Chapter 83

Chapter 83

It wasn't entirely wishful thinking for Eunuch Pan to hope that Emperor Taixuan would grant his nephew a cushy official post.

After all, when Emperor Taixuan was still an unfavored prince, Eunuch Pan had already served him loyally, time and again pulling his master out of danger.

Though they were master and servant, Eunuch Pan's status often surpassed even that of the imperial princes.

One need only look at Eunuch Pan's only biological brother—Pan's father—who, despite only scraping by as a third-class jinshi, was still given important posts by the Emperor, catapulting the Pan family from peasant farmers to nouveau riche in the capital. This showed how much Emperor Taixuan favored the Pan family.

"...The respect my family commands today is entirely thanks to Your Majesty's years of kindness. I know well how capable my brother truly is."

"Taining is the only son left in this branch of the Pan family. We had hoped he would uphold the family's honor, but who would have thought the boy would turn out so worthless—only cares about having fun and has no drive!"

"In the past, that was one thing. But now, with an opportunity right before him that could transform his life, he still can't seize it. It just burns me up..."

Eunuch Pan sighed with exasperation, like a blacksmith angry at iron that won't become steel.

Emperor Taixuan was also aware of Eunuch Pan's nephew's reputation—a real playboy, not malicious at heart, but utterly devoted to amusement, spending all his time goofing off with his nephew instead of doing anything useful.

If this were his own descendant, Emperor Taixuan thought he'd be furious too.

But—

Good thing they weren't his own headache-inducing kids. So Emperor Taixuan merely sighed and found his attention pulled to Han Zhang, the man at the center of this whole mess.

Emperor Taixuan asked with some surprise: "This Master Han you speak of—could he be the Han Qinzhang I happened to encounter at the teahouse that day? He actually has the knack for turning even the most stubborn blockhead around?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Just look at how the Shen family's second young master's grades shot up—that's proof enough. Master Han is not only learned himself, but he's also got a real gift for teaching."

Eunuch Pan naturally sang Han Zhang's praises, hoping he would take on the task of disciplining his nephew.

"If that's the case, then I underestimated him back then..."

Emperor Taixuan stroked his beard, smiling thoughtfully for a moment, then offered Eunuch Pan some advice: "Little Fuzi, since you can't talk the boy around at home, why not ask this Master Han for help?"

"If he could reform the Second Young Master of the Shen family, surely he can deal with that wild monkey of yours? It's just a question of whether he wants to or not."

"I hear he's very family-oriented and has a deep affection for Shen Geer... Perhaps you should approach from that angle. When seeking someone's help, you've got to hit the right nerve. You may need to make three trips to his door—sincerity can move mountains, after all."

He was curious to see if this Master Han really could turn a lump of stone into gold.

"Thank you for Your Majesty's guidance. I'll send word to my sister-in-law right away."

Eunuch Pan kowtowed gratefully.

He figured the Emperor was using his nephew as a guinea pig, but since this was beneficial to the Pan family, they were happy to play that role.

...

Lady Pan got the tip from the palace and dared not delay. She promptly invited Lady Zhao and Lady Wu to her residence for discussion.

"Who would've thought young Nephew Han would be on the Emperor's radar already... Looks like the kid's got more hidden skills than we gave him credit for."

"If even the Emperor holds him in such high regard, then Nephew Han must have a way to bring my son back to the right path!"

"We've got to get him to take them as students—no question about it. And we must make three trips to his door, show proper respect, and roll out the red carpet for him..."

"Taining and those other little monkeys are a handful, no doubt about it. And Nephew Han has to prepare for next year's imperial examinations, so it's understandable if he's reluctant to take students. Back in the day, Liu Bei had to make three trips to Zhuge Liang's hut before he'd agree to come out of retirement—we backed off after just one visit, and that really shows we weren't sincere or determined enough."

"Well, we're not asking for Taining and the boys to have a total makeover like the Shen kid. As long as Nephew Han can get these kids to settle down and actually crack open a book, that'd be just perfect."

"You're right, Sister Pan. But how exactly do we pull off these 'three visits'..."

Mother Pan and the others hashed it out, exchanging all the information they had gathered about the Han family.

And only then did they come up with a game plan.

First, they would send the head shopkeepers from all three families to Shangpo Village to put in an order for matches with the Han clan chief, to show support for the Han family's match workshop and make their goodwill clear;

Second, they would give the local officials a heads-up so that any Han clan member going to the government office would get the green light on everything—so long as it didn't violate the law—thereby showing their friendship;

Finally, they'd load up on lavish gifts again and go knock on his door in person.

"Ru kiln sky-blue porcelain, pearl hair ornaments from the South Sea, top-tier scholar's desk treasures—brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, a hundred-year-old wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain, blood bird's nest and donkey-hide gelatin health tonic, a rubbing of Emperor Huizong's 'Thousand Character Classic' in his signature Slender Gold calligraphy... And a kesi tapestry-weave silk fan, fine orchid-scented incense, and a coral-bead tiara?!"

"Uncle Pan, Uncle Zhao, Uncle Wu... If there's anything you need, just say the word. These are way too valuable—I really can't accept them."

Shen Qinglan was astonished by the lavish gifts the three families had brought.

