Zhang Mobai, the newly appointed matchmaker

After Tang Feng calmed down, Liu Yiwan poured him a cup of tea. "Young Master?" Seeing that Tang Feng remained silent for a long time, she thought he had suffered some kind of shock and quickly called out.

"Liu Yiwan, what kind of person is Zhou Ziliang?" Tang Feng put down his empty teacup on the table and said, "I don't remember him much. Maybe I forgot about him because I fell off my horse and hit my head." Liu Yiwan was overjoyed! This was a promising match! It seemed that Tang Feng's rejection of the marriage stemmed from forgetting Zhou Ziliang after the fall, not from a fundamental dislike for him. With a little more effort, she could still salvage Zhou Ziliang's image in Tang Feng's mind. Why did Liu Yiwan so desperately want Tang Feng to marry Zhou Ziliang? Because the Marquis's mansion was vast and powerful. If Tang Feng married into it, she would be considered the Marquis's wife, with countless servants at her disposal. Having grown up with Tang Feng, she could eventually become a senior steward in the Marquis's mansion, a powerful and influential figure. Thinking about the good life ahead, Liu Yiwan was determined to bring the two of them together.

"Hmm... Speaking of this young marquis, he's a legendary figure in Yan Yun! A man of both literary and military prowess, with lofty ambitions..."

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm not asking you to praise him. I'm asking what kind of person he is, what his personality is like, understand?"

"This..." Liu Yiwan was a little unsure how to answer Tang Feng's question. "I... Young Master Marquis, your status is so noble, how can I, a mere servant, possibly make a judgment!"

"Stop it already! What is it that you're afraid to say? It's just you and me now, and no one else can hear us," Tang Feng rolled his eyes at Liu Yiwan.

"To be honest, I haven't seen the young marquis much," Liu Yiwan whispered in Tang Feng's ear.

"Then tell me a six! You're wasting my time, get lost!" Tang Feng slapped Liu Yiwan aside.

"Oh, my young master! Please let me finish what I have to say!" Liu Yiwan sat back down, rubbing his forehead, which had been reddened by Tang Feng's slap. "You never let me go with you when you go to see the young marquis, so naturally I've never seen him. But one time, I secretly followed behind you and caught a glimpse of him from afar."

"Well, you're trying to poach my girlfriend!"

"I only caught a glimpse from afar, okay?" Liu Yiwan said, getting a little impatient. "Oh my~ the young marquis is so handsome. What's that saying again? 'The looks of Pan An, the countenance of Wei Jie'!"

"Such high praise? It seems ordinary people can't even reach his level." Tang Feng frowned.

"Tsk~ Otherwise, you'd be a bit ungrateful."

"Which side are you on?!" Tang Feng stomped hard on Liu Yiwan's foot and twisted it twice, then continued to ask, "You think someone like him would like me?"

"Ouch~" Liu Yiwan winced in pain, wiping away tears that had welled up in her eyes. "No, not really. Although the young marquis takes good care of you, as for liking someone... well, I didn't see it coming. The letters you sent to the border were all returned unopened." After saying this, Liu Yiwan, out of Tang Feng's sight, wiped the snot and tears she had just wiped away on Tang Feng's clothes.

"If he doesn't like me... does that mean he hates me too?"

"Young Master, what did you say? You dislike me? Hmm... I didn't know that. Besides, even if you did dislike me, you wouldn't tell me, would you?"

Tang Feng fell into deep thought. Since he couldn't escape the engagement through suicide, he figured he could just make Zhou Ziliang reject him and refuse to fulfill the engagement. "Liu Yiwan, do you think Zhou Ziliang would mind being cuckolded?"

"Young master... what did you say? A green hat? You must mind, right? Just thinking about wearing one makes me feel ugly."

"Go away, get out of my way! Call that little madman here!" Tang Feng shooed Liu Yiwan away, then slumped onto the table, thinking, "Since he's a marquis adored by everyone, having conquered far and wide and made great contributions, he must value his fame and dignity highly. If his fiancée were to cheat on him, wouldn't that tarnish his reputation? He'd definitely have to go to the emperor to beg for the annulment of the engagement."

