Chapter 159: Matchmaking for me?

Zhang Juzheng and his wife wanted to host a banquet for Zhao Guanxiang to thank him for saving Jiang Liuer’s life, so the ceremony would naturally be grand.

When Zhao Guanxiang and the other two entered the house, the table was already filled with various delicacies.

Stir-fried seasonal vegetables, braised pork, vinegar-fried river carp…

Although they are all home-cooked dishes, they are all good in color, aroma and taste, and are no worse than those in restaurants outside.

There were also several jars of wine on the table, all of which were the best wine available on the market.

When Zhao Guanxiang and the other two sat down, Jiang Liuer was still busy in the kitchen.

Zhang Juzheng acted like a host, inviting the other two to sit down, and then called to the kitchen, “Hong Zhao, bring out the bowls and chopsticks.”

“Oh.”

A clear girl’s voice came from the kitchen.

Then the curtain was lifted, and a girl of about fifteen or sixteen came out with bowls and chopsticks and placed them on the table.

She looked up at this moment and noticed Zhao Guanxiang among the three people. Her face immediately blushed, and she lowered her head uncomfortably and turned away.

She pushed down her hair from her forehead, covering half of her face and also hiding the small, unsightly birthmark under her eyelid. Then she turned around and distributed the bowls and chopsticks.

Zhao Guanxiang did not recognize the little girl he rescued from the fire. He took his share of the bowl and chopsticks from her, said thank you, and then continued talking to Zhang Juzheng beside him.

“no no……”

Hong Zhao’s face turned red from holding back her words and she stuttered a few times, but the sound was as soft as the buzz of a mosquito and did not attract Zhao Guanxiang’s attention at all. He immediately became discouraged and trotted back to the kitchen.

Through the curtain, one could vaguely see a woman guarding the stove touching the head of a little girl who was much shorter than her, as if she was comforting something.

In the outer hall, Gao He noticed the unfamiliar little girl and asked, “Xiao Zhang, when did your family buy a maid?”

Zhang Juzheng was pouring wine for the three people. He put down the wine jar after hearing this, shook his head and said, “I didn’t buy her, and I didn’t sign a contract. She is the girl I met when my wife was kidnapped. We can be considered to have shared the hardship. Alas, she is also a poor person. Even if she is rescued, she has nowhere to go. I will let her live in my house first. If her relatives come to look for her in the future, I will let her go back.”

The two then realized that this girl was also rescued from Yifeng Imperial Manor by Zhao Guanxiang.

Now, the women rescued from Yifeng Imperial Manor are still kept in the Astronomical Observatory. These people are all witnesses who reported the Gao family and cannot be released easily.

As for Jiang Liuer, although she was also a witness, she was after all the family member of a subordinate in the prison. Qi Lianzhi showed mercy and allowed Zhang Juzheng to take his wife back home first, and then come to the prison to question her if necessary.

Hong Zhao was bailed out by Zhang Juzheng, so he did not encounter any obstacles.

This is a witness, not a criminal.

Besides, there are hundreds of witnesses, so it doesn’t matter if one is missing.

The three of them talked about how the prison was having a headache about how to deal with these “witnesses”. With such pitiful backgrounds, they would be criticized if they were kicked out.

But in this case, they would have to be provided with food and shelter. We can’t arrange for them to eat and live with the other prisoners in prison, right?
The three hundred or so people really caused a headache for the Astronomical Survey Office for a long time. Finally, the single men in the office vacated their own courtyards and temporarily squeezed in with other single colleagues to free up some courtyards, and then everyone was accommodated.

Zhao Guanxiang didn’t know these things, but when he heard Zhang Juzheng and Gao He talking about them with great interest, he listened with great interest.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Liuer came out of the kitchen carrying a large pot of chicken soup, and then they started eating.

Jiang Liu’er was not good at speaking. After solemnly toasting Zhao Guanxiang with a glass of wine, she sat next to Zhang Juzheng, looking a bit like a young wife.

But after a few drinks, two blushes appeared on her face, and she became more talkative, occasionally joining in the conversations of several people.

It was unknown how much time had passed before Jiang Liu’er looked at Zhao Guanxiang and asked, “I heard from my husband that Captain Zhao is eight years younger than him. So, based on his age, he is about to reach the age of twenty. Have you ever thought about getting married?” These words made Hong Zhao, who was eating silently at the side, couldn’t help but prick up his ears.

Zhao Guanxiang immediately thought of the huge debt he owed, and said with a wry smile: “I can say that I am deeply in debt. Which girl is willing to suffer with me?”

“You like gambling?”

“Not really.”

“The money I owe is nothing. I can always pay it back.”

Jiang Liuer paused for a moment before she spoke: “My family is not wealthy. My sister is seven years older than you, but she still has no husband. My father often writes to me and asks me to look for talents in Beijing. It just so happens that I didn’t make it home to visit my parents. I will go to my parents’ home in a few days. When I come back, I plan to bring my sister to Beijing to play for a few days. How about I arrange for you two to meet each other then?”

Zhao Guanxiang choked on the wine.

He thought Jiang Liuer was just asking casually, but he didn’t expect that she was actually trying to match him up with someone?
But the problem is, he knew Jiang Liuer’s background. Her family was a group of horse bandits that had recruited An. She had such a personality, so what kind of personality could her sister have?

Nowadays in the Daqian Dynasty, if a woman is still unmarried at the age of 26, she is considered a leftover woman.

For such older single women, age is most likely the smallest problem.

Zhang Juzheng was also embarrassed for a moment. He coughed twice, pulled the corner of Jiang Liuer’s clothes under the table, and said in a low voice: “Stop talking.”

Jiang Liu’er said unhappily, “Why don’t you say it? It’s human nature for men to get married when they are old enough and women to get married when they are old enough.”

Zhang Juzheng didn’t know what to say for a moment. He couldn’t just say that his “aunt” was not worthy of Zhao Guanxiang, right?

Although Zhao Guanxiang was only a “captain”, judging from his rank, he was not considered a high-ranking official in the capital city.

But the problem is, adding the word “Xuntian” before the word “Xiaowei” makes it completely different.

If you add the words “only nineteen years old” in front of it, it will become a hot commodity.

If that were all, it would be fine.

But Zhao Guanxiang has entered the realm of heaven and man, a nineteen-year-old heaven and man warrior… this is already a world of difference between him and ordinary people.

Even though Zhang Juzheng was inflexible and not good at managing officialdom, he understood that there was no longer any dispute that Zhao Guanxiang was Qi Lianzhi’s successor, and it was only a matter of time before he became the “Young General Patrolling the Sky”.

Even if… one day he could become the “Sky Patrol Admiral”, it was not certain.

How could my “elder aunt” be worthy of this young tiger captain in front of me?

The most important thing is, he knows what kind of personality his “aunt” has, right?

Even if ten Jiang Liuers were as aggressive as one “Aunt Sister”.

If not for this, how could a girl with her looks still be unmarried at the age of 26?
Zhang Juzheng couldn’t just watch Zhao Guanxiang jump into the fire pit!

But he couldn’t bring himself to say these things to his wife in person.

After thinking it over, Zhang Juzheng said to Jiang Liuer, “Captain Zhao owes the Imperial Master 300,000 merits.”

Jiang Liu’er was stunned for a moment, then called everyone at the table: “Eat your food.”

As for the matter of matchmaking for Zhao Guanxiang, it was never mentioned again.

(End of this chapter)