Volume 6: Dream Record Chapter 406 Yuan Xudong went to Jiangnan because of Zhang Haohao
Being grabbed by Yuan Xudong's collar, Du Changfeng's legs trembled, and he shrank his neck and shouted:
"Xiao Fan, calm down. I am a Jinshi this year, ranked 27th in the second class, and I am an official. You are a commoner. Since ancient times, commoners have never fought against officials. Do you want to offend officials as a commoner?"
"Confucius said, 'The people are the most important, the country is second, and the emperor is the least important. You are just a humble Jinshi, and you haven't even received the grace of the government to become an official, but you put yourself above all the people in the world. Is this how you read the books of sages?"
Looking at Du Changfeng who looked like a nerd, Yuan Xudong couldn't help but curl his lips and laughed:
"You are so good, you blind man Du. I originally thought you were a good person and would be a good official in the future. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I was so wrong. You actually regarded the common people as straw dogs and officials as royal nobles. Are the common people not human beings? If officials regard the common people as inferior, how can the people serve the officials?"
Hearing Yuan Xudong say this about himself, Du Changfeng immediately said excitedly:
"No, I don't treat the people of the world as straw dogs, Xiao Fan, please don't wrongly accuse me!"
"Have I wronged you?"
Looking at Du Changfeng who seemed to have suffered a great injustice, Yuan Xudong argued:
"Miss Zhao from Qiantang is a commoner of our Song Dynasty. She was engaged to Ouyang Xu, but now Ouyang Xu broke off the engagement and wants to marry another noblewoman from the Gao family. Miss Zhao doesn't want to be his concubine, but you say she is ungrateful, doesn't know the limits, and doesn't know the difference between high and low status. Each word is like a sharp blade, piercing people's hearts, more hurtful than the words of those shrews scolding on the street. But as for Ouyang Xu, he got engaged to someone when he failed the imperial examination and received favors from someone. Now that he has passed the imperial examination, he has turned his back on her. He is untrustworthy and wants to curry favor with the powerful. Such a bad person, just because he is your classmate and friend, you speak in his favor. Then what is the difference between you and those officials in the officialdom who form cliques for personal gain and protect each other?"
"Xiao Fan, the Book of Songs says that one knows one's fate and will be noble or humble..."
"Shut up!"
Without waiting for Du Changfeng to finish reciting the Book of Songs, Yuan Xudong knocked him on the head and cursed:
"The Book of Songs was also written by people who have long passed away. Wouldn't they have said something wrong? In ancient times, those noble rulers still had the custom and ritual of sacrificing living people or burying them alive with the dead. Do you want to restore these as well?"
"Quibbling, all you are doing is quibbling!"
Looking at Du Changfeng who was stubborn, Yuan Xudong knocked on his head twice and said:
"I'm trying to quibble with you, you blockhead. Are you mentally ill? You've become stupid from reading too many books, right?"
"What's my business with you?"
After being hit on the head twice by Yuan Xudong, Du Changfeng finally reacted and looked up at Yuan Xudong in confusion:
"I was talking to Madam Zhao, why did you suddenly appear here?"
"Are you stupid?"
Looking at Du Changfeng who finally reacted, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"The Qiantang Zhao lady you mentioned is my future wife. In Qiantang, she saved my life. I decided to marry her because I didn't want to thank her enough. So, I know how to repay a favor better than your good friend Ouyang Xu, don't I?"
"You, you, you are clearly lusting after beauty. Don't think I don't know that you and Zhang Haohao, the top lady of the Jiaofang Bureau, you two..."
Before Du Changfeng could finish his words, Yuan Xudong immediately covered his mouth and cursed:
"You are such a blind man, how dare you slander me?"
"Wuwu...I didn't...slander...you...wuwu..."
"If I say you slander me, then you slander me, do you understand?"
Yuan Xudong kicked Du Changfeng twice on the buttocks, then looked at Sun Sanniang next to him and said:
"Sanniang, can you help me throw him into the river? Doesn't this nerd look down on women? Then let the woman he looks down on the most throw him into the river, so that he can wake up and see if he dares to look down on women again in the future!"
