The entire household of the Marquis of Pingxi had arrived—the Marquis and his wife, the heir Qi Bowei along with his wife and daughter, as well as Second Master Qi Zhongkai.
The atmosphere should have been somewhat awkward, especially since the Duchess of Yingguo had also been present at the Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet when the Madam Marquis of Pingxi had humiliated Wei Rao with the bracelet.
Fortunately, both were well-bred matriarchs from prestigious families. The Madam Marquis of Pingxi and the Duchess of Yingguo behaved as though nothing had happened. The Madam Marquis even smiled and praised Wei Rao.
Wei Rao responded with equal grace and propriety.
Only Qi Zhongkai cast a complicated glance at Wei Rao.
Wei Rao gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before focusing her attention on staying close to the Duchess of Yingguo.
He Weiyu’s gaze shifted between the two of them before she quietly moved to support He Shi.
After visiting Lu Zhuo, the group split into three. The Duke of Yingguo led the male guests away, while the Duchess took charge of the female guests. Qi Zhongkai, due to his special bond with Lu Zhuo, remained behind.
Lu Zhuo was still lying on his side.
Qi Zhongkai dismissed A Gui, pulled up a chair, and sat facing Lu Zhuo. Even seated, his head towered significantly above Lu Zhuo’s.
Seeing Qi Zhongkai’s expression—neither a smile nor a sob—Lu Zhuo simply closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
After a long silence, Qi Zhongkai let out a deep sigh, his breath blowing directly into Lu Zhuo’s face. Lu Zhuo could even tell what he had eaten for breakfast.
“Move away from me,” Lu Zhuo said bluntly.
Qi Zhongkai had never expected that his first words from his dear friend, whom he had come to visit with good intentions, would be these.
Refusing to budge, Qi Zhongkai glared at Lu Zhuo and retorted, “Are you even human? When you were unconscious, I was so worried I couldn’t eat or sleep. The moment I heard you woke up, I rushed over first thing in the morning to see you. And now you’re complaining that I’m too close? What, am I blocking your view of the screen?”
Lu Zhuo held his breath for a moment before replying, “Your breath reeks of scallions.”
Qi Zhongkai: …
Well, it was true—for breakfast, he had indeed eaten scallion pancakes rolled with chili sauce. His mood had been heavy, and only something spicy could stimulate his appetite.
Knowing how particular Lu Zhuo was, Qi Zhongkai obligingly moved to the side. Once seated again, he continued to gaze at Lu Zhuo with that same complicated expression.
Lu Zhuo said, “If you have something to say, say it plainly.”
Looking at Lu Zhuo’s haggard face, Qi Zhongkai felt both pity and frustration. “How many times did I tell you on the way back not to push yourself? But you never listened. Now look what happened—you’ve worn yourself down to near death, worried the Old Madam and the others for so long, and even ruined your promising marriage with Sixth Miss Xie!”
He practically spat out the last sentence through gritted teeth.
Lu Zhuo glanced at him. “Are you upset that my marriage with the Xie family fell through, or are you angry that I married the person you wanted to marry?”
Lu Zhuo hadn’t forgotten how, before their departure, Qi Zhongkai had gone to see Wei Rao, only to be rejected. He had even been so infatuated that he would have gladly licked dry the juice of the watermelon Wei Rao gave him. Lu Zhuo could easily imagine that if Qi Zhongkai had indeed married Wei Rao, he would have become a henpecked husband, willingly letting her toy with him like a dog.
Faced with Lu Zhuo’s sharp question, Qi Zhongkai rubbed his nose and glared back. “I just don’t understand—why did the Old Madam suddenly go to the Cheng'an Marquis’s residence to propose marriage? Weren’t you always dismissive of the Fourth Young Lady?”
Although Lu Zhuo had never spoken ill of Wei Rao, Qi Zhongkai could sense it.Lu Zhuo, regardless of his inner thoughts, always maintained a gentlemanly demeanor outwardly. During their training together at the frontier, whenever they went into town to buy wine or up the mountains to hunt, they would occasionally encounter young women—either leisurely strolling wealthy maidens or plainly dressed village girls. Lu Zhuo treated them all with refined courtesy and propriety, his handsome appearance deceiving countless hearts.
Only in front of Fourth Young Lady did Lu Zhuo not even crack a smile.
