Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 67 King Qi prays for the gods
After dealing with Zhang Jun, Zhang Dai tidied up his house and borrowed some items that were not convenient to buy at the moment.

Knowing he was moving out that day, his grandfather had two boxes of books sent over, urging him to read carefully, as he would be taking an exam in a few days. It was clear that Zhang Shuo was truly devoted to nurturing this grandson, but Zhang Dai couldn't help but feel a bit amused.

He had spent most of his previous life buried in books and papers, reading through historical records and essays from various dynasties until he felt like vomiting. One of the few bright spots in his life was the company of his senior and junior sisters. He didn't expect that even after coming to this prosperous Tang Dynasty, he still couldn't escape the fate of burying himself in books.

I could ignore it, but I couldn't slack off on the study assignments assigned by my grandfather. He could only plan to find time to do some intensive reading after moving into the new house. As for the rest of the time, of course, he would do more meaningful things. After finally traveling to ancient times, only to bury himself in piles of books, wasn't that insane?

After noon, he took two large carts of his belongings and headed for Huixunfang. When he returned, he found the atmosphere even colder and more serious than when he arrived that morning. Most of the houses were closed, and there were few people on the streets.

"what's going on?"

Zhang Dai returned to his doorstep and looked at the gate of the Qiwangshan Pavilion next door. He saw many more soldiers in armor, so he frowned and asked the servant who stayed at the house.

The servant shook his head after hearing this, saying that he had never seen such a thing before. This inevitably made Zhang Dai suspicious. Could it be that he had just moved in and was about to witness something big?

Xuanzong's brothers had little political performance, and Zhang Dai knew little about these people and things, so he had no idea what to make. So he went into the house first and arranged for the servants to move in the utensils and belongings and start decorating the house.

Although this villa is well maintained, it has not been used for normal living for a long time, so it is inevitable that it needs some care.

Take the central courtyard pond, for example. It should be planted with aquatic plants like cattails and water wormwood, which not only decorate the garden but also repel flies. Otherwise, even with the circulating water, swarms of flies will inevitably breed in the height of summer. Various areas of the garden should also be fumigated with sulfur to remove moisture and repel insects.

Although the task was trivial, it required meticulous work and would take three to five days to complete. Before these details were taken care of, Zhang Dai took up residence in the west attic of the courtyard, where he could enjoy a commanding view of the surrounding landscape, a refreshing river breeze, and a pleasant scenery.

Zhang Dai climbed up to the attic and looked east. The houses in the neighborhood were clearly visible. To the north was the Luonan Causeway. The Luo River was sparkling in the sunlight. Even the imperial palace on the north bank of the Luo River could be vaguely seen through the shade of locust trees and willows. It was truly refreshing.

When he turned to the west side of the attic corridor, the first thing that caught his eye was the Wei Wang Pond, which was hundreds of acres wide outside the town. There were many gardens, pavilions and terraces around the Wei Wang Pond. From a distance, one could see the prosperous scenery of the capital as well as the vast and pleasant lake view of early summer.

As his gaze shifted from Weiwang Pond to the nearby area, the outlines of the Qiwangshan Pavilion came into view. The Qiwangshan Pavilion was far more expansive than the Zhang Family Villa, covering at least seventy to eighty mu (approximately 166 acres), even encompassing the northeastern corner of Weiwang Pond.

The Zhang family villa is just a pavilion built with piled stones, but the stone scenery in the pavilion, courtyard and lake of Qiwang Mountain is more towering and varied, and it is straight like the undulating mountains. The rugged and undulating rocks extend for several miles from the garden to Weiwang Pond, and it looks like an entire mountain range is incorporated into this garden.

Unlike the Zhang Family Villa, the architecture inside was not conventional; instead, it was more lavishly designed and beautifully adapted to the local conditions. A towering building rose from the ground, so tall that even Zhang Dai, standing in his attic, had to look up to see it. A suspended walkway extended to the nearby attic buildings. On a moonlit night, a slightly tipsy stroll along it felt like floating through the stars.

