Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 507 A person who is not lustful will fail the Creator.
Zhang Dai parted ways with Li Xia on the street, telling him to go home and inform him that he would be visiting Prince Xin'an that evening. He then returned to Pingkang Ward with Pei Zhen. Pei Zhen had assumed he was going to visit his villa, but instead saw him heading straight for Sanqu. He was speechless: "Weren't you satisfied with the Hu woman's service last night? Although you are young and vigorous, you should conserve your energy for state affairs. How can you be so indulgent!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai laughed and said, "All things in nature have their own ingenuity, and humans are the most intelligent of all beings. If we are not fond of beauty, wouldn't we be wasting the ingenuity of creation?"

These remarks obviously did not gain Pei Zhen's approval. He was not lustful and did not even have a concubine at his age. Even when Zhang Dai dragged him to brothels, he only appreciated the music and did not indulge in lust.

Especially after the engagement not long ago, he became even more chaste. Seeing Zhang Dai laughing and singing, he could only shake his head and go home.

Zhang Dai was indeed very irritable a few days ago, but after a series of efforts to quell the anger following the Autumn Festival, he was no longer as agitated. His reason for coming to Sanqu was not to continue indulging in pleasure, but to meet with his informants.

It was only afternoon, and the three entertainment districts of Pingkangfang didn't want to be as lively as they were in the evening. Only the servants of each brothel were busy preparing the wine, meat, and ingredients for the evening. The women in each household were either still in bed resting or applying makeup by the window.

Zhang Dai and his entourage of several dozen people made quite a commotion as they came and went, inevitably attracting the attention of the women upstairs in various houses. When they saw Zhang Dai riding by downstairs, these women would either throw down the fresh flowers on the table or the sachets they wore, leaning halfway out of the window to wave to Zhang Dai and say, "Where will Sixth Master be staying tonight? I'll come and visit after I've finished dressing up!"

Zhang Dai occasionally reached out to grab the fresh flowers and sachets, then waved to the women and said with a smile, "Thank you for your kind words, ladies. I have another gathering tonight, so I won't be staying overnight at Sanqu."

Upon hearing this, the female entertainers couldn't help but show regret. Whether it was an impromptu performance or genuine sentiment, Zhang Dai was quite pleased.

After the Autumn Festival, he had already submitted his resignation to his superior, intending to resign from his position as Assistant Music Master and focus on his duties as Censor. He felt a pang of regret, as the Assistant Music Master, due to his responsibility to oversee rites and music, had relatively close ties with these brothels and entertainment venues.

During his two years as a court musician, Zhang Dai frequented the pleasure quarters of both capitals, where he was always warmly received by the actors and actresses. Once dismissed, even if he continued to visit these places, the interactions would no longer be as intimate and pleasant as before.

However, people always have to grow up. He came into this world and couldn't make visiting brothels his main job. He also needed to say goodbye to his dissolute past. But when he thought about moving into the neighborhood after winter, which might distance him in terms of status but bring him closer in terms of distance, all his regrets disappeared.

The servants in Lü He's house were also busy coming and going, preparing for the evening business. Aunt Lü, carrying a fragrant breeze, came to Zhang Dai. When she learned that he had only come to sit for a while and talk to someone, she rolled her eyes at him and went back to her attic.

Zhang Dai hadn't been sitting there long when Ji Wen, tall and thin like a bamboo pole, arrived. He greeted Zhang Dai with a fawning smile, then began to report on his recent observations of Li Linfu: "This Li Shi goes to his post in the mornings, but he doesn't seem to care much. He usually leaves after an hour or two, either to visit Minister Yuwen's house or to tour famous temples in the capital. His family is quite poor; I've heard he often borrows money from the West Market to make ends meet. But recently, things seem to be turning around; he's received financial assistance from a wealthy patron..."

"Was that big spender named Wu Wenshen?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai asked a question.

Ji Wen had originally intended to keep him in suspense, but upon hearing this, he quickly smiled awkwardly and said, "So, Sixth Brother already knows. That's right, that magnate is Wu Wen Shen. This fellow comes from Longxi and is said to have joined the Prince of Xin'an's faction. After entering the capital, he has made quite a few moves. Many eunuchs have visited his residence, and some of them are even planning to sell their abandoned gardens and abandoned lands to him."

Besides the princes, nobles, and wealthy merchants from the Guanzhong Plain, another major landowner around Chang'an was the eunuchs in the inner palace. These eunuchs owned nothing, yet they were obsessed with acquiring land. The entire banks of the Wei River were mostly occupied by eunuch estates.

Among these were many abandoned gardens due to poor management, which had lost their value for cultivation. If they were sold to Wu Wenshen, a fool, they could still get a considerable sum of money.

"Let's get back to Li Shi. What was he doing visiting all those temples in the capital? I've never heard of him being a devout Buddhist!"

Zhang Dai, too lazy to inquire further about Wu Wenshen's exploits, turned his attention to Li Linfu's whereabouts.

This guy has to go to work, entertain Yuwen Rong at his house, and even find time to meet and have secret rendezvous with Wu Shi. Recently, he's also been taking advantage of Wu Wenshen, this fat sheep. He's already so busy, yet he still goes to Buddhist temples. His schedule is packed, like a workaholic. This inevitably makes Zhang Dai have some suspicions.

"It's probably because of the orders of Prime Minister Yuwen. Recently, Prime Minister Yuwen has been frequently taking action among the temples and monasteries, strictly investigating their properties and populations, and intending to remove all the slaves from the temples and monasteries from the register, causing panic and resentment among the people in the temples and monasteries of the capital."

