Arriving at the other courtyard, palace servants had already prepared to serve the couple.

Wei Rao had bathed in the afternoon, and with the cool evening she hadn’t sweated, so she didn’t want to wash again now. Soaking too long in one day would also be uncomfortable for her body.

“Just soak my feet,” Wei Rao said to the palace servants.

The palace servants looked toward Lu Zhuo. Lu Zhuo nodded, meaning he also only needed to soak his feet.

The palace servants went to prepare, with two palace maids remaining to attend them in the room.

Lu Zhuo nonchalantly removed his outer robe and handed it to a palace maid to hang up, then walked to the bed and sat down, waiting to wash his feet.

Seeing this, Wei Rao sat at the dressing table and had one palace maid help her comb her hair.

The two cooperated skillfully, their bedtime performance showing no flaws.

“This servant will keep watch outside tonight. Master and Young Madam should rest early,” the little palace maid said respectfully after the couple had finished washing their feet and lay down on the bed. She lowered the bed curtains and tucked them in properly.

Wei Rao made a sound of acknowledgment.

The little palace maid extinguished the lamp and backed out of the room.

Wei Rao lay defensively in the inner bedding, listening to the little palace maid close the door. She waited a while and found that Lu Zhuo beside her remained motionless with no intention of getting up. Wei Rao frowned: “Does the heir plan to share the bed with me tonight?”

Lu Zhuo chuckled softly: “I wouldn’t dare. I’m just curious how long Young Lady can endure this.”

After speaking, Lu Zhuo lifted the quilt and sat up, then lay down on the floor outside the bed.

This was a canopy bed with a corridor outside the frame. The wooden floor was wiped clean and dry, very suitable for sleeping on the ground.

Only he had gone down; his pillow and quilt were still on the bed. Wei Rao pushed them down in disgust.

“Thank you,” Lu Zhuo deliberately misinterpreted her meaning, sat up smiling, and arranged his pillow and quilt properly.

When the new army fought battles, he was accustomed to sleeping rough. With the warm weather, it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t cover himself with a quilt.

Wei Rao ignored him, carefully tucked in the bed curtains, and before lying down, looked at the blurry figure on the floor: “I trust the heir is a gentleman.”

Lu Zhuo replied: “Young Lady, you can rest assured. Unless the Young Lady is willing, I won’t force anyone.”

Wei Rao rather trusted him on this point, but no matter how much she trusted him, being alone together as a man and woman, Wei Rao couldn’t help but worry a little.

She lay on the innermost side of the bed, facing Lu Zhuo’s direction, closed her eyes, her heart full of turmoil like a tangled ball of thread.

Marrying Lu Zhuo certainly had benefits – otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage blessing initially. But she and Lu Zhuo were like water and fire. To have her bear children with a man who despised her from the bottom of his heart made Wei Rao truly unwilling.

Wei Rao admitted that while the Empress Dowager was alive, marrying Lu Zhuo brought more benefits than harm. The key lay in what would happen after the Empress Dowager’s death – how would Emperor Yuanjia treat her mother, how would the palace concubines and the three princes treat her mother and little brother, and even when Emperor Yuanjia passed away, what would the situation in the palace be?

Because the period was so long, it was full of variables.

Those variables gave Wei Rao a headache.

Wei Rao bit her wrist, the gradually intensifying pain overwhelming the irritation in her heart. When the sweet metallic taste crept onto her tongue, Wei Rao suddenly made a decision.

She would continue being a fake wife with Lu Zhuo for now. When her mother returned to the palace, she would assess the situation and discuss the next steps with her. Her mother understood the palace situation better than she did. If Emperor Yuanjia truly continued to greatly favor her mother, if her mother was confident about protecting her little brother’s safe growth, then they wouldn’t need to reach any agreement with Duke Ying Mansion.

This wasn’t just her matter alone – naturally, she should discuss it with her family, especially her grandmother. Her grandmother had been able to withdraw safely from the palace, so her thinking was more comprehensive than hers.

With her thoughts cleared, Wei Rao’s whole body relaxed.

“Is the heir asleep?” she asked, looking at the bed curtains.

After a moment, Lu Zhuo’s helpless reply came from below: “If Young Lady asks and I don’t respond, I fear Young Lady has important matters to discuss. If I respond, it proves I’m not yet asleep – would Young Lady suspect I have ulterior motives?”

Wei Rao hadn’t thought as much as he had, saying, “I indeed have something to tell you.”

Lu Zhuo pillowed his hands behind his head, saying leisurely: “I’m all ears.”

