After returning from the hunt, Lu Zhuo had been leaving early and returning late for two days. Wei Rao wasn't the type of virtuous wife who would wait for her husband's return before sleeping, so the two hadn't crossed paths at all during this time.
On the evening of the third day, Lu Zhuo returned early enough for them to share another meal together.
The food prepared by the courier station was quite palatable, featuring a local specialty of pickled radish that was both sour and crispy—a delightful accompaniment to porridge or noodles.
Wei Rao nibbled slowly on the pickled radish.
Lu Zhuo picked up a piece as well.
The soft, crisp sounds of their chewing seemed to mingle in the air, inexplicably reminding Wei Rao of the white rabbits in the Secluded Manor's cages nibbling on carrots.
She promptly stopped eating the radish.
Lu Zhuo suddenly spoke: "Tomorrow morning, I'll set off for Wei County to recruit soldiers. The entire circuit is expected to take until around this time next month before I return to Jin City."
Wei Rao nodded; he had already mentioned the general recruitment itinerary earlier.
Lu Zhuo smiled. "Staying alone at the courier station might become rather dull for you. Would you be interested in joining us on the trip?"
Having just completed a seven-day journey not long ago, Wei Rao had no interest in embarking on another long carriage ride. Besides, with Jin City being so vast and Yang Yan as her companion, the coming month promised to be quite enjoyable.
"I wouldn't want to disturb the heir in his official duties," Wei Rao replied promptly.
Lu Zhuo had thought her restless nature would make her eager for an outing. Since she declined, he didn't press further, only instructing, "I'll leave Zhao Song and Zhao Bai behind. Wherever you go, please take them with you."
Wei Rao nodded.
Lu Zhuo gazed at her fair complexion. "I'm quite at ease with you exploring within Jin City. However, if you venture outside the city, for safety's sake, try to go with Miss Yang. The Yang family has been settled in Jin City for five generations—common troublemakers wouldn't dare cause trouble for them."
Wei Rao shot him a glance. "So now you trust the Yang family? Weren't you worried before that the siblings might drug me?"
Lu Zhuo chuckled. "I never doubted the character of the Yang siblings. I merely wanted to remind you to maintain a sense of caution."
Wei Rao humphed and continued with her meal, retreating to the inner room once finished.
Lu Zhuo watched the slightly swaying curtain of the secondary room, still feeling somewhat uneasy about leaving her in Jin City for a month.
Early the next morning, before setting off, Lu Zhuo summoned Zhao Song and Zhao Bai, delivering only one sentence:
"If anything happens to the young mistress, you will face military discipline."
Yang Yan also learned of Lu Zhuo's departure for recruitment and began visiting Wei Rao at the courier station every few days. She either took Wei Rao to explore Jin City's major shops or escorted her outside the city for outings to experience the local customs and scenery. Each time Wei Rao went out, Zhao Song, Zhao Bai, and Bitao invariably accompanied her, while Yang Yan brought along her family's guards and attendants.
With the like-minded Yang Yan as her companion, Wei Rao felt time fly by. Before she knew it, it was already the end of the third month—in just a few days, Lu Zhuo would likely return.
On this day, Yang Yan was unavailable, so Wei Rao dressed in male attire with Bitao to browse shops, while Zhao Song and Zhao Bai followed closely, maintaining a distance of five steps.
Wei Rao enjoyed visiting shops that sold small trinkets, hoping to select a few gifts that the Fourth Prince might like.
Half a month earlier, in a woodcarving shop, Wei Rao had spotted a small ornament depicting a shepherd boy riding a yellow ox. She liked it very much, but the piece was rigid and immovable. She asked the shopkeeper if the craftsman could create separate woodcarvings of two small boys and one yellow ox, with movable legs and arms for the boys, allowing them to either stand on the ground or ride on the ox's back.The shopkeeper found Wei Rao's idea quite novel. Though difficult to execute, he believed it would sell well once made. He asked Wei Rao to return in half a month—if the craftsman succeeded, she could collect the goods; if not, she would at least receive a reply.
