The Story of Baochai in A Dream of Red Mansions, Part 7: Yuan Ning's Journey with a Scumbag (P
Kangxi sat on the heated kang in the South Study, wearing only a casual robe. His face did not show any anger, but it also carried the lingering fatigue of the past.
He casually fiddled with a set of ivory chess pieces in his hand. When he heard Xue Pan greet him, he merely raised his eyes and said indifferently, "Get up."
Xue Pan then dared to raise his head slightly and glance at it quickly.
On the kang table in front of Emperor Kangxi were several memorials scattered about, along with a half-finished bowl of ginseng soup. A faint scent of ink and medicine filled the air.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xue Pan stood up, still with his hands at his sides, standing respectfully.
Kangxi didn't look at him; his gaze seemed to be fixed on the chessboard, or perhaps looking elsewhere through it. He remained silent for a long while.
The South Study was eerily quiet, save for the occasional crackling of the candle wick. Just as Xue Pan's heart began to pound, and he started to wonder if he had done anything wrong when he bowed and greeted the guests,…
Emperor Kangxi suddenly spoke up: "I can't sleep at night, so tell me about it... well, tell me about the section on self-cultivation and family management in the Great Learning."
Xue Pan was taken aback. Why was the Emperor summoning him to preach in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?
But he didn't dare ask too many questions. After thinking it over carefully, he tried his best to use clear and simple language to explain the meaning of that classic passage.
He didn't have much knowledge to show off; he just wanted to explain things clearly and thoroughly to get through this ordeal.
Kangxi listened with his eyes half-closed, his fingers unconsciously tapping the kang table. When he heard the phrase "only when the family is well-governed can the country be well-governed," he suddenly sighed very softly.
Although Xue Pan did not know why Kangxi sighed, he dared not stop since Kangxi had not told him to, so he could only pretend to be calm and continue lecturing.
After speaking for a short while, Kangxi waved his hand and said, "That's enough, it's getting even more boring."
He pointed to the embroidered stool opposite the kang table: "Sit down and play a game of chess with me to relieve your boredom."
Xue Pan inwardly groaned. He had always been a terrible chess player, losing more often than winning. But since the Emperor had spoken, he dared not disobey and could only sit down with a stiff upper lip.
Emperor Kangxi initially thought Xue Pan was being modest when he said he wasn't good at chess, but it turned out he really was bad.
He played chess without any rules, relying entirely on intuition. One moment he was incredibly bold and aggressive, the next he was timid and made many foolish moves.
At first, Kangxi frowned, but as he watched Xue Pan scratching his head, looking worried and regretting every step he took, he gradually became amused.
The frustration in his heart seemed to be somewhat alleviated by his appalling chess skills.
"Tsk, the way you play chess..." Kangxi held a white piece, watching Xue Pan turn his living group into a dead one again, and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh: "Why didn't you find a teacher to learn properly?"
Xue Pan's face turned bright red, but he still answered honestly, "Your Majesty, this servant...this servant is dull-witted and really not cut out for this."
"When I play with my younger sister, even if she lets the servant win, she can't win even one out of ten games..."
"I can see that." Kangxi's tone was somewhat playful as he easily placed a piece, capturing another large group of Xue Pan's black pieces.
"However, he is honest, which is better than those who are clearly skilled in chess but pretend to lose in front of me."
Emperor Kangxi had a wonderful time playing chess today. He was terrible at chess, but he was both bad at it and loved to play.
When he plays chess with those ministers, they have to rack their brains to find ways to lose to him, but they can't lose too obviously.
This time, Kangxi encountered Xue Pan, who was even less skilled than him. Kangxi dominated the chessboard, unilaterally slaughtering Xue Pan's pieces.
With each piece he ate, Xue Pan's pained yet silent expression, desperately trying to suppress his emotions, brought Kangxi a sense of satisfaction.
In the end, Xue Pan's black pieces were scattered and destroyed, leaving the chessboard in a terrible state.
Emperor Kangxi was in a good mood and tossed the chess piece back into the chess box: "Alright, alright, it seems you won't be able to beat me today. Go back and practice some more."
Xue Pan felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly got up and kowtowed to express his gratitude, his back soaked with cold sweat. He bowed and carefully withdrew from the South Study.
Stepping outside, he breathed a long sigh of relief as the cold night wind blew through him.
I felt a mix of fear and relief. Although I played chess terribly, at least I made the Emperor happy, didn't I?
Afterwards, Kangxi summoned Xue Pan to play chess a few more times. It was clear that Xue Pan had really worked hard after returning home. His earlier games were quite decent, showing some strategy, which made Kangxi nod slightly, feeling that the boy had finally figured things out.
But as the game went on, something just didn't feel right. His playing style gradually became erratic, and he started playing by his gut feeling again.
Emperor Kangxi was always amused by his rich and varied expressions, which made him laugh heartily and dispel much of his annoyance.
Baochai had long ago crafted the persona of her brother as an honest and simple-minded child.
