Volume 6: Dream Record Chapter 408: The Extremely Happy Yuan Xudong
Seeing Du Changfeng hesitate to speak, Ouyang Xu suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart, and he couldn't help asking:
"By the way, Brother Du, when you saw Pan'er, how did she look? Was she too sad?"
"Whatever!"
Seeing how deeply Ouyang Xu loved Zhao Pan'er, Du Changfeng couldn't help but sigh and said:
"Although my eyesight is not very good and I didn't see the details clearly, but from what I heard from Zhao Pan'er's voice, she didn't seem to be very sad. Moreover, she and Xiao..."
Seeing Du Changfeng's hesitation, Ouyang Xu couldn't help but said anxiously:
"Brother Du, stop hesitating. What happened to Pan'er?"
"Well, since you want to protect her, I'll tell you the truth!"
Du Changfeng looked at Ouyang Xu who looked anxious, and sighed:
"When I went to Sanyuan Inn to look for Zhao, I discovered that she was actually staying in the best private room of the Sanyuan Inn. As you know, any guest who can afford to stay in this private room must be either rich or noble. As expected, that private room was booked by Xiao Fan for Zhao. I saw that the two of them were acting intimately, so I had my suspicions. But I didn't expect that Xiao Fan would admit in person that Zhao Pan'er was his unmarried wife, and that he was Zhao Pan'er's fiancé. Zhao Pan'er didn't refute it. Just when Xiao Fan grabbed my collar and wanted to beat me up, I saw that his clothes were a little disheveled, and he had a woman's scent on his body. This single man and single woman, staying in the same room, I'm afraid they had been..."
"Absolutely not!"
Although Du Changfeng hadn't finished speaking, Ouyang Xu had already understood what he meant. It was nothing more than that Zhao Pan'er and that foreign man named Xiao Fan had already performed the Zhougong ceremony. When Ouyang Xu thought that the beautiful woman he loved had been taken by another man first, lying under another man's body every day and night, while he had never touched her, he couldn't help but be jealous and crazy. He couldn't help but slammed the table and roared:
"I don't believe it. Pan'er likes me. We love each other and have been together for three years. We have always been emotional and polite. I have been in Beijing for the imperial examination for only a year. How could she secretly get married with a man outside of her family and do such a shameless and ugly thing?"
Although he said he didn't believe it, Ouyang Xu had already believed it in his heart. When he was young, his family fell into poverty and he was raised by Uncle De, an old servant of the Ouyang family. He had always wanted to make a name for himself since he was a child. The living environment around him made him pessimistic and he would always think of the worst. Three years ago, he failed the imperial examination and chose to commit suicide by jumping into the water. It was Zhao Pan'er who saved him. With Zhao Pan'er's help, he studied again for three years and this time he finally passed the imperial examination. However, for the sake of his own better career, he actually chose Gao Hui, the only daughter of Gao Guancha. He didn't think he was ungrateful, but because Zhao Pan'er was of humble origin, it was not his fault. He was also forced to do so and did not dare to offend Gao Guancha, etc.!
With the same character, after two innocent girls who were involved with him got into an accident, even without any evidence, he determined that it was Gao Hui who harmed them. Gao Hui was an evil girl who relied on her family background, cruel and ruthless, and did all kinds of evil. He, Ouyang Xu, had no choice but to obey Gao Hui. At the same time, in order to protect his lover, he had to cruelly abandon Pan'er who had been kind to him. He did all this just to protect her. In a word, he, Ouyang Xu, was a person with great love. Not only did he move the fool Du Changfeng, but even he, Ouyang Xu himself, was moved to tears. With such a personality, who can blame him, and who has the heart to really blame him?
Of course, with such a personality, once the subsequent development of things deviates from his expectations and plans, he will turn evil and achieve his goal by any means necessary. The reason he uses to convince himself is that you forced me to do all this, it is all your fault, I am the victim, I will take revenge on you, and then I will shed two tears because I have to do it. This character setting is perfect!
Back to the topic, Ouyang Xu roared, and then wanted to go to Sanyuan Inn to find out what was going on. Du Changfeng immediately stood up to stop him, and advised:
"No, no, no, you can't go. Since you have chosen to protect Zhao in this way, you must be patient. If the Gao family knows about Zhao's existence and Gao Hui wants to harm Zhao Pan'er, all your efforts will be wasted!"
