The Empress Dowager had a brocade stool placed beside her own seat for Wei Rao.
Unable to discern the Empress Dowager’s intentions, Wei Rao expressed her gratitude with composure and sat down, slightly tilting her head to admire the lake view below.
The Empress Dowager presented her with a plate of pastries—glutinous rice cakes shaped like flower petals, glazed with cherry jam, their colors enticing.
Wei Rao picked one up and took a small, smiling bite.
The Empress Dowager, who had been watching her all along, asked affectionately, "How does it taste?"
Wei Rao could only praise the palace pastries: "Soft, sweet, and tangy—quite delicious."
"If you like them, have more," the Empress Dowager said with a smile. After watching Wei Rao take two more bites, she turned to the Empress and remarked, "Over the years, I’ve seen many elegant young ladies, but upon reflection, none can compare to Raorao in beauty."
As she spoke to the Empress, the Empress’s legitimate son, Prince Jing, who sat opposite, unconsciously nodded while stealing glances at Wei Rao.
With so few people in the Star Plucking Tower, his foolish gesture was all too obvious.
Wei Rao lowered her gaze, pretending not to have noticed.
Emperor Yuanjia shot a sidelong glance at Prince Jing, his stern face betraying no expression.
The Empress seethed inwardly, displeased both by her son’s unbecoming behavior in front of the Emperor and by his infatuation with Wei Rao. Yet she could not show it, so she first echoed the Empress Dowager, smiling as she said, "Your Majesty is right. Few can surpass Raorao, but if Old Tutor Xie’s Sixth Miss Xie were here, she might rival Raorao equally.The Empress Dowager and the Empress were aunt and niece by blood, their words long attuned to harmony.
Wei Rao now understood—the Empress Dowager intended to use Sixth Miss Xie to belittle her.
As the Emperor’s tutor, Old Tutor Xie’s erudition and insight went without saying. The Xie family was renowned since the previous dynasty as a clan of virtuous scholars, their men all refined gentlemen and their women chaste, gentle, and virtuous.
The Xie family’s methods of raising daughters differed vastly from Shou An Jun’s. Every Xie daughter was kept secluded within the inner chambers, never stepping beyond the gates, their beauty and talent only spreading through the words of visitors.
The Wei family had no ties to the Xies, and Wei Rao had never had the chance to witness Sixth Miss Xie’s beauty or intellect firsthand. Yet, because their looks were often compared, envious young ladies loved using Sixth Miss Xie to undermine Wei Rao, claiming Wei Rao was at best a flamboyant but unrefined peony, while Sixth Miss Xie was a dignified and majestic tree peony—the peony scorned by scholars, the tree peony truly fit for a queen.
Wei Rao had heard the name "Sixth Miss Xie" so often it nearly wore out her ears.
Who would have thought—who would have thought—that the Empress Dowager and Empress would stoop to mimicking those shallow young maidens and play the same game.
Wei Rao lowered her long lashes, adopting a humble demeanor.
With the topic successfully steered to Sixth Miss Xie, the Empress Dowager asked the Empress with keen interest, "Sixth Miss Xie? I’ve never seen her, as the Xie daughters are raised in seclusion. Is she truly as beautiful as you say?"
The Empress replied, "I’ve only heard it from the young ladies themselves. They say it’s widely acknowledged among the capital’s elite that Sixth Miss Xie has the grace of a tree peony, while the Fourth Miss Wei possesses the charm of a peony."
Listen—first claiming Sixth Miss Xie could rival Wei Rao equally, and now pitting tree peony against peony, drawing distinctions between them.The Empress Dowager glanced at Wei Rao and exclaimed in surprise, "It's hard to imagine there exists a girl as beautiful as Raorao in the capital. What a pity the Xie family's daughters seldom go out—I wonder when I'll have the chance to witness her elegance."
The Empress smiled and said, "Soon, soon. In March, Sixth Miss Xie became engaged to Lu Zhuo, the heir of the Duke of Yingguo's manor. The wedding is set for the twelfth lunar month. Once Sixth Miss Xie is married, she'll be able to come to the palace to pay her respects to you."
Wei Rao was slightly taken aback, as she hadn't left home to socialize in the past two months and hadn't yet heard of this engagement.
Still, given Sixth Miss Xie's renowned beauty and family background, marrying Lu Zhuo was a well-matched union, like pearls joined with jade.
"Young ladies grow up so fast—in the blink of an eye, they're ready to marry," the Empress Dowager remarked with emotion, her gaze returning to Wei Rao. "Raorao has also come of age. Has a match been arranged for her?"
