The night was as dark as ink, with most of the city's residents already retired. A carriage rumbled along the cobblestone street.
The coachman drove while Zhao Song followed closely behind the carriage. Twelve guards from the Divine Martial Army flanked the vehicle both in front and behind.
When they had just departed from the Meng residence, the clamor of the military officers had been too loud for Zhao Song to hear any sounds from inside the carriage. Now that the road had grown quiet, intermittent retching sounds emerged from within. Zhao Song wanted to enter to attend to his master, but the Young Lord refused.
During tonight's banquet, the Young Lord had hardly eaten anything, drinking continuously instead. More than five jars of strong liquor could overwhelm even the hardiest of men—vomiting was actually a good thing.
The general's residence lay just ahead.
As the carriage came to a halt, Zhao Song dismounted and lifted the curtain. A strong smell of alcohol wafted out. In the dim lantern light, the Young Lord sat slumped in a corner of the carriage, wearing only white underwear, his eyes closed—whether resting or asleep was unclear.
Zhao Song immediately removed his own outer robe, climbed into the carriage, draped it over the Young Lord, and then helped him up.
Lu Zhuo could feel Zhao Song's movements, but his mind was foggy, and he felt utterly drained.
Supported by Zhao Song as he stepped down from the carriage, a cold wind blew against his face, rousing him slightly. He murmured to Zhao Song, "Don't inform the Lady yet. Have A Gui clean me up first. Let the Lady see me only after I'm presentable..."
His voice grew fainter, and Zhao Song had to guess the last few words.
This iron-willed man's eyes reddened at the Young Lord's humility before the Lady. In other households, wives cared for their husbands, yet the Young Lord feared that his disheveled state would disgust the Lady, giving such instructions even before passing out.
After instructing the steward not to notify the Back Residence, Zhao Song helped the Young Lord to the front residence bedchamber. A Gui then took over attending at the bedside, while Zhao Song stood guard outside.
Although he had forbidden the steward from reporting, Wei Rao had sent maids to keep an eye on the front residence. Upon hearing that Lu Zhuo had returned, she threw on her cloak and hurried over.
"My Lady, please wait. The Young Lord has passed out from drunkenness, and A Gui is cleaning him up," Zhao Song blocked the doorway, bowing his head as he spoke.
Wei Rao frowned. "Let me see him."
Zhao Song glanced at the Lady's elegant skirt hem and said, "These were the Young Lord's specific orders before he lost consciousness. He didn't wish for you to see him in such a filthy state. Please understand, my Lady."
Wei Rao found it amusing. "I've seen him looking half-dead before. What's a little vomit and alcohol?"
With that, she strode inside.
Zhao Song dared not lay a hand on the Lady's noble person—even if she bumped into him, he wouldn't dare. He swiftly lowered his outstretched arm.
Wei Rao entered.
Bitao followed her mistress, and as she passed Zhao Song, he couldn't resist stealing a glance at her, earning a disdainful glare from Bitao.
Zhao Song's heart instantly churned with anxiety.
Inside the chamber, A Gui hadn't yet managed to remove the Young Lord's underwear when Lu Zhuo began retching again. A Gui hurriedly supported him with one hand while holding a spare brass basin with the other. Just as Wei Rao and her maid entered, A Gui had laid him back down.
"My Lady," A Gui promptly moved the basin aside.
Wei Rao looked toward the kang bed, where Lu Zhuo's face was flushed crimson from recent vomiting, a layer of sweat beading on his forehead.
"Fetch some sobering tea," Wei Rao instructed Bitao. She approached the kang, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Lu Zhuo's face.
A Gui frowned deeply. "My Lady, the master is this heavily intoxicated—I fear he won't be able to drink even if the tea is brought."Wei Rao said, "You must drink it even if you can't keep it down, or you'll feel worse. I'll watch over him here. Go to the kitchen and see if there's any leftover porridge—simmer it until it's thin and bring it over."
A Gui accepted the order and left.
Wei Rao took off her shoes, knelt beside Lu Zhuo, and gently patted his cheek.
It took several pats before Lu Zhuo cracked open a sliver of his eyes.
Wei Rao smiled softly and said, "Can you sit up? Let's sober up before sleeping."
Lu Zhuo saw a stunningly beautiful and gentle face, very much like Wei Rao's. But how could Wei Rao wear such an expression? Before they truly became husband and wife, Wei Rao had despised him, either mocking him or speaking coldly. After they became intimate, she would smile at him, scold him playfully, speak calmly with him, and even display enchanting charm at night—yet she had never shown him tenderness. It was common for her to coyly order him to fetch water or attend to her.
