Marriage to the Royal Prince's Uncle

C33. Why Are You Angry At Me?

Chapter 33

On the morning of August 12th, Yunzhu received an elegant invitation from the Marquis of Huai'an, stating that the next day marked the 33rd birthday of the Marquis Zhang Xingjian. The Marquis extended their invitation for Yunzhu and her husband to attend an evening dinner. In addition to them, the Zhang family also invited Gu Qinghe and his wife.

Cao Xun had only returned to Beijing this year, and Yunzhu was not familiar with his friendships. It was around this time that she had asked Gu Min to go fishing at Wanhua Mountain. During this meeting, Gu Min had chanced upon Cao Xun and shared information about him, his father Gu Qinghe, and the close friendship with the Marquis of Huai'an, Zhang Xingjian.

As such, the Hou Mansion mainly invited Cao Xun, and Yunzhu's inclusion was completely incidental.

Being Cao Xun's friend, Yunzhu didn't bother thinking about birthday gifts. When Cao Xun returned in the evening, she handed him the invitation, saying, "I thought you might want to prepare a birthday gift befitting the Marquis of Huai'an. If you don’t have the time, then I’ll ask Manager Zhang to go to the warehouse and assist you in selecting one."

Cao Xun read the letter and replied, "No need, I'm prepared."

Curious, Yunzhu asked, "Do you always remember his birthday?"

Cao Xun glanced over and replied, "Yes, is there something odd about it?"

Yunzhu didn't respond. She picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.

In truth, she found it quite surprising!

In her view, Cao Xun was simply a shrewd old fox well-versed in human relationships. He only maintained a superficial façade of cordiality with his half-brother and treated her as a young wife. There were probably not many people in the world who could genuinely understand him. Unexpectedly, Cao Xun remembered the birthday of Zhang Xingjian, Marquis of Huai'an.

Yunzhu considered that the so-called close friendship between Cao Xun and Zhang Xingjian stemmed from the camaraderie they shared in their youth, much like Cao Shao and Xie Lang.

Setting the teacup down, Yunzhu looked at him once more and attempted to inquire, "Then do you remember A Min's father's birthday?"

Cao Xun replied, "Yes."

Yunzhu continued, "So, when is your father-in-law's birthday?"

Cao Xun smiled and said, "I remember it."

Yunzhu glared at him. It had only been a short time since they were married. How poor could his memory be to forget?

However, Cao Xun's avoidance only reinforced his disposition. Only Gu Qinghe and Zhang Xingjian were cherished as the brothers with different surnames. The former "Brother Li," who had become his father-in-law, seemed to only pay lip service to fraternal relations.

The following evening, Cao Xun returned home 30 minutes ahead of schedule, changed into casual attire, and took Yunzhu with him to the Zhang's residence at the Huai'an Marquis Mansion.

In addition to a few common gifts selected from the public treasury, Cao Xun also personally brought along a lengthy painting box.

Yunzhu: "Is this a famous painting of someone?"

Cao Xun: "If I can be considered famous in your eyes."

Yunzhu: "...you can also paint."

As she said that, she reached out to touch the painting box he had placed next to her, eager to open it and take a look.

Cao Xun held her small hand and said with a smile: "The carriage jostled and it was damaged carefully. I won't be able to give it away at that time."

Yunzhu sneered: "If you don't want me to see it, don't show it to me. I don't care about it."