During this tea-serving ceremony at the Duke's Manor, Wei Rao noticed several changes.
For instance, Fourth Master—who had recently resumed his official post—had trimmed the full beard he'd sported during the first tea ceremony, now keeping only a short mustache. With his refined features and gentle gaze, he appeared approachable and completely free of his former gloominess. Fourth Madam, having become a mother, carried herself with even greater gentleness. Though their eldest son Ang'er was merely two years old, her abdomen already swelled again with another child.
Beyond the fourth branch, the second branch had also seen changes. Second Young Master Lu Ya had married Qiao Shi last August. Hailing from a noble family, Qiao Shi was gentle and elegant—the very daughter-in-law Second Madam had personally selected.
After sharing some intimate words with the Duchess of Yingguo, Wei Rao left for the Hall of Pine and Moon with Lu Zhuo.
"What did Grandmother say to you?" Lu Zhuo asked deliberately as they strolled along the secluded winding path.
Wei Rao looked at his solemn face and suddenly felt amused. Why was she the only one who could see through Lu Zhuo's gentlemanly facade while everyone else remained fooled? Or perhaps Lu Zhuo only revealed his ungentlemanly side around her?
Due to the innate disparity in physical strength between men and women, Wei Rao had been completely overpowered by him throughout the previous night, utterly defenseless. Now, early in the morning, Lu Zhuo was already teasing her again. Unwilling to let him have the upper hand, Wei Rao curved her lips and gazed at the spring scenery along the path. "Since we delayed consummating our first marriage, Grandmother worried you might have certain... physical limitations. She still seems concerned this time."
Lu Zhuo's expression shifted—not because he actually believed his grandmother would ask such a thing, but from astonishment at Wei Rao's bluntness.
After scanning their surroundings to confirm even the nearest servants couldn't overhear, Lu Zhuo turned back to Wei Rao's fair face and asked quietly, "Is that so? And how did the Lady respond?"
Wei Rao's smile deepened as she walked to a willow tree, broke off a slender branch, and began playing with it while walking. The flexible willow twig, long and thin, coiled around her jade-like fingers before springing back to its original shape when released.
She said nothing, only smiled with clear implication.
She only regretted this wasn't happening at the dining table—had there been a plate of bean sprouts to echo her grandmother's old saying, it would have been even more amusing.
Lu Zhuo watched the willow branch in her hand and her mischievous grin. After his expression shifted several times, he too began to smile.
The servants at the Hall of Pine and Moon greeted their young madam again with formal courtesy. After completing all necessary rituals, Wei Rao instructed Lu Zhuo to remain in the front hall while she returned to her room to catch up on sleep. Lu Zhuo's relentless activities had lasted until midnight—had Wei Rao not trained in martial arts for years, maintaining a delicate yet resilient constitution, an ordinary gentlewoman might have failed to rise this morning, or perhaps even perished from exhaustion.
Wei Rao felt somewhat uncomfortable but had forced herself to endure for the tea ceremony.
Her rest lasted until the sun dipped westward. Waking, she discovered Lu Zhuo sitting by the window with a book in hand.
Wei Rao's expression tightened—was this man reading more bedroom techniques again?
With only the two of them in the room, Wei Rao worried Lu Zhuo might misbehave. She immediately rang the bedside bell, summoning Bitao and Liuya.
By the time Lu Zhuo realized what was happening, the two maids were already requesting entry at the door.
"Come in," Lu Zhuo said, casting a regretful glance toward the bed curtains behind the screen.
By the time Wei Rao finished freshening up, another half-hour had passed.
With dinner still far off, Lu Zhuo suggested taking Wei Rao for a stroll in the Hall of Pine and Moon's rear garden.
Wei Rao followed him there.As the heir, Lu Zhuo's status naturally differed from that of Lu Ya and others. The Hall of Pine and Moon featured a three-section layout, comparable to a standalone three-courtyard residence. Its rear garden was accordingly spacious.
Wei Rao had visited here before. Back then, the garden had more trees than flowers, suggesting Lu Zhuo lacked the leisure to cultivate blooms. Yet today, she was surprised to find the garden transformed. A channel had been dug from the main ornamental lake of the Duke's Manor, bringing flowing water to create an exquisite lotus pond at the garden's center—much like the one in the Swallow Garden of Secluded Manor.
