Amidst the wild woods and snow-capped ridges, Wei Rao never expected to encounter a figure as ethereal as an immortal.
The azure brocade robe accentuated his tall, straight frame, like a verdant cypress or bamboo rising from the snow-covered ground. His hair was as dark as ink, his features elegant and handsome, and his fair complexion glowed with the lustrous sheen of fine jade under the brilliant spring sunlight.
Having long resided in the capital, Wei Rao had seen many handsome young gentlemen, but in terms of appearance and bearing, none could surpass the man before her—truly as gentle and refined as jade.
After a brief moment of astonishment, Wei Rao suddenly noticed a shift in his demeanor.
When she first turned around, the man’s face had worn a warm smile, but as his gaze swept over her face, the smile vanished. His eyes deliberately avoided hers, and a chill seemed to linger in his expression, tinged with what felt like disdain?
In all her life, Wei Rao had never encountered such a situation.
It was commonplace for self-righteous official wives and noble ladies to scorn and criticize her, but young gentlemen never showed her disdain. The bold and frivolous ones would stare at her incessantly, while the timid and proper ones would simply avert their eyes—never would they pull a sour face like this. The man opposite her was truly peculiar. If he wished to adhere to propriety and avoid suspicion, Wei Rao could understand, but what did this cold, disdainful expression mean?
Was he displeased that a woman had snatched his prey?
Ridiculous. She had been about to leave earlier when he, with his poor eyesight, eagerly called out to her as "young master."
Glancing at the boar on the ground, now gasping its last breaths, Wei Rao said indifferently, "I was unaware this boar had an owner earlier, so I acted presumptuously. My apologies. I now return it to its rightful owner—you may take it as you please."
After offering this explanation, Wei Rao prepared to leave once more.
For Lu Zhuo, hunting in the mountains was merely a whim. A mere boar meant nothing to him, but the woman’s condescending tone, as if she were sparing him the trouble of a dispute, felt like a mockery of his narrow-mindedness.
"Wild beasts in the mountains belong to no one. They go to those with the skill to claim them. This boar was hunted by you, so it is naturally yours. There is no offense to me," Lu Zhuo stated impartially. With that, he paid Wei Rao no further mind, retrieving a rope from his pack to bind the second boar.
Seeing this, Wei Rao did not stand on ceremony either and proceeded to attend to the first boar.
Bringing back such a large boar would surely make her cousins admit defeat wholeheartedly, and her grandmother would be grinning from ear to ear.
The boar Wei Rao had shot was estimated to weigh around two hundred pounds. Even with her training in internal martial arts, she could not carry such a heavy load. Fortunately, she had come prepared. Besides arrows, her quiver contained two retractable iron rods, each fully extended to three feet in length, with detachable wheels that could be attached to their ends.
Wei Rao took out these items one by one, crouched to assemble them, and was about to roll the boar onto the makeshift cart formed by the two iron rods when a familiar, booming voice suddenly rang out from above: "Fourth Miss?"
Without even looking up, Wei Rao knew it was Second Master Qi, Qi Zhongkai.
At the same time, she realized why the other man’s voice had sounded familiar—he was the one who had been traveling with Qi Zhongkai that morning.
"So it’s Second Master hunting here," Wei Rao said, brushing off her hands as she stood up to exchange pleasantries with Qi Zhongkai.
Qi Zhongkai was one of those ordinary men Wei Rao was familiar with—the kind who would be captivated by her beauty. However, while some men would develop a possessive desire toward beauties, doing everything with the aim of winning them over, their minds filled with indecent scenes of the bedchamber, others, though they also enjoyed admiring beauties, only wished to care for and cherish them, expecting nothing in return.
Qi Zhongkai belonged to the latter category.As if not noticing Lu Zhuo was also present, Qi Zhongkai ran directly up to Wei Rao and exclaimed delightedly, "Fortunately, I've seen Fourth Miss in men's clothing before, otherwise I truly wouldn't have recognized you just now."
Wei Rao smiled and proactively explained, "The Secluded Manor is nearby. My cousins and I came to the mountains to hunt, and happened to encounter that gentleman driving two wild boars this way. I rashly shot one first—might Second Master be willing to part with it?"
Qi Zhongkai laughed heartily, "A mere wild boar, what's this talk of parting with it? If Fourth Miss fancies it, I'll give you both!"
Wei Rao politely declined, "One is quite sufficient."