Lu Zhuo clarified in a low voice, "The reasons you think she's good are the same reasons Old Madam likes her and chose her for my Marriage to ward off misfortune. I had heard some gossip about Fourth Young Lady before and held some prejudice against her. But since we're already married, and she saved my life, I will naturally treat her well from now on and be a loving couple with her."
Qi Zhongkai widened his eyes. A loving couple?
Lu Zhuo stopped smiling and said seriously, "Brother Qi, she is now my properly wedded wife. Please let go of your past feelings. We are brothers who have faced life and death together on the battlefield—let's not allow a woman to come between us."
Hearing this, Qi Zhongkai said angrily, "Do you think I'm that kind of person? I may not have read as many books as you, but I understand better than anyone the principle that one should not covet a friend's wife! Rest assured, from now on she is only my sister-in-law. If I harbor even the slightest improper or disrespectful thought toward her, may I be struck by lightning and never..."
"Never eat scallions again?" Lu Zhuo deliberately interrupted.
Qi Zhongkai was nearly infuriated to death by him!
Lu Zhuo laughed, "Alright, we're brothers. Why swear such terrible oaths? I naturally trust you."
Qi Zhongkai snorted. Remembering his own mother's dislike for Fourth Young Lady, he reminded Lu Zhuo, "Treat her well. She's really not as bad as the rumors say. Those women are just jealous that her mother remarried and still managed to become a noble in the palace. The young ladies are jealous of her beauty—since they can't compare in looks, they try to ruin her reputation."
Lu Zhuo understood. He had never considered Wei Rao as someone who would stop at nothing to marry into a higher status. Otherwise, during their two chance encounters at Cloud Mist Mountain, if Wei Rao had any intention of climbing the social ladder, she would have tried to seduce him instead of maintaining a cold distance.
He just felt that as a young lady from a noble family, Wei Rao shouldn't be so wild—hunting alone in the mountains during heavy snow, taking off her socks and playing in the water in broad daylight. Her reputation was already deliberately tarnished by others; the more this happened, the more she should guard her words and actions to defend her purity, rather than becoming worse with nothing to lose.
Knowing something would cause controversy yet still doing it—this showed a lack of self-respect.
Acting freely outside while pretending to be gentle and virtuous in front of noble ladies to gain a good reputation for marrying well—this was hypocritical and arrogant.
The noble ladies weren't fools to be deceived by her few acts. If not for the twist of fate that led his grandmother to hire her, given Wei Rao's behavior, she would have found it difficult to marry into a prestigious family in this lifetime.
The Qi Family entourage left, and new guests arrived.
From morning till night, the Duke of Yingguo's Manor was bustling with visitors. Even Emperor Yuanjia sent Eunuch Zheng to confirm Lu Zhuo's condition.
The joyful news of Lu Zhuo's awakening gradually spread throughout the capital.At the Cheng'an Marquis Manor, Old Mrs. Wei happily lit three incense sticks before the family's enshrined Buddha statue. Lu Zhuo's awakening was a relief—her granddaughter had passed the first hurdle. Old Mrs. Wei only hoped Lu Zhuo would learn to cherish her granddaughter and not abide by any five-year agreement. Of course, a forced marriage bears no sweetness. If Lu Zhuo was unwilling, she wouldn't insist.
At least for now, the gossips could no longer find fault with her granddaughter, leaving them with nothing but envy and helpless resentment.
Guo Shi and her daughter Wei Chan were two such gossips.
Wei Chan felt more envy, jealousy, and suffocating resentment than any other young lady who had dreamed of marrying Lu Zhuo! Because the one who ultimately married him was her cousin Wei Rao. Since the Duchess of Yingguo had chosen Wei Rao, it meant she approved of the Cheng'an Marquis Manor's status and good reputation. If not for Wei Rao, that opportunity would surely have been hers, Wei Chan's!
The most infuriating part was that while Wei Rao basked in glory, Wei Chan—overshadowed by her—became the laughingstock among the young ladies.
Ever since learning of Lu Zhuo's recovery, Wei Chan had lost her appetite, hiding in her room to smash her bed and throw pillows, her resentment with no outlet.
