Chapter 15: Banknotes

As he spoke, several people around him chimed in with agreement. These young men had been acquainted for a long time, all of them scions of Hangzhou families with some degree of wealth, so they naturally looked down on those from the countryside. The speaker was the son of the Vice Prefect of Hangzhou, named Xia Ziqi, a prominent figure among this group.

Pan Yu was well aware of what these people were thinking. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have given it much thought, but hearing them speak ill of Xu Xian now made him sneer inwardly: You lot think yourselves refined just because you frequent brothels, and call yourselves geniuses for reciting a few crooked lines of poetry. Xu Xian’s courage and talent are not for the likes of you to judge.

On the surface, however, Pan Yu merely smiled and said, "Brother Xia, I must disagree. Everyone has their own preferences; one shouldn't force these things."

Even for someone as adept at reading people as Xia Ziqi, he could not guess the thoughts hidden behind Pan Yu’s smile. Knowing that Pan Yu never spoke a bad word behind anyone's back, he assumed the comment secretly aligned with Pan Yu's own thoughts and couldn't help but feel a sense of self-satisfaction.

With the toll of a bell, it was time for the lesson to begin. The students filed into the hall. Xu Xian turned and gave Pan Yu a slight smile; their seats happened to be next to each other.

The master on the podium appeared to be around forty years old. He was lecturing on the primary classic of Confucianism, The Analects. Although this book was the core of Confucianism, every student present had been reading it since childhood; any one of them could be called upon to recite it word-for-word.

However, the instructor truly lived up to the reputation of a government academy lecturer. If there had been any disdain initially, it vanished as his rhythmic, cadence-filled reading voice gradually revealed the profound depths of Confucian principles. As the crowd listened, they felt as if they were waking from a dream or seeing through a fog. The "truths" they thought they had mastered before were suddenly not worth a single glance.

Xu Xian also marveled silently. Though this was ancient times, the level of education was truly impressive. In terms of Confucianism alone, the experts and professors from his previous life were like small children compared to the master on the podium.

In his past life, countless people criticized Confucianism and Confucius himself, but most of them had never even read The Analects through once, let alone possessed a profound mastery of the classics. Then again, the world had been plagued by too many fake and pedantic scholars. By the Qing Dynasty, the court was filled with cynical, sycophantic scholars, and the true essence of Confucianism had long since vanished. It was no wonder Lu Xun once described the talk of "benevolence and righteousness" as a cover for "eating people."

Though as a transmigrator he could not fully agree with the views of the ancients, the experience caused Xu Xian to set aside his contempt and truly value this knowledge. He did so not for scholarly honor, but because these teachings of benevolence and righteousness resonated with his own heart.

As the lecture concluded, Xu Xian felt a lingering sense of wanting more. He sighed, thinking that if the teachers in his past life had reached this level, there would be no need to worry about the quality of education. But then he realized that Jintian Academy essentially concentrated the resources of an entire province to teach only a few dozen people a year; no modern prestigious school could truly compete with that.

Just as Xu Xian was packing his things to leave, a voice called out, "Brother Xu, please wait a moment."

Xu Xian turned to see an elegant young man waving at him. Although he had vaguely seen him at yesterday’s banquet, Xu Xian had been too focused on eating and drinking to pay attention. He asked, puzzled, "And you are?"

Xia Ziqi felt a flicker of annoyance, but he maintained his smile. "Xia Ziqi."

Xu Xian cupped his hands in a brief greeting and said directly, "Brother Xia, what can I do for you?"

"Xu Xian, this is Young Master Xia, the son of Vice Prefect Xia of Hangzhou!" Wang An reminded him from the side.

"Vice Prefect Xia is indeed my father, but Brother Xu may simply call me Ziqi," Xia Ziqi said with feigned humility, though the pride in his eyes was unmistakable.

Xu Xian paused for a moment before saying, "Ziqi, whatever it is, say it quickly. I’m in a hurry to get to lunch!"

Pan Yu, who had been watching the interaction, almost laughed out loud upon hearing this. He thought to himself: You certainly don't stand on ceremony.

A flash of displeasure crossed Xia Ziqi’s face, but he forced himself to continue. "Please, let us step aside to speak. If this matter is settled, I shall treat Brother Xu to a feast at the Moon-Watching Tower." Even though Xu Xian was a newcomer, he had heard of the Moon-Watching Tower’s fame; it was Hangzhou’s most renowned restaurant and brothel, a prime spot for drinking with courtesans.

Xu Xian smiled. "Well, that sounds wonderful. I’m not one for the best food, only the most expensive." Xia Ziqi felt a surge of contempt, while the amusement in Pan Yu's heart grew even stronger.

Once the two reached a quiet spot, Xia Ziqi immediately performed a deep bow. "Brother Xu, you must lend me a hand in this matter." He imagined that before he could even finish the bow, Xu Xian would rush to support him, but his expectations were quickly dashed.

Xu Xian rubbed his chin as he looked Xia Ziqi up and down. "Ziqi, hurry up and tell me what's going on!"

