing next to the coffin with a banner in his hand, the onlookers couldn't help but secretly wonder if someone else had died in the Yao Liang family?

Hearing the spectators' chatter, Yao Hong became even more furious. He threw the hemp banner in his hand to his servant, strode up to Zhang Dai, and shouted angrily, "Zhang Dai, you have become so arrogant and unruly after achieving success. Do you really think I can't do anything to you?"

Zhang Dai looked at the man's face, which was distorted with anger, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Yao Chong and Zhang Shuo were both famous prime ministers during the Kaiyuan period, and could be considered outstanding people of their time, but their descendants were all very abstract.

Zhang Dai's father Zhang Jun and uncle Zhang Yi directly defected to An Lushan, so there's no need to elaborate on that. Yao Chong's children and grandchildren didn't defect to the An Lushan rebels, not because they were particularly righteous, but because they died early, especially Yao Hong, who had killed himself in the early years of the Tianbao period.

Not to mention the deeds of Yao Chong's sons, Yao Hong, a great man, later served as a judge under Prime Minister Niu Xianke. When Niu Xianke was seriously ill, he forced Niu Xianke to recommend his uncle Yao Yi to replace him as prime minister. As a result, he was reported by Niu Xianke's wife, and Xuanzong directly ordered the execution of Yao Hong.

If Zhang Shuo's sons had not yet committed any evil before they surrendered to the enemy, then Yao Chong's children and grandchildren had already revealed their evil nature. In short, none of them were good people.

"Yao Facao has been promoted step by step and has become extremely powerful. If it weren't for the impending disaster, I would have retreated."

Zhang Dai glanced at Yao Hong's green official robe and said with a sneer.

He dared to rush into the enemy's nest alone, not even paying attention to his father, and he would not be scared by the cats and dogs jumping out. We are all serving as grandchildren, what do you have more than me?
When Yao Hong heard what Zhang Dai said, he became even more enraged.

He came from a prominent family and had great influence. Everything had gone smoothly for him since he was released from prison. However, a few days ago, he was careless and was implicated in the crime of this boy, for which he was blamed by the Censorate. He had to use all his connections to avoid being exiled to another state, and was barely able to stay in Henan Prefecture. This was the biggest setback he had ever experienced in his life.

"Although this position is not prestigious, it is dedicated to punishing lawbreakers and troublemakers! Zhang family members, do not take advantage of your privileged status and act recklessly. I now hold this position, and I will not inquire about other matters, but only investigate one person. If there is a case that warrants punishment, I will make you realize the power of the criminal law!"

Hearing Yao Hong's threatening words, Zhang Dai laughed again, raised his hand and pointed to the southwest, and said, "Yao Facao's words are old news to me. Li Zhongcheng, who used these threats before, has already traveled across mountains and rivers to the south.

Although the legacy of Lord Yao Liang is immense, it is difficult to prevent Yao Fa Cao from using him recklessly. I have forgiven your misdemeanor and have not reported you, for I cannot bear to harm the family of the victim. If you dare to say another word of this nonsense, I will immediately go to Meng Dayin to ask why he governs his people!

Look how arrogant you are. Although I am a commoner, can you stand the risk of me telling tales on you?

Sure enough, after hearing this, although Yao Hong's eyes were filled with even more anger, his actions still seemed to be more amiable. He took the initiative to step back more than a foot, but his gaze was still lingering coldly on Zhang Dai.

Soon, officials from the Honglu Temple arrived, and they brought Zhou Liang's coffin into the house, where they placed it in the mourning hall and began the funeral. Although the Zhou family didn't have many relatives and friends to pay their respects, the funeral would still last several days, even if it was kept simple.

Zhang Dai didn't stay here any longer. He took Zhou Liang's letter and rushed to Luonan's home. In addition to asking his grandfather to write an epitaph, he also complained to his grandfather: "That bastard grandson of the Yao family is threatening me, are you going to do anything about it? Yao Chong bullied you so badly when he was alive, and now your grandson has to suffer the same?"

Although he refused to admit defeat, he still remembered Yao Hong's threat. This guy dared to threaten even the Prime Minister, which showed that he was a bold and reckless person. Even if the official means could not deal with him, he had to guard against his shady moves.

If I were to live and work in Luoyang City again in the future, I would at least have to pay attention to my personal safety, and hiring a few guards would be an urgent matter.

(End of this chapter)