Wei Rao clung tightly to Lu Zhuo, unwilling to let go for even a moment. She feared that if she released him, he would vanish. She feared this was merely another dream after falling asleep—one where she'd rejoice briefly before waking to find herself alone again.
Such dreams had haunted Wei Rao time and again.
Wherever Lu Zhuo tried to place her—whether on the daybed in the side chamber or the table in the inner room—her arms remained stubbornly wrapped around his neck.
Finally, Lu Zhuo stilled.
Buried against his shoulder, she hadn't uttered a word throughout, whether his touch held punishment or tenderness.
Once movement ceased, the chill began seeping through their cooling sweat. Despite the Underfloor Heating System, the January night air bit sharply at exposed skin.
Lu Zhuo lifted Wei Rao again and carried her to the bed.
He sat first, settling her securely in his embrace, then drew the quilt over them both.
Gently, he unwound her arms to wrap around his waist, ensuring they wouldn't grow cold outside the covers.
Wei Rao rested her head against his shoulder, cheek pressed to his chest—rising and falling with each breath, solid and real.
Suddenly, her heart settled into peace. For the first time in over three years, she felt truly anchored.
"I couldn't do it—remaining meekly in the Duke's Manor like Mother and Second Aunt, playing the faithful widow for you."
"I moved to the Princess Estate. I took A Bao on outings. When people saw me living unlike a new widow, they assumed I'd forgotten you. Grandmother and Mother likely thought so too. Not wanting to hold me back, they urged me to choose another while still young. I hadn't considered remarrying, but with you gone and me away from the Duke's Manor, clinging to the widow's title felt meaningless. So I agreed."
"Once the marriage bond was severed, everyone believed I truly intended to remarry. Suitors came knocking, and finding myself bored, I received each one."
"Among all those men, none caught my eye. I agreed to go riding with Li Wei, but throughout the journey, my thoughts were only of you."
Lu Zhuo stroked her waterfall of unbound hair. "I sent Zhao Song to fetch you. Why didn't you come see me?"
Wei Rao chuckled softly. "Had you known then what I'd done, would you still have sent Zhao Song?"
He wouldn't have—for the same reason he'd avoided her this past month.
He lowered his head, kissing her hair ends. "I stayed away fearing you'd truly forgotten me."
Tears welled in Wei Rao's eyes as she bit his shoulder. "You weren't afraid I'd forgotten—you resented me for refusing to mourn you properly."
She bit down hard, but Lu Zhuo ignored the sting. Only then did he understand why she'd delayed seeking him out.
He had feared Wei Rao forgot him.
She feared he blamed and wouldn't forgive her.
"If I held that against you, I wouldn't have come tonight." Lu Zhuo lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Wei Rao refused, remembering how he'd ignored her on the street. "You came for A Bao. I meant nothing to you."
He pinched her fair, soft cheek. "And did I mean anything to you? Beyond speaking with A Bao, did you spare me a single glance?"
If she felt wronged, was he not equally aggrieved?
Words felt futile. Lu Zhuo pulled up the quilt and pressed Wei Rao down into the bedding.
What did the rest matter? She remained his woman—no one would take her from him.
Duke's Manor.
Under the heavy night sky, the Duchess of Yingguo waited long without news of her eldest grandson's return.
"Sleep. Shoucheng is grown—no need for your worry," the Duke of Yingguo advised as he emerged.He expected to see his old wife wearing a worried expression, but when he stepped forward, the old woman was actually smiling.
Duke of Yingguo: "What are you laughing at?"
The Duchess of Yingguo smiled even more deeply, saying with relief, "If I'm not mistaken, our family is about to welcome another child soon."
A Bao had a wonderful night's sleep and woke up as soon as the sky brightened. After washing her face, combing her hair, and dressing neatly, A Bao ran straight to her mother's quarters.
