The hour after noon was the hottest time of the day, especially in this blazing summer heat.

Lu Zhuo knelt in front of the main gate of Liubo Palace, kneeling in a place where tree shade couldn’t reach, while before him, the palace gates remained tightly shut.

Beads of sweat rolled down his handsome face one by one. The part of his back that had been soaked by water from the vase had long since been dried by the sun.

“Your Highness, the heir has been kneeling for an hour already,” Aunt Ying said, coming to the bedside, speaking to Xiao Zhou Shi, who lay listlessly on the bed.

Xiao Zhou Shi kept her eyes closed, her beautiful face still bearing tear stains.

She didn’t want to regret her past decisions because regret was useless, but her heart ached for her daughter.

With her daughter’s beauty, even the hot-blooded Lu Zhuo had resisted consummating their marriage – one could imagine how much Lu Zhuo had looked down on her daughter at that time.

Xiao Zhou Shi knew that Lu Zhuo had the capital to be proud and aloof. She could understand him looking down on other young ladies, but Wei Rao was her daughter, the lovely daughter she had carried for ten months and given birth to – so beautiful, so tender, so endearing, so pitiful. Yet Lu Zhuo had forced her daughter to the point of begging him to act, and thinking of her daughter’s humility when pleading with Lu Zhuo, Xiao Zhou Shi’s tears flowed again.

This was too much!

If Lu Zhuo hadn’t come to seek her forgiveness, Xiao Zhou Shi wouldn’t have had the authority to punish a Shenwu Army deputy general. But since Lu Zhuo had delivered himself to her door, since Lu Zhuo liked to kneel, then let him kneel!

Xiao Zhou Shi forbade anyone from informing her daughter. Her daughter was still willing to cover for Lu Zhuo – perhaps her heart had been softened by Lu Zhuo’s repeated pursuits – but as a mother, she had to vent this anger for her daughter, had to let Lu Zhuo know that her daughter also had someone who loved and protected her, that she wasn’t someone he could casually bully!

Since the mistress forbade it, no one dared go to Yuquan Palace to report.

Although Wei Rao’s Yuquan Palace faced Liubo Palace across the lake, she could only see the back of Liubo Palace, not what was happening in front.

When Xiao Zhou Shi parted from Wei Rao, she said Emperor Yuanjia had summoned her to share lunch, and when she returned in the evening, they would have a good talk. Wei Rao assumed her mother would be kept by Emperor Yuanjia at the Hall of Diligent Government, so after eating lunch, Wei Rao also went to take a nap. No matter how comfortable her carriage was, it couldn’t compare to a real bed for comfort and sleep.

After many days of travel, Wei Rao slept until the red sun slanted west, waking still drowsy.

Bitao suddenly ran over, saying frantically: “Princess, the heir is kneeling in front of Liubo Palace! Just now, I saw palace servants looking around near Liubo Palace as if there was some excitement, so I sent someone to check. They said the heir has been sunburned beyond recognition, and no one knows how long he’s been kneeling!”

Wei Rao’s drowsiness immediately vanished. After brief consideration, she guessed that her mother’s lunch with Emperor Yuanjia was false – borrowing Emperor Yuanjia to summon Lu Zhuo for a reckoning was the truth. And Lu Zhuo should have told her mother the truth, which is why he was being punished to kneel.

Wei Rao could understand her mother’s fury. As for Lu Zhuo, ever since he had jumped into the river to search for herbs for her for half the day, Wei Rao had already calmed down. And at the dragon boat race, when the Empress and various young ladies had wanted to see her made a fool of, Lu Zhuo’s gift had both pleased her and thoroughly slapped those people in the face. He was so good at handling situations – why would Wei Rao continue tormenting him?

Of course, if Lu Zhuo still wanted to marry her, he would inevitably have to kneel and beg her mother’s forgiveness. This was the sincerity he owed her mother as a junior.

There was a covered pleasure boat on the lake in front of Yuquan Palace. Wei Rao tidied herself up and boarded the boat with Bitao and Eunuch Wei.

Evening was approaching, and the sunlight had become much gentler. A pleasant, cool breeze blew across the lake’s surface. Facing the lake scenery, Wei Rao’s mood was calm.

