On the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, the imperial procession set off for the West Mountain Imperial Palace.
Emperor Yuanjia did not have many consorts, and this time he only brought along the Virtuous Consort and the Benevolent Consort, leaving the Empress and the Noble Consort in the palace. All three of his sons—Prince Duan, Prince Jing, and Fu Wang—were brought along. The latter two had yet to marry, while Princess Duan remained at the manor to manage household affairs, so Prince Duan brought two beautiful concubines instead.
With the imperial family being small, the procession was relatively simple. In contrast, the officials' carriages stretched out in a long, majestic line.
As a princess, Wei Rao's carriage was positioned right behind the imperial procession, close to the nobles.
The carriage from the Princess Manor was even more luxurious than what Lu Zhuo, as the Young Lord of the Duke of Yingguo, could enjoy. The spacious interior was divided by a curtain, which Wei Rao could lower when she wished to rest, allowing her to lie comfortably on the long couch. When tired of sleeping, she could lift the curtain for a bright view, perfect for reading.
Apart from the slow pace of the procession, everything was far more comfortable than her previous journey to Jin City with Lu Zhuo.
"Princess, a eunuch is approaching from the front," reported Wei Gōnggong from outside the window.
Wei Rao had been playing leaf cards with Bitao and Liuya and quickly prepared to receive an imperial decree.
However, Emperor Yuanjia had only sent a plate of lychees as a gift. The lychees, freshly chilled, were plump and vividly red.
Wei Rao rewarded the young eunuch and happily sampled the fruit.
The lychee shells were tough, and Bitao and Liuya, fearing they might scratch their mistress's delicate skin, took the plate away and refused to let Wei Rao peel them herself.
Before she could finish the lychees, Wei Gōnggong spoke up again outside—this time, it was Young Lord Lu Zhuo.
Wei Rao leaned against the soft cushion, focused on enjoying her lychees.
Soon, Lu Zhuo's clear voice carried in: "Princess, I have just captured a Golden Canary and wish to present it to you for amusement during the journey."
Bitao and Liuya grinned teasingly at Wei Rao.
Wei Rao shot them a glare and slightly parted the curtain. There, Lu Zhuo sat upright on his horse, holding a birdcage made of Hetian jade, complete with a chicken-wing wood stand. The Golden Canary inside had soft yellow feathers—pretty, but not as precious as the exquisite cage itself.
If Wei Rao truly believed Lu Zhuo's claim that he had just captured the bird, she would be a fool.
It was clear that this was a gift Lu Zhuo had prepared for her in advance.
"Young Lord, did you just find this birdcage too?" Bitao leaned over, teasing with a smile.
Lu Zhuo only looked at the half of Wei Rao's delicate, fair face visible through the curtain. "I hope the Princess will accept it graciously."
Since Wei Rao had already accepted his Jujube Rice Dumpling, taking a Golden Canary was no different.
She nodded to Bitao and covered her face with a round fan.
Bitao lifted the curtain higher and reached out to take the birdcage.
Lu Zhuo glanced at Wei Rao, cupped his hands in farewell, and withdrew.
Bitao placed the birdcage in front of Wei Rao's couch to prevent it from accidentally falling and damaging the beautiful Hetian jade cage.
"Young Lord is getting better at giving gifts," Liuya remarked with a laugh. "First, the refreshing Jujube Rice Dumpling to beat the heat, and now a Golden Canary to entertain us on the road."
Bitao snorted, "By giving such conspicuous gifts, the Young Lord is clearly declaring his determination to win the Princess. Other young masters who might wish to seek her hand would feel too ashamed to even try, knowing his intentions."
Wei Rao also felt that Lu Zhuo had this motive, but she genuinely liked both gifts.
By mid-May, the grand procession finally arrived at the imperial palace.Wei Rao was assigned to reside in the Jade Spring Palace within the imperial summer retreat's inner court. After making a round of inquiries, Wei Gōnggong returned and reported to her, "My Lady, I've heard that the Noble Consort resides in the Flowing Wave Palace, located just ahead of Jade Spring Palace. The two palaces are separated by a lake, allowing a clear view across the water. The walking distance is somewhat longer, but a quarter-hour is more than sufficient."
In such an expansive summer retreat, a fifteen-minute walk was considered remarkably close.
Wei Rao hadn't seen her mother in two years, yet with the retreat now crowded with people, she could no longer move about as freely as before.
She decided to bathe first.
Bitao and Liuya followed her in to attend to her. Both were well-versed in massage techniques. After her bath, Wei Rao lay face down on a mat and let them knead her from head to toe. The sensation was so pleasurable she couldn't help but murmur softly. Fortunately, the bathing chamber was spacious enough that her deliberately suppressed moans couldn't carry outside—otherwise, it might have raised suspicions.
