What do you think of me?
The words blurted out by Qin Shi’san-lang stunned even himself, but only for a brief moment—there was no trace of embarrassment or shyness.
“What do you think of my family?” he added again.
“Qin Shi’san, what nonsense are you spouting?”
Zhou Liu-lang could no longer hold back and shouted, stepping inside as he spoke.
Qin Shi’san-lang turned to look at him.
“I’m not spouting nonsense,” he said. “What do you think?”
Zhou Liu-lang stared at him, at a loss for words.
“Or perhaps another family would do. Do you know any suitable ones?” Qin Shi’san-lang pressed further.
Since when had he, a man, ever bothered with such matters? He wasn’t some matchmaker or go-between! How the hell would he know which families were suitable?
Zhou Liu-lang sat down in sullen silence.
“This matter could be considered urgent, but also not urgent,” Qin Shi’san-lang continued, ignoring Zhou Liu-lang and speaking directly to Cheng Jiao-niang. “Don’t worry about your family hastily finalizing a marriage agreement with the Wang family. I’ll have my mother go to your house at once to propose. As soon as the proposal is made, your family will surely reconsider, and the engagement with the Wangs will be put on hold. That will buy us time to carefully evaluate other options.”
“You make it sound so simple,” Zhou Liu-lang muttered. “Will your mother really go?”
“What do you think?” Qin Shi’san-lang shot back.
Though he hadn’t interacted much with Qin Shi’san-lang’s mother, the few impressions he had from their brief encounters suggested that she was just like her son—if Qin Shi’san-lang dared to say it, then she would certainly dare to do it.
Zhou Liu-lang let out a disdainful “Hmph.”
“Go and have your parents find a matchmaker now—take your time to pick properly. The capital is vast, and there are plenty of good families to choose from,” Qin Shi’san-lang said, growing more and more pleased as he spoke.
He thought this idea was truly brilliant!
The maid and Ban Qin had already recovered from their shock. They exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat complicated.
Now, these two young men were actually planning Miss’s marriage…
Though it seemed rather absurd and laughable on the surface, when you thought about it more deeply, there was also a faint trace of melancholy to it.
“Aside from your family, is there really a better one?” Zhou Liu-lang muttered. “If your mother goes to propose and the Cheng family agrees, then what?”
“If they agree, then they agree,” Qin Shi’san-lang replied.
The moment these words left his mouth, the two of them locked eyes.
“Lady Cheng, what do you think of me?” Qin Shi’san-lang turned to Cheng Jiao-niang and asked again.
Cheng Jiao-niang had remained silent all this while. Now, meeting his gaze, she smiled faintly.
“You won’t do,” she said.
Ha! Ha!
Zhou Liu-lang lowered his head, a smirk flickering at the corners of his mouth before he hurriedly suppressed it.
Qin Shi’san-lang was taken aback.
“Why not?” he asked. “Is it me who won’t do, or my family?”
Is it that I can’t compare to that Wang Shi’qi, or that my family can’t measure up to the Wangs?
Such comparisons were something Qin Shi’san-lang would never make—he only ever weighed things on their own merits.
“That’s enough already,” Zhou Liu-lang muttered under his breath. “What kind of question is that!”
Asking a young maiden, “Would you marry me?”
And when the maiden says no, having the audacity to ask why she said no?
Qin Shi’san-lang never imagined something like this would happen to him in his lifetime.
Choosing a marriage partner wasn’t something boys from families like his were supposed to contemplate.
Such matters were to be decided by their parents. All he needed to do was familiarize himself with his future father-in-law’s connections and, when the time came, lift the bridal veil to meet his wife for the first time.
But here he was today—what was he doing? Actually proposing marriage to a young maiden himself?
Qin Shi’san-lang was momentarily taken aback.
Truth be told, asking such a question outright wasn’t really that…
The corners of his lips curved into another faint smile as he gazed at the girl before him.
She remained as composed as ever – sitting perfectly upright as if nothing in this world could ever startle or unsettle her.
She spoke little, yet understood everything. Though she appeared aloof, hers was the most genuine and unpretentious nature.
She had healed his crippled leg. Together they had secretly toppled a seasoned government official.
Every word he said, she comprehended.
Every thought she had, required no guessing on his part.
To grow old side by side with such a person…
“I mean it sincerely,” he said, his smile gradually fading into solemn earnestness. “What do you think?”
The maid and Ban Qin exchanged another glance, their faces filled with astonishment.
Was this… was this a marriage proposal to their young mistress?
Though they’d heard of young men and women secretly taking a liking to each other at flower-viewing parties and poetry gatherings nowadays, surely none would be so bold as to ask directly like this, right?
