Chapter 261: Rebuilding the Zhang Family (Part 2)

"Zhongshu Ling, the Prime Minister Pei is here!" With the celebrating rumor from the emcee, the Zhang family's congratulations finally reached its climax. There was a slight commotion at the gate, and dozens of officials surrounded the right prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and appeared in front of everyone. Today, Pei Jun was wearing a regular dress, a green robe and gauze hat, and three long whiskers floated, looking very leisurely and calm, just like a poet walking by the pond and lake, contemplating.

"See Prime Minister!"

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"Prime Minister please!"

Greetings and concessions came one after another, Pei Jun smiled and greeted him one after another. He did not favor this because of his high position, nor did he be inferior to him because of his low position. But the moment he saw Zhang Huan, an elusive smile flashed in his eyes. Zhang Huan bowed his hand and watched Pei Jun walk past him with a smile.

"Pei Prime Minister"

The owner Zhang Potian waved his hand, and the door of the main hall finally opened slowly. The melodious sound of silk and bamboo suddenly floated up from the shadowy hall. The bowls and plates made a collision sound of "ding!" on the table, and the sound of fast and light footsteps. The maid in red dress and green clothes flashed faintly in the lobby. The signs that the banquet was about to begin had already appeared. There was no need for the host to greet each other. The guests were humble and stepped into the main hall one after another.

The main hall is magnificent and decorated with gorgeous pillars. The three of them cannot hold it up. The glittering lamps like mercury, and large pieces of flowing yarn hang down from the roof like a waterfall. It shows the glory that the owner has ever had. Many officials who came to Zhang's mansion for the first time couldn't help but be amazed. This main hall is similar to the lecture hall of the Imperial College, which can accommodate 3,000 people to have dinner together.

In addition to the powerful people in Chang'an, some well-known folk people with titles were also invited to attend, but they were unable to enter the main hall and could only lean in the second hall with some officials. Despite this, it would be enough to be honored to participate in this Zhang family feast.

If it were normal, Zhang Potian would not have such great face and invited so many Chang'an nobles to move, but his time was arranged very cleverly, just on the eve of the New Year, especially the upcoming New Year's Day, there will be a series of major personnel changes, and this banquet has become a kind of weather vane, in which the changes in the one or two dynasties can be explored.

The seats in the main hall have been arranged long ago, with three rows facing each other. Except for the left and right ministers and the members of the cabinet, the rest are arranged according to the title and the height of the scattered officials. On the high platform in the middle is an expensive square table of red sandalwood, which is just a symbol of imperial power. Except for the current Queen Mother Cui Xiaofu, no one is qualified to sit in that position. Is it the king's land under the sky?

The large open space in the middle is where the dancers are good at dancing. At this time, several dancers from the "Western Region Music House" were dancing the passionate and unrestrained Hu Xuan dance. The musicians were hiding on both sides of the lobby. The sound of Huqin and Hu drums were stirring in the magnificent space. Officials began to enter one after another. Under the guidance of the maids, they quickly found their seats. After greetings with the people around them, everyone sat down one by one. Next to them was the seat of the wife. The female guests had not yet entered the venue, and there was a buzzing and silence floating in the main hall.

In terms of titles, Zhang Huan is the prince of Zhangye. From the perspective of the scattered officials, he is the general of the cavalry, all of whom are first-ranked. There are also Taishi, Taiwei, Situ, Prince, etc. On him, his titles and scattered officials have only been in the second seat, that is, the first row on the left. However, Zhang Potian obviously considered the importance of real power. Therefore, as the subordinate of the Secretariat, Zhang Huan was able to sit in the first row on the right. The first was the right prime minister Pei Jun, and the second was the master Zhang Potian. Cui Yu did not come, nor did he send his son to serve himself. The second was Chu Xingshui, Wei Yan, Wang Ang, and Li Mian sent his son to serve him because of illness. Cui Qinggong and Zhu Li had not yet arrived in Chang'an, and Cui Xiong and Zhu Tao were replaced. In this way, Zhang Huan was the Minister of Works Wang Ang next to him. It is truly a place where he met in life.

