Chapter 42: Unwarranted Calamity

"Shopkeeper Huang, have you heard? The monks at White Horse Temple were completely wiped out last night!" Just as the curfew in Chang'an City lifted, the news of the bloody massacre at White Horse Temple beside the Qujiang Pond spread like wildfire.

"How could I not have heard? The fifth uncle of my third aunt's fourth daughter-in-law works as a night watchman right over there. He happened to pass by in the dead of night and was so terrified he collapsed straight to the ground. According to him, it was utterly gruesome! The blood flowed right out of the temple, staining half of Qujiang Pond red!" Shopkeeper Huang Laoxie of the tangbing noodle shop, who had just hoisted up his wooden shop shutters, replied with narrowed eyes and a mysterious expression, as if opening his eyes wide would allow him to see corpses and blood strewn everywhere.

"Who on earth did it? Aren't they afraid of the Buddha's wrath?" A coal vendor pulling a donkey cart stopped in his tracks, terror written all over his face as if the Buddha's wrath might implicate him in the collateral damage.

"How would I know? If I knew, I wouldn't be running this tangbing shop; I'd have gone straight to work as an official in the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen!" Fat Huang retorted ungraciously to the vendor, then his eyes instantly widened into saucers. "Charcoal? How are you selling it? If the price is right, I'll take the whole cart!" (Note: The Jingzhao Prefecture was the yamen in charge of security and administration in the capital region. At this time, it should have been called Yongzhou Prefecture, and was only renamed Jingzhao Prefecture after the Kaiyuan era, but for convenience, it is uniformly referred to as Jingzhao Prefecture here.)

"Four catties for a single cash coin, top-quality willow charcoal. Whether you use it for a fire or for heating, it is first-class!" The vendor immediately put aside his panic, smiled ingratiatingly, grabbed a piece of charcoal from his donkey cart, and lowered his voice to introduce it to Huang Laoxie. "You can break it apart yourself, old sir. If even a single piece is half-burned or raw, I'll give you ten catties for free."

"Four catties for a single cash coin is too expensive. This cart has about five hundred catties; I'll give you one hundred and twenty cash!" Huang Laoxie didn't even look, pushing the vendor's hand away as he began to bargain.

"One hundred and twenty cash wouldn't even cover my capital. Shopkeeper, sir, you run such a big business, why bicker with a hardworking man like me? One hundred and twenty-two, not a single cash lower. Consider those remaining three cash coins my treat for your morning meal!"

"In your dreams! One hundred and twenty, and I'll throw in an extra portion of tangbing noodles, or the deal's off!"

"Deal! One hundred and twenty it is! Just make sure the portion of noodles is generous; I'm starving over here!"

Both men were seasoned experts in business, and in the blink of an eye, the price was settled. The vendor was a diligent sort; without waiting for Huang Laoxie to call out, he took the initiative to help carry the charcoal into the courtyard. As he carried it, he kept asking with unabating curiosity, "Shopkeeper, someone killed the monks, won't the Buddha punish them? Over in our village last year, a wandering master complained that a wealthy landowner named Wang hadn't given enough alms, declaring that the landowner lacked benevolence and would surely bring disaster upon himself. Sure enough, the landowner's youngest son fell off a horse this year and broke his leg..."

"Every year in the capital region, there are at least eight hundred people who fall off horses and break their legs—does that mean all of them gave too little incense money?" Shopkeeper Huang was annoyed by the question, but considering the vendor's diligence, he frowned and retorted, "That monk cursed people just because he felt the alms were too skimpy; he was no good himself. If the Buddha can really see everything, the punishment should fall on him first!"

"That's true too. No wonder Shopkeeper Huang can run such a big business; your perspective is so much clearer than us country folk!" The vendor's mind seemed enlightened as he offered a flattering, gap-toothed smile.

"Hmph!" Tangbing shopkeeper Huang Laoxie felt quite pleased by the flattery. He paced back into the room with a measured stride and began counting out the money for the vendor. Before long, he had strung the required payment together with a cord. Immediately after, he instructed his assistant to dish out two overflowing bowls of tangbing noodles, poured over with rich bone broth, garnished with two cloves of white garlic, and placed them on the table near the entrance.

