Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 76 Disrespecting Reborn Parents
By the time Zhang Dai returned to his villa in Huixunfang, his family had already returned from their shopping. They had bought two horses with a full set of saddles and bridles, and a small donkey, which had cost them over a hundred strings of cash.

Although these two horses were not as majestic as the imperial stable horse given by Consort Wu Huifei, they were also fat and healthy, with impressive fur and teeth, and were more than enough to keep at home and use for travel. However, An Xiaochen repeatedly lamented that the horses in Duxia were too expensive, and the same horses were more than twice as expensive as those in Taiyuan.

Such a comparison does not make much sense. Taiyuan is an important pastoral supervisory center, and there are herdsmen from the Nine Surnames, Six States Hu and other places who raise horses. As a place of production, the price is naturally much lower than that in the terminal market.

However, An Xiaochen's complaints gave Zhang Dai an idea. He thought that if conditions allowed, he might consider engaging in animal husbandry and horse trading. Although he was not wealthy and had no money, the costs and risks of animal husbandry in the Tang Dynasty were relatively manageable, and the space and technology were considerable. It was still a promising business.

What surprised Zhang Dai the most was that Wei Lin, the broker who had taken him to visit the South Market before, also followed him back. He looked even more shabby than before. He was still wearing his old clothes and his hair and beard were rather disheveled.

"I was working in the market just now and ran into one of your disciples. After greeting you, I learned that you had just moved to a new residence, so I took the liberty to come and offer my congratulations!"

Wei Lin bowed as he entered. Ding Qing, standing by, explained, "Wei Yalang was wandering outside the city. When he saw us, he followed us in. He helped us buy things, which saved us a lot of money. But he seems to have offended someone in the city. When we were in the city, a few ruffians followed us, but they were scared off by Brother An."

After hearing Ding Qing's explanation, Wei Lin's face turned embarrassed. The reason why he was able to continue to run around in Nanshi recently was mainly because of his original identity as a clerk in the Municipal Supervision Office.

But as time went by, the brokers in Nanshi were no longer afraid of him. Whenever they saw him soliciting business in Nanshi, they would beat, scold and humiliate him. This forced him into a desperate situation and he had to come and see Zhang Dai, his old customer.

Zhang Dai knew that a scab like him would be unwelcome anywhere, so he wasn't surprised. He just smiled and said, "Thank you, Wei Yalang."

Wei Lin hurried forward and bowed, then pulled out a piece of golden calligraphy from his bosom and handed it over, saying, "I heard that you've moved into a new house, so I've obtained a piece of peace note from Changshou Temple as a gift for you. Hang this note in your home or wear it on your luggage, and it will protect you..."

Zhang Dai had also heard about the peace paper from Changshou Temple from Yingniang and Aying. It is considered a well-known cultural and creative product in Luoxia Buddhist Temple, and many devout believers like it.

Of course, nothing in Buddhism is given for free. You have to worship Buddha sincerely to receive the gift. You can either donate money or offer your strength. It is said that the price is not low.

"Have a heart."

Zhang Dai took the peace note with both hands. Although he was not very fond of it, it was a token of his appreciation after all. He asked Aying to take it and choose it under the front corridor, and prepared a return gift for Wei Lin to take with him when he left.

"Ah Lang, do you want to try out the new horse?"

Ding Qing was eager to try, and he was itching to try the two new horses in the stable.

Zhang Dai also wanted to try out different horses for a bit, but An Xiaochen, standing beside him, said, "The temperament of a new horse is unknown. My lord, please allow me to train the horse before we can test ride it."

Zhang Dai then had the two men move the horses from the stables. Since there was no racetrack at their house, they took them to the Fang Street for a test ride. Huixun Fang was quieter than other Fangqu districts, and the streets were wide. As long as the horses were not galloping, trotting would not disturb anyone.

"Ah Lang, this horse is really stable, much easier to ride than that old horse with a droopy belly the other day!"

Ding Qing was like a scumbag who got bored easily with the old and loved the new. He trotted on the street with a happy look on his face, and did not forget to pull down the old horse he had sold a few days ago.

An Xiaochen also intended to show off his riding skills in front of his master. Although he did not gallop after mounting the horse, he performed various tricks such as riding through the belly, hanging around the side of the saddle, etc., which made people overwhelmed.

Zhang Dai was also itching to watch from the front door. He was waiting for the two to return so that he could get on his horse and go for a ride. Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses could be heard in the winding alley to the side. He warned them, "Be careful..."

Before he could finish his words, a galloping horse rushed onto the street from one side, so fast that it almost left an afterimage.

