Volume 3: The Richest Man in the World Chapter 56: Official Education
The turbulent undercurrents in Beijing and the open and covert struggles in the Thirteen Hongs seemed to have nothing to do with Guangzhou. The lights on Xiguan Street were still on, and Shenxianzhou was still full of revelry every night.
However, the benefactors here seem to have changed.
With Pan Youjie's permission, Pan Zhenghuan tried to manage a business route. With power in hand, he had room to move money.
He tried to show up in public twice in Shenxianzhou, but found that his father didn't care about him, so he became more unscrupulous and spent a lot of money to support Yu Lian'er. For a while, Yu Lian'er was very popular and outshone the whole continent. Everyone said that she was another Tanka Sanniang.
Pan Zhenghuan hugged the most praised courtesan, and looked down through Chun Yuanzhi's pearl curtain at the two floors below, the courtesans and passers-by. For a moment, he felt as if he was the supreme ruler of this small world, looking down at the countless people below, holding a beauty in his arms, drinking fine wine, and felt that the joy of life was nothing more than this.
Suddenly, a maid came hurriedly to report: "Mr. Pan, a master has arrived at Panjiayuan."
Pan Zhenghuan was stunned for a moment, and then he heard a familiar voice coming from outside Chun Yuanzhi's half-open door: "Young Master, it's me."
That was Pan Haigen's voice - Pan Zhenghuan was startled and almost jumped up like a cat caught stealing fish.
Then Pan Haigen said outside the door: "Young Master, can I come in?"
Pan Zhenghuan said in a low voice: "Come in...come in."
Pan Haigen just walked in and took a look around. The maids and eunuchs who were serving him left sensibly. Yu Lian'er was still in Pan Zhenghuan's arms. She looked at Pan Zhenghuan with bright eyes, but Pan Zhenghuan said, "You get out too."
Yu Lian'er felt a little aggrieved, but she had no choice but to go out.
Pan Zhenghuan then called out, "Uncle Haigen. My father...he..."
Pan Haigen closed the door with a smile and said, "Young Master, you are old enough. It's no big deal to come to this place of pleasure occasionally."
After hearing this, Pan Zhenghuan felt relieved. He thought, if this is the case, why didn't you tell me earlier?
"However, Officer Qi has a few words for me to say to the young master."
"Well, go ahead."
Pan Haigen took out three pieces of paper from his bosom and handed them to Pan Zhenghuan. Pan Zhenghuan opened them and saw that they were written by his father. Pan Youjie had the demeanor of a scholar and his handwriting was very elegant. The first piece of paper read:
Reputation is empty but profit is real. What people ask of me is profit, what people give me is reputation.
Pan Zhenghuan frowned. The Pan family's education was more rigorous than the Wu family's. All the children studied, so Pan Zhenghuan had no difficulty reading these classical Chinese sentences. But he was feeling happy, so what did the old man mean by suddenly showing him these nonsense things?
Turning to the second page, I saw what Pan Youjie wrote:
The Fairyland is also a small place of fame and fortune. What you spend is millions of gold and silver, and what you gain is false praise.
Pan Zhenghuan was even more annoyed, thinking, is this another lecture for me? Can't I wait until I get home to talk about these things? I'm having a good time, why bother me at this time?
But he was a son of a rich family after all, so he still showed a respectful look to Pan Haigen, so that he wouldn't get into trouble later. At the same time, he turned to the third page, but unexpectedly, this page was filled with plain words -
In Shenxianzhou, enjoy when you enjoy,Don't forget the family motto: When drinking, stay three-quarters sober, and don't throw away grains of wine when you see others.What's more, everyone here is heartless! You have to keep the last oneOnly when you are three-quarters clear-headed and rule others instead of being ruled by them, can you enjoy all the great pleasures. Otherwise, you will become one of them.In the eyesSpend money, everyone flatters you in front of you, but everyone laughs at you behind your back.
Seeing this, Pan Zhenghuan's face finally darkened and he asked, "What else does my father have to say?"
"That's all." Pan Haigen kept a smile on his face: "But my wife asked me to tell the eldest master a message, telling him to have fun but to take care of his health."
"Okay." Pan Zhenghuan nodded, but seeing that Pan Haigen didn't seem to be leaving yet, he asked, "Anything else?"
"There's nothing going on with the master and the mistress." Pan Haigen said with a smile, "I just have something I want to discuss with the young master."
Pan Zhenghuan thought Pan Haigen was going to interrupt and teach him a lesson just because he had watched him grow up, so he was a little impatient: "Uncle Haigen, what's the matter?"
Pan Haigen smiled a little embarrassedly: "Well, I asked Qi Guan for half a day off before I came here. I wonder if the young master can recommend an oiran so that I can have a chance to see her and have some fun."
