Madam Yan's Matchmaking Pavilion for Men

54 Trustworthy Eyes, Chosen by His Majesty Himself

The older General Yu had his suspicions but there was nothing he could do for now. He could only observe the two of them and try to find out some more over the course of the day. Well, considering that, he was actually happy that he had accompanied his son today. If he hadn't, he never would have noticed that something was up. Then maybe the marriage might fall through without them seeing it coming.

Now, they were at least warned. Maybe they could even come up with a plan on how to counter this. Although he loved his son, Yu Huang Rong wasn't getting any younger. It was about time he finally settled down with a wife and fathered a child or two. They couldn't let him get away any longer or it would be too late.

General Yu knew that he couldn't be too impatient though. His son was smart. If he showed that he had figured something out, he might come up with yet another plan. So, for the time being, he had to pretend that everything was alright. Thus he made some light conversation with Mister Zhang, trying to gauge if this man knew about what his son was planning.

Unfortunately, he didn't know Minister Zhang very well. Right now, he felt that he wasn't any different from when they were at court but he couldn't say for sure. Maybe he should observe him as well to make sure of this. If other people were involved in this scheme, it would make things much more difficult.

As for the two people behind them ... Their conversation gave nothing away. It truly was as if Yu Huang Rong had only come here to give somebody face and wanted to show off their good relationship. Knowing his son, he was sure that his conjecture wasn't wrong though. No, Yu Huang Rong was planning something. His instinct as a General told him as much.

In that manner, the other participants arrived and the room filled slowly. When the last seat had been occupied, one of the long-standing teachers of the Academy stepped forward.

Zhang Shi Lan couldn't help but sit up straighter when he saw him. He himself had also been taught by this person back when he attended the Academy. Being in this place again and seeing him once more brought back a lot of fond memories.

He knew that not all the students coming here were really interested in the teachings and some only attended because it was what their families wanted but he was different. He had always loved to listen to the scholars and this teacher had been one of his favorites. He could talk for hours on end on a subject and if the students were willing to listen, they would be able to return home that day with many new insights.

Yu Huang Rong glanced at his lover and his gaze softened. Obviously, Zhang Shi Lan really admired the Academy very much. Thinking about it like this ... He wasn't quite sure why he hadn't taken up any position here. With his reputation as a scholar, he should be good enough for that, shouldn't he? And if he wasn't old enough for them to consider letting him teach anybody, he should at least be able to help with something else and work his way up. Or were there some further limitations he didn't know about?

The older General Yu glanced behind him and noticed his son's thoughtful gaze. It made him wonder just what was going on. What was his son thinking about this deeply? He was looking at that Zhang Shi Lan again.

He also glanced over and found Zhang Shi Lan focused on what the old man in front of the room was saying. General Yu raised his brows. Actually, this child seemed pretty good. He should be a scholar, shouldn't he? And he seemed to take this very seriously. That was good. He really wondered what had made this person agree to make some deal with his son. Shouldn't he be more honorable? Or maybe he was in circumstances that didn't leave him any other way? Could it be his family was in trouble so he had used the opportunity at the matchmaking pavilion when he met his son and begged him to help? Had his son shamelessly used another person's plight for his own gain and roped him into helping him prevent his marriage?