Chapter 158: The Small Study

After hearing the story of the Zhong family's daughter, Master Huang's fingers tapped lightly on the table without pause, his face revealing a thoughtful expression.

The gold-ranked matchmaker, maintaining a neutral expression, was inwardly shocked: Sir Huang actually had a reaction?

Originally, she had been prepared to wrap things up... A matchmaker whose skill at reading expressions had long been maxed out, she had already seen through Master Huang's impatience in the later stages of her pitch. Who would have thought that at the very end, with this perfunctory remark, Master Huang actually seemed to take a genuine interest in this daughter of the Zhong family?

Could this be the legendary Seabed Scoop? The Zhong family's famously designated water-dispenser watchman now had a chance to play during garbage time? The gold-ranked matchmaker nervously reviewed the words she had just spoken about the Zhong family, trying to deduce what had caught Master Huang's attention, while simultaneously straining her eyesight, staring fixedly at Master Huang's face, not letting a single expression escape her notice.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before Master Huang himself revealed the answer: "Master Zhong served as the Director of Studies at the Nanjing Imperial Academy? I must have heard it somewhere; it sounds familiar. Someone, bring me the Gentry Register."

The Gentry Register was a directory of the ancient gentry and officials, publicly issued by booksellers, what later generations would call a leader's resume.

Shortly after, Steward Wu took the latest edition of the Gentry Register from a Servant's hands, then personally flipped through it, quickly finding a certain page and handing it to the Master.

"Hmm, hmm, just as expected." Master Huang nodded repeatedly as he leafed through the Gentry Register, as if he had seen something extremely to his satisfaction... In truth, a certain someone was even more anxious than the matchmaker at this moment; he was desperately racking his brain, searching for what made Master Zhong stand out from the rest.

Fortunately, there is always a way out; after Huang Zhicheng glanced through the Gentry Register a few times, he said, "Hmm, just as expected, Senior Zhong is indeed the descendant of that famous official from the Zhengde Era Era Era..."

The gold-ranked matchmaker was trembling all over at this moment. Although she did not know which point about the Zhong family's ancestors had caught Master Huang's eye, she had a strong premonition: she was about to launch a huge satellite in the matchmaking world! From now on, she would trample those two hacks, Yan and Ma, beneath her feet!

"Wealth does not last beyond three generations. A family like Senior Zhong's, whose status has not declined for over a hundred years, is truly a model for people like us. Ah, I wonder if a common household like mine would have the chance to seek some advice." Huang Zhicheng, afraid the gold-ranked matchmaker could not understand, seemed to mutter to himself with a sigh.

"He's looking for one with a tightly secured fence, skilled in household management!" If the gold-ranked matchmaker still could not understand Master Huang's meaning, she would not be a matchmaker. In an instant, she reviewed the several households she had previously pitched in her mind and found that, regardless of quality, if one only considered the duration of the family line, none could truly compare to the Zhong family.

In that moment, the woman understood.

"Aiyoyo, my good Filial and Incorruptible sir!" The gold-ranked matchmaker clapped her hands and leaped up from the round stool: "That Zhong Fu is truly an old and established household; just ask around Hangzhou City..."

A certain someone smiled as he listened to the matchmaker's impromptu performance, while inwardly letting out a long sigh: I've finally managed to trick this matchmaker into the routine.

And so, Huang Ping the Filial and Incorruptible's grand plan for a second wife was settled after these twists and turns. In terms of family status, the Huang Juren Fu was slightly unworthy of the Zhong Jinshi Fu. But in other aspects, the Huang Juren's conditions were far superior; after all, the Zhong family daughter had inherent disadvantages, so this could also be considered a match of equal standing in a certain sense.

From then on, the matchmaking world gained a classic case study: how the gold-ranked matchmaker shrewdly identified her client, how she used clever words, how she diverted the client's attention... In short, a Ming-dynasty version of an inspirational story about how to sell leather shoes to a Black Uncle was thus compiled, passed down by word of mouth in the matchmaking world, an enduring classic.

