What was this place?
This was Tianjin Bridge!
North of the bridge was the Imperial City. South of the bridge were the residences of high officials, nobles, and relatives of the Imperial Family. They had to pass through here if they wanted to enter or leave the palace or go to the various government offices. Very few people dared to be ostentatious here. Who knew if they would bump into an official even more powerful than them?
But this person did not have any misgivings. When Yang Fan first saw the carriage swagger onto the bridge, he was slightly puzzled. He thought, "Who is this? Even the Emperor's most beloved Princess Taiping or the domineering Wu Sansi would not dare to act like this. In the entire world, probably only Teacher Xue would … "
When Yang Fan thought of this, he saw the person in the carriage: Zhang Changzong!
With just one glance, he saw Zhang Changzong, who was more beautiful than a woman. Yang Fan immediately recognized him.
So it was him. No wonder he was so arrogant.
At this moment, behind Yang Fan, another ox-cart slowly galloped over, the banner of an official was raised high. A sharp-eyed scholar saw it and immediately shouted excitedly, "Look! The Great Honglu is here! The Great Honglu of the Nine Ministers is here. The Great Honglu is in charge of etiquette and the etiquette of the Imperial Family and the ministers. This fake man dares to be so ostentatious on Tianjin Bridge. There will be a good show to watch! "
The Great Honglu was now called the Minister of State. He was one of the Nine Ministers. He was in charge of the etiquette of the Imperial Court and received the envoys of the Four Barbarians. He was also in charge of the etiquette of the Imperial Family and the ministers. In other words, part of the Great Honglu's function was like the military police, but it was limited to etiquette. He was not like the imperial messengers who could report everything.
The current Minister of State of the Zhou Dynasty was called Dou Lu Qinwang. Dou Lu Qinwang had just come out of the Imperial City with a ceremonial carriage. He sat in the carriage, twirling his beard. He seemed to be very pleased with himself.
At present, Li Zhaode was the most powerful in the Imperial Court. He was favored and trusted by the Emperor and controlled all the civil and military officials. Dou Lu Qinwang saw that Li Zhaode had monopolized power and was extremely arrogant. He wanted to curry favor with him and expressed his goodwill. Today, Li Zhaode finally summoned him to the Political Affairs Hall.
After a conversation, Dou Lu Qinwang felt that Li Zhaode seemed to appreciate him and was overjoyed.
At this moment, he was thinking about every word that Li Zhaode had said to him after his meeting with Li Zhaode. "During my visit today, Prime Minister Li specifically mentioned the three law departments. He said that the law and discipline are corrupt and the discipline is not upright. What does this mean? I was just an official in charge of etiquette. Li Minister specifically mentioned this to me … "
Dou Lu Qinwang was in charge when a whip sounded in front. Someone shouted, "Dou Lu! Dou Qinwang! Dou Dou Li Dou Dou Lu!
When Dou Lu heard this, he frowned, instantly displeased. He was one of the Nine Ministers, and his position was not low. He could barely be considered an extremely high official. Although he did not have much power, in terms of rank, the number of officials in the court who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him could be counted on one hand. This Sixth Minister … just from hearing it, he could tell that he was not an official in court. What kind of relative of the Emperor was he?
As Pea Lu was thinking this, his entourage had already stopped and was shouting at the other party. Pea Lu snorted coldly, calling out slowly, "Housekeeper … housekeeper …"
The steward of Dou Lu's house was called back from the front. Panting with rage, he rolled up his sleeves, looking like a loyal protector of his master. He approached the carriage and said, "Ah Lang, did you call me?"
Dou Luqinwang stroked his beard and said unhappily: "Who dares to be so ostentatious on the road ahead, daring to block my honor guard!"
The housekeeper said, "I don't know which family's son is from. What a grand show of extravagance, a horse carriage occupying the middle of the road. There's only a young man in the carriage. He's gorgeously dressed and looks like a virgin. He says his surname is something like Zhang, but I've only heard his family servant call him something like Liu Lang. I don't remember any royal relatives being called Liu Lang in the current dynasty …"
Doulu Qinwang was originally very displeased, but as soon as he heard this, his mind flashed like lightning, a person he had heard of not long ago suddenly leaped into his mind. Doulu Qinwang hurriedly asked, "Surnamed Zhang, this person's surname is Zhang? His family calls him Liu Lang? "
As Doulu Qinwang said this, he did not wait for the housekeeper to reply and had already rushed forward. With a 'shua' sound, he lifted the curtain of the sedan. He stuck his head out to take a look and saw a luxurious carriage with a golden roof and a fluttering gauze curtain. In the carriage, there was a young man dressed in luxurious clothing sitting arrogantly. From his angle, he could only see a very delicate chin. It seemed like he did not care about the quarrel in front of the carriage at all.
"It's him, it must be him!"
Doulu Qinwang thought to himself and hurriedly shouted, "All of you, shut up!"
Doulu Qinwang shouted at his family servant to stop and quickly crawled out of the carriage. As soon as the steward put down the pedal, Doulu Qinwang hurriedly lifted his robe and got off the carriage. He quickly walked to the front of the luxurious carriage, cupped his hands and asked with a face full of smiles, "Excuse me, is this young master in the carriage the Sixth Langjun of the Zhang residence of Ji Shan Lane?"
