“Why are you here?”

After confirming that Lu Zhuo wasn’t in league with the two assassins and had no intention of attacking her, Wei Rao patted the dust off her skirt and stood up.

At this moment, her appearance was somewhat disheveled. After all, she had climbed mountains and played in water. Her hair had been pressed under her cap for a long time, and she had only casually arranged it while sitting on the shore before noticing the danger, without properly tidying herself.

Yet that lustrous white face, with slate eyebrows and phoenix eyes, lips like washed vermilion, was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Though in men’s clothing, her brocade robe was magnificent, her slender waist graceful. Like a charming peony among wild grass, she was alluring and enchanting, outstanding among all.

Lu Zhuo thought this Fourth Lady indeed deserved Qi Zhongkai’s praise as “the capital’s foremost beauty,” but she was rather too rebellious and untamed.

“Is this how you treat your lifesaver?”

He stood tall and upright, his position also higher than Wei Rao’s, his cold brows and eyes showing the bearing of one in authority.

Lifesaver?

Wei Rao looked down. The two assassins lay face down on the grass, each with an additional eerie red bloodstain on their exposed necks.

From this, it appeared Lu Zhuo had indeed intended to save her.

The question was: when had Lu Zhuo arrived, how long had he been watching, and why had he chosen to act precisely when she was in the most danger?

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Wei Rao raised her head, her eyes showing only wariness, no gratitude whatsoever.

Lu Zhuo saw her suspicion, and a cold smile appeared on his handsome face: “I was appreciating plum blossoms in the mountains when I inadvertently noticed these two acting suspiciously and tracked them here. What, does Miss Wei suspect I’m in league with them?”

Wei Rao said, “Not at all. It’s just that these two should have been lying in ambush here for some time. I’m curious what Young Master Lu was doing during that period.”

Lu Zhuo turned sideways and pointed to where he had hidden: “Before understanding their intentions, I couldn’t act rashly. However, improper things should not be viewed—Miss Wei can rest assured.”

Lu Zhuo had glanced once at the situation in the pool water, then looked away, believing he hadn’t seen any details.

“But Young Master Lu also didn’t stop these two men’s improper behavior.” Wei Rao said sarcastically.

She wasn’t ungrateful for Lu Zhuo’s help, even though she didn’t need it. But Lu Zhuo’s motives weren’t that pure, and his high and mighty attitude was also offensive.

She didn’t require Lu Zhuo to be a gentleman, but he shouldn’t claim to be one either. If he were truly a gentleman, he shouldn’t have watched with open eyes as two miscreants took advantage of several young ladies.

Wei Rao and her two cousins weren’t people who cared much about propriety—they didn’t mind much that two dead men had glimpsed their calves. If it were others, they might cry themselves to death.

“If one adheres to ‘improper actions should not be taken,’ how can there be others ‘improper viewing should not be done’?” Lu Zhuo lightly countered.

Had it been daughters of other families today, Lu Zhuo would never have given those two assassins the chance to spy. These few young ladies, including Wei Rao, truly needed a lesson.

Having reached this point in the conversation, Wei Rao finally understood Lu Zhuo’s meaning.

Helping you was real, and teaching you a lesson was also real.

“Thank you for Young Master Lu’s well-intentioned instruction. I’ve received the lesson. After today, we won’t venture into the mountains alone again. However, my other family sisters are all delicate women. Should Young Master Lu encounter them being plotted against by villains in the future, please assist them promptly. Wei Rao and her family will all remember Young Master Lu’s kindness. But if only I encounter danger, Young Master Lu may completely ignore it.”

Lu Zhuo frowned. What did she mean?

Wei Rao didn’t wish to say more. Pointing to the two corpses on the ground, she said, “I must return now. Please trouble Young Master Lu to handle this.”

After speaking, Wei Rao walked out of the depression and passed by Lu Zhuo without a sideways glance.

Lu Zhuo stood with his back to her, his furrowed brow not relaxing despite Wei Rao’s departure.

