After the Mid-Autumn Festival, under the arrangement of Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo, the general's manor held a wedding for Zhao Song and Bitao.
Bitao was a year older than Wei Rao. Though she might be considered slightly older compared to girls marrying at fifteen or sixteen, her early twenties were actually the prime age for a woman—her figure and appearance had fully blossomed, and she had gained some worldly understanding. Marrying a man she truly connected with was like dry wood meeting fierce flames, making her joy impossible to conceal.
Outside the window, the Northwest Wind howled, but the inner room remained warm and cozy. Wei Rao sat reading, while Liuya and Bitao, needles in hand, were busy sewing well-fitting Underwear for her. Wei Rao was already showing signs of pregnancy, and her previous Underwear had become too tight.
"Bitao, you should make a few sets for yourself too. Who knows, you might have good news soon," Liuya said, biting off a thread and teasing Bitao with a smile.
Bitao, having grown accustomed to such jests lately, glanced at the silk fabric in her hands and replied, "I don't need to make any. Even if I do get pregnant, by the time my belly grows, the Young Lady will have already given birth. She dotes on me so much—I can just ask her for her old clothes."
Wei Rao laughed at her. "You really dare to say such things! What, has marriage thickened your skin?"
Bitao chuckled sheepishly.
Wei Rao turned to Liuya. "Bitao picked herself a good husband. What about you? Have you taken a liking to anyone?"
Bitao chimed in, "Zhao Bai is still single. Should I put in a good word for you?"
Liuya glared at her. "Who wants to be your sister-in-law? Right now, I only want to serve the Young Lady and her little one. I'm not craving any man."
The two maids bantered back and forth, soon laughing and chatting amiably again.
In private, Wei Rao took Liuya aside to ask about her intentions. At this age, if Liuya had someone in mind or knew what kind of man she wanted but had no way to find him, Wei Rao was determined to make arrangements for her.
Liuya did indeed wish to marry. Seeing the Young Lady and the Young Lord so deeply in love, and Bitao newly wed to Zhao Song, Liuya couldn't help but feel envious.
Knowing how much the Young Lady cared for her, Liuya blushed and said, "I'd like to marry someone fair-skinned and cheerful."
Wei Rao thought for a moment and asked softly, "Someone like A Gui?"
Liuya was startled, her face flushing crimson. She truly hadn't been thinking of A Gui—she simply preferred fair-complexioned, gentle-looking men. As the Young Lady's maid, she was likely to be matched with one of the stewards under the Young Lady's charge. When she spoke up, she had assumed the Young Lady would choose from among the younger stewards.
She never expected the Young Lady to think of A Gui!
A Gui was the chief steward of the front residence at the Hall of Pine and Moon. If the Young Lord became the head of the household in the future, A Gui would be the chief steward of the entire Duke's Manor. How could she dare aspire to someone so far above her?
"Young Lady, please don't mention this to A Gui. I... I'm not worthy of him," Liuya said, ashamed. She feared A Gui might reluctantly agree out of respect for the Young Lady, or worse, politely decline—either way, she would lose face and find it difficult to visit the front residence again.
Wei Rao understood Liuya's concerns and decided not to press the matter for now. If A Gui noticed Liuya in the next couple of years and proposed on his own, that would be ideal. If he showed no interest, she would wait until returning to the capital and select a suitable match for Liuya from among the stewards of various shops.
Summer in Ganzhou was short, and autumn passed quickly. By the end of September, heavy snow had already begun to fall.Wei Rao lived a life of luxury and comfort. Apart from going out as a guest or personally presiding over the martial arts competitions for the five hundred garrison soldiers at the end of each month, she mostly stayed in the general's mansion to rest during her pregnancy. Lu Zhuo, on the other hand, had a much harder time. Even with charcoal fires lit in the military camp tents, it was far from warm. Especially when he rode back from the camp, his face would be stiffened by the wind, pale and rough to the touch.
"Apply some of this."