After visiting several shops, Wei Rao arrived at a woodcarving store.
The shopkeeper greeted her cheerfully, as the craftsman had completed the work: a yellow ox and two small wooden figures—a boy and a girl. Additionally, the woodcarver had crafted a tiny basket that could hold grass for pretend feeding, along with a small vine whip for driving the ox playfully.
The woodcarver's skill was exquisite. The set was so charming that even Wei Rao, let alone children, adored it.
The craftsman had made two identical sets, both of which Wei Rao purchased.
Handing the boxes to Zhao Song to carry, Wei Rao led Bitao out of the shop. Just as they stepped outside, a merchant caravan slowly approached with carts. Wei Rao stood by the shop entrance, waiting for the caravan to pass before crossing the street. At that moment, the curtain of the lead carriage was lifted, revealing a handsome and gentle face.
Wei Rao stared at the man, who also stared back in disbelief.
Wei Rao was the first to react. Delighted, she hurried down the steps. Seeing this, Huo Jue in the carriage confirmed he hadn’t mistaken her and immediately ordered the driver to stop. Before the carriage came to a halt, he leaped down.
"Cousin, are you in Jincheng for business?"
"Raorao, what are you doing here?"
The cousins eagerly voiced their questions upon meeting.
Encountering an old friend in a distant land is one of life’s great joys, especially for blood relatives like these two. Both Huo Jue and Wei Rao beamed with happiness.
Zhao Song and Zhao Bai, seeing a distinguished young man leap from the carriage and their young mistress visibly thrilled, were initially startled. Fortunately, she immediately addressed him as "cousin," easing their concerns for their Young Lord.
The street was no place for conversation, so the cousins found a nearby teahouse and reserved a private room on the second floor. Bitao attended them inside, while Zhao Song and Zhao Bai stood guard outside the open doors and windows.
Wei Rao smiled warmly at Huo Jue. "Cousin, you’ve grown so capable. Aunt and Uncle actually trusted you to lead a delivery to Jincheng."
Huo Jue modestly replied, "I must gain experience sooner or later, especially since I’ll soon be twenty. But Raorao, why are you in Jincheng?"
Wei Rao couldn’t reveal the truth, so she simply said that Lu Zhuo had come to Qingzhou to recruit soldiers and she had seized the chance to travel with him.
She made it sound simple, but as a newlywed, it was clear that only a doting husband and family would bring her along on such an official mission. Though Wei Rao downplayed it, Huo Jue sensed the affection between the newly married couple.
His heart held both a tinge of bitterness and relief. His cousin and Young Lord Lu were a perfect match in talent and beauty. As long as she was happy, what did his own hidden feelings matter?
"How long will you stay in Jincheng, Cousin?" Wei Rao asked excitedly.
Huo Jue said, "About half a month. Besides delivering goods, I need to purchase some furs."
North of Qingzhou lay the grasslands, where merchants from Wuda often came to Jincheng to trade with Central Plains merchants.
Wei Rao asked, "May I accompany you to the shops? I’ve never seen you conduct business before."Jincheng was only so big, and she had already visited most of the scenic shops. Wanting to find something new to pass the time, her cousin's arrival came just at the right moment.
Huo Jue hesitated, saying, "Your status is different now. It would be better for you to stay at the posthouse. Even if you go out to enjoy the scenery, it would be more suitable than following me."
Merchants held a lowly status, and his cousin was originally a bright pearl. Now that she had married into the Duke of Yingguo's household, her status was even higher. How could she follow him and be tainted by the smell of money?
Wei Rao didn't like hearing this: "What do you mean by 'status is different'? I was your cousin before, and I still am now. What, just because I'm married, you see me as an outsider?"
Huo Jue said with a headache, "That's not what I meant..."
Wei Rao laughed, "Then it's settled. Where are you staying, cousin? I'll come wait for you tomorrow morning."
Huo Jue had no choice but to compromise, "Fine, I'll take you along for a few days before the heir returns to the city. Once he's back, you're not allowed to run around anymore."