The small boat quickly reached shore. The palace servants at Liubo Palace had already spotted the small boat drifting over from Yuquan Palace. After confirming it was the Princess, they immediately invited Wei Rao in.

Wei Rao didn’t go to see her mother first, but instead held a parasol and quietly came to the tightly shut palace gates of Liubo Palace. Through the narrow gap in the palace gates, Wei Rao immediately saw Lu Zhuo kneeling directly in front – truly sunburned beyond recognition, his face and neck completely red, but his lips were dry and pale from dehydration. His crimson official robe was soaked with sweat. Only because he was naturally handsome could he still retain some elegance even sunburned like this – anyone else would have looked so wretched as to be disgusting.

Having seen enough, Wei Rao returned to the inner hall.

Xiao Zhou Shi had freshened up again and had palace servants prepare fruits. As soon as Wei Rao entered, Xiao Zhou Shi called her daughter to sit beside her and eat together.

Wei Rao picked up a lychee, peeling it while curiously asking her mother: “Mother, what did the heir tell you?”

Xiao Zhou Shi said coldly: “Whatever he did, that’s what he said.”

Wei Rao looked at Aunt Ying, who shook her head – she hadn’t personally heard the heir’s words either.

Before Wei Rao could ask more, Xiao Zhou Shi suddenly reddened around the eyes. She dismissed Aunt Ying first, then said to her daughter with heartache, “Raorao, do you still want to plead for him? When he treated you that way, refusing to consummate the marriage and making you beg him to act with you – if someone treated me that way, I would never turn back.”

Wei Rao nearly choked on the lychee flesh in her mouth. After swallowing, she said in shock: “I begged him to act with me?”

Xiao Zhou Shi angrily repeated Lu Zhuo’s words.

Wei Rao understood – Lu Zhuo’s sincerity was indeed sufficient; he had deliberately exaggerated his wrongdoing.

Wei Rao then gave her mother a complete account. Lu Zhuo’s looking down on her was real, but she had her pride, too, at the time. She had guessed Lu Zhuo’s thoughts, so she hadn’t used the gratitude from the marriage for good fortune to force him to be a real husband to her, but instead proposed the five-year agreement. When signing the contract, Wei Rao didn’t resent Lu Zhuo for anything – it was a fair transaction. Otherwise, if she had indicated she had to be the heir’s wife of Duke Ying Mansion, given Lu Zhuo’s character, no matter how unwilling he was, he would have given her the dignity due to a wife.

“Mother, he’s not that bad, and it’s been three years. Considering that he knows how to repent, please forgive him,” Wei Rao said with a smile.

What Wei Rao most disliked was Lu Zhuo’s arrogance. Now that Lu Zhuo had humbled his pride for her and bowed his head to her, Wei Rao’s anger was gone, and she forgave him.

After hearing her daughter’s explanation, Xiao Zhou Shi felt a bit better in her heart. Seeing Wei Rao’s calm and charming manner as she ate lychees, Xiao Zhou Shi sighed: “Raorao speaks so much in his favor – do you want to renew your previous relationship with him?”

Hearing this, Wei Rao lowered her head, and a layer of red flush appeared on her fair, luminous face.

She couldn’t deny that she was happy when Lu Zhuo pursued her so publicly.

Wei Rao also couldn’t deny that when Lu Zhuo jumped into the Shun River to search for bitter herbs for her in front of the Shenwu Army soldiers and watching civilians, that “splash” had also stirred ripples in her heart.

Lu Zhuo’s face, Lu Zhuo’s talents, plus his later sincerity – she couldn’t refuse.

Besides that, Lu Zhuo also had a family that liked and treated her well.

If Wei Rao were to marry, looking around the capital, there truly was no better choice than Lu Zhuo.

Was she willing to marry Lu Zhuo, the person?

Wei Rao was willing.

Xiao Zhou Shi understood. Lu Zhuo was sincerely repentant, and her daughter was willing too. If she continued to obstruct, it would instead easily create resentment between the two.

Xiao Zhou Shi told her daughter to sit in the inner hall while she moved to the main hall and ordered someone to summon Lu Zhuo in.

The palace gates of Liubo Palace, which had been tightly shut for half the day, finally opened. Lu Zhuo raised his eyes and saw Aunt Ying.

