Volume 6: Dream Record Chapter 384 The Tragedy of Zhao Paner
In a trance, Zhao Pan'er seemed to have returned to the day when she sent Ouyang Xu to Beijing for the imperial examination. It was rare for Qiantang to snow, but the snow scene on that day was particularly beautiful. In the heavy snow, by the Qiantang Lake, Ouyang Xu held her hand and swore solemnly, his eyes full of affection, and his face full of deep affection, he said:
"Pan'er, when I pass the exam, I will marry you with the three letters and six ceremonies!"
Before leaving, Ouyang Xu also gave her a heart-shaped jade pendant to show that they were of one mind and one heart and would remain unchanged in this life. The oath they made in the past was still ringing in her ears. Now, the one wearing the wedding dress was a lady from a noble family. After the fog in front of her eyes dissipated, Ouyang Xu, who was wearing a groom's suit and a big red flower on his chest, and riding a tall horse, appeared in front of her. Right in front of him, there was a woman in a wedding dress whose face could not be seen clearly. The two held each other's hands, with happy smiles on their faces.
Zhao Pan'er was shocked and sat up suddenly, only to find herself on the bed. Everything that had just happened was just a nightmare. Beside her bed, Yuan Xudong was sleeping soundly on the edge of the bed. Probably because he had been caught in the rain last night and hadn't slept all night, he was now tired, so he fell asleep while guarding the unconscious Zhao Pan'er, still mumbling something in a daze.
Three years of deep affectionate waiting was not as good as a single encounter with Yuan Xudong. Before she knew it, Zhao Pan'er was already in tears. She glanced at the sleeping Yuan Xudong, then looked out the window. She vaguely heard Sun Sanniang and Uncle De arguing outside:
"Do you want to kill Pan'er?"
"The master said that Madam Zhao is smart and will understand his helplessness!"
"Shut up. Even if she is a virtuous concubine in the palace, it is not right for her to preside over a wedding casually. Didn't she ask Ouyang Xu if he had an engagement before?"
"I did ask, but the relationship between the master and Lady Zhao was not arranged by either the parents or the matchmaker. What do you think..."
"Just shut up!"
Looking at Uncle De who was making unreasonable arguments, Sun Sanniang was so angry that she started to curse:
"You, Yinzhang, and our family of three all know about Pan'er and Ouyang Xu's engagement!"
"Hey, that's just a verbal agreement. How can it be called an engagement without three written documents and six certificates?"
"A verbal agreement is still an agreement!"
"What's more, Madam Zhao comes from a poor family after all!"
"Bah, you're from a good family, what qualifications do you have to say that?"
"If no one noticed, it would be fine. But if Concubine Xian knew that the master rejected her niece for a lowly, lowly woman..."
"Who are you calling a slut?"
Looking at Uncle De who couldn't even speak clearly, Sun Sanniang said angrily:
"You are the real bitches. For the past three years, you have eaten and lived with Pan'er. You also had money to buy books, invite great scholars to give lectures, and pay Ouyang Xu to buy land and settle in Qiantang. Even the money for you to go to Tokyo for the exam was all earned by Pan'er, cup of tea at a time. You are so ungrateful now. If I weren't for your age, I would really want to throw you into the water!"
As she spoke, she glanced at the sparkling Qiantang Lake and was about to drag Uncle De into the water, cursing:
"No, I'm going to throw you into the water right now and teach you a lesson!"
"No, this will, this will cost someone's life, don't, don't dare..."
"Sanniang!"
Seeing that Sun Sanniang was about to push Uncle De into the water, Zhao Pan'er hurriedly called her, then carefully avoided Yuan Xudong who was sleeping, got up from the bed, and walked into the yard holding the railings of the tables and chairs.
In the courtyard, Sun Sanniang hurriedly left Uncle De and ran to Zhao Pan'er and said with concern:
"Pan'er, you're awake. Are you okay?"
