Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 332 The Wu Clan: Betrayal and Loss of Chastity
“Young Master Zhang, I am so sorry! I have no idea why things have turned out this way… The Jingzhao Prefecture had clearly agreed a few days ago that the property could be divided and sold, but unexpectedly, they refused this morning. Moreover, it seems that a wealthy client has bought the entire mansion…”

In the afternoon, Zhang Dai was still working in the Imperial City government office when his family came to tell him that the broker who had bought the house the day before had come to see him. It seemed that something had changed in the house purchase. When he hurriedly returned home, the broker, who had been waiting there for a long time, came forward with a mournful face and said something.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was naturally displeased and immediately asked in a deep voice, "Do you know who bought it? What was the total price?"

"I only liaised with Zhao, the registrar of the Jingzhao Prefecture, and he informed me of the matter. Yesterday, I paid the deposit to Zhao and received a written agreement confirming receipt of the deposit. This morning, when I went to the prefecture to inquire again, I was told that the magistrate had ordered the sale of the land to be stopped, saying that someone else had bought it elsewhere, but the specific amount was unknown..."

Worried that Zhang Dai would blame him, the broker immediately took out the receipt for the deposit paid yesterday and presented it to Zhang Dai. He then said with a bitter face, "I really did not deceive Young Master Zhang. I don't know how things came to this... To be honest, if this deal could be completed, I could get at least five hundred strings of cash in commission. I did not mean to ruin the deal."

Upon hearing that it was the Prefect of the Capital who personally intervened to halt the transaction, Zhang Dai immediately frowned. The Prefect of the Capital, Yuan Qianyao, was a man of considerable prestige; for him to personally intervene in such a real estate transaction meant either that the other party was of extraordinary status or that the relationship between them was exceptional.

He took the deposit receipt, glanced at it, and after a moment's thought, said, "Let's go and take a look in Pingkang Ward first."

After being sealed off and left vacant for a long time, a group of people suddenly came to the Li Lingwen mansion in Pingkang Ward this morning. They opened the gates of the mansion, which had been closed for a long time, and went inside. Inside, they measured the land and knocked on the beams, pillars, and fences.

This scene immediately attracted the attention of the people in the neighborhood, who gathered around to watch with curiosity.

Given Pingkang Ward's location, only the wealthy and powerful could afford to live there, and the mansion of Duke Song, Li Lingwen, was among the largest in the ward. Naturally, whoever acquired this residence was no ordinary person. The ward's residents were curious about which important figure was about to move in.

When Zhang Dai returned to Pingkang Ward, he saw that the cross street was crowded with onlookers. Inside the walled area in the southeast corner of the cross street, which was the plot of land he had taken a liking to the day before, dust was flying everywhere, and people were demolishing the already dilapidated buildings in the courtyard.

"It's Zhang Zongzhi and Zhang Xielu! What brings this young man here? Could it be that General Zhang is going to buy this vacant residence of Li Songgong in Pingkang Ward?"

North of the crossroads lies the famous Pingkangfang red-light district, Sanqu. It was the afternoon, and the prostitutes in the district were at leisure. Hearing the commotion, they all stood on the north side of the street to watch the excitement. Zhang Dai and his group of more than ten people rode into the district, naturally attracting the attention of these onlookers. Soon, some of them recognized Zhang Dai and began to whisper among themselves.

After returning to the capital, due to the nature of his work, Zhang Dai would often visit Pingkangfang, even if he didn't intentionally seek out prostitutes. Naturally, the courtesans of Pingkangfang got to know this Zhang Xielu.

When they realized that Zhang Dai might move into the neighborhood as a neighbor, the courtesans became excited. Several outgoing and lively women even lifted their skirts and ran south, looking at Zhang Dai from afar and asking, "Is the construction work being done by Lord Li Song's family Zhang Lang's servants? Could it be that Zhang Lang is going to move into the neighborhood?"

Hearing the girls' enthusiastic inquiries, Zhang Dai grew increasingly annoyed. He forced a smile, waved his hand, and then spurred his horse south, wanting to see who had stolen his thunder. Even if he already had a guess, he needed to see for himself before deciding on a course of action.

There were also many on South Street watching the spectacle, and Zhang Dai even spotted Pei Guangting's wife under the shade of a willow tree.

Wu noticed Zhang Dai and beckoned him closer. Then, she said with a smile, "I was just talking about this with Sixth Brother yesterday, and now this quiet house has a master. Young man, are you disappointed? 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, for ye may ye have nothing left to pluck.' Sixth Brother just said those words, how could someone else have snatched what you desire first?"

Seeing his aunt's beaming smile, Zhang Dai immediately realized that this woman was no good. She must have gone to tip him off yesterday, and today she even called him over to ridicule him.

Before he could answer, a section of the wall was pushed down from inside the house with a crash, sending up another cloud of dust. The onlookers who were nearby quickly backed away.

After a short while, when the dust settled, Zhang Dai saw a group of people standing on the same training ground he had seen the day before. In the center, a man with his hands behind his back, was none other than Li Linfu.

Li Linfu was squinting as he examined the layout of the mansion when his gaze passed over the collapsed wall and he saw Wu Shi standing between the screens, watching the commotion from under the shade of a tree. A smile immediately appeared on his face.

But the smile didn't last long. He soon noticed Zhang Dai standing beside the screen as a backdrop, and his smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold and somewhat mocking look.