Aunt Ying said politely, “Young Master Lu, Her Highness requests you to enter.”

Lu Zhuo nodded. His legs had long since gone numb. He braced himself with one hand on the ground, paused to recover, then slowly stood up.

That crimson official robe was soaked with sweat on both chest and back. Though disheveled, because of his face, no one would find him disgusting – they would only feel sorry that he had suffered such hardship.

Lu Zhuo’s body was fine, but he was very thirsty.

After Lu Zhuo entered the palace gates, only then did a little palace maid emerge from behind Aunt Ying, carrying a tray with a teapot and towels.

Lu Zhuo thanked Aunt Ying, grabbed the teapot, and tilted his head back to drink, gulping down half the pot in one breath before setting it down. He took the half-damp towel with both hands and wiped his hands, face, and neck. All traces of sweat were wiped away, revealing his handsome face again. His lips, moistened with water, regained some ruddiness, giving him a kind of weak and haggard appearance of someone recovering from serious illness.

Seeing this, Aunt Ying thought heaven was truly partial – Young Master Lu was born with such looks that as long as he sincerely sought marriage, which young lady could refuse him?

After briefly tidying up, Lu Zhuo was brought before Xiao Zhou Shi.

Lu Zhuo was about to kneel again, but Xiao Zhou Shi stopped him in time. Looking Lu Zhuo up and down, Xiao Zhou Shi said indifferently: “Young Master is too polite. Earlier, I thought you had bullied my daughter, so your kneeling to me was proper, which is why I didn’t stop you. Now Raorao has already explained the whole story to me. You two both acted according to your agreement – fair and just. You simply looked down on Raorao, which is hardly a fault. The divorce was perfect – Young Master can marry another virtuous wife, and I can choose another good husband for Raorao.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhuo immediately knelt regardless of his aching knees, pleading earnestly: “Your Highness, three years ago, Lu Zhuo was blind. Now, Lu Zhuo has eyes only for the Princess. This subject once swore to marry none but the Princess. Please grant this, Your Highness.”

Wei Rao hid behind the curtain in the inner hall. Seeing Lu Zhuo’s forehead breaking out in sweat again from pain, she finally felt a trace of sympathy.

Xiao Zhou Shi remained unmoved, looking at the palace buildings behind Lu Zhuo: “Whether you make vows or not, what does it matter to me? I only know my Raorao is the best young lady under heaven, and as her mother, I naturally want to select the best young man under heaven for her. Three years ago, I wasn’t in the capital and had no opportunity. Now, times are different. Young Master, just wait – when Raorao remarries, I will ensure she marries with great glory.”

Having said this, Xiao Zhou Shi ordered Aunt Ying to see the guest out and walked toward the inner hall.

Wei Rao hastily stepped aside.

Aunt Ying then politely escorted Lu Zhuo out.

Lu Zhuo’s heart was in turmoil.

He had always wanted to earn Wei Rao’s forgiveness, to win back her heart. It wasn’t until their meeting by the Shun River, when Wei Rao finally was willing to speak with him, let him jump into the river to find herbs, and gave him opportunities to please her, that Lu Zhuo saw a glimmer of hope. When she accepted his honey date dumplings and his golden oriole, Lu Zhuo finally had some confidence in her success.

But had Wei Rao truly forgiven him? Or perhaps she had forgiven him but didn’t like him, wasn’t willing to remarry him?

In the capital, Wei Rao could completely make her own marriage decisions, but now at the traveling palace, she was so respectful and filial to her mother. If Xiao Zhou Shi insisted on choosing a new husband for her, would Wei Rao agree? Even worse, perhaps Xiao Zhou Shi spoke that way precisely because Wei Rao had first given some indication, first asking her mother to help her choose a good marriage?

Suddenly, Lu Zhuo had no confidence whatsoever in Wei Rao’s feelings.

And among those who had followed the imperial procession to the traveling palace, besides court officials, there were quite a few talented young men. Even if those men were inferior to him in family background, talent, and appearance, at least they hadn’t offended Wei Rao and her mother. What if Xiao Zhou Shi picked out someone from among them who satisfied Wei Rao? That Li Wei – Wei Rao had been willing to watch him compete with Qi Zhongkai. Had she already been moved?

That night, Lu Zhuo couldn’t sleep at all.