Looking at Sun Sanniang, who was worried about her, Zhao Paner forced a smile and said:
"fine!"
After that, Zhao Paner looked at Uncle De and said directly:
"Even if he is an official, he would not allow an in-law to seize the wife of an official. When I met him, he had already been declassified. I am from a good family!"
"Why does Madam Zhao have to do this?"
Looking at Zhao Pan'er's stubborn face, Uncle De sighed:
"Everyone knows that among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, the word 'business' comes last. In the eyes of the nobles, as long as you are doing business, even if you are extremely rich, you are still not in the mainstream!"
"Bah, I'm so unfaithful and unfaithful, and I regret not getting married. And you're still making such a fuss about it?"
After glancing at Uncle De, Sun Sanniang looked at Zhao Pan'er, who was sitting on the steps at the door because of exhaustion, and said:
"Pan'er, let's go to the authorities right now. County Master Zheng will definitely be able to help you!"
Hearing Sun Sanniang instigating Zhao Pan'er to file a complaint, Uncle De immediately looked at the weak Zhao Pan'er and said with both persuasion and threat:
"Madam Zhao, do you want this to be known to the world? Do you want everyone to know that you are a courtesan?"
"Stop talking!"
Looking at Uncle De who was threatening her with words, Zhao Pan'er said sadly:
"You all know that this is what I care about most, right?"
Seeing that Uncle De didn't say anything, Zhao Pan'er nodded slightly and agreed:
"Okay, I'll accept my fate!"
Seeing that Zhao Pan'er was willing to accept her fate, Uncle De breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly took off the bag on his back, handed it to Zhao Pan'er and said with a smile:
"Madam Zhao, the master knows that he has let you down, so he can only use these eighty taels of gold to express his gratitude. The master should have a heart-shaped jade pendant with you, can you please return it to me..."
Without waiting for Uncle De to finish, Zhao Pan'er pushed aside the eighty taels of gold in front of her. The gold ingots fell to the ground. She picked up a gold ingot that fell at her feet and said with a sad smile:
"When Ouyang failed the imperial examination and ended up in Hangzhou, I bought him some land so that he could become a civilian and take the exam again in Liangzhe. He studied hard for three years, and I sold tea every day to support him for three years. Unfortunately, three years of love cannot compare to these eighty taels of gold. If you want to bribe me with money, you can, but tell him that eighty taels of gold is not enough. If he wants the Tongxin pendant, he has to exchange it with five hundred taels of gold!"
"Five, five hundred taels?"
Seeing Zhao Paner opening his mouth like a lion, Uncle De was shocked and said:
"This is too much!"
Looking at Uncle De, Zhao Paner said resolutely:
"As long as the money and goods are settled, I will end all ties with him and never see him again!"
After taking a look at Zhao Pan'er, Uncle De quickly collected the gold ingots on the ground, put on his bag, bowed, and prepared to leave.
"Madam Zhao, take care!"
After saying that, he glanced at Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang, and then he pulled the gold ingot that Zhao Pan'er was holding back, and then he left the teahouse carrying the bundle containing 80 taels of gold. After he left, seeing that Zhao Pan'er's face was as pale as paper, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but worriedly said:
"Pan'er, I'll go get a doctor to see you!"
"Okay, thank you Sanniang!"
After taking a look at Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang was about to go to the street to ask a doctor to come over and take a look. At this time, looking at Sun Sanniang's leaving back, Zhao Pan'er whispered:
"Sanniang, please close the store!"
"good!"
After Sun Sanniang left, Zhao Pan'er sat alone on the steps in front of the door, looking at the sparkling Qiantang Lake, feeling the cool breeze and the sunlight on her face, which made her look even paler. She tried to hold her head high to prevent the tears from flowing out of her eyes, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, unwilling to cry even if blood oozed out. At this time, Yuan Xudong came out of the house, sat down beside her and whispered:
"I won, and according to the agreement, you will be my wife!"