"Okay!"
Upon hearing Yuan Xudong's dirty idea, Sun Sanniang's eyes lit up. She had long disliked Du Changfeng. This bookworm's words were so irritating and he kept quoting from classics. Except for Yuan Xudong, the other girls could not really beat this bookworm in an argument. His words were full of bullshit and no one could refute him. If Sun Sanniang's vision and mind were broader, she would know that it was not that Du Changfeng's words were difficult to refute, but that the feudal shackles were deeply rooted in this era and had long been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Even those oppressed people agreed in their hearts with these so-called words of sages. The real ruling class is by no means a specific position, but a group of people who influence and control others materially and spiritually. Are your thoughts and ideas really your true heart and self?
Without saying much, Yuan Xudong just let go of Du Changfeng, and Sun Sanniang suddenly pushed him out of the door. Du Changfeng was caught off guard. If it weren't for the guardrail outside the door, he would have almost fallen into the river downstairs. Now he is fine, but the crystal in his sleeve fell into the river. Du Changfeng was so distressed that he shouted:
"My Tocharian Seven Treasures Snow Mountain Dragon Tooth Colored Glaze Crystal is shining!"
After saying that, he turned around and looked at Sun Sanniang who was about to close the door and said angrily:
"You have to compensate me for my glasses (ancient glasses), and you have to bring them back to me!"
"Why wear it? Wear it or not, get out of here right now, or I'll throw you into the river to feed the fish!"
Although Yuan Xudong said that he would throw Du Changfeng into the river to sober him up, Sun Sanniang did not really intend to throw him into the river. After all, Du Changfeng was a newly-appointed Jinshi. Just as he said, since ancient times, the people have not fought against the officials. So it would be better to just drive him out. As for the long list of things Du Changfeng mentioned, Sun Sanniang was just a country woman. She did not see Du Changfeng's things fall into the water, nor did she know what things were. Naturally, she did not take Du Changfeng's words to heart and just thought he was a dog barking.
Seeing Sun Sanniang's unreasonable attitude, Du Changfeng was immediately angry:
"You, you, you woman, are so vulgar, rude, and ignorant. Now I understand that it is a good thing that Ouyang did not take Zhao as his concubine. Apart from Xiao Fan, who only knows how to bully others by taking advantage of his power, who else would dare to take a shrew like you?"
Du Changfeng touched her sore spot, and Sun Sanniang's eyes turned red. She walked out of the house, closed the door, and approached Du Changfeng step by step, saying in a flat voice:
"Say it again!"
Du Changfeng couldn't see clearly, so he naturally didn't know that Sun Sanniang's face was full of anger. He was heartbroken about the loss of his daughter, and he said angrily:
"Which one?"
Sun Sanniang approached Du Changfeng and said in a calm voice:
"Just what the shrew said!"
"You heard everything, and you're still asking me?"
Looking at Sun Sanniang who was approaching him, Du Changfeng could see the anger on her face when she got closer. He could not help but take two steps back and said weakly:
"You, what are you going to do?"
"Today I will let you see what a real shrew is!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Sun Sanniang picked up Du Changfeng and carried him downstairs. No matter how Du Changfeng yelled, she just carried him. As the guests in the inn watched, Sun Sanniang casually found a hemp rope and put it around Du Changfeng's neck. She led Du Changfeng out of the inn. Along the way, passers-by gathered around and talked about the two of them. Sun Sanniang showed no change of expression. Only Du Changfeng was yelling:
"You bitch, you are insulting the civilized world. I am a successful candidate in this imperial examination. I am an official. As the saying goes, a scholar can be killed but not humiliated. You can't insult me like this!"
"Alright, alright, it's nothing special that you've read a few crappy books, but you're not even a Jinshi. Since you're so eager to help Ouyang Xu, then I'll follow Master Xiao's instructions. I'll just let you calm down today. I want you to know that the first rule of being a human is to stop being mean!"
