Chương 280: The Great Bachelor Rescue Operation

Especially at night, when she returned to her quiet, empty house, lay down on the bed, listened to the wild cats croaking in heat outside, and imagined the children crying in the Prince of Yan's mansion, and the lord looking on with a smug look on his face, surrounded by women...

Damn it...

...

Zhuoxian County is experiencing both extremes.

The weather is freezing; in Youzhou, winter can freeze a person's ears off.

What's truly captivating is the public's enthusiasm. A large group of unassuming generals and strategists, led by Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and Cheng Yaojin, are practically blinded by the spectacle of Liu Ce's "eleven sons in labor."

These grown men, after finishing their shifts and returning to camp, found themselves in cold, empty rooms, with no one to talk to.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu, those two simpletons, could still get together and compare strength; Cheng Yaojin could drink alone with Qin Qiong; Zhang Fei could chat with Guan Yu and Zhao Yun. But in the end, they were all alone when they went back to their rooms.

"No way! I want to get married too!" One night, Dian Wei, clutching his pair of iron halberds, squatted at the entrance of the barracks, glaring fiercely at the moon.

"My brothers all have ten, and I don't have one!"

Xu Chu, munching on a lamb leg, mumbled in agreement, "Exactly! My mother said, of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no offspring! I have to have a baby!"

Cheng Yaojin went even further, running directly to Liu Ce to complain, "My lord! You're surrounded by children and grandchildren every day, have pity on us old bachelors! Our beds are always cold at night!"

Liu Ce was holding and playing with little Liu Chen when he heard this and chuckled, "What? Are you jealous?"

"I'm so envious I'm practically bleeding!" Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh.

"Look at us! Guan Yu has Lady Hu, Zilong just married Xiahou Qingyi, and Xun Yu and Xun You at least have marriage contracts back home. But what about us? Old Dian, Old Xu, me, Old Cheng, and Jingde, Shubao... a whole bunch of bachelors!"

Liu Ce thought about it and realized it was true.

The people under his command, such as Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Luo Cheng, and Yuwen Chengdu, were all "parachuted in" and had no relatives or friends in the area; Gao Shun and Zhang Liao came from Bingzhou; Dian Wei and Xu Chu were from Chenliu and came to Youzhou... Most of them were unmarried.

"Alright," Liu Ce handed his son to the wet nurse, clapped his hands, and said, "I'll keep this in mind. But it's not appropriate for a grown man like me to be a matchmaker; we need to find a professional."

The professionals arrived quickly.

Cai Yan and Zhen Jiang had already noticed this.

Women are meticulous, and they could clearly see the envious looks in the children's eyes whenever generals and strategists came to their homes to offer congratulations.

On this day, ten ladies gathered in Cai Yan's house for a "women's meeting." Although they had all recently given birth, they had all recovered well, with rosy complexions and a gentle, warm temperament befitting new mothers.

Cai Yan, holding Liu Ying, said slowly, "Sisters, our husbands have found their place, and we have children. But the generals and strategists under our husbands are all still single. I worry about them. They are all upright men, majestic on the battlefield, but all alone off the battlefield. It's not right."

Zhen Jiang nodded upon hearing this, saying, "Sister is right. Zilong has only been married for a short time, and now Qingyi is pregnant. But Yide, Dianwei, Jingde, Zhijie... and Fengxiao, Zhicai, Xuanling, Keming, aren't they all alone? Our manor is practically a camp of bachelors."

Zhang Ning's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "How about... we act as matchmakers?"

Ren Hongchang smiled and said, "That's a good idea. We sisters know a lot of people—young ladies from prominent families, scholarly families, merchant daughters, and virtuous girls from the common people. We're sure to find someone suitable."

Zou Yu, Du Xiuniang, and the Zhen sisters all agreed.

Thus, a "baby rescue operation" led by the women of the Prince of Yan's mansion quietly began.

Good heavens, the women in the backyard of the Prince of Yan's mansion have instantly transformed into "Youzhou's No. 1 matchmaking agency".

Ten women make a drama, let alone these ten who are all Princesses or concubines of the Prince of Yan, they have a lot of influence.

Cai Yan took the lead, Zhen Jiang, Zhang Ning, and Ren Hongchang formed groups, and Zou Yu, Du Xiuniang, and the four Zhen sisters assisted from the side.

They used all their connections; Cai Yan's father, Cai Yong, was a literary giant, and everyone they knew came from scholarly families.

The Zhen family were wealthy merchants in Hebei, with connections to countless other merchants and local families.

Although Zhang Ning was born into the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he was skilled in medicine and had connections with many physicians and kind-hearted people in the community...

In less than three days, a "List of Marriageable Women in Youzhou" was compiled, including daughters of noble families, daughters of collateral branches, daughters of merchants, daughters of doctors, daughters of artisans, and even a few literate farm girls. There were hundreds of women in total, with their ages, family backgrounds, personalities, and special skills clearly listed.

Cai Yan, holding the booklet, approached Liu Ce: "Husband, my sisters and I will take care of this. Just ask us one question: Do those generals and strategists want to get married?"

Liu Ce was overjoyed: "Yes! I really want to! Just go ahead and make the arrangements, and let me know if you need any support!"

...

Thus, the vigorous "battle to annihilate bachelors" in Youzhou officially began.

All the teahouses, restaurants, and gardens in Zhuoxian County were booked out as "matchmaking events."

Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and Cheng Yaojin, this "rough trio," provided the most laughs.

The first blind date was arranged by Cai Yan herself.

The other party was a young lady from a collateral branch of a middle-class family in Zhuojun. Her surname was Liu, she was sixteen years old, had read some books, was slender and delicate, and spoke softly.

The location was a private room in an elegant teahouse in the west of the city.

Cai Yan's original intention was that Dian Wei was honest and straightforward, and that finding a gentler girl would complement him.

Dian Wei had been given a long lecture by Cai Yan beforehand: "When you meet a young lady, you must be polite. Don't stare at her directly. Speak tactfully and ask her what she likes and what she does on a daily basis..."

Dian Wei nodded his head vigorously, like a pecking chicken, and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I've got it!"

As soon as he entered the private room and saw Miss Liu, Dian Wei's eyes widened. He wasn't attracted by her beauty, but subconsciously began to scrutinize her.

Cai Yan smiled and introduced, "E'lai, this is Miss Liu. Miss Liu, this is General Dian Wei, a general under the command of the Prince of Yan. He is the bravest in the army and is known for his loyalty and righteousness."

Miss Liu rose, gave a graceful bow, and said in a voice barely audible, "Greetings, General Dian."

Dian Wei returned the greeting with clasped hands, and then... began to carry out Cai Yan's instructions: "Ask the young lady what she likes."

He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to ask, "Miss Liu, how... how are you usually eating?"

Miss Liu was taken aback, and replied softly, "General, I don't have a big appetite, and I usually eat light meals."

Dian Wei frowned and asked again, "So... do you like doing chores? Like washing clothes, cooking, or cleaning the yard?"

Miss Liu blushed slightly and said, "I have servants at home; I only need to do needlework..."