Tang Feng couldn't help but laugh out loud. He really was a seemingly ordinary little genius! He'd managed to annul the engagement without losing a single soldier. Thinking this, Tang Feng poured himself a cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, and went to the backyard with his hands behind his back.

Not long after, Zhang Mobai climbed over the wall and said, "How about I smash this wall for you? It's tiring watching you climb over walls every day."

"That's so lacking in privacy! Why don't you open a door here?" Zhang Mobai dusted himself off and continued, "I've heard that Young Master Tang bravely resisted the arranged marriage, tsk tsk tsk, impressive! Hey! I'm starting to look at you with more and more admiration."

"I also admire myself quite a bit."

"Oh dear! Look at you! Tell me! What do you want?" Zhang Mobai also found a chair and moved to sit down opposite Tang Feng.

"You little madman, could you find me a few wives..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mobai spat out the tea he hadn't yet swallowed. "Big brother, did I hear that right?! Does Zhou Ziliang know about this?" Although he had heard before that Tang Feng didn't want to marry Zhou Ziliang, he hadn't expected him to be so resistant.

"What do you mean, 'what'?!" Tang Feng pulled Zhang Mobai closer to him and said, "I'm pursuing my own happiness! Besides, I don't like Zhou Ziliang. Can you bear to let your good brother marry someone he doesn't like?" Tang Feng then shook Zhang Mobai's arm.

"Come on, everyone knows you like Zhou Ziliang. I'm not stupid."

"That was something my father told me, how could I dare disobey?" Tang Feng then pretended to wipe his eyes.

"Rumors?" Zhang Mobai was somewhat skeptical. After all, he had been there when Tang Feng wrote a letter to Zhou Ziliang expressing his affection, and he had even helped him write some of the sentences. But seeing Tang Feng's serious and aggrieved expression now, he thought, "You really don't like him anymore?"

I've never liked him.

Looking at Tang Feng's serious face, Zhang Mobai felt that what he said didn't seem to be false. After pondering for a while, he said, "Sigh! Little brother, this is really difficult for you. To be honest, I don't really want to offend Zhou Ziliang..."

"You little madman, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda! I'll treat you to ox-tongue pastries for twenty years after this is done!"

"this..."

"Luk Fook Kee"

"Deal!" Zhang Mobai stood up and went into Tang Feng's study. He came out a moment later. "Come, come, we need to finalize the wording." He placed the inkpad on the table, grabbed Tang Feng's hand, and pressed the inkpad onto the paper.

"You really can't stand to suffer even the slightest loss," Tang Feng scoffed, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, dampened it with tea, and wiped away the red mud stains on his hands. "You've been eating my ox-tongue pastries for twenty years, so don't disappoint me!"

"Hey! Just you wait and see!" Zhang Mobai patted Tang Feng on the shoulder. "You can trust me to handle things." After saying that, he got up, climbed over the wall, and returned to his residence.

Tang Feng watched Zhang Mobai's departing figure and snorted coldly. If he were truly at ease, Little Coal Ball wouldn't be kept in the manor now. Little Coal Ball was the black goat Zhang Mobai had brought back earlier; Qin Liuliu had specially consulted the Book of Songs to name it that. Tang Feng sighed, somewhat looking forward to seeing what kind of wife Zhang Mobai would find for him.

Another week passed, and just when Tang Feng had almost forgotten about the matter, Zhang Mobai arrived. "Little brother, I've taken care of the thing you asked me to do a few days ago."

"Why are you so slow? I almost forgot about it."

"You're wronging me! I've gathered all the young ladies and misses from the surrounding area for you this time, there must be over a hundred of them!"

"So much money, could it be from your past romantic entanglements?"

"No, no, let's go! Don't keep the girls waiting. I specifically rented a teahouse behind Mingde Building." After saying that, Zhang Mobai pulled Tang Feng away, but halfway there, Zhang Mobai suddenly stopped and said, "No, we can't go through the main gate. Your father should be finishing court at this time. Let's climb over the wall and go out."

After the two of them climbed over the wall, Tang Feng followed Zhang Mobai around for nearly half an hour. Seeing that there were fewer and fewer people on the street, Tang Feng asked, "Why are there fewer and fewer people on the street?"

