Song Dynasty Dreams: Marrying Zhao Pan'er at the beginning - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Proposing to Zhao Pan’er

Northern Song Dynasty, Qiantang River Bank, the newly appointed Tanhua (third-place scholar in the imperial examination), Ouyang Xu, arrived with a large entourage, blocking the entrance of Zhao’s Tea House.

“What’s happening?” A newly arrived passerby asked in confusion.

A fisherman, rolling up his trouser legs, chuckled and explained, “The newly appointed Tanhua is here to propose marriage!”

“To Lady Zhao?”

The passerby looked shocked.

“I remember that Lady Zhao came from the entertainment class (leji, courtesan status)!”

“Why would a Tanhua propose to her?”

“Isn’t the scholar-official class (shilin) supposed to value reputation above all else?”

An elderly woman nearby rolled her eyes.

“So what if she came from leji?”

“Lady Zhao makes an honest living selling tea and has never relied on her looks to serve men!”

“Besides, before Ouyang Xu became a Tanhua, didn’t Lady Zhao take care of him countless times?”

“Now that he has achieved success, isn’t it only natural for him to marry her?”

The passerby scoffed, unwilling to argue with an old woman who, in his view, lacked worldly insight.

If Ouyang Xu truly dared to marry a woman of leji background, he would become the laughingstock of the gentry, and his future career would be ruined.

The old woman, however, refused to let the matter drop. She continued, “Moreover, Lady Zhao is the most famous tea seller in Qiantang!”

“She has surely accumulated a great fortune—Tanhua wouldn’t be making a loss!”

Now that Ouyang Xu had achieved third place in the imperial exam, he had officially entered the ranks of the scholar-official class.

And among officials of the Great Song, was there any who lacked money?

Even the most upright officials, who refused to accept bribes, earned high enough salaries to live in luxury.

While the crowd continued their heated discussion—Ouyang Xu took a deep breath, dismounted, and stepped into Zhao’s Tea House.

“Get out!”

As soon as he entered, he was blocked by Sun Sanniang, brandishing a kitchen knife.

Sun Sanniang was Zhao Pan’er’s closest friend, business partner, and the wife of traveling merchant Fu Xingui.

“Sanniang!”

Ouyang Xu frowned at Sun Sanniang.

“Step aside!”

Sun Sanniang spat, “Ouyang Xu, you’re worse than a pig or a dog! How dare you come here?”

“If you know what’s good for you, leave now! Or don’t blame me for what happens next!”

At that moment, Fu Xingui squeezed through the crowd.

“Sanniang, what are you doing?”

“This is the newly appointed Tanhua!”

“Step aside and let him in!”

With Sun Sanniang restrained, Ouyang Xu hurried into the tea house’s inner courtyard.

“This doesn’t look like a marriage proposal…”

A puzzled passerby turned to the old woman. “Doesn’t seem like Zhao’s Tea House welcomes the Tanhua?”

“Could it be that Lady Zhao feels unworthy of him and refuses to meet?”

“Then why was he called worse than a pig or a dog?”

“…”

The crowd erupted in speculation. Meanwhile, inside the tea house, Ouyang Xu searched around before finally spotting Zhao Pan’er near the stove.

“Pan’er!”

He rushed to her side.

Zhao Pan’er bit her lip, forcing back tears, and turned to him.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry.”

Ouyang Xu lowered his head.

“After I placed third in the exam, the Imperial Concubine personally selected me to marry the daughter of Grand Inspector Gao.”

“The Gao family is a noble household and related to the imperial family.”

“I really have no choice!”

“If I refuse the marriage, my entire career will be ruined.”

“Pan’er!”

Ouyang Xu looked at her with hope in his eyes. “I know you’ll understand, right?”

Hearing his words, Zhao Pan’er felt an overwhelming bitterness, like the endless waves of the Qiantang River.

Her teary eyes gazed at Ouyang Xu.

“What did I do wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong.”

Ouyang Xu shook his head.

“The world is just unfair.”

“Pan’er, I am now an official and a scholar.”

“And you… you are from the leji class—”

Zhao Pan’er clenched her teeth and corrected him.

“I am registered as a commoner now!”

“Yes,” Ouyang Xu sighed. “You have officially left the leji records, but your past cannot be erased.”

No matter how he tried to phrase it, he was still looking down on her for her background. Zhao Pan’er’s mind involuntarily recalled the scene from three years ago when she had saved Ouyang Xu.

Back then, he had never despised her origins. In fact, he had admired her strength and independence. But now, everything had changed.

“Get out of here!”

Zhao Pan’er furiously pointed to the tea house entrance.

Ouyang Xu tried to console her.

“Pan’er, don’t be upset!”

“The most valuable thing in life is recognizing one’s reality!”

Zhao Pan’er picked up a teacup. Ouyang Xu instinctively flinched.

“This is Lingyin Buddhist Tea…”

She had specially prepared this tea for Ouyang Xu.

When she first heard that he had placed third in the exam and was coming to Qiantang with a marriage proposal team, she was overjoyed.

But then, a servant boy had brought the devastating news—Ouyang Xu was marrying the Gao family’s daughter. And he expected Zhao Pan’er to marry Gao You.

“You don’t deserve to drink this!”

With that, she threw the tea at him.

Ouyang Xu sighed helplessly as he looked at her tear-streaked face.

“Pan’er!”

“Gao You may be a little slow-witted, but at least he’s from an official family.”

“Didn’t you always say you didn’t want to be a concubine?”

“If you marry Gao You, you can be his legal wife!”

Gao You.

The infamous fool of the noble Gao family.

However, Gao You was not from the main branch but a distant side branch. His father, a low-ranking military officer, had died in battle. The only inheritance left was a few servants and 200 acres of farmland.

Zhao Pan’er had already gathered this information from a merchant returning from the capital. Now, Ouyang Xu expected her to marry a fool. Her heart bled at the thought.