"Haha! Zhang Huan didn't know how rude it was!" Zhang Huan bowed to Wang Ang with a smile on his face, but Wang Ang said heavily, turned around and talked to Wei Yan, but ignored Zhang Huan's greetings. Zhang Huan smiled and sat down by himself. The table was not big, and there were two people at one table. There were not many dishes on the table, but they were all rare fresh vegetables, vegetables, melons and fruits that were served in the agate plate, and the red grapes and wine in the luminous cup all reflected the elegant mood of the owner, and also suggested to everyone on a scale that this was an unofficial informal party. To be precise, it was just a large-scale treat.

At this moment, a loud voice suddenly shook his ears, "Governor Zhang doesn't ask for anything, why bother to learn about other people's arrogance?"

Although the sound was loud, it was very clever. In the buzzing hall, Wang Ang might know that someone was talking, but he couldn't hear the specific content clearly. He just turned around and greeted the speaker with a smile, and continued to talk about his old friendship with Wei Yan, and even a cold look did not leave a single point on Zhang Huan's face.

Zhang Huan turned around and found that the person sitting on his left was the old general Guo Ziyi. The old man who was known as the God of Tang Dynasty was over 80 years old, but his voice was loud and his face was rosy, and he did not look old at all. He usually sent his sons to serve this kind of banquet and rarely showed up. However, Zhang Potian was his old subordinate, so he made an exception to give face. He was the Grand Marshal, sitting behind the cabinet, and under him were the princes of Luo, King Jin, and other princes. This also shows the respect for his status. At this moment, the pillar of the Tang Dynasty was gently stroking his long silver-screwed beard and looking at Zhang Huan with a smile.

Zhang Huan hurriedly stood up, gave a deep blessing and apologized: "Zhang Huan had not seen him early, don't blame the veteran general!"

"Governor Zhang, don't be too polite. Do you want to force me, the old bone, to get up and repay you?" Guo Ziyi's voice was loud and just a habit of speaking, but his eyes were filled with a faint tranquility, and he even expressed a sincere appreciation.

Guo Ziyi's name to him brought a strong warmth to Zhang Huan's heart in this cold winter. He knew that this old general from Shuofang Army had been paying attention to the Hexi battles in recent years.

At this moment, a crisp cloud board knocked, and the host announced in a long voice, "Madam!"

Then a sound of beakers came from the side door, and the ladies who had been drinking tea and chatting in the back hall were invited to the main hall. If the men were concerned about the subtle changes in the situation in the court at this banquet, then the women were more concerned about their clothes and appearance, and their children's marriages. A colorful stream of people rushed into the main hall, and everyone was dressed gorgeously, red, purple, yellow, and green, and all kinds of long skirts competed for beauty. "Slowly tied the silk skirt and half exposed their chests, and the skirt swept away the plum blossoms as soon as they walked."

The posture is either rich and graceful, or beautiful and generous. Countless jewelry is dazzling under the light, and what is presented to everyone seems to be a long river of brilliance.

Under the guidance of the maid, the ladies quickly found their husbands and knelt down in the soft mat, making the lobby even more lively.

Cui Ning's pretty face flew over the hot fumigation of the lobby. She sat down leaning against Zhang Huan and whispered: "I didn't expect to see many old friends. Do you know who Wei Ruoyue married?"

Zhang Huan poured her a glass of wine and said with a smile: "You said!"

Cui Ning shook her head repeatedly and said with some sigh: "She actually married a fifty-year-old man two years ago to Xuxian. I heard that he was named Wang Mao, do you know?"

Zhang Huan couldn't help but glance at Wang Ang and Wei Yan quickly. He really didn't know about this. Isn't Wang Mao the younger brother of Wang Ang? The 80,000 troops in the Wang family seemed to be in Hanzhong when Wei Yan wanted to use the Wang family's army to recover Longyou. Unfortunately, he was driven out of Hanzhong by Zhu Li's general Li Na. It turned out that Wang Ang and Wei Yan had a marriage relationship. Zhang Huan couldn't help but sneer secretly.