What in heaven’s name was this!
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and smiled faintly.
“You… won’t do,” she said again.
This time, Zhou Liu-lang didn’t laugh. Instead, he felt a complicated mix of emotions.
“Won’t you reconsider?” Qin Shi’san-lang asked with a light chuckle.
“There’s nothing to reconsider,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
“How can there be nothing to reconsider?” he pressed further.
Such persistent questioning was becoming rather improper!
“Shi’san!” Zhou Liu-lang warned in a low voice.
“Young master,” the maid interjected from the corridor outside the door, “my mistress has rules when it comes to healing.”
Both Qin Shi’san-lang and Zhou Liu-lang turned their heads slightly to listen.
“First, she does not make house calls. Second, she does not treat those who are not at death’s door. And third…” The maid paused. “She does not marry into families she has treated.”
She does not marry into families she has treated?
Qin Shi’san-lang froze.
So that was it. So that was how it was…
“Ah, I see.” Qin Shi’san-lang smiled and nodded. “Now I understand.”
He turned to Zhou Liu-lang.
“Let’s remember this point—when selecting potential families, we’ll need to exclude the Chens, the Tongs, and the like,” he said casually.
Just like that, the matter was brushed aside…
As if his persistent questioning from moments ago had never occurred.
Zhou Liu-lang looked at him with a complicated expression.
The courtyard gate closed, obscuring the figure of the girl who had seen them off under the eaves. Zhou Liu-lang withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and began walking, with Qin Shi’san-lang following slowly behind.
“At any rate, the most urgent matter is to stop the Cheng family’s betrothal to the Wangs,” Qin Shi’san-lang said, speaking thoughtfully as he walked. “Whether it’s your family or mine, or even both—it doesn’t matter who steps in.”
“But didn’t she just say she wasn’t interested?” Zhou Liu-lang turned his head and snorted.
“I believe in fate,” Qin Shi’san-lang replied, meeting his gaze with an answer that seemed beside the point. “I believe Lady Cheng is destined for good fortune. So the Wangs can’t possibly be her fate—or do you truly think they are?”
The Wangs…
From then on, there would no longer be a Cheng Jiao-niang—only “Madam Wang, née Cheng”…
Her name, prefixed with another man’s surname…
Unthinkable.
Zhou Liu-lang clenched his fists.
Unthinkable!
…
“General, General…”
The groggy General Liu, still nursing a hangover, grew irritable at the summons.
“What’s all this wailing about?” he barked, turning his head.
A clerk timidly approached, clutching a stack of documents.
“These are the newly issued warrants for bandits and outlaws,” he reported.
As part of their duties, the city patrol cavalry were responsible not only for night watches and street inspections, but also for firefighting and apprehending criminals.
General Liu spat in disdain.
“Read them,” he grumbled, stretching out to lie flat and propping his feet up on the desk.
The clerk unfurled the documents and began droning through them in a monotonous recitation.
Before long, the faint sound of General Liu’s snoring drifted through the room.
The clerk gave a wry smile.
This General Liu was indeed a fierce warrior—born into the formidable Liu clan of Tai-zhou, trained in exceptional martial arts, and possessing undaunted courage. Yet, cursed with a temper, he had offended his superiors before achieving any notable merit, resulting in his demotion to mundane city patrol duties. Still, as a scion of the Tai-zhou Lius, none dared truly cross him—most simply turned a blind eye to his conduct.
These martial men from the northwest—utterly unrefined.
Shaking his head, the clerk skimmed the documents until his eyes caught a particular line:
“…Currently, concerning the northwestern camp troops…” He curled his lip, reading halfway before stopping. “…Why are these deserters being sent here for punishment? They ought to be delivered to the Ministry of War instead…”
Before the clerk could finish speaking, General Liu—who had been snoring thunderously moments earlier—suddenly bolted upright.
“Where? Where? The northwestern camp troops?” he shouted. “What’s the summons?”
The clerk stared at him, torn between amusement and fear.
General Liu blinked, his gaze clearing as he focused on the clerk. His expression shifted through several emotions before settling.
“I told you to read the bandit warrants—why are you blabbering about northwestern troops?” he roared, equal parts furious and embarrassed. “Are you mocking me?”
“N-no, sir!” The clerk hastily waved his hands. “It’s—it’s written here in the documents…”
“Why would we have documents about northwestern troops here?” Liu bellowed.
“It’s really here!” The clerk hurriedly thrust the papers forward. “Look—someone filed an anonymous report accusing seven deserters from the northwestern camp—Fan Jianglin, Xu Maoxiu, and others—of hiding in the capital…”
