No matter how much Wei Rao missed her mother, she would not break down in tears before Lu Zhuo. After shedding two drops, she quickly steadied her emotions.
"With this as an apology, will the young lady forgive my previous offense?" Seeing her gaze fixed on the handwriting of the imperial decree again, Lu Zhuo ventured to ask.
Wei Rao was a pragmatic person. Lu Zhuo's verbal insults had angered her, but upon reflection, it truly mattered little. She and Lu Zhuo were not genuine spouses—they would part ways after a few years of feigned marriage. Why concern herself with Lu Zhuo's opinion of her? In her heart, Lu Zhuo was no different from the gossipmongers among the common folk, except that he possessed the boldness to speak such harsh words to her face.
Now, Lu Zhuo had gifted her an opportunity to visit her mother—a tangible and substantial benefit, sufficient to offset his offense against her.
Rolling up the imperial decree, Wei Rao met Lu Zhuo's eyes directly. "Does my forgiveness matter to you, sir?"
Lu Zhuo replied, "It does. We bear no enmity, yet I have wounded you. If you refuse to forgive me, I shall carry this debt for two lifetimes. If you grant forgiveness, I may face heaven and earth with a clear conscience."
Wei Rao understood. Tucking the decree into her sleeve, she declared, "I will accompany you to Jin City. So long as you truly enable me to see my mother, all past grievances between us shall be erased. Henceforth, we shall continue our performance as an affectionate couple until our agreement concludes."
Lu Zhuo smiled faintly. "Very well."
With the matter settled, Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo went together to bid farewell to Shou An Jun.
Shou An Jun chuckled, "Why the haste? Stay for lunch—a little delay won't hurt."
Noting that mealtime was indeed approaching, Wei Rao glanced at Lu Zhuo, who readily agreed.
To entertain her granddaughter's husband, Shou An Jun still did not permit Wang Shi to appear. Dish by dish, the meal was served, and once all was prepared, Shou An Jun dismissed the attending maids.
"Rao Rao, are you going to Jin City with the young master?" Shou An Jun inquired with concern.
Wei Rao nodded and asked her grandmother, "Do you have any messages for Mother?"
Shou An Jun smiled, "She's grown—no need for my worries. I fear you might frolic and cause trouble on the journey, burdening the young master. His purpose in going to Jin City is to recruit new soldiers for the Divine Martial Army. Outside, both of you must heed his arrangements. Do not pester him and delay this crucial military matter."
Wei Rao shot a glance at Lu Zhuo and muttered under her breath, "Am I the type to disregard priorities? Just tend to your own retirement—no need to fret over me."
Shou An Jun shook her head and turned to Lu Zhuo. "Rao Rao has a wild temperament. With no one to restrain her outside, she may act even more recklessly. Young master, please keep a close watch on her for me, lest she stir up trouble."
Hearing this, Wei Rao angrily set down her chopsticks and glared at her grandmother, radiating resentment. What was wrong with her grandmother today? Knowing full well that she and Lu Zhuo were merely pretending to be married, why speak such words? She was no child—she understood propriety. This journey merely involved traveling with Lu Zhuo; there was no need for him to monitor her.
Lu Zhuo smiled reassuringly at Shou An Jun. "Rest assured, honored elder. Even if I fail to recruit a single soldier, I will return Rao Rao to you unscathed."
Wei Rao's indignant gaze immediately shifted to Lu Zhuo's face. There were no uninformed bystanders here—why was he carelessly calling her "Rao Rao"? He ought to address her as Fourth Young Lady.
Yet Shou An Jun and Lu Zhuo behaved as if they were true grandmother and grandson-in-law, ignoring Wei Rao's resistance and conversing cheerfully, exchanging remarks with ease.Wei Rao couldn't help but think that her grandmother must have deliberately provoked her, fearing she would be reluctant to leave the Secluded Manor.
After lunch, Shou An Jun did not keep the young couple to rest and personally saw them off from the estate.
"Grandmother, take good care of yourself," Wei Rao said at parting, embracing the elderly lady, unable to suppress her reluctance.