"But I..."
Ouyang Xu was extremely angry, but he could not refute Du Changfeng's words. Moreover, if the Gao family knew about the relationship between him and Zhao Pan'er, not to mention whether Gao Hui would harm Zhao Pan'er, if the fact that he had deceived Gao Guancha and the virtuous concubine in the palace was exposed, not to mention his official position, even his status as a Jinshi might be stripped away by the government. Thinking of this, he tried his best to suppress his anger and pretended to be bitter and disappointed.
"Forget it, forget it. Even if I can go see Pan'er, she may not see me. As long as Pan'er is safe and sound, nothing else matters. By the way, Brother Du, who is Xiao Fan? Will he treat Pan'er well?"
Ouyang Xu's face was full of worry, as if he really didn't care who Zhao Pan'er was with, as long as Zhao Pan'er was safe and sound. He was completely different from the way he was when he was furious before. Seeing Ouyang Xu's generosity, Du Changfeng couldn't help but nodded in admiration:
"Brother Ouyang is truly a modest gentleman. Don't worry. Although Xiao Fan is a coarse and uneducated man who likes to beat people, is greedy and lustful, and is despicable and shameless, his father is the powerful Xiao Qinyan, the Prime Minister. With his father's support, and Xiao Fan being a man who cherishes women, Zhao's future life will definitely be good. However, Xiao Qinyan probably won't agree to his eldest son marrying a woman who has left her country and returned to the country. It's better to have her as a concubine!"
Ouyang Xu's eyes narrowed when he heard Du Changfeng say that Xiao Fan was the son of the powerful Xiao Qinyan, the Prime Minister, and then he heard Du Changfeng say that Xiao Qinyan would probably not agree to his eldest son marrying a woman who had renounced her status as a commoner, and that she would be a concubine. Ouyang Xu felt inexplicably happy in his heart, and he couldn't help but say:
"Pan'er once swore that she would never be a concubine. Will Xiao Fan..."
Du Changfeng thought Ouyang Xu was worried about Zhao Paner, and couldn't help laughing:
"Brother Ouyang, don't worry. Xiao Fan will definitely marry Zhao. He is a reckless man who doesn't like to consider the consequences of his actions. Since he said that Zhao Pan'er is his unmarried wife, he will definitely marry her. This is probably the only good thing about him. He often compares himself to Ji Bu, saying that his words are as good as gold and his promises are as good as gold. In fact, it's almost the same. I have never heard of him breaking his promises!"
"Is that so? If his father, Xiao Qinyan, the Prime Minister, disagrees with this marriage..."
Ouyang Xu asked without giving up. In his heart, he wanted to marry Gao Hui as his principal wife and keep Zhao Pan'er stable so that he could keep her as his mistress outside. After three years of living together, he had feelings for Zhao Pan'er but also coveted her. Whenever it was late at night and everyone was asleep, he couldn't help imagining the delicate body of Zhao Pan'er hidden under her thin clothes. Over the years, Ouyang Xu dreamed of marrying Zhao Pan'er with the sound of gongs and drums after passing the imperial examination. On the wedding night, he could lift up Zhao Pan'er's red veil, take off her clothes, tear off her red bellyband, play with her in the mandarin duck quilt, and caress her body to his heart's content. On the wedding night, he could let her enjoy herself under him with affection and love!
But all this changed. He met Gao Hui, the only daughter of Gao Guancha. He wanted to curry favor with the powerful and rise to the top, so he had to abandon his previous promise, abandon Zhao Pan'er, and demote his wife to a concubine. He knew that Zhao Pan'er would definitely not be able to accept it, but he was a third place in the imperial examination and he had an official status, while Zhao Pan'er had no power or influence. He would always find a way to get her and get what he wanted. Since he could not get Pan'er's heart, he would get her body. This was his plan, but Yuan Xudong got there first. The woman he had been thinking about for three years was actually won by a man outside. He hated Yuan Xudong so much, but he could not do anything to Yuan Xudong. He could only swallow his grievances and manage Gao Hui well. This was a stepping stone for his future career, and he must not make any mistakes. Compared with his future career, even the beautiful Zhao Pan'er was nothing!
"Brother Ouyang, Brother Ouyang?"
Seeing Ouyang Xu in a daze with a terrifying look in his eyes, Du Changfeng couldn't help but say:
"Brother Ouyang, what are you thinking about? Why are you looking so scary?"