The door to the main chamber was still closed. Liuya was guarding the entrance and, upon seeing the little princess, hurried over, putting a finger to her lips: "Princess, the princess and the Young Lord are still resting. Could you have breakfast by yourself this morning?"
A Bao didn't grasp the deeper meaning behind these words and stared at her father and mother's window, saying, "The sky is already bright. Why are Father and Mother still sleeping in?"
Liuya thought to herself, how could they not sleep? The two masters had hardly settled down last night, and there was another round just before dawn.
"The Young Lord carried you all during the lantern viewing last night and is exhausted," Liuya said without batting an eye, fooling the little princess.
How could A Bao guess the complicated thoughts of adults? She believed it.
After coaxing the little princess away, Liuya continued to keep watch in the courtyard. It wasn't easy for the princess and the Young Lord to reunite after such a long separation—no one was to disturb them today.
Thanks to Liuya's thoughtfulness and A Bao's obedience, the two inside the room slept until nearly noon.
Even then, Lu Zhuo didn't want to get up, pressing down on Wei Rao as if he wanted more.
"Are you ever going to stop?" Wei Rao didn't believe he was serious.
Lu Zhuo looked at her and laughed: "Before returning to the capital, I secretly vowed to make you unable to get out of bed for three days."
Wei Rao's face flushed red. What kind of vow was that? She had long known that his image of a refined and virtuous gentleman was all an act.
"Get up," Wei Rao pushed him.
Lu Zhuo moved aside, watching as Wei Rao sat up with her hair loose, preparing to change clothes.
Her snow-white shoulders were covered with marks he had left. Suddenly, Lu Zhuo grabbed Wei Rao's wrist and pulled her back into his arms.
Wei Rao glared at him!
Lu Zhuo simply held her tightly, saying nothing.
Wei Rao realized he didn't mean anything else and stopped struggling, quietly resting against him.
"I'm sorry."
A low, hoarse voice sounded by her ear, and Wei Rao was taken aback.
Lu Zhuo truly felt guilty toward her: "These past three years have been hard on you."
Wei Rao closed her eyes. The past three years had indeed been difficult, but now that Lu Zhuo had returned, all the hardship felt worth it.
"And you? What did you encounter out there?"
Wei Rao lifted her head, her gaze falling on the scar on his left cheek. From last night until now, the two hadn't had a proper conversation.
Lu Zhuo touched his scar and smiled: "You should be grateful for this scar. Otherwise, I might not have made it back at all."
Then, Lu Zhuo recounted his time with Longbu's family.
Over the past three years, aside from the initial and final feigned deaths, there wasn't much to tell. His legs had been immobile, and he had lived like a dead man.
Yet it was this part that he glossed over that pained Wei Rao the most.
Her hand moved to Lu Zhuo's leg, unable to imagine how he had endured it.
Not wanting her to grieve, Lu Zhuo took her hand and moved it elsewhere.
Wei Rao: ...
After another bout of playful bickering, they finally got up.
A Bao returned from playing in the garden and found her father and mother having a meal together. Her father was still wearing the moon-white brocade robe from the previous night, without a crown on his head, as casual as he had been in the Duke's Manor. Her mother wore a crimson silk blouse with a bright red long skirt underneath, radiant and beautiful.A Bao couldn't help but feel a surge of pride—her father was the most handsome, her mother the most beautiful.
A Bao came pattering in.
Lu Zhuo picked up his daughter and settled her on his lap, asking if she wanted to eat some more.
A Bao certainly did.
Liuya instructed someone to bring an extra bowl and chopsticks.
"Father, is the lantern Mother and I made broken?" A Bao hadn't found it that morning.
Lu Zhuo glanced at Wei Rao. Last night, he had done it on purpose—intentionally only catching one lantern while letting the one painted with just the two of them fall.
Wei Rao hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now, meeting Lu Zhuo's gaze, how could she not guess his petty scheme?
For all his cold pretense, he even cared about a single lantern. Now that their daughter was asking for it, she wondered how he would handle it.