Even so, Bitao and Liuya's ears flushed crimson with embarrassment.
After soaking a while longer, Wei Rao emerged with a radiant complexion and went to the front hall.
To her surprise, her mother had been waiting there for some time.
Wei Rao cheerfully went to greet her.
Little Zhou, however, was far from pleased. That old scoundrel Emperor Yuanjia had kept her in the dark until just before departing for the summer retreat, when he finally wrote to inform her that Old Mrs. Wei had passed away over a year ago—and that Lu Zhuo had divorced her daughter shortly after the funeral! Though the emperor added that he had ennobled Wei Rao as a lady of the commandery and that Lu Zhuo had repeatedly pursued and courted her daughter publicly, even diving into a river to retrieve medicinal herbs, Little Zhou remained furious and heartbroken.
If Lu Zhuo hadn't first wronged her daughter, why would they have divorced? Why would her daughter still refuse to forgive him?
What did it matter if she was now a princess? What did it matter if Lu Zhuo pursued her? Could Little Zhou not imagine how the capital's gossipmongers must have mocked and scorned her daughter after the divorce?
"Rao'er, tell your mother the truth—what really happened between you and Lu Zhuo?" After dismissing all the palace attendants, Little Zhou gazed at her daughter with aching tenderness. Though Wei Rao appeared glowing and peerlessly beautiful, Little Zhou felt so distressed she could weep. If Emperor Yuanjia hadn't deceived her back then, promising to support her daughter... If she hadn't foolishly believed him and entered the palace with him... Even if she couldn't have bestowed any honors upon her daughter, at least she could have been there when her child needed a mother most.
Wei Rao could sense her mother's pity, but she was genuinely content now and didn't want her mother holding grudges on her behalf.
Having already forgiven Lu Zhuo, she saw no need to anger her mother over his past foolishness—after all, resentment benefited no one.
"I wanted to observe mourning for Grandmother, but he disagreed. I didn't want to delay his heir-bearing for a year, so I grew angry and divorced him out of spite," Wei Rao lied smoothly.
Little Zhou didn't believe it, but she could see her daughter didn't want to tell the truth—she was protecting Lu Zhuo.
And what of Lu Zhuo? Would he dare confess the truth to her?
Leaving her daughter behind, Little Zhou went to the Hall of Diligent Governance to seek out Emperor Yuanjia.
The emperor had just finished his rest. Having learned earlier that Little Zhou had gone to see Wei Rao, he intended to wait for her return before summoning her, but she arrived unbidden.
One look at Little Zhou's expression told him he wouldn't be sharing her bed for several nights.
"Summon Lu Zhuo here. I wish to see him," Little Zhou demanded coldly, refusing to even glance at the emperor. Since this was the inner court, she needed the emperor's decree to meet an outer court official.Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanjia immediately sent for Lu Zhuo. Since this chain of events was all caused by Lu Zhuo, it was only fitting that he face Little Zhou's wrath.
Lu Zhuo hurried to the Hall of Diligent Governance and found all the palace servants waiting outside, including the chief eunuch, Eunuch Kang, who served by Emperor Yuanjia's side.
Eunuch Kang whispered a warning to him: "Her Ladyship is inside."
Lu Zhuo lowered his long lashes, cupped his hands in gratitude toward Eunuch Kang, and entered.
The front hall of the Hall of Diligent Governance was where Emperor Yuanjia handled state affairs. At this moment, the emperor sat in the main hall and, upon seeing Lu Zhuo, expressionlessly pointed toward the study, signaling him to go straight in.
Lu Zhuo bowed and proceeded inward. Only after he entered did Emperor Yuanjia quietly approach the study—truth be told, he was also curious about why Wei Rao had divorced Lu Zhuo.
Emperor Yuanjia had not forgotten his promise to Little Zhou; he had intended to wait for her return to the palace so she could personally select a suitable husband for Wei Rao, after which he would bestow the marriage. When Wei Rao married Lu Zhuo and Lu Zhuo awoke, the emperor had been delighted that Wei Rao had found such a good match—there was no finer young man in the entire capital who could surpass Lu Zhuo. Who could have expected that Lu Zhuo would prove so unworthy?
In the study, as soon as Lu Zhuo entered, he saw Li Guiren standing before the curio cabinet, her face as cold as frost.
He took a few steps forward, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt down, speaking earnestly: "Your guilty son-in-law has failed in the trust you placed in me. I have let you down and I have let down Rao Rao. I beg for your punishment."