Ji Wen frowned and analyzed, knowing that he was unaware of Li Linfu's private affairs, so he could only analyze based on the known information: "Since Li Shi is a trusted henchman of Prime Minister Yuwen, his frequent visits to the temples in the neighborhood at this time are likely to observe the inner workings of the temples and cooperate with Prime Minister Yuwen in wielding power. Alas, Prime Minister Yuwen's blatant reprimand of monks and Taoists, showing no regard for human feelings, is likely to cause trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but think that Ji Wen was not just a sycophantic street urchin who only knew how to curry favor and muddle through. He was able to foresee the problems with Yuwen Rong's various administrative practices, which showed that he also had a certain political awareness.

Of course, recognizing the problems with Yuwen Rong's actions doesn't require exceptional wisdom. Zhang Dai wasn't saying that the policy of including monks and Taoists in hidden households was problematic, but rather that Yuwen Rong was too eager for quick results and acted without any strategy or method. Especially since he started by implementing such controversial policies in Chang'an, the capital city where political resources were highly concentrated, which temple or monastery couldn't have a powerful backer or two?

Although the emperor repeatedly forbade princes and nobles from associating with monks, Taoists, and practitioners of magic arts, he himself promoted Taoism and had close relatives of the royal family, such as Princess Yuzhen, who were representative religious figures. Therefore, the so-called prohibition could only become a dead letter.

Leaving aside the policies implemented by Yuwen Rong, Zhang Dai did not agree with Ji Wen's speculation.

On the one hand, he knew there was a more likely scenario. On the other hand, Li Linfu was once a core member of Yuwen Rong's camp. Even if he was in a bad state now, he still needed to make a good impression on Yuwen Rong to regain his prestige. Going from temple to temple to become an inside man was too inefficient.

So he said directly, "The investigation of temples and monasteries is carried out by soldiers and officials, so why should this fellow visit them one by one? Besides, most of the hidden households of temples and monasteries are located in gardens and estates outside the city. What can be found out by going in and out of temples and monasteries in the city? This fellow must have another purpose in going in and out of them!"

"Sixth Brother's insight is truly profound. I never even considered this detail. What a miscalculation!"

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, Ji Wen quickly nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, before and after his visits, go and visit the temples to find out whether he is going to the temple to pay respects or to meet with someone in secret. In particular, find out if any important figures are seen entering or leaving the temples he visits most frequently!"

After thinking it over, Zhang Dai decided to personally guide and limit the methods and content of Ji Wen's surveillance.

"Does Liu Lang mean that Li Shi might be meeting with dignitaries in secret and plotting some wicked thing?"

Upon hearing this, Jiwen's eyes widened and he asked urgently, his eyes revealing excitement, probably fantasizing about uncovering some extraordinary treason or rebellion and thus obtaining a generous reward.

"Don't talk nonsense! What wicked things could this Li Shiyi, a carefree idler, possibly be plotting? I just find his frequent visits to temples suspicious, and I'm just seeing if I can impeach him for associating with sorcerers!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai immediately frowned and rebuked him in a low voice. Although Ji Wen is useful, he is essentially a greedy and gloating person with a rich imagination and a tendency to act on his own initiative, so we must be wary of him.

Upon hearing this, Jiwen gave an awkward smile, bowed his head repeatedly in apology, and then said somewhat embarrassedly, "These temples in the capital are supposed to be Buddhist centers for spreading Buddhism and saving all sentient beings, but the monks there are all shrewd, opportunistic, and fond of currying favor with the powerful. I am penniless and destitute, so I'm afraid I won't be respected, let alone invited to speak with them..."

Zhang Dai realized that this guy was trying to get something in return, and since today's report was quite substantial, it showed that he had put in the effort and hadn't been perfunctory, so he deserved some encouragement. Therefore, he said, "Then you can take 100 strings of cash from Lady Lü for your daily expenses. I will send someone to settle the account later. I don't care what you do with the money, but you must explain what I told you to do!"

"Thank you for your generous gift, Liu Lang! I will certainly do my best and live up to your expectations!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Wen immediately bowed to the ground and repeatedly said thank you. Only after Zhang Dai waved him away did he take his leave with profuse thanks.

After Ji Wen left, Zhang Dai did not linger. He went inside to say goodbye to Lü He, which elicited a few words of reproach and playful anger from the charming woman before he left Sanqu.

When Zhang Dai arrived at the Bodhi Temple in Fangnan, he looked at the temple gate, where incense was burning brightly and believers were coming and going, and his thoughts couldn't help but wander.

If Li Linfu and Wu Zetian truly used the temple as a place for their secret rendezvous, then this temple located in Pingkangfang would naturally be a prime suspect.

Li Linfu might be hesitant to enter the temple frequently for fear of arousing Pei Guangting's suspicion. However, the temple also offers the advantage of being a place where things are kept in the dark. In case of any emergency requiring immediate communication, Bodhi Temple would undoubtedly be the most suitable location. Therefore, it is highly likely that Li Linfu has made arrangements here to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.

"Send someone here tomorrow morning to give some money. We're neighbors, after all, so it's not good to be too distant."

Zhang Dai pointed to the gate of Bodhi Temple and instructed Ding Qing. He was not particularly interested in matters of monks and Taoists, but if he became familiar with the monks of Bodhi Temple, he could naturally find out more information and perhaps make some unexpected discoveries.

(End of this chapter)