Chapter 23 : There was actually another hidden story behind this marriage.

When the tenth uncle spoke, the atmosphere immediately became cold.

Instead, Cui Xu cast a reproachful glance at him and said, “What are you doing? Today is a joyous occasion, how can you criticize the returning guest? Come, everyone, let’s raise our glasses.”

He then turned to Huo Tan and said, “Nephew-in-law, today you accompanied my second niece back for her return visit and even prepared generous return gifts, which shows that you truly care for her.”

“I hope you will treat her well in the future, that you both live happily together and grow old together.”

These words were quite fitting.

So everyone raised their glasses together. Cui Yunzhao, with a flushed face, followed Huo Tan and had a small amount of wine.

Cui Xu valued appearances, and today’s wine was quite good, made with apricot blossom brew from Xinghua Tower.

Huo Tan was pulled by the uncles, each one urging him to drink more, and soon his face turned red.

Cui Yunzhao knew he had a good capacity for alcohol and rarely got drunk, but she still showed concern and hurriedly stopped her cousins, saying, “Don’t force him to drink.”

The cousins laughed and said, “Now you’re showing concern.”

As the banquet continued with cups being exchanged and toasts made, Huo Tan quickly blended in with the family, seamlessly integrating into the Cui family’s social circle.

Cui Yunzhao, after just one cup of wine, set her cup down and quietly ate the food beside Huo Tan.

After three rounds of drinking, the room finally settled down. The now portly sixth uncle pointed at a white porcelain dish on the table and said, “Eat up, eat up. This is the specially made roast duck from Baiwei Restaurant that I had delivered early this morning. I remember that the second niece loves it.”

Cui Yunzhao thoughtfully served a piece of roast duck to Huo Tan.

Huo Tan paused with his chopsticks, then said, “Thank you, my lady.”

Seeing them so close, Cui Xu squinted his eyes and suddenly spoke, “Seeing how close you two are, I am very reassured. Actually, there were other circumstances regarding this marriage, but I was afraid the second niece would be upset, so I never mentioned it.”

“Now that I see you have a good relationship, I will tell you the truth.”

Cui Yunzhao saw Huo Tan look at her, raising his elegantly arched eyebrows.

Suppressing her smile, Cui Yunzhao asked, “Second uncle, what is the truth?”

Cui Xu, unaffected by the audience’s curious gazes, continued calmly, “Actually, your marriage was arranged long ago. The in-laws were acquainted with my elder brother and verbally agreed on the marriage. However, it was done in haste, and no formal documents were made, leaving only a pair of jade pendants as a token.”

Cui Xu took out the pair of jade pendants and looked at Cui Yunzhao and Huo Tan with a kindly expression.

“It seems that your marriage truly is a match made in heaven.”

He extended his hand, expecting the couple to accept the most perfect evidence of this scene.

However, neither Cui Yunzhao nor Huo Tan moved.

Cui Xu’s face stiffened, and He Lan, standing by his side, added, “Are you so overjoyed that you’ve become foolish? Hurry up and take the token.”

Cui Yunzhao suddenly lowered her head.

At this moment, Huo Tan lifted his gaze and looked sharply at Cui Xu.

The fierce and menacing aura that he had previously restrained reemerged, and in an instant, he seemed to have become a different person.

No longer the composed young groom, he now resembled a seasoned general.

Huo Tan’s voice rang out low and steady “Uncle, how could I not know about this matter?

“When my father was on his deathbed, I was the one who saw him off personally. I asked him if he had any final words, and he said he did not. My father was a pillar of the nation, loyal to the country, and died without regrets. If he had truly arranged such a favorable match for me, he would not have kept it secret.

“As a child, one must be filial to their parents. Even though my father has long passed, he should not be maliciously slandered in this way.”

Huo Tan’s voice was firm and resonant, echoing clearly through the hall.

“Uncle, where did this jade pendant come from? Were you deceived by some schemer?

Huo Tan’s words left no room for Cui Xu to defend himself, striking a heavy blow in the silent hall.

“It seems that I have misunderstood my second uncle. My second uncle went to look for General Lu with my wife’s marriage in mind. It turned out that he was not seeking the position of a political advisor in Boling, but was deceived by someone.

“Who is so evil that he dares to manipulate the head of the Cui family and slander the late governor? Second uncle, please tell me his name and I will kill him to clear the name of my father and second uncle.

In just a few words, the image of the decisive young general had made a deep impression.

The hall was so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard, and the young people at the neighboring tables dared not even breathe.

