More and more matchmakers came to the princess's residence to propose marriage. Since Wei Rao had nothing better to do, she would listen to how the matchmakers praised those young talents, but she merely listened. She had no interest in deliberately meeting those scions of noble families or rising stars.
A clever matchmaker discerned the princess's thoughts and advised the suitor's family: The Princess of Martial Peace was no ordinary maiden. Even the Imperial Consort had declared that the princess's marriage was entirely her own decision. In that case, why not have the suitor personally visit to present gifts? This would demonstrate sincerity while allowing the princess to evaluate him. If she took a liking to him, all the better; if not, the suitor could abandon his hopes or seek other opportunities based on his interaction with her.
The suitor thought this a good idea, but what gift to choose? The Princess of Martial Peace had seen every treasure under the sun—presenting gold, silver, or jewels would be an insult.
This particular young man excelled in calligraphy, so he wrote a fine piece and went to the princess's residence under the pretext of seeking her appraisal.
Among so many marriage proposals, this was finally something novel. Wei Rao met him together with A Bao.
Wei Rao was twenty-five, while the suitor had just turned twenty. Normally, a young man of twenty shouldn't feel intimidated by a woman a few years older, but Wei Rao's beauty was like that of a stunning, enchanting peony queen. Even lounging lazily, she illuminated the entire room with her radiant splendor. The young master Wang only dared glance at her upon entering before his fair face flushed crimson. He lowered his eyes, fidgeting uncomfortably with his hands, not daring to look again.
"Mother, why is his face red?" A Bao asked innocently.
At this, young master Wang's neck turned red as well.
Wei Rao smiled as she assessed him. Daring to seek her hand, young master Wang was naturally handsome—a jade-like face, peach-blossom eyes, undeniably a fine-looking man. Yet looking at him, Wei Rao inexplicably recalled Lu Zhuo at twenty. Same age, but back then, Lu Zhuo had scorned her, acting as if blind, utterly unmoved by her beauty.
"I heard young master Wang writes excellent calligraphy?" Wei Rao invited him to sit and asked with a smile.
The blush on young master Wang's face faded slightly, though he still avoided direct eye contact. Humbly, he replied, "I wouldn't call it excellent, merely passable. I'd appreciate your critique, Princess."
With that, young master Wang took the scroll from his attendant, which Liuya then brought over to show Wei Rao and A Bao.
Wei Rao examined it carefully, while A Bao, uninterested in calligraphy, craned her neck to study young master Wang.
Young master Wang smiled at the little princess. His handsome appearance had initially made a good impression on A Bao, but unfortunately, his teeth were somewhat uneven. This smile inadvertently revealed his flaw, like a flaw in fine jade.
A Bao instantly lost interest in him.
Noticing her daughter's change, Wei Rao turned her gaze to young master Wang.
He dared look at the child but not the mother, blushing as he bowed his head.
Wei Rao teased, "Your calligraphy is fine, but if you wish to marry me yet dare not look at me, what would be the point even if we wed? It seems we're not well-matched. You may take your leave, young master."
Hearing this, young master Wang flushed deeply, mustering the courage to lift his head and defend himself. But he saw the princess across from him already engrossed in coaxing her daughter, leaving his words stuck in his throat.
Liuya saw him out.
After he left, Wei Rao asked her daughter curiously, "A Bao, didn't you like him?"A Bao nodded. "His teeth aren't nice." Fifth Uncle's teeth were quite handsome.
Wei Rao was taken aback—was it really because of teeth?
Then she thought of Lu Zhuo's teeth. That man had no flaws from head to toe.
Wei Rao's gaze fell upon her daughter's face. The child resembled her, but her demeanor was more like Lu Zhuo's. Combined with her young age and lack of restraint, her critical attitude toward others was infuriatingly arrogant.
Though proud by nature, Wei Rao considered herself amiable toward others—unlike Lu Zhuo, who had nearly driven her to madness back then.
News of Young Master Wang's personal visit to the princess's residence to present gifts and propose marriage, only to be rejected, quickly spread throughout the capital.
Everyone came to understand that the Princess of Martial Peace did not favor timid gentlemen; at the very least, one must dare to meet her radiant beauty directly.
Thus, those who prided themselves on being bold suitors began flocking to her door.
