Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 515 Marital Discord
Before Zhang Dai could answer, Wu Shi spoke up again: "The Duke of Bohai is the Emperor's confidant and serves in the Imperial Residence. How could he have the leisure to listen to such trivial matters! This plan is sinister and treacherous. Any upright person would despise it. What instructions could he possibly give?"

If Wu's tone just now was merely a vague anger, then these words were nothing short of merciless contempt and disgust. Unless there was extreme hatred involved, one would not speak like this.

Therefore, when Pei Guangting heard his wife say this, his expression changed immediately, and he said in a deep voice, "Madam, you have gone too far! It is only reasonable for Zongzhi to have any strategies to deal with the hostile harassment he is being subjected to."

If someone acts improperly, elders can offer advice and assistance. But if they only reprimand with harsh words, how are they any different from enemies? Although you hope your son will be of high moral character and fear he may go astray, you must still address the matter at hand and carefully consider your words. Harsh words wound deeply and are difficult to heal in the long run!

Seeing her husband's cold and serious expression, Wu Shi couldn't help but panic for a moment.

On the one hand, it was because her husband seemed genuinely angry. Although Pei Guangting was not very romantic in their daily life, he always took good care of her and rarely showed anger towards her. Once he lost his temper, it meant that the situation was very serious.

On the other hand, Wu also realized that her emotions were too outwardly expressed, which was indeed somewhat strange from a logical point of view, and there was no reason for her to have such a big prejudice against Zhang Dai.

Her expression shifted rapidly, her mind racing. After a while, she first glared at Zhang Dai, who had caused her to lose her composure, before bowing her head to Pei Guangting and saying, "My husband is right. I did indeed speak rashly in my haste, and I feel deeply that it was inappropriate. However, Sixth Brother's plan is indeed dishonest. Even if he succeeds in his scheme to steal someone's property, can he live with himself?"
"Since entering this household, I have been fortunate to receive my husband's care and affection. Even though I am childless, he has treated me as his wife. My husband is busy with official duties, so I have managed the household affairs. Although my son is not my own, I treat him as my own, hoping he will grow up to be upright and honorable. Now my nephew is associating with him. If he were to corrupt my son with his inferior character, I would fail my husband's trust, and how could I face managing the household? That is why I lost my composure and spoke inappropriately..."

Zhang Dai had been observing the couple's conversation with a cold eye. When he heard Wu's sincere words that brought the conversation back on track, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that his aunt was quite something. Even the talented Prince Liang had picked up some of her skills; she was adept at twisting the truth.

So he also rose from his seat, bowed before Pei Guangting, and said in a deep voice, "Sir, please calm down. My aunt was only scolding me in a moment of anger, fearing that I might have made a mistake and that I had spoken without thinking. I am grateful for her kindness and would not dare to hold it against her. I only humbly beg my aunt to allow me to explain myself."

Pei Guangting was currently relying on Zhang Dai to make connections with various parties to plan his grand scheme. Wu's harsh words naturally surprised and angered him. Hearing the two men speak separately, his expression softened slightly. He raised his hand to Zhang Dai and said, "Zongzhi, please return to your seat and speak calmly. Your aunt is a woman of the inner quarters, frank and naive, unaware of outside affairs. It would be good for her to hear about the treacherous current events."

Although Zhang Dai knew that Pei Guangting was trying to ease the awkwardness between them, he still couldn't help but feel a little annoyed after hearing this evaluation of Wu Shi. This silly girl had been cuckolding him for a long time.

He responded and returned to his seat, then continued, "Today, I visited the Duke of Bohai and learned that I have already fallen out of favor with my aunt. It is because my aunt has repeatedly advised me to let things go and to be kind to others, but I have turned a deaf ear to her good advice and have continued to be an enemy of Li Linfu and others, which has led to today's troubles. It is all my own fault..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wu panicked again, wanting to stop Zhang Dai from continuing, but ultimately dared not interrupt. Pei Guangting, upon hearing this, frowned even more deeply, glanced at Madam Wu, opened his mouth as if to speak, but then remained silent.

“Aunt, you may not know this, but my hatred for Li Linfu runs deep and is extraordinary! Last year, my grandfather was imprisoned because of this group of thugs who plotted against him. I wrote a letter in a copper box to plead my case, but Li Linfu lured me into a treacherous scheme to put my whole family to death. I ask you, Aunt, if you were to see the Prince of Huyang, would you be able to remain calm and composed?”

Zhang Dai first spoke with grief and indignation, then looked at Wu Shi and asked a question.

Prince Li Zonghui of Huyang was the son of Crown Prince Li Chongjun. During the Jinglong era, Li Chongjun launched a coup and killed Wu Sansi and his son Wu Chongxun, who were Wu's father and brother.

"Talk about your business, don't mention mine!"

Upon hearing this, Wu's expression changed drastically, and she glared at Zhang Dai fiercely.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai obediently nodded in agreement, and then said, "I won't go into the details of what happened back then. Li Linfu believed that I had ruined his future and hated me to the bone, so he has been harassing me relentlessly. This time, the harassment caused by Fei Qian is a case in point. He plotted against me, and the disaster struck before I even realized it. I am not a person of power, and after exhausting all my thoughts, I could not find a solution. In desperation, I resorted to a scheme. If Aunt has any better ideas to teach me, I am of course willing to follow them."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wu sneered again, "You've made enemies and harmed others, causing trouble for yourself. Whom do you seek help from? Whatever your schemes, don't come here to tarnish my family's reputation. If you ruin my family's honor, I will not forgive you!"