"Oh, nothing!"
Seeing Du Changfeng looking at him, Ouyang Xu instantly regained his usual gentle and elegant demeanor and said:
"Brother Du, I was just thinking that if Xiao Fan dared to hurt Pan'er in the slightest, I would fight him to the death, even if it meant losing my official position. Pan'er was very kind to me three years ago, and I, Ouyang Xu, swear that I will protect her for the rest of my life!"
"Brother Ouyang is righteous!"
In Du Changfeng's opinion, Yuan Xudong is just a crude and uncouth man who does not understand the words of sages. Compared with Yuan Xudong, Ouyang Xu is a modest gentleman and a well-read man. Although he is weak and fragile, he has integrity and knows how to sacrifice himself for others. He is a real man. Zhao Pan'er is just a country woman. Otherwise, a truly extraordinary woman should be a concubine of a gentleman like Ouyang Xu, instead of being the wife of a crude and uncouth man like Yuan Xudong. Of course, the women of his Du family are not included. His Du family is a scholarly family, and the women are all virtuous, well-educated and sensible people. Only the position of wife is worthy of them!
…
While the hypocrite Ouyang Xu was trying hard to fool the real fool Du Changfeng, deep in the private room of Sanyuan Inn, in Zhao Pan'er's bedroom, Yuan Xudong had finished studying. Studying with him were Zhao Pan'er, Song Yinzhang and Yinping girl. Although it was one against three, Yuan Xudong still had the upper hand. After finishing his studies, Yuan Xudong, wearing only a single piece of clothing, leaned on the bed. Yinping girl massaged his legs, Song Yinzhang massaged his shoulders, and Zhao Pan'er snuggled in his arms. Yuan Xudong fed her the fruits made by Sanniang. One man and three women, living in harmony and happiness, were really pleasant!
The three young ladies were all wearing white underwear, with bellybands with pink peonies, red mandarin ducks, or white daisies. Yuan Xudong was feeding Zhao Pan'er the osmanthus tea fruit made by Sun Sanniang while playing with the two colorful mandarin ducks on her bellyband. This red mandarin duck bellyband was sewn by Zhao Pan'er herself, and the two mandarin ducks on it were also embroidered by her own hands. They were vivid and lifelike, very cute, and Yuan Xudong couldn't put it down to play with it. Seeing Zhao Pan'er blushing, Yuan Xudong played with the two mandarin ducks with one hand and fed her tea fruit with the other. He leaned close to Zhao Pan'er's ear and smiled:
"Good Pan'er, can you give me this red bellyband as a souvenir?"
"I don't want it!"
Gently holding down Yuan Xudong's right hand, Zhao Pan'er blushed and said shyly:
"You're a grown man, why do you need a girl's bellyband?"
"I won't tell you!"
Looking at the shy Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong said with a wicked smile:
"If you don't give it to me, I'll take it myself!"
"No, I'll give it to you!"
Seeing that Yuan Xudong wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do something bad, Zhao Paner quickly hid in the quilt, raised her head and looked at him shyly:
"I'll give it to you later, okay?"
"good!"
Looking at the cute and lovely Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong smiled, turned around and spoke to Song Yinzhang and Yinping, asking them to give him the bellybands they were wearing as a souvenir. Song Yinzhang and Yinping both nodded with red faces and agreed. Yuan Xudong felt very satisfied with this.
After a moment, he picked up the painting of a lady that Du Changfeng had used to find Zhao Pan'er from the bedside and took a look at it. From the inscription on it, it could be seen that this was a painting that Ouyang Xu had made for Zhao Pan'er on the eve of his trip to Beijing for the imperial examination. In the painting, Zhao Pan'er was wearing a white lady's dress, holding a round fan embroidered with orchids, gazing at the West Lake from afar, leaning against the railing with her whole body. Looking at the inscription on the painting, Yuan Xudong smiled and silently recited:
"Written by Ouyang Jiming on August 15th at Gu Yue Cottage in Qiantang!"
"Give me!"
Seeing Yuan Xudong looking at the painting that Ouyang Xu had made for him with great interest, Zhao Paner snatched it away, got up from the bed, put the painting on the fire, and said in a complicated voice:
"I heard that you have another love, so I burned it, and let the wind blow its ashes. From now on, don't miss me anymore, my love for you is over!"
