Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 891 Loyal and Honest Person

"As long as both parties swear an oath before the gods, it will be delivered after completion!" Gong Ren said.

"Swearing an oath before the gods?" Yan Liang nodded. He knew that the Tibetans took the oath before the gods very seriously. "Well, you can send a letter back to arrange the time and place for the oath before the gods!"

--------------------------------

Changan.

The aroma of Hu cakes coming from the shops along the street made Zhang Quanwen take a deep breath subconsciously. He stopped and walked into the cake shop on the side of the road, and took out four five-zhu coins from his sleeve: "Give me two cakes and a bowl of milk porridge!"

"Okay!" Hu San, the cake seller, skillfully used an iron hook to hook out two hot Hu cakes from the inner wall of the charcoal stove, and then made a bowl of milk porridge, put a stack of side dishes, and asked his wife to bring it over: "Mr. Zhang, your cakes are here, enjoy them slowly!"

"Thank you very much!" Zhang Quanwen put the copper coins on the table, drank a mouthful of porridge first, and asked casually: "The streets are very lively today, is there any happy event?"

"Haven't you heard?" Hu Sanhun put away the copper coins and said with a smile, "There has been a notice issued that the Western Expedition Army has negotiated peace with the Tibetans. Qin Ling not only gave up the prefectures and counties he occupied in Hexi, but also released the soldiers who were captured in Dafeichuan! The court has issued an edict to celebrate this. The Jinwu in Chang'an City will not be restricted for the next five days, and the people will be given wine, meat, and cloth!"

"What?" Zhang Quanwen shuddered, quickly put down the spoon, and asked, "Is this true?"

"This is fake!" Hu Sanhun said with a smile, "There's a notice posted at the entrance! You can read, you can go and see for yourself!"

"Okay, okay!" Zhang Quanwen didn't care about the porridge being hot, he drank it in two or three mouthfuls, put two Hu pancakes into his sleeves, and walked quickly towards the gate. When he arrived at the gate, a group of people had already gathered around the wooden sign where the notice was posted. He ran over and heard a scholar in blue clothes reading the notice with his head shaking, and the other illiterate people were listening attentively.

"Aren't these Tibetans all unreasonable barbarians? Why would they just let us go this time?"

"He must have been beaten badly, so he had no choice but to let him go!"

"Yes, didn't you hear what that gentleman said? Prince Huliang led his troops to capture the capital of the Fan bandits. The bandit leader's wife and children were all captured. The bandit leader had no choice but to release them!"

"Since we have captured the capital of the foreign bandits, why don't we capture the bandit leader as well and present him to Chang'an? Do we still want to negotiate peace with the bandits?"

"Keep your voices down and don't disturb the gentleman in front who is reading the notice!" The voices of those people were getting louder and louder, and someone turned around and shouted.

Zhang Quanwen had already squeezed to the front and began to read the text attentively. The gist of it was similar to what Hu Sanhunjia said, but it was more detailed. At the end of the notice, it said that the Tang army and Qinling swore an oath before the gods that the two sides would use the Sun and Moon Mountains as the boundary and would not attack each other within three years. If they violated the oath, the gods would not tolerate it.

"With the Sun and Moon Mountains as the boundary, the Hehuang area has been stabilized. It can be considered a great victory!" Zhang Quanwen breathed a sigh of relief and said to himself.

"This gentleman!"

"Ah?" Zhang Quanwen felt someone pulling his sleeve. He turned around and saw a woman in her thirties in green clothes, looking at him anxiously: "What's the matter, young lady?"

"Sir, do you recognize what is written on the notice?" the woman in green begged, "Can you help me see if it says when the captives trapped in Dafeichuan can return?"

"That's not the case!" Zhang Quanwen shook his head. "The higher-ups only mentioned that Tubo agreed to release the people who were captured, but they didn't say when they would release them!"

"Really?" The woman in green begged, "Can you help me check again? Don't miss anything!"

Zhang Quanwen had no choice but to read it again carefully: "Really not. It only mentioned that when the two sides swore an oath, the Tibetans promised to release the captives, but it didn't mention when they would release them!" Looking at the blue-clothed woman's expression, he guessed about 60% of the answer: "But are there any relatives of yours who were captured?"