Zhang Dai didn't care about Wu's bad attitude. In any case, the worse her attitude towards him was, the more suspicious she would be in Pei Guangting's eyes, and the greater the damage would be when the truth came out.

He simply looked at Pei Guangting, asking with his eyes whether he should continue speaking.

"You reported this matter to the Duke of Bohai. What was the Duke of Bohai's response?"

Pei Guangting had no time to dwell on his wife's strange attitude. Instead, he looked at Zhang Dai and pressed him for an answer, hoping to gauge whether he could use Gao Lishi's attitude to bring down Yuwen Rong. "The Duke of Bohai only reprimanded me for neglecting my aunt's kindness and ordered me to come here immediately to apologize and ask for forgiveness. He did not elaborate on the matter at hand."

Zhang Dai's words weren't exactly a lie, but he deliberately didn't elaborate on the matter to Gao Lishi, only indicating that he could handle it properly.

"Alas, what serious matter could a woman have made in a fit of anger that warrants such widespread reporting?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Guangting looked disappointed and even slammed his hand on the table, letting out a cold snort.

Previously, due to the Wang Maozhong incident, his relationship with Gao Lishi had become somewhat strained. Now, wanting to leverage Gao Lishi's influence to get rid of Yuwen Rong, he naturally wanted to ascertain Gao Lishi's attitude. However, his wife's actions made Gao Lishi's attitude ambiguous, which naturally made him very resentful.

“Zongzhi is a handsome young man with his own opinions. Even if his words and actions do not meet your expectations for a moment, is it worth getting so angry? What insightful advice do you have to impart to this young man? Is it right for a respected elder to go out and ruin things just because you are disappointed in someone?”

In his anger, Pei Guangting could not control his emotions and glared at Wu Shi, saying in a deep voice, "Today, with the young man in front of you, you must apologize to him! And in the Bohai Duke's household, you must not speak recklessly."

Zhang Dai was surprised that Pei Guangting would turn against his wife right in front of him. While he was secretly pleased, he also realized that his eldest son was really eager to improve himself, and any obstacle would cause him great distress.

"How dare I! My lord, please don't do this! My aunt, please don't do this! Otherwise, how could I possibly face entering this place again!"

Although secretly pleased, Zhang Dai still rose from his seat with a look of trepidation, bowing repeatedly.

Wu Shi never expected Pei Guangting to be so violent. She was stunned for a moment, then overwhelmed with shame and anger. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she raised her hand to angrily point at Zhang Dai. Then she turned back to Pei Guangting and shouted, "I...I...what sins have I committed to deserve such humiliation from my husband in front of outsiders!"

Clearly, Pei Guangting's attitude greatly surprised Wu Shi, causing her to be filled with grief and indignation. After shouting angrily, she turned and left, no longer caring about gathering intelligence on the enemy for her old lover.

Pei Guangting watched Wu Shi's departing figure, his face turning ashen. After a while, he turned back and saw Zhang Dai still bowing deeply. He quickly stepped out of his seat and helped Zhang Dai up with both hands, saying in a hoarse voice, "Family affairs are not peaceful, Zongzhi, please forgive me."

"Don't worry about the Duke of Bohai's residence. I will personally write a letter and have Dao'an deliver it to the Duke's residence, explaining the situation in detail. You are intelligent and resourceful, and handle matters with propriety. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, the Duke of Bohai will surely favor you as before."

"You flatter me, sir. I am unworthy of such praise. If I were truly as wise as you say, how could things have turned out this way, causing my aunt to misunderstand me even more..."

Zhang Dai's eyes were also red at this moment, and he lowered his head and spoke in a slightly choked voice.

Hearing this, Pei Guangting felt even more apologetic. He patted Zhang Dai's shoulder with a rare show of affection and continued, "Today's turmoil has nothing to do with you. If you insist on taking responsibility, I'll be ashamed to face you. Let's not talk about today's matter anymore. I'm your superior at work and your elder at home. If you continue to hold a grudge about this, you'll be disrespecting me!"

"Your Excellency's kindness is truly appreciated..."

Upon hearing Pei Guangting's words of comfort, Zhang Dai immediately covered his eyes with his hands and turned away. After choking back a few sobs, he turned back, took a few deep breaths, and said to Pei Guangting, "In my haste, I almost forgot that the Duke of Bohai had something to tell you. He asked me to convey this to you. The Duke of Bohai said that Prime Minister Yuwen has recently been acting rather improperly, causing much disturbance, not only among the high-ranking officials but also among monks and Taoists. The Duke of Bohai is quite displeased, simply because there is a distinction between internal and external affairs..."

He recounted what Gao Lishi had asked him to convey, and Pei Guangting's eyes lit up immediately after hearing it: "Duke of Bohai really said that? That's wonderful, wonderful! Then, Zongzhi, your matter of impeaching those who accept bribes should be put on hold for now, so as not to make it difficult to strike at once. Will this put you in a difficult position?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai shook his head repeatedly and quickly said, "This humble official will follow your orders, sir. I can bear the slight pressure. Besides, Li Linfu and the others rely solely on you, sir. If you lose power, these followers will surely be unable to accomplish anything!"

(End of this chapter)