The palace's Dragon Boat Race was scheduled for the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Wei Rao slept early and rose early, as usual practicing her swordplay for two quarters of an hour before indulging in a fragrant petal bath.
Pink and tender petals floated on the water's surface, parting with the ripples to reveal glimpses of the fair beauty's pale, slender legs beneath. Before one could see clearly, the petals would drift back together, obscuring the view below.
Wei Rao lazily leaned against the wooden tub's edge, eyes closed in contentment, her curled lashes dotted with droplets clinging damply together. Her snow-white, delicate arms were not fashionably thin and boneless like those of contemporary women but slightly plump without appearing bulky—unnoticeable when clothed, yet yielding resiliently to the touch.
A vibrant red petal drifted with the water's motion to Wei Rao's side, then onto her back, like a crimson plum blossom fallen upon snow.
Bitao gently brushed the petal away.
"Miss, it's time to wash the front."
The steam had flushed Bitao's cheeks red, and Liuya beside her was similarly affected.
Wei Rao, nearly asleep, murmured discontentedly at the words and turned over with half-closed eyes.
What a dazzling sight of spring splendor! Even after seeing it many times, Bitao still felt her face flush, heart race, and limbs grow weak.
The two maids each tended to one side, knowing their young mistress was at an age of growth—delicate and sensitive to pain. They moved with extreme gentleness, fearing to cause discomfort. Yet, for thorough cleansing, some light scrubbing was necessary. When Bitao applied a bit more pressure, Wei Rao gasped and immediately submerged herself, leaving only her neck and above exposed.
Wei Rao said nothing, but her phoenix eyes accused Bitao.
Beads of sweat formed on Bitao's forehead as she handed the cloth to her mistress. "Please tend to that area yourself, Miss. I never get the pressure right—it pains you and stresses me."
Wei Rao took the cloth and carefully scrubbed herself underwater. Even handling it herself, she drew several sharp breaths.
"When will this stop hurting?" she muttered softly, indifferent to growth itself but annoyed at how it hindered her sword practice.
"Just another year or two, then it'll rarely bother you," Liuya replied with a smile.
Wei Rao pouted. Did she have to wait that long?
After bathing, Wei Rao wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the tub. The two maids skillfully dried her.
Wei Rao's hair was thick, soft, and fine. With a slight morning breeze, it dried completely after she wrung it out and lounged briefly on a recliner in the courtyard. The flush from her bath faded from her cheeks. Now properly adorned, she changed into a pre-selected robe and skirt.
The robe was begonia pink—a faint pink close to white—with deepened hues at the collar and cuffs.
The skirt was bluish-white gauze, its hem exquisitely embroidered with lotuses emerging from water.
Though the embroidery was simple and unremarkable from afar, the fabric was of superior quality. When Wei Rao stood still, the long skirt draped smoothly; when she moved, it floated ethereally, making her resemble a lotus fairy emerging from mist—delicate and lively, subtly tempering the striking beauty of her features.
Holding a round fan embroidered with lakes and mountains, she glided on light steps to Old Mrs. Wei's side. Before she could speak, the old woman's eyes crinkled with laughter: "Lovely! Our Raorao always knows how to dress."Today they were going to watch the Dragon Boat Race, not to compete in beauty, so her granddaughter's attire was just right—neither ostentatious, yet still able to outshine other young ladies with her natural beauty.
Having received her grandmother's approval, Wei Rao smiled and sat down to the side.
Shortly after, Guo Shi arrived with Wei Chan. Wei Rao glanced over and noticed Wei Chan wearing a white dress embroidered with colorful butterflies circling flowers, elegant yet vibrant, which was also quite fitting. Wei Chan closely resembled Guo Shi, with an oval face and almond-shaped eyes, and she wore a pearl hairpin bought this year. In terms of beauty, she was second only to Wei Rao among the four Wei family girls, which often made her resent Wei Rao with a "why must one exist when the other is already here" kind of jealousy.
Old Mrs. Wei looked at Wei Chan and nodded, saying, "Chan'er looks lovely too."
Wei Chan's expression brightened, and she glanced at the inexpensive crabapple silk flower in Wei Rao's hair, confident that she would attract more attention today.
After breakfast, Old Mrs. Wei took her two granddaughters and set off by carriage. By the time they reached the imperial city, a line of carriages had already formed ahead.