Zhang Dai was initially delighted with his newly acquired villa, but upon seeing the layout of the pavilions and courtyards on Qiwang Mountain, he suddenly felt that his own villa was no longer as charming as before. It can be seen that human desires are insatiable, and much of the pain and disappointment comes from comparison.

While admiring the architecture and layout of the pavilion on Qiwang Mountain, Zhang Dai also noticed that not only were there many armored soldiers standing outside the gate, but there were even more people inside the house. In addition to the armored and armed guards, there were also many servants and even Taoist priests in robes constantly walking around.

Just as he was still wondering if something big was really going to happen, he heard a servant's shouting from downstairs, so he hurried down the attic and came to the front yard, and then heard the servant report that someone from Prince Qi's mansion wanted to see him.

He had been reminded by Zhang Gu and Zhang Jun not to have much contact with the Qi Wang family. To be cautious, he did not invite anyone in, but hurried to the door to meet them.

The visitor was a middle-aged man wearing a green robe with a crotch. Seeing Zhang Dai coming out, he folded his arms and bowed, saying, "This house has been vacant for a long time. I just asked the doorman and learned that Young Master Zhang has moved in. I came today to ask for a favor. The palace wants to hold a grand ceremony today, and we need to borrow the west tower of your residence. May I ask if this is possible, Young Master?"

Zhang Dai immediately started to have doubts when he heard this. His grandfather had just been punished for inviting a sorcerer to observe the celestial phenomena at night. Today, Prince Qi's Mansion wanted to borrow his place for a fasting and offering ceremony, so he naturally did not dare to agree easily.

"How dare I refuse your noble request? However, I am new to this residence and do not know much about it. I may not have the experience to arrange the building properly, so I dare not presume to agree. Please wait for a moment while I return home to ask for your instructions."

While he was perfunctorily answering the other party, he secretly regretted that he should not have been so anxious to come and live here. He planned to take the opportunity to leave and return home and not come here again. The Qi Wang family could use the house however they wanted, and even if they demolished it, it would have nothing to do with him.

The servant of King Qi saw that although he did not agree directly, his attitude was still kind. Knowing that the young man was of noble status, he did not dare to force him, so he nodded in response.

Zhang Dai was just about to return to his house to lead his horse out of the town when he saw another procession approaching the gate of Prince Qi's residence to the west. Leading the procession was Gao Lishi, a high-ranking official in a purple robe, riding a tall horse. Unable to leave immediately, he quickly stepped forward, stood by the roadside, bowed, and said, "Greetings to the Duke of Bohai!"

"Why is Zhang Lang here?" Gao Lishi lowered his eyes and saw Zhang Dai. He was also surprised and stopped his horse to ask.

Fearing he might misunderstand, Zhang Dai quickly said, "My father recently gave me this villa in the district. Today I came here to tidy up the house and garden. I didn't expect to see Lord Bohai here. I'm truly fortunate."

"Mr. Zhang Yan dotes on his son."

Gao Lishi smiled slightly after hearing this, and then said, "I am busy here today and don't have time to talk in detail. If you are free in the future, you can visit my residence in Daoguangfang."

Zhang Dai nodded quickly upon hearing Gao Lishi's invitation. He had no discrimination against eunuchs, and Gao Lishi held a relatively positive image among the eunuchs. Furthermore, his thighs were quite thick, so there was no harm in establishing a good relationship with him.

Seeing Gao Lishi arrive, his thoughts raced, and he spoke again, "I didn't know that the king's palace was going to hold a ceremony today. It would be really rude to choose to move into the villa on this day. I will withdraw now. I dare not disturb you. Please ask Duke Bohai to convey my apologies and leave this residence for you."

Since interacting with King Qi is a minefield, it would be more reliable to let Gao Lishi know that they are not involved with each other.

"It's okay to help others, but there's no need to put yourself in a difficult position."