The stuff before was one thing—pricey as they were, you could still buy them if you had the cash.

But the kesi silk fan, the fine orchid-scented incense, and the coral-bead tiara... those were the kind of goods only families with real clout and deep roots could get their hands on.

The Shen family couldn't touch those even if they tried.

As they say, heavy gifts mean heavy asks. If the three families' gifts were this precious, you can only imagine what her husband would have to pay back in kind.

Mother Pan and the others were pretty embarrassed too, but for the sake of their sons' futures, they could only brace themselves and smile sheepishly.

"No, no, you've got to take them—really, you must. Lan Geer, don't you dare turn them down. These are nothing next to what we're asking of you."

"You've probably already guessed why we're here, Nephew Han... Please don't hold it against us, nephew. We're really at our wits' end—that's why we've got the nerve to show up at your door again."

"Those good-for-nothing boys, Taining and the rest, just won't shape up. We're not daring to hope they'll turn out as well as the Shen family's second son. We just hope you can give us some ideas to get them to rein it in a bit and actually put some work into their schoolwork, and we'd be happy as clams."

Lady Zhao added: "A mother never stops worrying about her kids, no matter how old they get. Please, Nephew Han, have mercy on us poor parents and help us figure something out."

Lady Wu also nodded tearfully: "I'm not asking for my son to ace the exams or climb the career ladder. I just hope he stops drifting through life like a zombie, and that'll be enough for me..."

As they spoke, the three women raised their handkerchiefs to their faces and began to sob softly.

They cried like the picture-perfect devoted mothers—so sincere, so heart-wrenching.

As if they really had zero expectations for their boys anymore and would be happy with just a tiny bit of improvement.

But did Han Zhang buy that? No way in hell!

If he couldn't see through this old trick of playing hard to get and retreating to advance, then he'd have wasted both of his lives for nothing.

If he said yes to helping them today, next thing you know he'd be agreeing to take on students!

But then again...

He was just a lowly scholar from a poor family. Even with Shen Huaizhi as a shining example, with all the connections and pull the Pan, Zhao, and Wu families had, they could easily hire a better tutor than him. There was really no reason to go to all this trouble for him.

After all, when the ladies had come calling last time, even though they'd been polite and respectful enough, Han Zhang could still tell that they hadn't really taken him, a nobody, seriously at all.

At this moment, Madam Pan and the others were clearly treating him with more caution and respect.

"This..."

Han Zhang remained silent for a moment, his expression troubled, but his mind was quietly weighing his options.

Seeing that he was still hesitating, Madam Pan and the others exchanged glances before quickly adopting a more conciliatory manner and speaking hesitantly:

"If... if Nephew Han also finds it difficult, then we'll drop the matter. We were desperate and grasping at straws; don't worry yourself about it."

"But these humble gifts, we really hope you won't refuse... Taining and the others have never listened to anyone since they were young, yet they seem to get along with you, Nephew Han. In the future at the Imperial Academy, we'd ask that you keep an eye on them."

Lady Zhao added: "Auntie knows you're an upright man, Nephew Han, but Lan Geer needs some fine things to look presentable when socializing with others. These items are just right for him."

Lady Wu then smiled as she picked up the coral-beaded crown and held it up to Shen Qinglan's hair, praising him fondly:

"Lan Geer is so handsome—this crown looks perfect on him!"

That wasn't just empty flattery.

Shen Qinglan's features were vivid and striking; the more luxurious and dazzling his attire, the more it highlighted his radiant beauty.

Shen Qinglan also genuinely liked the gifts from Lady Pan and the others—after all, these were treasures hard to come by even with money, and he'd always loved such luxurious things.

But thinking of his husband, he had to shake his head: "These are too valuable, and I rarely attend banquets anyway—I'd hardly ever use them..."

Hearing this, Madam Pan and the others chuckled and teased: "How could you not use them? Your second brother and Taining are sworn brothers, so as Huaizhi's younger brother, you're also a younger brother to Taining, Changlin, and Yongchang. If you were ever missing from a banquet in the capital, these elder brothers of yours wouldn't allow it."

In other words, if Han Zhang would discipline their sons, the three families' favors and connections were his for the taking.

For the sake of their sons, Madam Pan and the others were truly going all out.

Han Zhang looked at Lady Pan and the others, weighing the influence of the three families;

Then he glanced at the kesi fan, the elegant orchid incense, and the coral-beaded crown that had just been placed atop his husband's head, making him shine even more brilliantly...

He pondered silently for a moment before finally giving a light smile and nodding:

"Very well. I can step in—but I must ask: are you ladies willing to be ruthless in disciplining your sons, and do you dare to gamble on this?"

"As long as you can reform Taining and the others, we will fully cooperate with you, Nephew Han!"

Madam Pan and the other two, overjoyed, responded in quick succession.

Han Zhang nodded, then solemnly raised his clasped hands toward the heavens: "As they say, no destruction, no construction—one must be pushed to the brink to be reborn. To truly transform Brother Pan and the others, you ladies will need to petition His Majesty for an imperial decree..."

He had already suffered a great loss at Shen Huaizhi's hands—this time, he absolutely couldn't afford to come out on the losing end again.

He wanted to see whether the Pan, Zhao, and Wu families truly were, as rumored, the favored ones before the emperor.