Chapter 255: The Adviser’s Adviser
Huang Zhubo returned home, and Mrs. Wu greeted him. Seeing Huang Zhubo’s dejected and frightened demeanor, she was startled and asked, “What happened?”
“Who is that old woman who coaxed you to the tea house?” Huang Zhubo asked sternly.
“She, she’s an official matchmaker,” Mrs. Wu stammered, taken aback by Huang Zhubo’s question. “What about her? What can she do to us? She…”
“Let’s go inside to talk!” Huang Zhubo brushed past Mrs. Wu and strode into the room.
“Did something happen at the tea house, or did something happen to Matchmaker Miao?” Mrs. Wu followed her husband into the room, asking anxiously.
“Is there any difference between the tea house and that matchmaker?” Huang Zhubo suddenly turned around and roared, scaring Mrs. Wu into taking two steps back.
Mrs. Wu followed Huang Zhubo into the room, her heart pounding, and asked again, “What exactly is going on?”
“Just now! A servant from the Prince’s Estate specifically came to deliver a message, saying that the Second Daughter of the Li Family already has someone in mind, and I shouldn’t be picking a match for her!” Huang Zhubo finished, patting the table non-stop and letting out a long sigh.
“That’s not a big deal, is it?” Mrs. Wu frowned, looking at her husband meekly. “We sent word to the Li Family, isn’t this just a reply?”
“You foolish woman!” Huang Zhubo, enraged, slammed the table again. “Why didn’t you think about the timing! You just spied on the tea house and then sent such a message! And! We proposed marriage to the Li Family, and the messenger was from the Prince’s Estate!”
“We only visited a couple of times, how could anyone know!” Mrs. Wu retorted. Facing her husband’s angry gaze, she quickly changed the subject, “We need to find out what’s going on quickly. Didn’t you say you had an old acquaintance who is now an adviser to the Young Lord?”
“It was just a chance encounter, not an old acquaintance!” Huang Zhubo said irritably.
“A chance encounter is still an acquaintance. At this point, we have to try whether we can connect or not,” Mrs. Wu advised.
Huang Zhubo took a deep breath and nodded, “Get that Guan Di Bai tea out, I’ll go over there now.”
After seeing Huang Zhubo off, Mrs. Wu stood at the doorway for a while, lost in thought. As she turned to go inside, her gaze swept over Old Wang Ma, who trembled in fear, dropping the vegetables she was holding all over the floor.
Mrs. Wu’s heart sank. She walked over and looked at Old Wang Ma. Before she could speak, Old Wang Ma knelt down with a thud. “Madam, it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, but they wouldn’t let me. They said if I told you, they would kill me. They also said that even you and Master would die, so I didn’t dare to tell you. It was on the second visit that they caught me…”
Old Wang Ma finished in one breath, and Mrs. Wu’s head buzzed.
Good heavens!
………………………………
After seeing Huang Zhubo off, Zhou Shennian thought for a while, organized his thoughts, and went to see Gu Yan.
Gu Yan was writing a letter. Hearing the movement, he looked up at Zhou Shennian. Zhou Shennian quickly bowed and smiled, “Just a few words.”
Gu Yan hummed and instructed Zhou Shennian, “Speak.” He then lowered his head and continued writing.
Zhou Shennian quickly smiled and said, “I had a chance encounter with Huang Qing, the Secretary of the Pingjiang Weaving Bureau…”
Gu Yan looked up at Zhou Shennian.
Zhou Shennian chuckled dryly, “What tea house, what not. Just a few words, does the Young Lord already know?”
“Mm.” Gu Yan put down his brush. “Why did he come to find you?”
“He kept explaining, saying his wife was ignorant and was manipulated by a matchmaker. I thought the Young Lord wouldn’t hold these things against him, otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent someone to tell him to pick another match.”
“The few words I want to say to the Young Lord are not about this, but about the nonsense fabricated by that matchmaker,” Zhou Shennian replied with a smile.
Gu Yan frowned and looked at Zhou Shennian.
He was already very annoyed when he heard about the nonsense fabricated by the matchmaker named Miao from the tea house shopkeeper’s report.
Originally, he wanted to leave it to A Nan to handle, as A Nan would surely have a solution. But he didn’t expect A Nan to refuse it outright.
Alas, A Nan can’t be blamed for not taking it. Even he himself found such disgusting matters tiresome, so she naturally wouldn’t want to handle it.
If he were to handle this matter, it would seem petty and calculating of him to deal with a mere matchmaker and a few words. But if he ignored it, he couldn’t swallow his anger.
Zhou Shennian glanced at Gu Yan’s somber expression and continued meekly, “Logically speaking, it’s just a matchmaker trying to manipulate the marriage of the Huang family with her despicable tactics, and it’s not worth paying attention to. However, I feel that this matter…”
Zhou Shennian chuckled dryly. “The Young Lord’s favor towards Miss Li is known throughout the Liangzhe Circuit. As for the reasons, there are all sorts of rumors. Other things aside, this talk of her being too young or not, if it really spreads, it would be too indecent. Although it’s a trivial matter, I believe we really cannot ignore it.”
“Mm, how do you think it should be handled?” Gu Yan asked.
“How does the Young Lord plan to treat Miss Li?” Zhou Shennian held his breath slightly and asked cautiously.
Gu Yan looked at Zhou Shennian, was silent for a moment, and then answered directly, “Marry her.”
“Huh?” Zhou Shennian didn’t react and was stunned for a moment before blurting out, “Marry?”
Gu Yan glanced at him sideways without speaking.
“I, I, well, I understand. Congratulations, Young Lord.” Zhou Shennian bowed deeply.
“You didn’t expect it?” Gu Yan asked slowly.
“No!” Zhou Shennian blurted out, then smiled awkwardly. “Yes, I really didn’t expect it. What joyous news! The Young Lord’s Consort is from the Liangzhe Circuit, I feel deeply honored…”
“Let’s talk about business,” Gu Yan interrupted Zhou Shennian.
“Yes, yes, yes. I believe that regarding this matter, since the Young Lord intends to… Since! Since you intend to marry her, then it’s easy to handle.”
Zhou Shennian had a smile on his face.
“Mr. Niu’s mastery of divination is something that Adviser Huang and I, along with others, marvel at. However, Mr. Niu said that the Young Lord once asked Miss Li to tutor him, and Mr. Niu highly praised Miss Li’s achievements in the Investigation of Things.
“I believe that if we can let the world see Miss Li’s achievements in the Investigation of Things, then the Young Lord’s favor towards Miss Li will stem from academic pursuits, and this would be a rare and beautiful story.”
“Mm.” Gu Yan looked at Zhou Shennian and showed a smile. “How can we let the world know?”
“If Miss Li can handle it, and have Wei Educational Commissioner invite Miss Li to Hangcheng to give a few lectures on the Investigation of Things, and then find some masters of the Investigation of Things to spar with Miss Li, within half a month, her reputation will spread.” Zhou Shennian suggested in a low voice.
Gu Yan pondered for a moment and smiled, “That’s a good idea. I’ll ask A Nan.”
“If everything goes smoothly and Miss Li’s reputation for erudition spreads, those rumors will naturally be dispelled,” Zhou Shennian said with a smile.
If the future Prince Rui’s Consort could be known for her outstanding scholarship, rather than just by chance, then the spiritual and humanistic essence, the abundant talent, the hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and the overwhelming brilliance of culture in their Liangzhe Circuit would be unparalleled in the world!