"And Chu Mingzhu, who married Han Huan's son, and she has loved her cousin since she was a child." Cui Ning suddenly laughed and pinched her husband's arm gently, "Don't be self-indulgent, I'm not talking about you."

Zhang Huan smiled, but thought that Han Huan was the governor of Yuhang County and the Zhejiang West Observer, and also had 20,000 troops in his hand. Chu Xingshui married his daughter to his son, undoubtedly in order to deal with Cui Qinggong's increasingly serious threat.

"Her cousin likes her very much, it's a pity! Lovers can't get married in the end."

Cui Ning was still immersed in her deep sympathy for her friends' unhappy marriage. She did not care about the exchange of interests behind these marriages. While she lamented the unfortunate marriage of her friends in the old days, she felt lucky for herself.

The music suddenly stopped, and the dancer retreated. The lobby suddenly became quiet. Zhang Potian stood up, holding a glass of wine and said loudly: "The flower path has never been swept by guests. The Pengmen is now open for you. Thank you for the visit of Pei Xiangguo, thank you for the visit of all the cabinet ministers, and I want to thank you for your visit.

I will use this glass of water to express my diligence, come! Everyone has done it."

Zhang Potian drank it all, held the wine glass high, and said loudly: "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" everyone shouted and drank the wine.

Zhang Potian poured himself another glass of wine. He took a deep breath and said, "Today, I will take the opportunity of being promoted to the Minister of the Sect to announce something to everyone. Our Zhang family has experienced ups and downs and gathered several times. Although it has lost its halo of the past. Although many Zhang family members are already separated, they are always connected by blood and are always eager to revive one day. So five years after our hometown master passed away, the Zhang family's ancestral hall will be rebuilt here. This means that the roots of our Zhang family have not been broken. Please witness the arrival of this moment!"

Speaking of this, Zhang Potian was already full of tears. He seemed to remember the resentment he had been driven out of the mansion by the Zhang family many years ago, as if he remembered the cold drizzle when Zhang Ruohao was buried. There were only three or five people around him to see him off. He seemed to remember the Zhang Mansion in the cold autumn wind. The building was gone, and he went his separate ways in panic.

But today, the bonds of the Zhang family were connected again. He raised his head and laughed boldly: "Come on! Please bless my Zhang family's rejuvenation, you guys have made this cup!"

The mellow wine and bitter tears flowed into his body together. He slowly closed his eyes and murmured to himself in the sound of blessings, "Master, your spirit in heaven can rest in peace!"

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Zhang Huan's carriage was running fast on the street, while hundreds of cavalry followed closely, watching the surrounding situation vigilantly. The carriage was very quiet. Two maids sat obediently behind without saying a word. Cui Ning's cheeks were bright red. She leaned softly in her lover's arms, as if she was unable to drink.

Zhang Huan closed his eyes and pondered. Wang Ang's hostility towards him was becoming more and more obvious. He knew that this was because Lin Jiuhan's army entered Baling County and Changsha County, and it had directly threatened the interests of the Wang family. However, the powder barrel of Jianghuai will explode sooner or later. If this wedge was not inserted earlier, the endgame would be difficult to deal with, especially Jianghuai was an extremely important financial source for the Tang Dynasty.

From now on, Wang Ang will inevitably be enemies with him everywhere, including Wei Yan, Cui Qinggong and Zhu Li, and they will even form an alliance because of their common enemies.

It is urgent to not wait any longer. It is urgent to seize the Ministry of War and take control of the power of the local regiment training.

Thinking of this, Zhang Huan looked down at Cui Ning, feeling a little apologized. He originally said that he would accompany her to Leyouyuan after lunch, but now he no longer has the intention.

He said softly: "I may have something to do later. I will go with you later, okay?"

Cui Ning nodded, she sat upright and touched her forehead and said, "My head hurts so much, and I want to go back and rest early."