Gao Lishi also heard the boy's hidden meaning and sighed, "Today's fasting and prayer ceremony is presided over by the sage, who has invited the great master Sima Ziwei from Wangwu Mountain to the capital to preside over it. He hopes to pray for the king's longevity and bring blessings to those who watch. You should return home and stay put. Don't go out too hastily, but there's no need to avoid it. It would be bad luck if you rush out."

"Pray for longevity?"

After hearing this, Zhang Dai thought for a moment and wondered if this was exactly what was described in Romance of the Three Kingdoms as Zhuge Liang praying for good luck and prolonging his life?
Thinking back to what his father Zhang Jun had said before, King Qi had been ill recently. It seemed that his condition was serious and that medicine was of no use. He had to invite Sima Chengzhen from Wangwu Mountain to perform a ritual and beg for his life from heaven.

However, isn’t the emperor afraid that this ritual will be too effective and will directly renew King Qi’s membership fee?
Zhang Dai naturally didn't dare to ask this question. Since Gao Lishi said so, he had nothing to worry about.

He also understood the emperor's contradictory psychology of being wary of his brothers but also wanting to maintain brotherly friendship and respect. Now that King Qi was waiting for a ritual to save his life, if he still refused, he would not be well off regardless of whether King Qi succeeded in extending his life or not.

So he bowed to Gao Lishi and took his leave, returning to his own villa. When the King of Qi was healthy, he should have avoided suspicion and kept his interactions to a minimum. But now that the King of Qi was dying, if he still avoided him like the venom of the snake, that wasn't avoiding suspicion, it was being indifferent.

Soon several Taoists and dozens of servants arrived. The Taoists went up to the west attic to arrange the ritual instruments, while the servants swept and fumigated the courtyard inside and out, saving Zhang Dai the trouble of arranging people to dehumidify and repel insects.

Originally, it would have taken several days to complete the work, but with so many slaves from King Qi working together, it was completed in just one or two hours.

In the evening, Yingniang and others finished their shopping and returned from the South Market. They were a little surprised to see the house in such a state. Zhang Dai simply told them to go to the back house quickly and not to come out casually to avoid disturbing the ceremony.

By the evening, all preparations for the ritual had been completed, and the Taoist priests inspected every detail meticulously.

In a room in the main building of the Qiwang Mountain Pavilion, a young woman in Taoist attire, recently known as Yunyang Zhenren in the Imperial Medical Bureau, sat waiting for the ceremony to begin. Suddenly, her pretty face changed slightly, and she stood up from her seat. As she walked inside, she shouted hurriedly, "Hurry and invite Master Daoyin."

Soon, Sima Chengzhen, dressed in a robe, was ushered in from outside, accompanied by Gao Lishi. All the others in the room had been dismissed, leaving only the young woman and two maids who had retreated to the inner chamber. Gao Lishi entered and asked, "The grand ceremony is about to begin. Why did the county lady summon you?"

A maid hurried out from the inner chamber and whispered a few words to the front. Sima Chengzhen and Gao Lishi's faces changed slightly after hearing what she said. Sima Chengzhen said in a deep voice: "The county magistrate is not in a good position. We need to choose another relative who is blessed with good fortune to take the position of the chief star."

"The royal family of Dongdu has already been selected. All the suitable ones are already here to help. How can we find another suitable candidate in such a hurry?"

Gao Lishi frowned upon hearing this, then pointed eastward and said, "The son of our eastern neighbor, Zhang, is the grandson of Duke Zhang Yan and the grandson of the late Duke Xi. He is also a distant relative of our clan, and was recognized and given a name by the Saint. I wonder if this is acceptable?"

"With this background, one still needs to divine his birth date. If there is no conflict, he can become the Star Lord."

Sima Chengzhen nodded after hearing this, and from the inner room came the slightly anxious voice of a young girl: "Is the Duke of Bohai talking about the young man Yugu who entered the palace to rescue his relatives a few days ago? He is next door now? I will go with him to ask for his help!"

(End of this chapter)