Others come for blind dates, and you’re here to make wishes

The matchmaker smiled slightly.

She offered neither approval nor denial.

Instead, she closed the doors and windows, invited Xu Qin to sit at the desk, and took a seat behind it herself, saying, "Miss Xu, you have a good heart. Heaven will surely treat you with special favor."

"Although I haven't been in Yunjing for long, I've been a matchmaker for at least twenty years. With one look, I can tell that you, Miss Xu, will definitely meet an excellent match."

"The marriage you eventually find will surely be better than anything you have ever hoped or imagined."

Xu Qin was overjoyed. "Really?"

"Of course it's true! Look at how beautiful you are, Miss Xu. Your work is leisurely, and you are so kind-hearted. You will definitely find a very suitable candidate!"

"Rest assured, Miss Xu. Perhaps you couldn't find a suitable husband elsewhere, but here with me, I will definitely find you a husband that completely satisfies you."

Xu Qin couldn't even hide the smile on her face.

"That's wonderful."

"It's just..." the matchmaker said, "You know how things work here, Miss Xu. Both men and women need to register with me, and then I recommend suitable candidates based on that."

"I know, I know..." Xu Qin, who was in an incredibly good mood, immediately said. "It means you have recommendation tiers here. The higher the tier, the better the recommendation. Is that right?"

"Yes, indeed!" The matchmaker beamed. "Miss Xu is truly intelligent. It's only right that you find a suitable partner."

"Here, I have four tiers: Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D."

"Class D has a recommendation fee of ten taels of silver."

"Class C has a recommendation fee of thirty taels of silver."

"Class B has a recommendation fee of fifty taels of silver."

"Class A has a recommendation fee of one hundred taels of silver."

"Of course..."

Pausing for a moment, the matchmaker added, "If my recommendation is not suitable, half of the money can be refunded."

"Miss Xu, with your excellent conditions, I think you could choose a Class B candidate. After all, Class B candidates not only have good looks but also good family backgrounds. They are just right for you."

Xu Qin's heart skipped a beat.

So expensive?

This price was much, much higher than the matchmakers she had encountered before.

However, after only a slight hesitation, Xu Qin made a resolute decision: "I want a Class A candidate."

The matchmaker was startled, then rejoiced, "Miss Xu, you truly have great boldness. With such boldness, you deserve to find a great candidate. Let me tell you, the Class A candidates I have on hand are all exceptionally high-quality."

"Every single one of them is a dragon among men."

"Something many girls can only dream of but never reach."

"Miss Xu, this is the contract. Take a look. If there are no problems, just sign it, so I can start looking for you right away."

Xu Qin only glanced at it and readily signed her name. Then, she handed over twenty taels of silver she had brought with her to the matchmaker as a deposit.

Looking at the heavy silver ingots in her hand, the matchmaker smiled so wide her mouth almost split open.

After coming to Yunjing, she knew she had come to the right place. After all, the silver here was so easy to earn, but even so, she never expected it to be this easy!

One hundred taels of silver!

The commoners in Yunjing mostly made a living by farming, and the harvests were not high. As a result, a family of three would not spend more than ten taels of silver a year, and most lived on merely five taels.

This one hundred taels was equivalent to a family of three working for twenty years!

This was simply fantastic.

She immediately invited Xu Qin to sit down again and said, "Miss Xu Qin, the contract is signed. Now, tell me, what kind of man are you looking for?"

The matchmaker looked serious, but in her heart, she didn't care at all. When the time came to find a man, she just needed to embellish him a bit and recommend him to Xu Qin.

At worst, she would recommend a few more and slowly drag it out until Xu Qin grew numb to it.

If that didn't work, she would just refund half the money, which was still pure profit. She wouldn't lose a single bit.

However, in contrast to the matchmaker's inner indifference, Xu Qin was much more proactive and excitedly said, "Alright, then let me state my requirements."

"First, he must have a dignified appearance, a tall and straight posture, and have no physical or hidden illnesses."

"No problem, that is a must."

"Second, his parents must have a gentle and agreeable temperament, and they must not discipline their daughter-in-law. After marriage, we must separate from the main family and live in our own household."

"Of course, if he has no father or mother, that would be even better."

"Ah?" The matchmaker was taken aback, but then quickly said, "No problem, no problem. There are plenty of good mothers-in-law in Yunjing."

"Third, he must be brimming with literary talent, well-versed in poetry and songs, elegant in his speech, and able to have a spiritual resonance with me. He must be able to discuss the books of the Tongxin Alliance with me. Moreover, he must be domineering."

"But this domineering nature is only toward others."

"Toward me, he must only be gentle and considerate. Even if he is domineering, it must be a gentleness beneath the dominance. In everything, my wishes must come first."

"Ah?" The matchmaker was stunned again, then said, "No problem, that's a small matter. Isn't it just being gentle? There are plenty of gentle men."

Xu Qin's interest was thoroughly piqued, and she continued, "Fourth, he must never take concubines in his life, nor is he allowed to have bedchamber maids. He cannot look for stand-ins. He must exclusively dote on me alone."

"Furthermore, he cannot stay out all night. Any outside socializing must be approved by me."

The matchmaker: "..."

"Miss Xu, please continue."

"Fifth..." Xu Qin grew more and more excited as she spoke. "He must come from a prestigious and noble family, be of the direct lineage of an official, have abundant family wealth, own over a thousand acres of fertile land, and have a large four-courtyard mansion in the city."

"He also needs to have an official rank, the kind that makes him renowned far and wide."

The matchmaker: "..."

Xu Qin: "Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"

The matchmaker: "It's nothing, Miss Xu. Please continue."

Xu Qin said, "Sixth, when he marries me, he must prepare a lavish bride price. The three golds and six rites must be fully complete, and everything must be of top-tier quality."

"A thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver."

"A full set of gold jewelry, including a crown, hairpins, bracelets, and a necklet, all crafted from solid pure gold."

"Additionally, there must be top-grade Hetian jade, Eastern pearls, emeralds, agate, coral, and precious spices..."

"Hey, wait, why did you stand up?"

Xu Qin, who was speaking excitedly, paused and asked in surprise, "Why are you standing up? I haven't finished yet!"

"And what's with that expression on your face?"

The expression on the matchmaker's face had gone from wild ecstasy just moments ago to utter depression right now.

She was struggling internally.

She wanted to pocket these one hundred taels of silver.

But with her experience, she knew that if she pocketed this money, she wouldn't be able to fool the Xu Qin in front of her at all, and there would only be endless trouble later.

After all, other people came here for matchmaking; this woman was here to make a wish to the gods.

"Never mind, never mind. I'll take a gamble. When silver is delivered to your door, there's no reason not to take it."

Thus, she put on a face full of smiles again. "No problem. I can help you find all these things. Let me register you right now."

Xu Qin said in dissatisfaction, "Register what? I haven't finished speaking yet."

"You haven't finished?"

"Of course not! This is only the beginning!"

...