Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 516 Running Away from Home, Staying at a Buddhist Temple
"Excellent, excellent! Zongzhi is insightful and has a great sense of the big picture. He is truly a virtuous grandson of Lord Yan! If Yuwen Rong's power and position are overthrown, his followers will surely scatter like birds and beasts! How you deal with them at that time is entirely up to you!"

Hearing Zhang Dai's respectful attitude, Pei Guangting was very pleased. He patted Zhang Dai's shoulder heavily to show his appreciation and praised him generously, saying, "Although I am still in power now, what I can boast about in front of others more than ten years from now may not be the things I have done, but the kindness I have shown to you, Zongzhi!"

Such praise was truly rare, and even Zhang Dai was overwhelmed with gratitude. He quickly bowed deeply to Pei Guangting and said, "I will never forget your kindness in promoting me, Your Excellency. Next year, I will do my utmost to serve the country and strive to accumulate merit and achieve honors, so that Your Excellency may be proud of me!"

Just as the two were enjoying their time together, Pei Zhen rushed into the hall, his face filled with urgency, and said to Pei Guangting, "Father, something terrible has happened! Mother is having people pack our belongings and luggage, preparing to leave home..."

"Hmph, let her be!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Guangting's expression, which had just improved, immediately turned ashen again. He snorted coldly, returned to his seat, and sat down in silence, showing no intention of coming out to investigate.

Pei Zhen was stunned by his father's reaction and didn't know how to handle the situation.

Seeing the troubled look on his face, Zhang Dai turned around and waved to him, signaling him to come out with him. In the current situation, even if Wu Shi had gone through fire and water, Pei Guangting wouldn't have stopped her, let alone if she had simply run away from home. We men of Guanzhong still have to maintain some dignity!

"What have you done to make my mother hate you so much?"

After following Zhang Dai out of the main hall, Pei Zhen immediately grabbed Zhang Dai's arm with a puzzled look and asked him a question.

He had been back home for some time and had originally planned to go inside to entertain Zhang Dai, but he heard a dispute inside while he was outside the hall, so he did not dare to go in and waited outside. Not long after, he saw his stepmother, Wu, come out in a huff.

Seeing that things were not going well, Pei Zhen followed her all the way to the inner hall, intending to go in and comfort her. However, he soon heard Wu ordering the servants to pack their luggage and prepare the carriage. He was naturally a little panicked. He went in to dissuade her but failed. He could only go to tell his father, only to find that his father also looked indignant.

Zhang Dai, however, was happy to watch the farce unfold. He knew that he was not the one who started this situation. When Pei Zhen pressed him for an answer, he casually whispered, "Your mother dislikes my dishonest and immoral behavior and is worried that you will follow me into bad habits, so she dislikes and resents me."

"This, this... You are not, and I am not, a child. Can't we distinguish between good and evil? I have my own principles, how could I easily go astray? Mother, do I have to sever all ties to keep her?"

Pei Zhen was stunned when he heard this, and then muttered to himself.

Dude, you really believe that? If your stepmother were really that righteous, wouldn't she have gone home and dug up her own family's ancestral graves, and reduced her father and brothers to ashes?
Seeing Pei Zhen's fragility in his anxiety, Zhang Dai whispered, "What I said earlier was just a joke. I myself am at a loss as to how I came to have a grudge against my aunt. You can ask Prime Minister Pei about the cause of today's dispute later. Now, let's quickly persuade my aunt to calm down. It's already dark, and the curfew has begun. Where can she go if she leaves home in such a hurry?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen immediately became nervous and hurriedly headed towards the backyard, while Zhang Dai followed at a leisurely pace. Just as they reached the halfway point, they saw several male and female servants escorting a carriage that was speeding towards them.

Pei Zhen was pleading anxiously through the carriage window. Behind this carriage were two other carriages, each driven by a coachman, loaded with boxes of various sizes, presumably Wu's luggage.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Truly, this is the family of a prime minister. Even when a couple quarrels and separates, they have to load up several carts with their luggage.

As he sighed, he walked toward the carriage carrying Lady Wu, the first one in the procession, intending to pretend to offer some advice. However, when he was still several feet away, Lady Wu's furious scream suddenly came from inside the carriage: "Don't let that brat get any closer! Get rid of him!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai wisely moved to the side of the road, and only after watching the carriage pass by did he follow behind and walk out of the Pei family's gate.

By this time, it was already completely dark. The three bends north of the crossroads were brightly lit, while the south side of the street was rather quiet, with only some lights and pedestrians near the Bodhi Temple in the south of the neighborhood.

Zhang Dai also wanted to see where Wu Shi planned to go after leaving home, so he and his entourage mounted their horses and rode slowly behind her.

After leaving their home, Wu and her entourage turned into Shizi Street and headed straight south along the neighborhood until they arrived at the gate of Bodhi Temple. A servant came forward and knocked on the door, and the carriages and horses drove directly into the temple.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Dai's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to understand something. So he dismounted and led his entourage directly into the temple.

Bodhi Temple was quite large, occupying an entire section of the city, and was a famous temple in Chang'an. It had a considerable number of monks and novices.