"Who are you?" Lu Zhuo's drunken phoenix eyes held a trace of wariness and resistance.
Wei Rao laughed. Was he so drunk he didn't even recognize her?
"I'm your wife," Wei Rao held his hand and coaxed him gently.
Lu Zhuo weakly tried to shake off her hand. Impossible—Wei Rao could never be this tender and considerate.
Bitao entered with the sobering tea. Wei Rao still hadn't managed to coax Lu Zhuo into sitting up cooperatively. Since coaxing didn't work, she resorted to force. Together with Bitao, they propped Lu Zhuo up to lean against the kang wall. Bitao held his shoulders while Wei Rao pinched his chin with one hand and poured the tea with the other.
At first, Lu Zhuo struggled and refused to cooperate, but as the sobering tea diluted the remaining strong liquor in his stomach, he began to feel better and stopped resisting.
He drank a little and vomited a little—what came up was mostly alcohol. The most pitiful was Bitao, who couldn't dodge in time and had half her clothes soaked.
Bitao tried to find humor in the situation: "No matter how drunk the Young Lord is, he knows not to offend the princess." Look, he's vomiting all over me and not a drop on you."
Wei Rao smiled and glanced at Lu Zhuo.
By now, Lu Zhuo had regained some clarity and no longer doubted her identity. But finding himself in such a wretched state before her again, and being teased by both mistress and maid, he simply lowered his eyelashes and pretended to still be drunk.
After his stomach was emptied and he had relieved himself twice, Wei Rao told Bitao to return to the Back Residence to change clothes and dismissed A Gui as well. She would wipe Lu Zhuo's body herself.
The room was heated by the Underfloor Heating System, and Lu Zhuo's drunken state made him feverish all over. Even with his clothes removed, he didn't feel cold.
"How much did you drink to end up like this?" Wei Rao asked while wiping him down.
Lu Zhuo, watching her unusually gentle demeanor, replied hoarsely, "Lost count."
Wei Rao snorted, "I truly don't understand you men. If you're discontent, why not settle it at the training grounds? Why must you compete in drinking? Does the best drinker automatically become the commander?"
Lu Zhuo smiled bitterly.
He didn't understand either why men loved drinking contests—not just military officers, but whether noble sons or common laborers, when provoked, they all liked to set up drinking challenges. Whoever remained standing till the end won respect and prestige. Lu Zhuo didn't enjoy drinking and his capacity was only slightly better than average. His ability to last until the end of banquets relied on sheer willpower.
Drunk as he was, when Wei Rao wiped his waist and abdomen, Lu Zhuo still reacted.
Wei Rao glared at him. "You don't even have the strength to sit up by yourself, and you're still thinking about such indecent things?"Lu Zhuo raised his eyes to the roof beams. His face remained flushed from intoxication, revealing no other discernible emotion.
After wiping him clean, Wei Rao helped him into his underwear and tucked him beneath the quilts.
A Gui entered to remove the copper basin. Wei Rao opened the window to clear the stale air from the room. Once Lu Zhuo had drunk a bowl of thin congee, she also settled down to rest there.
Lu Zhuo, drained of energy, embraced her briefly before quickly falling asleep.
Wei Rao remained wide awake.
She seldom saw Lu Zhuo in such a wretched state. Deputy General Meng Kuo, along with the local military officers, had plied him with countless rounds of liquor. Recalling how Lu Zhuo had suffered and vomited from discomfort, Wei Rao felt deeply unsettled. As husband and wife were one, any scheme against Lu Zhuo by Deputy General Meng was a scheme against her as well—especially since just yesterday, the deputy general had attempted to present Lu Zhuo with Persian beauties.
Lost in these troubled thoughts, Wei Rao had no idea when she finally drifted off.
Before dawn the next day, A Gui sent Bitao to hurry them along—the Young Lord had to report to the military camp that morning and could not afford delay.
At Bitao’s urging, both Lu Zhuo and Wei Rao awoke. While Wei Rao felt relatively fine, Lu Zhuo was tormented by a splitting headache from the previous night’s excess. His once flushed face had turned ashen, his lips nearly devoid of color.
“From now on, I forbid you to compete in drinking outside. If others try to force you, just tell them I won’t allow it,” Wei Rao declared as she poured tea and handed it to him.
Lu Zhuo first sipped the tea to moisten his throat, then replied, “If I did that, I might avoid the liquor, but I’d earn a reputation for being henpecked."You married a princess specially ennobled by the Emperor, not some ordinary gentlewoman." What does it matter if you’re afraid of me? Besides, given all we’ve done in the capital, outsiders have probably long spread rumors that you’re henpecked.”