Wei Rao approached the pond and looked down. Fresh green lotus leaves floated on the surface, while a school of palm-sized red carp swam carefree below.
"I recall the princess enjoys watching fish," Lu Zhuo said, standing beside her though his gaze drifted to the "beauty's recliner" in the pavilion. To this day, he remembered visiting Swallow Garden to discuss their trip to Jin City. That day, Wei Rao had worn a crabapple-pink jacket over crimson long skirts, leaning over the recliner to feed fish. Her snow-white neck was bent, her enchanting form draped bonelessly over the chair, the embroidered tips of her shoes peeking from beneath her skirts.
Though he knew he shouldn't stare, that image had taken root in his heart, unforgettable.
Wei Rao did indeed enjoy it. She cast him a flirtatious glance before smiling and moving to the pavilion entrance, lifting her skirts to step inside.
The spring sunlight was brilliant. This newly built pavilion offered views of the garden's finest scenes: bamboo groves to the east, weeping willows lining the northern wall along the water channel, small bridges and rockeries arranged harmoniously, emerald rose vines newly climbing the western wall, and not far away, a swing and grape arbor. Closer by, across the lotus pond, lay a flowerbed planted entirely with... peonies.
Wei Rao gently bit her red lips.
Lu Zhuo had been observing her expression. "If the princess dislikes peonies, I'll have the gardener replace them," he offered.
Long ago, people had compared Wei Rao to peonies, using the flower to mock her lack of decorum. But Lu Zhuo believed peonies perfectly captured Wei Rao's beauty. After she left, he had personally planted this peony bed, visiting during blooming seasons to remember her through the flowers.
Yet he couldn't be sure—would she appreciate his gesture or resent him for using peonies to insult her, though he meant no such thing?
As Wei Rao remained silent, Lu Zhuo grew uneasy. Her temper was formidable; if provoked, he'd have a headache.
"Do you like peonies, heir?" Wei Rao tilted her head, studying him. "Before me, before you heard about peonies and tree peonies, did you have a favorite flower?"
Lu Zhuo thought momentarily and shook his head. "No. I've never had the refinement for flower appreciation or poetry."
Wei Rao leaned against the chair back, gazing at the peonies. "As a child, I preferred crabapple blossoms. Tree peonies and peonies seemed similar to me—both beautiful, but too large to wear in hair comfortably. Unlike tiny, delicate pink crabapples that could be woven into wreaths. Later, when people said I resembled peonies and criticized the flower, I observed them closely and grew to love them."
Peonies or tree peonies, Wei Rao adored them all. Such beautiful, vibrant blossoms—what did they know? They simply grew and bloomed quietly.
Wei Rao loved peonies, and she loved Lu Zhuo's thoughtfulness in planting them for her.
"No need to change them. They're perfect as they are." Wei Rao smiled at Lu Zhuo.A spring breeze stirred a stray lock of her hair, and Lu Zhuo reached out to tuck it behind her ear.
Wei Rao’s cheeks warmed slightly as she stood up and said, “Let’s continue our stroll. In a few days, I’ll take you to see my Princess Manor.”
Lu Zhuo’s heart stirred, and he asked her, “How do you plan to arrange things at the Princess Manor?”
Such a large estate would be a pity to leave vacant if Wei Rao didn’t live there, but as the heir, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to move out with her.
Wei Rao had considered this issue before her marriage. Since Lu Zhuo asked, she replied, “As long as Grandmother is here, I’ll only move to the Princess Manor in the summer. It’s surrounded by water and stays cool, making it perfect for escaping the heat. The other three seasons, I’ll return to serve Grandmother.”
Currently, Second Madam and Third Madam jointly managed the household affairs. Wei Rao had no intention of taking over immediately. She already had plenty of her own enterprises to manage and preferred to enjoy a few more carefree years while she was young. Once Old Madam passed away and the Back Residence no longer had her steadying presence, Wei Rao would fully embrace her role as the matriarch of the Lu Family. However, Old Madam was still in good health, so it was too early to think about such matters.
“What do you think, Heir?” Wei Rao asked. After all, they were truly married now, and she needed to consider Lu Zhuo’s opinion. If he wished for her to establish the authority of the Lu Family’s main branch immediately, she would respect his wishes.