Pan Zhenghuan laughed when he heard it: "I wonder what's going on! All right, Uncle Haigen, go ahead and have fun, eat and drink as you like, and I'll put it on my account later."
Pan Haigen smiled and said, "I have served in Panjiayuan for half my life, so I still have some silver coins. I can afford to play with those silver and copper hairpins whenever I want, so I don't need to ask for your face. Even those courtesans... Hehe, even if I want to play with them, they may not let me in. That's why I have to beg you with my thick skin."
Pan Zhenghuan felt a bit embarrassed when he heard this, because he usually received either high-ranking officials, top businessmen, or people of high status and power. After all, Pan Haigen was a servant, and it was all right to spend some money on silver and copper hairpins, but if he asked the four courtesans to receive a servant, they might not be willing.
Seeing Pan Zhenghuan's expression, Pan Haigen hurriedly said, "If the young master is embarrassed, then forget it. I'm not in a hurry. I'll just wait until Hao Guan returns to Guangzhou. Then I'll beg him for the same thing."
Pan Zhenghuan's face changed when he heard this! He laughed coldly and said, "Now in this Immortal Continent, it's not Wu Chengjian who is in charge! Tell me, which one do you want?"
Pan Haigen said quickly: "Among the courtesans, if there are any who have served you, young master, I dare not offend them. For those who have not served you, young master, please pick one at random."
Pan Zhenghuan suddenly felt a little embarrassed - he came to Shenxianzhou just to be fascinated by Yu Lian'er, and he had never touched any of the other four courtesans, let alone any of the other courtesans in Shenxianzhou. After thinking about it, he asked someone to call the madam and asked her which of the four courtesans had a vacant room.
The madam said Dong Wangmei was still available.
Pan Zhenghuan said: "Then let Wang Ronger prepare and entertain my uncle Haigen."
"Uncle Haigen?" The madam turned her head slightly and glanced at Pan Haigen with an embarrassed look on her face.
Pan Zhenghuan was unhappy this time: "What?!"
The madam said, "This... I'll go and ask."
She turned and walked out. Pan Haigen seemed to complain and said, "You still have to ask this. Young Master, I'm not saying that you are too polite to these people. You've spoiled them."
At this time, Yu Lian'er and several maids also came in. Her personal maid said, "Sir, the flower queen of our Shenxianzhou is the best among all flowers, and not everyone can enter her room."
"Oh? Is there such a rule?" Pan Haigen sneered, "This is not the first time I have come to this Immortal Island. When Hao Guan was in charge here, he didn't need to speak. No one dared to talk back to Wu Qi. Not to mention serving a servant like me, even if Hao Guan pointed at a beggar, except for Sanniang, the other three actresses would have to kneel down and serve him. Now, our eldest master's words are even more useless than Wu Qi's."
Pan Zhenghuan's face darkened even more.
Yu Lian'er's personal maid said again: "What this gentleman said is..."
Before she finished, Pan Haigen said to Lian'er, "Miss Lian'er, when I came to Chunyuanzhi, the maids around Sanniang were as quiet as cicadas in front of Haoguan and didn't dare to breathe. Now you have to set the rules in your room."
Yu Lian'er was stunned for a moment. His personal maid wanted to help, but seeing Pan Zhenghuan's dark face, she didn't dare to speak.
At this time, the madam had hurried back and said, "Oh, young master, what a pity, Miss Rong'er is not feeling well today. Otherwise, I will arrange a few other beauties to serve this gentleman, and I guarantee they will be satisfied."
Pan Zhenghuan frowned wildly, and Pan Haigen didn't wait for him to speak before saying, "I won't do anything. I'll just go to Miss Rong'er's room to have a drink, and then I can brag about it to others later."
The madam said to Pan Zhenghuan with an embarrassed look on her face: "Young Master, this, this... isn't this embarrassing for me?"
Even though Pan Zhenghuan was inexperienced, he could see that Wang Ronger and the madam were working together to shirk responsibility. He glanced at Pan Haigen, who had already stepped aside and kept silent. However, he was puzzled by what Pan Haigen had just said: "Now our eldest master's words are even more useless than Wu Qi's?"
Thinking of this, Pan Zhenghuan sneered and said, "Go to Dong Wangmei and tell Wang Ronger to pack up and prepare to serve my uncle Haigen."
The madam said: "This..."
Pan Zhenghuan shouted: "Go!"
The madam had no choice but to go.
Yu Lian'er's personal maid said, "Young Master, what's wrong with you today..."
Pan Zhenghuan slapped the maid in the face so hard that half of her mouth was covered in blood. Everyone in the room was stunned with fear.