"I'm doing this for your own good. It's a big taboo for women to be jealous. You and Madam Zhao...ah!"
Without waiting for Du Changfeng to finish his words, Sun Sanniang led him to the river and kicked him into the river. Seeing Du Changfeng struggling in the water, as if he couldn't swim, Sun Sanniang borrowed a piece of wood from a wood vendor on the shore and threw it to Du Changfeng. Seeing Du Changfeng floating on the river with the wood, Sun Sanniang felt relieved. The people watching on the bank of the Yu River pointed at Sun Sanniang, but she was not afraid. Instead, she pinched her waist and scolded:
"What do you all know? If you persuade someone to become a concubine, the heavens will strike you down. How can a man who can read and write not understand this? And he is forcing my sister to become a concubine. Tell me, should I throw him into the river to let him sober up?"
"Well said, it should be!"
The people watching on the banks of the Imperial River cheered. Du Changfeng, who was floating in the river, wiped his face and continued to shout:
"I'm doing this for your own good. Brother Ouyang is very intelligent and quick-witted. It's Madam Zhao's blessing to be his concubine. Why are you so stubborn?"
"Bah!"
Seeing Du Changfeng still unrepentant, Sun Sanniang angrily cursed:
"You bastard, you've read so much that you've become a dog's stomach. You still want to be grateful for being someone's concubine. Go home and let your own sister become Ouyang Xu's concubine!"
"You bitch, it's ok for you to insult me, Du Changfeng, but how could you insult my family?"
Du Changfeng cursed while floating in the water.
Seeing that Du Changfeng also knew how to get angry when others scolded his sister for being someone else's concubine, Sun Sanniang could not help but say angrily:
"Your sister can't be Ouyang Xu's concubine, so why can my sister?"
"How can it be the same?"
Du Changfeng floated in the water and said loudly and proudly:
"My Du family is a family of scholars after all, and my sister is well-educated, virtuous and kind. Zhao is just a singing girl who has left her family and returned to her hometown. How can she be compared with my sister?"
"Du Changfeng, you are a bastard, you should stay in the Imperial River today!"
Seeing Du Changfeng belittling her and others everywhere, Sun Sanniang was so angry that she kept scolding:
"If you have the guts, then report us to the police and have us arrested. Don't you scholars care about your reputation the most? Now everyone knows that you were thrown into the river by a woman. I don't think you will be able to live your life with dignity. I will make sure you can't hold your head up for the rest of your life. You are not a man!"
"You, you are so disrespectful, bitch!"
"I am a shrew, so what? You can't even beat a shrew like me. You are not a man. You are not even as good as a woman. Go home and take care of the children. I am leaving. Bye!"
"You, don't leave, come back here!"
Amid Du Changfeng's futile shouting, Sun Sanniang clapped her hands and walked away. The onlookers cheered, as what Du Changfeng said was really infuriating. Her own sister was a lady from a noble family, while other people's sisters were destined to be concubines. Except for those conceited nobles, ordinary people would not bother with such people. They watched him drifting down the Imperial River holding a piece of wood, shouting "Help, help!" in a panic, while splashing water trying to swim to the river's edge.
Soon, Du Changfeng floated along the Imperial River to the pavilion of the Shuangxi Tower. Chi Yanei was defeated by Zhao Pan'er, so he ran to Shuangxi Tower to seek comfort from Zhang Haohao, the famous courtesan in Tokyo. Looking at the famous Zhang Haohao, Chi Yanei couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Okay, where is Mr. Xiao who has always wanted to pursue you? I haven't seen him for a while. Where did he go?"
Hearing Chi Yanei mention Xiao Fan, the eldest son of the Xiao family, Zhang Haohao couldn't help but chuckle and said:
"That idiot, I told him I wanted the Peach Blossom Hairpin from Jiangnan, and he really went to Qiantang in Jiangnan to find it for me. Calculating the date, he should be back soon!"
"What would you do if he really came back with the peach blossom hairpin?"