Having finished moving the charcoal, the vendor walked inside as well. He first accepted the string of copper coins from Shopkeeper Huang's hands, quickly counted them, and slipped them into the money pouch behind his back. Then, picking up the wooden bowl, he wolfed down the two large bowls of tangbing noodles in the blink of an eye.

Yet, he dared not get up and leave immediately. Sitting by the door out of the draft to let his sweat cool, he grinned and gave the shopkeeper a thumbs-up. "Full of flavor! I've loved the tangbing noodles at your esteemed establishment ever since I was a child. After all these years, the taste hasn't changed a bit! It's just that times are tight at my humble home, and it's rare that I have the spare cash to satisfy this craving."

"Bring a few more cartloads of charcoal in the future. Maintain this same quality and price, and I'll make sure you eat your fill every time." Hearing the vendor praise his noodles so highly put Shopkeeper Huang in an even better mood. After a moment's thought, he promised with a smile.

"I truly thank you, old sir!" Not expecting to secure a business arrangement covering most of the winter in one go, the vendor leaped up with joy and bowed deeply to Shopkeeper Huang.

Then, continuing to stand by the wall to cool off, he asked with a smiling face, "Shopkeeper, you are a man of vast experience. Could you tell me a little more about this? When I go back, I'll have a topic for idle chatter with the fellow villagers."

"Talk about what?" Shopkeeper Huang glanced warily at the vendor, his brow slowly beginning to furrow.

"White Horse Temple, the monks at White Horse Temple." The vendor looked around cautiously, confirming that no other passersby had yet come knocking for the morning meal and that chatting for a bit wouldn't disrupt Shopkeeper Huang's business, before resuming his ingratiating smile. "For no good reason, how did they get wiped out like that? What kind of deep grudge was that? What about the patrolling bailiffs? Didn't the bailiffs hear the slightest sound?"

"Why meddle in such matters? Will it stop you from selling your charcoal?" Shopkeeper Huang glared at the vendor and scolded him ungraciously. Yet, rare was the chance to show off his well-informed sources, and after hesitating repeatedly, he couldn't resist lowering his voice to leak the detail: "Aren't bailiffs always the ones who never arrive when needed, only showing up after the thieves have fled?"

"Ah—" The charcoal vendor widened his black-and-white eyes in astonishment, his youthful face filled with disbelief. "Th-this is Chang'an City!"

"Isn't it all the same everywhere? Bailiffs have elderly parents above and young children below; they're hardly going to risk their lives for a string of copper coins a month." Huang Laoxie looked around and dropped his voice even lower. "Some things—I say them, you just listen. Once you step out this door, I won't admit to a single word of it. Those monks at White Horse Temple brought this destruction upon themselves; they have no one else to blame!"

"Mm, mm, mm!" The charcoal vendor nodded like a chick pecking at rice while pricking up his ears.

"They were so used to extorting money from people that this time they actually went knocking on the door to fleece Vice Minister Zhang of the Directorate of Military Weapons." Huang Laoxie looked around vigilantly once more and continued in a low whisper, "Do you think that Vice Minister Zhang is a soft persimmon? He is the direct great-grandson of the Duke of Zou. Do you know who the Duke of Zou is? He's the eighteenth person listed among the twenty-four meritorious officials of the Lingyan Pavilion. Although the Zhang family's influence isn't what it used to be, wealth forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood remains. A bunch of corrupt monks bullying the great-grandson of the Duke of Zou—could the military generals let them off?"

"Ah—" The cart-driving vendor was struck dumb with amazement, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Meanwhile, Huang Laoxie was not yet satisfied with his tale. Taking a sip of tea, he continued in a low voice to supplement the story, "I heard from someone that when the runners went to search the place this morning, they found no fewer than forty sets of women's clothing and shoes inside White Horse Temple. A pack of corrupt monks—the Buddha probably lost patience with them long ago, and this time, he simply used the young Duke's hand to clean house!"

...

"Have you heard? The monks of White Horse Temple were wiped out last night!"

"How could I not have heard? They deserved it. A bunch of lechers, posing as great masters? Retribution has caught up with them."