Xia Ziqi felt stifled. He forced a smile and straightened up. "Mingyu and I have been close friends since childhood. I originally intended to spend every night talking by candlelight with him after entering the academy. However, things didn't go as planned, and we weren't assigned to the same room. I would like to switch rooms with Brother Xu. I will surely repay you in the future, so I hope you will agree."

Although a Vice Prefect was a high-ranking official in Hangzhou, he was nothing compared to the famous Pan family. Xia Ziqi was determined to latch onto Pan Yu’s "great ship," which would surely provide immense help for his future official career. He hadn't expected a country boy to get the advantage instead. He didn't want to make a huge scene over such a small matter, so he hoped to get his way through Xu Xian.

He figured that given his status, as long as he acted somewhat respectful, Xu Xian would be overwhelmed by the favor. With a bit of a bribe on top, the matter would surely be settled cleanly.

Xia Ziqi had no idea what Xu Xian was thinking. Having lived two lives, how could Xu Xian not see through Xia Ziqi’s arrogance? After all, he came from a modern society that emphasized equality. Although there were still huge disparities in reality, the concept was deeply ingrained. Especially in a school environment, those with better family backgrounds usually tried to hide it to fit in with the crowd. If someone went around shouting about who their father or grandfather was, they’d soon find themselves playing alone!

Xu Xian let out a sigh. "I am also deeply enamored with Mingyu’s character. It seems I won't be able to enjoy that feast at the Moon-Watching Tower after all; I’ll have to go back to the canteen and eat like an honest man!" After saying this, he shook his head with great regret and turned to leave.

"Brother Xu, wait. Here is a small token of my appreciation. It’s nothing much, but please reconsider." As he spoke, Xia Ziqi pulled a slip of paper from his robe.

Xu Xian looked and saw it was a silver certificate for three hundred taels. He couldn't help but lament the gap between the rich and the poor. The cost of his sister raising him for over a decade probably didn't even amount to this sum, yet this pampered young master produced it just to switch a bed.

Ignoring Xu Xian's internal sighs, Xia Ziqi assumed he was hesitating. His contempt grew, but he gritted his teeth and produced another certificate for two hundred taels. Five hundred taels—even he felt the sting of losing that much. But for his bright future, he had to invest heavily.

Xu Xian looked at the five hundred taels worth of silver certificates with great interest and smiled. "Ziqi, what spirit! These five hundred taels show just how deep your loyalty is. However, do you know how much that feast Mingyu treated us to yesterday cost?"

Xia Ziqi was confused, wondering why Xu Xian was bringing that up. Since he was the one asking for a favor, he could only answer patiently, "Probably no less than a hundred taels!"

Xu Xian clapped his hands and laughed. "Everyone knows that rather than gold, it's better to have the Midas touch. Since Mingyu is so wealthy, wouldn't it be much more enjoyable for me to just freeload off him?"

Xia Ziqi trembled with rage. He had seen many shameless people, but never someone so righteously shameless. He suppressed the urge to curse as he watched Xu Xian disappear from sight. The banknotes in his hand had long since been crumpled into a ball. When he finally came to his senses, he let out a cry of anguish: "My money!"

Xu Xian walked along, pondering the menu for lunch. As he turned a corner, a slender figure stood waiting. Xu Xian looked up to see Pan Yu looking at him with a beaming smile.

"Mingyu! Let's go eat! I heard the cook here is a master chef from Shu!" The academy had a specific dining hall.

Pan Yu, however, pulled Xu Xian toward the exit. "Let's go out to eat!"

Xu Xian asked, bewildered, "Going to a restaurant every day? Aren't you afraid of going bankrupt?"

Pan Yu gave a mock-theatrical sigh. "I have to live up to those five hundred taels of yours, don't I, Hanwen? How could I have the heart to let you stay if I didn't let you eat your fill?"

Xu Xian’s face instantly flushed. "You... you were eavesdropping?"

Pan Yu pointed to her ear and laughed. "Did you forget? I know martial arts. Within a hundred paces, I can distinguish the sound of a fly." While this was true, she wouldn't have heard so clearly if she hadn't been focusing her internal energy to listen.

Xu Xian scratched his head. "I was joking. Let's just go back and eat."

"Ai, so I, Pan Yu, am only worth five hundred taels. If that Xia Ziqi had offered a bit more, I’m afraid I would have been sold off by a certain someone by now!" Pan Yu said, "deeply wounded."

Xu Xian knew she was joking and joined in. "How could I let the Zhu Yingtai I’ve already secured be handed over to that Ma Wencai for nothing?"

Pan Yu was confused. "Zhu Yingtai? Ma Wencai? Who are they?"

Xu Xian slapped his forehead; the classic tragic love story didn't exist yet! "Tonight. I'll tell you the story tonight. I guarantee it'll leave you in tears."

Pan Yu nodded and didn't ask further, though she thought to herself: In tears? You probably have no idea how many years it’s been since I last shed a tear. --- Author's Note The "Butterfly Lovers" (Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai) is one of China's four great folktales. While the story's origins date back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, its popularity and specific narrative beats as we know them today evolved over centuries. In this fictional setting, the specific version of the tale hasn't become common knowledge yet.