Wei Rao, having practiced martial arts for many years, possessed a robust constitution. Thus, her first childbirth—from the onset of labor to the delivery of her daughter—took just over three hours, which was considered remarkably swift.
Yet, a swift delivery did not mean it was painless. By the end, Wei Rao could no longer distinguish whether the moisture streaming down her cheeks was sweat or tears.
Lu Zhuo was barred from entering and could see nothing. All he could hear were her muffled, tearful groans. Wei Rao, who was always so proud and stubborn, unwilling to show weakness to others, could no longer conceal the agony she endured at this moment.
Lu Zhuo hated that he could not bear the pain in her stead.
Even this thought felt meaningless, for no matter what he did or thought, he could not alleviate her suffering.
When the baby’s vigorous cries suddenly echoed from within, Lu Zhuo finally unclenched his tightly balled fists. His knuckles had turned a faint purple from the prolonged strain.
The baby wailed loudly, but Lu Zhuo was still not permitted to enter. The maids could not stop him—it was Wei Rao who had instructed beforehand that she did not want Lu Zhuo to see her in such a disheveled state.
Pacing restlessly under the eaves, Lu Zhuo watched as Bitao and Liuya emerged carrying basins of water. Both maids looked pale, their eyes glistening with tears of distress. Lu Zhuo’s gaze swept over the basins, and the stark redness within made his temples throb violently, nearly causing him to stagger.
Only then did Lu Zhuo truly understand how arduous childbirth was for women.
Other women were not his concern—Lu Zhuo cared only for his wife.
Shortly after, Ma Momo came out carrying the baby and showed her to Lu Zhuo.
“How is the princess?” Lu Zhuo asked first.
Ma Momo smiled. “The princess is well. The bleeding has stopped, and she has already seen the baby. Once she’s tidied up a bit, the Young Lord may go in.”
Somewhat relieved, Lu Zhuo clumsily took the swaddled bundle into his arms.
Inside the swaddle was a newborn baby girl—so tiny that her head seemed smaller than Lu Zhuo’s fist, her face mottled red and purple, so fragile that Lu Zhuo instinctively held his breath. It was still too early to tell whom she resembled, but her head of hair was thick and jet-black, fine and soft, just like Wei Rao’s.
In that moment, Lu Zhuo thought of the Wuda father and daughter who had departed just the day before.
He resolved that his love for his daughter would surpass even that Wuda man’s devotion to his own.
Inside the chamber, Bitao and Liuya carefully helped Wei Rao change into a clean, comfortable set of underwear.
The beddings and pillows had been replaced, and Wei Rao’s face had been wiped clean. Her long hair was styled into a cloud-like bun. Though her face was pale and weary, Wei Rao still looked as beautiful as a fairy—a wounded fairy who evoked tender pity.
Bitao held up a mirror, and after confirming her appearance, Wei Rao smiled faintly.
Liuya remarked, “The princess is overthinking things. The Young Lord outside is terribly worried and only wishes to see you quickly. How could he mind such trivialities?”
Wei Rao whispered, “Whether he minds or not, I don’t want him to see me looking ugly.”
Once, when she had seen Lu Zhuo half-dead, she had even teased him about it during their banter. Wei Rao had no intention of giving him the same opportunity.
Feeling refreshed and clean, Wei Rao finally gave the word for Lu Zhuo to enter.
Their daughter had fallen asleep again. Cradling the swaddled baby, Lu Zhuo stepped inside. The faint, lingering scent of blood met him first, followed by the sight of Wei Rao lying on the birthing bed. Her face was as pale as paper, but her phoenix eyes were clear and bright. She smiled softly as she gazed at him and their daughter, exuding a weary tenderness.
After enduring such pain, she could still manage to smile.Lu Zhuo had prepared so many words of comfort beforehand, yet when he saw Wei Rao, not a single word could come out.
Holding their daughter, he silently sat down beside Wei Rao.
Wei Rao looked at the baby girl in the swaddling clothes. After ten months of pregnancy, being cautious about this and that, she had finally given birth to this little ancestor.
