Chapter 4

Old Madam Zhao was truly about to be angered to death by her own grandson!

No matter how much she cried and raged, her grandson only had two words: “Not marrying!”

The next day, the matchmaker came to the Zhao household to inquire about the situation. Seeing Old Madam Zhao’s face as long as a bitter melon, she immediately knew it was another failure.

The matchmaker inwardly cursed her luck—getting wedding commission money from the Zhao family was proving to be near impossible!

Since she couldn’t earn from a successful match, she at least had to make something from her efforts. Old Madam Zhao pulled her into the hall for tea, and the matchmaker made herself at home, sipping tea and cracking sunflower seeds while listening to Old Madam Zhao complain about her grandson. The faster words spilled from Old Madam Zhao’s mouth, the faster the matchmaker spat out sunflower seed shells.

“Sister, tell me, what terrible karma have I accumulated to end up with such a stubborn grandson?”

Having vented, Old Madam Zhao rubbed her chest in frustration—she was truly furious.

The matchmaker was an expert at gathering information. Others in the county might not know the Zhao family’s past, but she did.

What karma had Old Madam Zhao accumulated? The only thing that came close was what she did years ago when the family was poor. To support her second son’s household as well as her eldest son’s orphaned children—her grandson, Zhao Yanping, and granddaughter, Zhao Xiangyun—Old Madam Zhao had made the decision to marry off her widowed daughter-in-law as a concubine to an elderly nobleman in exchange for a bride price. Later, that money was squandered by her second son’s family, leaving them in financial trouble once again.

And at that critical moment, something else happened.

Zhao Yanping’s younger sister, Zhao Xiangyun, disappeared.

Not long after Zhao Xiangyun went missing, Zhao Yanping’s uncle and aunt mysteriously came into a large sum of money, helping them overcome their financial crisis.

Rumors spread in the village that Zhao Xiangyun had been sold by her uncle and aunt. But did Old Madam Zhao know about it? Had she given her approval?

Only Old Madam Zhao and her second son’s family knew the truth. Outsiders could only speculate.

At the time, Zhao Yanping was only nine years old, but he was old enough to understand. He suspected his uncle and aunt were involved in his sister’s disappearance. When they refused to give him an answer, the boy was so enraged that he set fire to their house in the middle of the night. Fortunately, the fire was discovered in time, preventing any deaths, but from that point on, the relationship between the two households was completely severed.

The second branch of the Zhao family demanded to separate from the main family. In the end, Old Madam Zhao fiercely scolded her younger son and daughter-in-law and took over raising Zhao Yanping by herself.

The matchmaker recalled these past events in her mind before snapping back to the present. She realized that Old Madam Zhao was asking her for advice—how could she convince Zhao Yanping to agree to marry?

If even his own grandmother couldn’t do it, what could the matchmaker possibly accomplish? If Zhao Yanping wanted to marry, she could find him a perfectly suitable match, but if he didn’t, what could she do? Tie him up and throw a bride into his bed?

The matchmaker had had her fill of sunflower seeds and was ready to leave, but Old Madam Zhao wouldn’t let her go without an answer. The matchmaker thought for a moment, then shot her a knowing look.

Seeing this, Old Madam Zhao immediately shooed Cui Niang, who had been eavesdropping, out of the room.

“Sister, tell me quick—what’s your idea?” As soon as Cui Niang left, Old Madam Zhao eagerly pressed the matchmaker.

The matchmaker coughed and lowered her voice. “Sister, forgive me for being blunt, but I’ve been matchmaking for over thirty years, and in all that time, I’ve only ever seen men desperate to get married but unable to find a wife. I’ve never seen a man refuse marriage altogether. The more I think about it, the more I wonder—have you ever noticed whether Zhao Yanping is more interested in the young ladies on the street or… in the handsome young men around him?”

Old Madam Zhao frowned in confusion. What did this have to do with handsome young men?

The matchmaker hinted more directly, “Sister, you might not know this, but in the pleasure houses, there aren’t just courtesans… there are also male entertainers.”

Old Madam Zhao’s expression changed drastically!

