A Group of Matchmakers

"I see..." Joanna Zuo nodded.

"Wasn't Lily Xu punished quite severely? How come she's already strutting around again?" Grace asked.

Joanna Zuo sneered, "She has powerful connections."

"Who?"

Grace actually knew, but she didn't want to seem like she knew too much.

Joanna Zuo held up five fingers.

Grace instantly understood. "Is it Winston Wu, the Vice President?"

Joanna Zuo nodded. "You'd better avoid provoking her in the future. Winston Wu is Consort Penelope's uncle and the Empress Dowager's brother. The Wu family is one of the top clans in the Vermilion Kingdom—there's no need to go head-to-head with them."

Grace knew all this well; she even remembered the look on Consort Penelope's face when the Wu family was destroyed. She just smiled and said nothing.

Joanna Zuo led Grace straight to the Zuo Family Old Manor.

Joanna Zuo usually takes care of her two children herself. When she's not around, their nanny looks after them. Both kids are fair and chubby, and everyone finds them adorable...

...

When Grace arrived home, she saw four or five women at her gate, apparently pleading with the gatekeeper to let them in and announce their arrival.

Curious, Grace walked over and asked the gatekeeper, "What's going on?"

The gatekeeper quickly stood up and replied respectfully, "Miss Grace, these women are official matchmakers. They say they wish to see the lady of the house."

Grace's lips curled into a slight smile.

Her beauty was truly outstanding, no matter where she went.

It hadn't been long since she returned, but already so many people had come to propose marriage—how amusing!

Grace glanced at the matchmakers and asked reservedly, "Who invited you all here?"

"Are you Miss Grace?" One of the women, who seemed especially lively, asked with a broad smile.

"That's right!" Grace replied.

"Here's the thing, I was sent by the wife of the Grand Minister of the Spirit Division. Would you allow us in to see the lady of the house?"

"Grand Minister of the Spirit Division?" Grace's eyes widened in surprise.

"That's right!" The woman replied, her smile bright.

"Doesn't the Grand Minister have a bunch of daughters? His only son is what, five or six years old? They're already proposing marriage for him at such a young age?"

"Uh... well..." The woman looked a bit embarrassed. "I was actually hoping to arrange a match with the General, but the guards at the General's residence are so fierce and unreasonable, we couldn't get in at all! I heard the General is close with the Deputy Prime Minister, so I thought maybe we could talk to the lady here and see if she could put in a good word for us..."

Grace's smile froze. She looked at the other matchmakers. "Are you all here to arrange a marriage for the General?"

"That's right!" They all smiled brightly, like flowers in bloom.

"Guards!" Grace called out.

"Yes, Miss!" The guards hurried over.

"Drive them all away! And in the future, if you see any matchmakers, don't ask anything—just throw them out!"

"Yes, Miss!" The guards went over and chased the women away.

Grace frowned and walked inside. Tenner saw her return and hurried over to tell her, "The General is here, speaking with the Prime Minister."

So Grace headed toward her father's study.

Just as she reached the study, they came out.

Winston Wu was a man of strong feelings. When he saw Grace, he smiled and asked her to escort the General out before heading back inside.

So Grace escorted Evan Xiao out.

She didn't say a word the whole way.

"What's wrong?" Evan Xiao asked her. "You don't look very happy."

"A whole bunch of matchmakers just showed up at the gate. Can you guess why they came?" Grace asked.

"Let me guess—they came to propose marriage," Evan Xiao replied.

"To whom?" Grace asked.

Evan Xiao laughed softly and asked, "Wouldn't it be me?"