Looking at Zhang Haohao's sweet smile, Chi Yanei couldn't help but feel jealous and said:
"Are you going to marry him?"
"I would like to marry him, but will Minister Xiao agree?"
Glancing at the jealous Chi Yanei, Zhang Haohao couldn't help but laugh:
"Okay, actually I was just kidding him. There is no such thing as a peach blossom hairpin in Jiangnan. Who knew he actually went to Jiangnan? If his family member Lai Fu hadn't told me, I would have thought he was under house arrest by Minister Xiao. To be honest, I was quite moved. A man was willing to travel thousands of miles to Jiangnan for a woman. I almost wanted to marry him!"
"No, if you want something, whether it's delicious or fun, I can buy it for you!"
Hearing that Zhang Haohao wanted to marry Yuan Xudong, Chi Yanei couldn't help but feel jealous and said:
"That Xiao Fan, who is idle all day long, relies on his family background and martial arts to bully others everywhere. He is just a playboy, okay?"
"I'm not short of money, I can buy anything I want myself!"
Glancing at Chi Yanei, Zhang Haohao said with a smile:
"You either come to my place all day or play Cuju with a group of servants. Do you still have the nerve to say that Master Xiao is idle all day? As for the saying that Master Xiao relies on his family background and martial arts to bully others, the reputation of Xiao Shixiang is indeed not very good, but Master Xiao has never done anything to harm the world. The people he beat up are the real dandies who bully others by taking advantage of their power, okay?"
"Who knows?"
Seeing Zhang Haohao speaking for Yuan Xudong, Chi Yanei couldn't help but feel jealous and said:
"As the saying goes, if the top beam is crooked, the bottom beam will be crooked. His father Xiao Qinyan is not a good person, so how good can Xiao Fan be?"
Glancing at Chi Yanei, Zhang Haohao frowned slightly and said:
"It's fine if you just say these words to me, but if someone with ulterior motives hears them and reports them to Minister Xiao, be careful..."
Before Zhang Haohao could finish her words, her personal maid Xiaomei suddenly shouted from the window:
"Hurry up, someone has fallen into the water, help!"
"Someone fell into the water?"
Hearing that someone fell into the water, Chi Yanei's eyes lit up and he became excited in an instant. He loved watching the fun the most, and without caring about what Zhang Haohao had not finished saying, he ran out. Looking at Chi Yanei's back, Zhang Haohao could not help but shake his head and sigh. This Chi Yanei was like a child who had not grown up yet, with a child's mind, playful, and jealous. If he had not been born with a good fortune, with his character, how could he have become the head of the twelve trading companies in Tokyo.
Chi Yanei ran out with two servants. Zhang Haohao and her personal maid Xiaomei stood by the railing and looked out the window. They saw a scholar floating on the river with a piece of wood and struggling hard. Chi Yanei and his two servants stood on the shore and laughed at him, saying:
"Hey, who is this? Isn't this Mr. Du from the academy?"
Hearing Chi Yanei's laughter, Du Changfeng's eyes were blurred and he could only see a vague figure on the shore.
"You, who are you?"
"You can't even recognize my voice?"
Knowing that Du Changfeng's eyesight was not clear, Chi Yanei teased him deliberately:
"I am the boss of more than a dozen guilds in Tokyo, you Chi Pan, Chi Yanei!"
Hearing that it was Chi Yanei, Du Changfeng quickly asked for help:
"Chi Yanei, please hurry up and save me. I, I have money, I will give you money!"
"Bah, I won't save you!"
Seeing Du Changfeng throwing money at him, Chi Yanei's childish nature came to his mind and he couldn't help but scold:
"Du Changfeng, who do you think you are? You dare to throw money at me? Just stay in the river by yourself. I have plenty of money!"
After saying that, Chi Yanei turned around and left with the two servants. It was obvious that he really intended to let Du Changfeng continue to stay in the river to feed the fish. Seeing him like this, Du Changfeng immediately provoked him:
"Chi, Chi Pan, you watched someone die without helping him. What kind of hero are you? You, Thirteenth Young Master, Thirteenth Young Master, you will only be called Thirteenth Young Master for the rest of your life!"