Whenever Wei Rao was at the princess's residence, she would receive all visitors, always accompanied by her daughter. She did this purely for her own amusement, but A Bao was earnestly selecting a father she liked. However, these men either lacked sufficiently handsome features—at least by A Bao's standards—or their manners were not gentle enough, as A Bao wished for a kind father.
Sometimes Wei Rao would spare the suitors' feelings by offering a tactful excuse; other times, she would bluntly relay her daughter's words, pointing out which aspects of the man's appearance displeased her.
With mother and daughter being so particular, the number of marriage proposals gradually dwindled. Just as the young ladies of the capital had once been reluctant to meet the overly selective Qi Zhongkai, now the scions of noble families were equally unwilling to visit the princess's residence, even if their elders strongly encouraged it. After all, these men were all proud sons of heaven—how many maidens in the entire capital would dare to be so critical and discouraging?
Yet, Wei Rao was precisely the one who dared to be selective—and had the qualifications to be so.
Just as the rising stars of the younger generation were all losing heart, in mid-December, after a heavy snowfall, a widowed nobleman rode to the princess's residence, requesting an audience with the princess.
This widower was Li Wei, the third son of the Marquis of Zhennan's household. Back when Lu Zhuo had not yet won Wei Rao's heart, Li Wei had already taken a liking to her. However, Lu Zhuo was determined to have Wei Rao and acted swiftly and decisively, obtaining an imperial decree from Emperor Yuanjia for their marriage during a trip to the temporary palace. Watching Wei Rao remarry Lu Zhuo, Li Wei had no choice but to obey his parents and take a wife.
Two years ago, Li Wei's wife, weakened after childbirth, passed away, leaving behind a daughter.
Although Li Wei was the third son, he was the most promising of his generation in the Li family, and the elders were grooming him to become the next commander of the Flying Eagle Army. After his first wife's death, many immediately sought to marry their daughters to him as his second wife. But once Li Wei emerged from the grief of losing his wife, he turned his attention to Wei Rao.
While Lu Zhuo was alive, Li Wei knew he could never win Wei Rao's heart. Now that Lu Zhuo was gone, Li Wei felt that no one but him was worthy of Wei Rao.
One had lost her husband, the other his wife—they were a perfect match.
Wei Rao had met so many unmarried young men without finding any to her liking, likely because she found those youths too immature. Perhaps she preferred someone like him.
Standing before the princess's residence, Li Wei had already envisioned the scene of their wedding night, with Wei Rao yielding to him in a scene of decadent beauty.
When Wei Rao heard that the visitor was Li Wei, she smiled and ordered him to be admitted.Wei Rao still remembered the elegance of Li Wei she had glimpsed by the Shun River years ago—truly a fine young man. Because she had watched Li Wei's competition with Qi Zhongkai, Lu Zhuo had even wanted to step into the arena himself to challenge Li Wei. Wei Rao deliberately left, giving Li Wei an opportunity to mock Lu Zhuo. Later, when the two were married, Wei Rao asked Lu Zhuo what he had thought at the time. Lu Zhuo only offered four words about Li Wei: "Still wet behind the ears."
Li Wei was younger than Lu Zhuo but a year older than Wei Rao.
"Mother, who is Li Wei?" A Bao asked, sitting beside her mother.
Wei Rao thought for a moment and said, "He is the third master of the Li family, the commander of the Flying Eagle Army among the Upper Four Armies. Be polite to him later."
A Bao understood what the Upper Four Armies meant. Their Lu Family's Divine Martial Army was the most powerful, Uncle Qi's Valiant Tiger Army ranked second, the Li family's Flying Eagle Army was third, and the Soaring Dragon Army, having changed commanders, temporarily held the last position among the Upper Four Armies.
Li Wei arrived.
At twenty-six, though he had been married once before, Li Wei remained handsome and upright. Aside from his more robust and imposing physique, his demeanor now carried traces of steadiness and determination. His appearance seemed largely unchanged from a few years earlier—slightly inferior to Lu Zhuo's but on par with Lu Che's.
A Bao watched Li Wei enter with delight.
Li Wei smiled at the young princess, then let his gaze settle on Wei Rao's face. He had long been acquainted with Wei Rao's temperament, knowing her to be untamable and dismissive of weaker men. Thus, he made no effort to conceal his admiration and possessive ambition toward her. The Li Wei of the past might have been immature, but the present Li Wei was like a lion, exuding an allure that drew the opposite sex.