Lu Zhuo trusted the integrity of Second Madam and Third Madam. His aunts had jointly managed the household for over two decades, never abusing their power for personal gain and always accommodating his mother’s requests. Since Wei Rao still wanted a few more years of freedom, Lu Zhuo saw no reason to insist she take over the Duke’s Manor’s affairs right away.
“That’s fine. In a couple of years, I might be assigned to a post outside the capital. If you’re not managing the household, you can accompany me.”
Wei Rao looked surprised. “Aren’t you the deputy general of the Divine Martial Army? In peacetime, why would you be assigned elsewhere?”
Lu Zhuo explained, “While the capital is a comfortable place to train soldiers, it doesn’t produce skilled generals. As a military leader, one must understand the conditions at the borders. Moreover, rotating border generals every three years prevents them from amassing too much power and becoming a threat.”
Except for the main generals of the Four Elite Armies, who were always selected from the Lu, Han, Qi, and Li families based on merit, all other border generals were regularly rotated.
Wei Rao understood but didn’t immediately agree to follow Lu Zhuo to the border. Her family was in the capital, and for now, she had no desire to travel so far with him.
“What, you don’t want to come with me?"Lu Zhuo keenly sensed her thoughts.
Wei Rao evaded the question with a laugh." “You said it yourself—it won’t be for another two years. We’ll see when the time comes. Maybe you won’t even be selected.”
She ran off to play on the swing, sitting on it with a radiant smile as she called for Lu Zhuo to push her.
Lu Zhuo smiled back and walked behind her, but the smile faded from his face.
He had long known that Wei Rao hadn’t married him out of deep affection but because, among all the young men in the capital, none surpassed him in excellence. If there had been someone else, someone who pursued her just as fervently, Wei Rao might have completely abandoned him and happily thrown herself into another’s arms.
Wei Rao’s marriage to him seemed more like an act of vanity—a way to retaliate against his earlier aloof pride, to spite those who had looked down on her, and to proudly marry the most outstanding young scion of the capital. Just as men took pride in winning a peerless beauty, he, Lu Zhuo, was little more than a trophy in Wei Rao’s eyes—something she could flaunt to elicit envy from others.
But last night, they had shared such intimacy. He had brought her so much pleasure. How could she be unwilling to follow him to a post elsewhere?Lu Zhuo was reminded of the idle chatter he had overheard among the soldiers at the border. In the eyes of those unmarried young soldiers, women were easily tamed—once a man possessed a woman’s body, she would become utterly devoted to him. Failing that, if she bore him a child, she would willingly stay and serve her husband wholeheartedly.
Lu Zhuo had never regarded Wei Rao as one of those submissive women, nor did he stoop to using a child to bind her heart. Yet last night, he had truly believed Wei Rao had surrendered in his embrace.
But now, after clinging to him so tightly through the night, had she forgotten everything by daybreak?
Lu Zhuo suddenly tightened his grip on the swing.
He had been gently swaying it earlier, lulling Wei Rao into comfort. But when the swing abruptly soared high, her heart seemed to leap into the air with it. Gripping the ropes tightly, she cried out angrily, "Lu Zhuo!"
Snapping back to reality, Lu Zhuo saw her soaring high on the swing, her vibrant red skirt fluttering like butterfly wings. After a momentary pause at the peak, she swiftly descended toward him.
Though the sight was breathtakingly beautiful, Lu Zhuo broke into a cold sweat. What if she lost her grip and fell from mid-air?
Adjusting his stance swiftly, Lu Zhuo seized the ropes with one hand as the swing reached its lowest point and wrapped his other arm around Wei Rao’s waist. "Let go!" he commanded.
Wei Rao released the ropes at once, but it was too late. The swing’s momentum pulled both of them backward, soaring upward again while they tumbled out of it!
The only thing Lu Zhuo could do was cushion the back of Wei Rao’s head with his hand.
With a heavy thud, the newlywed couple crashed to the ground.
Wei Rao, seated lower on the swing and protected by Lu Zhuo’s hand, felt no pain from the fall. However, the weight of Lu Zhuo landing on top of her knocked the breath from her lungs.
Gasping for air, she opened her eyes, ready to glare at him, when the light above her dimmed—Lu Zhuo had leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.
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