Guo Shi comforted her daughter: "Don't be angry, Chanchan. There's nothing to envy. The Duchess of Yingguo chose Wei Rao only because no other young lady was willing to marry him, afraid of risking widowhood. With no other options, she picked Wei Rao. Now that Lu Zhuo has woken up, after some recuperation, he'll return to being the Young Lord everyone wants to marry. By then, will the Duke of Yingguo's Manor still consider Wei Rao worthy of being their eldest grandson's wife? Sooner or later, they'll find an excuse to divorce her. When virtue doesn't match status, this is the outcome!"
Wei Chan felt somewhat comforted, but thinking of Wei Rao's fox-like face, she grew worried again: "With her looks, what if Young Lord Lu is bewitched by her? Isn't it said that Young Lord Lu's mother was from a humble family, who married into the Duke of Yingguo's Manor solely relying on her beauty?"
Guo Shi laughed: "Young Lord Lu's mother may be beautiful, but she's honest and dutiful. Is Wei Rao? Even if she captivates him temporarily with her looks, sooner or later, she'll flirt outside and leave evidence. He'll grow tired of her eventually. As for you, my Chanchan, this year I'll find you a good marriage. Though not as illustrious as the Duke of Yingguo's Manor, it will ensure a life of nobility."
Wei Chan let out a soft sigh. That would be best—she refused to marry beneath Wei Rao.
At the Xie Residence in Qingping Lane.
The maid sent to gather news withdrew, leaving Yang Shi and her husband, Third Master Xie, sitting side by side on the couch, both looking grave.
After a long silence, Yang Shi slapped her own cheek in regret: "It's all my fault, all my fault! If I'd been braver and agreed to the Duchess of Yingguo's proposal for Hualou to enter the Marriage to ward off misfortune, she would now be the Young Lord's wife at the Duke of Yingguo's Manor, and the Lu Family's fourth branch would be grateful to our Hualou!"
Third Master Xie glanced at his wife's flushed cheek and sighed: "It's not your fault. A Marriage to ward off misfortune is a gamble. Hualou is our youngest, most beloved daughter. Even if you had been brave, I wouldn't have dared to stake her lifelong happiness on it. Let it be, let it be. Don't dwell on it—this is fate. Hualou and the Young Lord were not meant to be. You can lament in front of me, but never say these things to Hualou, lest you upset her."Lady Yang was so regretful that tears welled up in her eyes. That was Lu Zhuo—the future Duke of Yingguo, the future commander of the Divine Martial Army, esteemed by the emperor and beloved by the people. In this dynasty, there was no other young man who could compare to Lu Zhuo! In terms of noble rank, handsome appearance, and exceptional talent, Lu Zhuo excelled in every aspect!
"What is to become of our Hualou? Although she only needs to observe mourning for a year, as her parents, we cannot arrange her marriage until we are out of mourning. A delay of three years means Hualou will be nineteen when we discuss marriage again. What good matches will be left for her then?" Even without regret, Lady Yang had other worries.
The entire Xie family's reputation as upright scholars relied entirely on Old Tutor Xie. Now that the old tutor had passed away and his influence had faded, the highest official position among the three Xie brothers was only a fifth-rank director in the Ministry of Justice. Moreover, all three brothers had resigned from their posts to observe mourning. Who knew what the political landscape would look like three years later?
The more Lady Yang thought about it, the more regretful she became!
Xie the Third, irritated, pinched his forehead and went to the mourning hall to keep vigil.
Old Tutor Xie had passed away only three days prior and had not yet been buried.
Lady Yang dared not see her daughter Xie Hualou, nor did she dare have anyone inform her daughter that Lu Zhuo had awakened.
But such significant news, especially since it concerned the Xie family, could not escape Xie Hualou's notice. She sensed something amiss from the attitudes of those around her.
She sent a young maid to make discreet inquiries and soon learned the truth.
Xie Hualou had never met Lu Zhuo but had heard countless praises about him—how he was as handsome as Pan An, how skilled he was in riding and archery, and how brilliantly he led troops.
For such a man, she would have been willing to remain a widow for his sake.
Unfortunately, her family had not consulted her and had decided to break off the engagement on her behalf.
Xie Hualou could say nothing, for she was in mourning for her grandfather. She could not beg to marry the great hero of her heart at such a time.
Now, Lu Zhuo had awakened, but he would never have anything to do with her again.
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