"you……"
Zhao Pan'er looked at Yuan Xudong's serious face, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. At this time, he did not comfort her, but said that he won, and according to the agreement, she had to be his wife. She could not help but glare at him, and the tears in her eyes flowed down her delicate face. Looking at Zhao Pan'er with red eyes and tears, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"Pan'er, you're not going to cheat, are you?"
"You are the one who is cheating!"
Looking at Yuan Xudong who was making fun of her, Zhao Paner wiped away her tears and said stubbornly:
"I haven't lost yet. I'm going to Tokyo to ask Ouyang Xu in person. Maybe Uncle De was bribed, or maybe Ouyang Xu has some unavoidable difficulties. Anyway, I can't just listen to Uncle De's one-sided words!"
"Zhao Pan'er, do you really love Ouyang Xu so deeply?"
Looking at Zhao Pan'er who was still unwilling to accept reality, Yuan Xudong said angrily:
"Do you love Ouyang Xu too much, or do you just can't accept his betrayal of you?"
"None of your business. Who are you to me? Why should you care about me?"
Hearing Yuan Xudong's impolite words, Zhao Pan'er got up and left, preparing to go back to the house to rest for a while. In her heart, she could not accept Ouyang Xu's betrayal, but she also loved Ouyang Xu, but there was Yuan Xudong's shadow in her heart.
Even she herself didn't know which of the three was more important. Looking at Zhao Pan'er who wanted to continue to escape, Yuan Xudong felt upset. He had long regarded Zhao Pan'er as his own concubine, but now she was still thinking about Ouyang Xu. This was something Yuan Xudong could not accept no matter what. He wanted Zhao Pan'er's pure body and her intact heart.
Thinking of this, Yuan Xudong got up and chased after her. With a big hand, he held the panicked Zhao Paner in his arms as she screamed. He strode towards the bedroom. Zhao Paner was horrified and said:
"Xiao, Master Xiao, what do you want to do?"
"I won. According to the agreement, I want you to be my wife. From now on, I will make you completely forget Ouyang Xu!"
"No, Mr. Xiao, don't!"
…
After the rain, the sky cleared up. On the huge bed, Yuan Xudong's sweaty body fell to the side. He caressed Zhao Paner, who was still crying silently, with great concern.
After getting what he wanted, Yuan Xudong blamed himself for his rudeness and violence. He liked Zhao Pan'er and wanted to give her a good memory, but Zhao Pan'er refused to cooperate with him. In addition, he was angry about Ouyang Xu's matter, so he was violent to Zhao Pan'er with rough movements. After finishing, he caressed and comforted the girl, wiped her tears and whispered softly:
"Does it still hurt?"
Seeing that Zhao Pan'er closed her eyes and didn't speak, Yuan Xudong didn't care. He just gently stroked her body and continued:
"When we get to Tokyo, I will marry you, with three letters of engagement, six engagements, a sedan chair carried by eight men, a thousand taels of gold, a thousand taels of silver, a hundred rolls of silk and satin, a hundred maids and servants, and what else?"
"Pan'er can't afford it, please ask Mr. Xiao to marry those noble ladies who are of the same social status as you!"
Zhao Pan'er still kept her eyes tightly closed, not wanting to open them to see the scoundrel who had taken her body. She shouldn't have saved him in the first place, and now that he had harmed her, she could not blame anyone else!
"Are you rejecting me?"
Looking at the lifeless Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong was a little worried about her, but he could only continue to act like a villain and scare her:
"Zhao Pan'er, don't forget that Yin Zhang is still a slave. If you make me angry again, I will go to the Jiaofang Bureau and ask them to arrange for her to be summoned. Aren't you her elder sister? Don't you care about your own sister?"
"you……"
When Zhao Pan'er heard Yuan Xudong threaten her with Song Yinzhang, she opened her eyes immediately. She looked up at Yuan Xudong, suppressing her shyness and shame and said sadly:
"Mr. Xiao, what do you want from Pan'er?"
"Not much!"
