Chapter 84: Better to Drift Through Life in Ignorance

On the street, one man seized their neck, two held their arms, and another two grabbed their legs. Whether they were followers of Mani or scholarly gentlemen, the rowdy troublemakers who had smashed the tavern and were babbling all over the place were all hauled out and thrown into the street. Once the scene was cleared, the more than two thousand militia from the Princess’s residence finally withdrew at an unhurried, orderly pace, and the entire lane in the market district grew much quieter.

Wu Yueling sat at the tavern entrance, gazing coolly at Master Song, who still stood in the middle of the street, and at Old Scholar Yuan, whose teeth had been knocked out. The princess’s guards were arrayed in two rows on either side of the tavern; these guards had originally been elite troops of the Dragon Guard Army, and having watched the show from the side earlier, their presence now beside the princess served as a warning.

Master Song, his face ashen with anger, supported the bruised and battered Old Scholar Yuan as he walked up to the princess. His cold gaze swept over the guards on either side, and he said with indignant salute, “Princess, having your household servants beat people in the street is wrong. Such conduct is barbaric!”

“Barbaric? You smashed my tavern in broad daylight, and that was civilized? If I don’t teach you a lesson, you really think you’re all something special!” Wu Yueling met Master Song’s gaze without the slightest retreat.

“Hmph. Commerce is a base pursuit to begin with. The princess is of noble birth, a daughter of the imperial house. Why insist on engaging in something so scorned by all?” Seeing that the princess would not accept this line, he changed his tack. In the end, he simply wanted to defeat her in argument and win an explanation for the scholars who had come here today, lest he lose his own dignity and reputation.

Wu Yueling looked at this rigid, pedantic Master Song and thought: this fellow is still such a stubborn old fossil. Since I don’t dare beat him, he’s even daring to challenge me? “What’s wrong with commerce? If no one traded, what would you eat? Can you farm? Can you slaughter pigs and sheep and cook?”

“A gentleman...” he began.

“A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen and the slaughterhouse? What a joke! The great common people are the true source of our food and clothing. What’s the use of teaching a few books and recognizing a few characters? Can your rhetoric make flowers bloom in the fields? What are you, the hero of some convoluted rant?”

“Look—if the farmers didn’t bring their vegetables to the market to sell, where would you buy them? If no one set up stalls to sell pork and mutton, if no one hauled oranges all the way from Lingnan, what would you eat? If no one wove clothes and sold cloth, what would you wear? If no one made paper or forged iron, what would you use? Merchants are lowly? Aren’t you just a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth like everyone else? What exactly is so noble about you? And if you’ve seen me, why aren’t you kneeling?!”

Faced with the princess, who had suddenly risen to stand on the steps and look down at him, Master Song’s mouth opened slightly, and his knees actually weakened; he nearly knelt on the spot. His iron-stiff face twitched unnaturally. No matter how many classics he had read, he could not refute her words now. His vision darkened a little. This princess was clearly just a naive young girl—why then did she somehow possess the bearing of someone long accustomed to standing above others? She ought to have been soft and delicate...

Old Scholar Yuan trembled, too afraid to speak. His only two remaining front teeth had been pulled out, and even if he wanted to help Master Song, he could not find words to answer the princess’s accusation.

“Master... don’t go...” Hui Gen had meant to stop him, but he had not expected his master to break away from the two of them and walk toward the tavern door. The one confronting Master Song was none other than Wu Yueling of Jingzhou. She had once been a village girl, and no one had expected her to become the princess of a kingdom, with a fief of more than six thousand households—an rank second only to the crown prince.

The white-bearded monk named Wu Shi came before Wu Yueling. Though he had once shared a teacher-disciple bond with her a year ago, this muddle-headed old monk could no longer remember it. “Princess,” he said, “I have just heard your words. They make much sense. If one were to speak as a bystander, then both sides are at fault: the princess, Master Song, and the scholars of Chang’an alike. Matters should be reasoned through. Smashing a tavern and striking people are plainly wrong, and sending servants to beat people is wrong as well!”

“But the contents of Journey to the West truly run counter to the great Way. How can such a thing be spread among the common people? If the proper order is lost, evil little devils will only multiply!” Master Song respectfully cupped his hands toward Wu Shi. He recognized him—this was the abbot of Great Ci’en Monastery, a man whose reputation far surpassed his own.

“That may not be so. The worldly eye is often one-sided. When I read Journey to the West, although it begins with Sun Wukong causing havoc in Heaven and bearing a rebellious nature, as he now follows Tang Xuanzang westward to seek the scriptures, that ‘monkey-heart’ is gradually being worn away. When I was listening to your argument just now, I heard that the work was written by the princess. Then let me ask: in the end, what is the result of the pilgrimage to the West?”