Before bedtime, after the maids had withdrawn, Wei Rao took out a precious palace beauty cream gifted by her mother and generously offered it to Lu Zhuo.
Lu Zhuo recalled the last time he returned, when Wei Rao had touched his face repeatedly—not out of longing, but as if she were assessing something.
"What does this do?" Lu Zhuo asked.
Wei Rao sat beside him and smiled. "It moisturizes the skin. Look how dry you are now. If this keeps up, the title of the capital's top aristocratic young master might have to change hands."
Lu Zhuo was reluctant to use it. "Skin gets rougher in autumn and winter but smooths out again when spring warms up."
Wei Rao knew men disliked applying such things, but if he used it secretly, who would know?
After sniffing the light fragrance of the beauty cream, Wei Rao closed the lid. "Suit yourself. If your face stays rough, I won’t kiss you. I’ll only kiss you when it becomes smooth again."
Lu Zhuo’s expression shifted slightly.
After the lights were out, as he held her and gently kissed her, feeling her soft, smooth cheeks, several thoughts crossed Lu Zhuo’s mind.
Thus, when his leave ended and he returned to the military camp, Lu Zhuo not only brought the heavy cloaks and thick quilts Wei Rao had prepared for him but also secretly took a box of beauty cream from her jewelry case.
Wei Rao didn’t keep track of how much beauty cream she had, but when Liuya was tidying the jewelry, she noticed one box was missing.
Hearing Liuya’s murmurs, Wei Rao instantly understood—that fellow Lu Zhuo was quite the actor!
When Lu Zhuo returned again, he acted as if nothing had happened, and his face had regained its jade-like smoothness. Wei Rao, fond of the texture, kissed him a few extra times. After all, with her belly growing larger, they could only exchange kisses on the cheek.
The winter was bitterly cold—the Central Plains were chilly, but the northern regions were even colder. The grasslands experienced unpredictable weather, with a high likelihood of snowstorms. Thus, the entire winter was the safest time for the borderlands, as the western and northern frontier states would not risk launching surprise attacks, lest they endanger their own troops.
Lu Zhuo finally had more time to stay in the general’s mansion and accompany Wei Rao.
Wei Rao studied military strategy and the Uda Language with him, making progress bit by bit each day. Unconsciously, she became capable of holding simple conversations in Uda with Lu Zhuo.
As the year-end approached, the markets in Ganzhou City grew exceptionally lively. Wei Rao wanted to go see them and buy some New Year supplies.
Her belly was already very large, and the physician predicted she would give birth around the Lantern Festival, about twenty days away. Lu Zhuo dared not let her go out.
Wei Rao insisted, "The stone-paved roads in the city are perfectly flat. We’ll take the carriage, and with you by my side when we arrive, what could possibly go wrong?"
No matter what Lu Zhuo said, Wei Rao was determined to go.
Even when it was just her, Lu Zhuo could never win an argument against her. Now that both mother and child were with her, he dared not defy her wishes.
And so, the couple set out with their guards.
The carriage moved steadily. Upon reaching the market, Lu Zhuo stayed close to Wei Rao’s side, while eight guards surrounded them front, back, left, and right, ensuring that anyone rushing toward them from any direction would be intercepted.
Wei Rao still wore a veil, but Lu Zhuo’s face was uncovered. Combined with the couple’s imposing presence, passersby quickly recognized their identities.With Lu Zhuo accompanying her, Wei Rao had no worries about safety and leisurely browsed the stalls they passed. If something caught her interest, she would approach for a closer look, though most items only received a fleeting glance. Occasionally, the little one in her belly would give a kick, and Wei Rao would gently stroke her rounded abdomen, thinking that by this time next year, the three of them could stroll here together as a family.
Unconsciously, they had walked for half an hour. Just as Wei Rao began feeling tired and considered returning to the carriage, a commotion erupted from a clinic diagonally across the street. A man was weeping in Uda Language, begging the doctor to save his daughter.
