Even while staying at home, Wei Rao heard the gossip circulating outside regarding herself.
She truly hadn't expected that three completely unrelated matters would be strung together by those people, who had coincidentally guessed her thoughts at the time—she had wanted to marry Qi Zhongkai.
While the conclusion was correct, the evidence leading to it was entirely wrong. She had favored Qi Zhongkai simply because she didn't want to choose Lu Zhuo or Han Liao, and saving Qi Miaomiao had nothing to do with Qi Zhongkai.
Most importantly, that was then. Now, Wei Rao had lost all interest in Qi Zhongkai.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather grew hotter day by day. The Cheng'an Marquis's household had always been frugal, never purchasing ice in the summer. Moreover, Old Mrs. Wei suffered from chronic leg pain and had no use for it.
Wei Rao had silver to spare, but she worried that if she bought ice for her own use, Wei Chan would suspect their grandmother of favoritism, and the mother and daughter would trouble the old lady together. Thus, she preferred to fan herself more often rather than spend her own money for comfort.
One evening, her cousin Huo Jue arrived at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence with a basket of large watermelons.
Old Mrs. Wei instructed the maids to wash one of the melons, cut it into small pieces, and serve them on plates for everyone to eat with bamboo skewers.
"Mmm, this melon is sweet with a soft, sandy texture—perfect for old bones like mine," Old Mrs. Wei praised after taking two consecutive bites.
Huo Jue, seated below the old lady, smiled and said, "My maternal grandmother has a sandy plot dedicated to growing watermelons. She specifically had these picked and asked me to bring them for you to enjoy."
Old Mrs. Wei felt a genuine twinge of envy for Shou An Jun, who owned fields and estates, lived carefree and comfortably, and enjoyed a leisurely life.
Huo Jue was skilled at pleasing elders. From the moment he sat down, Old Mrs. Wei's smile never faded.
Wei Rao knew her cousin's purpose for visiting and waited patiently. When her grandmother instructed her to see Huo Jue out, the cousins paused in the corridor of the courtyard. Bitao stood not far away—as Wei Rao's trusted confidante, there was no need to avoid her.
"There's a tea house on Tianshun Street up for sale at a reasonable price. Do you plan to purchase it yourself, or should I find an intermediary?" Huo Jue asked, slightly bowing his head to look at his cousin, whom he hadn't seen in half a month.
Wei Rao slowly fanned herself with a round fan embroidered with landscapes. The fan occasionally obscured her peony-like radiant face before swaying away. Each movement of the fan carried a faint, elusive fragrance—reminiscent of osmanthus but not as strong, sweet and pleasant in just the right measure.
Was it the scent from her cousin's perfumed robes, or the legendary fragrance of a maiden?
Faced with a beauty like Wei Rao, few men could guard their hearts, though most restrained their actions, not daring to overstep.
"You've heard about what happened at the palace banquet, haven't you, Cousin?" Wei Rao said with a hint of self-mockery. "It's better to use an intermediary. I'll transfer the deed privately through them later. Otherwise, if those noble families find out I own the tavern, they might avoid my business."
Huo Jue nodded. "That works. I'll also find you a reliable manager. You'll just need to collect the earnings periodically."
Wei Rao asked, "What about the chefs…"
Huo Jue replied, "They'll arrive in the capital by the end of the month at the latest. Converting the tea house into a tavern will take some time. If all goes smoothly, the tavern can open by mid-June."
Wei Rao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Huo Jue. "In opening this tavern, aside from providing the silver, I've done nothing. It's all thanks to you handling everything, Cousin. I don't even know how to thank you."Huo Jue smiled with a heavy heart. "Between siblings like us, why stand on ceremony? I only regret my own incompetence, unable to assist you in those major matters."
Wei Rao didn’t see it that way. "What counts as a major matter? Earning silver is the foremost priority—can reputation put food on the table?"
She spoke as she thought, her smile open and unrestrained, her phoenix eyes clear and bright as spring water, without a trace of reluctance.
Huo Jue couldn’t help asking, "Do you no longer wish to marry into a noble family?"
A hint of wildness flashed in Wei Rao’s charming eyes. "My uncle is the Cheng'an Marquis, my grandmother is Shou An Jun, and my mother’s husband is the Emperor. I myself am a daughter of a noble house. If there’s a suitable nobleman, I’ll marry him. If not, I’ll follow my grandmother’s example—buy some land, build a garden, and live happily."
Huo Jue lowered his voice. "The Empress Dowager..."
Wei Rao blinked at her cousin and held up one hand—five years. She estimated the Empress Dowager had at most five years left to live.
Huo Jue was infected by her confidence, and a tender sprout of hope emerged in his heart.
If his cousin truly didn’t care about social status, and if she remained unmarried after five years, would he have a chance?
