Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 480 Those who associate with this wicked disciple will not reap a good reward.

Pei Guangting was low-key and cautious by nature, and rarely entertained guests at home. Although he still had visitors after becoming prime minister, his house was still much quieter than the homes of the other two prime ministers of the same period, which were always bustling with visitors.

When Zhang Dai arrived at the Pei family's gate, he saw several carriages parked nearby, and Pei Zhen was talking with several people in the front courtyard.

Upon seeing Zhang Dai enter, Pei Zhen quickly gestured for his family to lead Zhang Dai in first. After quickly dismissing several guests, he strode towards Zhang Dai, who was already standing outside the front hall.

"You went to Sanqu again? You'd better watch yourself!"

As Pei Zhen approached, he smelled the perfume on Zhang Dai's body and couldn't help but mutter a complaint under his breath. He then pointed to his right cheek to indicate that there was something there.

Zhang Dai raised his hand and wiped it off, only to find that it was rouge left on his cheek when Lü He came up to him and was being affectionate. So he chuckled and wiped it clean under Pei Zhen's guidance, explaining with a smile, "Today I went to visit the Duke of Guangping's family, and his fourth son, Song Hun, chased after me. I was not happy to bring him home to entertain him, so I just made do with him at Sanqu."

I just saw a very beautiful mother-of-pearl inlaid bronze mirror in Grandma Lü's dressing case. Thinking that I haven't visited my aunt for many days, I shamelessly asked for it as a gift. Are there any distinguished guests in the main hall? Please lead me to the back hall first!

They were familiar with each other and didn't stand on ceremony. Pei Zhen nodded after hearing this and led Zhang Dai to the back hall, saying softly, "Let me remind you first, Mother has been in a bad mood lately, and the family has been scolded repeatedly. If there are any harsh words later, please be tolerant and don't take them to heart."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai understood immediately. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly that Li Linfu was quite skilled with women. Even though Wu had become the Prime Minister's wife, she was still deeply influenced by him emotionally. This old man was simply an old succubus!

Soon the two arrived at the inner hall one after the other. Pei Zhen went in first to announce his arrival, and soon came out to wave to Zhang Dai.

Zhang Dai strode into the hall and saw Wu Shi dressed in a casual home dress, lounging lazily on the mat. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your son greets you, Aunt. It has been several days since I last saw you. You look even more radiant than before, as if your youth has never faded. Today I have found an interesting item and have come to present it to you."

As he spoke, he presented the brocade box containing the gift with both hands, and a maidservant came forward to take it and present it to Lady Wu.

Wu Shi's reaction to Zhang Dai's courteous greeting was rather lukewarm, but when the brocade box was opened and she saw the exquisite mother-of-pearl inlaid bronze mirror, her expression changed slightly.

Lu He was no ordinary prostitute. She entered the world of pleasure with a sense of self-abandonment and a desire to enjoy life to the fullest. Her brothel was quite profitable, and since she had no parents, children, or other family members to support, she naturally did not skimp on herself.

When she encountered any rare or exotic treasures that she liked, she would readily spend hundreds or thousands of strings of cash, her extravagance far surpassing that of many wealthy and noble ladies in the capital. After all, those noble ladies relied solely on the stipends and family fortunes of their husbands and children for their livelihood, while Lü He had numerous powerful and influential patrons behind her.

Zhang Dai simply picked out a mother-of-pearl inlaid bronze mirror from his personal collection as a gift, but its quality and value were already quite remarkable.

This bronze mirror has been newly polished and shines so brightly that it reflects one's image. The back of the mirror is inlaid with various gemstones, such as azure and turquoise, using mother-of-pearl inlay, forming a magnificent and dazzling pattern. Everyone who sees it is captivated by it, and it would fetch at least several hundred strings of cash if sold in the market.

Even with her extensive collection, Lü He couldn't help but mutter a few words when she saw Zhang Dai take this piece away, sighing that no one but Zhang Dai could take it from her!

Such an exquisite and gorgeous gift melted the frost on Wu's face. After playing with it for a while, she looked at Zhang Dai with a smile on her face and raised her hand to indicate, "If you want to visit, just come. There is no need to present such frivolous things. It is unnecessary to add burdens to yourself. Please take a seat."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and agreed. After taking his seat, he prepared to provoke Wu Shi again, saying, "A few playthings can bring joy to the elders, so what is a burden!"
My son recently purchased a property in the neighborhood. By sheer coincidence, he received the Emperor's favor, and all the materials used were sourced from the government granary, saving him tens of thousands of strings of cash. The villa is recently completed; with just a few finishing touches, he can move in before the New Year and live next door to his aunt. He will visit her frequently, and he hopes his aunt will not find it distasteful.

The joy on Wu's face vanished upon hearing this, and her expression turned serious.

She placed the bronze mirror on the table, then looked at Zhang Dai and said in a deep voice, "I have heard about the dispute caused by your villa in the neighborhood. The matter is over, and I didn't want to say anything more. But hearing that you are still so smug about it and think you have benefited is a very inappropriate thought!"
You yourself have saved tens of thousands of strings of cash on goods, but did this money appear out of thin air? Perhaps someone else elsewhere has to spend ten times that amount. You may feel happy at the expense of others, but were the victims destined to suffer this calamity?