Watching the gold-ranked matchmaker rush off to Zhong Fu to propose marriage, Huang Zhicheng sat in the Flower Hall, unable to help a wry smile and a shake of his head: It seems he's not the only one afraid that delays might bring trouble!

He turned his head and gave a few instructions to the steward, telling him to begin preparing for the wedding from today onward and to cooperate with the matchmaker in going through the pre-wedding procedures, the "Six Rites." After arranging these trivial matters, the Master rose and called for his escort, ordering a return to the "Shufang."

Huang Fu had three studies. Da Shufang, Nei Shufang, and the Small Study.

Da Shufang was used to receive close guests, Nei Shufang was for quiet reading, and as for the Small Study... since its construction, no Household Staff had ever entered it, including the steward.

The Small Study was built during the new Decoration of Huang Fu, located to the side and rear of the main residence, a solitary Courtyard; the surrounding grid squares were all key areas of the inner residence, patrolled by household guards 24 hours a day.

The Courtyard was empty and bare, without flowers or trees, only a single stone path leading to the Small Study. The rest of the ground was thinly covered with a layer of fine sand—if anyone scaled the wall, they would inevitably leave footprints on the ground.

If a thief intended to use the most common ancient method of "lifting tiles and lowering ropes" to enter the house, he would discover that under the blue tiles of this unremarkable little building were dense rafters, each as thick as a leg... Alright, please go back and get a saw first.

If a thief planned to break the Window to enter, the seemingly unremarkable window lattice would shatter his hands—it was made of ironwood. Furthermore, there was a latch behind the Window, so the common TV drama trick of using a thin blade to pry open the window would also be useless.

Having reached this point, a friend with some skill probably still wouldn't give up and would try to pick the lock on the door. Then he would quickly discover... the keyhole was wrong; why was it four-edged? And what did those characters "Shanghai · Sanhuan" on the lock mean?

Master Huang took out his key, opened the Courtyard gate of the Small Study, and walked straight inside along the small path. The two Servants following behind him stopped at the courtyard entrance with a Tacit Understanding. After entering, he began to tidy up the room, and when finished, sat down and closed his eyes to think for a moment.

The furnishings of the Small Study were actually very simple: a bookcase, thread-bound books, a desk, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The only slightly odd thing was a pine-grain cabinet placed beneath the desk.

However, when Master Huang finished thinking, bent down, and opened the cabinet door, everything became clear: this was an Insurance Vault.

Inside the Insurance Vault was a set of communication Equipment, a compact German-made HK P7 Type pistol and accessories, a first-aid kit, along with some title deeds and documents, a few Gold Bars, and a bit of jewelry. Every so often, Zhao Liu, the only trusted insider in this residence, would make a trip to Tangzhuang and bring back a replacement storage battery from there.

At this moment, Huang Ping gently turned the combination dial to open the cabinet door, first took out the pistol case, and according to the training he had received back at Tangzhuang, began Leisurely wiping the gun.

After finishing wiping the gun, he looked at the Rolex watch inside the cabinet; it was exactly 6:00 PM. So he took out the mini vehicle-mounted radio, turned it on, and began calling with the hand mic.

Luck was good today; the Owners of the two radios located in Tangzhuang and Moyun Temple were both present, and so the three members of "Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism" held a brief shortwave communication meeting inside and outside this 17th-century Hangzhou City.

Besides reporting on the matter of choosing his wife, Huang Ping also notified Lu Cheng to get him one or two "Clan Elders": the pre-wedding procedures required elders to show their faces. As for the candidates, the requirements weren't high: old in years, hard of hearing, muddle-headed, the type that just grins with a toothless mouth would be perfect.

After the brief meeting, the spy, a certain Mr. Huang, packed up his equipment, checked the window lattice, and Leisurely locked the door, continuing on to be his great Master...

Had some matters today, so the word count is a bit low (*^﹏^*)