Wei Rao stood and replied, "My grandmother can't bear to part with me and says she wants to keep me for two more years."
Who couldn't boast a little? It wasn't that Wei Rao was unmarriageable, but that her elders adored her too much to let her go.
Wei Rao's delicate, bashful beauty made it seem as if this were truly the case, rather than her having a tarnished reputation that kept suitors away.
Yet everyone present knew the truth. The Empress Dowager offered a meaningful smile and finally released Wei Rao from further scrutiny.
Just as Wei Rao was about to return to her seat, something rolled down from Emperor Yuanjia's direction, clattering and spinning until it came to a stop at her feet.
It was a red gold jade walnut—a deep green jade bead encased in gold carved with walnut patterns, elegant in its opulence.
Wei Rao quickly picked it up, intending to hand it to the chief eunuch, Eunuch Kang, who hurried over.
"Since that walnut seems to like you, keep it as a toy," Emperor Yuanjia said indifferently.
The Empress Dowager immediately interjected, "Your Majesty is diligent in state affairs, reviewing memorials until his wrist aches. The imperial physician ordered craftsmen to make a pair of walnuts for you to exercise your hand bones. These walnuts concern Your Majesty's health—how can you casually give one away?"
Emperor Yuanjia spun the remaining walnut in his hand. "Have the craftsmen make another based on this one. That one has no affinity with me—let it go."
The Empress Dowager pressed her lips together.
Wei Rao, feeling the residual warmth from the emperor's palm on the golden walnut, couldn't discern whether it had truly come to her by fate or if Emperor Yuanjia had intentionally bestowed it upon her out of pity for the slights she'd suffered from the Empress Dowager and Empress.
But one thing was clear to Wei Rao: Emperor Yuanjia had already provoked the Empress Dowager's displeasure over this walnut. She couldn't afford to be ungrateful.
"This subject thanks Your Majesty for his generous favor."
Having received the imperial gift, Wei Rao knelt and kowtowed to Emperor Yuanjia.
Emperor Yuanjia nodded without granting Wei Rao an extra glance, turning instead to Eunuch Zheng, who waited outside the Star Plucking Tower. "Begin."
He was referring to the dragon boat race.
Eunuch Zheng acknowledged the command and signaled to a junior eunuch to wave a brocade flag, sending the signal to the six teams waiting on the grassy shore.
With the dragon boat race about to start, the Empress Dowager and others tacitly fell silent, ceasing their conversation.
Wei Rao sat down, clutching her newly acquired golden walnut. Her eyes scanned the competition grounds as she secretly rolled the walnut in her palm. The gold-carved walnut patterns brushed against her tender skin, tickling slightly, but she felt nothing else—unable to determine whether it had any special effect on her wrist or finger bones.
Because of this walnut, Wei Rao lost interest in the dragon boat race below and let her gaze drift sideways toward Emperor Yuanjia.The Empress Dowager was right—Emperor Yuanjia was indeed a diligent ruler who cherished his people. Ascending the throne during a time of internal strife and external threats, he devoted almost all his energy to strengthening the military and the nation, showing little indulgence in sensual pleasures. Since his enthronement, he had never held a selection of imperial consorts. Aside from his mother, who had been honored as the New Noble Consort a few years prior, the Empress and his three other consorts were all his wives from his time as the Crown Prince.
In the eyes of the common people, Emperor Yuanjia had almost no flaws, with one exception: he had ennobled a widow who refused to observe mourning for her deceased husband. That husband, ironically, was a virtuous and loyal official whom Emperor Yuanjia had once highly praised.
Wei Rao’s feelings toward Emperor Yuanjia were also complex.
She respected and admired him for his reverence toward her grandmother and his affection for her mother. Yet, she struggled with the fact that he had sent her mother and younger brother to the West Mountain Imperial Palace, causing her to be separated from them for two years. Her younger brother, whom she had never met, remained far away, with no clear timeline for their reunion. The indefinite nature of this separation weighed heavily on her heart.
"Ah!"
A sudden exclamation from beside the Empress snapped Wei Rao out of her thoughts. Her gaze refocused on the Dragon Boat Race teams, just in time to see that the equestrian archery segment was already halfway through. The crimson team of the Divine Martial Army and the golden team of the Soaring Dragon Army were leading the other four teams by half a track. However, at this critical moment, a horse from the Divine Martial Army stumbled forward after clearing a hurdle, throwing its rider heavily to the ground.
The equestrian archery event followed a relay format, with thirteen members per team. Only after the previous member completed the riding and shooting tasks and reached the finish line could the next one begin. This meant that if the fallen Divine Martial Army rider took too long to remount due to severe injuries—or was unable to stand at all—the Divine Martial Army would inevitably finish last in this year’s Dragon Boat Race.