Their daughter was sleeping soundly, a tiny bundle. Though still quite wrinkled and red, Wei Rao couldn’t take her eyes off her.
Only after gazing her fill did Wei Rao suddenly notice Lu Zhuo’s silence. Raising her eyes, she met his complicated expression—neither clearly joyful nor worried.
Wei Rao’s gaze shifted slightly as she asked him, “Why the long face? Don’t you like having a daughter?”
The Lu Family was a military family—perhaps they all wanted sons? Like Han Liao, who had a whole brood of legitimate and illegitimate sons.
Lu Zhuo chuckled softly. Where had her thoughts wandered?
“A daughter is wonderful. I just feel sorry for you,” Lu Zhuo said, taking her hand in his.
Wei Rao could sense his sincerity. During those more than three hours of agony, if Lu Zhuo hadn’t shown any concern, she would have been truly disheartened.
But the hardest part was over. Wei Rao glanced at the child and smiled, “Feel sorry all you want, but I was willing to have her. Even if you didn’t care, I wanted this child and would have had her anyway."How wonderful—she now had her own little close-knit padded jacket (metaphor for a caring daughter)." Wei Rao began imagining dressing her daughter in pretty little dresses once she grew a bit older, making her look like a fairy child. And when their daughter grew even older, whatever she wanted to do, as long as it wasn’t going astray, Wei Rao would support her.
Having just met their daughter, Wei Rao’s love for her was already surging like tidal waves.
Seeing the bright anticipation for their daughter shining in her eyes, Lu Zhuo refrained from saying anything more that would be meaningless.
One was his wife, the other his daughter. From now on, his life belonged to these two.
Wei Rao gave their daughter the pet name “A Bao.”
She truly couldn’t think of a better pet name—one that expressed both her and Lu Zhuo’s affection for their daughter without being too ostentatious. As for their daughter’s formal name, Lu Zhuo had already written to the capital, asking the Duke and Duchess of Yingguo to help choose one. After all, A Bao was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Lu Family’s main branch, and having her great-grandparents bestow the name would carry more significance.
With the wet nurse and Ma Momo taking care of A Bao, she thrived. Wei Rao rested peacefully during her postpartum confinement. By the ninth day of the second month, A Bao’s full moon, Wei Rao had largely recovered, her complexion rosy and radiant.
“Princess, your figure—it doesn’t look like you’ve given birth at all!”
At the full moon banquet, Madam Wei, wife of Deputy General Meng, circled Wei Rao enviously. When she had given birth to her eldest son, her recovery hadn’t been nearly as swift as Wei Rao’s. A stubborn patch of flesh had lingered around her belly—invisible in clothes, but noticeable to the touch—and never fully went away.
Other officials’ wives joined in with praises.
Wei Rao smiled and credited it all to Momo Sun’s efforts.
Of her two momos, Ma Momo excelled at caring for newborns, while Momo Sun specialized in looking after women before and after childbirth. Since Wei Rao had given birth, Momo Sun had been dedicatedly attending to her, not only helping her quickly overcome the discomfort of engorgement but also massaging her abdomen daily. That Wei Rao recovered so swiftly was truly thanks to Momo Sun.Ma Momo and the wet nurse had also done well, raising A Bao to be fair and plump, with a pair of large, bright black eyes that were practically identical to Wei Rao's. The little girl had inherited all of Wei Rao's best features, except for her eyebrows, which resembled Lu Zhuo's. Wei Rao's eyebrows were actually somewhat thick and required regular trimming, while Lu Zhuo's two long eyebrows were straight and elegant, without a single stray hair—something Wei Rao had always envied.
After the female relatives had seen the child, Ma Momo carried A Bao to the front courtyard.
Lu Zhuo was entertaining the officials from Ganzhou who had come to offer congratulations. When the child arrived, Lu Zhuo took her in his arms. Already gentle and refined as jade, he smiled even more tenderly as he held his daughter.
Meng Kuo, who was his closest friend, leaned in for a look and marveled, "The young lady is truly beautiful! Even at such a young age, she’s already so delightful—imagine how stunning she’ll be when she grows up!"