Ding Qing pulled the reins to control his mount and narrowly avoided the opponent's attack, but unexpectedly another horse rushed out and knocked Ding Qing and his horse away. The horse was thrown more than ten feet and fell heavily to the ground. Ding Qing was knocked even farther and fell directly into the ditch that passed through the village.

"Hurry up and save Ding Qing!"

Zhang Dai was shocked when he saw this, and hurriedly signaled his servants to go to the ditch to rescue Ding Qing. However, the galloping horse did not stop after knocking Ding Qing away, but instead rushed towards the gate of the house because of panic.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way! Can't you wait for the galloping horse? Do you want to die?"

The knight on horseback was a young man in a brocade robe. He could no longer control his frightened horse and could only lie on the horse's back and roar loudly.

"Don't hurt my master!"

Seeing this, An Xiaochen spurred his horse back, leaping from his mount. He hooked his arm around the frightened horse's neck and, using its momentum, threw it sideways with all his might. He himself fell heavily to the ground, but he managed to turn his head and look at Zhang Dai: "How is my lord?"

Zhang Dai wasn't hit, but he was still terrified. Hearing the news, Aying and the others from the inner chamber rushed out, but he waved them back. He looked at the disciples from Wuhou Shop across the street who had rushed over after hearing the noise and shouted, "These two young disciples are riding horses in the street and injuring people! Why don't you arrest them quickly?"

"I'm fine, Alang, this horse, this horse..."

Ding Qing was pulled out of the ditch, covered in mud and limping. When he saw the horse he had just tried riding now lying on the ground whimpering, with blood oozing from its mouth and nose, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

An Xiaochen also had some sprains, and he struggled to get up, holding his waist, and stood beside Zhang Dai.

"You street thugs are so arrogant! Do you know who we are?"

Two young men galloped on horseback, knocking Ding Qing down. An Xiaochen then threw the man and his horse off, sending the young man sprawling to the ground, pinned beneath his mount. The other man, a street thug, had his mount leashed by a rope thrown by a staff, and was roaring with shock and anger. The street thugs, knowing that the residents of the neighborhood were all powerful figures of the dynasty, naturally didn't dare to be too rough, but carefully surrounded the two men and their horses.

"Quickly apprehend them both. The law will determine their punishment!"

Zhang Dai was furious when he saw this. As the victim, he had not yet made a complaint, but the other party was shouting fearlessly. He stood in front of his street and shouted loudly.

The street gang leader didn't dare to offend Zhang Dai. He ordered his men to go forward and restrain the two men and their horses. Then he turned to Zhang Dai and asked, "Excuse me, sir, should we take these two men into our residence, or should we temporarily seize them and hand them over to the authorities?"

Zhang Dai saw that An Xiaochen and Ding Qing both had sprains and injuries from falls, and the newly bought horse was even more seriously injured. He certainly would not let this go.

But before he could open his mouth, the young man who had hit the horse earlier pointed at Zhang Dai and shouted angrily, "I recognize you, Zhang Yan, Gongsun Zhang Liu! You scoundrel allowed your servants to block the street, startling my mount and causing both me and my horse to be injured. I will not forgive you!"

Hearing this brat complain first, Zhang Dai's anger turned into laughter. Although the streets in the alley were for carriages and horses, these two people rushed out from the side of the street at a speed that seemed to take off, making it difficult for ordinary people to avoid them. In the end, it was someone else who stopped him?
"who are you?"

He heard the young man call out his identity, and seeing that he looked familiar, he immediately asked. At this time, another young man who had been dragged off the horse glared and cursed: "So this is the thief Zhang Liu who framed my cousin! This thief is so evil, why don't you kill him!"

Hearing the two men shouting, Zhang Dai understood that they were Li Linfu's younger relatives. Li Linfu came from a distinguished family with a strong background, so it was not surprising that he had relatives living in Huixunfang.

"Tie these two boys right in front of my gate and have their parents come here to lead them back!"

Seeing the thugs shrinking back, Zhang Dai immediately spoke up again. He wanted to see how arrogant Li Linfu's relatives were, daring to distort the truth in broad daylight.

The street thugs were happy to hand over these two hot potatoes. At the same time, a street thug who recognized the two men stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, one of these two is General Li's son, and the other is Wei Yuanwai from the Ministry of Personnel..."

General Li Zhaodao was Li Linfu's cousin. As for Wei Yuanwai of the Ministry of Personnel, it was only after this street thug reminded Zhang Dai that he realized they were referring to Wei Jian, the son-in-law of Li Linfu's uncle Jiang Jiao, who was currently serving as a Yuanwailang in the Ministry of Personnel.