Lu Zhuo had his own solution. Smiling, he said, "That one is broken. How about Father helps A Bao make a new one?"
A Bao had made many lanterns with her mother but had never seen her father make one, so she readily agreed.
After the meal, Lu Zhuo picked up A Bao and signaled for Wei Rao to follow. The family of three went to the study.
All the materials for making the lantern were prepared. Lu Zhuo taught A Bao how to construct the lantern frame, while Wei Rao ground ink and watched the father and daughter.
It was time to start painting.
Wei Rao had never seen Lu Zhuo paint before. As soon as he picked up the brush, she, like A Bao, focused intently on the tip of his brush.
Clearly, Lu Zhuo's painting skills surpassed Wei Rao's. The first figure he painted was a woman in a long skirt. Though only her profile was visible, Wei Rao immediately recognized her own likeness.
"This is Mother," A Bao also noticed.
Lu Zhuo smiled and continued painting.
Beside Wei Rao, he gradually sketched a tall, upright man holding a little girl in one arm and the woman's hand in the other.
"This is A Bao and Father," A Bao giggled.
Lu Zhuo added scenery to the painting. Once the ink had dried, he assembled the lantern and asked A Bao, "Shall we go enjoy the lanterns again tonight?"
A Bao agreed enthusiastically!
Unnoticed, dusk arrived, and the final night of the lantern festival began.
Just as depicted in the painting, while admiring the lanterns, Lu Zhuo held Wei Rao's hand the entire time, never letting go for a moment.
After returning from the lantern viewing, Lu Zhuo naturally stayed at the Princess Manor again.
"You haven't returned home for two nights and haven't sent word. Won't Grandmother and the others worry?" Wei Rao asked somewhat awkwardly. She and Lu Zhuo were no longer husband and wife, yet they were living together like this. If word got out, she didn't know what gossip it might stir. Outsiders were one thing, but Wei Rao didn't know how to face the people of the Duke's Manor.
Lu Zhuo looked at her still-flushed face and smiled. "Worry about what? Grandmother and Mother have urged me many times. If I don't return, they naturally know where I am. If they're worried at all, it's only that I might return too early without bringing you back."
Wei Rao felt uneasy. "How can I go back with you?"
Lu Zhuo replied, "You are my wife. While I was away from the capital, you moved back to the Princess Manor for a short stay. Now that I've returned, you naturally must come back to the Duke's Manor with me."
Wei Rao lowered her long eyelashes. "I... I've already returned to my own home. It's been widely known among relatives and friends."
Lu Zhuo was unperturbed. "If I had died, whether our marriage ended or not would naturally be up to Grandmother to decide. But I am still alive. We have a marriage certificate as proof. Unless I write you another divorce agreement, as long as I say our marriage stands, you remain my wife, Lu Zhuo's wife, and a daughter-in-law of the Lu Family."
Wei Rao stared at him in shock. Could it really be that way?
Lu Zhuo simply smiled.If a man died, it was merely a verbal agreement for the woman to return to her family, taking her dowry with her. So as long as he returned, the marriage certificate from when he married Wei Rao remained valid. Even if Wei Rao was unwilling to go back with him, even if she truly wished to remarry, as long as Lu Zhuo refused to let go, she would never get her way.
"Rao Rao, you are mine for this lifetime," Lu Zhuo declared solemnly, his gaze fixed on her eyes.
Wei Rao met his gaze silently. As Lu Zhuo leaned in to kiss her, she turned her head away. Seizing his moment of surprise, she whispered in his ear, "As long as you live, I am your wife. But if you dare die again, I will dare to leave again."
Hearing this, Lu Zhuo seemed to see the pain and resentment she had felt at Iron Scorpion Ridge when she searched desperately for him but could not find him.
He held Wei Rao tightly in his arms.
Once was enough. From now on, he would never leave again.
Wei Rao would not give him another chance to leave either. Even if Lu Zhuo went to the battlefield, she would go with him.
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