Madam Yan's Matchmaking Pavilion for Men

5 An Accomplished Man, Being Shy in the Face of Love

Author's Note: Uh ... Sorry, I guess I'm not used to this being part of the update schedule now so I forgot to upload yesterday 😅

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The three men sat in the room, silently waiting for the other guests. Up until the last person arrived, Yu Huang Rong and Zhang Shi Lan hadn't exchanged even a single word.

Yu Huang Rong's mood had reached an all-time low and he had trouble not to show it in front of the others. Unfortunately, he had to force himself to hide his true feelings. After all, Madam Yan had put in a lot of effort into inviting only the most sought-after bachelors of Chen country's capital. One of her guests was even the current emperor's cousin, Luan Chang Fu. In front of such a person, staying courteous was a must even for him.

Zhang Shi Lan greeted the other guests and then kept himself in the background. Despite the prestige he had gained through his studies, this was hardly enough to be on par with somebody from the royal family or the sons of influential ministers. Thus he only quietly listened and injected a word or two of agreement when he was asked. Other than that ... his gaze brushed over General Yu's profile every now and then.

Ah, he didn't want to but he couldn't help it. This might be the last opportunity he had to look at him while he still wasn't a married man. He felt that ... he should make use of it. After all, he already felt guilty now. Wouldn't it be even worse when there was a Madam Yu Huang Rong standing next to the General, maybe even affectionately clinging to his arm? He definitely couldn't continue with his shameless behavior by then.

Outside of the room, Xiao Xi and Xiao Jia looked at Madam Yan.

"Madam, should we send the women over to the garden?"

"Not yet. Just get them another cup of tea or something."

"Ah? But ... What are we waiting for? Isn't this event supposed to let the guests choose one of the women as their future brides? Why should we wait to let them meet?"

"Just let the men bond for a while longer." Madam Yan peeked through the hole in the door and sighed. "Aiya, that Scholar Zhang is really too timid!"

Xiao Xi knelt down in front of the door and peeked through a whole on the other side of the door. "You're right, Madam. He's not talking with the other men at all."

Xiao Jia raised her brows at them. "Is that so strange? There's General Yu and even His Majesty's cousin. I wouldn't dare to talk to them either."

Xiao Xi tsked. "That's different. We're servants. He's a renowned scholar! He should have really important things to say, shouldn't he? Why isn't he bringing up even one of them?"

"Aiya, what do you know?" Madam Yan raised her hand and hid her smile behind her long sleeves. Her aides were truly too useful! The other men would not be able to hear them but General Yu was a martial artist. There was no way he would miss out on the gossip that was exchanged right in front of the door. Ah, for her plan to succeed, he needed to listen though ... She could only hope that mentioning Scholar Zhang early on had secured them his attention.

Xiao Xi and Xiao Jia both looked up at her. "What do you mean, Madam? You don't think Scholar Zhang has important things to say?"

Madam Yan sighed. Had she praised them too early? "Of course, he has! But he has a sense of propriety too. He wouldn't talk out of turn."

"But he doesn't even say anything if they ask for his opinion."

"You! How long have you been working in my matchmaking pavilion? You still can't tell when somebody is being shy?"