Xue Pan also kept his sister's advice in mind, never trying to be clever in front of Emperor Kangxi. When playing chess, he would honestly answer whatever Emperor Kangxi asked casually, emphasizing sincerity.
Emperor Kangxi was used to seeing clever people with cunning minds in the court, but he particularly liked this kind of honest boy who didn't think too much and just said what he meant. He felt that being with him was easy and not tiring.
And so, thanks to his honesty and his terrible chess skills that always amused the emperor, Xue Pan was promoted from a seventh-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy to a fifth-rank lecturer in less than a year.
This position was usually held by a learned and mature Hanlin scholar. The fact that Emperor Kangxi gave this position to Xue Pan shows the extent of his favor and trust in him.
Of course, Emperor Kangxi knew perfectly well that sending Xue Pan to lecture the princes would be misleading them. Therefore, Xue Pan was not needed for lecturing; his job was simply to keep Emperor Kangxi company by playing chess.
Upon learning of Xue Pan's promotion, Aunt Xue wept with joy, repeatedly praising the Emperor's boundless grace and the blessings of her ancestors.
Unlike her mother's ecstatic joy, Baochai appeared remarkably calm.
Baochai knew perfectly well that her brother's official career was mostly due to his honest and straightforward nature, which made the suspicious Emperor Kangxi feel at ease using him.
Furthermore, this terrible chess player inadvertently provided the emperor with some amusement.
She quickly added, "Brother, now that you've been promoted, you're in a very precarious position. The more successful you are, the more you must remember to keep a low profile."
Within the Hanlin Academy, one must be even more humble and respectful towards the Chancellor and senior colleagues, always taking the lead in serving tea and water, and absolutely never showing the slightest arrogance.
Xue Pan himself didn't feel much about the promotion.
Apart from receiving a slightly higher salary, his superiors in the government office smiling more genuinely at him, and his colleagues speaking more politely, life seemed to continue as usual.
In his view, the only difference between the fifth and seventh ranks was that the bird patterns on the official robes were slightly more complex.
Admittedly, in the capital city where nobles and dignitaries abound, a minor official of the fifth rank is nothing special.
But there were also tangible benefits; Xue Pan was immediately able to submit a memorial requesting an official title for his mother.
Not long after, the imperial decree was issued, and Aunt Xue became a proper fifth-rank lady, the same rank as her sister, Lady Wang.
Aunt Xue held the heavy imperial robe embroidered with exquisite cloud and wild goose patches, her fingers stroking the smooth satin surface again and again, and she was so moved that tears streamed down her face once more.
She is now a noblewoman with an official title from the imperial court. Let's see who dares to gossip behind her back and laugh at her for being a lowly merchant's wife!
Overjoyed, Aunt Xue specially sent her most capable and eloquent servant to the Jia Mansion with a generous gift to deliver the good news to Lady Wang.
Upon hearing the old woman's cheerful report, the forced smile on Madam Wang's face instantly froze.
Once everyone left, she returned to her room, grabbed a famille rose covered bowl from the kang table, and smashed it on the ground, splattering tea leaves and water stains all over the floor.
Her chest heaved as she said hatefully to Zhou Rui's wife, "My sister has always been a short-sighted person."
Pan-ge'er has only been promoted to a minor official of the fifth rank, yet she's so eager to show off in front of me. It's utterly ridiculous!
If my Pearl were still alive… she wouldn’t be a mere third-place scholar, she could be the top scholar in the imperial examinations, let alone a mere third-place scholar. How could she possibly be so presumptuous in front of me…”
While Lady Wang was so angry that she completely lost her composure, Wang Xifeng, upon hearing the news that Aunt Xue had been granted the title of Fifth-Rank Lady, was reclining on her couch eating sour plums.
She subconsciously touched her still-flat stomach, secretly thinking that if her unborn child could be as promising as her cousin Pan, even if only half as promising, she would be content.
Meanwhile, Grandmother Jia was watching Baoyu and his sisters laughing and playing in the courtyard. After hearing Yuanyang whisper about the Xue family's affairs, she smiled with narrowed eyes, her mind starting to wander again.
She turned to Yuanyang and instructed, "Go, open my storeroom, pick out some decent hair fabrics and ornaments, and prepare a generous gift to send to the Xue family."
Clearly, the idea of a marriage alliance with the Xue family had resurfaced in her mind once again.
Aunt Xue was pleased to receive the congratulatory gifts from Grandmother Jia, but she wasn't blinded by them. She quickly summoned Baochai to discuss Xue Pan's marriage.
These days, Lady Wang Ziteng has indeed been quite worried, having visited several families, most of whom are daughters from old noble families who followed Emperor Taizu in conquering the country.
When Aunt Xue went out to a banquet, she saw that all the young ladies were adorned with jewels and had elegant manners, and she felt that all of them were good.
However, she always remembered Baochai's advice: Xue Pan was going to follow the path of a refined civil official, and in terms of marriage alliances, he should try to avoid getting too deeply involved with powerful noble families, so as not to get involved in unnecessary disputes.