Wei Rao arranged with her cousin to complete the transfer of the tavern’s deed at her grandmother’s Secluded Manor.
She did it on purpose—she missed her grandmother. With no hope of marrying into a noble family, why should she restrain herself?
The next day, Wei Rao took Bitao and Liuya and set off by carriage out of the city.
Old Mrs. Wei, distressed that her granddaughter had been wronged, felt that a trip to the Secluded Manor would lift her spirits and thus encouraged the idea.
Shou An Jun had heard all about the matters in the capital. She knew Wei Rao wasn’t that kind of person, but she couldn’t stop those who envied her granddaughter from spreading rumors. After this turmoil, it would be difficult for her granddaughter to marry this year at least. Rather than endure the humiliation in the capital, it was better to come to the manor and enjoy herself freely. The one in the palace was surely watching with amusement, and in a good mood, she probably wouldn’t send any more assassins.
"Smiling like a flower—I’m starting to suspect you did it on purpose."
Seeing her granddaughter again, Shou An Jun examined her carefully and, finding Wei Rao neither thinner nor despondent, couldn’t resist teasing her.
Wei Rao snorted. "Yes, I did it on purpose—deliberately tarnishing my own reputation so you’d feel sorry for me."
Shou An Jun shook her head helplessly, taking Wei Rao’s small hand. "Never mind, let’s not force things. This time, you can stay at the manor as long as you like—I won’t rush you. Look how flushed your face is from the heat. Yan’er, go fetch a bowl of chilled plum soup."
The young maid cheerfully went to the kitchen and soon returned with a pot of chilled plum soup.
Wei Rao drank nearly half a bowl in one go—sour, sweet, and cool—it was indescribably refreshing.
After seeing her grandmother, Wei Rao took her cousins Zhou Huizhu and Huo Lin to her room for a private chat. An ice basin had already been set up inside, and Liuya vigorously fanned it a few times, spreading a refreshing chill throughout the room. Comfortably slipping off her embroidered shoes and settling onto the bed, Wei Rao invited her two cousins to join her.
The canopy bed was spacious, and the three sisters lay side by side, chatting.
"Sister Rao, you’re so unlucky to run into this kind of trouble. Let me tell you, my sister even blames you, saying it’s all your fault for dragging her down—otherwise, someone would have come to propose already." Zhou Huizhu pouted as she tattled on her own sister, Zhou Huizhen, in front of Wei Rao. She had always sided with reason over kinship. "Why doesn’t she consider that if some noble son truly liked her, why didn’t anyone come to propose throughout the entire month of April?"Wei Rao had long grown accustomed to Zhou Huizhen's unreasonable behavior and paid it no mind.
"Sister Rao, how long do you plan to stay this time?" Huo Lin lay on the inner side of the bed, looking sideways at Wei Rao. "I'll be returning to Taiyuan with my brother in September."
Wei Rao smiled. "I'll stay until July when the weather turns cooler. If you can't bear to part with me, Linlin, you can come back to the Earl's mansion with me then."
The three cousins chatted about this and that, as close as biological sisters.
In another courtyard, Wang Shi stopped her eldest daughter Zhou Huizhen from going to cause trouble for Wei Rao.
"Why go looking for her? You can't win arguments against her, and if the Old Madam finds out, you'll be punished again." Wang Shi was afraid Zhou Huizhen would suffer losses.
Zhou Huizhen's eyes were red-rimmed. "She embarrassed herself in the capital, ruining my marriage prospects. I can't swallow this anger."
Wang Shi sighed. "What's done is done. Arguing won't help. It's all my fault - if I had known things would turn out this way, back when the Marquis of Xiting..."
Halfway through, Wang Shi caught herself and stopped speaking, trying to cover it up.
But Zhou Huizhen latched onto "Marquis of Xiting" and demanded her mother explain clearly.
Pestered by her daughter, Wang Shi had no choice but to pull her into the room and quietly reveal that Han Liao, heir to the Marquis of Xiting, had wanted to marry Zhou Huizhen as his second wife: "Zhen'er, don't blame me and the Old Madam. We were thinking of your wellbeing. That Han Liao has a harsh mother above him and over ten children below him. Marrying into that family would be too difficult for you."
Zhou Huizhen didn't care. All she knew was that she had nearly become the wife of the Marquis of Xiting's heir! After enduring ten or twenty years, she would have become the Marchioness of Xiting!
Already frustrated about marriage, Zhou Huizhen now cried even harder, as if she had missed her chance to ascend to heaven: "I don't want to live anymore! What's the point of living when none of you want to see me do well!"
Wang Shi desperately restrained Zhou Huizhen, so Wei Rao remained unaware that her dear cousin was crying so bitterly over missing the chance with Han Liao.
Early the next morning, taking advantage of the cool weather, Wei Rao changed into men's clothing, put on a veiled hat, and went horseback riding alone.