The carriage quickly returned to the mansion and drove directly into the inner house. Two little maids helped Cui Ning into the room to rest. Zhang Huan reminded Yang Chunshui a few more words, and then got on the carriage and drove towards Xuanyangfang again.

When the army was in various families, the training of the regiments with low combat effectiveness was never valued. They were only used to maintain local public security. Mobilizing regiments in various places was originally the emperor's power, but after the imperial power was undermined, the power to manage regiments fell into the hands of the Ministry of War, and its mobilization was achieved by changing defense. For many years, the Ministry of War has been in the hands of Cui Yuan. After Cui Yuan fell, Cui Yu took over the Ministry of War, but the power of money, grain and other materials was in the hands of Pei Jun. Without the cooperation of military supplies such as food, horses, Cui Yu could not actually mobilize regiments to train.

But it is completely different for Zhang Huan. If you master the regiment training, you will also have the power to garrison.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of Cui Yuan's mansion. The Cui Mansion was as deserted as before. Several old family members were cleaning the snow on the steps. When the old housekeeper who was commanding the snow to sweep the snow saw Zhang Huan coming from a distance, he immediately ran into the mansion to report. Now everyone knows that the lady has actually married this person.

After Cui Yuan left, her daughter immediately became much deserted. Although she was not as careful and dedicated as her daughter, she stayed alone in the room most of the time, recalling every bit of the past.

It was sunny today, and Cui Yuan was sitting on a bamboo chair and basking in the sun in the garden. There were only two servants who carried the bamboo chairs for him. He also knew that today was the day when Zhang Potian reopened Zhang Zhang's mansion, but he had no invitations. He had been forgotten long ago, and even his enemies from the past were not interested in coming to settle the score with him.

Aging is quietly eroding the rest of the life of this predecessor of the Tang Dynasty.

"Master, the son-in-law is here." The old housekeeper whispered beside Cui Yuan.

"Son-in-law!" Cui Yuan couldn't help but smiled mockingly. Five years ago, he never expected that Zhang Huan would eventually become his son-in-law.

"Let him come in!" Cui Yuan said slowly again: "Don't report it again when he comes in the future, just bring him to me."

"Yes!" the old housekeeper agreed and hurried away immediately.

Cui Yuan reached out to get the blanket next to him, but she couldn't reach it. The servant quickly stepped forward and handed it to him. He sighed and covered his shrinking legs with the blanket.

After a moment of footsteps came from behind, Zhang Huan saw Cui Yuan sitting alone on the grass, thin and thin. Thinking of his former fat and majesty, he seemed to have completely changed.

Zhang Huan sighed secretly, "I'm turning my hands around and turning my hands, why do you need to count the frivolous things? Have you seen Guan Bao Nuo interfere? This is the way people are abandoned as earth now." Thinking about Pei Jun's momentum in entering the mansion today, Cui Dang, who was so powerful back then, how many people still remember this sick old master?

"Son-in-law, please see my father-in-law!"

This is the first time in his life that Cui Yuan was called his father-in-law, and he was the one he was most wary of back then. His fate was so destined that they became a family. Cui Yuan felt a little mixed with emotion. He immediately calmed down and shook his head slightly. When did he become so easily moved?

"Just as long as you understand it in your heart, you should call me Master! I will listen more appropriately."

"Yes! Zhang Huan obeys the order!"

Cui Yuan nodded with a smile, and pointed to the cushion beside him and said, "Come on, sit down and talk."

Zhang Huan sat down and said respectfully: "Ning'er's head hurts a little. Maybe she has caught a cold, so she can't come with me."

"You just came from the Zhang Mansion!"

Cui Yuan asked slowly, "I heard that there was a ceremony for the ancestral temple in the afternoon, why didn't you see it?"

Zhang Huan smiled but did not answer. Cui Yuan also smiled. Of course, he knew why Zhang Huan didn't participate. "Very good! Don't make excuses in front of me, it means you still respect my old bones. Tell me, what's the matter with me?"
Chapter completed!