Wei Rao spoke very calmly: “The heir is right. Marriage is no trivial matter. If you and I divorce immediately, the elders of both families will worry, so I want to continue the five-year agreement with the heir. As for being true husband and wife, let’s set that aside for now. You and I both know in our hearts that forcing things won’t work. However, the heir can rest assured – there’s no personal grudge between you and me. Even if we sever our marriage ties in the future, I won’t ask my mother to make decisions for me or anything. I absolutely won’t retaliate against Duke Ying Mansion. I can swear on my life about this.”

Lu Zhuo fell silent.

She didn’t believe he truly wanted to marry her and still chose to continue being a fake wife.

However, probably considering Consort Li and her son, she hadn’t spoken too absolutely.

Carefully considering her words, Lu Zhuo said: “I’ve hurt Young Lady too many times. Naturally, Young Lady doesn’t want to marry me. But if in the coming years I can win Young Lady’s heart, would Young Lady be willing to be true husband and wife with me?”

Wei Rao laughed: “I couldn’t ask for more.”

Lu Zhuo heard sarcasm in her laughter.

But compared to the disdain he had shown her when they were newlyweds, this sarcasm was nothing.

The next day, Xiao Zhou Shi brought her daughter, son-in-law, and son to tour the Xing Palace together.

The Xing Palace was so vast that even after touring for a whole day, the four had only visited the most scenic places. During dinner, Xiao Zhou Shi asked her daughter and son-in-law where they wanted to go tomorrow – they could climb mountains, race horses, or go boating on the lake.

Lu Zhuo smiled at Wei Rao: “Raorao can decide.”

Wei Rao wanted to race horses on the grassland. She had never been to the grassland before.

Xiao Zhou Shi would naturally fulfill her daughter’s wish and had palace servants prepare in advance. After dinner, Xiao Zhou Shi took Wei Rao’s hand and said to Lu Zhuo, “You’ll be leaving early the day after tomorrow. Let Raorao spend these two nights with me.”

Wei Rao’s face lit up with joy. She had this idea early on but feared her mother wouldn’t be willing, so she hadn’t brought it up actively. After all, she was a married daughter.

Lu Zhuo said respectfully: “As it should be.”

Xiao Zhou Shi then took her son’s hand in one hand and her daughter’s in the other as they boarded the carriage.

That night, Wei Rao and her mother snuggled together in the same bed, chatting about this and that until nearly the third watch before sleeping.

As soon as day broke, it was the Dragon Boat Festival.

Breakfast included zongzi. Xiao Zhou Shi had the kitchen wrap date zongzi that her daughter loved eating as a child – fist-sized zongzi wrapped inside and out with nine dates, the date juice dyeing the glutinous rice a beautiful, enticing red color.

Xiao Zhou Shi looked at her daughter with eyes like water: “When you were little, you loved eating date zongzi most, but you always just ate the dates and left the glutinous rice, complaining it wasn’t sweet enough. This time Mother had them put in several more dates – let’s see if you’re still picky.”

A layer of moisture rose in Wei Rao’s eyes.

Lu Zhuo smiled: “Your Ladyship doesn’t know – since Raorao started practicing martial arts, her appetite has greatly increased. One zongzi like this isn’t enough to fill her up. How could she bear to leave any behind?”

Wei Rao’s sharp glare swept over to him.

Lu Zhuo said apologetically: “You can pick out all the dates you want. Give me the leftover glutinous rice.”

Wei Rao turned her head away again.

She was being picky, but Xiao Zhou Shi thought her daughter and son-in-law were flirting, which was a hundred times sweeter than being politely courteous.

After the meal, the group went to the grassland to race horses.

The Fourth Prince was still small. Lu Zhuo placed the Fourth Prince on his horse’s back, wanting to take him for a ride.

Wei Rao worried that, as a grown man who had never cared for children, what if he dropped her little brother?

Lu Zhuo looked toward the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince insisted on horse racing.

Wei Rao had no choice but to say: “Then come here. Sister will take you.” She was his real sister and would care more about her little brother than Lu Zhuo, that fake brother-in-law.

However, the Fourth Prince expressed doubt about her riding skills, his small hands tightly gripping Lu Zhuo’s hands.

Wei Rao gritted her teeth.

Lu Zhuo smiled: “How about we race? Run from here to the river and back. Whoever returns first gets to take His Highness riding.”

Wei Rao wasn’t afraid of him, but proposed that they both use horses from the Xing Palace; otherwise, her date-red horse would lose to Lu Zhuo’s Fei Mo.

Lu Zhuo agreed.

Xiao Zhou Shi called the Fourth Prince to her side. Mother and son sat on cushions, smiling as they watched the two race horses.

Palace servants brought horses. Lu Zhuo asked Wei Rao to choose first.

Wei Rao unceremoniously picked the horse that looked stronger.