Noticing the iron rod she had brought, Qi Zhongkai curiously picked it up for a closer look. Guessing it was specially designed for carrying game during hunts, he praised, "Fourth Miss is truly ingenious—I'm genuinely impressed."
Wei Rao clarified, "I merely wanted to save effort and suggested the idea. This contraption was crafted by Gonggong Li working with artisans."
Undeterred by his misaimed flattery, Qi Zhongkai set the wheeled iron cart down, rolled up his sleeves, and eagerly helped Wei Rao load the deceased boar onto it. The wheels had a braking mechanism engaged, so even when suddenly burdened with such a large boar, the cart only wobbled slightly without immediately rolling away.
"This boar is too heavy—shall I escort you down the mountain?" Qi Zhongkai offered warmly.
Wei Rao smiled, "No need for the trouble, I can manage it myself." Worried he might insist, she glanced toward Lu Zhuo, hinting that Qi Zhongkai should assist his friend instead—that tall, scholarly-looking gentleman seemed ill-suited for hauling wild boars.
Grasping her meaning, Qi Zhongkai suddenly burst into uproarious laughter, his face flushing so red it nearly shook snow from the branches.
Having finished tying up his boar, Lu Zhuo stood and frowned in their direction.
Clutching his aching stomach from laughter, Qi Zhongkai pointed at Lu Zhuo and said, "Shoucheng! Fourth Miss worries you can't carry a boar—she secretly urged me to help you! Hahaha, do you need it? Just say the word, and I'll haul the boar with one hand and support you down the mountain with the other!"
Lu Zhuo remained expressionless, sweeping a faint glance over Wei Rao before hoisting the boar by its rope and striding back along the path they'd come.
He moved with such ease, as if carrying not a two-hundred-pound boar but a light bucket of water.
What stunned Wei Rao most was that even while hauling a boar, he retained the ethereal grace of an immortal retreating into misty mountains.
Noticing her gaze fixed on Lu Zhuo's receding figure, Qi Zhongkai chuckled and introduced, "Fourth Miss, this is the Young Lord of the Duke of Yingguo's manor—Lu Zhuo, styled Shoucheng. He just returned from the border, so you haven't met him. And don't be fooled by his scholarly looks—on the battlefield, he's a ruthless killer. The only difference between him and a demon is that face of his."
Wei Rao was astonished anew.
This was the Young Lord of the Duke of Yingguo's manor?
The Duke of Yingguo's manor—where the Lu Family's men commanded as much respect as the Zhou Family's women suffered ill repute. As far as Wei Rao knew, few men in the Lu Family's recent generations had died of old age; nearly all had perished on battlefields. Not to mention earlier generations, Lu Zhuo's father, second uncle, and third uncle had all fallen in war, while his sole surviving fourth uncle had lost a leg and could only move about in a wheelchair.In the generation of Lu Zhuo's grandfather, several of his paternal uncles had passed away, leaving only the old Duke as the sole survivor.
Wei Rao held deep respect in her heart for such loyal military families who served the nation with unwavering devotion.
During the latter years of the previous emperor's reign and the two decades since Emperor Yuanjia ascended the throne, the peace and prosperity enjoyed by the dynasty were entirely built upon that hard-won, tragic victory—secured through the sacrifices of countless Lu family men leading border troops, which ultimately intimidated the formidable enemies from the grasslands.
However, respect aside, Lu Zhuo's attitude toward her earlier had been somewhat discourteous.
The sound of approaching footsteps came from behind—it turned out Qi Zhongkai's boisterous laughter had drawn Huo Jue, his sister Huo Lin, and Zhou Huizhu over.
Wei Rao introduced everyone to each other.
Since Huo Jue was now helping the beauty transport the wild boar, Qi Zhongkai bid farewell and went to catch up with Lu Zhuo.
As soon as he caught up, Lu Zhuo tossed the wild boar to him.
Unaware of the minor unpleasantness between Lu Zhuo and Wei Rao, Qi Zhongkai chatted cheerfully with Lu Zhuo: "That was the fourth young lady from Cheng'an Marquis's residence we saw at the city gate this morning. So, what do you think? Stunning, right? Even in men's attire she's this beautiful—imagine her in women's robes, she'd be like a celestial maiden descending to earth."
Lu Zhuo had already deduced her identity from their conversation earlier.
Wei Rao was indeed exceptionally beautiful in appearance, but as an official's daughter, instead of staying properly at home, she had disguised herself in men's clothing to hunt in the mountains, climbing and leaping from trees with practiced ease—clearly someone long accustomed to disregarding rules. The Zhou family women were notorious for their tarnished reputation, and she, being half a Zhou daughter, not only failed to exercise restraint but seemed to revel in it, demonstrating a lack of self-respect.
