Shi Fa Ke was true to her word and began earnestly searching for good girls for Lu Chi.
In fact, regarding Lu Chi’s marriage prospects, Shi Fa Ke was extremely confident. Even after experiencing the He family’s backing out and County Deputy Zhou’s firm rejection, her confidence remained unshaken. She believed someone would eventually recognize his worth. After all, in terms of appearance, hardly anyone in Copper Gong Town could surpass Lu Chi. In terms of talent, he was a scholar with unlimited prospects, and now he was teaching at the school, which was also a plus. Moreover, he was so young. Even if these conditions weren’t considered top-tier among unmarried men in Copper Gong Town, they were definitely above average.
However, reality soon dealt her a harsh blow…
This time, Shi Fa Ke had her eye on the sister of Scholar Li from Wooden Leaf Lane. This Miss Li had a plump figure, a cheerful personality, and a very cute appearance. She had also read some books with her brother, so she would likely have common topics with Lu Chi. Since Lu Chi was also a scholar, he would probably get along well with Miss Li’s brother.
Perfect.
After gathering information, Shi Fa Ke paid them a visit.
Miss Li’s mother was a gentle and kind woman who received Shi Fa Ke very warmly. After all, families with daughters generally wouldn’t offend matchmakers.
Shi Fa Ke was sweet-tongued, first lavishly praising Miss Li, then complimenting Mrs. Li on her good fortune in having both a son and daughter, making Mrs. Li smile with delight. Only then did she take a sip of tea and say in one breath, “The young man I’m speaking of is handsome and dignified, a scholar like your son, skilled at painting, and now teaches at the town school.”
However, Mrs. Li’s smile slightly faltered, and she said with some hesitation, “Are you speaking of… that Scholar Lu who recently moved to Copper Gong Town?”
“Exactly! Have you met him, Madam?” Shi Fa Ke’s eyes brightened. “If you’ve seen him, you’ll know I’m not exaggerating.”
But Mrs. Li’s smile completely disappeared. She frowned and looked at Shi Fa Ke.
Shi Fa Ke felt uneasy under her gaze. “Madam, what’s wrong? Is there something inappropriate?”
“To be honest, I’ve heard of this Master Lu. He moved to town recently. I heard he coveted the He family’s wealth and tried to force a marriage with Miss He. Not only is his character questionable, but his background is also very problematic. Though my Li family isn’t wealthy or noble, we conduct ourselves with integrity and dare not reach so high.” Mrs. Li said unhappily and picked up her teacup.
She was serving tea to dismiss her guest.
“Madam, might you have some misunderstanding? Master Lu is absolutely not that kind of person.” Shi Fa Ke stood up but didn’t leave immediately. “The matchmaking profession relies entirely on conscience. I, Shi Fa Ke, am definitely not one of those unscrupulous matchmakers. Have you heard about the He family’s embroidered ball throwing for marriage selection?”
Mrs. Li paused. “I have heard of it.”
“That day, Master Lu was passing by the He family’s pastry shop when the embroidered ball accidentally hit him. Following the established rules, he asked a matchmaker to propose to the He family. However, the He family refused to acknowledge this, saying the ball throwing was merely a business tactic for their pastry shop. Master Lu expressed understanding and didn’t pester them further. This is the entire sequence of events. The claim about coveting the He family’s wealth and forcing marriage is complete nonsense.” Shi Fa Ke seriously recounted the entire incident.
“How does Miss Shi know this so clearly?” Mrs. Li expressed doubt.
“Because the matchmaker Master Lu commissioned to propose to the He family was me.” Shi Fa Ke looked at Mrs. Li with a completely frank expression. “No one understands the entire sequence of events better than I do.”
Mrs. Li was momentarily speechless. After a long while, she shook her head. “As they say, there’s no smoke without fire. Please understand my feelings as a mother. This marriage cannot happen.”
Shi Fa Ke expressed understanding. “I’ll just ask you one more question before leaving.”
Mrs. Li didn’t want to offend her and could only nod. “Please ask, Miss Shi.”
“Where did you hear these rumors?”
“Well…” Mrs. Li hesitated. This Miss Shi looked like she was going to settle accounts with someone, and she really didn’t dare speak.
“I absolutely won’t say you told me.” Shi Fa Ke assured her.
Mrs. Li looked at her and finally spoke. “Some days ago when buying jewelry at Jinman Tower, I heard the shopkeeper say it. And I wasn’t the only one present at the time.”
So these rumors had spread by word of mouth and were now almost common knowledge?
Shi Fa Ke was so angry she gritted her teeth. She finally understood why County Deputy Zhou had been angry with her eldest brother that day. He must have believed these rumors, and seeing her brother trying to arrange such a match for his precious daughter, how could he not turn hostile? It was generous of him not to start a fight on the spot.
“Thank you.” After saying this, Shi Fa Ke turned and walked out of the Li family’s gate.
As soon as she left, Shi Fa Ke headed straight for Jinman Tower.
Jinman Tower was Copper Gong Town’s famous jewelry store. Whenever families had marriages, needing betrothal gifts or dowries, they would mostly come here to select jewelry, so business was always thriving.
Shi Fa Ke originally intended to ask the shopkeeper why he was spreading such irresponsible rumors and to find out where these rumors came from and what their source was. But unexpectedly, just as she reached the entrance, she heard people inside speaking ill of Master Lu.
“I heard that Scholar Lu is from Lan Prefecture…”
“Yes, yes, I heard he came from Flying Jade Stronghold in Thousand Cliff Mountain.”
“Really? How terrifying! Isn’t Flying Jade Stronghold a bandit den? What’s he doing in Copper Gong Town? Will he bring bandits here?”
This remark caused an uproar of alarm.
“Oh my, our Copper Gong Town has always been peaceful. We mustn’t get into trouble because of him…”
“No wonder he wanted to force marriage with Miss He—he’s coveting the He family’s wealth. But has anyone seen what this Scholar Lu looks like?”
“Since he’s from a bandit background, he’s probably a fat man with a full beard, broad back and shoulders, covered in muscle. I heard all bandits look like that—so frightening.”
Shi Fa Ke listened with veins bulging on her forehead and slowly walked inside.
“Ah… poor Miss He, being forced into marriage by such a person…” A plump woman showed a pitying expression.
“If he’s really that kind of person, how could he be a scholar?” Shi Fa Ke walked to the counter, pretending to look at jewelry while casually joining the chatting group.
“Whether this scholar title is real or fake is questionable—he might be impersonating one.” A nearby woman replied.
“But isn’t impersonating a scholar a crime that gets you arrested and imprisoned?” Shi Fa Ke continued.
“He’s already a bandit—would he fear the minor crime of impersonating a scholar…” The woman curled her lips and said casually.
Shi Fa Ke held back, but finally couldn’t restrain herself. “How can you spread such baseless things! Scholar Lu rented a house in Copper Gong Town and signed a lease contract at the government office. His scholar status is officially registered there!”
The woman seemed startled by her suddenly raised voice and looked at her with some surprise, saying displeasedly, “Why are you being so dramatic, young girl? We’re not magistrates who need evidence to arrest people or hold power over life and death—we’re just casually chatting.”
“Who says only magistrates can hold power over life and death? Don’t you know that many mouths can melt metal, and accumulated slander can destroy bones?” Shi Fa Ke was angered to laughter by her irresponsible words. “Madam, rumors are fearsome and can kill!”
The woman became somewhat ashamed and angry at her words, saying with an unfriendly expression, “Little girl, so young yet so sharp-tongued—be careful you’ll have trouble finding a mother-in-law in the future.”