Pan Haigen hurried forward, took out a clean handkerchief and wiped Pan Haigen's hands, saying: "Young Master, next time you come, you should bring two capable people with you. If you hit such people in the face yourself, it will dirty your hands and lower your status."
It's not that Pan Zhenghuan didn't have anyone around him, but he used to come secretly, so he usually didn't bring anyone with him. Now that I think about it, Pan Haigen's words make sense. Whether it's Wu Chengjian or his father Pan Youjie, when did they do such things themselves? They all gave a look, and naturally Pan Haigen and Wu Qi did it for them.
Chun Yuanzhi and Dong Wangmei lived next door to each other. Soon, she heard noises coming from Dong Wangmei's side, and occasionally heard Wang Ronger crying: "I don't... a servant... dares..."
After a while, the madam came over listlessly and said to Pan Zhenghuan with a smile: "Young Master, this... this is really difficult. Miss Rong'er is from a scholarly family. This is really difficult. How about..."
Pan Zhenghuan couldn't listen to the following words any more. He just felt that he had lost all the face he had in Shenxianzhou for the whole year.
Suddenly, the words of his father that he had not read just now came to his mind one by one:
Only by governing others instead of being governed by others can you get all the pleasure!
Otherwise, you will become a spendthrift in their eyes!
Everyone flatters you in front of you, but laughs at you behind your back!
In the blink of an eye, the expression on Pan Zhenghuan's face disappeared and he sat down instead.
Whether he was furious or furious, the madam, the slaves and the maids all had ways to deal with it. But now he became calm and everyone in the room became afraid.
Yu Lian'er was trembling even more, no longer daring to think about how this young man, with whom she had been in a relationship for several years, had suddenly become a stranger.
Pan Haigen stepped forward and said, "Young Master, Qianzi is not here, let me give him a few words." Qianzi was Pan Haigen's long-time servant.
Pan Zhenghuan hummed and lowered his chin slightly.
Pan Haigen said to the madam, "I will tell Mr. Liu San later and they will send a small boat over. You should prepare Miss Rong'er and send her on board."
Yu Lian'er and a few little maids didn't understand what was said yet, but the madam and the two eunuchs' faces changed.
Would the Pan family not have a boat? They would have to ask the Hongmen to pick them up. This boat would not be set out to serve people.
Every year, we hear one or two reports of people sinking stones into the sea outside the Lingdingyang, but no one can connect such things with the young and smiling man in front of them.
The madam was horrified and knelt down, saying, "Mercy, mercy! Master Pan, please spare Rong'er's life! She receives guests, she receives guests, I will let her receive this gentleman's guests now..."
She was about to struggle out when Pan Haigen said coldly, "Is our eldest young master in charge here, or are you in charge?"
"This..." The madam didn't dare to move for a moment.
Pan Haigen said, "I am speaking on behalf of our young master. Even a word from our young master is worth a thousand taels of gold. How dare you come and beg for mercy?"
"this……"
Pan Haigen shouted, "If you dare to say another word, you will be allowed to board the ship with Miss Rong'er."
The madam trembled and collapsed to the ground.
Pan Zhenghuan caught a glimpse of the fear and pleading in her expression. At that moment, he understood that from now on, no one in the entire Shenxian Continent would dare to disobey him no matter what he said. It would no longer be like before, when he had to discuss things with them even though he had spent money.
Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling filled my chest and lungs. This kind of pleasure of having everything I want and controlling life and death is truly a hundred times stronger than the pleasure brought by alcohol and sex!
With this thought, the beautiful scenery that he had been thinking about just now became boring. He didn't want to stay in this room anymore, so he said, "I guess."
Pan Haigen replied: "Yes. I will go and prepare the boat now."
Yu Lian'er quickly leaned over and hugged Pan Zhenghuan. Pan Zhenghuan paused, hesitated, and pushed her away.
After returning to Panjiayuan, Pan Zhenghuan always tried to avoid Pan Youjie, but now he thought about it and asked where Ming Qi Guan was, and then he came to find him.
Pan Youjie was talking with someone in the hall, probably about something confidential. Naturally, the servants all hid outside the door, but no one dared to stop Pan Zhenghuan from coming in. He walked to the door of the hall. Pan Youjie glanced at him but had no intention of stopping him, so Pan Zhenghuan walked in and stood beside Pan Youjie.
The visitor saw that he paused for a moment, so he continued, "In Macau, the British can no longer bear it, and I'm afraid they are about to take action. Their purpose is hard to predict. If you have a decision, please let us know as soon as possible."
Pan Youjie asked, "What are the arrangements with Haoguan?"
The visitor said, "Official Hao's meaning is very clear: If the British ships approach Huangpu and invade our hometown, we will fight them back! Even if the Wu family spends all their wealth for this, we will not hesitate!"