Huang Laoxie and the charcoal vendor were far from the only pair fond of embellishing and spreading gossip. At that very moment, people across the streets and alleys of the capital were engaged in similar discussions.

"It's not just retribution; they practically courted death themselves. Haven't you heard? The day before yesterday, the monks openly marched right up to a certain official's mansion, claiming he wasn't allowed to pursue the princess!"

"What? Monks fighting an official over a princess? Isn't that too arrogant? Which official? Which princess?"

"Have you heard? The monks fought Vice Minister Zhang of the Directorate of Military Weapons over a princess, and Vice Minister Zhang sent men to wipe out their entire clan?"

"How could I not have heard? That Vice Minister Zhang is the great-grandson of the Duke of Zou. First, he submitted a memorial to the Emperor, and then he went to the mansion of the Great General of the Sixteen Guards to pour out his grievances. As a result, every single monk was slaughtered that very night!"

"Serves them right. Being monks and still trying to mess with a princess—even the Buddha wouldn't tolerate them..."

The rumors quickly mutated, taking on a rosy, scandalous hue that made the early-rising, bustling idlers from all walks of life light up with excitement and dance with joy.

The only person whose eyes did not light up was likely the protagonist himself, Zhang潜 (Zhang Qian). Early in the morning, he had been "invited" by Xin Ti, Vice Minister of Jingzhao Prefecture, along with over fifty retainers, to a guest room in the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen to assist with the investigation. While he wasn't shackled or chained, he wasn't allowed to step outside his door, let alone listen to the gossip sweeping through the capital.

And Xin Ti, the Vice Minister of Jingzhao Prefecture, was evidently a seasoned veteran of investigations. He gave Zhang Qian no inkling of what controversy he had been dragged into, simply sipping his tea and chatting idly about this and that. From the philosophical disputes between the Mohists and Yang Zhu during the Spring and Autumn period, they drifted all the way to the windmills and water well blueprints Zhang Qian had previously presented to the court. They chatted until their stomachs were rumbling, yet their enthusiasm showed no sign of waning.

"I say, Vice Minister Xin, can't you just come right out and ask whatever you want to ask? Whatever I know, I'll certainly tell you. If we keep chatting like this, you might not be hungry, but I certainly am!" Zhang Qian, feeling somewhat dizzy from being led in circles by the man, finally tapped the table lightly and urged him in a low voice.

"It's fine, it's fine, the brothers are investigating, they're investigating. I, Xin, was merely afraid that some ignorant fellow might offend the Vice Minister, which is why I invited you here to enjoy some peace and quiet." Although Xin Ti held a fourth-rank official title and possessed a higher rank and real authority than Zhang Qian in every respect, he remained extremely modest. Hearing the complaint, he immediately accompanied it with an ingratiating smile.

"If the Vice Minister wishes to have his morning meal, we can send someone to procure it right now. Whether pastries, small snacks, or tangbing noodles, whatever the Vice Minister wishes to eat, just list it out. We might even be able to share in the treat; we were dragged out of bed early this morning, and truth be told, we've been hungry for a while too!" Another official dressed as a military参军 (canjun - staff officer) chimed in with a smile, offering a suggestion with an expression of utmost respect.

"Dammit, is there any time traveler as unlucky as me? Instead of attaining high rank and lucrative rewards, I've ended up under virtual house arrest!" Zhang Qian cursed inwardly in frustration, yet felt utterly helpless against them.

When inviting him to the Jingzhao Prefecture to assist with the investigation, Xin Ti had presented a complete set of procedural documents. He could find no procedural faults. And the endless chanting-like casual conversation was technically a form of courtesy; he couldn't throw a tantrum and chase them out just because he was annoyed.

Just as he was feeling depressed, he heard Xin Ti say with a smile: "Or perhaps we should order a round of tangbing noodles from Old Huang's shop in Guangde Ward? He's been making morning meals for quite some years now. Many people heading into the city early for official business love to eat at his place. Shall we also throw in a plate of stewed fish from Old Yang's? That's also a top-tier established brand. Their fish are crucian carp specially caught from Qujiang Pond, reportedly blessed by the incense of White Horse Temple, and their flavor is entirely different from anywhere else."