She was the one who had acted rashly and recklessly. Not being grateful was one thing, but what did this sarcastic tone mean?

“Sister Rao, why did you go so far?”

“I saw two black snakes.”

“Ah, there are snakes here?”

“Yes. Let’s take these few fish back to eat. Those two snakes were unusual—they might attract other snakes.”

The young ladies hurriedly packed up the things they had brought and left under Wei Rao’s leadership.

Lu Zhuo hid among the trees, watching the figures departing. His heart felt slightly comforted—at least they still knew danger and weren’t completely stubborn.

As for the implications in Wei Rao’s words, Lu Zhuo looked at the two corpses on the ground, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

When Lu Zhuo first noticed the two men, he had discovered they didn’t seem like ordinary ruffians or even mountain bandits. Their cautious behavior was more like that of trained assassins.

Those who could maintain assassins were either wealthy or noble.

The assassins’ purpose was also clear—they only targeted Wei Rao, not the other young ladies.

For lust, or her life?

Lu Zhuo’s gaze turned cold. Though he disapproved of Wei Rao’s behavior, she was merely a young lady spoiled by her elders. Who would be so vicious as to harm her?

Lu Zhuo bent down and turned over the two corpses, trying to find clues on them. After checking their robes and pockets, Lu Zhuo looked up and was about to remove the black cloth from their faces when his gaze suddenly fixed on a small red dot in the center of one assassin’s forehead, like a bright red mole.

Lu Zhuo looked at the other man—sure enough, he had one too, in the same position.

The scene of Wei Rao rolling half a circle on the ground when the two men pounced suddenly surfaced in his mind. The subsequent actions had been completely blocked from view. Lu Zhuo’s heart trembled.

That girl dared to kill people?

“If only I encounter danger, Young Master Lu may completely ignore it.”

Lu Zhuo finally understood this sentence.

Half a roll and two lives were lost. With such skill, even two more assassins might not be her match.

At the foot of Cloud Mist Mountain, Wei Rao listened to Zhou Huizhu and Huo Lin with a smile on her face, but her heart was ice-cold.

After four years, someone wanted her life again.

Earl Cheng’an’s mansion had no enemies. Counting her maternal grandmother’s side, the only ones they had offended were people in the palace—either the Empress Dowager, who was jealous of her grandmother being respected by Emperor Yuanjia, or other consorts who were jealous of her mother’s unparalleled favor from Emperor Yuanjia back then. However, her mother had been sent to the Western Mountain Palace over two years ago, and Emperor Yuanjia paid no attention to her. The consorts had no reason to suddenly go mad. The only recent attention-drawing event in the family was her grandmother’s birthday, when Emperor Yuanjia had sent gifts.

So, was it the Empress Dowager again?

Sending assassins but not targeting all the sisters, only striking when she was alone—this was meant to disguise it as an ordinary assault, wasn’t it?

Ruthless and vicious, truly worthy of the harem winner who had fought the late emperor’s consorts to death.

Wei Rao gripped the reins in her hands tightly, not even noticing when the rough rope rubbed her palms raw.

The sisters rode along the small path and soon returned to the leisure estate.

Shou’an Jun was planting vegetables.

The leisure estate was too beautiful. Shou’an Jun couldn’t bear to spoil the carefully arranged scenery inside, so she had opened up a vegetable plot outside the estate. This small piece of land both satisfied her interest in personally farming and was convenient to manage without being too tiring.

Eunuch Li accompanied Shou’an Jun. The master and servant each held a hoe, looking from afar like an old farming couple.

Wei Rao told Zhou Huizhu and Huo Lin to enter the estate first. After dismounting, she didn’t even bring Bitao and ran to the vegetable field by herself.

“Why are you back so quickly?” Shou’an Jun asked curiously. Which time didn’t her granddaughter play in the mountains for half the day?

Eunuch Li was her grandmother’s confidant, so Wei Rao didn’t need to hide anything. She sat on the ground at the edge of the field and said hatefully, “We encountered two assassins.”