Seeing Zhao Pan'er regaining some of her spirit, Yuan Xudong hugged her and said with a smile:
"Just be obedient and don't make me angry. I will treat you and your sister Yinzhang well!"
As he spoke, Yuan Xudong began to get restless again. Zhao Paner was startled and quickly held down his big hand that was doing mischief and said in fear:
"No, Master Xiao, Pan'er's body has not recovered yet, please don't torture Pan'er!"
"good!"
Looking at Zhao Pan'er, whose face was full of shyness and whose voice was trembling, Yuan Xudong felt more and more proud. He hugged the frightened Zhao Pan'er and said proudly:
"Forget about it today. When we get to Tokyo, you and Yin Zhang can serve me together!"
"you……"
"Pan'er, I'm back!"
At this moment, Sun Sanniang rushed into the teahouse. Before Yuan Xudong and Zhao Pan'er could react, she opened the curtain and rushed into the bedroom and said:
"Pan'er, I invited Lang...ah!"
Seeing Yuan Xudong sitting on the bed with his upper body naked, and Zhao Pan'er hiding in the quilt, with several girls' underwear and panties scattered on the ground, Sun Sanniang didn't know what had happened. She screamed in fear and ran out in a hurry, dragging away the old doctor who came after hearing the noise, leaving Yuan Xudong and Zhao Pan'er time to put on their clothes. After Sun Sanniang ran out of the bedroom, Yuan Xudong seemed indifferent, but Zhao Pan'er's face was as red as blood, and she said in panic:
"What should I do? What should I do? Sanniang has seen it all!"
"She saw it, so she saw it. She's not a man, she won't say anything!"
Yuan Xudong got up from the bed, put on his clothes, turned around and looked at Zhao Paner and said with a smile:
"Are you feeling better? How about you sleep a little longer while I send the doctor back?"
Zhao Paner hid under the quilt and glanced at Yuan Xudong, saying shyly:
"Well, you go out first!"
" Okay, then you should have a good rest!"
After taking a look at Zhao Pan'er, whose face was red, Yuan Xudong kissed her on the forehead and then walked out. In the yard, he saw Sun Sanniang and an old doctor with a box on his shoulders. He gave the old doctor a small piece of silver and sent him away. Then, Yuan Xudong looked at the rosy-faced Sun Sanniang and smiled:
"Sanniang, I have already cured Pan'er's illness. It's simply because of a blockage in the blood circulation. I just need to dredge it up!"
"Bah! You are such a bad bastard, a pervert!"
After giving Yuan Xudong a blank look, Sun Sanniang blushed and ran to the inner room of the tea shop and said:
"I'm going to go see Pan'er. You go to the street and buy some more delicious food to nourish Pan'er!"
"Okay!"
After agreeing, Yuan Xudong walked towards the street happily. Today he got what he wanted, and he wanted to celebrate properly!
After Yuan Xudong left, Sun Sanniang walked into the inner room of the teahouse and teased Zhao Paner who was still hiding under the quilt:
"Hey, isn't this the young lady from the Xiao family?"
"Sanniang!"
Hearing Sun Sanniang making fun of her, Zhao Pan'er poked her head out from under the quilt and said angrily:
"You're laughing at me!"
"Who dares to laugh at Prime Minister Xiao's daughter-in-law? She doesn't want to live anymore, right?"
Sitting on the bedside, Sun Sanniang looked at Zhao Pan'er and said with a smile:
"What's going on? I just went out for a while, and you two are like this?"
Hearing this, Zhao Pan'er was ashamed, her face was a mixture of anger and joy, she cried aggrievedly:
"Sanniang, he, he bullied me..."
"What's going on?"
Seeing Zhao Pan'er crying in grievance, Sun Sanniang was shocked and said:
"Pan'er, don't cry. Tell me the truth. Did that lecher bully you? Did you do it voluntarily?"