Little Zhou turned to look at her former son-in-law kneeling there and said coldly: "I only want to know why you and Rao Rao divorced. When I asked her, she said it was because she wanted to observe mourning for the old lady, and you were unwilling, not wanting to delay having children, so she left in anger. Is this true?"
Lu Zhuo's heart shook—Wei Rao had said that?
After all he had done to her, she was still willing to cover for him in front of her mother?
But Lu Zhuo did not need that. The person before him was her mother, his mother-in-law. He had made a mistake and should bear the consequences.
Lu Zhuo kowtowed and said in a low voice: "Your Ladyship, the princess is filial." She was afraid you would be angry, so she told a lie."
Little Zhou gritted her teeth: "Then why exactly did you divorce?"
Lu Zhuo pressed his forehead to the floor, closed his eyes, and said: "It is entirely the fault of your guilty son-in-law. I trained at the border for eight years. When I returned to the capital, I heard that the princess had a poor reputation. Thus, when I awoke from my illness and learned my bride was the princess, I was displeased and refused to consummate the marriage. Left with no choice, the princess proposed a five-year false marriage after which she would request a divorce, and I agreed. We even signed a contract. Later, when the old lady passed away, the princess became disheartened and terminated the marriage early."
Before he could finish, Little Zhou was trembling with hatred and pain, tears streaming down her face.
Her beautiful, flower-like daughter, who had reluctantly entered into a marriage to ward off misfortune for Lu Zhuo, had actually been so despised by him that he refused to consummate the marriage?
"Last time, last time you two…"
"The princess is filial." She was afraid the old lady and you would worry, so she always asked me to play along with the act."
Little Zhou could bear to hear no more. Tears burst forth like a breached dam as she turned, grabbed a large celadon vase from the curio cabinet, and hurled it at Lu Zhuo: "You wretch! How dare you bully my daughter like this!"
Lu Zhuo remained in his kowtowing position. The vase struck his lowered back heavily, then bounced off and shattered on the floor.
Water from the vase splashed all over Lu Zhuo's back, and several fresh orchid blossoms lay amidst the broken porcelain and puddles. In Little Zhou's eyes, they resembled her pure and innocent daughter, who had been subjected to endless humiliation.She knelt on the ground, her vision blurred with tears as she cried out to Lu Zhuo, "How has Raorao's reputation been tarnished? Is it just her misfortune to have a mother like me? It was I who failed to uphold womanly virtues, it was I..."
Emperor Yuanjia entered promptly, his expression complicated as he interjected, "Cease this nonsense."
He was the emperor, his authority awe-inspiring. Little Zhou swallowed her words with a bitter smile and continued questioning Lu Zhuo, "Tell me, in what way is Raorao unworthy of you? Did she commit some heinous act that angered both heaven and mortals, or is she so unattractive that you felt compelled to humiliate her like that?"
Lu Zhuo replied with remorse, "Raorao is wonderful. It was I, your guilty son-in-law, who was blinded and failed her. I have wronged her, wronged you, Your Ladyship, and wronged the elder madam and old madam. I offer no excuses for my past actions. But after a year of marriage with Raorao, I have grown deeply attached to her. I beg you, Your Ladyship, to grant me another chance. If I ever fail Raorao again, may I be struck by lightning and meet a wretched end."
He kowtowed heavily, his forehead red and swollen.
Little Zhou could not see him; her mind was filled with the image of her daughter visiting her at the temporary palace two years ago. How could her daughter have endured such great injustice without telling her? Was it to spare her mother from suffering or because she felt her mother could not stand up for her?
Indeed, what use would telling her have been? She was merely a noble consort discarded by Emperor Yuanjia at the temporary palace. She could not even protect herself, let alone her daughter. If not for her daughter's resilience back then, she would have long been killed by the Empress Dowager!
With two bitter laughs, Little Zhou dried her tears, brushed off Emperor Yuanjia's hand as he tried to support her, and without another glance at the kneeling Lu Zhuo, walked away alone.
Emperor Yuanjia sighed and told Lu Zhuo to rise.
Lu Zhuo complied and stood up.
Seeing his disheveled state and the shattered porcelain on the floor, the emperor asked gravely, "Do you still wish to marry the princess?""If it is not the princess, I would rather not marry at all.""
Emperor Yuanjia nodded, devising a plan for Lu Zhuo: "It takes the one who tied the bell to untie it. Go kneel in front of Flowing Wave Palace. If the princess has any regard for you, she will naturally plead on your behalf before the noble consort."
In this matter, no one but Wei Rao could help Lu Zhuo.
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