Both Shou’an Jun and Eunuch Li stopped their work.

After a long while, Shou’an Jun had Wei Rao hold up the large porcelain bowl containing vegetable seeds. Grandmother and granddaughter—one tilling the soil, one sowing seeds—spoke in low voices.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine. They only targeted me. Huizhu and the others don’t know. I handled it quietly, but I ran into Lu Zhuo, the heir of Duke Ying’s mansion.”

Shou’an Jun was shocked again: “Lu Zhuo?”

Wei Rao nodded and explained the whole story.

Shou’an Jun thought for a moment and said, “He didn’t know you could protect yourself. Delaying his intervention was also well-intentioned. Rao Rao shouldn’t blame him.”

Wei Rao said, “I understand. I thanked him.”

If not for herself, then for her other sisters—what if they truly needed Lu Zhuo’s help someday?

Though that person’s attitude was arrogant, his heart was righteous, and he was willing to act to save completely unrelated weak people.

Shou’an Jun knew this granddaughter was always reasonable.

As for those assassins, Shou’an Jun could guess who had sent them. The problem was that their family had no power or influence and could do nothing about that person.

“Endure it. There’s no other way.” Shou’an Jun sighed deeply, looking at Wei Rao. “The assassins specifically waited until you went into the mountains to act, which shows they still have some apprehensions. Let’s learn our lesson—don’t go alone to play in the mountains anymore. If you want to go, bring several guards and travel openly on the official road.”

Wei Rao clutched the vegetable seeds in her palm and said unwillingly, “Going less often doesn’t matter much, but it’s frustrating.”

Four years ago, she had nearly died in that ice pit. The real culprit received no punishment, and now they were at it again.

Shou’an Jun glanced toward the capital and smiled, patting Wei Rao’s head: “Don’t be frustrated. There’s nothing to be frustrated about. Others are jealous of us, which is why they want to harm us. As long as we’re careful and don’t fall into their trap, that person’s schemes won’t succeed. Adding anger to anger will harm their health, and they won’t be able to bounce around much longer.”

That person in the palace was the same age as her but in much worse health, not even comparable to Old Madam Wei with her chronic leg problems.

According to Shou’an Jun’s knowledge, when the Empress Dowager had framed her daughter and granddaughter years ago, half her illness was feigned, but the other half was real. These past two years, she had relied entirely on medicinal pills to sustain her life. Medicine was three parts poison—taking it occasionally was fine, but eating pills like meals daily was tantamount to fighting poison with poison, definitely not a recipe for longevity.

“Think about it—if she were living comfortably, would she continue to resent a small wet nurse like me?” Shou’an Jun gave Wei Rao a meaningful look that could only be understood, not spoken.

Wei Rao was amused by her grandmother’s broad-minded cheerfulness.

“People who aren’t comfortable themselves want others to be uncomfortable along with them.” Shou’an Jun continued digging soil, her expression already restored to contentment.

In her view, the Empress Dowager was too fond of competing for favor. When the late emperor was alive, she competed with his other women, drawing pleasure from the victories in these struggles. After the late emperor died, the Empress Dowager became the biggest winner in the harem, with no one left to compete with her. Instead, the Empress Dowager found herself uncomfortably idle. Looking back, she discovered that her emperor son was more affectionate toward a wet nurse than toward her, so the Empress Dowager immediately began competing for her son’s filial devotion.

This didn’t seem like a mother toward her son, but more like a wife toward her husband.

“I’ve already driven that wretched woman out of the palace, yet you still make a big show of sending her gifts, making the entire capital laugh at me—how can this be acceptable?”

Imagining the jealous rage and resentment in the Empress Dowager’s belly, Shou’an Jun shuddered.

Having such a mother, Emperor Yuanjia had it quite difficult, too.

“Rao Rao, be obedient. From now on, just stay with me at the estate. If we can’t provoke her, we can at least avoid her.” Shou’an Jun instructed again.

Wei Rao looked at her grandmother’s grand estate, with beautiful scenery and water. There was nothing to regret.