Shou An Jun patted the young girl's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "The journey is long. Listen to the Young Lord in everything, and don't run off recklessly."
Wei Rao replied irritably, "How many times have you said that? Where could I possibly run off to?"
Shou An Jun then gently pushed her away, saying, "Go on, go on! If you find me nagging, I find you just as tiresome!"
Wei Rao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. With one last glance at her grandmother, she turned and boarded the carriage.
Lu Zhuo smiled and bowed to Shou An Jun before mounting his horse, ready to bring his young wife, who had been away for nearly half a month, back home.
As they passed through Yunwu Town, the townsfolk who had previously witnessed the Young Lord bringing gifts to apologize recognized the additional carriage beside him and knew he had finally succeeded. The townspeople held Shou An Jun in high regard, so their words were lighthearted as they teased the gentle and handsome Young Lord on horseback: "Young Lord, you're smiling so brightly—has the young madam finally forgiven you?"
Lu Zhuo nodded with a smile.
"Then you must treat the young madam well from now on, and don't make her angry again!"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
Hidden behind the carriage curtain, Wei Rao observed Lu Zhuo's hypocritically amiable demeanor and couldn't help but admire his self-restraint.
Two hours later, the carriage entered the capital, and the tone of the roadside chatter suddenly shifted. Most of the comments were sympathetic toward Lu Zhuo, blaming Wei Rao for her spoiled temper and inability to endure even the slightest grievance.
No one spoke loudly, but the buzzing whispers clearly reached inside the carriage.
Wei Rao found it all rather amusing. Even if she was spoiled, she was only tormenting Lu Zhuo—her nominal husband. Neither Lu Zhuo nor the Duke of Yingguo's Manor seemed to mind her behavior, so why were these unrelated individuals so indignant, as if she were their daughter-in-law tormenting their own men?
Was it because of her poor reputation that they felt she didn't deserve Lu Zhuo's kindness?
Observing the men and women on the street who expressed pity and indignation on Lu Zhuo's behalf, Wei Rao's defiant temper flared. Her gaze swept over the rows of shops lining the street, and she suddenly lifted a corner of the curtain, coughing softly twice toward Lu Zhuo on his horse.
Beneath the curtain, only half of her fair face was visible, but her petal-soft skin instantly silenced the fortunate onlookers who caught a glimpse.
Lu Zhuo signaled the coachman to stop and guided his horse closer to the window, asking softly, "Is something the matter, madam?"
Wei Rao replied in a voice only he could hear, "I'm the one tormenting you. Why are they so upset?"
Her delicate voice carried a hint of annoyance.
Lu Zhuo had also heard the discussions. As he and Wei Rao were acting the part of an affectionate couple, if anyone had openly criticized her, he would have sternly rebuked them. But with the townsfolk only whispering, he couldn't possibly confront each one.
He was merely a listener, but as the subject of the discussion, Wei Rao naturally found it hard to tolerate.
"It's ultimately my fault. They don't know how deeply I hurt you, so they misunderstand you for making a fuss over nothing," Lu Zhuo apologized once again.That was exactly what Wei Rao wanted to hear. She chuckled lightly, "The more they think I don't deserve your kindness, the more I want to irritate them. There's a rouge shop over there—could I trouble the Young Lord to personally select a box of rouge for me?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhuo glanced at the nearby townsfolk peeking curiously and could easily imagine their reaction if he actually went to buy rouge.
Wei Rao, who came up with such a tactic, truly resembled a newlywed wife presuming upon favor to act spoiled.
Lu Zhuo felt no particular fondness for her, but he did carry guilt. If he hadn't angered her into leaving, Wei Rao wouldn't have become the subject of such gossip.
For the sake of this guilt, even if Wei Rao ordered him to hold her horse's reins, Lu Zhuo would comply, let alone buy rouge.
He smiled, "What scent does my lady prefer for the rouge?"
Wei Rao thought for a moment, "Osmanthus, but not too strong."