Lu Zhuo might not return for another four or five days. Once he was back, Wei Rao could go to the military camp to watch him train the soldiers, so she wouldn't have to worry about having nothing to do. Thus, she agreed.
Over the next few days, Wei Rao followed Huo Jue into business. She disguised herself as Huo Jue's younger cousin. As Huo Jue was a prominent merchant from the Jin region, highly regarded by local merchants, the merchants they interacted with were very polite to both of them. However, being among a group of men, they occasionally made some crude jokes. Huo Jue worried that Wei Rao would be offended, but she didn't understand many of the references, which actually helped avoid awkwardness.
On the sixth day of the fourth month, around noon, a black fast horse appeared on the official road outside Jincheng.
Lu Zhuo had been recruiting soldiers in the counties of Qingzhou this time and had gathered nearly a thousand tall and sturdy young men. They had just been taken to the military camp in the eastern suburbs of Jincheng by eight squad leaders. Starting the next day, they would undergo a month of rigorous training to weed out the lazy, ill-behaved, or undisciplined soldiers. The remaining ones would all be taken to the capital.
General Yang invited Lu Zhuo to stay for a meal at the camp, but Lu Zhuo declined. One of the squad leaders teased him, saying he missed his young wife. Lu Zhuo smiled but did not refute the remark.
The city gate was now in sight. Over the past month, Zhao Song and Zhao Bai had not sent any messages, which meant she was safe and sound.
After entering the city gate, Lu Zhuo slowed his horse and made his way to the posthouse.
A young maid from the annex saw him and bowed with a blush.
Ignoring the maid's shyness, Lu Zhuo asked gently, "Zhao Song and the others aren't here. Has the young mistress gone out?"
The maid nodded repeatedly.
Lu Zhuo: "Do you know where she went?"
The maid replied, "The young mistress didn't ask for a carriage to be prepared, so she probably didn't leave the city. As for where she went, I don't know. She didn't tell me, only said she would return by dusk for dinner."
Lu Zhuo glanced at the dust on his boots and ordered, "Prepare water. I need to bathe."
The maid's face turned even redder as she hurried to the water room to instruct the old woman to heat the water.
Before long, the maids brought the bathtub and hot water into the inner chamber. Lu Zhuo sat in the hall reading a book. After the maids had all left, he closed the doors and windows and went in to bathe.
There were two wardrobes in the inner chamber, one for him and one for Wei Rao. Lu Zhuo took out a brocade robe with a sandalwood-colored base and changed into it. After his hair dried, he put on a jade crown, mounted his horse, and left the posthouse.
There were only a handful of streets worth visiting in Jincheng. Riding slowly, he was bound to run into her eventually.
It was noon, and the sunlight was dazzling. Lu Zhuo arrived at a street along the river, leading his horse as he walked under the shade of a row of willow trees along the bank.Along the shore stood grand taverns and humble eateries, their aromas wafting in waves that could make even the sated feel hungry. Just then, Lu Zhuo spotted a two-story restaurant with a private room on the upper floor, its window open to the breeze. Inside, four people sat around a dining table, among them a slender figure in white robes whose jade-like profile, despite the addition of a thin mustache above the lips, was unmistakably his wife, Wei Rao.
The other three were all men, one of whom sat with his back to the window, obscuring his face.
Lu Zhuo stood with his hands clasped behind his back under the shade of a tree, watching Wei Rao laugh and chat with her companions in the private room. In truth, she smiled more than she spoke, mostly listening as Huo Jue and two merchants exchanged lively tales of trade—stories so rare in common folklore and all the more captivating for being true, which Wei Rao absorbed with keen interest.
Noticing her teacup was empty, Huo Jue refilled it for her. Seated with his back to the window, he received her thanks as she tilted her head slightly toward him, her gaze inadvertently drifting to the waterfront scenery beyond.
Amidst that waterscape stood a tall, straight figure, poised like bamboo or a sword. Wei Rao’s eyes were drawn to the narrow waist accentuated by an embroidered belt, and as her gaze lifted higher…
Recognizing Lu Zhuo, she froze.
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