Sensing danger, the matchmaker quickly gave her an out, “Forgive me, Sister, I was overthinking. How could Zhao Yanping be like that? He’s just been too busy solving cases for the county. He has no time for romance. Don’t worry, just wait a little longer. Once he clears out all those backlogged cases, he’ll come to you himself asking for a wife. Well, I have to go to the Zhou family to deliver a message—I’ll come back another day for tea!”

Fearing Old Madam Zhao’s wrath, the matchmaker fled as if her feet were greased.

Old Madam Zhao wanted to curse her out, but then the possibility that her grandson might truly prefer young men chilled her to the bone. Her heart plunged into an icy abyss, leaving her no energy to berate the matchmaker for her nonsense.

Sitting alone in her rattan chair, Old Madam Zhao began recalling every detail about her grandson’s life from the time he was two or three years old.

She was certain that he had never mingled with any handsome young men in the village.

But she was also certain that he had never shown interest in any young women either. Before becoming a constable, he spent all his time farming and chopping wood, like a mute, burying himself in work. And ever since he became a constable and was later promoted to head constable, his world revolved solely around solving cases. Forget women—he wouldn’t even spare a glance at the family’s hens.

Of course, maybe this was just the image he presented in front of her. Maybe in places she couldn’t see…

No, peeping at young women wasn’t his style. But could he really be secretly interested in handsome young men?

The more Old Madam Zhao thought about it, the more panicked she became. The more she thought, the more distressed she felt. Suddenly, she slapped her thigh and called for Cui Niang’s older brother, Guo Xing.

Guo Xing was sixteen years old and had been assigned by Zhao Yanping to stay home and watch over the house.

Unlike his naive younger sister, Guo Xing was observant and good at reading people’s expressions. He had a sweet tongue and flattered Old Madam Zhao often, which kept him out of trouble.

“Old Madam, what can I do for you?” Guo Xing bowed respectfully.

Old Madam Zhao glanced toward the kitchen, ensuring Cui Niang was still occupied, then lowered her voice. “Go to the county office and keep watch outside. Be careful not to let the young master see you. Don’t do anything else—just observe who he interacts with today. Pay special attention to whether there are any handsome young men.”

The request was so strange that Guo Xing couldn’t help but steal a glance at Old Madam Zhao, curiosity itching at him. “Old Madam, why do you want me to watch this?”

Old Madam Zhao immediately shot him a glare and snapped like a fierce old tigress, “Just do what I say and keep your mouth shut! You don’t need to understand everything!”

Guo Xing shrank his neck and obediently went to carry out his task.

For three days straight, Old Madam Zhao had Guo Xing keep watch.

And on the third day—he actually discovered something!

“Old Madam, our young master usually interacts with fellow constables. Some of them look decent, but none are truly handsome. Only our county magistrate is exceptionally good-looking, with red lips and white teeth, carrying the air of a noble family’s son. When he and our young master go out to handle cases together, all the young wives and maidens in town can’t take their eyes off them.”

Xie County Magistrate?

Old Madam Zhao felt a chill in her heart. She had never met the newly appointed magistrate, Xie, but her grandson had mentioned him before. He had said that Xie was a good official, someone who genuinely cared about the people—always speaking highly of him. It wasn’t just her grandson; even the townsfolk seemed to think Xie had a great appreciation for Zhao Yanping.

The more Old Madam Zhao thought about it, the more she feared that the matchmaker’s guess might be correct—her grandson truly liked men!

She found herself struggling to breathe, lying weakly in bed all day, sighing in distress.

What to do? What to do? Her eldest son had passed away young, leaving only this one grandson. If her grandson remained obstinate, her eldest son’s bloodline would truly end!

Old Madam Zhao could not accept this!

When her grandson came home that night, she resolved to beat some sense into him, force him to take a wife, and settle down properly.

But even as she made this decision, she hesitated.

Her grandson provided for her, but Old Madam Zhao knew very well that he had never truly forgiven her for forcing his mother to remarry. He ensured she had food and clothing, and when she fell ill, he would say a few gentle words to comfort her. But beyond that, he was cold, distant, and rarely spoke to her—let alone confide in her. If he truly liked men, and she confronted him about it, what if he became so enraged that he cut ties with her completely?