Hearing the nickname "Thirteenth Young Master", Chi Pan's smile faded. He turned around and pointed at Du Changfeng floating in the water, and instructed the servant beside him:
"Save him for me and throw him down again!"
"Okay, Yanei!"
…
In the painted boat, Zhang Haohao's personal maid looked at Chi Yanei, whose face was full of frost. She couldn't help but look at Zhang Haohao and asked curiously:
"Miss, why doesn't Chi Yanei like to be called the Thirteenth Young Master?"
Hearing this, Zhang Haohao looked at his personal maid and sighed:
"He is only the head of the twelve guilds in Tokyo. He is just a small boss. Do you understand?"
"I understand, thank you Miss!"
Looking at Zhang Haohao, Xiaomei, the personal maid, boldly asked:
"Miss, between Master Xiao and Chi Yanei, which one do you like?"
"What's the point of liking it?"
Zhang Haohao glanced at his personal maid and said with a smile:
"I like anyone who is willing to treat me well. And you, damn girl, did Lai Fu from Young Master Xiao's family secretly give you some benefits again?"
"No, Miss, you are wrongly accusing me!"
Looking at Zhang Haohao, Xiaomei, the personal maid, said aggrievedly:
"Laifu has gone to Jiangnan, and we don't know when he will come back. I am really thinking about you, young lady. Chi Yanei is rich, but the Xiao family is not short of money either. You, young lady, are not short of money. Although Chi Yanei is the head of the twelve guilds, he is only in Tokyo. If we really compare him with the Xiao family, these are really nothing. Moreover, Chi Yanei is like a child, happy one moment and unhappy the next. He is not stable at all. Young Master Xiao is more reliable. He is not only handsome, but also has great martial arts skills. The most important thing is that he likes you so much that he is willing to travel thousands of miles to Jiangnan for you. It is hard to find such a good husband!"
"Bah!"
Looking at the infatuated maid Xiaomei, and thinking of Yuan Xudong's strong physique and sharp-eyed appearance, Zhang Haohao's eyes flashed with shyness and said:
"You stupid girl, you keep saying that you won't take away other people's benefits, so why do you help Mr. Xiao speak well of you every day?"
"I really didn't take it!"
Seeing that Zhang Haohao had wronged her, Xiaomei said anxiously:
"I can swear that I really didn't take the gold leaves Lai Fu gave me. He wanted to give me three gold leaves, but I didn't dare to accept them!"
"You are really promising!"
Zhang Haohao rolled his eyes at Xiaomei and smiled softly:
"Next time you see Lai Fu, ask him for thirty gold leaves. How can a maid like me, the courtesan Zhang, be worth only three gold leaves?"
"Oh, I see!"
Seeing Zhang Haohao laughing happily, Xiaomei added:
"Lai Fu also wants to give me a piece of white jade for the sword head, saying that it was given to his father by Minister Xiao, and it is worth at least two hundred strings of cash. Miss, if you really follow Master Xiao, can I accept it?"
Looking at Xiaomei who was staring at him eagerly, Zhang Haohao glared at her angrily:
"You damned girl, you sold ?"
As he said that, Zhang Haohao chased Xiaomei and started to fight. Zhang Haohao chased from behind while Xiaomei ran in front, laughing:
"Miss, please spare my life. Xiaomei will only sell it once, and I won't dare to do it again next time!"
"Hurry up and stop. Let me beat you up first to vent my anger before we talk about anything else!"
"No, I know I was wrong, please spare me, miss!"
…
On the other side, Du Changfeng was salvaged to the shore, and he was still holding on to the wood and refused to let go. Seeing him like this, Chi Yanei couldn't help but ask:
"Du Changfeng, why are you still holding that piece of wood?"
Looking up at Chi Yanei, Du Changfeng spat out river water and said weakly:
"I'm afraid you'll throw it back down!"