Li Linfu strode straight to the gap in the wall, stopping across a lane and the ditch beside it. He first bowed to Madam Wu, then said with a smile, "Greetings, Madam Wu. I had the pleasure of meeting you at a banquet in the palace years ago. Several years have passed since then, and you still possess an ethereal beauty and grace. I have purchased this former residence of Li Songgong, and after renovations, I will move in soon, becoming your neighbor. I will certainly pay you frequent visits then, and I hope you will not find this common guest distasteful!"

"How could that be! The Li family is full of talented and virtuous people, and the whole family are renowned scholars. Their presence here will bring a refined atmosphere to the neighborhood, and the residents will welcome them with great enthusiasm!"

Wu bowed slightly towards Li Linfu and said with a smile.

Zhang Dai stood aside, coldly observing them playing a game of pretending not to know each other, feeling utterly disgusted. He had initially thought that the two had acted out of passion in their youth, but now it seemed they were both quite devoted, still indulging in illicit affairs even at their age.

After greeting Lady Wu, Li Linfu turned his gaze to Zhang Dai and said rudely, "After years away from the country, I only heard upon my return that the young man who spoke such nonsense back then has now become famous for deceiving the world. There is no greater evil in the world than this. It's a pity that he can deceive the people of the world, but there is still a conscience that knows who has done wrong!"
Has Zhang Liu committed too many evil deeds that he now seeks the Buddha's forgiveness and protection by being near a Buddhist temple? It's a pity I acquired this residence first; scoundrels ultimately cannot escape the Buddha's protection. He should do more good deeds in the future and pray for good fortune!

He had been holding back his anger for far too long, and now he finally had the chance to vent it in front of Zhang Dai. As he spoke, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai laughed instead of getting angry. He pointed at Li Linfu and said, "Life's ups and downs are all self-inflicted. Back then, my evil scheme to frame me failed, and I ended up hurting myself instead. Being exiled to the south of the mountains was already an act of imperial grace and compassion. For several years, I have done nothing to complain about, except for a bellyful of resentment that has become poisonous. Back then, even as a commoner, I was not afraid of you. Now, if you try to stir up old grudges, you will only hurt yourself more!"

"Sixth Brother, how can you be so rude!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Madam Wu frowned and said unhappily, "General Li is a great sage of the imperial family who was buried with the ancestors in the mausoleum, and Lord Li is his cousin. Even if you two have old disputes, how can you attack and insult each other in front of the common people in this neighborhood!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai raised an eyebrow, but quickly changed his mind and bowed slightly, saying, "Aunt, you probably don't know why I hate this man so much. Back then, this scoundrel took advantage of my family's misfortune to coerce me into falsely accusing my relatives in order to save myself. He claimed that my Wu clan was distant and therefore it was only natural for us to act this way. He said that the men of the Wu clan were mostly ungrateful and the women mostly unchaste, and that they were inherently lewd..."

"shut up!"

Upon hearing this, Wu immediately glared and shouted angrily.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai said bitterly, "My aunt is already so angry just because I told her. I was humiliated and threatened by her a hundred times more than this back then, and I still can't get rid of this resentment!"

But please rest assured, Aunt, I am no longer afraid of this man. If I ever hear of this scoundrel again tarnishing the reputation of the Wu family or mocking someone for being unfaithful and unchaste, I will not let him off easily!

Wu's face turned ashen; she had lost all interest in staying and watching the spectacle. She first glared at Zhang Dai, then gave Li Linfu a fierce look, before angrily leading her servants back to her own home.

After driving away his aunt who was siding with outsiders, Zhang Dai walked to the east side of the street and asked Li Linfu, "How much did you spend on this mansion? Do you have the money?"

Li Linfu naturally didn't bother with Zhang Dai anymore and turned to walk into the house.

Zhang Dai, having been rebuffed, then shouted, "I heard this property is worth a million strings of cash. I, Li, have been unsuccessful in my official career and have been confined to the south of the mountains for several years. Upon my return, I bought this mansion in a prime location in the city. Could it be that I have been secretly accumulating wealth? If you do not tell me the true price, I will submit a memorial to the emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu's eyes turned cold. However, he was genuinely afraid that this young man would make a mountain out of a molehill and report directly to the Emperor. So he stopped, turned to Zhang Dai, and angrily said, "My family has an old residence in Anyefang, which can be exchanged in the Jingzhao Prefecture. In addition, more than 100,000 strings of cash will be required. It will be registered in the clan and can be paid annually. Everything is in accordance with the law. Do you have any objections? Don't judge a gentleman by your own petty standards!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's eyes widened in disbelief. "You can do this? Damn, trade-in, plus interest-free mortgage, and you just got a mansion like that? You think you're so great because you're surnamed Li?"
If Li Linfu had spent real money, far more than Zhang Dai himself, to seize the mansion, then even if Zhang Dai was resentful, he could only console himself.

But hearing that the money this guy spent to acquire the entire mansion was probably less than what he himself was planning to spend on the dozen or so acres of land, he was naturally even more displeased. Since he was unhappy, he decided to make everyone else unhappy too!
After some deliberation, Zhang Dai decided not to stay and watch Li Linfu demolish the house any longer, and instead mounted his horse and rode out of the neighborhood to his own home.

(End of this chapter)