When the painting was completely burned, Zhao Pan'er returned to bed and lay down under the quilt. She snuggled into Yuan Xudong's arms, looked up at him and said:
"The old things have been burned, and the past is like smoke. Fanlang, Pan'er can only rely on you from now on. I hope Fanlang will cherish her and always be faithful to her!"
"Okay, I swear, I will take good care of you!"
Looking at Zhao Pan'er who burned paintings to express her determination and vowed to bid final farewell to the past, Yuan Xudong was deeply moved. With such a beautiful woman, what more could a husband ask for?
Deeply moved, Yuan Xudong could not help but hug Zhao Pan'er and lie under the quilt. After a moment, the rustling sound was heard again. For the girls he particularly loved, Yuan Xudong always liked to pamper them tirelessly and let them fully feel his deep love!
…
Outside Zhao Pan'er's bedroom door, Sun Sanniang listened to Zhao Pan'er's suppressed moans and couldn't help but spit, cursing Yuan Xudong for not being able to cherish Pan'er. Then she left the room with a red face. She became familiar with the proprietress of Sanyuan Inn and could borrow the inn's kitchen to cook and make tea. Pan'er had been tortured by Yuan Xudong for a long time, so she could make some nourishing soups to replenish Pan'er, Yinzhang, and Yinping, and also make some for Yuan Xudong to replenish his body, so as to avoid depleting his body. In the future, Pan'er and Yinzhang would suffer!
…
As night fell, Yuan Xudong walked out of the room with Zhao Pan'er, Yinping girl, and Song Yinzhang. Sun Sanniang had already prepared nourishing soups and some Jiangnan dishes. During the meal, Yuan Xudong didn't care, but Zhao Pan'er and the others were blushing and just kept their heads down to eat without saying a word. After the meal, Yuan Xudong still wanted to stay overnight, but was driven out by Zhao Pan'er and the others. Yuan Xudong had no choice but to go to Lai Fu Inn, which was just two streets away, to rest.
During the day, he explained to Zhao Pan'er and others that he did not usually live in the Xiao Mansion, but had a separate courtyard. In addition, there was a stepmother and half-brother Xiao Wei in the Xiao Mansion, and there were many rules. Instead of going back and being looked down upon, it would be better for him to live outside. When he had taken care of the separate courtyard, he would let them move in. Now he had to endure the humiliation in the inn for a few days.
As for the Night Banquet Picture, Yuan Xudong also asked indirectly. Zhao Pan'er then remembered that Ouyang Xu still had a heart-shaped jade pendant with her, which could be used in exchange to prevent Ouyang Xu from denying and being unwilling to return the original Night Banquet Picture. Yuan Xudong proposed to accompany Zhao Pan'er to find Ouyang Xu to ask for the Night Banquet Picture, but Zhao Pan'er refused to agree. The two could only take a step back. Yuan Xudong could accompany Zhao Pan'er to find Ouyang Xu to ask for the Night Banquet Picture, but he could not meet Ouyang Xu, so he could only protect Zhao Pan'er in secret. Yuan Xudong was very unhappy about this. Zhao Pan'er had to compensate him well, and also took Song Yinzhang and Yinping, the girl, along, which really let Yuan Xudong enjoy a good time. The land of tenderness is the tomb of heroes, even steel can be turned into soft silk!
After Yuan Xudong left, Zhao Pan'er and the others all blushed and looked at each other. Sun Sanniang spoke first. She looked at Song Yinzhang, who was the easiest to bully, and said with a smile:
"Sister Yinzhang, you can rest assured now, right? A young lady like you who has never touched women's lives is like a delicate orchid. You deserve to be raised in a warm house by a man who loves and pampers you. When Master Xiao has finished tidying up the mansion, he will keep you there. In addition to serving Master Xiao every day, you can also play the pipa and study your music scores. Aren't you very happy?"
"Sister Sanniang!"
Hearing Sun Sanniang teasing him, Song Yinzhang blushed and said shyly:
"Fan Lang should pamper my sister. He loves my sister so much. Yin Ping and I are willing to serve my sister and Fan Lang!"
"That's right, the young master likes Sister Pan'er the most, then my young lady, and finally me!"
After Song Yinzhang finished speaking, Yinping quickly chimed in:
"My young lady and I are willing to serve Sister Pan'er and Master every day!"