"One should not speak improperly," Lu Zhuo stated his position, unwilling to discuss the beauty or flaws of the Wei family's daughter.
Qi Zhongkai snorted, "Playing the prude. I don't believe there's any man who doesn't appreciate beauty."
Lu Zhuo smiled without responding.
He too appreciated beauty, but propriety came first.
At the foot of the mountain, the four of them—Wei Rao and the others—tallied their respective game.
Wei Rao had hunted a wild boar and a fox, unquestionably taking first place.
Zhou Huizhu and Huo Lin had caught several sparrows, impressive in quantity.
Huo Jue, distracted by looking after the three young ladies, had only managed to hunt one rabbit, earning him the consensus last place.
"Sister Rao, what do you want Cousin to do?" Zhou Huizhu teased.
Wei Rao looked at Huo Jue.
Huo Jue smiled and said, "A bet is a bet. Cousin, feel free to make your request."
Wei Rao had already learned from the elders' conversations that Huo Jue and Huo Lin would be staying in the capital for about six months. Coincidentally, she did have a matter where Huo Jue's help would be useful.
With plenty of time until evening, the four of them leisurely rode their horses back. Wei Rao chose to ride alongside Huo Jue and confessed frankly, "To be honest, Cousin, over the years I've saved up a sum of silver. Keeping it stored at home only lets it gather dust, so I was thinking of using it to rent a shop and start a business—to make money grow. But I've never run a business before and don't know what kind of shop would be suitable. I'm too embarrassed to ask Uncle with my small funds, so I'd like your advice."
The Cheng'an Marquis's household had little family wealth, but Wei Rao had a grandmother who owned vast fertile lands, an aunt married to the wealthiest man in Jin Province, and an "imperial father" seated on the throne. Having received numerous red envelopes and New Year's gifts over the years and never spending recklessly, she had surprisingly accumulated over two thousand taels of personal savings.
The previous winter, Wei Rao had used one thousand taels to purchase land. With the remaining thousand, she wanted to venture into business.
After all, one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket.
Huo Jue glanced at the two young ladies riding ahead and asked Wei Rao in a low voice, "How much capital do you have?"Wei Rao smiled and raised a delicate finger toward her cousin.
Huo Jue: "One thousand?"
Ten thousand would be too much, one hundred too little.
Wei Rao nodded.
Huo Jue now had a clear idea. Gazing ahead, he pondered for a moment before offering his advice: "Our Huo family deals in tea and silk. These require traveling north and south to find the most suitable sources. Cousin, you can't easily travel around yourself, and you might not understand selecting and inspecting goods. Even if you hire help, you could easily be deceived by subordinates. It would be better to start a business you can fully control."
"How about opening a restaurant?" Huo Jue tilted his head, looking at Wei Rao as he analyzed: "The capital is filled with nobles and wealthy merchants, so there's no worry about customers. Cousin, you just need to hire a few highly skilled chefs and develop some dishes rarely seen in other restaurants. As long as the food is delicious, over time, the business will naturally thrive."
Wei Rao recalled the existing major restaurants in the capital and frowned with worry: "Cousin makes it sound easy. Where would I find chefs who meet such requirements? Besides, there are already too many restaurants in the capital. The competition is fierce, and even if I open one, it would be hard to stand out."
Huo Jue laughed: "In recent years, I've traveled to many places with my father. Every region has its own specialty dishes. After I sample the food at the capital's restaurants, I'll send people to various places to scout local renowned chefs for you. I guarantee I'll provide you with several signature specialty dishes that capital officials and nobles have rarely tasted."
Wei Rao was overjoyed: "That would be wonderful! When you go to taste the dishes, take me with you. I'll go with you."
Since she was going into the restaurant business, Wei Rao had much to learn. Those major restaurants would be perfect places for her to observe and learn.
While she couldn't steal culinary skills, she could study restaurant management techniques and gather the best practices from various establishments.
Huo Jue paused and asked her: "Cousin, can you leave the manor freely?"
Wei Rao smiled. Of course she could. Her grandmother had long been persuaded. As long as she had a legitimate reason, her grandmother wouldn't stop her.
Having an elder at home is like having a treasure. Wei Rao had her grandmother's support in the capital and her maternal grandmother's doting affection in the suburbs—she possessed two treasures!
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