"Mother, please calm down. Sixth Brother didn't mean it that way, and he certainly didn't want to harm others for his own benefit..."

Seeing his stepmother's sudden outburst of emotion and rude tone, Pei Zhen quickly tried to defend Zhang Dai. "Shut up! How much do you really know about what others are planning? If I hadn't asked the family, I wouldn't have known you'd been using large sums of money from the family and sending it to other people. Am I not allowed to interfere in any of the important or trivial matters in this household?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Wu immediately turned her anger on Pei Zhen: "Let's not talk about money and silk for now. How much have you done in terms of real affairs? You are the prime minister, busy with military and national affairs all day long. Don't you need to maintain your family affairs? The Xiao family and the Yuwen family each have sons to manage their household affairs, but you have done nothing to gather people and influence. Do you expect your mother to stand in front of the gate to welcome and see off guests?"

"I am ashamed, but... Father said that the situation is not yet settled, and it is still not advisable to act now..."

Pei Zhen was suddenly struck by this undeserved calamity, and for a moment he felt ashamed and embarrassed. He quickly got up and tried to explain himself.

However, Wu became more and more agitated and refused to listen to his explanation: "Do you think the situation will be settled if you just stand idly by? If you don't know how to maintain your power and influence, you don't know how other people's sons do it either."
Some families, though already in decline, still know how to project an air of power, swindling money from others for their own use; others, by sheer luck, gain power but don't know how to use it, instead squandering their own wealth to enrich others!

Zhang Dai could easily discern the veiled barbs in Wu's words. Moreover, her arguments were almost identical to those of Song Hun, indicating that she must have been influenced by Li Linfu's analysis.

However, since he came to this world, he has never lost a verbal battle, so he naturally cannot let the Wu family use their status as an elder to launch a barrage of attacks on him without rebuttal.

So he stood up and said to Madam Wu, “Aunt loves her son dearly and hopes that Pei Lang can use Prime Minister Pei’s position and influence to build up his reputation and enhance the family’s prestige. This intention is certainly good, but it is also necessary to carefully distinguish between good and bad people. If he mistakenly associates with wicked people, not only will his reputation be damaged, but his life may even be in danger!”

Take, for example, the family of former Prime Minister Yuan Qianyao. His sons were originally of some renown, but they were misled by treacherous villains, not only losing their lives on the execution ground but also causing their father to lose power and integrity. My aunt probably knows who I'm referring to—it's Li Linfu, our neighbor in the east of the neighborhood!

This Li Shi is wicked and utterly depraved; he steals power from wealthy families, harms women's reputations, and commits every imaginable evil! Genji's son died because of him, yet he remains in the capital, diligently scheming, while the elderly Genji grieves alone in the eastern capital without any regard for his plight! Who could possibly gain a good outcome from associating with such a wicked person?

Zhang Dai's words were undoubtedly more offensive than Wu Shi's earlier barbed remarks, so much so that Wu Shi's expression changed constantly, her brows furrowed tightly, and her jaw tightened, clearly indicating that she was gritting her teeth.

"Human affairs, good and evil, are judged by the law! Gossiping about others behind their backs is not a good thing! You two should leave now, why did you have to come at night and disturb our peaceful sleep!"

After a long silence, Wu Shi finally spoke again, waving her hand impatiently to shoo the two away as she spoke, clearly not wanting to look at Zhang Dai, that scoundrel who talked badly about people behind their backs, for even a second longer!

Seeing that Madam Wu was so agitated, neither of them could linger any longer, so they both left the table to take their leave.

"Alas, perhaps it's because Father has been busy with affairs since becoming Prime Minister, and has had less and less energy to take care of family matters, which has caused Mother to harbor resentment and frequently get angry. Please forgive her. If you can't bear it, then visit less often. As for the money and silk, don't worry about it. We are colleagues, and I have explained it to her several times, but she just won't listen."

After leaving the inner hall, Pei Zhen spoke to Zhang Dai with a troubled expression. It was clear that he had been criticized quite a bit because of the 20,000 strings of cash and silk. He had only been suffering in silence until Zhang Dai came to his door and argued with him today, at which point he finally managed to say a few words.

"Don't worry, I won't take it to heart. You've worked hard. Once things improve next year, your aunt will surely understand."

Zhang Dai patted Pei Zhen on the shoulder, feeling quite sympathetic towards the guy. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that if someone in a family is plotting something else and unwilling to work together to manage the family, then the so-called family members are just torturing each other.

Originally, he came here today just to test the waters and didn't intend to directly provoke Wu Shi. However, seeing that Wu Shi was already deeply influenced by Li Linfu and that her attitude towards him was vastly different from that of his aunt in the palace, Zhang Dai stopped worrying too much.

Rather than letting Wu whisper sweet nothings in his ear at home and slander him in front of his eldest son, Pei Guangting, it would be better to let the conflict surface directly. He could pretend that the matter of the 20,000 strings of cash angered Wu, causing her to harbor resentment and prejudice against him, which is why she was unwilling to give him an fair evaluation.

In this way, even if his wife's words made Pei Guangting's head spin, he would still have to think that his wife was too short-sighted, refusing to get along well with a promising nephew over such a trivial matter of money.

(End of this chapter)