"Oh!" The woman in green sighed, "My brother grew up in a poor family and married into another family. Later, the imperial court sent sons-in-law from Chang'an, bad boys, and merchants to become registered residents in Longyou. I wanted to find a way to come back in a few years! But I didn't expect that General Xue would send troops to conquer Tubo, and my brother also followed him and was captured. I thought I would never be able to come back, but I never expected, never expected!" When she said this, the woman began to cry.

"Don't cry, young lady!" Zhang Quanwen hurriedly tried to comfort her, "Good things will come to you from heaven. If your brother can survive so many disasters, he will definitely return to Chang'an. Just wait patiently, there will definitely be good news!"

"Thank you, sir!" The woman in green thanked Zhang Quanwen and turned to leave. Zhang Quanwen returned to his residence, but he still couldn't calm down: "I thought Huliang was able to hold a high position because of his father's influence, but I didn't expect it was because of his own ability. The Tibetan soldiers were so brave, and the imperial court had rarely won a victory in many years, but he was able to drive thousands of miles, directly attack the enemy's nest, and force Qinling to sue for peace. He is really a heroic young man!"

Zhang Quanwen was in the room, feeling overwhelmed, when there was a knock on the door. He stood up and asked, "Who is it?"

"Is this Mr. Zhang Quanwen? The General's Mansion has summoned you!"

"The General's Mansion?" Zhang Quanwen was surprised and quickly responded, "Wait a moment!" He straightened his clothes and opened the gate. He saw a green-robed clerk standing in front of the door. The leading one bowed and said, "Mr. Zhang, the General's Mansion has summoned you. Please follow me!"

"As you command!" Zhang Quanwen responded, followed the clerk out the door, and got on the carriage. He heard the rutting of wheels outside, and asked, "May I ask what your palace wants me for?"

"I don't know that either!" The green-robed clerk said with a smile, "You'll know when you get there!"

Zhang Quanwen nodded, took a deep breath, suppressed his anxiety, and comforted himself that at such a happy time, even if he made some mistakes, the general would not punish him. After arriving at the general's mansion, Zhang Quanwen was led to a side courtyard. He thought he would have to wait for a long time, but after a while, an official in a red robe came in from the outside. He hurriedly stood up to greet him. The official in the red robe stretched out his hand and said, "I am Lu Zhaolin, a military officer in the general's mansion. The general summoned you today because he has something to ask you. Please tell me frankly!"

"Since the general has asked me, I will report truthfully!" said Zhang Quanwen.

"Well!" Lu Zhaolin smiled and said, "Well, before asking, let me tell you a piece of good news. The court has already made a decision on the matter of Ganzhou City. It was not your fault!"

"Really?" Zhang Quanwen was overjoyed when he heard this. Although he was not thrown into prison after arriving in Chang'an, he was only placed in a certain neighborhood and was required to report to the government office every five or ten days. He was no longer restricted and was given money and rice as living expenses every month. He could also guess that the court would not punish him, but this explanation still relieved a worry. He hurriedly bowed and said, "I am really grateful to God for escaping this crime!"

"Mr. Zhang, you don't have to be like this!" Lu Zhaolin reached out and helped Zhang Quanwen up. "Everyone knows that this matter is not your fault, but we were at war at the time, and Ganzhou City fell in your hands after all, so we couldn't publicly pardon you. We could only be vague about it. Now the situation is different, so you can be pardoned naturally. Don't worry, the court will never forget your hard work in Ganzhou!"

"Thank you, Envoy Lu!"

"Yes!" Lu Zhaolin nodded: "As for your next arrangements, there is a vacancy in the General's Mansion. I wonder if you are willing to take it?"

"The general wants to use me?" Zhang Quanwen was surprised.

"Yes!" Lu Zhaolin smiled and nodded. "If you agree, we will be colleagues from now on. I will tell you the truth. The general is very satisfied with your work in Ganzhou this time. He said that you are a loyal gentleman. You care about the people of Ganzhou but not yourself. People like you are rare. The general will retire to Hebei next. He plans to recommend you to his son, Master Huliang, and let you be the chief official in Master Huliang's mansion. I wonder if you are willing!"

"Ah!" Zhang Quanwen was overwhelmed by the huge amount of information contained in Lu Zhaolin's words. He smiled bitterly and said, "This matter is really too big. I can't answer it for the time being."

"That's easy. Is three days enough?" Lu Zhaolin said with a smile, "You can go back and think about it for three days, and then give me a definite answer!"

"Thank you, Lord Lu!" Zhang Quanwen bowed. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "May I ask, did the general really choose me just because I am a loyal and honest gentleman?"