Xiao Zhou Shi announced the start, and both fast horses charged out simultaneously.

Wei Rao just charged forward, her white dress like a light cloud floating under the azure sky.

Lu Zhuo maintained speed and rode alongside her, watching her forehead hair being tousled by the wind, watching her fair cheeks flush with two patches of charming red from running. Lu Zhuo chuckled softly, moved closer to Wei Rao, and said: “At another time, I would yield to Madam, but today in front of Your Ladyship, if I lose to Madam, what face would I have left to be Your Ladyship’s son-in-law?”

When not performing, he called her “Madam” at every turn, his teasing intention practically written on his face. Wei Rao flew into a rage and lashed her whip toward his left leg.

Lu Zhuo had originally planned to tease her a bit, then run ahead, not expecting Wei Rao to strike. Seeing her whip coming at him, Lu Zhuo’s lips curved upward. Not only did he not dodge, he urged his horse forward, taking Wei Rao’s lash while reaching out with his long arm to encircle her waist. Amid Wei Rao’s screams and the horse’s neighing, he pulled Wei Rao onto the front of his horse!

Xiao Zhou Shi was stunned.

The Fourth Prince excitedly stood up – brother-in-law was so strong!

Without its master, Wei Rao’s horse ran by itself for a while before stopping to graze. Meanwhile, Wei Rao was being held around her slender waist by Lu Zhuo’s single hand. With every gallop of the horse, her back would hit Lu Zhuo’s chest, and Lu Zhuo’s chin almost touched her face.

“Let go.” Wei Rao’s face was like ice.

Lu Zhuo laughed: “Your Ladyship is watching from afar. If I drop you, what will Your Ladyship think?”

Wei Rao gritted her teeth.

Lu Zhuo slightly relaxed his arm, his slender fingers lightly resting in the small of her right waist, only now truly discovering how thin her waist was.

With a beauty in his arms, Lu Zhuo’s gaze dropped slightly. What met his eyes was her flushed, delicate cheek. Her earlobe was so close – if he moved slightly closer, he could take it into his mouth.

“Put me down when we reach the river. You go get His Highness,” Wei Rao could feel his breath against her. That was an unfamiliar masculine scent. Wei Rao didn’t like it and didn’t want to be pressed so close to him.

Lu Zhuo looked up and saw that the grassland river, like a silver ribbon, was already close ahead, the sound of rushing water audible.

Lu Zhuo said nothing. Reaching the river, he reined in his horse, dismounted first, then reached out to help Wei Rao down.

Wei Rao wanted to slap his hand away, but feared Lu Zhuo would take advantage and do something else, so she ignored him and got down by herself.

Lu Zhuo smiled, told her to wait a moment, then rode his horse toward Xiao Zhou Shi and her son.

Seeing Xiao Zhou Shi, Lu Zhuo said shamefully: “Just now, this son-in-law was improper. Please forgive me, Your Ladyship.”

Xiao Zhou Shi asked curiously: “Why did Raorao want to hit you?”

Lu Zhuo smiled bitterly, glanced at the Fourth Prince, and explained: “Raorao wanted me to let her win. I didn’t.”

Xiao Zhou Shi pressed her forehead. Over such a small matter, her daughter wanted to whip her son-in-law. This temper was like hers.

“Your Ladyship should go find Raorao. I’ll take His Highness around for a look,” Lu Zhuo said with a bow.

Xiao Zhou Shi instructed her son to behave obediently.

The Fourth Prince cheered and threw himself at Lu Zhuo, who lifted him high and raised him above his head.

Wei Rao, sitting by the river, could hear her little brother’s clear laughter.

Author’s Note: Here’s the second update, see you tomorrow~

Let me say a bit more. I haven’t written that kind of passionate emotion for a long time – not the dramatic plot of living and dying for someone, but the struggle of emotions. Like in “Happy Debt,” Song Mo knew Tang Huan was a big liar who just wanted to deceive his body, yet was still willing to fulfill Huanhuan’s wishes. Like in “The Path to Being Favored,” where Xu Jin guessed that Fu Rong had also been reborn and was always acting to deceive him, not wanting to marry him and wanting to hook up with others, yet still fell in love and coughed up blood, loving her.

Back to Wei Rao and Lu Zhuo – two proud people, one of them has to lower their head first. Lu Zhuo looked down on Raorao first, so I have to write him knowing all of Raorao’s flaws, clearly angered by Raorao to the point of losing composure, yet still willing to put down all his pride for Raorao’s sake and beg this woman to return to his side.

Ah, I don’t know what I’m trying to express either. In any case, when it should be fast, it will be fast, and when it should be written in detail, I can only write it slowly.