At the main table, Cui Xu’s face had already turned ashen.

The other uncles and aunts also had grim expressions, their eyes lowered in silence.

When Huo Tan spoke of killing someone, his tone was casual, as if it were a trivial matter.

For him, taking a life seemed almost insignificant.

Cui Xu clearly hadn’t expected Huo Tan to react this way. Not only did he completely disbelieve his explanation, but he also overturned the cheerful facade of the occasion.

This outcome was entirely unforeseen.

He had arranged a marriage for his niece, and Huo Tan, in order to uphold the Cui family’s reputation, had married a distinguished wife. Wasn’t this reputation meant to be favorable?

He didn’t understand.

Huo Tan’s blunt honesty on the table not only left no room for himself but also delivered a harsh slap to Cui Xu’s face.

At this moment, Cui Xu felt a sharp pain throughout his body. Unsure of how to respond, he remained silent, and the room fell into a terrifying quiet.

Suddenly, a low sobbing sound broke the silence.

Cui Xu’s heart jumped, and an unfamiliar panic gripped him instantly.

Looking up, he saw that Cui Yunzhao’s eyes were already brimming with tears.

She lowered her head slightly, tears streaming from her beautiful eyes, appearing both pitiful and vulnerable.

Cui Yunzhao gently dabbed at her cheeks with a handkerchief but left some tears on her face, making her seem even more weak and helpless.

“It turns out,” she choked out, “that Uncle actually believed the slander of a petty person and arranged my marriage this way. I was wrong to suspect you and Aunt. It turns out you weren’t greedy for vanity or for that political position.”

Their duet solidified the vague notion of a scheming petty person, but everyone present knew that Cui Xu was indeed motivated by the political position.

If he couldn’t expose that petty person today, he wouldn’t be able to spin a story about a matchmaking deal. In the end, he would remain the Cui family patriarch who sold his daughter for personal gain.

Cui Xu’s face turned an ugly shade. He realized that neither Cui Yunzhao nor Huo Tan was willing to continue playing along with his farce.

He Lan’s face was pale. She wanted to speak but was silenced by a harsh glare from Cui Xu.

He forced a smile, sighed deeply, and said, “I was too foolish, believing such slander. However, it turned out that an accidental mistake led to a good match.”

His skin was indeed thick, unwilling to admit his greed and vanity.

That elusive petty person certainly did not exist, so Cui Xu quickly moved on and raised his cup “On this joyous day, let’s not dwell on unpleasant matters. Cheers.”

Huo Tan couldn’t help but admire him. He glanced at Cui Yunzhao, seeing that she was still crying, and didn’t move.

The young couple remained seated, and the other uncles and aunts stayed where they were.

Everyone knew that the real focus of the day was these two.

The Cui family was a prestigious clan, but Huo Tan was a rising military star. The current emperor was a forceful ruler with vassals declaring themselves emperors. Who would dare to be disrespectful to a military general?

Huo Tan sighed, his voice softening “Since Uncle has admitted his mistake…”

“Then don’t cry anymore. Be careful not to ruin your eyes from crying.”

Cui Xu’s vague remarks, when interpreted by Huo Tan, became an acknowledgment of fault to these younger generations. But Cui Xu, feeling guilty and unable to produce any petty person, could only sit by and sneer.

Cui Yunzhao looked up at Huo Tan, her eyes filled with a spring-like softness, misty and appealing.

She spoke softly, “But husband, I’m scared.”

Huo Tan asked, “What are you afraid of? Don’t you have me here?”

“But my younger sister and younger brother are still at home. What if there are petty people trying to harm them? I can’t rest easy.”

Cui Yunzhao’s words made He Lan’s lips tremble.

She twisted her handkerchief tightly, struggling to keep herself from speaking out in anger.

She had cared for those two younger ones so well, but now they were turned into victims of schemers by this troublesome girl? The younger ones were so talented that they didn’t need any further scheming; they would never amount to much.

He Lan was thrown off balance by Cui Yunzhao’s words, her thoughts becoming chaotic.

Cui Yunzhao raised her teary eyes to Cui Xu.

Then she looked at each of the elders in the family.

“My father passed away early, and my mother also passed away. The three of us siblings rely on our elders to take care of us at home,” Cui Yunzhao said in a sad voice. “But I also know that my second uncle is the patriarch and holds an important position in Bo Ling’s political affairs. He can be said to be up early and sleep late every day. How can I trouble my second uncle to care about my younger brothers and sisters?”