Lu Zhuo was taken aback—her words did carry some logic.
“You’re not afraid of them anyway. Why endure such hardship just to avoid offending others?” Wei Rao snatched the teacup and refilled it for him.
Lu Zhuo chuckled, “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
Young and robust, Lu Zhuo had regained seventy to eighty percent of his vigor after breakfast. Donned in his commander’s silver armor, he cut a dashing and heroic figure.
He departed for the military camp, taking Zhao Song with him and leaving Zhao Bai behind.
Wei Rao summoned Zhao Bai and instructed him to gather information about Deputy General Meng’s household.
Deputy General Meng was a prominent figure in Ganzhou City. With deliberate inquiry, few secrets remained hidden.
When Lu Zhuo returned that evening, Wei Rao informed him, “Tomorrow night, we’ll host a banquet at home. Invite Deputy General Meng.”
Lu Zhuo asked in surprise, “You wish to see him?”
Wei Rao smiled without answering.
But Lu Zhuo could tell—she likely intended to return the favor and teach Deputy General Meng a lesson.
Lu Zhuo cautioned her, “Deputy General Meng has rendered meritorious service guarding Ganzhou. If you’re upset, a minor reprimand will suffice. Don’t let things escalate.”
Wei Rao understood; she knew well where to draw the line.
Observing her confident demeanor, Lu Zhuo felt a stir of emotion. Grasping her hand, he asked, “Are you punishing him because he made me drink?”
Wei Rao slapped his hand away and snorted, “Don’t flatter yourself. He presented beauties to you right in front of me—clearly, he holds me in no regard.”
Lu Zhuo laughed, growing even more curious about how Wei Rao planned to “return the courtesy.”
The following evening, Meng Kuo arrived at the general’s residence as agreed.
Wei Rao did not make an appearance, merely instructing the kitchen to prepare a lavish spread of fine wine and dishes, and arranging for Persian dancers to perform. Since Lu Zhuo had recently executed a local deputy general to assert his authority, Meng Kuo respected his ruthlessness. The banquet proceeded with host and guest enjoying themselves heartily. As for the gracefully dancing Persian beauties, neither man paid them much attention—they became mere ornaments.After the banquet, as Meng Kuo stumbled out drunk, a maid happened to run toward him from outside, and the two collided head-on.
"How reckless! Go and receive your punishment," Lu Zhuo scolded.
The young maid trembled and withdrew.
Meng Kuo said magnanimously, "It's nothing, General, no need to worry about it."
When Meng Kuo returned home, his wife, Lady Wei, considerately helped him undress. But as soon as she approached him, she sniffed and scrutinized her husband, saying, "Why do you smell of rouge and powder?"
Meng Kuo sniffed as well—there did seem to be a fragrance. After a moment's thought, he realized, "Oh, I bumped into a young maid at the general's residence. It must have been the rouge and powder on her."
Lady Wei didn't believe him and interrogated him harshly. Meng Kuo, having done nothing wrong, stood his ground confidently. Knowing him well enough, Lady Wei let it go.
Unexpectedly, after a night's sleep, the next morning, the general's residence sent over a beautiful and alluring Persian beauty, claiming that Deputy General Meng had been drunk at the residence the previous night and had requested a beauty to attend to him. Due to the deputy general's excessive vigor, the Persian beauty had been too unwell to get out of bed and had stayed overnight at the residence, only to be sent over today.
Lady Wei's face darkened as she stared at the Persian beauty kneeling before her. "Did the deputy general truly favor you?"
The Persian beauty, having been instructed by the general's residence, blushed and nodded, even pulling down her collar slightly to reveal a few ambiguous red marks on her shoulder.
Recalling the scent of rouge and powder she had detected on Meng Kuo the night before, Lady Wei felt her blood boil. She immediately ordered her maid to pack her things and stormed off in a rage to return to her parents' home. By the time Meng Kuo received the news and rushed back, his beloved wife, Lady Wei, had long since disappeared.
"You wretched slave, who told you to spout such nonsense?" Meng Kuo grabbed the Persian beauty by the collar, his face dark with fury, inwardly cursing Lu Zhuo a thousand times over.
The Persian beauty trembled fearfully and stammered, "Please calm your anger, General. It was... it was the princess who arranged it. The princess said she had heard you favored Persian beauties and ordered me to serve you well."
Meng Kuo was startled. He recalled the day he had welcomed Lu Zhuo into the city and the princess he had paid no mind to. Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter.
The servants exchanged bewildered glances.
After laughing three or four times, Meng Kuo cursed loudly, ordered the Persian beauty to be brought along, and rode off on horseback to chase after Lady Wei.
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