Old Mrs. Wei sat calmly in the main seat of the carriage, Wei Rao was lost in her own thoughts, and Wei Chan was somewhat nervous, straining to hear the noises outside. However, in front of the imperial city, even imperial relatives and nobles dared not make a commotion; the only sounds were the rolling of carriage wheels and the incessant clip-clop of hooves.
After some time, palace attendants came to inform the women to dismount and guided them to form a line on one side.
The maids stayed behind at this point. Wei Rao and her sister walked side by side behind Old Mrs. Wei, taking a position in the middle to rear of the line. Those ahead were all family members of imperial relatives, households with higher noble titles than the Cheng'an Marquis, and officials of the third rank or above.
There were two lines: the right one for women, and the opposite one for officials, separated by a distance of about ten feet.
Everyone present was a person of importance, so no one would look around indiscreetly at such a time—only those further back could subtly observe the people diagonally ahead.
Each household typically had only one official in the line, but women could bring up to two, so the two lines had fewer men and more women.
Parallel to Wei Rao's side, the men's line at the equivalent position had already begun lining up for the Dragon Boat Race teams. There were six teams in total, wearing red, gold, white, black, purple, and blue racing uniforms. They were all elites selected from the capital's Four Elite Armies, the Imperial Guard, and the Imperial City Guard—each tall, robust, and dashing.
Wei Rao had to maintain decorum and couldn't look back, so without moving her head, she glanced to the left front. The first man she saw in a red racing uniform was actually Lu Zhuo.
Wei Rao raised an eyebrow slightly, then understood.
The capital's Four Elite Armies were the Flying Eagle Army, Valiant Tiger Army, Soaring Dragon Army, and Divine Martial Army. Each of these four armies commanded 50,000 elite imperial troops and jointly guarded the capital. Their status surpassed that of imperial troops stationed elsewhere, and among them, the Divine Martial Army held the highest position. For decades, its commanding general had always been a man from the Lu Family.
The current commander of the Divine Martial Army was Lu Zhuo's grandfather, the old Duke of Lu.
The old Duke would certainly not participate in such a youthful competition. Lu Zhuo had just returned from training at the border and was likely using this Dragon Boat Race to make a name for himself.
Wei Rao didn't recognize the several other red-uniformed soldiers behind Lu Zhuo. The man leading the gold-uniformed team, almost parallel to her, was probably the leader of the Soaring Dragon Army team.
The Marquis of Xiting commanded the Soaring Dragon Army, and his heir, Han Liao, was also in it. Could this man be Han Liao?Unable to see the other party's face clearly from her peripheral vision, Wei Rao had no intention of looking either. Her gaze swept over Lu Zhuo's tall and straight figure before she resumed her composed demeanor with eyes cast downward.
The two lines began entering the palace simultaneously.
Eunuchs and female officials respectively held registers to verify everyone's identities. The men's line progressed faster. By the time Old Mrs. Wei's group stepped forward, both teams led by Lu Zhuo and Han Liao had already entered. Sharing the verification process with the Wei family was the Valiant Tiger Army's competition team.
Wei Rao kept her gaze forward, unaware that nearly all the young men in the other line were watching her.
Upon entering the palace, men and women separated into different routes.
The imperial palace was divided into eastern and western compounds. Most palaces were located in the eastern compound, serving as living quarters and administrative centers for successive emperors. The western compound featured a vast imperial lake with mist-covered waters, emerald grass lining its shores, and Qionghua Island at its center. Today's viewing location was situated on Qionghua Island, where pavilions and towers of varying sizes cascaded down from the summit. Guests would be assigned viewing spots according to their status, with the most honorable positions at the top.
Wei Rao, her grandmother, and female relatives from five other families were arranged at "Moonlit Pavilion" - a place so bright even moonlight could illuminate it, offering excellent views. Looking upward, they could glimpse Emperor Yuanjia, the Empress Dowager, and others in the Star Plucking Tower at the island's peak. Looking downward, they could clearly see the lake's surface and the six teams neatly arranged along the shore, ready for action.
This was Wei Rao's first time watching the imperial Dragon Boat Race. She observed the arrangements on the grassland with great interest.
Old Mrs. Wei quietly explained to her granddaughter: "The Dragon Boat Race isn't just about boats - equestrian skills and archery are also competed. Look, Rao'er, each of the six teams has thirteen members. Every participant must ride horses through obstacles while completing archery tasks. Their performance in these two events will determine the starting order for the dragon boats. After launching, the dragon boats will circle Qionghua Island before coming ashore to face the Emperor and receive royal rewards."