She couldn’t bear the consequences.

Her second son and his wife were heartless wolves. If her grandson refused to care for her, even if the second son’s family took her in, they would not treat her kindly.

She couldn’t directly question her grandson, nor could she convince him to marry…

Old Madam Zhao was so anxious that it was making her unwell. And yet, when her grandson returned home, she had to pretend she knew nothing of his hidden secret.

That evening, as she sat in her room brooding, a heated argument suddenly erupted next door.

“Zhu Chang, do you even have a heart?! This is your own son! You didn’t even get the facts straight before beating him—where is your sense of fairness?!”

“Why are you yelling? Keep your voice down—”

“I will not! She claims that Shiyu bullied her—where’s the evidence? I say she was the one who seduced our son first! Look at her, with that seductive charm! A woman from a brothel—how proper could she be? Yet you dote on her like she’s a treasure! Don’t you know the rumors about her? Once a courtesan, always a courtesan! I think she knows she’ll never find a husband, so she’s scheming to latch onto our Shiyu and force you to make the match!”

“Shut up!”

“Hit me then! Go on, kill me if you dare! I know you’ve long wanted to cast me aside and take a new wife—just do it now and be done with it!”

Crying and wailing followed. By the time Old Madam Zhao stepped into the courtyard to hear more clearly, the commotion had already died down.

“Old Madam, was the scholar’s wife insulting Sister A-Jiao?”

Cui Niang had crept up beside her, frowning in anger. “She’s spouting nonsense! Sister A-Jiao isn’t that kind of person! Zhu Shiyu is short, ugly, covered in pimples, and he doesn’t even bathe properly—his bedding must be filthy! How could Sister A-Jiao ever seduce him? Even my brother is better than him!”

Old Madam Zhao was well aware of the Zhu family’s situation.

Zhu Chang was a petty scholar with no great prospects. He resented his wife, Jin Shi, for selling off his niece but, at the same time, couldn’t bring himself to divorce her for the sake of their children. Jin Shi and her daughter, Zhu Shuangshuang, were both greedy and cowardly, always bullying those weaker than them. Despite having wronged A-Jiao, they continued to make her life miserable.

As for A-Jiao’s cousin, Zhu Shiyu—he had inherited Jin Shi’s short and skinny build. His looks were barely passable, but his face was now covered in acne, and even Cui Niang found him repulsive. The famously beautiful A-Jiao would never have pursued him. More likely, Zhu Shiyu had been lusting after A-Jiao, acting inappropriately, and was caught by Zhu Chang.

“Enough of this—go cook dinner. The young master will be back soon.”

With the commotion over, Old Madam Zhao turned to head back inside, shooing Cui Niang toward the kitchen.

Cui Niang pouted but obeyed.

Back in her room, Old Madam Zhao found herself unable to stop thinking about the Zhu family.

She knew exactly what kind of prospects A-Jiao had—no one wanted to marry her as a proper wife, and those willing to take her as a concubine were all lecherous old merchants. Zhu Chang couldn’t bear to send his niece to such a household, so she had remained unmarried all this time.

“Sly charm,” “seducing men,” “unable to find a husband”…

For some reason, Jin Shi’s words kept circling in Old Madam Zhao’s mind. The more she thought about them, the more a plan began to form.

“Young master!”

Guo Xing’s voice rang out in the courtyard. Old Madam Zhao stepped outside and saw her grandson, Zhao Yanping, standing at the gate with his horse, just about to enter.

Dinner was not yet ready. As Zhao Yanping washed up, Old Madam Zhao watched him, waiting. Once he entered the main hall, she poured him a cup of tea.

As he drank, Old Madam Zhao suddenly let out a long sigh.

Zhao Yanping glanced at her.

Old Madam Zhao carefully laid the groundwork. “Yanping, last year, when you led the raid on the Huayue Brothel, did you happen to see Scholar Zhu’s niece?”

Zhao Yanping had an excellent memory. At the mention of it, a scene surfaced in his mind: a delicate woman, as fragile as a flower, clutching her exposed white shoulders, cowering in the corner of a rock garden, trembling in fear as she pleaded not to be touched.

He remembered—but he simply said, “I did not take notice.”