Aunt Xue's greatest strengths are her self-awareness and obedience. She knows she is not very bright and doesn't understand the intricacies of court politics, so she resolutely listens to Baochai.
It's one thing if I can't help my son, but the most important thing is that I absolutely cannot hold him back.
Just as the mother and daughter were discussing the birth charts of several girls and preparing to finalize their choice and ask a matchmaker to propose marriage, Xue Pan returned from his official post and told them some shocking news.
The Emperor acted as matchmaker, arranging a marriage for him with the eldest daughter of the deceased eldest son of Lord Zhang Ying.
Baochai had just taken a sip of tea when she choked on it, coughing for a long time before she could catch her breath, her face flushed red: "Who? Lord Zhang Tingyu's elder brother, Lord Zhang Tingzan's legitimate daughter?"
Xue Pan nodded sheepishly: "Yes. Lord Zhang Tingyu said that the Emperor mentioned it to him before."
Although I am a bit simple-minded, I am a sincere person with considerable talent and a substantial family fortune.
If he has a suitable girl in his family, he might consider me.
After consulting with Elder Zhang Ying in his hometown of Tongcheng, Lord Zhang decided to choose Ling Wan, the eldest daughter of the late Lord Zhang Tingzan.
Lord Zhang also specifically warned me that his niece was raised with great care by Lord Zhang Ying and his wife.
She is well-educated, virtuous, and sensible, and skilled at managing a household. She told me I must treat her well in the future, otherwise the Zhang family will never let me off the hook.
Baochai was so excited that she slapped Xue Pan on the back, her voice trembling: "Brother, my dear brother, to be able to marry into the Zhang family of Tongcheng, you are simply... you have the luck of the world."
Go back and find Lord Zhang Tingyu, and promise him in person that you will never have any other intentions towards Miss Zhang in this life, and will never take a concubine!
She excitedly spun around the room twice, her fingers tightly gripping the handkerchief, her eyes shining: "Brother, now that you've become the Zhang family's son-in-law, our family will be completely different from now on."
That was the Zhang family of Tongcheng, a model for scholars all over the world!
Before retiring, Lord Zhang Ying was a Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall, and Lord Zhang Tingyu is now the Emperor's most trusted and trusted minister!
With this marriage alliance, who would dare say that our Xue family is of merchant origin? This is a truly upright family, a tremendous favor bestowed upon our family by the Emperor!
Xue Pan winced as his sister slapped him, but seeing her excitement, he scratched his head and chuckled, "What my sister says is true. Lord Zhang said the same thing, that he valued our family because of its small size and honest character."
“It’s more than just being honest and kind!” Baochai lowered her voice: “The Zhang family has their eyes on your future, and they also have their eyes on our family’s solid wealth.”
Brother, remember this: in the future, you must be more careful with your words and actions in front of the Zhang family, but you can't skimp on the proper pomp and circumstance.
I need to personally revise the betrothal gift list with my mother to ensure it is both sincere and tasteful.
Aunt Xue, who was listening nearby, was overjoyed and didn't know what to do. She put her hands together and chanted several times, "Amitabha, it's truly the ancestors' blessing!"
The Zhang family, a noble and respectable family, actually agreed to marry their eldest daughter to Pan'er... I'll go to the temple tomorrow to donate incense money!
Baochai calmed down and pondered for a moment before saying, "Mother, this matter must be handled quickly. Since the Emperor has given his word, we must show our utmost sincerity."
Tomorrow, I will ask my uncle and aunt to formally invite a matchmaker to the Zhang family to propose marriage.
Brother, these next few days, after you finish your duties at the yamen, go to Lord Zhang's residence to seek his guidance. Be exceptionally respectful.
Xue Pan nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I'll go tomorrow."
Baochai remembered something else and instructed, "Also, if the Jia family asks, just say that the Emperor arranged the marriage, and don't go into details."
"Especially with Aunt Xue..." She paused, then looked at Aunt Xue: "Mom, my sister-in-law hasn't married into the family yet, so let's keep it from Aunt Xue for now, and keep our distance."
Aunt Xue readily agreed: "Don't worry, Bao'er, I know what's important. Pan'er, stay away from the Jia family in the future, so they won't try to take advantage of you."
Baochai immediately chimed in, "Mother is right, brother, we must always be wary of others. Not only are we forbidden from going to the Jia family, but we should never even think about going to brothels."
That night, the Xue family's house was brightly lit. Aunt Xue and Baochai spent the whole night looking through the storeroom registers and discussing the betrothal gifts, trying to show the Xue family's wealth while also conforming to the Zhang family's refined and noble style.
Xue Pan sat in his study, staring blankly at the flickering candlelight, sometimes lost in thought, sometimes unable to resist chuckling to himself.
He was getting married, and what made him feel even more like he was walking on clouds was that the woman he was marrying was actually the granddaughter of the old master Zhang Ying from Tongcheng.
They were the role models that all scholars in the world looked up to, the most upright of all the upright families.
If this had happened a few years ago, he wouldn't have even dared to dream of such a beautiful dream, let alone consider it. This whole thing was even more fantastical than anything sung in a play.
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