Lu Zhuo noted her preference, dismounted from his horse, and strode directly toward the rouge shop ahead, ignoring the curious stares from the surrounding crowd.
Inside the shop were four or five female customers—mothers and daughters, sisters—who had been standing at the entrance watching the Young Lord's spectacle. When they saw him approaching, they flustered and hurried back inside.
Lu Zhuo paid them no mind. Upon entering, he directly asked the shop's proprietress, "Do you have osmanthus rouge with a light fragrance?"
The proprietress was thrilled. The Young Lord on horseback was exceptionally handsome, but standing in her shop, his noble aura made him seem like a celestial being descended to earth.
"Yes, yes! What kind would the Young Lord like?" she stammered, too captivated by his face to speak coherently.
Lu Zhuo smiled, "The most expensive one. My wife isn't accustomed to common goods."
Hearing this, the proprietress immediately went to the cabinet to fetch the shop's treasure. She brought out an exquisitely carved sandalwood box containing four pastel-colored rouge boxes. Lu Zhuo bent to examine them as the proprietress expertly explained, "These four rouges are a set called 'Flower's Desire.' They feature crabapple, peony, osmanthus, and plum blossom scents. What does the Young Lord think?"
Lu Zhuo had never bought rouge before, and this purchase was merely to save face for Wei Rao. Seeing the four delicate and elegant rouge boxes, he assumed the contents must be of good quality.
"I'll take this set," Lu Zhuo said, after appearing to carefully appraise them.
The proprietress beamed, "That will be fifty taels in total."
Lu Zhuo smiled and took out a hundred-tael banknote from his robe. "Keep the change. Bring me another set."
As if wealth had fallen from the sky, the proprietress exclaimed joyfully, "Of course, of course! The Young Lord and his wife are a loving pair, so this 'Flower's Desire' set should naturally come in pairs too."
She swiftly packaged two sets of rouge and presented them to Lu Zhuo with a broad smile.
Lu Zhuo accepted the rouges and walked out of the shop with a spring-like smile, approaching the carriage.
"My lady, I've brought the rouges."
Wei Rao lifted the carriage curtain and was surprised to see him handing over two long boxes. "So many?"
Lu Zhuo gazed at her with smiling eyes, "This set is called 'Flower's Desire.' It suits you perfectly."
Wei Rao seemed to recall one of her sisters mentioning "Flower's Desire." Under the public's watchful eyes, she thanked him in a sweet, coquettish voice and reached out with her slender, jade-like hands to take the boxes into the carriage.
Lu Zhuo remounted his horse, and the procession continued on its way.
Wei Rao opened one box and sampled all four floral scents. The fragrances were indeed subtle, and when she tested the rouge on the back of her hand, it felt fine and light, quite comfortable.
The townsfolk outside were likely too stunned by Lu Zhuo's display of affection toward her to continue their gossip for the moment.Upon returning to the Duke's Manor, Wei Rao first went to apologize to the Duchess of Yingguo for disturbing the noble personages in the palace.
The Duchess held Wei Rao's small hands and said, "What matters is that you've returned safely. Those other things are unimportant." After speaking, she reprimanded Lu Zhuo, demanding that he promise never to upset Wei Rao again.
Lu Zhuo respectfully agreed.
After leaving the Loyalty Hall, Wei Rao quietly asked Lu Zhuo, "How much did those two boxes of rouge cost?"
Lu Zhuo replied, "Not much. Consider them my apology gift to you."
Wei Rao said, "You've already given me an apology gift. I'll treat the rouge as something I purchased myself - I can't let the heir incur such expense."
Lu Zhuo gazed ahead and explained, "The trip to Jincheng was my apology for hurting your feelings. The rouge is my apology for causing people to gossip about you."
Wei Rao continued to refuse: "As for the gossip, your personal trip to purchase the rouge was compensation enough."
Lu Zhuo had no choice but to say, "In that case, the two boxes of rouge cost fifty taels in total."
Wei Rao had estimated it would be around that price. During their shared evening meal, she repaid Lu Zhuo with a silver note.
Lu Zhuo silently accepted it.
OpenNovel