The young man in the carriage was sitting up, playing with something in his hands. He did not pay any attention to Doulu Qinwang. One of his servants, dressed in green and wearing a small hat, arrogantly said, "That's right, it is my family's Liu Lang in the carriage. Who are you?"
When Doulu Qinwang heard this, he hurriedly bowed again and said with a face full of smiles, "Ah! It is indeed Liu Lang. This old man is Si Bin Official Doulu Qinwang. I have long heard of Young Master Zhang's great name. Seeing you today, you are indeed handsome, like a jade tree. Qinwang is fortunate to be able to see Liu Lang today. "
The Zhang residence servant impatiently waved his hand and said, "Go, go, go. Quickly move aside. My family's Langjun wants to enter the palace to see the emperor. If he is delayed, can you bear the responsibility?"
Doulu Qinwang immediately waved his hand at his servants and said, "Quickly, quickly move the carriage to the side of the road. Please let Young Master Zhang pass first!"
Doulu Qinwang's servants did not know who this person was, for his master to curry favor with him. They hurriedly moved the carriage to the side of the road. Doulu Qinwang bowed to the carriage again and said flatteringly, "Sorry to disturb Young Master. Young Master, please."
At this time, Zhang Changzong finally sat up straight and glanced at him lightly. He lazily asked, "You are Doulu Qinwang, right? You are a very good person! "
Hearing this, Doulu Qinwang was filled with joy and smiled even more flatteringly. He hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying, "Yes, yes, yes. This lowly official is indeed Doulu Qinwang. It is a sin to disturb Young Master. Qinwang respectfully sees Young Master off!"
Zhang Changzong smiled and waved his hand. The carriage swaggered off. Doulu Qinwang stood there with his buttocks in the air. Only when Zhang Changzong's carriage had left the Tianjin bridge did he dare to straighten his back.
The scholars on the Tianjin bridge were all dumbstruck. Many of them still could not guess who this young man was to make Doulu Qinwang, one of the nine ministers, treat him with such respect.
Yang Fan saw all of this and thought, "It seems that the matter of Zhang Changzong being favored by the Empress is known by most of the officials. However, Teacher Xue is favored by the Empress. He can run amok in Luoyang and do whatever he wants. Compared to Zhang Changzong, his power and dominance are somewhat higher. However, when it comes to the matter of the heir apparent, he can't interfere. I wonder if Taiping's painstaking efforts to promote Zhang Changzong can help her achieve her wish. "
The small interlude at the bridgehead passed in a moment. The bridgehead returned to its bustling state. After Zhang Changzong and Doulu Qinwang's carriages left, he urged his horse to continue on to White Horse Temple. Doulu Qinwang and Zhang Changzong were already thrown to the back of his mind. He did not think that he would have any interaction with them in the future.
… …
Yang Fan hurried to White Horse Temple to see Xue Huaiyi. As soon as he saw him, he told him the reason for his visit.
He could not hide this matter from Xue Huaiyi. After interacting with him for a long time, he found that Xue Huaiyi was not as straightforward and boorish as others thought. Although he often messed around, he was still quite clever. If he hid anything from him and Xue Huaiyi found out, it would affect their relationship.
Moreover, between Xue Huaiyi and Husero, he was clearly closer to Xue Huaiyi, so he had no reason to trick Xue Huaiyi. He was willing to help Husero because he felt that Xue Huaiyi would not suffer any loss. Uzhile had long ago taken over Husero's figurehead, so it was impossible for him to mobilize his Western Turkic soldiers who were skilled in battle and most familiar with the Eastern Turks.
As for using Husero's familiarity with the Turks, that was even less useful. The border army had far more officers and soldiers familiar with the Turks than Husero, the nominal King of the Western Turks. He had grown up in the Tang dynasty and only returned to his tribe after he came of age. In just a few years, Uzhile had taken over his power and driven him back to the Tang dynasty. How familiar could he possibly be with the Eastern Turkic tribes?
Husero's greatest skill might have been in riding and archery, but how much use could one man's bravery be on the battlefield? Moreover, the Imperial Court would never permit Husero to charge into the enemy ranks and serve as a general. If he died on the battlefield, he would be far more useful to the Imperial Court than a general.
The current Husero had lost all of his spirit and was as lifeless as an old man. Perhaps this was closely related to his two-and-a-half years in Chang 'an.
In these two years, the entire tribe he had brought into Guanzhong had to live under someone else's roof, so it was impossible for them not to have any complaints about him. Each tribe had its own habits and customs, and there were bound to be many conflicts between them and the natives of Guanzhong. He had to mediate and make all sorts of arrangements, so he was bound to be both mentally and physically exhausted.
Ashina Husero had long since lost his former spirit, so it was better to let him live a comfortable life as a resident of Luoyang. This was the best outcome for everyone.
Ashina Husero's residence was in Dunhua Workshop, only two workshops away from Yang Fan's residence. In Luoyang, he could be considered a close neighbor. Yang Fan and Xue Huaiyi brought a few trusted disciples to Husero's residence. Just by looking at the layout of the residence, they knew that their previous judgment had been correct.
Husero was the Khagan of the Western Turks, but there was nothing Turkic about the furnishings in his residence. He was a general, but there wasn't even a martial arts arena or weapon rack in his residence. It seemed like this Khagan was truly content to live a peaceful life as a wealthy man.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