“Mingde Tower is a place for listening to music. It’s usually closed unless there’s a festival, so there are naturally fewer people on the streets around here,” Zhang Mobai said, putting his arm around Tang Feng’s shoulder and pointing ahead, “See that wooden sign that says Baijutang up ahead? That’s it.”

Tang Feng looked in that direction and saw carriages of all sizes parked at the entrance, showing how many people Zhang Mobai had hired. Before even turning into the alley, Tang Feng was hit by a strong smell of rouge and powder, which seemed to hit him right in the head, making him cough. "Damn, it smells so strong everywhere!"

"Just bear with it! All girls are like this," Zhang Mobai said, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and covering his nose.

After Tang Feng entered the inner room, he looked around. Apart from two couches on a platform at the far end and a small square table in the middle, the room was quite spacious. It seemed Zhang Mobai had had the extra chairs moved out to avoid crowding. Tang Feng sat down with Zhang Mobai and looked towards the backyard. "Is it almost ready?" he asked.

Zhang Mobai picked up the tea beside him and slowly took a sip. "Don't rush, I've already sent someone to prepare."

As the two were talking, a servant entered, bowed, and said, "Young Master, Young Master Tang, everything is ready here." Zhang Mobai nodded, and the servant responded, then hurried to the backyard and called out. People began to slowly enter the backyard. Tang Feng leaned forward, wanting to get a clearer view of the girls' faces.

When the first girl removed her veil, Tang Feng was so startled that he dropped his teacup and hurriedly asked, "May I ask how old you are, young lady?"

Not very old, forty-six.

Forty-six... Tang Feng felt a little embarrassed. At that age, he could be his own mother! With a wave of his hand, he quickly had someone take them away. In the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Tang Feng had looked at no fewer than fifty people. They were either too old, out of shape, or simply unattractive. Finally, even Zhang Mobai couldn't stand it anymore and quickly called for a stop.

Tang Feng was so angry he couldn't speak. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said angrily, "You little madman, were you sent by Liu Yiwan to torture me?!"

"Uh... I didn't know they looked like this when I went to them! And we've only looked at half of them. Out of a hundred or so, there are bound to be a few oddballs!" Zhang Mobai chuckled. He really hadn't expected the quality to be so poor. He had entrusted the task to Uncle Fu with utmost care, and he hadn't anticipated that Uncle Fu's judgment would be so worrisome.

In the end, Tang Feng called off the blind date event, saying to Zhang Mobai on the way back, "Today's blind date..."

"Don't worry, little brother, I'll definitely keep it a secret!"

"No, no, no, you must let everyone in Xiling know about this."

Zhang Mobai thought for a moment and immediately laughed, "Alright, alright, I get it. You just want to give Ziliang a hard time! I understand what you mean, little brother. This blind date today seems to have a hidden agenda. Are you waiting for Zhou Ziliang to break off the engagement himself?" Seeing Tang Feng laugh, Zhang Mobai paused and continued, "But I have to warn you, if you really want to wait for Zhou Ziliang to break off the engagement himself, you'll be waiting until it's too late, and he still won't go."

"Why?" Tang Feng was somewhat surprised. Since ancient times, what man could bear to be cuckolded? Besides, according to Liu Yiwan, Zhou Ziliang was a promising young man with numerous military achievements and was a hero of Yanyun. Would such a talented person choose to swallow his anger in the face of such a thing?

"As for Ziliang, to put it nicely, he prioritizes propriety; to put it bluntly, he's a bit stubborn. If His Majesty says east, he naturally won't go west. Now that His Majesty has bestowed this marriage upon him, even if the sky were to fall, he wouldn't break the agreement."

Hearing this, Tang Feng felt a headache coming on and didn't know what to do. He never expected Zhou Ziliang to be this kind of person. Lacking any independent thought, blindly worshipping others—what's the difference between him and a salted fish?

"Young man, I think it's not a good idea for you to confront him directly. Don't go head-to-head with Uncle Tang. Besides, there's an imperial decree. If you go head-to-head like this, you'll only hurt yourself more than the enemy. You can try to retreat and have a good talk with Uncle Tang. If you both back down, things will be much better. It's a good way to delay the inevitable."