The arrival of Wu Zetian and her entourage had already attracted the attention of the monks. When Zhang Dai led his group in, a guest monk immediately stepped forward to greet them. Upon seeing Zhang Dai, the monk bowed and said, "So it is an honored guest! May I ask, Sixth Brother, what brings you to the temple at night?"

“I am of the same ilk as Minister Pei’s family, and I am here to escort Madam to the temple to observe the precepts and cultivate in seclusion. You monks need not trouble yourselves with hospitality; just lead me to Madam’s residence.” Zhang Dai said with a smile after hearing this, while looking around at the layout of the monks’ quarters and Buddhist halls in Bodhi Temple. However, due to the limited visibility at night, he could not see anything particularly unusual.

Upon hearing this, the monks dispersed as instructed, leaving only two monks to lead the way, guiding Zhang Dai and his party around the main hall of the temple and then further inside.

In addition to the halls and monks' quarters where Buddhist statues and scriptures were enshrined, temples in Chang'an often had many monastic huts. These huts were not solely for monks; they were used as lodgings for believers and were often temporarily rented out as inns. Many scholars who came to the capital to take the imperial examinations would stay in Chang'an for the summer and would often rent these places.

As they passed a scripture repository, a gust of night wind swept over them, carrying with it a strong stench of animal excrement. Zhang Dai raised his hand to cover his nose, frowned, and asked, "A scripture repository is such a vital place, how can livestock be kept there? Such filth and uncleanliness, aren't you afraid of defiling the Dharma?"

"Young Master Zhang has misunderstood. The animals kept here are not ordinary livestock, but long-lived pigs. These pigs have existed since the beginning of the country. Although they are inherently stubborn and foolish, they have long admired the purification of Buddhism and their spirituality has gradually grown. Therefore, they are kept to the side of the scripture building, and scripture masters will chant scriptures to enlighten them every day."

The monk leading the way turned back to explain, taking a deep breath as if to prove that the pig manure from this long-lived pig, deeply influenced by Buddhism, did not smell bad.

Zhang Dai knew that Bodhi Temple had longevity pigs, and he was quite curious about what these pigs with Buddhist qualities looked like, but he never had the chance to come and take a look.

As for the monk's claim that this pig existed since the beginning of the kingdom, that's clearly boasting. Over a hundred years have passed since the beginning of the kingdom; even if this pig were to be deeply influenced by Buddhist teachings, it absolutely could not have lived that long!

It was already dark, and the smell of the pigsty was indeed too strong. Zhang Dai wasn't so devout as to like the monks in appreciating the stench, so he waved to the monks to hurry up and leave the area.

The group walked around the pigsty and then for a while before arriving at the monastic quarters of Bodhi Temple. There seemed to be quite a few believers living there; several monasteries had lights and cooking smoke rising from them. The Pei family, with their noisy and numerous group, was easily spotted at a glance.

Just as Zhang Dai was about to step forward, he saw Pei Zhen walking back dejectedly, so he went up to him and asked, "So, Aunt is planning to stay here?"

Pei Zhen nodded helplessly, then said to Zhang Dai, "You shouldn't go in again. Mother is still very angry, and if you go to bother her again, she probably won't say anything good. I'll go home and get some supplies to send over. If she stays here, it will be easier to take care of her. I hope that after Mother is comforted by Buddhism, her mind will return to peace and she can return home soon."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded. He knew he had angered Madam Wu quite a bit today, and he was too lazy to go and invite further scolding. In front of Pei Zhen, he addressed the monks, "Madam Wu is staying here to practice Buddhism. You monks must serve her well and remember not to allow any unauthorized persons to enter the courtyard and cause disturbance. If Madam is not at ease here, you will all be punished!"

"Young Master Zhang, please rest assured. Many distinguished believers from the capital have come to this temple for quiet cultivation and recuperation, and each has gained something from it. The temple will certainly provide them with the best possible care and ensure that Madam Wu's daily life is smooth and that everything goes well for her!"

Upon hearing Zhang Dai's instructions, the monks immediately bowed their heads and said that they were already very familiar with this procedure.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai sneered inwardly. If everything went smoothly for her, then he himself would be in for a rough time.

He then instructed Ding Qing, "Send a hundred bolts of silk to the temple tomorrow morning for Lady Wu's food and other expenses."

"No need, no need, we have everything at home..."

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen hurriedly waved his hand in refusal.

Zhang Dai wasn't doing this because he had too much money; he simply wanted the monks to see who was paying, making it easier for them to inquire about Wu's situation while she was staying there.

So he glared at Pei Zhen and said, "This is a matter between my aunt and nephew, and it's none of your business! My aunt's presence here makes me partly to blame, and if I don't do something about it, how can I sleep peacefully!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen no longer refused and instead asked, "The gates of the ward are already closed. Would you like to come home with me and stay for the night?"

Zhang Dai thought for a moment that his eldest son was still at home alone, feeling sullen, and didn't want to go looking for trouble. So he said to Pei Zhen, "After what happened, Prime Minister Pei must be feeling uneasy. You should go home and comfort him first. I will find a place for myself, so you don't need to trouble yourself to make any arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhen said no more. He knew that this young man had many friends in Sanqu. It was hard to say if he were elsewhere, but he would definitely not end up sleeping on the streets in Pingkangfang. So he waved goodbye and went home to see how his father was doing.

(End of this chapter)