She didn't inform her two cousins, afraid they would follow. If they encountered assassins, she might not be able to protect them adequately, and it would be disastrous if they got implicated.
Alone, Wei Rao feared nothing.
Wei Rao didn't take the road to Cloud Mist Mountain, instead galloping along country paths. As she rode, she unexpectedly arrived at the edge of her maternal grandmother's melon field. Large green watermelons lay on the sandy soil like well-fed little Maitreya Buddhas, looking truly delightful. Glancing at the melon shed in the middle of the field, Wei Rao was contemplating whether to call someone to buy a melon or "steal" one to tease the melon keeper when suddenly hoofbeats sounded behind her.
Wei Rao turned to see a tall, robust military officer galloping toward her. Squinting, she curiously turned her horse around.
Qi Zhongkai was riding urgently, large beads of sweat continuously rolling down his bronze-colored face.
Since he was an acquaintance, Wei Rao lifted the edge of her veiled hat, revealing half her face to speak with Qi Zhongkai: "Second Master, are you here for me? Why are you dressed like this?"
Qi Zhongkai panted heavily, his tiger-like eyes fixed intently on Wei Rao's beautiful face.
War had suddenly broken out at the border, and yesterday he had received orders to deploy.
Qi Zhongkai wanted to go to the battlefield, wanted to defend their homeland, wanted to earn merit and fame. The only thing he couldn't set aside was Fourth Young Lady's heart.Yesterday evening, right after leaving the palace, he impulsively went to Cheng'an Marquis's residence and asked to see the Fourth Young Lady. Old Mrs. Wei initially refused to let him see her, but when Qi Zhongkai said he might not return and didn't want to leave with doubts, Old Mrs. Wei finally told him that the Fourth Young Lady had gone to the Secluded Manor.
By then, the city gates were already closed, so Qi Zhongkai had to wait until this morning. As he approached the Secluded Manor, he spotted a familiar figure running out from afar and guessed it might be the Fourth Young Lady. He chased after her all the way here.
"I'm heading off to war, Fourth Young Lady. I'm a blunt man, so I'll speak plainly—rumors say you want to marry me. Is it true?" Qi Zhongkai gripped the reins tightly, struggling to steady his breath as he asked. His face was flushed, and his fierce eyes burned hotter than the most intense summer sunlight.
At that moment, Wei Rao thought that if she really married Qi Zhongkai, he would cherish her like the two old ladies, holding her in the palm of his hand.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans for them.
She smiled faintly, a hint of hurt in her expression. "Second Master, you're an upright man. Do you believe such rumors and think of me as a frivolous woman?"
The fire in Qi Zhongkai's eyes cooled under her aggrieved gaze.
Wei Rao felt a pang of guilt. Her eyes swept over a watermelon in the field, and she dismounted, drew her sword, cut open the melon, and brought a large piece over to the man on horseback. "I have no romantic feelings for you, Second Master, but I appreciate that you've never looked down on me. In my heart, I consider you a friend. As you depart for battle today, I have nothing else to give but this slice of watermelon to quench your thirst. May you achieve swift victory and return triumphant soon."
Qi Zhongkai was taken aback. He looked at the watermelon, then at the girl's bright, sweet smile, and suddenly, he didn't feel so bad anymore.
If she didn't like him, so be it—being friends with the Fourth Young Lady was enough!
"Alright, then I—"
"Who's stealing our watermelons?"
An angry, urgent shout came from the direction of the melon shed. Wei Rao turned to see the melon keeper running toward them while pulling on his shoes.
In a flash of inspiration, she stood on her toes, shoved the watermelon into Qi Zhongkai's hands, mounted her horse, and fled.
Qi Zhongkai had never seen this side of the Fourth Young Lady before. A bittersweet feeling welled up in his heart. He was about to take out some silver to toss to the melon keeper when the man indignantly declared, "Think you're special because you're an official? These are Shou An Jun's melons! If you want to buy one, that's one thing, but otherwise, we'll report you to the Emperor!"
Hearing this, Qi Zhongkai's eyes lit up with a clever idea. Holding the watermelon in one hand and steering his horse with the other, he laughed heartily and rode off.
Half an hour later, Qi Zhongkai rejoined the troops.
Lu Zhuo glanced at him, frowned in disdain, and pointed at Qi Zhongkai's chest armor.
Qi Zhongkai looked down and saw it was splattered with watermelon juice.
He wiped it with his finger, then, remembering this was the watermelon given by the Fourth Young Lady, put his finger in his mouth and sucked on it noisily.
Lu Zhuo: ...
Noticing his disgust, Qi Zhongkai grinned and extended the same finger. "Want a taste? It's really sweet!"
Lu Zhuo spurred his horse, putting as much distance between them as possible.
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