Madam Yan's Matchmaking Pavilion for Men

60 A Change of Heart, The Last Plan Is Imminent

Not long after Zhang Shi Lan and Yu Huang Rong left the Academy with their fathers that day, they countered a nice surprise: somehow, the older General Yu seemed to have taken a liking to Minister Zhang and met up with him on his own accord several times.

The two of them never would've thought that this was due to General Yu's suspicions regarding the relationship between them. Thus they were happy that their plan seemed to succeed so well. In fact, Yu Huang Rong couldn't help but invite Zhang Shi Lan to go out to celebrate two weeks later. They sat in one of the private rooms of a prominent teahouse, looking out at the Fen Hua river.

Yu Huang Rong smiled happily, raising his cup to his lips while his gaze moved away from the Fen Hua river to Zhang Shi Lan's face. "With our fathers being acquainted like that, us meeting up should be even less conspicuous now. If somebody asks, we can just say our families are friends."

Zhang Shi Lan still kept his gaze trained on the Fen Hua river but gave a low chuckle. "The idea is not bad, ah. Just make sure you don't exaggerate too much or people with think it is our fathers who are having an affair."

Yu Huang Rong put the cup down, his eyes squinting. "Oh? So you admit that we're having an affair?"

Zhang Shi Lan finally stopped looking at the river and turned back to his lover. "I would prefer to call it a relationship but since it's not out in the open, what else can I call it?"

Yu Huang Rong nodded and gave a sigh. "Ah, I guess I shouldn't be ungrateful but things are really moving slow. It's not that long anymore until the autumn hunt but even though everything is going according to plan so far, I just can't help but worry."

Zhang Shi Lan nodded, his fingers brushing over the rim of the teacup. He felt the same worry but what would it change if they fretted together? Anyway, things were progressing well. "My mother doesn't seem to be impressed by the women she met at Madam Yan's matchmaking pavilion so far. How is it on your side?"

Yu Huang Rong gave a hum and his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Well, to be honest, I'm not worried about that at all. That Madam Yan ... I think think she's really good at convincing people of what she wants them to believe. Making these women lose favor after she already has the information ..." He stopped himself and picked up the teacup, taking a sip. Ah, it seemed he couldn't say that?

Zhang Shi Lan raised his brows. "The information ...?"

Yu Huang Rong shifted on his seat but finally gave in with a sigh. "Anyway, I asked ... that person for help. If I had investigated them myself, I might not find out everything and it could also be that it would draw attention. So I thought that since I'm friends with him, I might as well ask him to help me out a bit. So I guess one of his secret guards will have taken care of this." Alright, he had actually asked She Ning himself so that was a given but explaining that would be too complicated and he didn't feel that it was a good idea to talk about Luan Xin's private matters in public. That was much more dangerous than talking about their own matters.

Zhang Shi Lan's gaze turned subtle. He still didn't think that it was a good idea to be so close to the emperor but he could also see that Yu Huang Rong really trusted him. He stood up and went to the window, looking out at the Fen Hua river again. "I ... I've always had a few friends I would be able to talk to about the things bothering me. But there has never been that one close person that I could reveal just everything to. My feelings for you ... That was something I never would have dared to tell anyone."

Yu Huang Rong quietly poured himself another cup of tea and nodded. He could somewhat understand. Revealing that kind of secret, it wasn't something that could be done casually. If you trusted the wrong person, then your faith in them might come back and bite you. Some people just weren't worth your trust even if you'd like to believe something different.