Curious, Wei Rao looked over. Soon, a burly Uda man was shoved out of the clinic. His face was sallow, his clothes tattered, with mud caking his cloth shoes and trouser legs as if he had just completed a long journey. In his sturdy arms, he cradled a three or four-year-old girl, also dressed in Uda Clothing. The girl appeared even paler, her eyes closed, and as the Uda man looked down at her, teardrops the size of beans fell onto her face.
The scene drew a crowd of onlookers.
Seeing this, the Uda man knelt abruptly with his daughter, weeping uncontrollably and speaking incoherently.
His words were too rushed and muddled for Wei Rao to decipher clearly, but Lu Zhuo quietly translated for her.
It turned out the Uda man's daughter was gravely ill. Local Uda Doctors could do nothing, advising him to prepare for her funeral. Unable to accept his daughter dying like this, the Uda man had traveled for days to Ganzhou upon hearing of the superior medical skills of Central Plains physicians. The clinic doctor had just told him the girl could be saved but required at least thirty taels of silver. The Uda man had only eight taels to his name and was desperately seeking loans to cover the difference, promising to repay later.
With only eight taels, he needed over twenty more. Most people couldn't understand his pleas, and even those who did were unwilling to lend such a substantial sum to a stranger, especially one of a different ethnicity.
Suddenly, the Uda man noticed Wei Rao and her husband. In this area, they appeared to be the most likely candidates who could afford to help him.
The Uda man hurried toward them with his daughter.
Two guards swiftly intercepted him.
Dropping to his knees, the Uda man pleaded desperately, glancing between his daughter and Wei Rao's pregnant belly. He wept too hard to speak, tears flowing even more intensely.
Wei Rao looked at Lu Zhuo.
Lu Zhuo untied his money pouch and tossed it entirely to the Uda man.
Clutching his daughter with one arm, the Uda man grabbed the pouch with his other hand. Trembling, he opened it and discovered it contained not only loose silver but also silver notes. He broke into loud sobs, kowtowing repeatedly to the couple between tears.
Lu Zhuo left one guard to assist the man if needed, then helped Wei Rao into the carriage.
"People say daughters are worthless, but he'd rather leave his homeland for his girl. He must be a good father," Wei Rao murmured softly to Lu Zhuo once seated, her gaze falling to her abdomen. Having lost her own father young and now expecting a child herself, the scene had deeply affected her, leaving a sour ache in her heart.
Lu Zhuo took her hand. "Your compassion saved that child today, Rao Rao. This kindness will surely bring blessings to our own child."
Wei Rao smiled, stroking her belly. "Blessings or not, I only wish for our child to be free from illness and misfortune, safe and peaceful throughout life."She had suffered calamities and nearly became a medicine jar, while Lu Zhuo, having been a merchant on the battlefield, almost didn't make it back. Wei Rao only hoped that the hardships had been endured entirely by them as parents, so that when their child was born, it would forever live free from worries.
The guards arranged by Lu Zhuo helped the Wuda man rent an inn. The physician, with exceptional medical skills and having received ample consultation fees, devoted all his efforts to treating the little girl. Gradually, the girl regained consciousness, drinking medicine while recuperating. By the eighth day of the first lunar month, she was once again lively and energetic.
The Wuda man brought his daughter Bao Ya to the general's residence to express their gratitude and bid farewell.
Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo met the father and daughter together.
The Wuda man simply kowtowed repeatedly. Bao Ya, aware that this god-like couple had saved her life, removed the moon-shaped red stone pendant from her neck, pointed at Wei Rao's belly, and shyly offered the pendant to Wei Rao.
Wei Rao smiled and accepted it on behalf of her child.
The Wuda man returned the remaining silver to Lu Zhuo, keeping only the travel expenses gifted by the couple, and departed with Bao Ya.
The next day, under warm and windless sunlight, Wei Rao safely gave birth to a daughter.
OpenNovel