"Your servant Li Wei pays respects to the Princess and the Young Princess," Li Wei said calmly as he bowed.
Wei Rao excused him from formalities and invited him to take a seat.
Li Wei ordered his attendants to bring in his gift.
It was a beautiful chest. When opened, it revealed two snow-white fox fur cloaks—one large, one small—both made entirely of the finest white fox fur, as light as a fairy's garment.
"Your servant heard that the Princess favors white, so I specially sought these two cloaks to present to the Princess and the Young Princess."
Wei Rao nodded with a smile.
Liuya brought the two fox fur cloaks over. Wei Rao indeed liked them, and A Bao, who also adored white, happily stroked the fur.
Li Wei continued to look at Wei Rao and said, "The weather has been clear these past two days. I would like to invite the Princess for a horseback ride in the outskirts. Would the Princess honor me with her company?"
Since winter began, Wei Rao had mostly stayed within the princess's residence and hadn't ventured out for some time.
"Very well. When is the third young master available?"
Li Wei was overjoyed, his eyes blazing. "How about tomorrow?"
Wei Rao agreed.
After Li Wei left, A Bao put on the white fox fur cloak to admire herself, then threw herself into her mother's arms, her eyes sparkling. "Mother, I like Uncle Li San."
Wei Rao stroked her daughter's flushed cheek and teased, "So easily won over? A single fox fur cloak and you're conquered?"
A Bao declared, "He's the most handsome!"
Wei Rao merely smiled.
A Bao asked again, "Since you agreed to go riding with him, do you like him too?"
Wei Rao did not answer.
"Like" was not the word—she merely wanted to test the waters. She was still young, with decades ahead of her. Li Wei's appearance and temperament were somewhat to her liking. If during tomorrow's ride he could display something that moved her heart, Wei Rao would be willing to give him more chances. Otherwise, this would be the only ride they shared.Early the next morning, Wei Rao sent her daughter to the Duke of Yingguo's Manor. She was going out for a horseback ride, and since her daughter would be left home alone without companions, it was better for her to go play with her cousins at the Duke's Manor.
As for Wei Rao, she changed into her riding attire and walked outside the princess's residence, only to find Li Wei already waiting.
Li Wei was also riding a white horse, dressed in a jade-white brocade robe, as handsome as the bright moon in the sky.
Wei Rao wore red attire, with dark eyebrows and crimson lips, enchantingly beautiful.
Li Wei, his heart burning with fervor, set off side by side with Wei Rao, followed by eight guards from the princess's residence.
The two made such a conspicuous exit from the city, a perfect match of talent and beauty, looking incredibly well-suited.
Someone sighed, "It seems the princess is truly planning to remarry."
"Indeed, no one else is worthy of the princess. With Li Sanlang's looks, even if Lu Zhuo were still alive, Li Sanlang could rival him."
"It's different. Li Sanlang is still a bit too proud, while Lu Zhuo was much gentler."
The commoners who were fortunate enough to witness the princess and Li Sanlang chattered incessantly, but as the two rode farther away, the discussions gradually faded.
A little over an hour later, two tall horses galloped all the way to the city gates of the capital. The riders were covered in dust, dressed in the attire of Central Plains people, their exposed faces tanned to a bronze hue. The elder had a rough face but could not conceal the determination in his eyes, while the younger had a faint scar on his left cheek, yet it did not detract from his handsome and gentle demeanor.
"Travel permits," the city guard Shoucheng impassively inspected the people entering the city and glanced at the two men.
Seeing the elder, the guard showed no particular expression, but when he noticed the younger scarred man, he was about to look away when he suddenly turned back for another glance.
Lu Zhuo smiled at him. The rotation of city guards was not frequent, and Lu Zhuo remembered this young soldier.
If he remembered, how could the young guard, who had seen Lu Zhuo pass through the city gates so many times, fail to recognize Lu Zhuo's face?
Though the scarred face before him was darker, his hair rougher, and his face marked by a scar, it was still the same face—especially when he smiled...
The young guard stared dumbfounded at Lu Zhuo.
Lu Zhuo took out the travel permits prepared for the father and son by the border garrison commander and handed them over.
The permits clearly stated: Former Deputy General Lu Mu and Former Deputy General Lu Zhuo of the Divine Martial Army are returning to the capital. Grant them passage without hindrance.
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