Wei Rao understood now. Such competition arrangements concerned the honor of the Four Elite Armies, Imperial Guard, and Imperial City Guard - no wonder even Lu Zhuo had to participate personally.
Just as Wei Rao comprehended the competition schedule, a young palace maid in blue approached Moonlit Pavilion. Under the collective gaze of the female relatives, she walked directly to Wei Rao and said with lowered eyes: "Fourth Young Lady, the Empress Dowager requests your presence."
Old Mrs. Wei's expression shifted slightly, her hands secretly clenching beneath her wide sleeves.
Wei Rao, however, felt no fear. Under public scrutiny and in Emperor Yuanjia's presence, what could the Empress Dowager possibly do? Even if there were sinister schemes, Wei Rao was no longer the helpless young girl from years past.
Wei Rao smiled at her grandmother and followed the young palace maid out of Moonlit Pavilion with unperturbed composure. Her dignified bearing made the elder women in the pavilion nod approvingly, thinking this fourth young lady of the Wei family wasn't as disgraceful as rumors suggested.
Moonlit Pavilion wasn't far from Star Plucking Tower. After walking up neat, clean steps for about the time needed to drink tea, Wei Rao reached Star Plucking Tower.
The tower featured an octagonal pavilion structure with eight windowless sides, offering panoramic views of the entire imperial city.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager occupied the main seats. To their left sat the Empress with three imperial consorts, while to their right were Prince Duan and his wife, Prince Jing, and Fu Wang.
To Wei Rao, none present were unfamiliar faces - she had met them all four years ago, let alone her cousin who was Prince Duan's wife.
Having long mastered imperial etiquette, Wei Rao wore a faint smile as she paid respects to each noble in turn.Four winters ago, Wei Rao had been fished out of an ice hole, her face deathly pale and lips purple. After a day of desperate rescue efforts, she survived, but when she left the palace, she still looked half-dead and ghastly. Now, Wei Rao stood gracefully, her beauty radiant like spring blossoms, her poise captivating, making the lake and scenery behind her seem like mere embellishments to her allure.
Emperor Yuanjia glanced at Wei Rao’s face, excused her from formalities, and then shifted his gaze back to the imperial guards on the lawn.
The Empress Dowager, draped in a windproof shawl, watched as Wei Rao appeared before her like a delicate, dewy peony about to bloom. A flicker of hatred flashed in her sunken eyes.
Having schemed in the imperial harem for decades, almost everyone she found displeasing had been eliminated by her—except for Shou An Jun, Little Zhou, and Wei Rao, who had repeatedly evaded her traps. Shou An Jun and Little Zhou were cunning and resourceful, so their survival was expected. But Wei Rao, a girl with nothing but beauty—how had she escaped harm from those two assassins?
The agents she had sent out still hadn’t reported back. Had they fled after failing, or had something happened to them?
The Empress Dowager couldn’t understand it.
She had summoned Wei Rao to see if she could detect anything from her expression, but the little vixen appeared completely unruffled, as if nothing had occurred.
“It’s been four years. Has Rao Rao fully recovered her health?” The Empress Dowager smiled and beckoned for Wei Rao to approach her.
Wei Rao replied gratefully, “By your grace, I am perfectly well now.”
The Empress Dowager took Wei Rao’s hand. That small hand was pale and delicate, as flawless as mutton-fat jade. In contrast, the Empress Dowager’s hand was bony, wrinkled, and covered with brown spots.
Stung by the comparison, the Empress Dowager released her grip, coughing lightly. “It’s good that you’re well. Once you enter the imperial palace, you are a guest of the royal family. If anything were to happen to a guest, it would be a failure on the part of the Empress and me.”
Wei Rao hurriedly expressed her deference.
The Empress Dowager smiled and turned to her son, the Emperor. “Your Majesty, look—this young lady resembles her mother more and more. Speaking of which, Li Guiren has contributed by bearing a prince and deserves a reward. My health has improved over the past two years. Why not summon them back, mother and child, so I can see my little imperial grandson?”
Emperor Yuanjia seemed displeased with the topic, his voice slightly stern. “Mother, your precious health must not be risked. Let them remain at the temporary palace for now.”
The Empress Dowager pressed her lips together and looked at Wei Rao.
Wei Rao kept her eyes lowered obediently, showing neither joy at the Empress Dowager’s words nor disappointment at Emperor Yuanjia’s refusal.
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes.
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