With such a family background, it's no wonder that the two young men dared to ride their horses so recklessly in Huixunfang.

However, their family background was no match for Zhang Dai. As the two men continued to shout and curse, Zhang Dai simply had them gagged and sat in the doorway, waiting for their families to come and redeem them. After the street thugs handed the two young men over, someone rushed to report the incident.

Not long after, another group of people came riding in from the other side of the alley. Leading them was a middle-aged man who was well-dressed and looked to be about the same age as Zhang Jun.

Seeing the two young men tied up and gagged at the door, the middle-aged man's face immediately darkened. He dismounted and walked to the door and said in a deep voice, "Even if our two sons have made mistakes, they will be disciplined by their own father. Zhang's son has been humiliated like this, don't you want to settle the matter properly?"

This middle-aged man should be Wei Jian, but Zhang Dai's attention was not on Wei Jian at the moment. He unexpectedly spotted Wang Yuanbao in the team behind him. Wang Yuanbao was slightly startled when he saw Zhang Dai, and then quickly lowered his head, as if he didn't want to reveal their acquaintance.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore. His eyes fell back on Wei Jian and he replied bluntly, "These two disciples are very arrogant. Not only did they kill my horse, but they also insulted me and even accused the court of unfairness.

I dare not listen to such evil voices, so I asked my family to silence them. If Mr. Wei wants to listen carefully, he can unseal them himself."

Wei Jian's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He could imagine what the two teenagers would yell at him, so he didn't rush to untie them. Instead, he looked at Zhang Dai and said, "What do you want to do to get this over with? I'm telling you, young disciple, don't be too arrogant! I served in the same court as your father and grandfather, and I've always been respectful to Lord Yan. If you act out of anger, you'll only make enemies and resentment!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai cursed inwardly, thinking that Wei Jian was a real idiot: If I hadn't come to get rid of Li Linfu, your entire family would have been wiped out at the hands of Li Linfu sooner or later, and you're still glaring at your adoptive parents here!

"Did I bring these two villains here? Mr. Wei's words are really ridiculous. How do I intend to end this? I will enforce the law impartially and punish the guilty! Mr. Wei, why are you trying to stop me from arresting these two villains and sending them to the criminal court?

Although I am no longer an official in the court, I am also a law-abiding citizen. I do not need to respect or fear anyone. I only need to respectfully abide by the laws of the country. If something is unfair, I will complain!"

If someone else said this, Wei Jian would just sneer, or even ridicule this kid as pedantic and stupid. However, Zhang Dai's deeds made him dare not underestimate him. If this kid brought the book to petition again, it would inevitably cause many more troubles.

After a brief pause, he raised his hand, pointed to his own mount, and said to Zhang Dai, "This famous horse, Tele Piao, has come from beyond the Great Wall. It is worth a thousand gold and is many times more valuable than your injured horse. My son offended me first, and I am giving this as compensation."

Zhang Dai had just noticed that Wei Jian's mount was extremely majestic, and even the saddle, bridle, and stirrups were all top-quality. He couldn't help but sigh that these Guanlong rich men were really rich. When he heard that Wei Jian was willing to compensate him, he was quite tempted.

But he still frowned and said in a deep voice: "My family was also frightened and injured!"

"I'll have my family come over later to pay for the injuries. If possible, I'll take my son away first. Otherwise, I'll let him be punished!"

After hearing Wei Jian's words, Zhang Dai paused for a moment before nodding. If these two were really sent to the Criminal Court, the punishment would be much lighter due to their background and influence. At least they could take advantage of the other party's injustice and make them bleed.

Watching Ding Qing joyfully walk forward and lead the steed Telepiu into the house, Wei Jian raised his hand to signal his men to untie the two boys. He glared at the two men who were about to speak, then looked at Zhang Dai and said, "The horse has been compensated, so this injured horse is mine?"

Without waiting for Zhang Dai's reply, he walked over to the wounded horse, which was still lying on the ground and wailing. He suddenly drew his sword and plunged it into the horse's neck. He waited until the horse was dead. Then he drew his sword again, flicked the blood from the sword, and said coldly, "Let's go!"

The group came and went quickly. Zhang Dai looked at the dead horse and his eyes became serious.

He raised his hand to signal Ding Cang to go home and get some silk to give to the street thugs nearby, asking them to deal with the horse carcass and blood, and then he went home.

(End of this chapter)