Seeing Zhao Pan'er nodded while crying, Sun Sanniang was so angry that she started to curse:
"These bastards are either ungrateful or lecherous. Pan'er, let's go to the government office and sue them. Let the county magistrate take care of you!"
"don't want!"
When Zhao Paner heard that Sun Sanniang was going to the Qiantang County government office to sue Yuan Xudong and Ouyang Xu, she quickly refused:
"Sanniang, it's useless. They are protecting each other and there is no way they can really make the decision for us. Moreover, if we anger Young Master Xiao, what will happen to Yin Zhang's plan to renounce his official duties and return to the country?"
“Yes!”
Thinking that Song Yinzhang needed Yuan Xudong's help to get rid of his status as a slave and leave the Jiaofangsi, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but said dejectedly:
"What should we do? Should we just let him get away with it?"
As she spoke, Sun Sanniang looked at Zhao Pan'er and said hesitantly:
"That Pan'er, is he still willing to marry you?"
After looking at Sun Sanniang, Zhao Pan'er nodded gently. Seeing this, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and said with a smile:
"That's great. Since you can't be the wife of a Jinshi, then you can be the daughter-in-law of Prime Minister Xiao. The Prime Minister is much more powerful than a Jinshi. And there's that Gao Guancha. By the way, Pan'er, who do you think has a higher rank, Gao Guancha or Prime Minister Xiao?"
"Sanniang!"
Seeing Sun Sanniang, who wanted to settle accounts with Yuan Xudong one moment, and then started to worry about the high position of his father's official position the next moment, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but said angrily:
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"No more, no more!"
Seeing Zhao Pan'er was embarrassed, Sun Sanniang waved her hand and said with a smile:
"So what do you think? Are you still going to Tokyo?"
"go!"
Zhao Pan'er said with a firm look:
"After you left, I thought about it for a long time. Ouyang and I have been together for three years. He is definitely not the kind of person who is unfaithful. Even if he has to marry someone else, given his personality, he should at least write me a letter to explain the reason instead of letting Uncle De take a verbal message. What if someone really wants to ruin his career?
They accused him of being heartless, or maybe the Gao family really liked Ouyang, but he repeatedly refused, so they used threats and bribes to coerce Uncle De behind Ouyang's back, trying to first steal the Tongxin Pei from me, and then lie to Ouyang that I had changed my mind?
The reason why I asked for another 500 taels of gold was to stabilize Uncle De and the people around him. Anyway, I won't do business now. After helping Yin Zhang escape from the state and return to justice, I will go to Tokyo to ask Ouyang in person. Didn't they say that they would get married after the Grain Rain? As long as I meet Ouyang before that, everything will be clear! "
"What if it's true that Concubine Xian presided over the wedding?"
Seeing Zhao Pan'er still not giving up, Sun Sanniang said worriedly:
"And that scoundrel, if you go to Tokyo to find Ouyang Xu, what will he think of you? What if Ouyang Xu doesn't want to marry you, and he doesn't want to marry you either, then what will you do then?"
"I just can't accept it. How could my taste in men be so bad?"
Looking at Sun Sanniang, Zhao Pan'er whispered:
"Unless I see him, I won't believe a word anyone says!"
"Okay, I'll go with you!"
Yuan Xudong opened the door curtain and walked in. He looked at Zhao Paner and said directly:
"I hope this is the last time, okay?"
Hearing this, Zhao Paner looked up at Yuan Xudong, nodded and smiled:
"Okay, for the last time!"
Seeing Yuan Xudong coming back, Sun Sanniang immediately stood up from the bed, ran to the kitchen, picked up two kitchen knives, and chased Yuan Xudong around the room, slashing:
"Well, you scoundrel, you bullied Pan'er and now you dare to come back. I'm going to chop you to death today!"
Being chased around the room by Sun Sanniang with two kitchen knives, Yuan Xudong ran around Zhao Paner while shouting for help:
"Pan'er, help!"
"Stop, you scoundrel! I'm going to kill you today!"