"The general's actions are always unpredictable. Although I work beside him, I dare not say that I know his thoughts!" Lu Zhaolin smiled and said, "But when he chose you, he once said: Since Zhang Quanwen refused to let down the people in the city, he will naturally not let down me, Wang Wenzuo!"

----------------------

The General’s Mansion, study.

Lu Zhaolin walked in and saw Wang Wenzuo lying on a rocking chair, his eyes slightly closed, a copy of the Han Dynasty on his chest, and a slight snoring sound from his nose. He stepped aside, holding his breath and waiting quietly. After a while, Wang Wenzuo yawned and opened his eyes: "Shengzhi, when did you come? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I just arrived!" Lu Zhaolin said with a smile, "I saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I just waited for a while!"

"Well, I just flipped through the Han Shu for a while, and fell asleep without realizing it!" Wang Wenzuo put the book on the armrest beside him and motioned Lu Zhaolin to sit down: "How is it? Did you meet Zhang Quanwen? What did he say?"

"Yes! He said he wanted to go back and think about it, so I told him to go back and give me an answer in three days!"

"That's fine, think it over before you reply!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "A forced melon is not sweet!"

"That's right, General!" Lu Zhaolin said with a smile, "But I'm telling you the truth. Young Master Huliang has made great contributions this time. He is also the brother-in-law of the emperor. His achievements are unparalleled and his reputation is great. There are countless people willing to work for him, and Zhang Quanwen is no exception!"

"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo laughed, "A thousand people's obedience is not as good as one scholar's outspokenness. Yes, with my hard work over the years, there are naturally as many people willing to work for the protection of good as I can, but these people came for power and will leave for power. Zhang Quanwen is different. He held on to Ganzhou City at the beginning, which was loyalty. Later, when the food ran out, he opened the city for the sake of the people in the city and gave up his own reputation and future. This is benevolence; he honestly returned to Chang'an and was ready to accept punishment, which is courage; he was locked up during this period of time without running, sending or looking for a way out, and I sent people to recruit him but it was unfavorable and made him stupid, so he immediately agreed, which is integrity. People like him are rare!"

"General, you are right! Zhang Quanwen is indeed a rare talent!" Lu Zhaolin answered carefully, "But do you really want to retire from the court? Let me say something a little too much. At your age, isn't it too early?"

"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "Why? Are you reluctant to leave the splendor of Chang'an? You can stay here."

"That's not the case!" Lu Zhaolin said hurriedly, "I didn't mean that. I just felt that if you left like this, the court would go to the Zijin Bridge, and I'm afraid there would be more trouble!"

"Then let him have the baby. It's a good opportunity to hone Huliang!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "When I, Wang Wenzuo, was a soldier in Baekje, the Tang Dynasty was doing well. There were many talented people in the world. It doesn't matter who is missing. Besides, I'm not dead. I just moved to another place!"

Hearing Wang Wenzuo's words, Lu Zhaolin was speechless for a moment. Wang Wenzuo smiled and suddenly asked, "What's wrong? Did someone ask you to whisper something in my ear to persuade me not to retire?"

Lu Zhaolin trembled upon hearing this, and quickly denied it, "How could this be possible? It is absolutely not the case! What I said just now was from my true heart!"

"Really?" Wang Wenzuo looked at Lu Zhaolin from head to toe and suddenly laughed: "If it's not, forget it. You don't have to be so nervous. Since I have made up my mind, no one can easily shake it. You know this!"

"Yes, yes!" Lu Zhaolin was already sweating profusely and his face was pale. He said a few more words and then said goodbye and left. His back looked panic-stricken, like a dog that had lost its home.

"Absolutely not?" Wang Wenzuo looked at his subordinates leaving, a hint of coldness flashed across his face: "If not, why would you waste so much effort? But who can make you work so hard? Queen? Impossible, the Queen is probably eager for me to leave early, how could she persuade me to stay? King Han and Zhang Wenguan? They both have this motive, but they are both smart people, knowing that I have made up my mind to leave, and they have crossed the line by attacking the people around me. Even if I won't cause trouble for them, their descendants can't be sure. After all, they did so many things for me, aren't they for their own descendants? Isn't this counterproductive? Who else can afford the price?" Thinking of this, Wang Wenzuo's face showed a rare bitterness, and he sighed: "Why are you doing this? There is always an end to everything in this world. Don't you even understand this truth?"