"Ma Feng!"
"Get up!"
Shouts erupted from the Divine Martial Army members who had already finished or were waiting in line on both ends of the track. Though too far away to see their faces clearly, Wei Rao could feel the urgency, frustration, and raw intensity in their voices. Her own tension mounted, and she found herself hoping fervently that the man would remount and complete his part of the race for himself and for the Divine Martial Army. Even if they lost, she wanted them to do so with honor.
Perhaps spurred by his comrades’ cries, the Divine Martial Army soldier struggled to his feet. His first few steps were visibly painful, but he gradually picked up speed, as if his legs had recovered. He retrieved his scattered quiver, forced his fallen steed back up, and resumed the race.
But the delay had been costly. While the other five teams had already completed eight riders, the Divine Martial Army had only finished six.
The remaining Divine Martial Army riders clearly pushed themselves harder, their crimson uniforms blazing past like flames.
If the seventh through twelfth riders were like flames, the thirteenth and final rider was a crimson meteor—so fast that the crowd could barely make out his bow-drawing motions. All they saw were arrows streaking like trailing light, thudding one after another into the targets.
The equestrian archery segment concluded.
Scores were tallied separately for riding and archery. The Divine Martial Army placed third in riding and first in archery.
Eunuch Zheng reported the results to Emperor Yuanjia.The eighteen-year-old Prince Jing, son of the Empress, asked in confusion, "The Divine Martial Army's horsemanship is remarkable—we all witnessed them completing the course third. But their injured member missed the target entirely with his last arrow. How could the Divine Martial Army still rank first in overall archery?"
Eunuch Zheng instructed the military officer who had come to report the results to explain.
The officer replied, "There are three rows of targets. Hitting the bullseye of the first row earns full points. If the archer demonstrates exceptional skill, and the arrow pierces through the first target to hit the second or even third row, bonus points are awarded. The commander of the Divine Martial Army hit the third-row target with every arrow. His bonus points alone elevated the army's total archery score."
Emperor Yuanjia inquired, "The commander of the Divine Martial Army—is it Lu Zhuo, the one who started last?"
The officer confirmed, "Your Majesty is astute. It is indeed him."
A smile finally appeared on Emperor Yuanjia's face—the first since Wei Rao had entered the Star Plucking Tower.
Noticing this, the Empress Dowager praised with a chuckle, "No wonder the Duke of Yingguo ruthlessly sent Lu Zhuo to the border for eight years. Such skill is extraordinary. The Lu Family has a worthy successor."
Emperor Yuanjia smiled, "Indeed. The Duke's meticulous efforts deserve nothing but admiration."
The Empress Dowager shot a meaningful glance at the Empress.
Steeling herself, the Empress awkwardly shifted the topic: "With Young Master Lu's valor unmatched in the capital, Sixth Miss Xie is truly fortunate. Countless young ladies must envy her."
At these words, the smile on Emperor Yuanjia's lips gradually faded.
Wei Rao struggled to suppress her laughter.
The late emperor had numerous consorts, and the Empress Dowager had lived cautiously in her early years—perhaps too cautiously. Now that she was Empress Dowager, she indulged freely, secure in the knowledge that Emperor Yuanjia was her son and could not defy filial piety, no matter his displeasure.
As for the Empress, with only four rivals including her mother, the harem lacked serious strife. Her political acumen, unpracticed, was pitifully shallow. Though she knew Emperor Yuanjia was the one she ought to please, she insisted on currying favor with the Empress Dowager, repeatedly dampening the emperor's good mood.
Emperor Yuanjia wished to watch the Dragon Boat Race and assess the elite skills of the six armies. Yet here was the Empress, dragging in Sixth Miss Xie—as incongruous as a young noblewoman suddenly loudly discussing farming and irrigation amid a flower-appreciating gathering.
Like mother, like son. No wonder Prince Jing, already eighteen, remained so transparent in his thoughts.
After enduring Prince Jing's repeated glances, Wei Rao finally met his gaze—just as he was sneaking another look.
To her surprise, Prince Jing appeared more startled than she was, swiftly averting his eyes as if she were some venomous serpent or ferocious beast.
Noticing the faint blush on half of Prince Jing's face, Wei Rao felt a twinge of regret.
If Prince Jing weren't the Empress's son, if her cousin hadn't married Prince Duan, she might have wedded Prince Jing—surely satisfying both her grandmother and maternal grandmother.
Alas...
She was fated to have no connection with the title of Princess Consort.
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