Wu Yueling looked at Wu Shi in surprise, blinking several times in disbelief. Wasn’t this half of her own master? At once she knelt on one knee and saluted with clasped fists. “Master above, please accept a disciple’s bow!”

On the day he had taught her the Pure Heart Scripture, they had met because of a single cake. She had never imagined that her master was actually here in Chang’an. If not for what happened today, she would never have known. Sometimes, though someone stands so near that only a wall divides them, they may feel as distant as the ends of the earth.

“Hm? When did I ever take in a female disciple?” The red cassock fluttered lightly as Wu Shi exclaimed in shock, hurriedly helping the princess up. “Princess, that won’t do. This is the first time this humble monk has ever met you. How could I possibly bear such a grand salute?”

Seeing the princess act this way, Master Song stared with his old, wide eyes, then looked in disbelief at the eminent monk Wu Shi. Teacher and disciple? What was going on? Yet after Wu Shi’s explanation, and after exchanging a look with Old Scholar Yuan, he understood: a vain seeker of fame and reputation indeed. So this was the sort of person she was—eager to curry favor with anyone of note. How could Buddhism possibly take in a female disciple? A rustic village girl who didn’t even know common sense!

“Haha, Master Wu Shi’s memory is not very good. Do you remember what happened in Jingzhou?” Wu Yueling was not offended. She smiled brightly, though it was a pity that Buddhist discipline forbade wine and meat, otherwise they would surely have shared a drink and talked at length.

“Jingzhou... this... this humble monk has never been there...”

Stiffening her arm, Wu Yueling stared at the befuddled old eyes beneath Wu Shi’s white brows. Was this real? What exactly was going on?

At that moment, one tall monk and one small monk approached from the side. After bowing, the elder monk said, “Princess, this humble monk is Hui Gen. We once met in Jingzhou. I wonder if...”

“Aren’t you that monk riding the donkey? Long time no see! When I asked you by the roadside that day, I was still mute. Thanks to the Pure Heart Scripture taught by my master, I was finally able to speak.” Recognizing the familiar monk at a glance, Wu Yueling stepped closer to chat a little, then lowered her voice. “Why doesn’t Master Wu Shi remember me?”

Hearing this, Hui Gen looked extremely embarrassed. The little monk standing beside him spoke up, lowering his voice to imitate the princess. “Master is such a muddle-headed old fellow that he forgets even what he did yesterday. How could he possibly remember the princess...”

“So that means Master is a muddle-headed old fellow?”

“Yes. Sometimes Master even forgets what he was doing while he’s eating,” said Jingxu in a whisper, rising onto his toes.

Wu Yueling bent slightly to listen to the little monk’s explanation, and it seemed there was no solution to this. “No matter what, Master Wu Shi has been kind to me. Let me bow again, in thanks to the moon-lingering grace I have received!”

After the salute, the bewildered Wu Shi had no idea what was going on and could only ask again, “What is the outcome of the pilgrimage westward? According to the storytellers, one must pass through eighty-one ordeals before attaining true fruition!”

“You want spoilers?” Wu Yueling asked, stroking Jingxu’s little bald head as she looked toward Master Wu Shi.

“Spoilers?” Jingxu’s face lit up. “Princess, I really like Sun Wukong. So lively and free, leaping all over the place. Was this wonderful story written by the princess?”

“Yes, let’s say it was written by me... or rather, I adapted it a second time. This is a precious memory from childhood, after all. The ending is perfect: Tang Sanzang and his three disciples journeyed west to the Western Pure Land, and Sun Wukong also became the Victorious Fighting Buddha. He cast off the monkey-heart and attained true fruition!”

“Hm,” Wu Shi said, nodding repeatedly after hearing this. He smiled toward Master Song. “In that case, one ultimately attains fruition. This is a story for guiding the Way. The scholars of Chang’an also need to subdue the monkey-heart a little and devote themselves to the study of poetry and books. Do not let the monkey-heart run wild any longer, only to invite sorrow. Amitabha. Good, most good!”

Hearing the eminent monk Wu Shi speak thus, Master Song lowered his head in shame and pressed his palms together. Then he shot Wu Yueling an unwilling glare, shook his head, and supported Old Scholar Yuan as he departed.

“Princess, this humble monk has an impertinent request. Might I borrow the entire volume of Journey to the West and have a look? The story is utterly captivating, truly marvelous indeed.” Wu Shi smoothed the folds of his red cassock and took out his alms bowl...

Wu Yueling naturally agreed. She invited the master and Hui Gen into the tavern for a meal, the only pity being that they could not raise cups together and drink. Later, she even reserved a special seat for the three monks on the wooden platform. As long as they came to listen to the story, the tavern would be sure to serve them well.