Lu Zhuo’s smile deepened.
Meng Kuo suddenly chuckled and proposed, "General, my son is only eight years old. If you think highly of the boy, why don’t we arrange a marriage between our families?"
Lu Zhuo’s smile faded slightly as he took a step back with his daughter and said gently, "She’s still too young. When she grows up, she can choose her own marriage."
Seeing his protective demeanor, Meng Kuo burst into laughter.
Lu Zhuo frowned, worried that his daughter might be frightened by the loud laughter, but when he looked down, he saw her tilting her head toward Meng Kuo, not only unafraid but seemingly intrigued.
His heart softened with pride.
His A Bao, conceived in the military camp, had listened to her parents discuss military strategies even before birth. Now, at just one month old, she was already bold and fearless—surely, she would grow up to be extraordinary.
It was almost laughable. Back when Lu Zhuo heard that his grandmother was selecting a virtuous wife for him, he had envisioned marrying a dignified and gentle woman who would honor his parents, raise his children, and revolve her life entirely around her husband. Now that he had a daughter, he had no desire to raise her into such a model of virtue. No man should be the center of a woman’s world—his daughter ought to live freely and unrestrained, just like Wei Rao.
At last, Lu Zhuo understood Shou An Jun’s approach to raising her daughter.
Those who truly love their daughters would never wish for them to become mere appendages to men.
As night fell, A Bao was taken away by the wet nurse and Ma Momo. Wei Rao went to bathe, while Lu Zhuo, dressed in his underwear, sat on the heated brick bed, waiting for her.
Outside the window, the north wind howled, and the night remained bitterly cold. Yet at that moment, Lu Zhuo’s heart burned with warmth.
Finally, footsteps sounded from the adjoining room.
Lu Zhuo’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he turned a page of the book he hadn’t truly been reading.
Wei Rao had washed her hair during the day and had only bathed her body this time. With Liuya and Bitao’s increasingly skilled massages, she had nearly drifted off to sleep.
However, the moment she entered the inner room and saw Lu Zhuo pretending to read on the heated bed, she knew he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself tonight. This man had been holding back ever since her pregnancy pulse was diagnosed, and by now, he was nearly driven mad. Though he acted the gentleman by day, even just kissing and holding her at night could keep him occupied for over an hour.
"What refined tastes you have, Young Master," Wei Rao teased softly as she climbed onto the heated bed and slipped under the covers.
Lu Zhuo smiled, set aside his book, and joined her under the quilt.
Like oil meeting fire, the couple ignited instantly. Wei Rao clung tightly to Lu Zhuo’s shoulders. Though she hadn’t been afraid on their wedding night, this time, she felt a hint of nervousness.Lu Zhuo could sense her distraction, and he knew Wei Rao had just regained her strength—she might not be able to handle too much at once.
"Don’t be afraid. Tonight, I’ll follow your lead." Lu Zhuo kissed from her brow to the corner of her lips. He knew he was usually domineering, but tonight, whenever Wei Rao said stop, he would obey.
Wei Rao decided to test him and found Lu Zhuo truly cooperative. Amused, she began teasing him deliberately.
Sweat dripped down Lu Zhuo’s handsome face. At one point, he genuinely wanted to teach this little vixen a lesson, but he restrained himself every time.
Just wait—once she fully recovered, he would reclaim everything with interest.
"Deputy General Meng mentioned wanting to arrange a childhood marriage for our children earlier today."
After their intimacy, Lu Zhuo held Wei Rao and spoke softly.
Wei Rao laughed. "What did you say?"
Lu Zhuo: "I naturally declined. When A Bao grows up, she’ll likely resemble you. What kind of man she wishes to marry may not be for us to decide."
Wei Rao: "What if she takes after you? Preferring to let her parents decide, wanting only to marry a virtuous, talented gentleman of great renown."
Her teasing tone was unmistakable. After a moment’s thought, Lu Zhuo murmured, "Then it’s better she resembles you. If she’s like me, she’d likely have to stumble once before understanding what love truly is."
Wei Rao froze in surprise.
Lu Zhuo lifted her chin and gently kissed her.
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