"Oh, look at these two sweet little mouths, just as sweet as osmanthus honey. No wonder Mr. Xiao likes them so much!"
Sun Sanniang looked at Song Yinzhang and Yinping Yatou and joked. After hearing this, both of them were very shy. At this time, Zhao Paner smiled and said:
"Well, it's getting late. Yinzhang, Yinping, you two should go and rest first. Sanniang and I will chat for a while!"
"Okay, then Yinping and I will go to bed first. Sister, Sister Sanniang, you should also go to bed early. Good night!"
"Well, good night!"
After Song Yinzhang and Yinping went to rest, Zhao Paner walked to the window and stood by the railing. She looked up at the bright moon outside the window and said silently:
"May we live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart. Fanlang, do you really want to be with Pan'er forever?"
Sun Sanniang stood beside her and advised:
"Pan'er, don't think too much. I believe that Master Xiao will treat you and Yin Zhang well!"
"I hope so!"
Zhao Pan'er was still a little worried that she was born in a humble family and was not worthy of Yuan Xudong, the son of Prime Minister Xiao. She stood by the railing, looked at the bright moon for a while, then looked at Sun Sanniang and smiled:
"Sanniang, I think Fanlang is anxious to get the painting of the night banquet. Tomorrow morning, you go to the door of Observer Gao's house. I remember there is a flower girl there. You give her ten cents and ask her where Ouyang Xu lives."
"Okay!"
Sun Sanniang looked at Zhao Pan'er and smiled:
"Pan'er, you are so smart!"
"Yes, I usually think I'm smart, but when I really encounter difficulties, I still feel scared!"
Zhao Pan'er looked at Sun Sanniang and smiled:
"I hope my eyesight towards men won't always be so bad. In this unfamiliar capital city, if we don't have a man to rely on, I'm really afraid that we women will be bullied for no reason!"
Hearing this, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but comfort Zhao Pan'er:
"Pan'er, don't worry, it won't happen. I have a very good eye for people. Young Master Xiao will definitely be a good husband!"
Zhao Pan'er rolled her eyes at Sun Sanniang and said speechlessly:
"You've said this about Ouyang Xu before, okay?"
"How can it be the same?"
Sun Sanniang blushed slightly and said stubbornly:
"I can only judge people accurately, but I can't judge those beasts in human skins accurately!"
"Just keep talking tough!"
Zhao Pan'er rolled her eyes at Sun Sanniang, shook her head slightly and said with a smile:
"Okay, let's not talk about this for now. Sanniang, you should also go to rest early. You have worked hard these days. When we return to Yeyantu, let's have a good rest for a few days and recharge our batteries. Then we can reopen a teahouse, just like we did in Qiantang. I will be in charge of making tea and you will be in charge of making tea cakes, okay?"
"Okay, it's good to open a teahouse. I was originally worried that you and Yinzhang would become wives of the Xiao family and never leave the house again. What should I do then?"
Sun Sanniang said with a smile. Hearing this, Zhao Paner smiled and said:
"Actually, this is also good. Yin Zhang and I will be Xiao family's young ladies and stay at home all day. You can be our cook and I will give you two strings of cash every month. How about this?"
"Is two kan so much?"
When Sun Sanniang heard Zhao Pan'er say that she would give her two strings of cash every month, she couldn't help but slightly widen her eyes and waved her hands repeatedly to refuse:
"You don't need to pay so much money, two kan a year will be enough!"
"Okay, I was just kidding you!"
Looking at Sun Sanniang who still took it seriously, Zhao Paner smiled and said:
"After the teahouse opens, all the money earned will be shared among us sisters. Okay, it's settled. Go back and have a rest. I want to sleep too!"
"Well, good night, Pan'er!"
"Good night!"
After persuading Sun Sanniang to go back to her room, Zhao Pan'er did not rest immediately. Instead, she took out her pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote a letter of withdrawal of engagement to Ouyang Xu. Although it was only a verbal agreement at the beginning, an engagement is an engagement. Since Ouyang Xu already has the lady from the Gao family, and she also likes Yuan Xudong, then the past should be over. She returned the heart-shaped jade pendant to Ouyang Xu, and also took back her own Night Banquet Painting. From now on, they will go their separate ways, and will not meet again until the underworld. It is better to die in vain than to have anything to do with each other!
