After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 22.1
Chapter 22: The Grand Wedding
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The sky outside the window gradually brightened, and the warm morning sun gently spilled into the room. The tall figure of a man descended onto the red carpet on the ground, intertwining with the petite shadow of Ruan An, instantly enveloping them.
When Huo Pingxiao spoke the words “wife and child,” something seemed to hit Ruan An’s heart, accompanied by an uncontrollable palpitation. A faint warmth quietly spread from her cheeks to her ears.
Suddenly, she recalled that when they were still in the Xinghua Village in Jiazhou, Huo Pingxiao spoke to her in the same way as he did now—direct and candid.
But if this continued, she would be exposed…
On that day, time was limited, and Huo Pingxiao didn’t have the chance to ask about the reason for her sudden appearance in Chang’an. He probably didn’t know that she admired him.
She had to conceal it and control herself; otherwise, he would suspect her motives.
Thinking of this, Ruan An deliberately changed the topic, “There have been rumors in the capital recently about you and me. Do you know the reason behind it, Lord Hou?”
“I spread those rumors myself,” Huo Pingxiao said, sitting casually on a nearby circular chair.
Ruan An’s speculation was confirmed, but she still asked, “Why would Lord Hou do such a thing?”
In those rumors, besides the gossip about her and Huo Pingxiao, there were exaggerated tales of her medical skills.
“I wanted you to marry me as Ruan Gu, the famous Jiannan physician. However, the noble families in Chang’an only recognize marriages of equal status,” Huo Pingxiao said with slightly lowered eyes, his words carrying a hidden meaning.
Ruan An, of course, understood the implied message behind Huo Pingxiao’s words.
It’s nothing more than the distinction in social status. For someone of her background to become the Madam Huo, in the eyes of outsiders, it’s like an impossible task.
“But you don’t need to think too much about it. The former Empress Liu also came from a humble background in Shu, yet she almost took control of the court and became the emperor. As for me, I only have the title of a marquis, nothing special. It’s just that people might gossip a bit more. I’m afraid you might care about that.”
Huo Pingxiao arranged everything for her and comforted her with words, and naturally, Ruan An was moved.
However, once she entered the marquis’s residence, it felt like entering a deep sea. Having experienced the conflicts and struggles in the inner court in her previous life, she knew that the household and the palace were probably similar. She wasn’t sure if she could adapt to this completely new life.
Ruan An gently opened her lips, appearing as if she had something to say but hesitated.
“Don’t want to marry me anymore?”
Seeing Ruan An’s expression, Huo Pingxiao’s cold eyes slightly narrowed, concealing the faint hostility in his pupils.
He felt that Ruan An still had some fear of him, so his attitude towards her remained gentle.
But could her hesitation be related to Li Yifang?
Thinking of this, his voice, as cold as solid gold and jade, became somewhat rigid: “Am I not as good as Li Yifang?”
Halfway through his words, Huo Pingxiao suddenly realized that Huo Xi should not stay and continue listening to their conversation. So, he asked the little guy to temporarily leave.
Huo Xi obediently nodded at Huo Pingxiao, then hurriedly left the hall with short legs.
However, the boy was not an ordinary child. Although he agreed verbally, he secretly hid behind a screen and put his chubby hands near his ears. He blinked his thick black eyelashes continuously while eavesdropping on their conversation.
Ruan An continued, “It has nothing to do with him, Marquis. You are aware that I am just a village girl, and I may not adapt to the life of the high-born. In case… if you impulsively marry me and we gradually develop conflicts, having an unpleasant relationship… I also need to leave myself a way out.”
At that time, Huo Pingxiao was about to go to Qianzhong to suppress a rebellion, and time was pressing. However, he still made preparations for this marriage with Ruan An.
Ensuring that the news of the deceased cousin’s death was kept secret was his other preparation.
The girl seemed to be particularly concerned about her identity as a healer. If she were to marry into the Marquis’s mansion as a medical maiden, she would not be able to practice medicine and treat people in the future.
“Alright, I understand.”
Huo Pingxiao finished speaking and stood up from the round chair. When he walked behind Ruan An, he lowered his brows, looked at the timid girl in front of him, spoke in a slow and gentle tone, and said, “But I need to ask Miss Ruan to marry me as the cousin of the Fang family.”
He had never experienced the taste of love between a man and a woman before and always felt that it was nothing special, not worth pursuing. But Ruan An was the mother of his child, and he was at the age to marry. Perhaps Ruan An currently had no good feelings towards him, but through their interaction, she might become a loving wife for the sake of their child.
With these thoughts in mind, Huo Pingxiao gazed at Ruan An’s tender eyebrows and eyes again, making a promise to her, “If Miss agrees to marry me as Fang’s cousin, I promise not to take concubines. This way, after you become the mistress, there won’t be any disputes from the back courtyard. However, I have been busy with external battles and don’t want to manage the residence given by the Emperor. After marriage, Miss may have to stay with me in the Marquis’s mansion for some time.”
Ruan An’s long and thick eyelashes trembled, and she nodded in a bewildered manner.
“If, after marriage, you truly do not like me and want to divorce, I can write a divorce letter at any time.”
At this point, Huo Pingxiao felt that Ruan An’s expression was somewhat unusual. He couldn’t discern the emotions hidden in her limpid and beautiful eyes.
Then, he also thought that he shouldn’t bring up the matter of the divorce letter too quickly with her.
“But we are Huo Xi’s parents, and we also need to consider it for the sake of our child. If, at that time, the young lady really wants to bring up the issue of separation, there’s no need to be in such a hurry. Why not wait until Huo Xi enters official service or gets married before discussing it again? Regardless of the outcome, I will ensure the young lady’s remaining years are peaceful and secure.”
Huo Xi had been hiding behind a screen, and he also heard all of Huo Pingxiao’s promises to Ruan An. The boy firmly engraved the last sentence spoken by Huo Pingxiao in his heart.
The boy counted on his fingers.
He was only three and a half years old this year, and children over three years old cannot get married.
However, entering officialdom is a possibility.
Great Li has a Children’s Department, and those aged three and above can participate. As long as they can recite the nine thousand characters from the two classics, ‘The Classic of Filial Piety’ and ‘Analects,’ in front of the Grand Historian, there is a chance of entering officialdom.
In Jiazhou, there is an older brother a few years older than him. After participating in the Children’s Department examination, he was directly summoned to Chang’an by an imperial decree and became a junior scholar in Hongwen Hall.
The teacher his mother hired also mentioned that although he is young, his intelligence is no worse than that brother’s, and he can try to take the Children’s Department examination.
It seemed that Huo Pingxiao was about to leave, and Huo Xi hurriedly walked away from the screen.
His pupils were black and clear, but in his heart, he was thinking, if he could pass the examination early and become an official, would the man who claimed to be his father be able to let go of his mother earlier?
